All 10 Shapeshifter Commanders in Magic Ranked

Last updated on February 20, 2024

Morophon, the Boundless | Illustration by Victor Adame Minguez

Sometimes having the best of both worlds can be good or bad. But not when you have shapeshifter commanders! With so many creature types and many benefits from copying the creature that you or your opponents already have, you never know what shenanigans you can embark upon when you’re playing with a shapeshifter commander as the leader of your army!

Before we get into the ranking of the 10 shapeshifter commanders, let’s touch on the similarities between the changeling evergreen mechanic and the shapeshifter creature type.

And yes, they’re essentially a bunch of Ditto for all the Pokémon fans out there!

What Are Changeling Commanders in MTG?

The Prismatic Piper | Illustration by Seb McKinnon

Changeling commanders are legendary creatures that are all creature types. Did you know that there are 281 creature types in MTG? This means that for creature-based enter-the-battlefield or leave-the-battlefield triggers, casting any creature with changeling helps you to get those benefits.

There are only three changeling commanders in the MTG universe who are all shapeshifters. This makes it easy to build typal decks based on their color identity. Say that there aren’t many creatures with the type you wish to build. Choose one of the changeling commanders that best match the cards with the typing that shares a color identity.

There are seven shapeshifter commanders without changeling listed on the card. However, they have abilities where they can temporarily copy different creatures to take on their forms. Of course, that’s what shapeshifters do anyway! These creatures have changeling without actually stating it on their cards.

#10. Volrath the Fallen

Volrath the Fallen from Nemesis released back in 2000 pumps itself with a mana ability based on the mana cost of the creature you discard. Mono-black creatures with high mana costs of 5 or more like Ancient Brass Dragon and Sheoldred are the best payoffs for running this commander.

#9. The Prismatic Piper

The Prismatic Piper’s main function is to color-fix your Commander deck so you can include cards that otherwise wouldn’t be allowed in it. In the event one of the other creatures with partner doesn’t suit your vision of the deck build, utilize Prismatic Piper to at least get the extra color you want.

You can get infinite colorless mana with The Prismatic Piper, Rakdos, Lord of Riots, Warstorm Surge, and Ashnod's Altar. Make sure one of your opponents has lost 5 life points this turn to cast The Prismatic Piper for free thanks to Rakdos, Lord of Riots’s ability.

Warstorm Surge triggers to deal 3 damage to any opponent. Sacrifice The Prismatic Piper to Ashnod's Altar to get 2 colorless mana. Return The Prismatic Piper to the command zone and keep doing the process until each opponent has 0 life. Hopefully, they don't have a Platinum Angel on board!

#8. Lazav, the Multifarious

Lazav, the Multifarious from Guilds of Ravnica can become a copy of one of your creatures in the graveyard by paying mana equal to their mana value.

You can win the game with infinite self-mill by having Lazav and Laboratory Maniac on the battlefield while Mirror-Mad Phantasm is in your graveyard. Pay 5 mana for Lazav to become Mirror-Mad Phantasm.

Pay 1 colorless mana and 1 blue to activate Mirror-Mad Phantasm’s ability to mill your entire library because you don’t have another card with that name in your library. When you go to draw a card after milling your last card, you’ll win the game because of Laboratory Maniac being on the battlefield.

#7. Lazav, Dimir Mastermind

Lazav, Dimir Mastermind is the better version of Lazav, the Multifarious because you can utilize your opponent’s creatures and copy them when they hit the graveyard without paying any mana. Especially when you aren’t drawing your best cards, you can use your opponent’s resources against them! Just think if you managed to get The Tarrasque or Ancient Copper Dragon into your opponent’s graveyard to copy with Lazav. Now that’s some serious value!

#6. Volrath, the Shapestealer

Volrath, the Shapestealer hands out a -1/-1 counter on every combat like it’s popcorn at a movie theater! It takes only 1 mana to copy it into a creature of your choice that’s on the battlefield. Have Volrath, Viridian Joiner, and Gilder Bairn on the battlefield for an awesome combo that generates infinite green mana and infinite proliferate.

Viridian Joiner and Gilder Bairn need at least one +1/+1 counter on each of them to get started. Pay 1 mana to have Volrath become a copy of Viridian Joiner. Tap Volrath to add 7 green mana to your mana pool. Then, pay 1 mana to have Volrath become a copy of Gilder Bairn use its untap/pay 3 ability to proliferate counters on Volrath.

