Fractured Identity MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 7 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost5
RarityRare
TypeSorcery

Key Takeaways

  1. Provides card advantage by exiling an opponent’s permanent and duplicating it for your benefit.
  2. Can lead to indirect resource acceleration by cloning mana-efficient artifacts or enchantments.
  3. Despite a sorcery speed, it disrupts opponents by instantly shifting board dynamics.

Text of card

Exile target nonland permanent. Each player other than its controller creates a token that's a copy of it.

Self-reflection is not without its perils.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: With its unique ability to exile a nonland permanent and create a copy for each player who doesn’t control it, Fractured Identity can shift the tide of the game by providing exceptional card advantage. It’s not only about removing a key card from your opponent’s board but also about cloning it for your own strategy’s benefit.

Resource Acceleration: Despite not directly producing mana or tokens, this card’s potential to duplicate powerful artifacts or enchantments can lead to indirect resource acceleration. Imagine copying a mana rock or a card with a cost-reducing effect, which can significantly advance your board state faster than your opponents can keep up.

Instant Speed: While Fractured Identity is a sorcery, its instant-like impact due to the surprise element often changes the game’s dynamics during your turn. The sudden appearance of a powerful permanent on your side while simultaneously dealing with a threat from your opponent’s board can be just as decisive as an instant speed interaction in many scenarios.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Fractured Identity requires you to exile a nonland permanent you don’t control, which could potentially backfire if your opponent has a way to benefit from their cards’ abilities in the graveyard or when exiled.

Specific Mana Cost: This card has a heavy color requirement, needing both white and blue mana. This restriction can complicate deck building, especially for those looking to include it in a multicolored deck with a limited mana base.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost of five mana, including three generic, one white, and one blue, Fractured Identity can be quite costly. There may be alternative lower-cost spells that disrupt opponents without such a significant mana investment.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Fractured Identity offers a unique flexibility, able to adapt to numerous board states. Whether your opponent has a formidable creature or a high-impact artifact, this card can turn the tides by not only removing that threat but also granting you a copy for your use.

Combo Potential: This card harbors significant combo potential, as it plays well with effects that capitalize on enter-the-battlefield triggers or benefit from possessing a variety of different permanents. Its ability to replicate any nonland permanent expands its synergy with numerous deck themes.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta where single powerful permanents can decide the game, Fractured Identity shines by equalizing the playing field. It thrives in environments filled with high-value targets, ensuring that your deck remains competitive by leveraging your opponents’ best plays against them.


How to Beat Fractured Identity

Fractured Identity is a unique and powerful card in Magic: The Gathering, known for its ability to exile a nonland permanent and then allow each opponent to create a copy of it. The challenge in facing this card is its game-swinging potential, as it can both remove a key piece from your side and proliferate its benefits to others.

To effectively counter Fractured Identity, one must employ strategies that minimize the card’s impact. One tactic is to ensure the permanents you control are of limited value to your opponents, either by design or through deck composition. Cards with symmetrical effects or those that depend on a specific strategy your opponents are not playing may reduce the value of cloning them.

Another strategy is to hold onto instant-speed removal or counterspells if you suspect your opponent has Fractured Identity in their hand. This allows you to respond effectively by either countering the spell outright or removing the targeted permanent in response, leaving nothing for your opponent to copy.

Ultimately, understanding the board state and maintaining control over the value of your nonland permanents can mitigate the impact of Fractured Identity. By being prepared with a game plan and adapting to the situation, you can overcome this card’s potentially devastating effects.


BurnMana Recommendations

Diving into MTG’s strategic depths reveals cards like Fractured Identity that can pivot the flow of the game. Its ability to clone high-impact cards creates opportunities for ingenious board manipulation. Embracing its power requires thoughtful deck construction and an understanding of the meta, ensuring you’re prepared to convert opponents’ strengths into your own. If you’re keen on mastering such strategies and seeking to enhance your collection with versatile cards that can turn the tables in your favor, discover more with us. Let’s unlock the full potential of your deck and navigate the intricacies of MTG together.


Cards like Fractured Identity

Fractured Identity has carved out its niche within Magic: The Gathering as a unique control card. It bears a resemblance to other cards that exile permanents, such as Swords to Plowshares or Vindicate. These spells serve to disrupt the opponents’ board, but Fractured Identity takes it a step further. Not only does it exile any nonland permanent, but it also lets you create a copy that you control. This twist provides a significant swing in resources and board presence.

Comparing to Clone or Copy Artifact, which are known for duplicating creatures or artifacts, Fractured Identity expands on versatility by targeting any nonland permanent. Additionally, unlike Clone, which only copies a creature that’s already on the field, Fractured Identity removes potential threats from your opponent and turns them into your assets. Similarly, while Control Magic can take over a creature, it doesn’t have the preemptive removal potential that Fractured Identity offers by exiling the target first.

Ultimately, Fractured Identity stands out in its class. While other cards may duplicate or control, the ability to both exile an opponent’s threat and then mirror it for your own use is an advantage that’s hard to replicate, making this card a powerful addition to any MTG deck.

Swords to Plowshares - MTG Card versions
Vindicate - MTG Card versions
Clone - MTG Card versions
Copy Artifact - MTG Card versions
Control Magic - MTG Card versions
Swords to Plowshares - MTG Card versions
Vindicate - MTG Card versions
Clone - MTG Card versions
Copy Artifact - MTG Card versions
Control Magic - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Fractured Identity MTG card by a specific set like Treasure Chest and Commander 2017, 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 Fractured Identity and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Fractured Identity Magic the Gathering card was released in 4 different sets between 2016-11-16 and 2023-10-13. Illustrated by 4 different artists.

#ReleasedNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12016-11-16Treasure ChestPZ2 656812015NormalBlackYongjae Choi
22017-08-25Commander 2017C17 372015NormalBlackYongjae Choi
32019-12-02Secret Lair DropSLD 2722015NormalBlackJustin Hernandez & Alexis Hernandez
42023-10-13Doctor WhoWHO 10682015NormalBlackAnna Pavleeva
52023-10-13Doctor WhoWHO 4772015NormalBlackAnna Pavleeva
62023-10-13Doctor WhoWHO 2362015NormalBlackAnna Pavleeva
72023-10-13Doctor WhoWHO 8272015NormalBlackAnna Pavleeva

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Fractured Identity has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal

Rules and information

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

Date Text
2017-08-25 Any enters-the-battlefield abilities of the copied permanent will trigger when the tokens enter the battlefield. Any "As
-his permanent] enters the battlefield" or "
-his permanent] enters the battlefield with" abilities of the copied permanent will also work.
2017-08-25 If the copied permanent had in its mana cost, X is 0.
2017-08-25 If the copied permanent is a token, the tokens created by Fractured Identity copy the original characteristics of that token as stated by the effect that put it onto the battlefield.
2017-08-25 If the copied permanent was copying something else, the tokens enter the battlefield as whatever that permanent was copying.
2017-08-25 If the exiled permanent was a commander, the tokens won't be commanders.
2017-08-25 The tokens copy exactly what was printed on the permanent and nothing else (unless that permanent was copying something else or was a token; see below). They don't copy whether that permanent was tapped or untapped, whether it had any counters on it or Auras and/or Equipment attached to it, or any non-copy effects that changed its power, toughness, types, color, and so on.

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