First printed in Kaladesh (2016)
Creature — Vedalken Artificer
When this creature enters, you get (three energy counters).
Pay : Create a 1/1 colorless Thopter artifact creature token with flying.
The first tentative flaps are like a song to his soul.
2/3
- Illustrated by
- Lake Hurwitz
Legality
- Legal in
- Pioneer, Modern, Legacy, Vintage, Historic, Timeless, Gladiator, Commander, Duel Commander, Tiny Leaders, Oathbreaker, Brawl, Competitive Brawl
- Not legal in
- Standard, Pauper, Future Standard, Alchemy, Penny Dreadful, Premodern, Old School 93/94, Pauper Commander, PreDH, Standard Brawl
Rulings (9)
- 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. You can't pay more energy counters than you have. Any effects that interact with counters a player gets, has, or loses can interact with energy counters.
- 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.
- If a spell or ability with one or more targets states that you "may pay" some amount of
, and each permanent that it targets has become an illegal target, the spell or ability won't resolve. You can't pay any
even if you want to.
- Keep track of how many energy counters each player has. Potential ways to track this include writing theme down on paper or using dice, but any method that is clear and mutually agreeable is fine. (At higher levels of tournament play, dice may not be allowed for tracking counters that players have.)
- Some spells and abilities that give you
may require targets. If each target chosen is an illegal target as that spell or ability tries to resolve, it won't resolve. You won't get any
.
- Energy counters aren't mana. They don't go away as steps, phases, and turns end, and effects that add mana "of any type" can't give you energy counters.
-
is the energy symbol. It represents one energy counter.
- Energy counters are a kind of counter that a player may have. They're not associated with any specific permanents.
- Some triggered abilities that state that you "may pay" a certain amount of
describe an effect that happens "If you do." In that case, no player may take actions to try to stop the ability's effect after you make your choice. If the payment is followed by the phrase "When you do," then you'll choose any targets for that reflexive triggered ability and put it on the stack before players can take actions.
Prices
MTGO price: 0.003 TIX, the cheapest non-foil print (average sell price on GoatBots, 1 Nov 2026).
Combos
38 combos, the most popular first:
- Infinite creature tokens, Infinite creature ETB: Decoction Module + Gonti's Aether Heart + Whirler Virtuoso
- Infinite creature ETB, Infinite lifegain triggers…: Aether Refinery + Guide of Souls + Izzet Generatorium + Whirler Virtuoso
- Infinite creature ETB, Infinite lifegain triggers…: Guide of Souls + Izzet Generatorium + Sphinx of the Revelation + Whirler Virtuoso
- Infinite creature ETB, Infinite lifegain triggers…: Aether Refinery + Guide of Souls + Sphinx of the Revelation + Whirler Virtuoso
- Infinite creature ETB, Infinite creature tokens…: Gonti's Aether Heart + Stridehangar Automaton + Whirler Virtuoso
- Infinite creature ETB, Infinite creature tokens…: Adrix and Nev, Twincasters + Gonti's Aether Heart + Whirler Virtuoso
- Infinite artifact ETB, Infinite artifact tokens…: Gonti's Aether Heart + Whirler Virtuoso + Worldwalker Helm
- Infinite creature ETB, Infinite creature tokens…: Gonti's Aether Heart + Parallel Lives + Whirler Virtuoso
- Infinite creature ETB, Infinite creature tokens…: Doubling Season + Gonti's Aether Heart + Whirler Virtuoso
- Infinite creature ETB, Infinite creature tokens…: Exalted Sunborn + Gonti's Aether Heart + Whirler Virtuoso