Shadowmage Infiltrator

Shadowmage Infiltrator was originally introduced in the 2001 Magic: The Gathering set Odyssey. It is famously known as an 'invitational card,' designed by professional player Jon Finkel following his victory at the 2000 Magic Invitational tournament. Finkel collaborated with Wizards of the Coast design teams to create a creature that reflected his preferred style of play, favoring efficiency and card advantage, which resulted in a powerful blue-black creature that provided both evasion and a recurring draw effect.

The version from the Time Spiral Timeshifted series, numbered 99, was released in 2006 as part of a special subset that reprinted influential cards from Magic’s history using their original frame aesthetics. This specific printing features artwork by Rick Farrell, updating the visual representation of the infiltrator. The Timeshifted collection served to celebrate the game's long-running history, and this card was highly regarded for its utility in competitive formats, maintaining its status as a staple of black-blue control strategies throughout the mid-2000s.