Esior, Wardwing Familiar MTG Card


Protects commanders, indirectly contributes to card advantage and allows for mana-efficient plays with lowered casting costs. Requires strategic mana planning due to specific blue mana cost, with a potentially high casting cost for early game. Shielding effect relevant in control-heavy metas, provides protection against counter spells, enhancing deck resilience.
Card setsReleased in 3 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost2
RarityUncommon
TypeLegendary Creature — Bird
Abilities Flying,Partner
Power 1
Toughness 3

Text of card

Flying Spells your opponents cast that target one or more commanders you control cost more to cast. Partner (You can have two commanders if both have partner.)


Cards like Esior, Wardwing Familiar

Esior, Wardwing Familiar is a unique creature type in Magic: The Gathering that offers a distinct advantage for strategies focused on flying. Similar to cards like Stormwing Entity, Esior can affect the game early. Both have the necessary evasion to stay out of reach from many blockers. However, Esior brings an added layer of resilience, granting your commander protection from being countered. This is a feature that Stormwing Entity doesn’t share.

Moving to cards like Tetsuko Umezawa, Fugitive, we can draw a parallel in the sense that both creatures make it difficult for opponents to deal with your key spells or attackers. While Tetsuko doesn’t offer buff to flying creatures specifically, it does allow certain creatures to become unblockable, favoring a different kind of evasive strategy.

Rounding out the comparison is Judge’s Familiar, a card known for its ability to disrupt spells by sacrificing itself. Although it presents a different means of protection compared to Esior, it is similar in size and also carries the flying trait. Each card has its unique niche, but Esior’s enduring presence and the safeguard it provides to your commander make it a solid option in commander-centric decks.

Stormwing Entity - MTG Card versions
Tetsuko Umezawa, Fugitive - MTG Card versions
Judge's Familiar - MTG Card versions
Stormwing Entity - MTG Card versions
Tetsuko Umezawa, Fugitive - MTG Card versions
Judge's Familiar - MTG Card versions

Cards similar to Esior, Wardwing Familiar by color, type and mana cost

Vodalian Soldiers - MTG Card versions
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Soratami Cloudskater - MTG Card versions
Minamo Sightbender - MTG Card versions
Vodalian Soldiers - MTG Card versions
Zephyr Falcon - MTG Card versions
Giant Albatross - MTG Card versions
Phantasmal Sphere - MTG Card versions
Skyshroud Condor - MTG Card versions
School of Piranha - MTG Card versions
Coral Merfolk - MTG Card versions
Wu Light Cavalry - MTG Card versions
Sea Eagle - MTG Card versions
Overtaker - MTG Card versions
Hazy Homunculus - MTG Card versions
Darting Merfolk - MTG Card versions
Thought Eater - MTG Card versions
Spellstutter Sprite - MTG Card versions
Sneaky Homunculus - MTG Card versions
Coral Eel - MTG Card versions
Storm Crow - MTG Card versions
Aquamoeba - MTG Card versions
Soratami Cloudskater - MTG Card versions
Minamo Sightbender - MTG Card versions

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Esior, Wardwing Familiar can contribute to card advantage indirectly by protecting key creatures from being targeted by an opponent’s spells. Having your important creatures stick around longer increases the chances of drawing into more powerful spells and plays.

Resource Acceleration: While Esior doesn’t accelerate resources in the traditional sense, it lowers the casting cost of your commander. This essentially acts as a soft acceleration by making your commander plays more mana-efficient and allowing you to deploy other spells alongside them quicker.

Instant Speed: Esior itself may not be an instant, but its ability to protect creatures at any time contributes to a strategy that values playing at instant speed. By ensuring your key creatures have ward, you can more confidently pass turns with mana open for instant-speed interaction, knowing that your defenses are up to deter opponents’ targeted removal or bounce spells.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Esior, Wardwing Familiar won’t burden your hand with this drawback, ensuring you maintain card advantage in the heat of battle.

Specific Mana Cost: Tailored for blue-focused spellslingers, Esior calls for one blue mana, so multicolored deck crafters need to strategize their mana base accordingly.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Despite its alluring abilities, Esior’s casting cost of two mana might be a touch steep when you’re hunting for swift protective plays in the early game skirmishes.


Reasons to Include Esior, Wardwing Familiar in Your Collection

Versatility: Esior, Wardwing Familiar serves as an exceptional protector for your commanders or key spells. Its ability to safeguard spells from being countered ensures that your strategic plays are executed smoothly regardless of the deck archetype you’re running.

