Polymorph

Polymorph is a slang term used by Magic R&D to describe the following effect: "{Remove} target creature. Its controller reveals cards from the top of their library until they reveal a creature card. That player puts that card onto the battlefield." This effect is named after the card Polymorph from Mirage.

Description

The effect is currently primary in red and secondary in blue. For a long time, this ability was a blue thing. When R&D was looking for more places to expand red, they decided to slice up the polymorph pie. Blue gets transformations where the outcome is known and red gets them where it is not. The idea is that blue only wants to transform something when they know what they're going to get, whereas red is willing to take a risk, though in reality Polymorph decks have been built to cheat out expensive creatures with certainty. Red will also do large chaotic effects where many things change all at once. Classical Polymorph has been moved to red.

Another related effect that is in between this and Transformation is when the target is replaced with a token, termed "compensation". This effect was primary in blue, and now primary in white after being secondary. It has also appeared twice in red, and four times in green, even though the original card (Beast Within) has been an oft-cited color pie break. Another effect that is one step removed from this, blending it with imprisoning, is when a permanent exiles a target, and the token is created for the target's owner when the imprisoning permanent is removed. This has appeared on two cards (Baffling End, Skyclave Apparition), with Rasaad, Radiant Monk being a digital equivalent - a 1/1 with no abilities is close to getting only a token back, even though it may travel between zones.

List of polymorph effects

Creatures

• Blessed Reincarnation - opponent's creatures
• Chaos Mutation
• Descendant's Fury - sacrifice, shared creature type
• Divergent Transformations
• Fireflux Squad
• Indomitable Creativity - destroy
• Jalira, Master Polymorphist - sacrificed, only reveals nonlegendaries
• Kethek, Crucible Goliath - sacrificed, only reveals nonlegendaries of lower costs
• Lukka, Coppercoat Outcast - guarantees higher cost
• Mass Polymorph
• Obscura Polymorphist (Seek)
• Polymorph - destroys
• Proteus Staff - puts on bottom
• Shifting Shadow - destroy, recurring Aura effect
• Synthetic Destiny - next end step
• Time Lord Regeneration - when dies
• Transmogrify

Artifacts

• Indomitable Creativity - destroy
• Shape Anew - sacrificed

Permanents

• Chaotic Transformation - exile five different types, shared card type
• Dreamshaper Shaman - sacrificed, nonland
• Reality Scramble - put on bottom, shared card type
• Reweave - sacrificed, shared card type
• Wild Magic Surge - opponent's only, shared card type

Countering on the stack

• Spellshift - instants and sorceries
• Tibalt's Trickery - spell of a different name

List of compensation effects

Creatures

• Afterlife (1/1 white Spirit with Flying)
• Amphin Mutineer (non-Salamanders, 4/3 blue Salamander Warrior)
• Basalt Golem (0/2 artifact Walls with Defender)
• Baffling End (3/3 Dinosaur with Trample)
• Crib Swap (1/1 colorless Shapeshifter with Changeling)
• Contraband Livestock (4/4 green Ox, 2/2 green Boar, or 0/1 white Goat)
• Curse of the Swine (2/2 green Boar)
• Cyber Conversion (Turn face down into 2/2 Cyberman)
• Descent of the Dragons (4/4 red Dragon with Flying)
• Field of Souls (1/1 white Spirit with Flying)
• Gallows at Willow Hill (1/1 white Spirit with Flying)
• Hour of Need (4/4 blue Sphinx with Flying)
• Incongruity (3/3 green Frog Lizard)
• March of Souls (1/1 white Spirit with Flying)
• Mercy Killing (X 1/1 green and white Elf Warriors, X is target's power)
• Mogg Infestation (two 1/1 red Goblins)
• Oversimplify (0/0 blue and green Fractal with X +1/+1 counters, where X is the total power)
• Ovinomancer (0/1 green Sheep)
• Pongify (3/3 green Ape)
• Rapid Hybridization (3/3 green Frog Lizard)
• Reality Shift (Manifest)
• Sarkhan the Mad (5/5 red Dragon with Flying)
• Saw in Half (Two copies with half the stats)
• Transmogrifying Wand (2/4 white Ox)
• The Phasing of Zhalfir (2/2 black Phyrexian)

Creature or artifact

• Ravenform (1/1 blue Bird with Flying)
• Resculpt (4/4 blue and red Elemental)

Creature or planeswalker

• Angelic Ascension (4/4 white Angel with Flying)

Artifacts or enchantments

• Rampage of the Clans (3/3 green Centaur)

Nonland permanent

• Buy Your Silence (Treasure)
• Cavalier of Dawn (3/3 artifact colorless Golem)
• Excavation Technique (two Treasures)
• Reduce to Memory (3/2 red and white Spirit)
• Secure the Scene (1/1 white Soldier)
• Skyclave Apparition (X/X blue Illusion where X is the mana value of the exiled card)
• Soul of Emancipation (3/3 white Angel with flying)
• Stroke of Midnight (1/1 white Human)

Noncreature permanent

• Sawtusk Demolisher (3/3 green Beast)
• Terastodon (3/3 green Elephant)

Permanent

• Beast Within (3/3 green Beast)
• Generous Gift (3/3 green Elephant)
• Will, Scholar of Frost (4/4 blue and red Elemental)

Spells

• An Offer You Can't Refuse (two Treasures)
• Dovescape (X 1/1 white and blue Birds with flying, X is noncreature mana value)
• Swan Song (2/2 blue Bird with flying)