"So you know that Giant Adephage I have on the field?"
Flyheight
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(20 votes)
Let's progress through this one step at a time. 1) It's a very expensive clone 2) That has a Followed Footsteps stapled to it...and it still only costs 6 mana
That's already pretty bonkers. But there's more. The Mimic ability only works if the creature isn't a token. So you get 1 token per turn with one original Mimic on the field. But what if you have another non-token clone card...say like...Clone? Clone any of the tokens or the original it doesn't matter. Since Clone isn't a token it also gets to make babies every turn. A deck full of clone spells making clones of clones of clones (that somehow don't genetically deteriorate...take that science fiction!) soon has an impossibly large army that only a board wipe will take care of. It just makes my inner Johnny feel all warm and fuzzy inside.
...And we still aren't done yet. Oh no. What happens if we throw a second copy of Progenitor Mimic into the equation...copying the first Mimic? Copies copy all the rules text of the copied spell (no duh). So if a Mimic copies a Mimic it now has two baby making abilities: one from the first mimic and one from the second. So 2 P.Mimics stacked gets you 3 babies per turn (1+2) 3 P. Mimics gets you 6 babies per turn (1+2+3) 4 P. Mimics gets you 10 babies per turn (1+2+3+4) MUUWWAAHAHAHAAHAHAAHHHAAAAAAHHHAHAHAH!!!!!!
Who said I was done yet? WAIT? Wha? THERE'S MORE??!! The start of this scenario only requires two P. Mimics, one copying the other. We have P. Mimic A with only his original baby making effect. We have P. Mimic B copying P.Mimic A thereby having 2 baby making effects. Now flicker P. Mimic A. P. Mimic A comes back in as a copy of P. Mimic B (who already has 2 baby making effects) and adds his own baby making effect to the pool giving P. Mimic A 3 baby making effects. We now get 5 babies/turn (2 from B and 3 from A) off of only 3 cards. If you now come back and flicker B having it come back in as a copy of the new A, B now has 4 baby making effects) And now I'll stop slow-rolling and take this to its absurdly logical (or is it logically absurd?) conclusion: What if the creature they are copying is this guy: Deadeye Navigator
Have the P. Mimic's copying eachother and bonded to eachother and suddenly the P. Mimic Deadeye effect reads: 1U: increase the number of babies made each turn by 2.
Yo Dawg, I herd you like clone, so I put an clone in your clone so you can clone while you clone.
James_Kernaghan
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
The best thing about this is that you can stack them as copies of each other. A Progenitor Mimic copying another Progenitor Mimic will produce two tokens of itself in the upkeep.
A bit pricey for serious play, but a really fun and silly card nonetheless. I hope to run it in a casual deck with Master Biomancer... what could possibly go wrong?
talcumpowder0046
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
The copy copies! Clone^2
DarthParallax
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Flyheight- you're done? well that's a real shame because I'm not. :P
See, you neglected to even try to do anything other than "Make an ass ton of creatures"
Well first, I am here to tell you that, yes, as 'ubiquitous' 'lazy' and 'easy' as it is to say, I'm not yet bored of how stupid it is so I have to bring up Doubling Season :D But wait! There's more! (Obviously-)
Doubling Season makes not only lots more babies, it also says that we get to double +1/+1 counters. Since this Clone does NOT cost 4 mana, that is actually a BOON because it means that we have our 4-mana slot open for our Master Biomancers. "NOW HOLD ON!" you say-
Sure Master Biomancer doesn't appear to do a lot on his own- he also needs his own support to do his silly stupid thing. Well that's perfectly fine and dandy because the P. Mimic IS a fairly self-regulating-operator, so we can afford to devote more time to getting Master Biomancer working because Progenitor Mimic just Breaks All Hell Loose when we do anything with it. Master Biomancer and Doubling Season BOTH provide a huge amount of +1/+1 Counters, but they kind of work like Dwarven Rings Of Power- they need gold to breed gold. Or in this case, they need counters to breed counters. Well, where are we going to get our Counters from?
How about, Um, Evolve? Because we're Simic? :D Alright, so that was sort of obvious. But you know what I'd really like to see an Evolve deck use? Fauna Shaman. Survival of the Johnniest.
Seems to be an adequate start to the deck. Frankly, because I want this deck to be massively Johnny tastic, two things: We don't want Biovisionary in this particular deck because he's a "Simic Felidar Sovereign" and just ends the game before we get to start being REALLY Silly. And #2, I think that because of the Mana Cost of Progenitor Mimic the deck he will be happiest in is a 100-card non-singleton deck, so that you have a very large pile of cards to do very nutty things with. :) For 100-card decks, you'll want 36-40 lands, which means roughly 8-10 different Land Cards, probably 40 Creatures because we want our deck to be mostly centered around Creatures, so 8-10 different 4-ofs of those too, and 20 Non-creatures.
