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Volrath, the Shapestealer

Legendary Creature — Phyrexian Shapeshifter

At the beginning of combat on your turn, put a -1/-1 counter on up to one target creature.
{1}: Until your next turn, Volrath becomes a copy of target creature with a counter on it, except it's 7/5 and it has this ability.

CMC
5
Mana cost
{2}{B}{G}{U}
Color identity
BGU
Rarity
mythic
Set
Commander 2019
Price
—
EDHREC rank
#13156
Buy on TCGplayer
Volrath, the Shapestealer card art
Volrath, the Shapestealer turns any -1/-1 counter on the board into an identity theft — pay one mana, copy any creature wearing one, and keep your 7/5 stats on top. The engine gets absurd fast with Grim Poppet in play, which distributes counters freely and hands Volrath a new form every turn for free.

Format Analysis

Where it lives, where it can’t

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

Commander is where Volrath, the Shapestealer actually lives — a 7/5 that shapeshifts for one mana is a build-around, not a role-player, and the 99-card singleton format gives you the full toolbox of -1/-1 counter synergies to support it. Legacy and Vintage technically allow it, but a five-mana creature with no immediate board impact and no broken interaction with those formats' fast mana isn't seeing a sleeve outside of Commander. Oathbreaker is legal but the 20-life totals make a five-drop commander a liability before it gets going.

Key Combos

Combo lines featuring this card

Price Context

Current price

unknown tier

Pricing data isn't available at the moment for Volrath, the Shapestealer, so check Scryfall or TCGPlayer for the current market rate. It's a mythic with a dedicated but niche following, so supply stays modest — don't expect bulk pricing.

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Sources

Mentioned

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