<p style="text-align: right;"><i><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Moritte of the Frost" href="#" target="_blank">Moritte of the Frost</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="http://www.ericdeschamps.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Eric Deschamps</a></span></i></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Moritte of the Frost" href="#" target="_blank">Moritte of the Frost</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> Commander deck tech will to attempt to build on MTG Muddstah’s <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mistform Ultimus" href="#" target="_blank">Mistform Ultimus</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> deck while leaning further into what makes Shapeshifters special and embracing the many options they enjoy.</span></p>
<h2>Shapeshifter History</h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Over the last few weeks, these deck techs have gone on a sort of tour of <em>Lorwyn</em>’s creature types, in honor of the release of <a href="https://edhrec.com/sets/ecl" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em>Lorwyn Eclipsed</em></a>. It began with the revelation of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="High Perfect Morcant" href="#" target="_blank">High Perfect Morcant</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> <a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/this-high-perfect-morcant-commander-deck-does-it-all" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Elfball</a>, continued with the new <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mass of Mysteries" href="#" target="_blank">Mass of Mysteries</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> <a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/decyphering-the-new-elemental-commander-mass-of-mysteries" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Elementals</a>, followed up with <a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/building-treefolk-typal-with-fangorn-tree-shepherd" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Treefolk</a>, <a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/building-merfolk-typal-with-emperor-mihail-ii" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Merfolk</a>, and <a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/building-faerie-typal-with-obyra-dreaming-duelist" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Faeries</a>. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">There’s only one creature type prominently featured in <em>Lorwyn</em> that we haven't dissected: the sneaky Shapeshifters.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Shapeshifters are an interesting type, mostly united around the changeling ability, which grants the creature all creature types. The ability hearkens back to <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mistform Ultimus" href="#" target="_blank">Mistform Ultimus</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> in <em>Legions</em>, which meshed well with the Typal-focused <em>Onslaught</em> block. The Ultimus famously helmed a “Typal Typal” deck run by one of my content creation inspirations, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/MTGMuddstah" target="_blank" rel="noopener">MTG Muddstah</a>.</span></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Mistform Ultimus"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Changeling Outcast"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Mirror Entity"></div></div>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Muddstah’s <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VsUxFl_d7c4&amp;list=PLtMmIcAO3f9qfUe7BSFt3XLVNYNn7-n07&amp;index=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">deck</a> was a thing of beauty. Since Ultimus had all creature types, it could take on any boosts offered by Typal lords and any abilities that cared about creature types. It was the sort of fantastic, over the top decadence that <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xzibit" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Xzibit</a>, would’ve loved. Xzibit was famous for embedding the preferences of the client into every aspect of their vehicle on <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pimp_My_Ride" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Pimp My Ride</a>, to the extent that it became a popular <a href="https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/xzibit-yo-dawg" target="_blank" rel="noopener">meme</a>.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Shapeshifters themselves tend to lean into <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Clone" href="#" target="_blank">Clone</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> effects, giving us a neat through line: we can clone our Typal synergies and lords, and then use those stacked boosts on our changelings. As a result, our board will be one of the most powerful and creative of any Typal deck we’ve built in the history of this column.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">But how do we make the hodgepodge feel like a focused deck? And will it feel like a Shapeshifter deck or a deck with Shapeshifters in it? Let's find out.</span></p>
<h2>What Does <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Moritte of the Frost" href="#" target="_blank">Moritte of the Frost</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> Do?</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Moritte of the Frost"></div></div>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Moritte is a deceptively simple-looking card. It enters as a copy of any permanent we control, like any other clone, but is legendary and snow, and enters with two +1/+1 counters and has changeling if we have it clone a creature. Shapeshifters are mysterious and amorphous, and this is one of the few that can even be a land! In fact, its possibilities are only limited by what permanents we own.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">It’s worth noting that it enters as a copy of the permanent, so any enters-the-battlefield (ETB) triggers it has or procs happen. It is still legendary, and it doesn’t keep its name, so we want to have cool permanents to copy that aren’t legendary.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">But what type are our Shapeshifters masquerading as? Any type we want, and whatever we need them to be.</span></p>
