The 51 Best Cheap Auras in Magic Ranked

Last updated on December 26, 2024

Curiosity | Illustration by Igor Kieryluk

I dedicate today’s list to all the enchantment lovers out there, specifically the lovers of cheap low-curve auras. Keep your Eldrazi Conscription and Colossification at home, I’m bringing it down much, much lower, and exploring the best low-mana value auras in Magic.

Let’s get into it!

What Are Cheap Auras in MTG?

Animate Dead | Illustration by Bastien L. Deharme

An aura is an enchantment subtype that needs a target to enchant. The most common auras enchant creatures, but throughout MTG’s history, you’ve been able to enchant lands, enchant players, enchant artifacts and even other enchantments. We‘re talking cheap mana costs or mana values, just to be clear. I’m considering only auras that cost 1 or 2 mana, even if they might cost a few bucks (or a few hundred bucks). With that out of the way, let’s go straight to the rankings!

#51. Power Artifact

This really weird and expensive card from Antiquities has a purpose. You’ll enchant your mana rocks like Basalt Monolith with Power Artifact and produce 3 mana, requiring only 1 to untap the artifact and do it again to generate infinite mana. It can produce game-winning combos, yes, but it's also very restrictive so that’s why it’s at the bottom of our list.

#50. Spreading Algae

Spreading Algae is a landmine on a Swamp. If you have ways to tap lands, any opponent that’s playing a black deck is very much screwed since the aura returns to your hand so you may do it again. Only goes on swamps, though.

#49. Arcanum Wings

The main application of Arcanum Wings is to cheat big auras into play via aura swap. Eldrazi Conscription, hello! The only problem is that the big aura must be in your hand, and if it’s not, you’re paying 2 mana just to give a creature flying.

#48. Mirror Mockery

Mirror Mockery is a nice aura that allows you to do cool stuff with your creatures, especially those with attack triggers and ETB triggers. It’s usually played in EDH decks with commanders that want to ETB and die (like Keiga, the Tide Star or Hidetsugu and Kairi).

#47. Nature's Chosen + Instill Energy

These two cards are grouped together because they offer something in common: a cheap untap effect every turn. Instill Energy also gives haste for commanders you’d want to tap the turn they come into play. Many commander decks that play these auras are decks built around their commander’s tap ability.

#46. Crown of Flames

Crown of Flames would be a forgettable aura if it wasn’t for a small detail: It can bounce back to its owner’s hand for very cheap. It gets better when we consider the synergies involved in casting many spells a turn, enchantments entering the battlefield, the heroic mechanic, or even storm.

#45. Clout of the Dominus

Clout of the Dominus can give +2/+2 and shroud to a blue-red creature, preferably your Izzet commander, to protect them from your opponent’s evil magic. It’s a good protective spell in EDH decks that want to cast multicolor spells.

#44. Trace of Abundance

Trace of Abundance is an interesting choice to ramp with, making your land produce mana of two potentially different colors. In EDH, you’ll need to play at least Naya colors to cast this spell. It’s best in decks that care about multicolor spells, like Aragorn, the Uniter. 

#43. Squee's Embrace

You’ll use Squee's Embrace when you really care about the creature you’re protecting. They might have a nice cast trigger or a good ETB. It’s an interesting way to dodge Commander tax too.

#42. Fly

Fly is a little variant on the Curiosity-like card, giving flying to the creature and the ability to venture into the dungeon whenever it deals combat damage to a player. It’s a sure inclusion in many decks that actually want to venture as much as possible, but in more ordinary decks you’d rather draw an extra card right away.

#41. Spider Umbra

The umbra cards are all auras with the totem armor mechanic. If the enchanted creature were to be destroyed you’ll lose the aura instead, but not the creature. Spider Umbra is good because it costs 1 mana, but giving the creature reach usually doesn’t do much. Go for this green enchantment if you value the protection or if you only have access to green mana.

