Air Elemental MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 38 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost5
RarityUncommon
TypeCreature — Elemental
Abilities Flying
Power 4
Toughness 4

Key Takeaways

  1. Air Elemental dominates in the air, requiring opponents to react or face consistent damage.
  2. Its casting cost is steep but can lead to a commanding presence on the battlefield.
  3. Effective Air Elemental counters include removal spells or creatures with reach/flying.

Text of card

Flying

These spirits of the air are winsome and wild, and cannot be truly contained. Only marginally intelligent, they often substitute whimsy for strategy, delighting in mischief and mayhem.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Air Elemental doesn’t directly offer card advantage upon entering the battlefield, but as a sizable flyer, it can quickly become a must-answer threat that forces your opponent to spend resources, potentially leading to a two-for-one scenario in your favor.

Resource Acceleration: While not a direct source of resource acceleration, its 4/4 flying stature often requires more than one card from the opponent to deal with it, allowing you to outpace them in terms of resources over time.

Instant Speed: Though Air Elemental is a creature spell cast only at sorcery speed, its dominance in the air swiftly changes the pace of the game, obliging opponents to react immediately or suffer considerable aerial damage each turn.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Playing the Air Elemental could set you back when it demands a card to be discarded to fulfill its cast conditions, potentially depleting valuable options from your hand.

Specific Mana Cost: Wielding the power of the Air Elemental necessitates a specific blend of mana, including two blue, which could prove challenging to incorporate into decks not dedicated to this color.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Commanding a total of five mana, the Air Elemental’s cost can be deemed steep, particularly when measured against other creatures that could come into play more strategically or provide additional abilities for the same or lesser investment.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: The Air Elemental offers a straightforward yet powerful presence on the battlefield. Its flying ability enables it to glide over ground-based defenses, making it a fit for decks that aim to dominate the skies or simply need a robust defender against other flyers.

Combo Potential: With a respectable 4/4 body, Air Elemental can synergize well with cards that capitalize on flying creatures or those that benefit from having more significant power creatures in play. It can amplify the effects of cards that boost flyers or work in tandem with abilities that trigger upon dealing combat damage.

Meta-Relevance: In environments where the board is often congested with creatures, the evasion provided by Air Elemental’s flying ability helps it stay relevant. It can reliably apply pressure in the air, making it significant in metas where control or creature-based strategies are prevalent.


How to beat

Air Elemental is a classic blue creature that has floated through Magic: The Gathering’s history, boasting a strong presence in the skies. With its stats sitting at a solid 4/4, it’s a straightforward yet powerful threat when soaring overhead. To counter this card effectively, it’s advisable to have removal options ready in your deck. Cards like Murder, which can destroy a target creature for three mana, can easily dispatch Air Elemental, ensuring that your opponent’s aerial advantage is short-lived.

Additionally, spells that force the opponent to sacrifice a creature, like Diabolic Edict, bypass the Elementals’ inherent protection from certain colors or targeting restrictions. Don’t forget, efficient blockers with reach or flying, such as Spiders or Angels, can also stand in defiance against the gusty might of this iconic Elemental. As with most nonhexproof or nonshroud creatures, the key to overcoming Air Elemental lies within a well-rounded deck, equipped with a variety of answers. This approach will keep your opponent’s creatures from dominating the battlefield, regardless of their power or stature.

In any confrontation against an Air Elemental, your focus should be on keeping your removal options versatile and your defenses ready to challenge creatures that take to the battlefields of the skies.


Cards like Air Elemental

The essence of Air Elemental in Magic: The Gathering lies in its straightforward yet potent presence on the battlefield. Like Air Elemental, cards such as Wind Drake also take to the skies with flying. However, Air Elemental towers over with its significant 4/4 body, making it a formidable threat compared to Wind Drake’s smaller 2/2 frame.

Examining Serra Angel, another card with flying, provides a different perspective. While it shares the same power with Air Elemental, it additionally showcases vigilance, allowing it to attack without tapping. This grants a considerable strategic advantage over Air Elemental, which lacks this defensive edge. Despite that, Air Elemental remains efficient due to its lower mana cost, making it an accessible choice earlier in the game.

Another card to consider is Mahamoti Djinn. Acting as a larger counterpart to Air Elemental with a 5/6 stat line, the Djinn demands a heavier mana investment. This trade-off adds raw power but at the cost of delaying your game plan. Weighing these aspects, Air Elemental holds a balanced position in the pantheon of flying creatures within Magic: The Gathering for its cost-to-power ratio.