<h2>Key Cards for <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Moritte of the Frost" href="#" target="_blank">Moritte of the Frost</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Shapeshifters take on whatever form suits them best, even if they do have a base form. Our Shapeshifters use that craftiness to make tricky plays, get around weaknesses, and create weird but incredibly powerful board states.</span></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Phyrexian Metamorph"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Progenitor Mimic"></div></div>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">One of Moritte’s weaknesses is that it can’t copy opponents’ permanents. But what if our permanent copied an opponent’s permanent? <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Phyrexian Metamorph" href="#" target="_blank">Phyrexian Metamorph</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can be cast for a reduced cost and can copy any creature or artifact on the board, giving us a wide array of options. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Progenitor Mimic" href="#" target="_blank">Progenitor Mimic</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can also copy anyone’s creature, but it makes a copy in each of our upkeeps, which can get out of hand really quickly, even if we don’t copy it with our commander.</span></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Chomping Changeling"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Realmwalker"></div></div>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The other major kind of Shapeshifter we’re running is changelings. Changelings have all creature types, so they gain all boosts and trigger all cards that care about creature types. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Chomping Changeling" href="#" target="_blank">Chomping Changeling</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a new card that gives all green Typal decks a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Reclamation Sage" href="#" target="_blank">Reclamation Sage</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Since it triggers on ETB, Moritte can re-use it for extra value. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Realmwalker" href="#" target="_blank">Realmwalker</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is part of the mysterious <em>Kaldheim</em> Shapeshifters. It lets us cast Shapeshifters from the top of our library, giving us a strong card advantage engine.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">But what are we looking for?</span></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Absorb Identity"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Shrieking Drake"></div></div>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">We might not have a lot of ETB effects, but every <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Clone" href="#" target="_blank">Clone</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> we run technically has one, and the weakness of cards like them and our commander is that they can only be one thing at a time. If a better target comes around later, they’re locked into what they’ve cloned…unless we bounce them, that is. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Shrieking Drake" href="#" target="_blank">Shrieking Drake</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> bounces a clone and leaves a flying blocker, while <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Absorb Identity" href="#" target="_blank">Absorb Identity</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> doubles as a finisher by turning all of our Shapeshifters into the bounced card!</span></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Seraph Sanctuary"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Swarmyard"></div></div>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Even our lands offer an opportunity for creativity by allowing us to utilize some of the strongest Typal lands alongside our changelings. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Seraph Sanctuary" href="#" target="_blank">Seraph Sanctuary</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> gains us life when Angels enter the battlefield, which our changelings can imitate, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Swarmyard" href="#" target="_blank">Swarmyard</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> lets us regenerate our changelings. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Notably, our commander remains a changeling when it copies a creature, and can even copy one of these utility lands in a pinch.</span></p>
<h2>How Does This <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Moritte of the Frost" href="#" target="_blank">Moritte of the Frost</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> Commander Deck Win?</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Gilt-Leaf Archdruid"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Biowaste Blob"></div></div>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">While copying our opponents’ permanents and then copying our own permanents that copied their permanents is a hilarious way to honor Xzibit’s legacy, it does put us at our opponents’ mercy in terms of the power level and ability to goldfish, or present a clock against a random opponent. What we can do pretty well is play lords of various types and then copy them, making our changelings truly scary.