Aven Eternal MTG Card
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 3 |
| Rarity | Common |
| Type | Creature — Zombie Bird Warrior |
| Abilities | Amass,Flying |
| Released | 2019-05-03 |
| Set symbol | |
| Set name | War of the Spark |
| Set code | WAR |
| Power | 2 |
| Toughness | 2 |
| Number | 42 |
| Frame | 2015 |
| Layout | Normal |
| Border | Black |
| Illustred by | Johan Grenier |
Key Takeaways
- Generates a 1/1 flying token, doubling board presence and tactical options.
- Combos well in token strategies, adding value and board strength.
- Key in flying-centric decks, overcoming ground defenses effectively.
Text of card
Flying When Aven Eternal enters the battlefield, amass Zombies 1. (Put a +1/+1 counter on an Army you control. It's also a Zombie. If you don't control an Army, create a 0/0 black Zombie Army creature token first.)
"I've never seen the firemane angels so anxious." —Tajic
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Aven Eternal enters the battlefield along with a 1/1 blue Bird creature token with flying. This generates additional board presence, effectively providing you with two creatures for the price of one card and potentially doubling your offensive or defensive capabilities.
Resource Acceleration: While Aven Eternal does not directly accelerate resources in the form of mana, it offers strategic advantages by enhancing your army’s size. This allows for greater pressure on the opponent and can indirectly speed up your game plan by maintaining a solid battlefield position.
Instant Speed: Although Aven Eternal is a creature card and therefore doesn’t have instant speed, the amass ability it possesses can create an immediate impact on the game state. The token appears right away, allowing you to adjust your board before your next turn, which somewhat mimics the instant speed advantage by giving you an immediate asset to work with.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: While Aven Eternal brings a flying token into play, casting it does not contribute to your hand size, unlike some other creatures or draw spells. If you’re forced to discard for other cards’ abilities, having Aven Eternal might exacerbate your dwindling resources.
Specific Mana Cost: Aven Eternal requires a specific combination of blue and generic mana to cast. This mana cost can reduce the flexibility in decks that don’t consistently generate the right colors, potentially causing it to be a dead card in your hand at crucial moments.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: Totaling three mana, including one blue, it may be considered costly when evaluated against other creatures or spells that populate the board or provide utility. For instance, there might be cheaper creatures with similar power or abilities that can be played sooner, giving your opponent less time to prepare.
Reasons to Include Aven Eternal in Your Collection
Versatility: Aven Eternal is a flexible card that can be easily slotted into a variety of blue-based decks, particularly those that synergize with flyer abilities or amass mechanics.
Combo Potential: This card brings added potential for combos, as the Zombie Army token it creates when it enters the battlefield can interact with various strategies, whether it’s to strengthen your army or to provide fodder for sacrifice effects.
Meta-Relevance: As creature and token strategies are consistent players in the game, Aven Eternal remains relevant, especially in a meta where evasion like flying is key to overcoming ground-based board stalls.
How to beat
Aven Eternal is a creature card that comes with the flying attribute and creates a 1/1 blue Bird creature token with flying upon entering the battlefield. This card is a part of the amass mechanic, allowing you to stack +1/+1 counters on an Army you control. While this card provides value by enhancing your aerial presence, there are ways to counter it effectively.
One simple strategy is to use removal spells that specifically target flying creatures such as Plummet, or more universal answers like Murder, which can destroy any creature regardless of its abilities. In addition, since Aven Eternal relies on its token-generating ability for additional power, cards that negate creature abilities or exile tokens can be particularly useful. Board wipes like Wrath of God can also reset the playing field, negating the advantage brought by Aven Eternal’s token generation.
Counterspells are additionally worth considering, as they can prevent Aven Eternal from hitting the field in the first place. Ultimately, while Aven Eternal offers a solid two-for-one value, its impact can be mitigated with targeted removal, creature ability suppression, or simply keeping pace with removal spells or wider board control strategies.
Cards like Aven Eternal
Within the vast array of flyers in Magic: The Gathering, Aven Eternal carves out its own niche. Comparable to other creature cards that bring additional bodies to the battlefield, like Doomed Traveler, which also spawns a token upon death, Aven Eternal offers an immediate impact with its Amass ability. This ability not only provides an additional creature but boosts your army strength right away.
Akin to Aven Eternal’s design are cards like Cloudkin Seer. Though Cloudkin Seer brings card draw to the table upon entering the battlefield, it lacks the immediate board presence expansion that Aven Eternal’s zombie token provides. Murmuring Mystic could be considered a parallel as well, producing a token with its ability, but it requires casting an instant or sorcery to do so, offering a delayed and conditional token generation unlike Aven Eternal’s guaranteed Amass.
Assessing these card features, Aven Eternal presents itself as a solid option for players seeking an immediate dual-threat presence. It’s this blend of consistent board impact and aerial pressure that positions it favorably among creatures within its mana cost bracket.
Cards similar to Aven Eternal by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Aven Eternal MTG card by a specific set like War of the Spark, 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 Aven Eternal and other MTG cards:
- eBay
- TCG Player
- 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
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Aven Eternal has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Historicbrawl | Legal |
| Historic | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Gladiator | Legal |
| Pioneer | Legal |
| Commander | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Pauper | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Explorer | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
| Timeless | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Aven Eternal card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2019-05-03 | Army is a new creature type. It’s possible to control a nontoken Army (perhaps a creature with the changeling ability) and, through combinations of other cards, it’s possible to control multiple Army tokens. When instructed to amass, you may put +1/+1 counters on any of your Army creatures, and you may choose a different one each time. |
| 2019-05-03 | If you don’t control an Army, the Zombie Army token that you create enters the battlefield as a 0/0 creature. Any abilities that trigger when a creature with a certain power enters the battlefield, such as that of Mentor of the Meek, will see the token enter as a 0/0 creature before it gets +1/+1 counters. |
