Loving the subtle olschool Ravnica island art in the background.
Stinga
★★★★☆ (4.7/5.0)(3 votes)
I was hitting random card and came on this one and was like "Gatecrash! O:> YAAY!" (I had not looked at spoilers.) I love how this card's typing is a mutant wizard. None of that race garbage. Makes it much cooler.
Tiggurix
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
This guy reminds me of the robed tentacle dudes in Legend of Grimrock...
Sleaw
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I know it's not the best card, but damn if it isn't just build up so very sleek and nice to look at.
LordOfTheFlies87
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Beautiful art.
Cyberium
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Graft ability would fit in nicely, allow you quicker control.
infernox10
★★★★☆ (4.5/5.0)(3 votes)
At first I was astonished at this card's power. Then I noticed the "remove counters" clause. While that makes it significantly less powerful, I still like the card as a whole.
His abilities work nicely because as long as you're removing the counters evolve will trigger with almost every creature.
_Wicker_
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Great card, won me a few games at the prerelease. One game I kept taking utility 1/T creatures from the opponent (some rogue, the evasive krasis, frilled oculous, etc. It's disheartening to the opponent to lose creatures again and again.
Trygon_Predator
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(5 votes)
Excellent design, and the Lovecraftian artwork is gorgeous too. Compares somewhat to Old Man of the Sea, both have their pros and cons for the same cost. You obviously want to play creatures with the Manipulator though.
chrome_dome
★★★★☆ (4.0/5.0)(1 vote)
4/5. The Grim Reaper showed up at a Simic combine and traded in his scythe and skeleton fingers for a wizard's staff and tentacles.
Loupi
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
This card has great synergy with cards like Bioshift, Primordial Hydra, and Nimbus Swimmer. Throw some mana ramping in there, bring out loads of counters, Bioshift them all to Simic Manipulator, and steal all your opponent's creatures.
wholelottalove
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Why is this rated so low? You don't lose control of the creature if anything happens to this creature.
FatalEagle
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Guys, this is better than you think. Fathom Mage too big? Bioshift onto this. Opponent has lots of weenies attacking? Tap, Burst of Strength, then tap again. 4 for 1, anybody? Outside block, don't forget about Ring of Evos Isle. Hexproof makes this a real threat. I don't know why this is rated 2.9 (as of Jan. 29, 2013) but it shouldn't be this low. Heck, at the prerelease, I went 3-1 with only this and the promo Fathom Mage as rares in my deck.
Yozuk
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I like how this card is just "Mutant Wizard". I can just imagine that conversation. "They have done so many experiments on me. I just don't know what I am any more."
Enemy_Tricolor
★★★★☆ (4.0/5.0)(1 vote)
I don't care how it happens. All I know is that this guy needs to have a face-off with Arcanis the Omnipotent.
Hussalo
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Illusionist's Bracers...
ParishInquisitor
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I love this card! He (it?) has one of the best creature typelines ever. And the art is outstanding. I pulled him at the prerelease, and he worked wonders against my opponents' creatures. On a side note, not bad in EDH, where there are tons of big critters to evolve him.
RickT
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
That claw must come in handy for picking up his lunch. You know, whatever big fatty his boss has Turn to Frog.
This guy totally dominates in limited format, especially if you get him along with Agoraphobia. He's got his place in certain constructed decks where you can either get a bajillion tokens on him or even better, nerf the power of the creatures you're playing against with Downsize and the like.
He'll nearly always trigger evolve on himself, too. I have no idea why this card is rated so low. (Edit: Derp, creature you gain control of doesn't ENTER THE BATTLEFIELD, therefore doesn't trigger evolve.)
@Osprey_93, you have to remove at least one +1/+1 Counter as the cost to activate the ability. Still, Ovinize or Turn to Frog are great for minimal cost captures
Claviq
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
this is a good card in combination with Stream of Unconsciousness ,you can take opponents cards with higher power for few counters,and also you draw a card,
Kirbster
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
The Dunwich Horror here gets along wonderfully with Serendib Sorcerer. Every turn, you can take whatever you want just by removing a single counter. And hey, since the creature you just took has 2 toughness - more than the Manipulator's 1 - you'll get another counter for next turn. I smell a sit-com!