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gilt-Leaf Archdruid" href="#" target="_blank">Gilt-Leaf Archdruid</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> straddles the line of good taste letting us steal the land out from under our now-helpless opponents, although that ability might be important to disclose in Rule Zero, if mass land denial is an issue (technically not destroying them, but similar spirit). </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Biowaste Blob" href="#" target="_blank">Biowaste Blob</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> pumps Oozes and makes more of itself each upkeep if we control our commander, which can get truly silly if we turn our commander into it!</span></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Baru, Wurmspeaker"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Tawnos, the Toymaker"></div></div>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Baru, Wurmspeaker" href="#" target="_blank">Baru, Wurmspeaker</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> takes advantage of our changelings also being Wurms by double-pumping them and granting them trample, in addition to lowering the cost of his activated ability by the largest power among our shifty “Wurms.” </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tawnos, the Toymaker" href="#" target="_blank">Tawnos, the Toymaker</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, meanwhile, copies Birds and Beasts on the stack, which our changelings all happen to be. Notably, our commander is a changeling creature on the stack regardless of what it copies, so we can get a ton of value out of the big guy.</span></p>
<h2>Moritte of the Frost Commander Deck List</h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Moritte of the Frost Commander Deck Tech" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="&nbsp;
[Commander]
*1 Moritte of the Frost
[/Commander]
&nbsp;
[Creatures]
*1 Aether Adept
*1 Aether Channeler
*1 Aethersnipe
*1 Altered Ego
*1 Amoeboid Changeling
*1 Ayula, Queen Among Bears
*1 Azami, Lady of Scrolls
*1 Baru, Wurmspeaker
*1 Biowaste Blob
*1 Bloodline Pretender
*1 Chameleon Colossus
*1 Chomping Changeling
*1 Clever Impersonator
*1 Clone
*1 Dream Stalker
*1 Elvish Archdruid
*1 Faerie Impostor
*1 Feline Sovereign
*1 Gemhide Sliver
*1 Gilt-Leaf Archdruid
*1 Gladewalker Ritualist
*1 Guardian Gladewalker
*1 Krosan Warchief
*1 Littjara Glade-Warden
*1 Littjara Kinseekers
*1 Lord of the Unreal
*1 Malleable Impostor
*1 Man-o&#039;-War
*1 Manaweft Sliver
*1 Masked Vandal
*1 Merfolk Sovereign
*1 Merrow Reejerey
*1 Metallic Mimic
*1 Mirror Image
*1 Mistwalker
*1 Mothdust Changeling
*1 Mutable Explorer
*1 Pheres-Band Warchief
*1 Phyrexian Metamorph
*1 Progenitor Mimic
*1 Quickling
*1 Realmwalker
*1 Shapesharer
*1 Shrieking Drake
*1 Spider-Ham, Peter Porker
*1 Stunt Double
*1 Tawnos, the Toymaker
*1 Undercover Operative
*1 Unesh, Criosphinx Sovereign
*1 Universal Automaton
*1 Winter Eladrin
*1 Woodland Changeling
[/Creatures]
&nbsp;
[Enchantments]
*1 Springleaf Parade
*1 The Bears of Littjara
[/Enchantments]
&nbsp;
[Artifacts]
*1 Maskwood Nexus
[/Artifacts]
&nbsp;
[Sorceries]
*1 Formless Genesis
*1 Mass Appeal
*1 Peer Pressure
[/Sorceries]
&nbsp;
[Instants]
*1 Absorb Identity
[/Instants]
&nbsp;
[Lands]
*1 Animal Sanctuary
*15 Forest
*1 Haven of the Spirit Dragon
*15 Island
*1 Mirrorpool
*1 Mutavault
*1 Riptide Laboratory
*1 Seraph Sanctuary
*1 Shifting Woodland
*1 Soulstone Sanctuary
*1 Swarmyard
*1 Tyrite Sanctum
[/Lands]
&nbsp;"></span></div></span></p>
<h2>Conclusion</h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Shapeshifters can be anywhere or do anything, which makes them remarkably flexible and open-ended. They can be a ton of fun to build, and, as long as more Typal cards are printed in their colors, provide an endless amount of customization and replayability. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">That fun can also be a huge challenge, as an endless array of possibilities can create decision paralysis and can lead to “four-move-slot-syndrome” from <em>Pokemon</em>, where you want to include everything but can only fit so much in the deck and it becomes tricky to get all of the cool pieces you want.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">For example, the deck needs a balance of lords, clones, and changelings to present a strong board. Cutting changelings for lords means that the lords may struggle to work together, while cutting clones removes the deck’s glue and makes it tough to ensure that we have what we need when we need it.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">But how would you build this flexible type? And what are your favorite unusual synergies?</span></p>


Building Shapeshifter Typal With Moritte of the Frost

The Top 10 Most Played Commander Cards with Changeling

<p style="text-align: right;"><em><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sliver Queen" href="#" target="_blank">Sliver Queen</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://www.deviantart.com/fobiapharmer">Ron Spencer</a></em></p>
<p>Each color in <em>Magic</em> has its own strengths and weaknesses. This is one of the first things-</p>
<p>Wait a minute, I already covered playing all the five colors of <em>Magic</em> off-meta. There’s no more <em>Commander Unoptimized</em> to write about!</p>
<p>Unless… We change course to deck archetypes.</p>
<h2>Slivers</h2>
<p>Do you hate Slivers? I hate Slivers. Not because I think they’re unfair, but simply because a player getting a good combination of Slivers in the early game makes their entire deck oppressive. Once more than a handful of Slivers slither onto the board, they're a nightmare to deal with.</p>
<p>But that’s also where the fun comes in with them. Both to play and to play against!</p>
<p>Which Sliver is the largest threat?</p>