#40. Sixth Sense + Keen Sense

Here are the green Curiosity-type auras, which see a little less play than the blue enchantments. Sixth Sense and Keen Sense are close to equal, and they’re good with big trample cards that have some protection like hexproof.

#39. Lithoform Blight

Lithoform Blight is a way to turn a land your opponent controls into a pain land. Or your own if you need the fixing. You’ll draw a card on top of that. It’s good in Yorion, Sky Nomad decks in formats like Pioneer, as well as against decks that require land types for the domain ability.

#38. Spreading Seas

Spreading Seas is a classic card in merfolk decks and blue control decks, allowing you to neutralize an enemy land like Godless Shrine, on top of turning on your islandwalk guys and cantriping. Spreading Seas used to see more play as more 3- and 4-color decks were part of the meta.

#37. Ensoul Artifact

Ensoul Artifact is a cheap way to turn an artifact token or an indestructible land into a 5/5. It sees less play when exile removal is more prominent – like March of Otherworldly Light or Path to Exile.

#36. Aqueous Form

Sometimes you just want to give unconditional evasion to a creature, and this aura gets the job done. Aqueous Form costs only , and you even get to scry with every attack, like a Sorcerer role token.

#35. Ordeal of Nylea

Ramping is an integral part of EDH decks, and many commanders these days have +1/+1 counter synergies. Just attacking once with a creature and cashing in Ordeal of Nylea for two lands on the battlefield makes an insane difference.

#34. Eel Umbra

Eel Umbra gets some points over Spider Umbra for having flash, so you can either hold a removal spell or cast Eel Umbra in response to a spot removal spell on your creature.

#33. Warbriar Blessing

Warbriar Blessing stands out as the only cheap aura with a fight effect on ETB. It doesn’t pump power though, so it’s not like a guaranteed removal spell. It’s a very good fit in heroic decks, or in decks that want to cast more enchantments. Setessan Champion comes to mind as a good fit, seeing as the aura grows the champion, you draw a card, and can even remove a small creature.

#32. Steal Enchantment

Steal Enchantment is a 2-mana Mind Control for enchantments. It’s cheap but very restrictive. I’d play this in an EDH deck that’s interested in controlling cards from opponents, like those lead by a theft commander.

#31. Flickerform

Flickerform is slow but it’s one of the best auras at what it does. This white enchantment is a repeatable way to blink a creature and to protect it and all the auras attached to it. It works very well with aura Voltron commanders.

#30. Gryff's Boon + Skyblade's Boon

These two auras give +1 power and flying to the enchanted creature. Not bad since it’s the bonus you want to give creatures the most. Gryff's Boon in particular is pretty interesting, because you can return it straight from the graveyard enchanting a creature on the battlefield. So even if the aura gets milled, you’ll get the value by spending only 4 mana. 

#29. Kaya's Ghostform

Kaya's Ghostform is pretty interesting when you want to keep a creature on the battlefield even after a sweeper, or just protect them from spot removal. It can even enchant powerful planeswalkers too, so even if your planeswalker is beaten or you ultimated it, this black enchantment will bring it back. 

#28. Spirit Mantle

Spirit Mantle can give a creature protection from creatures, and it’s a pretty good bonus to have. It works on offense and defense, and it gets even better with cards that give hexproof. 

#27. Hyena Umbra

The last of the umbras on this list is Hyena Umbra. It’s cheap at 1 mana, it’s white (one of the main enchantment and aura colors), and it gives a relevant ability in first strike.

#26. Dead Man's Chest

Dead Man's Chest is an excellent aura to put on your opponent’s creatures so that when they die you’ll get to play cards from their library. It gets better in black-based theft decks. The only problem is that you can’t put on your own creature and sacrifice it, so it’s best played when you also have the removal for the enchanted creature. Or play it before a sweeper.

#25. In Too Deep

Getting removal in blue is always nice, and with In Too Deep, you can turn a creature or planeswalker into a mere Clue. It also can’t be countered due to the split second ability.

