Another Consecrated Sphinx, another Frost Titan, another Blightsteel Colossus...the insanity will not stop.
Zulp
★★★☆☆ (3.2/5.0)(5 votes)
The best shapeshifter ever printed. It's cheap, has no restrictions as to what it can copy, and can change its form for no extra cost. I can't see why you wouldn't run it if you had it; it's either doubling something awesome that you have or taking something awesome that the opponent has. Brilliant.
Amazing for Commander. Play it on turn 3 when not much is going on, and then they're either forced to blow removal on it or you get to have the best creature on the board every turn.
It's alright, but the ones that copy on entering the battlefield (clone, vesuvan doppelganger, vesuvan shapeshifter, quicksilver gargantuan, sakashima the impostor) are still better. Why? - this guy doesn't trigger "enter the battlefield" or "leave the battlefield" abilities. That is a huge drawback (for example when cloning primeval titan) - this guy sits around for at least one turn as a weak 2/2 creature, giving everyone time to kill it or adapt to it - can't coppy creatures with shroud or protection - fewer combo possibilities. For example you can use cards like momentary blink to have clone or similiar cards copy a new creature at instant speed, triggering "enter the battlefield" and "leave the battlefield" abilities. Doesn't work with this guy. - also, when it's about copying creatures, one or two mana different ain't that much of a problem, because the best creatures enter late game anyway.
So, this guy is cute and the manacost fits. Still, clone and his buddies are superior. 3/5
Eternal_Blue
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.9/5.0)(6 votes)
well this isn't very creative, wotc. another clone, really? -yawns- wake me when maro retires.
sarroth
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I really could have used this at the prerelease. I didn't pull enough bombs, and I may have gone blue with this card. So good.
MasterOfEtherium
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(1 vote)
WOW I have what you have. Awesome Sun Titan Target! 5/5 Blue doesnt usually get three drops this dam good, if ever?
Shiizu
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I'd wager that the best shapeshifter is the one we call Superman: Morhpling. And by the way, Body Double was a very standard playable clone at its time.
Anyway, this is a great new version of vesuvan doppelganger! I will look forward to playing these grey ogres! Beware though that this is pretty slow to actually clone something.
fluffysalt
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Question: If I copy a creature that has an "at the beginning of your upkeep..." ability such as Vedalken Infuser, will my Cryptoplasm turned-Vedalken Infuser be able to use that ability the same turn I copy that creature?
roguepariah
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I love it. Not because you can copy one of your own big threats. (which is nice) Not because you can copy one of your opponents bombs. (though that's nice too) But because it prevents your opponent from playing what they want. This sly little devil beats your opponent to the punch. Especially with distortion strike lurking in your deck. That's why I'll gladly pay 2 less than vesuvan to get it out faster.
OpeeFomenom
★★★☆☆ (3.9/5.0)(4 votes)
I'll have to say I disagree majinara. Clone as his buddies do work differently from cryptoplasm, this is true, that does make them better. In certain situations you can utilize the ETB abilities of what it copies but you have to run some sort of blink with it to allow it to copy other creatures.
This creature comes with built in adaptability. Pacifism or arrest getting you down? Just change to a creature with pro white and watch it fall off. Or copy a creature with other useful abilities. Sure you could blink it off of a clone but here it gives you a way to deal with it in the card itself.
I like the idea of being able to change the creature into the best thing on the field at the beginning of my turn. Especially when the best thing is your opponent's. If it didn't have haste you get to attack with it first. God forbid you have more than one of these and they both copy it.
littlebeast
★★★★☆ (4.0/5.0)(1 vote)
@Gaffy: Then cryptoplasm and Tez die to the planeswalker rule.
People seem to be misreading this card's text. It isn't outclassing or replacing much of anything.
