You have not truly experienced Magic until you confidently say “I’ll copy that” and then your MTG copy effects reality turns out to be: you copied the creature, but not the counters, not the Aura, not the Equipment, not the temporary buff, and apparently not your dignity.
Copy effects are one of those rules pockets where your brain keeps trying to help by making assumptions, and the game keeps politely (and repeatedly) declining your assumptions.
If you want the wider timing framework for when the game applies weird rules like this, this is the hub that everything links back to:
MTG Timing Rules Explained: Priority, Triggers, and the Stuff That Actually Matters
And if you want a quick refresher on “what kind of ability is this text, anyway,” this one pairs well with copy rules:
MTG Triggered vs Activated vs Static Abilities: How to Stop Misreading Cards
TL;DR: MTG copy effects copy the card, not the chaos around it
When you copy something, you get its copiable values. That usually means the “printed card” version of it (plus a few specific exceptions). You do not copy the battlefield’s ongoing mess like counters, Auras, Equipment, damage, tapped status, or “it’s currently an Elk because Reasons.”
What counts as a “copy effect” in MTG?
In practical terms, MTG copy effects show up in three main places:
- Clones that enter as a copy
This is your classic “You may have this creature enter the battlefield as a copy of…” wording. It is a copy effect applied as the creature enters. - Effects that turn something into a copy
Stuff like “This becomes a copy of target creature until end of turn.” This is still a copy effect, just applied to something already on the battlefield. - Creating a token that’s a copy
Cards that say “Create a token that’s a copy of…” are also using copy rules, they just produce a token.
There’s also a fourth category that confuses people: copying spells on the stack. We’ll get to that.
Copiable values: what you actually copy
This is the core definition that answers 90% of clone questions:
When you copy an object, you copy its copiable values: things like name, mana cost, color indicator, types, rules text, and power and toughness (or loyalty). Copiable values can also be affected by other copy effects, face-down status, and a narrow set of “as this enters / as it’s turned face up” abilities that set power and toughness.
Everything else is not part of the copy package.
What you do NOT copy (the common heartbreak list)
If you only remember one list from this article, make it this one:
- Counters (+1/+1, loyalty, shield, stun, finality, all of it)
- Auras and Equipment attached
- Damage marked
- Tapped or untapped status
- Temporary buffs from other effects (anthems, “until end of turn” boosts, “becomes a creature,” “becomes an Elk,” etc.)
- Text-changing and type-changing effects applied by other sources
- Stickers (yes, really)
So when someone asks “Why didn’t my clone copy the counters?” the honest answer is: because the rules explicitly refuse to copy counters. Magic wants you to work for your nonsense.
Copying a permanent vs copying a spell
This is where a lot of people get turned around, because “copy” means different actions depending on where the thing is.
Copying a permanent (on the battlefield)
This is Clone territory. You copy the permanent’s copiable values. You do not copy the pile of modifications currently sitting on top of it.
Classic example: if a noncreature artifact became a creature until end of turn, and you clone it, your clone does not show up as a creature. It shows up as the normal artifact version (but it will usually still have the printed ability that can animate it again). This is the cleanest “no, you don’t copy temporary animation” demo you’ll ever see.
Copying a spell (on the stack)
When you copy a spell, you are not “making another card.” You are putting a copy of that spell onto the stack.
Two big consequences:
- The copy is not cast. So anything that triggers on “when you cast” does not fire just because a spell was copied.
- The copy does copy decisions made when casting or activating: mode choices, targets, the value of X, and additional or alternative costs.
That second bullet is why copied spells usually behave like the original, unless the copying effect lets you choose new targets.
“Why didn’t my clone copy the counters?”
Let’s make this painfully specific, because it’s the #1 clone argument at tables that otherwise contain adults.
If you clone a creature that is:
- a 2/2 printed creature
- with three +1/+1 counters
- wearing an Aura that gives +2/+2
- and getting +1/+1 from an anthem
You do not get a 8/8 monster.
You get the base creature as printed (or defined), because:
- counters are not copied
- attachments are not copied
- other continuous effects aren’t copied
Your clone can still benefit from the anthem after it enters, because the anthem affects creatures you control and your clone is now a creature you control. But it does not “bake in” that anthem into its copied values.
