Shaman

Shaman
Creature Type
(Subtype for creature/kindred cards)
Statistics	497 cards 0.2% 1.8% 12.9% 38.4% 24.7% 4.4% 4.2% 1.4% 2.4% 3.4% 0.6% 1.2% 3.8% 0.4% 7 Shaman creation cards 71.4% 28.6% as of Alchemy: Karlov Manor
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type:"Shaman"

Shaman is a creature class and the primary red spellcaster.

Description

While the word Shaman has shown up in flavor text since the early days (for example Anarchy), the creature type itself only dates back to Mirrodin (for example Spikeshot Goblin). That set featured the new race/class model. Creative needed to flesh out the classes and found that wizards showed up in too high a volume. The Shaman creature type was created to help sub-categorize the types of magic users in the game. Afterwards some earlier cards, like Sunastian Falconer from Legends, also gained the type.

Shamans are similar to wizards in that their magic comes from rituals, lore, and years of practice, but their craft has an emotional and spiritual component reminiscent of druids. Wizards were defined as more formally trained. They went to schools and studied their craft. Shamans have a wild connection to their magic; they are common among the more primitive red, green, and black-aligned races, including elves, goblins, and treefolk, whom they serve as protectors and spiritual leaders.

Shamans are predominantly red and green. They are the primary red spellcasting class.

As of 2023, the card type Shaman is under consideration for a reboot, because is has connections to modern-day religions.

Animists

Animists are shamans who can communicate with all parts of land and nature. Nissa Revane was the last animist of Zendikar.

Flamespeakers

Flamespeakers are a shamanic order dedicated to Purphoros, the god of the forge. They worship strange eidolons said to inhabit the volcanoes and cracks in the great mountains of Akros and are regarded as seers by the population.

Shapers

Each tribe of the River Heralds is also led by a Shaper, who shares their name with the tribe's river. The magic of these shamans is focused on controlling the wind, water, and jungle environment. They strive to maintain a peaceful coexistence with nature, not to conquer it or defy it. They are called Shapers for the way they alter nature around them. They also summon elementals, living creatures formed from water or tangles of jungle growth.

Whisperers

Temur magic of Tarkir is highly shamanistic, with a strong elemental flavor. Shamans call their magic "whispering" and speak of the frozen memories and even the frozen spirits of the ancestors.

Yamabushi

Yamabushi (yah-mah-BOO-shee) is the name given to shamans on Kamigawa. The literal meaning is "One who lies in mountains" which refers to the mountain hermits who practice the ancient shamanic arts.

Other Specializations

• Anarchomancers (Goblin Anarchomancer).
• Gigantomancers (Gigantomancer).
• Ophiomancer (Ophiomancer).
• Pyromancers are shamans capable of using fire magics and summoning fire elementals (Seasoned Pyromancer). There are also wizards specialized in pyromancy.
• Retromancers (Retromancer).

Notable Shamans

Alara

• Mayael the Anima
• Meren
• Rakka Mar
• Runadi
• Yurlok

Arcavios

• Nassari
• Plargg
• Rootha Squallheart
• Zaffai

Dominaria

• Ardoz
• Bortuk Bonerattle
• Hivis of the Scale
• Kaervek
• Lagomos
• Sek'Kuar
• Subira
• Sunastian Falconer
• Valduk
• Zirilan of the Claw

Eldraine

• Grumgully

Ikoria

• Brallin
• Gavi

Ixalan

• Atla Palani
• Kumena
• Tishana
• Tuvasa

Kaladesh

• Chandra Nalaar

Kamigawa

• Ben-Ben
• Bright-Palm
• Dosan
• Goka
• Hidetsugu
• Kiki-Jiki
• Kobo
• Nashi
• Reki
• Ryusaki Kumano
• Sachi
• Sakiko
• Shizuko
• Tok-Tok

Lorwyn/Shadowmoor

• Ashling
• Wort
• Colfenor
• Doran
• The Sapling
• Rosheen Meanderer

Mirrodin/New Phyrexia

• Thrun

Ravnica

• Baas
• Emmara Tandris
• Domri Rade
• Ghired
• Izoni
• Janik
• Judith
• Juri
• Kal
• Mazirek
• Savra
• Yeva

Regatha

• Brannon

Skalla

• Vivien Reid

Tarkir

• Baishya
• Sarkhan Vol
• Sidisi
• Tasigur
• Varuk

Ulgrotha

• Anaba shamans
• Anaba spirit crafters

Zendikar

• Anowon
• Drana
• Kalastria
• Nissa Revane

Unknown

• Archelos
• Averna
• Bolar
• Ghave
• Grismold
• Nogi
• Ramaz

Dungeons & Dragons

• Alaundo (Card)
• Baeloth Barrityl (Card)
• Delina (Delina, Wild Mage)
• Gut (Card)
• Livaan (Card)
• Lozhan
• Neera (Card)
• Simon Aumar (Card)

Kindred type

Morningtide featured Thornbite Staff, a Shaman equipment which was cheaper to cast with Bosk Banneret.

Tokens

Token Name	Color	Type Line	P/T	Text Box	Source	Printings
Elemental Shaman	Red	Creature — Elemental Shaman	3/1		Hearthcage Giant Rebellion of the Flamekin
	Red	Creature — Elemental Shaman	3/1	Haste	Hostility
Goblin Shaman	Red	Creature — Goblin Shaman	2/2	Whenever this creature attacks, create a Treasure token	Fable of the Mirror-Breaker
Treefolk Shaman	Green	Creature — Treefolk Shaman	2/5		Reach of Branches
Timeless Witness	Black	Creature — Zombie Human Shaman	4/4	When Timeless Witness enters the battlefield, return target card from your graveyard to your hand.	Timeless Witness
Genasi Enforcers	Red	Creature — Elemental Shaman	1/3	: Creatures you control named Genasi Enforcers get +1/+0 until end of turn.	Genasi Enforcers

Trivia

In Dungeons & Dragons: Adventures in the Forgotten Realms shamans are essentially analogous to the sorcerer class in D&D rather than the actual shaman class in the game. This is because the former fit slightly closer to the Magic definition of "shaman" (as an emotional/channeling spellcaster) rather than the more conventional definition of "shaman" (spirit worker) D&D uses. Delina, a Sorcerer character in lore, is typed Shaman, and two other Shaman-typed creatures are titled "Sorcerer" in their names. Wild Magic Surge, an iconic Sorcerer ability, is on the Shaman card Chaos Channeler. Finally, Aberrant Mind Sorcerer and Sorcerer Class both being blue while Shaman is not normally a blue class also point to the Red-Blue color combination being represented by Shaman-Sorcerers.