When my creature successfully attacks with an encoded cipher card attached, does the copy also have cipher? Wouldn't I be able to encode the copy of the original spell onto a new creature, having 2 creatures encoded, 1 from the original cipher and 1 from the encoded copy?
2 Answers
The first rule for Cipher says
Cipher appears on some instants and sorceries. It represents two abilities. The first is a spell ability that functions while the spell with cipher is on the stack. The second is a static ability that functions while the card with cipher is in the exile zone. "Cipher" means "If this spell is represented by a card, you may exile this card encoded on a creature you control" and "For as long as this card is encoded on that creature, that creature has 'Whenever this creature deals combat damage to a player, you may copy the encoded card and you may cast the copy without paying its mana cost.'"
When you first cast the spell with Cipher from your hand, it is a card, so you can encode it on a creature. When that creature deals combat damage to a player, you can cast a copy of the encoded spell. That copy is not represented by a card, so you can not encode it on a creature.
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7This is subtly mentioned in the reminder text as well: "Then you may exile this spell card encoded..." and "...cast a copy of the encoded card..." If it's a copy, it's not a card, so you can't do that.– CascabelMar 5, 2015 at 20:07
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Incidentally, even if you could encode the copies it would not do anything, because when you exiled them they would cease to exist and therefore would be unavailable to be copied when the new encode triggers occurred. The wording limiting encode to the original card is merely to remove confusion and misunderstandings. Sep 29, 2019 at 7:26
UNDERCITY PLAGUE
Sorcery
Taget player loses 1 life, discards a card, then sacrafices a permanent.
Cipher (Then you may exile this spell CARD encoded on a creature you control. Whenever that creature deals combat damage to a player, its controller may cast a COPY of the encoded CARD without paying its mana cost.)
This wording infers that the controller is copying a CARD not a SPELL so..... YES, YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO ENCODE IT TO AS MANY CREATURES AS YOU WANT BECAUSE YOU'RE COPYING A CARD NOT A SPELL
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3When you make a copy of a card, you don't get a card. A "card" has to be represented by a physical Magic card.– murgatroid99 ♦Jan 24, 2019 at 18:00
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1This is wrong. You may be casting a copy of that card, but the copy itself is not a card, it is at that point a spell on the stack. Without anything to exile it can not be exiled encoded on the card.– AndrewJan 24, 2019 at 20:11