Riptide Shapeshifter MTG Card
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 5 |
| Rarity | Uncommon |
| Type | Creature — Shapeshifter |
| Released | 2002-10-07 |
| Set symbol | |
| Set name | Onslaught |
| Set code | ONS |
| Power | 3 |
| Toughness | 3 |
| Number | 109 |
| Frame | 1997 |
| Layout | normal |
| Border | black |
| Illustred by | Arnie Swekel |
Key Takeaways
- Manipulates gameplay by searching for precise creature types, effectively altering the game’s course.
- Demands strategic hand and mana management due to its specific play requirements.
- Its uniqueness shines compared to similar creature-tutoring cards, offering targeted control.
Text of card
o Uo U, Sacrifice Riptide Shapeshifter: Choose a creature type. Reveal cards from the top of your library until you reveal a creature card of that type. Put that card into play and shuffle the rest into your library.
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Riptide Shapeshifter offers the ability to dig through your deck for a crucial creature card, aligning well with strategies that rely on specific creatures to turn the tide in your favor.
Resource Acceleration: By allowing you to directly put a creature onto the battlefield, this card circumvents the need for the usual mana costs, effectively accelerating the deployment of high-cost creatures that could otherwise stagnate in your hand.
Instant Speed: The ability to activate Riptide Shapeshifter at the end of your opponent’s turn gives you the tactical edge of surprise and keeps your options flexible throughout the game. It interacts on the stack, offering dynamic responses that can disrupt your adversary’s plans.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: While the ability to transform into another creature is a powerful tool, Riptide Shapeshifter asks you to part with a card from your hand. This demand can be a tough call, especially when your hand size is dwindling and every card counts.
Specific Mana Cost: Deployment of the Riptide Shapeshifter onto the battlefield comes with a specific requirement of blue mana. This can inevitably tie you to blue-focused or blue-inclusive decks, reducing the versatility for those who might want to incorporate this shapeshifter into a different color scheme.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: Investing a total of five mana, three generic and two blue, to summon the Riptide Shapeshifter is a significant allocation of resources. While the potential payoff is great, players may find that in faster-paced games or mana-constrained situations, other creatures or spells could provide more immediate impact or flexibility.
Reasons to Include Riptide Shapeshifter in Your Collection
Versatility: Riptide Shapeshifter thrives in diverse deck builds, adeptly fitting into strategies that emphasize creature type manipulation or surprise element within the game.
Combo Potential: This card can selectively churn out powerful creatures from your deck, setting the stage for game-winning combinations or turning the tide with just the right creature to answer your current predicament.
Meta-Relevance: Given the right deck, Riptide Shapeshifter can adapt to the shifting meta, acting as a silver bullet to find the perfect creature to counter prevalent decks or strategies in the game.
How to beat
Riptide Shapeshifter offers unique flexibility on the battlefield, allowing players to adapt to various situations in Magic: The Gathering. The card’s ability to search for a creature card in your library that fits a chosen creature type can be a game changer. To effectively counter this strategy, the best move is to limit the Shapeshifter’s options. Tools such as graveyard disruption, which can remove potential creature targets from the game, can cripple its ability to fetch a powerful creature. Additionally, instant-speed removal spells are crucial, as they can deal with the Shapeshifter before its ability is activated.
It is also strategic to keep up counter spells when playing against decks that contain the Riptide Shapeshifter. Being ready to counter not only the activation of the Shapeshifter’s ability but also the creatures it may bring into play can prevent your opponent from gaining a significant advantage. Furthermore, effects that prohibit searching the library can be a silver bullet against the card. A well-timed Aven Mindcensor or Ashiok, Dream Render can shut down the Shapeshifter’s powerful tutoring ability, leaving your opponent with fewer paths to victory.
Always be aware of the creature types in your opponent’s deck when they are playing the Riptide Shapeshifter. This awareness can guide your counterplay, helping you to make informed decisions about which spells to hold back and when to play them. Preventative measures will often give you the upper hand against the unique and flexible capabilities of the Riptide Shapeshifter.
Cards like Riptide Shapeshifter
Riptide Shapeshifter offers a unique approach to creature tutoring in Magic: The Gathering. A comparable card is Proteus Staff, which also reshuffles a creature into its owner’s library, then reveals cards from the top until a creature is discovered. Yet, Riptide Shapeshifter gives players control by naming a creature type, ensuring you receive exactly what’s needed for your strategy. Proteus Staff, conversely, introduces an element of unpredictability into the mix.
Another parallel can be drawn with the card Polymorph. Like Riptide Shapeshifter, Polymorph transforms one of your creatures but does so by destroying the creature first before revealing the top cards for a replacement creature. The certainty gained with Riptide Shapeshifter’s ability to name a specific creature type can be a game-changer, particularly in decks built around certain creature synergies.
Ultimately, while these cards share a theme of morphing and tutoring creatures, Riptide Shapeshifter stands out by providing targeted consistency for players to sculpt their creature-based game plans with precision. Its ability to pinpoint a creature type makes it a strategic cornerstone in many creature-focused MTG decks.
Cards similar to Riptide Shapeshifter by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Riptide Shapeshifter MTG card by a specific set like Onslaught, 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 Riptide Shapeshifter and other MTG cards:
- eBay
- TCG Player
- Card Kingdom
- Card Market
- Star City Games
- CoolStuffInc
- MTG Mint Card
- Hareruya
- Troll and Toad
- ABU Games
- Card Hoarder Magic Online
- MTGO Traders Magic Online
See Magic products
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Riptide Shapeshifter has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Restricted |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Premodern | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Predh | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
