Shapeshifters MTG Card
| Type | Card |
| Released | 2022-12-03 |
| Set symbol | |
| Set name | Jumpstart 2022 Front Cards |
| Set code | FJ22 |
| Number | 16 |
| Frame | 2015 |
| Layout | Token |
| Border | Black |
| Illustred by | Daarken |
Key Takeaways
- Shapeshifters can mimic abilities, gaining card advantage and fulfilling multiple battlefield roles.
- Flash allows shapeshifters to be played at instant speed, posing a constant threat to opponents.
- They may have higher mana costs and require a diverse mana base for optimal play.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Shapeshifters MTG card by a specific set like Jumpstart 2022 Front Cards, 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 Shapeshifters 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
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Card Pros
Card Advantage: Shapeshifters often come with built-in mechanic that mimics other creatures or their abilities. This versatility can lead to significant card advantage as one shapeshifter card has the potential to fulfill multiple roles depending on the board state, effectively doing the job of several cards.
Resource Acceleration: Many shapeshifters offer a cost-effective way to deploy a powerful presence on the battlefield, especially if they copy high-cost creatures. This effectively accelerates your resource utilization, allowing for more impactful plays earlier in the game.
Instant Speed: Some shapeshifter cards boast flash, allowing you to deploy them at instant speed. This can lead to unexpected combat tricks or the ability to adapt to new threats immediately, keeping your opponents on their toes and forcing them to consider an additional layer of complexity during their turns.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Many shapeshifter cards come with an element of unpredictability that can force you to discard, potentially putting you at a disadvantage if you do not have adequate hand size management.
Specific Mana Cost: Shapeshifters often require a diverse color pie for their transformative abilities, which can require a meticulously crafted mana base to ensure you have the right colors available when needed.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: The unique flexibility of shapeshifters typically comes with higher mana costs compared to other tribes, possibly slowing down your game plan if you’re unable to ramp quickly enough.
Reasons to Include Shapeshifters in Your Collection
Versatility: Shapeshifters offer an unprecedented level of adaptability in decks, as they can change their creature types to fit any tribal strategy, ensuring they’re never out of place.
Combo Potential: Many shapeshifters come with unique abilities that can be combined with a wide array of cards for powerful and unexpected synergies.
Meta-Relevance: Given their ability to impersonate the most advantageous creatures in the game, shapeshifters can provide a significant edge against a variety of popular decks shaping the current competitive scene.
How to beat
Shapeshifters in MTG present a unique challenge with their versatile abilities and the capacity to adapt their identities on the battlefield. Defeating these elusive creatures often requires a strategic approach tailored to their mutable nature. Removal spells are a reliable method of dealing with Shapeshifters; spells like Path to Exile or Fatal Push can effectively clear these changelings off the board before they can exploit their synergies or adopted abilities.
Targeted removal aside, one way to stifle a Shapeshifter strategy is to limit the tools at their disposal. Cards like Grafdigger’s Cage can prevent Shapeshifters from using the graveyard as a resource, which is a common tactic for these types. Additionally, continuous board wipes like Wrath of God can keep their numbers in check, hindering the cumulative power Shapeshifters can often reach in tribal decks. Bear in mind, knowing the Shapeshifters in your opponent’s deck provides an opportunity to anticipate their plays and preemptively counter the creatures they are likely to mimic.
Tactics and timing are key; thus, maintaining a mix of removal and counter spells provides the best chance to outmaneuver Shapeshifter strategies, ensuring that their adaptability doesn’t outpace your control of the game.
Cards like Shapeshifters
In the diverse world of Magic: The Gathering, Shapeshifters hold a unique position as versatile chameleons, often compared to Clone effects or creature types like Changeling. Shapeshifters like Unsettled Mariner blur the lines between creature types, offering a layer of protection usually reserved for more specialized tribe members. On the flip side, cards like Clone mandate a target as they enter the battlefield, thereby restricting autonomy but offering precision replication.
Mirroring a different strategy, Metallic Mimic confers a lasting boost to creatures of a chosen type, unlike most Shapeshifters that adapt on the fly. Changelings, such as Chameleon Colossus, stand out as an all-in-one creature solution, embracing all creature types, whereas typical Shapeshifters like Vesuvan Shapeshifter focus on flexibility and surprise, often entering the battlefield as a copy of any creature on the field at the moment. This allows for a reactive game plan adaptable to the evolving battlefield.
When reviewing the realm of versatile creatures in Magic: The Gathering, Shapeshifters offer unparalleled adaptability, fitting into multiple deck styles and strategies. Their inherent ability to become whatever is most needed at any given moment gives them a prominent place in the metagame.
