Aura Thief MTG Card


Stealing enchantments upon death provides substantial card advantage and can turn the tides of a game. Ensuring Aura Thief’s demise at the right moment is crucial for maximizing its unique ability’s impact. It presents both strategic versatility and combo potential in blue-focused decks across multiple formats.
Card setsReleased in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost4
RarityRare
TypeCreature — Illusion
Abilities Flying
Power 2
Toughness 2

Text of card

Flying When Aura Thief is put into a graveyard from play, you gain control of all enchantments. (You don't get to move local enchantments.)

Illusion steals reality from the unwise.


Cards like Aura Thief

The unique abilities of Aura Thief in the realm of blue creatures make it a card worth examining. Like Enchanted Evening, Aura Thief has a powerful interaction with enchantments, essentially seizing control of all enchantments when it dies. Enchanted Evening turns all permanents into enchantments, which in combination with Aura Thief can lead to a significant shift in the game’s dynamics.

Another card that comes to mind is Control Magic, a classic aura that takes control of a single creature. While it targets one creature at a time, unlike the sweeping effect of Aura Thief, it gives players instant control without the need for the creature to die. Then there’s Confiscate, a direct way to take ownership of any permanent, not just enchantments. Though not as expansive as Aura Thief’s potential full sweep, Confiscate offers immediate and selective control.

Considering the strategic advantages, Aura Thief stands out amongst its peers with its potential to disrupt opponents’ strategies by affecting all enchantments across the battlefield. Its place in MTG is cemented by its ability to function as a game-ending combo piece or a powerful deterrent against enchantment-heavy decks.

Enchanted Evening - MTG Card versions
Control Magic - MTG Card versions
Confiscate - MTG Card versions
Enchanted Evening - MTG Card versions
Control Magic - MTG Card versions
Confiscate - MTG Card versions

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Phantasmal Forces - MTG Card versions
Wall of Vapor - MTG Card versions
Tradewind Rider - MTG Card versions
Archivist - MTG Card versions
Thieving Magpie - MTG Card versions
Inga Rune-Eyes - MTG Card versions
Sakashima of a Thousand Faces - MTG Card versions
Laboratory Drudge - MTG Card versions
Dream Prowler - MTG Card versions
Cytoplast Manipulator - MTG Card versions
Crookclaw Transmuter - MTG Card versions
Turtleshell Changeling - MTG Card versions
Glen Elendra Archmage - MTG Card versions
Fatestitcher - MTG Card versions
Argent Sphinx - MTG Card versions
Lumengrid Drake - MTG Card versions
Vedalken Infuser - MTG Card versions
Phantasmal Dragon - MTG Card versions
Havengul Runebinder - MTG Card versions
Elgaud Shieldmate - MTG Card versions

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Stealing enchantments upon death sets you up for significant gains, potentially providing a robust card advantage through control over valuable resources previously owned by your opponents.

Resource Acceleration: By gaining control of enchantments that generate or ramp mana, Aura Thief can act as an indirect form of resource acceleration, setting you ahead of your competition.

Instant Speed: While the card itself may not be an instant, pairing Aura Thief with instant-speed effects that can sacrifice it or removal spells means that it can trigger at critical moments, usually catching adversaries unprepared.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Aura Thief necessitates a departure from your board state to activate its key ability. This means it’s contingent upon the Thief’s demise, which can be a predicament if you’re unable to orchestrate its timely death or if it’s silenced by an opponent.

Specific Mana Cost: Aura Thief’s casting cost demands both blue mana and generic mana, making it a constricted choice for certain deck builds. Any deck running the Thief would need to account for a blue mana source, potentially constraining multi-color deck design or mana base optimization.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Clocking in at three colorless and one blue mana, Aura Thief is not the most economical creature given its modest stat line. Considering its enchantment-control ability, there are more mana-efficient creatures or spells that can affect the board immediately without requiring complex setup or specific board states to maximize value.


Reasons to Include Aura Thief in Your Collection

Versatility: Aura Thief is a unique inclusion in any deck that runs blue. Its ability to gain control of all enchantments when it dies makes it effective in various metagames, especially ones heavy on enchantments.

Combo Potential: This card shines in combination with effects that can easily sacrifice it, such as enchantments like “Martyr’s Cause” or “High Market”. This allows you to trigger its leave-the-battlefield ability on demand, turning any death trigger into a potential game-winning move.

Meta-Relevance: With the frequent use of powerful enchantments in many decks across multiple formats, Aura Thief’s ability to disrupt opponents’ strategies is highly valuable. It’s a clever countermove against decks that rely on enchantments for their win conditions.


How to beat

Aura Thief can pose quite a challenge in Magic: The Gathering, especially when its death-trigger ability is leveraged, granting you all enchantments on the battlefield. As a creature with a frail 2/2 body, one of the straightforward strategies is removal before it can be exploited. Pointed spells like Path to Exile or Fatal Push can efficiently dispatch the thief before it has a chance to affect the game’s balance.

Counterplay strategies can include preemptively countering the Aura Thief or manipulating the stack so that its triggered ability is less impactful. Alternatively, saving your enchantment removal like Disenchant for when the Thief hits the battlefield could minimize what your opponent gains. It’s also worth considering avoiding playing high-value enchantments when an Aura Thief is likely in your opponent’s deck, particularly in Commander where it’s a popular choice.

Overall, an awareness of potential threats like Aura Thief and maintaining a diverse array of responses within your deck’s strategy can be the key to not only managing such threats but also turning the tables in your favor during gameplay.


BurnMana Recommendations

Dive deeper into the world of MTG with Aura Thief, a versatile blue creature card with the unique ability to shift the balance of play upon its demise. From gaining control of all enchantments on the battlefield to pairing with instant-speed sacrifice effects, this card offers strategic depth and combo potential that can catch opponents off-guard. Understand when to play it or play against it for dynamic gameplay. Ready to harness the power of enchantments or protect your precious resources? Expand your MTG knowledge and strategy by learning more about Aura Thief and its place within various MTG metagames.


Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Aura Thief MTG card by a specific set like Urza's Destiny and The List, there are several reliable options to consider. One of the primary sources is your local game store, where you can often find booster packs, individual cards, and preconstructed decks from current and some past sets. They often offer the added benefit of a community where you can trade with other players.

For a broader inventory, particularly of older sets, online marketplaces like TCGPlayer, Card Kingdom and Card Market offer extensive selections and allow you to search for cards from specific sets. Larger e-commerce platforms like eBay and Amazon also have listings from various sellers, which can be a good place to look for sealed product and rare finds.

Additionally, Magic’s official site often has a store locator and retailer lists for finding Wizards of the Coast licensed products. Remember to check for authenticity and the condition of the cards when purchasing, especially from individual sellers on larger marketplaces.

Below is a list of some store websites where you can buy the Aura Thief and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Aura Thief Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 1999-06-07 and 1999-06-07. Illustrated by Ron Spears.

#ReleasedNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
11999-06-07Urza's DestinyUDS 261997NormalBlackRon Spears
22020-09-26The ListPLST UDS-261997NormalBlackRon Spears

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Aura Thief has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PremodernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Aura Thief card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.

Date Text
2004-10-04 Gaining control of an enchantment often isn’t very interesting since it probably won’t change what the enchantment is doing. It only matters if the enchantment does something specifically to “you” or “an opponent” or if the enchantment has an activated ability (which only the controller can use).