Splinter Twin MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 3 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost4
RarityRare
TypeEnchantment — Aura
Abilities Enchant

Key Takeaways

  1. Splinter Twin provides card advantage by generating creature copy tokens without depleting one’s hand.
  2. Enchantment activation at instant speed allows for unexpected plays, enhancing strategic depth.
  3. Limited by specific mana costs, Splinter Twin may sit unused without the right mana base or creature.

Text of card

Enchant creature Enchanted creature has ": Put a token that's a copy of this creature onto the battlefield. That token has haste. Exile it at the beginning of the next end step."

"I know just the person for that job."


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Splinter Twin creates a stream of tokens that copy creatures. This duplication process can overwhelm opponents by providing incremental advantage turn after turn without expending additional cards from your hand.

Resource Acceleration: Although Splinter Twin itself doesn’t generate mana directly, the abundant tokens it creates can be utilized with other cards to accelerate resources. Creatures that tap for mana become exponentially more potent, effectively increasing your mana pool each turn.

Instant Speed: The enchantment allows you to activate the copying ability at instant speed, providing flexibility and surprise potential. You can respond to your opponent’s moves by creating an unforeseen blocker or an unexpected attacker during the end step before your turn.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While the Splinter Twin card doesn’t require a card discard, its reliance on having a suitable creature to enchant can be a limiting factor in gameplay. Not having the necessary creature when Splinter Twin is drawn equates to an ineffective card in hand, thereby reducing your available strategic options.

Specific Mana Cost: Splinter Twin has a specific mana cost requiring both red and generic mana, making it less flexible for decks that are not primarily red or have a diverse mana base. This can lead to situational use where the card may sit idle due to unmet mana conditions.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a mana cost of four, including double the red, Splinter Twin can be considered an investment, especially in the early to mid-game. Other combo pieces or threats at a lower mana value may offer faster tempo plays or more immediate board impact.


Reasons to Include Splinter Twin in Your Collection

Versatility: Splinter Twin offers flexibility as an enchantment that can be attached to various creatures, transforming them into potent engines capable of creating a multitude of copies. This allows for numerous strategical adjustments during gameplay, fitting seamlessly into both aggressive and control-oriented decks.

Combo Potential: The card is infamously known for its ability to generate infinite combos, especially when paired with creatures like Deceiver Exarch. This can lead to instant victories, making it a game-changer in matches and a must-have for players aiming to exploit synergies.

Meta-Relevance: While it may be banned in some formats, in others where it’s legal, Splinter Twin’s influence on the meta is undeniable. It shapes the way opponents prepare their sideboards and approach matchups, ensuring that its presence is always felt at competitive tables.


How to Beat

Splinter Twin is a powerful combo enabler in MTG that has been the centerpiece of many competitive decks. This enchantment can turn a single creature into an army by creating a copy of it with haste each turn. The key to disrupting a Splinter Twin strategy lies in removing the enchanted creature or the Splinter Twin itself before the opponent can exploit its full potential. Cards such as Krosan Grip that offer split second prevention from responding can be particularly effective. In addition, players should aim to keep instant-speed removal spells or abilities at the ready, such as Path to Exile or Unsummon, in order to react swiftly during the opponent’s turn or in response to the enchantment being cast.

While facing a deck that leverages the Splinter Twin combo, keeping a watchful eye on the board state and mana availability is crucial. It’s often wise to avoid tapping out, especially if your opponent has the mana to potentially execute their game-winning play. Counterspells, board wipes, and targeted discard effects can also disrupt the opponent’s hand and board, decreasing the likelihood that they will assemble the necessary pieces for the combo. Through diligent play and strategic disruption, Splinter Twin’s formidable presence can be effectively neutralized.


BurnMana Recommendations

Enhancing your MTG collection with iconic cards like Splinter Twin can be a pivotal move. Known for its potential to orchestrate game-winning combos, especially with cards like Deceiver Exarch, it belongs in the arsenal of any player keen on competitive play. Yet, understanding the ecosystem of MTG means recognizing the balance—acknowledging the constraints of mana and the necessity of having the right creature to enchant. As you ponder the addition of Splinter Twin to your deck, consider exploring more strategies, counters, and synergies on our platform. Elevate your gameplay by understanding both the power and pitfalls of iconic cards like Splinter Twin. Start mastering your deck’s potential today.


