Aetherspouts MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 3 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost5
RarityRare
TypeInstant

Key Takeaways

  1. Aetherspouts resets boards, offering substantial card advantage and disrupting opponents.
  2. Offers flexibility and timing due to its instant speed, impacting the combat phase.
  3. Requires precise mana and timing, potentially leading to discard dilemmas or tempo loss.

Text of card

For each attacking creature, its owner puts it on the top or bottom of his or her library.

"Don't worry, there's plenty for everyone." —Vickon, Eleventh Company battlemage


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Aetherspouts can create substantial card advantage by resetting your opponent’s board, effectively negating multiple turns they’ve spent deploying threats—this can lead to your opponents having to draw and play those creatures all over again.

Resource Acceleration: While the card doesn’t directly accelerate your resources, it indirectly buys time to develop your mana base and play larger spells without the pressure from your opponent’s creatures.

Instant Speed: As an instant, Aetherspouts offers the flexibility to disrupt your opponent’s attack during their combat phase, allowing you to make informed decisions based on how they commit to their attacks and maximize the impact of the card.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: One aspect of this card that requires attention is its reliance on your opponent’s attack phase to be fully effective. If you’re holding onto it without a suitable moment to cast, it could force a less than optimal discard decision, especially when your hand options are limited.

Specific Mana Cost: Aetherspouts demands a precise mana combination of double blue and three other mana to cast. This cost may restrict its inclusion to decks that can consistently produce enough blue mana, potentially excluding it from more varied color builds that can’t accommodate such a requirement with ease.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a total of five mana needed to activate its effect, Aetherspouts stands on the higher end of the mana spectrum for its defensive utility. Other cards might provide similar or better control options for less mana, making Aetherspouts a significant investment that could affect the tempo of your gameplay.


Reasons to Include Aetherspouts in Your Collection

Versatility: Aetherspouts serves as a powerful defensive option that can adapt to various situations in your games. Its ability to disrupt creature-heavy strategies can turn the tide in your favor, fitting seamlessly into control or midrange decks looking for reliable board control.

Combo Potential: This card boasts the potential to combine with deck-shuffling effects, sending opponents’ threats back while setting them further behind. It can also synergize with cards that punish draws or put creatures back into play under your control.

Meta-Relevance: In environments where combat-focused or aggressive decks prevail, Aetherspouts offers a strong counter play. Its surprise factor and the psychological impact on opponents who may play around it in future games, make it a metagame-specific asset for any collection.


How to beat

Aetherspouts is a unique card that can surprise an unsuspecting opponent by sending their attacking creatures to either the top or bottom of their library. Handling this card in MTG can be a puzzle, but understanding the timing and composition of your attacks is key. Smart play involves baiting out the Aetherspouts or waiting for the opponent to tap out of mana, reducing the chances of this card disrupting your battlefield.

Maintaining a diversified board presence with creatures that have enter-the-battlefield effects can also mitigate the impact of Aetherspouts. This is because redeploying these creatures can turn the setback into an advantage. Carefully managing the number of creatures you commit to an attack can also help. By not overextending, you minimize the potential blowback from a well-timed Aetherspouts. In MTG, as in any strategic game, knowing when to hold back and when to commit resources is the cornerstone of outmaneuvering your opponent, especially when cards like Aetherspouts are in play.

While Aetherspouts can be a powerful card, it’s important to note that its five-mana cost and specific blue color requirement make it somewhat predictable. By maintaining vigilance and controlled aggression, you can successfully navigate around this powerful defensive card and maintain the upper hand in your MTG matches.


BurnMana Recommendations

Mastering the use of Aetherspouts in MTG gameplay can lead to strategic victories and elevate your deck’s defensive capabilities. Whether you are contemplating adding this tactical instant to your repertoire or finding effective counters against it, the journey through MTG is undeniably thrilling. Understanding the strengths and potential pitfalls of Aetherspouts is essential, as is exploring its role within the current metagame and its interaction with similar cards. Continue to expand your knowledge and adapt your strategies to harness the power of Aetherspouts or to outplay others who do. Explore our extensive resources for in-depth insights and join a community of players committed to the art of the game.


