Zhalfirin Shapecraft MTG Card
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 2 |
| Rarity | Common |
| Type | Instant |
| Released | 2023-04-21 |
| Set symbol | |
| Set name | March of the Machine |
| Set code | MOM |
| Number | 87 |
| Frame | 2015 |
| Layout | Normal |
| Border | Black |
| Illustred by | Aldo Domínguez |
Text of card
Target creature has base power and toughness 4/3 until end of turn. Draw a card.
Patient and observant, the people of Zhalfir lurked beyond the veil of time until their moment came to finally strike at Phyrexia.
Cards like Zhalfirin Shapecraft
Zhalfirin Shapecraft is a unique piece of the MTG tactical puzzle, intriguingly aligned with other mana-efficient creatures. It mirrors the adaptability of cards like Adaptive Automaton, which also offers a boon to creatures of a chosen type, although Zhalfirin Shapecraft doesn’t provide the same static power and toughness boost. Instead, it has the flexibility of changing its creature type each turn, making it highly versatile in tribal decks.
Comparably, there is Metallic Mimic, another creature that can bolster the forces of a chosen type, yet its effect is permanent granting a +1/+1 counter to subsequent creatures of the typed that enters the battlefield under your control. Unlike the Zhalfirin Shapecraft, Metallic Mimic lacks in versatility turn over turn but provides a longer-term power increment. Furthermore, Mirror Entity stands out as a creature that can also shift its type. However, it doesn’t merely change its own type; it has the potential to affect all creatures you control and can be a game-changer by providing a massive, albeit costly, boost to your entire board.
When comparing these cards, Zhalfirin Shapecraft serves as a testament to card design that caters to strategic flexibility, blending in with different tribes and enabling varied synergies across your MTG deck with each turn’s fresh declarations.
Cards similar to Zhalfirin Shapecraft by color, type and mana cost
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Zhalfirin Shapecraft’s ability to potentially transform into a different creature each turn offers a flexible advantage on the battlefield. This provides dynamic gameplay, allowing for surprise shifts in strategy and the element of unpredictability against your opponent.
Resource Acceleration: While this card directly does not accelerate resources, its ability to adapt can indirectly give you the upper hand in resource management. By adapting to the needs of the game, you can conserve resources for more critical plays, ensuring you make the most of each card and mana available.
Instant Speed: The capacity to change into another creature at instant speed is a significant tactical pro. This trait enables you to react to your opponent’s moves on their turn, potentially thwarting their strategy or making advantageous trades that they didn’t foresee.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: While the transformative ability of Zhalfirin Shapecraft can be quite impressive, activating it comes at the expense of another card in your hand. This requirement to discard can potentially set you back, especially if you’re already facing a dwindling hand size, leaving you at a disadvantage in maintaining card advantage over your opponent.
Specific Mana Cost: Zhalfirin Shapecraft’s mana cost is pigeonholed into white mana, necessitating a dedicated amount of this color in your mana base. This specificity can constrain deck building, as it requires a strong commitment to white mana or a well-tuned mana fixing strategy to ensure that you can consistently cast it on curve.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: The cost to cast Zhalfirin Shapecraft is not insubstantial. Needing two white mana and two of any other type means that you’re committing four mana to a card that doesn’t immediately impact the board by itself. There are alternative cards in the same mana range that can potentially have a more immediate or powerful effect on the game state, making Zhalfirin Shapecraft a costly inclusion for the benefit it provides.
Reasons to Include Zhalfirin Shapecraft in Your Collection
Versatility: Zhalfirin Shapecraft is adept at seamlessly blending into various deck archetypes. Its ability to adapt to the board state makes it an invaluable piece in decks that thrive on flexible strategies.
Combo Potential: This card holds the potential to become a keystone in intricate combos, complementing mechanics that rely on creature type modifications or switching roles on the battlefield.
Meta-Relevance: Given its chameleon-like nature, Zhalfirin Shapecraft has a place in a meta that values adaptability and surprise, able to side-step targeted removal or slip past unsuspecting defenses.
How to beat
Zhalfirin Shapecraft is a versatile creature card that can adapt to different combat scenarios in Magic: The Gathering. To effectively counter this card, it’s crucial to neutralize its shapeshifting ability, which is the core of its strength. Removal spells that do not rely on targeting a specific creature type are your best bet. This includes universal removals such as Doom Blade or board wipes like Wrath of God to clear the battlefield of creatures, including any Shapecraft that might be camouflaged as another type.
Another strategy is to undercut the basis of the Zhalfirin Shapecraft’s power by controlling the creature types present on the battlefield. Cards like Cavern of Souls can prevent creature spells from being countered, rendering the Shapecraft’s ability advantage less effective, as it remains confined to the types specified. By anticipating and managing the types of creatures played, you can mitigate the impact of Zhalfirin Shapecraft’s adaptability in your matches.
Lastly, since Zhalfirin Shapecraft relies on being active on the battlefield to utilize its ability, instant-speed removal spells can disrupt your opponent’s plans mid-combat. Consider incorporating spells like Path to Exile to deal with it before the Shapecraft’s ability can be activated, maintaining control over the pace and outcome of combat phases.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Zhalfirin Shapecraft MTG card by a specific set like March of the Machine, 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 Zhalfirin Shapecraft 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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Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Zhalfirin Shapecraft has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Standard | Legal |
| Historicbrawl | Legal |
| Historic | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Gladiator | Legal |
| Alchemy | Legal |
| Pioneer | Legal |
| Commander | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Pauper | Legal |
| Future | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Explorer | Legal |
| Brawl | Legal |
| Timeless | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Zhalfirin Shapecraft card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2023-04-14 | Effects that modify a creature’s power and/or toughness, such as the effect of Titanic Growth, will apply to the creature no matter when they started to take effect. The same is true for any counters that change its power and/or toughness and effects that switch its power and toughness. |
| 2023-04-14 | Zhalfirin Shapecraft doesn’t affect the creature’s card types, creature types, or abilities. |
| 2023-04-14 | Zhalfirin Shapecraft overwrites all previous effects that set the creature’s base power and toughness to specific values. Any power- or toughness-setting effects that start to apply after the ability resolves will overwrite this effect. |