Mutate
| Mutate | |
|---|---|
| Keyword Ability | |
| Type | Activated |
| Introduced | Unsanctioned |
| Last used | Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths |
| Reminder Text | Mutate [cost] (If you cast this spell for its mutate cost, put it over or under target non-Human creature you own. They mutate into the creature on top plus all abilities from under it.) |
| Statistics |
27 cards  3.7%  18.5%  18.5%  7.4%  18.5%  3.7%  3.7%  3.7%  22.2% |
| Scryfall Search | |
| keyword:"Mutate" | |
Mutate is a keyword ability that is featured in Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths.[1][2][3][4]
Description
If you cast a spell for its mutate cost, put it over or under target non-Human creature you own. They mutate into the creature on top plus all abilities from under it.
Mutate has roots in Bestow and Augment, acting like an ability-granting Aura spell. Whereas Bestow is more expensive due to the creature that remains, Mutate has lower costs and tends to award compounding mutations. It shares Bestow's bonus of allowing a mutator to enter the battlefield in the case of invalid targets, but like Augmented creatures, the entire stack of mutates will change zones together. Once off the battlefield, the component cards will separate, and if directed to return after a period, will all return as individual creatures.
The distinctive aspect of Mutate is that the final creature can be the size of either the mutating creature or the creature it targets, which means the battlecruiser magic of multiple Auras is not present.
Mutate was first referred to on the silver-bordered card Surgeon General Commander in Unsanctioned.
Examples
Example
Huntermaster Liger 
Creature — Cat
3/4
Mutate 
(If you cast this spell for its mutate cost, put it over or under target non-Human creature you own. They mutate into the creature on top plus all abilities under it.).
Whenever this creature mutates, other creatures you control get +X/+X until end of turn, where X is the number of times the creature has mutated.
References
- ↑ Mark Rosewater (January 28, 2020). "Surgeon ~~General~~ Commander from Unsanctioned says "Whenever you enchant, augment, or mutate a creature you control."". Blogatog. Tumblr.
- ↑ Mark Rosewater (February 24, 2020). "Unboxing, Part 3". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Matt Tabak (April 2, 2020). "Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths Mechanics". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Mark Rosewater (April 6, 2020). "More Than Meets The Ikoria". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
External link
- Mechanic Spotlight: Mutate (Video). Magic: The Gathering. YouTube (March 31, 2020).