Mix-and-match

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Mix-and-match cards are cards that have two or more different named mechanics on them.

Description

Normally when R&D talks about mix-and-match, they don't focus on cards with multiple evergreen keywords, as that's just something every set does. The more interesting mix-and-match cards are ones where neither mechanic is evergreen. These are hard to do because it requires having two mechanics in the same set that can work together on the same card.[1] Of those in regular sets, cycling tends to have the most mechanical overlap, as, being a deciduous smoothing mechanic, it has returned more often than other mechanics.

The first such printed mix-and-match cards appeared in Future Sight. They also appeared in Modern Horizons and Modern Horizons 2, and one or two others in sets with cycling. Going forward, mix-and-match will be a Modern Masters thing with rare exceptions.[2] However, with the uptake of Commander set expansions, mix-and-match cards appear more often than previously suggested.

List of Mix-and-match cards

Card Set Mechanic 1 Mechanic 2 Purpose
Aegis of the Legion Ravnica: Clue Edition Mentor Shield counter The shield counter grants a secondary bonus to the mentored creature.
Arcbound Slasher Modern Horizons 2 Modular Riot The +1/+1 counter ability from modular can be extended further with riot.
Archmage's Newt Outlaws of Thunder Junction Flashback Saddle The creature's combat damage trigger will always give an instant or sorcery flashback, but saddling it provides additional upside.
Ardent Plea Alara Reborn Cascade Exalted The cheapest cascade permanent, with exalted an elegant bonus on the board.
Bannerhide Krushok Modern Horizons 2 Reinforce Scavenge Reinforce as an efficient way to put the Krushok in the graveyard for scavenge, a surprise way to add six power to the board.
Blightbelly Rat, Bloated Contaminator, Tainted Observer Phyrexia: All Will Be One Proliferate Toxic These creatures can add poison counters to players, then proliferate them.
Bloodbraid Challenger Modern Horizons 3 Cascade Escape Escape counts as casting, granting another Cascade trigger.
Bloodbraid Marauder Modern Horizons 2 Cascade Delirium A cheap cascade at the cost of needing to have delirium first.
Bogardan Lancer Future Sight Bloodthirst Flanking Bloodthirst making itself stronger and flanking to make opposing creatures weaker.
Brimaz, Blight of Oreskos March of the Machine Commander Incubate Proliferate Incubate stacks counters on dormant artifact tokens, which can then be pumped up with proliferate.
Charnel Serenade Murders at Karlov Manor Commander Surveil Suspend Part of an ongoing mega cycle of Commander suspend spells, its surveil ability synergizes with the deck's default commander.
Clay Golem Forgotten Realms Commander Dice rolling Monstrosity The dice's result determines how powerful the monstrosity is.
Clever Concealment Phyrexia: All Will Be One Commander Convoke Phasing The spell protects any number of target permanents by phasing them out, and convoke lets a player cast it despite being otherwise tapped out.
Confession Dial, The Grim Captain's Locker Doctor Who, The Lost Caverns of Ixalan Commander Escape Surveil Surveil fills the graveyard, helping pay the escape cost the artifact grants.
Contaminant Grafter, Glissa's Retriever, Ixhel, Scion of Atraxa Phyrexia: All Will Be One Commander Corrupted Toxic These creatures have toxic to put poison counters on opponents, and corrupted triggers to benefit from doing so.
Core Prowler, Viral Drake Mirrodin Besieged Proliferate Infect Proliferate the counters placed on players and creatures by infect.
Cutthroat il-Dal Future Sight Hellbent Shadow Hellbent allows controller to toggle evasion and blocking of shadow creatures.
Death-Greeter's Champion March of the Machine Commander Backup Dash Dash returns the creature to hand at end of turn, allowing its controller to repeat its powerful backup trigger as it enters again.
Detective's Phoenix Modern Horizons 3 Bestow Collect evidence Every time a creature it's bestowing dies, it makes it easier to collect the required evidence.
Dinosaur Egg The Lost Caverns of Ixalan Commander Evolve Discover The creature's second ability discovers equal to its power, which increases as it evolves.
Dreamtide Whale Modern Horizons 3 Proliferate Vanishing The creature's proliferate ability keeps it from vanishing.
Dust Animus Outlaws of Thunder Junction Keyword counters Plot Plotting the creature and casting it for free later allows it to come down at a much better rate and with a lifelink counter.