Give or take a couple cards here and there. 1x Riku of Two Reflections and 1x Tezzeret the Seeker are definitely going to be inclusions in my build of it, to show you what directions I think are fun to think in. :) There are way too many Simic Cards between Alara Reborn, Ravnica Block 1, and Return to Ravnica Block, without even looking for hidden gems in Pre-Modern sets, to pick an exact 100. I would try to keep the mana curve under control though and not fall prey to including anything bigger than a Simic Sky Swallower. Even with the cards we can access, we want to be mostly a Copy-Little-Dudes-Make-Them-Big-Dudes Deck, not so much a Tutor-Fatty-Into-Play Deck, but Experiment Kraj-thinking DOES allow us to ask what nutty things can be done when we try to exploit pre-fattened fatties. :)
@Flyheight My good sir/madam, I do believe there is one very, VERY important thing you seemed to have missed. Something you've seemed to deem unworthy in your assessment of how fun this card can become. Infinite Reflection.
Arachibutyrophobia
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
feels like a spitting image that doesn't eat up mana or cards
TheWrathofShane
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Clone with Followed Footsteps stapled on for 6. 4.5/5
Stinga
★★★★☆ (4.8/5.0)(2 votes)
As part of my ongoing quest to give cool things well deserved flavor text:
got this in the prerelease and was essential to winning the matches i won at varrious points copying rubblebelt raiders (fun) ivy lane denizen (crazy) and a palisade giant (5 of these on your side of the field is pretty hard to lose with) final impressions, this card is stupid good, if not dealt with it can very quickly turn around the game if it had any way to easily change it's initial target would be a massive 5/5 but as is still gets a happy 4.5 love it.
This thing won me two of the four two-headed giant games. Both times we won, we had got this out on the field copying a Zhur-Taa Swine, waited until we had three, kept one for defender, then used Armed // Dangerous as a finisher.
The two times we won, though, we hadn't gotten this out (D:), and we'd gotten extorted to death.
What did I learn? 1) This card is awesome. 2) Overload Blustersquall continues to be great. 3) Extort is freaking OP in Two-Headed Giant. Seriously.
Great card. Won me more then a few matches at prerelease. highlights are: Copying a Sunspire Gatekeepers for two tokens a turn. Won 3 turns later. Copying a Voidwielder. Won in 2 turns. Copying a Clad-Scab Giant. Lost game but was it cool. He had done it earlier to me. Got 2nd place behind a pro player with a RGU deck with his own P. Mimic.
Also, there was a little boy following me around watching me play. Maybe 7 or 8 years old. Couldn't say Progenitor Mimic so he started calling it a P.P. Meme. Of course this caught on and everyone called it P.P Man. Every time I played him everyone would scream the P.P Man is back. Probably the best card in a set is reduced to the P.P Man.
Lord_of_Tresserhorn
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(3 votes)
I drew a German foil in my last pack at the pre-release today! :D
But what completely shocked me was the German name: "Nachahmer der Ahnen". Which translates back to "Mimic of the Progenitors" (whatever kind of progenitors those would be. I'm 99.99% sure the English name means "Progenitor of the Mimics" which is exactly what the card does.
This is as bad as the "Bodyguard of the Veteran" from German Blackborder Revised way back in 1995...
vantha
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(1 vote)
Wow, I can't believe no one has mentioned the most obvious target for this guy, let me spell it out thragtusk, you're welcome. Yes there are solid creatures from the Gatekeepers to other beatdown creatures. But in Standard, Thragtusk is probably your #1-5 targets most of the time. Whether you are copying your opponents or copying your own, turn 6 is relevant and you are usually copying Thragtusk if it survives. And let the life gaining, token generating fun begin. I really like this card and can't wait to get a playset of him for cheap. Right now most of the attention is on Ral Zarek, Voice of Resurgence, Legion's Initiative, Blood Baron of Vizkopa and Master of Cruelties but I have a feeling this might get some play.
6 Mana may be slightly prohibitive but having a clone engine is solid for control decks.
Discoduck
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I love the card, but I wish the art had been more feeling. I don't want angels in my deck!
