EDH Optimizer
Volrath, the Shapestealer
Legendary Creature — Phyrexian Shapeshifter · 2BGU
Color identity: Black · Green · Blue · Sultai
Volrath, the Shapestealer is Sultai (black, green and blue): its deck can only run cards of those colors plus colorless ones.
Rules text:
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.
Reference price of the card: €0.44
Average lands in decks for Volrath, the Shapestealer: 35
-1/-1 CountersClones+1/+1 CountersInfectProliferateShapeshiftersComboMidrange
Build your Volrath, the Shapestealer deck step by step, with in-depth analysis and AI optimization of your list.
🛠️ Build a deck for Volrath, the Shapestealer 📥 Analyze my deck🎲 How the average Volrath, the Shapestealer deck starts over 4,000 games
The list people actually play per EDHREC (the 99 most-included cards, with its average land count), simulated with the EDH Optimizer engine: hands, mulligans, lands, curve and commander. It does not model opponents; it measures whether the plan gets going.
Deck health of the average list: B+ (80/100)
- Consistency59
- Speed60
- Interaction98
- Resilience77
- Closing100
See the cards of the average deck · 99 cards, 35 lands (25 nonbasic, 3 Island, 3 Swamp, 4 Forest)
Sol Ring · Arcane Signet · Generous Patron · Cultivate · Master Biomancer · Cold-Eyed Selkie · Farseek · Forgotten Ancient · Hapatra, Vizier of Poisons · Black Sun's Zenith · Assassin's Trophy · Kodama's Reach · Nature's Lore · Necroskitter · Rampant Growth · Beast Within · Counterspell · Tetzimoc, Primal Death · Evolution Sage · Kami of Whispered Hopes · Massacre Girl, Known Killer · Spitting Dilophosaurus · Rishkar, Peema Renegade · Revitalizing Repast // Old-Growth Grove · Spark Double · Thrummingbird · Persistent Constrictor · Three Visits · Heroic Intervention · Nest of Scarabs · Swiftfoot Boots · Tezzeret's Gambit · Birds of Paradise · Blighted Agent · Silent Hallcreeper · Incubation Druid · Blowfly Infestation · Innkeeper's Talent · Invisible Stalker · Obelisk Spider · Biophagus · Spawnwrithe · The Great Henge · Champion of Lambholt · Contagion Clasp · Toxic Deluge · Toxrill, the Corrosive · Vashta Nerada · Clever Impersonator · Fathom Mage · Progenitor Mimic · Putrefy · Inexorable Tide · Lightning Greaves · Phyrexian Metamorph · Scute Swarm · An Offer You Can't Refuse · Contagion Engine · Negate · Return of the Wildspeaker · Arcane Denial · Atomize · Glasspool Mimic // Glasspool Shore · Hollowmurk Siege · Command Tower · Exotic Orchard · Opulent Palace · Breeding Pool · Overgrown Tomb · Hinterland Harbor · Watery Grave · Zagoth Triome · Woodland Cemetery · Yavimaya Coast · Llanowar Wastes · Rejuvenating Springs · Sunken Hollow · Undergrowth Stadium · Dreamroot Cascade · Nesting Grounds · Drowned Catacomb · Karn's Bastion · Bojuka Bog · Misty Rainforest · Polluted Delta · Rogue's Passage · Verdant Catacombs · Morphic Pool · Evolving Wilds
🃏 Recommended cards for Volrath, the Shapestealer
The highest-synergy cards in decks for Volrath, the Shapestealer, with their inclusion rate.
| Card | Inclusion | Synergy |
|---|---|---|
| Generous Patron | 56% | +55% |
| Master Biomancer | 53% | +50% |
| Hapatra, Vizier of Poisons | 48% | +48% |
| Forgotten Ancient | 50% | +45% |
| Black Sun's Zenith | 46% | +45% |
| Cold-Eyed Selkie | 51% | +44% |
| Necroskitter | 39% | +39% |
| Tetzimoc, Primal Death | 35% | +34% |
| Massacre Girl, Known Killer | 34% | +34% |
| Spitting Dilophosaurus | 34% | +33% |
| Rishkar, Peema Renegade | 33% | +32% |
| Persistent Constrictor | 31% | +31% |
| Nest of Scarabs | 30% | +29% |
| Spark Double | 32% | +28% |
| Nesting Grounds | 34% | +28% |
| Kami of Whispered Hopes | 34% | +27% |
| Blighted Agent | 29% | +27% |
| Karn's Bastion | 33% | +27% |
| Tezzeret's Gambit | 30% | +27% |
| Evolution Sage | 34% | +27% |
| Blowfly Infestation | 27% | +26% |
| Thrummingbird | 32% | +26% |
| Obelisk Spider | 26% | +26% |
| Silent Hallcreeper | 29% | +26% |
💰 The best cards for your Volrath, the Shapestealer deck, by budget
Three tiers based on the maximum price PER CARD you are willing to pay. Paste your list and hit Optimize: you pick that cap and the AI only suggests swaps that fit under it.
