Flying Guide

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What Is Flying?

How To Use Flying

What Colour Is Flying?

The skies of Magic: The Gathering's multiverse can be a very busy place. Birds and bats, of course, but demons, angels, dragons, and even wondrous airships soar through the air. Being able to stage an aerial attack is one of the most effective strategies in the game too, making knowing how the flying mechanic works critical.

Flying is likely one of the first mechanics you'll run into while learning how to play Magic The Gathering. But how does it work, and how many things can fly? Here is everything you need to know about flying.

Updated June 9, 2022 by Joe Parlock: Commander Legends: Battle For Baldur's Gate features mechanics from right across Magic's history, so it only stands to reason that the evergreen flying would see a considerable amount of representation. The numbers in the article have been updated to reflect the set's additions.

What Is Flying?

In MTG, flying is one of a group of mechanics Wizards of the Coast considers 'evergreen'. Evergreen mechanics form the game's backbone, appearing in almost every product and often being the first things a player needs to learn when starting out.

For Flying specifically, it is an evasion ability – a typic of static ability that defines how that creature can be blocked. Creatures with flying can't be blocked by other creatures, unless the blocker has flying or reach. Creatures with flying can freely block both flying and non-flying creatures (provided they don't have another evasive ability like Skulk or Menace).

So, for example, say you are attacking with an Azure Drake. As Azure Drake has flying, it can only be blocked by another flying creature, such as a Concordia Pegasus, or something with reach, like a Nimble Birdsticker. If your opponent doesn't control anything with flying or reach, your Azure Drake cannot be blocked and will deal two damage to your opponent.

Keep in mind that flying only matters during attacking and blocking in the combat phase. In every other case, a flying creature is treated the same as a non-flying one, and can be targeted, dealt damage, and fought as usual.

How To Use Flying

Flying is one of the best evasion abilities in the game and is certainly the best of the evergreen ones.

When starting out with Magic, flying will likely be one of the scariest mechanics you encounter in beginner-friendly products. However, as you develop your understanding of the game, it will become less intimidating. When building your deck, keep flying creatures in mind, and try and pack a few ways to counter them: having flying or reach creatures of your own, or targeted destruction for in a pinch.

Because flying can be difficult to block, flying-centric decks are incredibly popular in various formats. For example, a popular type of deck played in the current Standard focuses on using lots of Angels, which use their flying and creature type synergies to deal big, hard-to-block damage quite quickly.

Flying is particularly important in limited formats like sealed and draft. In those formats, players often prioritise certain types of cards based on the acronym BREAD (bombs, removal, evasion, aggro, and duds). Flying comes under the third letter there, evasion, and so it's often a good idea to take a creature with flying during a draft if you're able to.

What Colour Is Flying?

Skysovereign, Consul Flagship by Jung Park

Flying is one of Magic's oldest mechanics, having been part of the game since the very beginning (and allegedly being the first designed by Magic's creator Richard Garfield).

As of Streets of New Capenna, there are 2,263 cards with flying, with a heavy slant towards the Esper colours of blue, white, and black. Of the monocolours, there are: 627 blue, 544 white, 368 black, 193 red, 72 colorless, and 42 green.

In multi-coloured, there are 334 cards with flying. There are: