Battletide Alchemist MTG Card
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 5 |
| Rarity | Rare |
| Type | Creature — Kithkin Cleric |
| Released | 2008-02-01 |
| Set symbol | |
| Set name | Morningtide |
| Set code | MOR |
| Power | 3 |
| Toughness | 4 |
| Number | 2 |
| Frame | 2003 |
| Layout | Normal |
| Border | Black |
| Illustred by | Steve Prescott |
Text of card
If a source would deal damage to a player, you may prevent X of that damage, where X is the number of Clerics you control.
"I do not heal. Healing means that the pain has already been felt. To stop suffering, one must prevent the world's wounds altogether."
Cards like Battletide Alchemist
Battletide Alchemist is a unique creature card in MTG, offering a compelling protective ability in multiplayer and Commander formats. It is often measured against other cards with damage prevention powers, such as Knight of the White Orchid. While the Knight lends an early advantage with land searching, Battletide Alchemist shines by potentially negating a substantial amount of combat damage with its ability to prevent damage equal to the number of clerics you control.
Another card showing functional similarities is Alms Collector, which has a different approach to providing an advantage. Alms Collector focuses on disrupting opponents’ card draws while Battletide Alchemist is all about safeguarding life totals. Also, Selfless Spirit can be considered parallel in terms of defense. The Spirit offers a one-time use sacrifice to make your creatures indestructible, whereas the Alchemist allows for repeated use as long as you have clerics to fuel its ability.
What sets Battletide Alchemist apart from these cards is its synergy with cleric tribal decks and the ability to scale its effect with a cleric-heavy board state, providing ongoing value as long as it remains on the field. Therefore, those who prefer persistent defensive strategies in their MTG gameplay may find Battletide Alchemist to be a particularly beneficial inclusion.
Card Pros
Card Advantage: When playing with Battletide Alchemist, the ability to nullify damage can equate to preserving the creatures on your board, effectively granting a form of indirect card advantage. Keeping key creatures in play can be crucial for maintaining board presence and outlasting the opponent.
Resource Acceleration: While Battletide Alchemist itself doesn’t directly provide resource acceleration, it supports a strategy that consolidates resources. By preventing damage to other creatures and your life total, it allows you to use life as a resource more aggressively for cards that have life payment as an additional cost, indirectly accelerating your access to your deck’s full potential.
Instant Speed: The ability of Battletide Alchemist to prevent damage can be done at instant speed, enabling you to respond to damage-based threats unexpectedly. This can disrupt an opponent’s strategy during their turn, potentially saving you from lethal attacks or pivotal damage-based spells and abilities.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Battletide Alchemist’s abilities do not require discarding cards; however, assembling the requisite creature combination to maximize its potential could deplete your hand, leaving fewer options for response or aggression.
Specific Mana Cost: This card’s cost is rooted in white mana, demanding at least three white sources which may constrain deck-building options, particularly in multi-colored decks desiring to tap into a broader color palette.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a mana value of five, Battletide Alchemist can be a heavy investment, especially when considering the fast-paced nature of some formats. Alternative creatures or spells at lower mana costs could be played sooner, impacting the board earlier in the game.
Reasons to Include in Your Collection
Versatility: Battletide Alchemist can serve as a cornerstone for control and life-gain decks alike. Its ability to prevent damage makes it a resilient choice, providing staying power in prolonged matches.
Combo Potential: This card can synergize with strategies that capitalize on cleric creatures or those designed to utilize life as a resource. It sets up for game-changing interactions, especially in combination with cards that have lifelink or use life totals as a win condition.
Meta-Relevance: In a meta where aggressive strategies reign, Battletide Alchemist offers a sturdy defense. Its damage prevention ability disrupts many offensive tactics, making it a relevant choice for those looking to counteract common threats.
How to beat
Battletide Alchemist is a card that has the power to drastically alter the landscape of any Magic: The Gathering game. This card shines in a deck where life points are a key focus, offering significant damage prevention. When facing this formidable creature, one must think strategically about their approach.
Removing it from the battlefield is crucial, and spells like Doom Blade or Path to Exile are efficient ways to bypass its abilities. Additionally, countering it before it lands is also an effective strategy, employing counterspells such as Counterspell or Mana Leak to prevent it from entering play and disrupting your strategy.
Furthermore, considering the Alchemist’s reliance on other clerics to maximize its effect, sweeping removal spells can clear the board of multiple threats at once. A well-timed Wrath of God can reset the board state and diminish the protective power that Battletide Alchemist provides. By carefully choosing your removal spells and timing them for maximum effect, you can recover control of the game and neutralize the advantage provided by Battletide Alchemist.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Battletide Alchemist MTG card by a specific set like Morningtide, there are several reliable options to consider. One of the primary sources is your local game store, where you can often find booster packs, individual cards, and preconstructed decks from current and some past sets. They often offer the added benefit of a community where you can trade with other players.
For a broader inventory, particularly of older sets, online marketplaces like TCGPlayer, Card Kingdom and Card Market offer extensive selections and allow you to search for cards from specific sets. Larger e-commerce platforms like eBay and Amazon also have listings from various sellers, which can be a good place to look for sealed product and rare finds.
Additionally, Magic’s official site often has a store locator and retailer lists for finding Wizards of the Coast licensed products. Remember to check for authenticity and the condition of the cards when purchasing, especially from individual sellers on larger marketplaces.
Below is a list of some store websites where you can buy the Battletide Alchemist and other MTG cards:
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- eBay
- Card Kingdom
- Card Market
- Star City Games
- CoolStuffInc
- MTG Mint Card
- Hareruya
- Troll and Toad
- ABU Games
- Card Hoarder Magic Online
- MTGO Traders Magic Online
See MTG Products
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Battletide Alchemist has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Predh | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Battletide Alchemist card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2008-04-01 | If a source would deal damage to multiple players at the same time, you may prevent X damage that source would deal to each of those players. The choice for each player is made separately. |
| 2008-04-01 | If the same source would deal damage to a player at different times, you may prevent X of that damage each time. |
| 2008-04-01 | You count the number of Clerics you control at the time the damage would be dealt. |