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Aether Vial

First printed in Darksteel (2004)

All 15 prints

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  • Mystery Booster 2 (MB2) #216, 2024
  • Secret Lair Drop (SLD) #1640, 2024
  • Secret Lair Drop (SLD) #1640★, 2024
  • Magic Online Promos (PRM) #102329, 2022 (digital)
  • Double Masters 2022 (2X2) #298, 2022
  • Double Masters 2022 (2X2) #391, 2022
  • Double Masters 2022 (2X2) #555, 2022
  • The List (PLST) #DST-91, 2021
  • Pro Tour Promos (PPRO) #2020-3, 2020
  • Iconic Masters (IMA) #212, 2017
  • Kaladesh Inventions (MPS) #6, 2016
  • Modern Masters (MMA) #197, 2013
  • Magic Online Theme Decks (TD0) #B27, 2010 (digital)
  • From the Vault: Relics (V10) #1, 2010
  • Darksteel (DST) #91, 2004

Aether Vial

Artifact

At the beginning of your upkeep, you may put a charge counter on this artifact.
tap: You may put a creature card with mana value equal to the number of charge counters on this artifact from your hand onto the battlefield.

Illustrated by
Greg Hildebrandt

Legality

Legal in
Modern, Legacy, Vintage, Commander, Duel Commander, PreDH, Tiny Leaders, Oathbreaker
Not legal in
Standard, Pioneer, Pauper, Future Standard, Historic, Timeless, Alchemy, Penny Dreadful, Premodern, Old School 93/94, Gladiator, Pauper Commander, Brawl, Standard Brawl, Competitive Brawl

Rulings (2)
  • If Aether Vial leaves the battlefield while its second ability is on the stack, use its last known number of charge counters to determine what you may put from your hand onto the battlefield.
  • If a card in a player's hand has X in its mana cost, X is considered to be 0.

Prices

MTGO price: 1.76 TIX, the cheapest non-foil print (average sell price on GoatBots, 1 Nov 2026).

Combos

3 combos, the most popular first:

Legacy In 226 of 4745 decks (4.8%), most in Death and Taxes

Staple: main deck, 4% of decks (#145) (last 120 days)

Share of decks
4.8%
▲ 2.2 vs previous 90 days
10 Aug: 5.5% 17 Aug: 6.4% 24 Aug: 6.0% 31 Aug: 7.5% 7 Sep: 5.4% 14 Sep: 4.2% 21 Sep: 4.2% 28 Sep: 2.5% 5 Oct: 5.1% 12 Oct: 3.5% 19 Oct: 3.7% 26 Oct: 1.7%
Weekly, last 90 days
Decks
226
226 main, 0 sideboard
Avg. copies
4.0
in the main deck
Win rate
56%
40 top 8, leagues excluded
Weekly data
Week fromShare of decks
10 Aug5.5%
17 Aug6.4%
24 Aug6.0%
31 Aug7.5%
7 Sep5.4%
14 Sep4.2%
21 Sep4.2%
28 Sep2.5%
5 Oct5.1%
12 Oct3.5%
19 Oct3.7%
26 Oct1.7%

Archetypes by metagame share

Archetype Meta Play it
Death and Taxes 4.4% 100%
WUBRG (unclassified) 1.5% 1%
Cephalid Breakfast 1.1% 4%
WU (unclassified) 0.5% 4%
BRG (unclassified) 0.4% 20%
BR (unclassified) 0.2% 10%
Merfolk 0.1% 100%
WURG (unclassified) 0.1% 25%

Played together with

Card Together Lift
Wasteland96%1.8
Swords to Plowshares94%3.6
Karakas94%3.4
Recruiter of the Guard93%20.9
Witch Enchanter // Witch-Blessed Meadow92%17.3
Skyclave Apparition91%20.5
Solitude91%17.4
Phelia, Exuberant Shepherd89%7.3
White Orchid Phantom87%16.8
Pre-War Formalwear84%19.7
Together
decks with this card that also play the other one (main deck)
Lift
how much more often than chance: 1 = unrelated, above 1 = played together on purpose

Best win rate

DeckRecord
Death and Taxes
Sébastien Fayand in Saturday 19/09 - LEGACY - Main Event		 9-1
90%
Death and Taxes
yoshiwata in Legacy Challenge 32		 8-1
89%
Death and Taxes
olbeda in Legacy Challenge 32		 8-1
89%
Death and Taxes
Sébastien Fayand in Sunday 20/09 - LEGACY - Main Event		 5-1
83%
Death and Taxes
Ian Hoffman in BCDL 30 - Ohio		 4-1
80%
Death and Taxes
Antonio Carmona in MENSUAL LEGACY		 4-1
80%
Death and Taxes
xJCloud in Legacy Showcase Challenge		 7-2
78%
Death and Taxes
Carroz in Legacy Challenge 32		 7-2
78%

Leagues excluded: MTGO publishes only the 5-0 decks.

