Chainflail Centipede MTG Card
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 3 |
| Rarity | Common |
| Type | Artifact Creature — Equipment Insect |
| Abilities | Reconfigure |
| Released | 2022-02-18 |
| Set symbol | |
| Set name | Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty |
| Set code | NEO |
| Power | 2 |
| Toughness | 2 |
| Number | 90 |
| Frame | 2015 |
| Layout | Normal |
| Border | Black |
| Illustred by | Viko Menezes |
Key Takeaways
- Chainflail Centipede excels in card advantage and ramps up other creatures’ growth through +1/+1 counters.
- Instant speed counter placement is a key defensive asset, yet the card requires a discard, which is costly.
- Versatile and meta-relevant, this card adapts to a variety of strategies, particularly those focused on creature synergies.
Text of card
Whenever Chainflail Centipede or equipped creature attacks, it gets +2/+0 until end of turn. Reconfigure (: Attach to target creature you control; or unattach from a creature. Reconfigure only as a sorcery. While attached, this isn't a creature.)
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Chainflail Centipede provides a unique form of card advantage through its creature-enhancing abilities, allowing players to bolster their forces without depleting their hand.
Resource Acceleration: By enabling additional counters for +1/+1 synergy, Chainflail Centipede can escalate the growth of other creatures, effectively speeding up your board state’s development.
Instant Speed: Even though Chainflail Centipede itself isn’t an instant, its effect of placing counters can be utilized at instant speed through various MTG interactions and abilities, keeping opponents guessing and defenses ready.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Chainflail Centipede demands a card sacrifice from your hand to trigger its key ability. This is a steep price in gameplay, potentially depleting valuable assets and weakening your position.
Specific Mana Cost: The casting cost for Chainflail Centipede involves both colorless and red mana, which can be restrictive. Decks that don’t generate red mana will find themselves unable to play this card, hindering its versatility across various strategies.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a required investment of three mana to summon, Chainflail Centipede’s cost-to-power ratio may not align with players seeking optimal efficiency. Many alternatives exist in the current meta that might provide a similar or better board impact at a lower mana investment.
Reasons to Include in Your Collection
Versatility: Chainflail Centipede fits seamlessly into a multitude of deck builds, especially those that capitalize on creature synergies and sacrifice mechanics. Its scalability makes it a considerable choice for evolving game states, providing strategic advantages as the match progresses.
Combo Potential: With Chainflail Centipede’s inherent ability to potentially grow stronger when other creatures you control die, it holds significant combo potential. This can be leveraged to amplify various board states and work in conjunction with death-triggered abilities to create impactful plays.
Meta-Relevance: The adaptive nature of Chainflail Centipede allows it to be a formidable asset in an environment with fluctuating metagame dynamics. It provides a robust response to decks that emphasize creature dominance while maintaining a presence that can sway the tide of battle in your favor.
How to beat
Chainflail Centipede is a creature card that caught the attention of many Magic: The Gathering players for its distinct attribute – the way it leverages +1/+1 counters. Facing this card in a game requires a well-thought-out strategy. To disrupt the potential growth of Chainflail Centipede, consider using removal spells before counters accumulate and make it a larger threat. Board wipes are effective as they reset the state of the game, removing all creatures including those that have been buffed significantly.
Another approach is to utilize cards that prevent counters from being placed on creatures. This preemptive strategy can stop the Centipede in its tracks, rendering its main ability moot. Finally, counteracting with instant-speed removal in response to your opponent’s attempts to buff the Chainflail Centipede can be a reliable way to maintain control. Keep these tactics in mind and the creature will have far less impact on the game, preserving your winning chances.
Understanding the dynamics of Chainflail Centipede within the context of a match can be crucial. Players equipped with the right answers to creatures that grow over time will find themselves at a distinct advantage. As always, knowing when and how to deploy your resources against threats like Chainflail Centipede determines the flow and outcome of the game.
