Do the rules of the game allow having non-creature artifacts, lands, or enchantments with Morph? For example, could the following cards exist:
Sentient Weaponry <cost>
Artifact - Equipment
Equip: <cost>
Morph: <cost>
Equipped creature has +2/+2
When Sentient Weaponry is turned face up, you may attach it to target creature.
Shifting Dune
Land
T: add 1 mana to your mana pool
Morph: <cost>
Frantic Nightmare <cost>
Enchantment
Creatures have -1/-1
Morph: <cost>
<cost>: turn Frantic Nightmare face down.
Sure, that works just fine. When it turns up, it stops being a creature, just like a Licid that suddenly turns into an enchantment or one of the legendary flippers that turn into an enchantment.
"Sufficiently advanced experience is indistinguishable from clairvoyance." -Carsten
"Ah those eyes, those horrible creepy eyes!" -Chaosof99
DCI Level 3 Judge & TO "I do not consider myself a hero. I know only what the Vec teach:
justice must always be served and corruption must always be opposed."
Go read! I am one of the three authors of Cranial Insertion.
But seriously, if you can't remember "Woapalanne", just call me Eli.
502.26 Morph
502.26a Morph is a static ability that functions in any zone from which you could play the card it's on, and the morph effect works any time the card is face down. "Morph [cost]" means "You may play this card as a 2/2 face-down creature, with no text, no name, no subtypes, no expansion symbol, and a mana cost of by paying rather than its mana cost." Any time you could play an instant, you may show all players the morph cost for any face-down permanent you control, pay that cost, then turn the permanent face up. This action does not use the stack. (See rule 504, "Face-Down Spells and Permanents."
It doesn't specify that the card with morph has to be a creature, so yeah, it works fine.
"Hello! I've come to serenade you. I can't play guitar. I can't play this accordion either, but I thought it'd be less obvious."
Dylan Moran, Black Books
Do the rules of the game allow having non-creature artifacts, lands, or enchantments with Morph?
While they don't specifically disallow it, they don't support it, either. There are a few piddly problems, like "If you turn such a local enchantment or equipment (that is attached) face down, is it still 'attached?' What happens when you turn it up again?" These aren't insurmountable problems, and many are problems that can come about as a result of a complex series of effects; but the rules would have to be updated to explicitly describe what happens. You might even want to reverse the existing results.
It doesn't specify that the card with morph has to be a creature, so yeah, it works fine.
While the rules may allow it, you might end up with some weird interactions -- though not with Backslide.
Turning a local enchantment or equipment face-down is similar to animating it, and the results are already covered by rules -- it becomes unattached. You may wish to add reminder text that it'll lose all types and subtypes and becomes a colorless 2/2 creature.
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Playlace --
Instant
Target spell or permanent's tone becomes playful.
I love this idea, have tossed it about myself a bit as well. nothing beats swinging in with a morph, stacking damage, then flipping it to reveal something like this:
Spectral Essence - :2mana::symw::symw:
Enchantment
Morph - :1mana::symw::symw:
:symw::symw:: Until end of turn, whenever target creature deals damage, you gain that much life.
It doesnt work to well from a flavor standpoint but its mechanically sound.
For non-permanents, I favor either a related keyword ("Spellmorph" or something) that specifies putting it on the stack as it's turned face up, or the following:
"As CARDNAME is turned face up, you may put it on the stack."
And you don't even need to say, "If you don't...." because the rules cover it.
Rosewater has said that Morph will return with a twist (I forget when), and it's my assumption that Morph on non-creature permanents and maybe even on non-permanents will be the twist.
Also, it might be possible to simply have "Morph," without a cost, which would let you play the card as a 2/2 for 3 but never turn it face up. Less interesting, in a way, but I like the choices involved.
Morphalike, 2W:Target creature gains protection from the colour of your choice until end of turn. - (You may play this face down as a 2/2 for three. At any time you may pay 2W. If you do reveal this card, and sacrifice it. If you do, Target creature gains protection from the colour of your choice until end of turn.)
This would presumably be the same sort of ability as morph, in that it can be used despite face down creatures having no abilities... Does this work at al?
