You know that feeling when you're trying to build a Kindred deck but you just don't seem to have enough creatures of the same type? You're just sitting there, staring down a half-dozen Kindred payoffs, but only five cards in your collection actually share that type. Or maybe you want to splash multiple tribes in one deck but hate the awkwardness of piecing them together like a jigsaw with missing pieces.

Well, in today's Mechanics Overview Segment, let me introduce you to Changeling, a keyword ability that pretty much lets us go, "Why choose just one creature type when we can simply have them all?"

What Is Changeling?

Changeling (This card is every creature type.)

Changeling is a characteristic-defining keyword ability found only on Shapeshifters. So, what does it do? Well, simply put, Changeling creatures are simultaneously every creature type in the entire game of MTG. Goblin? Elf? Zombie? Dragon? Sliver? If you can name it, Changeling is it.

Furthermore, a creature with Changeling is every creature type everywhere: battlefield, hand, graveyard, library, even outside the game. This is different from spells or abilities that "grant all creature types" temporarily; Changeling is intrinsic and omnipresent.

Now, isn't all this just neat for your pile?

The History of Changeling

Lorwyn (2007)

Lorwyn was a highly typal set, focusing on rigid creature identities--Elves, Goblins, Merfolk, Faeries, and so on. Sounds fun, what's the problem? Well, for one, drafting and deckbuilding became pretty awkward when you just had piles of cards that only worked well if you could consistently hit their tribe. As such, Wizards of the Coast added Changelings as a kind of "Kindred glue." As an added bonus, these Shapeshifters were also color-balanced across the spectrum, so they could slot into almost any deck, keeping tribes connected without ever forcing you into a single color or type.

Modern Horizons (2019)

Fast forward to 2019, Modern Horizons dusted off Changelings once again, but this time with a twist. It was at this point that they leaned into an "arbitrary typal" archetype, mainly in White and Black, printing many payoffs that cared primarily about Changelings to support these synergies (i.e., King of the Pride was included in the set even though it was the only Cat available outside of Changelings). This set also introduced the first batch of artifact and colorless Changelings, allowing for even more synergies where they were needed.

Kaldheim (2021)

Then, not even 2 years later, Kaldheim brought Changelings back again, but this time, focused on Blue and Green. And while not the center theme of the set, cards from Kaldheim often rewarded you heavily for having multiple creatures sharing types, and Changelings just made it all the easier to meet those goals.

Bloomburrow (2024)

Magda, the Brazen Outlaw players like myself got a clear nod from the undercover Magda player over at Wizards of the Coast in the form of Three Tree Mascot and Barkform Harvester. (As for everyone else, if you've got foils of these scrumptious Artifact Dwarfs lying around in your bulk, I'd be more than happy to take them off your hands.)

FAQs About Changeling

1. Are Changelings all creature types in your hand?

Yes! Because Changeling is characteristic-defining, it works everywhere, even in your hand. So if a card says "reveal a Merfolk from your hand," you can always reveal a Changeling.

2. Are all Shapeshifters Changelings?

No, not every Shapeshifter has Changeling. Shapeshifter creatures like Brightling, Morphling, or even The Prismatic Piper are all prominent Shapeshifters without Changeling.

3. Can you choose Changeling as a creature type?

Unfortunately, Changeling is an ability and not a creature type, so no can do.

4. Are Changelings Artifact Creatures?

Artifact is a card type, not a creature type, so Changelings are not Artifact Creatures unless they say so explicitly (Again, Magda, the Brazen Outlaw simply ADORES Artifact Dwarfs).

5. Do Changelings count as Snow creatures?

Nope! Snow is a supertype, so it's unrelated to creature types.

6. Can a Changeling count as a full party in MTG?

It's important to note that Party requires different creatures of different types. Granted, a single Changeling will count as one creature towards any type you need for a Party, but it can still only fill one spot of the Party.

7. Can you mutate onto a Changeling?

No. Since Changelings always have the Human creature type, and the Mutate ability can only target non-human creatures, you cannot ever mutate onto them.

Building Better Kindred Decks With Changeling

Kindred decks are surely some of the most fun and flavorful strategies in Magic. They allow us to almost unknowingly tap into a specific fantasy: Elves marching as one powerful force of nature, Goblins rioting in overwhelming hordes, or even Merfolk weaving all their underwater plots. But, like many other strategies, the biggest challenge any deck can face is consistency. And in this instance, how do you find enough creatures that share a type to make your lords and payoffs actually pop off? Changelings is the glue that solves that problem outright.

Of course, with great power comes certain pitfalls. Because Changelings are every creature type, everywhere at once, cards that target or punish certain tribes can backfire spectacularly. For example, board wipes like Witch's Vengeance that destroy creatures of a certain type will indiscriminately wipe out all your Changelings regardless of what your opponent names (On the flip side, I did want to note that it can be downright hilarious when your friends play a card like Wakening Sun's Avatar and thinking it would blow up all your Changelings only to find out they live because while they are many things, a Dinosaur is certainly one of them).

And while we don't quite have an abundance of them just yet, I believe Changelings are quietly among the most flexible and powerful Kindred cards ever printed. They just let you say "yes" to so many Kindred synergies regardless of whatever obstacles lay in your path. They let you be creative, mash up tribes, and build decks that would otherwise be impossible. And, at the end of the day, that's something I'll always get behind.

With all that said, it's about time for me to get back to deciding how many Changelings should go into my Magda list. As always, happy brewing, and may your next Kindred decks be as versatile and ever-changing as the Changelings themselves. Until next time!