Nyxathid 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
As this creature enters, choose an opponent. This creature gets -1/-1 for each card in the chosen player's hand.
Complete guide
Nyxathid is a formidable Elemental that offers a massive body for a very low mana cost, provided your opponent's hand is empty. Its power and toughness are dynamic, fluctuating in real-time as the chosen player draws or discards cards. Mastery of this card requires careful timing and hand disruption to keep its stats at their peak.
Choosing Your Mark
As Nyxathid enters the battlefield, you choose an opponent. This is not a triggered ability; it happens 'as' it enters, meaning it does not use the stack and cannot be responded to once the spell begins to resolve. This choice is vital because the creature's second ability specifically tracks that player's hand size for its -1/-1 penalty. Note that if the chosen player leaves a multiplayer game, the penalty no longer applies, as there is no hand to check.
Dynamic Stat Tracking
Nyxathid has a base power and toughness of 7/7. The -1/-1 effect is a continuous effect that updates instantly. If a player draws a card, Nyxathid shrinks immediately; if they discard, it grows. If a spell or ability causes a player to draw then discard, the stats change during the resolution. However, state-based actions are not checked until the entire spell finished resolving, so Nyxathid survives even if its toughness briefly hits zero during that process.
Common Pitfalls
A common mistake involves copy effects. If a creature already on the battlefield becomes a copy of Nyxathid, it will be a 7/7 because a player was never chosen 'as' it entered. The two abilities are linked. Similarly, if you choose a creature type for a card like Roaming Throne, it will not double the choice effect, as Nyxathid uses a replacement effect, not a triggered ability.
Strategic Deployment
Nyxathid is most effective in decks that utilize discard spells to strip the opponent's hand. Because it is a 7/7 for three mana, it can end games quickly if the opponent is low on resources. However, avoid playing it against 'Draw-Go' control decks that maintain a full hand of seven cards, as Nyxathid will enter the battlefield as a 0/0 and immediately be put into the graveyard.
Interaction examples
Solemn SimulacrumIf you have a Nyxathid on the battlefield and your chosen opponent has zero cards in hand, your creature is a 7/7. If that opponent blocks with Solemn Simulacrum and it dies, its triggered ability goes on the stack. When the opponent draws a card, Nyxathid instantly becomes a 6/6 because the -1/-1 penalty is applied immediately upon the card entering their hand.
Roaming ThroneIf you cast Roaming Throne and choose 'Elemental', it will not affect Nyxathid's ability to choose an opponent. Nyxathid's ability is a static ability that creates a replacement effect ('As this creature enters'), not a triggered ability ('When this creature enters'). Therefore, Roaming Throne's doubling effect does not apply to the choice or the stat reduction.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Nyxathid
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· Wizards of the Coast
Nyxathid tracks the hand size of the chosen player even if that player ceases to be an opponent of its controller. (This could happen if that player gains control of Nyxathid, for example.)
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #2· Wizards of the Coast
In a multiplayer game, if the chosen player leaves the game, Nyxathid's second ability simply won't do anything anymore.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #3· Wizards of the Coast
Nyxathid's two abilities are linked: The second one refers only to the player chosen by the first one. If another creature becomes a copy of Nyxathid (due to Mirrorweave, for example), the second ability won't do anything because a player was never chosen as a result of the first ability. This is true even if a different ability allowed a player to be chosen as that creature entered.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #4· Wizards of the Coast
If a spell or ability causes the chosen player to draw cards and then discard cards, Nyxathid's power and toughness changes accordingly as that spell or ability is resolving. For example, if the chosen player has five cards in hand and a spell causes that player to draw two cards then discard two cards, Nyxathid will start out as 2/2, then become 1/1, 0/0, and finally 2/2. This is because cards are always drawn one at a time, but multiple cards may be discarded at once. Although Nyxathid momentarily had 0 toughness while that spell was resolving, it isn't put into its owner's graveyard as a state-based action because state-based actions aren't checked until the spell has finished resolving.
No other card is named in this ruling.
Legal formats
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