Living Metal in MTG: Rules, FAQ, and Best Cards

Pedro Furtado (djorso) September 29, 2023 MTG Cards, MTG Rules

Last updated on February 13, 2024

Optimus Prime, Hero | Illustration by Volta Creation

Universes Beyond allows WotC to introduce different franchises to MTG. With The Brothers' War and its artifact theme, Transformers got their own Beyond treatment on 13 new cards. They’re all double-faced cards (DFCs), with one side as a creature and the other as a vehicle.

All those vehicles have the living metal mechanic, but what is living metal and how does it work? Which are the best cards that use this mechanic? Let's dive in and find out!

Table of Contents show

How Does Living Metal Work?

Soundwave, Sonic Spy | Illustration by Volta Creation

Living metal is a mechanic applied to vehicles in the Transformers set. Vehicles with living metal are also creatures on your turn. These vehicles don’t have the crew X mechanic that's present on every other vehicle, because they're always creatures on your turn and on your turn only.

All of the Transformers cards have two mechanics: more than meets the eye and living metal. More than meets the eye allows you to cast the vehicle part, which has living metal. If you pay the normal cost, the card enters the battlefield as a creature. It’s usually cheaper to cast the vehicle first and then convert it (with some exceptions, like Cyclonus, the Saboteur), either by attacking or doing something else.

Is Living Metal a Triggered Ability?

No, living metal is a static ability called “characteristic defining,” and it's valid at all times.

Does a Living Metal Card Count as a Creature? As an Artifact?

Living metal cards are artifact and vehicle cards all the time. They’re also a creature with the power and toughness printed on the card on your turn.

Can You Crew a Living Metal Card?

Living metal vehicles don’t have the crew mechanic, so they don’t behave like normal vehicles that can be crewed.

Is Living Metal a Creature on Your Opponent’s Turn?

No, a living metal creature is an artifact and a vehicle on your opponent's turns. You aren’t be able block with it, but opponents also can’t target it with creature-specific spells.

Is There Any Way to Make Living Metal a Creature on Your Opponent’s Turn?

All Transformers cards have two sides: the creature side and the vehicle side. The living metal mechanic makes it so that the card is a creature only on your turn. If you want the card to be a creature on your opponent’s turn you need to convert it, which can be done in a few different ways.

For example, Ratchet, Rescue Racer converts whenever your artifacts are put into the graveyard from the battlefield. If you can sacrifice an artifact on your turn, you’ll have Ratchet, Field Medic, a creature without living metal.

Can You Animate Living Metal Cards?

Yes! If you make an artifact into a creature by other means (auras, enchantments, and the like), you can make your vehicle a creature at all times. You can also use cards like Ensoul Artifact, which make it a 5/5.

Is Living Metal Good?

Living metal is certainly flexible in the sense that you can pay different costs and have different cards. Almost every card with living metal has some synergies with artifacts or spells, so they can be powerful to build around. And all living metal cards are legendary for Commander purposes.

Gallery and List of Living Metal Cards

Best Living Metal Cards

#5. Flamewar, Brash Veteran / Flamewar, Streetwise Operative

Flamewar, Streetwise Operative is a 2/1 with menace and deathtouch for two mana. You exile some of your cards face down when it deals combat damage and convert it into Flamewar, Brash Veteran.

You have a mix between an evasive threat that can grow and also get more cards. It also has synergies with artifacts and artifact tokens, which can be sacrificed.

#4. Ratchet, Field Medic / Ratchet, Rescue Racer

You have a 1/4 lifelinker for two mana in Ratchet, Rescue Racer. It’s somewhat hard to convert it into Ratchet, Field Medic, but it’s an artifact reanimator with synergies with lifegain.

This is probably best in a white-based lifelink deck filled with angels since you’ll recover good artifact creatures and get recursion going. The bad part of the card is that a 1/4 with lifelink is usually good on defense. The living metal mechanic only works on your turn, so you’ll need to lose an artifact.

#3. Megatron, Tyrant / Megatron, Destructive Force

Megatron, Destructive Force is a 4/5 creature for four mana. These tri-color vehicles are very powerful and can be powerful commanders.

You attack with your vehicle and sacrifice a creature to deal excess damage, then you have a mighty 7/5. Megatron, Tyrant is also a creature that can generate mana similarly to Rakdos, Lord of Riots.

#2. Ultra Magnus, Tactician / Ultra Magnus, Armored Carrier

Haste and 4/7 aren’t a bad size for a 5-mana card if you cast it for the more than meets the eye cost. Ultra Magnus, Armored Carrier packs a punch and can even grant indestructible to your creatures.

It gets better! You can cheat a big creature into play attacking when it converts into Ultra Magnus, Tactician, usually a theme of Naya () EDH decks.

#1. Optimus Prime, Hero / Optimus Prime, Autobot Leader

Optimus Prime, Autobot Leader is no joke. A 6/8 that bolsters 2 and has trample is very strong. And it converts to Optimus Prime, Hero if it deals combat to a player, a 4/8 that bolsters 1. It even has death insurance, going back to Optimus Prime, Autobot Leader, so the only way to safely deal with that is with exile effects.

It’s best to have an artifact lying around so that your opponents need at least two instant speed exile effects since red has plenty of artifact sacrifice synergies. Optimus Prime is the threat that stays on the battlefield, hits hard, and is very hard to deal with. It also works well with tokens, +1/+1 counters, and sacrifice effects.

Wrap Up

Megatron, Tyrant – Illustration by Volta Creation

Like it or not, Universes Beyond is now part of MTG. I for one am very excited about franchises like Lord of the Rings and Doctor Who. Maybe Transformers isn’t your cup of tea, but at least there are some designs that are interesting. Living metal is a mechanic that can return in vehicle designs someday and I’m okay with that, even in a Standard-legal set.

What do you think of the mechanic and the cards? Are you pro or against Universes Beyond? Let me know what you think in the comments below or in our Draftsim Discord.

Thanks for reading and stay safe, folks!

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Pedro Furtado (djorso)

Pedro started playing Magic way back when in Fourth Edition. After a long hiatus, he now plays mostly MTG Arena Standard and Limited. His biggest MTG regret is trading a bunch of Force of Wills for Serra Angels.