Waveskimmer Aven
Creature — Bird Soldier
Flying
Exalted (Whenever a creature you control attacks alone, that creature gets +1/+1 until end of turn.)
- CMC
- 5
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- GUW
- Rarity
- common
- Set
- Shards of Alara
- Price
- $0.14
- EDHREC rank
- #23005
Waveskimmer Aven enters the battlefield as a 3/4 flyer with lifelink and exalted — a self-contained package that rewards sending in one attacker at a time. The five-mana cost is real, but in Rafiq of the Many builds where exalted stacks and combat damage is the win condition, that's a price worth paying.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Rafiq of the Many
Rafiq of the Many turns every exalted trigger into a double-strike explosion, and Waveskimmer Aven adds a third exalted counter to the stack while holding down the air as a lifelink blocker — it's pulling weight on offense and defense simultaneously.
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 |
Waveskimmer Aven is legal in Commander, Legacy, Modern, Vintage, Pauper, and Oathbreaker, but it only shows up meaningfully in Commander exalted lists. In Pauper it's legal but outclassed — five mana for a creature that doesn't close games fast enough in that format's tempo-driven environment. Legacy and Vintage don't want it at any cost. Commander is the only place where the exalted synergy density justifies the slot, and even there Waveskimmer Aven is a role-player rather than a linchpin.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.14 bulk tier
At $0.14, Waveskimmer Aven is deep bulk — pick it up from any commons box without thinking twice. Bulk commons don't appreciate, so there's no reason to stockpile; just grab one if the exalted deck needs it.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.