Aboshan's Desire MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	1
Rarity	Common
Type	Enchantment — Aura
Abilities	Enchant,Threshold
Released	2001-10-01
Set symbol
Set name	Odyssey
Set code	ODY
Number	59
Frame	1997
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Ciruelo

Key Takeaways

Gains evasion for a creature, potentially leading to card advantage and impactful combat damage.
Enables resource acceleration and adds strategic depth to gameplay with its threshold condition.
Instant speed casting offers significant versatility and unexpected in-game maneuvers.

Text of card

Enchanted creature has flying. Threshold Enchanted creature can't be the target of spells or abilities. (You have threshold as long as seven or more cards are in your graveyard.)

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Aboshan’s Desire has an upside that could go unnoticed at first glance; it allows you to easily enchant a creature, ensuring that it gains evasion. This effect can equate to card advantage as it may enable an enchanted creature to consistently deal damage and potentially draw cards if that creature has a related ability or if your deck synergizes with successful combat damage to a player.

Resource Acceleration: While it doesn’t create mana or Treasure tokens outright, Aboshan’s Desire can have an indirect impact on resource acceleration. By granting unblockability under threshold conditions, it can enable creatures to connect with the opponent, triggering effects that ramp up your resources or draw into more vital plays.

Instant Speed: One of Aboshan’s Desire’s strengths is that it can be cast at instant speed. This flexibility allows you to keep your options open and react to your opponent’s moves. Casting it during the opponent’s turn before blockers can also be a strategic move, making it an unexpected play and complicating your opponent’s combat decisions at crucial moments.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: One of the downsides of utilizing Aboshan’s Desire is the necessity to discard another card, which could strain your hand, especially if you’re already playing with limited resources.

Specific Mana Cost: This enchantment requires blue mana for both casting and its upkeep, making it somewhat inflexible and best suited for mono-blue or heavily blue-influenced decks, which may not align with all strategies.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With an initial casting cost along with an ongoing upkeep cost, Aboshan’s Desire might appear less favorable when compared to other enchantments or utility spells that provide similar benefits without the sustained investment.

Reasons to Include Aboshan’s Desire in Your Collection

Versatility: Aboshan’s Desire offers a unique blend of enchantment-based control that can slip into decks that capitalize on manipulating the board state. Its ability to make a creature unblockable provides a consistent way to sneak in damage or strategically deliver key effects.

Combo Potential: The enchantment easily complements strategies harnessing the power of tap and untap mechanics or those looking to protect important combo pieces by making them harder to block. Partners well with other cards that thrive on evasion and unimpeded attack routes.

Meta-Relevance: With creature-based combat strategies prevalent, Aboshan’s Desire gains importance as a tool for ensuring that your critical creatures can connect with opponents. Its place in the meta is cemented by its adaptability to various situation-dependent needs in a game.

How to beat

Aboshan’s Desire stands out in the realm of aura enchantments, granting its enchanted creature flying and an edge in battle. This ability can turn the tides, particularly when it’s equipped to a creature that would benefit from an aerial vantage. To overcome this card, focus on strategies that neutralize the advantages it provides. One method is deploying flying blockers or creatures with reach to nullify the flying trait. Alternatively, cards that target enchantments directly, such as Disenchant or Naturalize, can remove Aboshan’s Desire from the equation swiftly.

Another effective tactic is enhancing your deck with removal spells. Cards like Doom Blade or Path to Exile can dispatch the enchanted creature, making Aboshan’s Desire irrelevant. In blue-centric decks, countermagic such as Negate or Cancel can preemptively deny Aboshan’s Desire from hitting the field. Remember, the key is to anticipate and disrupt your opponent’s attempts to leverage this enchantment to their advantage. By incorporating these strategies, you can deftly handle the challenges posed by Aboshan’s Desire and maintain control of the game.

Ultimately, the ability to adapt and respond to enchantments like Aboshan’s Desire is what defines a versatile and resilient MTG deck. Keep these tips in mind, and you’ll be well-equipped to neutralize its impacts on your path to victory.

Cards like Aboshan's Desire

In the diverse world of Magic: The Gathering, Aboshan’s Desire is a niche enchantment that sports the threshold ability, which offers considerable power once the condition of having seven or more cards in a graveyard is met. This card shares space with a number of blue auras that offer evasion capabilities; however, the ability to grant an unblockable trait upon hitting the threshold sets it apart. In comparison, a card like Aqueous Form provides a similar unblockable perk but does so unconditionally.

Moving on to Cloak of Mists, another comparable card, we find a constant, but less interactive, way to bypass blockers whereas Aboshan’s Desire adds an element of strategy with graveyard mechanics. Cloak of Mists also lacks the flexibility to potentially enhance its effect, which is a subtle but impactful difference. Then we have cards like Spectral Flight, delivering not only evasion with flying but also a boost to power, which highlights a trade-off where Aboshan’s Desire prioritizes control and evasion over aggression.

In summation, although Aboshan’s Desire may not stand out in every enchantment lineup, its unique blend of threshold-triggered evasiveness offers an angle that can be especially valuable in decks designed to leverage graveyard content, giving it a specialized yet noteworthy place among MTG blue auras.

Cards similar to Aboshan's Desire by color, type and mana cost

Cloak of Invisibility - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Aboshan's Desire MTG card by a specific set like Odyssey, 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 Aboshan's Desire and other MTG cards: