Transmute Artifact
Transmute Artifact: Sorcery, Antiquities. Sacrifice an artifact. If you do, search your library for an artifact card. Prices and printings on Mana Grove.
- Mana cost
- {U}{U}
- Mana value
- 2
- Type
- Sorcery
- Colour identity
- Blue (U)
- Rarity
- Uncommon
- Set
- Antiquities (ATQ)
- Released
- 1994-03-04
- Collector number
- 14
- Artist
- Anson Maddocks
- Commander rank
- 3,639 (by how often it appears in Commander decks)
- Reserved List
- Yes
Build around this card with Grover
About Transmute Artifact
Transmute Artifact is a Magic: The Gathering card, an uncommon blue sorcery from Antiquities (ATQ), an expansion set released in March 1994. It is collector number 14 in that set, with art by Anson Maddocks. It costs {U}{U} (two blue mana) to cast, for a mana value of 2. Its colour identity is blue. It is legal in Legacy, Vintage, Old School, Commander, Duel Commander, Oathbreaker and PreDH. It has been printed in 3 sets, from Antiquities (1994) to Masters Edition IV (2011). It is on the Reserved List. The latest aggregated market price for this printing is $457.40 (normal finish, as of 2026-11-01).
Card text
Sacrifice an artifact. If you do, search your library for an artifact card. If that card's mana value is less than or equal to the sacrificed artifact's mana value, put it onto the battlefield. If it's greater, you may pay {X}, where X is the difference. If you do, put it onto the battlefield. If you don't, put it into its owner's graveyard. Then shuffle.
Market price
Latest aggregated market price for the normal finish of this printing: $457.40 (as of 2026-11-01).
The figure covers this printing only; other printings carry their own price on their own page.
Format legality
Legality of Transmute Artifact by format. Formats in which it is not legal are not listed.
| Legacy | Legal |
|---|---|
| Vintage | Legal |
| Old School | Legal |
| Commander | Legal |
| Duel Commander | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| PreDH | Legal |
Other printings of Transmute Artifact
Transmute Artifact has been printed in 3 sets. The other printings are listed newest first, with the rarity and release year of each.
| Printing | Rarity | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Magic Online Promos (PRM) #65644 | Rare | 2017 |
| Masters Edition IV (ME4) #69 | Rare | 2011 |
Official rulings
Six official rulings apply to Transmute Artifact, newest first.
- The sacrifice of an artifact is an effect of the spell, not a cost, which means it happens as the spell resolves. If Transmute Artifact is countered, you do not have to sacrifice an artifact.
- Because the "search" requires you to find a card with certain characteristics, you don't have to find the card if you don't want to.
- If the chosen artifact costs less than or the same as the sacrificed artifact, you simply put it onto the battlefield without paying any additional costs.
- You can't sacrifice more than one artifact to this spell.
- The one from the library enters when the spell is resolved, and this does not count as the casting of an artifact.
- Additional mana spent to cover the differences in mana costs is not part of the mana cost of this spell. It is spent during spell resolution.
Similar cards
Other sorcery cards with a blue colour identity, ranked by how often they appear in Commander decks.
In these card lists
These card lists include Transmute Artifact.