Chastise MTG Card

Chastise provides a dual benefit of removal plus life gain, enhancing its defensive utility in gameplay. Its instant speed allows flexibility and can disrupt opponent’s strategies at critical combat phases. While versatile, the card’s four-mana cost may deter players compared to cheaper alternatives.

Judgment (JUD)
2002-05-27 - Number 8

Eighth Edition (8ED)
2003-07-28 - Number 9

Eighth Edition (8ED)
2003-07-28 - Number 9★

Ninth Edition (9ED)
2005-07-29 - Number 9★

Ninth Edition (9ED)
2005-07-29 - Number 9

Card sets	Released in 5 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost	4
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Instant

Text of card

Destroy target attacking creature. You gain life equal to its power.

"Why do we pray to the Ancestor? Because She listens." —Mystic elder

Cards like Chastise

Chastise is a unique instant within the realm of Magic: The Gathering, offering players the ability to remove a threatening creature while gaining life equal to its power. This functionality invites comparison to cards like Swords to Plowshares, which is also an instant that exiles a creature, but rather than granting life to the caster, it provides life to the opponent based on the creature’s power. Chastise, conversely, benefits the player who casts it directly.

Another card with a similar life gain component upon creature removal is Condemn. Although it tucks the creature away on the bottom of its owner’s library and gains life equal to its power, Condemn is restricted to targeting only attacking creatures. This makes it situationally limited in comparison to Chastise’s broader application. Lastly, we have Faith’s Fetters, which neutralizes any permanent but with the restriction that it doesn’t remove the creature from the battlefield; it instead prevents that card from activating its abilities or attacking, complemented by a modest life gain.

Each card carries its individual strategic advantages and lifegain elements. However, it’s the blend of immediate creature removal and significant potential life gain that places Chastise in its own distinct niche of reactionary spells in Magic: The Gathering.

Swords to Plowshares - MTG Card versions

Cards similar to Chastise by color, type and mana cost

Card Pros

Card Advantage: With Chastise, you have the ability to neutralize a threat by removing it from combat, effectively reducing your opponent’s resources while maintaining yours. This can often result in card advantage, particularly if you eliminate a creature that was card-intensive for your opponent to play.

Resource Acceleration: Although Chastise does not directly provide resource acceleration like producing mana or treasure tokens, it preserves your life total, which indirectly helps maintain your resources for later turns. By ensuring your survival against aggressive strategies, you are given more turns to deploy your own threats or answers.

Instant Speed: Chastise’s instant speed is a significant pro. It allows for reactive play, giving you the flexibility to decide the most opportune moment to use it, such as during the combat phase to surprise an opponent by removing an attacking creature. Additionally, the instant speed of this card means you can manage your mana efficiently, holding back until the critical moments of a round, which can make all the difference in gameplay.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Unlike some other removal options in MTG, Chastise doesn’t require you to discard a card, which means you can preserve your hand size even when you need to control the battlefield.

Specific Mana Cost: Chastise requires a mixture of generic and white mana, which may not align perfectly with multi-colored or colorless strategies. This can potentially limit deck-building flexibility for players running a wider array of colors.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: At four mana for a single-use effect, Chastise can be considered costly, especially when comparing it to other removal spells in MTG. This can impact your turns by leaving you with fewer mana resources to develop your board or respond to other threats.

Reasons to Include Chastise in Your Collection

Versatility: Chastise brings a valuable dynamic to any deck with its ability to remove an attacking creature from play. This instant-speed action can be deployed in various situations, providing players with a tactical edge during combat phases.

Combo Potential: This card holds potential for synergies in life-gain decks or strategies that capitalize on removing creatures. Its immediate life gain can also be a crucial element in stabilizing your health in a tight match.

Meta-Relevance: Chastise can be particularly useful if you are facing aggressive strategies prevalent in the current meta. Its capability to disrupt an opponent’s offensive momentum while simultaneously boosting your life total is an asset against creature-heavy decks.

How to beat

Chastise is a unique defensive tool in a Magic: The Gathering player’s arsenal, known for its ability to disrupt aggressive strategies by removing attacking creatures. This card can be a roadblock for players relying on creature-based offenses. However, understanding Chastise’s limitations is the key to outmaneuvering it.

To effectively navigate around Chastise, one should consider timing their attacks and creature spells. Since Chastise can only target an attacking creature, deploying creatures post-combat or utilizing effects that grant your creatures haste can be highly effective. Additionally, employing instant-speed removal or counterspells when the opponent has the mana available for Chastise ensures their strategy is hindered.

Protective measures like hexproof or giving your creatures indestructible during the combat phase can also nullify Chastise’s impact. Likewise, employing an alternative win condition that doesn’t rely solely on combat can mitigate the setbacks caused by Chastise. Craft a diverse strategy that can adapt to such removal cards, and Chastise becomes much less intimidating within the game’s dynamics.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Chastise MTG card by a specific set like Judgment and Eighth Edition, 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 Chastise and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Chastise Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2002-05-27 and 2005-07-29. Illustrated by Carl Critchlow.

#	Released	Name	Code	Number	Frame	Layout	Border	Artist
1	2002-05-27	Judgment	JUD	8	1997	Normal	Black	Carl Critchlow
2	2003-07-28	Eighth Edition	8ED	9	2003	Normal	White	Carl Critchlow
3	2003-07-28	Eighth Edition	8ED	9★	2003	Normal	Black	Carl Critchlow
4	2005-07-29	Ninth Edition	9ED	9★	2003	Normal	Black	Carl Critchlow
5	2005-07-29	Ninth Edition	9ED	9	2003	Normal	White	Carl Critchlow

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Chastise has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Modern	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Premodern	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Predh	Legal
Penny	Legal