<p>“<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Constricting Sliver" href="#" target="_blank">Constricting Sliver</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is wiping my board state but <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Brood Sliver" href="#" target="_blank">Brood Sliver</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is swarming me. Do I counter <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gemhide Sliver" href="#" target="_blank">Gemhide Sliver</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to cripple their economy or save it for in case they have <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Crystalline Sliver" href="#" target="_blank">Crystalline Sliver</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>?”</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Constricting Sliver"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Brood Sliver"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Fungus Sliver"></div></div>
<p>Very few Slivers are “bad choices” to deal with, since almost every single Sliver buffs every other one. This means that, while you can easily remove most of them, you need to make decisions as to which individual buff is the largest threat.</p>
<p>Exiling? Double strike? Tutoring?</p>
<p>What is the biggest threat you’re currently facing? And which is core to their strategy?</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Crystalline Sliver"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="First Sliver&#039;s Chosen"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Frenetic Sliver"></div></div>
<h2>What Is Playing “Out Of Type?”</h2>
<p>Different deck archetypes have different expectations as to how they’ll be utilized. Goblins want to spam your board with many small creatures. Eldrazi aim to get a few heavy-hitters on the board. Spellslingers use utility creatures to enhance their instants and sorceries.</p>
<p>To play Out Of Type is to choose one of those archetypes and purposely go against the grain of what makes it good. Voltron Goblin decks. Creature-spam Spellslingers. An Eldrazi deck where nothing costs more than six mana.</p>
<p>This means looking at new combos, changing which cards you run, and staying as far from the intended playstyle as possible, which, as you might have guessed, is something of a voluntary handicap.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Goblin Bully"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Third Path Iconoclast"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Eldrazi Conscription"></div></div>
<h2>A Quick Disclaimer</h2>
<p>This isn’t intended to be tournament competitive, nor is it meant to win you games. The goal of playing Out Of Type is entirely to explore the facets of the game that would normally go ignored, which, depending on your gaming group, might just end up with you getting thrashed and laughed at. Adapt your playstyle to your pod, and don’t try to fit a casual deck into a competitive game.</p>
<p>But if you’re in a casual game or even playing a “best of the worst,” it’s some great fun to have.</p>
<h2>What Slivers Do Well</h2>
<h3>Literally Everything</h3>
<p>The entire point of Slivers is that they can do anything. Need trample? <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Groundshaker Sliver" href="#" target="_blank">Groundshaker Sliver</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Flying? <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Galerider Sliver" href="#" target="_blank">Galerider Sliver</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Lifegain? <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Essence Sliver" href="#" target="_blank">Essence Sliver</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<p>There’s even hyper-niche utility Slivers, such as <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dormant Sliver" href="#" target="_blank">Dormant Sliver</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, or seemingly busted ones, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Crystalline Sliver" href="#" target="_blank">Crystalline Sliver</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. So long as you have a diverse array of abilities, you can solve nearly any problem, up to and including protecting your creatures or returning them from the graveyard.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Groundshaker Sliver"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Galerider Sliver"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Essence Sliver"></div></div>
<p>That’s also where Slivers’ greatest weakness is. They’re effectively a series of individual LEGO pieces, each of which slots together perfectly with every other piece. If you take a bunch of pieces, you can build something wonderful.</p>
<p>But a single LEGO piece is good for little more than stabbing your foot when you’re walking.</p>
<p>Therefore, early game denial is one of the biggest threats to a Sliver deck: if you can’t get out Slivers to get the ball rolling early, you’re screwed.</p>
<h2>But What if……You Play a Sliver Deck Where You’re Trying To Eradicate the Hive?</h2>
<p>The core of the Sliver strategy is to assemble a series of Slivers that can not only do whatever cool thing you’re trying to do, but also protect your permanents. It’s a LEGO set, where taking just a few pieces out might make the entire build collapse.</p>
<p>Suddenly, we have a very simple answer as to how to play Slivers off-type.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Dementia Sliver"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Diffusion Sliver"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Bonescythe Sliver"></div></div>
<h2>Sacrifice</h2>
<p>To avoid playing too closely into the Sliver archetype, you need to minimize the number of true Slivers you have on the board. Luckily, more than a few Slivers confer the ability to sacrifice your Slivers for other benefits, which allows you the option of culling your board while still “playing Slivers".</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Acidic Sliver"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Basal Sliver"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Darkheart Sliver"></div></div>
<p>The key is to avoid the various forms of protection, graveyard retrieval, or permanence that Slivers can impart. Otherwise, you’d just be playing a normal Sliver deck that happens to play fast and lose with your board state.</p>
