Dross Skullbomb MTG Card


Dross Skullbomb - Phyrexia: All Will Be One
Mana cost
Converted mana cost1
RarityCommon
TypeArtifact
Released2023-02-03
Set symbol
Set namePhyrexia: All Will Be One
Set codeONE
Number225
Frame2015
LayoutNormal
BorderBlack
Illustred byGaboleps

Key Takeaways

  1. Dross Skullbomb offers card replacement upon sacrifice, maintaining hand advantage in prolonged games.
  2. Its artifact land transformation potential accelerates resources, opening up more powerful plays faster.
  3. Instant speed sacrifice enables strategic depth, letting players react optimally to game changes.

Text of card

, Sacrifice Dross Skullbomb: Draw a card. , Sacrifice Dross Skullbomb: Return target creature card from your graveyard to your hand. Draw a card. Activate only as a sorcery.

It seethes with the ambition of a ruthless gladiator.


Card Pros

Understanding the advantages of Dross Skullbomb in your MTG deck setup can notably enhance your gameplay during intense matches. Here we’ll delve into why this particular card could be a valuable addition to your strategy.

Card Advantage: Dross Skullbomb provides the benefit of potentially replacing itself in your hand when sacrificed, ensuring you don’t lose out on card resources. This sustainment of card advantage can be a game-changer in long, drawn-out battles where every card counts.

Resource Acceleration: Offering an element of flexibility, the card facilitates resource acceleration by converting it into an artifact land with the potential to enhance your mana pool, thus speeding up your access to more powerful plays and allowing for a wider array of options each turn.

Instant Speed: The versatility of Dross Skullbomb is further highlighted by its ability to be sacrificed at instant speed. This enables strategic depth, allowing players to wait for the optimal moment to utilize the card, whether that’s reacting to an opponent’s move or as a surprising play to shift the board state in your favor, without compromising other potential plays.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Dross Skullbomb calls for a discard as part of its activation, meaning players may lose a valuable card from their hand. This condition can be particularly detrimental during the late game where each card’s strategic importance is amplified.

Specific Mana Cost: Requiring both colorless and black mana to be utilized efficiently, the Dross Skullbomb’s specific mana cost may clash with decks that are not tailored for a multicolor strategy or those that have strict color requirements elsewhere.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: When considering mana investment, the Dross Skullbomb’s cost can be steep. For three mana to cast and an additional one to activate, the total cost of four mana might be too high for the effect provided, especially when bench-marked against other cards with similar functionalities that might be more cost-effective or provide additional benefits.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: The Dross Skullbomb is a flexible card that can be included in multiple deck archetypes. Its ability to impact the board while offering card advantage makes it valuable in both aggressive and control strategies.

Combo Potential: With its artifact nature, this card can synergize with a range of strategies focused on artifact utilization. It can be a key piece in setups that capitalize on sacrificing permanents or artifact recursion for consistent utility.

Meta-Relevance: In environments where graveyards are a resource or facing decks with graveyard strategies, Dross Skullbomb’s exile effect becomes a tactical advantage. Its presence in your collection can help you adapt to shifts in the competitive landscape and counter popular strategies.


How to beat Dross Skullbomb

Dross Skullbomb presents a unique challenge in the landscape of artifacts in Magic: The Gathering. As a mana-efficient artifact, it offers a calculated mixture of discard utility and potential card draw. This combination is reminiscent of effects found on other MTG artifacts, although with a distinctive self-destruct mechanism that compels the player to weigh immediate advantage against future game plans.

To navigate against Dross Skullbomb, consider the tempo of your plays. Utilize instant-speed removal or artifact disruption cards to dismantle it before its controller can reap the benefits. Have patience and hold onto your artifact removal until the opponent commits to activating Dross Skullbomb’s ability. This can prevent them from drawing a card and ensuring you retain the advantage in resources. Cards like Naturalize or Disenchant that are common in many sideboards can shut down the Skullbomb swiftly and turn the tides in your favor.

Remember that artifacts like Dross Skullbomb often require specific answers in a game of MTG. Having versatile answers or strategies that can adapt to different threats, including robust, efficient artifacts, can mean the difference between victory and defeat on the battlefield.


Cards like Dross Skullbomb

Dross Skullbomb brings a unique edge to the realm of artifact cards in Magic: The Gathering. Not unlike cards like Mind Stone, it offers both mana acceleration and card advantage. Mind Stone allows you to tap for mana or sacrifice it to draw a card, presenting a similar dual-functionality. However, where Dross Skullbomb distinguishes itself is in its capability to potentially disrupt an opponent’s graveyard, a feature Mind Stone lacks.

It shares traits with Nihil Spellbomb as well, another artifact known for graveyard control. Nihil Spellbomb can exile an entire graveyard and draw a card if its controller spends a black mana. While the Spellbomb focuses solely on graveyard interaction, Dross Skullbomb offers additional mana utility. Conversely, Chromatic Sphere also offers mana fixing plus card draw. Yet, unlike Dross Skullbomb, it doesn’t impact other aspects of the game.

Hence, examining Dross Skullbomb in context with its counterparts reveals its value as a versatile card in MTG, balancing the aspects of resource boosting with strategic graveyard disruption.

Mind Stone - MTG Card versions
Nihil Spellbomb - MTG Card versions
Chromatic Sphere - MTG Card versions
Mind Stone - MTG Card versions
Nihil Spellbomb - MTG Card versions
Chromatic Sphere - MTG Card versions

Cards similar to Dross Skullbomb by color, type and mana cost

Vorpal Sword - MTG Card versions
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Sphere of Annihilation - MTG Card versions
Necrogen Spellbomb - MTG Card versions
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Vorpal Sword - MTG Card versions
Egon, God of Death // Throne of Death - MTG Card versions
Sphere of Annihilation - MTG Card versions
Necrogen Spellbomb - MTG Card versions
Executioner's Capsule - MTG Card versions
Vector Asp - MTG Card versions
Nihil Spellbomb - MTG Card versions
Hex Parasite - MTG Card versions
Augmenting Automaton - MTG Card versions
Corrupted Key - MTG Card versions
Witch's Cauldron - MTG Card versions
Mind Carver - MTG Card versions
Bag of Devouring - MTG Card versions
Reaper's Talisman - MTG Card versions
Blood Fountain - MTG Card versions
Clay Revenant - MTG Card versions
Vat of Rebirth - MTG Card versions
Bloodthorn Flail - MTG Card versions
Lead Pipe - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Dross Skullbomb MTG card by a specific set like Phyrexia: All Will Be One, 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 Dross Skullbomb and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Dross Skullbomb has restrictions

FormatLegality
StandardLegal
HistoricbrawlLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
OathbreakerLegal
GladiatorLegal
AlchemyLegal
PioneerLegal
CommanderLegal
ModernLegal
PauperLegal
FutureLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
BrawlLegal
TimelessLegal

Rules and information

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

Date Text
2023-02-04 If the target of Dross Skullbomb's last ability isn't a legal target as the ability tries to resolve (probably because it has left the graveyard), you won't draw a card.