Image courtesy of Scryfall.com
Kiora's Follower Popularity Score: Community Usage Revealed
When you look at how players build around reference points in Commander, some creatures quietly become the backbone of a surprisingly broad spectrum of strategies. Kiora's Follower, a nimble Merfolk from The Lost Caverns of Ixalan Commander (lcc), sits at an interesting crossroads of color identity and utility. With a modest mana cost of {G}{U} and a sturdy 2/2 body, this card isn’t about shocking the board with brute force; it’s about turning taps into opportunities. And in the data-rich world of community usage, that kind of efficiency tends to travel well across different decks and playgroups. 🧙♂️🔥
At a glance: what makes the card tick
- Mana cost: {G}{U} — a two-color investment that signals early-game stickiness in tempo and synergistic strategies.
- Type: Creature — Merfolk
- Power/Toughness: 2/2
- Ability: T: Untap another target permanent. This is a versatile tap effect, letting you reset an artifact, a land, or a key creature’s tap ability for another activation later in the same turn or in subsequent turns.
- Rarity: Uncommon (reprint) — accessible for most budget-conscious players while still delivering meaningful value in multi-player formats
- Set: The Lost Caverns of Ixalan Commander (lcc) — a Commander-focused release that often sees heavy play in the Pioneer-to-Commander ecosystem
- Flavor text: “She may call herself Kiora but I believe she is Thassa, the embodiment of the sea and empress of the depths.” — a flavor thread that ties sea-witch vibes to the card’s practical untap utility.
Flavor and function walk hand in hand here. The art by Eric Deschamps captures a dynamic sea-green moment, and the flavor line nods to Thassa’s dominion, lending a touch of lore to every untap decision you make. In terms of community usage, the neat thing is that this Merfolk isn’t pigeonholed into one archetype. It slots into tempo builds, wheels-and-untaps shells, and even heavy-green-blue control shells that value repeated access to key permanents. 🎨⚔️
Why players gravitate toward untap resilience
The core draw of Kiora's Follower is the reliability of its tap ability. Untapping “another target permanent” sounds humble, but in practice it unlocks a handful of powerful loops. You can:
- Untap a mana rock or land to spike mana earlier than usual, enabling a big spell a turn sooner than expected. Think of it as a gentle nudge toward explosive turns without tipping into “combo” territory prematurely. 💎
- Reignite a tapped creature with a powerful tap ability, reusing effects like card draw or token production in the same sequence of turns. This flexibility keeps your turns flowing and your opponents guessing.
- Set up robust mana-efficient plays in multiplayer games where crowded boards demand tempo and resilience. A single untap can cascade into multiple activations, creating pressure while you develop your board state. 🧙♂️
From a meta perspective, the card’s color identity (G/U) aligns with a long-standing tradition of midrange and control variants in Commander where both ramp and card advantage matter. The card’s nonfoil print status and its price point (USD around 0.18, EUR around 0.44) make it a practical pickup for new players assembling their first blue-green fleet. The EDHREC rank hovering around 1,337 further signals that it isn’t a fringe choice but a recurring presence in community lists. And yes, it’s a reprint—an accessibility factor that tends to boost its adoption in casual and group formats alike. 🔥
Lore meets practical play: flavor, rarity, and deckbuilding
The Lost Caverns of Ixalan Commander brings together a menagerie of Merfolk and Ixalan’s watery temples, where Kiora's Follower stands as a nimble amphibian scout with a knack for finding the right moment to reset a key permanent. The uncommon rarity means you’re likely to encounter this card in general Commander collections, and its legal status in formats like Commander and Legacy makes it a favored pickup for players who enjoy interactions that don’t require a heavy upfront mana investment. The card’s tasteful flavor text and its designer’s eye for balanced power keep it from feeling flashy, while still delivering a reliable tool on the table. ⚔️🎲
As you think about the card in deckbuilding terms, consider a green-blue shell that values card advantage, tempo, and resilient ramp. Pairing Kiora’s Follower with mana rocks, bounce effects, or untap enablers can create a steady engine across the table. It’s not a one-card combo; it’s a tempo-and-resilience engine that rewards careful sequencing and multiturn planning. And if you enjoy a little lore wink with your plays, that flavor text gives you a reason to grin between untaps. 🧙♂️
Practical notes for builders and collectors
- Legal in: historic, timeless, gladiator, pioneer, modern, legacy, commander, etc.—a broad swath of eternal formats adds to its popularity in community circles. 🔎
- Budget-friendly in market pricing makes it a smart add for new players or for dipping into a new guild color pair without overspending. 💎
- Reprint status helps with availability in stores and casual play groups; don’t be surprised to see it show up in precons or local game nights.
- Collectibility note: its EDHREC rank and acceptable market price make it a nice “value through utility” pickup for players who appreciate flexibility over flash. 🪙
For readers who like to tie content to a practical purchase, the same mindset that makes Kiora’s Follower a steady card can be found in everyday gear—like a reliable desk companion while you brew your next deck. If you’re shopping for quality gear to accompany your gaming sessions, check out a dependable rectangular gaming mouse pad—the kind of pick that keeps you comfy during long drafting sessions or multi-hour commander games. 🧩
Ready to elevate your desk setup while you fine-tune your next U/G Merfolk strategy? Your next brew deserves a sturdy surface and a splashy, steady card presence on the board.