Graf Rats // Chittering Host MTG Card

Card Pros

Card Advantage: When Graf Rats is combined with Midnight Scavengers, it melds into Chittering Host, offering players an ambitious leap in board presence with a formidable creature that comes with additional bodies. This transition from two separate creatures to one larger entity can suddenly tip the scales in your favor, representing a unique form of card advantage not commonly found in most MTG strategies.

Resource Acceleration: Graf Rats on its own is an inexpensive creature that can quickly hit the board. By accelerating your resource deployment, you bolster your board state early in the game, paving the way for a smoother meld into Chittering Host. This creature’s innate ability to potentially transform harnesses the concept of resource acceleration uniquely, turning a modest investment into a powerful offensive asset.

Instant Speed: Although Graf Rats and its Chittering Host meld do not operate at instant speed, the mechanic itself provides a strategic advantage. Since the meld occurs at the beginning of your upkeep, this allows you to keep mana available for other plays during your turn and leaves opponents uncertain of your full capabilities, adding a level of tactical depth to your match.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: To initiate the meld into Chittering Host, you must possess both Graf Rats and Midnight Scavengers, so any disruption to your hand could hinder this process, especially when facing decks that target your resources.

Specific Mana Cost: Graf Rats has a casting cost that requires a commitment to black mana and might not easily slot into multi-colored decks without potentially compromising mana consistency.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: To fully benefit from the meld ability and transform into Chittering Host, you must expend a significant amount of mana over two turns. This investment can be risky, especially if your opponents can counter or remove your creatures before they merge.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Graf Rats // Chittering Host brings unique flexibility to your deck building. As a card that melds, it can start as a modest creature and transform into a more formidable threat, fitting seamlessly into various strategies that appreciate multifaceted cards.

Combo Potential: This card opens up numerous combo possibilities, particularly in decks focused on the meld mechanic or exploiting creature synergies. With the right enablers, it can swiftly become Chittering Host, a powerful game-changer, and center of a strategy.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta where opponents often overlook the necessity to prepare against such mechanic-specific threats, Graf Rats // Chittering Host can give you an unexpected edge. It’s especially potent if the battlefield is dense with creatures, allowing its transformed state to disrupt and dominate games effectively.

How to beat

Graf Rats // Chittering Host presents a unique challenge on the battlefield. At its core, Graf Rats is a modest creature, but when melded with Midnight Scavengers, it becomes the formidable Chittering Host. This transformation can give opponents a significant advantage with its ability to render creatures unable to block and to weaken an opponent’s defense. To counter this, strategic removal is key. Cards that can target creatures at instant speed disrupt the meld mechanic, ensuring Graf Rats or Midnight Scavengers never join forces.

Using board wipes effectively clears the path, hindering the opponent’s strategy. It’s essential to time these sweeps after the opponent plays Graf Rats but before they can complete the meld. Furthermore, graveyard manipulation spells can exile Graf Rats or Midnight Scavengers from the game, preventing the combination altogether. Another approach is applying pressure early in the game, focusing on reducing the opponent’s life before they can stabilize and execute their game plan. By deploying these tactics, players can neutralize the threat of Graf Rats // Chittering Host and maintain control of the game.