In Magic: The Gathering these days, copying instants and sorceries is a very profitable business indeed. Not only can you double down on value this way, but you can unlock a ton of infinite combos as well. Despite letting you perform this powerful action repeatedly, Nivix Guildmage has been lost to the annals of MTG history, making it an excellent hidden gem to dig up for Commander.
Nivix Guildmage MTG
While four mana to copy an instant or sorcery is a little expensive, Nivix Guildmage makes up for it with its lack of a tap requirement. This ability is fantastic alongside spells that generate mana like Big Score, or double up on removal like Chaos Warp. Later on in the game, it plays particularly well with splashy X spells like Comet Storm, since the copy will retain the X value for maximum damage.
While it’s a much less exciting ability, it’s best not to discount Nivix Guildmage’s looting option entirely. This provides great selection over time, letting you stock your graveyard with Flashback spells like Echo of Eons, and trigger discard synergies on cards like Monument to Endurance. It’s also a nice way to trigger ‘second draw’ effects, like the one on Mischievous Mystic, on your and your opponent’s turns.
However you use Nivix Guildmage, including some cards that discount ability costs, like Training Grounds and Heartstone, will let you do so much more efficiently. You can also throw in ability doublers like Illusionist’s Bracers, to get even more value out of each activation.
A Copy Of A Copy Of A Copy
While Nivix Guildmage is great as a general value piece, it gets even more exciting when you consider its infinite combo potential. Paired with Dramatic Reversal, for instance, it creates a two-card infinite mana combo by copying it. So long as you can generate Nivix Guildmage’s activation cost with nonland permanents, you can easily generate infinite mana to sink into something like Walking Ballista.
Nivix Guildmage also lets you loot through your entire deck when combined with Frantic Search and Izzet Boilerworks. Copy Search, and when the copy resolves, you’ll get to untap three lands, giving you access to four more mana with Boilerworks among two basics. You can then rinse and repeat to keep on digging, closing out with Thassa’s Oracle or burn damage from Cool but Rude.
In a Temur deck, Nivix Guildmage can even make infinite tokens alongside Tempt with Vengeance and Cryptolith Rite. If you cast Tempt for X=5, and copy it as well, then you’ll generate enough 1/1s to tap for five and copy the original again. Keep going, and you’ll make enough Hasty 1/1s to win on the spot, whether your opponents choose to make tokens or not.
An Underplayed Gem
While it’s naturally most at home in Spellslinger lists like Vivi Ornitier, Nivix Guildmage’s low cost and flexibility give it play in all sorts of Izzet Commander lists. Despite this, the card is currently being slept on, with just over 4,000 decks running it by EDHREC’s numbers. Given that it’s one of very few cards that let you copy instants and sorceries on repeat, this statistic feels wildly low.
Fortunately, if you want to correct this injustice and give Nivix Guildmage a shot in the sun, it’s currently very cheap. As an uncommon with several reprints, you can get near-mint base copies for as little as $0.02 on TCGplayer right now, or $0.51 in foil. If you like the cut of its jib, then Nivix Guildmage is a no-brainer pickup at these prices.
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