Cards like Chainflail Centipede
In the realm of creature spells in Magic: The Gathering, Chainflail Centipede introduces itself with a unique angle on damage distribution. This arthropod-based card can be likened to cards like Goblin Arsonist or Mogg Fanatic, which also offer players a way to deal damage upon leaving the battlefield. What sets Chainflail Centipede apart is its ability to distribute multiple points of damage contingent on the number of +1/+1 counters it has amassed over the course of the game, compared to the single point of guaranteed damage from the afore-mentioned goblins.
Exploring further, we encounter creatures such as Falkenrath Noble, which operates on a similar paradigm of exploiting death triggers for damage, though it hinges instead on any creature’s demise, not just its own. Yet, the Centipede offers a more direct and potentially powerful offensive strategy, assuming the right setup to accumulate counters. Meanwhile, Blood Artist presents a different but related angle, converting the loss of creatures into life points and damage, subtly shifting the dynamics of creature-based strategies.
Ultimately, Chainflail Centipede can be a potent force in decks centered around counter manipulation and sacrifice mechanics, carving its niche within the vast ecosystem of MTG’s creature cards.
Cards similar to Chainflail Centipede by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Chainflail Centipede MTG card by a specific set like Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty, 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 Chainflail Centipede and other MTG cards:
- eBay
- TCG Player
- 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 Chainflail Centipede has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Standard | Legal |
| Historicbrawl | Legal |
| Historic | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Gladiator | Legal |
| Pioneer | Legal |
| Commander | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Pauper | Legal |
| Future | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Explorer | Legal |
| Brawl | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
| Timeless | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Chainflail Centipede card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2022-02-18 | Although it causes an Equipment to become attached to a creature, reconfigure is not an “equip ability” for the purpose of cards like Fighter Class and Leonin Shikari. |
| 2022-02-18 | An Equipment creature can never become attached to itself. If an effect tries to do this, nothing happens. |
| 2022-02-18 | An Equipment creature with reconfigure can be attached to creatures by effects other than its reconfigure ability, such as the activated ability of Brass Squire. |
| 2022-02-18 | An Equipment doesn't become tapped when the permanent it's attached to becomes tapped. For example, if you attack with a creature that is equipped with Acquisition Octopus, then use reconfigure to unattach Acquisition Octopus after combat, the Octopus will be untapped and could be used to block during your opponent's turn. |
| 2022-02-18 | As soon as an Equipment creature with reconfigure stops being a creature, any Equipment and Auras with enchant creature abilities become unattached. Auras that can enchant an Equipment that isn't a creature remain attached to it. |
| 2022-02-18 | Attaching an Equipment with reconfigure to a creature causes that Equipment to stop being a creature until it becomes unattached. It also loses any creature subtypes it had. |
| 2022-02-18 | If a permanent with reconfigure is somehow still a creature after it becomes attached (perhaps due to an effect like that of March of the Machines), it immediately becomes unattached from the equipped creature. |
| 2022-02-18 | If an Equipment with reconfigure somehow loses its abilities while it is attached, the effect causing it to not be a creature continues to apply until it becomes unattached. |
| 2022-02-18 | If the equipped creature is the one that attacks, it gets +2/+0 until end of turn, not Chainflail Centipede. This is true even if Chainflail Centipede is no longer attached to it by the time the ability resolves. |
| 2022-02-18 | Reconfigure represents two activated abilities. Reconfigure -ost] means “ -ost: Attach this permanent to another target creature you control. Activate only as a sorcery,” and “ -ost: Unattach this permanent. Activate only if this permanent is attached to a creature and only as a sorcery.” |
| 2022-02-18 | Similarly, if an Equipment is tapped, its reconfigure abilities may still be activated and it may still become attached to creatures. Becoming attached doesn't untap it. In most cases, an attached Equipment being tapped won't affect gameplay, but it will be relevant if it becomes unattached again before it untaps. |