Chilling Apparition MTG Card


Chilling Apparition - Prophecy
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityUncommon
TypeCreature — Spirit
Released2000-06-05
Set symbol
Set nameProphecy
Set codePCY
Power 1
Toughness 1
Number59
Frame1997
Layoutnormal
Borderblack
Illustred byRon Spears

Key Takeaways

  1. Instant speed play allows strategic flexibility, enhancing your ability to respond to opponents’ moves.
  2. Demands discarding a card, which can hinder hand-size and affect play efficiency in crucial moments.
  3. Versatility and combo potential make it a valuable addition to decks focused on control and disruption.

Text of card

oo B Regenerate Chilling Apparition. Whenever Chilling Apparition deals combat damage to a player, that player discards a card from his or her hand.

Mortal minds shrivel at its touch.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Chilling Apparition has the unique ability to disrupt your opponent’s hand while granting you the potential to draw more cards. This dual benefit intensifies the pressure on your adversary while increasing your resources.

Resource Acceleration: While not directly a source of mana acceleration, Chilling Apparition can indirectly speed up your resource gain. By forcing the opponent to make unfavorable discards, you pave the way to a more unobstructed game state, thus quickening your stride towards victory.

Instant Speed: The ability to play Chilling Apparition at instant speed provides strategic flexibility, allowing you to react to opponents’ moves effectively. This can catch an opponent off guard, disrupt their plans during their turn, and keep your options open until just the right moment.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Chilling Apparition forces a player to discard a card when you want to utilize its full potential. This can be challenging, especially if you are already struggling to maintain a good hand size and need every card to make your plays effective.

Specific Mana Cost: When constructing your deck, keep in mind that the card requires both black and generic mana to cast. This means it fits primarily into mono-black or multicolor decks with a black component, potentially limiting its flexibility across various deck types.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost that includes three mana, two of which must be black, Chilling Apparition can be quite mana-intensive compared to other creatures of a similar level. This may slow down your game, particularly in the earlier stages when mana resources are more critical.


Reasons to Include Chilling Apparition in Your Collection

Versatility: Chilling Apparition is an effective card for decks that aim for creature control. Its ability to grow stronger every time it deals damage to a player can turn it into a significant threat over time, regardless of the deck archetype it’s included in.

Combo Potential: This card has a natural synergy with strategies that focus on recurring creatures from the graveyard or using discard mechanics. Combine it with cards that force your opponent to discard, and you amplify its intimidation factor each turn.

Meta-Relevance: In a game where player interaction is crucial, a card like Chilling Apparition can pressure opponents in formats where creature-based tactics are common. Its recurring nature makes it a resilient piece in various metagames, helping to maintain a board presence and apply consistent pressure.


How to beat

Chilling Apparition presents a unique set of challenges in the realm of MTG due to its ability to return to a player’s hand when destroyed. Coupling this with its ability to grow stronger by discarding a creature card makes it a tricky card to permanently remove from the game. To effectively counter this spectral threat, players may focus on using exile effects or spells that don’t target directly, bypassing the apparition’s return mechanic. Cards that force a player to sacrifice a creature can be particularly potent as they leave the decision of what creature to sacrifice to the opponent, potentially stranding the apparition in the graveyard. Furthermore, leveraging graveyard disruption ensures that once the apparition hits the graveyard, it stays there. This strategy not only works against Chilling Apparition but also mitigates the recurrence of any creature with a similar resiliency.

In practice, spells like Path to Exile or exile-based board wipes can be transformative in these confrontations. Additionally, repeatable grave hate, such as Relic of Progenitus, can continuously control the graveyard and undermine the recurring nature of Chilling Apparition. Strategically, patient and careful removal will ensure your victory over this haunting presence on the battlefield.


Cards like Chilling Apparition

In the realm of Magic: The Gathering, Chilling Apparition brings an intriguing twist to the field of ghostly creatures. Morbid Plunder is a card that comes to mind when pondering similar functionality, being able to return creatures from the graveyard to hand. While Morbid Plunder is strictly concerned with retrieval, Chilling Apparition integrates a subtle offensive ability, allowing you to slowly whittle down your opponent’s deck each time it’s targeted. This makes it a persistent threat beyond its raw stats.

Gravedigger also enters the conversation with its creature recovery ability. It provides a body on the field along with its effect, much like Chilling Apparition. Yet, Gravedigger doesn’t carry the ongoing deck-disruption potential. On the defensive end, we have Phantom General, which bolsters your spectral forces, providing a buff to creature’s power and toughness — a different kind of support compared to Chilling Apparition’s unique deck-attacking utility.

Evaluating Chilling Apparition alongside these cards showcases its multifaceted nature — not just recovering resources like Morbid Plunder or Gravedigger, nor solely enhancing your creatures like Phantom General, but applying consistent, opponent deck erosion, carving a niche for itself in any strategic setup emphasizing disruption in Magic: The Gathering.

Morbid Plunder - MTG Card versions
Gravedigger - MTG Card versions
Phantom General - MTG Card versions
Morbid Plunder - Mirrodin Besieged (MBS)
Gravedigger - Portal (POR)
Phantom General - Return to Ravnica (RTR)

Cards similar to Chilling Apparition by color, type and mana cost

Nettling Imp - MTG Card versions
Royal Assassin - MTG Card versions
Plague Rats - 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 Lasher - MTG Card versions
Nim Abomination - MTG Card versions
Vesper Ghoul - MTG Card versions
Hypnotic Specter - MTG Card versions
Nettling Imp - Limited Edition Alpha (LEA)
Royal Assassin - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Plague Rats - Foreign Black Border (FBB)
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 Lasher - Mirrodin (MRD)
Nim Abomination - Darksteel (DST)
Vesper Ghoul - Salvat 2005 (PSAL)
Hypnotic Specter - Magic Player Rewards 2006 (P06)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Chilling Apparition MTG card by a specific set like Prophecy, 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 Chilling Apparition and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Chilling Apparition has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderRestricted
OathbreakerLegal
PremodernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal

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