#24. Daybreak Coronet

Daybreak Coronet is an excellent aura, granting +3/+3, first strike, vigilance, and lifelink for only 2 mana. The only downside is that you must already have an aura on the enchanted creature. It’s been a staple of decks like hexproof + auras bogles decks, and the more cheap auras you have, the better. You can also play this in enchantress decks.

#23. Metamorphic Alteration

Metamorphic Alteration is another cheap way to clone a creature with a few hurdles. It shines in Archfiend of the Dross combo decks, where you make your opponent’s creature a copy of the Archfiend with no counters, and they’ll lose. So, this aura can give your opponents a creature with a downside too, or be a cheap Clone of your best creature.

#22. Wolfwillow Haven

Wolfwillow Haven is good early when you need ramp and it gives you something to do when you have excess mana. Plus, if you’re into wolves, you can even make one 2/2 wolf token.

#21. Chained to the Rocks

Removal is removal. It’s hard to use Chained to the Rocks, though, because you’ll need a Mountain to enchant. It’s an awesome turn-1 removal spell together with Sacred Foundry.

#20. On Thin Ice

On Thin Ice is basically Chained to the Rocks but it requires a snow land to enchant, which can be more flexible. That also means you can play it in mono-white with a few Snow-Covered Plains.

#19. Ossification

Despite costing 1 mana more than On Thin Ice and Chained to the Rocks, Ossification can also hit planeswalkers, making it a strong aura removal option. It sees heavy play in Standard and it’s a good fit in enchantment-based decks.

#18. Darksteel Mutation

Darksteel Mutation is a strong aura removal spell, especially against enemy commanders. They won’t be able to use their commander unless they get rid of the enchantment, blink it, or sacrifice it. 

#17. Witness Protection

Witness Protection is a cool addition to any blue deck that’s interested in playing enchantments. It costs only 1 mana and shrinks a creature to a 1/1. Plus, calling a big threat by the name of Legitimate Businessperson can yield funny moments.

#16. Staggering Insight

Staggering Insight is a great fit for fliers decks and heroic decks. It’s your typical Curiosity effect with added lifelink, with the only downside being the more restrictive cost.

#15. Sticky Fingers

Sticky Fingers sees play in Standard red decks as a way to beat down and generate some Treasure along the way. This red enchantment grants menace, making it easier for your attacker to connect; plus, you’ll get a card when the creature dies, offering a strong package for only .

#14. Glistening Oil + Phyresis

These two auras – Phyresis and Glistening Oil – can give infect to a creature, and this means they deal damage to creatures in the form of -1/-1 counters and to players in the form of poison counters. Besides the -1/-1 counter synergies involved, a good use of these auras is to enchant a big creature and go to town. Your 7/7 trample gets much scarier when it has infect.

#13. Curse of Bounty

Curse of Bounty is an excellent way to put a big target on a player’s head in a game of EDH. After all, who doesn’t want to untap and use their tapped abilities a second time?

#12. Wheel of Sun and Moon

The primary use of Wheel of Sun and Moon is to hate a player’s graveyard. So those pesky self-mill, flashback, and reanimator players have something to worry about. It is a little weird that it doesn't exile, though.

#11. Lignify

Lignify is an excellent way of turning a problematic creature into a nothing. A 0/4 won’t be attacking that much – unless the previous creature had counters before.

#10. Kenrith's Transformation

Like Lignify, Kenrith's Transformation is an excellent way to turn a big threat into a less important one, and this one draws you a card to boot. If you’re into +1/+1 counters, it’s even a buff for your 0/0 creatures – like some hydras.

#9. Audacity

Audacity is Rancor at home. Or at Standard. It’s an excellent way to turn a measly token into something that can deal a huge amount of damage, and at the same time your opponents won’t block it to deny the card. It’s an excellent buff on an infect creature because they’ll have to deal with it and you cash the creature in for a card.

