Bladed Pinions MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	2
Rarity	Common
Type	Artifact — Equipment
Abilities	Equip
Released	2010-10-01
Set symbol
Set name	Scars of Mirrodin
Set code	SOM
Number	140
Frame	2003
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Steve Argyle

Key Takeaways

Enhances creatures affordably, granting flying and first strike for versatile combat strategies.
Combos well with certain creatures for impactful combat damage and potential surprising wins.
Stays relevant in metas where evasion is crucial, countering ground-heavy or flying decks.

Text of card

Equipped creature has flying and first strike. Equip

Lacking trained pterons, the Auriok had to rely on other measures to gain the upper hand in the skies.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Bladed Pinions grants any creature flying and first strike, making it a versatile attachment that can turn even the most ground-bound creatures into potential threats. The ability to soar over blockers or defend against flying creatures can often swing the momentum of a match in your favor.

Resource Acceleration: While Bladed Pinions doesn’t directly accelerate your mana resources, it enhances your battlefield’s dynamics without a hefty mana investment. This equipment allows you to apply pressure or defend effectively, which can indirectly lead to resource advantages by forcing your opponent to deal with the empowered creature.

Instant Speed: Although not an instant itself, Bladed Pinions interacts favorably with creatures that can be cast at instant speed. Equipping it can be a surprise move during your own turn or just before your opponent’s turn ends, making your instant-speed creatures more formidable and giving you an edge in combat.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While Bladed Pinions doesn’t have a discard requirement itself, equipping a creature often requires the sacrifice of tempo or other resources. If you’re playing a strategy that revolves around maintaining card advantage, this could be less than ideal.

Specific Mana Cost: Bladed Pinions asks for two specific mana to play. This can be slightly restrictive, particularly in multicolored decks that might struggle with the right mana fixing or have a tight mana curve to adhere to.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Although two mana may not seem excessive, within the scope of equipment cards, it’s important to assess what Bladed Pinions offers. Giving a creature flying and first strike is beneficial, but when assessing mana-to-impact ratio, there are other equipment cards or creatures that might provide a better return on investment, either through lower cost or additional abilities.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Bladed Pinions offers a wide array of decks an affordable equipment option. It easily slots into any build that aims to enhance creatures with flying and first strike, two abilities that can turn an ordinary creature into a formidable threat in combat.

Combo Potential: This card synergizes well with cards that reward you for having equipped creatures or for dealing combat damage. Pairing Bladed Pinions with creatures that have other keywords or beneficial effects upon dealing damage to a player can create powerful interactions and surprising wins.

Meta-Relevance: In a game where evasion is key, this card has a place in the current landscape. Against a field of ground-based creatures or in a meta where flying creatures dominate the skies, Bladed Pinions increases the effectiveness of your creature lineup, allowing them to block or bypass potential threats.

How to Beat the Bladed Pinions Card

Bladed Pinions equips creatures with flying and first strike abilities, posing a challenge to opponents relying on ground forces. To maneuver past this obstacle, consider employing cards that minimize equipment impact like Naturalize, which can destroy Bladed Pinions outright. Casualties of War offers a more versatile solution, allowing the destruction of multiple threat types, including enchantments or artifacts like Bladed Pinions.

Against creatures bolstered by Bladed Pinions, efficient removal spells such as Doom Blade or Path to Exile can cleanly handle the problem, bypassing the gains from the equipment. Additionally, implementing strategies that don’t rely on combat, such as direct damage or mill decks, can effectively circumvent the defensive advantage of flying and first strike.

To summarize, with careful deck-building and a proactive approach, Bladed Pinions can be neutralized. Prioritize answers to artifacts and evasive creature strategies to ensure your deck isn’t caught off guard by this equipment.

Cards like Bladed Pinions

Bladed Pinions joins the array of equipment in Magic: The Gathering that aim to enhance creature capabilities. Much like Bladed Pinions, the card Fleetfeather Sandals also grants creatures the gift of flight, providing the much-coveted flying ability. However, Bladed Pinions goes a step further by also bestowing first strike, allowing a creature to deal damage before others without the ability during combat. This can turn the tide in a player’s favor, especially in combat-focused games.

Comparably, there’s the equipment Ghostfire Blade, which not only buffs the creature’s power and toughness, but also has a reduced equip cost for colorless creatures. While it doesn’t offer the tactical advantages of flying or first strike, its stat increase is consistently reliable.

Lastly, Neurok Hoversail is another alternative that provides flying but lacks the additional first strike bonus. Its single focused effect could be seen as a limitation when juxtaposed with the dual benefits offered by Bladed Pinions. Analyzing these cards together, Bladed Pinions presents a strong case for inclusion in decks that require both an offensive and defensive upgrade for their creatures, balancing cost and versatility.

Fleetfeather Sandals - MTG Card versions

Cards similar to Bladed Pinions by color, type and mana cost

Water Gun Balloon Game - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Bladed Pinions MTG card by a specific set like Scars of Mirrodin, 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 Bladed Pinions and other MTG cards: