These changes are marked using the new game mechanic of keyword counters. Vadrok, Apex Of Thunder is the perfect mix of a mutate commander and a spellslinger one. They mutate into the creature on top plus all abilities from under it. 1x Fabled Passage. A merged creature can't be split apart until it leaves the battlefield. Kathril, Aspect Warper{2}{W}{B}{G}Legendary Creature Nightmare Insect3/3When Kathril, Aspect Warper enters the battlefield, put a flying counter on any creature you control if a creature card in your graveyard has flying. Souvenir Snatcher{4}{U}Creature Bird4/4Mutate {5}{U} (If you cast this spell for its mutate cost, put it over or under target non-Human creature you own. That includes a few of the Arcbound creatures, to include Arcbound Ravager. If the target is legal but not destroyed (most likely because it has indestructible), its controller does create a Beast token. Parasitic Impetus causes you to gain life, not the attacking creature's controller. Most games youll just be mutating Nethroi with a full graveyard and popping off. Luminous Broodmoth{2}{W}{W}Creature Insect3/4FlyingWhenever a creature you control without flying dies, return it to the battlefield under its owner's control with a flying counter on it. Glademuse{2}{G}Creature Beast2/4Whenever a player casts a spell, if it's not their turn, that player draws a card. Necropanther{1}{W}{B}Creature Cat Nightmare3/3Mutate {2}{w/b}{w/b} (If you cast this spell for its mutate cost, put it over or under target non-Human creature you own. Its #1 on my list because its the one Im most excited about brewing with. It only takes a minute to sign up. Aside from video games, he also has an avid interest in trading card games, namely Yu-Gi-Oh and Magic the Gathering. Mythos of Brokkos{2}{G}{G}SorceryIf {U}{B} was spent to cast this spell, search your library for a card, put that card into your graveyard, then shuffle your library.Return up to two permanent cards from your graveyard to your hand. Having grown up around video games and being raised on them, his knowledge of video games is as high as it can be. Channeled Force deals X damage to up to one target creature or planeswalker. Ikoria is a world of monsters that are constantly trying to adapt to become the strongest. These are copiable values of the token that other effects may copy. To make it into the Top 10, a card had to be broadly useful. The top card of your library isn't in your hand, so you can't cycle it, discard it, or activate any of its activated abilities. It will be good enough if you gain control of one artifact with Souvenir Snatcher, but why stop there? This may result in a creature's death bringing itself back to your hand; perhaps it was one card of a merged creature, or it had become a copy of a more expensive creature. By clicking OK, I agree, you consent to optional cookies. If Chevill leaves the battlefield before that permanent dies, Chevill's last ability won't be around to trigger. If youre inclined toward infinite combos, you could Entomb for Mikaeus, the Unhallowed and Triskelion. Effects that modify the affected creature's power or toughness without setting it will apply no matter when they started to take effect. If Kelsien leaves the battlefield, you keep any experience counters you've received. You may look at and play those cards for as long as they remain exiled. Some keyword abilities are activated abilities and will have colons in their reminder text. text-decoration: none; Sudden Spinnerets{G}InstantTarget creature gets +1/+3 until end of turn. For example, it could target ten 1/1 creature cards, two 5/5 creature cards, and so on. Go to Magic.Wizards.com/Commander for more information on the Commander variant. Undying is a keyword that brings dead creatures back to the battlefield with a +1/+1 counter if they died without one. When you mutate it, if you mutate on top of the token, you will be able to make another token as it will no longer fall under the legendary rule. For example, you could choose an artifact creature as the artifact you keep and also as the creature you keep. You can choose to not put a permanent card onto the battlefield this way. But if your mutated creature is flickered and returned to the battlefield then all of your mutations come back as their own creature rather than as the pseudo-aura they once were. If a card is played later that returns all permanents to their owner, would it split off or still remain on the bottom? Also ignore whether the creature has an ability such as indestructible that will result in it not being destroyed by this damage. If a creature is required to block a creature with menace, another creature must also block that creature if able. Illuna, Apex Of Wishes is a Temur (green/blue/red) commander, which has no shortage of high mana powerful permanents that you'll want to be cheating out with Illuna. You can finish casting it as normal. font-size: 3em; Repeated