Deep Goblin Skulltaker MTG Card

Grants card advantage by capturing opponents’ creatures for your strategic use. Allows for flexible mana usage, enhancing speed and bypassing color limits. Instant speed ability disrupts opponents’ strategies at crucial moments.

Deep Goblin Skulltaker - The Lost Caverns of Ixalan

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	3
Rarity	Common
Type	Creature — Goblin Warrior
Abilities	Menace
Released	2023-11-17
Set symbol
Set name	The Lost Caverns of Ixalan
Set code	LCI
Power	2
Toughness	2
Number	101
Frame	2015
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Cristi Balanescu

Text of card

Menace At the beginning of your end step, if you descended this turn, put a +1/+1 counter on Deep Goblin Skulltaker. (You descended if a permanent card was put into your graveyard from anywhere.)

"Go away! I found it first!"

Cards like Deep Goblin Skulltaker

Deep Goblin Skulltaker is a unique and crafty creature card in the vivid landscape of MTG’s expansive library. It draws a comparison to other goblin-themed cards that mix board presence with direct player interaction. Skirk Prospector, for example, is a notable goblin from the lore that also offers great utility by sacrificing goblins to generate mana, propelling your play further ahead.

Another card that conjures up discussion in the same vein is Goblin Cratermaker. While it doesn’t interact directly with opposing players as Deep Goblin Skulltaker does, it offers the versatility of dealing with either a creature or a colorless nonland permanent, a major tactical advantage depending on the situation. Similarly, Munitions Expert is a goblin with a knack for removal as it deals damage to target creature or planeswalker equal to the number of goblins you control.

All in all, Deep Goblin Skulltaker holds its ground in the realm of goblin synergistic cards within MTG with its distinct capacity to chip away at an opponent’s life total while supporting its own kind. Its ability to deliver direct damage while being a creature you can commit to the board gives it a fun and aggressive edge in goblin-themed decks.

Cards similar to Deep Goblin Skulltaker by color, type and mana cost

Mischievous Poltergeist - MTG Card versions

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Deep Goblin Skulltaker from the strategic lore of MTG excels in offering card advantage by potentially removing an opponent’s creature and claiming that card for your own use. This can drastically tip the scales in your favor by depleting your opponent’s assets while enriching your own hand.

Resource Acceleration: The in-game impact of this card doesn’t end with its ability to snatch creatures. It can also serve as a form of resource acceleration by allowing you to deploy captured creatures using mana of any color, thereby bypassing color restrictions and hastening your game plan.

Instant Speed: The true strength of Deep Goblin Skulltaker lies in its instant speed capabilities. This enables reactive gameplay, allowing you to wait for the optimal moment to disrupt your opponent’s strategy when they least expect it, frequently at the point when they are committing to a significant play.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Deep Goblin Skulltaker requires the player to discard a card to leverage some of its abilities. This can be detrimental during the late game or in situations where hand size is crucial to maintain a strategic advantage.

Specific Mana Cost: This card’s activation necessitates a precise combination of mana, which might not be readily available in all deck constructions, especially in multi-color decks where mana fixing is less consistent.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: The mana cost associated with Deep Goblin Skulltaker is significant when compared with other cards in the same category. Players might find that other cards provide similar or better effects with a lower investment, leading to more efficient gameplay and resource management.

Reasons to Include Deep Goblin Skulltaker in Your Collection

Versatility: Deep Goblin Skulltaker offers adaptability across various aggressive strategies, fitting into red or goblin-themed decks that seek to dominate the early game.

Combo Potential: Its ability to sacrifice another creature can synergize with decks that capitalize on death triggers or need a reliable way to activate morbid abilities.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta that rewards proactive plays and tempo, Deep Goblin Skulltaker can disrupt your opponent’s early creature setups, setting the stage for a goblin onslaught.

How to beat

Deep Goblin Skulltaker has been stirring the battlefield with its aggressive looting ability in Magic: The Gathering, much like other notorious red zone challengers. At glance, its power in stripping foes of their cards can feel overwhelming. But fear not, there are strategies to dull its menacing edge. Just like how a clever player might use removal spells to take care of troubling creatures, a well-timed instant such as Shock or Lightning Bolt can disrupt the rhythm of a Deep Goblin Skulltaker’s assault.

Counter spells also play a critical role as they prevent the Skulltaker from ever touching the field, bypassing its clickable effect altogether. Essence Scatter or Negate, for example, are your silent guardians waiting quietly in your hand to protect your deck from such invaders. It is similar to playing a chess game, where smart anticipation and strategic sacrifices can checkmate opposing threats effectively.

Taking everything into account, Deep Goblin Skulltaker, while being a fierce force, isn’t invincible. With the right set of responsive cards and keen play, one can ensure that this goblin’s skull-taking days on the field are numbered. Indeed, just as in all facets of MTG, knowledge and preparation pave the path to victory.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Deep Goblin Skulltaker MTG card by a specific set like The Lost Caverns of Ixalan, 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 Deep Goblin Skulltaker and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Deep Goblin Skulltaker has restrictions

Format	Legality
Standard	Legal
Historicbrawl	Legal
Historic	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Paupercommander	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Gladiator	Legal
Alchemy	Legal
Pioneer	Legal
Commander	Legal
Modern	Legal
Pauper	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Explorer	Legal
Brawl	Legal
Penny	Legal
Timeless	Legal

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2023-11-10	A permanent card is an artifact, battle, creature, enchantment, land, or planeswalker card. Tokens are not cards, and while tokens are put into the graveyard before ceasing to exist, that action doesn't count as a player having descended.
2023-11-10	Abilities that begin with "At the beginning of your end step, if you descended this turn" will trigger only once during your end step, no matter how many times you descended this turn. However, if you haven't descended this turn as your end step begins, the ability won't trigger at all. It's not possible to put a permanent card into your graveyard during the end step in time to have the ability trigger.
2023-11-10	In either case, it doesn't matter if those cards are still in that player's graveyard.
2023-11-10	Multiple cards have abilities that begin with "At the beginning of your end step, if you descended this turn." These cards don't need to have been under your control at the time you descended. For example, if a permanent card is put into your graveyard during your first main phase and you cast Stalactite Stalker your second main phase, its ability will trigger at the beginning of your end step.
2023-11-10	Some cards refer to a player who has "descended this turn." This means that a permanent card has been put into that player's graveyard from anywhere this turn.
2023-11-10	Some cards refer to the number of times a player descended this turn. Those cards care about the number of permanent cards put into that player's graveyard from anywhere this turn.