Above the Clouds MTG Card

Above the Clouds - Jumpstart Front Cards

Type	Card
Released	2020-06-18
Set symbol
Set name	Jumpstart Front Cards
Set code	FJMP
Number	1
Frame	2015
Layout	Token
Border	Black
Illustred by	Joseph Meehan

Key Takeaways

Enhances flying creatures, offering significant card draw for a more substantial flying presence.
Demands precise mana allocation, potentially restricting its inclusion to specific decks.
Retains meta relevance, countering ground defenses and enabling potent flying synergies.

Text of card

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Card Pros

Card Advantage: Above the Clouds is a powerhouse when it comes to card advantage. By allowing you to draw additional cards, it keeps your hand filled with options, paving the way to outmaneuver your opponent with a steady stream of resources.

Resource Acceleration: This card shines in terms of resource acceleration. It grants you the ability to amass significant mana reserves quickly, which can be game-changing. This accelerated growth of resources enables more significant plays earlier in the game, setting a rapid tempo that can overwhelm opponents.

Instant Speed: The instant speed of Above the Clouds offers tremendous flexibility. It allows you to adapt to the evolving game state, making decisions at the last possible moment. Whether responding to an opponent’s threat or maximizing your mana usage, the timing can give you a distinct tactical advantage.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Playing Above the Clouds often means parting with another valuable card in your hand, a trade-off that can set you back, especially in the tight, resource-managed stages of a game.

Specific Mana Cost: Requiring a particular combination of mana to cast, this card can be restrictive, fitting only into decks that can reliably generate the needed colors. This sometimes results in a clunky play where the card sits idle, waiting for the right mana.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Deploying Above the Clouds comes at a significant mana investment. For the cost, players may expect an immediate impact on the board state, which this card does not always provide, potentially slowing your tempo compared to lower-cost alternatives.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Above the Clouds brings a refreshing dynamic to aerial combat deck strategies, seamlessly integrating with various archetypes that revolve around flying creatures. Its ability to bolster your airborne threats makes it a flexible addition to your collection, ready to lift your game regardless of the ever-evolving deck themes.

Combo Potential: This enchantment opens up numerous synergistic possibilities, especially in decks that capitalize on the benefits of having multiple creatures with flying. Its capacity to generate value over time allows for powerful interactions and can be a linchpin for setup in combo-oriented decks.

Meta-Relevance: Given that decks with flying creatures can often bypass conventional ground defenses, Above the Clouds maintains relevance in a meta where evasion is key. Its presence in your deck can be especially potent if the current competitive environment favors ground-based strategies, giving you an upper hand.

How to beat

A challenge often faced by Magic: The Gathering players is navigating around cards like Above the Clouds, which leverage flying creatures’ abilities. Overcoming this enchantment requires strategies that are not reliant on ground-based combat. Instead, players can employ removals like Negate to counter it directly or use board wipes like Wrath of God to clear the skies. Additionally, spells that grant reach to your creatures or ones that can create flying blockers such as Spider Spawning can prove invaluable in halting the aerial advantage bestowed by Above the Clouds.

Another approach is to shift the battlefield leverage using cards that manipulate or disable flying. Cards like Gravity Well can prevent creatures with flying from getting the evasion they typically rely on, rendering the benefit of Above the Clouds null. Otherwise, taking the battle through other means, such as direct damage spells or life-draining effects, can circumvent the need to engage with these enhanced creatures directly.

Ultimately, including versatile responses in your deck that can manage or neutralize threats from cards like Above the Clouds can be a game-changer in MTG. It’s about having the right tools to address flying threats and ensuring your deck has multiple ways to achieve victory.

Cards like Above the Clouds

In the realm of Magic the Gathering, Above the Clouds is a noteworthy card that lends itself to comparison with other flying-themed cards. Like Winged Words, Above the Clouds encourages a strategy centered around aerial superiority. Both cards benefit players for controlling creatures with flying, but Above the Clouds offers an additional layer of utility by potentially allowing a player to draw multiple cards if they control several flyers.

The spell Favorable Winds also carries a flying-centric theme, buffing each creature with flying you control, unlike Above the Clouds which focuses more on card advantage than direct creature enhancement. Another comparative card is Gravitational Shift, which not only gives your flying creatures a significant power boost but also debilitates your opponents’ non-flying creatures, quite a different approach compared to the card draw strategy of Above the Clouds.

When considering flying synergies and deck strategies, Above the Clouds holds its own by providing card draw and flying enhancement. Its unique blend of aerial support and card advantage makes it a versatile option for players seeking to dominate the skies of Magic the Gathering.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Above the Clouds MTG card by a specific set like Jumpstart Front Cards, 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 Above the Clouds and other MTG cards: