Artificial Evolution MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	1
Rarity	Rare
Type	Instant
Released	2002-10-07
Set symbol
Set name	Onslaught
Set code	ONS
Number	67
Frame	1997
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Greg Staples

Key Takeaways

Enables powerful combos and tribal synergy, offering significant card advantage when played skillfully.
Instant speed manipulation provides flexibility, allowing for surprise interactions and game-changing plays.
Demands careful deck construction with its specific mana requirement and potential to hinder tempo.

Text of card

Change the text of target spell or permanent by replacing all instances of one creature type with another. The new creature type can't be Legend or Wall. (This effect doesn't end at end of turn.)

Card Pros

Card Advantage: With its ability to change the creature type in text, Artificial Evolution can set up powerful combos or bolster your forces, potentially leading to a significant card advantage in matches where tribal synergies are key.

Resource Acceleration: Matching Artificial Evolution with cards that produce benefits based on creature types can lead to resource acceleration. Altering a creature’s type to one that is more advantageous in the current board state may unlock new mana abilities or increase the production of existing ones.

Instant Speed: The flexibility offered by Artificial Evolution’s instant speed means you can adapt to dynamic game states or interrupt your opponent’s combos mid-action. Surprising your adversary by altering types in response to their spells or abilities can be a game-changing maneuver.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Artificial Evolution comes with a precondition that can hamper your hand by forcing a discard. This stipulation is particularly unfavorable when your card options are few, restricting your strategic plays and potentially hindering your momentum on the battlefield.

Specific Mana Cost: Diversity in mana is vital for a fluid strategy within your deck. However, Artificial Evolution demands a blue mana, making it exclusive to players running blue or those with a mana base capable of generating it. This requirement can be a restricting factor, limiting the card’s versatility across different deck archetypes.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With its mana value positioned at the higher end for an effect of its nature, Artificial Evolution may not always be the most economically efficient selection. Players might find other options in the MTG universe that alter card text or provide strategic advantage for a lower investment, leading to more effective deck building and resource management.

Reasons to Include Artificial Evolution in Your Collection

Versatility: Artificial Evolution stands out for its ability to alter the text of any spell or creature in play. This enables a wide array of deck archetypes to either enhance their own strategy or disrupt an opponent’s game plan.

Combo Potential: This card is a brewer’s dream, unlocking numerous combinations by changing creature types on the fly. It can be a key piece in combos that rely on specific creature type interactions or tribal synergies.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta that’s heavily influenced by tribal decks or relies on specific creature types for synergy, Artificial Evolution can be the perfect tool for adaptation, giving you an edge against predictable strategies.

How to beat

Artificial Evolution is an intriguing card in the vast universe of Magic: The Gathering, offering the unique ability to swap creature types. This card appeals to players who enjoy altering the fabric of the game, creating unexpected synergies or disrupting opponent strategies. To outwit an opponent leveraging Artificial Evolution, it’s pivotal to understand the dynamics it brings to the battlefield.

For starters, this blue instant allows for instant speed interaction, making it a slippery element to contend with. It can turn tribal decks on their head or switch key creature types in a combo, but this flexibility also reveals its Achilles’ heel. By maintaining a diverse array of threats or employing instant speed removal, you can neutralize the impact of Artificial Evolution. Moreover, since its effect is contingent on the presence of other cards, disrupting the combo pieces or card draw mechanisms in your opponent’s deck limits the opportunities for Artificial Evolution to be impactful.

Ultimately, staying vigilant and adaptive is crucial. Keeping counterspells at the ready or employing instant removal when Artificial Evolution is cast can preserve the integrity of your game plan against this metamorphic spell.

Cards like Artificial Evolution

Artificial Evolution makes waves in the MTG blue color pie for its unique ability to alter creature types. This attribute is reminiscent of cards like Unnatural Selection or Amoeboid Changeling, which grant players the power to change creature types, either permanently or temporarily. Artificial Evolution, however, is distinct in its one-shot approach, offering a single, pivotal change that can have lasting game impacts.

When considering another counterpart, Standardize, we see a spell that can change the creature types of all creatures with a specific name until the end of the turn. While this might affect multiple creatures, it lacks the lasting effect of Artificial Evolution. In addition, Conspiracy is a notable mention with a broader scope, permanently setting the creature type for all creatures you control and those that will enter the battlefield under your control, which can create long-term strategic advantages.

To summarize, Artificial Evolution stands out for its surgical precision and enduring effect on creature types, attributes that can significantly alter the tempo and outcome of a game, particularly in tribal-based decks or combo setups.

Cards similar to Artificial Evolution by color, type and mana cost

Blue Elemental Blast - MTG Card versions

Whispers of the Muse - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Artificial Evolution MTG card by a specific set like Onslaught, 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 Artificial Evolution and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Artificial Evolution has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Premodern	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Predh	Legal
Penny	Legal

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2004-10-04	Alters all occurrences of the chosen word in the text box and the type line of the given card.
2004-10-04	Can target a card with no appropriate words on it, or even one with no words at all.
2004-10-04	Changing the text of a spell will not allow you to change the targets of the spell because the targets were chosen when the spell was cast. The text change will (probably) cause it to be countered since the targets will be illegal.
2004-10-04	If a creature's creature type has been changed by a spell or ability, changing the card's text won't affect or alter the new creature type.
2004-10-04	If you change the text of a spell which is to become a permanent, the permanent will retain the text change until the effect wears off.
2004-10-04	It can't change a word to the same word. It must be a different word.
2004-10-04	It only changes what is printed on the card (or set on a token when it was created or set by a copy effect). It will not change any effects that are on the permanent.
2004-10-04	You can't change proper nouns (i.e. card names) such as “Island Fish Jasconius”.
2004-10-04	You choose the words to change on resolution.