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Pongify
Price$1.85 – $6.78
Buy on TCGplayer

Pongify

{U}

Instant

LegalRemovalEDHREC #156

Destroy target creature. It can't be regenerated. Its controller creates a 3/3 green Ape creature token.

Why is this card good?

Pongify is one of blue's premier pieces of cheap, unconditional creature removal, and at one mana it's an auto-include in most blue decks that want interaction. The downside — giving the opponent a 3/3 Ape — is almost always irrelevant. In Commander, you're usually killing a commander, a combo piece, a hexproof-but-not-this beater, or a value engine that's worth far more than a vanilla 3/3. Trading a 3/3 for a $50 threat is a steal. Who wants it: any blue deck running interaction — control, spellslinger, midrange, combo decks needing protection or to break up enemy combos. It pairs naturally with Rapid Hybridization and Reality Shift as a cheap removal package. When NOT to play it: in heavy aggro/aristocrats matchups where handing over a 3/3 body matters (it fuels their attacks, sacrifice fodder, or blink synergies), or against decks that want tokens. If you can afford slightly more mana, Reality Shift exiles and gives a less useful manifest — sometimes the safer pick.

Related cards

Rapid HybridizationU

Nearly identical one-mana blue instant creature removal giving a token.

Reality ShiftU

One-mana blue exile removal that gives a manifest instead of a token.

Beast WithinG

Green version, destroys any permanent leaving a 3/3 token.

Generous GiftW

White Beast Within variant for any permanent removal.

Swords to PlowsharesW

Premier cheap white exile removal in the spot-removal role.

Chaos WarpR

Red catch-all removal with a similar random downside trade-off.

Imprisoned in the MoonU

Blue aura that neutralizes a creature without giving a token.

SnapU

Cheap blue tempo removal alternative bouncing a creature.

Printings (12)

soaSecrets of Strixhaven Mystical Archive · #20R$2.90Buy
soaSecrets of Strixhaven Mystical Archive · #85R$6.78Buy
soaSecrets of Strixhaven Mystical Archive · #150R$41.12Buy
plstThe List · #OTC-106U$2.16Buy
tdcTarkir: Dragonstorm Commander · #160U$2.05Buy
m3cModern Horizons 3 Commander · #190U$1.85Buy
otcOutlaws of Thunder Junction Commander · #106U$2.58Buy
tsrTime Spiral Remastered · #79U$2.52Buy
Show all 12 printings
plstThe List · #PLC-44U$2.53Buy
2xmDouble Masters · #62U$2.70Buy
c14Commander 2014 · #120U$2.78Buy
plcPlanar Chaos · #44U$3.43Buy

Played by these commanders

Esika, God of the Tree // The Prismatic Bridge100% of 1
Teferi, Temporal Archmage100% of 1
Morophon, the Boundless100% of 1
Omo, Queen of Vesuva100% of 2
Stella Lee, Wild Card100% of 1
Shiko and Narset, Unified100% of 1

Tokens & Emblemsthis card creates

Rulings (1)

  • 2021-03-19

    If the target creature is an illegal target by the time Pongify tries to resolve, the spell won't resolve. No player creates an Ape token. If the target is legal but not destroyed (most likely because it has indestructible), its controller does create an Ape token.

Discussion (0)