The 41 Best Shapeshifters and Changelings in Magic Ranked

Last updated on June 18, 2025

Sakashima's Protege | Illustration by Tyler Walpole

Shapeshifters have been part of many cultures’ myths since their beginnings. There’s just something powerful, mysterious, and scary about creatures that change form. Magic’s beginnings are significantly more recent but there were still shapeshifters in its origins back in Alpha.

This is a tricky, ever-changing set of creatures by design, so let’s see if we can figure them out for the Commander players out there. Let’s dive right in!

What is a Shapeshifter in MTG?

Brightling | Illustration by Steve Argyle

Shapeshifter is one of many creature types in MTG. Shapeshifters are creatures (or sometimes spells!) that change forms to be flexible or adaptable, and there’s a special subset of shapeshifters that can be every creature type.

Shapeshifters in MTG come in all colors, but the majority are blue creatures since it’s the color of flexibility, copying, illusions and cloning. More than half of shapeshifters are blue or have blue in their colors. 

There are two main flavors of shapeshifters in MTG. First, there’s the Clone type, a card that can be a functional copy of another creature on the battlefield, with variation on whether it be yours, theirs, or either. Second, there are the shapeshifters with changeling, a mechanic that grants creatures every creature type at all times. These are better in situations where there are typal interactions involved, like in Yuriko, the Tiger's Shadow EDH decks. So, with these definitions out of the way, let's focus on the best shapeshifter cards MTG has to offer.

#41. Crib Swap

Some kindred spells have the shapeshifter type despite not being creatures, but these still count for the purposes of anything that references a shapeshifter. Crib Swap can be an interesting instant-speed exile removal spell. Giving an opponent a 1/1 is a small downside in EDH, although there are many better spot removal spells out there. This white instant gets in the playable range if your deck cares about playing kindred spells. 

#40. Irregular Cohort

Making two 2/2 bodies with the right creature type for 4 mana is a good rate, and this white creature sees play in token decks. You can blink Irregular Cohort to get the most out of it, and these bodies can be soldiers, angels, demons, or whatever your deck needs.

#39. Amoeboid Changeling

The main use of Amoeboid Changeling is manipulating creature types, especially your opponents’. With this 2-drop, you gain the ability to nullify typal bonuses on a creature, which can be relevant in the right scenario.

#38. Changeling Hero

A 4/4 with lifelink isn't a small creature, I’ll tell you that. Changeling Hero gets better with typal bonuses, or if you can easily champion a token or a good ETB creature.

#37. Stunt Double

Stunt Double is a strictly better copy effect than your average Clone due to it having flash. It can be used as a removal spell too, by copying something that’s attacking you and then blocking.

#36. Callidus Assassin

Callidus Assassin is a Clone and a removal spell for 6 mana. This human assassin shapeshifter can also be cast with flash, and in the worst-case scenario it’s a 3/3 flash Ravenous Chupacabra.

#35. Copycrook

They say that criminals often imitate other crimes that have been done before and the rogue part of Copycrook brings up connive. The notorious mechanic from 2022's Streets of New Capenna and Raffine, Scheming Seer is a great one that loots and can grow your creature with counters, so it is a significant improvement on Clone.

#34. Evil Twin

Evil Twin is a close comparison with Callidus Assassin, charging less on the upfront cost. You get to copy something and get rid of the original a turn later. It can even be used to influence in-game politics and discussion since you decide when to activate the ability.

#33. Bloodline Pretender

Bloodline Pretender is a flexible colorless creature that can grow very fast in typal decks that go-wide, like humans or soldiers.

#32. Duplicant

Duplicant is removal and a copy effect, though you'll note that it doesn't gain the abilities of the creature it exiles. The fact that it can slot into any deck is a nice upside. 

#31. Flesh Duplicate

The biggest upside of Flesh Duplicate is that it only costs 2 mana. Vanishing 3 means that you won't keep the copied creature around for long, but that has interesting implications, either with proliferate if you want it to stay longer, or working with death triggers. If Flesh Duplicate copies a creature with a good ETB, you won't care about the vanishing part.

#30. Activated Sleeper

Activated Sleeper requires a little more setup than, say, Stunt Double, but there’s a significant upside in costing less and getting cards that got milled. Also, it’s one of the few black creatures in this list, and black doesn't get too many copy effects, so this Phyrexian shapeshifter has less competition.

#29. Osgood, Operation Double

Osgood, Operation Double gets a nod for making two creatures with relevant mana abilities for artifact decks and being able to investigate via the paradox ability word. Notably, Osgood and its copy can crack a Clue by themselves.

#28. Masked Vandal

Masked Vandal sees some Constructed play in decks like elves as a typal way to get rid of artifacts or enchantments. It’s a way to increase the density of typal cards in decks like giants or treefolk, adding a cheap green creature with a good ETB to the mix.

#27. Graveshifter

Here we have a nice typal addition in black decks. Graveshifter is simply a changeling Gravedigger, and that can fit more than one deck besides zombie typal.