Yozuk
★★★★☆ (4.5/5.0)(2 votes)
Again! This card is great! Protection from blue isn't as big of a limit for this guy as you may think. Unlike Vesuvan Doppelganger, Cryptoplasm's color does change with every thing else!(Vesuvan Doppelganger needs to be able to target after the first cloning). Your opponent made their super awesome creature pro blue? Not a problem, just change Cryptoplasm into a non-blue creature then copy it next turn. You say its not as good as clone? Clone does have the advantage of being able to enter the battlefield as a copy of a creature giving it great bounce effects with other cards. However! You can't hold onto equipment with out extra costs with clone and clone will loose all enchantments attached to it when it leaves play. That means any Good ones as well! On the Other hand, Cryptoplasm can keep all of its enchantments, equipment, and any Buffs it might have gotten while on the field, like +1/+1 counters. And yes I do know that this can also be a bad thing with hindering auras and -1/-1 counters. Another Great part about this card is its cost. For only 1UU you can drop this bad boy out as long as you have 2 blue and 1 colorless mana to add to your mana pool! This usually means a turn 3 drop for blue where as with Clone you will have to wait for Turn 4 usually, or with Vesuvan doppelganger it could be turn 5! Have a Level up deck? Well why not throw a few of theses things in their? Copy a leveler that is really easy to add level counters on then the next turn change it too one of your Key levelers with a large amount of level counters on it already! Need to copy something faster? Need an upkeep ability? Paradox haze will accelerated Cryptoplasm's ability even faster making it capable of changing into a creatures like the bringer s or Galvanoth for interesting and fun times! Have you ever been sitting around in a game of MTG and really needing something out on the field bad, but all you get is a clone and the only thing you could copy is a waist of time to copy? Well thats not a problem with Cryptoplasm! You can just lay it on the field and let it continue to copy creatures that might give you an edge in the game till you can drop something nasty!
TPmanW
★★★☆☆ (3.2/5.0)(2 votes)
Run against decks that contain their own weakness. If any deck somehow gets below 50-50 in the mirror match this card will slaughter that deck. (-;
Khias
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.7/5.0)(3 votes)
Blue is going to need these on a sideboard at the very least to deal with Thrun, the Last Troll. Which might just be the most powerful card in the set.
Frozenwings
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(3 votes)
@Khias, this creature needs to "target" for transforming, so cryptoplasm couldn't change into Thrun. This honor goes to Clone =)
Removal
★★★★☆ (4.5/5.0)(2 votes)
Making a casual deck built around it and Mirror-Sigil Sergeant/Paradox Haze.
Smauls
★★★☆☆ (3.5/5.0)(2 votes)
This card saved me in a recent booster draft!!!
I was playing a guy who drafted both a Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas AND a Molten-Tail Masticore. How in the world he managed that I'll be wondering for the rest of my life!!! But needless to say, I lost match 1 of 3 horribly. He got both out on the field and I was helpless. Then match 2 of 3, I played my Cryptoplasm. He pulled out his masticore so I had good ol' Crypto become the masticore, used its "deal 4 damage" ability to rid of his masticore, and it was smooth sailing from there on out!!
4/5
Nighthawk42
★★★★☆ (4.2/5.0)(2 votes)
While it comes in as a 2/2 and misses out on ETB effects, since it only costs 1UU it can be cast and leave mana up for a counter when a Vesuvan Doppelganger would tap out and even a Clone costs more.
Can't copy shrouded creatures but no current copy card can. We would need something like "copy random creature controlled by target player". It actually can copy Prot Blue critters given a couple rounds to do it and another colored creature to shift through.
Zaneshift
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(2 votes)
Interesting for activated abilities, landfall anyone? It's also got some great defensive potential, it's essentially a way to get more than 4 of a creature in your deck-- a great filler card for blue. Hedron Crab is a fun one, and I tend to copy all my Gomazoas and such just for added stall. Sure, there's no ETB effects like you might get off of Mimic Vat or the like, but you can keep it as the clones creature as long as you like, meaning if you bounce your foe's Blightsteel Collosus or whatnot, you're good to go. At worst, it's still a 2/2 that can mirror-cide an opponent's summon.
Jaeron_Dalur
★☆☆☆☆ (1.6/5.0)(4 votes)
@Gaffy Disregard what littlebeast says. Tezzeret's ability permanently changes the target's type to Artifact Creature which means it is no longer of the type Planeswalker. Since it is not a Planeswalker the Planeswalker rule does not apply and it will happily exist along any other Tezzerets.
