The 50 Best Artifact Animation Cards in Magic Ranked

Last updated on March 21, 2026

Rise and Shine | Illustration by Franz Vohwinkel

Not every card type in Magic: The Gathering can become a creature, but what if you could turn your favorite artifacts into powerful win conditions? Today, I’ll cover the best ways to animate artifacts—whether as a bonus effect or the core of an artifact reanimation deck.

Curious to see what made the list? Let’s dive in!

What Are Animate Artifact Cards in MTG?

Skilled Animator | Illustration by Jason A. Engle

Artifact animation cards in Magic: The Gathering turn artifacts into creatures, either temporarily or permanently. This lets them attack, block, and interact with creatures, and in most cases, is used to put a lot of pressure on your opponents.

In this list, I’ll cover the best cards with these effects, excluding those only available on MTG Arena, like Tan Jolom, the Worldwalker.

I'm also going to omit vehicles altogether, even if they can “crew themselves” like Peacewalker Colossus can. However, most of these cards interact favorable with vehicles, and help to circumvent expensive crew costs.

Honorable Mention

One card that almost made the cut was Saheeli, Radiant Creator from Aetherdrift Commander. It can’t really turn artifacts into creatures, but rather it copies any permanent and makes a 5/5 artifact version of it.

#50. Start Your Engines

While vehicles can turn themselves into creatures by being crewed, they aren't creatures by default, so cards like Essence Scatter won’t affect them. That said, Start Your Engines is a very solid card to animate your artifacts, as it not only turns each vehicle into a creature but also gives them a Trumpet Blast boost.

#49. Voldaren Bloodcaster / Bloodbat Summoner

When flipped into Bloodbat Summoner, Voldaren Bloodcaster can turn Blood tokens into 2/2 flying creatures. Unfortunately these tokens were mostly limited to cards from Innistrad: Crimson Vow, which limits deck-building options, but Blood‘s a good tool to have.

#48. True Polymorph

True Polymorph has a weird and pricey cost to turn an artifact into a creature. This one relies on targeting another creature on the board.

#47. Masterful Replication

For about the same price, Masterful Replication is a somewhat better version of True Polymorph. This card can turn multiple artifacts into copies of other artifacts on the field, and if you target an artifact creature, those other artifacts will turn into creatures as well.

#46. Suit Up

Technically, vehicles are non-creature artifacts, and as such Suit Up counts as a card to animate artifacts in a pinch.

#45. Lifecraft Awakening

Lifecraft Awakening is the perfect mana sink when you have a large amount of mana, as it lets you put counters on a target artifact and turn it into a creature. Just keep in mind that if you put counters on a vehicle, it remains a vehicle, so you won't need to crew it to attack or block anymore.

#44. Animate Artifact

Animate Artifact is a classic example of artifact animation. As you’ll see with many cards on this list, the power and toughness of the creature you create can vary widely. In the case of Animate Artifact, it’s based on the artifact’s mana value, which can be a bit restrictive, making it less effective if you’re hoping to animate low-cost artifacts like Lotus Petal or artifact lands into meaningful threats.

#43. Captain Rex Nebula

Technically, Captain Rex Nebula doesn’t just animate artifacts—it animates permanents. But since it turns them into artifact vehicles, that’s good enough for me to include it. The fun part is its “crash land” ability. When the vehicle deals damage, you roll a 6-sided die. If the result matches the vehicle’s mana value, it sacrifices itself and deals that much damage to any target, somewhat like a mobile bomb.

#42. Welcome to . . . / Jurassic Park

I know, this isn’t the way you’d hope to use animate artifact effects, but Welcome to . . . is a fine card that can turn an opponent's best artifacts into dust. After all, nature always finds its ways.

#41. Kenku Artificer

Kenku Artificer is a Pauper staple in Grixis () Affinity decks. It can create indestructible 3/3 fliers by targeting cards like Drossforge Bridge or Darksteel Citadel. Given the nature of the format, there are very few ways to deal with this kind of threat.

#40. Alloy Animist

At just 1 mana, Alloy Animist is one of the cheapest and most repeatable ways to turn artifacts into deadly creatures. While its effect isn’t permanent like Kenku Artificer, it makes up for it by letting you invest resources to animate multiple artifacts, turning them into serious threats against your opponents.

