March of the Machine Incubator tokens – A ‘Sleeper’ Hit?

Incubator tokens were kind of partially glossed over amidst other more exciting aspects of March of the Machine, such as team-up legends, battle cards, and the return of convoke. But, it is undeniable that there is growing hype for this new type of transforming token among MTG players. After all, many have seen some of the really enticing effects related to this permanent type quite early on during spoiler season.

So how good are they really? Well, from the looks of it, it seems that we are about to witness the birth (pun intended) of unqiuely competitive Phyrexian tribal deck very, very soon.

How do Incubate and Incubator tokens work?

Originally, double-faced token cards are not possible in MTG due to the fundamental rule barring such mechanics on permanents not considered “cards”. But, now that this has changed a bit, it creates a brand new category of tokens that might just change the way we use them normally in the next few sets.

Incubate rulings are summarized as follows:

• When resolving “Incubate N”, the action creates an Incubator token that automatically enters the battlefield with N +1/+1 counters.
• Its front face has an effect that is “{2}: Transform this artifact”. (two colorless)
• When transformed, it is a colorless 0/0 Phyrexian artifact creature.
• When Incubator tokens are copied, they are also treated as double-faced permanents. This means that the copy can also be transformed in the same way. Be careful, though, since most of the time the copy will not have +1/+1 counters of its own! (and can die instantly)
• Due to this rule update, double-faced permanents will now have the same rules, so long as it was not copied on the battlefield. The example given by WoTC was Flame Channeler // Embodiment of Flame. If you copy the card from somewhere else (graveyard, exile, etc.) and put a token of it on the battlefield, that would essentially be a double-faced permanent, and can also transform into Embodiment of Flame when applicable. The same goes when the back-face of the card was copied instead.
• If double-faced permanents already on the battlefield are to become copied, the original MTG rule will apply. Only the side currently used is copied, and cannot ever transform the copy to the other side regardless of any other effect.
  
  

Advantages of Incubator tokens

Perhaps the biggest advantage of incubate tokens, is that they are not immediately treated as creatures on the battlefield. So they can be spared from a typical creature board wipe while still maintaining the investment on the board.

Though, more than just a resource-based advantage, these transforming tokens will also have the following inherent benefits:

Multiple advantages and efficiency – a staple requirement for any (upcoming) competitive theme in MTG. Many of the more stable Incubate cards will either provide another extra effect on top of putting Incubator tokens, or generate cumulative advantages by generating more than one token depending on whether you have extra mana, or extra turns.

Cost-bypassing options – although two colorless mana is cheap enough to transform even smaller Incubate 2 tokens, we already have several bomb cards that can transform them without spending a single mana.

Consistent proliferate fodder – Proliferation strategies are going to become more viable than ever, harkening back to similar strategies for other older deck themes that automatically generate +1/+1 counters. Bloated Contaminator isn’t even exclusively used for toxic decks anymore anyway, even before March of the Machine was even revealed for MTG.

Highly-modular – each different card that can Incubate will have a different type of strategy, a different tempo, and a different style of being able to produce and use these tokens. From what we can see from their effects at least, there is a bit more diversity in how they would be played. This is as opposed to something like poison counters, which at the moment only has around three effective methods of “delivery” at most.

Pairs just as well with animation effects – Cards like Tezzeret, Betrayer of Flesh and Karn, the Great Creator can already make these tokens move about and attack for free before transforming them. You do still retain the option to transform, but it reverts back to base 0/0 (before adding counters) when no further modifications are added.

Incubate and Incubator Token bombs

As with every card designed for each new set, there will be Incubate duds and bombs, as well as a few more in between. The cards that will gain the most buzz for the mechanic, however, would undoubtedly be the following cards:

Chrome Host Seedshark – a fairly cheap-to-invest Incubate card with good stats, that can withstand most damage on turn three, and instantly evades Cut Down. By simply casting non-creature cards alone, you already gain extra bodies and fodder with this in play. Of course, the more, the merrier.

Progenitor Exarch – a highly modular card that already provides so much value since you only need two mana each for an Incubate 3 token. You have the option to use this card as early as turn three, but it also becomes really powerful during later turns as more mana is sunk to it. Better yet, if this creature manages to survive a turn or two, it transforms any Incubator token with a single tap.

