A History of Transform Cards 

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Remembering that Emrakul is chilling in the moon (of her own choice) makes the flavor text and name of Unnatural Growth so much more ominous.

Avacyn for sure, hands down my favorite transform card. Right after that, it's Brisela

I think the only transforming card I regularly play is Hanweir Militia Captain. And I’m always happy to top deck her, so I’d say my favourite card with transform is Hanweir Militia Captain. Transforming from going wide to being an enormous threat that only makes your board wider and herself taller is pretty awesome

I wasn't playing during Eldritch Moon, but I was fortunate enough to come across a booster from the set in one of those infamous mystery boxes. And to my surprise, I pulled a Bruna, the Fading Light. I wished her other half, Gisela, the Broken Blade, wasn't so damn expensive, otherwise I'd buy one and finagle them into a commander deck. I like the concept behind Meld from the perspective of a DBZ fan and the fusion techniques from there. If WotC hadn't made a new Akroma in Commander Legends, I would think it could be fun if they utilized the mechanic for both her and a new Phage (that can be a playable commander) to form a new Karona. I know there was a third individual who made up the False God, but having to flip over three cards, while silly in all the best ways, could be unwieldy to play. Unless they form a panoramic card rather than be aligned vertically 🤔

Transform cards are so fun and full of interesting little stories. I'm surprised you didn't go more into Ludevic's Test Subject and Thing in the Ice. These are some of the coolest Blue Transform cards!

This was a fun walk down memory lane. Startled awake was so much fun and apart of the last standard deck I played.

Thank you for all your hard work guys, I can’t get enough of Ryan telling me about lore and mechanics..!

I got an into the Am shirt for my 32nd birthday in August of 2020. Probably the best thing that happened to me in 2020.

This was a fun look at the various appearances of Transform over the sets. I wish you had a similar video on Level Up, even though there are a lot fewer of them, and it's not a popular mechanic. When Wizards announced their Forgotten Realms set, and mentioned their since underused Party mechanic, I really hoped we'd get a few new Level Up cards; it's a D&D mechanic, and Wizards owns both games. Oh well, I'll just have to settle for Lighthouse Chronologist and Joraga Treespeaker. Thanks for the fun video, and for talking about more than just Werewolves.

Transform is a cool mechanic and I'm glad that it's coming back. I hope that they do them in Crimson Voe as well. I'd love some transforming vampires.

For me, I love Lone Rider/ It That Rides As One. Not only is the art amazing, but pop that baby in a lifegain deck and you can have a major early game threat super early on

I gotta say I really wish we had two sets of innistrad fully under emrakul’s corruption. The eldrazi werewolves were so cool and I would’ve loved to see a few more meld cards, even if the mechanic was pretty out there.

This was such a great video! I'm glad you included sets other than Innistrad to show the progression of the mechanic's development! I don't think I'd ever looked at werewolves before this set, but that Gruul werewolf commander Tovolar looks sweet.

Chalice of life and death hit the dichotomy stuff that I love, but Withengar is just awesome!

Glad that you threw a mention to Kamigawa's flip mechanic being a somewhat proto-Transform, one of the few reasons I have deep nostalgia for that set as my first despite it being considered an underwhelming power pullback as it was. As far as transform cards, originally back when Magic duels was a thing, I only really knew it originally via the planeswalker cycle, and my color of choice was Black with Liliana, whom seemed above average for deck building combos to flip early and just start eating your opponents hand. Since I picked up Arena right as Eldritch Moon was finishing up, I tried desperately to make meld work (really just rats into host since it was too much for the higher rarities), but didn't really find much success until Ixalan came out with both Profane Procession and Arguel's Blood fast let me play the black control while re-living some of that janky flip quests of Kamigawa (tho to much more efficient effect). Also later grinding up to Nicol Bolas really let me feel like actually grabbing a bomb for myself, even when Grixas mirrors would be races to who could get a Bolas flip first or just eat another removal, or even just lose removal on his entry really let me feel strong on my own (at least until Teferi made any non-blue-white control deck completely invalidated for 2 and bit more years)

I'm a fan of Docent of perfection, kicking a Rite of Replication on one's a lot of fun.

My favourite is the one you referenced but omitted; Grimlock.

Great video as always! My Innistrad-loving self is really enjoying all these. Side-note responding to your feelings about Daybound/Nightbound: while I do think it's mechanically cleaner, I worry about the symbols in the top-left of the card (the sun and the moon) making it confusing at a glance which cards transform through normal means and which ones do it through Daybound/Nightbound.