instances of paying the mutate cost will get expensive (especially with the double blue requirement), but fortunately youre in a color that has some bounce capability. If the target player is an illegal target by the time Ukkima's last ability tries to resolve, the ability won't resolve. As a mutating creature spell begins to resolve, check whether its target is still legal. An ability that triggers when a player casts a spell resolves before the spell that caused it to trigger. In this article, Ill explain everything you need to know about the mechanic, including: Mutate is an alternative casting cost that appears on creatures. If the creature on top of your Mutate pile is a token, then the Mutated Creature is considered a Token. Kalamax, the Stormsire{1}{G}{U}{R}Legendary Creature Elemental Dinosaur4/4Whenever you cast your first instant spell each turn, if Kalamax, the Stormsire is tapped, copy that spell. [2][3][4][5] It allows two or more permanents to merge. As evolution runs haywire across Ikoria, some creatures are finding themselves not simply adapting to the new dangers around them, but merging with them to become bigger, better, and more dangerous than ever before. 7x Forest. DOCX PDF TXT Nothing can happen between the two, and no player may choose to take actions. Parcelbeast offers great value, and a 2/4 with card advantage abilities for is a great deal. There are also unique interactions with cards during mutations that give you bonus effects every time a permanent mutates, which can get out of control very quickly. The token copies exactly what is printed on the permanent and nothing else (unless that permanent is copying something else or is a token; see below). A token that is a copy of another object has the same converted mana cost as that object. It continues to resolve as a normal creature spell and, A mutating creature spell that resolves doesn't enter the battlefield. )When you cycle Avian Oddity, put a flying counter on target creature you control. Card Game Base 2023. The player Capricopian becomes attacking may activate its ability, perhaps sending Capricopian right back towards its original destination. The value of X is locked in as you divide the damage while putting Ravenous Gigantotherium's ability onto the stack. You won't lose the game if your life total is 0 in between these two events. How does protection work? Tatsunari, Toad Rider is a commander that ensures you will always have a creature to mutate. The rules for mutate say: 702.139a Mutate appears on some creature cards. You won't gain any life. You must reveal exactly one card to cast Charge of the Forever-Beast; you can't cast it without revealing a card, and you can't reveal additional cards. The ability checks what mana was actually spent to cast a spell. Spike Feeder; Spike Weaver; Ghave, Guru of Spores; and one of my old favorites, Phantom Nishoba, all apply. All players will see what the card is if you put it into your hand. Allowing your opponent to mutate first and then using a kill spell is always at least a 2-for-1, maybe more. Oops. Kinnan doesn't care about any restrictions or riders the nonland permanent put on the mana it produced. If a replacement effect causes a player to exile the top four cards of their library instead of putting them into their graveyard as Gyruda's triggered ability resolves, the creature card you choose may be one of those cards in exile. As you cast Back for More, it targets only a creature card in your graveyard. Archipelagore's triggered ability can target a creature that's already tapped. Heroic is an incredible ability to have on your creature, especially if your deck revolves around triggering mutate since heroic goes off as well. The Commander VS crew try to settle the question in a battle of the creature subtypes. 1 AutoModerator 3 yr. ago You'll still pay all costs for that spell, including additional costs. The number of counters given by Boneyard Mycodrax's scavenge ability is its power as it last existed in your graveyard before exiling it. You'll put it into your hand without revealing it and without saying whether it was a permanent card. You won't gain 2 life. Click on the appropriate button depending on which creature you want to be on top. RELATED: Strongest Human Tribal Commanders In Magic: The Gathering. The copies that Kalamax's first ability creates are created on the stack, so they're not "cast." So are we yet aware of how mutate and the command zone works. Since it's a non-Human, you can mutate Animar, Soul Of Elements, and give the creature protection from white and black, two of the colors with the most removal spells. You won't return the exiled attacking creature. If I mutate something on top of a Vampire, and then cast a spell that affects Vampires I control, does the mutated creature keep the Vampire type and therefore the buff? If you have a third, you get three additional copies, and so on. Tidal Barracuda's