<p>Focus on having a rotating door of Slivers, where no true Sliver stays on the board for too long.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Cautery Sliver"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Firewake Sliver"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Mindlash Sliver"></div></div>
<h2>“Sliver” Kindred</h2>
<p>I keep mentioning “true” Slivers, because there are other ways of getting non-native Sliver creatures on your board!</p>
<h3>Shapeshifters</h3>
<p>Shapeshifters who have changeling are considered every creature type, including Slivers. While they don’t provide Sliver-wide buffs, they still benefit from the buffs of other Slivers.</p>
<p>This means they’re perfect for playing “Off-Sliver.”</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Changeling Outcast" href="#" target="_blank">Changeling Outcast</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can’t block or be blocked, which, when combined with something like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Brood Sliver" href="#" target="_blank">Brood Sliver</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, allows you to vastly increase creature production. Or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Capricious Sliver" href="#" target="_blank">Capricious Sliver</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to get impulse draw.</p>
<p>However, remember the goal is to minimize the number of true Slivers you have on the board.</p>
<p>Which is why <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Amoeboid Changeling" href="#" target="_blank">Amoeboid Changeling</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is perfect for its ability to make any creature into a Sliver. Take something like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bane of Bala Ged" href="#" target="_blank">Bane of Bala Ged</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, make it a Sliver, and suddenly your 7/5 becomes a 9/5 with flying, trample, and double strike. Make your Sliver <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Balefire Dragon" href="#" target="_blank">Balefire Dragon</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> have even more effects when damaging a player.</p>
<p>Alternatively, you can copy your true Slivers with creatures such as <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Altered Ego" href="#" target="_blank">Altered Ego</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. It retains the text of the original Sliver, but if you have enough of them then you could easily have a full board of buffed, non-native Slivers.</p>
<p>Or you could even make your Slivers into more than just Slivers.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Changeling Outcast"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Amoeboid Changeling"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Body Double"></div></div>
<h3>More Than Slivers</h3>
<p>You could even build a non-Sliver kindred deck where you use <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mistform Sliver" href="#" target="_blank">Mistform Sliver</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to have your Slivers fit the mold of whatever archetype you’re running.</p>
<p>From something fitting like Tyranids to something wild like Elves, your Slivers will still benefit one another but on top of that gain further buffs. If you make them Phyrexians, something like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Grafted Butcher" href="#" target="_blank">Grafted Butcher</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can bounce in and out of the graveyard.</p>
<p>Certainly, it’s expensive. But that’s the price you pay to play Off-Sliver.</p>
<h2>Voltron</h2>
<p>An alternative strategy is to lean into the Slivers’ nature, but only focus on using one of them. Then enhance this by bringing other spells in as single-target support.</p>
<p>You buff a big Sliver, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Groundshaker Sliver" href="#" target="_blank">Groundshaker Sliver</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> with all the normal strategies of a Sliver deck: flying, unearth, haste. The works!</p>
<p>But then you focus on artifacts and enchantments. Instants and sorceries targeting only a single creature. Things that go against the intended collectivism of the Sliver strategy and allow you to have a single champion.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Exponential Growth"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Colossus Hammer"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Berserk"></div></div>
<p>Your other Slivers are still quite useful, buffing your main creature and providing blockers to occupy your board. Similarly, that one creature you modified can easily be replaced. Buff a different Sliver with different spells and you’re back to where you were.</p>
<p>It’s up to your opponents to decide if that present threat is worth dealing with, or if the supporting Slivers are worse, and if they go after your other Slivers, you still have a modified attacker primed to lead the charge.</p>
<h2>Slivers Are Flexible</h2>
<p>If nothing else, Slivers can adapt to what the situation calls for. Assuming you have the right combination of cards, which is true for most strategies; if you need to fly, they can. Or have lifegain. Or draw you cards.</p>
<p>But even outside of Sliver-specific combos, you can bring in Shapeshifters or even more generalized modifiers to really accomplish whatever you want.</p>
<p>You could even run Slivers to get a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Coalition Victory" href="#" target="_blank">Coalition Victory</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> if you were so inclined, though maybe you shouldn’t play Off-Sliver at a higher Bracket just to get that Game Changer. But if you can make it work, more power to you!</p>
<p>It would certainly be a story to tell.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sliver Queen"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Coalition Victory"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="The First Sliver"></div></div>


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