Protean Thaumaturge MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 5 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost2
RarityRare
TypeCreature — Human Wizard
Abilities Constellation
Power 1
Toughness 1

Key Takeaways

  1. Capable of duplicating powerful creatures, it offers significant advantage with a single transformation.
  2. Its instant speed transformation keeps opponents on their toes, offering strategic board state manipulation.
  3. Resource acceleration is possible by copying mana-tapping creatures, giving you a surprising edge.

Text of card

Constellation — Whenever an enchantment enters the battlefield under your control, you may have Protean Thaumaturge become a copy of another target creature, except it has this ability.

"Once you see past the veil we call 'reality,' altering your own shape is elementary."


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Protean Thaumaturge shines by exploiting the potency of your opponent’s best creatures. Once it transforms, it effectively duplicates the abilities and power of any creature on the battlefield, potentially offering a significant advantage without the need to invest additional cards.

Resource Acceleration: Although the card itself does not directly generate mana, the flexibility it offers can lead to indirect resource acceleration. By copying creatures with abilities that tap for mana, Protean Thaumaturge can help ramp up your resource pool quickly and unexpectedly.

Instant Speed: The transformation ability of Protean Thaumaturge can be activated at instant speed in response to enchantment spells that target it. This allows savvy players to adapt during the opponent’s turn, perhaps in response to removal attempts or key plays, constantly keeping opponents guessing and creating dynamic board states.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: The flexibility of Protean Thaumaturge comes at a cost, as achieving optimal play often necessitates specific card types in the graveyard. This can lead to situations where valuable cards must be discarded prematurely, diminishing your hand and potential strategies.

Specific Mana Cost: Protean Thaumaturge demands blue mana for both its casting and its ability’s activation. This can be restrictive since it requires a commitment to blue mana sources, potentially affecting the deck’s color balance and reducing your ability to include a wider variety of spells.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: While Protean Thaumaturge’s cost is moderate, it competes with other transformative or utility creatures in the two-mana slot. It could be considered a higher investment for an effect that requires ongoing conditions to be met to truly flourish within a game.


Reasons to Include Protean Thaumaturge in Your Collection

Versatility: Protean Thaumaturge is a chameleon within any deck, adept at adapting to the ever-changing battlefield. Its ability to become a copy of any creature as enchantments enter play allows for dynamic strategies and unexpected shifts in your board presence.

Combo Potential: With the right enchantments, this card synergizes with numerous strategies, making it a linchpin in various combo decks. Its transformation capabilities can be leveraged to replicate powerful creatures on the field or exploit beneficial enters-the-battlefield effects multiple times.

Meta-Relevance: In an environment rich with enchantments or focused on creature strategies, Protean Thaumaturge proves to be an asset. It can mimic key creatures from an opponent or amplify your own strategic plays, making it a card that can adapt to and potentially disrupt the current meta.


How to beat

Protean Thaumaturge is a versatile card in the world of MTG, touted for its ability to copy other creatures on the battlefield. This can lead to tricky situations where its transformation shapeshifts the game’s dynamics in a flash. It’s a blue card, with a cost-effective mana value, making it a challenge to deal with, especially when it morphs into high-value targets.

To overcome this tricky creature, timing is key. Removal spells that can hit the Thaumaturge before it transforms can nip the issue in the bud. Consider using instant speed removal like Fatal Push or Path to Exile, which can be cast in response to the trigger that would turn Thaumaturge into a copy of another creature. One could also employ counterspells to prevent it from entering the battlefield to begin with, such as Counterspell or Mana Leak.

Controlling when and where creatures enter the battlefield is also a strategic approach. Board wipes like Wrath of God or Doomskar can be effective if the Thaumaturge has already become a copy of something formidable. By recognizing the crucial moments to disrupt the Thaumaturge’s transformational capacity, you can maintain the upper hand and beat this cunning card at its own game.


