Alchemist's Vial MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 4 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost2
RarityCommon
TypeArtifact

Key Takeaways

  1. Drawing a card upon entry with Alchemist’s Vial smooths out gameplay and improves board presence.
  2. Instant speed activation allows for strategic reactions and game tempo maintenance.
  3. Artifact synergies and combat control make it a wise choice for certain MTG decks.

Text of card

When Alchemist's Vial enters the battlefield, draw a card., , Sacrifice Alchemist's Vial: Target creature can't attack or block this turn.

A weapon best suited for those with good aim and steady hands.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: With Alchemist’s Vial, you can incrementally advance your board presence by drawing a card upon its entry, paving the way for a stronger mid to late game.

Resource Acceleration: Although this artifact doesn’t directly ramp up your mana resources, it offers strategic depth. Using the Vial can slow down opponents, effectively giving you a resource edge by hindering their attack plans and providing you with more time to execute your own strategy.

Instant Speed: The ability to activate Alchemist’s Vial at instant speed adds a layer of flexibility, allowing you to react to your opponent’s moves. This can disrupt their combat strategies or save you from a critical attack, all without sacrificing the tempo of your own game plan.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: The Alchemist’s Vial does not have a discard requirement, which means it’s a null point regarding the cons for this card.

Specific Mana Cost: Alchemist’s Vial necessitates a precise mana arrangement for activation, demanding two generic mana, which can be a mild hindrance for decks that operate better with more flexible mana requirements.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: While Alchemist’s Vial’s ability to make a creature unable to attack or block can be useful, its combined casting and activation cost may be considered steep for the effect it provides—potentially making alternative card choices more appealing for optimizing mana efficiency.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Alchemist’s Vial is an adaptable addition to your MTG arsenal. It has the ability to stymie attackers, potentially saving you from crucial damage, and can also be used simply to draw a card, maintaining card flow in your deck.

Combo Potential: For those looking to build synergies around artifacts, Alchemist’s Vial fits right in. It can be used with cards that trigger upon artifacts entering or leaving the battlefield, providing incremental advantages that can add up over the course of a game.

Meta-Relevance: In a game landscape often dominated by creature-heavy strategies, having Alchemist’s Vial in your collection means you have a tool at your disposal that can disrupt your opponent’s plans and give you the upper hand, especially if the tempo of the game is in your favor.


How to Beat Alchemist’s Vial

Alchemist’s Vial is a unique artifact card in MTG that can influence the pace of the game by dictating combat interactions briefly. When played, it allows a player to draw a card and, more importantly, it can be sacrificed to ensure that a creature cannot attack or block on that turn. This can disrupt opponent strategies, especially those relying on key creatures to deal combat damage or provide crucial blocks.

Countering this artifact effectively requires either a proactive or reactive strategy. Proactively, one can use cards that prevent the casting of artifacts or deplete resources so that the opponent cannot afford to play it. Artifact removal cards, such as Naturalize or Disenchant, can be kept in hand and used reactively to destroy Alchemist’s Vial before its controlling ability is utilized, preventing the tempo loss it is poised to impose.

Decisively dealing with artifacts like Alchemist’s Vial preserves the balance of the battlefield and ensures the continuity of your strategy, allowing you to maintain pressure on your opponent. While not the most formidable of artifacts, understanding how to manage its presence on the board is key to mastering control within the game.


Cards like Alchemist's Vial

Alchemist’s Vial is a unique artifact from the Magic: The Gathering universe that can be compared to other cards serving a similar function of controlling the flow of combat. Its ability to prevent a creature from attacking for a turn when it enters the battlefield is reminiscent of effects found in cards like Blinding Beam, which can also lock down opponents’ creatures, albeit more than one at a cost of extra mana.

Another parallel can be drawn with Icy Manipulator, a classic artifact with the ability to tap a creature, thus denying an attack or block. While Icy Manipulator is reusable and more flexible, Alchemist’s Vial has the added benefit of card draw, a one-time occurrence upon its activation.

Comparatively speaking, Alchemist’s Vial offers a one-off use with the added boon of cycling through your deck, a powerful trade-off for certain strategies. Yet, when evaluating the card in the grand scheme of MTG tactics, its use is situationally beneficial depending on the deck’s goal and the current board state.

Blinding Beam - MTG Card versions
Icy Manipulator - MTG Card versions
Blinding Beam - Mirrodin (MRD)
Icy Manipulator - Limited Edition Alpha (LEA)

Cards similar to Alchemist's Vial by color, type and mana cost

Chaos Orb - MTG Card versions
Winter Orb - MTG Card versions
Ankh of Mishra - MTG Card versions
Amulet of Kroog - MTG Card versions
Nacre Talisman - MTG Card versions
Howling Mine - MTG Card versions
Essence Bottle - MTG Card versions
Emerald Medallion - MTG Card versions
Scrying Glass - MTG Card versions
Cursed Totem - MTG Card versions
Tsabo's Web - MTG Card versions
Millikin - MTG Card versions
Ark of Blight - MTG Card versions
Surestrike Trident - MTG Card versions
Energy Chamber - MTG Card versions
Water Gun Balloon Game - MTG Card versions
Angel's Feather - MTG Card versions
Demon's Horn - MTG Card versions
Elsewhere Flask - MTG Card versions
Dragon's Claw - MTG Card versions
Chaos Orb - Unlimited Edition (2ED)
Winter Orb - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Ankh of Mishra - Collectors' Edition (CED)
Amulet of Kroog - Rinascimento (RIN)
Nacre Talisman - Ice Age (ICE)
Howling Mine - Fifth Edition (5ED)
Essence Bottle - Tempest (TMP)
Emerald Medallion - Commander Anthology (CMA)
Scrying Glass - Urza's Destiny (UDS)
Cursed Totem - World Championship Decks 2000 (WC00)
Tsabo's Web - World Championship Decks 2001 (WC01)
Millikin - Odyssey (ODY)
Ark of Blight - Scourge (SCG)
Surestrike Trident - Darksteel (DST)
Energy Chamber - Fifth Dawn (5DN)
Water Gun Balloon Game - Unhinged (UNH)
Angel's Feather - Ninth Edition (9ED)
Demon's Horn - Ninth Edition (9ED)
Elsewhere Flask - Shadowmoor (SHM)
Dragon's Claw - Duels of the Planeswalkers (DPA)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Alchemist's Vial MTG card by a specific set like Magic Origins and Mystery Booster, 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 Alchemist's Vial and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Alchemist's Vial Magic the Gathering card was released in 4 different sets between 2015-07-17 and 2022-12-02. Illustrated by Lindsey Look.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12015-07-17Magic OriginsORI 2202015normalblackLindsey Look
22019-11-07Mystery BoosterMB1 15422015normalblackLindsey Look
32020-09-26The ListPLST ORI-2202015normalblackLindsey Look
42022-12-02Jumpstart 2022J22 7532015normalblackLindsey Look

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Alchemist's Vial has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PauperLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PioneerLegal
PennyLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2015-06-22 Activating the last ability of Alchemist’s Vial targeting a creature that’s already attacking or blocking won’t cause that creature to stop attacking or blocking. It will prevent that creature from attacking or blocking in any additional combat phases the turn may have (although this is unusual).

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