Chimeric Coils MTG Card


Chimeric Coils - Fifth Dawn
Mana cost
Converted mana cost1
RarityUncommon
TypeArtifact
Released2004-06-04
Set symbol
Set nameFifth Dawn
Set code5DN
Number108
Frame2003
Layoutnormal
Borderblack
Illustred byMichael Sutfin

Key Takeaways

  1. Great card utility, adapts well during gameplay, offering control with flexible strategic options.
  2. Enables resource acceleration and board presence without depleting your hand of other cards.
  3. Instant speed transformation surprises opponents, pivotal in combat for turning the game.

Text of card

: Chimeric Coils becomes an X/X artifact creature. Sacrifice it at end of turn.

The energy that infuses the rings with life also melts them away, leaving only useless puddles of slag.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Chimeric Coils becomes a great tool in your arsenal when it comes to card utility. By giving you the flexibility to change its function based on the current needs, you maintain an upper hand. This adaptability can easily disrupt your opponent’s strategy, putting you in a position to control the flow of the game.

Resource Acceleration: This artifact provides you with valuable resource acceleration. Its capacity to become a creature means you don’t have to commit additional cards from your hand to establish a board presence, allowing you to accelerate your game plan with the resources you already have in play.

Instant Speed: The instant speed conversion of Chimeric Coils from an artifact into a creature can catch opponents off guard, especially during combat. This swift transformation can be a pivotal turning point, giving you the element of surprise and the opportunity to dictate the pace of engagement in a match.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Chimeric Coils demands players to discard a card to activate its abilities, which can deplete your hand and leave you at a disadvantage during the game. This can be particularly troublesome in tight situations where every card in hand counts.

Specific Mana Cost: This artifact requires a specific combination of colorless and red mana to bring into play and utilize effectively. This mana requirement could pose a challenge for decks that are not built around a red mana base or those that aim for a more flexible mana curve.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: To cast Chimeric Coils and take full advantage of its power, the investment is somewhat steep when comparing to other options available in the game. There are numerous cards that can provide similar or even greater benefits for the same or less mana investment, making the cost efficiency of Chimeric Coils less attractive in various deck strategies.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Chimeric Coils showcases its flexibility by fitting seamlessly into a variety of deck archetypes. This artifact’s ability to become a creature with power and toughness equal to the number of charge counters offers significant adaptability on the battlefield.

Combo Potential: This card possesses inherent combo potential, as it interacts favorably with mechanics that manipulate or benefit from counters. Players can devise numerous strategies to optimize charge counters, thereby maximizing Chimeric Coils’ effectiveness.

Meta-Relevance: Chimeric Coils claims its place in various metagames due to its proactive and defensive capabilities. Its transformable nature allows players to respond to the ever-shifting MTG landscape, making it a cunning inclusion for those looking to anticipate and adapt to their opponents’ strategies.


How to beat

Chimeric Coils emerges as a flexible artifact creature in the dynamic arena of Magic: The Gathering. With its ability to become an X/X Construct artifact creature until end of turn where X is the amount of mana paid into it, Chimeric Coils presents itself as both a threat and a unique board presence. Nonetheless, savvy players can outmaneuver this card’s potential.

Effective strategies to overcome Chimeric Coils involve preemptive actions such as using artifact removal spells like Shatter or Abrade to neutralize it before it transforms. Counterspells also prove invaluable, as they can stop Chimeric Coils from ever hitting the battlefield. In a pinch, instant-speed removals can dismantle Chimeric Coils during the transformation, thus wasting the opponent’s invested mana.

Discerning players also recognize the importance of timing when facing Chimeric Coils. Applying pressure during the opponent’s upkeep can limit the mana available to grow the Construct, making it a less daunting obstacle. Predicting and responding to the opponent’s plays will keep Chimeric Coils from becoming an insurmountable force on the battleground. By maintaining control and utilizing versatile responses, a strategic player can confidently navigate around the challenges posed by Chimeric Coils.


Cards like Chimeric Coils

Chimeric Coils emerges in the realm of flexible artifact creatures within Magic: The Gathering. It stands in line with similar artifacts like Adaptive Automaton, where customization plays a key role. Unlike Adaptive Automaton, Chimeric Coils doesn’t provide a static buff to creatures of a chosen type but instead becomes a creature itself with a size that’s scalable to the mana you invest. This unique ability to become as large as your mana pool allows can turn the tide of battle unexpectedly.

Another card worth comparing is Ratchet Bomb, which provides a completely different approach to versatility. Although Ratchet Bomb doesn’t become a creature, it offers board control by being able to destroy all nonland permanents with the same converted mana cost. Chimeric Coils, however, excels in the offensive rather than the controlling aspect. Then there’s Hangarback Walker, which shares the ability to scale with the amount of mana invested into it and similarly leaves a mark when it exits the battlefield by creating Thopter tokens.

The analysis of Chimeric Coils against its peers reveals the card’s potential to be a game-changing asset, especially for players who value adaptability and the capacity to craft a threat at any stage of the game.

Adaptive Automaton - MTG Card versions
Ratchet Bomb - MTG Card versions
Hangarback Walker - MTG Card versions
Adaptive Automaton - Magic 2012 (M12)
Ratchet Bomb - Scars of Mirrodin (SOM)
Hangarback Walker - Love Your LGS (PLGS)

Cards similar to Chimeric Coils by color, type and mana cost

Glasses of Urza - MTG Card versions
Wooden Sphere - MTG Card versions
Sol Ring - MTG Card versions
Iron Star - MTG Card versions
Black Vise - MTG Card versions
Urza's Chalice - MTG Card versions
Ivory Cup - MTG Card versions
Brass Man - MTG Card versions
Mana Vault - MTG Card versions
Soul Net - MTG Card versions
The Rack - MTG Card versions
Feldon's Cane - MTG Card versions
Throne of Bone - MTG Card versions
Meekstone - MTG Card versions
Thran Foundry - MTG Card versions
Cursed Scroll - MTG Card versions
Candelabra of Tawnos - MTG Card versions
Phyrexian Dreadnought - MTG Card versions
Signal Pest - MTG Card versions
Viridian Longbow - MTG Card versions
Glasses of Urza - Fifth Edition (5ED)
Wooden Sphere - Seventh Edition (7ED)
Sol Ring - The Brothers' War Commander (BRC)
Iron Star - Fourth Edition (4ED)
Black Vise - Revised Edition (3ED)
Urza's Chalice - Masters Edition (ME1)
Ivory Cup - Revised Edition (3ED)
Brass Man - Foreign Black Border (FBB)
Mana Vault - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Soul Net - Fifth Edition (5ED)
The Rack - Fourth Edition (4ED)
Feldon's Cane - Pro Tour Collector Set (PTC)
Throne of Bone - Eighth Edition (8ED)
Meekstone - World Championship Decks 2000 (WC00)
Thran Foundry - World Championship Decks 1999 (WC99)
Cursed Scroll - World Championship Decks 1999 (WC99)
Candelabra of Tawnos - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Phyrexian Dreadnought - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Signal Pest - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Viridian Longbow - Mirrodin (MRD)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Chimeric Coils MTG card by a specific set like Fifth Dawn, 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 Chimeric Coils and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Chimeric Coils has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal
PennyLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2004-12-01 If X is 0, Chimeric Coils becomes a 0/0 creature and is put into its owner’s graveyard.
2008-08-01 A noncreature permanent that turns into a creature can attack, and its abilities can be activated, only if its controller has continuously controlled that permanent since the beginning of their most recent turn. It doesn’t matter how long the permanent has been a creature.

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