<p>I'm sure there are others, but probably the most common situation is if you make a token copy of Enduring Angel; because the token doesn't have a back side, it can't transform.</p>
<p>Perhaps the most well-known case here is <a class="mtg-autocard" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer" href="https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Garruk%20Relentless">Garruk Relentless</a> - if you copied Garruk and then reduced his loyalty, the game would draw due to an infinite sequence of Garruk's &quot;transform&quot; trigger going on the stack, failing to do anything and then triggering again.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-09-23T08:22:47.823Z
2021-09-23T14:01:09.987Z
2021-09-23T14:01:09.987Z
Philip Kendall
<p>Clones (like <a href="https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=370622" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Clone</a>) and tokens copies (created by effects like <a href="https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=425857" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Cackling Counterpart</a>) don't have a backside and can't transform for that reason. If you had a copy or clone of <a href="https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Enduring%20Angel" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Enduring Angel</a> and you tried to transform it you'd lose the game.</p>
<p>Also, if it were under the effect of a card which stops it from transforming (like <a href="https://gatherer.wizards.com/pages/card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=409745" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Bound by Moonsilver</a>) you would also lose the game.</p>
<p><strong>Ruling:</strong></p>
<p>701.28c: <em>If a spell or ability instructs a player to transform a permanent that isn’t represented by a transforming double-faced card, nothing happens.</em></p>
<p><strong>UPDATE (13-09-2023):</strong></p>
<p>Since the release of <em>March of  the Machine</em> tokens can transform (this was done to make the incubator tokens work). So, cards that create token copies (like from <a href="https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=425857" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Cackling Counterpart</a>) will be able to transform. This has also changed the ruling to:</p>
<p>701.28c: <em>If a spell or ability instructs a player to transform a permanent that isn’t represented by a transforming token or a transforming double-faced card, nothing happens.</em></p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-10-15T02:10:35.333Z
The day after this answer was posted, the card received this interesting ruling: "If a transforming double-faced card has somehow become a copy of Enduring Angel, the replacement effect will apply, the copy of Enduring Angel will transform, and your life total will become 3. However, because the copy effect that makes it Enduring Angel continues to apply to it after it transforms, it will still be a copy of Enduiring [sic] Angel. This means that the replacement effect will be applied again if your life total would be reduced to 0 or less a second time while that copy effect is still applied."
Cain Goldhardt
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-10-15T15:44:48.147Z
"If you had a copy or clone of Enduring Angel and it transformed you'd lose the game." I take it you mean something along the lines "If you had a copy or clone of Enduring Angel and it *tried to* transform you'd lose the game"? If a copy did in fact transform, you wouldn't lose the game.
Acccumulation
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-09-13T15:06:02.903Z
Due to the introduction of transforming incubator tokens in *Phyrexia: All Will Be One*, a token copy of Enduring Angel can now transform. So the rules text only applies to clones.
Cain Goldhardt
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-09-13T15:14:20.677Z
@CainGoldhardt you're absolutely right, I've added an update to my answer to reflect the changes in the ruling
Dennis van Opstal
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-09-23T08:19:02.863Z
2023-09-13T15:13:39.173Z
2023-09-13T15:13:39.173Z
Dennis van Opstal
<p>Why does the <a href="https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Enduring%20Angel" rel="noreferrer">Enduring Angel</a> from Innistrad: Midnight Hunt has the following text:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Then if Enduring Angel didn't transform this way, you lose the game</p>
</blockquote>
<p>When does it apply?</p>

<magic-the-gathering>
Enduring Angel - when does the "you lose the game" part apply?
FrozenHeart
# Enduring Angel - when does the "you lose the game" part apply?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2021-09-23)

Why does the [Enduring Angel](https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Enduring%20Angel) from Innistrad: Midnight Hunt has the following text:

> Then if Enduring Angel didn't transform this way, you lose the game

When does it apply?

**Tags:** magic-the-gathering


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## 2 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2021-09-23. Score: 18 | Accepted answer

Clones (like [Clone](https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=370622)) and tokens copies (created by effects like [Cackling Counterpart](https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=425857)) don't have a backside and can't transform for that reason. If you had a copy or clone of [Enduring Angel](https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Enduring%20Angel) and you tried to transform it you'd lose the game.

Also, if it were under the effect of a card which stops it from transforming (like [Bound by Moonsilver](https://gatherer.wizards.com/pages/card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=409745)) you would also lose the game.

**Ruling:**

701.28c: *If a spell or ability instructs a player to transform a permanent that isn’t represented by a transforming double-faced card, nothing happens.*

**UPDATE (13-09-2023):**

Since the release of *March of the Machine* tokens can transform (this was done to make the incubator tokens work). So, cards that create token copies (like from [Cackling Counterpart](https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=425857)) will be able to transform. This has also changed the ruling to:

701.28c: *If a spell or ability instructs a player to transform a permanent that isn’t represented by a transforming token or a transforming double-faced card, nothing happens.*

> **Comments:**
> **username_3**: The day after this answer was posted, the card received this interesting ruling: "If a transforming double-faced card has somehow become a copy of Enduring Angel, the replacement effect will apply, the copy of Enduring Angel will transform, and your life total will become 3. However, because the copy effect that makes it Enduring Angel continues to apply to it after it transforms, it will still be a copy of Enduiring [sic] Angel. This means that the replacement effect will be applied again if your life total would be reduced to 0 or less a second time while that copy effect is still applied."  
> **username_4**: "If you had a copy or clone of Enduring Angel and it transformed you'd lose the game." I take it you mean something along the lines "If you had a copy or clone of Enduring Angel and it *tried to* transform you'd lose the game"? If a copy did in fact transform, you wouldn't lose the game.  
> **username_3**: Due to the introduction of transforming incubator tokens in *Phyrexia: All Will Be One*, a token copy of Enduring Angel can now transform. So the rules text only applies to clones.  
> **username_2**: @username_3 you're absolutely right, I've added an update to my answer to reflect the changes in the ruling  

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### Answer by username_1 on 2021-09-23. Score: 9

I'm sure there are others, but probably the most common situation is if you make a token copy of Enduring Angel; because the token doesn't have a back side, it can't transform.

Perhaps the most well-known case here is [Garruk Relentless](https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Garruk%20Relentless) - if you copied Garruk and then reduced his loyalty, the game would draw due to an infinite sequence of Garruk's "transform" trigger going on the stack, failing to do anything and then triggering again.


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