Cards like Splinter Twin

Splinter Twin is a remarkable card that has made waves in the MTG community, particularly for its combo play potential. Akin to Splinter Twin, Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker also has the ability to create copies of creatures. While both enable a player to exponentially increase their board presence, Kiki-Jiki differs by being a creature itself and requiring tapping, which limits the duplication to once per turn.

Another parallel can be drawn with Deceiver Exarch, a card that untaps upon entry and can be infinitely cloned with Splinter Twin for a game-ending loop. The synergy between Deceiver Exarch and Splinter Twin makes for a formidable combination, though the Exarch doesn’t have the enchanting ability on its own. Helm of the Host offers a similar effect, creating tokens that are copies of equipped creatures, but this artifact requires a greater mana investment and doesn’t give the immediate impact that Splinter Twin does.

Analyzing these cards alongside Splinter Twin illuminates the unique position it holds within MTG strategies. Combining ease of use with the potential for instant win conditions, Splinter Twin certainly stands out in the world of creature-copying effects.

Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker - MTG Card versions
Deceiver Exarch - MTG Card versions
Helm of the Host - MTG Card versions
Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker - Champions of Kamigawa (CHK)
Deceiver Exarch - New Phyrexia (NPH)
Helm of the Host - Dominaria (DOM)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Splinter Twin MTG card by a specific set like Rise of the Eldrazi and Modern Masters 2015, 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 Splinter Twin and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Splinter Twin Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2010-04-23 and 2015-05-22. Illustrated by Goran Josic.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12010-04-23Rise of the EldraziROE 1652003normalblackGoran Josic
22015-05-22Modern Masters 2015MM2 1292015normalblackGoran Josic
32020-09-26The ListPLST ROE-1652003normalblackGoran Josic

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Splinter Twin has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernBanned
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2010-06-15 Any enters-the-battlefield abilities of the enchanted creature will trigger when the token is put onto the battlefield. Any “as
-his creature] enters the battlefield” or “
-his creature] enters the battlefield with” abilities of the enchanted creature will also work.
2010-06-15 If the ability is activated during a turn’s end step, the token will be exiled at the beginning of the following turn’s end step.
2010-06-15 If the enchanted creature has in its mana cost (such as Protean Hydra), X is considered to be zero.
2010-06-15 If the enchanted creature is a token, the new token copies the characteristics of the original token as stated by the effect that put it onto the battlefield, plus it has haste.
2010-06-15 If the enchanted creature is copying something else when the ability resolves (for example, if it’s a Renegade Doppelganger), then the token enters the battlefield as a copy of whatever the enchanted creature is copying, plus it has haste.
2010-06-15 If the token isn’t exiled when the delayed triggered ability resolves (due to Stifle, perhaps), it remains on the battlefield indefinitely. It continues to have haste.
2010-06-15 If you activate the ability and the enchanted creature leaves the battlefield before the ability resolves, you still get a token. The enchanted creature’s 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 Splinter Twin grants an activated ability to the enchanted creature. That creature’s controller (who is not necessarily the Aura’s controller) can activate it. The creature’s controller is the player who gets the token.
2010-06-15 The token is exiled at the beginning of the next end step regardless of who controls it at that time, or whether Splinter Twin or the enchanted creature is still on the battlefield at that time.
2010-06-15 The token that’s put onto the battlefield copies exactly what’s printed on the enchanted creature (unless that creature is copying something else or it’s a token; see below), plus it has haste. It doesn’t copy whether the enchanted 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. In particular, it doesn’t copy the ability granted to the enchanted creature by Splinter Twin.
2010-06-15 The token will not be kicked, even if the creature it’s copying was.
2013-07-01 If the enchanted creature is legendary, you will have to put either the original creature or the token into the graveyard as a state-based action.

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