Aura Finesse MTG Card


Aura Finesse - Rise of the Eldrazi
Mana cost
Converted mana cost1
RarityCommon
TypeInstant
Released2010-04-23
Set symbol
Set nameRise of the Eldrazi
Set codeROE
Number54
Frame2003
Layoutnormal
Borderblack
Illustred byHoward Lyon

Key Takeaways

  1. Reclaiming Aura spells from the graveyard directly improves hand advantage, offering strategic depth to gameplay.
  2. Finesse’s instant speed provides tactical leeway, crucial for outmaneuvering opponents during crucial phases.
  3. Despite its utility, the need for specific mana types and discard costs can limit its versatility.

Text of card

Attach target Aura you control to target creature. Draw a card.

"Although armor and auras can be similar, the brains required to use them are worlds apart." —Zilan, Makindi auramancer


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Enhances your hand by allowing you to retrieve a key Aura spell from your graveyard, putting essential tools back into your arsenal and effectively increasing your options for future turns.

Resource Acceleration: Can untap a permanent you control, potentially ramping you ahead by giving you access to more mana or reusing a vital ability, fueling your strategy and tempo.

Instant Speed: Offers the flexibility to respond to your opponent’s moves or to make tactical decisions at the last possible moment, which can shift the tides of a match by exploiting the perfect timing for maximum effect.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: The Aura Finesse card mandates the relinquishing of a card from your hand as part of its casting requisites. This compulsory discard can be a significant hurdle when your hand is already running on fumes, potentially costing you vital card advantage at crucial game junctures.

Specific Mana Cost: Aura Finesse is tethered to a particular blend of mana colors for its activation, necessitating both blue and white mana. This need can pigeonhole the card into a more narrow band of deck types, predominantly those already aligning with the Azorius color scheme, and can pose challenges in mana-flexible strategies.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: For what the card achieves, Aura Finesse comes with a mana cost that’s on the steeper end of the scale. Given that it requires three specific mana, one might reckon that other cards could provide a more cost-effective means to an end, especially when looking to optimize deck efficiency and speed within the format. Hence, its inclusion in a deck must be weighed against potential alternatives that might yield a higher payoff for a lower or more versatile mana investment.


Reasons to Include Aura Finesse in Your Collection

Versatility: Aura Finesse offers a high degree of flexibility for players. The ability to quickly move an enchantment can benefit enchantment-centric decks, adapting your board to changing game states.

Combo Potential: This card opens up numerous combo possibilities. Reassigning Auras can enable unexpected mid-combat adjustments, or be used in conjunction with cards that have enter-the-battlefield effects for Auras, leading to powerful play sequences.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta where creatures and their enhancements are key, Aura Finesse stands out. It presents a tactical advantage by disrupting opponent strategies or maximizing your own Aura-related synergies, making it a smart addition to your collection.


How to Beat

Aura Finesse is a unique enchantment card in Magic the Gathering that allows players to move an Aura from one creature to another. To effectively counteract its strategic advantage, a player needs to disrupt the Aura’s synergy or make the transfer less impactful. A solid tactic is to ensure you have instant-speed removal to destroy the targeted creature in response to the Aura being moved.

Another effective method is to use hexproof or shroud on your key creatures, which prevents them from becoming the new home for the opponent’s Aura. This can cause a significant tempo loss for an opponent relying on Aura Finesse for a key combo or to maintain board presence. Additionally, playing enchantment destruction cards or those that can exile enchantments can neutralize Aura Finesse before it becomes a concern. Cards with abilities to counteract enchantments directly also serve as strong counters.

When facing an opponent wielding an Aura Finesse strategy, staying proactive and either minimizing your reliance on creatures or bolstering your defenses against enchantment manipulation is key to maintaining control of the game.


Cards like Aura Finesse

In the realm of Magic: The Gathering, Aura Finesse stands out within the niche of Aura swapping spells. Conjuring images of card like Flickerform, Aura Finesse allows players to swiftly move Auras from one creature to another, offering strategic versatility on the battlefield. Yet, unlike Flickerform, which requires four mana and also temporarily exiles the creature to return with all its Auras, Aura Finesse does this at a fraction of the cost and without the exile mechanic.

Parallel effects can be found in cards such as Simic Guildmage, which also provides the ability to move Auras at will. Simic Guildmage, however, is creature-dependent and requires both green and blue mana, whereas Aura Finesse is strictly blue and can be cast whether you control a creature or not. Meanwhile, Vow of Flight shares the theme of enhancing creatures with Auras, but lacks the dynamic ability to redistribute those Auras after they’ve been played.

All in all, Aura Finesse can be highly valued for its tactical flexibility and low mana cost, setting it apart from its kin in the fascinating array of MTG tactical enhancers. The card offers a bespoke solution for Aura manipulation that savvy players can leverage for unexpected and game-changing plays.

Flickerform - MTG Card versions
Simic Guildmage - MTG Card versions
Vow of Flight - MTG Card versions
Flickerform - Ravnica: City of Guilds (RAV)
Simic Guildmage - Dissension (DIS)
Vow of Flight - Commander 2011 (CMD)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Aura Finesse MTG card by a specific set like Rise of the Eldrazi, 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 Aura Finesse and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Aura Finesse has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PauperLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal
PennyLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2010-06-15 As Aura Finesse resolves, if either target is illegal, the spell resolves but the Aura doesn’t move. You still draw a card. If both targets are illegal, Aura Finesse doesn’t resolve and you don’t draw a card.
2010-06-15 As Aura Finesse resolves, if the targeted Aura can’t legally enchant the targeted creature (for example, because the Aura is red and the creature has protection from red, or because the Aura has “enchant creature you control” and an opponent controls the creature), the spell resolves but the Aura doesn’t move. You still draw a card.
2010-06-15 If you target an Aura that’s attached to a creature, you may also target the creature it’s attached to. Aura Finesse won’t cause the Aura to move, but you’ll still draw a card when it resolves.
2010-06-15 You may target any Aura you control, and you may target any creature (including one you don’t control). Whether the Aura could legally enchant the creature is irrelevant as you’re choosing the targets.
2010-06-15 You still control the Aura, even if you attach it to a creature you don’t control.

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