Chthonian Nightmare is one of those cards players keep asking about. Here is, in plain words, what its official text says, the rulings published by Wizards of the Coast, and the combos players actually run.
Official card text
When this enchantment enters, you get(three energy counters). Pay X
How it works : Chthonian Nightmare
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· Wizards of the Coast
Chthonian Nightmare's last ability must have a target to be activated. You can't activate it without a target in order to return Chthonian Nightmare to your hand.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #2· Wizards of the Coast
If a card in your graveyard has
in its mana cost, X is 0 when determining its mana value.No other card is named in this ruling.
- #3· Wizards of the Coast is the energy symbol. It represents one energy counter.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #4· Wizards of the Coast
Energy counters are a kind of counter that a player may have. They're not associated with any specific permanents.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #5· Wizards of the Coast
Keep track of how many energy counters each player has. Potential ways to track this include writing theme down on paper or using dice, but any method that is clear and mutually agreeable is fine. (At higher levels of tournament play, dice may not be allowed for tracking counters that players have.)
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #6· Wizards of the Coast
If an effect says you get one or more
, you get that many energy counters. To pay one or more , you lose that many energy counters. You can't pay more energy counters than you have. Any effects that interact with counters a player gets, has, or loses can interact with energy counters.No other card is named in this ruling.
- #7· Wizards of the Coast
Energy counters aren't mana. They don't go away as steps, phases, and turns end, and effects that add mana "of any type" can't give you energy counters.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #8· Wizards of the Coast
Some triggered abilities state that you "may pay" a certain amount of
. You can't pay that amount multiple times to multiply the effect. You simply choose whether or not to pay that amount of as the ability resolves.No other card is named in this ruling.
- #9· Wizards of the Coast
Some triggered abilities that state that you "may pay" a certain amount of
describe an effect that happens "If you do." In that case, no player may take actions to try to stop the ability's effect after you make your choice. If the payment is followed by the phrase "When you do," then you'll choose any targets for that reflexive triggered ability and put it on the stack before players can take actions.No other card is named in this ruling.
- #10· Wizards of the Coast
If a spell or ability with one or more targets states that you "may pay" some amount of
, and each permanent that it targets has become an illegal target, the spell or ability won't resolve. You can't pay any even if you want to.No other card is named in this ruling.
- #11· Wizards of the Coast
Some spells and abilities that give you
may require targets. If each target chosen is an illegal target as that spell or ability tries to resolve, it won't resolve. You won't get any .No other card is named in this ruling.
Popular combos
Real combos played by the community, sorted by popularity.
Chthonian Nightmare + Pitiless Plunderer + Shambling Ghast + Greedy Freebooter
- 1Cast Chthonian Nightmare by paying
. - 2When Chthonian Nightmare enters the battlefield, it triggers, causing you to get .
- 3Activate Chthonian Nightmare by paying an amount of , sacrificing Greedy Freebooter or Shambling Ghast and returning Chthonian Nightmare from the battlefield to your hand.
- 4When Greedy Freebooter or Shambling Ghast dies, it and Pitiless Plunderer trigger, creating two Treasure tokens.
- 5Resolve the Chthonian Nightmare ability, returning either Greedy Freebooter or Shambling Ghast from your graveyard to the battlefield.
- 6Activate the Treasures by tapping and sacrificing them, adding .
- 7Repeat.
Chthonian Nightmare + Priest of Gix + Greedy Freebooter
- 1Activate Chthonian Nightmare by paying , sacrificing Greedy Freebooter and returning Chthonian Nightmare from the battlefield to your hand.
- 2When Greedy Freebooter dies, it triggers, creating a Treasure token and causing you to scry 1.
- 3Resolve the Chthonian Nightmare ability, returning Priest of Gix from your graveyard to the battlefield.
- 4When Priest of Gix enters the battlefield, it triggers, adding .
- 5Activate the Treasure by tapping and sacrificing it, adding .
- 6Cast Chthonian Nightmare by paying .
- 7When Chthonian Nightmare enters the battlefield, it triggers, causing you to get .
- 8Activate Chthonian Nightmare by paying , sacrificing Priest of Gix and returning Chthonian Nightmare from the battlefield to your hand, returning Greedy Freebooter from your graveyard to the battlefield.
Chthonian Nightmare + Priest of Gix + Pitiless Plunderer
- 1Activate Chthonian Nightmare by paying , sacrificing a creature with mana value 3 or less and returning Chthonian Nightmare from the battlefield to your hand.
- 2When the creature dies, Pitiless Plunderer triggers, creating a Treasure token.
- 3Resolve the Chthonian Nightmare ability, returning Priest of Gix from your graveyard to the battlefield.
- 4When Priest of Gix enters the battlefield, it triggers, adding .
