MTG : Sea-Dasher Octopus : Mutate

Mutate is a mechanic that's at least peculiar, primarily because its introduction led to significant changes in the rules. These changes range from the fundamental, like “creature spells don’t have targets,” to the most complex aspect—the layer system. So, we’ll need to dig deep and carefully. Let’s begin!

Mutating creature spell

Mutate is an alternative cost. As soon as we encounter this, we should remember a few key rules:

118.9a. Only one alternative cost can be applied to any one spell as it's being cast…

This means that it's impossible to choose one alternative cost and then apply another alternative cost to the same spell.

When casting Sea-Dasher Octopus with Cascade, you cannot choose to pay its Mutate cost.

If Sea-Dasher Octopus is exiled with Suspend, you can only cast it as a regular creature without paying its mana cost.

You also cannot choose Mutate and then pay {0} for it, even if you control As Foretold with three time counters.

(601.2f.) The total cost is the mana cost or alternative cost (as determined in rule 601.2b), plus all additional costs and cost increases, and minus all cost reductions.

This means that when you choose to cast a spell with Mutate:

You must pay all required additional costs.
You may choose to pay any optional additional costs.
You must apply all applicable cost increases and reductions.

Pollywog Symbiote reduces the casting cost of Sea-Dasher Octopus regardless of whether you cast it for its Mutate cost or its regular mana cost.

If you control Grand Arbiter Augustin IV, casting Sea-Dasher Octopus for its Mutate cost will cost {U}; if your opponent controls the Arbiter, it will cost {2U}.

118.9c. An alternative cost doesn't change a spell's mana cost, only what its controller has to pay to cast it. Spells and abilities that ask for that spell's mana cost still see the original value.

No matter how much mana you end up paying to cast the spell, its mana cost is the one printed in the top right corner, and its mana value equals the amount of mana in that mana cost.

The mana cost of Sea-Dasher Octopus is {1UU}, and its mana value is 3.

A spell like Spell Snare cannot counter Sea-Dasher Octopus when cast for its Mutate cost.

Once you choose to cast a spell for its Mutate cost and declare that, it becomes a creature spell with a target (as per Mutate's rules).

Sea-Dasher Octopus cast for its Mutate cost can be countered by Remove Soul.

Sea-Dasher Octopus cast for its Mutate cost cannot be countered by Negate.

Regarding targets, three conditions must be met:

It must be a creature.
It must not be a Human.
The owner of the creature must be the same as the owner of the Mutating creature spell.

An animated Mutavault is a creature with all creature types, including Human, making it an illegal target.

You cannot target a creature you control but that is owned by another player.

You can target a creature you don't control but that you own.

A cunning opponent can interfere and:

Make the target illegal or nonexistent;
Change the target;
Gain control of the Mutating spell.

In the first case, something similar to Bestow happens. The spell “forgets” that it had a target and resolves as a regular creature spell.

When trying to prevent your opponent from completing their Mutated permanent, remember:

You can only change the target to a legal one (CR 115.6a);
Changing the controller doesn't change the owner of the object.

As a rule, you usually can't steal a Mutate spell with Spellskite. The only possible scenario where this could work is when the Spellskite and the Mutating spell share the same owner.

If both objects are controlled by the same player, then either the player really wants to mutate by losing a legal target, or the player is being controlled by another player, and activating Spellskite's ability for life is a way to win.

If the objects are controlled by different players, everything will work out only if the cunning controller of Spellskite previously borrowed it from the same player currently casting the Mutating spell.

With Aethersnatch, you can gain control of a Mutating spell and change its target.

However, it's important to remember that the new target must be legal (CR 115.6a).

When the Mutating spell resolves, the controller of Aethersnatch will decide whether to place the card on top or bottom of the mutation pile.

This gives your opponent the ability to select a weaker creature and place the Mutating spell card underneath.

If the target of the Mutating spell becomes illegal by the time it resolves, the creature will enter the battlefield under the control of the Aethersnatch controller.

If you successfully resolve the Mutating spell as intended, it doesn't enter the battlefield; instead, it merges with the targeted creature, altering its characteristics. The physical card being cast is placed on top of or underneath the target creature, with the controller of the spell deciding where to put it.

