Price$4.57 – $5.59
Buy on TCGplayerSaw in Half
Instant
LegalRemovalRank #594
Destroy target creature. If that creature dies this way, its controller creates two tokens that are copies of that creature, except their power is half that creature's power and their toughness is half that creature's toughness. Round up each time.
Why is this card good?
Saw in Half is a black instant that's secretly one of the best ETB-doublers in the format. The "destroy" wording lets you target your own creature, sacrificing it to a removal spell and getting two copies — each retriggering enter-the-battlefield abilities and dies-triggers.
The power/toughness halving is almost irrelevant when your creature has a big ETB. Cast it on Solemn Simulacrum (ramp + draw twice), Massacre Wurm, Gray Merchant of Asphodel for a doubled drain, or any value engine. In aristocrats decks, you turn one creature into two bodies plus a death trigger — fantastic with Blood Artist effects.
It also functions as flexible interaction: at instant speed, you can destroy an opponent's commander or a creature with no relevant ETB and just leave them two tiny tokens (often a fine trade against a problem threat).
Skip it if your creatures are vanilla beaters or rely on counters/auras — you'll just hand opponents value. It shines in ETB-matters, sacrifice, and reanimator-adjacent black decks.
Related cards
Twinflame
Copy effect exploiting creatures with ETB triggers like Saw in Half.
Feldon of the Third Path
Creates copies of creatures to abuse ETB value.
Helm of the Host
Repeatedly makes token copies for ETB synergy.
Spark Double
Clones a creature to double up on enter triggers.
Rite of Replication
Mass token copies of high-value creatures, similar payoff.
Mimic Vat
Recurring token copies of creatures that died, like Saw in Half's outputs.
Cackling Counterpart
Instant-speed copy of a creature for ETB value.
Printings (5)
Played by these commanders
Hazel of the Rootbloom100% of 1
Rulings (8)
- 2025-09-19
Except for power and toughness, the tokens copy exactly what was printed on the original creature and nothing else (unless that creature was copying something else or it's a token; see below). They don't copy whether that creature was tapped or untapped, whether it had any counters on it or Auras and Equipment attached to it, and so on.
- 2025-09-19
If the original creature had a characteristic-defining ability that determined its power and/or toughness, that ability is not copied.
- 2025-09-19
If the copied creature had
in its mana cost, X is 0. - 2025-09-19
If the copied creature was a token, the new tokens copy the original characteristics of that token as stated by the effect that created the token, with the listed exceptions.
- 2025-09-19
If the copied creature was copying something else, then the tokens enter the battlefield as whatever that creature copied, with the listed exceptions.
- 2025-09-19
Any enters-the-battlefield abilities of the copied creature will trigger when the tokens enter the battlefield. Any "as [this creature] enters" or "[this creature] enters with" abilities of the copied creature will also work.
- 2025-09-19
If the creature isn't destroyed (perhaps because it has indestructible), its controller doesn't create any tokens. The same is true if the creature is destroyed but instead of going to its owner's graveyard, a replacement effect moves it elsewhere, such as exile.
- 2025-09-19
Use the power and toughness of the creature from when it was last on the battlefield to determine the power and toughness of the tokens.