- 5Activate the Treasure by tapping and sacrificing it, adding .
- 6Cast Chthonian Nightmare by paying .
- 7When Chthonian Nightmare enters the battlefield, it triggers, causing you to get .
- 8Activate Chthonian Nightmare by paying at most , sacrificing Priest of Gix and returning Chthonian Nightmare from the battlefield to your hand.
Chthonian Nightmare + Priest of Gix + Shambling Ghast
- 1Activate Chthonian Nightmare by paying , sacrificing Shambling Ghast and returning Chthonian Nightmare from the battlefield to your hand.
- 2When Shambling Ghast dies, it triggers, creating a Treasure token.
- 3Resolve the Chthonian Nightmare ability, returning Priest of Gix from your graveyard to the battlefield.
- 4When Priest of Gix enters the battlefield, it triggers, adding .
- 5Activate the Treasure by tapping and sacrificing it, adding .
- 6Cast Chthonian Nightmare by paying .
- 7When Chthonian Nightmare enters the battlefield, it triggers, causing you to get .
- 8Activate Chthonian Nightmare by paying , sacrificing Priest of Gix and returning Chthonian Nightmare from the battlefield to your hand, returning Shambling Ghast from your graveyard to the battlefield.
Chthonian Nightmare + Priest of Gix + Priest of Urabrask
- 1Activate Chthonian Nightmare by paying , sacrificing Priest of Urabrask and returning Chthonian Nightmare from the battlefield to your hand, returning Priest of Gix from your graveyard to the battlefield.
- 2When Priest of Gix enters the battlefield, it triggers, adding .
- 3Cast Chthonian Nightmare by paying .
- 4When Chthonian Nightmare enters the battlefield, it triggers, causing you to get .
- 5Activate Chthonian Nightmare by paying , sacrificing Priest of Gix and returning Chthonian Nightmare from the battlefield to your hand, returning Priest of Urabrask from your graveyard to the battlefield.
- 6When Priest of Urabrask enters the battlefield, it triggers, adding
. - 7Cast Chthonian Nightmare by paying .
- 8When Chthonian Nightmare enters the battlefield, it triggers, causing you to get .
Chthonian Nightmare + Greedy Freebooter + Shambling Ghast + Jet Medallion
- 1Cast Chthonian Nightmare by paying .
- 2When Chthonian Nightmare enters the battlefield, it triggers, causing you to get .
- 3Activate Chthonian Nightmare by paying , sacrificing Greedy Freebooter and returning Chthonian Nightmare from the battlefield to your hand.
- 4When Greedy Freebooter dies, it triggers, causing you to scry 1 and create a Treasure token.
- 5Resolve the Chthonian Nightmare ability, returning Shambling Ghast from your graveyard to the battlefield.
- 6Activate the Treasure by tapping and sacrificing it, adding .
- 7Cast Chthonian Nightmare by paying .
- 8When Chthonian Nightmare enters the battlefield, it triggers, causing you to get .
Chthonian Nightmare + Pawn of Ulamog + Shambling Ghast + Greedy Freebooter
- 1Cast Chthonian Nightmare by paying .
- 2When Chthonian Nightmare enters the battlefield, it triggers, causing you to get .
- 3Activate Chthonian Nightmare by paying an amount of , sacrificing Greedy Freebooter or Shambling Ghast and returning Chthonian Nightmare from the battlefield to your hand.
- 4When Greedy Freebooter or Shambling Ghast dies, it and Pawn of Ulamog trigger.
- 5Resolve the Greedy Freebooter or Shambling Ghast trigger, creating a Treasure token.
- 6Resolve the Pawn of Ulamog trigger, creating a 0/1 Eldrazi Spawn creature token.
- 7Resolve the Chthonian Nightmare ability, returning either Greedy Freebooter or Shambling Ghast from your graveyard to the battlefield.
- 8Activate the Eldrazi Spawn by sacrificing it, adding
.
Pitiless Plunderer + Wriggling Grub + Chthonian Nightmare + Viscera Seer
- 1Cast Chthonian Nightmare by paying .
- 2When Chthonian Nightmare enters the battlefield, it triggers, causing you to get .
- 3Activate Chthonian Nightmare by paying , sacrificing another creature and returning Chthonian Nightmare from the battlefield to your hand.
- 4When the creature dies, Pitiless Plunderer triggers, creating a Treasure token.
- 5Resolve the Chthonian Nightmare ability, returning Wriggling Grub from your graveyard to the battlefield.
- 6Activate Viscera Seer by sacrificing Wriggling Grub.
- 7When Wriggling Grub dies, it and Pitiless Plunderer trigger.
- 8Resolve the Wriggling Grub trigger, creating two 1/1 Worm creature tokens.
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Meta decks with Chthonian Nightmare
No archived Top 8 deck with this card yet.