Jwari Shapeshifter MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost2
RarityRare
TypeCreature — Shapeshifter Ally
Power 0
Toughness 0

Key Takeaways

  1. Jwari Shapeshifter’s copy ability offers card advantage by duplicating powerful creatures’ abilities and synergies.
  2. This MTG card can offer strategic plays at high tempo, indirectly contributing to resource acceleration in games.
  3. With the right deck build and strategy, Jwari Shapeshifter can increase its impact, even at instant speed.

Text of card

You may have Jwari Shapeshifter enter the battlefield as a copy of any Ally creature on the battlefield.

"The best expedition would be an entire team of me."


Card Pros

Card Advantage: The flexible copy ability of Jwari Shapeshifter serves as a card advantage strategy by letting it become a copy of any Ally creature you control. This adaptability ensures you always have the most beneficial creature type for your current board situation, effectively duplicating your best creature’s abilities and synergies without spending additional cards.

Resource Acceleration: Although Jwari Shapeshifter itself does not directly accelerate resources, its clone mechanic enables you to have more instances of your powerful Allies that might. This can often lead to faster development of your board state, and indirectly contribute to mana efficiency by offering high-impact plays without the cost of casting another high-mana creature.

Instant Speed: As a creature with a clone effect, Jwari Shapeshifter can technically be played at instant speed if combined with flash-enabling abilities or cards. While not an instant by itself, the strategic deployment of this shapeshifter could be as valuable as an instant, allowing savvy players to wait for the optimum moment to bring this creature into play—be it after an opponent’s removal action or when the optimal target for copying enters the battlefield.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Playing Jwari Shapeshifter requires you to have another creature card to reveal in your hand, which can be a strategic weakness if your hand is depleted of creatures or if you’re trying to maintain card advantage.

Specific Mana Cost: Jwari Shapeshifter demands a blue mana to cast. This specificity can restrict its playability to decks that run predominantly blue or that have a reliable mana base to accommodate blue spells, potentially excluding it from various multicolored or non-blue strategies.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: While its mana cost is not exorbitant, Jwari Shapeshifter’s requirement of two mana, including a blue, can be considered high due to its dependency on another creature’s presence. There are other clone effects in the game that might offer more flexibility or have an immediate impact on the game state for the same or lower mana investment.


Reasons to Include Jwari Shapeshifter in Your Collection

Versatility: Jwari Shapeshifter boasts a flexible role in many deck styles. As a Clone creature, it can adapt to various board states by copying the most powerful creatures in play, tailoring its function to your current needs.

Combo Potential: This card thrives in decks with strong enter-the-battlefield effects or as part of a combo with legendary creatures, since it doesn’t copy the legendary rule. When paired with powerful allies, it can significantly amplify your strategic plays.

Meta-Relevance: In a fluctuating metagame, Jwari Shapeshifter’s value increases as it can mimic the most impactful creatures opponents are using. This adaptability makes it a smart addition for players looking to stay competitive regardless of the shifting meta.


How to Beat Jwari Shapeshifter

Jwari Shapeshifter thrives on its ability to clone another creature on the battlefield, often becoming a formidable presence your opponents won’t easily shake. The card’s potential grows with each powerful creature you control, making it seem like an insurmountable hurdle when at its best. However, there are several strategies to disrupt the synergy this card relies on.

Removal spells are potent tools against Jwari Shapeshifter. By targeting the creature it’s copying, you affect the Shapeshifter’s effectiveness. Cards that exile or shuffle creatures into libraries can systematically dismantle the copied abilities and stats, leaving your opponent with a less threatening board.

Moreover, instant-speed spells that can interfere during the copying process, such as Essence Scatter or Unsummon, can halt the Shapeshifter’s entry onto the field or bounce it back to the hand before it becomes a problem. Additionally, board wipes like Wrath of God clear the path by removing all creatures, including the Shapeshifter, without discrimination.

In essence, while Jwari Shapeshifter has the potential to be a game-changing card, strategic removals and timing your responses effectively can ensure control over the game and quell the threat posed by this cunning replica.


