Aberrant Researcher // Perfected Form
Aberrant Researcher
Creature — Human InsectPower and toughness3/2
Card text
Flying
At the beginning of your upkeep, mill a card. If an instant or sorcery card was milled this way, transform this creature. (To mill a card, put the top card of your library into your graveyard.)
"Metamorphosis is a process." —Laboratory notes
Perfected Form
Creature — Insect HorrorPower and toughness5/4
Card text
Flying
The final pages of the experiment log were blank. Investigators found it abandoned on a desk in the researcher's lab, open, the pages flipping in the wind from a shattered window.
Showing Shadows over Innistrad#49
Price
0.05 $
Foil 0.37 $
13 printings · up to 0.17 $
Daily estimate from Scryfall, not a shop quote.
Aberrant Researcher // Perfected Form rulings
No player may take any action between the two steps of Aberrant Researcher's triggered ability. If the card put into your graveyard is an instant or sorcery card, Aberrant Researcher will have transformed before a player can take any action.
If a replacement effect causes the top card of your library to go to a zone other than your graveyard, Aberrant Researcher will still transform if that card was an instant or sorcery card.
Aberrant Researcher // Perfected Form keyword rules
Flying Rule 702.9
Flying is an evasion ability.
A creature with flying can’t be blocked except by creatures with flying and/or reach. A creature with flying can block a creature with or without flying. (See rule , “Declare Blockers Step,” and rule , “Reach.”)
Multiple instances of flying on the same creature are redundant.
Transform Rule 701.28
To transform a permanent, turn it over so that its other face is up. Only transforming tokens and permanents represented by transforming double-faced cards can transform. (See rule , “Double-Faced Cards.”)
Although transforming a permanent uses the same physical action as turning a permanent face up or face down, they are different game actions. Abilities that trigger when a permanent is turned face down won’t trigger when that permanent transforms, and so on.
If a spell or ability instructs a player to transform a permanent that isn’t represented by a transforming token or a transforming double-faced card, nothing happens.
If a spell or ability instructs a player to transform a permanent, and the face that permanent would transform into is represented by an instant or sorcery card face, or is a transforming token that was created with an instant or sorcery face, nothing happens.
Some triggered abilities trigger when an object “transforms into” an object with a specified characteristic. Such an ability triggers if the object either transforms or converts (see rule ) and has the specified characteristic immediately after it does so.
If an activated or triggered ability of a permanent that isn’t a delayed triggered ability of that permanent tries to transform it, the permanent does so only if it hasn’t transformed or converted since the ability was put onto the stack. If a delayed triggered ability of a permanent tries to transform that permanent, the permanent does so only if it hasn’t transformed or converted since that delayed triggered ability was created. In both cases, if the permanent has already transformed or converted, an instruction to do either is ignored.
Some spells and abilities refer to a “transformed permanent.” This phrase refers to a permanent on the battlefield with its back face up that’s also a transforming double-faced card or a transforming token. A permanent with its front face up is never considered a transformed permanent, even if it had its back face up previously.
Mill Rule 701.13
For a player to mill a number of cards, that player puts that many cards from the top of their library into their graveyard.
A player can’t mill a number of cards greater than the number of cards in their library. If given the choice to do so, they can’t choose to take that action. If instructed to do so, they mill as many as possible. Similarly, the player can’t pay a cost that includes milling a number of cards greater than the number of cards in their library.
An effect that refers to a milled card can find that card in the zone it moved to from the library, as long as that zone is a public zone.
If an ability checks information about a single milled card but more than one card was milled, that ability refers to each of the milled cards. If that ability asks for any information about the milled card, such as a characteristic or mana value, it gets multiple answers. If these answers are used to determine the value of a variable, the sum of the answers is used. If that ability performs any actions on “the” card, it performs that action on each milled card. If that ability performs any actions on “a” card, the controller of the ability chooses which card is affected.
Aberrant Researcher // Perfected Form format legality
Constructed
- StandardNot legal
- PioneerLegal
- ModernLegal
- Future StandardNot legal
Eternal
- LegacyLegal
- VintageLegal
- PauperNot legal
- PremodernNot legal
- Old SchoolNot legal
- Penny DreadfulNot legal
Commander
- CommanderLegal
- OathbreakerLegal
- Pauper CommanderNot legal
- Duel CommanderLegal
- PreDHNot legal
Arena & online
- HistoricNot legal
- TimelessNot legal
- AlchemyNot legal
- GladiatorNot legal
- BrawlNot legal
- Standard BrawlNot legal
- Competitive BrawlNot legal
Other
- TLRNot legal
All printings of Aberrant Researcher // Perfected Form 13
Cards similar to Aberrant Researcher // Perfected Form
Covetous Castaway // Ghostly CastigatorCreature — Human // Creature — Spirit
Grizzled Angler // Grisly AnglerfishCreature — Human // Creature — Eldrazi Fish
Docent of Perfection // Final IterationCreature — Insect Horror // Creature — Eldrazi Insect
Inverted Iceberg // Iceberg TitanArtifact // Artifact Creature — Golem
Waterlogged Hulk // Watertight GondolaArtifact // Artifact — Vehicle
Delver of Secrets // Insectile AberrationCreature — Human Wizard // Creature — Human Insect
Mysterio's PhantasmCreature — Illusion Villain
Deranged AssistantCreature — Human Wizard
Fallaji ArchaeologistCreature — Human Scout
Screaming SwarmCreature — Bird Horror
Show 20 more similar cards
Laboratory BruteCreature — Zombie Horror
Jace, Vryn's Prodigy // Jace, Telepath UnboundLegendary Creature — Human Wizard // Legendary Planeswalker — Jace
Startled Awake // Persistent NightmareSorcery // Creature — Nightmare
Madame Web, ClairvoyantLegendary Creature — Mutant Advisor
Thraben Gargoyle // Stonewing AntagonizerArtifact Creature — Gargoyle // Artifact Creature — Gargoyle Horror
Fear of DeathEnchantment — Aura
Song of StupefactionEnchantment — Aura
Literal Delver of SecretsCreature — Human Insect
Giant-Sized Flying AntCreature — Insect
Thing in the Ice // Awoken HorrorCreature — Horror // Creature — Kraken Horror
Ludevic's Test Subject // Ludevic's AbominationCreature — Lizard Egg // Creature — Lizard Horror
Overwhelmed Archivist // Archive HauntCreature — Human Wizard // Creature — Spirit Wizard
Tekuthal, Inquiry DominusLegendary Creature — Phyrexian Horror
Cruel WitnessCreature — Bird Horror
Overcharged AmalgamCreature — Zombie Horror
Stitchwing SkaabCreature — Zombie Horror
Malevolent Hermit // Benevolent GeistCreature — Human Wizard // Creature — Spirit Wizard
Baithook Angler // Hook-Haunt DrifterCreature — Human Peasant // Creature — Spirit
Inventive Iteration // Living BreakthroughEnchantment — Saga // Enchantment Creature — Moonfolk
Invasion of Kamigawa // Rooftop SaboteursBattle — Siege // Creature — Moonfolk Ninja