How Does Oko, the Trickster Work? A Deep Dive into a Shapeshifting Planeswalker
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Oko, the Trickster, is a Planeswalker card from Magic: The Gathering’s Throne of Eldraine set, and understanding how he works is crucial to leveraging his abilities effectively (or, if you’re on the receiving end, mitigating his impact). Oko’s primary function revolves around temporary shapeshifting, coupled with a powerful, albeit temporary, buffing ultimate ability. His main ability allows him to transform into a copy of a creature you control, with some critical caveats, while his ultimate temporarily gives your creatures a substantial power boost. Essentially, Oko the Trickster allows you to borrow the best attributes of your existing creatures, adding flexibility to your battlefield. Let’s delve into the specifics of his mechanics.
Understanding Oko’s Abilities
Oko, the Trickster’s card text reads:
[0]: Until end of turn, Oko, the Trickster becomes a copy of target creature you control. Prevent all damage that would be dealt to him this turn.
[-7]: Until end of turn, each creature you control has base power and toughness 10/10 and gains trample.
The Shapeshifting [0] Ability
This is Oko’s defining ability. Activating it costs zero loyalty, which is incredibly significant. Upon activation:
- Oko becomes a copy: Oko morphs into a copy of a target creature you control. He retains his planeswalker card type but gains all the other characteristics of the chosen creature, for as long as that turn lasts.
- Copying Printed Values: Crucially, Oko copies the printed power, toughness, abilities, card type(s), subtypes, and color(s) of the targeted creature. This is important, because it means he doesn’t copy:
- Counters: Any +1/+1, -1/-1, or other counters on the target creature are not copied by Oko.
- Effects Modifying Power/Toughness: If the target creature’s power or toughness has been modified by spells or abilities, Oko doesn’t copy those modifications. He only gets the base values printed on the card.
- Type, Color, or Ability Changes: If the target creature has had its type, color, or abilities changed by an effect, Oko doesn’t copy those changes.
- Non-Creature Becomes Creature Effects: If the target creature only became a creature due to another effect (e.g., a land becoming a creature), Oko will not copy that effect. He will only copy effects on creatures that are inherently creatures printed on the card. If a land is a creature and printed as a creature, then it will be copied.
- Damage Prevention: A crucial element is the phrase “prevent all damage that would be dealt to him this turn.” This makes Oko invulnerable to combat damage and spells or abilities that would damage him that turn, after he has turned into a creature. This is an important layer of defense for him since he effectively turns into a creature that could be attacked.
- Duration: This transformation is temporary; Oko returns to being his normal self at the end of the turn.
Key Takeaway: Oko’s shapeshifting ability isn’t a perfect clone; it only takes the base essence of the target creature, making it a versatile but nuanced ability.
The Buffing Ultimate [-7] Ability
Oko’s ultimate is designed for a game-ending push. By paying seven loyalty, he can activate the following effect:
- Massive Stat Boost: Every creature you control has its base power and toughness set to 10/10 for the remainder of the turn. This overwrites the creature’s printed power and toughness as well as any other existing effects that are modifying it.
- Trample: Every creature also gains trample until the end of the turn. This is a vital ability that allows your creatures to deal excess damage to an opponent if they are blocked by weaker creatures.
- Duration: The power and toughness boost, as well as the trample, are temporary, expiring at the end of the turn.
Key Takeaway: This ultimate ability allows you to turn your entire board into a monstrously powerful army capable of easily trampling over any opposition.
Practical Application and Strategy
Oko’s zero-cost shapeshifting ability makes him incredibly versatile. You can use him offensively to make him a large or evasive attacker by copying your strongest or most difficult to block creature. Alternatively, you can use it defensively to make him a large creature that can block incoming attacks and still be safe due to the damage prevention. You can utilize him in a variety of situations.
The ultimate is clearly for ending the game quickly with overwhelming damage. Combining this with a board that is already positioned to attack will often result in victory. This could be combined with effects that make your creatures unblockable to guarantee damage going through.
FAQs about Oko, the Trickster
Here are some frequently asked questions to further clarify Oko’s abilities and how he interacts with other game mechanics:
1. Does Oko copy abilities granted by Equipment or Auras?
No. Oko only copies the abilities printed directly on the creature card. If a creature gains an ability through equipment, auras, or other effects, Oko will not copy these.
2. Can Oko copy a creature that is turned into a creature by a spell?
No. If the targeted creature is not a creature inherently, (e.g., a land card animated into a creature by a spell), Oko will not copy that effect. He will only copy the printed values of the target creature.
3. Does Oko copy keywords on the creature?
Yes, as long as they are printed on the creature card itself, such as flying, first strike, or haste.
4. Does Oko copy tokens?
Yes, Oko can copy creature tokens because these tokens are creatures and have printed values for power and toughness that they are created with.
5. If I copy a creature that is legendary, is Oko considered a legendary creature?
Yes, if the creature Oko copies is legendary, Oko will then also be considered legendary. This can be impactful if you control a second version of a legendary creature that you are copying and you must decide which to keep.
6. Can I use Oko’s ultimate ability more than once in a game?
Yes, you can if you have enough loyalty counters and can bring Oko back up to 7 counters.
7. Does Oko’s ultimate ability stack?
No, if you use his ultimate ability again in the same turn (unlikely) it does not increase the power/toughness boost or give additional instances of trample.
8. What happens to Oko if the creature he copies is removed from the battlefield?
If the creature he copies is removed from the battlefield, Oko reverts to being a planeswalker when the turn ends. He will not be affected by the removal of the creature he was copying.
9. Does Oko’s copy ability also change his loyalty counters?
No, Oko’s copy ability only changes what he looks like and does not change his number of loyalty counters.
10. If a copied creature has a triggered ability, will that ability trigger when Oko attacks or blocks?
No. Triggered abilities of the copied creature are not triggered if Oko attacks or blocks. Oko is only temporarily becoming a creature and doesn’t trigger abilities that trigger when a creature attacks or blocks.
11. Does Oko retain any loyalty counters after shapeshifting?
Yes, Oko retains his loyalty counters throughout the entire shapeshifting process. He is still a planeswalker at all times, just with different characteristics and combat ability until the turn ends.
12. If I use the Ultimate and then use Oko’s [0] ability, does he still become a 10/10 with trample?
No, after he turns into a copy of another creature, he loses all effects from his ultimate.
13. Is there a way to use Oko’s zero ability to have him do two things at once?
Yes, by using a creature with vigilance, Oko is able to attack and block during combat, making him very versatile.
14. Why is Oko, the Trickster not as powerful as Oko, Thief of Crowns?
Oko, the Trickster has fewer ways to impact the game outside of combat. His abilities are mostly centered around copying, while Oko, Thief of Crowns has strong disruption and the ability to produce infinite 3/3 creatures.
15. Is Oko, the Trickster good in Commander?
Oko, the Trickster can be fun as an alternate commander for flavor, but he is not considered to be among the most powerful commanders due to how his abilities work in multiplayer. He is more of a solid, versatile card rather than a game-breaking threat.
Conclusion
Oko, the Trickster, is a versatile planeswalker with an intriguing mix of abilities. His temporary shapeshifting provides a way to adapt and utilize your creatures to his advantage, while his ultimate can bring an immediate game-ending conclusion. Understanding the nuances of his abilities—especially what is, and is not, copied—is key to effectively employing him on the battlefield. Despite being overshadowed by his more powerful counterpart, Oko the Trickster is still a unique and fascinating card that can bring much versatility to the game.