Magmatic Chasm MTG Card
2015-03-27 - Number 148
2016-04-08 - Number 172
2023-03-21 - Number 168
| Card sets | Released in 3 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 2 |
| Rarity | Common |
| Type | Sorcery |
Key Takeaways
- Facilitates game-shifting attacks by denying non-fliers the ability to block, potentially swinging the match.
- Quick casting at two mana enhances tempo, keeping pressure on opponents while advancing your strategy.
- Useful in aggressive decks to bypass defenses, ensuring pivotal combat damage connects with the opponent.
Text of card
Creatures without flying can't block this turn.
"Our shamans assert their mastery over the land, thwarting the lesser clans' attempts to stand in the way of our dragonlord." —Allek, Atarka hunter
Card Pros
Card Advantage: While Magmatic Chasm doesn’t directly provide card draw, it impacts the board by allowing a potential sweeping attack unimpeded by opponent’s creatures without flying. This can shift the pace of the game and provide you with a crucial advantage through overwhelming battlefield presence.
Resource Acceleration: Magmatic Chasm is a cost-effective spell at only two mana, enabling quick casting that could accelerate your game plan. It aids in resources allocation by allowing you to use your turns effectively, possibly clearing a path for faster, more damaging swings.
Instant Speed: As a sorcery, Magmatic Chasm is played in your main phase but its effect, preventing creatures without flying from blocking, can set the stage for an instant-like impact during your attack phase. It allows strategic plays that can instantly alter the combat dynamics, catching an opponent unprepared and potentially turning the game in your favor.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: While Magmatic Chasm doesn’t directly ask you to discard a card, it’s important to consider the potential card disadvantage. Playing this card means one less in your hand to react to opponents’ moves or to further your own board state.
Specific Mana Cost: Magmatic Chasm requires a specific red mana to cast. This cost ties it firmly to red decks or those that can reliably produce red mana, potentially excluding it from more varied or color-flexible strategies.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: The mana investment for Magmatic Chasm is two mana. While not exorbitant, in fast-paced games, spending two mana to deny creatures from blocking — without directly advancing your board — can be a significant drawback, especially if the situation doesn’t warrant such an effect.
Reasons to Include in Your Collection
Versatility: Magmatic Chasm offers an effect that can be pivotal in aggressive decks – it prevents blocking. This can turn a tight race into a definitive victory, making it a solid choice for aggressive red strategies looking to bypass defenders.
Combo Potential: When combined with cards that benefit from dealing combat damage to a player, such as those with the prowess mechanic or the raid ability, Magmatic Chasm helps to ensure that those triggers occur, enhancing the overall synergy of your deck.
Meta-Relevance: In a game where creature-heavy decks dominate, being able to declare an unblockable attack can drastically shift the balance. Magmatic Chasm is relevant for its ability to clear the path against decks that rely on a strong defensive line.
How to beat
Magmatic Chasm, while not the most formidable card in the MTG universe, can certainly catch opponents off guard, especially in matches where ground creatures dominate. The sorcery temporarily removes the potential blockers, allowing for a crucial turn where your creatures can attack unhindered. To counteract Magmatic Chasm’s effect, it’s advisable to diversify your defensive line with flying or reach creatures, as these are unaffected by the card’s blocking restriction.
Additionally, instant-speed removal spells are particularly effective against strategies that rely on casting Magmatic Chasm for a winning attack. By holding back removal until the pivotal moment, you can eliminate key attackers regardless of the Chasm’s influence. Counterspells are also a reliable safeguard, as they can prevent the card from being played in the first place, maintaining the status quo of the battlefield. It’s critical to keep up mana for such interventions during the opponent’s turn.
Understanding that Magmatic Chasm is often used to create a game-ending scenario allows you to prepare and adjust your play style accordingly. Prioritizing the preservation of a varied defense with alternative blocking capabilities while keeping removal and counter magic in reserve will equip you to deftly navigate around Magmatic Chasm’s temporary upheaval in the battle dynamic.
Cards like Magmatic Chasm
Magmatic Chasm offers a unique tactical advantage in Magic: The Gathering, providing creatures you control the ability to become unblockable by creatures without flying for a turn. Its closest counterpart is Falter, an older spell with a narrow focus that prevents only creatures without flying from blocking. Magmatic Chasm, however, broadens the horizon and applies to all types of creatures, regardless of their flying status.
Break Through the Line is another spell that shares a bond with our highlighted card, but it operates on a different scale. Instead of affecting all creatures you control, Break Through the Line targets individual creatures and requires an investment for each creature you want to make unblockable. The choice between a selective or blanket effect provides strategic flexibility compared to the all-encompassing approach of Magmatic Chasm.
Tackling these cards from a strategic angle reveals how Magmatic Chasm positions itself as a decisive force. It may not have the targeted precision of Break Through the Line or the historical precedent of Falter, but its broad effect can manifest as a game-changer for players harnessing the power of a ground army, ready to clinch victory in a critical moment.
Cards similar to Magmatic Chasm by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Magmatic Chasm MTG card by a specific set like Dragons of Tarkir and Shadows over Innistrad, 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 Magmatic Chasm and other MTG cards:
- eBay
- TCG Player
- Card Kingdom
- Card Market
- Star City Games
- CoolStuffInc
- MTG Mint Card
- Hareruya
- Troll and Toad
- ABU Games
- Card Hoarder Magic Online
- MTGO Traders Magic Online
See MTG Products
Printings
The Magmatic Chasm Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2015-03-27 and 2023-03-21. Illustrated by 2 different artists.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2015-03-27 | Dragons of Tarkir | DTK | 148 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Volkan Baǵa | |
| 2 | 2016-04-08 | Shadows over Innistrad | SOI | 172 | 2015 | Normal | Black | James Paick | |
| 3 | 2023-03-21 | Shadows over Innistrad Remastered | SIR | 168 | 2015 | Normal | Black | James Paick |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Magmatic Chasm has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Historic | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Gladiator | Legal |
| Pioneer | Legal |
| Commander | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Pauper | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Explorer | Legal |
| Brawl | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
| Timeless | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Magmatic Chasm card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2016-04-08 | Because Magmatic Chasm’s effect doesn’t change the characteristics of any permanents, the set of creatures affected by Magmatic Chasm is constantly updated. Creatures without flying that enter the battlefield later in the turn won’t be able to block. |
