Aether Poisoner MTG Card
2017-01-20 - Number 51
2020-11-12 - Number 75
| Card sets | Released in 2 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 2 |
| Rarity | Common |
| Type | Creature — Human Artificer |
| Abilities | Deathtouch |
| Power | 1 |
| Toughness | 1 |
Key Takeaways
- Aether Poisoner grants card advantage by producing deathtouch tokens during combat phases.
- Its triggered ability pairs well with instant speed spells, enhancing battlefield control.
- Despite its mana specificity and potential card discard, it remains a valuable asset in artifact-centered decks.
Text of card
Deathtouch (Any amount of damage this deals to a creature is enough to destroy it.) When Aether Poisoner enters the battlefield, you get (two energy counters). Whenever Aether Poisoner attacks, you may pay . If you do, create a 1/1 colorless Servo artifact creature token.
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Aether Poisoner comes equipped with the ability to generate deathtouch tokens whenever it attacks, providing incremental card advantage by threatening to trade with larger creatures or deterring blockers altogether.
Resource Acceleration: While not directly impacting mana resources, the deathtouch tokens created can serve as a valuable resource, offering strategic defensive and offensive capabilities that can accelerate your board presence without additional mana investment.
Instant Speed: The Aether Poisoner’s triggered ability benefits from any instant speed interaction, enabling nimble responses even during combat. This synergizes well with instant speed spells that could alter combat outcomes, making the most of the Aether Poisoner’s presence on the battlefield.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Aether Poisoner doesn’t necessarily require you to discard a card, but playing cards that synergize with its ability often means having to let go of valuable cards from your hand, which can backfire if you have no backup.
Specific Mana Cost: This card requires a specific combination of mana, one black and one generic, which makes it exclusive to black-centered decks or those with mana-fixing capabilities. This can limit its versatility across different deck types.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: While two mana might not seem like much, in the fast-paced games of MTG, there are alternative two-drops that could offer immediate board presence or impact without the condition of needing to connect with the opponent to get value, as Aether Poisoner demands.
Reasons to Include Aether Poisoner in Your Collection
Versatility: Aether Poisoner can seamlessly blend into numerous deck archetypes that thrive on deathtouch and creating artifact tokens. The ability to hinder opponents’ attacks by deploying a creature that can be fatal to any blocker adds strategic depth to both aggressive and defensive strategies.
Combo Potential: Generating Servo tokens not only provides fodder for sacrifice-based abilities, but it can also be instrumental in fueling synergies with cards that capitalize on artifacts or token generation. This enables a diverse set of game-winning combinations within various deck builds.
Meta-Relevance: With creatures often taking center stage in numerous match-ups, Aether Poisoner holds its ground by deterring powerful attackers and providing value through its token creation. In environments where small, impactful creatures are critical, Aether Poisoner proves to be a formidable inclusion.
How to beat
Aether Poisoner presents a unique challenge when facing off against it in a game. This deathtouch creature may be compact in power and toughness, but it poses a strategic nuisance with its ability to create Servo tokens upon dealing combat damage. This small package can escalate threats on the battlefield, especially within artifact-centric or synergistic decks capitalizing on creature tokens.
To navigate around the Aether Poisoner’s strengths, prioritize control elements that neutralize without triggering its combative token generation. Sweeper spells that clear the board without damage are highly effective, as they circumvent the deathtouch and token creation abilities. Additionally, spells or abilities which exile or bounce creatures to the owner’s hand can effectively neutralize the Aether Poisoner without allowing its ability to activate.
Dedicating removal on this early-game creature may seem excessive, but its ability to shift the board state makes it a target worth considering. Maximizing your removal efficiency and planning around its deathtouch ability will keep the Poisoner’s impact minimal, ensuring that your path to victory remains clear.
Cards like Aether Poisoner
Aether Poisoner stands as a unique creature in the realm of Magic: The Gathering by offering both aggression and control within its abilities. When we draw comparisons to other cards, we examine Deadly Recluse, a card that shares deathtouch, making any combat engagement with it a dangerous proposal. While the Recluse boasts a higher toughness, it lacks the Aether Poisoner’s additional ability to produce energy and create servos, emphasizing the latter’s versatility.
Further scrutiny shows similarities to Typhoid Rats, another card with deathtouch. Typhoid Rats presents a cost-efficient and early way to deter attackers, much like our Aether Poisoner. However, it does not contribute additional board presence or energy counters, demonstrating how Aether Poisoner can offer incremental advantages over time.
Evaluating these comparisons, Aether Poisoner fits well into decks that benefit from low-cost deathtouch creatures, while also playing into artifact and energy strategies, balancing an immediate board impact with potential for value generation in both aggressive and controlling strategies within Magic: The Gathering.
Cards similar to Aether Poisoner by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Aether Poisoner 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 Poisoner 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 Poisoner Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2017-01-20 and 2020-11-12. Illustrated by Yongjae Choi.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2017-01-20 | Aether Revolt | AER | 51 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Yongjae Choi | |
| 2 | 2020-11-12 | Kaladesh Remastered | KLR | 75 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Yongjae Choi |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Aether Poisoner 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 Poisoner 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. |
