Shameless Charlatan MTG Card
2022-06-10 - Number 488
2022-06-10 - Number 96
2022-06-10 - Number 96s
| Card sets | Released in 3 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 2 |
| Rarity | Rare |
| Type | Legendary Enchantment — Background |
Text of card
Commander creatures you own have ": This creature becomes a copy of another target creature."
You see your next disguise in every stranger's smile.
Cards like Shameless Charlatan
Shameless Charlatan blurs the line between deceit and duplicity in your Magic: The Gathering arsenal. Its doppelganger ability is a game-changer, allowing you to copy other creatures for just a moment. Reflecting on other transformative cards, Vesuvan Shapeshifter stands out, offering a repeated clone effect every turn but at a higher mana investment and setup cost.
Whereas Mirror Image comes at a lower cost, it simply clones a creature on entry without the adaptability of changing targets later on, unlike Shameless Charlatan. Then there’s Progenitor Mimic, combining replication with population, able to create endless copies of itself or another creature, although it comes with a considerable mana cost that might prevent the flexibility offered by Shameless Charlatan.
Evaluating these related cards, Shameless Charlatan provides tactical versatility that can be pivotal in dynamic gameplay scenarios, catering to players who prize flexibility and surprise in their MTG strategies without draining their mana pool.
Cards similar to Shameless Charlatan by color, type and mana cost
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Shameless Charlatan provides the ability to copy other creatures’ activated abilities, potentially leading to gaining additional effects or advantages without extra card expenditure.
Resource Acceleration: Through its copying ability, Shameless Charlatan can mimic effects of creatures that ramp up your mana, thereby accelerating your resources in a strategic manner.
Instant Speed: Although Shameless Charlatan itself doesn’t operate at instant speed, by copying creatures with abilities usable at instant speed, it effectively grants you more flexible and reactive play options during any phase of the game.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: One of the hurdles when playing Shameless Charlatan in your deck is the necessity to discard a card to activate its ability. This can sometimes backfire, especially in games where maintaining card advantage is crucial, leaving you behind if you’re not careful with your resources.
Specific Mana Cost: Shameless Charlatan comes with a particular mana cost that demands both blue and red mana. This specificity can sometimes restrict its inclusion to only certain types of decks, generally those focused on an Izzet (blue-red) strategy, potentially excluding it from mono-color or other two-color combinations that could benefit from its abilities.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a cost to cast that isn’t negligible, Shameless Charlatan can be deemed quite mana-intensive in comparison to other options available in the format. The initial investment may not always equate to a favorable return, particularly when faster or more impactful plays are needed in a tight match situation.
Reasons to Include Shameless Charlatan in Your Collection
Versatility: The ability of Shameless Charlatan to copy other creatures makes it a flexible addition to any deck. Its potential to adapt to the dynamic needs of the game can be a strategic asset, whether you’re in need of aggression or defense.
Combo Potential: With the power to mimic other creatures’ abilities, this card can be the lynchpin in a variety of combo setups. Whether you’re aiming to employ enter-the-battlefield effects or powerful activated abilities, Shameless Charlatan ensures that your deck can capitalize on those synergies.
Meta-Relevance: Considering the place of creature-based strategies in the evolving MTG meta, Shameless Charlatan holds its ground. The game often rewards versatility and adaptability, with this card allowing players to stay one step ahead by matching the most advantageous traits present on the board.
How to beat
Shameless Charlatan offers a unique twist on creature control in Magic: The Gathering. This card allows players to temporarily take over opponents’ creatures, but it comes with a notable catch—it requires not only a mana investment but also that Charlatan remains untapped.
Countering this tricky character hinges on your ability to disrupt this setup. Removal spells are a straightforward solution, targeting Charlatan before it can mimic anything on the board. Countermeasures also include keeping mana open for instant-speed responses when your opponent attempts to activate its ability. Meanwhile, strategies employing creatures with hexproof or shroud can inherently avoid falling prey to the Charlatan’s deceptive power, as they cannot be targeted by its ability.
For a tactical advantage, flash creatures can alter board states unexpectedly, rendering Charlatan’s ability less effective. Also, incorporating cards that tap or incapacitate creatures will render Charlatan useless, unable to exploit its power without the freedom to untap. Taking these measures into consideration will help ensure that your opponents’ Shameless Charlatans are kept in check, allowing you to maintain control of your creatures and the game at large.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Shameless Charlatan 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 Shameless Charlatan and other MTG cards:
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- eBay
- 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
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Printings
The Shameless Charlatan Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2022-06-10 and 2022-06-10. Illustrated by Inka Schulz.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2022-06-10 | Commander Legends: Battle for Baldur's Gate | CLB | 488 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Inka Schulz | |
| 2 | 2022-06-10 | Commander Legends: Battle for Baldur's Gate | CLB | 96 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Inka Schulz | |
| 3 | 2022-06-10 | Battle for Baldur's Gate Promos | PCLB | 96s | 2015 | Normal | Black | Inka Schulz |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Shameless Charlatan has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Shameless Charlatan 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 Shameless Charlatan is your commander and somehow becomes a creature, and you use the ability it grants itself to make it a copy of another creature, it will no longer have its ability so it would no longer grant the activated ability to commander creatures you own (including itself). |
| 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 becomes a copy of something else while you control Shameless Charlatan, it will still be your commander and it will still have the ability granted to it. |
| 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 copy effect doesn't have a duration. It lasts until the commander leaves the battlefield, though another copy effect with a later timestamp (perhaps from a new activation of the ability granted by Shameless Charlatan) would override the effect for as long as it's active. |
| 2022-06-10 | You can choose two commanders that are the same color or colors. |