Borne Upon a Wind is one of those cards players keep asking about. Here is, in plain words, what its official text says, the rulings published by Wizards of the Coast, and the combos players actually run.
Official card text
You may cast spells this turn as though they had flash. Draw a card.
Complete guide
Borne Upon a Wind is a powerful utility instant that breaks the traditional timing constraints of Magic: The Gathering. By allowing you to cast spells as though they had flash, it turns every card in your hand into a potential surprise maneuver while keeping your hand full.
Breaking the Speed Limit
The primary effect of Borne Upon a Wind is a continuous effect that lasts for the remainder of the turn. It grants you permission to cast any spell type—Creatures, Sorceries, Artifacts, Enchantments, and Planeswalkers—at the same time you could cast an instant. This means you can cast these spells during an opponent's turn or in response to other spells and abilities on the stack.
Step-by-Step Resolution
When you cast Borne Upon a Wind, it goes onto the stack like any other spell. Once it resolves, two things happen: first, the 'as though they had flash' permission is applied to you for the rest of the turn; second, you draw a card. Even if Borne Upon a Wind is countered, the card draw and the timing permission will not happen. Note that this does not change the mana cost or any additional costs of the spells you cast later that turn.
Important Limitations
A common mistake is assuming this card allows you to ignore all timing restrictions. It only affects the timing of casting spells. It does not allow you to activate abilities that specify they can only be used 'any time you could cast a sorcery.' Additionally, it does not allow you to play lands on an opponent's turn, as lands are played, not cast, and follow specific rules that Borne Upon a Wind does not override.
When to Cast It
To maximize value, you should often cast Borne Upon a Wind during an opponent's end step if you have excess mana, allowing you to untap and have a full turn of flash-speed plays. Alternatively, use it reactively to drop a crucial blocker or a game-winning permanent in response to an opponent's game-ending spell.
Interaction examples
CounterspellIf you cast Borne Upon a Wind and an opponent attempts to stop it with Counterspell, you cannot yet cast sorceries as though they had flash because Borne Upon a Wind has not resolved. You must wait for the spell to resolve before the timing rules change for your other cards.
An Offer You Can't RefuseAfter Borne Upon a Wind resolves, you may cast a Sorcery during your opponent's turn. If they attempt to counter that Sorcery with An Offer You Can't Refuse, you have successfully used your 'flash' window to force them to spend resources on their own turn, potentially leaving them tapped out for your upcoming turn.
In a situation where you desperately need a specific answer, you can cast Borne Upon a Wind simply to 'cantrip' (draw a card). Even if you have no other spells to cast that turn, the card draw replaces Borne Upon a Wind in your hand while technically giving you the option to play any non-land card you might draw immediately.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Borne Upon a Wind
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· Wizards of the Coast
This applies only to casting spells. It does not, for example, change when you can activate abilities that can be activated "only as a sorcery."
No other card is named in this ruling.
Popular combos
Real combos played by the community, sorted by popularity.
Rootha, Mercurial Artist + Seething Song + Storm-Kiln Artist + Borne Upon a Wind
- 1Cast Borne Upon a Wind by paying
, allowing you to cast spells as though they have flash this turn. - 2Cast Seething Song by paying
. - 3Storm-Kiln Artist triggers, creating a Treasure token.
- 4Activate a Treasure by tapping and sacrificing it, adding .
- 5Holding priority, activate Rootha by paying and returning it from the battlefield to your hand, copying Seething Song.
- 6Storm-Kiln Artist triggers, creating a Treasure token.
- 7Resolve the Seething Song copy, adding .
- 8Activate a Treasure by tapping and sacrificing it, adding .
Rootha, Mercurial Artist + Jeska's Will + Storm-Kiln Artist + Borne Upon a Wind
- 1Cast Borne Upon a Wind by paying , allowing you to cast spells as though they have flash this turn.
- 2Cast Jeska's Will by paying .
- 3Storm-Kiln Artist triggers, creating a Treasure token.
- 4Activate a Treasure by tapping and sacrificing it, adding .
- 5Holding priority, activate Rootha by paying and returning it from the battlefield to your hand, copying Jeska's Will.
- 6Storm-Kiln Artist triggers, creating a Treasure token.
- 7Resolve the Jeska's Will copy, adding at least .
- 8Activate a Treasure by tapping and sacrificing it, adding .
Apocalypse + Barren Glory + Borne Upon a Wind
- 1During the end step before your turn, cast Borne Upon a Wind by paying , allowing you to cast spells this turn as though they had flash.
- 2Cast Barren Glory by paying
. - 3Holding priority, cast Apocalypse by paying , exiling all permanents and causing you to discard your hand.
- 4Resolve Barren Glory.
- 5At the beginning of your upkeep, Barren Glory triggers, causing you to win the game.
Rootha, Mercurial Artist + Brass's Bounty + Borne Upon a Wind
- 1Cast Borne Upon a Wind by paying , allowing you to cast spells as though they have flash this turn.
- 2Cast Brass's Bounty by paying
. - 3Holding priority, activate Rootha by paying and returning it from the battlefield to your hand, copying Brass's Bounty.
- 4Resolve the Brass's Bounty copy, creating at least six Treasure tokens.
- 5Activate five Treasure tokens by tapping and sacrificing them, adding
. - 6Cast Rootha by paying .
- 7Repeat from step 3.
Mindslaver + Lethal Vapors + Borne Upon a Wind
- 1Activate Mindslaver by paying , tapping and sacrificing it, causing you to gain control of target opponent during their next turn.
- 2During the opponent's turn, cast Borne Upon a Wind by paying , allowing you to cast spells this turn as though they have flash and draw a card.
- 3Cast Lethal Vapors by paying
. - 4As the opponent, activate Lethal Vapors by paying
an arbitrarily large number of times, causing that opponent to skip that many turns.
Aether Storm + Mindslaver + Borne Upon a Wind
- 1Activate Mindslaver by paying and tapping it, causing you to gain control of target opponent during their next turn.
- 2During the opponent's turn, cast Borne Upon a Wind by paying , allowing you to cast spells this turn as though they have flash and draw a card.
- 3Cast Aether Storm by paying .
- 4As the opponent, activate Aether Storm by paying 4 life.
- 5Repeat step 4 until the opponent has 3 or less life remaining.
Sway of the Stars + Myojin of Roaring Blades + Borne Upon a Wind
- 1Cast Borne Upon a Wind by paying , allowing you to cast spells as though they have flash this turn.
- 2Activate Myojin of Roaring Blades by removing an indestructible counter from it.
- 3Holding priority, cast Sway of the Stars by paying
, causing each player to shuffle their hand, graveyard and all permanents they own into their library, then causing each player to draw seven cards and set their life total to 7. - 4Resolve the Myojin of Roaring Blades ability, dealing 7 damage to each of up to three opponents.
- 5Each opponent loses the game due to having 0 life.
Rootha, Mercurial Artist + Early Harvest + Borne Upon a Wind
- 1Cast Borne Upon a Wind by paying , allowing you to cast spells as though they have flash this turn.
- 2Activate any number of basic lands by tapping them, adding at least .
- 3Cast Early Harvest by paying
. - 4Holding priority, activate Rootha by paying and returning it from the battlefield to your hand, copying Early Harvest
- 5Resolve the Early Harvest copy, untapping all basic lands you control.
- 6Activate any number of basic lands by tapping them, adding at least .
- 7Cast Rootha by paying .
- 8Repeat from step 4.
Legal formats
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Meta decks with Borne Upon a Wind
No archived Top 8 deck with this card yet.