Essentially, each time Vesuvan Shapeshifter turns face up, it’s a copy of a new creature. During your upkeep, you may turn it face down in preparation to copy something else.

If Vesuvan Shapeshifter is cast face up, it behaves like Clone except that it gives itself a triggered ability.

If Vesuvan Shapeshifter is turned face up, the process of turning face up includes (optionally) choosing another creature on the battlefield. You’ll pay (not the morph cost, if any, of the new creature), then Vesuvan Shapeshifter will turn face up as a copy of that creature, plus the triggered ability it gives itself. It won’t turn face up as a Vesuvan Shapeshifter and then change. If the copied creature has a “when this creature is turned face up” ability, it will trigger for Vesuvan Shapeshifter.

When Vesuvan Shapeshifter is turned face down, its copy effect wears off. While it’s face down, it’s a face-down Vesuvan Shapeshifter that can be turned face up for a morph cost of .

If another creature copies Vesuvan Shapeshifter while it’s face up, the new creature will become a copy of whatever Vesuvan Shapeshifter is copying and gain the “you may turn this creature face down” ability. It won’t gain morph . If that creature is then turned face down, its copy effect will continue and it’ll be a face-down version of whatever it’s copying. If the creature it’s copying has morph, it can be turned face up. If the creature it’s copying doesn’t have morph, it’s stuck face down forever unless some other effect (like Break Open) turns it face up again.

If Vesuvan Shapeshifter copies a face-down creature, it becomes a face-up 2/2 colorless nameless creature with no abilities other than the one it gives itself.

When Vesuvan Shapeshifter copies a creature that has echo, the echo ability will trigger at the beginning of your upkeep if Vesuvan Shapeshifter came under your control since the beginning of your last upkeep. If you’ve controlled Vesuvan Shapeshifter since your last upkeep (regardless of whether it had echo then), the echo ability won’t trigger.

Turning Vesuvan Shapeshifter face down during your upkeep doesn’t prevent you from needing to pay applicable upkeep costs such as echo.

If you don’t or can’t choose another creature on the battlefield for Vesuvan Shapeshifter to copy, it doesn’t get the triggered ability that turns it face down. It’s just a 0/0 creature with morph .