A-Thousand-Faced Shadow MTG Card

A-Thousand-Faced Shadow - Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	1
Rarity	Rare
Type	Creature — Human Ninja
Abilities	Flying,Ninjutsu
Released	2022-02-18
Set symbol
Set name	Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty
Set code	NEO
Power	1
Toughness	1
Number	A-86
Frame	2015
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Ekaterina Burmak

Key Takeaways

Refreshes your hand and manipulates card flow, offering distinct advantages during gameplay.
Instant speed play allows for adaptable, reactive strategies, tailoring to in-game situations.
Discard requirement and specific mana cost are trade-offs for its powerful versatility and combos.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase A-Thousand-Faced Shadow MTG card by a specific set like Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty, there are several reliable options to consider. One of the primary sources is your local game store, where you can often find booster packs, individual cards, and preconstructed decks from current and some past sets. They often offer the added benefit of a community where you can trade with other players.

For a broader inventory, particularly of older sets, online marketplaces like TCGPlayer, Card Kingdom and Card Market offer extensive selections and allow you to search for cards from specific sets. Larger e-commerce platforms like eBay and Amazon also have listings from various sellers, which can be a good place to look for sealed product and rare finds.

Additionally, Magic’s official site often has a store locator and retailer lists for finding Wizards of the Coast licensed products. Remember to check for authenticity and the condition of the cards when purchasing, especially from individual sellers on larger marketplaces.

Below is a list of some store websites where you can buy the A-Thousand-Faced Shadow and other MTG cards:

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Text of card

Ninjutsu (, Return an unblocked attacker you control to hand: Put this card onto the battlefield from your hand tapped and attacking.) Flying When Thousand-Faced Shadow enters the battlefield from your hand, if it's attacking, create a token that's a copy of another target attacking creature. The token enters the battlefield tapped and attacking.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: A-Thousand-Faced Shadow offers players the ability to reshuffle their hand into their library and draw that many cards, which can significantly refresh options and maintain card flow during a match.

Resource Acceleration: When leveraging A-Thousand-Faced Shadow’s ability to cast it from exile, gamers have the opportunity to play it without spending mana from their hand, which can lead to a strategic advantage for future turns.

Instant Speed: This card’s flexibility at instant speed enables reactive playstyles, allowing players to wait for the optimal moment to cast it, thus maximizing their tactical decisions against an opponent’s moves.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: A limitation of A-Thousand-Faced Shadow is its discard requirement, forcing players to lose another card from their hand. This can be particularly challenging during the late game when card advantage is crucial.

Specific Mana Cost: This card demands a certain combination of mana to play. The specificity of the mana cost can make it hard to integrate into multicolored decks or those running on a tight mana base.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a mana value that is on the higher side for its abilities, A-Thousand-Faced Shadow may be less appealing compared to other options. Players often look for more cost-efficient creatures or effects that provide a similar level of utility or power on the battlefield.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: A-Thousand-Faced Shadow fits snugly into a diverse array of deck archetypes, particularly those that favor strategies around changing creature types or utilizing various tribal benefits.

Combo Potential: The shapeshifting nature of this card unlocks synergies with numerous other cards, enabling creative combinations that can adapt and evolve mid-game to outmaneuver opponents.

Meta-Relevance: With games increasingly becoming about strategic adaptability, A-Thousand-Faced Shadow can be a game-changer in a meta that values flexibility and the ability to exploit an opponent’s weakness through creature type manipulation.

How to beat

A-Thousand-Faced Shadow adds complexity to creature strategies in Magic: The Gathering with its shapeshifting abilities. This creature card can be a challenge to face due to its versatility on the battlefield. To effectively counter A-Thousand-Faced Shadow, consider using spot removal spells at instant speed. Eliminating it before it can clone an impactful creature on the board is key. You’ll want removal spells that can bypass its potential indestructible or hexproof abilities given by the creature it’s copying.

Board wipes are another reliable method, able to clear multiple threats including A-Thousand-Faced Shadow. Cards like Wrath of God or Damnation work efficiently as they don’t target specifically and can thus remove even a well-protected Shadow. Exile effects are especially potent as they prevent the Shadow from recurring or activating graveyard abilities it might have copied.

Denying your opponent’s graveyard access with cards like Rest in Peace or Leyline of the Void also undermines A-Thousand-Faced Shadow’s potential, as it needs a diverse graveyard to maximize its ability. In summary, keep removal handy, consider universal solutions, and disrupt graveyard strategies to handle A-Thousand-Faced Shadow’s deceptive threat in your MTG games.

Cards like A-Thousand-Faced Shadow

A-Thousand-Faced Shadow has caught the attention of players who appreciate versatile creatures in Magic: The Gathering. This card echoes the abilities of other elusive creatures like Dimir Infiltrator, which can also be unblockable. Both are great for sneaking past defenses, but A-Thousand-Faced Shadow offers an additional layer of adaptability with its myriad ability, allowing for a varied and potentially more unpredictable gameplay.

Another counterpart in this realm is Invisible Stalker, which also offers unblockability coupled with hexproof, providing persistent board presence. A-Thousand-Faced Shadow, while lacking hexproof, compensates with the potential to copy any creature on the battlefield, gaining its abilities and potentially more power. Latch Seeker also enters this conversation as an unblockable creature, offering straightforward aggression. However, it doesn’t provide the flexibility or the potential power boost that comes with A-Thousand-Faced Shadow’s transformative nature.

Ultimately, A-Thousand-Faced Shadow is a valuable addition to any deck that seeks to capitalize on evasion and adaptability. It provides a strategic advantage that can adapt as the game progresses, setting it apart from similar cards in Magic: The Gathering’s vast array of creatures.