Latest decks

DeckCopiesFinish
Death and Taxes
Thunderbrow, 		4 main 5-0
Death and Taxes
Btholt99, 		4 main #14
of 44
4-2
Death and Taxes
olbeda, 		4 main #28
of 44
1-4
Death and Taxes
xJCloud, 		4 main #18
of 298
7-2
Death and Taxes
Alaman123, 		4 main #6
of 29
4-2
Death and Taxes
yoshiwata, 		4 main #9
of 29
3-2
Death and Taxes
Mywaydowntown, 		4 main #17
of 29
2-3
Death and Taxes
Sockdolager, 		4 main 5-0

Duel Commander In 17 of 453 decks (3.8%), most in Aang, Swift Savior

Staple: main deck, 3% of decks (#691) (last 120 days)

Share of decks
3.7%
▲ 3.7 vs previous 90 days
10 Aug: 7.7% 17 Aug: 7.6% 24 Aug: 6.6% 31 Aug: 2.8% 7 Sep: 8.1% 14 Sep: 2.7% 21 Sep: 0.0% 28 Sep: 0.0% 5 Oct: 2.9% 12 Oct: 0.0% 19 Oct: 0.0% 26 Oct: 0.0%
Weekly, last 90 days
Decks
17
17 main, 0 sideboard
Avg. copies
1.0
in the main deck
Win rate
67%
1 top 8, leagues excluded
Weekly data
Week fromShare of decks
10 Aug7.7%
17 Aug7.6%
24 Aug6.6%
31 Aug2.8%
7 Sep8.1%
14 Sep2.7%
21 Sep0.0%
28 Sep0.0%
5 Oct2.9%
12 Oct0.0%
19 Oct0.0%
26 Oct0.0%

Archetypes by metagame share

Archetype Meta Play it
Aang, Swift Savior 2.9% 54%
Obyra, Dreaming Duelist 1.8% 88%
Kíli the Resourceful 0.4% 50%
Lurrus of the Dream-Den + Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. 0.4% 100%

Played together with

Card Together Lift
Force of Negation94%3.7
Daze94%3.5
Mana Leak94%3.1
Force Spike94%2.8
Spell Snare94%2.8
Wash Away94%2.8
Brainstorm94%2.7
Mental Misstep94%2.4
Polluted Delta94%1.7
Flooded Strand94%1.6
Together
decks with this card that also play the other one (main deck)
Lift
how much more often than chance: 1 = unrelated, above 1 = played together on purpose

Best win rate

DeckRecord
Lurrus of the Dream-Den + Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.
osmanozguney in Duel Commander Trial 16		 4-2
67%

Leagues excluded: MTGO publishes only the 5-0 decks.

Latest decks

DeckCopiesFinish
Aang, Swift Savior
VanDerDorf, 		1 main 5-0
Aang, Swift Savior
VanDerDorf, 		1 main 5-0
Aang, Swift Savior
VanDerDorf, 		1 main 5-0
Aang, Swift Savior
VanDerDorf, 		1 main 5-0
Aang, Swift Savior
VanDerDorf, 		1 main 5-0
Aang, Swift Savior
VanDerDorf, 		1 main 5-0
Aang, Swift Savior
VanDerDorf, 		1 main 5-0
Obyra, Dreaming Duelist
osmanozguney, 		1 main 5-0

Commander In 89 of 15406 decks (0.6%), most in Kinnan, Bonder Prodigy
Share of decks
0.6%
vs previous 90 days
17 Aug: 0.8% 24 Aug: 0.7% 31 Aug: 0.4% 7 Sep: 0.5% 14 Sep: 0.6% 21 Sep: 0.8% 28 Sep: 0.9% 5 Oct: 0.6% 12 Oct: 0.4% 19 Oct: 0.5% 26 Oct: 0.3%
Weekly, last 90 days
Decks
89
89 main, 0 sideboard
Avg. copies
1.0
in the main deck
Win rate
33%
22 top 8, leagues excluded
Weekly data
Week fromShare of decks
10 Aug–
17 Aug0.8%
24 Aug0.7%
31 Aug0.4%
7 Sep0.5%
14 Sep0.6%
21 Sep0.8%
28 Sep0.9%
5 Oct0.6%
12 Oct0.4%
19 Oct0.5%
26 Oct0.3%

Archetypes by metagame share

Archetype Meta Play it
Kinnan, Bonder Prodigy 7.5% 0%
Rograkh, Son of Rohgahh + Thrasios, Triton Hero 5.3% 0%
Sisay, Weatherlight Captain 4.7% 0%
Thrasios, Triton Hero + Tymna the Weaver 3.2% 0%
Thrasios, Triton Hero + Yoshimaru, Ever Faithful 1.8% 0%
Winota, Joiner of Forces 1.0% 35%
Brigid, Clachan's Heart 0.8% 1%
Rocco, Cabaretti Caterer 0.7% 1%

Played together with

Card Together Lift
Sol Ring100%1.0
Ancient Tomb97%1.1
Chrome Mox97%1.1
Lotus Petal97%1.1
Gemstone Caverns94%1.0
Mana Vault89%1.1
Mox Diamond88%1.0
Command Tower85%1.0
Cavern of Souls80%2.5
Ranger-Captain of Eos79%2.5
Together
decks with this card that also play the other one (main deck)
Lift
how much more often than chance: 1 = unrelated, above 1 = played together on purpose