Shiny_Umbreon
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(2 votes)
@scumblin1: How does this not kill legendary creatures?
@Jaeron_Dalur: Actually, when an effect makes an artifact and artifact creature, it's like saying "creature in addition to its other types." Obscure exception.
Harry_Botter
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
@Jaeron_Dalur
We should all disreguard what you say. Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas says Target artifact becomes a 5/5 artifact creature. So you saying that mess about his ability changing planeswalker types is completely wrng since it does nothing to planeswalkers, since planeswalkers are not artifacts at all.
dragonking987
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
awesome card is awesome.
Mogun
★★☆☆☆ (2.0/5.0)(3 votes)
Just try using this in Ally deck and see what happens.
NecroticNobody
★★☆☆☆ (2.8/5.0)(2 votes)
This was Cloneing Serum Rakers and Priests of Norn all draft long. I was playing Blue/Black/Green, so I'd drop this turn 5, copying Serum Raker the next turn, then shoot the opponent's Raker down with Pistus Strike.
land_comment
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.9/5.0)(5 votes)
As the "copy" creatures go, it's not very good. Realistically, it should have been a 1/4 that cost {3}{U}.
Or a 0/4 that cost {2}{U}.
It won't survive the bolt (and trust me, it WILL get it - I mean, Shock kills this) so what's the use? A waste of the mana. Don't get me wrong, it can be good, but...
infernox10
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
For fun, I've made a deck consisting of this guy, Clone, Quicksilver Gargantuan, Cemetery Puca, and a select few other cards.
Either way, you see the pattern,
And the key is you MUST have your copycats copy this cat or the Puca, as they're the ones changing to what you want/need.
Just be REALLY careful around legendary stuff. ._.
The world goes *BOOM* if you do things incorrectly.
zkmaddison
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
I have a question concerning this card, if my Cryptoplasm copies a Myr Propagator and I use the activated ability to make a new token Myr Propagator would the token creature that was copied from the Cryptoplasm have "At the beginning of your upkeep, you may have Cryptoplasm become a copy of another target creature. If you do, Cryptoplasm gains this ability."?
If so I have some crazy fun ideas for my Myr deck.
Torturing101
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
Flash him in at the end of your opponent's turn with Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir. There! Removal problem solved.
djflo
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
If you copy a Chronozoa, it will spawn two copiers. Question though - will the original Cryptoplasm be sacrificed due to vanishing straight away, or will it need to wait a turn?
EDIT: It won't sacrifice itself because you never remove the last counter. However, that means whenever it dies it spawns the copies of itself, which can then copy other stuff without worrying about Vanishing.
BlackAlbino
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
@laguz Vesuvan dopleganger is flat-out more expensive by the time you play Vesuvan dopleganger this will have had 2 opportunities to copy something So unless your looking for an "enters the battlefield" ability that's not a very sound arguement.
In EDH this far out-classes clone, but since it's EDH Vesuvan won't Technically outclass this since you just run both. And phyrexian metamorph. And maybe clone too. And hell, all the copiers.
drebhan
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
This is the ultimate card to kick a rite of replication. "Oh you have a blightsteel, whoops i have 6 blightsteels. Tee hee.
Planeswalker Artifact Creature with all of Tezzy's abilities and also the ability to have it become a copy of another target creature at the beginning of your upkeep? Cool.
Discoduck
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
It's actually really interesting to hit this one with a kicked Right of Replication in a long multiplayer game. As long as your army of 2/2's survive a turn, you'll end up with a super-adaptable army of shapeshifters. They will be the cream of the crop as far as whatever creatures happen to be on the board during any given turn thereafter. Just be sure to counter those sweepers. In EDH specifically, this gives you six chances to take out an opponent's commander during your upkeep phase.
Fenizrael
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
The advantage of this card over Clone is that it's dynamic and reusable (and also killable, unfortunately)... unless you're fetching spells from your graveyard.
