Image courtesy of Scryfall.com
Riding the Breeze: Why this blue aura shines in Commander multiplayer
When you sit down at a table of three or more, the theater of combat changes. Your opponent’s creatures become not just numbers on a stack but potential allies for a political posturing match, and the pace of the game tilts toward tempo, evasion, and timely answers. In that lively ecosystem, a two-mana enchantment that grants a flying +2/+2 to the enchanted creature is more than a stat line—it’s a lever you can pull to change the tempo of the entire table. The spell’s blue color identity is a signal that you’re leaning into evasive offense, tempo, and careful planning, not brute force. 🧙🔥💎
Card snapshot: what you’re getting on the battlefield
- Mana cost: {1}{U}
- Type: Enchantment — Aura
- Enchant creature
- Effect: Enchanted creature gets +2/+2 and has flying
- Color: Blue
- Set: Ixalan (XLN), released 2017-09-29
- Rarity: Common
- Artist: Naomi Baker
- Flavor text: "River and sea, jungle and sky. Water flows freely between the two halves of the world. We are creatures of the water." —Shaper Tuvasa
- Multiplayer relevance: Legal in Commander and other multiplayer formats; a staple for tempo decks that want to swing past blockers or enable evasive wins through a single, efficient aura.
River and sea, jungle and sky. Water flows freely between the two halves of the world. We are creatures of the water.
Why it plays nicely with many multiplayer archetypes
In a crowded EDH table, flying is a premium. It means your enchanted creature can often press through crowds, bypass typical ground-based standoffs, and threaten a political commander-damage blow—especially when you’ve set up a board with follow-up evasion, cantrips, or bounce effects. The aura’s efficiency—a straightforward 2-mana investment for a 2/2 boost and flight—pairs especially well with creatures that either already contribute to the board state or benefit from being unblockable through evasive power. 🧙🔥
Because it’s an aura, the card also invites thoughtful table dynamics. If you attach it to a rival’s strong creature, you shift the dynamic: your opponent now has flying and extra power—potentially making a shared threat more palpable and shaping the table’s consensus on who needs to be answered first. Blue players can lean into political play, using this aura to encourage mutual defense against a single loud threat while still controlling the tempo of the game. It’s a delicate dance, and that’s the beauty of multiplayer Magic—the flow can pivot in a single draw step. ⚔️
Practical play patterns in Commander
- Early board presence: Casting this on turn 2 or 3 can set up a reliable post-block crack-back plan. A small, evasive creature becomes a reliable source of momentum when blocked less often and swinging with safety due to flying. 🎲
- Protective value: In tables where multiple players threaten your board, a flying threat is harder to remove with single-target removal and can force opponents to spread their answers around. The buff helps your attacker pressure on multiple fronts. 🎨
- Political bait: Buttons and treaties at the table often hinge on who poses the biggest risk. A buffed flying threat may become the centerpiece of a temporary alliance against a larger problem, creating memorable moments and table talk for years to come. 🧭
- Fragility and disruption: The aura is vulnerable to instant-speed removal and shenanigans that strip enchantments. In a multiplayer scene, you’ll want to back it up with counters, bounce spells, or value-driven synergies so a single removal spell doesn’t derail your plans. Counterspells and protective layering shine in blue-heavy builds. ⚡
Design, art, and lore connections that enrich the experience
Ixalan’s art direction captures a world where sea, river, jungle, and sky converge—an apt canvas for a card that literally places a creature in the air. Naomi Baker’s illustration evokes that wind-swept sense of momentum, a visual echo of tempo strategies that reward precise timing over brute force. The flavor text anchors the card in the broader narrative of Ixalan’s maritime and jungle-divergent realms, reminding players that Magic’s multiverse is as much about mood and story as it is about numbers on a card. 🎨
From a design standpoint, the aura’s simplicity is its strength. There’s no two-card combo needed to unlock value; the talent comes from your own board, your opponent’s board, and your ability to navigate the table’s politics. It’s exactly the kind of card that makes blue’s identity in multiplayer formats feel volver-with-playful cunning rather than purely controlling. The low rarity belies the fact that, in the right hands, it’s a reliable contributor to countless memorable games. 💎
Collector value, price, and how it fits into a broader collection
As a common from the Ixalan era, this card tends to sit at accessible price points, with nonfoil and foil editions showing modest variance. The available pricing landscape—hovering around a few dimes for nonfoil and a bit more for foils—reflects its steady presence in casual to semi-competitive blue archetypes. Its EDHREC footprint sits at a practical mid-to-low tier, which means it’s a good candidate for budget commanders who want reliable throughput without breaking the bank. For collectors, this card offers a snapshot of Ixalan’s blue magic and a chance to own a piece of the era’s flavor and art. 🧙♂️
Blending it with cross-promotional goodies and how to grab it
If you’re curating a Commander collection that celebrates wind and water themes, this aura is a natural fit. It’s the kind of card that pairs well with blue staples and a general strategy of tempo and evasive pressure. For fans who love the tang of Ixalan’s lore and the tactile joy of collecting, there’s a certain charm in pairing the card with other Ixalan permanents to tell a river-and-sky story at the table. And since this card appears in both nonfoil and foil varieties, you can choose the presentation that matches your deck’s aesthetic—whether you lean into the glossy shine of foil or the budget-friendliness of a nonfoil print. 🎲
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