- 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 overwrites the base power and toughness of a creature. It can be temporary, through a one-shot spell or ability that lasts for the turn, or more permanent, usually through an Aura; more complex designs have more abstract conditions. 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. Blue using it as pumping has a similar application.
A small number of cards transform permanents into noncreatures, such as an enchantment, a land, a Clue, a Vehicle or a Treasure.
Examples[ | ]
Only examples that affect other creatures are listed. Those that affect only themselves and those that animate noncreatures are left for other pages.
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 unless specified.
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 | All creatures | |||
Minimus Containment | Aura | Treasure | Becomes a Treasure | |||
Overwhelming Splendor | Aura Curse | 1/1 | All creatures controlled by enchanted player | |||
Rasaad, Radiant Monk | Creature | 1/1 | ||||
Reprobation | Aura | 0/1 | Coward | Loses noncreature types | ||
Amphibian Downpour | Aura | 0/1 | Frog | |||
Astroquarium | Artifact | 4/4 or 8/8 | Shark or Octopus | |||
Dance of the Skywise | Instant | 4/4 | Dragon Illusion | with Flying | ||
Deep Freeze | Aura | 0/4 | + | Wall+ | with Defender | |
Flatline | Instant | 0/1 | Creatures target player control | |||
Eaten by Piranhas | Aura | 1/1 | Skeleton | |||
Frogify | Aura | 1/1 | Frog | |||
Gift of Tusks | Instant | 3/3 | Elephant | |||
Hunted by The Family | Sorcery | 1/1 | Human | |||
Ichthyomorphosis | Aura | 0/1 | Fish | |||
Imprisoned in the Moon | Aura | Land | Gains ": Add " | |||
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 | |||
Metamorphic Blast | Instant | 0/1 | Rabbit | |||
Ovinize | Instant | 0/1 | ||||
Polymorphist's Jest | Instant | 1/1 | Frog | |||
Poppet Factory | Artifact | 3/3 | Affects tokens while controlled | |||
Shadow Puppeteers | Creature | 4/4 | + | Dragon+ | Flying creatures only | |
Sludge Monster | Creature | 2/2 | Creatures with slime counters While controlled | |||
Stasis Field | Aura | 0/2 | Gains defender | |||
The Flood of Mars | Creature | 3/3 | Alien Zombie Horror | Creatures with flood Counter Becomes a copy of the original | ||
Turn | Instant | 0/1 | Weird | |||
Turn to Frog | Instant | 1/1 | Frog | |||
Utter Insignificance | Aura | 1/1 | ||||
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 | Name becomes Legitimate Businessperson | ||
Sudden Spoiling | Instant | 0/2 | Creatures target player control | |||
Vraska, Betrayal's Sting | Planeswalker | Treasure | Becomes a Treasure Permanent effect with no reminding marker | |||
Kenrith's Transformation | Aura | 3/3 | Elk | |||
Lignify | Tribal Aura | 0/4 | Treefolk | |||
Trickster's Elk | Bestow Aura | 3/3 | Elk | |||
The Curse of Fenric | Saga | 6/6 | Legendary Horror | Nontoken creature | ||
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 | |||
Obscura Confluence | Instant | 1/1 |
The following list will not have the target lose abilities i.e. the transformation is only a power and toughness change. The same assumption regarding non-enchantments and time duration applies.
Color | Name | Type | P/T | Color | Creature Type | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Archon of the Wild Rose | Creature | 4/4 | Other enchanted creatures controlled While controlled Gives flying | |||
Curse of Conformity | Aura Curse | 3/3 | Loses creature types | All non-legendary creatures of enchanted player | ||
Baffling Defenses | Instant | 0/X | Perpetual effect
X is target's toughness | |||
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 | ||
Sigarda's Summons | Enchantment | 4/4 | Angel+ | Controlled creatures with +1/+1 counters | ||
Swift Reconfiguration | Aura | Vehicle | Loses all other types Gains Crew 5 | |||
Taranika, Akroan Veteran | Creature | 4/4 | Gains indestructible | |||
Teyo, Aegis Adept | Planeswalker | X/X | X is the target's toughness Perpetual effect Gains "can attack as though it didn't have defender" | |||
Awakened Awareness | Aura | 1/1 | ||||
Behind the Mask | Instant | 4/3 or 1/1 | Can target artifacts | |||
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 | |||
Burden of Proof | Aura | 1/1 | If non-Detective | |||
Candlekeep Inspiration | Sorcery | X/X | ||||
Diminish | Instant | 1/1 | ||||
Dreadful as the Storm | Instant | 5/5 | The Ring Tempts You | |||
Eccentric Apprentice | Creature | 1/1 | Bird | with Flying | ||
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 | |||
One with the Stars | Aura | Enchantment | Loses other types | |||
Phantasmal Form | Instant | 3/3 | + | Illusion+ | with Flying | |
Reduce in Stature | Aura | 0/2 | ||||
Relic's Roar | Instant | 4/3 | Dinosaur | Can target artifacts | ||
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 Sage | Creature | 2/X | X is target's toughness | |||
A-Symmetry Sage | Creature | 3/X | X is target's toughness | |||
Water Wings | Instant | 4/4 | Gains flying and hexproof | |||
Will, Scholar of Frost | Planeswalker | 0/2 | ||||
Wings of Velis Vel | Instant | 4/4 | All types | Gains flying | ||
Zhalfirin Shapecraft | Instant | 4/3 | ||||
Blade of the Oni | Equipment - Demon | 5/5 | + | Demon+ | Gains Menace While equipped | |
Six-Sided Die | Instant | X/1 | ||||
Sorceress Queen | Creature | 0/2 | ||||
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 | Until next upkeep
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 | |||
Raised by Giants | Legendary Enchantment - Background | 10/10 | Giant | Commanders | ||
Scale Up | Sorcery | 6/4 | Wurm | |||
Singing Tree | Creature | 0/X | Attacking creature's toughness unchanged | |||
Vengeant Earth | Instant | 4/4 | Elemental | Gains haste | ||
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 As long as it has a feather counter | |||
Godhead of Awe | Creature | 1/1 | All other creatures While controlled | |||
Coerced To Kill | Aura | 1/1 | Assassin+ | Gains Deathtouch | ||
Inkfathom Witch | Creature | 4/1 | Unblocked creatures | |||
Vhati il-Dal | Creature | X/1 or 1/X | X is the original creature's stat | |||
Almost Perfect | Aura | 9/10 | Gains indestructible | |||
Kudo, King Among Bears | Creature | 2/2 | Bear+ | All other creatures
Until Kudo leaves | ||
Biomass Mutation | Instant | X/X | All creatures controlled | |||
Chrome Host Hulk | Creature | 5/5 | ||||
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 - Saga | 4/4 | Any number of Shapeshifters
Continues after the Saga has left | |||
Square Up | Instant | 4/4 | ||||
Restless Vinestalk | Land | 3/3 | ||||
Tanazir Quandrix | Creature | X/Y | X/Y is Tanazir's stats | |||
Unruly Krasis | Creature | X/X | X is Unruly Krasis's power | |||
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 | ||||
Cogwork Progenitor | Creature | 1/1 | Gnome+ | |||
Flayer of Loyalties | Creature | 10/10 | ||||
The Capitoline Triad | Emblem | 9/9 | Creatures controlled
Emblem granted by activated ability of a creature | |||
Chariot of the Sun | Artifact | X/1 | Gains flying
X is target's power | |||
Graaz, Unstoppable Juggernaut | Artifact | 5/3 | Juggernaut | Creatures controlled
Until Graaz leaves | ||
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.