UncreativeNameMaker
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
If this were to copy Myr Propagator, could it create self-replicating tokens with the ability to copy other creatures?
Razbot
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
If a cryptoplasm copies another cryptoplasm, would it have two instances of the upkeep-copy ability?
Paleopaladin
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
@Gaffy, then they both die to the "Planeswalker rule" right after that unless I'm missing something?
A respectable alternative to Phantasmal Image for Sun Titan decks. Not as explosive in combo terms, but less vulnerable to any targeting spell and more versatile.
shotoku64
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
When I read this, I had to ask someone if it was actually a "may" ability... X3
S-r-ex
★★☆☆☆ (2.0/5.0)(3 votes)
This + Followed Footsteps = At the beginning of your upkeep, you may kill target legendary creature?
Paolino
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
One of my favourite cards in Magic is surely Vesuvan Doppelganger because of its ability to clone another creature every turn. This one doesn't enter as a copy directly, but it costs less, so it's worth the drawback!
cioskookycards
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
im thinking ally deck..on TOP of jwarii shapeshifter ...keep copying a Halimar excavator and mill every turn or any other ally you have and keep changing it ,,,,unlike the exellect jwari shapeshifter .
Yezzerat
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I enjoy copying a creature with Undying, getting my Cryptoplasm killed and reentering as a Cryptoplasm with a +1/+1 token, and then becoming something more useful.
MrGoodSire
★★★★☆ (4.8/5.0)(2 votes)
I love giving this guy a +1/+1 counter.
"That's a cool monster you have there! I think I'll copy it...oh and mine is a bit better."
azure_drake222222
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
What about copying an Eldrazi?
ParishInquisitor
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
This is pretty solid, but it gets removed before it has a chance to transform a lot. Still, I think I'll keep it in my / EDH. Being able to change what it is as your need change is nice. Flexibility is always relevant.
Hunter06
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I keep sticking this little bugger in decks and hhe never works out, ah well, seems fun enough 3.5/5 Stars
blurrymadness
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Relevant for budget tech against Show and Tell. They show Emrakul, you copy it and attack them for 6 permanents.
Comments (55)
T4 "I clone your Oracle of Mul Daya"
T5 "Primeval Titan? How nice! I clone it!"
just a warning
- this guy doesn't trigger "enter the battlefield" or "leave the battlefield" abilities. That is a huge drawback (for example when cloning primeval titan)
- this guy sits around for at least one turn as a weak 2/2 creature, giving everyone time to kill it or adapt to it
- can't coppy creatures with shroud or protection
- fewer combo possibilities. For example you can use cards like momentary blink to have clone or similiar cards copy a new creature at instant speed, triggering "enter the battlefield" and "leave the battlefield" abilities. Doesn't work with this guy.
- also, when it's about copying creatures, one or two mana different ain't that much of a problem, because the best creatures enter late game anyway.
So, this guy is cute and the manacost fits. Still, clone and his buddies are superior.
3/5
Anyway, this is a great new version of vesuvan doppelganger! I will look forward to playing these grey ogres! Beware though that this is pretty slow to actually clone something.
Not because you can copy one of your own big threats. (which is nice)
Not because you can copy one of your opponents bombs. (though that's nice too)
But because it prevents your opponent from playing what they want.
This sly little devil beats your opponent to the punch. Especially with distortion strike lurking in your deck. That's why I'll gladly pay 2 less than vesuvan to get it out faster.
This creature comes with built in adaptability. Pacifism or arrest getting you down? Just change to a creature with pro white and watch it fall off. Or copy a creature with other useful abilities. Sure you could blink it off of a clone but here it gives you a way to deal with it in the card itself.
I like the idea of being able to change the creature into the best thing on the field at the beginning of my turn. Especially when the best thing is your opponent's. If it didn't have haste you get to attack with it first. God forbid you have more than one of these and they both copy it.
Cryptoplasm is a vanilla 2/2 for a turn.
People seem to be misreading this card's text. It isn't outclassing or replacing much of anything.