#39. Mightstone's Animation

If you’re looking for a permanent way to turn your artifacts into creatures, Mightstone's Animation is one of the best options. Not only does it create a threatening 4/4 body, but it also lets you draw a card when it resolves. Pair it with something like Ichor Wellspring, and you’ll trigger both its enters and leaves the battlefield abilities for extra value.

#38. Karn's Touch

Tezzeret isn’t the only planeswalker that focuses on animating artifacts, as exemplified in Karn's Touch at the mere cost of only 2 mana. The key difference between this card and others among its kind is that while this effect only lasts a turn, you can use it at instant speed to get an advantage in combat or surprise an opponent.

#37. Titania's Song

Titania's Song is a very strong card that makes noncreature artifacts useless, in the sense that they’ll lose their abilities, with the added benefit of turning them into creatures with power and toughness based on their mana value. Like many other effects, this lasts as long as the card is on the battlefield, but the cool part is that once it’s removed, the effect doesn’t end until the end of the turn. It’s a neat way to bypass combat tricks, where your opponent could remove your enchantment to avoid taking damage.

#36. Zoetic Glyph

I like Zoetic Glyph because, unlike other cards that simply let you draw a card when the enchanted permanent dies, this one lets you discover 3—essentially a pseudo-cascade trigger that lets you cast a spell with mana value 3 or less for free.

#35. Yotia Declares War

At just 2 mana and requiring a wait of two turns after it enters the battlefield, Yotia Declares War is one of the cheapest ways to turn artifacts into creatures. The ideal play is to turn the Thopter it creates into a 4/4 for at least one turn, but you can choose other artifacts as well.

#34. Animating Faerie

Animating Faerie is a must-run for animating artifacts. Not only do you get the animation effect, but you also get a creature that can provide board presence later on. After all, four counters is nothing to sneeze at.

#33. Case of the Filched Falcon

The main idea behind Case of the Filched Falcon is to turn the Clue token it generates into a solid 4/4 flier. While that’s its primary focus, it’s worth noting that the ability can be used on any artifact as long as you solve the case. It’s a great card for artifact-heavy decks at just 1 mana, providing long-term value, especially if you decide to sacrifice the Clue for a card.

#32. Ensoul Artifact

Ensoul Artifact had to have been one of the most popular cards for animating artifacts in the early days of Pioneer. For just 2 mana, you could turn a Darksteel Citadel into a deadly 5/5 creature. This strategy was often paired with another card artifact animation card. Can you guess which one it is?

#31. Cyberdrive Awakener

While Cyberdrive Awakener‘s effect is temporary, it’s a very strong one. Not only do you turn your non-creature artifacts into 4/4 creatures, but you also give them flying, providing them with evasion. At 6 mana, this card has “Win Condition” written all over it.

#30. Fluros of Myra's Marvels

Unlike other artifact animation cards, Fluros of Myra's Marvels lets you choose the power and toughness they’ll have. The catch is that to turn artifacts into creatures, you need to cast spells. When the spell’s mana value matches the number you choose, you can temporarily turn an artifact into a creature. The upside to this text-heavy card is that it also has partner, meaning that you can run it alongside another legendary creature as its partner.

Note that this is an acorn-stamped card that's not technically legal in any format. Even though its ability works completely in context with the rules of MTG, it was likely made an acorn card so you could only partner it with other Unfinity commanders.

#29. Majestic Metamorphosis

Unlike Suit Up, Majestic Metamorphosis can be used to temporarily animate any artifact, whether it’s a vehicle or not. On top of that, this card replaces itself and gives the creature flying, providing it with some evasion.

#28. March of the Machines

March of the Machines is an enchantment that turns every artifact into a creature with its power and toughness equal to its mana value. Note that this can backfire against you when you run a lot of artifact lands, as those will get buried for not having any toughness. Also note that you won’t be able to attach equipment to other creatures because they lose their equip ability.

#27. Relive the Past

While 7 mana might seem a bit much, the upside of Relive the Past is that it can return up to three different permanents to the battlefield, turning them into 5/5 elementals. One of these permanents can even be an artifact.

#26. Skilled Animator

Like Kenku Artificer, Skilled Animator can turn artifacts into creatures whenever it enters the battlefield. The drawback is that the effect only lasts while this creature remains in play, but the benefit is that the creature it transforms into is a 5/5 beast.

