Chittering Rats MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 9 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityCommon
TypeCreature — Rat
Power 2
Toughness 2

Key Takeaways

  1. Disruption-oriented, Chittering Rats limits opponents’ draws, providing a subtle yet effective form of card advantage.
  2. Demands specific mana but rewards with a unique ability to disrupt opponent’s next draw within various deck types.
  3. Incorporating Chittering Rats requires weighing its cost against potential strategic advantages in controlling gameplay.

Text of card

When Chittering Rats comes into play, target opponent puts a card from his or her hand on top of his or her library.

Bottom feeders sometimes rise to the top.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Chittering Rats presents a unique twist on card advantage by forcing your opponent to place a card from their hand on top of their library. This disrupts their draw and effectively denies them new resources while maintaining your card count.

Resource Acceleration: Although not directly providing resource acceleration, Chittering Rats can indirectly accelerate your game by slowing down your opponent. Controlling the pace can be just as pivotal, ensuring that you stay ahead of the curve.

Instant Speed: While Chittering Rats itself isn’t an instant, its enter-the-battlefield ability can simulate the disruption commonly associated with instant speed interaction. Timing the play when your opponent least expects can hamstring their strategy and hand, providing you with a tactical edge in subsequent turns.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While Chittering Rats’ ability to force an opponent to put a card from their hand on top of their library can disrupt their strategy, this effect is not always advantageous. In some cases, the forced discard can inadvertently provide your opponent with a known draw, potentially helping them plan their next move more effectively if the card is crucial to their strategy.

Specific Mana Cost: Chittering Rats demands both generic and black mana to cast. This specific mana cost makes it somewhat less flexible, thereby confining it to mono-black or two-color decks that can reliably produce black mana. Decks that don’t focus on black mana might be unable to use this card efficiently.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost that includes three mana, of which two must be black, Chittering Rats can be considered costly for the effect it produces, especially when compared to other disruptive creatures in MTG. The mana spent on Chittering Rats could potentially be invested in cards that offer more immediate impact on the game state or that provide a better mana-to-effect ratio.


Reasons to Include Chittering Rats in Your Collection

Versatility: The Chittering Rats card can seamlessly integrate into various deck styles, particularly those that thrive on disrupting opponents’ plays. With its ability to force a card back onto an opponent’s library, it can fit well in both aggressive and control strategies.

Combo Potential: This card offers significant synergy with mechanics that benefit from repeatable enters-the-battlefield (ETB) effects. Combine it with cards that allow you to bounce or flicker creatures to reuse its disruptive ability and strengthen your board position.

Meta-Relevance: As metagames frequently fluctuate, Chittering Rats remains a strong pick in environments where setting back your opponent’s draw can lead to a considerable advantage. Its ability to target an opponent’s hand makes it a relevant choice in many matchups.


How to beat

Chittering Rats presents a unique challenge in any MTG matchup with its disruptive enter-the-battlefield effect, forcing an opponent to put a card from their hand on top of their library. This can stall draws and set back your game plan. To effectively counter this, ensuring a diverse hand with flexible responses is key. Cards that offer card draw or selection can help negate the disadvantage by quickly replacing the set-aside card. Additionally, instant speed removal or bounce spells can be effectively timed to remove the Rats before their ability triggers, preserving your hand’s strategic options.

Another angle is to utilize graveyard retrieval mechanics, turning the Rats’ ability into an advantage by recycling powerful cards back to your hand. Graveyard strategies often thrive on such interactions, making Chittering Rats less of a hindrance and more of a tool within a broader game plan. Moreover, cards that nullify enter-the-battlefield effects or provide hexproof can provide a reliable shield against this type of hand disruption. Strategies like these allow you to remain proactive and adaptive, minimizing the impact of Chittering Rats on your path to victory.


Cards like Chittering Rats

The Chittering Rats card presents a unique strategic advantage in MTG’s pantheon of creatures, similar to that of disruptive spellcasters. Comparable cards include the likes of Ravenous Rats, which, upon entering the battlefield, has a similar effect of forcing the opponent to discard a card. However, Chittering Rats stands out with its ability to specifically target the top card of an opponent’s library, essentially disrupting their next draw.

