Agent of the Shadow Thieves MTG Card


Grants card advantage and resource acceleration, crucial for maintaining a strong hand and fast gameplay. Instant speed provides tactical flexibility to adapt to dynamic gameplay and opponent’s strategies. Discard requirement and specific mana cost can challenge deck consistency and hand management.
Card setsReleased in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost2
RarityUncommon
TypeLegendary Enchantment — Background

Text of card

Commander creatures you own have "Whenever this creature attacks a player, if no opponent has more life than that player, put a +1/+1 counter on this creature. It gains deathtouch and indestructible until end of turn."

Your skill, dexterity, and moral flexibility make you a valuable asset to your guild.


Cards like Agent of the Shadow Thieves

Agent of the Shadow Thieves finds its niche in Magic: The Gathering as a creature equipped with evasive maneuvers. It bears similarities to other creatures like Heir of the Night, which also deftly eludes blockers with its skulking prowess. While the Heir is straightforward in its ability, Agent of the Shadow Thieves has an edge with an additional layer — it allows for card filtering whenever it hits the opponent, a trait not found in the former.

Shadowmage Infiltrator is another card worthy of comparison. Sharing the fondness for stealth, this card too can slip past defenses, though its focus is on card draw rather than filtering. The trade-off here lies in the mana cost efficiency against the utility of selective card improvement. Lastly, we consider Whispering Shade, which is a blend of evasion and flexible power increase. While it doesn’t provide the immediate benefit of card filtering like Agent of the Shadow Thieves, it poses a scaling threat that can demand answers from opponents.

In essence, Agent of the Shadow Thieves stands strong amongst peers in the realm of elusive operatives in Magic: The Gathering. Its unique offer of card selection on successful damage can carve a path to victory through strategic hand management and unpredictability in play.

Shadowmage Infiltrator - MTG Card versions
Whispering Shade - MTG Card versions
Shadowmage Infiltrator - MTG Card versions
Whispering Shade - MTG Card versions

Cards similar to Agent of the Shadow Thieves by color, type and mana cost

Bad Moon - MTG Card versions
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Yawgmoth's Edict - MTG Card versions
Dying Wail - MTG Card versions
Insubordination - MTG Card versions
Mourning - MTG Card versions
Chains of Mephistopheles - MTG Card versions
Tribute to Horobi // Echo of Death's Wail - MTG Card versions
Bad Moon - MTG Card versions
Fear - MTG Card versions
Warp Artifact - MTG Card versions
Deathgrip - MTG Card versions
Animate Dead - MTG Card versions
Blight - MTG Card versions
Seizures - MTG Card versions
Leshrac's Sigil - MTG Card versions
Lim-Dûl's Hex - MTG Card versions
Dance of the Dead - MTG Card versions
Dark Privilege - MTG Card versions
Enfeeblement - MTG Card versions
Oath of Ghouls - MTG Card versions
Despondency - MTG Card versions
Yawgmoth's Edict - MTG Card versions
Dying Wail - MTG Card versions
Insubordination - MTG Card versions
Mourning - MTG Card versions
Chains of Mephistopheles - MTG Card versions
Tribute to Horobi // Echo of Death's Wail - MTG Card versions

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Agent of the Shadow Thieves ensures that you stay ahead in the game by offering the potential to draw extra cards, keeping your hand filled with options.

Resource Acceleration: This card aids in ramping up your available resources quickly, which can be crucial for outpacing your opponents and deploying threats earlier in the match.

Instant Speed: Its instant speed grants you the flexibility to react to your opponent’s moves or end-step surprises, ensuring that your strategy remains uninterrupted and responsive.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: One downside of Agent of the Shadow Thieves is the need to discard a card to fully utilize its abilities. This prerequisite can put you at a disadvantage, particularly when your hand is running low and every card counts.

Specific Mana Cost: The casting cost of this card necessitates a precise mana composition, which could restrict your deck-building options. Players may need to tailor their land base or mana-generating spells accordingly, potentially affecting the overall consistency of the deck.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a mana cost more elevated than some other options in the same card slot, Agent of the Shadow Thieves might compete for a place in your deck against alternatives that provide similar benefits without the hefty cost or restrictive discard condition.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Agent of the Shadow Thieves offers a flexible role in various deck types due to its unique ability to maneuver around opponent’s defenses and provide you with a steady flow of card advantage, fitting well into strategies that capitalize on direct damage and player disruption.

Combo Potential: This card’s ability to be virtually unblockable makes it an ideal component in synergistic strategies, enabling you to consistently connect with your opponent and enable combos that rely on dealing combat damage to a player.