#25. Tawnos's Tinkering

Animate artifact spells are rarely seen outside of the Esper () color identity, which is why Tawnos's Tinkering is a must-consider card for green decks as a way to turn artifacts into creatures. I like that this card lets you use it on a creature just for the purpose of pumping it.

#24. Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas

Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas, and pretty much every Tezzeret planeswalker ever printed, has the unique ability of turning artifacts into deadly creatures. This one in particular saw its fair share of play in Legacy once upon a time, where cards like Mox Opal and Mirrodin lands are legal. At one point, it also saw a decent amount of play in Standard back when Mirrodin Besieged was legal.

#23. Tezzeret's Touch

Anything Tezzeret's Touch enchants becomes an artifact creature, and it does so for just 3 mana. The best part? Even if the artifact dies, it comes right back to your hand, making it a great fit for decks that take advantage of enter-the-battlefield abilities.

#22. Tezzeret, Betrayer of Flesh

Time seems to have weakened Tezzeret, Betrayer of Flesh’s ability to turn artifacts into creatures. Not only does it now cost an extra loyalty to activate, but the resulting creature also has slightly lower power and toughness. The upside? If the artifact is a vehicle, it keeps its original stats, which can be a big advantage—especially with the likes of Consulate Dreadnought, which comes in cheap but has a steep crew cost.

#21. Tezzeret the Seeker

While Tezzeret the Seeker doesn’t have a cheap way to animate artifacts, its ultimate more than makes up for it. With just one activation or a bit of proliferation, you can turn all your artifacts into 5/5 threats in an instant—giving you a powerful army that can close out the game.

#20. Rise and Shine

At just 2 mana, Rise and Shine has to be one of the best cards to turn artifacts into creatures. Plus, it has overload, an ability that lets you turn it into a pseudo March of the Machines, putting counters on your non-creature artifacts to make them bigger.

#19. The Antiquities War

The Antiquities War is a unique artifact animation card. Its main purpose is to fetch artifacts from the top of your library. The final chapter transforms them into 5/5 creatures, and while this effect only lasts for a turn, it’s more than enough if you consider using it as your win condition.

#18. The Blackstaff of Waterdeep

When The Blackstaff of Waterdeep was first released, it seemed like the perfect partner for Ensoul Artifact, effortlessly turning any artifact into a serious threat. Players quickly realized the potential—imagine giving Gingerbrute haste and making it nearly unblockable!

Unfortunately, as the meta evolved, these strategies fell just as quickly as they rose.

#17. Tough Cookie

At first, I thought Tough Cookie only worked with Food tokens—probably because I was fresh off playing Wilds of Eldraine Limited. But after taking a closer look, I realized that for just 3 mana, you can animate any artifact and turn it into a cookie that’s tough to swallow!

#16. Unctus's Retrofitter

Speaking of Limited strategies, back in Phyrexia: All Will Be One, Unctus's Retrofitter was one of the few payoffs for turning artifacts into 4/4 creatures. It was often paired with Malcator's Watcher, but Magic: The Gathering has plenty of ways to push this card’s potential even further. Just keep in mind—the effect only lasts as long as the Retrofitter stays on the battlefield.

#15. Xenic Poltergeist

Xenic Poltergeist might be one of the few mono-black artifact animation cards, and surprisingly, you don’t need to pay life or mana to turn artifacts into creatures. This makes it a welcome surprise for decks that may include it.

#14. Vihaan, Goldwaker

While Vihaan, Goldwaker only works with Treasure, it still fits into the category of commanders that animate artifacts. What sets it apart is that unlike other cards that turn just one artifact into a creature, this one turns all treasures you control into 3/3 construct assassins until the end of turn. This Mardu commander () has plenty of support from cards like Pitiless Plunderer, Deadly Dispute, and of course Warren Soultrader.

#13. Vronos, Masked Inquisitor

While Vronos, Masked Inquisitor is mainly used to protect other planeswalkers, its ultimate can turn any artifact into a deadly 9/9 construct that’s both indestructible and unblockable. The vigilance part of it is the least relevant of things.

#12. Tezzeret the Schemer

Tezzeret the Schemer is another version of the planeswalker whose ultimate turns artifacts into creatures. This Tezzeret gives you an emblem that triggers at the beginning of each of your upkeeps. That emblem can snowball as turns pass, and it’s a great addition even after the planeswalker is removed.

