Chasm Drake MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	5
Rarity	Common
Type	Creature — Drake
Abilities	Flying
Released	2011-07-15
Set symbol
Set name	Magic 2012
Set code	M12
Power	3
Toughness	3
Number	48
Frame	2003
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Anthony Francisco

Key Takeaways

Chasm Drake intensifies aerial combat, enhancing your ability to pressure opponents from above.
Dependence on a diverse board and specific mana can limit Chasm Drake’s versatility.
Despite competition, its unique ability solidifies its importance in flying-focused decks.

Text of card

Flying Whenever Chasm Drake attacks, target creature you control gains flying until end of turn.

"Once he's got you, hold on. Fall from a drake and you'll suffer much worse than a bruise." —Garl, drake trainer

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Chasm Drake enables a unique form of card advantage by consistently boosting your aerial offense. Every time it attacks, another creature with less flying capability gets a temporary upgrade, allowing you to pressure your opponent’s life total effectively.

Resource Acceleration: While not directly impacting your mana pool, Chasm Drake’s ability to elevate another creature’s attack can put pressure on your opponent, forcing them to deal with multiple threats and potentially accelerating the game in your favor.

Instant Speed: Although Chasm Drake itself is a creature cast at sorcery speed, it synergizes well with creatures that have flash or can be cast at instant speed. Giving sudden flyers the boost they need can catch an opponent off guard during combat, maximizing both your board presence and strategic flexibility.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Engaging with Chasm Drake necessitates having other creatures on the battlefield to truly reap its benefits, potentially placing you at a disadvantage if your opponent manages to clear your board. This requirement can leave you in a precarious situation, negating the value you’d receive from its ability.

Specific Mana Cost: Chasm Drake’s casting cost is specifically allocated to blue mana—requiring two islands to tap. This can be an issue in multicolored decks that might not reliably produce the required mana, therefore, restricting its inclusion to mostly mono-blue or decks heavily geared towards blue mana.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: The need for five mana—of which two are strictly blue—makes Chasm Drake a more expensive option for its effects. Considering the current landscape of cards available, there are alternatives that may offer flying capabilities or similar aggressive boosts at a lower cost, making them more competitive picks for many deck strategies.

Reasons to Include Chasm Drake in Your Collection

Versatility: Chasm Drake’s unique ability to grant flying to other creatures can elevate various deck archetypes, giving grounded troops a new angle of attack and defense.

Combo Potential: With the right synergies, this card can work wonders in decks that harness the power of flying creatures or benefit from repeated instances of combat damage to an opponent.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta that’s heavy with ground-based creatures, Chasm Drake can become an unexpected game-changer, turning an unassuming board state into a formidable sky-bound offense.

How to beat Chasm Drake

Chasm Drake is an intriguing flying creature in Magic: The Gathering, providing a bevy of strategic options due to its ability to grant flying to other creatures when attacking. This card presents an interactive challenge, pushing players to consider their defensive setup, especially when it comes to keeping their airspace clear. Facing a deck with Chasm Drake requires a calculated response, focusing on managing the battlefield both on the ground and in the air.

Key counters to Chasm Drake involve instant-speed removal spells that can target flying creatures or prevent them from attacking effectively. Cards like Doom Blade or Go for the Throat can eliminate Chasm Drake before its ability triggers, while enchantments such as Windstorm provide a way to clear multiple flying threats with a single spell. Prioritizing removal of Chasm Drake or maintaining a suite of creatures with reach or flying to block can significantly reduce the effectiveness of your opponent’s aerial assault.

Positioning your deck to handle flyers, you can disrupt the synergy that Chasm Drake aims to create, thus keeping the battlefield under your control. Watch for opportunities to take the Drake down, and align your defenses accordingly to maintain the upper hand.

Cards like Chasm Drake

Chasm Drake stands out in the realm of creature cards offering substantial offensive advantages in Magic: The Gathering. Just like Chasm Drake, cards such as Aven Surveyor share the flying trait, enabling them to evade many common blockers. However, Chasm Drake brings something unique to the battlefield with its ability to grant another creature flying whenever it attacks, amplifying your offensive strategy.

Another remarkable card to consider is Snapping Drake. While similar in its primary flying ability, Snapping Drake lacks any additional mechanics to bolster your other creatures. It excels in simplicity but doesn’t quite match Chasm Drake’s potential to change the aerial dynamics of the game. Then there’s the Skywinder Drake, who’s restricted to attacking only with other flyers, making it less flexible than Chasm Drake who can enhance any creature with its ability. Despite being more cost-effective, this restriction can limit the scalability of your strategy.

Consequently, in the hierarchy of flying creatures, Chasm Drake undoubtedly secures a competitive position for enabling more dynamic combat scenarios, ensuring its appealing role in decks focusing on aerial supremacy.

Cards similar to Chasm Drake by color, type and mana cost

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Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Chasm Drake MTG card by a specific set like Magic 2012, 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 Chasm Drake and other MTG cards: