Obscuring Aether MTG Card
2015-03-27 - Number 194
2024-02-09 - Number 179
| Card sets | Released in 2 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 1 |
| Rarity | Rare |
| Type | Enchantment |
Key Takeaways
- Facilitates casting creatures face-down cheaply, introducing unpredictability into gameplay and strategically expanding options.
- Morphs into a creature instantaneously, boosting board presence and enabling quick adjustments to the flow of the game.
- Demands tactical hand management due to its specific color cost and its discard requirement when morphing.
Text of card
Face-down creature spells you cast cost less to cast. : Turn Obscuring Æther face down. (It becomes a 2/2 creature.)
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Obscuring Aether lets you cheaply cast your creature spells by allowing them to be Face-down, essentially keeping your opponents guessing and your hand filled with surprise elements to turn the tide of battle in your favor.
Resource Acceleration: This card itself can morph into a creature, hence converting from an enchantment to a creature for just one green mana. This flexibility can rapidly change the state of your board, giving you the advantage to accelerate your play by having more creatures on the field sooner than expected.
Instant Speed: Although Obscuring Aether is not an instant, its morph effect can be activated at instant speed. This ensures that you can adapt to the flow of the game, flipping it face up whenever is most strategic, thus taking your opponents by surprise during their turns or at the end of their turns.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Obscuring Aether demands a card be discarded to transform it into a creature with its turn face up ability. This can put you in a difficult position, particularly when your hand is already stretched thin managing threats or seeking vital combo pieces.
Specific Mana Cost: Locked into a single green mana cost, Obscuring Aether can be a rigid fit for multicolored or color-intensive decks. It demands a commitment to green mana sources, which could complicate your mana base in decks that spread across multiple colors.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: When it comes to utility in the early game, its cost of one green mana might not seem steep, but considering the competitive options available in MTG, there are other plays that may more efficiently advance your board state or mana acceleration strategies.
Reasons to Include in Your Collection
Versatility: Obscuring Aether offers flexibility in deck construction, allowing you to reduce the mana cost of face-down creature spells. This can be especially useful in decks utilizing morph or manifest mechanics.
Combo Potential: This card can work as a catalyst in combinations that unfold from playing creatures face down, then turning them face-up for less mana than their actual costs, potentially unleashing powerful effects at reduced rates.
Meta-Relevance: In an environment where surprise and adaptability are key, Obscuring Aether fits well. It helps save mana and keep opponents guessing, aligning with strategies that thrive on misdirection and efficiency.
How to beat
Obscuring Aether can be a tricky enchantment to handle when you’re sitting across from it in a game of Magic: The Gathering. This card reduces the cost of face-down creature spells, making it a cornerstone in decks built around the morph mechanic. This enables your opponent to play more creatures for less mana and can quickly tip the scales in their favor.
To counteract the advantage offered by Obscuring Aether, consider using removal spells that can deal with enchantments directly. Cards like Naturalize or Disenchant can be pleasantly efficient solutions, allowing you to clear the troublesome Aether before your opponent can fully take advantage of its cost-reducing ability. Additionally, maintaining open mana for instant-speed responses can deter an opponent from investing too heavily in a morph strategy, knowing that their setup could be disrupted at any moment.
Overall, disrupting the synergy that Obscuring Aether provides to a morph-based strategy can significantly weaken your opponent’s position. By smartly managing your resources and keeping the pressure with targeted removal, you can navigate around the tempo advantage that this card offers and maintain control of the game.
Cards like Obscuring Aether
Obscuring Aether is a unique card from the world of Magic: The Gathering that offers an intriguing effect on the battlefield. Costing just a single green mana, it reduces the morph cost of your creatures, allowing for a more efficient deployment of hidden threats. This effect mirrors that of Secret Plans, which gives face-down creatures a bit more resilience by granting them a power and toughness boost while also rewarding the player with a card draw whenever a creature is turned face up.
Another akin option is Trail of Mystery, an enchantment that also encourages a morph-centric strategy. Whenever a face-down creature enters the battlefield under your command, Trail of Mystery boosts your mana by allowing you to search your library for a basic land card. Much like Obscuring Aether, it strengthens the overall morph strategy by enhancing creature survivability when they’re later turned face up. Its land tutoring capability sets it apart, making it a strategic tool for mana fixing in addition to supporting your morph plays.
Analyzing these cards reveals that Obscuring Aether positions itself well among morph-enabling cards, fostering a faster and more cost-effective playstyle that can catch opponents off guard with its instant-speed interactions and seamless face-down creature plays.
Cards similar to Obscuring Aether by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Obscuring Aether MTG card by a specific set like Dragons of Tarkir and Murders at Karlov Manor Commander, 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 Obscuring Aether and other MTG cards:
- eBay
- TCG Player
- Card Kingdom
- Card Market
- Star City Games
- CoolStuffInc
- MTG Mint Card
- Hareruya
- Troll and Toad
- ABU Games
- Card Hoarder Magic Online
- MTGO Traders Magic Online
See MTG Products
Printings
The Obscuring Aether Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2015-03-27 and 2024-02-09. Illustrated by Min Yum.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2015-03-27 | Dragons of Tarkir | DTK | 194 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Min Yum | |
| 2 | 2024-02-09 | Murders at Karlov Manor Commander | MKC | 179 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Min Yum |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Obscuring Aether has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Pioneer | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Obscuring Aether card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2015-02-25 | Note that Obscuring Aether doesn’t have a morph cost. Once it’s turned face down, it doesn’t have a way to turn itself face up. |
| 2015-02-25 | Obscuring Aether has no effect on spells that instruct you to manifest cards. |
