Shape Stealer MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	2
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Creature — Shapeshifter Spirit
Released	2005-06-03
Set symbol
Set name	Saviors of Kamigawa
Set code	SOK
Power	1
Toughness	1
Number	55
Frame	2003
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Jim Nelson

Key Takeaways

Shape Stealer excels in board control and game tempo through clever creature cloning and instant speed reactions.
Demands thoughtful hand management and specific mana colors, potentially limiting deck integration and strategy.
Its unique ability and strategic flexibility make it a worthy addition to decks that thrive on versatility.

Text of card

Whenever Shape Stealer blocks or becomes blocked by a creature, change Shape Stealer's power and toughness to that creature's power and toughness until end of turn.

"Stand back. I know just what to do." —Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Shape Stealer provides a tactical edge by offering myriad opportunities to outmaneuver your opponent. With its ability to clone the strongest creatures on the battlefield, it ensures you are never behind on board presence and can maintain or wrestle back control of the game.

Resource Acceleration: In decks that manipulate +1/+1 counters, Shape Stealer accelerates your game plan, acting as a catalyst for synergistic plays that can outpace your opponent’s resource development. This allows for a swift escalation in power, leading to a dominating board state.

Instant Speed: The fact that Shape Stealer can activate its cloning ability at instant speed adds a layer of unpredictability and flexibility to your strategy. You have the freedom to adapt your tactics in response to your opponent’s actions, ensuring that you can always make the most informed and advantageous play.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Shape Stealer requires you to discard a card to activate its ability. This can be a setback when your hand is already depleted, forcing you to lose potentially valuable resources to leverage its powers.

Specific Mana Cost: This creature’s need for both blue and green mana might restrict its inclusion solely to Simic or multicolor decks. Players not running these color combinations may find it challenging to incorporate Shape Stealer into their strategies effectively.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Shape Stealer comes with a mana cost that might be considered steep for its initial effect. With numerous other creatures and spells in the MTG universe offering similar or more impactful abilities at a lower cost, it can be less appealing for players aiming for mana efficiency.

Reasons to Include Shape Stealer in Your Collection

Versatility: Shape Stealer offers a flexible role in your deck, as it adapts to the ever-changing battlefield by copying the characteristics of the strongest creature in play.

Combo Potential: With the ability to shift its form, Shape Stealer can seamlessly slot into synergistic strategies, capitalizing on creature-based combos and interacting dynamically with evolving board states.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta-game teeming with creatures of various abilities, Shape Stealer stands out as a card that can potentially turn your opponent’s strengths into your own, making it a smart choice for decks designed to thrive in diverse competitive environments.

How to Overcome Shape Stealer’s Sly Tactics

Shape Stealer presents a unique challenge in the MTG arena, relying on its shifting power and toughness to outmaneuver opponents. Its capacity to adapt and match the strongest creature on the battlefield makes it a slippery adversary, yet there are strategic maneuvers that can mitigate its impact on the game. Understanding the dynamics of combat is key when facing a card with such transformative abilities.

Removal spells are the straightforward solution – spells like Murder or Path to Exile can handle Shape Stealer before it becomes a threat. Should you lack direct removal, you can employ combat tricks. By carefully controlling the number of creatures you have with high power during combat, you minimize Shape Stealer’s ability to grow. Alternatively, using spells or abilities to switch off its changing power can transform it into an ineffective blocker or an easy target. Finally, consider taking advantage of the times when Shape Stealer can’t change its power—in response to the trigger, use instant-speed removal to ensure it’s off the board before it becomes a problem.

When planned correctly, these strategies can keep Shape Stealer under control, allowing you to maintain the upper hand and navigate to victory unscathed by its deceptive nature.

Cards like Shape Stealer

The allure of the Shape Stealer card in Magic: The Gathering lies in its unique ability to adapt and become a copy of the most threatening creature on the battlefield at the moment it deals combat damage to a player. A comparison to cards like Clone or Shapesharer reveals that while those cards also copy creatures, Shape Stealer’s mimicry is both temporary and repeatable, offering strategic flexibility turn after turn.

Another parallel might be drawn to the card Vesuvan Shapeshifter. This Shapeshifter has the ability to turn face down and then face up again to copy any creature on the battlefield, yet it lacks the aggressive component of directly dealing combat damage that the Shape Stealer possesses. Additionally, Mimic Vat offers a way to clone creatures, but it is limited to non-token creatures that go to the graveyard and requires a hefty setup with its imprint mechanic.

All things considered, Shape Stealer provides a dynamic play experience that differs from its counterparts. Its repeatable and conditional cloning capabilities give it an edge in games that value versatility and combat interaction, securing its place within the exciting myriad of creature-copying effects in Magic: The Gathering.

Vesuvan Shapeshifter - MTG Card versions

Cards similar to Shape Stealer by color, type and mana cost

Soratami Cloudskater - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Shape Stealer MTG card by a specific set like Saviors of Kamigawa, 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 Shape Stealer and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Shape Stealer has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Paupercommander	Restricted
Modern	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Predh	Legal

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2005-06-01	If Shape Stealer’s new toughness is less than any damage on Shape Stealer, Shape Stealer will be destroyed as a state-based action once the triggered ability resolves.
2005-06-01	If the other creature has bushido, whether Shape Stealer gets the bushido bonus depends on whose turn it is. If Shape Stealer is blocking, it won’t get the attacker’s bushido bonus. If the Shape Stealer is being blocked, the bushido ability will resolve just before Shape Stealer determines what the creature’s power and toughness are.
2005-06-01	Once the ability resolves, changing the other creature’s power or toughness doesn’t affect Shape Stealer.
2005-06-01	The other creature’s power and toughness are determined as the triggered ability resolves.
2005-06-01	This ability triggers once for each creature blocked by or blocking Shape Stealer. If multiple creatures block it, Shape Stealer’s power and toughness will change for each one in succession. The first trigger put on the stack will be the last to resolve, so that will set Shape Stealer’s final power and toughness.
2009-10-01	You apply power/toughness changing effects in a series of sublayers in the following order: (a) effects from characteristic-defining abilities; (b) effects that set power and/or toughness to a specific number or value; (c) effects that modify power and/or toughness but don’t set power and/or toughness to a specific number or value; (d) changes from counters; (e) effects that switch a creature’s power and toughness. This card’s effect is always applied in (b), which means that effects applied in sublayer (c), (d), or (e) will not be overwritten; they will be applied to the new value.