Understanding Aetherspouts

Aetherspouts stands out as a unique tactical element in any MTG player’s deck. As a rare blue instant from the Magic 2015 set, it offers a powerful defensive measure in the form of a potential game-changer during combat. Upon casting, it has the ability to upheave the attacker’s strategy by sending their attacking creatures to the top or bottom of their library, effectively delaying their offensive and buying you valuable time.

Cards like Aetherspouts

When examining Aetherspouts within the context of Magic: The Gathering, you’ll find its function echoes the defensive nature of cards like Evacuation and Cyclonic Rift. Like Aetherspouts, Evacuation is a card sweep, only it returns creatures to the owner’s hand. It works universally on all creatures, without the limitation of targeting only attackers. However, it doesn’t allow for the strategic placement of those creatures within the library. Meanwhile, Cyclonic Rift offers even more versatility, with its overload cost allowing you to return all nonland permanents of your opponents to their hands, thereby disrupting not only creatures but also other ongoing threats on the battlefield.

What makes Aetherspouts distinctive is the element of choice it gives opponents, a psychological angle not present in the others. This, combined with its surprise factor and instant speed, positions Aetherspouts as a spell that can tip the scales in a tight match, especially for those who prefer to maintain control until they can secure their win condition.

Evacuation - MTG Card versions
Cyclonic Rift - MTG Card versions
Evacuation - MTG Card versions
Cyclonic Rift - MTG Card versions

Cards similar to Aetherspouts by color, type and mana cost

Force of Will - MTG Card versions
Desertion - MTG Card versions
Evacuation - MTG Card versions
Double Take - MTG Card versions
Sunder - MTG Card versions
Misdirection - MTG Card versions
Submerge - MTG Card versions
Gush - MTG Card versions
Fervent Denial - MTG Card versions
Perplexing Test - MTG Card versions
Graven Lore - MTG Card versions
Access Denied - MTG Card versions
Jace's Ingenuity - MTG Card versions
Spin into Myth - MTG Card versions
Counterbore - MTG Card versions
Traumatic Visions - MTG Card versions
Whiplash Trap - MTG Card versions
Archive Trap - MTG Card versions
Mysteries of the Deep - MTG Card versions
Quicksilver Geyser - MTG Card versions
Force of Will - MTG Card versions
Desertion - MTG Card versions
Evacuation - MTG Card versions
Double Take - MTG Card versions
Sunder - MTG Card versions
Misdirection - MTG Card versions
Submerge - MTG Card versions
Gush - MTG Card versions
Fervent Denial - MTG Card versions
Perplexing Test - MTG Card versions
Graven Lore - MTG Card versions
Access Denied - MTG Card versions
Jace's Ingenuity - MTG Card versions
Spin into Myth - MTG Card versions
Counterbore - MTG Card versions
Traumatic Visions - MTG Card versions
Whiplash Trap - MTG Card versions
Archive Trap - MTG Card versions
Mysteries of the Deep - MTG Card versions
Quicksilver Geyser - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Aetherspouts MTG card by a specific set like Magic 2015 and Commander 2021, 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 Aetherspouts and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Aetherspouts Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2014-07-18 and 2021-09-24. Illustrated by Dan Scott.

#ReleasedNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12014-07-18Magic 2015M15 442015NormalBlackDan Scott
22021-04-23Commander 2021C21 1142015NormalBlackDan Scott
32021-09-24Midnight Hunt CommanderMIC 972015NormalBlackDan Scott

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Aetherspouts has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PioneerLegal
PennyLegal

Rules and information

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

Date Text
2014-07-18 If an effect puts two or more cards on the top or bottom of a library at the same time, the owner of those cards may arrange them in any order. That library's owner doesn't reveal the order in which the cards go into their library.
2014-07-18 The owner of each attacking creature chooses whether to put it on the top or bottom of their library. The active player (the player whose turn it is) makes all of their choices first, followed by each other player in turn order.

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