Kathril, Aspect Warper MTG Card


Kathril, Aspect Warper - Commander 2020
Mana cost
Converted mana cost5
RarityMythic
TypeLegendary Creature — Nightmare Insect
Released2020-04-17
Set symbol
Set nameCommander 2020
Set codeC20
Power 3
Toughness 3
Number10
Frame2015
LayoutNormal
BorderBlack
Illustred byMathias Kollros

Key Takeaways

  1. Kathril provides substantial card advantage through graveyard synergy, enhancing its battlefield presence.
  2. Its ability to pass on powerful keywords boosts your creatures’ threat level without extra spells.
  3. Graveyard interaction is key—strategize your discards and manage resources for Kathril’s casting cost.
Vigilance card art

Guide to Vigilance card ability

In the strategic universe of Magic: The Gathering (MTG), the vigilance ability stands out as a powerful tool for players. This potent keyword allows creatures to attack without tapping, keeping them ready and alert to defend against incoming threats. It represents a perfect balance between aggression and defense, offering a dynamic approach to gameplay. Lets dive deeper into how vigilance shapes the battlefield.

Text of card

When Kathril, Aspect Warper enters the battlefield, put a flying counter on any creature you control if a creature card in your graveyard has flying. Repeat this process for first strike, double strike, deathtouch, hexproof, indestructible, lifelink, menace, reach, trample, and vigilance. Then put a +1/+1 counter on Kathril for each counter put on a creature this way.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: When Kathril, Aspect Warper enters the battlefield, you put a number of counters on it equal to the number of creatures with different abilities in your graveyard. This not only means Kathril can become a massive threat quickly, but it effectively leverages past plays and turns your graveyard into a reservoir of power, yielding a significant card advantage.

Resource Acceleration: Kathril’s ability to distribute keywords like indestructible, vigilance, or lifelink to other creatures can rapidly escalate the threat level on your board. This natural synergy acts as resource acceleration, as it boosts your army without the need to cast additional spells, allowing you to deploy your resources more efficiently elsewhere.

Instant Speed: Though Kathril itself isn’t an instant, it interacts positively with cards that fill your graveyard at instant speed. Being able to set up your graveyard right before Kathril hits the battlefield can be an unforeseen play for your opponents, as it allows you to adapt swiftly to the battlefield’s demands without signaling your strategy prematurely.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: For Kathril, Aspect Warper, you need to strategize your graveyard setup, which could mean discarding valuable creatures. This might not align with your game plan, especially if you’re forced to pitch cards that are pivotal for later stages of the match.

Specific Mana Cost: Kathril’s casting cost demands one white, one black, and one green mana, which makes it a less flexible pick for decks not built around Abzan colors. Players running multicolor decks might struggle with mana fixing to meet these specific requirements.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a total converted mana cost of five, including three colored mana, Kathril can be on the higher end of the mana curve for some decks. It competes with other powerful five-mana spells, so evaluating its inclusion based on the deck’s curve is essential.


Reasons to Include Kathril, Aspect Warper in Your Collection

Versatility: Kathril, Aspect Warper excels in decks that harness the power of the graveyard. This commander adapts to various strategies, from keyword soup to reanimator themes, by distributing a plethora of abilities to creatures on the battlefield.

Combo Potential: Kathril’s ability to dish out counters based on keywords in the graveyard enables explosive combos. Pairing with cards that manipulate the top of the library or self-mill creates a synergy that can quickly outpace opponents.

Meta-Relevance: In a game where creature abilities can turn the tide, Kathril’s unique mechanic remains relevant. Its capability to scale and become a formidable threat at any stage of the game makes it a strong contender in various metas, thriving in an environment rich with creature-based interactions.


How to beat

Kathril, Aspect Warper can be a formidable creature in MTG, quickly becoming a major threat due to its ability to amass a suite of keywords from creature cards in the graveyard. This ability not only increases Kathril’s power and toughness but can also bestow it with various combat advantages such as flying, lifelink, or trample, making it a versatile adversary.

To counteract Kathril’s strengths, consider employing graveyard removal strategies. Cards such as Tormod’s Crypt or Bojuka Bog can exile an opponent’s graveyard, stripping Kathril of the resources needed to power up. Additionally, instant-speed removal spells capable of targeting Kathril before its abilities trigger, such as Swords to Plowshares or Path to Exile, are effective means to keep Kathril off the battlefield entirely. Combating Kathril is about timing and controlling the graveyard—it’s essential to keep this threat manageable before it becomes insurmountable.

Spot removal that can bypass indestructible or hexproof attributes, like sacrifice effects including Diabolic Edict or Crackling Doom, can also be invaluable as they don’t target Kathril directly. In essence, respecting the power that Kathril, Aspect Warper brings to the table and preparing the right answers in your deck are keys to success against it.


Cards like Kathril, Aspect Warper

Within the realm of Magic: The Gathering, Kathril, Aspect Warper enters as a unique commander for its capability to manipulate counters. It shares this thematic ground with Reyhan, Last of the Abzan and Ishai, Ojutai Dragonspeaker, both of which excel at accruing and utilizing counters. Reyhan allows for the conservation of +1/+1 counters when creatures you control die, whereas Kathril distributes a variety of counters based on keywords in your graveyard. Ishai, on the other hand, gains +1/+1 counters as opponents cast spells, diverging from Kathril’s graveyard-dependent mechanic.

Another card worth comparing is Odric, Lunarch Marshal, which, though not directly dealing with counters, shares the keyword-sharing aspect of Kathril’s ability. Odric bestows keywords from any creature you control to the rest, but only until the end of the turn. Kathril’s effect is more enduring, with counters remaining on the battlefield as long as it’s in play. This grants a sustained advantage for creature abilities, particularly in the later stages of the game.

Ultimately, Kathril, Aspect Warper stands distinguished among MTG commanders. It combines the enduring impact of counters with the potential vast array of keywords from your graveyard, creating a variable force that, when supported correctly, can dominate the battlefield.

Reyhan, Last of the Abzan - MTG Card versions
Ishai, Ojutai Dragonspeaker - MTG Card versions
Odric, Lunarch Marshal - MTG Card versions
Reyhan, Last of the Abzan - MTG Card versions
Ishai, Ojutai Dragonspeaker - MTG Card versions
Odric, Lunarch Marshal - MTG Card versions

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Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Kathril, Aspect Warper MTG card by a specific set like Commander 2020, 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 Kathril, Aspect Warper and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Kathril, Aspect Warper has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal

Rules and information

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

Date Text
2020-04-17 For each applicable keyword, the appropriate counter may be put on any creature you control, including Kathril. The counters don’t need to all be put on the same creature.
2020-04-17 Once Kathril’s ability begins resolving, no player may take other actions until it’s done and you’ve put +1/+1 counters on Kathril.
2020-04-17 You check once for each keyword. If you have two creature cards with flying in your graveyard, you put just one flying counter on a creature you control, not two.
2020-06-23 If cards in your graveyard have multiple hexproof abilities (such as hexproof, hexproof from white, and hexproof from black), a counter of each variant kind will be put onto a creature.

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