Unstable Shapeshifter

Creature — Shapeshifter

Whenever another creature enters, this creature becomes a copy of that creature, except it has this ability.

CMC
4
Mana cost
{3}{U}
Color identity
U
Rarity
rare
Set
Tempest
Price
$0.91
EDHREC rank
#24714
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Unstable Shapeshifter card art
Unstable Shapeshifter copies any creature that enters the battlefield, making it a permanent shapeshifter that upgrades itself every time you drop something new — no activated ability, no mana sink, just passive continuous threat escalation. The catch is Mirror-Mad Phantasm: anything that references the card's own name mid-copy will behave unexpectedly, so know your pile before you build around it.

Format Analysis

Where it lives, where it can’t

FormatVerdict
commander
legacy
modern
pioneer
standard
vintage
pauper
oathbreaker

Commander is where Unstable Shapeshifter does its real work — creature density is high, ETB triggers are everywhere, and the card effectively auctions itself to whoever just played the most threatening thing at a four-player table. In Legacy and Vintage it's legal but ignored: those formats move too fast and too non-creature for a four-mana do-nothing-on-entry shapeshifter to compete. Oathbreaker is legal and theoretically workable in a creature-heavy build, but the format's lower power ceiling means the card is just fine rather than exceptional.

Key Combos

Combo lines featuring this card

Price Context

Current price

$0.91 bulk tier

At $0.91, Unstable Shapeshifter sits firmly in bulk territory — easy to pick up as a throw-in or singles order filler. The price is unlikely to move meaningfully without a reprint into a high-profile Commander precon that pushes a shapeshifter or clone theme.

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