Machine God's Effigy MTG Card
2022-11-18 - Number 63
2022-11-18 - Number 16
2002-06-24 - Number 105846
2002-06-24 - Number 105844
| Card sets | Released in 4 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 4 |
| Rarity | Rare |
| Type | Artifact |
Key Takeaways
- Offers card advantage by reusing artifact abilities, enhancing board control and resource management.
- Enables resource acceleration, allowing earlier deployment of key cards for strategic advantage.
- Instant speed grants flexibility, improving reactivity and preserving element of surprise.
Text of card
You may have Machine God's Effigy enter the battlefield as a copy of any creature on the battlefield, except it's an artifact and it has ": Add ." (It's not a creature.) : Add .
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Machine God’s Effigy offers a unique approach to card advantage by enabling the reuse of powerful artifact abilities which can be pivotal in outpacing your opponents in resource management and board presence.
Resource Acceleration: With this card, you gain the potential for resource acceleration by efficiently using artifacts you control. This can play a crucial role in propelling your game state, allowing for more strategic plays or the deployment of heavy hitters earlier than expected.
Instant Speed: The flexibility granted by Machine God’s Effigy’s instant speed cannot be overstated. It provides the ability to react swiftly to evolving game scenarios, triggering crucial artifact abilities at the most opportune times without telegraphing your strategies to adversaries.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Machine God’s Effigy necessitates pitching another card from your hand to the graveyard in order to activate its abilities. This could place you at a disadvantage, especially if your hand is already depleted or you’re strategizing to maintain card advantage over your opponent.
Specific Mana Cost: Casting this artifact requires a very particular balance of mana. Predominantly calling for colorless mana, it also includes a demand for one red mana. This may make it less flexible for decks that do not have easy access to red mana or prefer maximisation of color diversity.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: To bring Machine God’s Effigy into play, the investment is not insubstantial. With its mana cost sitting on the higher end, it must compete with other cards in the same cost range which may offer a more immediate or impactful advantage on the game state.
Reasons to Include in Your Collection
Versatility: Machine God’s Effigy stands out for being a flexible card that can seamlessly integrate into artifact-centered decks, as well as those aiming to exploit the artifact synergy for powerful board presence.
Combo Potential: With its capacity to mimic other artifacts on the battlefield, Machine God’s Effigy opens up numerous combo possibilities, acting as a catalyst for artifact-based strategies and enabling intricate plays.
Meta-Relevance: Given its adaptive nature, Machine God’s Effigy can be a strategic choice in a meta that favors artifact-based strategies or when looking to strengthen your deck against such tactics.
How to beat
Machine God’s Effigy can be a formidable presence in MTG, offering both artifact synergies and combat advantages. To overcome this, consider using targeted removal spells that can handle artifacts effectively. Cards like Abrade or Disenchant come to mind, as they can dismantle the Effigy before its impact resonates across the battlefield. Additionally, counter strategies employing cards such as Negate can prevent the Effigy from ever hitting the field, ensuring it can’t bolster your opponent’s positions.
Another viable strategy is to employ artifact-specific hate, such as Stony Silence or Collector Ouphe, to suppress the Effigy’s abilities and the potential it has to interact with other machines in the arsenal. Moreover, direct damage spells and creature control can be essential when faced with an Effigy about to activate, limiting its ability to contribute to an opponent’s momentum. In essence, swift reactions and preemptive strikes against the Effigy can safeguard your position, keeping their mechanical advancements at bay.
Remember, understanding when to disrupt your opponent’s game plan is crucial, and with carefully selected spells and strategic planning, you can secure victory even when facing the might of Machine God’s Effigy.
BurnMana Recommendations
Understanding the strengths and weaknesses of Machine God’s Effigy is key in maximizing its potential in your MTG decks. Appreciating its card advantage, instant speed, and combo possibilities allows you to build around its power, while being mindful of its mana specificity and cost. Whether you’re tinkering with an artifact-based lineup or forming new strategies to incorporate this versatile card, it’s essential to consider the meta and similar artifacts that could enhance your gameplay. Looking to refine your arsenal and outmaneuver your opponents with precision? Dive deeper with us and discover how Machine God’s Effigy can revolutionize your matches.
Cards like Machine God's Effigy
In the vast repertoire of artifacts in Magic the Gathering, Machine God’s Effigy stands out. Its affinity with creatures that have modular abilities echoes the functionality of cards like Arcbound Ravager, which also enhances its power through sacrificing artifacts. While Arcbound Ravager allows for an aggressive strategy, Machine God’s Effigy takes a subtler approach. It enables a steady growth of power rather than an immediate boost.