Combo Potential: This flying creature can be a cog in combos within decks that capitalize on casting the commander multiple times. With Esior on the field, not only do you protect your commander, but you also enable synergies that could lead to powerful and game-winning interactions.

Meta-Relevance: In a game state where control decks are prevalent, Esior provides an invaluable edge. Its ability to shield your spells makes it a staple in current metas that heavily feature spell-based disruption. This ensures your key components stick around to execute your game plan effectively.


How to Beat Esior, Wardwing Familiar

Confronting Esior, Wardwing Familiar at the gaming table can be a challenging encounter. This spell-thwarting creature features a protective element that can make your opponent’s spells difficult to counter as long as they control a commander. It’s a small yet mighty ally that can fortify a player’s strategic framework within a commander-focused deck. However, there are tactics to neutralize Esior’s influence.

To gain the upper hand against Esior, focus on versatile removal spells that don’t target or that operate at a time Esior can’t shield. Cards that cause each player to sacrifice a creature can deftly bypass Esior’s protective cloak. Moreover, leveraging board wipes can clear the field without the need to target Esior directly. In a pinch, mass bounce effects can reset both sides of the board, nullifying Esior’s advantage by sending it back to its owner’s hand, regardless of the target restrictions.

Adjusting your play to include these strategies can help regain control of the game. Successfully outmaneuvering Esior, Wardwing Familiar not only weakens your opponent’s defenses but also demonstrates your adaptability and strategic depth in the ever-evolving battlefield of Magic: The Gathering.


BurnMana Recommendations

If you’re keen on gaining a strategic edge in your MTG matches, consider the subtle yet significant impact of Esior, Wardwing Familiar. This card is a game-changer for those looking to fortify their commander against targeted removals while efficiently allocating mana resources. Esior enhances the durability of your key creatures, ensuring that your cunning plans are not easily thwarted by your opponents’ spells. Embrace the ability to play at instant speed with the protection Esior offers, and witness your deck’s performance soar. Dive deeper into the intricacies of deck-building and strategy with us and discover how Esior, Wardwing Familiar can be the linchpin in your next victorious match.


Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Esior, Wardwing Familiar MTG card by a specific set like Magic Online Promos and Commander Legends, 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 Esior, Wardwing Familiar and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Esior, Wardwing Familiar Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2020-11-20 and 2020-11-20. Illustrated by Jesper Ejsing.

#ReleasedNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12002-06-24Magic Online PromosPRM 862382015NormalBlackJesper Ejsing
22020-11-20Commander LegendsCMR 672015NormalBlackJesper Ejsing
32020-11-20Commander LegendsCMR 5572015NormalBlackJesper Ejsing

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Esior, Wardwing Familiar has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderRestricted
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelRestricted

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Esior, Wardwing Familiar card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.

Date Text
2020-11-10 An effect that checks whether you control your commander is satisfied if you control one or both of your two commanders.
2020-11-10 Both commanders start in the command zone, and the remaining 98 cards (or 58 cards in a Commander Draft game) of your deck are shuffled to become your library.
2020-11-10 If something refers to your commander while you have two commanders, it refers to one of them of your choice. If you are instructed to perform an action on your commander (e.g. put it from the command zone into your hand due to Command Beacon), you choose one of your commanders at the time the effect happens.
2020-11-10 If your Commander deck has two commanders, you can only include cards whose own color identities are also found in your commanders' combined color identities. If Falthis and Kediss are your commanders, your deck may contain cards with black and/or red in their color identity, but not cards with green, white, or blue.
2020-11-10 Once the game begins, your two commanders are tracked separately. If you cast one, you won't have to pay an additional the first time you cast the other. A player loses the game after having been dealt 21 damage from any one of them, not from both of them combined.
2020-11-10 Spells that target more than one commander you control cost only more to cast.
2020-11-10 To determine the total cost of an opponent's spell that targets a commander you control, start with the mana cost or alternative cost that player is paying, add any cost increases (such as that of Esior's middle ability), then apply any cost reductions. The mana value of the spell is determined only by its mana cost, no matter what the total cost to cast the spell was.
2020-11-10 To have two commanders, both must have the partner ability as the game begins. Losing the ability during the game doesn't cause either to cease to be your commander.
2020-11-10 You can choose two commanders with partner that are the same color or colors. In Commander Draft, you can even choose two of the same commander with partner if you drafted them. If you do this, make sure you keep the number of times you've cast each from the command zone clear for "commander tax" purposes.