Tutors have been around since the very first Magic set, and there have been tons of tutoring effects over the years. One of those, from Ravnica: City of Guilds is Transmute.

Tutors provide redundancy in a Commander deck and allow players to search for the exact card they need in a given situation, reducing dependence on random chance. Transmute is a tutoring ability that is restricted to certain mana values.

Unfortunately, they also carry some baggage. A look at the Commander Game Changers list reveals around 10 various tutors. Many of these cards have been banned in various Constructed formats over the years for their power level.

Fortunately, there is a non-banned, more affordable selection of Blue and Black cards that can offer that same degree of redundancy; a selection of fourteen cards that contain the Transmute ability.

How Transmute Works

Transmute is an Activated Ability that allows a player to pay the card's Transmute cost, discard that card, then search their library for a card with the same converted mana cost as the discarded Transmute card (not the cost of the Transmute ability).

The ability was created by Aaron Forsythe, Vice President of Magic design and it currently only appears on Black and Blue cards.

Interestingly, there are no rules-based limitations on the Transmute cost, yet all fourteen Transmute cards printed so far have a Transmute cost of three mana, two of which are colored: either , , or .

Dimir Infiltrator is an example of a card with Transmute. It's a typical MTG card at face value: for , you get a 1/3 Unblockable Spirit Creature.

Most of the card's rules text is taken up by the definition of the Transmute mechanic:

", Discard this card: Search your library for a card with the same converted mana cost as this card, reveal it, and put it into your hand. Then shuffle your library. Play only as a Sorcery."

Every Transmute card follows the same templating.

Important Transmute Rules

Transmute functions like a typical tutor, but with a series of restrictions. You can only tutor up a card with the same mana value and the ability is always played at Sorcery speed.

On the positive side, activating Transmute isn't the same as casting a spell, which means Counterspell variants cannot stop Transmute. The only way to counter Transmute is through Activated Ability disruption, such as with Stifle or Trickbind.

For aspiring Judges, the Comprehensive Rules (section 702.53) provide even more detail for the ability. The rule explains how Transmute only functions while the card with Transmute is in a player's hand.

Additionally, the Transmute ability exists in every zone, including while the object (e.g., Dimir Infiltrator) is on the battlefield. As a result, cards with Transmute are affected by effects that depend on an object having one or more Activated Abilities, such as in obscure cases like using Zirda, the Dawnwaker as a Companion.

Lastly, you don't need to have a target in your deck to activate the Transmute ability. In other words, you can use Transmute as a "fail to find" and shuffle effect.

Top Cards with Transmute for Each Mana Value

There isn't an objective ranked ordering to Transmute cards because they depend heavily on the cards you want to tutor for during a game.

For example, a Commander deck with a combo-based win condition whose combo pieces all cost three mana will be much more interested in running Drift of Phantasms and Perplex to find those combo components.

Therefore, the best way to organize the best Transmute cards is to look at the best card by the mana value they tutor for.

Mana Value 0: Tolaria West

Funnily enough, the most powerful Transmute card has the distinction of being the last card ever printed with the ability, in Future Sight. Why is a card that fetches you a zero-mana spell so powerful? It has to do with the versatility of Tolaria West and a few rules nuances.

First off, Tolaria West is a tapped Blue source. While other Transmute spells have limited utility in certain game situations, Tolaria West is always a useful Land when you need it and a versatile tutor when you don't.

Secondly, you can fetch up all sorts of powerful cards that technically have mana value zero. For example, you can tutor up X spells like Chalice of the Void and Walking Ballista.

Or you can find Suspend spells with no mana value such as Living End. There is also an array of powerful zero-mana spells like Slaughter Pact. You can even tutor up Utility Lands, such Bojuka Bog or Creeping Tar Pit.

Mana Value 1: Dizzy Spell

If your goal is to use Transmute to tutor for a one-drop, then Dizzy Spell is your only option. The ability isn't all too exciting, but arguing the importance of certain one mana spells in Magic isn't too difficult.

Some of the most powerful removal spells, such as Swords to Plowshares, are one mana. Some popular combo enablers, such as Viscera Seer (sac outlet) and Cauldron Familiar or Witch's Oven all cost one mana each.

Mana Value 2: Muddle the Mixture

There are three Transmute cards that can tutor up a two-drop, and Muddle the Mixture is the most useful option because counterspells are popular includes in Blue-based Commander decks.

While Muddle the Mixture is inferior to Counterspell due to its limited targets, the fact that it can tutor up a two-drop makes this a powerful inclusion in the right decks. Fun two-mana targets include combo pieces such as Thassa's Oracle and Painter's Servant or powerful spells like Cyclonic Rift.

Mana Value 3: Perplex

If Blue and Black are both available in your Commander deck, then Perplex is the three-drop Transmute option of choice. It has its limitations because it offers your opponent a choice, but choosing between having your spell countered or discarding your entire hand is hardly pleasant.

If your deck lacks Black, then Drift of Phantasms is your backup plan for tutoring up three-drop combo pieces or Commander staples such as Rhystic Study. In a pinch, you can also use Perplex to Transmute for an MDFC Land: Agadeem's Awakening, which has mana value three.

Mana Value 4: Dimir House Guard

A four-mana 2/3 Creature is well below rate nowadays, even with the evasive Fear ability. More interestingly, Dimir House Guard is a repeatable, free sac outlet for decks that can leverage the ability.

The four-mana Transmute target possibilities are endless. There are your board wipes such as Damnation, Planeswalker synergies like The Chain Veil, or powerhouse Creatures like Sheoldred, the Apocalypse.

Mana Value 5: Brainspoil

If your deck must draw a critical five mana card, Brainspoil is your only Transmute option.

Fortunately, it doubles as a removal spell if you're absolutely desperate. One powerful combo piece that Brainspoil can find for you is Sanguine Bond, but when you're up in the five-mana range, the world is your oyster.

Mana Value 6: Netherborn Phalanx

If your deck has access to Black, Netherborn Phalanx is the best option for Transmuting for a six-mana spell. If you only have access to Blue, then you'll have to settle for Ethereal Usher.

Either way, if you're tutoring up a six-drop you have some big plans in your upcoming turns. There are all sorts of powerful six-mana spells worth tutoring for in Commander, from Consecrated Sphinx to Bolas's Citadel.

Mana Value 9: Grozoth

For those players who desperately need to tutor up a seven- or eight-mana spell, Transmute unfortunately doesn't offer a solution. If you're in the market for a nine-drop, however, then Grozoth is your answer.

Funnily enough, casting Grozoth itself also provides you with some tutoring flexibility. You get far more style points, however, by Transmuting it for a nine-mana spell like Kozilek, the Broken Reality or Portal to Phyrexia.

Wrapping It Up

It's true that Transmute is far more limiting that traditional tutor spells. Demonic Tutor and Vampiric Tutor are miles better than Muddle the Mixture and Drift of Phantasms.

However, there's some helpful versatility to Transmute cards that should not be overlooked. For one, their Activated Ability classification makes them more difficult to disrupt with traditional counterspells.

By being a spell attached to a search effect, they provide additional utility should the situation call for it. Mostly, they offer a budget-friendly option that doesn't show up on the Game Changers list, making them safe to include even in the more casual games of Commander.