Chimeric Idol MTG Card
2000-06-05 - Number 136
2014-06-16 - Number 264
| Card sets | Released in 2 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 3 |
| Rarity | Uncommon |
| Type | Artifact |
Key Takeaways
- Preserves hand cards while offering threat, optimizing card advantage and battlefield presence.
- Instant transformation evades sorcery removal, providing strategic surprise and flexibility.
- Demands strategic mana allocation, highlighting a need for careful gameplay planning.
Text of card
: Tap all lands you control. Chimeric Idol becomes a 3/3 artifact creature until end of turn.
After a chimeric idol attacked them, the Keldons smashed all unfamiliar statues.
Card Pros
Card Advantage: The versatility of Chimeric Idol lets you preserve your hand while still presenting a threat, effectively giving you more options and keeping the pressure on your opponent without sacrificing card economy.
Resource Acceleration: Not directly tied to resource acceleration, Chimeric Idol does work well with artifact synergies that can untap it or benefit from its artifact state before it becomes a creature, potentially providing indirect resource acceleration through interactions with other cards on your battlefield.
Instant Speed: Transforming Chimeric Idol into a creature doesn’t use the stack, meaning it happens immediately and can dodge sorcery-speed removal. This allows you to activate it at the last possible moment, ideally after your opponent has committed to their own course of action, or during their end step, maintaining the element of surprise.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Activating Chimeric Idol requires you to tap all your lands, which can render you unable to cast other spells or activate abilities during your turn. This can be particularly disadvantageous during the critical stages of a game when mana flexibility is essential.
Specific Mana Cost: Chimeric Idol has a mana cost that includes generic mana, but for decks focusing on optimized mana curves, dedicating three mana to an artifact that doesn’t provide immediate board presence or advantage can be a setback.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: While Chimeric Idol’s ability to become a creature is useful, the cost is relatively high. Other three-mana options may offer more versatility or immediate impact on the game state. In a format where mana efficiency can dictate the pace of play, the Idol might not always be the optimal play.
Reasons to Include Chimeric Idol in Your Collection
Versatility: Chimeric Idol offers a flexible role in deck-building, acting as a creature immune to sorcery-speed removal when needed, or staying as a non-creature artifact to avoid creature control effects.
Combo Potential: This card seamlessly interacts with strategies that capitalize on toggling between artifact and creature states, thus enabling a range of synergistic plays.
Meta-Relevance: Given its resilience against common removal spells, the Chimeric Idol can be a strategic asset in a meta-game that’s heavy with targeted removal and board wipes.
How to Beat Chimeric Idol
Chimeric Idol, a unique artifact in the MTG universe, presents a singular challenge on the battlefield. Unlike conventional creatures, it can transform into a 3/3 creature with a simple tap of any lands you control. It demands a strategic approach to overcome its resilience, given that it’s impervious to sorcery speed removal when it’s not a creature.
One effective method to confront Chimeric Idol is to utilize instant-speed removal, which can be employed when the Idol becomes a creature. Spells like Path to Exile or Dismember offer a swift resolution. Alternatively, countering the activation ability with Stifle or preventing its transformation with a card like Linvala, Keeper of Silence can lock out the Idol’s potential threat.
Disenchant effects carry their merit as removal options, dealing with Chimeric Idol while it’s still an artifact. However, timing is crucial. Being adaptive in your game plan, recognizing the right moment to act, can be the decisive factor against this versatile adversary. Chimeric Idol is a test of tactical acumen, urging players to make prudent use of removal options within the realm of MTG.
Cards like Chimeric Idol
Chimeric Idol presents a unique blend of versatility and threat on the battlefield in Magic: The Gathering. It echoes the functionality of cards like Ratchet Bomb or Engineered Explosives that transform from inert objects into powerful tools of destruction. However, Chimeric Idol takes a different approach by becoming a creature itself. Unlike the aforementioned cards that require a cost to activate and eventually remove themselves from play, Chimeric Idol demands no mana for its transformation and continues to stand firmly on the board after changing states.
Similar to Mishra’s Factory, Chimeric Idol can become a creature without consuming a card or requiring an expenditure of mana during a turn. Mishra’s Factory also requires no payment save for becoming tapped, yet it differs as it can still operate as a land. Additionally, the Idol avoids combat tricks such as instant speed removal that typically target non-creature spells. Chimeric Idol, therefore, offers a resilient choice for players seeking a dependable creature without the concern of being caught off-guard by opposing strategies.
When comparing Chimeric Idol to other artifact creature cards, its ability to dodge sorcery-speed removal spells offers significant advantage. This resilience gives it a secured position in decks that want an artifact that can switch between aggressive and defensive postures with ease.
Cards similar to Chimeric Idol by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Chimeric Idol MTG card by a specific set like Prophecy and Vintage Masters, 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 Idol and other MTG cards:
- eBay
- TCG Player
- Card Kingdom
- Card Market
- Star City Games
- CoolStuffInc
- MTG Mint Card
- Hareruya
- Troll and Toad
- ABU Games
- Card Hoarder Magic Online
- MTGO Traders Magic Online
See Magic products
Printings
The Chimeric Idol Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2000-06-05 and 2014-06-16. Illustrated by Mark Tedin.
| # | Release | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2000-06-05 | Prophecy | PCY | 136 | 1997 | normal | black | Mark Tedin | |
| 2 | 2014-06-16 | Vintage Masters | VMA | 264 | 2015 | normal | black | Mark Tedin |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Chimeric Idol has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Premodern | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Predh | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Chimeric Idol card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2004-10-04 | Your lands are tapped as part of the effect, not part of the cost. |
| 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. |