Better balance, better art...(the shackles themselves are illustrated finely, but I wish the goblin didn't look like Bane)
Ironically, for flavor reasons, I think they should trade what they count: This ought to count Islands, the Shackles should count charge counters.
Stuflames
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
There's a lot of cool ways to get his abillity rolling hard. My current favorite, though, is the simple, cheap Downsize as you opponent declares attackers and thinks their creatures are out of range of his ability. Next turn you're ready to go with his/her own creature, a turn worth of shenanigans, and likely much better board position than s/he anticipated when they tapped to attack. Not to mention how else Downsize screwed with their calculations if it was overloaded.
Anyway it's repeating permanent (regain control effects aside) creature removal in blue, with great board presence implications. Buildup or limitations aside, people have justified worse just for being lasting removal in blue.
krazykatboy
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
This card is horrendously overpowered. When combined with ANY of the many cards that add or move +1/+1 counters it can feasibly take over anything. The fact this ability only checks power, this will decimate most defenders in an instant. Not to mention it can be used at any time, lasts forever, and has little repercussions (you can easily pop it out of the graveyard or use enchantments to boost its base toughness). If the card's ability stated "can only be used at any time you could use a sorcery" or "until end of turn" or both, I would be willing to call this balanced.
Ferlord
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Ahh! Arcanis! What happened to you?!
Kyrthain
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
I was playing 2HG at the prerelease, and had 4 Act of Treasons between me and my partner (Boros/Gruul) Opponent played this, I show my partner my Act of Treason, he shows me his, we both grin. The opponent evolved it, then my partner proceded to act of treason it, and use its ability on itself. Our opponents were dumbfounded. By the end of the game, my partner had more Simic cards out than the opponent who was playing Simic...
AlfadorZeal
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
As if simic needed more cards that worked amazingly well with Mirrorweave, if making opponents creatures 0/0 with graft wasn't fun enough, why not just control the whole field?
Comments (38)
Then I noticed the "remove counters" clause.
While that makes it significantly less powerful, I still like the card as a whole.
Fathom Mage too big? Bioshift onto this.
Opponent has lots of weenies attacking? Tap, Burst of Strength, then tap again. 4 for 1, anybody?
Outside block, don't forget about Ring of Evos Isle. Hexproof makes this a real threat.
I don't know why this is rated 2.9 (as of Jan. 29, 2013) but it shouldn't be this low. Heck, at the prerelease, I went 3-1 with only this and the promo Fathom Mage as rares in my deck.
On a side note, not bad in EDH, where there are tons of big critters to evolve him.
He'll nearly always trigger evolve on himself, too. I have no idea why this card is rated so low. (Edit: Derp, creature you gain control of doesn't ENTER THE BATTLEFIELD, therefore doesn't trigger evolve.)
I figured out a way to run him in multiplayer that is pretty fun alongside Jace, Architect of Thought, as well as utilizing Illusionist's Bracers.
Better balance, better art...(the shackles themselves are illustrated finely, but I wish the goblin didn't look like Bane)
Ironically, for flavor reasons, I think they should trade what they count:
This ought to count Islands, the Shackles should count charge counters.
Anyway it's repeating permanent (regain control effects aside) creature removal in blue, with great board presence implications. Buildup or limitations aside, people have justified worse just for being lasting removal in blue.
Opponent played this, I show my partner my Act of Treason, he shows me his, we both grin. The opponent evolved it, then my partner proceded to act of treason it, and use its ability on itself. Our opponents were dumbfounded. By the end of the game, my partner had more Simic cards out than the opponent who was playing Simic...
Best friends with Agoraphobia and token engines. Mono-Blue has Akroan Horse, to start.