Volrath's Shapeshifter
As long as the top card of your graveyard is a creature card, this creature has the full text of that card and has the text "{2}: Discard a card." (This creature has that card's name, mana cost, color, types, abilities, power, and toughness.) {2}: Discard a card.
Rulings (6)
Oct 4, 2004 · If the top card in your graveyard isn't a creature card (meaning a card with the type Creature, which may or may not have other types such as Artifact or Enchantment), then it's just a 0/1 blue creature. Older cards of type Summon are also Creature cards.
Oct 4, 2004 · If the top card in your graveyard is a creature card, this card uses the listed characteristics, including color and any other types. But, this card keeps the granted ability in addition to those from the card being copied.
Oct 4, 2004 · If the top card in the graveyard has any other undefined characteristics, then those characteristics are not acquired and the shapeshifter uses the characteristic from its own card.
Oct 4, 2004 · A copy of a Volrath's Shapeshifter will have the shapeshifting ability.
Oct 4, 2004 · When it changes forms, any "enters" abilities of the card it "copies" do not trigger.
Aug 1, 2008 · The ability that sets its characteristics is a text-changing effect.
Where it’s played now
Inclusion by archetype
| Archetype | Format | Inclusion | Copies | Decks (n) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reanimator | Premodern | 61.5% | 2–3× | 26 |
| Aang, at the Crossroads | cEDH | 50% | 1× | 2 |
| 4-Color Survival | Premodern | 25% | 2× | 4 |