Richard Garfield, Ph.D.

Richard Garfield, Ph.D.

3

Legendary Creature — Human Designer

Text

You may play cards as though they were other cards of your choice with the same mana cost. You can't choose the same card twice. (Mana cost includes color.)

And yea he doth spake: "Let there be Magic."

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🖌 Dave Dorman

Market prices

updated on 06/17/2026
from €0.62
Source Normal Foil
Card Kingdom $0.59
Cardmarket €0.62
TCGplayer $0.28

Trend · last 90 days · EUR

€0.62
min €0.56 max €0.79

Rulings (6)

By default, you are limited to cards legal in the format you’re playing. If you’re playing Draft or Sealed Deck, you can name any card available in the format you’re playing. If you’re playing with Unsanctioned decks, anything goes. Discuss with your playgroup if you’d prefer to modify or eliminate these limitations.

02/29/2020

Playing cards as though they were other cards is optional.

02/29/2020

Richard Garfield, Ph.D. essentially makes you play a variant of the Magic game called “Mental Magic.” Here’s how the game works. Whenever you cast a spell, you reveal the card to all players and choose any other card (see below for the cards that you can use) that has that card’s mana cost. (Note that color very much does matter.) That spell can then be cast as though it was the chosen card. You aren’t allowed to choose the same card twice.

02/29/2020

The same is true if Richard Garfield, Ph.D. changes controllers. If you play a Savannah Lions as Swords to Plowshares, then an opponent gains control of Richard Garfield, Ph.D., that player can then do the same.

02/29/2020

If more than one player controls a Richard Garfield, Ph.D., the cards one player plays has no effect on the other players. For example, each player could play Savannah Lions as a Swords to Plowshares this way.

02/29/2020

Each Richard tracks its own list of played cards. If one leaves the battlefield and another enters, cards previously played under the first Richard are available once again.

02/29/2020

Legality by format

Brawl Not legal
Commander Not legal
Duel Commander Not legal
Legacy Not legal
Modern Not legal
Oathbreaker Not legal
Old School Not legal
Pauper Not legal
Pioneer Not legal
Premodern Not legal
Standard Not legal
Vintage Not legal
Block Constructed Not legal
Extended Not legal
Frontier Not legal
Tiny Leaders Not legal