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Elvish Vatkeeper

one generic manaone black manaone green manaCreature — Phyrexian ElfPower and toughness3/3

Card text

When this creature enters, incubate 2. (Create an Incubator token with two +1/+1 counters on it and "two generic mana: Transform this token." It transforms into a 0/0 Phyrexian artifact creature.)

five generic mana: Transform target Incubator token you control. Double the number of +1/+1 counters on it.

Showing March of the Machine#223

Price

0.23 $

Foil 0.18 $

8 printings

Daily estimate from Scryfall, not a shop quote.

Elvish Vatkeeper rulings

  • The target Incubator token transforms before its +1/+1 counters are doubled, so anything that cares about +1/+1 counters being placed on a creature will see them being placed on the Phyrexian artifact creature.

Elvish Vatkeeper keyword rules

Incubate Rule 701.51

To incubate N, create an Incubator token that enters the battlefield with N +1/+1 counters on it. See rule .

An Incubator token is a transforming double-faced token. Its front face is a colorless Incubator artifact with “{2}: Transform this artifact.” Its back face is a 0/0 colorless Phyrexian artifact creature named “Phyrexian Token.”

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.

Double Rule 701.9

Doubling a creature’s power and/or toughness creates a continuous effect. This effect modifies that creature’s power and/or toughness but doesn’t set those characteristics to a specific value. See rule .

To double a creature’s power, that creature gets +X/+0, where X is that creature’s power as the spell or ability that doubles its power resolves. Similarly, an effect that doubles a creature’s toughness gives it +0/+X, where X is that creature’s toughness. Doubling a creature’s power and toughness gives it +X/+Y, where X is its power and Y is its toughness.

If a creature’s power is less than 0 when it’s doubled, doubling that creature’s power instead means that the creature gets -X/-0, where X is the difference between 0 and its power. Similarly, if its toughness is less than 0 when doubled, it gets -0/-X. If one characteristic’s value is negative but the other isn’t when both are doubled, it gets -X/+Y or +X/-Y, as appropriate.

To double a player’s life total, the player gains or loses an amount of life such that their new life total is twice its current value.

To double the number of a kind of counters on a player or permanent, give that player or permanent as many of those counters as that player or permanent already has.

To double the amount of a type of mana in a player’s mana pool, that player adds an amount of mana of that type equal to the amount they already have.

To double an amount of damage a source would deal, that source instead deals twice that much damage. This is a replacement effect.

Elvish Vatkeeper 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

  • HistoricLegal
  • TimelessLegal
  • AlchemyNot legal
  • GladiatorLegal
  • BrawlLegal
  • Standard BrawlNot legal
  • Competitive BrawlLegal

Other

  • TLRLegal

All printings of Elvish Vatkeeper 8

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Card data

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