Body Double MTG Card


Body Double offers card advantage by duplicating creature abilities from any graveyard. Strategically sidesteps high creature card costs, enabling faster, potent plays. Surprises adversaries by copying key creatures at critical moments in the game.
Card setsReleased in 6 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost5
RarityRare
TypeCreature — Shapeshifter
Power 0
Toughness 0

Text of card

As Body Double comes into play, you may choose a creature card in a graveyard. If you do, Body Double comes into play as a copy of that card.

Where the dead outnumbered the living, mimics scavenged faces from the fallen.


Cards like Body Double

Body Double is a unique entity among clone effects in Magic: The Gathering. It echoes abilities seen in cards like Clone, which allows you to copy any creature on the battlefield. However, Body Double takes it a step further by accessing creatures from the graveyard rather than play, setting it apart with this distinctive twist. Clone, in contrast, lacks the graveyard interaction, limiting its options to the existing battlefield state.

Similarly, there’s Lazav, Dimir Mastermind, which not only becomes a copy of a graveyard creature but also comes with hexproof. While Lazav requires a creature to hit the graveyard from an opponent’s library to trigger, Body Double provides immediate value by choosing from the full range of graveyards. Then we have The Mimeoplasm, another comparison point. This creature not only copies but also merges qualities from two creatures in any graveyard, offering a blend of power and ability. However, it trades the flexibility of Body Double’s instant speed for the potential of a larger, more menacing creature.

Assessing the nuances of these clone cards, it’s evident that Body Double holds a distinctive position. Its ability to interact with all graveyards and versatility in choice provides strategic depth that is unparalleled in the MTG universe when reanimating favorite creatures.

Clone - MTG Card versions
Lazav, Dimir Mastermind - MTG Card versions
The Mimeoplasm - MTG Card versions
Clone - MTG Card versions
Lazav, Dimir Mastermind - MTG Card versions
The Mimeoplasm - MTG Card versions

Card Pros

Card Advantage: The Body Double card shines in creating card advantage, allowing players to effectively have access to additional creatures in their graveyard. By copying any creature card in a graveyard, it can turn the tide by bringing back powerful abilities and stats onto the battlefield without needing the original card in hand.

Resource Acceleration: While Body Double itself does not directly accelerate resources, it strategically bypasses mana costs of high-value creatures. By copying a creature with a heftier mana cost from a graveyard, players can capitalize on formidable board presence much faster and more efficiently than casting the original creature.

Instant Speed: Body Double may not be an instant, but its impact is similar to having a trick up your sleeve. By entering the battlefield at any time a creature card can be cast, it can surprise opponents by copying the most advantageous creature in any graveyard just when it’s needed the most.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: When playing Body Double, you don’t have to worry about discarding cards. This shapeshifter navigates around that problem with its cloning capability, letting you keep valuable cards in hand while still making a splash on the battlefield.

Specific Mana Cost: Body Double’s casting cost demands both blue and generic mana, potentially limiting its integration into multi-colored decks that require a highly-tuned mana base to consistently play all of their spells.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Casting Body Double comes with a more substantial mana cost, set at a total of five mana. In a game where tempo is crucial, this cost may pose a challenge to players, especially since the card serves a specific purpose and must be timed well to maximize its utility.


Reasons to Include Body Double in Your Collection

Versatility: Body Double has the unique ability to clone any creature card in a graveyard, not limited to just your own. This gives it a flexible role in both offensive strategies and defense maneuvers, fitting seamlessly into reanimator or control decks alike.

Combo Potential: As a shapeshifter, Body Double interacts with a variety of cards, creating infinite combos or powerful plays, especially with cards that have enter-the-battlefield or leave-the-battlefield effects.

Meta-Relevance: In a game focused on creature strategies or one with significant graveyard interactions, Body Double proves to be a crucial disruptor or enabler, adapting and thriving within the flux of MTG competitive play.


