Future Sight hinted at a lot of interesting cards and keywords meant for the future of Magic. Even though the set was released fourteen years ago in May of 2007, many of these keywords have yet to be seen again. One example is Aura Swap, which has only ever been printed on Arcanum Wings. Aura Swap as a keyword, and Arcanum Wings itself, seems to have been made for combos. Traditionally, players have paired it with Eldrazi Conscription to turn any creature into a large Eldrazi beater. Conscription is much too expensive for this series, though. Besides, what we've got cooked up doesn't even need it! No, our aura of choice allows us to kill the opponent in one swing, making Conscription obsolete anyways.

Aura Swap Combo | Casual | James Heslip

• Creatures (14)
• 2 Heliod's Pilgrim
• 4 Academy Researchers
• 4 Benevolent Bodyguard
• 4 Invisible Stalker

• Instants (4)
• 4 Opt

• Sorceries (8)
• 4 Open the Armory
• 4 Shimmer of Possibility

• Enchantments (12)
• 4 Arcanum Wings
• 4 Colossification
• 4 Pacifism

• Lands (22)
• 11 Island
• 7 Plains
• 4 Temple of Enlightenment

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Cost: $18 at the time of publication

The Core

Invisible Stalker is the safest bet when it comes to targets to enchant. Not only does it have hexproof, but nothing can block it! This means we don't have to worry about protecting it from removal, and attacking with combo in hand is almost a guaranteed win!

Should we be in a situation where we have access to Colossification, but not Wings or Stalker, Academy Researchers can save the day. Simply summon the 3-drop wizard, equip Colossification for free, and then swing in on the next turn.

The Backup

As with all combo decks, we want to be as swift and consistent as possible. Since two of our three combo pieces are auras, we have a decent set of options to find them quickly. The first is Open the Armory. With a mana value of just two, it's just what weird looking for as an aura tutor. Heliod's Pilgrim is option number two. As a creature, it's also a potential aura wielder, if the situation calls for it.

Though not actual search options, the fact that we're in Blue means we can play a few cantrips. Opt gives us a turn one play and potentially sees two cards deep if we don't already like what we're looking for. Shimmer of Possibility sees four cards for the cost of two mana. Both are essential for digging into Invisible Stalker, Academy Researchers, or anything else we want.

To close things off, Pacifism is a "removal" spell which we can search for using Armory or Pilgrim. It was chosen over other auras which cost less mana because it also prevents blocking. Benevolent Bodyguard protects anything not named Invisible Stalker, so you don't have to worry too much about cheating your seven-cost aura onto something else.

Playing the Deck

You can also use the swap effect to save a creature from burn damage.

Benevolent Bodyguard doesn't just protect your monsters. Should Colossification end up on someone without evasion, you can always give them protection from whatever color monsters your opponent has in play. Since protection also means creatures of that color can't block you, the enchanted creature can swing in unopposed.

Finally, there may be fringe situations where an opponent tries to destroy Arcanum Wings with removal but you can save it. Simply activate its effect and swap it out for a different aura, forcing the removal spell to fizzle with no target.

Additional Options

• Auratouched Mage
• Benevolent Blessing
• Boonweaver Giant
• Burning Anger
• Celestial Mantle
• Cursecatcher
• Elder Mastery
• Eldrazi Conscription
• Epic Proportions
• Faith's Shield
• Gigantiform
• Gudul Lurker
• Indrik Umbra
• Iridescent Drake
• Judge's Familiar
• Mausoleum Wanderer
• Mist-Cloaked Herald
• Mythic Proportions
• Octopus Umbra
• Prodigious Growth
• Siren Stormtamer
• Slippery Bogle
• Slither Blade
• Sovereigns of Lost Alara
• Totem-Guide Hartebeest
• Triton Shorestalker
• Turn Aside
• Vigilant Martyr

There are some alternative auras to cheat in with Arcanum Wings, though none of them give the ability to kill the opponent in one swing. Still, they can be fun. Eldrazi Conscription has already been mentioned, and even though it's monetarily expensive, it can dominate games thanks to the annihilator ability it gives. Elder Mastery's discard effect is relevant often, and Celestial Mantle brings serious life gain. Any of these can be used in casual games if your group doesn't like straight up combo kills.

Vigilant Martyr Martyr is an alternative to Bodyguard that can also protect your auras. It can't prevent blocks, though, and the regeneration effect forcing your creature to come back tapped is definitely relevant. Cursecatcher,Judge's Familiar, Siren Stormtamer, and Mausoleum Wanderer are all additional creature-based protection options, though they don't do much more than what Bodyguard already does better.

Gudul Lurker, Mist-Cloaked Herald, Slither Blade, and Triton Shorestalker all wear aura well since they can't be blocked. Much more effort needs to be put into protecting them, though.

To end, there are a good number of other options when it comes to searching for your auras, though they are all rather expensive when it comes to their mana value.Totem-Guide Hartebeest is the original aura tutor, but Auratouched Mage puts the found aura directly into play. Sovereigns of Lost Alara and Boonweaver Giant do the same. At a minimum of five mana for these listed searchers, I don't think they're worth it in a combo deck trying to win as fast as it can. In the right builds, though, they could definitely be fun.