Surgical Metamorph MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	4
Rarity	Rare
Type	Artifact Creature — Phyrexian Shapeshifter
Released	2023-02-28
Set symbol
Set name	Alchemy: Phyrexia
Set code	YONE
Power	0
Toughness	0
Number	6
Frame	2015
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Nestor Ossandon Leal

Key Takeaways

Surgical Metamorph enables strategic copying of impactful spells, offering card advantage and resource acceleration.
Demands precise mana and a card discard, which may limit its utility in multicolored or tight-hold decks.
Versatile inclusion for decks, contributing to tactical adaptability and combo potential in various matchups.

Text of card

This spell costs less to cast if you weren't the starting player. You may have Surgical Metamorph enter the battlefield as a copy of any permanent on the battlefield, except it's an artifact in addition to its other types.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Surgical Metamorph enhances your strategic depth by effectively copying the most impactful spells or permanents on the battlefield. This grants you additional access to key game elements without spending extra cards from your hand.

Resource Acceleration: By copying mana-generating permanents or spells that offer ramp, Surgical Metamorph can serve as a powerful tool for resource acceleration. It adapts to the current state of the game, meaning you can tailor your resource boost to match your needs.

Instant Speed: The ability to cast Surgical Metamorph at instant speed provides a significant advantage. It allows you to react to your opponents’ moves, surprise them by mirroring their best plays, and maintain the flexibility to respond to threats or opportunities as they arise in the heat of battle.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Surgical Metamorph demands a discard from your hand as extra payment for its effect. During gameplay, when every card counts, this can set you back, particularly in moments when maintaining a full grip could mean the difference between victory and defeat.

Specific Mana Cost: Its casting cost is not just any mana but requires a precise combination, which may not always align with the fluid mana base of a multicolor deck. This can restrict the card’s inclusion to archetypes that can reliably produce the necessary mana.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Surgical Metamorph comes with a mana cost that can be seen as steep for what it offers. With many alternative cards providing similar or better effects at a lower cost, players might find themselves weighing the opportunity cost of including it in their decks.

Reasons to Include Surgical Metamorph in Your Collection

Versatility: Surgical Metamorph offers a range of applications, able to copy the most threatening or useful creatures on the board. Its flexibility makes it a valuable asset in decks that adapt to various opponents.

Combo Potential: This card excels in pairing with strategies that revolve around enter-the-battlefield effects or creature-based synergies, opening up avenues for powerful interactions and gameplay swings.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta where creatures dominate or key creatures define competitive decks, Surgical Metamorph’s ability to mimic and potentially turn the tide makes it a card worth considering for anyone looking to stay competitive.

How to beat

Surgical Metamorph brings an air of unpredictability and tactical depth to the battlefield. This crafty card has the potential to copy the best creatures on the board, making it a formidable opponent’s tool. To effectively counter this, the most straightforward strategy is to limit the number of valuable targets it can copy. This means keeping your high-impact creatures in hand until you can deal with the Metamorph or making sure you can respond with instant-speed removal to its copy effect before it becomes a threat.

Alternatively, utilize graveyard hate to ensure that even if the Metamorph attempts to copy a creature from a graveyard, it finds none of value. Cards like Relic of Progenitus or Scavenging Ooze work perfectly in this scenario. By managing the resources Surgical Metamorph could exploit, you limit its effectiveness and maintain control of the game. Additionally, stay vigilant for any spell or ability that can bounce Surgical Metamorph back to its owner’s hand for a re-cast, ensuring your responses are always ready to keep its mimicking tricks in check.

Ensuring a solid game plan against Surgical Metamorph can mean the difference between leveraging your creatures’ strengths or watching the opponent turn the tide with your own tactics against you.

Cards like Surgical Metamorph

Surgical Metamorph brings a unique twist to the realm of creature copying spells in Magic: The Gathering. It shares space with the likes of Clone, a classic that simply copies any creature on the battlefield for four mana. Surgical Metamorph also steps into the battlefield as whatever creature you might desire but with an additional ability to disrupt your opponent’s strategy via exiling a card from their graveyard. This nuance provides not only a carbon copy of a desired creature but also a surgical strike against the opponent’s future plans.

Phyrexian Metamorph offers a comparative look, being another versatile copier that can mimic artifacts or creatures, although it comes at the cost of three mana and two life points, a price paid for its Phyrexian versatility. The Metamorph, however, lacks the graveyard interaction that Surgical Metamorph boasts. Clever Impersonator pushes the boundaries even further by copying any nonland permanent, not just creatures, for four mana. However, it does not offer the same graveyard tactics that can be crucial in disrupting opponent strategies.

In scrutinizing the abilities and strategic advantages of these cards, Surgical Metamorph stands out due to its dual functionality of cloning and precise removal, earning its place in decks that thrive on flexibility and tactical graveyard control.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Surgical Metamorph MTG card by a specific set like Alchemy: Phyrexia, 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 Surgical Metamorph and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Surgical Metamorph has restrictions

Format	Legality
Gladiator	Legal
Alchemy	Legal
Historic	Legal
Brawl	Legal
Timeless	Legal