Spontaneous Flight MTG Card

Spontaneous Flight - Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	3
Rarity	Common
Type	Instant
Released	2020-04-24
Set symbol
Set name	Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths
Set code	IKO
Number	33
Frame	2015
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Gabor Szikszai

Key Takeaways

Spontaneous Flight can quickly turn any creature into a considerable aerial threat, impacting board states.
Its instant speed allows for strategic flexibility and potential opponent disruption during combat.
However, its discard requirement and specific mana cost may limit its versatility in some decks.

Text of card

Target creature gets +2/+2 until end of turn. Put a flying counter on it.

"Amazing! And I was only trying to teach her to sit!"

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Spontaneous Flight offers a surprise element by enabling you to beef up a creature unexpectedly. Though it doesn’t draw cards directly, it potentially turns any creature into an immediate airborne threat, which can lead to advantageous board states.

Resource Acceleration: While not providing traditional mana acceleration, Spontaneous Flight can be considered a form of tempo acceleration. Quickly enhancing a creature can speed up your game plan, allowing you to pressure your opponent and potentially win the game sooner.

Instant Speed: Casting Spontaneous Flight at instant speed gives you the flexibility to optimize your plays. It allows you to adapt to the unfolding game, use your mana efficiently, and potentially disrupt your opponent’s strategy by making unexpected blockers or attackers during combat.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Spontaneous Flight requires a card to be discarded upon casting, which can potentially deplete your hand, leaving you without crucial options later in the game.

Specific Mana Cost: It necessitates both generic and blue mana to cast, which might not align with the mana base of multi-colored decks, making it less versatile overall.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: For its ability to grant flying only until end of turn, the mana cost is relatively steep, especially when compared to other cards with permanent flying buffs or lower cost alternatives that provide similar benefits.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Spontaneous Flight offers quick and flexible ways to modify creatures on the fly. It’s a card that could seamlessly adapt to various deck builds and play styles, providing creatures that crucial advantage of evasion when most needed.

Combo Potential: Beyond the obvious benefit of granting flying, this card can synergize with strategies that capitalize on enchantments or aerial combat. Decks focusing on flying tribal or enchantress themes will find it highly synergetic.

Meta-Relevance: In formats where the board is crowded with ground creatures, Spontaneous Flight can turn any creature into an immediate aerial threat. Especially relevant in a meta that’s heavy on ground-based combat, allowing you to bypass blockers and pressures opponents from a new angle.

How to beat

Spontaneous Flight is a versatile aura in Magic: The Gathering that can give creatures a significant boost. As a card that grants flying and a +1/+1 counter at instant speed, it can swing games by enabling surprise blocks or creating a sudden evasive threat. To effectively counter this card, it’s essential to have removals or counterspells ready. Instant-speed interaction is key, as you can respond to the casting of Spontaneous Flight itself or immediately handle the buffed creature.

Denying your opponent the opportunity to capitalize on Spontaneous Flight’s surprise factor is another strategy. This can be done by maintaining open mana for potential interaction or by keeping the battlefield clear of potential targets through consistent creature control. A deck with a good suite of instant-speed removals, like Fatal Push or Path to Exile, puts you in a strong position to handle creatures targeted by Spontaneous Flight. Additionally, employing enchantment removal such as Naturalize, or creatures with reach can mitigate the flying advantage provided by the aura.

Understanding the pivotal moment to disrupt your opponent’s plans with Spontaneous Flight is crucial. Timing your responses well and anticipating the play will enable you to remain in control and ultimately overcome the sudden edge this card aims to provide.

Cards like Spontaneous Flight

Spontaneous Flight is a card that presents an intriguing dynamic in the realm of creature enhancement in MTG. It finds parallels in cards like Jump, which essentially provides a creature with flying until the end of turn, though without any additional perks. Spontaneous Flight elevates this concept by adding a +1/+1 counter into the mix, giving a lasting benefit beyond the temporary evasion capability.

Looking at other comparisons, there’s Leap, which not only grants flying but also allows for a card draw. While the card draw is a nice bonus, it doesn’t present the permanent stat boost that accompanies Spontaneous Flight. Winged Words is also worth mentioning here; although it primarily functions as a card draw, its cost reduction effect when controlling a flying creature ties it to a similar theme of aerial superiority. However, it doesn’t interact with creatures on the battlefield in the way that Spontaneous Flight does.

Ultimately, when comparing these options, Spontaneous Flight strikes a compelling balance between immediate impact and enduring advantage, which can be especially beneficial in decks that capitalize on +1/+1 counters or flying creatures.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Spontaneous Flight MTG card by a specific set like Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths, 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 Spontaneous Flight and other MTG cards:

Continue exploring other sealed products in Amazon
See MTG Products

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Spontaneous Flight 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