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Lithoform Engine

Legendary Artifact

{2}, {T}: Copy target activated or triggered ability you control. You may choose new targets for the copy.
{3}, {T}: Copy target instant or sorcery spell you control. You may choose new targets for the copy.
{4}, {T}: Copy target permanent spell you control. (The copy becomes a token.)

CMC
4
Mana cost
{4}
Color identity
C
Rarity
mythic
Set
The Brothers' War Commander
Price
$6.25
EDHREC rank
#1651
Buy on TCGplayer
Lithoform Engine card art
Lithoform Engine copies spells, activated abilities, and triggered abilities all on one artifact — the flexibility is real, but the four-mana cost plus two to activate means it's slowest exactly when you need it most. In combo shells like Dramatic Reversal or token-doubling builds under Mishra, Eminent One, that tax is worth paying; in fair decks, it rarely is.

Best Commanders

Commanders with the highest synergy

01
Mishra, Eminent One

Mishra, Eminent One

62.0% of decks · synergy 0.60

Lithoform Engine's triggered-ability copy mode doubles Mishra, Eminent One's end-step trigger, producing two artifact tokens from a single noncreature artifact — more fodder, more pressure, less work.

03
Athreos, Shroud-Veiled

Athreos, Shroud-Veiled

18.8% of decks · synergy 0.18

Athreos, Shroud-Veiled places coin counters at end of turn, and Lithoform Engine copies that triggered ability to double the counters distributed — twice the reanimation setup at no extra cost.

04
Etali, Primal Storm

Etali, Primal Storm

19.0% of decks · synergy 0.17

Copying Etali, Primal Storm's attack trigger with Lithoform Engine means a second free-cast from each opponent's library on the same swing, which turns one attack into a lopsided advantage avalanche.

05
Brago, King Eternal

Brago, King Eternal

17.6% of decks · synergy 0.16

Brago, King Eternal blinks Lithoform Engine on attack, resetting its summoning sickness, and the Engine in turn copies Brago's triggered flicker — each attack can chain into a second blink trigger before the turn ends.

Format Analysis

Where it lives, where it can’t

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

Commander is where Lithoform Engine earns its slot — games go long enough that four mana enters play on curve, and the range of high-value triggers and activated abilities in multiplayer makes the copy modes consistently relevant. In Legacy, Modern, and Pioneer it is technically legal but sees no meaningful play; dedicated copy effects in those formats are either cheaper, narrower, or both, and Lithoform Engine's mana intensity is punishing in a fast game. Vintage has better artifacts and faster lines, so it doesn't show up there either. Oathbreaker mirrors Commander's tempo closely enough that the Engine can function, particularly in spell-heavy builds where the instant and sorcery copy mode gets additional work.

Key Combos

Combo lines featuring this card

Budget Alternatives

Cheaper options that do most of the same work

Strionic Resonator covers the triggered-ability slice of what Lithoform Engine does at a fraction of the cost, and two mana to activate is meaningfully cheaper than four-plus-two. If your main use case is spell copies, Reverberate and its variants get there for one or two mana — you lose the repeatable on-board presence, but you keep the interaction and free up the slot for something more permanent.

Price Context

Current price

$6.25 mid tier

At $6.25, Lithoform Engine sits in the mid tier — expensive enough to feel the slot cost, cheap enough that dedicated combo and copy-matters builds rarely hesitate. It has settled at this price point for a while, so you're not catching a spike; just buy it when you're ready to build around it.

Explore

Sources

Mentioned

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