No; and morph doesn't "work" when the card is face down, either. The rules allow you to turn a face-down card face up, not the ability "morph" on the creature. It asks you to show what permanent's morph cost will be when that card is face up, and you can't do it unless the creature will have one.
But a similar rule could be written for "spellmorph," that would incorporate sikkukut's suggestion: Any time you could play an instant, you may play a face-down card in play, as a spell, for its spellmorph cost. To do this, show all players what the card's spellmorph cost will be when the card is on the stack, move the card onto the stack as a spell, and pay the spellmorph cost rather than it mana cost. Again, you couldn't do this with a morph creature because you couldn't show what its "spellmorph" cost would be.
All that matters to the game now is that it's a 2/2 creature. If it's attached to a creature, it "falls off" and becomes a creature
Well, it becomes a creature and then falls off - but the piddly problem was more with what would happen when you turn it face up again. The mechanic intended by having morph enchantments was not consistent with the existing rules. You would want the enchantment to stay in play.
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Sentient Weaponry <cost>
Artifact - Equipment
Equip: <cost>
Morph: <cost>
Equipped creature has +2/+2
When Sentient Weaponry is turned face up, you may attach it to target creature.
Shifting Dune
Land
T: add 1 mana to your mana pool
Morph: <cost>
Frantic Nightmare <cost>
Enchantment
Creatures have -1/-1
Morph: <cost>
<cost>: turn Frantic Nightmare face down.
"Sufficiently advanced experience is indistinguishable from clairvoyance." -Carsten
"Ah those eyes, those horrible creepy eyes!" -Chaosof99
DCI Level 3 Judge & TO
"I do not consider myself a hero. I know only what the Vec teach:
justice must always be served and corruption must always be opposed."
Go read! I am one of the three authors of Cranial Insertion.
But seriously, if you can't remember "Woapalanne", just call me Eli.
It doesn't specify that the card with morph has to be a creature, so yeah, it works fine.
spanglegluppet dot com
"Hello! I've come to serenade you. I can't play guitar. I can't play this accordion either, but I thought it'd be less obvious."
Dylan Moran, Black Books
While the rules may allow it, you might end up with some weird interactions -- though not with Backslide.
Turning a local enchantment or equipment face-down is similar to animating it, and the results are already covered by rules -- it becomes unattached. You may wish to add reminder text that it'll lose all types and subtypes and becomes a colorless 2/2 creature.
Instant
Target spell or permanent's tone becomes playful.
Spectral Essence - :2mana::symw::symw:
Enchantment
Morph - :1mana::symw::symw:
:symw::symw:: Until end of turn, whenever target creature deals damage, you gain that much life.
It doesnt work to well from a flavor standpoint but its mechanically sound.
Why not "When this creature is turned face up, sacrifice it. If you do, {effect}"? It has (relatively) the functionality.
This has nothing to do with the rules on morph, but rather the rules on instants, sorceries, and permanents.
Instant
Target spell or permanent's tone becomes playful.
"As CARDNAME is turned face up, you may put it on the stack."
And you don't even need to say, "If you don't...." because the rules cover it.
Rosewater has said that Morph will return with a twist (I forget when), and it's my assumption that Morph on non-creature permanents and maybe even on non-permanents will be the twist.
Also, it might be possible to simply have "Morph," without a cost, which would let you play the card as a 2/2 for 3 but never turn it face up. Less interesting, in a way, but I like the choices involved.
No; and morph doesn't "work" when the card is face down, either. The rules allow you to turn a face-down card face up, not the ability "morph" on the creature. It asks you to show what permanent's morph cost will be when that card is face up, and you can't do it unless the creature will have one.
But a similar rule could be written for "spellmorph," that would incorporate sikkukut's suggestion: Any time you could play an instant, you may play a face-down card in play, as a spell, for its spellmorph cost. To do this, show all players what the card's spellmorph cost will be when the card is on the stack, move the card onto the stack as a spell, and pay the spellmorph cost rather than it mana cost. Again, you couldn't do this with a morph creature because you couldn't show what its "spellmorph" cost would be.
Well, it becomes a creature and then falls off - but the piddly problem was more with what would happen when you turn it face up again. The mechanic intended by having morph enchantments was not consistent with the existing rules. You would want the enchantment to stay in play.