Artisan of Forms MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	2
Rarity	Rare
Type	Creature — Human Wizard
Abilities	Heroic
Released	2013-09-27
Set symbol
Set name	Theros
Set code	THS
Power	1
Toughness	1
Number	40
Frame	2003
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Min Yum

Key Takeaways

Artisan of Forms excels in creating card advantage through its versatile copy ability in MTG.
The card demands spells for activation, which can strain resources but offers high payoff.
Comparing Artisan to similar MTG cards, its uniqueness lies in its repeatable Heroic triggers.

Text of card

Heroic — Whenever you cast a spell that targets Artisan of Forms, you may have Artisan of Forms become a copy of target creature and gain this ability.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Artisan of Forms can be a key player in your strategy to stay ahead in the game. Once it becomes a copy of any creature on the battlefield, not only do you get another instance of that creature’s abilities, but you can leverage its synergy with other cards in your deck. This gives you the potential to create surprising combos and chain reactions that can significantly impact the board and your card advantage.

Resource Acceleration: Although Artisan of Forms itself doesn’t directly provide resource acceleration, its copy ability can be exploited to replicate creatures that do. If you manage to mirror a creature that generates additional mana or provides cost reductions, Artisan can effectively contribute to your resource acceleration, helping you deploy more spells sooner and maintain pressure on your opponents.

Instant Speed: The ability to copy at instant speed using Heroic triggers makes Artisan of Forms incredibly versatile. You can wait until the last possible moment to decide what creature it should copy, allowing for dynamic responses to your opponent’s actions. This can disrupt their strategies, preserve your resources, and may even force them to commit to plays without full information about how you will react.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Artisan of Forms requires a consistent influx of spells to be cast to leverage its Heroic ability, which can strain your hand as you need to maintain card advantage to fully utilize its potential.

Specific Mana Cost: Being a blue card, Artisan of Forms demands a mana base that skews towards blue sources, potentially constraining deck-building options and limiting its inclusion in multicolored decks that can’t adequately support blue mana.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost of two mana, including one blue, Artisan of Forms might appear deceptively accessible. However, to activate its ability consistently, addition investments are required, leading to a higher effective mana cost that can delay other strategic plays.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Artisan of Forms can adapt to various situations on the battlefield by copying any creature, making it a flexible addition to control or tempo decks where strategizing around opponents’ moves is key.

Combo Potential: This card’s ability to become a copy of any creature with a heroic trigger offers unique combination opportunities, seamlessly integrating with decks focused on spells that target your own creatures.

Meta-Relevance: Given its capacity to mimic the most influential creatures in play, Artisan of Forms can be a tactical asset in a meta dominated by creature-based synergies or dominant individual threats.

How to beat

Artisan of Forms is a unique card to encounter on the battlefield in Magic: The Gathering. Its Heroic ability can be a real game-changer, allowing it to become a copy of any creature card on the field whenever you cast a spell that targets it. The challenge is significant, but not insurmountable.

To effectively beat Artisan of Forms, one strategy is to limit the number of spells you cast that could inadvertently target it, thus preventing the transformation ability from triggering. If Artisan of Forms does transform, having an instant-speed removal spell can handle it before the copied abilities become a threat. Board wipes are another solution, clearing out all creatures regardless of their copied strengths. It’s also wise to reserve your counter spells for critical moments when your opponent may try to target Artisan of Forms to copy a particularly troublesome creature. Lastly, overwhelming Artisan of Forms with aggressive strategies can put pressure on your opponent, leaving them little opportunity to utilize its full potential.

By keeping these strategies in mind, players can navigate around the challenges posed by Artisan of Forms, maintaining control over the game and edging towards victory.

BurnMana Recommendations

Embracing the strategic depth of MTG often involves making the most of unique cards like Artisan of Forms. With its potential to sway the battlefield by copying powerful creatures and creating game-changing synergies, this card is a worthy investment for those seeking to diversify their strategic plays. If you’re intrigued by the possibilities it offers for clever combos and responsive playstyles, diving deeper into its applications can drastically enhance your deck’s capabilities. For more on optimizing your gameplay and discovering the true potential of cards like Artisan of Forms, join the conversation and enrich your MTG experience with us.

Cards like Artisan of Forms

Artisan of Forms offers a unique twist among MTG’s creature cards, reminiscent of skilled shapeshifters from magic’s extensive lore. It stands in line with cards like Clone or Stunt Double, which allow you to copy other creatures on the battlefield. While Clone offers a straightforward approach with no added frills, Artisan of Forms introduces strategic versatility with its Heroic ability, activating whenever you cast a spell that targets it.

Compared to Protean Raider, a card that also copies creatures but requires a Raid trigger, Artisan of Forms is less conditional in its copying process. However, it requires continuous targeting spells to change its form, unlike the one-time need for a Raid accomplishment with Protean Raider. Vesuvan Shapeshifter is another comparable card with its Morphing capabilities, letting you choose new targets to copy at different times. But again, it doesn’t offer the repeatable Heroic-triggered copying of Artisan of Forms.

Evaluating the dynamics and potential for tactical play, Artisan of Forms finds its niche within MTG’s pantheon of duplicating creatures. It rewards players who are ready to weave a tapestry of spells targeting their own units, morphing the battlefield to their advantage turn after turn.

Vesuvan Shapeshifter - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Artisan of Forms MTG card by a specific set like Theros, 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 Artisan of Forms and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Artisan of Forms has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Modern	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Pioneer	Legal
Penny	Legal

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2013-09-15	Artisan of Forms copies the printed values of the creature plus any copy effects that have been applied to it. It won't copy any other effects that have changed that creature's power, toughness, color, and so on. Artisan of Forms won't copy any counters on the creature, but Artisan of Forms will retain any counters it already had on it.
2013-09-15	Heroic abilities will resolve before the spell that caused them to trigger.
2013-09-15	Heroic abilities will trigger only once per spell, even if that spell targets the creature with the heroic ability multiple times.
2013-09-15	Heroic abilities won't trigger when a copy of a spell is created on the stack or when a spell's targets are changed to include a creature with a heroic ability.
2013-09-15	If Artisan of Forms becomes a copy of a token creature, it copies the original characteristics of that token as defined by the effect that put it onto the battlefield. It won't become a token creature.
2013-09-15	If another creature becomes a copy of Artisan of Forms, it will become a copy of whatever Artisan of Forms is currently copying (if anything), plus it will have the triggered ability.
2013-09-15	If the creature is an illegal target when the ability tries to resolve, the ability won't resolve. Artisan of Forms won't become a copy of that creature. It remains whatever it was a copy of.
2013-09-15	The copy effect lasts indefinitely. Often, it will last until it is overwritten by another copy effect (if it copies another creature on a future turn, perhaps).
2013-09-15	When Artisan of Forms becomes a copy of a creature, it's neither entering nor leaving the battlefield. Any enters-the-battlefield or leaves-the-battlefield abilities won't trigger.
2013-09-15	You choose the target for the triggered ability when the ability is put onto the stack. You choose whether or not Artisan of Forms becomes a copy of that creature when the ability resolves.