Serum-Core Chimera MTG Card
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 4 |
| Rarity | Uncommon |
| Type | Creature — Phyrexian Chimera |
| Abilities | Flying |
| Released | 2023-02-03 |
| Set symbol | |
| Set name | Phyrexia: All Will Be One |
| Set code | ONE |
| Power | 2 |
| Toughness | 4 |
| Number | 215 |
| Frame | 2015 |
| Layout | Normal |
| Border | Black |
| Illustred by | Johan Grenier |
Text of card
Flying Whenever you cast a noncreature spell, put an oil counter on Serum-Core Chimera. Remove three oil counters from Serum-Core Chimera: Draw a card. Then you may discard a nonland card. When you discard a card this way, Serum-Core Chimera deals 3 damage to target creature or planeswalker. Activate only as a sorcery.
Cards like Serum-Core Chimera
The Serum-Core Chimera enters the vast pool of creature spells within Magic: The Gathering, sharing space with fellow mechanical beasts. Akin to the likes of Arcbound Ravager, Serum-Core Chimera offers a flexible role within artifact-centered decks. While the Ravager can sacrifice artifacts to grow its power swiftly, Serum-Core Chimera presents a scalable threat that grows as you cast spells, fitting seamlessly into spellslinger decks.
Analogous cards within the MTG universe include cards like Clockwork Beetle. Although the Beetle gains counters when it enters the battlefield, it doesn’t have the inherent potential for growth like Serum-Core Chimera, which continues to evolve with ongoing spellcasting. Additionally, we have cards like Walking Ballista, which allow for direct damage but require a hefty mana investment to level up its power, contrasting with the potentially more mana-efficient scaling of Serum-Core Chimera over time.
Assessing the dynamics of these creature spells highlights Serum-Core Chimera’s place in MTG. It stands out for its potential in long-term strategies and synergy with spell-heavy decks, offering a unique advantage for players who focus on casting numerous spells throughout the game.
Cards similar to Serum-Core Chimera by color, type and mana cost
Card Pros
Card Advantage: The Serum-Core Chimera comes with a built-in mechanism to potentially draw you additional cards, offering a significant edge as you gain more options and resources than your opponent. Every time you score a hit, the opportunity for more card advantage is an outstanding benefit, keeping your hand filled with strategic possibilities.
Resource Acceleration: A key feature of this card is its ability to turbo-charge your resource pool beyond the standard land-per-turn play. By providing additional mana sources, Serum-Core Chimera propels you into more powerful spells earlier, giving you a noticeable leap over the competition and enabling a faster execution of your game plan.
Instant Speed: The flexibility of using Serum-Core Chimera’s abilities at instant speed cannot be understated. This dynamism allows you to adapt to the unfolding game, utilizing your resources efficiently and reacting to your opponent’s moves with precision. You can keep up the pressure or pivot your strategy at a moment’s notice, keeping your adversaries on their toes.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Incorporating Serum-Core Chimera into your game plan can be a tricky maneuver as it comes with the additional cost of discarding a card. This can be particularly challenging when your hand is already running thin, potentially leaving you at a disadvantage especially when critical decisions hinge on maintaining card advantage.
Specific Mana Cost: The casting cost for Serum-Core Chimera isn’t exactly color flexible. It demands a dedicated commitment to blue and red mana, which may not always align seamlessly with your deck’s mana base. This rigid cost can restrict its inclusion to strictly blue-red synergistic decks, potentially edging out the chimera from a broader deck metaverse.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: When evaluating the mana investment against the card’s benefits, Serum-Core Chimera may fall slightly behind in the race for efficiency. Commanding a higher segment of your mana curve, it begs the question whether its impact on the board justifies its cost compared to other options that may provide similar or greater value at a lower mana investment.
Reasons to Include Serum-Core Chimera in Your Collection
Versatility: Serum-Core Chimera offers adaptability to various deck builds, serving as an efficient creature in strategies that seek to take advantage of both its respectable stats and its built-in card draw mechanism when it becomes the target of a spell.
Combo Potential: This chimera’s ability to synergize with spells that target your own creatures opens up avenues for combo plays, turning any buff spell into a potential card advantage engine.
Meta-Relevance: Given its inherent resilience to removal and the current metagame’s fondness for instant-speed interaction, Serum-Core Chimera remains a relevant choice for players looking to outmaneuver opponents with creatures that provide added value.
How to beat
Serum-Core Chimera is an engaging presence in the deck-builds of MTG, bringing a versatile mix of stats and abilities to the table. This creature card, akin to utility players in its assortment, offers an interesting dynamic to gameplay. Its inherent prowess lies in its synergistic potential, enabling players to craft a solid strategy around it.
Overcoming Serum-Core Chimera requires a keen understanding of these strengths. Removing creatures from the battlefield swiftly before they can establish a foothold is key. A succinct strategy could be to focus on immediate removal spells. Consider options like Fatal Push or Path to Exile for a seamless solution to the Chimera problem. Similarly, countering creature spells from the get-go with cards like Counterspell or Mana Leak might just save you the trouble of dealing with this chimera later on the battlefield. If the Chimera does resolve, participating enchantments or artefacts like Pacifism or Icy Manipulator can neutralize its effectiveness. It’s about striking the perfect balance by executing timely plays and staying one step ahead.
The versatility of Serum-Core Chimera is a testament to its design in MTG. Yet, a player equipped with the right countermeasures can deftly navigate through the challenge it poses, maintaining control of the game’s pace and rhythm.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Serum-Core Chimera MTG card by a specific set like Phyrexia: All Will Be One, 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 Serum-Core Chimera and other MTG cards:
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- eBay
- 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
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Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Serum-Core Chimera has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Standard | Legal |
| Historicbrawl | Legal |
| Historic | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Restricted |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Gladiator | Legal |
| Alchemy | Legal |
| Pioneer | Legal |
| Commander | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Future | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Explorer | Legal |
| Brawl | Legal |
| Timeless | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Serum-Core Chimera card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2023-02-04 | You don't choose a target for Serum-Core Chimera's last ability at the time you activate it. Rather, a second "reflexive" ability triggers when you discard a card this way. You choose a target for that ability as it goes on the stack. Each player may respond to this triggered ability as normal. |