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Leyline of Transformation

Enchantment

If this card is in your opening hand, you may begin the game with it on the battlefield.
As this enchantment enters, choose a creature type.
Creatures you control are the chosen type in addition to their other types. The same is true for creature spells you control and creature cards you own that aren't on the battlefield.

CMC
4
Mana cost
{2}{U}{U}
Color identity
U
Rarity
rare
Set
Duskmourn: House of Horror Promos
Price
$0.49
EDHREC rank
#3808
Buy on TCGplayer
Leyline of Transformation card art
Leyline of Transformation turns every creature you control into a Pirate or whatever type you name — on the battlefield before the game even starts if it's in your opening hand. The synergy with Etrata, Deadly Fugitive and The World Tree is what drives demand, but the card earns its slot on raw board impact alone.

Best Commanders

Commanders with the highest synergy

01
Etrata, Deadly Fugitive

Etrata, Deadly Fugitive

53.8% of decks · synergy 0.51

Etrata, Deadly Fugitive's triggered ability fires on any Rogue dealing combat damage, and Leyline of Transformation blanket-converts your whole board into Rogues, turning every incidental attacker into a clock that exiles opponent's cards.

02
Kediss, Emberclaw FamiliarMalcolm, Keen-Eyed Navigator

Kediss, Emberclaw Familiar // Malcolm, Keen-Eyed Navigator

37.3% of decks · synergy 0.36

Malcolm, Keen-Eyed Navigator generates Treasure for each opponent hit by a Pirate, and Leyline of Transformation makes every creature on your side a Pirate — so one wide attack floods you with mana and extends Malcolm's reach far beyond dedicated Pirates.

03
Malcolm, Keen-Eyed NavigatorVial Smasher the Fierce

Malcolm, Keen-Eyed Navigator // Vial Smasher the Fierce

31.0% of decks · synergy 0.29

Malcolm, Keen-Eyed Navigator // Vial Smasher the Fierce pairs Malcolm's Treasure engine with Vial Smasher's punisher trigger, and Leyline of Transformation ensures that every attacker fuels Malcolm rather than just the creatures you happened to draft as Pirates.

04
Wick, the Whorled Mind

Wick, the Whorled Mind

24.4% of decks · synergy 0.23

Wick, the Whorled Mind cares about spell and ability triggers from creatures sharing a type, and Leyline of Transformation homogenizes your board so Wick's copy effects fire off the broadest possible pool of creatures.

05
Minn, Wily Illusionist

Minn, Wily Illusionist

15.9% of decks · synergy 0.15

Minn, Wily Illusionist creates Illusion tokens when you draw, and Leyline of Transformation can retype those tokens alongside your other creatures so tribal payoffs stack across your whole field rather than just the Illusions.

Format Analysis

Where it lives, where it can’t

FormatVerdict
commander legal
legacy legal
modern legal
pioneer legal
standard legal
vintage legal
pauper not legal
oathbreaker legal

Commander is where Leyline of Transformation earns its reputation — the free-cast condition on opening hand is less reliable across 99 cards than in 60-card formats, but the payoff in Pirate, Rogue, and tribal-synergy decks is substantial enough that many lists run it unconditionally. In Modern and Pioneer, the free-cast ceiling is higher since you're more likely to see it in your opener, but tribal decks in those formats haven't emerged as dominant enough to make Leyline of Transformation a staple. Legacy and Vintage have access to more powerful type-matters engines, though the card remains fringe there. Standard is technically legal, but the on-board timing constraint and narrow tribal payoff make it situational at best.

Key Combos

Combo lines featuring this card

Price Context

Current price

$0.49 bulk tier

At $0.49, Leyline of Transformation is a bulk rare — easy to pick up without a second thought. Given its high inclusion rate in Etrata and Malcolm builds, it's likely to hold in that price tier rather than spike, but it's already cheap enough that cost is no obstacle.

Explore

Sources

Mentioned

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Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.