Mischievous Chimera MTG Card


Mischievous Chimera - Theros Beyond Death
Mana cost
Converted mana cost2
RarityUncommon
TypeEnchantment Creature — Chimera
Abilities Flying,Scry
Released2020-01-24
Set symbol
Set nameTheros Beyond Death
Set codeTHB
Power 2
Toughness 2
Number223
Frame2015
Layoutnormal
Borderblack
Illustred byAntonio José Manzanedo

Key Takeaways

  1. Mischievous Chimera promotes card advantage and incessant damage, crucial for spell-heavy MTG decks.
  2. Demands strategic play with potential downsides of a discard requirement and specific mana cost.
  3. Its flexibility and meta-relevance offer deck versatility, impacting gameplay markedly in spell-slinging matches.

Text of card

Flying Whenever you cast your first spell during each opponent's turn, Mischievous Chimera deals 1 damage to each opponent. Scry 1.

Some curiosities are best left alone.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Mischievous Chimera has a synergistic effect that promotes card flow. Each time you cast your first spell during each opponent’s turn, it allows you to scorer a card. This built-in function keeps your hand replenished, ensuring that you rarely run out of options as the game progresses.

Resource Acceleration: This card not only offers card drawing but also deals damage to each opponent, which enhances your resource management by keeping pressure on your opponents’ life totals. This incremental damage can accelerate your path to victory, especially in formats where tempo plays a critical role.

Instant Speed: The trigger of Mischievous Chimera occurs at instant speed, aligning perfectly with decks that capitalize on the versatility of instant-speed interaction. This keeps opponents guessing and wary of committing to plays that might turn disadvantageous against a Chimera trigger. Its ability to function during an opponent’s turn makes it a dynamic tool for controlling the pace of the match.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Playing Mischievous Chimera demands a strategic hand management, as it can trigger a discard action that may force you to lose valuable cards from your hand when you can least afford to.

Specific Mana Cost: Mischievous Chimera’s mana cost requires a mix of blue and red mana, making it less flexible for decks that are not specifically tuned to the Izzet (blue/red) combination or those that struggle with color fixing.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: For an enchantment creature with its capabilities, Mischievous Chimera comes with a relatively high mana cost, which may lead to a slower gameplay and could be considered inefficient compared to other options in the same mana range that may provide immediate impact or more powerful effects.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Mischievous Chimera offers flexibility as it serves a dual role in your deck. This creature is adept at dealing chip damage while also bolstering your hand by drawing you a card whenever you cast your first spell during each opponent’s turn, making it a valuable addition to spell-heavy decks.

Combo Potential: As a source of repeated damage and card draw, Mischievous Chimera can be a crucial part of combos that capitalize on noncreature spells. Its ability to deal damage and cycle through your deck can turn the tides in your favor, especially in decks built to cast multiple spells in quick succession.

Meta-Relevance: With the current emphasis on continuous interactions and spell-slinging, having a card like Mischievous Chimera can apply constant pressure on opponents. It’s particularly effective in environments where players are constructing their turns to cast spells on each other’s turns, keeping the pace of the game in your favor.


How to beat

The Mischievous Chimera presents an interesting challenge in MTG. This blue and red creature from the Theros Beyond Death set can become quite a thorn due to its ability to slowly chip away at your life total while bolstering your opponent’s mana. To effectively handle this creature, timing and card choice are key. Removal spells that can target the Chimera before its triggered ability can stack up damage are invaluable. Cards like Shock or Fatal Push can be cost-effective ways to eliminate the Chimera before it becomes a larger issue.

Alternatively, instant speed interaction is also pivotal. Since the Chimera gains its controller benefits during the pre-combat main phase, instant speed responses after this trigger can mitigate the advantage it could provide. Additionally, countermagic serves as a preventative measure, stopping the Mischievous Chimera from ever hitting the board. Finally, enchantment-based removal can lock the creature down without triggering any “when this creature dies” effects, maintaining board control and tempo in your favor. By prioritizing these solutions, you can keep the Mischievous Chimera in check and maintain your position in the game.


BurnMana Recommendations

Exploring the dynamic essence of Mischievous Chimera brings a fresh angle to MTG deck-building. Whether it’s to harness the synergy of card flow, apply constant pressure with incremental damage, or to fully utilize instant-speed interactions, this card is a strategic masterpiece waiting to be deployed. In considering its nuanced strengths and understanding its manageable weaknesses, it becomes apparent that Mischievous Chimera can be a formidable asset in your MTG strategy. Step up your gameplay and stitch the fabric of your deck’s potential with this versatile card. Dive deeper and join us to expand your collection with purposeful choices that can shape the outcome of your duels.


Cards like Mischievous Chimera

Mischievous Chimera offers a distinctive flair to the blue and red spell casting archetypes in Magic: The Gathering. This card resembles other instants and sorcery matter cards, such as Niv-Mizzet, Parun. Both excel in rewarding players for casting noncreature spells, yet Mischievous Chimera provides these benefits at a much earlier stage in the game owing to its lower mana cost.

Another card worth comparing is the iconic Young Pyromancer, which similarly celebrates the casting of instant and sorcery spells by creating creature tokens. While the Pyromancer focuses on swarming the board with elemental tokens, Mischievous Chimera leans towards direct damage and deck manipulation. We also have Murmuring Mystic, which, like Young Pyromancer, produces tokens—birds in this case. The difference lies in the Chimera’s added ability to scry, aiding in strategic draw optimization unlike the singular token generation of the Mystic.

Each card carves its niche within MTG’s rich tapestry of strategy. In evaluating Mischievous Chimera’s place, its combination of repeatable scrying and damage output provides a robust package for those seeking an early advantage and deck filtering capabilities.

Niv-Mizzet, Parun - MTG Card versions
Young Pyromancer - MTG Card versions
Murmuring Mystic - MTG Card versions
Niv-Mizzet, Parun - Guilds of Ravnica Promos (PGRN)
Young Pyromancer - Magic 2014 (M14)
Murmuring Mystic - Guilds of Ravnica (GRN)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Mischievous Chimera MTG card by a specific set like Theros Beyond Death, 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 Mischievous Chimera and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Mischievous Chimera has restrictions

FormatLegality
HistoricbrawlLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderRestricted
OathbreakerLegal
GladiatorLegal
PioneerLegal
CommanderLegal
ModernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
PennyLegal
TimelessLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2020-01-24 An ability that triggers when you cast a spell resolves before the spell that caused it to trigger. It resolves even if that spell is countered.
2020-01-24 If you have more than one opponent, this ability can trigger once during each of those opponents’ turns.
2020-01-24 In a Two-Headed Giant game, each opposing team loses 2 life and you scry 1.
2020-01-24 In a Two-Headed Giant game, this ability triggers no more than once during each opposing team’s turn.
2020-01-24 This ability triggers only on your very first spell during an opponent’s turn, not the first spell after the card is on the battlefield. If you cast a spell before it’s on the battlefield (including if you cast this card somehow during an opponent’s turn), the ability won’t trigger.
2020-01-24 You scry 1 just once, no matter how many opponents are dealt damage.

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