Contortionist Troupe MTG Card
2021-09-24 - Number 178
2022-01-28 - Number 178
| Card sets | Released in 2 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 1 |
| Rarity | Uncommon |
| Type | Creature — Human |
| Abilities | Coven |
| Power | 0 |
| Toughness | 0 |
Key Takeaways
- Card advantage through proliferating +1/+1 counters without depleting hand resources.
- Resource acceleration via Encore to multiply board presence swiftly.
- Surprise opponents with Flash, utilizing mana efficiently and flexibly.
Text of card
Contortionist Troupe enters the battlefield with X +1/+1 counters on it. Coven — At the beginning of your end step, if you control three or more creatures with different powers, put a +1/+1 counter on target creature you control.
"Welcome to the greatest show in Kessig!"
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Contortionist Troupe enhances your game by offering the potential to proliferate +1/+1 counters. By increasing the number of counters on your creatures, you’re essentially drawing into more power without depleting your hand, allowing you to maintain card advantage over your opponent.
Resource Acceleration: With its Encore ability, this card provides the possibility to generate multiple creature tokens. This boosts your board presence and can rapidly accelerate your resources, giving you more leverage in the game.
Instant Speed: This card’s versatility is further emphasized with Flash. It allows you to surprise an unwary opponent by deploying Contortionist Troupe at the end of their turn, leaving your mana open during their phase and thereby keeping your options flexible.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Contortionist Troupe demands players to discard a card to activate its key abilities. This can be a strategic setback, especially for players who are already struggling to maintain a full hand or for those looking to optimize every card play.
Specific Mana Cost: This card requires a precise combination of mana to cast, which includes green. Its specific mana cost may constrain its playability to certain deck styles or strategies that can reliably generate the needed colors, potentially excluding it from more flexible or color-varied decks.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: Charging players a considerable amount of mana, the cost of deploying Contortionist Troupe could be seen as excessive when compared with other creature cards that may provide similar or greater value at a lower mana investment.
Reasons to Include Contortionist Troupe in Your Collection
Versatility: Contortionist Troupe offers a flexible card option for many deck builds. Its modular nature allows you to adapt to the flow of the game, providing creature enhancement or life gain depending on your needs.
Combo Potential: Its ability to manipulate +1/+1 counters makes it a strong candidate for synergy with other counter-based tactics. In decks focused on growing creatures or interacting with counters, Contortionist Troupe serves as a pivotal piece.
Meta-Relevance: In a game state where incrementally improving board presence is key, Contortionist Troupe fits well. With the versatility to support a variety of strategies, it ensures its relevance regardless of the shifting meta.
How to beat
Contortionist Troupe is a unique creature card in MTG that offers flexibility and adaptability on the battlefield. With its modular ability, it can enter play with any number of +1/+1 counters, equal to the mana spent. This makes it scalable, fitting into various stages of the game. Its primary strength lies in its potential for growth through its second ability, which can further distribute +1/+1 counters among creatures you control at the beginning of your end step, adding to its value over time.
Overcoming Contortionist Troupe requires a strategic approach. One effective tactic is to utilize removal spells before it can accumulate counters and become a larger threat. Since its initial impact is contingent on mana investment, timing your removal after it’s cast but before it can grow ensures minimal board presence is established. Additionally, cards that prevent counters from being placed on creatures can halt its ability to distribute counters, severely limiting its effectiveness. Finally, board wipes can reset the stage, particularly useful when the Troupe has already grown or spread its counters to other creatures.
Altogether, countering Contortionist Troupe hinges on understanding the cadence of your opponent’s play and disrupting their plans with targeted removal or board resets, before the Troupe’s value can balloon out of control.
Cards like Contortionist Troupe
Contortionist Troupe enters the stage as a unique creature card that offers flexibility and adaptability, traits highly sought by strategic MTG players. In the same category, we see cards like Shapesharer, another changeling that can become a copy of any creature on the battlefield at any given moment. While Shapesharer offers instant adaptation during gameplay, the Contortionist Troupe stands out with its ability to accumulate +1/+1 counters.
Chameleon Colossus shares the changeling trait with Contortionist Troupe, boasting a power boost with its prowl ability. Comparatively, Contortionist Troupe offers a slower buildup but comes with the added benefit of its ‘enter the battlefield’ ability to fetch cards. This has a distinct advantage of card selection and potential resource acceleration especially as the game progresses. Mirror Entity also deserves mention. While more aggressive with its ability to turn other creatures into changelings, Contortionist Troupe favors a more controlled and enduring board presence.
Ultimately, while these changeling cards present various strategic opportunities, Contortionist Troupe is a standout for those valuing long-term growth and precise deck maneuverability, reflecting a card that well understands the balance of MTG’s subtle complexities.
Cards similar to Contortionist Troupe by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Contortionist Troupe MTG card by a specific set like Innistrad: Midnight Hunt and Innistrad: Double Feature, there are several reliable options to consider. One of the primary sources is your local game store, where you can often find booster packs, individual cards, and preconstructed decks from current and some past sets. They often offer the added benefit of a community where you can trade with other players.
For a broader inventory, particularly of older sets, online marketplaces like TCGPlayer, Card Kingdom and Card Market offer extensive selections and allow you to search for cards from specific sets. Larger e-commerce platforms like eBay and Amazon also have listings from various sellers, which can be a good place to look for sealed product and rare finds.
Additionally, Magic’s official site often has a store locator and retailer lists for finding Wizards of the Coast licensed products. Remember to check for authenticity and the condition of the cards when purchasing, especially from individual sellers on larger marketplaces.
Below is a list of some store websites where you can buy the Contortionist Troupe and other MTG cards:
- eBay
- TCG Player
- Card Kingdom
- Card Market
- Star City Games
- CoolStuffInc
- MTG Mint Card
- Hareruya
- Troll and Toad
- ABU Games
- Card Hoarder Magic Online
- MTGO Traders Magic Online
See MTG Products
Printings
The Contortionist Troupe Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2021-09-24 and 2022-01-28. Illustrated by Jesper Ejsing.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2021-09-24 | Innistrad: Midnight Hunt | MID | 178 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Jesper Ejsing | |
| 2 | 2022-01-28 | Innistrad: Double Feature | DBL | 178 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Jesper Ejsing |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Contortionist Troupe has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Standard | Legal |
| Historicbrawl | Legal |
| Historic | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Restricted |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Gladiator | Legal |
| Pioneer | Legal |
| Commander | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Future | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Explorer | Legal |
| Brawl | Legal |
| Timeless | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Contortionist Troupe card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2021-09-24 | A creature has different power from another if their powers are different numbers. For example, a 1/1 creature and a 2/1 creature have different powers. |
| 2021-09-24 | For three creatures to have different powers from one another, each of their powers needs to be different. A 1/1 creature, a 2/1 creature, and another 2/1 creature aren't three creatures with different powers, even though both 2/1 creatures have different power than the 1/1 creature. |
| 2021-09-24 | Many coven abilities, such as that of Dawnhart Wardens above, are triggered abilities with intervening if clauses. You must control three or more creatures with different powers at the time the ability triggers and at the time the ability tries to resolve. They do not, however, need to be the same set of creatures in both cases. |
