Sedraxis Alchemist MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	3
Rarity	Common
Type	Creature — Zombie Wizard
Released	2009-02-06
Set symbol
Set name	Conflux
Set code	CON
Power	2
Toughness	2
Number	54
Frame	2003
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Karl Kopinski

Key Takeaways

Sedraxis Alchemist provides card advantage, disrupting opponents while keeping your options open.
Resource acceleration is possible through reusing artifacts and enter-the-battlefield effects.
Flexibility with instant speed interactions gives players an edge during opponents’ turns.

Text of card

When Sedraxis Alchemist comes into play, if you control a blue permanent, return target nonland permanent to its owner's hand.

The problem with a liquid that can dissolve anything is finding something to carry it in.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Sedraxis Alchemist enables you to return a nonland permanent to its owner’s hand when it enters the battlefield, given you control a blue or black permanent. This effect can disrupt your opponent’s board while keeping your hand full, effectively maintaining momentum in your favor.

Resource Acceleration: By returning artifacts that you can play again to the battlefield, the Alchemist can serve as an indirect form of resource acceleration. It helps to reuse enter-the-battlefield triggers or recast spells that might enable ramping up your mana resources.

Instant Speed: Though Sedraxis Alchemist itself is not an instant, the ability to bounce permanents can be capitalized upon with flash enablers. This versatility allows you to act on your opponent’s turn, which can save you from adverse game states, catching opponents off-guard and conserving resources for critical moments.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Sedraxis Alchemist commands you to have another black card in hand to discard, which can be detrimental when your hand is running thin. This can create a scenario where you’re unable to activate its potential without sacrificing valuable late-game cards.

Specific Mana Cost: With a casting cost demanding one black mana and two of any others, it ties you to a certain degree of color commitment. Beneficial in Grixis-colored decks, the specific mana requirement might be restrictive in decks with a broader color palette.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: While its ability to return target nonland permanent to its owner’s hand is useful, the combined three mana cost is more on the higher end for this sort of effect. Players often look for more cost-efficient options when constructing a deck that requires tempo control.

Reasons to Include Sedraxis Alchemist in Your Collection

Versatility: Sedraxis Alchemist proves to be an adaptable addition to any deck with its ability to return a nonland permanent to its owner’s hand if you control a blue or black permanent. Its flexibility allows for multiple uses in game scenarios, disrupting opponent strategies or saving your own permanents from harm.

Combo Potential: This card stands out when it comes to engineering combos. Its return-to-hand mechanism can be repeatedly triggered, especially in decks with a lot of multicolored permanents. This can lead to powerful synergies, especially in a deck focused on enter-the-battlefield effects or utilizing permanents with tap abilities.

Meta-Relevance: In an environment that’s heavy with enchantments, artifacts, or other troublesome permanents, Sethdraxis Alchemist can function as a key piece of interaction. Its repeatable nature makes it a potent tool to hinder your opponents’ board state and keep pace in the game.

How to beat

Sedraxis Alchemist is a card that requires a strategic approach to overcome its disruptive abilities in Magic: The Gathering. Known for its potential to bounce nonblack creatures back to their owner’s hand when it enters the battlefield, it becomes crucial to either limit its triggering ability or employ cards that negate or benefit from being returned to your hand.

Packing your deck with instant-speed removal can be effective, as you can eliminate the Alchemist before its ability triggers. Additionally, cards with hexproof or protection from black are invaluable as they’re impervious to Sedraxis Alchemist’s targeted ability. Playing creatures that provide an advantage when they come into play or leave the battlefield can also turn the alchemist’s ability in your favor.

A well-timed counterspell can neutralize Sedraxis Alchemist before it ever poses a threat, and playing with less reliance on nonblack creature permanents will naturally mitigate the impact of its entrance. Ultimately, understanding the nuances of your own deck and how it interacts with the abilities of Sedraxis Alchemist is key to mastering the game and securing victory against decks utilizing this cunning creature.

Cards like Sedraxis Alchemist

Sedraxis Alchemist stands out in the realm of Magic: The Gathering as a versatile creature that offers both a body and utility. Comparable to creatures like Manic Vandal, Sedraxis Alchemist can directly impact the board by triggering an ability upon entering the battlefield. With Manic Vandal, the ability to destroy artifacts can be extremely useful, but it doesn’t match the Alchemist’s flexibility of bouncing nonland permanents to their owner’s hand.

Comparing Sedraxis Alchemist to Shriekmaw highlights differences in destructive capabilities; Shriekmaw offers a more permanent removal through its ‘Evoke’ ability at the expense of only targeting creatures. In contrast, the Alchemist’s non-targeted bounce is reusable under the right conditions, such as having a blue permanent in play, giving it a repeated control over the board state throughout the game.

Another point of reference is Nekrataal, a creature known for its ability to destroy a nonartifact, nonblack creature upon entry. However, Sedraxis Alchemist’s lack of specificity in the type of permanent it can bounce provides broader control options. This makes the Alchemist a multifaceted card useful in a variety of strategic situations, aligning well within the ranks of creatures that offer control upon entering the battlefield in Magic: The Gathering.

Cards similar to Sedraxis Alchemist by color, type and mana cost

Mischievous Poltergeist - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Sedraxis Alchemist MTG card by a specific set like Conflux, 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 Sedraxis Alchemist and other MTG cards:

Continue exploring other sealed products in Amazon
See MTG Products

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Sedraxis Alchemist has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Paupercommander	Legal
Modern	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Pauper	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Predh	Legal

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Sedraxis Alchemist card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.

Date	Text
2009-02-01	The “intervening ‘if’ clause” means that (1) the ability won’t trigger at all unless you control a permanent of the specified color, and (2) the ability will do nothing unless you control a permanent of the specified color at the time it resolves.
2009-02-01	This ability isn’t optional. When Sedraxis Alchemist enters the battlefield, if you control a blue permanent and no other player controls a nonland permanent, you’ll have to target a nonland permanent you control.