This is the mental model: copy first, then the rest of the world starts affecting the copy.
Copying something that has been “changed” by another effect
This is where MTG copy effects really shine at ruining confidence.
“It’s currently an Elk / Treasure / Land / whatever”
If another effect changed what something is (type-changing) or rewrote its text (text-changing), you usually do not copy that change. You copy the underlying object’s copiable values.
So if your opponent’s creature has been “turned into something else” by a separate effect, cloning it often gives you the original card version, not the altered version.
“But it looks like a 3/3 Elk right now”
Yes. And the game is happy for you that you can see colors.
You still copy what the rules say is copiable, not what your eyes are yelling.
Copying a copy: the “clone a Clone” moment
If a creature is already a copy of something, and you clone that creature, you usually end up copying whatever it is copying. Copy effects overwrite copiable values, so a “copied creature” can become the new baseline.
Also important: once a copy is made, changes to the original do not automatically update the copy. Copying is not a live video feed. It’s a screenshot.
Copy effects with exceptions: “except it’s still…”
A lot of modern clone cards come with a little rider like:
- “except it’s legendary in addition to its other types”
- “except it isn’t legendary”
- “except it’s 7/7”
- “except it has this ability”
These are still MTG copy effects, but they modify the copying process. In rules terms, that modification becomes part of the copy’s copiable values. That matters because if someone later copies your modified copy, they may copy the modified version, not the plain original.
This is why some clones produce “sticky” weirdness that other clones can inherit.
Copying spells and abilities: what gets copied, what doesn’t
When you copy a spell or ability, you copy:
- its characteristics (as a spell on the stack)
- all decisions made for it: mode, targets, value of X, and costs paid (including additional and alternative costs)
What you do not copy:
- choices made on resolution (unless the copy effect specifically says otherwise)
And again, the copy is not cast and an activated ability copy is not “activated.” It is just placed on the stack as a copy.
Quick practical notes (DraftSim-style)
- If you copied a kicked spell, it is still kicked. That matters for “if it was kicked” text.
- If you copied an X spell, X stays the same. You don’t get to pick a new X unless something explicitly says you can.
- If the copy effect says “you may choose new targets,” do it. If it doesn’t, you don’t.
Copying permanent spells: why it becomes a token (and why Doubling Season may not care)
Here’s a weird corner that shows up more often now, thanks to cards that copy permanent spells on the stack.
If you copy a permanent spell and that copy resolves, it becomes a token permanent as it enters.
Two nasty little details:
- The token you get from a copied permanent spell is no longer a copy of a spell once it’s on the battlefield.
- That token is not considered “created” for the purposes of replacement effects or triggers that care about creating tokens.
So if you expected your token doublers to automatically double that token, sometimes they just… don’t. This is one of the most unintuitive “wording matters” moments in the copy rules.
Weird-but-useful clone FAQs
Does a clone copy tapped status?
No. Tapped and untapped is status. Status is not copied.
Does a clone copy damage marked?
No. Damage marked is not copied.
Does a clone copy “until end of turn” effects?
No. Those are external effects. You copy the underlying object, not the temporary modifications.
Does a clone copy “as this enters, choose…” stuff?
Sometimes, and only in specific cases. The short version is: if that “as this enters” ability sets power and toughness (and maybe other characteristics along with that), it can affect copiable values. Otherwise, don’t assume the choice is baked into what a later clone will copy.
Can I “respond” to a creature entering as a copy and change what it copies?
Not really. The choice happens as it enters. If you want the timing version of that explanation, go read the pillar on timing rules.
The cheat sheet: how to stop getting surprised by MTG copy effects
When someone says “I’m copying that,” ask:
- Are they copying a permanent, a spell, or creating a token copy?
- If it’s a permanent, are they expecting to copy counters or buffs? They should stop.
- If it’s a spell, did they expect it to count as “cast”? It doesn’t.
- Is the copy effect doing an “except it’s still…” modification? That can become part of what future copies copy.
Once you get comfortable with those four questions, you’ll start winning copy disputes without needing to pull up a 300-page PDF mid-game. Which is great, because nobody likes that person. Even when that person is correct.
