Winged Portent MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 4 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityRare
TypeInstant
Abilities Cleave

Key Takeaways

  1. Card advantage through drawing equals to the number of flying creatures you control.
  2. Instant speed allows flexible responses and strategic play in MTG.
  3. Demands heavy blue mana investment, which could limit deck integration.

Text of card

Cleave (You may cast this spell for its cleave cost. If you do, remove the words in square brackets.) Draw a card for each creature
-ith flying] you control.

"No, no, it's just a murder of crows, not an omen of murder . . . I think." —York, Kessig tracker


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Winged Portent enables a significant draw mechanism by potentially replenishing your hand with a number of cards equal to the flying creatures you control, ensuring a lead in resources.

Resource Acceleration: Although not directly accelerating resources, the influx of cards Winged Portent offers can lead to drawing into land drops or mana-generating spells, thereby indirectly boosting your mana development.

Instant Speed: The card’s instant speed feature grants the flexibility to cast during the opponent’s end step or in response to actions that would result in your flying creatures leaving the battlefield, making it a versatile tool in your arsenal.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Having to discard can sometimes put players at a disadvantage, particularly in game situations where keeping a full grip of cards is critical.

Specific Mana Cost: Winged Portent demands a significant amount of blue mana, making it less flexible and harder to integrate into decks that aren’t heavily blue.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Costing four mana, including three that must be blue, can be quite steep. Players might find other cards that facilitate drawing for less investment or offer additional benefits.


Reasons to Include Winged Portent in Your Collection

Versatility: Winged Portent offers flexibility as it can be a key card draw engine in decks that capitalize on flying creatures. It’s an effective addition not just in bird or spirit tribal decks but also in any blue-centric deck featuring flyers.

Combo Potential: With its ability to draw cards equal to the number of flying creatures you control, it pairs well with token generation strategies, enabling explosive card advantage when you amass a sky-bound army.

Meta-Relevance: In environments heavy with flying creatures, having Winged Portent can ensure you’re not falling behind on resources. It’s particularly useful against opponents who rely on airborne assaults, turning their potential advantage into your opportunity for card draw.


How to beat

Overcoming Winged Portent can be a challenge given its potential to provide significant card advantage to your opponent in Magic: The Gathering. This spell thrives in decks with numerous creatures with flying, allowing for the drawing of a card for each flying creature under a player’s control. It’s essential to limit the number of those creatures through board control strategies. This can be achieved by maintaining removal spells in your hand or using cards that can manipulate or wipe the battlefield, such as sweepers that can clear multiple creatures at once.

Another effective method is countering Winged Portent before it resolves. Counterspells are highly efficient in this case, as they can prevent the card advantage from occurring altogether. Additionally, playing proactively by applying pressure and keeping your opponent on the defensive can prevent them from utilizing Winged Portent effectively. Ultimately, the key to beating Winged Portent lies in controlling the aerial aspect of the game and preventing the opponent from capitalizing on their flying creatures to generate an insurmountable lead in card advantage.


BurnMana Recommendations

Delving into the depths of MTG strategy reveals that cards like Winged Portent can be game-changers, offering a significant edge in card advantage and turning the tides of play. Whether used in a carefully crafted flyer deck or as an unexpected boon in your blue build, this card showcases the art of timely plays and resource management. We encourage players to explore the synergies and potential combo plays that Winged Portent introduces. For those intrigued by its strategic applications or seeking to understand its strengths in various matchups, our insights provide a wealth of knowledge. Dive deeper with us to unlock your deck’s true potential and gain the upper hand in your future encounters.


Cards like Winged Portent

Winged Portent is an intriguing entry in the realm of card draw engines in Magic: The Gathering. This card bears similarities to other blue spells that reward controlling creatures with flying, like Airborne Aid. Yet, Winged Portent is unique in its potential: the number of cards you draw equals the number of flying creatures you control, which could lead to a substantial card advantage later in the game.

Another card that flirted with this archetype is Bident of Thassa, which allows you to draw a card for each creature that deals combat damage to a player. While Bident of Thassa demands active combat to draw cards, Winged Portent can harness similar gains at instant speed, potentially refilling your hand at the most opportune moment. Then there’s Coastal Piracy, a more passive draw mechanism that also keys off attacking creatures but doesn’t consider their flying status.

Overall, each of these draw cards offers something valuable, but Winged Portent’s potential for a significant one-time card boost makes it a powerhouse in decks teeming with creatures of the skies in MTG. Its uniqueness lies in drawing cards equal to the number of flyers without demanding an attack, a feature that can turn the tides when used strategically.

Airborne Aid - MTG Card versions
Bident of Thassa - MTG Card versions
Coastal Piracy - MTG Card versions
Airborne Aid - Onslaught (ONS)
Bident of Thassa - Theros (THS)
Coastal Piracy - Mercadian Masques (MMQ)

Cards similar to Winged Portent by color, type and mana cost

Quandrix Command - MTG Card versions
Voidslime - MTG Card versions
Cytoshape - MTG Card versions
Snakeform - MTG Card versions
Grow Old Together - MTG Card versions
Mutational Advantage - MTG Card versions
Quandrix Command - The Lost Caverns of Ixalan Commander (LCC)
Voidslime - Ravnica Remastered (RVR)
Cytoshape - Dissension (DIS)
Snakeform - Ravnica: Clue Edition (CLU)
Grow Old Together - Alchemy: Wilds of Eldraine (YWOE)
Mutational Advantage - Fallout (PIP)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Winged Portent MTG card by a specific set like Magic Online Promos and Innistrad: Crimson Vow, 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 Winged Portent and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Winged Portent Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2021-11-19 and 2022-01-28. Illustrated by Nicholas Gregory.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12002-06-24Magic Online PromosPRM 953092015normalblackNicholas Gregory
22021-11-19Innistrad: Crimson VowVOW 892015normalblackNicholas Gregory
32021-11-19Innistrad: Crimson VowVOW 3652015normalblackNicholas Gregory
42022-01-28Innistrad: Double FeatureDBL 3562015normalblackNicholas Gregory

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Winged Portent has restrictions

FormatLegality
StandardLegal
HistoricbrawlLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
GladiatorLegal
PioneerLegal
CommanderLegal
ModernLegal
FutureLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
BrawlLegal
PennyLegal
TimelessLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2021-11-19 A cleave cost is an alternative cost that's paid instead of the spell's mana cost. Casting a spell for its cleave cost doesn't change the spell's mana value.
2021-11-19 If an effect allows you to “cast a spell without paying its mana cost,” you can't cast that spell for its cleave cost.
2021-11-19 If you cast a spell for its cleave cost, that spell doesn't have any of the text in square brackets while it's on the stack.
2021-11-19 You can't cast a spell for both its cleave cost and another alternative cost. For example, if an effect gives an Alchemist's Retrieval in your graveyard a flashback cost of , you can't cast it from your graveyard for its cleave cost.

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