Volrath, the Shapestealer
Color Identity
Details
Mana Value
5
Popularity
#2,275
of 3,466 commanders · via EDHREC
Card Text
Legendary Creature — Phyrexian Shapeshifter
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.
7/5
Playstyle
Midrange · Flexible pace · Heavy interaction · Wins by combat
- Aggression
- 3 of 5
- Speed
- 2 of 5
- Interaction
- 3 of 5
- Combat
- 5 of 5
- Engine
- 4 of 5
- Complexity
- 5 of 5
Card Price
Strategy Guides
+1/+1 Counters Strategy Guide
+1/+1 counter decks are for players who want small creature upgrades to become permanent pressure across the board. This strategy wants to grow creatures over several turns, using +1/+1 counter commanders, counter doublers, and counter payoffs, to win through combat damage from creatures that keep getting larger. Unlike Tokens, Counters grows creatures over time instead of making many bodies, and unlike Voltron it spreads power beyond one attacker; unlike Proliferate, it focuses on +1/+1 growth rather than every counter type, while Infect is a separate poison plan. Counters matter decks reward pilots who sequence early creatures, multipliers, and protection so each trigger converts into lasting board presence.
Infect Strategy Guide
Infect decks are for players who want life totals to matter less than reaching ten poison on each opponent. This strategy wants to connect with infect and toxic creatures, using pump spells, evasion, protection, and infect commanders, to win through poison counter decks EDH opponents have to answer early. In the Counters, Proliferate, and Infect overlap, Counters grows creatures, Proliferate multiplies many counter types, and Infect is the poison win condition that proliferate can accelerate. The social cost is real: once poison appears, the table often treats you as the first threat, and some pods restrict the mechanic before deck selection.
Proliferate Strategy Guide
Proliferate decks are for players who want one trigger to move several counter-based plans forward at the same time. This strategy wants to place useful counters first, using +1/+1 counters, poison, loyalty, charge counters, and repeatable proliferate commanders, to win through a grown board, planeswalker ultimates, or the final poison counter. Unlike +1/+1 Counters, Proliferate multiplies any counter type rather than only creature size, and unlike Infect it can use poison as one route without making ten poison the whole plan. Counter synergy EDH decks built around proliferate reward pilots who seed the right counters, then chain small increases until every permanent matters.
Combo Strategy Guide
Combo decks are for players who enjoy finding a narrow line, protecting it, and ending the game with specific cards working together. This strategy wants to assemble combo commanders, tutors, draw, and compact two-card or three-card packages, using infinite combos or deterministic loops, to win in one decisive moment. Unlike Spellslinger it is not paid for every spell cast, unlike Storm it does not need a long chain turn, and unlike Big Mana it does not rely on casting one enormous payoff. The best combo decks EDH players build balance speed with enough interaction to survive the table's disruption.
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