15 Most Valuable Shapeshifter Cards

Absorb Identity | Illustrated by Matt Stewart

The first two Shapeshifter creature cards in Magic: The Gathering hailed from the game’s first set, Alpha, way back in 1993. While the two creatures, Clone and Vesuvan Doppelganger, were instead given the Clone and Doppelganger creature types, respectively, back then they were errata’d later into the notable type of Shapeshifter that we all know and love today.

But do those two original Shapeshifters rank highly among the most valuable Shapeshifters of all time? Grab your Copy tokens and let’s find out!

15. Callidus Assassin (Surge Foil) – Warhammer 40,000 Commander

Market Price: $15.94

Magic’s collaboration with the Warhammer 40,000 franchise spawned four well-regarded Commander decks, each of which also boasted a special “Collector’s Edition” that featured all the cards in a striking surge foil finish.

The first card herein debuted in those 40k Commander decks and adds a fun twist to the standard Shapeshifter ability of copying a creature: turning the copied creature into a Ravenous Chupacabra that can only target a creature with the same name as the one you copied, leaving only the copy as the “real” one. Flavorful and powerful.

14. Clever Impersonator – Pick ‘Em and Stick ‘Em Secret Lair Drop

Market Price: $17.12

Originally released as a mythic rare in 2014’s Khans of Tarkir, this Shapeshifter for elevates the standard “copy a creature” Shapeshifter text by allowing this creature to copy any nonland permanent on the battlefield, not just a creature.

This card has been reprinted a few times (Commander 2019, The List, Marvel Universe Bonus Sheet), but the most valuable version comes from 2024’s Pick ‘Em and Stick ‘Em Secret Lair Drop.

13. Pirated Copy – Jumpstart 2022

Market Price: $19.55

Another fun twist on standard creature-copying, this Shapeshifter Pirate nets you some nifty card advantage upon it connecting with a foe in combat. Even more intriguingly, this card plays very well in Commander, as whenever the original creature connects with any player (including you) you get to draw a card. A fun card both politically and gameplay-wise.

12. Taurean Mauler – Everyone’s Invited! Secret Lair Commander Deck

Market Price: $19.58

A card that has been reprinted frequently since its inception in 2008’s Morningtide, this multiplayer-focused changeling creature gets a +1/+1 counter whenever an opponent casts a spell, which, as you can imagine, happens a lot in a four-player game of Commander.

Before its reprint in the Everyone’s Invited Commander Deck, Taurean Mauler was one of the rare cards that had featured the same artwork across more than 10 reprints. The original by Dominick Domingo simply fits the card perfectly, but the new artwork by Alex Negrea is also quite striking.

11. Realmwalker – Featuring: Luke Pearson Secret Lair Drop

Market Price: $24.27

First featured in 2021’s Kaldheim, this green typal “lord” boasts all creature types thanks to the always-entertaining changeling ability, and it also allows you to select what creature type you can cast from the top of your library.

Due to its extreme utility for any deck that focuses on one specific creature type, this card has been reprinted a few times for Commander products and bonus sheets, but this Secret Lair reprint features amazing artwork from Luke Pearson (known for the Hilda comic series).

10. Halfdane – Legends

Market Price: $31.95

One of the original Legends legends, this Esper () Shapeshifter only steals the power and toughness of the creature it shapeshifts into, but creatures didn’t have a ton of abilities back in 1994 when this card was printed.

Featuring amazing era-specific artwork from classic Magic contributor Melissa A. Benson (of original Shivan Dragon and Lord of Atlantis fame), it’s no surprise that this early Shapeshifter is worth over $30 on the secondary market.

9. Flesh Duplicate (Extended-Art Surge Foil) – Doctor Who

Market Price: $33.16

Gangers (shorthand for doppelgängers) were a notable synthetic villain race from the Doctor Who franchise, and their Magic equivalent was a Shapeshifter Rebel that could transform into any creature on the battlefield, but you’ll only have roughly two turns to enjoy its presence, as that copy gains vanishing 3. It’s around for a good time, not a long time.

8. Phyrexian Metamorph – Special Guest: Yoji Shinkawa Secret Lair Drop

Market Price: $36.08

If you’re a fan of the Metal Gear Solid franchise, you’ll certainly know the name Yoji Shinkawa. Shinkawa has worked extensively with maverick game designer Hideo Kojima, and he acted as the lead character and mechanical designer as well as the art director across the entirety of the fabled Metal Gear franchise.

