Shaman of the Pack
Creature — Elf Shaman
When this creature enters, target opponent loses life equal to the number of Elves you control.
- CMC
- 3
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- BG
- Rarity
- uncommon
- Set
- Explorer Anthology 2
- Price
- —
- EDHREC rank
- #4602
Shaman of the Pack enters the battlefield and immediately drains each opponent for the number of Elves you control — no combat required, no response window to chump through. In Lathril, Blade of the Elves decks that routinely assemble ten or more Elves, that's a one-card game-ender stapled to a three-mana body.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Lathril, Blade of the Elves
Lathril, Blade of the Elves floods the board with 1/1 Elf tokens through her own attack trigger, and Shaman of the Pack converts that wide board into a lethal drain the moment it enters — often closing the game without ever swinging into blockers.
Abomination of Llanowar
Abomination of Llanowar scales its own power and toughness off Elf count, and that same pile of Elves makes Shaman of the Pack hit harder; both cards reward the same go-wide gameplan, so Shaman slots in as a redundant finisher.
High Perfect Morcant
High Perfect Morcant cares about having a full grip and a packed board, and Shaman of the Pack provides a drain payoff that doesn't require attacking — a clean fit for a deck that wants to build up resources and then cash them in at instant-speed timing on ETB.
Tyvar the Bellicose
Tyvar the Bellicose turns every Elf's tap ability into a free mana source, which accelerates the Elf count needed to make Shaman of the Pack lethal; Shaman gives the deck a non-combat kill condition that Tyvar's combat-focused gameplan otherwise lacks.
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 |
Shaman of the Pack is almost exclusively a Commander card — the Elf tribal synergies it demands rarely reach critical mass in 1v1 formats before the game ends on its own terms. In Legacy and Modern, Elf combo decks close out games faster through Craterhoof Behemoth or Natural Order, and a three-mana 3/2 that drains once doesn't compete with those lines. Pioneer Elves lacks the critical mass of Lords and token generators to reliably make Shaman of the Pack lethal before turn five, where the format's removal density punishes fragile synergy pieces. Commander is where it lives: four opponents mean the drain is tripled in impact, and the 60- to 100-card singleton format stretches games long enough to assemble an Elf board worth draining from.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
unknown tier
Pricing data for Shaman of the Pack isn't currently available in our system — check Scryfall or TCGPlayer for the latest listings. Historically it's been an affordable pickup given its narrow tribal focus, so it's rarely a budget obstacle for the Elf decks that want it.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
- Lathril, Blade of the Elves
- Abomination of Llanowar
- High Perfect Morcant
- Tyvar the Bellicose
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.