Transmute Artifact
Sorcery
Sacrifice an artifact. If you do, search your library for an artifact card. If that card's mana value is less than or equal to the sacrificed artifact's mana value, put it onto the battlefield. If it's greater, you may pay 
, where X is the difference. If you do, put it onto the battlefield. If you don't, put it into its owner's graveyard. Then shuffle.
- CMC
- 2
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- U
- Rarity
- rare
- Set
- Magic Online Promos
- Price
- —
- EDHREC rank
- #3530
Transmute Artifact turns any artifact you control into any artifact in your deck — at instant speed, for two mana — and that raw tutoring power is why it shows up in nearly 40% of Kinnan, Bonder Prodigy lists. The cost is real: you sacrifice the source artifact, so you need a healthy artifact base to not feel the loss.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Kinnan, Bonder Prodigy
Kinnan, Bonder Prodigy runs a dense package of mana rocks and combo artifacts, making Transmute Artifact an instant-speed line to any missing piece — Basalt Monolith, Nyx Lotus, whatever closes the loop.
Arcum Dagsson
Arcum Dagsson already tutors artifacts at the cost of a creature, so Transmute Artifact slots in as a redundant, uncounterable version of the same effect that doesn't need a tap activation.
Tivit, Seller of Secrets
Tivit, Seller of Secrets generates artifact Clues and Treasures as a matter of course, giving Transmute Artifact cheap fodder to sacrifice while fetching the exact combo piece the board state demands.
Tameshi, Reality Architect
Tameshi, Reality Architect wants low-cost artifacts in the graveyard and on the field, and Transmute Artifact fits both halves — it finds whatever artifact the engine needs and leaves a spent piece ready to recur.
Elsha of the Infinite
Elsha of the Infinite builds around noncreature spells on top of the library, and Transmute Artifact at instant speed finds the artifact that converts that card advantage into a win without telegraphing the line.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | not legal |
| pioneer | not legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Commander is where Transmute Artifact does its best work — singleton construction means any tutor that finds an artifact at any point on the curve is effectively finding the right tool for any situation. In Legacy, it sees fringe play in artifact-combo shells but competes with faster, narrower options like Reshape. Vintage is the other home where it has historically mattered, slotting into artifact storm and Workshop-adjacent lists that can consistently feed it a sacrifice target. It's not legal in Modern, Pioneer, or Standard, so the conversation is almost entirely about Commander and older eternal formats.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
unknown tier
Pricing data for Transmute Artifact isn't currently available through this page, so check Scryfall or TCGPlayer for the most accurate number — it's a card with a complicated reprint history that causes its market price to swing significantly depending on printing. Given its inclusion in nearly 40% of Kinnan lists and its power ceiling in artifact-combo decks, it tends to command a premium whenever supply is thin.
Explore
Sources
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.