Battle at the Bridge
~$0.28 low · ~$1.19 high
Black. Sorcery

Aether Revolt #53 · Illustrated by Chris Rallis
What is Battle at the Bridge worth?
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TCGplayer market prices in USD, updated October 14, 2026. Each price is for one printing and one finish.
Oracle text
Improvise (Your artifacts can help cast this spell. Each artifact you tap after you're done activating mana abilities pays for .)
Target creature gets -X/-X until end of turn. You gain X life.
"This is bigger than you. All of you." —Tezzeret
Format legality
All 2 printings of Battle at the Bridge
| Printing | Rarity | Non-foil | Foil | Cardmarket (EUR) | My collection |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Aether Revolt aer #53· 2017rare· Cardmarket €0.29 · €0.72 foil | rare | $0.28 | $0.32 | €0.29€0.72 foil | |
Aether Revolt Promos paer #53s· 2017Promorare· Cardmarket €0.75 foil | rare | No non-foil printing | $1.19 | €0.75 foil |
Prices are TCGplayer market prices in USD for each printing and finish, via Scryfall. They are a guide, not an appraisal.
Where to buy Battle at the Bridge
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Card details
- First printed
- 2017
- Printings
- 2
- Mana value
- 1
- EDHREC rank
- #11,795 on EDHREC (Commander popularity)
- Keywords
- Improvise
- Artist
- Chris Rallis
What the codes mean
The small print at the bottom of the Aether Revolt card (#53).
053 · AER · R · EN
- 053Collector number: this card's place in the set list. Main-set cards print it over the set's card count.
- AERSet code for Aether Revolt
- RRare
- ENPrinted in English
How to read a Magic card: every part and code, on real cards.
Rulings (11)
2017-02-09
When using improvise to cast a spell with
in its mana cost, first choose the value for X. That choice, plus any cost increases or decreases, will determine the spell’s total cost. Then you can tap artifacts you control to help pay that cost. For example, if you cast Whir of Invention (a spell with improvise and mana cost
) and choose X to be 3, the total cost is
. If you tap two artifacts, you’ll have to pay
.
2017-02-09
Because improvise isn’t an alternative cost, it can be used in conjunction with alternative costs.
2017-02-09
Improvise doesn’t change a spell’s mana cost or mana value.
2017-02-09
If the target creature becomes an illegal target, Battle at the Bridge doesn’t resolve and none of its effects happen. You won’t gain life.
2017-02-09
Improvise can’t pay for
,
,
,
,
, or
mana symbols in a spell’s total cost.
2017-02-09
Tapping an artifact won’t cause its abilities to stop applying unless those abilities say so.
2017-02-09
Equipment attached to a creature doesn’t become tapped when that creature becomes tapped, and tapping that Equipment doesn’t cause the creature to become tapped.
2017-02-09
Improvise can’t be used to pay for anything other than the cost of casting the spell. For example, it can’t be used during the resolution of an ability that says “Counter target spell unless its controller pays
.”
2017-02-09
When calculating a spell’s total cost, include any alternative costs, additional costs, or anything else that increases or reduces the cost to cast the spell. Improvise applies after the total cost is calculated.
2017-02-09
If an artifact you control has a mana ability with
in the cost, activating that ability while casting a spell with improvise will result in the artifact being tapped when you pay the spell’s costs. You won’t be able to tap it again for improvise. Similarly, if you sacrifice an artifact to activate a mana ability while casting a spell with improvise, that artifact won’t be on the battlefield when you pay the spell’s costs, so you won’t be able to tap it for improvise.
2018-01-19
There are many important moments in the story, but the most crucial—called “story spotlights”—are shown on cards. These cards have the Planeswalker symbol in their text box; this symbol has no effect on gameplay. You can read more about these events in the official Magic fiction at http://www.mtgstory.com.
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