Dollhouse of HorrorsHow it works & interactions with other cards

Building the Collection

To activate Dollhouse of Horrors, you must pay one mana, tap the artifact, and exile a creature card from your graveyard. This ability can only be activated during your main phase when the stack is empty. The resulting token is a copy of the exiled card, but with significant changes: it becomes an artifact Construct in addition to its other types, and its base power and toughness become 0/0. Crucially, the token gains a static ability that gives it +1/+1 for every Construct you control, including itself.

Scaling Power Step-by-Step

When the ability resolves, the token enters the battlefield and its new static ability immediately checks how many Constructs you control. Because the token is a Construct, it will always be at least a 1/1. If you control multiple tokens created by Dollhouse of Horrors, or other natural Constructs, each token will benefit from the total count. Unlike the original creature, these tokens gain haste until the end of the turn, allowing them to attack or use tap abilities immediately.

Common Mistakes

A common point of confusion involves 'Characteristic-Defining Abilities' (CDAs). If you exile a card that has an ability like 'This creature's power and toughness are equal to the number of lands you control,' that ability is overwritten by the Dollhouse. The token will strictly be a 0/0 modified by the +1/+1 Construct bonus. Additionally, remember that while the token is an artifact, the original card in the graveyard must be a creature to be targeted.

When to Play It

Dollhouse of Horrors excels in decks that can fill the graveyard quickly or utilize 'enters the battlefield' triggers multiple times. It is particularly effective when you have other artifact creatures in play, as they will directly increase the stats of every token the Dollhouse produces. Since it is a sorcery-speed activation, plan your turns to ensure you have the mana to both activate the house and protect your new creations.

Interaction examples

The Sad Robot Returns

Dollhouse of HorrorsSolemn Simulacrum

If you exile Solemn Simulacrum, you create a Construct token version of it. You still get the 'enters' trigger to search for a basic land and the 'dies' trigger to draw a card. If this is your only Construct, it will be a 1/1. If you have other Constructs, it will be even larger.

Mirroring the Dollhouse

Dollhouse of HorrorsCopy

Using a Copy token to represent a second Dollhouse of Horrors allows you to create two tokens per turn cycle. Each token created by either Dollhouse will count every Construct on your board. This means every new token exponentially increases the power of all existing tokens.

Artifact Synergy

Dollhouse of HorrorsThe One Ring

While The One Ring provides card draw and protection, it is not a creature or a Construct. While it won't buff your Dollhouse tokens directly, the extra cards it draws can help you find more creatures to exile or more Constructs to play, indirectly fueling your engine.