Mutilate against aggro?
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Everything in my sidedeck are just some interesting cards...
The "if this spell is represented by a card" clause is the relevant one here. The copy is not a card, so executing the "cipher" spell ability has no effect for it. It will not go into exile and it will not be encoded on anything.Even if the copy is a card, though, encoding a copy of a spell would do absolutely nothing, because of another rule:704.5e. ... If a copy of a card is in any zone other than the stack or the battlefield, it ceases to exist.
This is correct, it only affects creatures in play on the moment the card resolves
@Vines: you are wrong. This is the cipher rule:702.97a. 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 "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.'"
@ Vines: You can encode only ONCE withe cipher. The rulings say that copies cease to exist once resolved, and when exiled they would also cease to exist.