Treasure Map is the best transform card. I love that jank glue!

Poppet Stitcher and Poppet Factory is such a cool story that has, like barely any flavor text, but I still love those poppets. The art makes me wonder what the hell they did to their original stitcher or if that is just some random floating in the tank. Definitely buying a copy with the extended art if I can get one when the set comes out.

You have been on point with making videos about exactly what I was wondering about lately.

Delver Of Secrets is definitely my all time favorite flippy card

Chalice of life was one of my favorite transform cards honestly 👍

Neglected Heirloom might be my favorite transforming card, put that sucker in a werewolf deck and suddenly one of your pups can easily get +3/+3 and first strike.

Great video! Next to an Eldrazi Angel(Brisela), I think the next most fascinating creature(and one you don't need to combine with another creature) is an Eldrazi Vampire. So my pick is Voldaren Pariah//Abolisher Of Bloodlines. Quickest way since Hex to take 6 creatures off the battlefield in one turn.

Makes me want to work on my Delver/Thing in the ice pioneer deck

Great video! I'm surprised you didn't mention soul seizer from dark ascension, as it was the first creature that turned into an enchantment (and an aura as well). Also I feel flip cards could have been represented a bit more because they're clearly the ancestors of the transform cards ;)

i will love that flip mechanic come back from kamikawa to NEON Kamikawa

I LOOOOOOVE Thing in the Ice!!! I built a whole deck around it!!

Ah, transforming Avacyn...so many memories

Man, the eldrazi tranformations are by far my favourite. Hanweir, the Writhing Township is one of my favorite arts on a magic card.

I was a fan of the "Scored Villager" transforming card back in the day with my green/white deck for being a "birds of paradise" alongside "Avacy's Pilgrim" to get out "Predator Ooze" turn 3 (And would buff it with the miracle cost of "Revenge of the Haunted")

Always been a huge fan of Withengar and Ormendahl

ive been binging your videos all week LETS FUCKING GOOOOOO

I can't wait to get this set! Thanks Ryan and Nicole for this video! P.S.: favorite transforming card... Ludevic's Test Subject

My favorite is definitely Storm the Vault/Vault of Catlacan. Making a Tolarian Academy with a small amount of effort is so worth it. But flavor wise, absolutely Erupting Werewolf.

Hanweir militia captain is my favorite, because it works great with w/b humans.

transform is easily one of my favorite mechanics

Great video as always, folks! I'm going to be a continuing fan of this channel despite my gradual loss of interest in MtG. You, Josh & Jimmy, IHYD, and the Prof will remain in my subs because I like you as people. I'm even going to divest myself of my Arena account. Want it?

I love Conqueror's Galleon, it's sooo much mana to get value out of it, but the thought of recurring any card I want as many times as I want makes my value engine monkey brain light up.

My favourite transform card is Hanweir Militia Captain // Westvale Cult Leader

My fav transform card is Archagel's Light. It transforms from a magic card to kindling quite nicely, although sadly Wotc made this a one-time effect.

Emrakul wasn't sealed away by the gatewatch, nor was defeated. She seales _herself_ there.

The new transform machanic has so much more flavor. I love it!

Nicol Bolas is my favorite transforming card, but by now i think iv stated that im slightly obsessed with him enough times

I want more flip planeswalker cards. I loved their Origins designs.

One could say that the "Morph" mechanic from Onslaught was the building block for Transform mechanic. Similar idea. I enjoyed Morph mechanic.

Waiting for that Midnight Hunt story video, just hope it mentiones that werewolves are now in all five color my guess because of the moon cycle being out of whack.

Hi Ryan! thanks for the video!

My favorite transform card is Dowsing Dagger. It may not be the best, but in EDH it's a decent political card (the two plants are solid early game blockers), connecting with a creature isn't difficult in the right deck, and a land that produces 3 mana is really good.

Personally I feel like Arlinn's original printing tells her story by contrast. Every other werewolf transforms based on outside factors, they have no control over it, but Arlinn could choose when to change, reflecting her unique ability to do exactly that.

My favorite transforming card is the new Brutal Cathar, as hes basically a paladin werewolf.

My favorite deck from modern was warewolves c: so, my favorite transform card is master of the fells, sad to see the power creep afect him so much :c, but i still love him.

Thank you!

