Riftwing Cloudskate MTG Card
2006-10-06 - Number 73
2008-11-07 - Number 15
2013-06-07 - Number 62
2014-03-14 - Number 18
2014-12-05 - Number 15
2019-11-07 - Number 469
2021-03-19 - Number 82
2020-09-26 - Number DD2-15
| Card sets | Released in 8 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 5 |
| Rarity | Uncommon |
| Type | Creature — Illusion |
| Abilities | Flying,Suspend |
| Power | 2 |
| Toughness | 2 |
Text of card
Flying When Riftwing Cloudskate comes into play, return target permanent to its owner's hand. Suspend 3— (Rather than play this card from your hand, you may pay and remove it from the game with three time counters on it. At the beginning of your upkeep, remove a time counter. When you remove the last, play it without paying its mana cost. It has haste.)
Cards like Riftwing Cloudskate
Riftwing Cloudskate stands out in Magic: The Gathering as a versatile card with the unique ability to temporarily remove an opponent’s threat when it enters the battlefield. In comparison, other cards like Man-o’-War also offer creature bounce utility, though without the delay of Riftwing Cloudskate’s suspend mechanic. The Cloudskate can be suspended for just two mana, allowing for early game planning and a strategic play later on.
Another card worth comparing is Aether Adept, which shares the ability to return a creature to its owner’s hand upon entry. However, Aether Adept lacks the flexibility of suspend, coming into play immediately and not potentially delaying an opponent’s play. Conversely, Exclusion Mage follows a similar pattern, offering immediate board impact but without the alternate casting option presented by suspend.
To conclude, Riftwing Cloudskate offers an interesting blend of immediate and future board impact that sets it apart from its peers. Its strength lies in the option to plan turns ahead, making it a tactical choice in games of Magic: The Gathering where timing and resource management are crucial.
Cards similar to Riftwing Cloudskate by color, type and mana cost
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Riftwing Cloudskate offers a unique form of card advantage. Upon entering the battlefield, it bounces a target permanent to its owner’s hand. This not only disrupts an opponent’s game plan but can potentially lead to card advantage by making the opponent discard if they have a full hand.
Resource Acceleration: With the suspend ability, you can play Riftwing Cloudskate for only two mana and have it enter the battlefield on your fourth turn, effectively allowing you to allocate resources elsewhere in the early game. This acceleration can be crucial for developing your board while also setting up for impactful plays.
Instant Speed: While the Riftwing Cloudskate itself isn’t an instant, its suspend mechanic gives you the strategic advantage similar to instant speed interaction. You can suspend it at a moment that best suits your game plan, creating a stifling surprise for your opponent’s next turn.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Riftwing Cloudskate doesn’t come with a discard obligation directly; instead, its core downside is linked to its suspend mechanic. You might experience a delay in card utility which can impede momentum, particularly in formats that favor quick plays.
Specific Mana Cost: Requires both blue and generic mana, which could pose a challenge in multicolored decks that might struggle with mana consistency. As such, its inclusion is often best suited to decks with a strong blue mana base.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a conventional casting cost of five mana, Riftwing Cloudskate competes with other impactful blue creatures and spells that may offer immediate and more substantial board presence or effects. Players might opt for alternatives with a more immediate impact relative to their investment.
Reasons to Include Riftwing Cloudskate in Your Collection
Versatility: Riftwing Cloudskate offers unique flexibility as a flying creature that can disrupt an opponent’s board on arrival. Ideal for tempo decks or as a defensive measure in control builds, its suspend mechanic allows for strategic planning, fitting into various game plans with ease.
Combo Potential: With its ability to bounce any nonland permanent, Riftwing Cloudskate pairs well with other effects that capitalize on entry triggers or permanents being returned to the hand. This interaction can set up repeatable sequences leading to a dominant board state.
Meta-Relevance: In a game state where setting back your opponent’s key pieces is crucial, Riftwing Cloudskate stands out. Its capacity to unsettle established boards or delay vital plays keeps it relevant in environments heavy with creature-based strategies or reliance on specific nonland permanents.
How to Beat Riftwing Cloudskate
Riftwing Cloudskate serves as a versatile element in Magic: The Gathering with its flying ability and the utility to return target permanents to their owner’s hand. This card, often utilized for its tempo play, can disrupt your opponent’s game plan by bouncing back a key piece on their board. However, there are several strategies you can employ to mitigate its impact against you.
Firstly, prioritize playing low-cost permanents that can be recast easily if returned to your hand. This reduces the tempo loss you would face from Riftwing Cloudskate’s ability. Cards like mana dorks or cheap cantrips can quickly be replayed, maintaining your board presence. Secondly, you can use instant-speed removal when Riftwing Cloudskate hits the field to diminish its effectiveness. Since Riftwing Cloudskate has suspend, you can anticipate its arrival and plan accordingly.