Best win rate

DeckRecord
The Queen of Dale
Joseph P Sisson in Lifelink Games Monthly cEDH Championship		 3-2
60%
Winota, Joiner of Forces
Bobby Stocks in CEDH Monthly Dual Land Tournament - September		 3-2
60%
Winota, Joiner of Forces
Carlos Sanchez [CenCal] in Cardart Monthly September: Mox Diamond		 3-3
50%
Winota, Joiner of Forces
Carlos Sanchez [CenCal] in Goldsabertooth & Bite Sized MTG present BLOOD CRYPT cEDH at HIGH FANTASY DARK DUNGEON		 3-3
50%
Winota, Joiner of Forces
Bobby Stocks in Commander Invitational Qualifier - East Coast Gaming		 2-3
40%
Winota, Joiner of Forces
Sascha Reimann in 1.cEDH069 Major @Die Fabrik		 2-3
40%
Lazav, the Multifarious
Justin Rivas in Day 2 Cedh Showdown For a Revised Tundra or Bayou		 2-3
40%
Winota, Joiner of Forces
Clinton Fleming in KC INVI TOP 64!		 2-3
40%

Leagues excluded: MTGO publishes only the 5-0 decks.

Latest decks

DeckCopiesFinish
Winota, Joiner of Forces
Bobby Stocks, 		1 main #6
of 19
1-2
Winota, Joiner of Forces
Carlos Sanchez [CenCal], 		1 main #11
of 23
1-2
Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite
Raddical Rachel Rose Seeley, 		1 main #18
of 49
1-2
Leonardo, the Balance + Splinter, the Mentor
Joe Galloway, 		1 main #8
of 39
1-2
Kediss, Emberclaw Familiar + Malcolm, Keen-Eyed Navigator
Hives, 		1 main #10
of 39
1-2
Heliod, Sun-Crowned
Kenny Tseng, 		1 main #30
of 34
0-2
Winota, Joiner of Forces
Daniel Hutson, 		1 main #1
of 18
2-1
Winota, Joiner of Forces
Elijah Dunbar, 		1 main #51
of 53
0-3

Modern In 13 of 9400 decks (0.1%), most in Esper Blink
Share of decks
0.1%
▼ 0.2 vs previous 90 days
10 Aug: 0.0% 17 Aug: 0.1% 24 Aug: 0.0% 31 Aug: 0.1% 7 Sep: 0.0% 14 Sep: 0.1% 21 Sep: 0.0% 28 Sep: 0.0% 5 Oct: 0.6% 12 Oct: 0.3% 19 Oct: 0.3% 26 Oct: 0.3%
Weekly, last 90 days
Decks
13
13 main, 0 sideboard
Avg. copies
4.0
in the main deck
Win rate
57%
2 top 8, leagues excluded
Weekly data
Week fromShare of decks
10 Aug0.0%
17 Aug0.1%
24 Aug0.0%
31 Aug0.1%
7 Sep0.0%
14 Sep0.1%
21 Sep0.0%
28 Sep0.0%
5 Oct0.6%
12 Oct0.3%
19 Oct0.3%
26 Oct0.3%

Archetypes by metagame share

Archetype Meta Play it
Esper Blink 5.2% 0%
WU (unclassified) 0.9% 1%
WUBG (unclassified) 0.6% 4%
Merfolk 0.1% 89%

Played together with

Card Together Lift
Otawara, Soaring City69%6.6
Tide Shaper62%728.7
Master of the Pearl Trident62%647.7
Lord of Atlantis62%647.7
Harbinger of the Seas62%48.6
Flare of Denial62%39.1
Cavern of Souls62%5.3
Sink into Stupor // Soporific Springs62%4.5
Silvergill Adept54%637.6
Mutavault54%566.8
Together
decks with this card that also play the other one (main deck)
Lift
how much more often than chance: 1 = unrelated, above 1 = played together on purpose

Best win rate

DeckRecord
WUBG
_Logic_ in Modern Challenge 32		 6-2
75%
WUBG
_Logic_ in Modern Challenge 32		 6-2
75%
Esper Blink
JJ in Modern Challenge 64		 4-3
57%
Merfolk
Zonda in Modern Challenge 32		 3-3
50%
Esper Blink
UomoComune26490 in Modern Challenge 16		 3-3
50%
WU
Nephtyz in Modern Challenge 32		 2-4
33%

Leagues excluded: MTGO publishes only the 5-0 decks.

Latest decks

DeckCopiesFinish
WUBG
_Logic_, 		4 main #5
of 66
6-2
Merfolk
fart_sniffer_93, 		4 main 5-0
Merfolk
Lager_in_the_Wild, 		4 main 5-0
WU
Nephtyz, 		4 main #27
of 44
2-4
Merfolk
fart_sniffer_93, 		4 main 5-0
Merfolk
fart_sniffer_93, 		4 main 5-0
WUBG
_Logic_, 		4 main #4
of 57
6-2
Merfolk
Zonda, 		4 main #27
of 50
3-3