Shatterskull Smashing // Shatterskull, the Hammer Pass MTG Card


As a land/spell hybrid, it optimizes deck space and adapts to various in-game scenarios. Its scaling damage can be pivotal in late-game board states, targeting multiple creatures. The card’s demand for red mana can limit its integration into multicolored deck strategies.
Card setsReleased in 4 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost2
RarityMythic
TypeSorcery

Text of card

Shatterskull Smashing deals X damage divided as you choose among up to two target creatures and/or planeswalkers. If X is 6 or more, Shatterskull Smashing deals twice X damage divided as you choose among them instead.


Understanding Shatterskull Smashing

Shatterskull Smashing stands as an intriguing and malleable card within Magic: The Gathering. It brings versatility to the battlefield that few cards can match, functioning both as a land when needed and a game-changing spell. As a modal double-faced card, it contrasts against single-purpose destruction spells like Lightning Bolt due to its adaptable nature. While Lightning Bolt is more cost-efficient, Shatterskull Smashing scales with the game, allowing for the potential to wipe out multiple creatures in the later stages.

Cards like Shatterskull Smashing // Shatterskull, the Hammer Pass

When assessing Shatterskull Smashing against other removal options, its uniqueness is highlighted. Earthquake, for instance, also delivers damage across a wide array of targets including each player, but at the cost of similarly affecting your own creatures. Shatterskull Smashing, conversely, lets players target specific threats, providing a window to turn the tide in your favor without the collateral damage. Another parallel can be drawn with Sweltering Suns which clears the board of small to medium creatures while cycling to draw a card. However, Shatterskull Smashing’s flexibility as a potential land means it never risks becoming a dead card in hand.

Strategic flexibility is paramount in Magic: The Gathering, and Shatterskull Smashing exemplifies this trait beautifully. As a versatile option that can adapt to a variety of situations, its dual nature as both land and spell makes it a cornerstone in many competitive decks.

Earthquake - MTG Card versions
Lightning Bolt - MTG Card versions
Sweltering Suns - MTG Card versions
Earthquake - MTG Card versions
Lightning Bolt - MTG Card versions
Sweltering Suns - MTG Card versions

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Card Pros

Card Advantage: With Shatterskull Smashing, you have the flexibility of addressing multiple threats on the board or targeting a single problematic creature with excess damage. This provides a significant edge as it can effectively serve as multiple removal spells in one, saving precious cards in your hand.

Resource Acceleration: Shatterskull Smashing’s dual-faced nature means it can also be played as an untapped land when you’re not in need of the spell side. This ensures that your mana curve isn’t disrupted, allowing for a smooth transition from early to mid-game without the drawback of sacrificing spell slots for land drops.

Instant Speed: While Shatterskull Smashing is a sorcery, its capacity to clear the board during your turn before your opponent can bolster their defenses means it effectively acts with preemptive speed. While you can’t cast it on an opponent’s turn, its potential for massive damage can be seen as a preventative measure to ensure your turns are safer.


Card Cons

Specific Mana Cost: Shatterskull Smashing requires a significant red mana investment, specifically needing either a combination of red and generic mana or a hefty amount of red mana if you’re aiming for the maximum damage output. This can limit the card’s flexibility across various deck builds, especially those that do not favor a red mana base.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: To unleash its full potential, Shatterskull Smashing has a high mana threshold. In its role as a removal or damage spell, the mana cost starts at three and can climb significantly higher to deal with numerous or more formidable threats. This often makes it less efficient compared to alternative removal tools available within the MTG universe.

Discard Requirement: While Shatterskull Smashing does not require you to discard as an inherent part of its casting, it is part of a modality where choosing it over the land play, particularly in the early game, may feel like a sacrifice of a valuable resource. In some scenarios, it can feel almost as taxing as a discard, especially when resources are scarce, and every land counts.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Shatterskull Smashing provides a unique dual utility as both a land and a spell. This ensures it fits seamlessly across various deck types, especially those that require flexible mana bases or seek to maximize spell slots.

Combo Potential: As a modal double-faced card, it enhances deck synergy. By providing the option to deal damage, it can work well with damage doublers or cards that trigger upon dealing noncombat damage, amplifying its impact.

Meta-Relevance: Its capability to eliminate multiple creatures makes it an essential tool against creature-heavy decks, which are common in many competitive scenes. Staying relevant in a changing meta is crucial, and Shatterskull Smashing maintains its utility irrespective of the prevailing trends.


How to beat

Shatterskull Smashing is a versatile card that you’ll come across in many MTG decks due to its dual functionality as both a land and a removal spell. Handling this modal double-faced card requires strategy. To effectively play against it, be mindful of the mana your opponent has available. Since Shatterskull Smashing becomes more devastating with more mana, it’s wise to keep key creatures out of range by prioritizing your creature’s toughness above the damage threshold that can be dealt given their open mana.