Lastly, utilising graveyard-based strategies can sidestep Riftwing Cloudskate’s bounce effect. If your deck is designed to operate from the graveyard or has recursion built-in, returning a card to hand can even be advantageous for you. Adapting your gameplay and having a few counterspells ready can make Riftwing Cloudskate less of a threat and turn the tides to your favor.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Riftwing Cloudskate MTG card by a specific set like Time Spiral and Duel Decks: Jace vs. Chandra, 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 Riftwing Cloudskate and other MTG cards:
BUY NOW BurnMana is an official partner of TCGPlayer
- eBay
- 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 Riftwing Cloudskate Magic the Gathering card was released in 8 different sets between 2006-10-06 and 2021-03-19. Illustrated by Carl Critchlow.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2006-10-06 | Time Spiral | TSP | 73 | 2003 | Normal | Black | Carl Critchlow | |
| 2 | 2008-11-07 | Duel Decks: Jace vs. Chandra | DD2 | 15 | 2003 | Normal | Black | Carl Critchlow | |
| 3 | 2013-06-07 | Modern Masters | MMA | 62 | 2003 | Normal | Black | Carl Critchlow | |
| 4 | 2014-03-14 | Duel Decks: Jace vs. Vraska | DDM | 18 | 2003 | Normal | Black | Carl Critchlow | |
| 5 | 2014-12-05 | Duel Decks Anthology: Jace vs. Chandra | JVC | 15 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Carl Critchlow | |
| 6 | 2019-11-07 | Mystery Booster | MB1 | 469 | 2003 | Normal | Black | Carl Critchlow | |
| 7 | The List | PLST | DD2-15 | 2003 | Normal | Black | Carl Critchlow | ||
| 8 | 2021-03-19 | Time Spiral Remastered | TSR | 82 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Carl Critchlow |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Riftwing Cloudskate 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 Riftwing Cloudskate card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2021-06-18 | A creature cast using suspend will enter the battlefield with haste. It will have haste until another player gains control of it. (In some rare cases, another player may gain control of the creature spell itself. If this happens, the creature won’t enter the battlefield with haste.) |
| 2021-06-18 | As the second triggered ability resolves, you must cast the card if able. You must do so even if it requires targets and the only legal targets are ones that you really don’t want to target. Timing permissions based on the card’s type are ignored. |
| 2021-06-18 | Cards exiled with suspend are exiled face up. |
| 2021-06-18 | Exiling a card with suspend isn’t casting that card. This action doesn’t use the stack and can’t be responded to. |
| 2021-06-18 | If an effect refers to a “suspended card,” that means a card that (1) has suspend, (2) is in exile, and (3) has one or more time counters on it. |
| 2021-06-18 | If the card has in its mana cost, you must choose 0 as the value of X when casting it without paying its mana cost. |
| 2021-06-18 | If the first triggered ability of suspend (the one that removes time counters) is countered, no time counter is removed. The ability will trigger again at the beginning of the card’s owner’s next upkeep. |
| 2021-06-18 | If the second triggered ability is countered, the card can’t be cast. It remains exiled with no time counters on it, and it’s no longer suspended. |
| 2021-06-18 | If the spell requires any targets, those targets are chosen when the spell is finally cast, not when it’s exiled. |
| 2021-06-18 | If you can’t cast the card, perhaps because there are no legal targets available, it remains exiled with no time counters on it, and it’s no longer suspended. |
| 2021-06-18 | If you cast a card “without paying its mana cost,” such as with suspend, you can’t choose to cast it for any alternative costs. You can, however, pay additional costs. If the card has any mandatory additional costs, you must pay those if you want to cast the card. |
| 2021-06-18 | Suspend is a keyword that represents three abilities. The first is a static ability that allows you to exile the card from your hand with the specified number of time counters (the number before the dash) on it by paying its suspend cost (listed after the dash). The second is a triggered ability that removes a time counter from the suspended card at the beginning of each of your upkeeps. The third is a triggered ability that causes you to cast the card when the last time counter is removed. If you cast a creature spell this way, it gains haste until you lose control of that creature (or, in rare cases, you lose control of the creature spell while it’s on the stack). |
| 2021-06-18 | The mana value of a spell cast without paying its mana cost is determined by its mana cost, even though that cost wasn’t paid. |
| 2021-06-18 | When the last time counter is removed, the second triggered ability of suspend (the one that lets you cast the card) triggers. It doesn’t matter why the last time counter was removed or what effect removed it. |
| 2021-06-18 | You are never forced to activate mana abilities to pay costs, so if there is a mandatory additional mana cost (such as from Thalia, Guardian of Thraben), you can decline to activate mana abilities to pay for it and hence fail to cast the suspended card, leaving it in exile. |
| 2021-06-18 | You can exile a card in your hand using suspend any time you could cast that card. Consider its card type, any effects that modify when you could cast it (such as flash) and any other effects that stop you from casting it (such as from Meddling Mage’s ability) to determine if and when you can do this. Whether you could actually complete all steps in casting the card is irrelevant. For example, you can exile a card with suspend that has no mana cost or that requires a target even if no legal targets are available at that time. |