#26. Vesuvan Drifter

Here’s where we start to step up. Vesuvan Drifter is already a 2/4 flying creature for 3 mana, and sometimes you’ll make it a stronger creature in the late game. Of course, it keeps flying at all times.

#25. Pirated Copy

Pirated Copy adds the Curiosity effect to the Clone you’ve just made, and even draws you cards if the original creature deals combat damage to a player. Creatures that have relevant evasion like menace, trample and flying are good candidates for being pirated.

#24. Identity Thief

Identity Thief is a card that can not only make a copy of another creature but also flicker it, like Flickerwisp. You can use this in myriad ways, like resetting +1/+1 counters, getting another good ETB creature, or clearing a blocker.

#23. Unsettled Mariner

Unsettled Mariner is a changeling hatebear that can protect your permanents. You can fit it in most UW typal decks such as humans or angels, or in stax decks as another taxing piece.

#22. Nascent Metamorph

Nascent Metamorph can be an excellent shapeshifter, but you’re gambling here. It’s a 2-drop but it’s a mere 1/1. Attacking will either flip a good creature or you'll probably end up losing yours. The same risk applies to blocking, but the potential to become a big threat might deter incoming attacks altogether.

#21. Valiant Changeling

Valiant Changeling is a 3/3 double strike for 7 mana, which is a steep price to pay. However, if you have a single changeling on the board, this card costs only , making it a strong inclusion in typal decks.

#20. Jwari Shapeshifter

Jwari Shapeshifter is an ally clone that costs only 2 mana. The application is limited to allies though, so that’s why this card is low on the list. On the plus side, allies want as many cheap friends as they can get. The more changelings you have, the more options you’ll have.

#19. Formless Genesis

Limited green decks are often happy with 3-mana 3/3s. In Constructed you ask for a lot more, and that's what Formless Genesis gives you. This kindred sorcery scales up with all the lands you put into your graveyard whether from cracking a Terramorphic Expanse or sacrificing a desert. The token gains the always relevant deathtouch and retrace reinforces what you want to do and that is put lands into the graveyard.

#18. Omo, Queen of Vesuva

Omo, Queen of Vesuva is an intriguing catalyst to creativity. The everything counters let you get the bonuses of land types and creature types. Take a look at Elvish Archdruid and Flow of Knowledge and do your own brainstorm on which direction you would send this queen.

#17. Metallic Mimic

Metallic Mimic is a great fit in a typal deck, being a cheap buff for a strategy that wants to flood the board with creatures. The ability might not be as broadly applied as Grumgully, the Generous, but Metallic Mimic is a cheap and colorless card that can apply to many more decks.

#16. Malleable Impostor

Malleable Impostor is a nice, flash copy effect that’s also a faerie spell. Faeries are a relevant creature-type, and this card fits a faerie deck perfectly.

#15. Waxen Shapethief

Flash and cycling on just about any card add good options. What separates Waxen Shapethief from Phyrexian Metamorph is the ability to choose any artifact or creature, not just your own. Otherwise Waxen Shapethief would rank higher than it does.

#14. Naga Fleshcrafter

Naga Fleshcrafter is a clone that can be renewed for a temporary mass clone effect. This becomes super effective when paired with wide, typal cards like Goblin Rabblemaster.

#13. Cemetery Puca

Cemetery Puca’s ability to become anything that dies is a very interesting one, especially for just 1 mana. It fits well in a UB control shell filled with removal or mill effects.

#12. Glasspool Mimic

Glasspool Mimic is an easy-to-include card in your deck due to being an MDFC card. It’s at least a tapped land, but also a copy effect for your creatures at just 3 mana.

#11. Sakashima's Protege

Sakashima's Protege is a crazy card. For 6 mana, a copy effect with flash and cascade already gives you some value. The only limitation this blue shapeshifter has is that you can only copy a permanent that entered the battlefield that turn, but with cascade you’ll have at least a safety valve.

#10. Shadow Kin

Each player milling three cards gives Shadow Kin 6-12 chances of getting a good creature to copy. It’s also a strong card to include if you plan to mill your opponents or benefit from their graveyard. Since it uses exile it also avoids giving your opponents their own reanimation targets.

#9. The Morphling-like Creatures Cycle

• Brightling
• Morphling
• Endling
• Torchling
• Thornling
• Aetherling

While Morphling was the first creature with these characteristics, all these cards have the same design principles. They can change power and toughness and get new abilities as you spend mana on them. Morphling was very powerful when it was printed and Aetherling had its time in the sun in Standard, despite costing 6 mana. The important thing is that these creatures are good mana sinks and they're flexible enough to see play or to leave your opponents guessing about what abilities you might activate.

#8. Lazav, the Multifarious

Lazav, the Multifarious is a cheap Dimir shapeshifter that offers you some card selection, and together with good and cheap creatures, you can have an early powerhouse. Standard saw a little combo involving Lazav and Kroxa, Titan of Death's Hunger.

