Antler Skulkin MTG Card


Grants creatures protection at instant speed, advantageous for responding to threats dynamically during play. Demanding color-specific mana, which may limit the card’s use in diversified or color-tight decks. A unique ability that can disrupt common control strategies and protect vital creatures against removal.
Antler Skulkin - Eventide
Mana cost
Converted mana cost5
RarityCommon
TypeArtifact Creature — Scarecrow
Released2008-07-25
Set symbol
Set nameEventide
Set codeEVE
Power 3
Toughness 3
Number167
Frame2003
LayoutNormal
BorderBlack
Illustred byDave Kendall

Text of card

: Target white creature gains persist until end of turn. (When it's put into a graveyard from play, if it had no -1/-1 counters on it, return it to play under its owner's control with a -1/-1 counter on it.)

Every skull has a tale to tell, and a skulkin is many dire tales cobbled together.


Cards like Antler Skulkin

Antler Skulkin delivers a unique flair to the range of artifact creatures in Magic: The Gathering. When delving into the realm of Skulkin creatures, all share a commonality with Antler Skulkin – they are part of a cycle with color-specific activations. Just as Antler Skulkin shields a player’s white creatures from harm, its counterpart, Scuttlemutt, offers color fixing by allowing you to change the color of a creature until end of turn. The flexibility of Scuttlemutt can be crucial in multicolor decks where mana consistency can make or break the game.

Another comparable artifact, the Wingrattle Scarecrow, has a different edge. It possesses flying as long as you control a blue creature, highlighting how scarecrows like Wingrattle can complement specific deck themes and color strategies. Unlike Antler Skulkin, which requires a white creature to exploit its full potential, Wingrattle Scarecrow’s abilities can be utilized more independently.

The analysis places Antler Skulkin in an interesting position within the artifact creature segment. While it doesn’t introduce flexibility like Scuttlemutt or semi-independence like Wingrattle Scarecrow, it offers a dependable defensive strategy specifically benefiting white creature decks, forging solid in-game defenses.

Scuttlemutt - MTG Card versions
Wingrattle Scarecrow - MTG Card versions
Scuttlemutt - MTG Card versions
Wingrattle Scarecrow - MTG Card versions

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Clockwork Hydra - MTG Card versions
Ring of Renewal - MTG Card versions
Clockwork Avian - MTG Card versions
Gauntlets of Chaos - MTG Card versions
Soldevi Steam Beast - MTG Card versions
Sand Golem - MTG Card versions
Pandora's Box - MTG Card versions
Belbe's Portal - MTG Card versions
Crumbling Sanctuary - MTG Card versions
Mind's Eye - MTG Card versions
Horizon Stone - MTG Card versions
The Deck of Many Things - MTG Card versions
Clockwork Vorrac - MTG Card versions
Timesifter - MTG Card versions
Leveler - MTG Card versions
Myr Matrix - MTG Card versions
Dross Golem - MTG Card versions
Razormane Masticore - MTG Card versions
Thran Golem - MTG Card versions
Coat of Arms - MTG Card versions
Clockwork Hydra - MTG Card versions

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Antler Skulkin can repeatedly protect key creatures from being destroyed, effectively preserving the cards in your hand you’d otherwise use to replace them.

Resource Acceleration: By safeguarding mana-intensive creatures, this card indirectly contributes to resource acceleration, as you don’t need to invest further mana in casting creatures from your hand.

Instant Speed: Its ability can be activated at instant speed, providing the flexibility to respond to threats on the fly and making it a tactical asset during any phase of the game.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Antler Skulkin doesn’t make the cut in decks that want to maintain card advantage. You’ll need to have a creature card to discard if you want to activate its ability, which can be a steep price when your hand is already running on empty.

