Mitosis
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Contents
Artist's Comment
"This was a difficult card to create art for, mostly due to it applying to so many creatures. After a number of ideas passed, I settled on a version that had some weird blob-y cell-like creatures reproducing. The goo and stringy vines add a good sense of motion to it, and as a whole, I feel Mitosis is quite a succesful piece of art!" -vrt
Overview
While similar to the Fractal spell, Mitosis provides an alternative way of generating multiple creatures from the Life element. After applying Mitosis to a creature, the owner can use the Mitosis ability to procure an original copy of the creature, based on the creature’s cost.
General Use
Quick Facts:
- Mitosis will grant a creature to produce its original (non-modified/mutant) self each turn.
- The cost of the Mitosis skill varies on the actual cost of the creature targeted.
- Cannot be used on flying weapons.
Mitosis is one of the many game mechanics that focus on creature swarming tactics. For 4-5 
quanta, using the spell on a creature will replace its ability with the new active skill, Mitosis, which generates a non-modified version of the targeted creature when activated. It’s important to note that while Mitosis (the card) has a specific quanta value when used, the skill varies upon what creature you target. Using the Mitosis skill on a Photon will be free (Photon has no cost to play), whereas attempting to use the skill on a Crimson Dragon will require 10 
quanta. Thus, the skill is only as efficient as the creature’s cost, similar to how Fractal works, but it doesn’t clog up a player's hand (or consume all 
quanta either).
It’s important to note that Mitosis cannot generate exact copies of the creature that was targeted. For example: using the Mitosis skill on a mutated Abomination with increased stats will only allow a player to generate regular Abominations (without any abilities). Thus, Mitosis often works well with creatures that are mainly used for their cost-efficient stats. It’s also vital that people know what skill is replaced with Mitosis - some creatures may have more useful abilities that will prevent them from being hurt easily from CC or attacks that can help you in the short-term. Because of that, Mitosis can’t be used as a ‘burst’ maneuver to rush the opponent with creatures, but more of a gradual skill that becomes deadly as the owner keeps producing more daughter creatures.
One major tip is to never apply Mitosis to a creature that was just played onto the field (unless one is reassured the creature cannot be targeted). The reason for this is that by using the spell immediately on the creature played, the creature will still have to wait the one-turn rule to use the Mitosis skill, leaving it defenseless against the enemy’s CC, unless the player has certain ways to prevent the creature from being killed.
In addition to all of the above, flying weapons cannot be affected by Mitosis. Finally, in some unusual cases, applying Mitosis to an enemy AI creature can create innovative tactics, depending on what creature the spell is used on.
Synergies
While many Life creatures can work well considering their costs, Horned Frog | Giant Frog is one of the top candidates to use with Mitosis, considering its extremely cost-efficient damage. For essentially 7 (or less), one can begin spawning hordes of frogs that will slowly overwhelm the opponent, unless they have numerous CC cards to counter them.
And from the above, Quintessence | Quintessence is also a major support card. Many creatures that are cheap often have low HP, which renders them vulnerable to spell and creature-based CC from the opponent. Applying Mitosis to these creatures simply paints a bigger target on their head, but this simple alchemy spell can help prevent your main spawning creature from being trumped by a single Lightning or Rewind.
While many other creatures are great candidates for Mitosis as well as Frogs, Devourers | Pests are perfect in that their main mechanic isn’t overwritten by the Mitosis skill. Devourer, the ability, is a passive skill that triggers automatically each turn (while ‘ Burrow’ is an activated ability). Because of this, Mitosis will keep the Devourer’s main quanta-draining technique while replacing their (potentially not so useful) Burrow ability, allowing you to produce swarms of the lecherous beings to deny your opponent of playing anything. Throw in a Nightfall, and the combination of damage and quanta denial will be quite a fight for you opponent to deal with, but again, Mitosis is much slower than Fractal, so it’s important that you time this combination carefully.
Other Cards With Synergy
Other free cards, such as Gnome Gemfinder, Dragonfly, and Ray of Light can all work as an alternative to quanta generation, given that they don’t die immediately to CC or other effects. Sparks (when buffed to have more than 0 HP) can provide a new way of causing death-trigger effects, although the number of elements required to make that strategy work varies greatly. Other relatively cheap cards, such as Minor Phoenix, Crusader, and Vampire also work well given their abilities, but need an equally decent setup time for them to be useful. Empathic Bond works wonders with the creature generator, improving the synergy for the Life element with any other creature. Finally, a rare (but very useful) card to have with Mitosis is the Shard of Readiness. By reducing the skill's cost down to 0, any creature (regardless of their cost) can be mass-produced for free over time; Dragons and Nymphs (creatures with the highest card costs in the game) can have an incredible synergy with this combo.
Conclusion
All in all, Mitosis is an alternative way of mass-producing creatures (beyond the 6-card rule) compared to Aether’s equivalent, and as such, is a great way to also surprise your opponent. Who knew that ‘an army of one’ could exist?
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