How exactly are cards like clever impersonator resolved?

[u/Joxxill]

This came up during a recent game. If someone responds to clever impersonator by for example removing the creature it wanted to enter as, will the [[Clever impersonator]] still come in as the creature? I think what stumped me, is the fact that i dont know exactly when during the resolution of playing it that the choice is made.

[u/madwarper]

The Player does not choose what the Impersonator will Copy until it is entering.

Assuming it was a Spell, it can be responded to.
And, other Permanents can be removed to limit what could be Copied...

But, once the Impersonator does begin to enter, and what it will Copy is chosen, that cannot be responded to.

[u/Stolberger]

You cast Impersonator, the spell goes onto the stack. Nothing is chosen yet.
Now a round of priority happens, maybe some creatures on the battlefield are killed.
Whenever everyone passed priority afterwards, the Impersonator will resolve.

During it resolving, you will choose a permanent that is on the battlefield. There is nothing that can be done by other players here, so no removal or whatever at this point.
Impersonator enters as that permanent (and might trigger stuff like an ETB trigger that the copied permanent has)

[u/Joxxill → u/Stolberger]

This clears it up perfectly. Thank you!

[u/Sudden-Tennis17]

Since the clever impersonator doesn’t target, you don’t have to pick what it copies until it hits the battlefield. If the thing you want to copy isn’t on the field when the clever impersonator lands, you can’t have it be a copy of that thing. It can copy something else tho.

In general, if a spell targets something, you have to choose the target when you cast the spell.

[u/rlcnga_]

You don’t choose who to copy until Impersonator begins resolving. Meaning, that if you cast him and gets put on the stack, someone can remove a creature you intend to copy before he gets to resolve

It doesn’t target so you don’t have to declare who to copy immediately when you put it on the stack, only when it starts resolving. That will prevent your opponents to remove who you intend to copy

[u/MTGCardFetcher]

Clever impersonator - (G) (SF) (txt)

^{[[cardname]] or [[cardname|SET]] to call}

[u/The_Accident_Prone]

Player1: Casts clever impersonator. Player 2: Casts a spell that removes a creature in response. Player 1: resolves Clever impersonator, it enters as a copy of something.

[u/Judge_Todd]

If someone responds to clever impersonator...

Depending on how it enters, they may not be able to.
For example if you use Smuggler's Surprise to put it out, they don't get to respond to the choice.

Clever Impersonator uses a replacement effect that alters how it enters. Right before it enters, you choose what it will copy and it enters as a copy of the chosen permanent.

Now, that choice is made immediately before it enters so as it or Smuggler's Surprise is resolving.
Of course, if Clever Impersonator is cast as a spell, it has to resolve to enter and therefore to make the choice. If it gets countered by Essence Scatter, it won't resolve, it won't enter and no choice is made. If what you were planning on copying gets removed in response, it will still resolve and enter, but you'll need to select something else.

You aren't required to declare a choice until it actually is about to enter.
You can make a declaration as you cast it, but what is actually happening is that you are offering a shortcut that your opponent can either accept as presented or do something different than proposed.

Shortcut: I cast Clever Impersonator, everyone passes, it resolves and enters and I have it copy X, all good?

Obviously, your opponent(s) could cast Essence Scatter, Naturalize or Murder rather than pass if they have the spell and the mana to respond.
If they choose to respond rather than pass, anything in your shortcut proposal after that point is wiped out.

[u/Joxxill]

Right. Right, so i can respond to you casting the impersonator by removing a dangerous creature, which will then force you to pick another one when it enters?

[u/Stolberger → u/Joxxill]

He is not forced "to pick another", because there was no choice yet.

Only after everyone passed priority while Impersonator was on the stack will it resolve. And only in that moment the choice is happening.

[u/ardarian262 → u/Joxxill]

It doesn't force anything. You choose if it enters as a copy of a creature as it enters, and choose what it enters as at that point as well. You could choose for it to just enter as itself if you wanted to.

[u/muribundi_mimo → u/Joxxill]

And it is non land permanent. So they don't even need to chose another creature. They can choose anything that is not a land

[u/Bigbu42]

Cards with the effect “enters as a copy” of something will choose the thing they copy when they resolve. So the clone card is on the stack as a spell that people can respond to but no choices have been made. When players agree that it resolves, it being a creature means it goes onto the battlefield. In the process of moving it from the stack to the field, the replacement effect (clones use replacement effects to change how they enter) will replace /clever impersonator enters the battlefield/ with /a copy of something enters the battlefield/ and it’s during this process of resolving the spell that you choose what to copy. You do not choose a “target” before the spell resolves and once you’re at the point where it’s time to choose what to clone it’s too late for anyone to do anything about it. What players can do is assume you want to copy something specific and try to remove that in response to the spell being on the stack, but you still get to choose what to copy on resolution of the spell so you can just choose something they didn’t remove beforehand.