Wind Drake - MTG Card versions
Serra Angel - MTG Card versions
Mahamoti Djinn - MTG Card versions
Wind Drake - Portal (POR)
Serra Angel - Limited Edition Alpha (LEA)
Mahamoti Djinn - Limited Edition Alpha (LEA)

Cards similar to Air Elemental by color, type and mana cost

Vesuvan Doppelganger - MTG Card versions
Water Elemental - MTG Card versions
Pirate Ship - MTG Card versions
Sandbar Crocodile - MTG Card versions
Segovian Leviathan - MTG Card versions
Psionic Entity - MTG Card versions
Taniwha - MTG Card versions
Sun Ce, Young Conquerer - MTG Card versions
Wu Admiral - MTG Card versions
Mawcor - MTG Card versions
Timin, Youthful Geist - MTG Card versions
Geology Enthusiast - MTG Card versions
Dreamtail Heron - MTG Card versions
Coastal Hornclaw - MTG Card versions
Meloku the Clouded Mirror - MTG Card versions
Azami, Lady of Scrolls - MTG Card versions
Richard Garfield, Ph.D. - MTG Card versions
Cloudhoof Kirin - MTG Card versions
Tidewater Minion - MTG Card versions
Drelnoch - MTG Card versions
Vesuvan Doppelganger - Foreign Black Border (FBB)
Water Elemental - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Pirate Ship - Fourth Edition (4ED)
Sandbar Crocodile - Media Inserts (PMEI)
Segovian Leviathan - Fourth Edition (4ED)
Psionic Entity - Fourth Edition (4ED)
Taniwha - Mirage (MIR)
Sun Ce, Young Conquerer - Portal Three Kingdoms (PTK)
Wu Admiral - Portal Three Kingdoms (PTK)
Mawcor - Seventh Edition (7ED)
Timin, Youthful Geist - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Geology Enthusiast - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Dreamtail Heron - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Coastal Hornclaw - Eighth Edition (8ED)
Meloku the Clouded Mirror - Champions of Kamigawa (CHK)
Azami, Lady of Scrolls - Commander Masters (CMM)
Richard Garfield, Ph.D. - Unhinged (UNH)
Cloudhoof Kirin - Saviors of Kamigawa (SOK)
Tidewater Minion - Ravnica: City of Guilds (RAV)
Drelnoch - Coldsnap (CSP)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Air Elemental MTG card by a specific set like Limited Edition Alpha and Limited Edition Beta, 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 Air Elemental and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Air Elemental Magic the Gathering card was released in 33 different sets between 1993-08-05 and 2022-11-28. Illustrated by 7 different artists.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
11993-08-05Limited Edition AlphaLEA 461993normalblackRichard Thomas
21993-10-04Limited Edition BetaLEB 471993normalblackRichard Thomas
31993-12-01Unlimited Edition2ED 471993normalwhiteRichard Thomas
41993-12-10Intl. Collectors' EditionCEI 471993normalblackRichard Thomas
51993-12-10Collectors' EditionCED 471993normalblackRichard Thomas
61994-04-01Revised Edition3ED 471993normalwhiteRichard Thomas
71994-04-01Foreign Black BorderFBB 471993normalblackRichard Thomas
81994-06-21Summer Magic / EdgarSUM 471993normalwhiteRichard Thomas
91995-04-01Fourth Edition4ED 591993normalwhiteRichard Thomas
101995-04-01Fourth Edition Foreign Black Border4BB 591993normalblackRichard Thomas
111997-03-24Fifth Edition5ED 711997normalwhiteD. Alexander Gregory
121998-06-24Portal Second AgeP02 311997normalblackDoug Chaffee
131999-04-21Classic Sixth Edition6ED 561997normalwhiteDoug Chaffee
141999-07-01Starter 1999S99 321997normalwhiteDoug Chaffee
151999-11-12Battle Royale Box SetBRB 31997normalwhiteD. Alexander Gregory
162000-10-01Beatdown Box SetBTD 11997normalwhiteDoug Chaffee
172001-04-11Seventh Edition7ED 581997normalwhiteWayne England
182001-04-11Seventh Edition7ED 58★1997normalblackWayne England
192003-07-28Eighth Edition8ED 592003normalwhiteWayne England
202003-07-28Eighth Edition8ED 59★2003normalblackWayne England
212005-07-29Ninth Edition9ED 58★2003normalblackNick Percival
222005-07-29Ninth Edition9ED 582003normalwhiteNick Percival
232007-07-13Tenth Edition10E 64★2003normalblackKev Walker
242007-07-13Tenth Edition10E 642003normalblackKev Walker
252008-11-07Duel Decks: Jace vs. ChandraDD2 132003normalblackKev Walker
262009-07-17Magic 2010M10 422003normalblackKev Walker
272010-06-04Duels of the PlaneswalkersDPA 12003normalblackKev Walker
282011-01-10Masters Edition IVME4 371997normalblackRichard Thomas
292014-12-05Duel Decks Anthology: Jace vs. ChandraJVC 132015normalblackKev Walker
302017-04-15Welcome Deck 2017W17 72015normalblackKev Walker
312017-09-29IxalanXLN 452015normalblackTomasz Jedruszek
322018-07-13Core Set 2019M19 3082015normalblackTomasz Jedruszek
332018-11-16Game NightGNT 192015normalblackKev Walker
342019-07-12Core Set 2020M20 442015normalblackTomasz Jedruszek
352020-08-13Arena Beginner SetANB 232015normalblackTomasz Jedruszek
362020-09-26The ListPLST P02-311997normalblackDoug Chaffee
372022-11-2830th Anniversary Edition30A 3431997normalblackRichard Thomas
382022-11-2830th Anniversary Edition30A 462015normalblackRichard Thomas

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Air Elemental has restrictions

FormatLegality
OldschoolLegal
HistoricbrawlLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderRestricted
OathbreakerLegal
GladiatorLegal
AlchemyLegal
PioneerLegal
CommanderLegal
ModernLegal
PremodernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
PredhLegal
PennyLegal
TimelessLegal

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