The Battlefield

Brine Elemental

$0.18

Vesuvan Shapeshifter

$0.24

AI DraftFeb 26, 2026

Brine Elemental + Vesuvan Shapeshifter

Overview

If Vesuvan Shapeshifter becomes a copy of Brine Elemental as it is turned face up (the copy effect happens “as ... is turned face up”), it will have Brine Elemental’s triggered ability and that triggered ability will trigger when the Shapeshifter is turned face up; when that trigger resolves, each opponent will skip their next untap step (see , , and Ruling [2021-03-19]).

Step 1

Vesuvan is face down (morphed) and you take the special action to turn it face up by paying its morph cost; turning face up is a special action under .

Step 2

Because Vesuvan’s text applies "as this creature ... is turned face up," you may choose another creature at the moment the Shapeshifter is being turned face up and the "become a copy" effect is applied as part of the turning-face-up process per and .

Step 3

The copy effect is a Layer 1 copy effect , so when the Shapeshifter finishes being turned face up it has the copiable values of the chosen creature (subject to Vesuvan’s "except it has ..." exception). If you chose a Brine Elemental, the Shapeshifter now has Brine’s rules text including the triggered ability that reads 'When this creature is turned face up ...' per .

Step 4

Because the Shapeshifter actually was turned face up (the event occurred) and it now has the 'When this creature is turned face up' ability, that triggered ability is placed on the stack (it triggered as the result of the turn-face-up event) and will resolve in turn, making each opponent skip their next untap step when it resolves.

Step 5

If Vesuvan instead entered the battlefield already face up as a copy of Brine (you chose 'as this enters the battlefield'), Brine’s "When this creature is turned face up" would not trigger at that moment because the permanent was not turned face up — it entered face up; turning-face-up triggers only fire on the actual turn-face-up special action and .

Step 6

If Vesuvan targets a creature that is itself a copy of Brine, Vesuvan will copy that creature’s copiable values (which normally will be Brine’s copiable values), so the end result will generally be equivalent to copying Brine directly per Ruling [2021-03-19].

Resolution

If Vesuvan Shapeshifter is turned face up and you choose it to become a copy of Brine Elemental as part of that turning-face-up action, Brine’s "When this creature is turned face up" ability will be on the Shapeshifter and will trigger from the turn-face-up event, causing each opponent to skip their next untap step when the trigger resolves. If Vesuvan simply enters the battlefield already face up as a copy of Brine, the trigger does not fire at that moment because it wasn’t turned face up (see , , and ). Also, if Vesuvan copies a creature that itself is a copy of Brine, Vesuvan will use that creature’s copiable values (so it will usually copy whatever that creature is copying) per Ruling [2021-03-19].

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