Token Copy of a Transformed Card
Judge Level 2The old judge answer has become wrong: today the token has both faces.
Cards involved
The transformed Delver
Your Delver of Secrets has transformed and is out as Insectile Aberration (3/2, flying). You cast Cackling Counterpart: a token that's a copy of the creature.
What happens?
What is the token?
The classic judge trick question:
Pick an answer to continue.
707.8aIf an effect creates a token that is a copy of a double-faced permanent or a double-faced card not on the battlefield, the resulting token is a double-faced token that has both a front face and a back face. The characteristics of each face are determined by the copiable values of the same face of the permanent or card it is a copy of, as modified by any other copy effects that apply to that object. If the token is a copy of a double-faced permanent with its back face up, the token enters the battlefield with its back face up. This rule does not apply to tokens that are created with their own set of characteristics and enter the battlefield as a copy of a double-faced object due to a replacement effect.
712.9Only permanents represented by double-faced tokens and double-faced cards that are not meld cards can transform or convert. (See rule 701.27, “Transform,” and rule 701.28, “Convert.”) If a spell or ability instructs a player to transform or convert any permanent that isn’t represented by a double-faced token or a double-faced card, nothing happens.
The token lands
A second 3/2 flyer. If an effect "transformed" it, its Delver front face would show — token copies of single-faced cards, on the other hand, still do nothing when told to transform.
707.8aIf an effect creates a token that is a copy of a double-faced permanent or a double-faced card not on the battlefield, the resulting token is a double-faced token that has both a front face and a back face. The characteristics of each face are determined by the copiable values of the same face of the permanent or card it is a copy of, as modified by any other copy effects that apply to that object. If the token is a copy of a double-faced permanent with its back face up, the token enters the battlefield with its back face up. This rule does not apply to tokens that are created with their own set of characteristics and enter the battlefield as a copy of a double-faced object due to a replacement effect.
Beware of outdated knowledge
The old answer ("copies the current face only, can never transform") sat in judge forums for years — it has been WRONG since 2021. Check the date on your sources before arguing at the table.
707.8aIf an effect creates a token that is a copy of a double-faced permanent or a double-faced card not on the battlefield, the resulting token is a double-faced token that has both a front face and a back face. The characteristics of each face are determined by the copiable values of the same face of the permanent or card it is a copy of, as modified by any other copy effects that apply to that object. If the token is a copy of a double-faced permanent with its back face up, the token enters the battlefield with its back face up. This rule does not apply to tokens that are created with their own set of characteristics and enter the battlefield as a copy of a double-faced object due to a replacement effect.
712.9Only permanents represented by double-faced tokens and double-faced cards that are not meld cards can transform or convert. (See rule 701.27, “Transform,” and rule 701.28, “Convert.”) If a spell or ability instructs a player to transform or convert any permanent that isn’t represented by a double-faced token or a double-faced card, nothing happens.
Stack
Delver of Secrets // Insectile Aberration
Transformed: Insectile Aberration (3/2, flying)
Cackling Counterpart
Create a token that's a copy of your creature
Copy: Delver of Secrets // Insectile Aberration
Double-faced token — enters as the Aberration
The stack is empty.
Battlefield
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