Guile is one of those cards players keep asking about. Here is, in plain words, what its official text says, the rulings published by Wizards of the Coast, and the combos players actually run.
Official card text
This creature can't be blocked except by three or more creatures. If a spell or ability you control would counter a spell, instead exile that spell and you may play that card without paying its mana cost. When Guile is put into a graveyard from anywhere, shuffle it into its owner's library.
Complete guide
Guile is a powerhouse Elemental Incarnation that turns your denial into theft. Instead of simply stopping your opponent's spells, this blue behemoth lets you hijack them and cast them for free. Furthermore, its massive evasion makes it a reliable win condition that is incredibly difficult to keep in the graveyard.
Stealing the Stack
Guile features a powerful replacement effect. If a spell or ability you control would counter a spell, that spell is exiled instead of being put into the graveyard. The spell was never technically 'countered.' Once exiled, Guile gives you the immediate option to play that card without paying its mana cost. If you choose not to cast it right then, the card remains in exile indefinitely and cannot be cast later.
Resolution Step by Step
When you use a countering effect while Guile is on the battlefield, follow these steps: First, the counter effect is replaced by Guile's exile effect. Second, you decide whether to cast the exiled card immediately. If you do, it goes onto the stack under your control. Finally, the original counter spell or ability finishes resolving any remaining effects it might have. If you were countering a spell that 'can't be countered,' Guile's ability will not trigger because the original counter effect fails to apply.
The Graveyard Shuffle
Guile is highly resilient. Whenever it is put into a graveyard from anywhere—whether discarded, milled, or destroyed on the battlefield—a triggered ability goes on the stack to shuffle it back into your library. Note that this is a triggered ability that happens from the graveyard. If Guile is exiled from the graveyard in response to this trigger, the shuffle still happens, but Guile stays in the exile zone.
Strategic Implementation
You should play Guile when you have established board control or have mana up to protect it. Since it requires three or more creatures to be blocked, it often represents an unblockable seven damage. It is best used in 'Draw-Go' decks where you can threaten to steal any high-impact spell your opponent attempts to resolve.
Interaction examples
Hullbreaker HorrorIf your opponent casts Hullbreaker Horror and you attempt to use a counterspell while Guile is out, Guile does nothing. Because Hullbreaker Horror states it 'can't be countered,' the counterspell fails to affect it. Since no counter event occurs, Guile's replacement effect never sees a spell to exile and steal.
Psychosis CrawlerIf you control Guile and use a spell to counter an opponent's Psychosis Crawler, Guile exiles it. You may then cast Psychosis Crawler for free. When it enters the battlefield under your control, its power and toughness will be determined by the number of cards in your hand, not your opponent's, and its life-loss ability will now trigger for you whenever you draw cards.
When you attack with Guile, your opponent cannot block it with just one or two creatures. They must declare at least three creatures as blockers on Guile simultaneously. If they only have two creatures, Guile is effectively unblockable, allowing you to deal 6 damage directly to their life total.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Guile
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· Wizards of the Coast
Guile's second ability replaces "counter [a certain spell]" with "exile [a certain spell] and you may cast it without paying its mana cost." You have the option to cast it immediately upon its exile. If you choose not to, it remains exiled and you don't get another chance to cast it. If the spell or ability that tried to counter the spell has additional effects, it then continues to resolve.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #2· Wizards of the Coast
Exiling the spell is mandatory. Casting it is not.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #3· Wizards of the Coast
A spell exiled this way was never actually countered.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #4· Wizards of the Coast
If a spell or ability you control attempts to counter a spell that can't be countered, it doesn't. Since the spell wouldn't be countered, Guile's ability has no effect on it. The spell will continue to resolve normally.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #5· Wizards of the Coast
The last ability triggers when the Incarnation is put into its owner's graveyard from any zone, not just from on the battlefield.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #6· Wizards of the Coast
Although this ability triggers when the Incarnation is put into a graveyard from the battlefield, it doesn't *specifically* trigger on leaving the battlefield, so it doesn't behave like other leaves-the-battlefield abilities. The ability will trigger from the graveyard.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #7· Wizards of the Coast
If the Incarnation had lost this ability while on the battlefield (due to Lignify, for example) and then was destroyed, the ability would still trigger and it would get shuffled into its owner's library. However, if the Incarnation lost this ability when it was put into the graveyard (due to Yixlid Jailer, for example), the ability wouldn't trigger and the Incarnation would remain in the graveyard.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #8· Wizards of the Coast
If the Incarnation is removed from the graveyard after the ability triggers but before it resolves, it will remain in its new zone when its owner shuffles their library. Similarly, if a replacement effect has the Incarnation move to a different zone instead of being put into the graveyard, the ability won't trigger at all.
No other card is named in this ruling.
Popular combos
Real combos played by the community, sorted by popularity.
Guile + Flusterstorm
- 1Cast the additional instant or sorcery spell.
- 2Holding priority, cast Flusterstorm by paying
, targeting the instant or sorcery. - 3Flusterstorm's storm ability triggers, creating a copy of Flusterstorm for each spell you've cast before it this turn, with each copy targeting the original Flusterstorm.
- 4Resolve a copy of Flusterstorm, exiling Flusterstorm and allowing you to cast it from exile without paying its mana cost, targeting the instant or sorcery spell.
- 5Repeat from step 3.
Dovescape + Guile
- 1Cast any noncreature spell from your hand by paying its mana cost.
- 2Dovescape triggers, exiling the spell, causing you to cast the spell without paying its mana cost, and creating a number of 1/1 Bird creature tokens equal to the spell's mana value.
- 3Repeat step 2.
Guile + Vexing Bauble
- 1Cast any spell using only colorless mana.
- 2Vexing Bauble triggers, exiling the spell and casting it from exile without paying its mana cost.
- 3Repeat from step 2.
Guile + Void Mirror
- 1Cast any spell using only colorless mana.
- 2Void Mirror triggers, exiling the spell and casting it from exile without paying its mana cost.
- 3Repeat from step 2.
Grandmother Goby + Guile
- 1Cast the noncreature card by paying its mana cost.
- 2Grandmother Goby triggers, attempting to counter the spell. Instead, the spell is exiled and you will cast the spell from exile without paying its mana cost due to Guile.
- 3Repeat step 2.
Guile + Chalice of the Void
- 1Cast any spell that has a mana value equal to the number of charge counters on Chalice of the Void.
- 2Chalice of the Void triggers, exiling the spell and casting it from exile without paying its mana cost.
- 3Repeat from step 2.
Guile + Blood Funnel
- 1Cast the noncreature spell.
- 2Blood Funnel triggers; decline to sacrifice a creature and let the spell be countered.
- 3Guile replaces Blood Funnel's countering of the spell; exile the spell and cast it for free again.
- 4Blood Funnel triggers again; repeat this loop for infinite storm count.
Guile + In the Eye of Chaos
- 1Cast any instant.
- 2In the Eye of Chaos triggers, choose not to pay for the trigger, exiling the instant and casting it from exile without paying its mana cost.
- 3Repeat from step 2.
Legal formats
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Meta decks with Guile
No archived Top 8 deck with this card yet.