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.
Playing cards as though they were other cards is optional.
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.
Last observed on Scryfall 2 months ago at $0.26. Over the trailing 90 days the price moved between $0.25 and $0.59 across 51 observations. Cross-checked across TCGplayer, eBay sold, Cardmarket EU, and Star City.
This printing is one of 2 catalogued treatments from UND — the lineup includes Nonfoil alongside the standard finish. Across our catalog the Rarix library tracks every variant in the same family so collectors can compare price, scarcity and demand inside a single lineage.
Card #26 of *Unsanctioned*, the set that shipped alongside the February 2020 Unsanctioned release.
Card type: Legendary Creature — Human Designer, color identity blue, printed at rare. Rares occupy the bottom-of-pack rare slot in standard boosters. Mana cost: {3}{U}{U} (5 converted).
Illustrated by Dave Dorman. Rarix catalogs 307 other cards credited to this artist.
Magic: The Gathering · ™ & © Wizards of the Coast · Illus. Dave Dorman
Card data via Scryfall. Rarix is fan-made; not endorsed by the rights holders.
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.
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.
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.