This event is referred to as “mutates.” It triggers abilities that say “whenever this creature mutates.”

Nethroi's ability will trigger each time Nethroi mutates onto a creature and each time a creature that includes Nethroi as a component mutates with another creature.

The trigger will not trigger if:

Nethroi enters the battlefield as a result of being cast without using Mutate.
Nethroi loses its target and enters the battlefield as a normal creature.
Nethroi enters the battlefield without being cast (for example, if it is put onto the battlefield from the graveyard due to Zombify).
Any creature on the battlefield becomes a copy of Nethroi.

Of course, multiple triggers can activate from a single mutation. When this happens, triggers are placed on the stack in the order determined by their controller. The active player puts their triggers on the stack first.

NBYou can mutate a creature as many times as you want (as long as it is a legal target for the next mutating spell) and create a stack of cards that are one permanent. The Porcuparrot uses the number of its mutations to determine the value of X in its activated ability.

Mutanted pernanent on the Battlefield

The resulting mutant permanent does not reset its time on the battlefield. It does not enter the battlefield; it simply changes its characteristics. Therefore, EtB-triggers do not trigger, and the mutant is not considered to have summoning sickness if you have continuously controlled the target creature since the last time you began your turn.

After using Mutate, Auras and Equipment remain on the resulting creature, not on its components. Of course, this is provided that the updated permanent can be legally enchanted or equipped by the corresponding objects.

If, as a result of Mutate, the top element is no longer an artifact, then Gremlin Infestation will fall off the mutant.

Frogify will strip the abilities from the entire mutetaed permanent, not just the creature that was originally enchanted.

Counters remain, and all continuous effects affecting the permanent continue to function.

If a creature received a token from Duskfang Mentor, it will retain that token after Mutation.

If the target creature received +3/+3 from Giant Growth before Mutate, the resulting mutant will retain that bonus.

On the battlefield, a merged permanent is a single object. It has the abilities of all the permanents it comprises. The other characteristics of the mutant are determined by the top card of the stack (unless the Mutate effect specifies otherwise).

If you cast Sea-Dasher Octopus for its Mutate cost and targeted Llanowar Elves, the result can yield two different creatures depending on whether the Sea-Dasher Octopus is on top or bottom.

If the Octopus is on top, you get a blue creature, Sea-Dasher Octopus, 2/2, with a mana cost of {1UU} and three abilities (two from the Octopus and one from the Elves).

If the Octopus is placed on the bottom, you get a green creature, Llanowar Elves, 1/1, with a mana cost of {G} and still the same three abilities.

From now on, when I say “mutates into [object name],” I mean that the [named object] is placed on top during the mutation. For example, “mutates into Sea-Dasher Octopus” means that the Octopus is placed on top, while “mutates into Llanowar Elves” means that the Octopus is placed on the bottom.

If there is a creature with a characteristic-defining ability (CDA) buried within the mutated permanent, the entire mutant will benefit from that ability. For example, a mutant that includes Tarmogoyf will determine its power and toughness just like a regular Tarmogoyf.

A mutated permanent can include an animated land and other permanents that become creatures for a time. If they are already “inside” the mutated permanent, it doesn’t matter whether they are creatures at that moment or not. They will still “grant” their copyable abilities to the mutated permanent. The abilities that these permanents had due to the animation effect remain with the mutated permanent as long as that effect is active.

If a reanimated Treetop Village mutates into Sea-Dasher Octopus, it will appear as a green Land Creature Ape 3/3 with Trample until the end of the turn. Once the animation effect ends, it will revert to being just a blue Creature Octopus 2/2 with the abilities of both the Octopus and Treetop Village.

Gaining characteristics during Mutation is considered a copying effect with a timestamp equal to the time of that permanent's mutation. This means that if there is an element within the mutataed permanent that copies something, when determining characteristics, you must first account for the older copying effect.

Let’s say you cast Sea-Dasher Octopus with Mutate and target Phyrexian Metamorph, which has copied an opponent's Aurelia. When it resolves, you place the Octopus underneath. You end up with an Artifact Creature — Angel, 2/5 with a mana cost of {2RW}, having Flying, Haste, Mentor, and the triggers of both Aurelia and the Octopus. All these characteristics become copiable values.

