Aether Shockwave
Instant
Choose one —
• Tap all Spirits.
• Tap all non-Spirit creatures.
- CMC
- 4
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- W
- Rarity
- uncommon
- Set
- Saviors of Kamigawa
- Price
- $1.19
- EDHREC rank
- #16398
Aether Shockwave taps all creatures of a chosen type at instant speed — a full-board freeze that doubles as offense or defense depending on whose turn you cast it. King of the Oathbreakers decks run it because Spirits are everywhere and the effect is free damage or a clean combat wipe with no mana investment beyond the four you paid.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
King of the Oathbreakers
King of the Oathbreakers cares about Spirits, and Aether Shockwave locks down every opposing Spirit at instant speed — clearing the way for an alpha strike or nullifying an attacker's board the turn before they swing.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | not legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Aether Shockwave is a fringe card in every format it's legal in — Legacy and Vintage have faster ways to win than tapping a tribe, and tribal decks there rarely need this kind of tempo play. Commander is where it sees nearly all of its meaningful play, specifically in Spirit or tribal-matters builds where tapping an opponent's whole creature type mid-combat closes games. Outside of King of the Oathbreakers and similar tribal commanders, the card has no real home.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$1.19 cheap tier
At $1.19, Aether Shockwave sits at the cheap end of Commander staples — you're paying for a niche effect, and the price reflects that. It won't creep up unless a breakout Spirit commander drives mass demand, so this is a stable buy-and-forget inclusion if the effect fits your build.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.