#7. Phyrexian Metamorph

Phyrexian Metamorph has seen a lot of Modern play. 4 mana, or possibly 3, for a Clone effect is a good card, and you can copy artifacts. In EDH, you can copy a good creature, a commander, or a solid mana rock with this artifact creature.

#6. Realmwalker

Realmwalker is a near-staple in green decks with typal interactions. Getting to cast creatures from your library gives you so much card advantage, and the fail-safe is a good 2/3 green shapeshifter for 3 mana.

#5. Mirror Entity

Mirror Entity is one of the best incentives to go wide, especially in typal decks. It’s fragile as a 1/1 for 3 mana, but that X mass pump makes up for it.

#4. Changeling Outcast

Changeling Outcast is an unblockable 1/1 that serves many purposes, from enabling ninjutsu to saboteur abilities. And it’s all the creature types at the same time. Many decks need a good evasive 1-drop, so this black shapeshifter often gets things done.

#3. Orvar, the All-Form

Creating a token copy of a permanent every time it’s the target of an instant or sorcery spell is a huge ability. Many simple spells combo with that idea, such as targeting your lands with untap spells or casting multi-target cards like Hidden Strings. That fits blue’s spellslinger nature perfectly, and that’s why Orvar, the All-Form sees a lot of play as a blue commander.

#2. Volrath, the Shapestealer

Volrath, the Shapestealer can be a convenient removal source in -1/-1 counter decks, or it can simply be a versatile Clone card. Also, the copies will always be a 7/5, a huge body, and that complements strong combat abilities like lifelink or double strike.

#1. Morophon, the Boundless

Morophon, the Boundless is your choose-a-creature-type 5-color commander. It’s flexible enough that you can build a fun deck, a new typal deck, or even a competitive EDH deck. Another interesting application for Morophon is to build a generic typal deck with many shapeshifters and cards that give benefits to outlaws, vampires, zombies, soldiers or what have you.

Best Shapeshifter Payoffs

Shapeshifter payoffs are mainly typal ones. The main benefit of being a shapeshifter is to fit different creature types, and to be a “jack-of-all-trades” card. So, if you’re building an EDH deck with a commander that benefits a creature type, it’s nice to add some shapeshifters with changeling.

Another interesting thing that changelings can fix is the mana curve. Some creature types like dragon, dinosaur, or giants tend to be big and expensive, so adding in a few low mana-value changelings like Changeling Outcast or Masked Vandal can help enable typal synergies quickly.

Regarding Clone variants, there’s a specific EDH strategy in which you want to clone your own commander as much as possible. Let’s say you have Keiga, the Tide Star in play. If you clone it, you’ll have two copies of the same legendary creature, so you keep one, another dies and you’ll get a death trigger from Keiga – free Mind Control. Another example would be with Hidetsugu and Kairi. When you copy it, you’ll get the ETB and death triggers, drawing some cards and getting immense value.

There’s also the Gyruda, Doom of Depths combo, where you’ll cast Gyruda, mill some cards, cast one of the clones or shapeshifters you’ve just milled, effectively copying Gyruda and its ETB trigger. You can keep doing this until you have a large board and then you copy a powerful finisher like Craterhoof Behemoth.

Finally, there’s the outlaw and party mechanics. The outlaw cards want you to have assassins, mercenaries, pirates, rogues, or warlocks. A party rewards you for having wizard, warrior, rogue, and cleric creatures. Adding some changelings to a party deck will help you achieve a full party; just remember that each changeling only counts as one type for these purposes.  

Shapeshifters vs. Changelings

Shapeshifter is a creature type, while changeling is a mechanic that grants every creature type.

All creatures with the changeling mechanic are shapeshifters, and even tokens with changeling are also shapeshifter tokens. However, there are many shapeshifter creatures out there that don’t have the changeling mechanic.

Is a Shapeshifter Legendary?

Not necessarily. A shapeshifter is a creature type, and not all shapeshifters are legendary. Some are, like Orvar, the All-Form and Morophon, the Boundless – and those can be excellent commanders. If a shapeshifter enters the battlefield as a copy of a legendary creature, the legend rule will apply to it unless stated otherwise.

Wrap Up

Endling | Illustration by Livia Prima

The fact that there are a lot of different kinds of shapeshifters makes these creatures more complex than most. And given their literal and figurative malleability, even down to their anything but vanilla Magic mechanics, they can be a bit daunting to play with, so it's a wonder they aren't paired with keyword soup more often. But there’s a lot of creativity with all that complexity, and these creatures provide a unique set of options for the deckbuilder.

What’s your favorite shapeshifter? Did I miss any that you think should be here, or on the flip side, did I list an undeserving shifter? Let me know in the comments down below, or over on the official Draftsim Twitter.

That’s all from me for now. Wash your face, check yourself in the mirror and stay healthy!