If a triggered ability refers to the name of a permanent, it uses the name of the combined permanent, meaning the name of the top card in the stack.

201.5. Text that refers to the object it's on by name means just that particular object and not any other objects with that name, regardless of any name changes caused by game effects.

If Sea-Dasher Octopus is the top card in the merged permanent and there is Etrata, the Silencer in the pile, then the text of Etrata, the Silencer's abilities should be read as “Sea-Dasher Octopus” instead of “Etrata, the Silencer.”

By applying mutation, we can create a mix of cards and tokens, whether they are face up or face down, transformed or not.

If the top element of a merged permanent is a token, then the entire permanent is considered a token, regardless of the cards included within it.

This is important to remember, as there are effects that directly depend on whether a permanent is a card or a token. For example, Intangible Virtue grants bonuses only to tokens.

Merged permanent face down

Unlike all other statuses, this one is determined by the status of the top element and then changes according to specific rules:

727.2f.

If a merged permanent is turned face down, each face-up component that represents it is turned face down.
If a face-down merged permanent is turned face up, each face-down component that represents it is turned face up.

If the merged permanent changes status during mutation, the game engine ignores this.

If an Efreet Weaponmaster face down becomes the target of a mutating Sea-Dasher Octopus and upon resolution you decide to place the Octopus on top, the merged permanent will be considered face up. However, the Efreet Weaponmaster does not turn face up, and its ability does not trigger.

Mutated pernanents then behave quite logically. If a Mutated pernanent is in the face-down status, you can perform a special action to turn it face up.

If, when resolving the trigger of Vesuvan Shapeshifter, you decide to turn the combined permanent face down, all the cards in the stack will turn face down. The entire mutant will become a colorless 2/2 creature without abilities or mana cost.

If you choose to unmorph, all cards representing the combined permanent will turn face up. The ability inherited from Vesuvan Shapeshifter will trigger, and you will be able to turn the merged permanent into something else if you wish.

NB: By the way, if a mutated permanent has two morph cards (I don't know how this could happen, but let's imagine such a mechanic is created), you can use the ability of either to turn the entire mutant face up.

If a face-down manifested card that is not a permanent card is part of the merged permanent, then that mutated permanent cannot be turned face up. When an effect attempts to do so, the controller reveals the face of all cards making up the mutated permanent and leaves it face down.

And, as usual, if there’s a double-faced card or a melded permanent in the pile of cards, it is impossible to turn such a monster face down.

Double-faced cards in a merged permanent

Double-faced cards in a mutated permanent contribute the abilities of the side that is face up.

If Insectile Aberration mutates into Sea-Dasher Octopus, the Octopus will have Flying.

When transforming, all components of a mutated permanent that can transform do so.

Flip-cards in a merged permanent

Unlike the face-down/up status, the tapped/untapped and flipped/unflipped statuses are not determined by the state of the top element. They do not change when mutating.

If Stabwhisker the Odious mutated into Sea-Dasher Octopus, the merged permanent will retain the flipped status (as do tapped and untapped permanents) and will have the trigger from Stabwhisker the Odious. It is not possible to “re-flip” the permanent. Its status will not change until the end of its existence on the battlefield.

If Nezumi Shortfang mutated into Sea-Dasher Octopus, the resulting mutated permanent will have the activated ability of Nezumi Shortfang. If this ability is activated and the mutated permanent flips, it will lose the ability of Nezumi Shortfang and gain the trigger from Stabwhisker the Odious.

Merged permanent leaves the battlefield

If a merged permanent leaves the battlefield for any reason, it “dissolves” into its components in the zone it arrives in. It cannot be reassembled.

Tokens that are part of the monster cease to exist at the next state-based action. The cards from the dissolved mutated permanent are placed in the graveyard or library in an order chosen by the owner of the cards. However, the player is not required to reveal the order of the cards being placed in the library.

NB: If there are face-down components within the mutated permanent, the player must reveal them to their opponents when moving them to other zones (and at the end of the game).

Suppose the trigger of Duplicant targets a mutated permanent whose top card is not a token. When the trigger resolves, the mutated permanent is exiled, where it “dissolves” into its separate components. How do we determine which part is the “last,” and what should the poor Duplicant do with all the data from the exiled cards?