Another approach is to make your creatures less attractive targets. You can accomplish this through diversification, spreading out your threats so that using Shatterskull Smashing doesn’t offer a two-for-one deal or better. Additionally, consider playing creatures with indestructible or those that benefit from being targeted, to turn the tables on your opponent.

It’s also vital to recognize the moment when your adversary is setting up for a big Shatterskull Smashing. This might be your cue to keep mana open for counterspells or protective effects. By staying one step ahead, you can ensure this powerful spell doesn’t smash your chances of victory.


BurnMana Recommendations

Understanding the intricacies of Shatterskull Smashing goes beyond recognizing its dual nature. Successful MTG players appreciate the strategic depth required to wield such a versatile card effectively and the foresight needed to counter it. With its ability to decisively shift games, we suggest considering the ways it can enhance your deck’s performance or how to best prepare against it in competitive play. If you’re eager to explore advanced deck-building strategies or seek guidance on turning the tides in your favor, join us on our platform where we dive deep into the art of MTG. Let’s embark on a journey to refine your skills and sharpen your gameplay together.


Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Shatterskull Smashing // Shatterskull, the Hammer Pass MTG card by a specific set like Magic Online Promos and Zendikar Rising Promos, there are several reliable options to consider. One of the primary sources is your local game store, where you can often find booster packs, individual cards, and preconstructed decks from current and some past sets. They often offer the added benefit of a community where you can trade with other players.

For a broader inventory, particularly of older sets, online marketplaces like TCGPlayer, Card Kingdom and Card Market offer extensive selections and allow you to search for cards from specific sets. Larger e-commerce platforms like eBay and Amazon also have listings from various sellers, which can be a good place to look for sealed product and rare finds.

Additionally, Magic’s official site often has a store locator and retailer lists for finding Wizards of the Coast licensed products. Remember to check for authenticity and the condition of the cards when purchasing, especially from individual sellers on larger marketplaces.

Below is a list of some store websites where you can buy the Shatterskull Smashing // Shatterskull, the Hammer Pass and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Shatterskull Smashing // Shatterskull, the Hammer Pass Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2020-09-25 and 2020-09-25. Illustrated by Adam Paquette.

#ReleasedNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12002-06-24Magic Online PromosPRM 838662015Modal DFCBlackAdam Paquette
22020-09-25Zendikar Rising PromosPZNR 161s2015Modal DFCBlackAdam Paquette
32020-09-25Zendikar RisingZNR 1612015Modal DFCBlackAdam Paquette
42020-09-25Zendikar RisingZNR 3542015Modal DFCBlackAdam Paquette

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Shatterskull Smashing // Shatterskull, the Hammer Pass has restrictions

FormatLegality
HistoricbrawlLegal
CommanderLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
GladiatorLegal
PioneerLegal
TimelessLegal

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Shatterskull Smashing // Shatterskull, the Hammer Pass card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.

Date Text
2020-09-25 A modal double-faced card can’t be transformed or be put onto the battlefield transformed. Ignore any instruction to transform a modal double-faced card or to put one onto the battlefield transformed.
2020-09-25 If X is 6 or more, you divide twice X damage; you don’t assign X damage and then double that damage.
2020-09-25 If an effect allows you to play a land or cast a spell from among a group of cards, you may play or cast a modal double-faced card with any face that fits the criteria of that effect.
2020-09-25 If an effect allows you to play a specific modal double-faced card, you may cast it as a spell or play it as a land, as determined by which face you choose to play. If an effect allows you to cast (rather than “play”) a specific modal double-faced card, you can’t play it as a land.
2020-09-25 If an effect instructs a player to choose a card name, the name of either face may be chosen. If that effect or a linked ability refers to a spell with the chosen name being cast and/or a land with the chosen name being played, it considers only the chosen name, not the other face’s name.
2020-09-25 If an effect puts a double-faced card onto the battlefield, it enters with its front face up. If that front face can’t be put onto the battlefield, it doesn’t enter the battlefield.
2020-09-25 If one of the targets becomes illegal for Shatterskull Smashing, the original division of damage still applies to the still-legal target, but the damage that would have been dealt to the illegal target isn’t dealt at all.
2020-09-25 In the Commander variant, a double-faced card’s color identity is determined by the mana costs and mana symbols in the rules text of both faces combined. If either face has a color indicator or basic land type, those are also considered.
2020-09-25 The converted mana cost of a modal double-faced card is based on the characteristics of the face that’s being considered. On the stack and battlefield, consider whichever face is up. In all other zones, consider only the front face. This is different than how the converted mana cost of a transforming double-faced card is determined.
2020-09-25 There is a single triangle icon in the top left corner of the front face. There is a double triangle icon in the top left corner of the back face.
2020-09-25 To determine whether it is legal to play a modal double-faced card, consider only the characteristics of the face you’re playing and ignore the other face’s characteristics.
2020-09-25 You divide the damage as you cast Shatterskull Smashing, not as it resolves. If you choose two targets, each target must be assigned at least 1 damage.