What happens if you mutate your commander?

What Happens if You Mutate Your Commander?

Mutating your commander can be a powerful play in Magic: The Gathering, but it’s essential to understand the rules and implications involved. In this article, we’ll dive into the details of what happens when you mutate your commander and explore the consequences of this action.

What Happens When You Mutate Your Commander?

When you mutate your commander, you’re essentially merging it with another creature or token to create a new, more powerful entity. This process is governed by the Mutate keyword ability, which allows you to cast a creature spell as a mutating creature spell.

The Mutate Process

Here’s a step-by-step breakdown of the mutate process:

1. Target Selection: Choose a creature or token you want to mutate with your commander.
2. Mutate Ability: Use the Mutate keyword ability to cast the chosen creature or token as a mutating creature spell.
3. Merging: The mutating creature spell combines with your commander, creating a new creature with characteristics from both entities.
4. Resulting Creature: The resulting creature has the abilities and characteristics of the topmost component (your commander) and the abilities and characteristics of the mutated component.

Important Points to Note

• Commander Tax: Mutating your commander does not incur the commander tax, as the resulting creature is a new entity and not the same commander.
• Commander Zone: If your mutated commander would be put into your library, hand, graveyard, or exile, you can return it to the command zone instead.
• Companion Interactions: Mutating your commander does not affect your companions, which remain unaffected by the mutation process.

Consequences of Mutating Your Commander

Mutating your commander can have significant consequences, including:

• Loss of Commander Abilities: The resulting creature may not retain all the abilities and characteristics of your original commander.
• Change in Power Level: The mutated creature may have a different power level than your original commander, potentially affecting your game plan.
• New Abilities: The resulting creature may gain new abilities or characteristics from the mutated component, which can be advantageous or disadvantageous.

Examples of Mutating Your Commander

Here are a few examples of mutating your commander:

• Example 1: You mutate your commander, Griselbrand, with a Thousand-Year Storm token to create a Griselbrand with Thousand-Year Storm‘s ability to generate storm count.
• Example 2: You mutate your commander, Kethis, the Hidden Hand, with a Pride Sovereign token to create a Kethis, the Hidden Hand with Pride Sovereign‘s ability to create a Pride token.

Conclusion

Mutating your commander can be a powerful and flexible play in Magic: The Gathering, but it’s essential to understand the rules and implications involved. By following the mutate process and considering the consequences of mutating your commander, you can make informed decisions and adapt your game plan to suit your needs.