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Phyrexian Metamorph

Artifact Creature — Phyrexian Shapeshifter

({U/P} can be paid with either {U} or 2 life.)
You may have this creature enter as a copy of any artifact or creature on the battlefield, except it's an artifact in addition to its other types.

CMC
4
Mana cost
{3}{U/P}
Color identity
U
Rarity
rare
Set
Double Masters
Price
$19.97
EDHREC rank
#302
Buy on TCGplayer
Phyrexian Metamorph card art
Phyrexian Metamorph copies any artifact or creature on the battlefield for three mana and two life — a rate that makes it a near-universal include in blue. It slots into combo shells like Gyruda, Doom of Depths as an extra copy of the companion itself, and its artifact typing means Felidar Guardian loops and similar blink lines count it as a legal target even when it's mimicking a creature.

Best Commanders

Commanders with the highest synergy

01
Gyruda, Doom of Depths

Gyruda, Doom of Depths

79.0% of decks · synergy 0.69

Gyruda, Doom of Depths needs as many even-mana-value creatures as possible to keep the mill-and-reanimate chain going, and Phyrexian Metamorph enters as a copy of Gyruda itself — extending the loop without burning an additional combo slot.

02
Mirko, Obsessive Theorist

Mirko, Obsessive Theorist

69.8% of decks · synergy 0.60

Mirko, Obsessive Theorist mills opponents and rewards you for having the highest creature count, so Phyrexian Metamorph doubles up on whatever the best creature on the table is while staying cheap enough to cast off the life payment.

03
Inspirit, Flagship Vessel

Inspirit, Flagship Vessel

67.1% of decks · synergy 0.58

Inspirit, Flagship Vessel cares about artifacts entering the battlefield, and Phyrexian Metamorph qualifies as an artifact regardless of what it's copying — triggering Inspirit's effects while simultaneously copying the most threatening permanent in play.

04
Sakashima of a Thousand FacesVial Smasher the Fierce

Sakashima of a Thousand Faces // Vial Smasher the Fierce

61.8% of decks · synergy 0.57

Sakashima of a Thousand Faces // Vial Smasher the Fierce removes the legend rule restriction on copies, which means Phyrexian Metamorph can clone your own legendary creatures without sacrificing either — a combination that makes every legend you control effectively double.

05
Kinnan, Bonder Prodigy

Kinnan, Bonder Prodigy

62.2% of decks · synergy 0.54

Kinnan, Bonder Prodigy runs powerful nonland mana sources that are worth copying, and Phyrexian Metamorph can enter as a second copy of a key mana dork or combo piece to accelerate or close the loop faster.

Format Analysis

Where it lives, where it can’t

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

Commander is where Phyrexian Metamorph earns its slot — sixty-card singletons rarely want a four-mana Clone variant, but the singleton constraint in Commander means copying the best thing on a stacked table is almost always worth it. In Legacy and Vintage, it sees fringe play in artifact-based combo decks where the artifact subtype matters for Reshape or Welder effects, but it's rarely a maindeck staple at those power levels. Modern has faster, more specialized tools, so Phyrexian Metamorph shows up mostly in brewer territory rather than top-tier lists. It's not legal in Pioneer, Standard, or Pauper, so Commander and the older eternal formats are its entire competitive footprint.

Key Combos

Combo lines featuring this card

Budget Alternatives

Cheaper options that do most of the same work

Clever Impersonator is the closest swap — it copies any nonland permanent for four mana, gaining flexibility over Phyrexian Metamorph while costing under a dollar, though it loses the artifact subtype that makes Phyrexian Metamorph so valuable in artifact-matters decks. Sculpting Steel copies only artifacts for three mana at a similar price floor and is worth considering in heavy-artifact builds, but gives up the creature-copy half entirely.

Price Context

Current price

$19.97 mid tier

At $19.97, Phyrexian Metamorph sits in the mid tier — expensive enough to be a deliberate include, but justified by how broadly useful it is across blue strategies. The price is stable rather than speculative; it's been a Commander staple long enough that demand is steady and unlikely to crater without a reprint.

Explore

Sources

Mentioned

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