Eloise, Nephalia Sleuth Midnight Hunt Commander Investigate Surveil Surveil upon sacrificing a Clue, allowing for greater card selection when sacrificing them.
Ethersworn Sphinx Modern Horizons 2 Affinity Cascade Affinity to cheapen the costly creature for a strong cascade effect.
Evidence Examiner Murders at Karlov Manor Collect evidence Investigate A draft signpost that provides a flavorful payoff for collecting evidence.
Expanding Ooze
Tempermental Oozewagg
Adapt Modified Adapt Modifies these Oozes, applying their bonuses to themselves.
Fanatic of Rhonas Modern Horizons 3 Ferocious Eternalize Eternalize instantly fulfills the requirements for ferocious.
Feaster of Fools Modern Horizons Convoke Devour Devouring the creatures used to convoke it.
Follow the Bodies Murders at Karlov Manor Commander Gravestorm Investigate Sacrificing Clues increases the gravestorm count, which in turn provides more Clues.
Foul Watcher, Dragon's Rage Channeler Modern Horizons 2 Delirium Surveil By using Foul Watcher's surveil ability, the controller can achieve delirium faster.
Frogmyr Enforcer Affinity Prototype If the player has doesn't have enough artifacts, a cheaper but colored version is available.
Funnel-Web Recluse Modern Horizons 2 Investigate Morbid The morbid ability that causes investigate gives a reason to play a creature with reach as big as Mammoth Spider at the same cost. Flavor-wise, Funnel-Web Recluse invokes a murder investigation.
Gathan Raiders Future Sight Hellbent Morph Discarding a card for the Morph cost helps achieve hellbent, making it like a combat trick.
Gibbering Descent Future Sight Hellbent Madness With the upkeep trigger causing discards, the madness cost lets other copies be discounted, while the hellbent lets the player stack triggers on opponents.
Glistening Sphere, Contaminant Grafter Phyrexia: All Will Be One Proliferate Corrupted Proliferate brings poisoned opponents closer to being corrupted.
Haze of Rage Future Sight Buyback Storm Up the storm count with buyback.
Hogaak, Arisen Necropolis Modern Horizons Convoke Delve Alternate ways to cast a creature that can't be cast normally.
Hydra Trainer Modern Horizons 3 Adapt Exert The creature's exert ability becomes more effective if its adapt ability has already been activated.
Ichor Slick Future Sight Cycling Madness Madness to cast the card while cycling, acting like a kicker cost.
Impending Flux, Surge of Brilliance Doctor Who Foretell Paradox Foretell casts from exile, increasing the count of cards cast from outside your hand for the paradox ability.
Indebted Spirit Modern Horizons 3 Afterlife Bestow The general risk of a blowout that bestow creates is somewhat mitigated by afterlife providing value on death.
Innocuous Researcher Murders at Karlov Manor Commander Investigate Parley The built-in card advantage provided by Clues softens the blow of giving opponents free card draw from parley.
Into the Time Vortex Doctor Who Cascade Rebound Rebound provides an extra cascade trigger.
Iraxxa, Empress of Mars Doctor Who Battle cry Paradox The paradox trigger creates tokens to be pumped up with battle cry.
Kavu Primarch Future Sight Convoke Kicker Convoke to pay kicker.
Kaleidoscorch Modern Horizons 2 Converge Flashback Flashback's higher cost enables higher converge numbers.
Lazotep Sliver Commander Masters Afflict Amass Two keywords associated with the Eternals on a Sliver that is apparently a member of Bolas' undead army.
Lethal Scheme New Capenna Commander Connive Convoke Each creature that convoked the spell connives for more filtering.
Lonis, Genetics Expert Ravnica: Clue Edition Evolve Investigate When the creature evolves, it investigates, and when Clues are sacrificed, it produces even more +1/+1 counters.
Lunar Hatchling Doctor Who Basic landcycling Escape Escape can bring the creature back after it's pitched to the graveyard with basic landcycling.
Maelstrom Djinn Future Sight Morph Vanishing A powerful threat that can be put in for cheap with morph, but gains vanishing as a downside.
Markov Baron March of the Machine: The Aftermath Convoke Madness Mechanically, Vampires generally care about going wide and discarding cards, and this Vampire lord rewards both.
Marshaling Cry Future Sight Cycling Flashback Flashback the card after cycling it, for when the spell is not yet strong enough.
Merchant of Truth Murders at Karlov Manor Commander Investigate Exalted The Clues generated by the card retain their normal utility, but add some power on attacks with exalted if they aren't sacrificed.