first ability doesn't grant flash to any objects. While the cards exiled stay exiled, this generally doesn't matter when you can cheat out a game-ending permanent. (Mutating onto the creature won't give it new abilities. The creature doesn't gain protection from colorless. Keyword counters on The Ozolith will grant it keywords that may have no practical effect. The controller of a copy can't choose to pay any alternative or additional costs for the copy. Once you announce that you're casting Tentative Connection, no player may take actions until the spell has been paid for. A spell or ability that counters spells can still target spells with flash you cast. If it's been under its controller's control since their most recent turn began, it can attack and {T}. This deck has a lot of interactions and combos to help you generate advantage. Mutate represents an alternative cost. Otherwise, put a +1/+1 counter on a creature you control. It's not mutated at this point, and it also doesn't count as a commander (since commanderness isn't copiable). If the merged creature has any abilities referring to it by name, such as that of, An ability that triggers "whenever this creature mutates" triggers when a mutating creature spell becomes part of the merged. If a card in a player's library has {X} in its mana cost, X is considered to be 0. Mutate in MTG: Rules, History, and Best Cards. (If this creature isn't monstrous, put X +1/+1 counters on it and it becomes monstrous. They may also have additional types, as long as each creature card is at least one of those five. If you cast a spell from your graveyard using another permission, Lurrus's effect doesn't apply. If a creature with +1/+1 counters on it receives an equal number of -1/-1 counters and this causes it to be destroyed by lethal damage or put into its owner's graveyard for having 0 or less toughness, Nikara's last ability triggers. If that creature card has flash, you'll be able to cast it any time you could cast an instant, even on an opponent's turn. If that sounds like you, then youre in luck. Narset of the Ancient Way{1}{U}{R}{W}Legendary Planeswalker Narset4+1: You gain 2 life. For example, you can't exile more than four cards from your graveyard to cast Ethereal Forager unless another effect raises its cost. Charge of the Forever-Beast{2}{G}SorceryAs an additional cost to cast this spell, reveal a creature card from your hand.Charge of the Forever-Beast deals damage to target creature or planeswalker equal to the revealed card's power. It will still let the ability distribute counters. Weve yet to see the mechanic on any newly minted cards, confirming it isnt an evergreen mechanic. If an effect such as that of Ravenous Gigantotherium asks you to divide damage among targets, you must divide the unmodified damage before doubling it. In a Two-Headed Giant game, Drannith Stinger's first ability causes the opposing team to lose 2 life. As I suggested with Illuna, The Ozolith might have some game here as well. Knowing what that card is becomes part of the information you have access to, just like you can look at the cards in your hand. In casual play, it's simply a card you own that's not in your starting deck. Mutate states: If you cast this spell for its mutate cost, put it over or under target non-Human creature you own. Im considering returning Cloudstone Curio to my Animar deck, and if I do, Migratory Greathorn could make an appearance. So I have a creature that is already mutated. As this happens, the controller of the mutating creature spell chooses whether to put it on top of the target creature or on bottom. You can still castcreatures with Mutate for their normal casting cost if it suits you better. If a creature with trample you control would deal combat damage to a blocking creature while you control Obosh, you must assign its unmodified damage. Eon Frolicker{2}{U}{U}Creature Elemental Otter5/5FlyingWhen Eon Frolicker enters the battlefield, if you cast it, target opponent takes an extra turn after this one. Sure, youre only getting back a permanent, but its in colors that really like permanents. It won't cause Voracious Greatshark to counter itself. Yorion, Sky Nomad{3}{w/u}{w/u}Legendary Creature Bird Serpent4/5Companion Your starting deck contains at least twenty cards more than the minimum deck size. The converted mana cost of the spell remains unchanged, no matter what the total cost to cast it was. Its very much the kind of niche thing that the format allows for and to some extent encourages. Only the player Capricopian is attacking may activate this ability and only during the declare attackers step. Witch-Maw 62 decks. After the token is on the battlefield but before any player can take actions, +1/+1 counters are put onto the token. You can decide to assign combat damage to the defending player or planeswalker even if the blocking creature has protection from green or other damage prevention