Swiftwing Assailant
Creature — Bird Warrior
Flying
Start your engines! (If you have no speed, it starts at 1. It increases once on each of your turns when an opponent loses life. Max speed is 4.)
Max speed — This creature gets +0/+1 and has vigilance.
- CMC
- 4
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- W
- Rarity
- common
- Set
- Aetherdrift
- Price
- $0.04
- EDHREC rank
- #23722
Swiftwing Assailant is a three-mana 3/1 with flying and haste — it hits the board and attacks immediately, which is the entire pitch. The stat line is fragile and the effect is underpowered for Commander, so this slot belongs to more durable or repeatable threats in most builds.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | legal |
| standard | legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
In Commander, Swiftwing Assailant is too low-impact to justify a slot — a 3/1 flyer that attacks once and trades with a 1/1 token is not the kind of threat a 100-card singleton deck needs. Pauper is where this card has the most realistic home, specifically in aggressive mono-black or Rakdos skies builds that want cheap evasive bodies with immediate pressure. In Standard, Pioneer, and Modern, the card is legal but outclassed by creatures that offer more stats, more text, or more resilience at the same mana cost. Legacy and Vintage don't need it.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.04 bulk tier
At $0.04, Swiftwing Assailant is deep bulk — a throwaway pickup if a Pauper aggro list calls for it. Don't expect price movement; bulk commons at this power level stay at the floor.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.