Glissa, Herald of Predation – a wee bit more expensive compared to her earlier versions, but the investment is very much worth it. Compared to Glissa Sunslayer, it presents a more efficient condition since you don’t even need to deal combat damage first. And unlike Progenitor Exarch, all she needs is to enter the combat step to transform every single Incubator token you have on the field for free.

Essence of Orthodoxy – a little less effective than Chrome Host Seedshark, though it instead gets its effect immediately the moment it is cast. Can it also trigger when transforming Incubator tokens? I hope it does.

Norn’s Inquisitor – essentially incrementing the value of all Incubator tokens that you have, per copy in play. Even with just one, you essentially add 50% more value to the initial investment of a simple Incubate 2 token. Plus, its casting cost feels busted for the value it provides, since it already Incubates the moment it lands.

Sunfall – this wipes the board clean a’la White Sun’s Twilight. But this time, instead of getting a bunch of 1/1’s, you get one bigger creature, albeit requiring two colorless mana to manually crack.

Sunder the Gateway – a Disenchant mainstay, since at the current meta, there’s always a legitimate target to destroy. In case there is none, the same mana investment can be used to transform an Incubator token while still getting the same replacement regardless.

Elesh Norn // The Argent Etchings  - she’s pretty tricky to use, as her front-facing abilities do not directly interact with Incubator tokens. But the payoff is nice, especially with a transformation shortcut, as we can mostly assume that the sacrifice fodder has been “pre-paid” already in advance.

Cards that can Combo with Incubate and Incubator tokens

There are quite a lot of card combo ideas that you can brew for Incubate tokens, but the ones that immediately come to mind for Standard, Historic, and Explorer are:

Mondrak, Glory Dominus – not as impressive as Doubling Season, but it is at least legal in Standard, Historic, and Explorer. Triggering Incubate abilities provide endless trigger opportunities for our reliable token doubler. Plus, he’s Phyrexian too, so any other Phyrexian synergies will directly apply to him as well.

Karn, the Great Creator – instantly animates an Incubator token for a single turn with an uptick in loyalty counters. Take note that an Incubator token animated this way isn’t a Phyrexian, and is basically just an egg bouncing toward the opponent.

Tezzeret, Betrayer of Flesh – his passive allows the free transformation of an Incubator token once every turn (your turn and your opponent’s turn). If that is not enough, you can even animate the Incubator tokens to become permanent 4/4’s (in addition to their +1/+1 counters), though again these are not considered Phyrexian, retaining their Phyrexian typing if animated after they are transformed.

Bloated Contaminator – a very efficient 4/4 trampler that almost always guarantees a Proliferate trigger each time it attacks, constantly bumping all Incubator token’s stats.

Kodama of the West Tree – not enough tramplers? Then make (almost) all of them tramplers! You even get to ramp with each successful attack of an Incubator token, snowballing your transformation mana sink even further.

Invigorating Hot Springs – ensures that every single Incubator token can immediately swing the moment it transforms. Also gives a very nice bonus of a single +1/+1 counter each turn for a total of four turns.

Tekuthal, Inquiry Dominus – maybe not as crazy as Mondrak, but can still get a lot of value out of doubling Proliferate effects on Incubator tokens. Plus, making him indestructible will effectively cost as low as a single colorless mana for such a build.

Gargantuan Slabhorn – not the most efficient option out there, but Invasion of Pyrulea's transformed form does allow your transformed Incubator tokens to mow down the battlefield while being a wee bit less susceptible to targeted spells.

Expectation: Incubator tokens should fairly work well indepedently

Incubator tokens, at least on paper, seem very viable simply due to how the effect is already paid two-fold when using related cards. This is despite having rather wonky disadvantages in the mana curve department and higher-than-normal susceptibility to hate cards. For the better Incubate cards, efficiency can curve sharply upwards the more +1/+1 counters you can place on them by default. In fact, a few Incubate token generators can just outright replace other cards with similar effects since the mana costs aren’t really that different.

In addition, since you are placing free permanents on the battlefield as would older "free" token generators do, the potential for your plays to snowball into a huge payoff is looking rather consistent. Then again, the adjusted mana costs for lower rarity Incubator token cards mean that quite a lot of them would only see play in Limited.

But hey, the versatility of the tokens as a “bonus effect” would most likely make it possible to simply splash the best Incubator token bombs independently on decks that are currently in use in constructed formats.