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Moxonomy

Phenomenon Investigators

Creature — Human Detective2 generic manaBlue manaBlack mana

The modal choice here is the whole design conceit: two Detectives investigating the same phenomenon and reaching opposite conclusions, one wired for a death-driven token engine, the other for a slow permanent-recursion loop. What makes it more than a value creature is that the two modes want almost nothing in common. Believe rewards a board of small nontoken bodies you're happy to feed to a sacrifice outlet, turning each death into a 2/2 Horror and building the aristocrats width that lets the next death matter more. Doubt ignores combat and attrition entirely, instead asking you to bounce your own nonland permanent every end step to draw a card, which turns your enters-the-battlefield triggers and one-shot enchantments into a repeatable engine. Because the effect locks the moment the creature enters, this is not a Swiss Army knife you retune each turn: you commit to a philosophy on arrival and live with it, so the card is really two build-arounds stapled to one body. The end-step timing on Doubt is the quieter piece of the puzzle, since bouncing at your own end step lets you re-cast the permanent with a full untap and dodge sorcery-speed removal in the window between. A 3/4 for four is a fine enough shell; the interesting work is that the same statline anchors two graveyards' worth of different decks.

Phenomenon Investigators (dsc)
DSC · #38rare
Pricing
Normal: $0.15
Foil:
Oracle Text

Rules text

As this creature enters, choose Believe or Doubt. • Believe — Whenever a nontoken creature you control dies, create a 2/2 black Horror enchantment creature token. • Doubt — At the beginning of your end step, you may return a nonland permanent you own to your hand. If you do, draw a card.
Legalities

Format Status

Standard
N/A
Pioneer
N/A
Modern
N/A
Legacy
Legal
Vintage
Legal
Commander
Legal
Pauper
N/A
Brawl
N/A
Historic
N/A
Alchemy
N/A
Timeless
N/A
Standard Brawl
N/A
More formats
Old School
N/A
Premodern
N/A
PreDH
N/A
Pauper Commander
N/A
Oathbreaker
Legal
Gladiator
N/A
Penny Dreadful
N/A
Duel Commander
Legal
Future Standard
N/A
COMPETITIVEBRAWL
N/A
TLR
N/A
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