effects applying to it. The mutated creature is considered a single creature, which entered the battlefield this turn. The first is a triggered ability: "When this permanent enters the battlefield, target player may search their library for a card named [name], reveal it, put it into their hand, then shuffle their library.". If you don't put the top card of your library onto the battlefield, you put it into your hand without revealing it. Necessary cookies can be opted out through your browser settings. Startling Development{1}{U}InstantUntil end of turn, target creature becomes a blue Serpent with base power and toughness 4/4.Cycling {1} ({1}, Discard this card: Draw a card.). If the chosen target is an illegal target by the time Zenith Flare tries to resolve, the spell won't resolve. Toothy, Imaginary Friend and Pir, Imaginative Rascal fit right into the theme as well (although Pir is a Human and cant be mutated). Mutate is a keyword that lets you cast a spell for its mutate cost, placing it either under or on top of a non-Human creature. Escape Protocol{1}{U}EnchantmentWhenever you cycle a card, you may pay {1}. If the permanent you control targeted by the target spell leaves the battlefield, that spell is no longer a legal target for Keep Safe. If it's a land card, you may put it onto the battlefield. For example, a 2/2 creature with a flying counter on it will lose that counter while it's a 0/0 creature before it dies. If an effect, such as that of Doubling Season, causes Zaxara's ability to create multiple Hydra tokens, they each receive X +1/+1 counters. Any abilities that trigger as the permanents enter the battlefield this way won't be put onto the stack until after Genesis Ultimatum has finished resolving and is in exile. If the creature is already monstrous when the monstrosity ability resolves, nothing happens. They're generally written "[Cost]: [Effect]." Shuffle that card into your library. Saffi Eriksdotter and Karmic Guide can start your list, but low-power, high-value cards like Blood Artist, Suture Priest, and Duplicant make the cut. It doesn't copy any information about the object the card was before it was put into your graveyard. You can't choose to pay any additional costs for the copy created by Kalamax's first ability. EDH Recommendations and strategy content for Magic: the Gathering Commander . )Whenever enchanted creature attacks, you scry 2. That creature will have all the characteristics of the top card, and it will also have the abilities of every card underneath. If you want the best Commanders for a Mutate deck, take a peek at the best cards for the job in Magic: The Gathering. Similarly, its second ability triggers even if the creature spell with mutate was cast for a cost other than its mutate cost. Ravenous Gigantotherium{5}{G}{G}Creature Beast3/3Devour 3 (As this enters the battlefield, you may sacrifice any number of creatures. Exile it at the beginning of the next end step. If Species Specialist happens to have the chosen creature type, its ability triggers when it dies. If the target opponent controls no creatures, they won't put a deathtouch counter on any creature. They mutate into the creature on top plus all abilities from under it. Although the Human is an attacking creature, it was never declared as an attacking creature. You can mutate onto them while theyre face down, then still be able to turn them face up for even more value. While resolving Savai Thundermane's triggered ability, you can't pay {2} more than once to have it deal more damage or gain more life. margin-right: 0.2em; If your life total is brought to 0 or less at the same time that a creature with a bounty counter on it is dealt lethal damage, you lose the game before the last ability goes on the stack. It doesn't have to be attacking the same player or planeswalker that Fireflux Squad or the exiled creature was attacking. Note the specific wording of the oracle text here; this ability triggers whenever the creature mutates which means you could repeatedly bring creatures back from the grave. They won't stop the creature you find from entering the battlefield attacking. It can't be spent to pay the costs of abilities of creatures you control. .decklist-database-area{ DOC Download Links:English | ,; | ,; | Franais | DeutschItaliano | | | Portugus | | Espaol. In the end, the very low mutate cost appealed to me. If a spell or ability causes an opponent to put cards into their hand without specifically using the word "draw," it's not a card drawn. All other rules and effects that check power or toughness use the actual values. If an effect allows you to cast a spell without paying its mana cost, you can't choose to cast it and pay unless another rule or effect allows you to cast that spell for a cost. You determine whether you draw a card or put a +1/+1 counter only as Primal Empathy's triggered ability begins resolving. rev2023.3.3.43278. But thats just me. Players