How to beat

Body Double steps into the battlefield as a game-changer in Magic: The Gathering, allowing you to copy any creature card from a graveyard. The card’s versatility can sometimes seem overwhelming, but there are strategies to handle it effectively. Graveyard removal spells like Rest in Peace or Scavenging Ooze can prevent Body Double from finding targets to copy. If Body Double has already become a threat, direct removal spells like Doom Blade or Path to Exile can dispatch it irrespective of the creature it has copied.

Counterspells are also a potent tool against Body Double. Since it relies on the graveyard, countering it on cast ensures it never gets the chance to mimic any creature. Additionally, keeping the graveyard clean minimizes the value Body Double can extract from it. Cards like Relic of Progenitus that continually threaten to exile graveyards can thus indirectly keep Body Double in check.

End of the day, knowing how to navigate around Body Double’s ability can nullify its potential advantage. A well-timed removal or graveyard management can swing the tide in your favor, ensuring you maintain control over what’s supposed to be a powerful shape-shifter on the field.


BurnMana Recommendations

Embarking on your MTG journey with a card like Body Double can be both exciting and daunting. Understanding its strengths and weaknesses, as well as strategies to leverage or counter it, is essential to building a stronger deck. Appreciate the value it brings to the table in creating card advantage and the inventive ways it can bolster your game. Whether you’re aiming for a clever combo or need a silver bullet for your strategy, Body Double has the potential to fit the bill. Eager to further enhance your MTG arsenal? Explore deeper strategies and tips that could elevate your gameplay with Body Double as a key part of your deck.


Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Body Double MTG card by a specific set like Planar Chaos and Duel Decks: Jace vs. Vraska, there are several reliable options to consider. One of the primary sources is your local game store, where you can often find booster packs, individual cards, and preconstructed decks from current and some past sets. They often offer the added benefit of a community where you can trade with other players.

For a broader inventory, particularly of older sets, online marketplaces like TCGPlayer, Card Kingdom and Card Market offer extensive selections and allow you to search for cards from specific sets. Larger e-commerce platforms like eBay and Amazon also have listings from various sellers, which can be a good place to look for sealed product and rare finds.

Additionally, Magic’s official site often has a store locator and retailer lists for finding Wizards of the Coast licensed products. Remember to check for authenticity and the condition of the cards when purchasing, especially from individual sellers on larger marketplaces.

Below is a list of some store websites where you can buy the Body Double and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Body Double Magic the Gathering card was released in 6 different sets between 2007-02-02 and 2023-08-04. Illustrated by 2 different artists.

#ReleasedNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12007-02-02Planar ChaosPLC 352003NormalBlackSteve Prescott
22014-03-14Duel Decks: Jace vs. VraskaDDM 152003NormalBlackWinona Nelson
32017-08-25Commander 2017C17 832015NormalBlackWinona Nelson
42022-07-08Double Masters 20222X2 402015NormalBlackWinona Nelson
52023-08-04Commander Masters Art SeriesACMM 52015Art seriesBorderlessWinona Nelson
62023-08-04Commander MastersCMM 752015NormalBlackWinona Nelson

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Body Double has restrictions

FormatLegality
HistoricbrawlLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderRestricted
OathbreakerLegal
GladiatorLegal
CommanderLegal
ModernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal
PennyLegal
TimelessLegal

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Body Double card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.

Date Text
2007-02-01 If Body Double copies a Vesuvan Shapeshifter which then copies another creature and then is somehow turned face down, the Body Double is now a face-down Vesuvan Shapeshifter and may be turned face up via its Morph ability.
2007-02-01 Treat Body Double as though it were the chosen card entering the battlefield. Any “As this card enters the battlefield,” “This card enters the battlefield with,” and “When this card enters the battlefield” abilities of the chosen card will work.
2007-02-01 You don’t have to choose a card to copy. If you don’t, Body Double enters the battlefield as a 0/0 creature and is probably put into your graveyard immediately, unless something is increasing its toughness to keep it alive.