Spellheart Chimera MTG Card
2013-09-27 - Number 204
2016-11-11 - Number 222
2017-03-31 - Number 25
| Card sets | Released in 3 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 3 |
| Rarity | Uncommon |
| Type | Creature — Chimera |
| Abilities | Flying,Trample |
| Power | * |
| Toughness | 3 |
Text of card
Flying, trample Spellheart Chimera's power is equal to the number of instant and sorcery cards in your graveyard.
Thaumaturges remain silent around chimeras, lest their words conjure even stranger beasts.
Cards like Spellheart Chimera
Spellheart Chimera is a unique creature in Magic: The Gathering, recognized for its prowess in spell-heavy strategies. It shares a resemblance with cards like Enigma Drake, which also has its power tied to the number of instants and sorceries in the graveyard. However, Spellheart Chimera takes flight with the added advantage of trample, ensuring that excess damage cascades over to the opponent.
Crackling Drake is another related card, mirroring the power-scaling feature based on the graveyard’s instants and sorceries. While it draws you a card when it enters the battlefield, it doesn’t boast the trample ability of Spellheart Chimera and demands a more stringent mana cost. Conversely, Spellheart Chimera is lightweight on your mana pool, facilitating faster gameplay which can be decisive in high-paced matches.
To sum up, Spellheart Chimera holds its ground in the arena of graveyard-powered flyers. With its aggressive mana cost and trample feature, it often outmaneuvers similar creatures in its class, cementing its position as a valuable card for players who favor a swift and impactful spellcasting approach.
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Spellheart Chimera thrives in a deck rich with instants and sorceries, allowing its power to scale upward as your graveyard fills. This synergy not only creates a growing threat but also leverages the spells you’ve used throughout the game, effectively turning past actions into present power.
Resource Acceleration: Though the chimera itself doesn’t generate mana or tokens, it demands an answer quickly due to its potential for rapid growth. As such, it accelerates your game plan by forcing your opponent to deal with it, thereby conserving the resources you’d otherwise commit to the board.
Instant Speed: Many of the spells that fuel Spellheart Chimera’s power can be cast at instant speed, meaning your graveyard—and thereby the chimera’s power—can unexpectedly swell just before damage is dealt during combat. This can lead to advantageous blocks or surprise knockouts, giving Spellheart Chimera implicit power as a tactical combat tool.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Spellheart Chimera thrives on a full graveyard, necessitating a strategy that discards or cycles cards to escalate its power. This can backfire if you’re forced to toss useful cards from your hand, potentially reducing your options during critical moments of gameplay.
Specific Mana Cost: The mana cost of Spellheart Chimera requires both red and blue mana, which can sometimes be restrictive. Decks that don’t run on an Izzet (red/blue) mana base will find it challenging to accommodate this card, potentially limiting its versatility across different deck archetypes.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost of three mana, including one red and one blue, Spellheart Chimera can be considered mana-intensive when compared to other creatures in the same mana range. Additionally, its impact may not always justify the investment, especially if the graveyard isn’t adequately stocked to boost its strength.
Reasons to Include Spellheart Chimera in Your Collection
Versatility: Spellheart Chimera thrives in numerous strategies thanks to its trample ability and scaling power based on the number of instants and sorceries in your graveyard. This makes it a fit for both aggressive and spell-heavy decks looking to capitalize on casting numerous instants and sorceries.
Combo Potential: In decks built around instants and sorceries, this chimera’s potential skyrockets. It pairs well with cards that fill your graveyard quickly or spells that can be recast from the graveyard, enabling powerful synergies and dynamic plays.
Meta-Relevance: With an ever-shifting game environment, Spellheart Chimera can be a game-changer against decks that struggle to handle creatures with evasive abilities. Its relevance grows in metas with less graveyard hate, allowing it to become a formidable threat that scales in power as the game progresses.
How to Beat Spellheart Chimera
Confronting a Spellheart Chimera on the battlefield can be a significant challenge. This creature thrives in a deck rich with instants and sorceries, gaining strength as more of these card types find their way into the graveyard. Unlike other creatures that may necessitate immediate removal, Spellheart Chimera demands a more strategic approach due to its ability to grow in power over the course of the game.
To effectively counter this threat, players should consider leveraging graveyard removal spells, such as Tormod’s Crypt or Relic of Progenitus. These cards can clear out the graveyard, significantly weakening the Chimera or even rendering it powerless. Additionally, instant-speed removal spells, like Path to Exile or Fatal Push, can catch an opponent off-guard and eliminate the Chimera before it becomes too large to handle. Keeping the pressure on with these tactics will ensure your adversary’s fiery Chimera doesn’t spiral out of control.
Ultimately, staying one step ahead of the Spellheart Chimera means being vigilant about the state of both graveyards and being ready to dismantle your opponent’s strategy before their Chimera can become an insurmountable force on the battlefield.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Spellheart Chimera MTG card by a specific set like Theros and Commander 2016, 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 Spellheart 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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Printings
The Spellheart Chimera Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2013-09-27 and 2017-03-31. Illustrated by Svetlin Velinov.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2013-09-27 | Theros | THS | 204 | 2003 | Normal | Black | Svetlin Velinov | |
| 2 | 2016-11-11 | Commander 2016 | C16 | 222 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Svetlin Velinov | |
| 3 | 2017-03-31 | Duel Decks: Mind vs. Might | DDS | 25 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Svetlin Velinov |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Spellheart Chimera has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Restricted |
| Modern | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Pioneer | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Spellheart Chimera card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2013-09-15 | The ability that defines Spellheart Chimera's power functions in all zones, not just the battlefield. |