Guest1515973801
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I had to play against this guy at the prerelease. I was proud of myself when I knocked him out before he could eat me alive....too bad they also had deadbridge chant out and got him back the next turn. Needless to say I lost the match only having pulled one rare(not mythic) in my colors...I got bombed all night....the only bomb I ever dropped was Niv Mizzet...who won me a match against this same deck.
majinara
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Well, shapeshifters are nearly always nice. This version is... ok. It's worse than clone, simply for costing 6 mana in two colors and instead of four mana in one color, without being any different, unless it survives for a turn. For limited it's of course fine, paying six mana for a copy of the most powerful creatures (or killing it, in case it's legendary), and then being able to, slowly, produce more of it. For constructed, it's too slow and expensive, to be worth anything. So what's left is casual. There it's a nice and fun card. Probably best in a green blue deck, that is good in mana acceleration and comboing this guy with paradox haze, extra turns, token doublers and so on.
ja785y
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Reading through the rules of this car i remembered another clone card Evil twin and my idea to not let it copy something and sustain it somehow letting other clones come into play as it. that's cool but then again it was to hard to find colors. then i saw this and thought of making it come into play as a 0/0 and then if it did stay alive ( EG: adaptive automation ) you could chose another creature to copy every turn. So free clones every turn for 6 mana once is not to bad is it.
Then if you put this guy into the battle field copying a evil twin that came in as a 0/0 you could keep killing your opponents creatures for B/U. you would need three colors but that's not to bad is it?
herpdaderp
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I'd have fun pairing this with Council of the Absolute. Name something you don't want to see them cast (field wipes, pings, or any pesky win con card) or something in your hand every turn to lower its cost!
IotheGodofDragonkind
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
works well with Master Biomancer.
Play Master Biomancer and pump it up. then play progenitor mimic as a copy of nothing. Then play another progentior mimic as a copy of progenitor mimic (While you still have out master biomancer, of course) and then you will start spitting out progenitor mimics just to copy stuff (because they will be tokens they will not make tokens). Then flicker the progenitor mimic that is a copy of nothing and make it a copy of the progenitor mimic that was copying it. then have fun killing legends.
SpaceMagic
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I'm going to be cute and Progenitor Mimic my Progenit- Oh.
Jupenator
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
This guy has a tendency to win drafts singlehandedly if he is picked up.
JaxsonBateman
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
Definitely my favorite card from the set. Easy to build around - all you need is creatures with decent ETBs. It's also in the color of counters, so you have potential to protect it. Essentially, when you cast it you're going to get the best creature on the battlefield, and then if left unabated, you'll get free copies of the best creature on the battlefield turn after turn.
And though it's a 6 mana conditional card, it has standard potential. I'm just going to throw out that this comes out the turn after Thragtusk (because having a self-replicating Thragtusk would not be stupidly powerful or anything), and is in a standard that also includes Snapcaster Mage, Restoration Angel and Angel of Serenity.
I wouldn't be surprised if this sees some appearances in Bant decks, for sure.
Edit: as an additional note for people reading comments here - if Progenitor Mimic copies nothing and somehow survives, it doesn't spit out tokens each turn. It only gains the "at the beginning of your upkeep put a token out" ability if it actually copies something. So you need to copy something like a Clone or already existing Progenitor Mimic to be able to get 'clone' tokens each turn.
raptorman333
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
so basically it's a simic followed footsteps that gives you a copy of the creature immediately. total boss.
Majora_13
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
@ Chidydog
You could call it an increasing odd number. Or you could call it the number of sublime angels (including copies) squared, because that's what it is. Much simpler way of looking at it.
ChidyDog
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
@Majora_13: I told ya I was bored, haha. I didn't see at first that number of exalted triggers was just the number of Sublime Archangels squared. I guess I just got too involved thinking and writing it out to realize a shortcut like that. That's what ya get for not seeing the forest for the trees. lol
iwitch
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Mirror gallery Tajic blade of the legion
Spectis
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Guile in conjunction with Mimic equals an army off 6/6s that need to be blocked by three or more creatures. Love how the only effective defense is board wipe or a token army. :3
CatParty
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
Under Legendary Rule Change: Cast Phage the Untouchable, then clone her with Progenitor Mimic, sac the Phage to keep the mimic, then donate the mimic to an opponent. Next upkeep they lose.
Osprey_93
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Due to the new M13 legendary rule change you can copy your zegana for free card advantage every turn, and still keep this alive. Zegana Maro EDH here I come :D
sofasleeper
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
Should have been called Simic Mimic
Callahan09
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
First, a combo idea: If you just want to use the Simic colors, there's two cards you can use here (Gaea's Anthem orSpidersilk Armor), if you don't care about color there's even more options than that.
Basically, what you want is a card that gives all your creatures at least +1 to toughness.
Then you can bring in your Progenitor Mimic without picking a creature to copy and it won't die. Then you bring in *another* Progenitor Mimic, and copy the first one. Now you've got a Progenitor Mimic on the battlefield with "At the beginning of your upkeep, if this creature isn't a token, put a token onto the battlefield that's a copy of this creature."
