Shimian Specter
Creature — Specter
Flying
Whenever this creature deals combat damage to a player, that player reveals their hand. You choose a nonland card from it. Search that player's graveyard, hand, and library for all cards with the same name as that card and exile them. Then that player shuffles.
- CMC
- 4
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- B
- Rarity
- rare
- Set
- Future Sight
- Price
- $0.41
- EDHREC rank
- #25075
Shimian Specter hits the table as a 2/2 flying threat that strips every copy of a named card from hand, library, and graveyard the moment it connects — that's a hard answer to combo pieces, not just hand disruption. The cost is the four-mana price tag on a 2/2 that does nothing until it deals combat damage, which means it needs evasion support or a clear path to matter.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | not legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
In Commander, Shimian Specter is a surgical tool: resolve it, get it through once, and name your opponent's Thassa's Oracle or whatever win condition you scouted. The problem is that four mana for a 2/2 is underpowered in a format full of blockers, and you only get one swing before the table answers it — so it fits narrowest in Voltron or evasion-heavy builds that can guarantee the hit. In Legacy and Vintage it's essentially unplayable; faster discard and better threats make it irrelevant in those formats. Modern is technically legal but the same logic applies — the card sees no competitive play there.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.41 bulk tier
At $0.41, Shimian Specter is deep bulk, and that price reflects its narrow demand. It holds at this tier because it sees occasional Commander play as a silver-bullet discard effect, not because of any upward pressure — don't expect movement.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.