Meta-Relevance: Given its low mana cost and evasive nature, Agent of the Shadow Thieves aligns well with aggressive strategies in the current competitive scene. It can quickly become a threat that demands an answer, making it a relevant choice for anyone looking to stay ahead in the evolving gameplay environment.


How to Beat

Agent of the Shadow Thieves presents a unique challenge in the realm of Magic: The Gathering gameplay. With its ability to slip past defenses by being unblockable as long as a player controls another Rogue, overcoming this threat requires strategic planning. One effective method is utilizing cards that remove creatures without targeting, such as board wiping spells like Wrath of God or Damnation, which circumvent the need to target and thus nullify the Agent’s evasive tactics.

Alternatively, cards that change a creature’s card type can be impactful, leaving the Agent without the necessary Rogue companion to maintain its unblockable status. This allows for traditional blocking strategies to come into play. Moreover, cards that impose restrictions on creature attacks or penalize the opponent for attacking can diminish the Agent’s utility, making it a less viable offensive option. Counterspells are also an excellent preemptive measure, intercepting the Agent before it ever becomes a threat on the board.

Ultimately, while the Agent of the Shadow Thieves can be a formidable card under the right circumstances, knowing how to destabilize its advantages can turn the tides of play in your favor, keeping you one step ahead in the game.


BurnMana Recommendations

With the agile and cunning Agent of the Shadow Thieves in your arsenal, your MTG strategies can sharply improve. Understanding the advantages and smartly navigating around the cons, this card can be a game-changer in your deck. As you refine your collection, evaluating cards like Agent of the Shadow Thieves is essential. They can offer unique strengths and open new pathways to victory. Curious about how to seamlessly integrate this card into your strategies, or looking to counteract its stealthy prowess in your matches? We provide insights and guidance on these tactics. Enhance your gameplay by diving deeper with us, where every draw leads you closer to becoming a master strategist.


Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Agent of the Shadow Thieves MTG card by a specific set like Commander Legends: Battle for Baldur's Gate and Commander Legends: Battle for Baldur's Gate, 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 Agent of the Shadow Thieves and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Agent of the Shadow Thieves Magic the Gathering card was released in 1 different sets between 2022-06-10 and 2022-06-10. Illustrated by Clare Wong.

#ReleasedNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12022-06-10Commander Legends: Battle for Baldur's GateCLB 1082015NormalBlackClare Wong
22022-06-10Commander Legends: Battle for Baldur's GateCLB 4932015NormalBlackClare Wong

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Agent of the Shadow Thieves has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderRestricted
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Agent of the Shadow Thieves card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.

Date Text
2022-06-10 An effect that checks whether you control your commander is satisfied if you control one or both of your two commanders.
2022-06-10 Both commanders start in the command zone, and the remaining 98 cards (or 58 cards in a Commander Draft game) of your deck are shuffled to become your library.
2022-06-10 Choose a Background is a variant of the partner ability. You may have two commanders if one of them is a legendary creature with the choose a background ability and the other is a legendary Background enchantment. Backgrounds and cards with choose a Background do not interact with cards which have any other partner ability.
2022-06-10 If a card refers to a commander creature you own, a Background won't usually be counted or included for that effect. If another spell or ability causes your Background to become a creature, however, it will be included. Any effect that refers to your commander or a commander you own or control without specifying creature will apply to a Background that is your commander, as appropriate.
2022-06-10 If something refers to your commander while you have two commanders, it refers to one of them of your choice. If you are instructed to perform an action on your commander (e.g. put it from the command zone into your hand due to Command Beacon), you choose one of your commanders at the time the effect happens.
2022-06-10 If you control a Background that grants an ability to commander creatures you own, and you own more than one commander creature, each of them will have that ability.
2022-06-10 If your Commander deck has two commanders, you can include only cards whose own color identities are also found in your commanders’ combined color identities.
2022-06-10 If your commander loses the choose a Background ability or stops being a Background during the game, as appropriate, it is still your commander.
2022-06-10 Once the game begins, your two commanders are tracked separately. If you cast one, you won’t have to pay an additional the first time you cast the other. A player loses the game after having been dealt 21 combat damage from any one of them, not from both of them combined (although your Background won’t usually be a creature anyway).
2022-06-10 The ability granted by Agent of the Shadow Thieves is looking to see if any of the attacking player's opponents have a higher life total than that defending player. The attacking player's life total is not included in this comparison.
2022-06-10 You can choose two commanders that are the same color or colors.