Watcher of the Spheres MTG Card


Watcher of the Spheres - Core Set 2021
Mana cost
Converted mana cost2
RarityUncommon
TypeCreature — Bird Wizard
Abilities Flying
Released2020-07-03
Set symbol
Set nameCore Set 2021
Set codeM21
Power 2
Toughness 2
Number227
Frame2015
LayoutNormal
BorderBlack
Illustred byG-host Lee

Key Takeaways

  1. Watcher provides cost reduction, allowing for a faster deployment of flying creatures and efficient resource use.
  2. It offers strategic versatility, fitting into flying-focused decks and enabling combo potentials with ease.
  3. Despite some limitations, it’s a valuable addition to collections for enhancing flying-based MTG strategies.

Text of card

Flying Creature spells with flying you cast cost less to cast. Whenever another creature with flying enters the battlefield under your control, Watcher of the Spheres gets +1/+1 until end of turn.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Watcher of the Spheres offers a unique benefit in terms of card utility. It effectively reduces the cost of flying creatures so you can deploy more threats or answers from your hand, keeping pressure on your opponent while efficiently utilizing your resources.

Resource Acceleration: By making flying creatures cost one less mana to cast, Watcher of the Spheres accelerates your gameplay, particularly in decks focused on the skies. This cost reduction could be seen as a form of resource acceleration, as it allows you to play out your aerial army faster and with greater ease.

Instant Speed: While Watcher of the Spheres itself is not an instant, its ability to reduce the casting cost of creatures with flying can enable a strategy that includes casting creatures at instant speed. With this card on the battlefield, creatures such as “Spectral Sailor” or “Brazen Borrower,” which can be played at instant speed, become even more mana-efficient, allowing you to keep mana open for other interactions or flash in threats unexpectedly.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: This card does not directly require a card to be discarded, but it’s important to acknowledge that playing creature spells with flying can thin your hand quickly, leaving players potentially vulnerable to resource scarcity.

Specific Mana Cost: Watcher of the Spheres has a specific casting cost that includes both blue and white mana, which may not fit seamlessly into multicolored decks that don’t focus on flyers.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: While a two-mana cost isn’t high on the surface, it is relevant to consider that in decks not heavily invested in flying creatures, this card’s utility might not justify the slot compared to other low-cost cards that could provide more immediate board presence or utility.


Reasons to Include Watcher of the Spheres in Your Collection

Versatility: Watcher of the Spheres is remarkably flexible, seamlessly fitting into various deck archetypes that capitalize on flying creatures. This card reduces the mana cost of flying creatures, enabling a quicker and more efficient deck tempo.

Combo Potential: It’s a natural enabler for combos, as lowering mana costs of creatures with flying allows for rapid deployment of threats and synergistic plays. The ability to exploit the cost-reduction for powerful flying creatures can turn the tide in your favor.

Meta-Relevance: In game environments where fliers are prevalent, Watcher of the Spheres offers a competitive edge. As a two-cost creature that shapes the battlefield, its inclusion in your collection could be a strategic move to enhance decks centered around flying synergies.


How to beat Watcher of the Spheres

Watcher of the Spheres poses a unique challenge on the battlefield with its ability to reduce the mana cost of flying creatures and boost their power. This can quickly turn the tide of a game, as your opponent is enabled to deploy a formidable aerial force. To tackle this creature effectively, consider using removal spells that can target creatures irrespective of their flying status. Cards like Murder or Doom Blade are efficient ways to remove Watcher of the Spheres before your opponent can fully capitalize on its cost-reducing ability.

Board wipes are another strategic option to clear the board of multiple threats, including any buffed fliers. Wrath of God and Damnation are exemplary spells that do not discriminate based on creature type, ensuring that Watcher of the Spheres and its winged allies are dealt with in one fell swoop. Should you anticipate the arrival of this card, prepare your deck with adequate answers to swiftly neutralize its impact and maintain control over the game’s momentum.

Ultimately, staying one step ahead of Watcher of the Spheres requires a blend of timing and the right choice of removal or crowd control cards. With these tools, you’ll be well-equipped to ground your opponent’s strategy and soar to victory.


