Simulacrum MTG Card

Simulacrum’s card copying ability enables utilizing powerful creatures without including them in your deck. Instant speed casting allows surprising plays but requires specific mana and discarding a card. While versatile and meta-relevant, calculating its efficiency against similar cards is essential for deck building.

Simulacrum - Limited Edition Alpha (LEA)

Limited Edition Alpha (LEA)
1993-08-05 - Number 128

Limited Edition Beta (LEB)
1993-10-04 - Number 129

Unlimited Edition (2ED)
1993-12-01 - Number 129

Collectors' Edition (CED)
1993-12-10 - Number 129

Simulacrum - Intl. Collectors' Edition (CEI)

Intl. Collectors' Edition (CEI)
1993-12-10 - Number 129

Foreign Black Border (FBB)
1994-04-01 - Number 130

Revised Edition (3ED)
1994-04-01 - Number 130

Summer Magic / Edgar (SUM)
1994-06-21 - Number 130

Fourth Edition (4ED)
1995-04-01 - Number 161

Simulacrum - Fourth Edition Foreign Black Border (4BB)

Fourth Edition Foreign Black Border (4BB)
1995-04-01 - Number 161

Simulacrum - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)

30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
2022-11-28 - Number 422

30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
2022-11-28 - Number 125

Card sets	Released in 12 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost	2
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Instant

Text of card

All damage done to you so far this turn is instead retroactively applied to one of your creatures in play. If this damage kills the creature it can be regenerated; even if there's more than enough damage to kill the creature, you don't suffer any of it. Further damage this turn is treated normally.

Cards like Simulacrum

Simulacrum holds a unique spot among life-gaining spells in Magic the Gathering. It shares similarities with cards like Revitalize, which also allows a player to draw a card while gaining life. However, Simulacrum comes with a distinct advantage – upon playing, if damage is dealt to you, you get reimbursed with life points and are allowed to draw a card, unlike Revitalize which can be used anytime regardless of damage dealt.

Mirroring its effect, we can compare Healing Salve, another card that can prevent or heal damage. Although it doesn’t grant the card draw that Simulacrum does, it offers more flexibility in choosing between preventing damage or healing. Conversely, Chaplain’s Blessing stands out as another contender in the life-gain category; it’s cheaper, costing only one white mana to gain five life, but offers no additional card draw, unlike Simulacrum.

Through this lens, it’s evident that Simulacrum has a valuable niche when it comes to mitigating damage and restocking your hand simultaneously – attributes that make it a card worth considering for decks that need to stabilize against aggressive strategies while maintaining card advantage.

Cards similar to Simulacrum by color, type and mana cost

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Simulacrum offers a unique form of card advantage as it allows you to copy a creature card in any graveyard. This capability lets you benefit from powerful creatures that have already been played, without having to include them in your own deck.

Resource Acceleration: By duplicating a creature that has cost-reducing effects or abilities that generate additional mana, Simulacrum indirectly contributes to resource acceleration, enabling you to play higher-cost cards sooner than you normally would.

Instant Speed: The fact that Simulacrum can be cast at instant speed means you can react to the changing state of the game, wait to see what creature gets sent to the graveyard, or surprise an opponent by introducing an unexpected blocker or new threat during their turn.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Simulacrum necessitates discarding a card, which might deplete your hand, leaving you potentially vulnerable to your opponents’ moves.

Specific Mana Cost: This spell demands a precise combination of generic and blue mana, which can be restrictive if your deck doesn’t consistently produce the necessary blue mana.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: While Simulacrum offers a life gain and drawing a card, its mana cost is significant when compared to other cards that can provide similar benefits for less, making it less efficient in fast-paced games.

Reasons to Include Simulacrum in Your Collection

Versatility: Simulacrum is a card that has home in various deck archetypes. As a spell that allows you to draw cards and potentially disrupt your opponent’s strategy, it fits seamlessly into control decks while also serving combo and midrange decks well.

Combo Potential: This card can synergize with strategies that capitalize on spell casting or graveyard recursion. Its function as a potential disruptor when played skillfully can pivot the game in your favor, setting up for powerful plays.

Meta-Relevance: Given the shifting dynamics of the MTG competitive scene, having Simulacrum in your arsenal means you’re ready to adapt. It’s particularly effective in metas where maintaining card advantage can make the difference between victory and defeat.

How to beat Simulacrum

Simulacrum is a unique and powerful card that offers players in MTG the ability to mitigate damage from a source and turn that into a card advantage. However, it presents an interesting challenge. Overpowering a deck relying on Simulacrum involves a strategy that extends beyond simply dealing damage. It calls for a flexible approach that includes the ability to deal with spells that can capitalize on life gain or direct damage negation.

One effective tactic is to employ instant-speed removals or counterspells that disrupt the spell before it can resolve. Cards that offer graveyard manipulation can also prove crucial by removing Simulacrum from play before it has the chance to be recycled or reused. Additionally, since Simulacrum is limited to non-creature damage, focusing your strategy around a strong creature-based assault can bypass the card’s defensive measure altogether, leaving your opponent without the card advantage they seek.

Ultimately, understanding Simulacrum’s strengths and limitations is key to formulating a triumph over decks that utilize this spell. By prioritizing spell disruption, alternative damage routes, and graveyard control, you can effectively neutralize the advantages Simulacrum offers and keep the battlefield under your command.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Simulacrum MTG card by a specific set like Limited Edition Alpha and Limited Edition Beta, 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 Simulacrum and other MTG cards:

BUY NOW
BurnMana is an official partner of TCGPlayer

Continue exploring other sealed products in Amazon
See MTG Products

Printings

The Simulacrum Magic the Gathering card was released in 11 different sets between 1993-08-05 and 2022-11-28. Illustrated by Mark Poole.

#	Released	Name	Code	Number	Frame	Layout	Border	Artist
1	1993-08-05	Limited Edition Alpha	LEA	128	1993	Normal	Black	Mark Poole
2	1993-10-04	Limited Edition Beta	LEB	129	1993	Normal	Black	Mark Poole
3	1993-12-01	Unlimited Edition	2ED	129	1993	Normal	White	Mark Poole
4	1993-12-10	Collectors' Edition	CED	129	1993	Normal	Black	Mark Poole
5	1993-12-10	Intl. Collectors' Edition	CEI	129	1993	Normal	Black	Mark Poole
6	1994-04-01	Foreign Black Border	FBB	130	1993	Normal	Black	Mark Poole
7	1994-04-01	Revised Edition	3ED	130	1993	Normal	White	Mark Poole
8	1994-06-21	Summer Magic / Edgar	SUM	130	1993	Normal	White	Mark Poole
9	1995-04-01	Fourth Edition	4ED	161	1993	Normal	White	Mark Poole
10	1995-04-01	Fourth Edition Foreign Black Border	4BB	161	1993	Normal	Black	Mark Poole
11	2022-11-28	30th Anniversary Edition	30A	422	1997	Normal	Black	Mark Poole
12	2022-11-28	30th Anniversary Edition	30A	125	2015	Normal	Black	Mark Poole

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Simulacrum has restrictions

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

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Simulacrum 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	This is not damage prevention or redirection. It actually is life gain and newly dealt damage.
2004-10-04	You can’t use Simulacrum on Loss of Life, just damage.
2008-08-01	Simulacrum is the source of the damage. If an effect needs to know a characteristic of the damage’s source (Protection from Black, for instance), it will see the damage coming from Simulacrum.