Pouncing Shoreshark
Creature — Shark Beast
Mutate 
(If you cast this spell for its mutate cost, put it over or under target non-Human creature you own. They mutate into the creature on top plus all abilities from under it.)
Flash
Whenever this creature mutates, you may return target creature an opponent controls to its owner's hand.
- CMC
- 5
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- U
- Rarity
- uncommon
- Set
- Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths
- Price
- $0.19
- EDHREC rank
- #6720
Pouncing Shoreshark bounces a creature on entry and comes with a free mutate rider, which means every copy you make or recur replays that tempo hit. Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker can stack the trigger repeatedly in a single turn, and Otrimi, the Ever-Playful pulls it back from the graveyard to do it again — the floor is a 3/3 that disrupts a blocker, and the ceiling is a loop engine.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Otrimi, the Ever-Playful
Otrimi, the Ever-Playful recurs Pouncing Shoreshark from the graveyard every time it connects, turning a single copy into a repeatable bounce engine that clears blockers for future attacks.
Illuna, Apex of Wishes
Pouncing Shoreshark is a legal mutate target, so Illuna, Apex of Wishes can mutate onto it to trigger the bounce and simultaneously flip a nonland permanent off the top — two payoffs stapled to one mutate stack.
Ivy, Gleeful Spellthief
Ivy, Gleeful Spellthief copies spells that target a single creature, and Pouncing Shoreshark's mutate trigger creates exactly that window — Ivy copies onto the shark's stack, doubling the bounce and growing the mutate pile for free.
Tatsunari, Toad Rider
Pouncing Shoreshark is a cheap mutate piece in Tatsunari, Toad Rider's Sultai shell, and the bounce trigger synergizes with recast-matters payoffs while the shark's stats keep the frog token swinging through cleared boards.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Pouncing Shoreshark is legal in Commander, Legacy, Modern, Pioneer, Vintage, and Oathbreaker, but it sees virtually no play outside Commander. In competitive Constructed the rate is simply too low — a five-mana 3/3 that bounces one creature doesn't come close to the efficiency bar in Modern or Legacy. Commander is where Pouncing Shoreshark earns its slot: the mutate mechanic scales in multiplayer because each recur or copy replays a bounce that disrupts the most dangerous board, and graveyard-recursion commanders make the effect genuinely repeatable.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Kiki-Jiki, Mirror BreakerPouncing Shoreshark
Infinite death triggers; Infinite ETB; Infinite LTB; Infinite sacrifice triggers; Infinite tapped creature tokens
View on Commander Spellbook ↗Price Context
Current price
$0.19 bulk tier
At $0.19, Pouncing Shoreshark is bulk — you're picking this out of a dollar box or grabbing a playset without thinking about it. The price reflects its narrow niche in mutate Commander decks; there's no meaningful price floor risk at this tier, so just buy the copy when you need it.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.