Despite introducing many wacky concepts to Magic as a game, Future Sight has, ironically, been lost to time over the years. Many of its cards are obscure design tests rather than truly playable pieces, causing many of them to be unplayable. In some cases, this neglect is warranted, but with cards like Second Wind, it’s a crying shame. While it’s a bit odd on the surface, this Aura unlocks some solid play lines in Commander, as well as some powerful infinite combos.
Second Wind MTG
The confusing, Future Sight-coded element of Second Wind is that it taps itself to use its abilities, an enchantment feature unique to this set. Once attached to a creature, you can tap Second Wind as you would any other permanent to tap or untap said creature. As a note, Auras don’t tap normally under any circumstances, even when their attached creatures become tapped, which opens up a lot of lines for this card.
While this is similar to cards like Freed from the Real and Pemmin’s Aura, the lack of a mana requirement here is a significant upside. This works well as a pseudo-Vigilance effect, but it’s even better with powerful tap abilities, like those on Mother of Runes or Krenko, Mob Boss. You can also use this to tap down creatures like Kona, Rescue Beastie risk-free, too, which can be devastating in some decks.
This principle extends to Second Wind’s applications as a ‘removal’ spell, too, letting you hold some Commanders hostage. Enchanting an opponent’s creature with this will let you tap it down right after their untap step without holding up mana, denying them most of that creature’s usefulness. While one-for-one removal like this isn’t the best, against powerhouse Commanders like Kaalia of the Vast or Lathril, Blade of the Elves, dealing with them without returning them to the command zone.
Wombo Combo
By virtue of its unusual design, Second Wind also enables a powerful infinite combo line. This requires the enchantment, Unctus, Grand Metatect, and a permanent untapper like Vizier of Tumbling Sands to pull off. Enchant Vizier with Second Wind, and you can tap Wind to untap Vizier, then tap the Vizier to untap Wind. Each time you tap Vizier you’ll get to loot with Unctus, allowing for infinite looting. Throw in a Thassa’s Oracle to finish, and you have an easy instant win. You can also substitute Kelpie Guide or Clever Conjurer for Vizier as added redundancy.
An Obscure Treasure
Unfortunately, despite its many applications, Second Wind has been lost to time in every sense of the word. According to EDHREC, just 3000 Commander decks run the card in total, which feels incredibly low. This is a common fate for the strange cards of Future Sight, but it’s particularly sad to see here, with something genuinely useful.
Second Wind’s unfortunate obscurity is an asset, however, when it comes to its price. Despite its age and a complete lack of reprints, you can still snag near-mint copies of this banger for just $0.45 on TCGplayer right now. At this price point, it’s an easy pickup for budget brews and a fascinating conversation starter for Enchantress decks, too.
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