If an effect says you get one or more {E}, you get that many energy counters. To pay one or more {E}, you lose that many energy counters. You can't pay more energy counters than you have. Any effects that interact with counters a player gets, has, or loses can interact with energy counters.
If a spell or ability with one or more targets states that you "may pay" some amount of {E}, and each permanent that it targets has become an illegal target, the spell or ability won't resolve. You can't pay any {E} even if you want to.
Some spells and abilities that give you {E} may require targets. If each target chosen is an illegal target as that spell or ability tries to resolve, it won't resolve. You won't get any {E}.
Last observed on Scryfall 2 months ago at $0.11. Over the trailing 90 days the price moved between $0.04 and $0.35 across 260 observations. Cross-checked across TCGplayer, eBay sold, Cardmarket EU, and Star City.
This printing is one of 2 catalogued treatments from DRC — the lineup includes Nonfoil alongside the standard finish. Across our catalog the Rarix library tracks every variant in the same family so collectors can compare price, scarcity and demand inside a single lineage.
Card #75 of *Aetherdrift Commander*, the set that shipped alongside the February 2025 Aetherdrift Commander release.
Card type: Enchantment, color identity blue, printed at uncommon. Uncommons fill the middle-tier slots in a standard booster configuration. Mana cost: {1}{U} (2 converted).
Legal across the major constructed formats — Modern, Legacy, Vintage, and Commander — plus Standard rotation play.
EDHrec ranks this card #6,947 in Commander, putting it in the niche-pick tier of the format's playable pool.
Illustrated by Jason Rainville. Rarix catalogs 505 other cards credited to this artist.
Magic: The Gathering · ™ & © Wizards of the Coast · Illus. Jason Rainville
Card data via Scryfall. Rarix is fan-made; not endorsed by the rights holders.
Energy counters are a kind of counter that a player may have. They're not associated with any specific permanents.
Keep track of how many energy counters each player has. Potential ways to track this include writing theme down on paper or using dice, but any method that is clear and mutually agreeable is fine. (At higher levels of tournament play, dice may not be allowed for tracking counters that players have.)
Energy counters aren't mana. They don't go away as steps, phases, and turns end, and effects that add mana "of any type" can't give you energy counters.
Some triggered abilities that state that you "may pay" a certain amount of {E} describe an effect that happens "If you do." In that case, no player may take actions to try to stop the ability's effect after you make your choice. If the payment is followed by the phrase "When you do," then you'll choose any targets for that reflexive triggered ability and put it on the stack before players can take actions.
Some triggered abilities state that you "may pay" a certain amount of {E}. You can't pay that amount multiple times to multiply the effect. You simply choose whether or not to pay that amount of {E} as the ability resolves.
{E} is the energy symbol. It represents one energy counter.
You can pay {1} only once each time Era of Innovation's first ability resolves. You can't pay more to get more than {E}{E}.
If a creature that is both an artifact and an Artificer enters the battlefield under your control, Era of Innovation's triggered ability triggers only once.
