Removing Creature Types
Commander Deck Help forum
Posted on Dec. 14, 2015, 7:02 a.m. by bennybubbles
Hey all,
I was just wondering if there were any kind of enchantments or something that make all my creatures loose their creature types or override them with another. Asking so that I can keep my stuff when Chainer, Dementia Master dies.
Great call, M a g i c a l H a c k e r ... I totally forgot about Conspiracy. And yeah, "Affected spells, cards, and creatures lose all of their other creature types."
December 14, 2015 9:01 a.m.
TheRedMage says... #5
Mistform Wakecaster and Dragonshift are other potential ways.
Is this for a Chainer deck though? If so suggesting non-black cards is a moot point
December 14, 2015 12:33 p.m.
bennybubbles says... #6
It is for a Chainer deck, so Conspiracy works, though I didn't realise that the card worked that way.
December 15, 2015 5:15 a.m.
TheRedMage says... #7
@ bennybubbles: gaining a new type/subtype erases all previous types/subtypes unless the cards says otherwise. This is done either by saying that something becomes, I don't know, a zombie "in addition to its other types" (consider the difference between Conspiracy and Xenograft, for example) or by saying that something "is still a (blank)" (for example, when Mutavault animates, the ability specifies that "it's still a land").
If the effect doesn't have the "in addition to its other types" clause or doesn't specify "it's still a (type)", you can assume all previous types are overwritten. Hitting a Primeval Titan with Snakeform, for example, will cause it to cease being a giant, and become a snake with no other creature types until end of turn.
If one wanted to be extremely pedantic, there is one exception - things retain their previous types if the effect states that they are becoming an "artifact creature" (if I animate Whip of Erebos using Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas's -1 ability, Whip of Erebos is still an enchantment because the ability on Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas is trying to make it into an "artifact creature").
Also worth mentioning that if something is gaining a basic land type and not retaining its previous ones, it will lose all its abilities too (it's how Song of the Dryads and Blood Moon work). That is not the case if they are retaining their previous types, though (so Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth will not erase the other mana abilities on lands)
December 15, 2015 3:11 p.m. Edited.
Raging_Squiggle says... #8
Something to note:
At the time of playing Conspiracy, you will indeed override the "Nightmare" subtype characteristic on the creatures you currently have in play with, say, "Samurai" instead.
However, if you use the Chainer, Dementia Master's ability again, recurring a creature after Conspiracy is already on the battlefield, when the creature enters the battlefield, both the Conspiracy's and Chainer's characteristic-defining abilities are applied simultaneously in timestamp order. Meaning: Conspiracy will be applied first, because it became relevant before Chainer's did, then Chainer's will be applied second. The creature will enter as a "Samurai Nightmare" (Or whatever you chose for Conspiracy + "Nightmare").
December 15, 2015 7:08 p.m.
bennybubbles says... #9
Okay then. So Raging_Squiggle does black have a way of blinking or flickering Conspiracy so that I can override creatures that come into play from Chainer, Dementia Master after I play Conspiracy?
December 16, 2015 7:14 p.m.
Raging_Squiggle says... #10
No unfortunately not. Black's forte isn't enchantment play. The best you can do in a mono black deck would be to destroy your own Conspiracy and recur it via Crystal Chimes or Xiahou Dun, the One-Eyed.
December 16, 2015 8:14 p.m.
Raging_Squiggle says... #11
However, if you are lucky enough to steal a creature via Chainer, Dementia Master's ability that can handle such a problem, perhaps something like Flickerwisp or Glimmerpoint Stag, you could do it that way too.
December 16, 2015 8:16 p.m.
TheRedMage says... #14
@ bennybubbles: in mono black your best bet is to use artifacts to bounce your Conspiracy and replay it.
Depending on what your deck is Blood Clock/Umbilicus, Obelisk of Undoing or Cloudstone Curio might work best for you.
December 17, 2015 12:50 p.m.
Raging_Squiggle says... #15
That too. I just couldn't think of any bounce artifacts off the top of my head. xP
December 17, 2015 12:53 p.m.
MagicalHacker says... #16
I suggest using sac outlets like Ashnod's Altar or Viscera Seer. Sacrificing all your nightmares is better than exiling them. Plus, you want cards to be in the graveyard to reanimate them when they have amazing ETB abilities. Like Gray Merchant of Asphodel.
clayperce says... #2
bennybubbles,
Ego Erasure may be what you're looking for. Other options are Amoeboid Changeling and Nameless Inversion.
I think the only overrides are "in addition to their other types" (so they'd still be Nightmares).
December 14, 2015 7:41 a.m. Edited.