Transformation
- For the official double-faced card mechanic, see Transform.
Transformation is a slang term used by Magic R&D to describe the following effect: "~ is a (color) (card type) with base power and toughness P/T."[1] This mechanic is primary in blue.
Description
Transformation can be temporary, through a one-shot spell or ability that lasts for the turn, or more permanent, usually through an Aura. It overwrites the base power and toughness of the creature. This ability used to be in both blue and white, but R&D decided to focus it in blue.[1] Sometimes blue can overwrite what the creature is currently doing and just make it the "transformed" creature. The one thing that R&D has taken from blue is destroying or exiling a creature and then giving the controller of that creature a creature token as a means of flavoring transformation. That is now a white ability flavored as giving compensation for destroying/exiling the creature. This means all of blue's transformation abilities are auras or limited effects on spells or activations.[2]
Green has started to gain some use, but the general difference is that blue usually uses it as a shrinking effect like removal, whereas green uses it to pump creatures in a way that's hard to compound.
Examples
The list below has the affected creature losing all abilities. Those listed as non-enchantments are assumed to be either triggered abilities or spell abilities that last until end of turn.
Color | Name | Type | P/T | Color | Creature Type | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Darksteel Mutation | Aura | 0/1 | Insect | Becomes an artifact creature and has no other types with Indestructible | ||
Humble | Instant | 0/1 | ||||
Humility | Enchantment | 1/1 | ||||
Minimus Containment | Aura | Treasure | Becomes an artifact | |||
Overwhelming Splendor | Player Aura | 1/1 | All creatures controlled by enchanted player | |||
Reprobation | Enchantment | 0/1 | Coward | |||
Swift Reconfiguration | Aura | Vehicle | Loses all other types Gains Crew 5 | |||
Dance of the Skywise | Instant | 4/4 | Dragon Illusion | with Flying | ||
Deep Freeze | Aura | 0/4 | + | Wall+ | with Defender | |
Eccentric Apprentice | Creature | 1/1 | Bird | with Flying | ||
Frogify | Aura | 1/1 | Frog | |||
Gift of Tusks | Instant | 3/3 | Elephant | |||
Ichthyomorphosis | Aura | 0/1 | Fish | |||
In Too Deep | Aura | Clue | Gains Clue text | |||
Kasmina's Transmutation | Aura | 1/1 | ||||
Mercurial Transformation | Sorcery - Lesson | 1/1 or 4/4 | Frog or Octopus | |||
Ovinize | Instant | 0/1 | ||||
Polymorphist's Jest | Instant | 1/1 | Frog | |||
Poppet Factory | Artifact | 3/3 | Affects tokens while controlled | |||
Sludge Monster | Creature | 2/2 | Creatures with slime counters While controlled | |||
Turn | Instant | 0/1 | Weird | |||
Turn to Frog | Instant | 1/1 | Frog | |||
Vedalken Humiliator | Creature | 1/1 | All opponent's creatures | |||
Warkite Marauder | Creature | 0/1 | ||||
Will Kenrith | Planeswalker | 0/3 | ||||
Witness Protection | Aura | 1/1 | Citizen | Loses abilities Name becomes Legitimate Businessperson | ||
Sudden Spoiling | Instant | 0/2 | Creatures target player control | |||
Kenrith's Transformation | Aura | 3/3 | Elk | |||
Lignify | Tribal Aura | 0/4 | Treefolk | |||
Dragonshift | Instant | 4/4 | Dragon | with Flying | ||
Oko, Thief of Crowns | Planeswalker | 3/3 | Elk | Also can target artifacts Permanent effect with no reminding marker | ||
Snakeform | Instant | 1/1 | Snake |
The following list will not have the target lose abilities i.e. the transformation is only a power and toughness change. Same assumption regarding non-enchantments.
