Hellkite Hatchling MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 3 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost4
RarityUncommon
TypeCreature — Dragon
Abilities Devour
Power 2
Toughness 2

Key Takeaways

  1. Hellkite Hatchling excels in converting numerous small tokens into a formidable flying creature.
  2. Demands specific mana color combinations, which can limit deck-building options.
  3. Thrives in environments dominated by creature-based decks and synergistic token strategies.

Text of card

Devour 1 (As this comes into play, you may sacrifice any number of creatures. This creature comes into play with that many +1/+1 counters on it.) Hellkite Hatchling has flying and trample if it devoured a creature.

A killing machine from birth.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Hellkite Hatchling comes with devour 1, which provides potential card advantage by converting surplus creatures into power. This allows players to turn less useful creatures on the battlefield into immediate value, making it easier to outpace opponents in terms of board presence.

Resource Acceleration: Although Hellkite Hatchling itself doesn’t directly produce resources, its devour ability synergizes with mechanics that generate creature tokens. This can accelerate your resources by combining small tokens into a more formidable threat, optimizing the use of your available creatures and mana.

Instant Speed: While Hellkite Hatchling is not an instant, it benefits from being played at a time when it can maximize its devour ability. Players can strategically sacrifice creatures in response to an opponent’s actions or at the end of their turn to surprise adversaries with a suddenly larger flyer.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: The Hellkite Hatchling card necessitates the utilization of a discard strategy for optimal performance, known as devouring. This trait may force players to sacrifice desirable creatures simply to empower this creature, which can be counterproductive to your overall strategy if you are not running a specifically designed deck.

Specific Mana Cost: Hellkite Hatchling demands a precise mix of mana, a combination of red and green, along with any two additional mana. This requirement restricts its integration to decks that can reliably produce both types of mana, potentially excluding it from mono-colored or certain dual-colored strategies that don’t align with its color identity.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With an investment of four mana to cast Hellkite Hatchling, players may find the return insufficiently impactful compared to other creatures available at a similar cost. Without additional creatures to devour, its initial size is relatively modest, and it may be overshadowed by creatures that offer immediate value or more imposing board presence right upon entry.


Reasons to Include Hellkite Hatchling in Your Collection

Versatility: Hellkite Hatchling is a dynamic addition that complements decks utilizing creature and power-boosting mechanics. With its potential to grow and the easiness to cast, it can swiftly evolve into a significant threat on the board, perfect for diverse strategies.

Combo Potential: Given its devour ability, this card synergizes with token generation methods, allowing you to sacrifice spawned creatures for a much larger and more menacing dragon, thus bolstering your board presence significantly.

Meta-Relevance: In an environment filled with creature-based decks, Hellkite Hatchling offers a strategic edge. It can quickly become a powerhouse with the right setup, making it a worthy competitor against other prevalent creature-oriented strategies.


How to beat

Hellkite Hatchling is a unique creature in the world of Magic: The Gathering, bringing an intriguing mechanic to the table with its devour ability. This card can swiftly become a threatening foe on the battlefield when fueled by other creatures to beef up its power and toughness. To effectively neutralize this burgeoning threat, strategic removal is key.

Instant-speed removal spells are the optimum strategy against Hellkite Hatchling. By deploying cards like Path to Exile or Rapid Hybridization at the right moment, preferably when your opponent sacrifices creatures to its devour ability, you can eliminate the Hatchling before it grows too powerful. It’s vital to act swiftly, disrupting the opponent’s play without letting the Hatchling’s presence dictate the flow of the game.

In essence, while Hellkite Hatchling has the potential to tip the scales with its size-increasing ability, its dependency on other creatures leaves it vulnerable to well-timed removal tactics, making it manageable with a bit of foresight and the right cards in your deck.


Cards like Hellkite Hatchling

Hellkite Hatchling is a creature card that has its own unique space in MTG. With its devour ability, it can grow to be quite powerful by consuming other creatures as it enters the battlefield. It’s an intriguing mechanic similar to that seen on creatures like Thromok the Insatiable, which also gets bigger for each creature devoured upon entry. Yet, Hellkite Hatchling’s lower casting cost makes it more accessible in the early game stages compared to its more mana-intense counterpart.

