Polymorphist's Jest MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityRare
TypeInstant

Key Takeaways

  1. Polymorphist’s Jest facilitates unexpected board control by transforming all enemy creatures into weak 1/1 frogs.
  2. Instant speed casting provides flexibility, allowing players to disrupt opponent’s strategies at critical moments.
  3. Despite mana cost and deck restrictions, its versatility makes it a valuable asset in creature-dense metas.

Text of card

Until end of turn, each creature target player controls loses all abilities and becomes a blue Frog with base power and toughness 1/1.

"The flies were bothering me." —Jalira, master polymorphist


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Polymorphist’s Jest can fundamentally alter the state of the board, disrupting opponent strategies and putting you in a favorable position without losing card equity. By transforming all creatures one player controls into 1/1 Frogs with no abilities, you effectively negate any advantages those creatures provided. This can lead to beneficial trades or clear a path for your own attack, all while retaining the cards in your hand for further moves.

Resource Acceleration: While not directly impacting your resources, Polymorphist’s Jest can serve as a defensive measure that conserves your creatures and life total. By reducing the potency of an incoming attack, it allows you to survive longer and draw into more powerful game-winning resources or strategies.

Instant Speed: The ability to cast Polymorphist’s Jest at instant speed grants you significant tactical flexibility. You can wait until the most opportune moment during your opponent’s turn, perhaps in response to an attack or the activation of an ability, to transform their creatures. This surprise factor can disrupt intricate combos or simply prevent sizable damage, preserving your board state and life for your next turn.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While Polymorphist’s Jest doesn’t directly ask for a discard, using it effectively often means holding it until the opportune moment. This can indirectly lead to a tighter hand, compromising your ability to keep other necessary spells at the ready.

Specific Mana Cost: Polymorphist’s Jest requires a precise combination of blue mana, calling for one colorless and two blue mana. This requirement can be restrictive, making it a less versatile choice in decks that run multiple colors and therefore may struggle with consistent access to blue mana sources.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost of three mana, Polymorphist’s Jest can feel costly, especially when considering its effect of turning creatures into 1/1 frogs might not always swing the game in your favor. In some scenarios, you may find lower-cost spells that provide a more immediate impact on the board state or more significant disruption to opponents’ strategies.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Polymorphist’s Jest offers a unique ability to transform an entire army of threats into mere 1/1 creatures. This card shines across various deck types, especially those that need a catch-all answer to opponents’ creatures without committing to permanent removal spells.

Combo Potential: When paired with cards that deal damage to each creature your opponent controls or effects that penalize creatures dying, Polymorphist’s Jest can serve as a one-sided board wipe. This can drastically shift the game in your favor, exploiting the sudden vulnerability of your opponent’s formerly formidable creatures.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta where creature-based strategies like aggro and tribal decks prevail, having Polymorphist’s Jest in your collection could give you the upper hand. Its ability to instantly nullify buffs, abilities, and combat threats makes it a tactical asset in many matchups.


How to beat

Polymorphist’s Jest is a unique card that can fundamentally alter the outcome of battles in Magic: The Gathering. This blue instant has the power to transform formidable creatures into mere 1/1 Frogs until the end of turn. Facing this spell, one may initially feel outmaneuvered, given its ability to neutralize even the most gargantuan threats.

To effectively contend with Polymorphist’s Jest, consider maintaining a diverse hand that includes counterspells or protective spells like hexproof inducers, which can shield your creatures from being targeted. Instant-speed removal could also dismantle your opponent’s plans if you react promptly to the casting of Jest. Plus, remember that transformed creatures retain their original abilities, so creatures with indestructible or those that can’t be blocked by creatures with less power might still find a way through the ranks of diminutive Frogs.

Strategically, preserving your resources until after your opponent has played Polymorphist’s Jest could tilt the skirmish in your favor. Be vigilant, anticipate the moment to strike, and act decisively. With preparation and a measured response, trumping the deceptive simplicity of this card is well within any skilled player’s reach.


