Renegade Doppelganger MTG Card

Imitates powerful creatures, offering multiple uses of their abilities or power in a game. Can indirectly ramp resources by copying mana-generating creatures at instant speed. Needs a creature spell in hand for maximum effect, presenting strategic hand-management challenges.

Renegade Doppelganger - Rise of the Eldrazi

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	2
Rarity	Rare
Type	Creature — Shapeshifter
Released	2010-04-23
Set symbol
Set name	Rise of the Eldrazi
Set code	ROE
Power	0
Toughness	1
Number	84
Frame	2003
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	James Ryman

Text of card

Whenever another creature enters the battlefield under your control, you may have Renegade Doppelganger become a copy of that creature until end of turn. (If it does, it loses this ability for the rest of the turn.)

To truly know a creature, slither a mile in its tentacles.

Cards like Renegade Doppelganger

Renegade Doppelganger offers MTG deck builders a unique approach to creature versatility on the battlefield. It’s often lined up against Clone effects like Phyrexian Metamorph, which can copy any creature on the field, not just ones you control. However, Renegade Doppelganger’s ability to change with each new creature you summon gives it a fluid advantage, especially in decks designed around enter-the-battlefield (ETB) triggers or summoning powerful creatures consistently.

Shape Shifter is another card with transformative capabilities, adjusting its power and toughness to match those of another creature. Yet, it falls short of Renegade Doppelganger’s reactive playstyle, as it requires mana to activate and does not offer the element of surprise during your turn. Similarly, Mirror Image can become a copy of any creature you already control, but it misses the dynamism provided by Renegade Doppelganger, as it remains a static copy post-creation.

When it comes to supporting synergistic deck themes, Renegade Doppelganger stands out as a key card. Its ability to swiftly adapt on the fly aligns well with strategies that are constantly putting new creatures into play, making it a formidable component in creature-focused decks.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Renegade Doppelganger can offer you a form of virtual card advantage by copying the most powerful creature on your field without having to draw into another copy. This ensures you have access to your key creatures’ abilities or power multiple times over the course of a game.

Resource Acceleration: While this shapeshifter doesn’t produce mana directly, it can copy creatures that do, therefrom providing indirect resource acceleration. Imagine duplicating a creature that untaps lands or adds additional mana – the Doppelganger becomes a versatile tool to ramp up your resources.

Instant Speed: The formidable trait of Renegade Doppelganger is its ability to transform at instant speed, reacting dynamically to new creatures entering the battlefield. Such versatility means you can adapt on the fly to changes in the game state, making it a valuable asset in responding to your opponents’ threats or bolstering your attacking force out of nowhere.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Renegade Doppelganger may seem like a versatile shapeshifter, but it comes with a cost: you need to have a creature spell on hand to make the most of its ability. This could lead to a forced choice between holding valuable creatures in hand as fodder for the transformation or playing them for immediate impact, thus reducing your hand size and overall resources.

Specific Mana Cost: Although Renegade Doppelganger’s adaptability might be enticing, its mana cost requires both blue and colorless mana, which could potentially constrain its integration into multi-colored decks or those with a tight mana base. Such specific requirements may hinder players operating on a more diverse or aggressive mana plan.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: When it comes to mana efficiency, the Doppelganger’s initial investment might not always pay off. For a two mana creature, the return of copying only during the casting of another creature might not align with a deck’s tempo, especially considering that other cards in the same cost bracket can offer immediate value or more robust board presence without conditional activation.

Reasons to Include Renegade Doppelganger in Your Collection

Versatility: Renegade Doppelganger offers players the unique ability to adapt on the fly, dynamically copying the most recent creature that entered the battlefield under your control. This can lead to unexpected plays and a variety of tactical decisions based on the current board state.

Combo Potential: This card shines when combined with creatures that have enter-the-battlefield effects or powerful static abilities. By strategically playing creatures, you can exploit the Doppelganger’s chameleon-like ability to benefit multiple times from these effects in a single turn.

Meta-Relevance: In game environments where creature-based strategies are prevalent, Renegade Doppelganger can become a key player. Its ability to match the versatility of opponents’ creatures makes it a clever addition to keep the decks reactive and resilient against the shifting meta.

How to beat

Renegade Doppelganger shines in Magic: The Gathering as it takes on the form of the latest creature that entered the battlefield under your control. It’s an alluring ability that offers versatility and surprise, effectively turning your Doppelganger into any creature you play. To counter this shape-shifting advantage, focus on removal spells that can target it directly while it’s still a 0/1 creature before it transforms.