BurnMana Recommendations

Understanding the ins and outs of Watcher of the Spheres can elevate your gameplay, offering a tactical advantage for those who wield this card wisely. Embracing its potential to accelerate your flying forces and optimize your mana distribution can lead to a formidable strategy that may catch your opponents off guard. If you find the aerial approach appealing and aim to fortify your deck with efficient fliers, incorporating Watcher of the Spheres into your collection is a wise choice. Ready to dominate the skies and outmaneuver your adversaries? Dive deeper into strategic deck-building and sharpen your MTG acumen with us.


Cards like Watcher of the Spheres

Watcher of the Spheres is an enchanting presence among flying creatures within MTG. This card serves as a boon for decks that capitalize on creatures with flying, much like Empyrean Eagle. Both cards offer cost reductions for your aerial units, yet Watcher of the Spheres boasts the additional benefit of becoming more powerful whenever another creature with flying enters the battlefield under your control.

Further into the skies, we come across Warden of Evos Isle which also reduces the cost of flying creatures, though it lacks the aggressive edge of Watcher of the Spheres. While not enhancing its own stats, Warden of Evos Isle provides a constant decrease in casting cost, indifferent to the number of winged creatures cast. Another noteworthy analog is Jubilant Skybonder, which, while not influencing costs, makes it harder for opponents to disrupt your flying squadron by increasing the cost of their spells that would target them.

Considering these companions of the cloud, the Watcher of the Spheres offers an enticing combination of economy and power bolstering, situating it as a potent component in any deck focusing on dominion of the aerial ways.

Empyrean Eagle - MTG Card versions
Warden of Evos Isle - MTG Card versions
Jubilant Skybonder - MTG Card versions
Empyrean Eagle - MTG Card versions
Warden of Evos Isle - MTG Card versions
Jubilant Skybonder - MTG Card versions

Cards similar to Watcher of the Spheres by color, type and mana cost

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Meddling Mage - MTG Card versions
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Unsettled Mariner - MTG Card versions
Crystalline Sliver - MTG Card versions
Galina's Knight - MTG Card versions
Meddling Mage - MTG Card versions
Niambi, Esteemed Speaker - MTG Card versions
Azorius Guildmage - MTG Card versions
Kwain, Itinerant Meddler - MTG Card versions
Harbin, Vanguard Aviator - MTG Card versions
Lavinia, Azorius Renegade - MTG Card versions
Pride of the Clouds - MTG Card versions
Sygg, River Guide - MTG Card versions
Mistmeadow Witch - MTG Card versions
Deft Duelist - MTG Card versions
Sighted-Caste Sorcerer - MTG Card versions
New Prahv Guildmage - MTG Card versions
Deputy of Acquittals - MTG Card versions
Battlewise Hoplite - MTG Card versions
Dauntless River Marshal - MTG Card versions
Temmet, Vizier of Naktamun - MTG Card versions
Senate Guildmage - MTG Card versions
Unsettled Mariner - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Watcher of the Spheres MTG card by a specific set like Core Set 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 Watcher of the Spheres and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Watcher of the Spheres has restrictions

FormatLegality
HistoricbrawlLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderRestricted
OathbreakerLegal
GladiatorLegal
PioneerLegal
CommanderLegal
ModernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
TimelessLegal

Rules and information

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

Date Text
2020-06-23 A creature spell that doesn't have flying won't cost less even if an effect will cause the creature to have flying once on the battlefield. This is also true if the creature spell itself has an ability that gives it flying once on the battlefield under certain conditions, even if those conditions are true.
2020-06-23 The cost reduction applies only to generic mana in the cost of creature spells with flying you cast. For example, if you cast a second Watcher of the Spheres, its cost won't be reduced below .
2020-06-23 To determine the total cost of a spell, start with the mana cost or alternative cost you're paying, add any cost increases, then apply any cost reductions (such as that of Watcher of the Spheres). The mana value of the spell remains unchanged, no matter what the total cost to cast it was.

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