Flickering Spirit
Creature — Spirit
Flying
: Exile this creature, then return it to the battlefield under its owner's control.
- CMC
- 4
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- W
- Rarity
- common
- Set
- Time Spiral
- Price
- $0.15
- EDHREC rank
- #29785
Flickering Spirit is a 2/2 flying Spirit that can phase itself out for three mana at instant speed, giving it built-in protection that makes it surprisingly sticky on the board. The cost is real — four mana to cast and three to protect means you're sinking seven total mana to save a 2/2, which is a bad deal anywhere the card isn't doing double duty.
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 | legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
In Commander, Flickering Spirit finds a home in Spirit tribal decks and blink-adjacent lists where the phase-out ability synergizes with enter-the-battlefield effects or protects a relevant creature type. Outside of tribal, a 2/2 flier with a costly protection ability simply doesn't pull enough weight in a 100-card singleton format. In Pauper, the same ceiling applies — the floor is too low and the activation too expensive to compete with more efficient threats. Legacy and Vintage are non-starters for Flickering Spirit; the card is a casual tool, not a competitive one.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.15 bulk tier
At $0.15, Flickering Spirit is deep bulk — the price reflects exactly what it offers. There's no pressure to buy in now or expect movement; this is a stable floor card you pick up as a one-of for a Spirit deck without thinking twice.
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Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.