Mesmeric Fiend offers an alternative take; while it also disrupts the opponent’s hand when it enters the battlefield, this card allows you to look at an opponent’s hand and exile a card until Mesmeric Fiend leaves the battlefield. It provides a different tactical approach by giving you information about your opponent’s potential moves. Burglar Rat, akin to Ravenous Rats, requires an opponent to discard a card when it enters the battlefield, albeit without Chittering Rats’ draw disruption.

Ultimately, Chittering Rats holds a distinctive place by potentially affecting both the hand and the forthcoming draws of an adversary, making it a compelling choice for players looking to thwart an opponent’s plan and gain a tempo advantage in the game.

Ravenous Rats - MTG Card versions
Mesmeric Fiend - MTG Card versions
Burglar Rat - MTG Card versions
Ravenous Rats - Portal Second Age (P02)
Mesmeric Fiend - Torment (TOR)
Burglar Rat - Guilds of Ravnica (GRN)

Cards similar to Chittering Rats by color, type and mana cost

Nettling Imp - MTG Card versions
Royal Assassin - MTG Card versions
El-Hajjâj - MTG Card versions
Frozen Shade - MTG Card versions
Scathe Zombies - MTG Card versions
Sorceress Queen - MTG Card versions
Lost Soul - MTG Card versions
Mindstab Thrull - MTG Card versions
Mischievous Poltergeist - MTG Card versions
Strongarm Thug - MTG Card versions
Razortooth Rats - MTG Card versions
Ghastly Remains - MTG Card versions
Lord of the Undead - MTG Card versions
Deepwood Ghoul - MTG Card versions
Dross Prowler - MTG Card versions
Nim Abomination - MTG Card versions
Vesper Ghoul - MTG Card versions
Hypnotic Specter - MTG Card versions
Dusk Imp - MTG Card versions
Severed Legion - MTG Card versions
Nettling Imp - Limited Edition Alpha (LEA)
Royal Assassin - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
El-Hajjâj - Fourth Edition Foreign Black Border (4BB)
Frozen Shade - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Scathe Zombies - Eighth Edition (8ED)
Sorceress Queen - Rivals Quick Start Set (RQS)
Lost Soul - Introductory Two-Player Set (ITP)
Mindstab Thrull - Fifth Edition (5ED)
Mischievous Poltergeist - Classic Sixth Edition (6ED)
Strongarm Thug - Mercadian Masques (MMQ)
Razortooth Rats - Seventh Edition (7ED)
Ghastly Remains - Legions (LGN)
Lord of the Undead - Eighth Edition (8ED)
Deepwood Ghoul - Eighth Edition (8ED)
Dross Prowler - Mirrodin (MRD)
Nim Abomination - Darksteel (DST)
Vesper Ghoul - Salvat 2005 (PSAL)
Hypnotic Specter - Magic Player Rewards 2006 (P06)
Dusk Imp - Tenth Edition (10E)
Severed Legion - Tenth Edition (10E)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Chittering Rats MTG card by a specific set like Magic Online Promos and Darksteel, 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 Chittering Rats and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Chittering Rats Magic the Gathering card was released in 5 different sets between 2004-02-06 and 2022-12-02. Illustrated by 2 different artists.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12002-06-24Magic Online PromosPRM 624452015normalblackYeong-Hao Han
22004-02-06DarksteelDST 392003normalblackTom Wänerstrand
32005-08-22Salvat 2005PSAL A192003normalwhiteTom Wänerstrand
42005-08-22Salvat 2005PSAL A542003normalwhiteTom Wänerstrand
52005-08-22Salvat 2005PSAL A52003normalwhiteTom Wänerstrand
62006-01-01Hachette UKPHUK 192003normalwhiteTom Wänerstrand
72006-01-01Hachette UKPHUK 542003normalwhiteTom Wänerstrand
82006-01-01Hachette UKPHUK 52003normalwhiteTom Wänerstrand
92022-12-02Jumpstart 2022J22 3872015normalblackYeong-Hao Han

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Chittering Rats has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PauperLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal

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