Blinking the Evoked: A Magical Maneuver in MTG
So, you’re staring down an evoked Mulldrifter, its sacrifice trigger looming on the stack, and you’re wondering if you can pull a fast one with a well-timed blink. The answer is a resounding YES! Blinking an evoked creature is a powerful and often advantageous play in Magic: The Gathering. You get to dodge the sacrifice trigger, keep the creature on the battlefield (at least temporarily), and potentially re-trigger its Enter the Battlefield (ETB) effect! It’s like having your cake and eating it too – a classic example of understanding stack interactions and timing in MTG.
Understanding Evoke and Blinking
First, let’s quickly recap what we’re dealing with. Evoke is an alternate cost some creatures have. When you cast a creature using its Evoke cost, you get its immediate effect, but a triggered ability goes on the stack that forces you to sacrifice it when that ability resolves. Blinking, on the other hand, refers to effects that exile a permanent and then immediately return it to the battlefield. This is generally accomplished with cards that use the word “exile” and “return” in the same ability on a card, like “flicker” effects.
The key here is the stack. When you evoke a creature, the sacrifice trigger goes on the stack. This gives you a window of opportunity. Before that trigger resolves and forces you to sacrifice the creature, you can respond to it with an instant-speed blink effect like Cloudshift or Ephemerate.
When the creature is blinked, it leaves the battlefield and immediately returns as a brand new object. This means it’s no longer associated with the original evoke spell. The sacrifice trigger is still on the stack, but it’s looking for the original creature, which is no longer there. Because the game can’t find the original creature to sacrifice (because it’s technically a new object now), that trigger fizzles, saving your creature from the jaws of sacrifice.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. If you blink a creature that has been evoked before it gets sacrificed, won’t you trigger the evoke sacrifice trigger again when it re-enters?
No, you won’t trigger the evoke sacrifice trigger again. When the creature returns to the battlefield after being blinked, it’s treated as a completely new permanent. The original instance of the creature is gone, and the evoke sacrifice trigger specifically targets that original object. Since that original object is no longer on the battlefield, the trigger can’t find it and does nothing. This highlights the importance of object identity in Magic rules.
2. Can you blink/sacrifice in response to evoke?
Absolutely! As soon as the evoke sacrifice trigger hits the stack, you’re free to respond to it. You can sacrifice it to something like Ashnod’s Altar for mana, blink it with Eldrazi Displacer, or use any other instant-speed ability. This is a common strategy for getting additional value out of evoked creatures.
3. Does blinking a creature give it summoning sickness?
Yes, blinking a creature effectively resets its “summoning sickness”. Although you aren’t recasting the creature from your hand, it’s treated as a new object entering the battlefield. This means that if the creature doesn’t have Haste, you won’t be able to attack with it or use any of its activated abilities that require tapping on the turn it returns.
4. What happens if you blink a morph creature?
Blinking a face-down morph creature will cause it to return to the battlefield face-up. This is because permanents enter the battlefield face-up by default, unless specified otherwise. Importantly, you don’t have to pay the morph cost! This can be a clever way to get a surprise creature onto the battlefield without paying its morph cost.
5. Do creatures lose counters when they blink?
Yes, creatures lose all counters and auras when they are blinked. This is because, as mentioned earlier, the creature returning from exile is treated as a completely new object. It doesn’t remember anything from its previous existence, including any counters or auras attached to it.
6. Can you flicker a blocking creature?
Yes, you can flicker a blocking creature after blockers have been declared. The attacker will remain blocked for that combat. However, the blinked creature will disappear temporarily. If the creature does not return before combat damage is assigned, the blocking creature will deal no combat damage.
7. Is Morph considered a colorless spell?
Yes, when you cast a creature face-down using its morph ability, it’s considered a colorless spell. This is because you’re essentially casting a generic 2/2 creature. The game only sees the face-down characteristics of the spell, not the hidden creature’s true identity.
8. Does Megamorph count as morph?
Yes, Megamorph is a variation of Morph. Mechanically, they work very similarly. The main difference is that when you turn a creature face-up by paying its megamorph cost, it enters the battlefield with a +1/+1 counter.
9. What happens when you flicker an aura?
When you flicker an Aura, it returns to the battlefield unattached. You then choose a legal object for it to enchant. This can be useful for moving an Aura from one permanent to another or for saving it from being destroyed along with the permanent it’s currently enchanting.
10. Does flicker fizzle spells?
Yes, flickering or blinking a permanent can “fizzle” spells or abilities targeting it. This is because the target of the spell becomes an illegal target once it leaves the battlefield. The spell then fails to resolve, protecting your permanent from harm.
11. Does ghostly flicker need two targets?
Yes, Ghostly Flicker requires two targets that are either artifacts, creatures, or lands you control. This gives you the flexibility to blink multiple permanents simultaneously, triggering multiple ETB effects or saving multiple permanents from destruction.
12. How do you stop evoke creatures?
There are several ways to stop evoked creatures from entering the battlefield. You can counter the creature spell itself with a traditional counterspell. Alternatively, you can counter the sacrifice trigger using cards like Stifle or Trickbind. This will allow you to keep the creature on the battlefield without having to sacrifice it.
13. Does blink trigger ETB effects?
Absolutely! This is one of the biggest reasons to blink creatures in the first place. When a creature is blinked, it’s treated as a new object entering the battlefield, triggering any “enters the battlefield” (ETB) abilities it may have. This allows you to reuse powerful ETB effects for additional value.
14. Can you respond to Megamorph?
You cannot respond to a player turning a creature face-up with its megamorph cost. Turning a creature face up is a special action that doesn’t use the stack. This makes it difficult to interact with directly.
15. What happens if you copy a morph?
If you copy a face-down morph creature, the copy will also be face-down. It will be a 2/2 colorless creature with no name, types, or abilities.
Mastering the Blink
Blinking an evoked creature is a strategic play that requires a good understanding of the stack and timing. It can save you from sacrificing a valuable creature while also triggering its ETB effect again. So, next time you’re facing down an evoke trigger, remember the power of the blink!
For more information about how learning is integrated in card and board games, visit the Games Learning Society at https://www.gameslearningsociety.org/.