Kiora's Follower 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

: Untap another target permanent.

Complete guide

Kiora's Follower is a versatile Merfolk from the Theros block that provides incredible utility for any deck running Green and Blue. While it might look like a simple mana dork, its ability to untap any permanent makes it a powerful tool for ramp, defense, and combo potential.

Versatile Untapping

The primary strength of Kiora's Follower lies in the word "permanent." Unlike many similar creatures that only target lands or creatures, this Merfolk can untap artifacts, enchantments, planeswalkers, and even lands. This flexibility allows you to reuse powerful activated abilities or simply hold up a blocker after attacking.

Step-by-Step Resolution

To use the ability, Kiora's Follower must not have summoning sickness. First, you activate the ability by tapping Kiora's Follower and choosing 'another' target permanent you wish to untap. The ability goes on the stack. When it resolves, the chosen permanent shifts from a tapped state to an untapped state. Note that if the target is already untapped when the ability tries to resolve, it simply does nothing.

The 'Another' Restriction

A common mistake is attempting to have Kiora's Follower untap itself to create an infinite loop. The Oracle text specifically identifies the target as 'another target permanent.' This means Kiora's Follower can never be the target of its own activated ability. However, two copies of Kiora's Follower can untap each other indefinitely, which can trigger other effects that care about permanents untapping.

Strategic Timing

You should typically use Kiora's Follower during your turn to double your mana production or activate a utility permanent twice. Alternatively, keeping it untapped during your opponent's turn allows you to untap a creature after attackers are declared, giving you a surprise blocker that your opponent didn't account for during their combat math.

Interaction examples

Explosive Mana Ramp

Llanowar Elves

With both creatures on the battlefield and no summoning sickness, you can tap Llanowar Elves to add {G} to your mana pool. Then, tap Kiora's Follower targeting Llanowar Elves. The Elves become untapped, allowing you to tap them again for a second {G}. This simple interaction effectively turns the Follower into an extra copy of your best mana producer.

Fixing and Accelerating

Birds of Paradise

If you need two different colors of mana but only have one Birds of Paradise, Kiora's Follower solves the problem. Tap Birds of Paradise for Blue mana, then use the Follower to untap the Bird. You can now tap the Birds of Paradise again to produce Green or any other color, effectively filtering and doubling your mana output in a single turn.

Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.