Aether Helix
Sorcery
Return target permanent to its owner's hand. Return target permanent card from your graveyard to your hand.
- CMC
- 5
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- GU
- Rarity
- uncommon
- Set
- Strixhaven: School of Mages
- Price
- $0.17
- EDHREC rank
- #18783
Aether Helix bounces a permanent and lets you return a spell from your graveyard — two meaningful effects on one card. Four mana is real, and neither half is efficient enough to run on its own, which is exactly the problem.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Aether Helix is a Commander card through and through — four mana is survivable in a 40-life format where games go long, and the graveyard recursion can pull back a counterspell or removal piece you already spent. In Legacy, Modern, or Pioneer, four mana for a tempo play that doesn't close the game is a non-starter; those formats punish you for spending a full turn on this. Commander is the one place the value math adds up, and even there it competes with cheaper, more focused options on both halves.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.17 bulk tier
At $0.17, Aether Helix is deep bulk — you'll find it in a common box before you'll spend money on it. That price reflects demand accurately; it sees light play and isn't likely to move.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.