So every turn, you get another Progenitor Mimic, which you can use to copy any other creature. Basically, the benefit is this: With one Progenitor Mimic, you could copy whatever creature you want and it would just keep copying that creature. With two the normal way, you could copy the copy, and get three copies each turn of whatever creature you selected with the first one, or you could get one of the first one, and one of a different one but the same two each turn. Either way, you're limited to just getting copies of the creatures you selected when they first came onto the battlefield. But with THIS method, you can get a copy of whatever creature you want every turn. Say your enemy just brought out a Emrakul, the Aeons Torn, well on your next turn you get one too! And in two turns, you'll have TWO Emrakul's. Talk about a backfire for your opponent.
But, can anyone explain what happens if you use Progenitor Mimic to copy a land card that has been turned into a creature, such as with Hydroform?
Since the rulings for Progenitor Mimic say:
"Progenitor Mimic copies exactly what was printed on the original creature and nothing more (unless that creature is copying something else or is a token). It doesn’t copy ... any non-copy effects that have changed its power, toughness, types, color, or so on."
So what does that mean, exactly? My card was printed as a land, not as a creature. But it is a creature until the end of turn, due to a non-copy effect that changed its types. So does that mean that when I copy it, it copies as a Land, not as a Land Creature? And if that's the case, then what happens with the rules text on the copy: "At the beginning of your upkeep, if this creature isn't a token, put a token onto the battlefield that's a copy of this creature." ... Would the fact that "this" is not a creature cause it to be countered, the way invalid targets counters a spell? In which case, would the mimic just die and go to the graveyard? Or would it be fine, but the copy wouldn't create tokens? Or would it just act completely as normal?
Do we need an official ruling? What does everybody else think/
With the new Legendary rules coming in Magic 2014, this combos quite nicely with any of the Kamigawa spirit dragons or any other legendary with a powerful "when this creature dies" ability.
SAUS3
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Awesome mythic. I was wondering if they would make a green/blue clone. This is it, and it doesn't disappoint.
I suppose spitting image was the first green/blue clone, but it's not quite the same.
5/5
drake3498
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
lol it only takes Aetherize and you just got screwed. Also token destruction cards are pretty common to get. But this is a awesome card >:D 5/5
REMFan1988
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
So... Progenitor Mimic + cryptoplasm. Play the plasm first, then mimic. next turn, mimic makes token, orig plasm copies mimic, original mimic copies plasm. Next turn, use newest iterations of plasm ability to copy each other. Repeat each turn for more and more copies following the Fibonacci number sequence.
for example... c = cryptoplasm, p = progenitor mimic, t = token, pc = progenitor copying a cryptoplasm (etc.)... 1. c & pc 2. 1t, cpc & pcpc 3. 1t + 2t, cpcpcpc & pcpcpcpcpc 4. 3t + 5t, cpcpcpcpcpcpcpcpc & pcpcpcpcpcpcpcpcpcpcpcpcpc 5. 8t + 13t...
Each instance of the cryptoplasm becoming a creature ability should add more and more instances of the progenitor mimic's token making power to your 2 cloners.
cubby86
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
this card is AMAZING and has ***ed many of my opponents off, and i love that, question tho, that i have recieved two different answers on...
if i copy, say, Huntmaster of the Fells, and the transform condition was met, (no spells or somethin like that), would they still transform or would they say huntsmasters???
senken12
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
@cubby86 As Huntmaster of the Fells and Ravager of the Fells are technically the same thing, the Progenitor would have the same transform ability... I think
He's slow and goofy... but he's fun and he can turn around some pretty bleak-looking games. I had particular luck in using him to copy Sunblast Angel.
ShinyGoldenGod
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Cryptoplasm.
Copy the Cryptoplasm, then have the Cryptoplasm copy the Mimic. Now you have two creatures that each generate a token that can turn into any creature on the field every upkeep.
Add in a Phyrexian Metalmorph somehow, and you're in business.
mdakw576
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
one of my favorite parts about this card is the card itself has 0 power (much like your normal clones).
So in bant you have reveilark that cna fetch thsi back, and in RUG you have imperial recruiter to tutor for it. That alone gives it a lot of potential.
DoragonShinzui
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
If you can give him some static toughness (Leyline of Vitality, Gaea's Anthem, etc.) and have him copy himself, you've got a veritable clone production line.
SlipperyDevil
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Want a fun little combo? Try using Progenitor Mimic to clone a Bond Beetle, which you then use the token to pump a Wild Beast Master. Then drop a Chorus of Might on your Beast Master who is now a 9/9 and your six 0/1 Beetle Tokens and your one Mimic suddenly look a whole hell of a lot scarier.... oh and Trample. Yeah... Trample..... you're gonna be buying time with a Simic Deck anyway, and Fog is dirt cheap. Run Druid's Deliverance and Populate those Beetle tokens and you can have a game winner in a few short turns after you set up.
