As an L1 I like fun interactions but I could not resolve how a couple special situations of mutate are handled. For this example, I'm using Majestic Auricorn, but it could be a vanilla mutate creature as I'm only interested in what happens to flip and transform cards.
Here are my 5 situations:
1. Majestic Auracorn is over Rune-Tail, Kitsune Ascendant, its controller has over 30 life causing Kitsune Ascendant to trigger. Does it flip, or is that part of the card hidden while under the Auracorn? Does the trigger do nothing and then immediately get put back on the stack because it triggered again essentially 'locking' the game unless someone can stop it with an instant, flash spell, or activated ability?
2. Rune-Tail, Kitsune Ascendant is over Majestic Auracorn, does the trigger allow the card to flip and, if so, what happens with the attached card that cannot flip. Normally a card that can't flip just does nothing, but as it is treated as a single permanent with another card that Can flip I didnt know if it is handled differently.
3. At the beginning of the upkeep Majestic Auracorn is over Scorned Villager and no spells were cast last turn. Because the top card has no back, is the whole stack unable to transform?
4. At the beginning of the upkeep Scorned Villager is over Majestic Auracorn and no spells were cast last turn. Because the top card is a proper transform card, does this now allow the creature to transform?
5. Golden Guardian is mutated with Majestic Auracorn (the order isnt relevant for this one). The activated ability of Golden Guardian is activated and it dies after fighting. The trigger will exile both and attempt to bring both back transformed. I assume, because of the wording, this means the Guardian will return transformed and the Auracorn will stay in exile as it cannot return transformed.
I love this new mechanic and its crazy implications to rules and gameplay so I'm building a deck featuring all of these shenanigans
Edit: I couldn't count the number of situations correctly so I adjusted it from 4 to 5
1. When the releavent conditions are met for a card to Flip any part of a mutated creature that can flip does flip, the flipped portion of the card is now part of the mutated creature in the same position it was in before flipped.
2. The same, the position of the flip card in the mutated creature doesn't matter for the propose of it flipping.
3. As with flip cards, if the condition for a card to transform is met then all parts of the mutated creature transform and the now transformed card is part of the mutated creature in the same position it was in before transforming.
4. The position in the mutated creature doesn't matter for transforming the same as flipping.
5. First, the guardian doesn't exile, it looks for Dying which means it needs to go to the graveyard. Though assuming we are talking about the transforming walkers like Nissa the answer is the same. All parts of the mutated creature will go to the specified zone, for the guardian its the graveyard for Nissa its exile. Then only permanents capable of transforming will return to the battlefield transformed.
Also of note that I recently realized, Scorned Viller is a Human and outside of mutating the werewolf side or changing the creature type some other way cannot be mutated.
(If you cast this spell for its mutate cost, put it over or under target non-Human creature you own. They mutate into the creature on top plus all abilities under it.)
Here are my 5 situations:
1. Majestic Auracorn is over Rune-Tail, Kitsune Ascendant, its controller has over 30 life causing Kitsune Ascendant to trigger. Does it flip, or is that part of the card hidden while under the Auracorn? Does the trigger do nothing and then immediately get put back on the stack because it triggered again essentially 'locking' the game unless someone can stop it with an instant, flash spell, or activated ability?
2. Rune-Tail, Kitsune Ascendant is over Majestic Auracorn, does the trigger allow the card to flip and, if so, what happens with the attached card that cannot flip. Normally a card that can't flip just does nothing, but as it is treated as a single permanent with another card that Can flip I didnt know if it is handled differently.
3. At the beginning of the upkeep Majestic Auracorn is over Scorned Villager and no spells were cast last turn. Because the top card has no back, is the whole stack unable to transform?
4. At the beginning of the upkeep Scorned Villager is over Majestic Auracorn and no spells were cast last turn. Because the top card is a proper transform card, does this now allow the creature to transform?
5. Golden Guardian is mutated with Majestic Auracorn (the order isnt relevant for this one). The activated ability of Golden Guardian is activated and it dies after fighting. The trigger will exile both and attempt to bring both back transformed. I assume, because of the wording, this means the Guardian will return transformed and the Auracorn will stay in exile as it cannot return transformed.
I love this new mechanic and its crazy implications to rules and gameplay so I'm building a deck featuring all of these shenanigans
Edit: I couldn't count the number of situations correctly so I adjusted it from 4 to 5
[c=Black Lotus]Lotus[/c]=Lotus
[c=Black Lotus|Alpha]Lotus[/c]=Lotus
[mana]WUBRGS-TQ-1-2-12-XY[/mana]=WUBRGS-TQ----XY
[mana]{WU}{UB}{BR}{RG}{GW}{WB}{BG}{GU}{UR}{RW}{2W}{2U}{2B}{2R}{2G}[/mana]=(W/U)(U/B)(B/R)(R/G)(G/W)(W/B)(B/G)(G/U)(U/R)(R/W)(2/W)(2/U)(2/B)(2/R)(2/G)
Triggered Ability-Whenever/When/At ..., (effect)
Replacement Effect-If/As ..., (effect)
2. The same, the position of the flip card in the mutated creature doesn't matter for the propose of it flipping.
3. As with flip cards, if the condition for a card to transform is met then all parts of the mutated creature transform and the now transformed card is part of the mutated creature in the same position it was in before transforming.
4. The position in the mutated creature doesn't matter for transforming the same as flipping.
5. First, the guardian doesn't exile, it looks for Dying which means it needs to go to the graveyard. Though assuming we are talking about the transforming walkers like Nissa the answer is the same. All parts of the mutated creature will go to the specified zone, for the guardian its the graveyard for Nissa its exile. Then only permanents capable of transforming will return to the battlefield transformed.
As for the Guardian, I think I've played too many Academy and Arena Rectors so mixed the abilities 😆
[c=Black Lotus]Lotus[/c]=Lotus
[c=Black Lotus|Alpha]Lotus[/c]=Lotus
[mana]WUBRGS-TQ-1-2-12-XY[/mana]=WUBRGS-TQ----XY
[mana]{WU}{UB}{BR}{RG}{GW}{WB}{BG}{GU}{UR}{RW}{2W}{2U}{2B}{2R}{2G}[/mana]=(W/U)(U/B)(B/R)(R/G)(G/W)(W/B)(B/G)(G/U)(U/R)(R/W)(2/W)(2/U)(2/B)(2/R)(2/G)
Triggered Ability-Whenever/When/At ..., (effect)
Replacement Effect-If/As ..., (effect)
(If you cast this spell for its mutate cost, put it over or under target non-Human creature you own. They mutate into the creature on top plus all abilities under it.)
[c=Black Lotus]Lotus[/c]=Lotus
[c=Black Lotus|Alpha]Lotus[/c]=Lotus
[mana]WUBRGS-TQ-1-2-12-XY[/mana]=WUBRGS-TQ----XY
[mana]{WU}{UB}{BR}{RG}{GW}{WB}{BG}{GU}{UR}{RW}{2W}{2U}{2B}{2R}{2G}[/mana]=(W/U)(U/B)(B/R)(R/G)(G/W)(W/B)(B/G)(G/U)(U/R)(R/W)(2/W)(2/U)(2/B)(2/R)(2/G)
Triggered Ability-Whenever/When/At ..., (effect)
Replacement Effect-If/As ..., (effect)