can't change how many counters it gives out after you've activated the ability by changing what's in your graveyard. A permanent with a keyword counter on it has that keyword. You may choose zero target creatures for Yannik's reflexive triggered ability. It has low power so it doesnt take up too much room but has a wide range of targets to destroy. If it's a legal target but Kogla is no longer on the battlefield when the ability resolves, the target creature won't deal or be dealt damage. Notably, opponents can't try to change whether you control a Human and a non-Human creature. Press J to jump to the feed. Heartless Act{1}{B}InstantChoose one Destroy target creature with no counters on it. Remove up to three counters from target creature. Magic: The Gathering The 10 Best Mutate Commanders, Top Planeswalkers That Can Be Used as a Commander, mutate decks are generally played with a Voltron focus, MTG: Best Cards For A Treasure Commander Deck, Strongest Human Tribal Commanders In Magic: The Gathering, reanimator commander in Abzan (white/black/green), Magic: The Gathering - The Strongest Alternate Win Conditions In Commander Format, 25 Classic Puzzles Every Good DM Uses In Dungeons & Dragons, 10 References You Missed In Magic: The Gathering's Warhammer 40k Commander Decks, Magic: The Gathering - 10 Budget Upgrades For The Corrupting Influence Commander Deck. If you do, you may search your library for a Plains card, put it onto the battlefield tapped, then shuffle your library. Nethroi, Apex Of Death can trigger this effect multiple times since green, black, and white generally have the cheapest mutate creatures, and Nethroi's ability triggers whenever it mutates, not just when it's cast. You may choose zero targets. Drannith Stinger{1}{R}Creature Human Wizard2/2Whenever you cycle another card, Drannith Stinger deals 1 damage to each opponent.Cycling {1} ({1}, Discard this card: Draw a card.). Creatures that player controls can still attack you or planeswalkers you control, but the damage they would deal will be prevented. If the creature you control has trample, excess damage is dealt to that creature's controller instead. Mythos of Nethroi{2}{B}InstantDestroy target nonland permanent if it's a creature or if {G}{W} was spent to cast this spell. The characteristics of the combined merged creature are copiable. If the power of the target creature cards change while in your graveyard, most likely because one has a characteristic-defining ability that defines a * in its power, the total power of the creatures may become greater than 10. It can't reduce a spell's colored mana requirements. Whenever it mutates, you exile cards from the top of your library until you exile a nonland permanent card. Casting a commander from your hand doesn't require that additional cost, and it doesn't increase what the cost will be the next time you cast that commander from the command zone. If Essence Symbiote mutates, its ability triggers. It gains indestructible until end of turn. There are a few Sagas that have CMC three or less, making them recastable. Mutate is never going to be a dominant mechanic in Commander. Humble Naturalist{1}{G}Creature Human Druid1/3{T}: Add one mana of any color. Pyroceratops{3}{R}Creature Elemental Dinosaur2/3TrampleWhenever you cast a noncreature spell, put a +1/+1 counter on Pyroceratops. If that creature is already untapped at the beginning of its controller's next untap step, the effect won't do anything. The player may change any number of the targets, including all of them or none of them. Although it can at times be confusing, mutate isnt a broken mechanic. If that number is negative, it deals no damage and you gain no life. Draftsim.com is unofficial Fan Content permitted under the Fan Content Policy. While you may think that destroying the target of the mutating creature would cause the spell to fizzle, the creature whose mutation youre activating just goes onto the battlefield as a normal creature instead. Each target creature must be assigned at least one counter. Crystalline Resonance{2}{U}EnchantmentWhenever you cycle a card, you may have Crystalline Resonance become a copy of another target permanent until your next turn, except it has this ability. We use necessary cookies to allow our site to function correctly and collect anonymous session data. Sheldon Menery gets you up to speed and shares the fun from two recent games. Lavabrink Floodgates is sacrificed for having three or more doom counters on it only while its ability is resolving. If Luminous Broodmoth dies after losing flying but not losing its triggered ability, its ability will trigger for itself. {2}: Put a +1/+1 counter on Capricopian, then you may reselect which player Capricopian is attacking. If you do, draw a card. Quartzwood Crasher{2}{R}{R}{G}Creature Dinosaur Beast6/6TrampleWhenever one or more creatures you control with trample deal combat damage to a player, create an