copies and counters
Asked by stafl 4 years ago
if Oko, the Trickster makes a copy of a creature, or Jace, Cunning Castaway makes a copy of himself, do those copies get all the counters on those creatures/planeswalkers, or just what the cards that they are copying start with?
So if Oko, the Trickster copies my merfolk commander Tishana, Voice of Thunder all of her text is copied, too, and all her abilities go off again, drawing more cards so the copy and the original both get that much nore powerful? This might be fun.
October 11, 2019 10:26 a.m.
With Oko, you will copy the text, but the Enter the Battlefield (ETB) trigger will not occur as Oko is already on the battlefield when Tishana is copied.
Compare to Clone , which ETBs as a copy of a creature, or Cackling Counterpart which creates a token (a newly-created token ETBs). Those copies will have the ETB ability as they enter, and thus will trigger the ETB ability.
Also, as a note, Tishana is legendary. If you control two legendary permanents named Tishana, Voice of Thunder , one will be sent to the graveyard as a state-based action. Both Oko and the above-mentioned cards will copy her name as well, so one of the copies will go to the graveyard as a SBA (if you got the ETB trigger, that will still resolve and still draw cards--triggers exist independently of the permanents that caused the trigger).
Compare to cards like Lazav, the Multifarious , which specifically states it retains its own name when it copies the object; or Helm of the Host , which specifically states that the legendary aspect is not copied.
October 11, 2019 10:48 a.m. Edited.
In the future, please remember to hit the green "Mark as Answer" to indicate your question has been resolved. As this has been answered for a couple days, I have gone ahead and marked an answer as accepted on your behalf.
Caerwyn says... Accepted answer #1
When you copy a card, you only copy the "copiable values" as defined by Rule 706.2 (reproduced below). Generally, the copiable values are the limited to the characteristics of the card as it is printed, without any modifying effects like additional counters placed on it.
So, for a creature, you do not copy any counters on the creature being copied. For a planeswalker, it will enter the battlefield with the starting loyalty of the planeswalker (in the case of Jace, Cunning Castaway , that's 3).
706.2. When copying an object, the copy acquires the copiable values of the original object’s characteristics and, for an object on the stack, choices made when casting or activating it (mode, targets, the value of X, whether it was kicked, how it will affect multiple targets, and so on). The “copiable values” are the values derived from the text printed on the object (that text being name, mana cost, color indicator, card type, subtype, supertype, rules text, power, toughness, and/or loyalty), as modified by other copy effects, by its face-down status, and by “as . . . enters the battlefield” and “as . . . is turned face up” abilities that set power and toughness (and may also set additional characteristics). Other effects (including type-changing and text-changing effects), status, and counters are not copied.
October 11, 2019 9:38 a.m.