Aphotic Wisps MTG Card


Grants card advantage by cycling itself upon resolution, enhancing deck efficiency. Enables surprise plays at instant speed, affecting combat dynamics significantly. Converts creatures to black temporarily, aiding synergy with color-focused decks.
Aphotic Wisps - Shadowmoor
Mana cost
Converted mana cost1
RarityCommon
TypeInstant
Released2008-05-02
Set symbol
Set nameShadowmoor
Set codeSHM
Number55
Frame2003
LayoutNormal
BorderBlack
Illustred byJim Nelson

Text of card

Target creature becomes black and gains fear until end of turn. Draw a card.

Merrows skulk the silty bogs around the Wanderbrine, their very thoughts stained with evil.


Cards like Aphotic Wisps

Aphotic Wisps brings a unique flavor to the realm of cantripping spells in Magic: The Gathering. It’s often weighed against cards such as Defiant Strike, which also grants a temporary bump in power and the added benefit of drawing a card. Yet, Aphotic Wisps offers something slightly different, it grants the target creature fear until end of turn. Defiant Strike gives a creature a boost in its power, but it lacks the ability to make a creature unblockable by creatures of a color.

Then we have Dark Dabbling, another card with a draw component. It comes in with regenerate, which can save a creature from destruction, but at a higher mana cost. Aphotic Wisps, meanwhile, is more affordable, requiring only a single black mana to play. Cerulean Wisps is also part of this family, providing a way to untap the creature and draw a card, but rather than adding evasion, it gives the creature a blue color for the turn.

Ultimately, when comparing these spells, Aphotic Wisps holds its ground with its low mana cost and the unique ability to add evasion, setting it apart from other similar instant spells in black’s slice of the MTG color pie.

Defiant Strike - MTG Card versions
Dark Dabbling - MTG Card versions
Cerulean Wisps - MTG Card versions
Defiant Strike - MTG Card versions
Dark Dabbling - MTG Card versions
Cerulean Wisps - MTG Card versions

Cards similar to Aphotic Wisps by color, type and mana cost

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Disembowel - MTG Card versions
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Howl from Beyond - MTG Card versions
Dark Ritual - MTG Card versions
Sacrifice - MTG Card versions
Darkness - MTG Card versions
Marsh Gas - MTG Card versions
Gravebind - MTG Card versions
Misinformation - MTG Card versions
Vampiric Tutor - MTG Card versions
Dredge - MTG Card versions
Coffin Purge - MTG Card versions
Defile - MTG Card versions
March of Wretched Sorrow - MTG Card versions
Fatal Push - MTG Card versions
Foulmire Knight // Profane Insight - MTG Card versions
Fade from Memory - MTG Card versions
Duh - MTG Card versions
Aesthetic Consultation - MTG Card versions
Stop That - MTG Card versions
Disembowel - MTG Card versions
Surgical Extraction - MTG Card versions

Card Pros

Card Advantage: When Aphotic Wisps resolves, it offers you the ability to replace itself by drawing a card. This feature helps you cycle through your deck, maintaining card flow and increasing the chances of obtaining the resources you need.

Resource Acceleration: Aphotic Wisps converts one of your creatures to black, enabling synergy with cards that benefit from having black creatures or spells. This temporary conversion can unexpectedly accelerate your gameplay, aligning with specific deck strategies that capitalize on color-centric mechanics.

Instant Speed: As an instant, Aphotic Wisps can be played during your opponent’s turn, providing you with the flexibility to react to their moves. Additionally, it can be used to strategically trigger instant-speed interactions or surprise an opponent by enhancing a block or an attack unexpectedly.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While not directly applicable to Aphotic Wisps, cards requiring discard as part of the cost can be a setback when your hand size is crucial for gameplay.

Specific Mana Cost: Aphotic Wisps requires black mana, which confines it primarily to mono-black or multi-colored decks that can accommodate black mana.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Despite its low absolute cost, when considering the minor effect of granting a creature fear and drawing a card, some may find the cost of one black mana less advantageous compared to alternative spells in your deck that could provide more significant effects for similar mana expenditure.


Reasons to Include Aphotic Wisps in Your Collection

Versatility: Aphotic Wisps offers a quick and affordable way to provide both a card-drawing mechanism and evasion for one of your creatures. This can be pivotal in decks that rely on connecting with combat damage or triggering on-hit effects.

Combo Potential: By granting a creature fear until end of turn, it can become unblockable except by artifact creatures and/or those that share a color. In combination with other card effects that capitalize on dealing combat damage, this can create potent synergies and unexpected win conditions.

Meta-Relevance: In a game where creature-based strategies reign, having the ability to safely assure damage or simply cycle through your deck to reach key pieces makes Aphotic Wisps a relevant inclusion. Its low mana cost means it fits seamlessly into turns where efficient mana usage is crucial.


How to beat

Aphotic Wisps is an intriguing instant card that brings both utility and surprise to the battlefield. This card can be a nifty tool for players, granting a creature not only a temporary boost in power with +1/+1 until the end of turn but also swathing it in the protective veil of fear, which often ensures it can’t be blocked except by artifact creatures and/or those that share a color with it.

Defeating a strategy involving Aphotic Wisps requires foresight and versatility. Utilize removal spells that can target creatures regardless of color to bypass the fear effect. Cards like Path to Exile or Fatal Push can be clutch answers, removing the buffed creature before it can cause significant harm. Alternatively, prepare colorless creatures or those with reach or “can block creatures with fear” capabilities in your deck to negate the evasion that Aphotic Wisps provides. On another note, countermagic like Negate or Dispel can be your safety net, nipping the spell in the bud and preserving your gameplan’s integrity.

The essence of Magic: The Gathering is in the adaptability and strategic planning. Recognizing the potential threats such as Aphotic Wisps and having a countermeasure in your deck can be the difference between victory and defeat.


BurnMana Recommendations

The strategic layers of MTG are deepened with cards like Aphotic Wisps, blending deck optimization with responsive play. This card slips smoothly into your hand, ready to morph the battlefield dynamics with just a single black mana. Whether it’s for the cunning evasion it grants or the seamless card draw it provides, Aphotic Wisps is a gem worth considering for your collection. Curious to weave Aphotic Wisps into your own tactical tapestry? Dive deeper into its potential and refine your gameplay – let us guide you through mastering its use and building a deck that becomes a fearsome adversary to any opponent who dares challenge you.


Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Aphotic Wisps MTG card by a specific set like Shadowmoor, 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 Aphotic Wisps and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Aphotic Wisps has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PauperLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal

Rules and information

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

Date Text
2008-05-01 An effect that changes a permanent’s colors overwrites all its old colors unless it specifically says “in addition to its other colors.” For example, after Cerulean Wisps resolves, the affected creature will just be blue. It doesn’t matter what colors it used to be (even if, for example, it used to be blue and black).
2008-05-01 Changing a permanent’s color won’t change its text. If you turn Wilt-Leaf Liege blue, it will still affect green creatures and white creatures.
2008-05-01 Colorless is not a color.