Cackling Counterpart MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 4 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityRare
TypeInstant
Abilities Flashback

Key Takeaways

  1. Amplifies creature effects and presence via token duplication, providing a significant card advantage.
  2. Instant speed casting allows for surprising plays, enhancing flexibility and strategy.
  3. Mana specificity and discard requirements demand cautious deck-building and play tactics.

Text of card

Put a token onto the battlefield that's a copy of target creature you control. Flashback (You may cast this card from your graveyard for its flashback cost. Then exile it.)


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Cackling Counterpart shines in providing card advantage by creating a token copy of any creature you control. This effectively doubles the impact of your creature’s abilities and presence on the battlefield without spending additional cards from your hand.

Resource Acceleration: By cloning your creatures that have Enter the Battlefield (ETB) effects or other abilities that provide resources, Cackling Counterpart can function as resource acceleration. Whether generating extra mana, life, or other valuable in-game assets, this card maximizes your current board state’s potential.

Instant Speed: The option to cast Cackling Counterpart at instant speed offers immense strategic flexibility. In the thick of a tight match, instant speed allows you to wait until the most opportune moment to surprise an opponent with an additional blocker or capitalize on end-of-turn plays, thus keeping your opponents on their toes.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While the Cackling Counterpart offers a way to create a copy of any creature you control, it does not come without a cost. Players need to be watchful; this card asks you to pitch another card to utilize its flashback ability. This can be particularly taxing when your hand is already depleted or when every card counts.

Specific Mana Cost: The card’s mana requirements are color-specific, needing both blue and generic mana to cast. This makes it a better fit for mono-blue or two-color blue-centric decks. If you are not running a deck with a strong blue mana base, integrating Cackling Counterpart can be more challenging as it increases the likelihood of being stuck with uncastable cards in hand due to color restrictions.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: The initial investment of three mana, including two blue, for a clone effect is not trivial. When you consider that there are numerous cards across MTG’s history that can also create creature copies at various mana costs, it places Cackling Counterpart in a competitive slot. Decks that aim for high-speed efficiency might find this mana cost a hindrance, especially when faster, albeit less flexible, alternatives exist.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Cackling Counterpart offers the ability to create instant-speed copies of your most valuable creatures, providing flexibility in both offensive and defensive strategies.

Combo Potential: This card excels in decks designed around enter-the-battlefield effects or those that capitalize on having multiple copies of a particular creature to amplify its impact on the game.

Meta-Relevance: In a game state where versatility and quick adaptation can turn the tides, Cackling Counterpart holds its ground by countering removal spells, and by tripling the threats your opponents have to deal with.


How to beat

Cackling Counterpart is an intriguing card in MTG that offers the ability to create a token copy of any creature you control. This can quickly turn the tide of a game if used on creatures with powerful enter-the-battlefield effects or those with formidable abilities. However, despite its potential strength, this card can be countered with careful strategy.

To triumph over a Cackling Counterpart play, one effective approach is to limit the number of viable targets on your opponent’s battlefield. Removal spells and abilities that can quickly dispatch key creatures will reduce the value of Cackling Counterpart significantly. Additionally, a well-timed counterspell when Cackling Counterpart is cast can prevent the token from ever entering the battlefield.

Moreover, employing graveyard hate mechanics can prove beneficial. Since Cackling Counterpart has the flexibility to be cast using its flashback ability from the graveyard, removing it or limiting access to the graveyard with cards such as Rest in Peace or Relic of Progenitus can nullify its impact in later stages of the game.


BurnMana Recommendations

Mastering the art of duplication with Cackling Counterpart can be a game-changer for MTG players aiming for board dominance. Its ability to clone powerful creatures at instant speed offers unique strategic advantages. Accelerating resources, maximizing ETB effects, and catching opponents off-guard reflect the potential profundity this card brings to your matches. But like any strategic piece, consider its cons, such as color requirements and managing its cost relative to alternatives. Optimize your deck to mitigate these obstacles, and watch as Cackling Counterpart transforms your gameplay. Explore more strategies and integrate this multifaceted card into your collection to outplay your opponents and secure victory.


Cards like Cackling Counterpart

Cackling Counterpart is an intriguing card that provides a unique spin on creature duplication in Magic: The Gathering. It aligns closely with cards like Clone, which also allow players to copy creatures. Yet, the key element that Cackling Counterpart brings to the table is its instant speed, allowing players to create copies at a moment’s notice. Clone, conversely, lacks this flexibility, operating only at sorcery speed.

Another card worth mentioning is Quasiduplicate. It features the same mana cost as Cackling Counterpart and the same copying mechanism. However, Quasiduplicate has the upside of Jump-start, giving the card another chance to create a copy from the graveyard. Cackling Counterpart competes with this by offering Flashback, providing a similar but distinct form of recursion. Lastly, there’s the noteworthy Rite of Replication, with the potential to create not just one, but five copies if it’s kicked. While it’s significantly more expensive than Cackling Counterpart, the impact on the board can be immense.

