Urza's Chalice MTG Card

Antiquities (ATQ)
1994-03-04 - Number 75

Masters Edition (ME1)
2007-09-10 - Number 171

Urza's Chalice - Masters Edition IV (ME4)

Masters Edition IV (ME4)
2011-01-10 - Number 236

Card sets	Released in 3 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost	1
Rarity	Common
Type	Artifact

Key Takeaways

Urza’s Chalice draws cards, accelerating strategic plays through card advantage.
It facilitates early game resource acceleration as a low-cost artifact.
Chalice’s instant speed interactions offer flexible play responses.

Text of card

o1: Any artifact cast by any player gives you 1 life. Can only give 1 life each time an artifact is cast.

When sorely wounded or tired, Urza would often retreat to the workshops of his apprentices. They were greatly amazed at how much better he looked each time he took a sip of water.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: The ability of Urza’s Chalice to draw a card upon casting an artifact spell ensures a continuous flow of options, bolstering your hand and enabling strategic plays.

Resource Acceleration: As a low mana artifact itself, Urza’s Chalice facilitates a quicker buildup of available resources, serving as a catalyst for more powerful spells and a robust board position in the earlier stages of the game.

Instant Speed: The instant speed interaction of Urza’s Chalice provides flexibility, allowing you to respond to opponents’ threats or optimize your own plays during any phase of a turn, keeping you one step ahead.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: One of the drawbacks is the necessity for players to discard a card in order to activate Urza’s Chalice’s effect. This condition can sometimes lead to a difficult decision, especially when the player’s hand is critical to their strategy or when the card count is precariously low.

Specific Mana Cost: Urza’s Chalice requires a very particular mana cost for its activation, which includes colorless mana. This specification can prove to be restrictive, as it might not seamlessly fit into a deck that primarily focuses on colored mana or multi-color synergies, potentially making it a less flexible option for many players.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: When you consider the investment needed to both play and use Urza’s Chalice, you might find its cost a bit steep relative to the advantage gained. Other artifacts or spells within the same mana range can potentially offer more impactful abilities or resources, thereby outweighing the benefits of including Urza’s Chalice in your deck.

Reasons to Include Urza’s Chalice in Your Collection

Versatility: Urza’s Chalice is an artifact that easily slots into various MTG deck builds. Its ability to generate mana and potentially draw cards can support a wide range of strategies.

Combo Potential: This card shines in its compatibility with combos, especially in decks centered around artifact synergy. It can be a cog in generating infinite loops or bolstering your win conditions.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta where artifacts are prominent, Urza’s Chalice can become an indispensable tool. Its low-cost and ability to influence the board state make it relevant in a variety of competitive scenes.

How to beat

Urza’s Chalice is one of those artifacts in Magic: The Gathering that can provide incremental advantage over time. It rewards players for playing the spells that are the backbone of MTG — Artifacts and their synergies. Every time you cast an artifact spell, you gain 1 life. This may seem negligible at first, but in a deck focused on artifacts, this life gain can accumulate, potentially swinging the game in your favor.

To effectively counter Urza’s Chalice, consider strategies that limit your opponent’s ability to exploit it. Artifact removal spells, such as Disenchant or Abrade, can take care of Urza’s Chalice directly. Playing cards that restrict casting or make casting artifacts more costly, like Damping Sphere, can also hinder your opponent’s game plan. Additionally, incorporating cards that inhibit or reverse life gain, such as Tainted Remedy or Rain of Gore, could turn the table on your opponent, transforming their life gain into a disadvantage. Lastly, maintaining pressure and focusing on winning through aggression could outpace the minimal life gain from Urza’s Chalice, rendering it insignificant in the face of a swiftly ticking life total.

Understanding how to dismantle an opponent’s strategy by removing key pieces like Urza’s Chalice or negating its effect ensures a higher chance of claiming victory on the battlefield. Adaptation and proactive disruption are essential tactics in your MTG arsenal.

Cards like Urza's Chalice

Urza’s Chalice is part of the array of artifact utilities players can tap into within the game. When examining its utility and performance, it stands in relation to cards such as Pristine Talisman. Both cards offer incremental life gain, a reliable mechanic to enhance longevity in matches. What sets Urza’s Chalice apart is its ability to potentially draw a card when an appropriate condition is met, giving it an edge in terms of card advantage.

Diving deeper into comparisons, we encounter Fountain of Renewal, which also delivers consistent life gain and eventual card draw. Though it provides a steadier flow of health, Urza’s Chalice offers more immediate pay-off in the right deck. The trade-off between the two can often be a deciding factor depending on the overall deck strategy a player opts for. Throne of Geth presents another parallel, with a proliferate ability that synergizes well with +1/+1 counters or charge counters, which complements Urza’s Chalice in decks that capitalize on such counters.

To sum up, Urza’s Chalice provides a niche yet potent role, particularly in decks that can trigger its card drawing ability frequently. It makes an intriguing choice for players seeking the combined benefits of life gain and card advantage in their MTG artifact repertoire.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Urza's Chalice MTG card by a specific set like Antiquities and Masters Edition, 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 Urza's Chalice and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Urza's Chalice Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 1994-03-04 and 2011-01-10. Illustrated by Jeff A. Menges.

#	Released	Name	Code	Number	Frame	Layout	Border	Artist
1	1994-03-04	Antiquities	ATQ	75	1993	Normal	Black	Jeff A. Menges
2	2007-09-10	Masters Edition	ME1	171	1997	Normal	Black	Jeff A. Menges
3	2011-01-10	Masters Edition IV	ME4	236	1997	Normal	Black	Jeff A. Menges

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Urza's Chalice has restrictions

Format	Legality
Oldschool	Legal
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Paupercommander	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Pauper	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Predh	Legal
Penny	Legal

Rules and information

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