Does Molten Echoes Work with Legendary Creatures? A Deep Dive
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The short answer is yes, Molten Echoes absolutely works with legendary creatures, but with a very important caveat that hinges on understanding how the Legend Rule operates in Magic: The Gathering. While Molten Echoes itself doesn’t care about the “legendary” supertype, the Legend Rule creates an interaction that demands careful consideration for successful usage. Let’s break down how these two mechanics interact and explore the nuances.
Understanding Molten Echoes
Molten Echoes is an enchantment that reads, “As Molten Echoes enters the battlefield, choose a creature type. Whenever a nontoken creature of the chosen type enters the battlefield under your control, create a token that’s a copy of that creature. That token gains haste. Exile it at the beginning of the next end step.” This card is a powerful engine for creature-based strategies, allowing you to generate temporary copies of your creatures for extra attacks, enter-the-battlefield triggers, and other synergistic effects.
The key takeaway here is that Molten Echoes triggers based on creature types, not the supertype of a creature. You choose a type (like Goblin, Elf, or Vampire), and any nontoken creature of that chosen type will trigger the ability, regardless of whether it’s also legendary or not.
The Impact of the Legend Rule
The Legend Rule states that if a player controls two or more legendary permanents with the same name, that player must choose one of them to keep and the rest are put into their owners’ graveyards. The legendary supertype is a special designation that applies to cards across different types: creatures, artifacts, enchantments, lands and planeswalkers.
Now, here’s where the interaction with Molten Echoes gets interesting. Let’s say you control a Molten Echoes, and you’ve chosen “Goblin.” You then cast a legendary Goblin creature, like Krenko, Mob Boss. Molten Echoes triggers and creates a token copy of Krenko with haste. Immediately after that token enters the battlefield, you are now controlling two legendary permanents with the same name, which triggers the Legend Rule. You’ll have to choose one of your Krenkos to keep. It’s important to note, however, that the token that was created by Molten Echoes is affected by the Legend rule, it is not immune as some may think.
The critical point is that the Legend Rule is a state-based action, meaning it’s checked and applied immediately after a permanent enters the battlefield or a trigger resolves. Thus, the Molten Echoes token is created first and then, almost immediately, you must sacrifice either the token or your original legendary creature. This is usually unfavorable but could still be valuable in some instances.
Why Still Play Molten Echoes with Legendary Creatures?
Even with the Legend Rule imposing limitations, Molten Echoes can still have very good value alongside legendary creatures:
- Enter-the-Battlefield (ETB) Triggers: The token created by Molten Echoes will trigger ETB abilities, providing you with value, even if that token is immediately sacrificed due to the Legend Rule. If your legendary creature has a powerful ETB, Molten Echoes can essentially double that value once, even though the clone won’t stick around.
- Temporary Haste Attacks: The token copies from Molten Echoes gain haste. This means that even if you must sacrifice it immediately afterward, it can attack and deal damage before being removed due to the Legend Rule. This can be useful for pushing through extra damage or triggering additional abilities.
- Sacrifice Outlets: If you have sacrifice outlets, you can sacrifice the token copy before the Legend Rule forces you to sacrifice it, thereby gaining additional value from the creature you chose to copy. These are a few strategic ways to make the legendary copy matter for longer than the split second it would live for, otherwise.
Strategic Considerations
When building a deck with Molten Echoes, consider the following:
- Synergistic ETB Abilities: Focus on legendary creatures with powerful ETB effects to maximize the value of Molten Echoes’ token copies.
- Haste-Focused Strategies: If your strategy is aggressive, the temporary haste provided by Molten Echoes can be impactful.
- Sacrifice Synergy: Incorporate sacrifice outlets to maximize the value of the token copy before the Legend Rule kicks in. This will allow you to potentially get two triggers of the same ability, or allow you to pay an additional cost that requires a creature to be sacrificed.
- Mirror Gallery: The legendary rule only applies to permanents you control. Cards like Mirror Gallery will remove this restriction, allowing you to use many versions of the same legendary card as you wish.
Conclusion
Molten Echoes works with legendary creatures in that they trigger the ability, but the Legend Rule must be considered. While you won’t have a second permanent version of the legendary creature, its token copy can still provide significant value through ETB triggers, haste attacks, and sacrifice synergy. Therefore, a player can still get a ton of benefit from a card like Molten Echoes even if they have many legendary creatures in their deck.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. Can I choose a supertype with Molten Echoes?
No, Molten Echoes requires you to choose a creature type (e.g., Goblin, Elf, Zombie). Supertypes like “Legendary” or “Basic” are not valid choices.
2. Does the token created by Molten Echoes also become legendary?
Yes, the token copy retains all of the original creature’s characteristics, including the legendary supertype. It will always be a copy of the original card.
3. If I use Molten Echoes with a legendary creature, do I have to sacrifice the original?
No, you choose one of the legendary creatures you control with the same name to sacrifice when the legend rule triggers. It can either be the original or the token you created with molten echoes.
4. What happens if Molten Echoes copies a creature with a “dies” trigger?
The token copy will have all of the same “dies” triggers and when it is sacrificed to the Legend Rule or otherwise, the ability will trigger. This can be a great way to use a card like Molten Echoes in a graveyard focused deck.
5. Does the token gain any +1/+1 counters or other effects that the original might have?
Yes, the token copy will be an exact copy of the creature as it exists on the battlefield, including any counters, auras, or equipment. But if that is not already on the original creature before it is copied, it will not be added to the token.
6. If the original creature leaves the battlefield before Molten Echoes resolves, does the token get created?
Yes, the token will still be created using the last known information of the original creature before it left the battlefield.
7. Can multiple Molten Echoes create copies of the same creature?
Yes, each instance of Molten Echoes will trigger separately, potentially creating multiple copies of the same creature.
8. If my opponent also has a Molten Echoes, can they create a token of my legendary creature?
No, Molten Echoes only triggers for creatures that enter under your control. Your opponent will not be able to copy your creature using their Molten Echoes.
9. What happens if I have a card like Mirror Gallery in play with Molten Echoes?
Mirror Gallery removes the Legend Rule, allowing you to keep multiple legendary permanents with the same name in play. In this case, the token created by molten echoes would not need to be sacrificed.
10. Can I use Molten Echoes on a Planeswalker?
No. Molten Echoes only creates copies of creatures, not Planeswalkers. There are similar effects for Planeswalkers such as Spark Double but Molten Echoes is not one of them.
11. What’s the best creature type to use with Molten Echoes?
This depends on your deck strategy. Choose a type that you have many high-value creatures of, ideally, creatures with strong enter-the-battlefield triggers or combat-focused abilities.
12. Can I copy a creature that is already a copy of another creature with Molten Echoes?
Yes, you can copy a creature that is already a copy. Molten Echoes will create a token of the current copy which will be the same card.
13. If the creature’s stats change after Molten Echoes creates a token, does the token’s stats change?
No, the token’s stats are set when the token enters the battlefield. Changes to the original creature won’t affect the existing token’s stats. However, any abilities that the original has, the token will have.
14. Does the exile clause on Molten Echoes’s token apply even if the token is sacrificed earlier?
Yes, the token will still be exiled at the beginning of the next end step, even if it has already been sacrificed due to the Legend Rule or other abilities.
15. Is Molten Echoes a good card for commander/EDH?
Yes, Molten Echoes can be a very powerful card in commander, especially in decks that focus on creatures with ETB effects, or in a deck that can sacrifice creatures easily for extra value. It’s a strong utility card that will give you value every time a creature enters.