For this purpose, there is a rule (CR 721.3b) that instructs the player exiling the mutated permanent to assign timestamps to each card that is part of the mutated permanent. This is an exception to the usual rules regarding timestamps.

In other words, the controller of Duplicant will identify the “last exiled card,” and it is from this card that Duplicant will derive its power and toughness values.

Suppose a mutated permanent consisting of three cards and one token is destroyed. One permanent leaves the battlefield, while four cards go to the graveyard.

The ability of Blood Artist triggers once.

The ability of Planar Void triggers three times.

The fun doesn’t stop there!

Replacement effects

Suppose your mutated permanent is about to leave the battlefield, but there are effects that replace its movement to the specified zone. In that case, you need to choose an effect and apply it to all components of the mutant. This excludes mutated permanents that contain tokens.

727.3e. If a replacement effect applies to a “card” being put into a zone without also including tokens, that effect applies to all components of the merged permanent if it's not a token, including components that are tokens. If the merged permanent is a token but some of its components are cards, the merged permanent and its token components are put into the appropriate zone, and the components that are cards are moved by the replacement effect.

If your opponent controls Leyline of the Void, then the effect that sends a card to exile instead of the graveyard will work like a rabbit hole:

If a token mutated permanent dies, the permanent dies, but all of its non-token components are exiled.
If a non-token mutant is supposed to die, all of its components are sent directly to exile from the battlefield.

Merged permanents and effects that return cards to the battlefield

For merged permanents moving between zones, there is a tricky rule:

727.3c. If an effect can find the new object that a merged permanent becomes as it leaves the battlefield, it finds all of those objects. (See rule 400.7.) If that effect causes actions to be taken upon those objects, the same actions are taken upon each of them.

This refers to various effects that return permanents back to the battlefield.

For such effects, a mutated permanent leaves the battlefield, “falls apart” into its components, and all of those components return separately to the battlefield in the state dictated by the effect.

However, there are several exceptions:

A token cannot return anywhere; upon leaving the battlefield, it ceases to exist at the next state-based action check (CR 111.7).
An instant or sorcery card cannot enter the battlefield; it remains in the zone it was in (CR 400.4a).
If an effect instructs to put a transformed non-double-faced card onto the battlefield, that card stays in the zone it was in (CR 711.8a).
You cannot meld cards without a meld and cards that are not a pair (CR 701.36b).

If you blink a mutated permanent, it will be exiled, and then the cards that made up the permanent will return to the battlefield.

Cards that are not permanents will remain exiled.

Tokens will cease to exist at the next state-based action check.

If a mutated permanent includes a creature with Undying or Persist and that merged permanent does not have the corresponding counters, then as the trigger resolves, all the component permanents of the merged permanent will return to the battlefield, and each of those permanents will receive a counter.

If a mutated permanent includes Nicol Bolas, the Ravager, then when his activated ability resolves, all cards from the merged permanent that can transform will return from exile transformed. The other cards will remain exiled.

If your merged permanent includes Gisela, the Broken Blade, and Bruna, the Fading Light enters the battlefield under your control, then as Gisela's trigger resolves, Brisela, Voice of Nightmares will return to the battlefield. The other cards will remain exiled.

Merged permanents in Commander (EDH)

If your Commander is part of a mutant (in any position), then the mutant is considered to be your Commander. When that merged permanent leaves the battlefield, you may put the Commander in the command zone regardless of where the other cards from the merged permanent end up.

Mind-blowing, right?

If you want to keep going, let’s continue! :)

Merged permanents phase out without any health risks, as the process of phasing out is not considered a zone change: the game simply does not recognize the merged permanent while it's phased out. When it phases back in, the merged permanent retains its original state.

If a merged permanent had counters on it, upon moving between zones (except for hand and library), Skullbriar will bring those counters along. Upon the first movement of the merged permanent, it will also duplicate all counters for each object within the merged permanent.

The characteristics of a merged permanent are copyable values, meaning that all creatures entering the battlefield under your control will copy them. This includes tokens as well: Cubwarden

Translated by ChatGPT

Sea-Dasher Octopus

Oracle Text: