Morph

The morph card becomes an exact duplicate of the opponent’s encounter card when revealed. For instance, if the player’s opponent reveals a negotiate, the morph card becomes a negotiate. If the player’s opponent reveals an attack 20, the morph card becomes an attack 20. Resolve the encounter normally as though both sides played the duplicated card. Once the encounter is resolved, the morph card returns to normal.

Once it has duplicated your opponent’s card, it is treated as that card in all ways pertaining to encounter totals

Note: it is possible for two players to use one simultaneously. In such instance both players would lose the encounter, sending all ships involved to the warp.

A Morph’s identity is a morph, no matter what it copies. Any game effect that targets a card outside of encounter totals is targeting its identity. Therefore, The Claw does not activate on the Morph card unless an actual Morph card is the claw. Likewise, if the claw is a 12 and the Mirror causes a 21 to turn into a 12, The Claw does not use its power.

Morph with other modifiers
The Morph copies whatever value is initially revealed. If that value is later modified, the Morph’s value does not change with it. However, the Morph’s value may be affected by modifications separately.

For instance, if the Tripler revealed a Morph and their opponent revealed a 12, the Morph would become a 12 and then get divided to a 4 by Tripler’s power. On the other hand, if Tripler revealed the 12 and their opponent revealed the Morph, the Morph would become a 12, but would not get divided to a 4 just because the card it morphed into did.

Morph and Identity
An encounter card’s value can change, and whatever it is changed to becomes its new value (e.g., Mirror reversing digits, Tripler dividing a high value into a low one, Warhawk changing negotiates into attack 00). In these cases, the card has a new value. Thus, if Joker’s current wild is an attack 00, the negotiate revealed by Warhawk’s opponent would become wild. Values only matter for encounter totals. A card’s identity is the actual printed value.

Morph’s identity is a morph, no matter what it copies. Any game effect that targets a card outside of encounter totals is targeting its identity. See next three questions.

Q: Does a modified card retain its original identity or its modified identity when something else references it (e.g., a Morph of an attack 08 when The Claw has an attack 08 as its claw card)?

A: Unless otherwise specified, game effects that strictly affect encounter resolution—meaning those effects that impact encounter card types/values, kickers, reinforcements, main player totals, the method of determining the winner and loser, deals, compensation, rewards, and disposition of the involved ships such as landing on the planet, returning to colonies, going to the warp, etc.—all refer to the card’s current, modified type/value. Every other kind of game effect refers to the card’s original, printed type/value. Therefore, The Claw does not activate on the Morph card unless an actual Morph card is the claw. Likewise, if the claw is a 12 and the Mirror causes a 21 to turn into a 12, The Claw does not use its power.

Q: Does a Morph count as an attack card if it duplicated an attack card?

A: Yes. Once it has duplicated your opponent’s card, it is treated as that card in all ways pertaining to encounter totals (therefore, not for The Claw’s claw card).

Q: If a power such as Calculator, Mirror, or Tripler affects a card, does a Morph copy the card’s value before or after the modification?

A: The Morph copies whatever value is initially revealed. If that value is later modified, the Morph’s value does not change with it. However, the Morph’s value may be affected by modifications separately.For instance, if the Tripler revealed a Morph and their opponent revealed a 12, the Morph would become a 12 and then get divided to a 4 by Tripler’s power. On the other hand, if Tripler revealed the 12 and their opponent revealed the Morph, the Morph would become a 12, but would not get divided to a 4 just because the card it morphed into did.