Mimic Vat is one of those cards players keep asking about. Here is, in plain words, what its official text says, the rulings published by Wizards of the Coast, and the combos players actually run.
Official card text
Imprint — Whenever a nontoken creature dies, you may exile that card. If you do, return each other card exiled with this artifact to its owner's graveyard.,
: Create a token that's a copy of a card exiled with this artifact. It gains haste. Exile it at the beginning of the next end step.
Complete guide
Mimic Vat is a versatile artifact that allows you to preserve the soul of fallen creatures and reuse them as temporary spectral attackers. By using its Imprint ability, you can capture the powerful enter-the-battlefield effects of any nontoken creature that hits the graveyard.
How Imprint Works
Whenever a nontoken creature dies, Mimic Vat's first ability triggers. You have the choice to exile that card; if you do, the card previously trapped inside the Vat is returned to its owner's graveyard. This means Mimic Vat can only hold one 'soul' at a time. If multiple creatures die at once, you choose which one to exile last, as each subsequent exile will kick the previous one out.
Step-by-Step Resolution
1. A nontoken creature is put into a graveyard from the battlefield. 2. Mimic Vat's ability triggers. You choose whether to exile the card. 3. If you exile it, the previous card stored in the Vat returns to its owner's graveyard. 4. You may then pay three mana and tap Mimic Vat to create a token that is a copy of the currently exiled card. 5. The token gains haste and is exiled at the beginning of the next end step.
Common Mistakes
Players often forget that the token is exiled at the beginning of the next end step. If you activate Mimic Vat during your opponent's end step, the token will actually survive through your entire next turn, only being exiled at your own end step. Another common error is trying to copy a manifested instant or sorcery; while the Vat can exile the card, it cannot create a token copy of a nonpermanent card.
When to Play It
Mimic Vat is most effective when paired with creatures that have 'enters' or 'leaves' the battlefield triggers. Because the token gains haste, it is also a fantastic tool for aggressive decks to maintain pressure after a board wipe, or for midrange decks to repeatedly use utility creatures for a low mana cost.
Interaction examples
CopyWhen your creature dies, you exile it with Mimic Vat. By paying three mana and tapping the Vat, you create a Copy token of that creature. This Copy has haste, allowing it to attack immediately, but it will be exiled when the end step begins.
Arcane SignetIf you have extra mana from an Arcane Signet, you can activate Mimic Vat during your opponent's turn. If you activate it during their end step, the 'beginning of the next end step' trigger has already passed, meaning your token stays on the battlefield throughout your next turn, giving you a blocker now and an attacker later.
Swiftfoot BootsWhile Mimic Vat gives its token haste automatically, equipping the token with Swiftfoot Boots can provide hexproof to ensure its enter-the-battlefield or attack triggers aren't interrupted by your opponent's removal spells before it is exiled at the end of the turn.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Mimic Vat
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· Wizards of the Coast
If the creature that dies is an instant or sorcery card that's been manifested, Mimic Vat may have a nonpermanent card exiled. You can't create a token that's a copy of a nonpermanent card. No token is created in this case.
Card named in this ruling
- #2· Wizards of the Coast
If a melded permanent dies and triggers Mimic Vat's triggered ability, both of its component cards are exiled. As Mimic Vat's second ability resolves, its controller chooses one of those cards to make a token copy of.
Card named in this ruling
- #3· Wizards of the Coast
If multiple nontoken creatures are put into their owners' graveyards from the battlefield at the same time, the imprint ability will trigger that many times. You put the triggered abilities on the stack in any order, so you'll determine in which order they resolve. However, since exiling those cards is optional, and choosing to exile a card this way causes the previously exiled cards to return to their owners' graveyards, the order generally doesn't matter: You'll wind up with at most one of those cards exiled, and the rest will be in the appropriate graveyards.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #4· Wizards of the Coast
You may exile a noncreature card with Mimic Vat's first ability. For example, if a nontoken artifact that's become a creature is put into a graveyard from the battlefield, Mimic Vat's first ability triggers and you may exile that card.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #5· Wizards of the Coast
The token created by the second ability will be a copy of whatever card is exiled with Mimic Vat at the time the ability resolves. This might not be the same card that was exiled with Mimic Vat at the time the ability was activated. It also might not be a creature card.
Card named in this ruling
- #6· Wizards of the Coast
If the token is a copy of a noncreature card, it will still have haste, though that won't matter unless that token somehow becomes a creature.
Card named in this ruling
- #7· Wizards of the Coast
You may activate the second ability even if no card has been exiled with Mimic Vat. If no card has been exiled with Mimic Vat by the time the ability resolves, no token will be created.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #8· Wizards of the Coast
The imprint ability will trigger whenever a nontoken creature is put into any graveyard from the battlefield, not just your graveyard.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #9· Wizards of the Coast
Any "enters" abilities of the exiled card will trigger when the token is put onto the battlefield. Any "as [this permanent] enters" or "[this permanent] enters with" abilities of the exiled card will also work.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #10· Wizards of the Coast
The token is exiled at the beginning of the next end step regardless of who controls it at that time, whether the exiled card is still exiled at that time, or whether Mimic Vat is still on the battlefield at that time.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #11· Wizards of the Coast
If Mimic Vat's second ability is activated during a turn's end step, the token will be exiled at the beginning of the following turn's end step.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #12· Wizards of the Coast
If the token isn't exiled when the delayed triggered ability resolves (due to Stifle, perhaps), it remains on the battlefield indefinitely. It continues to have haste.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #13· Wizards of the Coast
If the exiled card has
in its mana cost (such as Protean Hydra), X is considered to be 0.No other card is named in this ruling.