Specific Mana Cost: With a color identity firmly rooted in green, Antler Skulkin demands specific mana requirements to cast and use its ability. This restriction may hinder its inclusion in multicolored decks or those running on a tight mana base.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Costing five mana to play, Antler Skulkin may be a cumbersome addition to your battlefield. Considering its ability is also activated at a significant mana investment, you might find other creatures or utility artifacts offering similar or better effects without the hefty cost.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Antler Skulkin can seamlessly integrate into various deck archetypes. Its unique ability to make target creatures gains pseudo-indestructibility for a turn can serve as both protection for key creatures or to avoid unfavorable trades.

Combo Potential: This Skulkin has synergy with decks that capitalize on activated abilities or those that focus on the Skeleton tribe. It can be a linchpin in intricate combos, safeguarding essential combo pieces from being destroyed.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta dense with spot removals and board wipes, Antler Skulkin’s protective ability can significantly disrupt your opponent’s plans. This makes it a useful creature in several match-ups, especially against control strategies relying on targeted removal to maintain a board advantage.


How to beat

When facing the Antler Skulkin card on the battlefield, understanding its mechanics can turn the tide in your favor. This artifact creature shines in decks that focus on persist mechanics or have creatures with useful come-into-play effects. Still, it’s not an insurmountable obstacle. A key strategy to overcome this card involves disrupting its synergy. Targeted removal that exiles can prove effective, preventing the Skulkin from protecting key creatures. Alternatively, use board-wide damage spells to apply pressure, as the Antler Skulkin’s activated ability only shields one creature at a time. Another tactic is managing the battlefield and preserving your removal spells for more crucial threats. By playing around the Skulkin’s ability and choosing battles wisely, you can neutralize its influence and maintain control of the game flow.

Control decks that can handle multiple threats at once are well-positioned to take on the Antler Skulkin. Counterspells also serve as efficient answers, preventing the Skulkin from ever impacting the board. When planning your game, consider these approaches and keep a watchful eye on both the Skulkin and the creatures it aims to protect, ensuring they don’t dominate the match.


Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Antler Skulkin MTG card by a specific set like Eventide, 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 Antler Skulkin and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Antler Skulkin has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PauperLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal
PennyLegal

Rules and information

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

Date Text
2008-08-01 If a creature has multiple instances of persist, the result is largely the same as having just one instance of persist. When the creature is put into a graveyard, each persist ability will trigger. The first one to resolve will return the creature to the battlefield with a -1/-1 counter on it. The rest will do nothing.
2008-08-01 If a nontoken creature that gains persist this way is put into a graveyard, that card will be returned to the battlefield with a -1/-1 counter on it. However, because it’s a new object with no relation to its previous existence, that permanent will not have persist.
2013-06-07 If a creature with persist stops being a creature, persist will still work.
2013-06-07 If a creature with persist that has +1/+1 counters on it receives enough -1/-1 counters to cause it to be destroyed by lethal damage or put into its owner’s graveyard for having 0 or less toughness, persist won’t trigger and the card won’t return to the battlefield. That’s because persist checks the creature’s existence just before it leaves the battlefield, and it still has all those counters on it at that point.
2013-06-07 If a permanent has multiple instances of persist, they’ll each trigger separately, but the redundant instances will have no effect. If one instance returns the card to the battlefield, the next to resolve will do nothing.
2013-06-07 If a token with no -1/-1 counters on it has persist, the ability will trigger when the token is put into the graveyard. However, the token will cease to exist and can’t return to the battlefield.
2013-06-07 If multiple creatures with persist are put into the graveyard at the same time (due to combat damage or a spell that destroys all creatures, for example), the active player (the player whose turn it is) puts all of their persist triggers on the stack in any order, then each other player in turn order does the same. The last trigger put on the stack is the first one that resolves. That means that in a two-player game, the nonactive player’s persist creatures will return to the battlefield first, then the active player’s persist creatures do the same. The creatures return to the battlefield one at a time.
2013-06-07 The persist ability triggers when the permanent is put into a graveyard. Its last known information (that is, how the creature last existed on the battlefield) is used to determine whether it had a -1/-1 counter on it.
2013-06-07 When a permanent with persist returns to the battlefield, it’s a new object with no memory of or connection to its previous existence.