X/X green Dinosaur Beast creature token with trample, where X is the amount of damage those creatures dealt to that player. The creatures targeted by Ravenous Gigantotherium's ability deal damage back to Ravenous Gigantotherium before dying if they're dealt lethal damage. The converted mana cost of the spell remains unchanged, no matter what the total cost to cast it was. Boneyard Mycodrax{2}{B}Creature Fungus*/*Boneyard Mycodrax's power and toughness are each equal to the number of other creature cards in your graveyard.Scavenge {4}{B} ({4}{B}, Exile this card from your graveyard: Put a number of +1/+1 counters equal to this card's power on target creature. If a rule or effect allows them to do so, your opponents may play lands from zones other than their hand and activate abilities of cards in zones other than their hand. Once a creature blocks, it remains a blocking creature through the end of combat step, even if the attacking creature dies or leaves combat. The Human's new base power and toughness are set to Exuberant Wolfbear's actual power and toughness, not just its base power and toughness. The one that got the biggest consideration from me was Auspicious Starrix, because getting it once was enough. The other cards in these decks (with printed set code C20 and collector numbers 72314) are legal for play in any format that already allows those cards. But if you just throw it in with no additional support, its just some creature that stacks onto a token or something. Auspicious Starrix{4}{G}Creature Elk Beast6/6Mutate {5}{G} (If you cast this spell for its mutate cost, put it over or under target non-Human creature you own. RELATED: Top Planeswalkers That Can Be Used as a Commander. In this casual, multiplayer format, you choose a legendary creature to serve . Triggered abilities from cycling a card and the cycling ability itself aren't spells. If Crystalline Resonance becomes a copy of an Aura, it's put into its owner's graveyard unless it's somehow attached to an appropriate object or player already. (If this card is your chosen companion, you may cast it once from outside the game. Seven Dwarves?! You can choose to either add it to your hand or put it onto the battlefield. If, for one of the targets, the player can't choose a new legal target, then it remains unchanged (even if the current target is illegal). You can tap any untapped creature you control, including a creature you haven't controlled continuously since the beginning of your most recent turn, to pay the additional cost. You can't take actions to make that token into a creature after it has entered the battlefield. Any land, instant, and sorcery cards exiled this way remain in exile. If a player's commander would die and that player spares it by sending it to the command zone instead, Kelsien's delayed triggered ability won't trigger. Create a token that's a copy of that card, except it's 1/1. All rights reserved. That ability will simply not happen. It can even remove five +1+/1 counters to add two of each color of mana to your mana pool, allowing you to mutate multiple times per turn easily. You can also target another player who might have that card in their library. Covering the hottest movie and TV topics that fans want. Bonders' EnclaveLand{T}: Add {C}. They mutate into the creature on top plus all abilities from under it. Titan Hunter{4}{B}Creature Human Warrior4/5At the beginning of each player's end step, if no creatures died this turn, Titan Hunter deals 4 damage to that player. This mechanic is very flavorful since youre quite literally mutating creatures into various unholy combinations that even the gods hide from. Selective Adaptation{4}{G}{G}SorceryReveal the top seven cards of your library. In the end, the very low mutate cost appealed to me. If the second target creature can't block the first target creature for any reason (such as being tapped), then it doesn't block. It will still get +1/+3 and a reach counter. Lavabrink Venturer{2}{W}Creature Human Soldier3/3As Lavabrink Venturer enters the battlefield, choose odd or even. The token copies exactly what is printed on the creature and nothing else (unless that creature is copying something else; see below). If an Aura token can't legally be attached to anything, it isn't created. Similarly, if the target creature or planeswalker is an illegal target by the time the ability tries to resolve, the ability won't resolve and you won't gain 4 life. They mutate into the creature on top plus all abilities from under it. The converted mana cost of the spell remains unchanged, no matter what the total cost to cast it was. (It's an artifact with "{T}, Sacrifice this artifact: Add one mana of any color. For example, if every nonland card is an artifact creature, enchantment creature, or creature, it is satisfied; but if you have an artifact creature, an artifact, and a creature, it is not satisfied. Card tooltips provided by deckbox.org.