Volrath, the Shapestealer

Legendary Creature — Shapeshifter

At the beginning of combat on your turn, put a -1/-1 counter on up to one target creature.

{1}: Until your next turn, Volrath, the Shapestealer becomes a copy of target creature with a counter on it, except its base power and toughness is 7/5 and it has this ability.

Combos

• Invisible Stalker + Tainted Strike + Volrath, the Shapestealer

Legality

Format	Legality
1v1 Commander	Legal
Archenemy	Legal
Canadian Highlander	Legal
Casual	Legal
Commander / EDH	Legal
Commander: Rule 0	Legal
Custom	Legal
Duel Commander	Legal
Highlander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Leviathan	Legal
Limited	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Planechase	Legal
Quest Magic	Legal
Vanguard	Legal
Vintage	Legal

Discussion (50)

wallisface on Faerie Artisans + Mirror of …

1 month ago

Cards that reference their own name in rules text always only ever really mean “this card”, referring to itself.

So, for instance, the rules text on Faerie Artisans really reads: ”Whenever a nontoken creature enters the battlefield under an opponent's control, create a token that's a copy of that creature except it's an artifact in addition to its other types. Then exile all other tokens created with this card.”.

What this means from your questions:

• you can’t flicker/bounce tokens and have them come back. This is always the case for all tokens, and has nothing to do with these interactions.

• if you flicker/bounce Faerie Artisans, any existing tokens its created will be immune to being removed from any future effects by the bounced card.

• if Mirror of the Forebears copies Faerie Artisans to make tokens, any previous tokens it made will be removed (regardless of what turn they were made).

• same goes for Volrath, the Shapestealer, if it creates a token as Faerie Artisans, any previous tokens it’s made will be removed, regardless of what turn they were made, or what creature/effect Volrath was copying to make them

Max_Hammer on Kadena "Surprise tool for later" …

7 months ago

For those that are curious on the changes I made to the deck

What I'm taking out: Show

• Ghastly Conscription

• Hex

• Leadership Vacuum

• Rayami, First of the Fallen

• Grismold, the Dreadsower

• Apex Altisaur

• Sudden Substitution

• Echoing Truth

• Thought Sponge

• Thespian's Stage

• Hooded Hydra

• Great Oak Guardian

• Scaretiller

• Bounty of the Luxa

• Temple of the False God

• Grim Haruspex

• Sagu Mauler

• Voice of Many

• Volrath, the Shapestealer

• Thelonite Hermit

• Mire in Misery

• Chromeshell Crab

• Pendant of Prosperity

• Tezzeret's Gambit

• Swamp

• 2x Forest

What I'm putting in to replace it: Show

• Vraska, Golgari Queen

• Verdant Rebirth

• Saw it Coming

• Poison the Cup

• Ravenform

• Green Slime

• Sultai Emissary

• Write into Being

• Ruthless Ripper

• Unwind

• Rewind

• Silumgar Assassin

• Voidmage Apprentice

• Zoetic Cavern

• Reckoner's Bargain

• Deadly Dispute

• Village Rites

• Retrieve

• Urborg Repossession

• Macabre Waltz

• Regrowth

• Bala Ged Recovery  ^Flip

• Muldrotha, the Gravetide

• Watcher for Tomorrow

• Riptide Laboratory

• Alchemist's Refuge

• Hagra Mauling  ^Flip

I also plan on changing out some other lands, but above are the utility lands only.

loricatuslupus on Toxic MTG Player Starter Deck

9 months ago

Well I went over your lands before so won't again, suffice to say I think 35-7 is enough provided you get more ramp spells to find and get them onto the field and that the fastlands are cheap right now and rather flavourful. The bounce lands aren't awful either and I think strictly better than the basic taplands. I know you've got stuff coming so so don't what your planned cuts are but I wouldn't bother with the Anatomist or Viridian Corruptor - one chance to proliferate or destroy a single artifact on ETB isn't really worth it (especially when you could be playing Thrummingbird, an evasive cheap creature who lets you do it repeatedly and can act as a flying blocker if you need it too). Other creature cuts I would recommend Mycosynth Fiend and Vivisection Evangelist - if you can get them I'd say you probably want Dryad of the Ilysian Grove/Joiner Adept to help out with your mana or Yawgmoth, Thran Physician/Volrath, the Shapestealer to get some counters on things. Not convinced by Caress of Phyrexia - it's too expensive to get YOU cards earlier when you need them, you don't want to give an opponent three if they aren't going to die, and hanging on to it in the hope it'll finish someone off is a waste. Phyrexian Rebirth and Merciless Eviction are a bit overcosted and I don't think fit what this deck wants to do. I mentioned some rocks to you that might be a better fit than Sol Ring/Worn Powerstone/Signets/Talismans but see how they do for you first I guess (though I'd get a full set of all the talismans/signets that would go in A couple of other cards you might want to add could be your Phyrexian Arena (I think it's a decent investment for three, isn't nearly as game-warping as Rhystic Study and super flavourful) and Inexorable Tide. Oh BTW not sure if you're aware of it but you can make your aquireboard public so I'll know if I'm suggesting something you're already going to get, which is the main reason I've avoided suggesting stuff from the new set as you said you had some on the way.

Gidgetimer on Volrath and other Clones

10 months ago

No, the duration of effects is not a copiable characteristic. The Clone will be a 7/5 version of whatever Volrath, the Shapestealer was a copy of and have the ability "{1}: Until your next turn Volrath, the Shapestealer becomes a copy of target creature with a counter on it, except it is a 7/5 and has this ability".

Remember that when an ability on a permanent refers to itself by name, it is shorthand for "the permanent this ability is on" so you will be able to make the Clone into copies of things with counters despite it not being named "Volrath, the Shapestealer".

Chaospyke on Volrath and other Clones

10 months ago

If Volrath, the Shapestealer is copying another creature and then any Clone enters the battlefield copying the Volrath, does the second copy stop being a copy of what Volrath copied at the same time Volrath Stops?

legendofa on Is Monstrous a retained effect …

1 year ago

Let's say I have Volrath, the Shapestealer in play, alongside a monstrous Domesticated Hydra. I change Volrath into a copy of D.Hydra and activate Volrath's new Monstrosity ability. I then change Volrath into a Skittering Crustacean. Will I have to activate Crustacean-Volrath's Monstrosity ability, or will it retain Monstrous from the Hydra ability?

Necrosis24 on Anybody have a card that …

1 year ago

SpammyV I'm curious with the Volrath copy of Nacatl War-Pride attack trigger on the stack you could you activate Volrath, the Shapestealer making it a copy of say Avenger of Zendikar so when the Nacatl War-Pride attack trigger resolves it will look at Volrath, the Shapestealer which is now an Avenger of Zendikar making the tokens enter as copies of Avenger of Zendikar?

SpammyV on Anybody have a card that …

1 year ago

For Commander, Volrath, the Shapestealer. The original idea was just silly. If I keep turning into a Putrid Leech I can keep pumping and get around the limitation. And then I started looking at more creatures and clone effects and realized Volrath can just be busted. Like turning into Nacatl War-Pride and then into an unblockable creature so your opponent has to block a swarm of 7/5s.

In Modern, honestly, Hard Evidence and Dwarven Mine. It turns out making a Ragavan-blocking body AND a piece of cardboard that gets targeted by Creativity or draws you a card is just... kinda good? And once you jump through the hoops of activating Mine, being able to fetch a 1/1 on demand is also just really good.