Temur War Shaman MTG Card
2015-01-23 - Number 142
2015-01-23 - Number 142
2024-02-09 - Number 187
2002-06-24 - Number 55715
| Card sets | Released in 4 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 6 |
| Rarity | Rare |
| Type | Creature — Human Shaman |
| Abilities | Fight,Manifest |
| Power | 4 |
| Toughness | 5 |
Key Takeaways
- Temur War Shaman excels in creating surprise threats and generating card advantage on the battlefield.
- It enables early deployment of costly creatures, challenging opponents’ defenses and strategies.
- The shaman’s reliance on specific mana types and higher casting cost demands strategic deck building.
Text of card
When Temur War Shaman enters the battlefield, manifest the top card of your library. (Put that card onto the battlefield face down as a 2/2 creature. Turn it face up any time for its mana cost if it's a creature card.) Whenever a permanent you control is turned face up, if it's a creature, you may have it fight target creature you don't control.
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Temur War Shaman makes an impactful entrance with its manifest ability. Upon entering the battlefield, it allows you to take the top card of your library and put it onto the battlefield face down as a 2/2 creature. This not only bolsters your board presence but potentially turns any card into a surprise threat, giving you an edge in maintaining card advantage.
Resource Acceleration: The card’s formidable mana cost is balanced by its potential to accelerate your resources. By flipping a manifested permanent with Temur War Shaman’s triggered ability, you effectively get to cheat mana costs and put powerful creatures into play much earlier than usual. This can be a game-changing tactic, putting opponents on the defensive and accelerating your road to victory.
Instant Speed: While Temur War Shaman itself does not operate at instant speed, it indirectly promotes instant-speed play. The creatures it manifests can be turned face up at instant speed if they’re creatures with morph abilities, allowing you to adapt to the battlefield dynamically and catch opponents off guard during their turn or in response to their actions.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Although cards that interact with the graveyard can potentially benefit, the necessity to discard to unleash Temur War Shaman’s abilities can be a setback if your hand is already sparse.
Specific Mana Cost: The Temur War Shaman requires a mix of green, red, and blue mana to cast, making it a less flexible option for decks not built around the Temur color identity.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost that includes multiple specific mana types, assembling the necessary resources for Temur War Shaman can be challenging, particularly in the early game when establishing board presence is crucial.
Reasons to Include in Your Collection
Versatility: The uniquely designed Temur War Shaman is adaptable to numerous deck strategies that capitalize on creature-based synergies or morph mechanics. Its built-in ability to manifest the top card of your library adds a layer of surprise that can keep your opponents guessing.
Combo Potential: When you turn a face-down creature face up, Temur War Shaman lets you fight target creature you don’t control, paving the way for potential combos with creatures that have beneficial effects when fighting, like those with deathtouch or ones that benefit from creatures dying.
Meta-Relevance: In an environment where creature-based decks prevail, the war shaman can act both as a deterrent and a removal tool. It’s a compelling choice for decks that aim to control the battlefield while advancing their own board state.
How to beat
The Temur War Shaman is an intriguing card in Magic: The Gathering, known for its potent synergy with creatures entering the battlefield. Its unique abilities can shift the tide of the game by manifesting the top card of your library and turning creatures face-up for surprise effects. To counter this, removal spells are your best ally. Ensuring you can swiftly deal with the Shaman before it capitalizes on its abilities is key.
Playing sweepers like Damnation or Wrath of God can reset the board, preventing the Shaman from gaining value. Additionally, countering the shaman with spells like Cancel or Mana Leak can stop it from ever hitting the board. Focusing on spot removal, such as Swords to Plowshares or Murder, allows you to address the Shaman directly and immediately upon its casting or when the battlefield conditions turn unfavorable.
Understanding and anticipating the interaction between Temur War Shaman and the creatures it can potentially turn face-up will help you formulate a strategy that keeps its impact to a minimum. In essence, maintaining control and disrupting your opponent’s plays are fundamental to overcoming the strategic advantage the Shaman offers.
Cards like Temur War Shaman
Temur War Shaman is a multifaceted creature card that brings a unique blend of abilities to MTG decks. It shares a kinship with cards like Master of the Wild Hunt in that it allows you to spawn creature tokens. However, what makes Temur War Shaman stand out is its manifest mechanic, which can unexpectedly turn a face-down creature card on the battlefield into a surprise blocker or attacker.