#5. The Ever-Changing ‘Dane

The Ever-Changing ‘Dane copies a sacrificed creature for only 1 mana. Say that your opponent is trying to destroy your best creature. In response, you can pay 1 mana, sacrifice it to The Ever-Changing ‘Dane, and essentially save it by having this shapeshifter become it.

Use cards that have death triggers for added value when you sacrifice them to The Ever-Changing ‘Dane. The dragon spirits from Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty like Junji, the Midnight Sky, Kairi, the Swirling Sky, and Ao, the Dawn Sky are great examples!

#4. Moritte of the Frost

Moritte of the Frost from Kaldheim copies any permanent, not just a creature. However, if you’re copying a creature, it gets a pump and becomes a changeling. For the most value, have it become a copy of Helm of the Host so you can get double the copies of your best creature on every combat. Alternatively, you can copy your second-best creature and keep the original Helm of the Host on your best creature.

#3. Orvar, the All-Form

An Orvar, the All-Form Commander deck benefits from instants and sorceries that pump your creatures so you can make a copy of the targeted creature. You can have a lower creature base in the deck because the instants and sorceries copy your main creatures for you with Orvar on the battlefield.

Have Peregrine Drake and Mind Games out to generate infinite creature tokens. With Concordant Crossroads on the field, all your tokens, however many you wish to generate, gain haste so you can instantly swing for the win.

#2. Halfdane

Halfdane from Legends is the most expensive of all the shapeshifter commanders in MTG because it’s one the Reserve List. Change the creature that you want Halfdane to be on your every upkeep whether it’s one of your creatures or your opponent’s.

You can discourage your opponent from attacking you when you’re still building up your army by copying their best creature so that they don’t kill each other. Have it become an Esper Sentinel if you need some card draw or Baleful Strix if you need a flier as a blocker… and more card draw!

#1. Morophon, the Boundless

Morophon, the Boundless is the best changeling commander in MTG because of its many abilities that support whatever type of creatures you want to run. It reduces their costs, pumps them by +1/+1, and is also a changeling to trigger enter-the-battlefield effects that care about specific creature types.

Land infinite damage on your opponents with this combo! Cast Hibernation Sliver for free because of Morophon’s ability. The sliver enters the battlefield and deals 1 damage to either one of your opponent’s life totals or a planeswalker, and you get to gain 1 life. Essence Sliver helps you gain 1 life because this happened. Then you return Hibernation Sliver from the battlefield to your hand by paying 2 life points. Repeat!

Best Shapeshifter Commander Payoffs

Building decks for creature types that don’t have as many cards with the exact typing can be easier if you include changeling cards alongside your shapeshifter commander.

For example, there are only 10 cards across all the colors with rabbit typing in MTG. If you want to include them all in a typal deck, use Morophon, the Boundless because it’s the only changeling commander that allows all colors. Plus, it pumps the rabbits by +1/+1 and reduces the colored mana spent on them.

Fun fact: Kwain, Itinerant Meddler would be free to cast with Morophon, the Boundless on the battlefield because Morophon reduces the white mana and blue mana needed for Kwain’s mana cost.

Cadira, Caller of the Small is an orc ranger, but it generates Rabbit tokens when it deals combat damage. This card would be an automatic-include for this deck build scenario as well.

Birthing Boughs from Modern Horizons can make you a token with changeling to expand your army of whatever creature type you’re running. With Bloodline Pretender on the battlefield before you cast your changeling commander, it can pump up Bloodline Pretender when it enters.

There are 38 other non-legendary changeling creature cards available to put in a Morophon, the Boundless Commander deck so that they can be the creature type that you want and receive the pump and reduction in casting cost.

Commanding Conclusion

Orvar, the All-Form | Illustration by Chase Stone

Changeling commanders are legendary creatures that are considered to be every creature type of the MTG universe. Shapeshifter commanders, while they don’t have the evergreen changeling mechanic listed on them, have changeling-like effects by being able to copy different creatures based on their abilities.

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Until then, stay flexible and adaptable to anything and everything just like these changeling and shapeshifter commanders!