Chord of Calling MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 8 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityRare
TypeInstant
Abilities Convoke

Key Takeaways

  1. Converts your creatures into resources, quickly deploying larger threats earlier via convoke.
  2. Instant speed allows strategic surprise plays, pivoting game momentum in your favor.
  3. Demands green mana sources, potentially restricting deck construction to green-heavy builds.

Text of card

Convoke (Each creature you tap while playing this spell reduces its cost by or by one mana of that creature's color.) Search your library for a creature card with converted mana cost X or less and put it into play. Then shuffle your library.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Chord of Calling shines by tutoring any creature from your deck, effectively turning into the best card from your library based on the current board state. This can replace a card in your hand with precisely the creature you need, be it for defense, offense, or utility, adding significant strategic depth and flexibility to your gameplay.

Resource Acceleration: Utilizing the convoke mechanic, Chord of Calling can be cast by tapping creatures you control rather than paying its full mana cost. This can massively accelerate your game plan, allowing you to summon a high-cost creature much earlier than your opponent expects. It means your creatures aren’t just attackers or blockers; they are also resources for your potent spells.

Instant Speed: The ability to cast Chord of Calling at instant speed provides a tactical advantage, granting you the power to react on your opponent’s turn or at the end of their end step. This surprise factor can swing games in your favor by bringing in creatures with enter-the-battlefield effects or disruptive abilities at the most opportune moments.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While Chord of Calling doesn’t require an actual discard, it demands creatures to be tapped as an additional cost, potentially leaving you vulnerable to opponent’s attacks.

Specific Mana Cost: Chord of Calling requires a specific green mana in its cost, which could restrict its inclusion to decks that have a heavy green influence or dedicated ramp strategies.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Chord of Calling’s variable X cost can climb quickly, especially if you’re aiming to summon high-cost creatures, potentially setting back your tempo compared to other more immediate plays.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Chord of Calling offers unparalleled flexibility in creature-based decks, seamlessly fitting into numerous strategies with its instant-speed creature tutor ability, allowing you to adapt to various game situations.

Combo Potential: This card is a linchpin in combo decks, capable of fetching critical combo pieces at a moment’s notice, which can instantly swing the game in your favor or even secure a win on the spot.

Meta-Relevance: Given its strength in toolbox and combo strategies, Chord of Calling maintains its relevance in various metas, enabling players to fetch silver bullet creatures in response to the prevailing deck types of the time.


How to beat

Chord of Calling is a renowned and powerful green instant spell that allows players to unfurl their library and put a creature card directly onto the battlefield. The strength of this card lies in its convoke mechanism, which enables players to tap creatures rather than pay mana to cover the cost of the spell. This utility makes Chord of Calling highly versatile and a surprise element in any match. However, it is not unbeatable.

To effectively counteract Chord of Calling, it is crucial to employ strategies that disrupt your opponent’s setup. Since Chord of Calling is an instant, prioritize keeping mana open for counter spells especially when you sense a pivotal turn looming. A well-timed Negate or Dovin’s Veto can nullify Chord’s cast. Another strong angle is to weaken your opponent’s creature base. Board wipe spells, spot removal, or even small-scale sweepers like Pyroclasm disrupt the convoke plan significantly. Finally, utilizing graveyard hate cards like Relic of Progenitus or Grafdigger’s Cage can stifle Chord of Calling’s impact, since they limit the utility of creatures being brought back from the graveyard or stop them from entering the battlefield altogether.

While Chord of Calling can be a game-changer, acutely aware players will find that preparing for it and disrupting the opponent’s board state can keep its influence in check. Staying one step ahead is the key to outmaneuvering your rival’s strategies in MTG, and knowing how to stop key cards like Chord of Calling makes all the difference in a tightly contested game.


BurnMana Recommendations

Exploring MTG’s diverse array of strategies and cards like Chord of Calling can enhance your playstyle and deck efficacy significantly. With its potential to fetch the precise creature needed at any given moment, Chord of Calling stands as a testament to tactical gameplay. Remember though, while it’s a powerful asset, its full potential is unlocked when integrated thoughtfully within your deck and when you’re prepared for possible counterplays. Whether you’re optimizing your current deck or seeking to expand your collection with versatile and impactful cards, understanding and utilizing Chord of Calling can be a game-changer. Dive deeper with us to further refine your deck-building skills and strategic mastery for your next MTG challenge.


Cards like Chord of Calling

Chord of Calling is a powerful green instant that stands out in its ability to fetch creatures from your deck. Synonymous to this effect is Green Sun’s Zenith, which also searches for creatures but puts them directly onto the battlefield. However, the Zenith requires X green mana and shuffles back into the deck, while Chord of Calling uses convoke, allowing you to tap creatures instead of paying mana. This feature can be a significant advantage in creature-heavy decks.

