Birds of Paradise
Creature — Bird
Flying
: Add one mana of any color.
- CMC
- 1
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- G
- Rarity
- rare
- Set
- Pro Tour Collector Set
- Price
- $8.64
- EDHREC rank
- #33
Birds of Paradise is the one-mana mana dork — it taps for any color, flies, and costs a single green pip, making it an auto-include in any multicolor Commander deck that can run it. The only real trade-off is the same one facing every creature-based ramp piece: it dies to removal, and Kinnan, Bonder Prodigy decks in particular can find themselves a mana source short when it gets picked off before untap.
Where It Shines
Where the extra mana on turn one matters most
Combos featuring Kinnan, Bonder Prodigy + Freed from the Real
The Kinnan, Bonder Prodigy plus Freed from the Real line needs a nonland mana source that taps for blue — Birds of Paradise is the cleanest one-drop that satisfies that requirement, letting you potentially assemble the combo a full turn earlier than you could on two lands alone.
Combos featuring Kinnan, Bonder Prodigy + Pemmin's Aura
Pemmin's Aura requires the same setup: a creature that taps for colored mana, enchanted and ready to go infinite. Birds of Paradise on turn one means Kinnan hits on turn two with a mana source already in play, compressing the combo clock by a full turn.
Big-mana shells like Kenrith, the Returned King
Five-color commanders like Kenrith, the Returned King demand a mana base that fixes all five colors from the earliest turns, and Birds of Paradise is the only one-mana ramp piece that does the whole job alone. The earlier Kenrith hits the board, the more activations he gets — that single green mana on turn one pays dividends all game.
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 |
In Commander, Birds of Paradise is a staple without qualification — any green deck with two or more colors runs it, and most mono-green decks consider it seriously for the speed alone. In Legacy and Vintage, it sees play but competes with a deeper pool of zero- and one-mana accelerants; it's a role-player rather than a cornerstone there. Modern is its most competitive non-rotating home, where the one-mana dork slot is fiercely contested by Llanowar Elves and Noble Hierarch — Birds of Paradise trades the tap-for-one-specific-color efficiency of its peers for universal fixing, which makes it stronger in three-plus-color builds. Pioneer and Standard don't have access to it, and Pauper locks it out on rarity — so Commander remains the format where it earns its slot most consistently.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Kinnan, Bonder ProdigyBirds of ParadiseFreed from the Real
Infinite colored mana
View combo details →
Valley FloodcallerSensei's Divining TopBirds of ParadiseThe Reality Chip
Infinite card draw; Infinite draw triggers; Near-infinite storm count; Near-infinite power and toughness for certain creatures until end of turn; Near-infinite untap of some creatures you control
View combo details →
Valley FloodcallerSensei's Divining TopBirds of ParadiseMystic Forge
Infinite card draw; Infinite draw triggers; Near-infinite storm count; Near-infinite power and toughness for certain creatures until end of turn; Near-infinite untap of some creatures you control
View combo details →
Valley FloodcallerSensei's Divining TopBirds of ParadiseOne with the Multiverse
Infinite card draw; Infinite draw triggers; Near-infinite storm count; Near-infinite power and toughness for certain creatures until end of turn; Near-infinite untap of some creatures you control
View combo details →Price Context
Current price
$8.64 mid tier
At $8.64, Birds of Paradise sits in the mid tier — not a budget card, but not a barrier either for anyone seriously building a multicolor Commander deck. It's been reprinted enough that the price is unlikely to spike dramatically, and the spread across printings means you can often find a copy closer to $5 in older editions if you're not chasing a specific art.
Explore
Sources
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.