Aether Chaser MTG Card
2017-01-20 - Number 76
2020-11-12 - Number 113
| Card sets | Released in 2 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 2 |
| Rarity | Common |
| Type | Creature — Human Artificer |
| Abilities | First strike |
| Power | 2 |
| Toughness | 1 |
Key Takeaways
- Aether Chaser excels in generating extra tokens, enhancing board presence and strategy options.
- Its synergy with other artifact-centric cards can accelerate game mechanics significantly.
- Despite mana specificity and higher cost, it’s a versatile pick in aggressive red decks.
Text of card
First strike When Aether Chaser enters the battlefield, you get (two energy counters). Whenever Aether Chaser attacks, you may pay . If you do, create a 1/1 colorless Servo artifact creature token.
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Aether Chaser may seem unassuming at first glance, but its ability to create 1/1 colorless Servo artifact creature tokens elevates it beyond a mere two-cost creature. Successfully triggering its first strike ability can set you up to leverage those extra tokens for strategic maneuvers or to simply solidify your field presence.
Resource Acceleration: While it doesn’t directly produce mana or treasure tokens, Aether Chaser’s efficiency lies in its potential to expedite your deck’s mechanics, primarily through artifact synergy. When combined with cards that benefit from artifact creatures entering the battlefield or being present, this card can become a catalyst for a faster, more formidable board state.
Instant Speed: Sure, Aether Chaser itself doesn’t operate at instant speed, but it perfectly complements a deck that does. By deploying during your main phase and impacting the board instantly through its first strike, Aether Chaser ensures you have the upper hand, allowing your instant-speed interactions to unfold with a clearer idea of your opponent’s responses and the state of the battlefield.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: The Aether Chaser requires that you have an artifact card to discard in order to activate its ability. This requirement might be cumbersome if your hand is empty of artifacts or if you are reluctant to part with the ones you have on the battlefield.
Specific Mana Cost: This card demands a specific combination of mana to play – one generic and one red. This can sometimes be restrictive for multi-color decks that might struggle to have the right mana available at the right time.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost of two mana for a 2/1 creature, Aether Chaser stands at a higher mana value for its stats and effect when compared to other creatures in its slot. Certain decks might opt for lower-cost creatures that provide faster tempo or have more impactful abilities at the same cost.
Reasons to Include Aether Chaser in Your Collection
Versatility: Aether Chaser is a card that easily slots into multiple red deck archetypes. Its initial impact as a 2/1 creature with first strike makes it a solid early game play, and it can influence the board right away.
Combo Potential: When Aether Chaser enters the battlefield or attacks, its ability to generate energy can be leveraged in synergy with other energy-mechanic cards, making it an enabler for various combos within energy-centric decks.
Meta-Relevance: In environments where aggressive strategies are effective, Aether Chaser proves to be an asset. It thrives in a meta that favors quick, impactful plays and can outpace more cumbersome setups that are slow to establish defense.
How to beat Aether Chaser
Aether Chaser is a versatile card in MTG, adding both board presence and energy counters to your arsenal. With first strike, this creature can take down many early blockers or attackers without being destroyed, an advantage in early combat tricks. Strategically, removing it before the energy it produces can be used for additional value is crucial.
Combat spells or abilities that negate first strike, such as instant speed removals like Fatal Push or Shatter, can effortlessly deal with Aether Chaser before it becomes a problem. Similarly, cards that prevent it from dealing combat damage altogether, such as Holy Day, will leave opponents with fewer options and prevent that accumulation of energy. Aim to play these at the right moment, when the opponent is banking on Aether Chaser’s impact. Post board, consider sideboarding in additional removals specifically targeting low-mana cost creatures to efficiently manage threats like Aether Chaser.
Mastering the timing of your interactions and keeping in mind the instant speed removals can keep Aether Chaser from gaining too much ground. Staying ahead in card economy will often dictate the pace against a deck utilizing such mechanics, ensuring you come out on top in the energy counter race.
Cards like Aether Chaser
Aether Chaser is a card that strongly resonates with players fond of red creature strategies. Like the renowned Goblin Guide, Aether Chaser is a small red creature with a significant early game impact. Both have the same cost and power, but while Goblin Guide paves the way with hasty attacks, Aether Chaser leverages Fabricate for versatility. It can either grow stronger or produce a 1/1 colorless Servo artifact creature token when it enters the battlefield.
Moreover, Aether Chaser shares utility elements with cards like Aether Swooper, which also employs energies and Fabricate to bring an artifact creature token into play. However, Aether Swooper requires aerial strategies due to its flying attribute, making Aether Chaser more grounded for different deck builds. Then we have Aether Herder, another parallel that generates energy and uses Fabricate, but comes with a higher mana cost and focuses on green mana decks.
In the landscape of 2-mana cost creatures in Magic: The Gathering, Aether Chaser stands as a notable option for players building an artifact-friendly or energy-themed deck, offering a balance between immediate board presence and potential for a wider creature strategy.
Cards similar to Aether Chaser by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Aether Chaser MTG card by a specific set like Aether Revolt and Kaladesh Remastered, 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 Aether Chaser 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
Printings
The Aether Chaser Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2017-01-20 and 2020-11-12. Illustrated by Jason Rainville.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2017-01-20 | Aether Revolt | AER | 76 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Jason Rainville | |
| 2 | 2020-11-12 | Kaladesh Remastered | KLR | 113 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Jason Rainville |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Aether Chaser 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 Aether Chaser card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2017-02-09 | Energy counters are a kind of counter that a player may have. They’re not associated with specific permanents. (Other kinds of counters that players may have include poison and experience.) |
| 2017-02-09 | Energy counters aren’t mana. They don’t go away as steps, phases, and turns end, and effects that add mana “of any type” to your mana pool can’t give you energy counters. |
| 2017-02-09 | If an effect says you get one or more , you get that many energy counters. To pay one or more , you lose that many energy counters. Any effects that interact with counters a player gets, has, or loses can interact with energy counters. |
| 2017-02-09 | Keep careful track of how many energy counters each player has. You may do so by keeping a running count on paper, by using a die, or by any other clear and mutually agreeable method. |
| 2017-02-09 | Some triggered abilities state that you “may pay” a certain amount of . You can’t pay that amount multiple times to multiply the effect. You simply choose whether or not to pay that amount of as the ability resolves, and no player may take actions to try to stop the ability’s effect after you make your choice. |
| 2017-02-09 | You can’t pay more energy counters than you have. |
| 2017-02-09 | is the energy symbol. It represents one energy counter. |