Analyzing these options reveals that Cackling Counterpart holds a strong position among creature copying spells, with its useful instant-speed capability and valuable Flashback feature.

Clone - MTG Card versions
Quasiduplicate - MTG Card versions
Rite of Replication - MTG Card versions
Clone - Limited Edition Alpha (LEA)
Quasiduplicate - Guilds of Ravnica Promos (PGRN)
Rite of Replication - Zendikar (ZEN)

Cards similar to Cackling Counterpart by color, type and mana cost

Mana Short - MTG Card versions
Psionic Blast - MTG Card versions
Capsize - MTG Card versions
Forbid - MTG Card versions
Frantic Search - MTG Card versions
Exclude - MTG Card versions
Hibernation - MTG Card versions
Circular Logic - MTG Card versions
Keep Watch - MTG Card versions
Archmage's Charm - MTG Card versions
Commander's Insight - MTG Card versions
Catalog - MTG Card versions
Thirst for Knowledge - MTG Card versions
Murmurs from Beyond - MTG Card versions
Dream Fracture - MTG Card versions
Oona's Grace - MTG Card versions
Cancel - MTG Card versions
Deluge - MTG Card versions
Stoic Rebuttal - MTG Card versions
Dissipate - MTG Card versions
Mana Short - Classic Sixth Edition (6ED)
Psionic Blast - Intl. Collectors' Edition (CEI)
Capsize - World Championship Decks 1998 (WC98)
Forbid - World Championship Decks 1998 (WC98)
Frantic Search - Wilds of Eldraine Commander (WOC)
Exclude - Invasion (INV)
Hibernation - Eighth Edition (8ED)
Circular Logic - World Championship Decks 2003 (WC03)
Keep Watch - Judgment (JUD)
Archmage's Charm - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Commander's Insight - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Catalog - Eighth Edition (8ED)
Thirst for Knowledge - World Championship Decks 2004 (WC04)
Murmurs from Beyond - Saviors of Kamigawa (SOK)
Dream Fracture - Eventide (EVE)
Oona's Grace - Eventide (EVE)
Cancel - Ixalan (XLN)
Deluge - Salvat 2011 (PS11)
Stoic Rebuttal - Modern Masters 2015 (MM2)
Dissipate - Innistrad (ISD)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Cackling Counterpart MTG card by a specific set like Innistrad and Commander 2014, 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 Cackling Counterpart and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Cackling Counterpart Magic the Gathering card was released in 4 different sets between 2011-09-30 and 2023-03-21. Illustrated by David Rapoza.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12011-09-30InnistradISD 462003normalblackDavid Rapoza
22014-11-07Commander 2014C14 1002015normalblackDavid Rapoza
32017-03-17Modern Masters 2017MM3 322015normalblackDavid Rapoza
42023-03-21Shadows of the PastSIS 142015normalblackDavid Rapoza

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Cackling Counterpart has restrictions

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

Rules and information

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

DateText
2017-03-14 Any enters-the-battlefield abilities of the copied creature will trigger when the token enters the battlefield. Any “as
-his creature] enters the battlefield” or “
-his creature] enters the battlefield with” abilities of the chosen creature will also work.
2017-03-14 If the copied creature has in its mana cost, X is considered to be 0.
2017-03-14 If the copied creature is a token, the token that’s created copies the original characteristics of that token as stated by the effect that created the token.
2017-03-14 If the copied creature is copying something else (for example, if the copied creature is an Evil Twin), then the token enters the battlefield as whatever that creature copied.
2017-03-14 The token copies exactly what was printed on the original creature and nothing else (unless that creature is copying something else or is a token; see below). It doesn’t copy whether that creature is tapped or untapped, whether it has any counters on it or Auras and Equipment attached to it, or any non-copy effects that have changed its power, toughness, types, color, or so on.
2021-03-19 A spell cast using flashback will always be exiled afterward, whether it resolves, is countered, or leaves the stack in some other way.
2021-03-19 If a card with flashback is put into your graveyard during your turn, you can cast it if it’s legal to do so before any other player can take any actions.
2021-03-19 To determine the total cost of a spell, start with the mana cost or alternative cost (such as a flashback cost) you’re paying, add any cost increases, then apply any cost reductions. The mana value of the spell is determined only by its mana cost, no matter what the total cost to cast the spell was.
2021-03-19 You can cast a spell using flashback even if it was somehow put into your graveyard without having been cast.
2021-03-19 You must still follow any timing restrictions and permissions, including those based on the card’s type. For instance, you can cast a sorcery using flashback only when you could normally cast a sorcery.
2021-03-19Flashback
-ost]” means “You may cast this card from your graveyard by paying
-ost] rather than paying its mana cost” and “If the flashback cost was paid, exile this card instead of putting it anywhere else any time it would leave the stack.”

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