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Aven Surveyor

Creature — Bird Scout

Flying
When this creature enters, choose one —
• Put a +1/+1 counter on this creature.
• Return target creature to its owner's hand.

CMC
5
Mana cost
{3}{U}{U}
Color identity
U
Rarity
common
Set
Fate Reforged
Price
$0.06
EDHREC rank
#22338
Buy on TCGplayer
Aven Surveyor card art
Aven Surveyor bounces a nonland permanent on entry — tempo in a body — but five mana for a 2/2 flier is a steep ask when cheaper bounce spells exist. It earns a slot primarily in creature-type-matters builds, specifically anywhere Volo, Guide to Monsters is doubling up Bird triggers.

Format Analysis

Where it lives, where it can’t

FormatVerdict
commander legal
legacy legal
modern legal
pioneer legal
standard not legal
vintage legal
pauper legal
oathbreaker legal

Aven Surveyor is a Commander card, full stop — the singleton format is the only place its enter-the-battlefield bounce scales well enough to justify five mana. In Pauper it's technically legal but unplayed; the format's efficiency bar is too high for a 2/2 that costs five. Legacy, Modern, and Pioneer have no interest — bounce at this price tag doesn't compete. Commander is where the tribal synergies and ETB doubling effects make Aven Surveyor occasionally worthwhile, though even there it's a budget role-player rather than a staple.

Key Combos

Combo lines featuring this card

2 decks
Volo, Guide to MonstersFood ChainAven Surveyor

Volo, Guide to MonstersFood ChainAven Surveyor

Infinite colored mana that can only be spent to cast creature spells; Infinite ETB; Infinite LTB; Infinite storm count; Return any number of creatures to their owners' hands

View on Commander Spellbook ↗

Price Context

Current price

$0.06 bulk tier

At $0.06, Aven Surveyor is deep bulk — you're paying for cardboard, not the effect. Bulk bounce creatures don't appreciate, so grab it from a common box rather than buying singles.

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Sources

Mentioned

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Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.