Shinkawa also lent his unique and instantly recognizable style to a 2022 Secret Lair Drop, and this powerful Shapeshifter tips the scales with a price point above $35. Being able to copy either a creature or an artifact is a notable twist and the presence of blue Phyrexian mana in the casting cost is always an intriguing addition.

7. Morphling – Urza’s Saga

Market Price: $45.55

One of the most iconic creature cards boasting some of the finest artwork ever on a Magic card, Morphling from Urza’s Saga was a truly dynamite creature upon its release nearly 30 years ago. The rk post artwork showcases a nearly perfect copy of a creature, with the only tell that it’s a duplicate being the tiny curly-cue tail behind the Shapeshifted version.

While its five activated abilities remain a potent combination, back when you could react to combat damage on the stack this blue creature was even better, as you could pump this creature to be a 5/1, and then pump it the other way to be a 1/5 and survive most combat scenarios while taking out a foe’s threat. An elegant design on a truly classic card.

6. Duplicant – Kaladesh Inventions Bonus Sheet

Market Price: $45.58

Originally released in 2003’s artifact-heavy Mirrodin expansion, Duplicant was one of the first cards that featured the imprint keyword. In this case, Duplicant’s imprint ability also acted as targeted exile removal, making this six-mana artifact creature quite the bruiser.

Of course, since this card is somewhat overcosted by today’s standards, it can be had for a relatively cheap price... except for this rendition, which boasts the stunning Kaladesh Inventions bonus sheet frame and is worth over $45 in today’s market.

5. Morophon, the Boundless – Everyone’s Invited! Secret Lair Commander Deck

Market Price: $51.44

Arguably the best typal Commander choice (for any creature type) is this mono-colored legendary Shapeshifter for that also boasts the entire in its text box, making it a five-color commander to boot.

Being able to reduce any creature type of your choice’s mana cost by is a pretty sweet payoff, especially if you’re playing multiple five-color cards, such as in a Sliver build or a Dragon build employing EDHREC’s #1 Commander overall: The Ur-Dragon or some of the most valuable cards from the Dragon-focused Scourge set.

4. Clone – Alpha

Market Price: $117.12

The top four found here combine two constants among these lists: cards from Magic’s first set, Alpha, and serialized cards from more recent sets.

In this case, we have the very first Shapeshifter card ever festooned with instantly recognizable art from early illustrator Julie Baroh. Reprinted multiple times over the years, and most recently as part of The Last Airbender Source Material bonus sheet, the first Shapeshifter remains an iconic card that typified what the creature type was all about.

3. Lazav, the Multifarious (Serialized Retro Frame Foil) – Ravnica Remastered

Market Price: $249.89

Originally printed as a mythic rare in 2018’s Guilds of Ravnica, this legendary Shapeshifter received a Serialized Retro Frame version in Ravnica Remastered. Retro frames, to this writer who first started playing Magic around Mercadian Masques block, look superior to anything before or after, so I hold these cards in high esteem.

As part of a number of notable combos with at least one creature that has persist and another that has undying, this version of Lazav is worth just under $250 these days.

2. Lazav, Wearer of Faces (Serialized Ravnica City Double Rainbow Foil) – Murders at Karlov Manor

Market Price: $339.99

Lazav puts on a detective hat in Murders at Karlov Manor, and this Dimir () Shapeshifter Detective can copy a creature whenever you sacrifice a Clue token, leading to some fun shenanigans.

The striking Ravnica City finish of this card looks terrific, and when combined with a Serialized Double Rainbow Foil, you’re looking at an extremely scarce card worth well over $300 on the secondary market.

1. Vesuvan Doppelganger – Alpha

Market Price: $1,175.00 (via PriceCharting)

The most valuable Shapeshifter of all time also happens to be the first rare Shapeshifter, and its $1,175  price tag certainly befits a piece of cardboard that’s well over 30 years old.

Tacking on an extra blue pip to Clone’s mana cost means this Shapeshifter can change its form during each of your upkeeps, constantly making your foe react to whatever the best creature on the board is, which is still a potent effect even by today’s standards.

Combine that with some of the best Magic artwork of all time, and over $1,100 for this card, somehow, doesn’t sound that far-fetched.

Shapeshift, Not Scapeshift

And there you have it! These (mostly) blue Shapeshifters range from very recent to ancient history, showcasing the wide range of creature-copying effects that Magic has employed over the years.

Do you own any of these cards? If so, which is your favorite? Either way, thanks for reading, and we’ll catch you next time.