Petertracy
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Unbelievable shenanigan-enabler, can't get enough. Especially in Simic colors, sheez
Get a 4/4 and a card Get a 4/4 and 2 cards Get a 4/4 and 3 cards
A way to get some nice ever-increasing value without having to sac your Zegana or being that jerk who slaps this on a Thragtusk.
yesennes
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Copy something ridiculous with hexproof or shroud (doesn't target, works around shroud), like Simic Sky Swallower or Empyrial Archangel. Unfortunately you will never get to use it because your opponent will quit.
Gishra
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
So I was playing a sealed deck game and got out my Blood Baron of Vizkopa. I was ready to wreck some face. Next turn my opponent plays this card and copies my Baron. Soon I was facing three Barons. Three Barons > One Baron. In summary, I hate this card.
JennyCreed
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Let's look at what happens with this card and Cryptoplasm or Vesuvan Doppelganger. On your upkeep, you gain a token for each copy of whatever your template creature is. (I'd take Experiment Kraj with Gilder Bairn's ability copied if I had to choose.) Then you have the mimic mimic itself to gain a second iteration of its last ability, and have the clone mimic the mimic to gain a third iteration, and on the next upkeep you gain five tokens, and then you keep getting four more tokens per turn. Unless you get more than one mimic and one clone or shapeshifter. . .
orzhov20
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Put this in with your Kalonian Hydra. Have something like fleet feather sandals to give your first copy haste, and you will be attacking with 3 32/32 creatures with trample.
Lochrann
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Interesting and fun if you have four one copying master of waves and all the rest copying successive copies. In your upkeep ten master of waves each with at least five devotion, assuming the original is on the field, you get fifty 16/15 tokens. Absolutely rediculous if you can pull it off.
edit: actually, it'd probably be 150 tokens. If they all come in at the same time they should check each other. Anyone feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.
Quake5master
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Play Thundermaw Hellkite, hit for 5. Next turn play this, copy your cute little dragon and swing with both unblocked Thundermaw's. Repeat until you have a dead opponent.
Fits itself in a very nice top of your curve at 6-mana, able to copy anything below it.
4/5
smb379
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
If you have a Master Biomancer, then play a Progenitor Mimic who copies the Master Biomancer, THEN cast Infinite Reflection enchanting the Mimic, that makes all of your creatures a Master Biomancer with "at the beginning of your upkeep, if this creature isn't a token, put a token onto the battlefield that's a copy of this creature". Is that correct?
Because if so, if you have say 5 non-token creatures (including Biomancer and Mimic) when you play that spell, that would mean that during your next upkeep, you would get five tokens that enter as 14/16 creatures (2 +1/+1 counters from all creatures except Mimic, who entered with two extra, and 4 +1/+1 counters from the Mimic make 12 +1/+1 counters, but they also start as 2/4's).
Then your next upkeep, you get 5 more creatures (more or less depending on if you played any or had any removed) who enter as 84/86's. They only get more and more powerful as the game progresses. I LOVE THIS COMBO!
KingSupernova
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I was playing with a lifegain deck and my opponent played this on my rhox faithmender with Trostani on the field. He got to around 50,000,000 life before I was able to win with a Test of Endurance.
Seriously though, Progenitor Mimic in the proper deck, even in standard, can be absolutely devastating. I currently use 2 in my standard Bant deck, and any given time I could use to to enter as a clone of Voice of Resurgence or Master of Waves, you know; something silly. Then I could use things like Trostani, Selesnya's Voice to give me assloads of life each turn, because of how many babies I make a turn. Not to mention the Hellish backlash that would ensue if an opponent accidentally cancels a spell of mine later on: Can you say "arbitrarily infinite X/X Elemental creature tokens?"
Mix all that last part with the fact that I've had Trostani on the field this whole time, and most opponents would scoop at that point. I win the game by forfeit with upwards of, approximately, 35,000,000 life.
Agent_Gold
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Here's one that would be fun to try just once.
Step 1: Set down a buff that gives your creatures a boost to toughness (like Spear of Heliod or somethin' such). Step 2: Play a Clone, but don't have it copy anything. Step 3: Play Progenitor Mimic and have it copy Clone.
You now have tokens entering the battlefield each turn that can each enter as a copy of something else.
Comments (72)
1) It's a very expensive clone
2) That has a Followed Footsteps stapled to it...and it still only costs 6 mana
That's already pretty bonkers. But there's more.
The Mimic ability only works if the creature isn't a token. So you get 1 token per turn with one original Mimic on the field.
But what if you have another non-token clone card...say like...Clone?
Clone any of the tokens or the original it doesn't matter. Since Clone isn't a token it also gets to make babies every turn.
A deck full of clone spells making clones of clones of clones (that somehow don't genetically deteriorate...take that science fiction!) soon has an impossibly large army that only a board wipe will take care of.