Another related card is Eldritch Evolution, which sacrifices a creature for an upgrade, delving into your deck for a creature with a higher mana cost. Unlike Chord of Calling, Eldritch Evolution has a single-use and can’t be used at instant speed, but it’s less mana-intensive. Then there’s Finale of Devastation, which offers a versatile tutor effect and potential game-ending boost to creatures if enough mana is invested. Though more expensive at base cost, it presents the possibility of a decisive finisher far beyond creature tutoring.

When evaluating these alternatives, Chord of Calling’s flexibility and immediate impact at instant speed give it an edge in decks that benefit from quick, on-the-fly creature searches, distinguishing itself in the toolbox strategies prevalent in MTG decks.

Green Sun's Zenith - MTG Card versions
Eldritch Evolution - MTG Card versions
Finale of Devastation - MTG Card versions
Green Sun's Zenith - Mirrodin Besieged (MBS)
Eldritch Evolution - Eldritch Moon (EMN)
Finale of Devastation - War of the Spark (WAR)

Cards similar to Chord of Calling by color, type and mana cost

Foxfire - MTG Card versions
Verdigris - MTG Card versions
Team Spirit - MTG Card versions
Refresh - MTG Card versions
Vivify - MTG Card versions
Primal Boost - MTG Card versions
Sprouting Vines - MTG Card versions
Natural Affinity - MTG Card versions
Ferocious Charge - MTG Card versions
Graphic Violence - MTG Card versions
Remodel - MTG Card versions
Roar of Jukai - MTG Card versions
Rending Vines - MTG Card versions
Early Harvest - MTG Card versions
Hail Storm - MTG Card versions
Wildsize - MTG Card versions
Invigorate - MTG Card versions
Harrow - MTG Card versions
Pistus Strike - MTG Card versions
Hunter's Insight - MTG Card versions
Foxfire - Fifth Edition (5ED)
Verdigris - Tempest Remastered (TPR)
Team Spirit - Unglued (UGL)
Refresh - Odyssey (ODY)
Vivify - Odyssey (ODY)
Primal Boost - Onslaught (ONS)
Sprouting Vines - Scourge (SCG)
Natural Affinity - Eighth Edition (8ED)
Ferocious Charge - Fifth Dawn (5DN)
Graphic Violence - Unhinged (UNH)
Remodel - Unhinged (UNH)
Roar of Jukai - Betrayers of Kamigawa (BOK)
Rending Vines - Saviors of Kamigawa (SOK)
Early Harvest - Ninth Edition (9ED)
Hail Storm - Time Spiral Timeshifted (TSB)
Wildsize - Commander Legends (CMR)
Invigorate - Game Night: Free-for-All (GN3)
Harrow - Warhammer 40,000 Commander (40K)
Pistus Strike - Mirrodin Besieged (MBS)
Hunter's Insight - Commander Masters (CMM)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Chord of Calling MTG card by a specific set like Magic Online Promos and Ravnica: City of Guilds, 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 Chord of Calling and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Chord of Calling Magic the Gathering card was released in 5 different sets between 2005-10-07 and 2024-01-12. Illustrated by 3 different artists.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12002-06-24Magic Online PromosPRM 828802015normalblackScott M. Fischer
22005-10-07Ravnica: City of GuildsRAV 1562003normalblackHeather Hudson
32014-07-18Magic 2015M15 1722015normalblackKarl Kopinski
42020-08-07Double Masters2XM 1582015normalblackKarl Kopinski
52020-08-07Double Masters2XM 3842015normalblackScott M. Fischer
62024-01-12Ravnica RemasteredRVR 1342015normalblackHeather Hudson
72024-01-12Ravnica RemasteredRVR 345z2015normalblackHeather Hudson
82024-01-12Ravnica RemasteredRVR 3451997normalblackHeather Hudson

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Chord of Calling has restrictions

FormatLegality
HistoricbrawlLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
GladiatorLegal
PioneerLegal
CommanderLegal
ModernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
PredhLegal
TimelessLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2020-08-07 If a card in a player's library has in its mana cost, X is considered to be 0.
2021-03-19 If a creature you control has a mana ability with in the cost, activating that ability while casting a spell with convoke will result in the creature being tapped before you pay the spell's costs. You won't be able to tap it again for convoke. Similarly, if you sacrifice a creature to activate a mana ability while casting a spell with convoke, that creature won't be on the battlefield when you pay the spell's costs, so you won't be able to tap it for convoke.
2021-03-19 When calculating a spell's total cost, include any alternative costs, additional costs, or anything else that increases or reduces the cost to cast the spell. Convoke applies after the total cost is calculated. Convoke doesn't change a spell's mana cost or mana value.
2021-03-19 When using convoke to cast a spell with in its mana cost, first choose the value for X. That choice, plus any cost increases or decreases, will determine the spell's total cost. Then you can tap creatures you control to help pay that cost. For example, if you cast Chord of Calling (a spell with convoke and mana cost ) and choose X to be 3, the total cost is . If you tap two green creatures and two red creatures, you'll have to pay .
2021-03-19 You can tap any untapped creature you control to convoke a spell, even one you haven't controlled continuously since the beginning of your most recent turn.

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