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Pojo's Magic The Gathering
Card of the Day

Daily Since November 2001!

Phantasmal Image
Image from Wizards.com

Phantasmal Image
M12

Reviewed August 29, 2011

Constructed: 4.0
Casual: 4.25
Limited: 4.0
Multiplayer: 4.25

Ratings are based on a 1 to 5 scale
1 being the worst.  3 ... average.  
5 is the highest rating

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Card of the Day Reviews 

BMoor

Phantasmal Image

For a mere two mana, you can get your own copy of whatever's best on the board... but with a catch. Your copy isn't as durable as it would be if you'd paid four mana to play Clone. This may be a blessing in disguise if you're running Lord of the Unreal, as the Image keeps its Illusion creature type and thus the Lord can protect and pump it. But even with the Lord's patronage, you can never use Auras or Giant Growth to improve your copy, and-- most upsetting to a player who uses copy effects like the Image-- you can never use your bounce spells to bounce and replay Phantasmal Image in order to copy some newcomer. Though, to come back at your opponent's Kozilek by spending two mana to kill it with the legend rule, or to let your opponent cheat a Darksteel Colossus into play only to show him that you have one too, is well worth the price.

Constructed- 4
Casual- 4.5
Limited- 4
Multiplayer- 4.5

Michael "Maikeruu" Pierno

Today's card of the day is Phantasmal Image which is a two mana Blue creature that copies any creature on the battlefield with the additional aspects of being an illusion and being sacrificed if it becomes the target of a spell or ability.  This is a very nice update of Clone thanks to the lower cost, even with the weakness as most effects that would be in an opponent's deck to target it would likely remove it anyway.  If you can get Hexproof or Shroud on it through the Lord or the Image's own effect it becomes dramatically better.  Overall this is a very solid addition to Blue's arsenal, with or without an illusion theme, and will be played in a number of decks alongside control elements.
 
In Limited the chances of having protection for the Image are small, though the odds of removal are reduced somewhat as well.  An easy first choice in Booster as no matter what you copy it will be equal to whatever your opponent has available or your own best creature in play. 
Support for it isn't likely as the Lord is also a rare and nothing can target it, so it works just as well in a third pack in Booster as the first.  For Sealed it works for any Blue build and is a good incentive to splash the color if not playing it as your primary.
 
Constructed: 4.0
Casual: 4.0
Limited: 4.0
Multiplayer: 4.0


David Fanany

Player since 1995

Phantasmal Image
 
Copy effects are sometimes surprisingly powerful. The original Clone has always enjoyed popularity as an "answer" to untargetable or protection-from-blue creatures, and later for legendary ones. For two mana, the effect's appeal is only amplified - it can put you very far ahead in terms of mana-paid-for-effect, and leaves plenty available for your counterspells and other creatures. Of course, you need to have or to be playing against a creature worth copying, but that's a very minor issue: have you seen the kinds of six-mana creatures they're putting in sets these days?
 
Constructed: 4/5
Casual: 4/5
Limited: 4/5
Multiplayer: 4/5


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