Aetherplasm MTG Card
2006-02-03 - Number 22
2024-01-12 - Number 34
| Card sets | Released in 2 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 4 |
| Rarity | Uncommon |
| Type | Creature — Illusion |
| Power | 1 |
| Toughness | 1 |
Key Takeaways
- Swaps with any creature in hand during combat, offering a potent element of surprise.
- Aetherplasm’s ability complements combo strategies with impactful ETB effects.
- Understanding and preempting this card’s mechanics can be crucial in gameplay.
Text of card
Whenever Ætherplasm blocks a creature, you may return Ætherplasm to its owner's hand. If you do, you may put a creature card from your hand into play blocking that creature.
Its fickle form holds hints of a thousand former identities.
Card Pros
Card Advantage: The ability of Aetherplasm to replace itself with a potentially more powerful creature from your hand can disrupt opponent strategies and maintain a level of card advantage. This presents a unique way to keep card utility high without losing hand size.
Resource Acceleration: Aetherplasm doesn’t directly accelerate resources in terms of mana production, yet its ability can swiftly bring a high-cost creature into play without paying its mana cost. This rapid deployment can give you a significant tempo boost, allowing you to leverage high-power creatures earlier than usual.
Instant Speed: Aetherplasm’s triggered ability effectively works at instant speed, enabling surprise swaps during combat. This can lead to advantageous blocks or dodging removals and enemy spells, giving you a tactical edge during complex board states.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Aetherplasm presents a unique challenge as it requires you to return a creature you control to your hand when its ability is used. This may force you to sacrifice board presence, which isn’t always desirable, especially if you’re relying on that creature’s abilities or if it has summoning sickness after redeployment.
Specific Mana Cost: With its mana cost including two blue mana, Aetherplasm can be restrictive for multicolored decks. Ensuring the right mana sources are available can be a limitation, particularly in formats where mana-fixing resources are scarce.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: While the initial cost of four mana may be feasible, the real cost comes into play when considering the total mana spent. Essentially, you must hold back additional mana to exploit its swapping ability, limiting your options during the turn. In faster-paced games, the opportunity cost of not developing your board further could be too great.
Reasons to Include Aetherplasm in Your Collection
Versatility: Aetherplasm offers flexibility as a four-mana creature with the ability to swap itself with any creature in your hand during the declare blockers step. This can be unexpectedly leveraged to introduce key creatures at the optimal moment or to avoid removal.
Combo Potential: This creature’s unique swapping mechanic works exceptionally well with cards that have enter the battlefield (ETB) or leave the battlefield effects. This creates numerous combo possibilities, making it a surprise element against opponents who might not see a powerful combo coming.
Meta-Relevance: With a meta that’s always evolving, the unpredictability of Aetherplasm can give players an edge in games where opponents rely heavily on strategy and foreknowledge of what the next play might be. Aetherplasm’s ability to disrupt opponent strategies by introducing powerful creatures without casting them can be a game-changer.
How to beat
Aetherplasm presents a unique challenge on the battlefield in Magic: The Gathering. It’s known for its ability to intercept attackers and swap them out for any creature in a player’s hand. This unexpected maneuver can turn the tides of combat by introducing powerful creatures without paying their mana costs, effectively bypassing certain summoning limitations.
To counter the Aetherplasm’s ability, it’s wise to limit creature-related tricks. Instead, direct removal spells like Murder or Path to Exile can bypass Aetherplasm’s swap ability by eliminating it before it can activate its power. Additionally, countering spells such as Cancel can prevent Aetherplasm from hitting the board in the first place, ensuring that its daunting exchange ability remains a non-issue.
In essence, understanding your opponent’s possible creature replacements and maintaining instant-speed removal or counter magics in your hand are key strategies. A carefully timed spell can neutralize Aetherplasm before it can unveil a surprise from its controller’s hand that would otherwise disrupt your game plan. Staying one step ahead is crucial when facing an elusive threat like Aetherplasm.
Cards like Aetherplasm
Aetherplasm joins the ranks of intriguing creatures in Magic: The Gathering with its unique ability to trade places with a creature from a player’s hand. Its closest comparison is to the morph mechanic creatures like Willbender. While Willbender offers the utility to change the target of spells or abilities when turned face up, Aetherplasm allows for a surprise creature swap during the declare blockers step, potentially disrupting the opponent’s strategy.
Another card worth mentioning is Vesuvan Shapeshifter. Although a bit different, this creature also presents the element of surprise, with the ability to turn face down and then face up, assuming the form of any other creature on the battlefield. However, Aetherplasm’s ability solely bank on the element of surprise during combat. Silent-Blade Oni deserves a nod as well; while it has a different triggering event, that of dealing combat damage, it also plays with the sense of uncertainty and potential card advantage by enabling you to cast an opponent’s card from their hand without paying its mana cost.
Ultimately, Aetherplasm offers a fun and unpredictable element in MTG gameplay, especially for players who love to set traps and engage in mind games with their opponents, interrupting attacks and unveiling unexpected creatures at the pivotal moment of combat.
Cards similar to Aetherplasm by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Aetherplasm MTG card by a specific set like Guildpact and Ravnica Remastered, 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 Aetherplasm 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 Magic products
Printings
The Aetherplasm Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2006-02-03 and 2024-01-12. Illustrated by Nottsuo.
| # | Release | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2006-02-03 | Guildpact | GPT | 22 | 2003 | normal | black | Nottsuo | |
| 2 | 2024-01-12 | Ravnica Remastered | RVR | 34 | 2015 | normal | black | Nottsuo |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Aetherplasm has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Restricted |
| Modern | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Predh | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Aetherplasm card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2006-02-01 | Aetherplasm will return to your hand before any combat damage is assigned. |
| 2006-02-01 | If you want, you can return Aetherplasm to your hand and not put anything onto the battlefield. The attacking creature will still be considered blocked, so it won’t be able to deal combat damage to you unless it has trample or a similar ability. |
| 2006-02-01 | The creature you put onto the battlefield from your hand is blocking the attacking creature, even if the block couldn’t legally be declared (for example, if that creature enters the battlefield tapped, or it can’t block, or the attacking creature has protection from it). |
| 2006-02-01 | The creature you put onto the battlefield may be the Aetherplasm you just returned to your hand. This allows it to dodge abilities like Deathgazer’s. |