It just makes my inner Johnny feel all warm and fuzzy inside.
...And we still aren't done yet. Oh no.
What happens if we throw a second copy of Progenitor Mimic into the equation...copying the first Mimic?
Copies copy all the rules text of the copied spell (no duh). So if a Mimic copies a Mimic it now has two baby making abilities: one from the first mimic and one from the second.
So 2 P.Mimics stacked gets you 3 babies per turn (1+2)
3 P. Mimics gets you 6 babies per turn (1+2+3)
4 P. Mimics gets you 10 babies per turn (1+2+3+4)
MUUWWAAHAHAHAAHAHAAHHHAAAAAAHHHAHAHAH!!!!!!
Who said I was done yet? WAIT? Wha? THERE'S MORE??!!
The start of this scenario only requires two P. Mimics, one copying the other.
We have P. Mimic A with only his original baby making effect.
We have P. Mimic B copying P.Mimic A thereby having 2 baby making effects.
Now flicker P. Mimic A.
P. Mimic A comes back in as a copy of P. Mimic B (who already has 2 baby making effects) and adds his own baby making effect to the pool giving P. Mimic A 3 baby making effects.
We now get 5 babies/turn (2 from B and 3 from A) off of only 3 cards.
If you now come back and flicker B having it come back in as a copy of the new A, B now has 4 baby making effects)
And now I'll stop slow-rolling and take this to its absurdly logical (or is it logically absurd?) conclusion:
What if the creature they are copying is this guy: Deadeye Navigator
Have the P. Mimic's copying eachother and bonded to eachother and suddenly the P. Mimic Deadeye effect reads:
1U: increase the number of babies made each turn by 2.
YYYYYYYYYYYYEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!
Ok I'm done now. =P
Also populate.
so naturally, I'm a little biased in its favor.
This + Archaeomancer is about as close as you can get to Panoptic Mirror in EDH.
The best Clone is in the wrong colors for my clone deck. So frustrating.
A bit pricey for serious play, but a really fun and silly card nonetheless. I hope to run it in a casual deck with Master Biomancer... what could possibly go wrong?
See, you neglected to even try to do anything other than "Make an ass ton of creatures"
Well first, I am here to tell you that, yes, as 'ubiquitous' 'lazy' and 'easy' as it is to say, I'm not yet bored of how stupid it is so I have to bring up Doubling Season :D But wait! There's more! (Obviously-)
Doubling Season makes not only lots more babies, it also says that we get to double +1/+1 counters. Since this Clone does NOT cost 4 mana, that is actually a BOON because it means that we have our 4-mana slot open for our Master Biomancers. "NOW HOLD ON!" you say-
Sure Master Biomancer doesn't appear to do a lot on his own- he also needs his own support to do his silly stupid thing. Well that's perfectly fine and dandy because the P. Mimic IS a fairly self-regulating-operator, so we can afford to devote more time to getting Master Biomancer working because Progenitor Mimic just Breaks All Hell Loose when we do anything with it. Master Biomancer and Doubling Season BOTH provide a huge amount of +1/+1 Counters, but they kind of work like Dwarven Rings Of Power- they need gold to breed gold. Or in this case, they need counters to breed counters. Well, where are we going to get our Counters from?
How about, Um, Evolve? Because we're Simic? :D
Alright, so that was sort of obvious. But you know what I'd really like to see an Evolve deck use?
Fauna Shaman. Survival of the Johnniest.
4x Simic Guildgate
4x Breeding Pool
4x Fauna Shaman
4x Gyre Sage
4x Clone
4x Master Biomancer
4x Progenitor Mimic
4x Doubling Season
4x Simic Signet
Seems to be an adequate start to the deck. Frankly, because I want this deck to be massively Johnny tastic, two things: We don't want Biovisionary in this particular deck because he's a "Simic Felidar Sovereign" and just ends the game before we get to start being REALLY Silly. And #2, I think that because of the Mana Cost of Progenitor Mimic the deck he will be happiest in is a 100-card non-singleton deck, so that you have a very large pile of cards to do very nutty things with. :) For 100-card decks, you'll want 36-40 lands, which means roughly 8-10 different Land Cards, probably 40 Creatures because we want our deck to be mostly centered around Creatures, so 8-10 different 4-ofs of those too, and 20 Non-creatures.
Give or take a couple cards here and there. 1x Riku of Two Reflections and 1x Tezzeret the Seeker are definitely going to be inclusions in my build of it, to show you what directions I think are fun to think in. :) There are way too many Simic Cards between Alara Reborn, Ravnica Block 1, and Return to Ravnica Block, without even looking for hidden gems in Pre-Modern sets, to pick an exact 100. I would try to keep the mana curve under control though and not fall prey to including anything bigger than a Simic Sky Swallower. Even with the cards we can access, we want to be mostly a Copy-Little-Dudes-Make-Them-Big-Dudes Deck, not so much a Tutor-Fatty-Into-Play Deck, but Experiment Kraj-thinking DOES allow us to ask what nutty things can be done when we try to exploit pre-fattened fatties. :)
And maybe Doubling Season.
