This is a card I play mainly in my specialty decks. Blue is great for stopping things from ever being successfully cast, but once something hits the table blue is disconcertingly unable to do anything much about it. That is one of the things that makes playing blue very challenging and fun. You have to hold your best cards for the moment when they will be the most effective. That moves Magic into almost another mental dimension when you are playing, as I am sure the best players can tell you. It's not just about laying cards on the table as soon as you pull them; timing is very important, more so with blue it seems than with other colors.

I like Aura Flux because if my opponent plays an enchantment which is not threatening enough to counter (or, heaven forbid, I don't have a counter spell when I need one) then at least it ties up some of my opponent's mana each turn. Two mana can make all the difference in a close game. If your opponent is trying to cast something truly ugly, say a large Fireball, and you have a Power Sink, you might be able to get away with casting the Power Sink for one or two mana if you have already tied up some of said opponent's mana at the beginning of their turn with the Aura Flux.

Blue is a strategy color. The most effective way to play it is to use it in combination with your opponent's cards. If you can get so that you have a way to use your opponent's cards against them, then you have truly mastered blue play. It's tough, too. When you play this way even the smallest mistake can trip you up, but that's why I find it so stimulating. When you pull it off, there is no finer, truly artistic victory, at least not that I have found with other colors. Don't get me wrong, each color has its own strengths, styles and strategies. That is part of what makes Magic so enjoyable for so many people.

—Helva