Tier 1 · Budget up to €2/card
The most value for almost nothing. Coming from a precon? Start here.
- Master Biomancer
- Hapatra, Vizier of Poisons
- Forgotten Ancient
- Black Sun's Zenith
- Cold-Eyed Selkie
- Necroskitter
Tier 2 · Balanced up to €10/card
The real step up: pieces that are no longer cheap but still sensible.
- Generous Patron
- Nest of Scarabs
- Spark Double
- Kami of Whispered Hopes
- Obelisk Spider
- Innkeeper's Talent
Tier 3 · No cap no cap
The cards your price cap was hiding from you.
- Spitting Dilophosaurus
- Persistent Constrictor
- Biophagus
- Toxrill, the Corrosive
- The Great Henge
- Crumbling Ashes
Reference prices (cheapest English printing). They change daily.
♾️ Known combos with Volrath, the Shapestealer
- Hullbreaker Horror + Sol Ring → Infinite colorless mana, Infinite storm count
- Blowfly Infestation + Nest of Scarabs → Infinite death triggers, Infinite creature ETB, Infinite creature LTB
- Blowfly Infestation + Flourishing Defenses → Infinite creature ETB, Infinite creature LTB, Infinite death triggers
- Blowfly Infestation + Hapatra, Vizier of Poisons → Infinite death triggers, Infinite creature ETB, Infinite creature LTB
- Vraska, Betrayal's Sting + Vorinclex, Monstrous Raider → Target opponent loses the game
- High Perfect Morcant + Flourishing Defenses → Near-infinite creature ETB, Near-infinite creature tokens, Near-infinite proliferate, Reduce any number of opposing creatures' toughness to 0 whenever an Elf enters under your control, Reduce the toughness of creatures opponents control to 0
Other commanders
Frequently asked questions
What is Volrath, the Shapestealer's color identity?
Volrath, the Shapestealer is Sultai (black, green and blue): its deck can only run cards of those colors plus colorless ones. Color identity comes from every mana symbol on the card, including those in the rules text, not just the casting cost.
What turn does Volrath, the Shapestealer come down, and how often does the deck get stuck?
In the average Volrath, the Shapestealer deck (the 99 most-included cards per EDHREC, with 35 lands), simulated 4,000 times, the commander comes down on turn 4.9 on average and is on the battlefield before turn 7 in 93 % of games. It misses at least one land drop in the first six turns 30 % of the time and floods 14 %. Deck health: B+ (80/100).
How many lands should a Volrath, the Shapestealer deck run?
Real Volrath, the Shapestealer decks run 35 lands on average. That is a starting point, not a rule: a lower curve can shave one or two, big-mana builds want more. The EDH Optimizer simulator tells you, over 10,000 games, how often you get mana screwed or flooded with your exact count.
What are the best cards for Volrath, the Shapestealer?
The three highest-synergy cards are Generous Patron, Master Biomancer, Hapatra, Vizier of Poisons. This page lists the top 24 with their real inclusion rate in Volrath, the Shapestealer decks.
What combos does Volrath, the Shapestealer have?
Volrath, the Shapestealer has 6 known combos. The most popular one is Hullbreaker Horror + Sol Ring. Note that two-card combos raise your deck's bracket, so it is worth knowing which ones you are running before you sit down.
How much does a Volrath, the Shapestealer deck cost?
You can start cheap: Master Biomancer, Hapatra, Vizier of Poisons, Forgotten Ancient are under €2 each. The "Level up" section on this page splits the best cards into three price caps PER CARD (up to €2, up to €10 and no cap), and the optimizer only suggests swaps that fit the cap you pick.