Mirror-Sigil Sergeant MTG Card
Mana cost | |
Converted mana cost | 6 |
Rarity | Mythic |
Type | Creature — Rhino Soldier |
Abilities | Trample |
Released | 2009-02-06 |
Set symbol | |
Set name | Conflux |
Set code | CON |
Power | 4 |
Toughness | 4 |
Number | 12 |
Frame | 2003 |
Layout | Normal |
Border | Black |
Illustred by | Chris Rahn |
Text of card
Trample At the beginning of your upkeep, if you control a blue permanent, you may put a token into play that's a copy of Mirror-Sigil Sergeant.
"If I had many lives, I would give them all for Bant."
Cards like Mirror-Sigil Sergeant
The allure of Mirror-Sigil Sergeant lies in its potential to dominate the battlefield by creating copies of itself. In Magic: The Gathering, this effect is not unique, drawing parallels to cards like Rhys the Redeemed. Rhys offers the ability to duplicate your army of creatures, although this elf does not generate copies of itself specifically. Unlike Mirror-Sigil Sergeant, Rhys requires you to invest mana each turn to utilize its power.
Another interesting comparison is with Followed Footsteps, an enchantment that attaches to a creature and creates a token copy at each of your upkeeps. While it shares the replicating mechanism, the need to enchant another creature poses a different kind of flexibility than the autonomous duplication provided by Mirror-Sigil Sergeant. Moreover, Followed Footsteps lacks the conditionality of having a blue permanent, making it more universally applicable but potentially less overwhelming.
Evaluating the strategic benefits of such cards, Mirror-Sigil Sergeant stands out for its built-in growth potential, particularly in blue-white decks that can consistently meet the color condition. It’s a card that not only expands your creature count but also threatens exponential growth if left unchecked on the board.
Cards similar to Mirror-Sigil Sergeant by color, type and mana cost
Card Pros
Card Advantage: With the ability to create a copy of itself during your upkeep, Mirror-Sigil Sergeant ensures a consistent increase in your creature count, boosting your board presence and sustaining pressure on your opponent.
Resource Acceleration: This card synergizes well with proliferate strategies and any effects that double counters, potentially allowing for exponential growth of your resources on the battlefield every turn.
Instant Speed: While Mirror-Sigil Sergeant itself isn’t an instant speed card, it interacts favorably once on the board with instant speed spells that can manipulate counters or protect your valuable creatures during the opponent’s turn.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: The Mirror-Sigil Sergeant does not directly require a discard, but like any high-cost card, it can indirectly influence your hand by limiting options for keeping a variety of cards ready to play. This can lead to scenarios where maintaining the necessary mana sources could force you to discard other potentially useful cards.
Specific Mana Cost: Mirror-Sigil Sergeant necessitates a specific, hybrid mana cost including one blue and one white, making it less flexible and fitting primarily into decks that can reliably produce both colors. This can be a hurdle for deck building, excluding it from mono-colored decks or decks that don’t support these colors efficiently.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: With its cost set at six mana, Mirror-Sigil Sergeant is a significant investment, which can be a drawback, especially in faster-paced games. While its ability to create copies of itself is powerful, the initial cost can delay your game plan and may result in a tempo loss. This also makes it less appealing compared to more low-cost creatures with immediate board impact or utility.
Reasons to Include in Your Collection
Versatility: Mirror-Sigil Sergeant has the unique ability to create copies of itself, making it a highly versatile card that can adapt to various board states and strategies, excelling in decks that capitalize on token generation and creature boosts.
Combo Potential: This card is a combo enabler. Owing to its proliferate mechanic, it pairs excellently with cards that utilize +1/+1 counters, potentially spiraling the battle in your favor with an ever-growing army of creatures.
Meta-Relevance: In a meta dominated by midrange or control decks, Mirror-Sigil Sergeant could become a persistent threat. Its repeatability in producing token copies can consistently pressure opponents and must be answered or risk being overwhelmed.
How to beat
Mirror-Sigil Sergeant is a formidable card in MTG, known for its ability to clone itself turn after turn. Overcoming this continuous replication can be challenging. However, the key to disrupt the Sergeant’s impact lies in promptly removing it before the upkeep trigger. Spot removal spells, such as Path to Exile or Murder, can efficiently handle the job. It’s also wise to keep in mind that without the blue or white creature requisite, the Sergeant’s ability won’t activate. Therefore, influencing your opponent’s board state by controlling their creature types can be another method to ensure the Sergeant remains a lone soldier. Keeping mana available for instant-speed responses when the opponent’s upkeep begins can thwart the cloning process and give you the upper hand.
Board wipes are also a reliable answer to a growing army of Sergeants. Sweepers like Wrath of God can reset the board, wiping out all creatures, regardless of their numbers. It’s critical to time your removal and wipes effectively, as an untimely use may result in the Sergeant swarming the field. Plan your turns wisely, use your removal strategically, and you can navigate your way to victory against the Mirror-Sigil Sergeant’s potential onslaught.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Mirror-Sigil Sergeant MTG card by a specific set like Conflux, 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 Mirror-Sigil Sergeant and other MTG cards:
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- eBay
- 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
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Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Mirror-Sigil Sergeant has restrictions
Format | Legality |
---|---|
Commander | Legal |
Legacy | Legal |
Modern | Legal |
Oathbreaker | Legal |
Vintage | Legal |
Duel | Legal |
Predh | Legal |
Penny | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Mirror-Sigil Sergeant card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
Date | Text |
---|---|
2009-02-01 | Here are the weird exceptions. If any copy effects have affected the Mirror-Sigil Sergeant whose ability triggered, they're taken into account when the token is created. For example: -- If Mirror-Sigil Sergeant's ability triggers, then Mirror-Sigil Sergeant temporarily becomes a copy of another creature before its ability resolves (due to Mirrorweave, perhaps), the token will be a copy of whatever creature the Mirror-Sigil Sergeant is currently a copy of. After the turn ends, the Mirrorweaved Mirror-Sigil Sergeant reverts back to what it was, but the token will stay as it is. -- If the copy ability of a creature (such as Cemetery Puca, perhaps) makes it become a copy of Mirror-Sigil Sergeant and gain another ability, the token created by this creature at the beginning of your upkeep will be a Mirror-Sigil Sergeant with that additional ability. |
2009-02-01 | Here’s the detailed version of what happens. As the token is created, it checks the printed values of the Mirror-Sigil Sergeant it’s copying — or, if the Mirror-Sigil Sergeant whose ability triggered was itself a token, the original characteristics of that token as stated by the effect that put it onto the battlefield — as well as any copy effects that have been applied to it. It won’t copy counters on the Mirror-Sigil Sergeant, nor will it copy other effects that have changed Mirror-Sigil Sergeant’s power, toughness, types, color, or so on. |
2009-02-01 | If Mirror-Sigil Sergeant has left the battlefield by the time its triggered ability resolves, you’ll still put a token onto the battlefield. That token has the copiable values of the characteristics of Mirror-Sigil Sergeant as it last existed on the battlefield. |
2009-02-01 | Normally, when a token is created by this ability, it will simply be a Mirror-Sigil Sergeant, so it’ll also have the token-creating ability. (See the other ruling for weird exceptions.) At the beginning of your next upkeep, if you still control the original Sergeant, the token copy, and a blue permanent, you’ll get two more token copies; the turn after that you’ll get four; then eight; and so on. |
2009-02-01 | The “intervening ‘if’ clause” means that (1) the ability won’t trigger at all unless you control a permanent of the specified color, and (2) the ability will do nothing unless you control a permanent of the specified color at the time it resolves. |