- #14· Wizards of the Coast
Exiling the card as the first ability resolves is optional. If you choose not to exile it, or you can't exile it because the card has somehow left the graveyard before the ability resolves, the ability simply doesn't do anything as it resolves. Any card currently exiled by Mimic Vat remains exiled.
No other card is named in this ruling.
Popular combos
Real combos played by the community, sorted by popularity.
Disa the Restless + Mimic Vat + Altar of Dementia
- 1Activate Altar of Dementia by sacrificing a nontoken Lhurgoyf.
- 2When the Lhurgoyf dies, Mimic Vat triggers, exiling the Lhurgoyf from your graveyard and returning the Lhurgoyf that was exiled to your graveyard.
- 3Disa's first ability triggers, putting the Lhurgoyf from your graveyard onto the battlefield.
- 4Resolve the Altar of Dementia ability, causing target player to mill cards equal to the sacrificed Lhurgoyf's power.
- 5Repeat.
Myr Battlesphere + Mimic Vat + Clock of Omens + Thran Dynamo
- 1Activate Thran Dynamo by tapping it, adding
. - 2Activate Mimic Vat by paying and tapping it, creating a token copy of Myr Battlesphere with haste.
- 3Myr Battlesphere enters the battlefield, creating four 1/1 Myr creature tokens.
- 4Activate Clock of Omens by tapping two Myrs, untapping Mimic Vat.
- 5Activate Clock of Omens by tapping two Myrs, untapping Thran Dynamo.
- 6Repeat.
Myr Battlesphere + Mimic Vat + Clock of Omens + Basalt Monolith
- 1Activate Basalt Monolith's first ability by tapping it, adding .
- 2Activate Mimic Vat by paying and tapping it, creating a token copy of Myr Battlesphere with haste.
- 3Myr Battlesphere enters the battlefield, creating four 1/1 Myr creature tokens.
- 4Activate Clock of Omens by tapping two Myrs, untapping Mimic Vat.
- 5Activate Clock of Omens by tapping two Myrs, untapping Basalt Monolith.
- 6Repeat.
Myr Battlesphere + Mimic Vat + Clock of Omens + Dreamstone Hedron
- 1Activate Dreamstone Hedron's first ability by tapping it, adding .
- 2Activate Mimic Vat by paying and tapping it, creating a token copy of Myr Battlesphere with haste.
- 3Myr Battlesphere enters the battlefield, creating four 1/1 Myr creature tokens.
- 4Activate Clock of Omens by tapping two Myrs, untapping Mimic Vat.
- 5Activate Clock of Omens by tapping two Myrs, untapping Dreamstone Hedron.
- 6Repeat.
Mimic Vat + Coretapper + Magistrate's Scepter
- 1Activate Mimic Vat by paying and tapping it, creating a token copy of Coretapper with haste that will be exiled at the beginning of the next end step.
- 2Activate Coretapper's first ability by tapping it, putting a charge counter on Magistrate's Scepter.
- 3Activate Coretapper's second ability by sacrificing it, putting two charge counters on Magistrate's Scepter.
- 4Activate Magistrate's Scepter's second ability by tapping it and removing three charge counters from it, taking an extra turn after this one.
- 5At the beginning of the end step, the delayed ability from Mimic Vat triggers, failing to exile anything.
- 6Repeat each turn.
Time Sieve + Mimic Vat + Myr Battlesphere
- 1Activate Mimic Vat, putting a token copy of Myr Battlesphere onto the battlefield.
- 2The Myr Battlesphere Token triggers, creating four Myr tokens.
- 3Activate Time Sieve, sacrificing Myr Battlesphere and the 4 Myr tokens, getting an extra turn.
- 4Pass the turn.
- 5Repeat.
Myr Battlesphere + Mimic Vat + Clock of Omens + Mana Vault
- 1Activate Mana Vault by tapping it, adding .
- 2Activate Mimic Vat by paying and tapping it, creating a token copy of Myr Battlesphere with haste.
- 3Myr Battlesphere enters the battlefield, creating four 1/1 Myr creature tokens.
- 4Activate Clock of Omens by tapping two Myrs, untapping Mimic Vat.
- 5Activate Clock of Omens by tapping two Myrs, untapping Mana Vault.
- 6Repeat.
Disa the Restless + Mimic Vat + Viscera Seer
- 1Activate Viscera Seer by sacrificing a nontoken Lhurgoyf.
- 2When the Lhurgoyf dies, Mimic Vat triggers, exiling the Lhurgoyf from your graveyard and returning the Lhurgoyf that was exiled to your graveyard.
- 3Disa's first ability triggers, putting the Lhurgoyf from your graveyard onto the battlefield.
- 4Resolve the Viscera Seer ability, causing you to scry 1.
- 5Repeat.
Related cards and tokens
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Meta decks with Mimic Vat
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