Mistway Spy Murders at Karlov Manor Disguise Investigate Uses disguise to sneak in a Saboteur effect; uses investigate as a more balanced payoff than simply drawing.
Molten Disaster Future Sight Kicker Split second Split second as a kicker bonus against sacrifice or protection effects.
Muster the Departed Modern Horizons 3 Morbid Populate Populate creates more bodies, which trigger morbid when they die.
Nazgûl The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth The Ring Tempts You Relentless The Nazgûl become stronger as their controller is tempted by the Ring, which happens as more Nazgûl enter the battlefield.
Nyxborn Unicorn Modern Horizons 3 Bestow Mentor If the creature is cast as an Aura on a high-power creature, the number of mentor targets increases.
Obstinate Gargoyle Modern Horizons 3 Persist Modified Persist's -1/-1 counter satisfies Modified, which combined makes it a form of Afterlife (creating a 1/1 flier when it dies).
Oketra's Attendant Amonkhet Cycling Embalm Embalm to bring the creature to the battlefield after cycling it.
Order of Sacred Dusk The Lost Caverns of Ixalan Commander Convoke Exalted The more creatures you control, the less the card costs, and the more powerful its exalted bonus will be.
Orochi Soul-Reaver Outlaws of Thunder Junction Commander Manifest Ninjutsu Ninjutsu allows the creature to sneak past blockers, giving additional triggers for its powerful manifest ability.
Park Heights Maverick New Capenna Commander Dethrone Proliferate Dethrone puts counters on itself when it attacks the player with the most life, and those counters are increased with proliferate.
Proud Pack-Rhino Modern Horizons 3 Proliferate Shield counter Both abilities add counters, and if the creature enters again, it can proliferate the shield counters.
Ravaging Riftwurm Future Sight Kicker Vanishing Kicker is to add counters for vanishing.
Ripples of Potential The Lost Caverns of Ixalan Commander Proliferate Phasing Only permanents that could be proliferated can be protected by the phasing effect.
Sojourner's Companion Modern Horizons 2 Affinity Artifact landcycling Cycles to find artifacts, which discounts further copies through Affinity.
Spirit en-Dal Future Sight Forecast Shadow Forecast to give shadow as evasion or falter effect.
Sprout Swarm Future Sight Buyback Convoke Functionally a creature that helps to convoke and pay buyback.
Starving Revenant The Lost Caverns of Ixalan Descend Surveil Surveil fills the graveyard, helping turn on the descend ability.
Syndicate Heavy Ravnica: Clue Edition Extort Investigate Extort gains life to trigger the investigate ability.
Thorough Investigation Forgotten Realms Commander Investigate Venture into the dungeon Sacrifice Clues to venture further into the dungeon.
Throes of Chaos Modern Horizons Cascade Retrace Retrace to cascade repeatedly.
Timeless Dragon Modern Horizons 2 Eternalize Plainscycling After plainscycling for a Plains, one can Eternalize Timeless Dragon from the graveyard.
Unbounded Potential Modern Horizons 2 Entwine Proliferate The entwine ability amplifies the counter-placing first ability with proliferate, the second ability.
Unshakable Tail Murders at Karlov Manor Commander Investigate Surveil The surveil ability enables the investigate ability by putting creatures in the graveyard from the library.
Urban Daggertooth Modern Horizons 2 Enrage Proliferate The enrage ability that causes proliferate adds the risk of removing Urban Daggertooth via damage alone that doesn't kill it in one shot.
Viscera Dragger Shards of Alara Cycling Unearth Unearth the creature after cycling it.
Vashta Nerada Doctor Who Morbid Shadow With every morbid trigger, the creature grows, increasing the impact of its unblockable damage with shadow.
Watcher of Hours Murders at Karlov Manor Commander Surveil Suspend The surveil ability gives an additional incentive to suspend the creature aside from the reduced mana cost.
Waterlogged Hulk The Lost Caverns of Ixalan Craft Descend Both craft and descend 8 are payoffs for filling the graveyard with the artifact's activated ability.
Wavesifter Modern Horizons 2 Evoke Investigate Wavesifter's evoke ability gives the option for the player who just wants the double clue tokens via its Investigate ability that activates twice upon entry.
Xavier Sal, Infested Captain The Lost Caverns of Ixalan Commander Populate Proliferate When the card proliferates, it creates more counters to fuel its populate ability, and when it populates, it creates creatures to fuel its proliferate ability.
Zephyrim Warhammer 40,000 Commander Decks Miracle Squad Miracle discounts the creature, leaving additional mana to pay the squad cost.

References