BurnMana Recommendations

Understand the depth of strategy that Protean Thaumaturge brings to MTG with its copying prowess and instant speed transformation. Leveraging its abilities requires insight into both your deck and your opponent’s, making it a worthy addition for players who thrive on adaptability. While it shines in the right environment, remember to consider its mana demands and potential constraints. Master the Thaumaturge’s potential and your collection could see a notable increase in its adaptive capacity during games. Ready to become more versatile on the battlefield? Visit us to further explore the potential of Protean Thaumaturge in your deck.


Cards like Protean Thaumaturge

Protean Thaumaturge is an intriguing MTG card that strikes an interesting balance between versatility and strategic depth. A close kin in functionality is the card Mirror Image. Both cards allow players to copy creatures, yet Protean Thaumaturge offers continuous flexibility, changing its form with each constellation trigger, as opposed to Mirror Image’s one-time effect.

Vesuvan Shapeshifter is another card that shares this shapeshifting capability, permitting players to copy creatures at will during their upkeep. While it boasts quick adaptability, Protean Thaumaturge stands out due to its lower mana cost and ease of transformation triggered by enchantment plays. Then we encounter the powerful Clone card, a cornerstone in creature copying. Clone offers simplicity in copying any creature on the battlefield at the moment it’s played. However, it lacks the recurring transformative potential of the Thaumaturge.

Assessing these alternatives, Protean Thaumaturge remains a competitive option within transformational cards in MTG. Its dynamic nature and synergy with enchantment-based decks make it a card that conjures a variety of strategic paths for players to explore.

Mirror Image - MTG Card versions
Vesuvan Shapeshifter - MTG Card versions
Clone - MTG Card versions
Mirror Image - Core Set 2019 (M19)
Vesuvan Shapeshifter - Time Spiral (TSP)
Clone - Limited Edition Alpha (LEA)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Protean Thaumaturge MTG card by a specific set like Magic Online Promos and Theros Beyond Death, 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 Protean Thaumaturge and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Protean Thaumaturge Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2020-01-24 and 2020-01-24. Illustrated by Izzy.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12002-06-24Magic Online PromosPRM 799452015normalblackIzzy
22020-01-24Theros Beyond DeathTHB 602015normalblackIzzy
32020-01-24Theros Beyond Death PromosPTHB 60s2015normalblackIzzy
42020-01-24Theros Beyond Death PromosPTHB 60p2015normalblackIzzy
52020-01-24Theros Beyond DeathTHB 3062015normalblackIzzy

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Protean Thaumaturge has restrictions

FormatLegality
HistoricbrawlLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
GladiatorLegal
PioneerLegal
CommanderLegal
ModernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
PennyLegal
TimelessLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2020-01-24 A constellation ability triggers whenever an enchantment enters the battlefield under your control for any reason. Enchantments with other card types, such as enchantment creatures, will also cause constellation abilities to trigger.
2020-01-24 An Aura spell that has an illegal target when it tries to resolve doesn’t resolve and is instead put into its owner’s graveyard. It doesn’t enter the battlefield, so constellation abilities don’t trigger.
2020-01-24 If Protean Thaumaturge copies a creature that’s copying something else, it will become whatever the target is copying.
2020-01-24 If an effect begins to apply to Protean Thaumaturge before it becomes a copy of another creature, that effect will continue to apply.
2020-01-24 If an enchantment creature enters the battlefield under your control, Protean Thaumaturge’s ability can target it.
2020-01-24 If something becomes a copy of Protean Thaumaturge, it also has the constellation ability.
2020-01-24 Protean Thaumaturge copies the printed values of the target creature, plus any copy effects that have been applied to it. It won’t copy counters on that creature or effects that have changed its power, toughness, types, color, or so on. Notably, it won’t copy effects that made the target creature become a creature.
2020-01-24 Protean Thaumaturge’s ability causes it to become a copy indefinitely. It doesn’t expire during the cleanup step or if the target creature leaves the battlefield after the ability has resolved.

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