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Commander Nexus
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  3. Aerith Gainsborough

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Aerith Gainsborough

Aerith Gainsborough

Legendary Creature — Human Cleric

Aerith Gainsborough wants a deck that gains life over and over and gets rewarded for it. It also suits a deck that keeps making its creatures bigger turn after turn.

  • Mana cost2 genericwhite
  • White ()
  • Power / toughness2 / 2
  • RarityRare

Lifelink

Whenever you gain life, put a +1/+1 counter on Aerith Gainsborough.

When Aerith Gainsborough dies, put X +1/+1 counters on each legendary creature you control, where X is the number of +1/+1 counters on Aerith Gainsborough.

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Themes

Cards That Fit Aerith Gainsborough

Picked for what they do in Aerith Gainsborough's deck. When two cards do the same job, the one with the lower comes first. All of them fit Aerith Gainsborough's color identity.Mana ValueThe total amount of mana a card costs, all added up. A card costing two generic and one green has a mana value of three. Wizards renamed this from "converted mana cost" in 2021, so older cards and articles may still use the old name.Sol RingOpen the full glossary

plan6

The 6 Cards

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The 6 Cards

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The 6 Cards

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The 6 Cards

Rulings for Aerith Gainsborough

explain how Aerith Gainsborough works in tricky situations. They come from Wizards of the Coast, the company that makes Magic.RulingThe official answer to how a card works in a tricky situation. Most rulings are written by Wizards of the Coast, the company that makes Magic, and a few are notes from Scryfall, the card database Magic players use. A ruling explains a card. It does not change what the card says.Open the full glossary

Wizards of the Coast 6 Jun 2025

Aerith Gainsborough's second ability triggers just once for each life-gaining event, whether it's 1 life from Al Bhed Salvagers or 3 life from Balamb T-Rexaur.

Wizards of the Coast 6 Jun 2025

Each creature with lifelink dealing combat damage causes a separate life-gaining event. For example, if two creatures you control with lifelink deal combat damage at the same time, Aerith Gainsborough's second ability will trigger twice. However, if a single creature you control with lifelink deals combat damage to multiple creatures, players, planeswalkers, and/or battles at the same time (perhaps because it has trample or was blocked by more than one creature), the ability will trigger only once.

Wizards of the Coast 6 Jun 2025

If Aerith Gainsborough is dealt lethal damage at the same time that you gain life, it will die before its second ability would resolve. Its last ability will use the number of counters that were on it when it was last on the battlefield.

Wizards of the Coast 6 Jun 2025

If you gain an amount of life "for each" of something or "equal to the number" of something, that life is gained as one event and Aerith Gainsborough's second ability triggers only once.

Wizards of the Coast 6 Jun 2025

In a Two-Headed Giant game, life gained by your teammate won't cause Aerith Gainsborough's second ability to trigger, even though it caused your team's life total to increase.

Wizards of the Coast 6 Jun 2025

In the rare case where enough -1/-1 counters are put on Aerith Gainsborough at the same time to make its toughness 0 or less, the number of +1/+1 counters on it before it got those -1/-1 counters will be used to determine the value of X in Aerith Gainsborough's third ability. For example, if there are two +1/+1 counters on Aerith Gainsborough and it gets three -1/-1 counters, you'll put two +1/+1 counters on each legendary creature you control when Aerith Gainsborough's third ability resolves.

6 rulings, all written by Wizards of the Coast. Read the originals on Gatherer ↗

Similar Commanders

Commanders that share the most with Aerith Gainsborough, and what they share.

Color identityEvery color of mana symbol on a card, in its cost and in its rules text. Your commander's color identity sets the limit for your whole deck: every other card has to fit inside it. A deck led by a green and white commander cannot play a card with any blue in its color identity.Open the full glossaryWPlayers write colors as letters: W for white.LifegainLifegain decks gain life over and over and use cards that reward each gain with extra cards, creatures or damage to opponents. Everyone starts at 40 life in Commander, so the extra life also keeps you safe while you set up.Open the Lifegain pageLifegain PayoffTurns life gain into an actual effect: draining opponents, drawing cards, or growing creatures each time you gain life. Without one of these, gaining life mostly just delays things. Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose, Sanguine BondOpen the Lifegain Payoff pageCounter EngineAdds +1/+1 counters over and over rather than once. A counter here is a small permanent marker that raises a creature's power and toughness for good. It is not a counterspell, which is a different thing entirely. Something that adds them every turn makes your whole board bigger and keeps it that way. Hardened Scales, Corpsejack MenaceOpen the Counter Engine page+1/+1 Counters+1/+1 counter decks put small markers on their creatures that make each one permanently bigger, and keep adding more every turn. Each +1/+1 counter adds one to a creature's power (the damage it deals) and toughness (the damage it can take).Open the +1/+1 Counters page+1/+1 CountersPuts +1/+1 counters on creatures, permanently raising their power and toughness. Unlike a temporary boost that wears off at end of turn, these markers stay put and stack up over a long game. Hardened Scales, The Great HengeOpen the +1/+1 Counters pageDeath TriggerTriggers when a creature dies, whether it is this creature, one of yours or an opponent's. These are the cards that pay you in an Aristocrats deck: something else makes creatures die, and these decide what you get each time. Blood Artist, Solemn SimulacrumOpen the Death Trigger pageAristocratsAristocrats decks sacrifice their own creatures on purpose and profit every time one dies, often by draining life from each opponent. A sacrifice outlet, a card that lets you sacrifice whenever you like, decides when that happens.Open the Aristocrats pageLife GainGains you life, once or over and over. Soul Warden, The Great Henge. In Commander life is something to spend, not just a cushion, and many of these cards also set off others that reward gaining life.Open the Life Gain pageLegends MatterCards that care about legendary cards: rewards for casting them, discounts, or bonuses for each one you control.Open the Legends Matter page