And/or Giant Adephage.
Or, if you're lazy, use Biovisionary.
My good sir/madam, I do believe there is one very, VERY important thing you seemed to have missed.
Something you've seemed to deem unworthy in your assessment of how fun this card can become.
Infinite Reflection.
4.5/5
"The Simic have been through a lot but some things never change."
-Yolov, Simic bioengineer
Both times we won, we had got this out on the field copying a Zhur-Taa Swine, waited until we had three, kept one for defender, then used Armed // Dangerous as a finisher.
The two times we won, though, we hadn't gotten this out (D:), and we'd gotten extorted to death.
What did I learn?
1) This card is awesome.
2) Overload Blustersquall continues to be great.
3) Extort is freaking OP in Two-Headed Giant. Seriously.
As a side note, Zhur-Taa Druid is amazing.
Copying a Sunspire Gatekeepers for two tokens a turn. Won 3 turns later.
Copying a Voidwielder. Won in 2 turns.
Copying a Clad-Scab Giant. Lost game but was it cool. He had done it earlier to me.
Got 2nd place behind a pro player with a RGU deck with his own P. Mimic.
Also, there was a little boy following me around watching me play. Maybe 7 or 8 years old. Couldn't say Progenitor Mimic so he started calling it a P.P. Meme. Of course this caught on and everyone called it P.P Man. Every time I played him everyone would scream the P.P Man is back. Probably the best card in a set is reduced to the P.P Man.
But what completely shocked me was the German name: "Nachahmer der Ahnen". Which translates back to "Mimic of the Progenitors" (whatever kind of progenitors those would be. I'm 99.99% sure the English name means "Progenitor of the Mimics" which is exactly what the card does.
This is as bad as the "Bodyguard of the Veteran" from German Blackborder Revised way back in 1995...
6 Mana may be slightly prohibitive but having a clone engine is solid for control decks.
For limited it's of course fine, paying six mana for a copy of the most powerful creatures (or killing it, in case it's legendary), and then being able to, slowly, produce more of it. For constructed, it's too slow and expensive, to be worth anything.
So what's left is casual. There it's a nice and fun card. Probably best in a green blue deck, that is good in mana acceleration and comboing this guy with paradox haze, extra turns, token doublers and so on.
Then if you put this guy into the battle field copying a evil twin that came in as a 0/0 you could keep killing your opponents creatures for B/U. you would need three colors but that's not to bad is it?
Play Master Biomancer and pump it up. then play progenitor mimic as a copy of nothing. Then play another progentior mimic as a copy of progenitor mimic (While you still have out master biomancer, of course) and then you will start spitting out progenitor mimics just to copy stuff (because they will be tokens they will not make tokens). Then flicker the progenitor mimic that is a copy of nothing and make it a copy of the progenitor mimic that was copying it. then have fun killing legends.
Oh.
And though it's a 6 mana conditional card, it has standard potential. I'm just going to throw out that this comes out the turn after Thragtusk (because having a self-replicating Thragtusk would not be stupidly powerful or anything), and is in a standard that also includes Snapcaster Mage, Restoration Angel and Angel of Serenity.
I wouldn't be surprised if this sees some appearances in Bant decks, for sure.
Edit: as an additional note for people reading comments here - if Progenitor Mimic copies nothing and somehow survives, it doesn't spit out tokens each turn. It only gains the "at the beginning of your upkeep put a token out" ability if it actually copies something. So you need to copy something like a Clone or already existing Progenitor Mimic to be able to get 'clone' tokens each turn.
You could call it an increasing odd number. Or you could call it the number of sublime angels (including copies) squared, because that's what it is. Much simpler way of looking at it.
Tajic blade of the legion
Basically, what you want is a card that gives all your creatures at least +1 to toughness.
Then you can bring in your Progenitor Mimic without picking a creature to copy and it won't die. Then you bring in *another* Progenitor Mimic, and copy the first one. Now you've got a Progenitor Mimic on the battlefield with "At the beginning of your upkeep, if this creature isn't a token, put a token onto the battlefield that's a copy of this creature."
So every turn, you get another Progenitor Mimic, which you can use to copy any other creature. Basically, the benefit is this: With one Progenitor Mimic, you could copy whatever creature you want and it would just keep copying that creature. With two the normal way, you could copy the copy, and get three copies each turn of whatever creature you selected with the first one, or you could get one of the first one, and one of a different one but the same two each turn. Either way, you're limited to just getting copies of the creatures you selected when they first came onto the battlefield. But with THIS method, you can get a copy of whatever creature you want every turn. Say your enemy just brought out a Emrakul, the Aeons Torn, well on your next turn you get one too! And in two turns, you'll have TWO Emrakul's. Talk about a backfire for your opponent.
