Aerial Boost

Strategy & Gameplay

Aerial Boost is a versatile white instant from March of the Machine that exemplifies the kind of efficient combat trick that sees play across multiple formats and deck archetypes. At its core, this card provides a modest but meaningful combat boost of +2/+2 while granting flying to a target creature until end of turn, making it particularly valuable in aggressive strategies that need evasion to push through damage. What truly elevates Aerial Boost beyond a simple pump spell is its convoke mechanic, which allows you to tap your own creatures to help pay the casting cost. This creates fascinating synergies with creature-heavy strategies where you're already flooding the board, effectively transforming your army into mana while simultaneously pumping an attacker. In Limited formats, this is a straightforward combat trick that can turn a ground-stalled game into a flying victory in a single turn. However, the real depth emerges in Constructed formats where convoke enables explosive plays: in Pioneer and Modern, flying-focused decks and token strategies appreciate the efficiency of casting this at effectively discounted rates, while in Commander and casual formats, players piloting convoke-themed decks or going-wide strategies find Aerial Boost to be a synergistic way to finish games. The card's legality across nearly every non-rotating format makes it a staple consideration for anyone building white-based creature decks that value both tempo and mana efficiency. Its instant speed also provides crucial flexibility as a combat trick that can protect your creatures or punch through for unexpected damage when opponents least expect it.