#8. Swift Reconfiguration

Swift Reconfiguration is a nice removal spell and a cheap one at that. You’ll turn any vehicle into a crew 5 vehicle, or a creature into something that needs to be crewed every time. Oh, and it also has flash. Consider adding this one if good vehicles are part of your meta.

#7. Abundant Growth

Abundant Growth is a cheap piece of fixing that also cantrips. It’s a good inclusion in any enchantress deck.

#6. Wild Growth + Utopia Sprawl

These 1-mana enchantments are among the best ramp tools, and in combination with cards like Arbor Elf you can really pump up your mana production. Wild Growth is great green ramp. Despite only being able to enchant Forests, Utopia Sprawl is the better one since it provides mana fixing as well, but I wouldn’t fault you for playing both in a ramp deck.

#5. Animate Dead + Dance of the Dead

Reanimation auras are some of the best. These spells can reanimate a creature for cheap, considering that nowadays most reanimation commanders use spells that cost between 4 and 5 mana. The downside on Animate Dead is a little better, because most of the time you’ll not care if your Primeval Titan or Archon of Cruelty has a -1/-0 debuff.

#4. Rancor

Rancor is a card that defines a format. Giving +2/+0 and trample to any creature for just 1 mana is very above the curve, and the aura itself has insurance. The best way to deal with an enemy Rancor is to kill the target creature while this card is on the stack.

#3. Blue Curiosity Effects

When we think of cheap auras, Curiosity effects quickly come to mind. There are lots of variants on this one, including Combat Research, Curious Inquiry, and the green ones. These see play in Standard, Pioneer, and in EDH decks where you can combo easily, like with Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind or with Niv-Mizzet, Parun. 

#2. Ethereal Armor

Ethereal Armor is one of the cheapest ways to enchant a creature and hit hard. In decks that play a fair amount of enchantments, you’ll give at least +3/+3 to a creature for just 1 mana.

#1. All That Glitters

All That Glitters is a little better than Ethereal Armor since it considers artifacts too. And between artifact lands, creatures, and artifact tokens, it’s fairly easy to make a big creature with this card and end the game in one blow. The card’s been printed at common since its original uncommon rarity in Throne of Eldraine, so it saw lots of play in Pauper before it was banned.

Best Cheap Aura Payoffs

Cheap (read: low mana-value) cards are usually low-impact cards, so here are the best places to play a huge amount of cheap auras.

Enchantress Decks

First, there are enchantress decks. Enchantresses are cards that draw whenever you play an enchantment, so there are cards like enchantment creatures, Argothian Enchantress, Mesa Enchantress and even Enchantress's Presence. You’ll also have commanders like Sythis, Harvest's Hand or Tuvasa the Sunlit.

Aura Commanders

Next, there are commanders that explicitly work with auras. Sram, Senior Edificer comes to mind. Other good examples are Light-Paws, Emperor's Voice and Siona, Captain of the Pyleas.

Voltron Strategies

Finally, there is the Voltron strategy. In a voltron deck you want to build a massive attacker with a lot of auras and equipment and end the game in a single hit (or more, of course). 

Good candidates for this strategy are Xenk, Paladin Unbroken, Rafiq of the Many, Yargle and Multani, and Skithiryx, the Blight Dragon. These commanders are good with auras since they either have high power, have infect, or get better with more auras on them. Of course, there are good Voltron commanders that are more related to equipment like Kemba, Kha Regent.

Giving Off a Strong Aura

Ethereal Armor | Illustration by Daarken

Auras have been around since the dawn of Magic, and there will be more with each coming set. Remember that this list only covers auras with mana value 1 or 2, but there’s a whole world of more expensive enchantments out there waiting to be explored. There’s some power to gain from these cheap cards as long as you can time your auras right and mitigate the risks of being blown out.

Do you have an enchantment or aura deck that makes good use of these cards? If so, who’s your commander, and how does the deck operate? I’d love to hear about it in the comments below or over in the Draftsim Discord.

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