Blink is a strategy that lets you exile something only to return it to the battlefield either immediately or later, such as at the end of the turn. Blinking is the best way to capitalize on effects like an enter or leave the battlefield ability.

There are a lot of amazing Blink choices out there, but there are some cards and ideas that just aren't talked about enough.

Underrated Blink Targets Ranked

1. Aether Channeler
2. Dragoon's Lance
3. Loki's Scepter
4. Dack Fayden
5. Wishclaw Talisman
6. Volatile Stormdrake
7. Boggart Trawler
8. Sunblast Angel
9. Starfield Vocalist
10. The Raven's Warning

10. Aether Channeler

Starting off our list is Aether Channeler; a card that isn't great at one thing but is good at a lot of things.

In a game of Commander, you might want to draw a card, bounce a nonland permanent an opponent controls to their hand, or make a 1/1 Flying Bird token. Each of these choices could be relevant, and that flexibility on a Creature that only costs is exactly the type of card that is the bread and butter of Blink decks.

9. Dragoon's Lance

First it was Living Weapon, then it was For Mirrodin. The most recent keyword for this effect is Job Select. What this effect does is create a Creature token when it enters.

In the case of Dragoon's Lance, that token is a 1/1 Hero. After that Creature is created, the Equipment is automatically attached to it

On the conservative side, you've got a chump blocker that can be reset. If we're more aggressive, maybe you double the ETB effect and get another token. Then, you could add a token doubler, so we're making four tokens each time.

Finally, play something like Divine Visitation and make 4/4 Angels instead. Not too bad for a $0.29 uncommon.

8. Loki's Scepter

Loki's Scepter is the latest in a long line of mana rocks with a one-time effect. Upon entering, we can take control of a Creature for the turn. From there, we can attack with it, sacrifice it, or do a multitude of other things. After that, we have a simple mana rock.

Adding an extra benefit to a three mana rock isn't a new idea, but since this is an ETB, we can have some fun. Why stop at one Creature when we can keep Blinking this Artifact to take a Creature every turn, or even multiple Creatures, while also tapping it for mana?

7. Dack Fayden

Let's talk about Planeswalkers. When they enter the battlefield, they come in with a set number of Loyalty counters. Typically, there is a positive ability, a negative ability, and an ultimate ability that we can build up to.

The first negative ability is usually powerful, but risky if we want to keep our Planeswalker around or build up to the ultimate. Dack Fayden can use the -2 ability to permanently steal an Artifact. Once we Blink and reset its counters, we can use that ability again right away. No mana rock is safe.

6. Wishclaw Talisman

The classic Monkey's Paw, this will let you tutor for any card you want, but you have to let an opponent do the same. But it's easy to Blink Wishclaw Talisman to get our Artifact back and reset the counters.

There aren't a lot of effects that let us Blink an opponent's card, but the ones that do exist make this card a great Blink target.

5. Volatile Stormdrake

In the same vein as Wishclaw Talisman, we have Volatile Stormdrake. Known as a budget version of Gilded Drake, Volatile Stormdrake swaps places with a Creature an opponent controls, either giving it to us or destroying it depending on our energy counters.

Using a card like Roon of the Hidden Realm, you can consistently steal your opponents' best Creatures permanently turn after turn.

4. Boggart Trawler

MDFC Lands will always default to their front side when they are Blinked. We can play one of these cards as a Land early in the game and Blink it to become a Creature when we need it later.

In the case of Boggart Trawler, we get to exile a player's graveyard. In games where this matters, graveyard hate is priceless.

3. Sunblast Angel

There are few Creatures that can hold the table hostage quite like Sunblast Angel. Upon entering, every tapped Creature on the battlefield is destroyed. Since you don't attack all that often in a Blink deck, this is going to leave our board untouched.

The first time you play Sunblast Angel, it will catch the table off guard and destroy a lot of Creatures. From that point on, players will have to seriously think about attacking us with Creatures that don't have Vigilance because you're always one Ephemerate away from sweeping the entire table by triggering this ability again.

2. Starfield Vocalist

The Warp mechanic from Edge of Eternities was one of the fan-favorite keywords to come out in recent years. Getting a Creature into play at a reduced cost for one turn, only to have it exile and be cast later, is very interesting card design.

If you blink a Creature that was Warped, it returns to the battlefield and loses the restriction of being exiled at the end of the turn. It is considered a new game object.

With Warped, Starfield Vocalist can be cast for . If you Blink it, it will stay on the battlefield. After that, every enter the battlefield effect of a permanent you control, not just Creatures, is doubled as long as Starfield Vocalist is still on the battlefield.

1. The Raven's Warning

Typically, a Saga will come into play and gain a Lore counter every turn, completing the related Chapter on the card. When it reaches its final Chapter, the Saga is put into the graveyard.

By blinking a Saga, we can reset the Chapters and Lore counters. With this idea in mind, let's look at The Raven's Warning. On Chapter One, we create a 1/1 Flying Bird token and gain two life.

The next turn, on Chapter Two, we are allowed to look at an opponent's hand when dealing combat damage to them with a Flying Creature and draw a card. We are making our own Flyers, and we're also in the best colors for a Flying deck.

The final Chapter is not good in Commander as it lets us take a card from outside the game and put it on top of our library. Commander doesn't support sideboards, so this would do nothing.

But if we can Flicker The Raven's Warning repeatedly, we will never get to Chapter Three. What we have is a life gaining, Bird making machine that draws us cards and lets us always know what tricks our opponents have up their sleeves.

That is why The Raven's Warning is the most underrated blink target in all of Commander.

Wrapping Up

Blink is an archetype with limitless potential that is cursed by optimization. Players only see the control variations or the combo decks and don't really take the opportunity to see what is possible with these types of cards.

Yes, a card like Solemn Simulacrum is going to be solid in a Blink deck for repeatable ramp, but there are plenty of synergies beyond the ETB. If you've ever wanted to build a Blink deck for Commander, you should approach it with an open mind to all the wonderful things you can do with this game.