But, can anyone explain what happens if you use Progenitor Mimic to copy a land card that has been turned into a creature, such as with Hydroform?
Since the rulings for Progenitor Mimic say:
"Progenitor Mimic copies exactly what was printed on the original creature and nothing more (unless that creature is copying something else or is a token). It doesn’t copy ... any non-copy effects that have changed its power, toughness, types, color, or so on."
So what does that mean, exactly? My card was printed as a land, not as a creature. But it is a creature until the end of turn, due to a non-copy effect that changed its types. So does that mean that when I copy it, it copies as a Land, not as a Land Creature? And if that's the case, then what happens with the rules text on the copy: "At the beginning of your upkeep, if this creature isn't a token, put a token onto the battlefield that's a copy of this creature." ... Would the fact that "this" is not a creature cause it to be countered, the way invalid targets counters a spell? In which case, would the mimic just die and go to the graveyard? Or would it be fine, but the copy wouldn't create tokens? Or would it just act completely as normal?
Do we need an official ruling? What does everybody else think/
I suppose spitting image was the first green/blue clone, but it's not quite the same.
5/5
for example... c = cryptoplasm, p = progenitor mimic, t = token, pc = progenitor copying a cryptoplasm (etc.)...
1. c & pc
2. 1t, cpc & pcpc
3. 1t + 2t, cpcpcpc & pcpcpcpcpc
4. 3t + 5t, cpcpcpcpcpcpcpcpc & pcpcpcpcpcpcpcpcpcpcpcpcpc
5. 8t + 13t...
Each instance of the cryptoplasm becoming a creature ability should add more and more instances of the progenitor mimic's token making power to your 2 cloners.
if i copy, say, Huntmaster of the Fells, and the transform condition was met, (no spells or somethin like that), would they still transform or would they say huntsmasters???
As Huntmaster of the Fells and Ravager of the Fells are technically the same thing, the Progenitor would have the same transform ability... I think
Copy the Cryptoplasm, then have the Cryptoplasm copy the Mimic. Now you have two creatures that each generate a token that can turn into any creature on the field every upkeep.
Add in a Phyrexian Metalmorph somehow, and you're in business.
So in bant you have reveilark that cna fetch thsi back, and in RUG you have imperial recruiter to tutor for it. That alone gives it a lot of potential.
Especially in Simic colors, sheez
Get a 4/4 and a card
Get a 4/4 and 2 cards
Get a 4/4 and 3 cards
A way to get some nice ever-increasing value without having to sac your Zegana or being that jerk who slaps this on a Thragtusk.
edit: actually, it'd probably be 150 tokens. If they all come in at the same time they should check each other. Anyone feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.
Fits itself in a very nice top of your curve at 6-mana, able to copy anything below it.
4/5
Because if so, if you have say 5 non-token creatures (including Biomancer and Mimic) when you play that spell, that would mean that during your next upkeep, you would get five tokens that enter as 14/16 creatures (2 +1/+1 counters from all creatures except Mimic, who entered with two extra, and 4 +1/+1 counters from the Mimic make 12 +1/+1 counters, but they also start as 2/4's).
Then your next upkeep, you get 5 more creatures (more or less depending on if you played any or had any removed) who enter as 84/86's. They only get more and more powerful as the game progresses. I LOVE THIS COMBO!
Infinite Reflection
Creakwood liege
vigor
Another mimic
Boivisionary
Master Biomancer
Sylvan Primordial
Okay, Satan, calm down...
Seriously though, Progenitor Mimic in the proper deck, even in standard, can be absolutely devastating. I currently use 2 in my standard Bant deck, and any given time I could use to to enter as a clone of Voice of Resurgence or Master of Waves, you know; something silly. Then I could use things like Trostani, Selesnya's Voice to give me assloads of life each turn, because of how many babies I make a turn. Not to mention the Hellish backlash that would ensue if an opponent accidentally cancels a spell of mine later on: Can you say "arbitrarily infinite X/X Elemental creature tokens?"
Mix all that last part with the fact that I've had Trostani on the field this whole time, and most opponents would scoop at that point. I win the game by forfeit with upwards of, approximately, 35,000,000 life.
Step 1: Set down a buff that gives your creatures a boost to toughness (like Spear of Heliod or somethin' such).
Step 2: Play a Clone, but don't have it copy anything.
Step 3: Play Progenitor Mimic and have it copy Clone.
You now have tokens entering the battlefield each turn that can each enter as a copy of something else.