Great video, the “sponsor segment percentage” LOL

Curious Homunculus make book good. Love me a goblin electromancer which it serves as literally on one side and functionally for one spell on the other

I gotta admit Meld was my favorite. I don't know if it was good or balanced or anything, I just think it's cool as hell

My favorite transform card would have to be thaumatic compass. I love having a card that can help search for lands and then turn into a cheap maze of ith. I’m waiting for a flip vraska though because she’s my favorite planeswalker

Great vid as always! Good work, guys!

Really liked the thumbnail on this one!

Bought some shirts, they are amazing.

My favorite card in Midnight hunt is already Defenestrate, just for the flavor text.

I really enjoyed the Flipwalkers from origins, and I really wish they would do that again.

Great video, interesting how the Kamigawa flip cards got this started, I think I prefer flip over transform since with transform you have to take the card out of the sleeve and re-sleeve it, the only problem with flip is the pictures are smaller, maybe with neon dynasty they will do extended art flip cards?

There's still hope Withengar will be back in Crimson vow, ormendahl made it in midnight hunt after all. Let me hope

Fantastic video,god I love this channel!

Elbus & Hannoweir are my picks.

I like elusive tormenter it is a Nice powerful creature that can protect itself

My favorites are Lone Rider and Brisela.

About the meld cards... Wizards could provide us with a token for the "fusion" you know? It's just not practical to use meld cards when you have them double sleeved. (Yea I know it's a small problem and not everyone double sleeves, but anyway, I wanted to put that somewhere). That said, Avacyn had a "transform" card too. From Archangel to Avenging Angel that showed her own descent into madness due to Emrakul. That card is very sad to me because it's the prelude for Anguished Unmaking.

Innistrad does what people want MTG to do - flavor and lore meshed together to make a really fun and flavorful set. Its not that D&D or Godzilla or Harry Potter or Warhammer *sigh* aren't great, its just that it never feels more like a surface level change, like a thin veneer or a shoddy paintover. Innistrad feels like a setting made for a card game, and the love the fans have for the setting is abundantly clear. I wonder how well the block will do, hope it sells well enough to pull WotC from the lure of cheap crossover.

amazing video as always, thank you!

My Favorite Transformer card is Grimlock... XD I'll see myself out...

Yeah, Lunarch Inquisitors really is an indisputable fit for the song 😅

My fav tranforming card is still Brisela, Voice of Nightmares my EDH group let me run both as patners for one of my EDH decks since it not that big of a deal

“Transform and roll out… wrong Hasbro franchise” that line aged well…

I love the new shirt but Zombies are my favorite

Westgate abbey is my favorite.

LEt's go transform tribal deck!!

My favorite transforming card are all the werewolfs.

Off topic for magic, but I love duel masters it was such a fun game! I’ve still have 2 full decks somewhere

Yay, a new video !! 🥳🥳

Nothing better than getting in here less than 10 minutes, let’s see some werewolves!!!

I wonder if they will add Daybound and nightbound to the older werewolf cards

I really like legion's landing the card can win you most of the games against control decks

I feel that they messed up with the werewolf transformation. It should of been switched. If the player casts 2 or more spells it attracts the werewolves. And the only way to make them go away is to hide in your closet and do nothing.

Elusive Tormentor/ Insidious Mist

I don't actually dislike the new day/night mechanic, having werewolves all transform simultaneously is super satisfying, but I am frustrated with how old werewolf cards don't work well with new ones because of it. It sorta feels like WotC was intentionally trying to make old werewolves obsolete.

Nice 1:02

1:18 You can't do a history of Hasbro's MTG transform cards without at least mentioning Hasbro's Transformers. Elusive Tormentor / Insidious Mist has this unique flavor text that stands out from other transform cards.

Great... So what happens when Emrkul's corruption meets phyrexian corruption?

The Kamen Rider fanboy in me screams HENSHIN! every time I transform something... LALALA!!

Ludevic's Test Subject, natch

GIVE US THE PHYREXIAN JUICE

9:24 I want that story >:(

Man, i still wish the whole werewolf transform triggers were reversed. You or an opponent is popping off, casting eldritch fire or summoning spooky creatures? The werewolves get pissed and transform You want the werewolves to go away? Dont play any spells, hide and hope they calm down

(6:55) Which I would argue you are rotating these ones, you're not flipping them.🤔

Im confused about something. If avacyn cured the werewolves then why do we still have them? What happened?

Maybe put the camera like 20cm higher? The current angle works against your beautiful face