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Undercover Operative

Creature — Shapeshifter Rogue

You may have this creature enter as a copy of any creature on the battlefield, except it enters with a shield counter on it if you control that creature. (If it would be dealt damage or destroyed, remove a shield counter from it instead.)

CMC
4
Mana cost
{2}{U}{U}
Color identity
U
Rarity
rare
Set
Magic Online Promos
Price
—
EDHREC rank
#5288
Buy on TCGplayer
Undercover Operative card art
Undercover Operative enters as a copy of any creature your opponent controls, which means it scales with the most powerful thing on the board rather than standing on its own stats. The four-mana cost is reasonable for that effect, and in decks already looping enters-the-battlefield triggers — think Felidar Guardian blink lines or Gyruda, Doom of Depths cascade chains — the value compounds fast.

Best Commanders

Commanders with the highest synergy

01
Gyruda, Doom of Depths

Gyruda, Doom of Depths

69.6% of decks · synergy 0.68

Gyruda, Doom of Depths mills four and reanimates an even-cost creature, and Undercover Operative is an even-cost creature that enters as a copy of whatever Gyruda just grabbed — meaning each loop iteration can clone the most threatening thing on the battlefield while the chain continues.

02
Sakashima of a Thousand FacesVial Smasher the Fierce

Sakashima of a Thousand Faces // Vial Smasher the Fierce

31.3% of decks · synergy 0.31

Sakashima of a Thousand Faces // Vial Smasher the Fierce removes the legendary restriction on copies, so Undercover Operative can clone your own best creature without forcing a sacrifice, doubling up on your strongest board presence rather than your opponent's.

03

Aang, at the Crossroads

19.8% of decks · synergy 0.19

Aang, at the Crossroads rewards running diverse card types and generating value from each, and Undercover Operative slots in as a clone that flexibly mirrors whatever the table has developed — exactly the adaptable, high-ceiling permanent Aang lists want.

04
Hidetsugu and Kairi

Hidetsugu and Kairi

18.6% of decks · synergy 0.17

Hidetsugu and Kairi triggers on entering the battlefield and on dealing combat damage, so Undercover Operative copying a high-power flier or a combo piece gets immediate value from both halves of that payoff structure.

05
Braids, Conjurer Adept

Braids, Conjurer Adept

16.7% of decks · synergy 0.15

Braids, Conjurer Adept cheats large permanents into play for every player, which means the board reliably fills with high-value targets — exactly the condition that makes Undercover Operative's clone effect most threatening.

Format Analysis

Where it lives, where it can’t

FormatVerdict
commander legal
legacy legal
modern legal
pioneer legal
standard not legal
vintage legal
pauper not legal
oathbreaker legal

Undercover Operative is legal in Commander, Legacy, Modern, Pioneer, Vintage, and Oathbreaker, but Commander is where it does its real work. In competitive non-rotating formats like Legacy and Vintage, four mana for a clone is too slow against the available threats, and dedicated clone effects with lower costs or more upside exist. Modern and Pioneer are similarly unkind — creature-copy effects at four mana need a specific shell to justify the slot, and that shell rarely exists outside of Commander. In Commander, the multiplayer board state does the heavy lifting: opponents develop their own bombs, and Undercover Operative walks in as the most dangerous thing at the table for four mana.

Key Combos

Combo lines featuring this card

Price Context

Current price

unknown tier

Pricing data for Undercover Operative isn't currently available, so check Scryfall or your preferred retailer for the latest figure. Given its narrow-but-high-demand Commander niche — showing up in nearly 70% of Gyruda, Doom of Depths decks — it tends to hold modest value without being a budget-buster.

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Sources

Mentioned

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Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.