Another card worth mentioning is Voracious Dragon, which also carries the torch for the devour ability in red’s dragon arsenal. Although Voracious Dragon demands a higher mana investment, it compensates with a direct damage ability that can be a game finisher. Unlike Hellkite Hatchling, the Voracious Dragon requires tactical play to capitalize on its strengths effectively.

The balance between cost, potential power, and additional abilities is what sets Hellkite Hatchling apart in MTG. Its adaptability in decks focusing on token generation makes it an attractive choice, offering a versatile strategy for players enjoying Red-Green archetypes.

Thromok the Insatiable - MTG Card versions
Voracious Dragon - MTG Card versions
Thromok the Insatiable - Planechase 2012 (PC2)
Voracious Dragon - Conflux (CON)

Cards similar to Hellkite Hatchling by color, type and mana cost

Tuknir Deathlock - MTG Card versions
Jungle Patrol - MTG Card versions
Yavimaya Kavu - MTG Card versions
Voracious Cobra - MTG Card versions
Sparkcaster - MTG Card versions
Chishiro, the Shattered Blade - MTG Card versions
Hans Eriksson - MTG Card versions
Bloodbraid Elf - MTG Card versions
Goblin Clearcutter - MTG Card versions
Giant Solifuge - MTG Card versions
Gruul Scrapper - MTG Card versions
Rumbling Slum - MTG Card versions
Yule Ooze - MTG Card versions
Rosheen Meanderer - MTG Card versions
Thorn-Thrash Viashino - MTG Card versions
Rhox Brute - MTG Card versions
Spellbreaker Behemoth - MTG Card versions
Huntmaster of the Fells // Ravager of the Fells - MTG Card versions
Polis Crusher - MTG Card versions
Kird Chieftain - MTG Card versions
Tuknir Deathlock - Legends (LEG)
Jungle Patrol - Mirage (MIR)
Yavimaya Kavu - Invasion (INV)
Voracious Cobra - Invasion (INV)
Sparkcaster - Planeshift (PLS)
Chishiro, the Shattered Blade - Neon Dynasty Commander (NEC)
Hans Eriksson - Commander Legends (CMR)
Bloodbraid Elf - Secret Lair 30th Anniversary Countdown Kit (SLC)
Goblin Clearcutter - Legions (LGN)
Giant Solifuge - RNA Guild Kit (GK2)
Gruul Scrapper - Guildpact (GPT)
Rumbling Slum - Planechase (HOP)
Yule Ooze - Happy Holidays (HHO)
Rosheen Meanderer - Mystery Booster (MB1)
Thorn-Thrash Viashino - Planechase Anthology (PCA)
Rhox Brute - Battlebond (BBD)
Spellbreaker Behemoth - Commander 2013 (C13)
Huntmaster of the Fells // Ravager of the Fells - Dark Ascension (DKA)
Polis Crusher - Theros (THS)
Kird Chieftain - Magic 2015 (M15)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Hellkite Hatchling MTG card by a specific set like Conflux and Planechase 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 Hellkite Hatchling and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Hellkite Hatchling Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2009-02-06 and 2016-11-25. Illustrated by Daarken.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12009-02-06ConfluxCON 1112003normalblackDaarken
22012-06-01Planechase 2012PC2 952003normalblackDaarken
32016-11-25Planechase AnthologyPCA 952015normalblackDaarken

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Hellkite Hatchling has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderRestricted
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal
PennyLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2009-02-01 Hellkite Hatchling has flying and trample if at least one creature was sacrificed as a result of the Hatchling’s devour ability as it entered the battlefield. It retains those abilities even if its +1/+1 counters are somehow removed.
2009-02-01 If another creature becomes a copy of Hellkite Hatchling (due to Mirrorweave, for example), the second ability checks to see whether that creature — not the original Hellkite Hatchling — devoured a creature as it entered the battlefield.

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