Decoding Mimic Vat: Trigger or Replacement Effect? A Comprehensive Guide
Mimic Vat is not a replacement effect. It is a triggered ability. This distinction is crucial for understanding how it interacts with other mechanics in Magic: The Gathering, particularly in Commander. Mimic Vat triggers when a creature dies and goes to the graveyard, allowing you to exile that creature and subsequently create token copies of it. Replacement effects, on the other hand, modify how an event happens, preventing it from going to the graveyard in the first place.
Understanding the Nuances: Mimic Vat in Detail
Mimic Vat, a beloved and often potent artifact, hinges on its triggered ability. Here’s a deeper dive:
- Trigger Condition: The ability triggers “Whenever a creature dies.” This means a creature must actually reach the graveyard for the ability to activate.
- Exiling Effect: When the trigger resolves, you may exile the creature card from the graveyard. This is a crucial point – you have a choice. If the creature isn’t in the graveyard when the ability resolves (perhaps it’s been exiled by another effect), you can’t exile it.
- Token Generation: If you exile a creature card, Mimic Vat gains the imprinted ability: “{3}, {T}: Create a token that’s a copy of the exiled card. That token gains haste. Exile it at the beginning of the next end step.” This allows you to repeatedly create token copies.
Replacement Effects vs. Triggered Abilities
The key to differentiating these mechanics lies in how they interact with an event.
- Replacement Effects: These prevent an event from happening as it normally would. A classic example is the Commander replacement effect, which allows you to send your commander back to the command zone instead of the graveyard. Other examples include cards like “Rest in Peace” which replace the event of a card going to the graveyard with it being exiled instead.
- Triggered Abilities: These react to an event that has already occurred. Mimic Vat reacts to a creature going to the graveyard. It doesn’t stop the creature from initially reaching the graveyard.
Mimic Vat and the Commander Zone: A Critical Interaction
The Commander replacement effect directly influences Mimic Vat’s functionality. If you choose to send your commander to the command zone instead of the graveyard, Mimic Vat’s trigger never activates. This is because the creature never dies and goes to the graveyard, which is the condition necessary for the trigger. Understanding these interactions is crucial, and exploring resources like the Games Learning Society (https://www.gameslearningsociety.org/) can further enhance your knowledge of game mechanics and strategy.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Mimic Vat
Here are some frequently asked questions to further clarify how Mimic Vat works:
1. Can I exile a commander with Mimic Vat?
Yes, you can exile a commander with Mimic Vat, but only if the commander is allowed to go to the graveyard. If the player chooses to send their commander to the command zone via the command zone replacement effect, Mimic Vat’s ability will not trigger at all. If the player doesn’t elect to send the commander to the command zone, then Mimic Vat’s ability will trigger and, upon resolution, you may exile the commander card.
2. What happens if Mimic Vat is destroyed while a creature is exiled?
Destroying Mimic Vat does not affect the card exiled by it. The exiled card remains exiled, and you can no longer activate the ability to create token copies.
3. If I exile a creature with Mimic Vat, can I exile another creature later?
Yes, you can. Mimic Vat only imprints one card at a time. When another creature dies and its ability triggers, you can choose to exile the new creature, replacing the previously exiled card. The previously exiled card remains in exile.
4. Does Mimic Vat trigger if a token dies?
Yes, Mimic Vat does trigger when a token dies and goes to the graveyard, albeit briefly. However, tokens cease to exist upon leaving the battlefield (and thus, the graveyard). Therefore, when the Mimic Vat triggered ability resolves, there will be nothing to exile, and the ability effectively does nothing.
5. What happens if the exiled creature card is removed from the graveyard before Mimic Vat’s trigger resolves?
If the exiled card is no longer in the graveyard when Mimic Vat’s triggered ability resolves, you cannot exile it. The ability will simply do nothing. This could be due to another player exiling the card or some other effect moving it.
6. Does Mimic Vat copy ETB (Enter the Battlefield) effects?
Yes, when you create a token copy using Mimic Vat, the token will trigger any “enter the battlefield” abilities that the original creature had. This is because the token enters the battlefield as a copy of that creature.
7. Can I activate Mimic Vat’s ability multiple times in one turn?
Yes, you can activate Mimic Vat’s activated ability as many times as you have mana to pay. Each activation creates a separate token copy, subject to the “exile at end of turn” clause.
8. If I activate Mimic Vat in my end step, when does the token get exiled?
If Mimic Vat’s second ability is activated during a turn’s end step, the token will be exiled at the beginning of the following turn’s end step.
9. What happens if I prevent the token from being exiled at the end of the turn?
If the token is not exiled when the delayed triggered ability resolves (perhaps due to a card like Stifle), it remains on the battlefield indefinitely.
10. Does Mimic Vat’s ability target?
Mimic Vat’s triggered ability that exiles the creature card does not target. It simply checks the graveyard for a creature that has died. The activated ability to create the token does not target either.
11. How does Mimic Vat interact with Undying?
Mimic Vat’s triggered ability resolves first, exiling the creature with Undying from the graveyard. This means that the Undying trigger will not resolve, since the creature is no longer in the graveyard.
12. Does the token created by Mimic Vat have the same mana cost as the original creature?
The token created by Mimic Vat is a copy of the exiled creature. Therefore, it has the same characteristics, including mana cost.
13. If I copy a creature with counters on it, does the Mimic Vat token have those counters?
No, the Mimic Vat token does not copy counters. It copies the base characteristics of the creature as printed on the card.
14. Does Mimic Vat work with creatures that have been mutated?
Yes, Mimic Vat works with mutated creatures. The token you create will be a copy of the entire mutated creature, including all abilities and characteristics from the mutation.
15. Can I use Mimic Vat to exile a creature that was put into the graveyard due to a sacrifice effect?
Yes, Mimic Vat triggers whenever a creature dies, regardless of how it ended up in the graveyard. Sacrifice effects do not prevent Mimic Vat from triggering.
Mastering Mimic Vat: Strategy and Synergy
Understanding Mimic Vat’s triggered nature and its interactions with other card abilities is fundamental to maximizing its potential. By recognizing when and how to use Mimic Vat, you can transform it into a powerful engine for creating valuable tokens and dominating the game. Exploring resources like GamesLearningSociety.org can further enhance your understanding of these complex game mechanics.