For Mirrodin! in MTG: Rules, FAQ, and Best Cards

Last updated on October 1, 2023

Mirrodin's Core | Illustration by Greg Staples

For Mirrodin! is a mechanic for equipment cards introduced in Phyrexia: All Will Be One. Personally I can’t help but think of the scene in Fellowship of the Ring when the Fellowship offer their weapons to the cause.

But how does this new mechanic work? What's so special about it? Let's dive in and find out!

How Does For Mirrodin! Work?

Thoughtcast (Mirrodin) | Illustration by Greg Hildebrandt

For Mirrodin! is a mechanic found on some equipment that creates a 2/2 red Rebel creature token when it enters the battlefield, and the equipment then attaches itself to that creature. It’s an interesting way to balance equipment and make them useable as soon as they enter the battlefield.

The History of For Mirrodin! in MTG

For Mirrodin! was introduced in Phyrexia: All Will Be One and its associated Commander precon. We’ve seen a small number of cards with the mechanic so far, but I expect to see more as the spoilers roll in.

We’ve seen similar abilities in the past, like living weapon in Mirrodin Besieged on cards like Batterskull. A similar unnamed mechanic was used in Kaldheim on cards like Dwarven Hammer.

There’s no indication when for Mirrodin! will come back, but this style of equipment is playable without being completely broken. It doesn’t seem completely impossible to see it (or something similar) come back in future!

What if You Kill the Equipment in Response to For Mirrodin!?

The token is still created if the equipment is destroyed in response to the for Mirrodin! trigger, just with nothing attached to it.

What if the Equipment Dies? Does the Rebel Die?

No. If equipment is destroyed when attached to a creature, the creature it was attached to doesn’t also die. Similarly, the equipment sticks around on the battlefield if the creature it's attached to dies.

Are You Allowed to Move the Equipment off the Rebel?

Yes! You can move the equipment from the Rebel just like you would any other equipment, you just need to pay the equip cost.

For Mirrodin! vs. Living Weapon

For Mirrodin! is clearly a nod to living weapon, which worked in a similar way. Instead of attaching the equipment to a 0/0 black Phyrexian Germ token, for Mirrodin! attaches it to a 2/2 red Rebel. A 2/2 is clearly (usually) better than a 0/0, so I expect most of the for Mirrodin! cards to be costed appropriately. Don’t expect a Batterskull coming in with a 2/2!

Of course, the casting cost isn’t the only way these equipment cards can be balanced. The equip cost and the abilities granted by the equipment also play a part!

Another bonus to the creature having a non-0 toughness is that cards like Blade of Shared Souls can exist that have a cool ability, but don’t grant any power or toughness.

For Mirrodin! vs. Auto Equip

Another related mechanic is the auto-equip equipment (sometimes known as “snap-on” equipment) that came in Zendikar Rising, like Maul of the Skyclaves. These are equipment cards that auto equip to a creature already on the battlefield without creating a token.

The main difference is that the creature could have existed at the start of the turn, so it can attack as soon as the equipment comes into play. But you have to wait until the next turn to attack with for Mirrodin!, unless you can give the Rebel token haste or attach the equipment to something else.

Is For Mirrodin! Good?

It remains to be seen how good for Mirrodin! is. Equipment cards are notoriously difficult to balance. Most are either totally unplayable or fully format warping.

We’ve seen some good use of this style of card before, so I expect to see one or two of these make it in Constructed formats. In Limited they’re likely to be a fairly good rate creature when they first enter the battlefield, and the token leaves something relevant around when it dies.

Gallery and List of For Mirrodin! Cards

• Barbed Batterfist
• Bladehold War-Whip
• Blade of Shared Souls
• Dragonwing Glider
• Glimmer Lens
• Goldwarden's Helm
• Hexgold Halberd
• Hexgold Hoverwings
• Hexplate Wallbreaker
• Kemba's Banner
• Mirran Bardiche
• Sylvok Battle-Chair
• Vulshok Splitter

For Mirro-done!

Mirrodin Besieged | Illustration by Bram Sels

And that’s for Mirrodin! What do you think of this mechanic? Do you like this tables-turned take on living weapon? Do you think this is going to break any formats open? It would be great to hear your thoughts down below on over in the Draftsim Discord, even if you think I’m just talking nonsense.

Catch you next time, and until then, for Phyrex– I mean, Mirrodin! Definitely for Mirrodin…