Cards like Jwari Shapeshifter

Jwari Shapeshifter is an engrossing entry into the realm of clone effects in MTG. This card draws immediate comparison to Clone, a classic card that also copies creatures. What sets Jwari Shapeshifter apart is its allegiance to the Allies creature type, and its potential to be cast for just two mana. Clone, on the other hand, doesn’t offer tribal synergy and has a fixed casting cost of four mana.

Phyrexian Metamorph offers a similar flexibility with the ability to copy either a creature or an artifact and has the bonus of Phyrexian mana in its cost, providing payment versatility. While Jwari Shapeshifter lacks the artifact-copying utility, it stands out in Ally-focused tribal decks where it can be a powerful enabler. Clever Impersonator is another noteworthy equivalent which can copy almost any nonland permanent, not just creatures, showcasing a broader scope of mimicry compared to Jwari Shapeshifter’s creature-only limitation.

In assessing the utility of creature-copying cards in MTG, Jwari Shapeshifter offers a unique blend of tribal synergy and cost-efficiency, contributing significantly to decks designed around Allies and making it a solid choice among its shape-shifting peers.

Clone - MTG Card versions
Phyrexian Metamorph - MTG Card versions
Clever Impersonator - MTG Card versions
Clone - Limited Edition Alpha (LEA)
Phyrexian Metamorph - New Phyrexia Promos (PNPH)
Clever Impersonator - Khans of Tarkir Promos (PKTK)

Cards similar to Jwari Shapeshifter by color, type and mana cost

Vodalian Soldiers - MTG Card versions
Zephyr Falcon - MTG Card versions
Giant Albatross - MTG Card versions
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Storm Crow - MTG Card versions
Aquamoeba - MTG Card versions
Soratami Cloudskater - MTG Card versions
Minamo Sightbender - MTG Card versions
Vodalian Soldiers - Fallen Empires (FEM)
Zephyr Falcon - Fourth Edition (4ED)
Giant Albatross - Homelands (HML)
Phantasmal Sphere - Alliances (ALL)
Skyshroud Condor - Tempest (TMP)
School of Piranha - Exodus (EXO)
Coral Merfolk - Seventh Edition (7ED)
Wu Light Cavalry - Portal Three Kingdoms (PTK)
Sea Eagle - Starter 1999 (S99)
Overtaker - Mercadian Masques Promos (PMMQ)
Hazy Homunculus - Prophecy (PCY)
Darting Merfolk - World Championship Decks 2001 (WC01)
Thought Eater - Odyssey (ODY)
Spellstutter Sprite - Secret Lair Drop (SLD)
Sneaky Homunculus - Eighth Edition (8ED)
Coral Eel - Eighth Edition (8ED)
Storm Crow - Eighth Edition (8ED)
Aquamoeba - World Championship Decks 2003 (WC03)
Soratami Cloudskater - Champions of Kamigawa (CHK)
Minamo Sightbender - Betrayers of Kamigawa (BOK)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Jwari Shapeshifter MTG card by a specific set like Worldwake and The List, 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 Jwari Shapeshifter and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Jwari Shapeshifter Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2010-02-05 and 2010-02-05. Illustrated by Kev Walker.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12010-02-05WorldwakeWWK 322003normalblackKev Walker
22020-09-26The ListPLST WWK-322003normalblackKev Walker

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Jwari Shapeshifter has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal
PennyLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2010-03-01 Any enters-the-battlefield abilities of the copied creature will trigger when Jwari Shapeshifter enters the battlefield.
2010-03-01 If the chosen creature is a token, your Jwari Shapeshifter copies the original characteristics of that token as stated by the effect that put the token onto the battlefield. Your Jwari Shapeshifter is not a token.
2010-03-01 If the chosen creature is copying something else (for example, if the chosen creature is another Jwari Shapeshifter), then your Jwari Shapeshifter enters the battlefield as whatever the chosen creature copied.
2010-03-01 Jwari Shapeshifter copies exactly what was printed on the original creature and nothing more (unless that creature is copying something else or is a token; see below). It doesn’t copy whether that creature is tapped or untapped, whether it has any counters on it or Auras attached to it, or any non-copy effects that have changed its power, toughness, types, color, or so on.
2010-03-01 You can choose not to copy anything. In that case, Jwari Shapeshifter enters the battlefield as a 0/0 creature, and is probably put into the graveyard immediately.

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