Comparing it to Steel Overseer, a card known for its ability to strengthen an entire board of artifacts, Machine God’s Effigy provides a more targeted enhancement, focusing on an individual creature. Although Steel Overseer affects multiple creatures, Machine God’s Effigy’s synergy with modular creatures can result in a single, overwhelming threat.
Cranial Plating is another artifact that shares some common ground. It instantly boosts a creature’s power based on the number of artifacts you control. However, unlike Cranial Plating, Machine God’s Effigy does not require a large board presence to be effective, making it viable even in less artifact-dense decks.
Despite varying strategies and outcomes, Machine God’s Effigy finds its niche among modular-themed decks, proving its worth through incremental, yet potentially game-winning, increases in creature capabilities.
Cards similar to Machine God's Effigy by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Machine God's Effigy MTG card by a specific set like Magic Online Promos and Magic Online Promos, 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 Machine God's Effigy 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 Machine God's Effigy Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2022-11-18 and 2022-11-18. Illustrated by Martin de Diego Sádaba.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Magic Online Promos | PRM | 105846 | 1997 | Normal | Black | Martin de Diego Sádaba | ||
| 2 | Magic Online Promos | PRM | 105844 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Martin de Diego Sádaba | ||
| 3 | 2022-11-18 | The Brothers' War Commander | BRC | 63 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Martin de Diego Sádaba | |
| 4 | 2022-11-18 | The Brothers' War Commander | BRC | 16 | 1997 | Normal | Black | Martin de Diego Sádaba |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Machine God's Effigy has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Machine God's Effigy card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2022-10-14 | Any enters-the-battlefield abilities of the copied creature will trigger when Machine God’s Effigy enters the battlefield. Any “as -his creature] enters the battlefield” or “ -his creature] enters the battlefield with” abilities of the chosen creature will also work. Note that some of these effects may function correctly only if it is a creature, and will not do anything productive since the copy is an artifact, not a creature. |
| 2022-10-14 | Except for its types and non-artifact subtypes, Machine God’s Effigy copies exactly what was printed on the original creature and nothing more (unless that creature is copying something else or is a token; see below), and it will have “:Add .” It doesn’t copy whether that creature is tapped or untapped, whether it has any counters on it or Auras attached to it, or any non-copy effects that have changed its types, color, and so on. |
| 2022-10-14 | If Machine God’s Effigy copies a Saga that has become a creature due to an effect, it will have that Saga’s chapter abilities, but it won’t get a lore counter every turn because it isn’t itself a Saga since its only card type is artifact. Unless it has the read ahead ability found on some Saga cards in the Dominaria United set, it also won’t enter the battlefield with any counters. If you do find a way to put lore counters on it, the appropriate ability or abilities will trigger. It will not be sacrificed after it has lore counters equal to its final chapter number. |
| 2022-10-14 | If Machine God’s Effigy copies a land with a basic land type that has become a creature due to an effect, it will not have any mana abilities that land had due to its land types (it will have the one it gives itself, though). For example, if a basic Forest became a creature due to some effect, and Machine God’s Effigy entered the battlefield as a copy of it, it would be a basic artifact named Forest and have “: Add ,” but not the intrinsic ability “: Add .” |
| 2022-10-14 | If Machine God’s Effigy copies a planeswalker that became a creature due to an effect, Machine God’s Effigy will have that planeswalker’s loyalty abilities but its only card type is artifact (it will still be legendary in most cases). Because it isn’t a planeswalker itself, it won’t enter the battlefield with any loyalty counters, but it also won’t die because due to not having any. Similarly, it can’t be attacked and damage can’t be dealt to it. You may activate only one loyalty ability of that permanent per turn. If it later becomes a creature and damage is dealt to it, that damage won’t remove any loyalty counters. |
| 2022-10-14 | If Machine God’s Effigy somehow enters the battlefield at the same time as another creature, it can’t become a copy of that creature. You may choose only a creature that’s already on the battlefield. |
| 2022-10-14 | If the chosen creature is a token, Machine God’s Effigy copies the original characteristics of that token as stated by the effect that created the token, plus the listed exceptions. Machine God’s Effigy is not a token, even when copying one. |
| 2022-10-14 | If the chosen creature is copying something else, then Machine God’s Effigy enters the battlefield as whatever the chosen creature is copying (with the listed exceptions). |
| 2022-10-14 | If the copied creature has in its mana cost, X is 0. |
| 2022-10-14 | Machine God’s Effigy will not copy any types (such as creature or enchantment) or non-artifact subtypes (such as Phyrexian or Elf) that creature had, but it will copy any supertypes, such as legendary, and artifact subtypes (such as Treasure or Vehicle). It also has the same name, so if you copy a legendary creature you control, you will need to choose one of them to put in your graveyard due to the legend rule. |
| 2022-10-14 | The ability of Machine God’s Effigy doesn’t target the creature. |