Another strategy is to employ instant-speed removal when the Doppelganger has become a copy of a creature that’s less of a threat or has no protection abilities. Cards with the “exile” effect are particularly valuable in this situation, as they remove the creature from the game entirely, circumventing any undesirable clone effects. Board wipes that clear all creatures at once are also effective, as they neutralize the doppelganger regardless of its current form.

Keep a watchful eye on the board state and maintain a hand with versatile responses to the creatures your opponent plays. This way, you stand a strong chance of nullifying the Renegade Doppelganger’s potential before it becomes a game-winning threat.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Renegade Doppelganger MTG card by a specific set like Rise of the Eldrazi, 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 Renegade Doppelganger and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Renegade Doppelganger 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 Renegade Doppelganger card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.

Date	Text
2010-06-15	During the cleanup step, Renegade Doppelganger’s copy effect wears off. It will go back to being a 0/1 blue creature named Renegade Doppelganger, and will have its original ability again. Note that this happens at the same time that damage marked on the Renegade Doppelganger is removed. If it was dealt damage earlier in the turn, this damage will not cause Renegade Doppelganger to be destroyed when its copy effect wears off.
2010-06-15	If Renegade Doppelganger and another creature enter the battlefield under your control at the same time, Renegade Doppelganger’s ability will trigger. When the ability resolves, Renegade Doppelganger can become a copy of that creature.
2010-06-15	If Renegade Doppelganger becomes a copy of a creature that is itself copying something else (for example, if the creature that entered the battlefield is a Clone), then Renegade Doppelganger becomes a copy of whatever that creature is copying.
2010-06-15	If Renegade Doppelganger becomes a copy of a creature with an ability that causes you to make a choice (such as naming a card or choosing a color) as it enters the battlefield, and another ability that refers to that choice, those abilities of the Doppelganger won’t do anything. You won’t have the chance to make a choice since the Doppelganger is already on the battlefield, so the value of that choice is undefined.
2010-06-15	If Renegade Doppelganger becomes a copy of a token, Renegade Doppelganger copies the original characteristics of that token as stated by the effect that put it onto the battlefield. Renegade Doppelganger doesn’t become a token.
2010-06-15	If Renegade Doppelganger becomes a copy of another creature, it copies exactly what was printed on that card and nothing more (unless that card is copying something else or it’s a token; see below). It doesn’t copy whether the original creature is tapped or untapped, whether it has any counters on it or Auras attached to it, or whether it’s been affected by any noncopy effects that changed its power, toughness, types, color, or so on.
2010-06-15	If Renegade Doppelganger becomes a copy of another creature, that doesn’t count as having a creature enter the battlefield. Renegade Doppelganger was already on the battlefield; it only changed its characteristics. If Renegade Doppelganger gains any enters-the-battlefield triggered abilities, they won’t do anything. The same is true of any “as -his creature] enters the battlefield” or “ -his creature] enters the battlefield with” abilities.
2010-06-15	If a creature enters the battlefield under your control and Renegade Doppelganger’s ability triggers, it can become a copy of that creature when the ability resolves even if that creature has left the battlefield by then. If it has, its last existence on the battlefield is checked to see what it was (specifically, if it was itself or if it was copying something else).
2010-06-15	If multiple creatures enter the battlefield under your control at the same time, Renegade Doppelganger’s ability will trigger once for each of them. You choose the order that those abilities will resolve. It’s possible to have Renegade Doppelganger become a copy of something, activate an activated ability of that creature, then have it become a copy of something else under this scenario. The last ability that resolves that you choose to use determines what it ends up a copy of.
2010-06-15	If the creature Renegade Doppelganger copies has an ability that triggers at the beginning of the end step, that ability will trigger and resolve before Renegade Doppelganger’s copy effect wears off.
2010-06-15	Noncopy effects that have already applied to Renegade Doppelganger will continue to apply to it after it becomes a copy of something else. For example, if Giant Growth had given it +3/+3 earlier in the turn, then it becomes a copy of Runeclaw Bear (a 2/2 creature), it will be a 5/5 Runeclaw Bear.
2010-06-15	Renegade Doppelganger’s ability isn’t targeted. It can copy a creature with shroud or protection.
2010-06-15	When a creature enters the battlefield under your control, you can choose not to copy it. In that case, Renegade Doppelganger remains 0/1 and still has its triggered ability.
2013-07-01	If Renegade Doppelganger becomes a copy of a legendary creature, you will have to put one of them into the graveyard as a state-based action.