You say its not as good as clone? Clone does have the advantage of being able to enter the battlefield as a copy of a creature giving it great bounce effects with other cards. However! You can't hold onto equipment with out extra costs with clone and clone will loose all enchantments attached to it when it leaves play. That means any Good ones as well! On the Other hand, Cryptoplasm can keep all of its enchantments, equipment, and any Buffs it might have gotten while on the field, like +1/+1 counters. And yes I do know that this can also be a bad thing with hindering auras and -1/-1 counters.
Another Great part about this card is its cost. For only 1UU you can drop this bad boy out as long as you have 2 blue and 1 colorless mana to add to your mana pool! This usually means a turn 3 drop for blue where as with Clone you will have to wait for Turn 4 usually, or with Vesuvan doppelganger it could be turn 5!
Have a Level up deck? Well why not throw a few of theses things in their? Copy a leveler that is really easy to add level counters on then the next turn change it too one of your Key levelers with a large amount of level counters on it already!
Need to copy something faster? Need an upkeep ability? Paradox haze will accelerated Cryptoplasm's ability even faster making it capable of changing into a creatures like the bringer s or Galvanoth for interesting and fun times!
Have you ever been sitting around in a game of MTG and really needing something out on the field bad, but all you get is a clone and the only thing you could copy is a waist of time to copy? Well thats not a problem with Cryptoplasm! You can just lay it on the field and let it continue to copy creatures that might give you an edge in the game till you can drop something nasty!
I was playing a guy who drafted both a Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas AND a Molten-Tail Masticore. How in the world he managed that I'll be wondering for the rest of my life!!! But needless to say, I lost match 1 of 3 horribly. He got both out on the field and I was helpless. Then match 2 of 3, I played my Cryptoplasm. He pulled out his masticore so I had good ol' Crypto become the masticore, used its "deal 4 damage" ability to rid of his masticore, and it was smooth sailing from there on out!!
4/5
While each has advantages, I think only Vesuvan Shapeshifter is better.
Can't copy shrouded creatures but no current copy card can. We would need something like "copy random creature controlled by target player". It actually can copy Prot Blue critters given a couple rounds to do it and another colored creature to shift through.
Disregard what littlebeast says. Tezzeret's ability permanently changes the target's type to Artifact Creature which means it is no longer of the type Planeswalker. Since it is not a Planeswalker the Planeswalker rule does not apply and it will happily exist along any other Tezzerets.
@Jaeron_Dalur: Actually, when an effect makes an artifact and artifact creature, it's like saying "creature in addition to its other types." Obscure exception.
We should all disreguard what you say. Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas says Target artifact becomes a 5/5 artifact creature. So you saying that mess about his ability changing planeswalker types is completely wrng since it does nothing to planeswalkers, since planeswalkers are not artifacts at all.
Or a 0/4 that cost {2}{U}.
It won't survive the bolt (and trust me, it WILL get it - I mean, Shock kills this) so what's the use? A waste of the mana. Don't get me wrong, it can be good, but...
Either way, you see the pattern,
And the key is you MUST have your copycats copy this cat or the Puca, as they're the ones changing to what you want/need.
Just be REALLY careful around legendary stuff. ._.
The world goes *BOOM* if you do things incorrectly.
If so I have some crazy fun ideas for my Myr deck.
EDIT: It won't sacrifice itself because you never remove the last counter. However, that means whenever it dies it spawns the copies of itself, which can then copy other stuff without worrying about Vanishing.
Vesuvan dopleganger is flat-out more expensive
by the time you play Vesuvan dopleganger this will have had 2 opportunities to copy something
So unless your looking for an "enters the battlefield" ability that's not a very sound arguement.
In EDH this far out-classes clone, but since it's EDH Vesuvan won't Technically outclass this since you just run both. And phyrexian metamorph. And maybe clone too. And hell, all the copiers.
Planeswalker Artifact Creature with all of Tezzy's abilities and also the ability to have it become a copy of another target creature at the beginning of your upkeep? Cool.
In EDH specifically, this gives you six chances to take out an opponent's commander during your upkeep phase.
"That's a cool monster you have there! I think I'll copy it...oh and mine is a bit better."
3.5/5 Stars