Color | Name | Type | P/T | Color | Creature Type | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Curse of Conformity | Aura Curse | 3/3 | Loses creature types | All non-legendary creatures of enchanted player | ||
Graven Dominator | Creature | 1/1 | Each other creature | |||
Harmonious Archon | Creature | 3/3 | All Non-Archon creatures While controlled | |||
Mirror Entity | Creature | X/X | All types | All creatures controlled | ||
Taranika, Akroan Veteran | Creature | 4/4 | Gains indestructible | |||
Awakened Awareness | Aura | 1/1 | ||||
Better Offer | Sorcery | X/X | Gains Ward | |||
Brine Hag | Creature | 0/2 | All creatures that damaged the dead Brine Hag Permanent effect without a marker | |||
Diminish | Instant | 1/1 | ||||
Illusory Wrappings | Aura | 0/2 | ||||
Majestic Metamorphosis | Instant | 4/4 | Angel artifact | Gains flying Can target artifacts | ||
Mass Diminish | Sorcery | 1/1 | ||||
Mordenkainen's Polymorph | Instant | 4/4 | Dragon | Gains Flying | ||
Octavia, Living Thesis | Creature | 8/8 | ||||
Octopus Umbra | Aura | 8/8 | Gains a tapping ability | |||
Phantasmal Form | Instant | 3/3 | + | Illusion+ | with Flying | |
Reduce in Stature | Aura | 0/2 | ||||
Serendib Sorcerer | Creature | 0/2 | ||||
Serpentine Ambush | Instant | 5/5 | Serpent | |||
Startling Development | Instant | 4/4 | Serpent | |||
Suit Up | Instant | 4/5 | Artifact creature | Can target Vehicles | ||
Symmetry Mage | Creature | 2/X | X is target's toughness | |||
A-Symmetry Mage | Creature | 3/X | X is target's toughness | |||
Will, Scholar of Frost | Planeswalker | 0/2 | ||||
Wings of Velis Vel | Instant | 4/4 | All types | Gains flying | ||
Blade of the Oni | Equipment - Demon | 5/5 | Demon | Gains Menace While equipped | ||
Sorceress Queen | Creature | 0/2 | Keeps abilities | |||
Withercrown | Aura | 0/X | X is target's toughness | |||
Creepy Puppeteer | Creature | 4/3 | ||||
Allosaurus Shepherd | Creature | 5/5 | Dinosaur+ | Affects all Elves controlled | ||
Belt of Giant Strength | Equipment | 10/10 | While equipped | |||
Creeperhulk | Creature | 5/5 | Gains trample | |||
Cycle of Life | Enchantment | 0/1 | Only on your creature that entered that turn | |||
Exuberant Wolfbear | Creature | X/Y | X/Y is Wolfbear's stats Target Human controlled | |||
Gigantiform | Aura | 8/8 | Gains trample | |||
Gigantomancer | Creature | 7/7 | ||||
Halsin, Emerald Archdruid | Creature | 4/4 | + | Bear+ | Target token controlled | |
Jolrael, Mwonvuli Recluse | Creature | X/X | X is cards in hand All creatures controlled | |||
Scale Up | Sorcery | 6/4 | Wurm | |||
Singing Tree | Creature | 0/X | Attacking creature's toughness unchanged | |||
Voice of the Vermin | Creature | 4/4 | ||||
Wild Shape | Instant | 1/3 or 1/5 or 3/3 | Turtle or Spider or Elephant | Hexproof or Reach or Trample, respectively to types | ||
Aven Mimeomancer | Creature | 3/1 | Gains flying Uses feather counters | |||
Godhead of Awe | Creature | 1/1 | All other creatures While controlled | |||
Inkfathom Witch | Creature | 4/1 | Keeps abilities Unblocked creatures | |||
Vhati il-Dal | Creature | X/1 or 1/X | X is the original creature's stat | |||
Biomass Mutation | Instant | X/X | All creatures controlled | |||
Oko, the Trickster | Planeswalker | 10/10 | All creatures controlled Gains trample | |||
Oko's Hospitality | Sorcery | 3/3 | All creatures controlled | |||
Omnibian | Creature | 3/3 | Frog | |||
The Bears of Littjara | Enchantment | 4/4 | Any number of Shapeshifters | |||
Square Up | Instant | 4/4 | ||||
Tanazir Quandrix | Creature | X/Y | X/Y is Tanazir's stats | |||
Minsc, Beloved Ranger | Creature | X/X | Giant+ | |||
Storvald, Frost Giant Jarl | Creature | 7/7 or 1/1 | ||||
Hostile Takeover | Sorcery | One becomes 1/1; another becomes 4/4 | ||||
Obscura Confluence | Aura | 1/1 | ||||
Island of Wak-Wak | Land | 0/X | Only flying creatures X is target's toughness |
References
- ↑ a b Mark Rosewater (June 5, 2017). "Mechanical Color Pie 2017". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Mark Rosewater (October 18, 2021). "Mechanical Color Pie 2021 Changes". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.