Chittering Host MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 2 setsSee all
Converted mana cost7
RarityCommon
TypeCreature — Eldrazi Horror
Abilities Haste,Menace
Power 5
Toughness 6

Key Takeaways

  1. Chittering Host offers card advantage by eliminating opponent’s blockers and optimizing deck space.
  2. It can unexpectedly assemble at instant speed, disrupting opponent’s plans with surprise factor.
  3. Despite its strengths, the high cost and strict mana requirements can hinder its playability.

Text of card

When Midnight Scavengers enters the battlefield, you may return target creature card with converted mana cost 3 or less from your graveyard to your hand. (Melds with Graf Rats.)


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Chittering Host has an innate advantage built into its two-card combination, ensuring that when melded together, the player not only holds a powerful creature but also effectively removes an opponent’s blocker from the field. This swipe at your opponent’s resources can substantially tilt the board balance in your favor.

Resource Acceleration: As a single entity formed by two creatures, Chittering Host effectively frees up card slots in your deck for other utility, allowing for greater fluidity and swifter access to your deck’s key components. It’s a strategy that primes you for an accelerated pace in overwhelming your adversary.

Instant Speed: One of the key benefits of the card is its ability to be played at the speed of the separate halves, which can be cast at instant speed. This allows a player to unpredictably assemble the Host during an opponent’s turn, potentially disrupting their strategy and keeping the element of surprise firmly on your side.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: To transform cards into Chittering Host, players need to discard them, depleting their hand and possibly discarding vital resources needed later in the game. This requirement can put players at a disadvantage by limiting strategic options.

Specific Mana Cost: Chittering Host’s setup requires a strict color combination of black and green mana. This specificity narrows deck-building options and can be cumbersome for players lacking the necessary mana base, especially in formats with a diverse mana pool.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Constructing the Chittering Host involves a relatively high combined mana cost for its components, which can slow down gameplay. In a fast-paced environment, this can be a significant drawback, as players may fall behind while attempting to gather the necessary pieces for the combo.


Reasons to Include Chittering Host in Your Collection

Versatility: Chittering Host slides smoothly into a variety of black and green decks. Its ability to turn into a towering threat makes it particularly useful in strategies that capitalize on creature synergies.

Combo Potential: When paired with cards that benefit from creatures entering the battlefield or being sacrificed, Chittering Host unlocks a wealth of strategic gameplay. Its two-card combo can setup unexpected win conditions in a single turn.

Meta-Relevance: In an environment teeming with creature-based strategies, Chittering Host stands out. It can effectively disrupt opposing board states while applying pressure, making it a key card in the current meta.


How to beat

Chittering Host is a formidable creature in MTG that can wreak havoc on the battlefield. With its ability to give opposing creatures -1/-1 until end of turn upon entering the battlefield, it can disrupt your opponent’s strategy significantly. To counter this, prioritize removal spells that can target Chittering Host regardless of its size or abilities. Instant-speed removal like Doom Blade or Path to Exile can dispose of the Host before its debilitating effect becomes a concern. Additionally, sweepers like Wrath of God or Damnation effectively clear the board of such creatures that aim to upset the balance of play.

Maintaining board control is also vital when facing off against this twisted creature. Playing cards that generate token creatures can help shield your more valuable creatures from Chittering Host’s entrance ability, or at the very least, maintain a presence on the board. Furthermore, it’s beneficial to have counter spells at the ready to prevent Chittering Host from hitting the field altogether. With careful planning and the right mix of control and removal, you can ensure the Chittering Host’s appearance is short-lived and your strategy remains unscathed.


Cards like Chittering Host

Chittering Host offers a unique take on creature transformation within Magic: The Gathering. This card shares some gameplay aspects with other transform cards like Delver of Secrets. Delver of Secrets morphs from a humble human wizard into a powerful insectile aberration, much like how Chittering Host emerges from the combination of two smaller creatures. However, Chittering Host’s transformation imposes an additional condition; it requires the melding of both Midnight Scavengers and Graf Rats, making it a two-card combo effort compared to Delver’s single-card flip triggered by library manipulation.

When compared to other meld cards such as Hanweir, the Writhing Township, which similarly forms from Hanweir Battlements and Hanweir Garrison, Chittering Host stands out with its ability to force opponents to block unfavorably, potentially clearing the way for a crushing attack. The Hanweir meld pair instead boosts your creature count and attacks en masse. Each of these mechanics introduces a strategy pivot, showcasing the breadth of MTG’s transform card capabilities.

Ultimately, Chittering Host’s power to create an immediate board impact by depleting the opponent’s defenses places it in a unique strategic position, testifying to the depth and variety found in MTG’s card synergies and transformational gameplay.

Hanweir, the Writhing Township - MTG Card versions
Hanweir, the Writhing Township - MTG Card versions

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Tresserhorn Skyknight - MTG Card versions
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Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Chittering Host MTG card by a specific set like Eldritch Moon and Shadows over Innistrad Remastered, 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 Host and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Chittering Host Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2016-07-22 and 2023-03-21. Illustrated by Jason Felix.

#ReleasedNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12016-07-22Eldritch MoonEMN 96b2015MeldBlackJason Felix
22023-03-21Shadows over Innistrad RemasteredSIR 115b2015MeldBlackJason Felix

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Chittering Host has restrictions

FormatLegality
HistoricbrawlLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
OathbreakerLegal
GladiatorLegal
PioneerLegal
CommanderLegal
ModernLegal
PauperLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
TimelessLegal

Rules and information

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

Date Text
2016-07-13 For more information on meld cards, see the Eldritch Moon mechanics article (https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/feature/eldritch-moon-mechanics-2016-06-27).
2016-07-13 If a card in a player’s graveyard has in its mana cost, X is considered to be 0.
2016-07-13 The set of creatures affected by Chittering Host’s triggered ability is determined as the ability resolves. Creatures you begin to control later in the turn won’t get +1/+0 or gain menace.

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