Shepherd of the Clouds 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
Flying, vigilance When this creature enters, return target permanent card with mana value 3 or less from your graveyard to your hand. Return that card to the battlefield instead if you control a Mount.
Complete guide
Shepherd of the Clouds is a versatile Pegasus that offers powerful recursion to white decks. Whether you are looking to regain resources or cheat them directly back into play, this creature ensures your best low-cost assets never stay in the graveyard for long.
What It Does
When Shepherd of the Clouds enters the battlefield, it targets a permanent card in your graveyard with a mana value of 3 or less. This includes artifacts, battles, creatures, enchantments, lands, and planeswalkers. Normally, this card goes to your hand, but if you control a Mount, the card is placed directly onto the battlefield instead.
How It Resolves
First, the ability triggers and you choose a target permanent card in your graveyard. Upon resolution, the game checks if you control a creature with the Mount subtype. If you do, the card moves from the graveyard to the battlefield; otherwise, it moves to your hand. If the target card is an Aura being returned to the battlefield, you choose a legal permanent or player for it to enchant as it enters, which does not require targeting.
Common Mistakes
A common error is miscalculating the mana value of cards with {X} in their cost; in the graveyard, X is always treated as 0. Additionally, remember that you must control the Mount at the moment the ability resolves to get the 'battlefield' effect. If your opponent removes your only Mount in response to the trigger, the card will go to your hand instead.
When to Play It
This card is best played mid-to-late game once your graveyard is populated with utility permanents. It is especially potent in decks featuring Mounts, as it allows you to maintain tempo by putting artifacts or creatures directly into the fray without spending extra mana.
Interaction examples
Solemn SimulacrumIf Solemn Simulacrum (mana value 4) is in your graveyard, Shepherd of the Clouds cannot target it because its mana value is greater than 3. You must choose a permanent card with mana value 3 or less to trigger the effect.
Roaming ThroneIf you control Roaming Throne and chose 'Pegasus' as it entered, Shepherd of the Clouds' ability triggers twice. If Roaming Throne was also granted the Mount type or you control another Mount, you could return two permanent cards with mana value 3 or less from your graveyard directly to the battlefield.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Shepherd of the Clouds
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· Wizards of the Coast
A permanent card is an artifact, battle, creature, enchantment, land, or planeswalker card.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #2· Wizards of the Coast
If the mana cost of a card in your graveyard includes
, X is 0 for the purpose of determining its mana value.No other card is named in this ruling.
- #3· Wizards of the Coast
If you return an Aura to the battlefield this way, you choose what the Aura will enchant just before it enters the battlefield. An Aura returning to the battlefield this way doesn’t target the player or permanent it will enchant, so permanents or players with hexproof may be chosen; however, the chosen recipient must be able to legally be enchanted by the Aura, so a player or permanent with protection from one of the Aura’s qualities can’t be chosen this way. If there’s nothing legal for the Aura to enchant, it stays in the graveyard.
No other card is named in this ruling.
Popular combos
Real combos played by the community, sorted by popularity.
Aminatou, the Fateshifter + Heart of Kiran + Shepherd of the Clouds
- 1If Aminatou has two or more loyalty counters on it, activate Heart of Kiran by removing a loyalty counter from Aminatou, causing Heart of Kiran to become an artifact creature until end of turn.
- 2Repeat step 1 until Aminatou has one loyalty counter on it.
- 3Activate Aminatou's second loyalty ability by removing a loyalty counter from it, targeting Shepherd of the Clouds.
- 4Aminatou is put into your graveyard as a state-based action due to having zero loyalty.
- 5Resolve the Aminatou ability, blinking Shepherd of the Clouds.
- 6When Shepherd of the Clouds enters the battlefield, it triggers, returning Aminatou from your graveyard to the battlefield.
- 7Repeat.
Legal formats
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Meta decks with Shepherd of the Clouds
No archived Top 8 deck with this card yet.