Personal Decoy MTG Card
2019-11-07 - Number 96
2021-08-20 - Number 96
| Card sets | Released in 2 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 7 |
| Rarity | Rare |
| Type | Planeswalker — Duck |
| Loyalty | * |
Key Takeaways
- Personal Decoy can save more valuable creatures, offering a unique form of defending your board state.
- It requires a careful balance of resources but rewards players with instant-speed strategic flexibility.
- Despite its higher mana cost, its protective utility makes it a competitive choice for diverse decks.
Text of card
CARDNAME enters the battlefield with a number of loyalty counters on it equal to your life total. If it would leave the battlefield, exile it instead of putting it anywhere else. You can't be attacked. +1: You gain 1 life. −4: Draw a card.
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Personal Decoy offers a unique form of card advantage by providing a diversionary target for your opponent’s removal spells or attack phases. By drawing attention away from your more critical creatures, it allows you to maintain or improve your board presence within the game.
Resource Acceleration: While not directly accelerating resources in the traditional way of providing additional mana, Personal Decoy can indirectly conserve resources. It can potentially save mana and cards in the long run by protecting other valuable creatures on the battlefield, avoiding the need for additional spells or abilities to guard against threats.
Instant Speed: The ability to activate Personal Decoy at instant speed provides strategic flexibility. You can respond to threats or attacks during your opponent’s turn, keeping your mana and options open until the most advantageous moment to foil your opponent’s strategies.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Personal Decoy demands the sacrifice of another creature, which can set you back, especially if your board state isn’t secure or you’re pressed for resources.
Specific Mana Cost: The necessity of both blue and white mana can hinder deck flexibility, tying you to a specific color combination that may not suit your strategy.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: Requiring a total of five mana to cast, Personal Decoy can be considered resource-intensive, competing with other impactful cards in the same mana range.
Reasons to Include Personal Decoy in Your Collection
Versatility: Personal Decoy offers flexible options for any player looking to protect key creatures or their own life total. This card can be seamlessly integrated into a variety of deck archetypes, working well with anything from control to creature-focused strategies. Its ability to divert attention can save more valuable permanents on the battlefield.
Combo Potential: This card’s uniqueness lies in its ability to form combos with cards that are triggered by being targeted or by the number of creatures you control. It can open up creative plays that can turn the tide of the game, making it a contender for combo enthusiasts looking to explore new interactions.
Meta-Relevance: In a game state dominated by targeted removal or aggressive creature attacks, Personal Decoy shines by providing a reliable and reusable shield. It adapts well to the shifting meta, potentially preserving win-conditions against prevalent threats. Its inclusion can be a strategic move to outmaneuver opponents reliant on targeted strategies.
How to beat
Personal Decoy provides a strategic advantage by allowing players to redirect target spells or abilities to this creature instead of their own life total. This can create a buffer against opponent’s direct damage or targeted effects that could otherwise compromise your board state or life. To counteract Personal Decoy effectively, it’s wise to utilize untargeted damage spells or board wipes, such as Wrath of God or Blasphemous Act, which circumvent its protective ability.
Alternatively, players can focus on spells that force the opponent to sacrifice creatures, like Diabolic Edict or Liliana of the Veil’s sacrifice ability, which ignore the redirect feature by not targeting. As Personal Decoy only affects spells and abilities aimed at you, it’s ineffective against attacks or effects directed at other creatures you control, so consider redirecting your efforts there if the opportunity arises.
Finally, using instant-speed removal against the Decoy outside of combat or spell casting windows can strip away the protective layer before you execute your primary actions. Efficient card selection and mindful timing are key components to bypassing the Decoy’s capabilities and maintaining control of the game.
Cards like Personal Decoy
Personal Decoy adds a unique twist to the array of creature cards within Magic: The Gathering. It bears some resemblance to cards like Loyal Sentry, which also offers a notable ability to deal with attacking creatures. Yet, Personal Decoy distinguishes itself with the duality of being a deception tool, allowing a player to redirect attacks towards it, providing tactical advantages on the battlefield.
Examining other comparable cards, we stumble upon cards such as Guardians of Meletis. Although this card acts as a defensive wall, it lacks the ability to manipulate enemy targets. Moreover, when discussing creature control, Royal Assassin comes to mind, with its capacity to destroy tapped creatures, offering another layer of strategy. However, Personal Decoy shines in its preemptive control, skillfully channeling threats away before they could disrupt your game plan.
To conclude, Personal Decoy holds an intriguing position among creature cards in Magic: The Gathering, endowing players with a strategic option for directing opponent’s actions, something that other cards in the same category can only aspire to match.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Personal Decoy MTG card by a specific set like Mystery Booster Playtest Cards 2019 and Mystery Booster Playtest Cards 2021, 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 Personal Decoy 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 Magic products
Printings
The Personal Decoy Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2019-11-07 and 2021-08-20. Illustrated by Alison Luhrs.
| # | Release | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2019-11-07 | Mystery Booster Playtest Cards 2019 | CMB1 | 96 | 2015 | normal | black | Alison Luhrs | |
| 2 | 2021-08-20 | Mystery Booster Playtest Cards 2021 | CMB2 | 96 | 2015 | normal | black | Alison Luhrs |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Personal Decoy card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2019-11-12 | Creatures can still attack Personal Decoy, even though they can’t attack you. |
| 2019-11-12 | Once Personal Decoy has entered the battlefield, there’s no relation between its loyalty and your life. |
| 2019-11-12 | Unlike most planeswalkers, Personal Decoy isn’t legendary. You can control two or more at once. |