#11. Tezzeret, Cruel Machinist

Unlike other Tezzerets, Tezzeret, Cruel Machinist doesn’t just have one ability to animate artifacts—it has two! One can be used for 0 loyalty, and the other lets you cheat any number of cards into play face down, turning them into artifact creatures.

#10. Oko, Thief of Crowns

Banned in nearly every paper Magic format except Vintage and Commander, Oko, Thief of Crowns is one of the best planeswalkers for turning artifacts into creatures. It can shut down pesky artifacts and turn them into easier-to-handle threats.

#9. Displaced Dinosaurs

Displaced Dinosaurs is another big-mana creature with a great effect. It can turn historic permanents into powerful 7/7 dinosaur creatures, and artifacts are included among “historic” cards.

#8. Workshop Elders

I know, 7 mana is a bit expensive, but Workshop Elders is a card that will let you place counters on noncreature artifacts and animate them at the beginning of each of your combat phases. More importantly, artifact creatures gain flying as part of its static ability.

#7. Karn, Silver Golem

While Karn, Silver Golem has a somewhat pricey cost of 5 mana, it makes up for it with a cheap ability that turns any artifact into a threat based on its mana value.

#6. Karn, the Great Creator

Karn, the Great Creator is both an artifact enabler and a hate card. Its static ability renders cards like Sol Ring useless, but on the flip side, you can turn any artifact into a creature based on its mana value. For a long time, Karn has been used as a shutdown piece to prevent your opponent from generating mana, often alongside Mycosynth Lattice.

#5. Sydri, Galvanic Genius

Similar to Karn, Silver Golem, Sydri, Galvanic Genius is another commander you can use to turn artifacts into creatures with power and toughness based on their mana value. The upside here is that due to its color identity, you can run Sydri in a wide variety of decks. If that weren’t enough, you can also give these creatures powerful abilities like deathtouch and lifelink, making them effective threats in any board state.

#4. Katsumasa, the Animator

When I first read Katsumasa, the Animator, I was a bit disappointed because the artifacts it animates are relatively small. While that's true, its value can snowball over time. At each of your upkeeps, you can put counters on up to three target noncreature artifacts, meaning those 1/1s will keep getting bigger and bigger as you animate them later.

#3. Abuelo's Awakening

Abuelo's Awakening is a versatile card that fits well in both artifact- and enchantment-themed decks. Its effect lets you return permanents to the battlefield and animate them as creatures. The more mana you invest, the bigger the creature you’ll get.

#2. Bello, Bard of the Brambles

Commanders like Bello, Bard of the Brambles can also be used to animate artifacts. It's one of the best options because it requires no additional mana. Instead, they just need to meet the condition of being non-equipment artifacts with a mana value of 4 or greater. On top of that, these creatures draw you a card whenever they hit an opponent, making Bello, Bard of the Brambles a true powerhouse.

#1. Dance of the Manse

If you're looking for a mass animate effect, Dance of the Manse is a solid tool to bring back artifacts you’ve already milled or lost in battle, all ready to help you win the game. Just keep in mind that for them to be turned into creatures, you need X to be 6 or greater.

Best Artifact Animation Payoffs

If your win condition involves animating artifacts, it's essential to pick the correct targets. Indestructible lands are among the top choices, like Mistvault Bridge and Darksteel Citadel, especially when paired with cards like Ensoul Artifact or Kenku Artificer.

However, some effects—like on Karn, the Great Creator—rely on mana value, which means lands aren't an option. In those cases, other indestructible artifacts like Darksteel Ingot or Darksteel Plate make excellent alternatives.

Of course, getting these ideal pieces isn't always possible. To keep your regular artifacts from being destroyed, cards like Eldrazi Monument are fantastic when combined with mass animation effects like March of the Machines.

Finally, since some of your key cards interact with tokens, doubling your token production with Doubling Season can be a great addition to the strategy.

Wrap Up

Katsumasa, the Animator | Illustration by Heonhwa Choe

Bringing artifacts to life is always a blast—whether it's part of your game plan or a sneaky way to disrupt your opponents as an alternate win condition.

Do you enjoy this strategy, or do you prefer animating other types of permanents? Let us know in the comments!

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Take care, and I’ll see you next time!