Aether Searcher MTG Card

Provides card advantage by allowing you to cast an exiled spell for free when entering the battlefield. Speeds up gameplay by letting you play high-impact spells earlier than usual and disrupt the mana curve. Demands a higher mana investment and card sacrifice, which may restrict its use to specific deck types.

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	7
Rarity	Rare
Type	Artifact Creature — Construct
Released	2014-06-06
Set symbol
Set name	Conspiracy
Set code	CNS
Power	6
Toughness	4
Number	53
Frame	2003
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	James Paick

Text of card

Reveal Æther Searcher as you draft it. Reveal the next card you draft and note its name. When Æther Searcher enters the battlefield, you may search your hand and/or library for a card with a name noted as you drafted cards named Æther Searcher. You may cast it without paying its mana cost. If you searched your library this way, shuffle it.

Cards like Aether Searcher

Aether Searcher, a unique creature hailing from the rich universe of Magic: The Gathering, takes its place among an intriguing class of reveal and play cards. Similarity can be identified when stacking it against Arcane Artisan. Both have the ability to cheat creatures onto the battlefield without paying their mana costs. However, Aether Searcher requires casting it from among seven cards as opposed to Artisan’s less restrictive activation. Illuminate Primordial, while differing as it focuses on removal once it hits the board, somewhat echoes Aether Searcher’s immediate impact ethos.

In examining Quicksilver Amulet, we find another parallel, as it also allows the placement of hefty creatures into play by sidestepping traditional casting protocols. Nevertheless, the necessity for Aether Searcher to be somewhat telegraphed via the reveal, sets it apart from the immediate, albeit expensive, activation of the Amulet. Then we have the unpredictability of Elvish Piper, which, like Aether Searcher, permits the deployment of powerhouses from your hand but with an undoubtedly lower setup cost but a higher requirement for maintaining board presence.

Ultimately, while Aether Searcher carves out its niche with a unique mix of anticipation and power surge, its kin in MTG offer tailored solutions ranging from board control to a more persistent threat establishment, each with its distinctive advantages and gameplay dynamics.

Cards similar to Aether Searcher by color, type and mana cost

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Card Pros

Card Advantage: When Aether Searcher is cast, it allows you to search your library for a card and exile it. Once Aether Searcher enters the battlefield, you may cast the exiled card without paying its mana cost, which can give you a significant edge by putting an expensive spell into play for free.

Resource Acceleration: Aether Searcher grants you access to potentially game-altering spells earlier than you would normally be able to play them. By circumventing the traditional mana curve, the card can create a powerful swing in board presence or game state in your favor.

Instant Speed: Although Aether Searcher itself doesn’t have instant speed, the ability to cast the exiled card as soon as it hits the battlefield can catch an opponent off guard, functioning similarly to an instant by allowing strategic timing, especially if the exiled card can be cast at instant speed, further enhancing its strategic value.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Aether Searcher demands you release a nonland card from your hand upon casting, potentially depleting valuable resources or disrupting strategic plays, which is particularly taxing in decks that run on tight card economics.

Specific Mana Cost: Featuring a requirement for seven mana, including colorless mana that might not align with your deck’s mana base, it can be challenging to summon Aether Searcher without appropriate ramp or fixing capabilities—limiting its versatility across different deck builds.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: The seven mana investment to bring Aether Searcher into play is substantial, and given the rapid pace of many game scenarios, there might be more mana-efficient creatures or spells that can advance your position on the board or disrupt opponents more effectively.

Reasons to Include Aether Searcher in Your Collection

Versatility: Aether Searcher easily adapts to various deck themes due to its unique searching ability. Players can tailor the card they reveal with it, making it useful for a range of strategies from control to combo decks.

Combo Potential: With the capability to search for any card to cast without paying its mana cost, Aether Searcher can set off an array of combos, potentially leading to a game-winning play by fetching the perfect piece at the right moment.

Meta-Relevance: In environments dominated by creature-based strategies or where the battlefield often gets cluttered, Aether Searcher can shine. It provides a direct way to access key sideboard or silver-bullet cards that can shift the tide of the game.

How to beat

Aether Searcher is a card that commands attention due to its reveal and cast mechanic in Magic: The Gathering. This seven mana creature is unique for enabling players to cast a card without paying its mana cost when Aether Searcher enters the battlefield. To effectively counter this card, control decks that can manage the board with counterspells like Negate or Essence Scatter before Aether Searcher hits the field are useful.

In the realm of removal spells, options such as Doom Blade or Path to Exile can directly address Aether Searcher after it’s cast. It’s also beneficial to limit the number of cards your opponent has in hand, diminishing the impact of Aether Searcher’s reveal ability. Hand disruption plays a significant role here. Consider using targeted discard spells like Thoughtseize or Inquisition of Kozilek to preemptively remove powerful cards that could be cast for free.

Alternatively, since Aether Searcher relies on having another card to synergize with, graveyard strategies that utilize cards such as Tormod’s Crypt can interfere with combos it aims to enable. Therefore, staying one step ahead and disrupting your opponent’s strategy preemptively can often nullify the threat posed by Aether Searcher in the game.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Aether Searcher MTG card by a specific set like Conspiracy, 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 Aether Searcher and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Aether Searcher has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2014-05-29	If Aether Searcher is the last card you draft in any draft round other than the last one, you’ll reveal the first card you draft in the following draft round and note its name.
2014-05-29	If Aether Searcher is the last card you draft, there won’t be a noted name. You can still search your hand and/or library when it enters the battlefield, but you won’t cast any card this way unless you also drafted an Aether Searcher and noted a card then.
2014-05-29	If Aether Searcher leaves the battlefield before its ability resolves, you’ll still be able to search for the named card and cast it.
2014-05-29	If an Aether Searcher owned by another player enters the battlefield under your control, you can search for a card you’ve named while drafting a card named Aether Searcher, not a card named by its owner. Unless you also drafted a card named Aether Searcher, you won’t cast a card.
2014-05-29	If the card has in its mana cost, you must choose 0 as its value.
2014-05-29	If the card you draft after Aether Searcher is a land card, you won’t be able to play that land using Aether Searcher’s ability.
2014-05-29	If you cast a card “without paying its mana cost,” you can’t pay alternative costs such as overload costs. You can pay additional costs such as kicker costs. If the card has mandatory additional costs, you must pay those.
2014-05-29	When casting a card this way, ignore timing restrictions based on the card’s type. Other timing restrictions, such as “Cast -his spell] only during combat,” must be followed.
2014-05-29	You cast the card before shuffling your library (if it was searched). In some very rare cases, you may need to take actions involving your library while casting the card. For example, if it has an additional cost and you activate Deranged Assistant’s ability (“, Put the top card of your library into your graveyard: Add .”) to pay for it, you must maintain the order of your library while you search it.