Cho-Arrim Legate MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	3
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Creature — Human Soldier
Abilities	Protection
Released	1999-10-04
Set symbol
Set name	Mercadian Masques
Set code	MMQ
Power	1
Toughness	2
Number	10
Frame	1997
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	rk post

Key Takeaways

Cho-Arrim Legate can take control of opponents’ creatures for a subtle card advantage.
Reveal a white card for an efficient resource acceleration without added card cost.
Its flash-like ability grants surprise plays, keeping options open with instant speed.

Text of card

Protection from black If an opponent controls a swamp and you control a plains, you may play Cho-Arrim Legate without paying its mana cost.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: The Cho-Arrim Legate card offers a unique opportunity to potentially control an opponent’s creature. This subtle form of card advantage allows you to turn the tides by using your opponent’s resources against them.

Resource Acceleration: As part of its activation cost, Cho-Arrim Legate requires you to reveal a white card from your hand. This action is cost-free and quick, and it strategically accelerates your game plan by putting a creature onto the battlefield without expending additional cards.

Instant Speed: Although Cho-Arrim Legate itself is not an instant, it has a flash-like quality since you can play it anytime you could cast an instant, provided you meet the condition of controlling a Plains. This allows for surprise plays, especially during your opponent’s turn or at the end of their turn, keeping your mana open for flexibility.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: When playing the Cho-Arrim Legate, players encounter the hurdle of meeting a discard condition. This card’s mechanics stipulate that another card must be sacrificed from your hand, which can lead to a weakened hand size and diminished late-game options.

Specific Mana Cost: The designed cost of Cho-Arrim Legate may clash with decks that have a wide mana base. As it requires white mana, this can reduce the Legate’s versatility and hinder those aiming to incorporate it into multi-color, non-white-centric decks.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Its casting cost is on the steeper side when weighed against other cards with similar abilities. For the investment needed to summon the Legate, players might expect a more impactful presence on the battlefield or an ability that can turn the game’s tide more significantly.

Reasons to Include Cho-Arrim Legate in Your Collection

Versatility: Cho-Arrim Legate is a unique addition to any MTG collection due to its ability to seamlessly integrate into white weenie or control decks. Its protection from black offers a strategic edge against decks heavy on removal and targeted spells.

Combo Potential: This card shines when paired with cards that reward you for having a high life total, such as Serra Ascendant, or interact with protection abilities, amplifying your defense strategies while keeping threats at bay.

Meta-Relevance: In an environment where black removal spells are prevalent, Cho-Arrim Legate stands as a solid counter, maintaining board presence and providing you with a tactical advantage during skirmishes on the battlefield.

How to beat

Cho-Arrim Legate presents an interesting challenge for MTG players who are looking to navigate around its protection abilities. Its defining characteristic, namely being untargetable as long as you control a Plains, makes it a resilient adversary. To counter this, shifting focus towards global removal spells that don’t target, like Wrath of God or Damnation, can clear the field without having to engage with its protection.

Moreover, leveraging land alteration capabilities can be effective. Cards that transform or exchange the Plains a player controls can strip the Legate of its protection, leaving it vulnerable to your strategic advances. Utilizing colorless sources of damage or those that affect all creatures irrespective of protection, such as Pyroclasm or Earthquake, will bypass the protection granted by the Plains and offer a straightforward solution.

Ultimately, while the Cho-Arrim Legate can be a thorn in one’s side, it is far from unbeatable. By considering the array of global effects and land interaction techniques within the game, players can find several pathways to reach victory even in the presence of this crafty protector.

Cards like Cho-Arrim Legate

Cho-Arrim Legate is a unique card in MTG whose closest relatives provide a window into a specific niche of creature cards. Similar to the Legate, Loyal Sentry is a card offering defensive capabilities that can take down any creature it blocks regardless of size. While the Sentry shares the Legate’s low cost, it does not boast the same conditional protection from creatures of a color chosen upon its arrival on the battlefield.

Then we have Cho-Manno, Revolutionary, another notable comparison. Originating from the same Mercadian Masques set, Cho-Manno provides a more resilient defensive option—absorbing damage that would be dealt to it. Unlike the Legate, Cho-Manno doesn’t offer conditional immunity but compensates with a sturdier body to withstand repeated encounters.

Through this lens, Cho-Arrim Legate stands out within its family of MTG cards. The card’s specialized protection ability can shape the flow of a game, giving it an edge in tailored situations against mono-colored adversaries. Its versatility in a defensive lineup ensures that it inhabits a specific niche, effectively addressing threats while remaining affordable within the strategic spectrum.

Cho-Manno, Revolutionary - MTG Card versions

Cards similar to Cho-Arrim Legate by color, type and mana cost

Pianna, Nomad Captain - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Cho-Arrim Legate MTG card by a specific set like Mercadian Masques, 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 Cho-Arrim Legate and other MTG cards: