Altered Ego MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 3 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost4
RarityRare
TypeCreature — Shapeshifter
Power 0
Toughness 0

Key Takeaways

  1. Altered Ego excels in providing card advantage through cloning plus additional +1/+1 counters.
  2. It’s particularly effective in mana-rich environments, offering greater influence with abundant resources.
  3. Flexibility and adaptability with board state are key strengths, even without instant speed.

Text of card

Altered Ego can't be countered. You may have Altered Ego enter the battlefield as a copy of any creature on the battlefield, except it enters with X additional +1/+1 counters on it.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Altered Ego stands out as a way to clone any creature on the battlefield, not only providing a copy but potentially a bigger, more threatening version due to the additional +1/+1 counters it can bring. This effectively offers you a repeat of the most influential creature’s effect, providing significant advantage.

Resource Acceleration: Although not directly a resource accelerator, Altered Ego fits nicely into decks that thrive on mana ramp. Since it doesn’t have a fixed mana cost, it can benefit greatly from having an abundance of resources, letting you exploit a flooded board state more effectively than other clones.

Instant Speed: While Altered Ego itself does not have instant speed, its flexibility scales with the game. It adapts to the board state whenever you cast it, allowing you to use your mana efficiently and remain as reactive as possible until the perfect moment to play it arises.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: The Altered Ego card does not mandate you to discard, but its clone-like ability may force you to forego original strategies, potentially limiting on-the-fly adaptability during crucial moments in play.

Specific Mana Cost: This card requires both green and blue mana, meaning its integration is restricted predominantly to Simic or multicolor decks that can support this demand, which may not align with every player’s existing deck compositions.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a starting mana cost of four, including the flexible additional mana investment for its +1/+1 counters, Altered Ego can be considered hefty, especially when evaluated against more cost-efficient creature options or counterspell alternatives available within the same mana range.


Reasons to Include Altered Ego in Your Collection

Versatility: Altered Ego offers dynamic adaptability, able to clone any creature on the battlefield, while also entering with additional +1/+1 counters if the mana is available. This allows it to fit into a myriad of deck themes and strategies, evolving appropriately to meet the diverse challenges posed by opponents.

Combo Potential: With its cloning ability, Altered Ego excels in decks that capitalize on enter-the-battlefield triggers or require specific creature synergies. The flexibility of not being legendary also opens the door to numerous combo opportunities that are otherwise limited by the legendary rule.

Meta-Relevance: In an environment where creatures dominate, Altered Ego can become the most valuable ally on the board. Being able to copy the best threats or utility creatures makes it consistently relevant, ensuring your deck adapts swiftly to the prevailing competitive landscape.


How to beat

Altered Ego offers unique flexibility in the vibrant world of Magic: The Gathering, as it allows players to clone any creature on the battlefield without being countered. Its power lies in its ability to adapt, entering the fray with additional +1/+1 counters if extra mana is spent. This versatility makes Altered Ego a formidable card to face in any match.

To overcome Altered Ego, consider utilizing removal spells that don’t target or using board wipes that reset the battlefield regardless of creatures’ abilities. Some strategies involve graveyard manipulation—such as exile effects—to prevent recurring threats that Altered Ego might copy. Additionally, playing cards that limit the types of spells an opponent can cast or which creatures can enter the battlefield may prove effective in stifling your opponent’s plans to use Altered Ego’s cloning capability to its fullest.

Thus, while Altered Ego can be a challenging card to combat due to its uncounterable nature and scalability, a well-prepared deck with a versatile suite of answers can ensure you stay one step ahead of this shapeshifting menace.


BurnMana Recommendations

As MTG enthusiasts delve deeper into the complexity of the game, cards like Altered Ego can become central to your deck’s success. Tailoring your collection with cards that provide strategic depth and versatility is vital for staying competitive. With its cloning capabilities and potential for large-scale impact, Altered Ego is a card that morphs to match the pace of any duel. Whether you’re looking to increase your collection’s flexibility or seeking to create unbreakable combinations, understanding how to maximize cards like Altered Ego is crucial. To enhance your gameplay and discover the most efficient ways to incorporate such transformative cards into your deck, visit us and expand your MTG arsenal today.


Cards like Altered Ego

In the realm of clone effects in Magic: The Gathering, Altered Ego presents a unique flexibility not found in its counterparts. Clone, for example, is a classic card that creates a copy of any creature on the battlefield, but Altered Ego pushes this concept further by allowing you to spend additional mana to place +1/+1 counters on the copy. This gives the card an edge in strategies seeking to go big, compared to the uniform approach of Clone.

Phantasmal Image is another card that can create a copy of a creature, but it does so at a lower cost. However, Altered Ego’s advantage lies in its resilience to targeted spells, thanks to the hexproof ability – a significant upper hand over the Image’s susceptibility due to its illusion nature. Mercurial Pretender offers a repeatability factor with its bounce-back ability to your hand, but the Ego’s scalability and hexproof outshine the Pretender’s one-trick flexibility.

Evaluating the swath of similar effects in the game, Altered Ego comfortably holds its ground. Its adaptability in size and built-in protection make it a go-to for decks that capitalize on copying the mightiest creatures onto the battlefield, all while safeguarding its presence against immediate threats.

Clone - MTG Card versions
Phantasmal Image - MTG Card versions
Mercurial Pretender - MTG Card versions
Clone - Limited Edition Alpha (LEA)
Phantasmal Image - Magic 2012 (M12)
Mercurial Pretender - Magic 2015 Promos (PM15)

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Horizon Chimera - Commander 2016 (C16)
Patagia Viper - Commander 2015 (C15)
Ezuri, Claw of Progress - Multiverse Legends (MUL)
Rashmi, Eternities Crafter - Kaladesh Promos (PKLD)
Arixmethes, Slumbering Isle - Multiverse Legends (MUL)
Master Biomancer - Commander 2021 (C21)
Frilled Mystic - Ravnica Remastered (RVR)
Zegana, Utopian Speaker - RNA Guild Kit (GK2)
Sharktocrab - Commander Legends (CMR)
Louvaq, the Aberrant - Mystery Booster Playtest Cards 2019 (CMB1)
Dormant Sliver - Time Spiral Remastered (TSR)
Manifestation Sage - Strixhaven: School of Mages (STX)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Altered Ego MTG card by a specific set like Shadows over Innistrad and Shadows over Innistrad Promos, 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 Altered Ego and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Altered Ego Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2016-04-08 and 2023-03-21. Illustrated by Kev Walker.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12016-04-08Shadows over InnistradSOI 2412015normalblackKev Walker
22016-04-08Shadows over Innistrad PromosPSOI 241s2015normalblackKev Walker
32023-03-21Shadows over Innistrad RemasteredSIR 2282015normalblackKev Walker

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Altered Ego 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 Altered Ego card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.

DateText
2016-04-08 Altered Ego copies exactly what was printed on the original creature (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 any Auras and Equipment attached to it, or any non-copy effects that have changed its power, toughness, types, color, or so on.
2016-04-08 Any enters-the-battlefield abilities of the copied creature will trigger when Altered Ego 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.
2016-04-08 If Altered Ego somehow enters the battlefield at the same time as another creature, Altered Ego can’t become a copy of that creature. You may choose only a creature that’s already on the battlefield.
2016-04-08 If the chosen creature has in its mana cost, that X is considered to be 0. The value of X in Altered Ego’s last ability will be whatever value was chosen for X while casting Altered Ego.
2016-04-08 If the chosen creature is a token, Altered Ego copies the original characteristics of that token as stated by the effect that put the token onto the battlefield. Altered Ego isn’t a token.
2016-04-08 If the chosen creature is copying something else (for example, if the chosen creature is another Altered Ego), then your Altered Ego enters the battlefield as whatever the chosen creature copied.
2016-04-08 If you copy a double-faced creature, Altered Ego will be a copy of the face that’s up when Altered Ego enters the battlefield. Because Altered Ego is not a double-faced card, it won’t be able to transform. If an effect instructs you to return it to the battlefield transformed when it leaves the battlefield, it won’t return and will remain in its new zone.
2016-04-08 X can be 0. Altered Ego won’t enter with any additional +1/+1 counters, and it will just be a copy of the chosen creature.
2016-04-08 You can choose not to copy anything. In that case, Altered Ego enters the battlefield as a 0/0 creature, and is probably put into the graveyard immediately. It won’t have +1/+1 counters placed on it by its ability.

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