BurnMana Recommendations

Dive into MTG’s strategic depth with confidence, knowing that cards like Polymorphist’s Jest can sway games with their transformative powers. Master the intricacies of instant timing and create the ultimate board-state surprises, leaving your opponents puzzled as you turn towering threats into harmless Frogs. Perfect your deck’s synergy and stay ahead in a dynamic meta where adaptability can mean the difference between defeat and victory. Consider incorporating this spell into your collection for its potential to outmaneuver creature-heavy opponents. Ready for a deeper understanding and innovative strategies? Join us to expand your MTG prowess to its fullest potential.


Cards like Polymorphist's Jest

Polymorphist’s Jest is a unique card that causes quite a stir in MTG matches. It has a strong resemblance to other transformation spells such as Turn to Frog and Snakeform. Quite like these spells, Polymorphist’s Jest can effectively neuter threats from opposing creatures. However, Polymorphist’s Jest transcends what those cards can do, transforming an entire army of creatures into insignificant 1/1 Frogs without flying until the end of the turn.

The power of Polymorphist’s Jest over cards like Turn to Frog lies in its ability to alter the course of combat on a much larger scale. With Turn to Frog, you’re only affecting a single creature. Snakeform, too, targets one creature, but it also draws you a card. Neither can match Polymorphist’s Jest when it comes to crowd control. Other similar cards might include Mass Polymorph or Synthetic Destiny, but these lean more toward permanently transforming one’s own creatures rather than providing an immediate combat trick against opponents.

Assessing the card’s tactical versatility, especially during crucial combat phases, gives Polymorphist’s Jest an edge in MTG strategies that emphasize controlling the battlefield. This ability to drastically alter the state of multiple creatures with a single card makes it an outstanding tool in a player’s arsenal.

Turn to Frog - MTG Card versions
Snakeform - MTG Card versions
Mass Polymorph - MTG Card versions
Synthetic Destiny - MTG Card versions
Turn to Frog - Magic 2012 (M12)
Snakeform - Eventide (EVE)
Mass Polymorph - Magic 2011 (M11)
Synthetic Destiny - Commander 2015 (C15)

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Catalog - Eighth Edition (8ED)
Vex - Darksteel (DST)
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Murmurs from Beyond - Saviors of Kamigawa (SOK)
Venser's Diffusion - Future Sight (FUT)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Polymorphist's Jest MTG card by a specific set like Magic 2015 and Commander 2017, 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 Polymorphist's Jest and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Polymorphist's Jest Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2014-07-18 and 2017-08-25. Illustrated by Craig J Spearing.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12014-07-18Magic 2015M15 752015normalblackCraig J Spearing
22017-08-25Commander 2017C17 902015normalblackCraig J Spearing

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Polymorphist's Jest has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PioneerLegal
PennyLegal

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Polymorphist's Jest card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.

DateText
2014-07-18 Creatures that enter the battlefield or come under the target player’s control after Polymorphist’s Jest resolves won’t be affected.
2014-07-18 Effects that modify a creature’s power and/or toughness, such as the effect of Titanic Growth, will apply to the creatures no matter when they started to take effect. The same is true for any counters that change their power and/or toughness and effects that switch power and toughness.
2014-07-18 If one of the Theros block Gods is affected by Polymorphist’s Jest, it will be a legendary 1/1 blue Frog enchantment creature with no abilities. If it stops being a creature, perhaps because your devotion to its color(s) decreased, it will be a legendary blue enchantment with no abilities. The way continuous effects work, the God’s type-changing ability is applied before the effect that removes that ability is applied.
2014-07-18 If one of the affected creatures gains an ability after Polymorphist’s Jest resolves, it will keep that ability.
2014-07-18 Polymorphist’s Jest doesn’t counter abilities that have already triggered or been activated. In particular, there is no way to cast this spell to stop a creature’s ability that says “At the beginning of your upkeep,” “When this creature enters the battlefield,” or similar from triggering.
2014-07-18 Polymorphist’s Jest overwrites all previous effects that set the creatures’ base power and toughness to specific values. Any power- or toughness-setting effects that start to apply after Polymorphist’s Jest resolves will overwrite this effect.
2014-07-18 The creatures will lose all other colors and creature types, but they will retain any other card types (such as artifact) or supertypes (such as legendary) they may have.

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