Serra Aviary MTG Card
1995-10-01 - Number 14
2011-01-10 - Number 26
| Card sets | Released in 2 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 4 |
| Rarity | Rare |
| Type | World Enchantment |
Text of card
All creatures with flying get +1/+1.
"Serra, like Feroz, is long since dead. But remember, Daria: her spirit shall survive so long as the Homelands do." —Taysir
Cards like Serra Aviary
Serra Aviary is a unique enchantment in Magic: The Gathering that boosts the powers of your airborne creatures. Nestled firmly in the sphere of cards like Glorious Anthem and Honor of the Pure, it offers a distinct niche for players focusing on fliers. Unlike Glorious Anthem, which offers a blanket power and toughness increase to all your creatures, Serra Aviary specifically targets only those with the gift of flight, giving your aerial assault that extra bit of sharpness.
Another card that echoes the specificity of Serra Aviary is Goblin War Drums, which makes your creatures more difficult for opponents to block, yet this benefit is granted to all attackers, not just fliers. Aerial Predation stands in contrast, solely as a reactive card for destroying airborne threats and providing life gain rather than bolstering your own battlefield presence.
When considering the strategic advantages of flying-focused buffs, Serra Aviary shines in its role within MTG. It’s a tactical choice for enthusiasts of thematic decks sculpted around the skies, ensuring your winged warriors command the battlefield with an elevated grace and power.
Cards similar to Serra Aviary by color, type and mana cost
Card Pros
Card Advantage: With Serra’s Aviary in play, any deck centered around flying creatures can rapidly fill the board with threats, leading to a potential increase in card quality and advantage as each creature becomes a more significant offensive presence.
Resource Acceleration: Serra’s Aviary doesn’t directly accelerate resources in the form of mana, but by enhancing your flying creatures, it indirectly accelerates your board state’s power and pressure, enabling a quicker path to victory.
Instant Speed: Although Serra’s Aviary itself does not operate at instant speed, its ongoing effect does apply instantly to any flyers that come into play, allowing for dynamic combat scenarios and immediate impact from newly played winged creatures.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: While “Serra Aviary” does not have a direct discard requirement, it necessitates strategic hand management to make the most of its benefits. Should you hold onto high-flying creatures to synergize or play them for immediate board presence?
Specific Mana Cost: Serra Aviary’s mana cost is tied exclusively to white mana, which can be restrictive. Decks that lean towards multicolor might find it challenging to consistently meet this requirement, potentially causing the card to sit idle in hand.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: The cost to cast Serra Aviary isn’t negligible. With a casting cost that includes two white mana plus additional generic mana, players may find the investment steep, particularly when there are other enchantments or creatures that can impact the board sooner or offer a broader range of abilities at a similar cost.
Reasons to Include Serra Aviary in Your Collection
Versatility: Serra Aviary enhances any deck that aims to take to the skies. It’s an outstanding addition to decks featuring flying creatures, bolstering their power and turning even the smallest of winged allies into significant threats.
Combo Potential: This card synergizes with strategies that capitalize on flyers, potentially unlocking powerful combinations with other cards that either generate numerous flying tokens or benefit from the increased power of flying creatures.
Meta-Relevance: In environments where flying creatures are prevalent and board control is critical, Serra Aviary could give you the advantage needed to dominate the aerial zone and outpace your opponents’ defensive capabilities.
How to beat
Serra Aviary is a card that can elevate a deck’s aerial threat level by boosting flying creatures with an additional +1/+1, providing a dominant position in the skies. The card’s importance in a flying-focused build cannot be understated, as it empowers even the smallest of feathered friends, turning them into considerable threats. However, like any strategic component in Magic, there are multiple ways to counteract the advantage Serra Aviary offers.
One effective strategy to overcome a Serra Aviary setup is to focus on versatile removal spells that can target enchantments, such as Disenchant or Naturalize, allowing players to dismantle the Aviary’s support quickly. Furthermore, employing creatures with the reach ability can effectively block flying creatures, even those buffed by Serra Aviary. Finally, leveraging board wipes like Wrath of God or Damnation can reset the board and negate the cumulative advantage gained through the Aviary. Timely use of these strategies can maintain the balance between air and ground, ensuring one’s defense remains impermeable to an aerial onslaught.
In summary, while Serra Aviary can be a powerful card within the right deck, players can successfully counter it with targeted removal, creatures with reach, and board-wiping spells, keeping their opponents’ flying ambitions firmly grounded.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Serra Aviary MTG card by a specific set like Homelands and Masters Edition IV, 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 Serra Aviary and other MTG cards:
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- 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
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Printings
The Serra Aviary Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 1995-10-01 and 2011-01-10. Illustrated by Nicola Leonard.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1995-10-01 | Homelands | HML | 14 | 1993 | Normal | Black | Nicola Leonard | |
| 2 | 2011-01-10 | Masters Edition IV | ME4 | 26 | 1997 | Normal | Black | Nicola Leonard |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Serra Aviary has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Premodern | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Predh | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Serra Aviary card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2008-10-01 | This has the supertype world. When a world permanent enters the battlefield, any world permanents that were already on the battlefield are put into their owners’ graveyards. This is a state-based action called the “world rule.” The new world permanent stays on the battlefield. If two world permanents enter the battlefield at the same time, they’re both put into their owners’ graveyards. |