Another comparable MTG card is Woodland Bellower. Both generate a value when they enter the battlefield, with Bellower searching your library for a creature card to put directly onto the battlefield. Although the Bellower doesn’t provide the manifest feature of Temur War Shaman, it ensures immediate board presence with a specific creature selection. Additionally, Temur War Shaman has the potential to turn any combat phase in your favor with its fight mechanic, something the Bellower lacks.
Comparing these cards, Temur War Shaman appeals to players seeking spontaneous board advantage and combat interactions, whereas cards like Master of the Wild Hunt and Woodland Bellower cater to those valuing consistent token generation and strategic creature tutoring.
Cards similar to Temur War Shaman by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Temur War Shaman MTG card by a specific set like Magic Online Promos and Fate Reforged Promos, 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 Temur War Shaman 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 MTG Products
Printings
The Temur War Shaman Magic the Gathering card was released in 4 different sets between 2015-01-23 and 2024-02-09. Illustrated by 2 different artists.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Magic Online Promos | PRM | 55715 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Raymond Swanland | ||
| 2 | 2015-01-23 | Fate Reforged Promos | PFRF | 142 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Raymond Swanland | |
| 3 | 2015-01-23 | Fate Reforged | FRF | 142 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Nils Hamm | |
| 4 | 2024-02-09 | Murders at Karlov Manor Commander | MKC | 187 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Raymond Swanland |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Temur War Shaman has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Pioneer | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Temur War Shaman card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2014-11-24 | A permanent that turns face up or face down changes characteristics but is otherwise the same permanent. Spells and abilities that were targeting that permanent, as well as Auras and Equipment that were attached to the permanent, aren’t affected. |
| 2014-11-24 | Any time you have priority, you may turn a manifested creature face up by revealing that it’s a creature card (ignoring any copy effects or type-changing effects that might be applying to it) and paying its mana cost. This is a special action. It doesn’t use the stack and can’t be responded to. |
| 2014-11-24 | At any time, you can look at a face-down permanent you control. You can’t look at face-down permanents you don’t control unless an effect allows you to or instructs you to. |
| 2014-11-24 | Because face-down creatures don’t have names, they can’t have the same name as any other creature, even another face-down creature. |
| 2014-11-24 | Because the permanent is on the battlefield both before and after it’s turned face up, turning a permanent face up doesn’t cause any enters-the-battlefield abilities to trigger. |
| 2014-11-24 | If a face-down permanent you control leaves the battlefield, you must reveal it. You must also reveal all face-down spells and permanents you control if you leave the game or if the game ends. |
| 2014-11-24 | If a manifested creature would have morph if it were face up, you may also turn it face up by paying its morph cost. |
| 2014-11-24 | Some older Magic sets feature double-faced cards, which have a Magic card face on each side rather than a Magic card face on one side and a Magic card back on the other. The rules for double-faced cards are changing slightly to account for the possibility that they are manifested. If a double-faced card is manifested, it will be put onto the battlefield face down. While face down, it can’t transform. If the front face of the card is a creature card, you can turn it face up by paying its mana cost. If you do, its front face will be up. A double-faced permanent on the battlefield still can’t be turned face down. |
| 2014-11-24 | The face-down permanent is a 2/2 creature with no name, mana cost, creature types, or abilities. It’s colorless and has a converted mana cost of 0. Other effects that apply to the permanent can still grant or change any of these characteristics. |
| 2014-11-24 | There are no cards in the Fate Reforged set that would turn a face-down instant or sorcery card on the battlefield face up, but some older cards can try to do this. If something tries to turn a face-down instant or sorcery card on the battlefield face up, reveal that card to show all players it’s an instant or sorcery card. The permanent remains on the battlefield face down. Abilities that trigger when a permanent turns face up won’t trigger, because even though you revealed the card, it never turned face up. |
| 2014-11-24 | Turning a permanent face up or face down doesn’t change whether that permanent is tapped or untapped. |
| 2014-11-24 | Unlike a face-down creature that was cast using the morph ability, a manifested creature may still be turned face up after it loses its abilities if it’s a creature card. |
| 2014-11-24 | You must ensure that your face-down spells and permanents can easily be differentiated from each other. You’re not allowed to mix up the cards that represent them on the battlefield in order to confuse other players. The order they entered the battlefield should remain clear. Common methods for indicating this include using markers or dice, or simply placing them in order on the battlefield. You must also track how each became face down (manifested, cast face down using the morph ability, and so on). |
