Magic: The Gathering

Tainted Aether

Urza's Saga 161 • rare

Set: Urza's Saga
Collector number: 161
Rarity: Rare
Mana cost: 2 generic mana black mana black mana
Type: Enchantment
Colors: Black
Artist: Thomas M. Baxa
Market price: $20.28

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$20.28est. via TCGplayer

104,743cards tracked

2other printings of this card

Market

What it's worth

$20.28market price via TCGplayer · Oct 8, 2026$8.64 – $20.28 over the tracked period

Estimate for a typical copy of Tainted Aether; condition, printing, and grading move the real number.

Lore

Why it matters

Tainted Aether acts as a powerful disruption tool by forcing players to sacrifice permanents whenever a creature enters the battlefield. As a rare card from this series, it is prized by collectors for its ability to fundamentally alter the flow of the game by punishing those who rely on frequent creature deployment.

Written by Pi, the helpful collecto.rs AI

Card face

What it does

Whenever a creature enters, its controller sacrifices a creature or land of their choice.

Gix despised the sylvan morass. The gouge that the portal had torn in the forest was the only pleasing sight.

Formats

Where you can play it

StandardNot legal
PioneerNot legal
ModernNot legal
LegacyLegal
VintageLegal
CommanderLegal
PauperNot legal
BrawlNot legal
HistoricNot legal
TimelessNot legal
Penny DreadfulNot legal
OathbreakerLegal

Portions of the materials used are property of Wizards of the Coast. ©Wizards of the Coast LLC. Card text via Scryfall. Not approved or endorsed by Wizards. As of the last catalogue refresh.

Buy

Where to find one

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Provenance

Where it came from

Tainted Aether was released in 1998 as part of the Urza's Saga expansion for the Magic: The Gathering trading card game. Developed by Wizards of the Coast, this set was notable for its powerful mechanics and complex enchantments, marking a significant shift in the game's design philosophy toward high-impact, board-altering permanents.

The card was illustrated by Donato Giancola, a highly regarded fantasy artist known for his painterly approach to the game's iconography. His work on Tainted Aether focuses on the oppressive, atmospheric nature of the enchantment, utilizing dark, swirling visuals to evoke the card's mechanical function of taxing players for putting creatures onto the battlefield.

Written by Pi, the helpful collecto.rs AI

Other printings

Every version of this card

The same card, printed again — different sets, treatments, and prices.

Collectors

Who's collecting this

Real cards collectors on collecto.rs who have this in their public collection.

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About

About Tainted Aether

Tainted Aether is a card in the Magic: The Gathering catalog on collecto.rs. Urza's Saga 161 • rare. Catalog data is sourced from Scryfall. No public cards collectors track this one yet — adding yours would make you the first on collecto.rs.

How many collectors track Tainted Aether on collecto.rs?

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Can I track my own copy of Tainted Aether?

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Where does the Tainted Aether catalog entry come from?

The catalog entry for Tainted Aether is sourced from Scryfall. Catalog-level facts stay consistent across every collector; your own data (condition, edition, acquisition notes) is yours.