Skull Catapult MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 5 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost4
RarityUncommon
TypeArtifact

Key Takeaways

  1. Skull Catapult provides card advantage by turning unnecessary creatures into direct damage, optimizing card value.
  2. The artifact’s instant speed activation offers flexibility, allowing tactical plays and quick responses to threats.
  3. Consider Skull Catapult for decks that can utilize creature sacrifices as it opens up strategic opportunities.

Text of card

o1,oc T: Sacrifice a creature to have Skull Catapult deal 2 damage to target creature or player.

"Let any who doubt the evil of using the ancient devices look at this infernal machine. What manner of fiend would design such a sadistic device?" —Sorine Relicbane, Soldevi Heretic


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Skull Catapult provides a unique form of card advantage by allowing you to utilize creatures that are no longer needed on the battlefield. Whether they’re about to be removed by an opponent’s effect or have served their purpose, Skull Catapult turns these creatures into direct damage against your opponents or their creatures, maintaining pressure and card value.

Resource Acceleration: Although not traditionally a tool for mana acceleration, utilizing Skull Catapult effectively can be seen as a form of resource acceleration. By converting expendable creatures into damage, you’re accelerating the rate at which you deplete your opponent’s life total or control the board without investing additional mana into new spells.

Instant Speed: The ability to activate Skull Catapult at instant speed gives players the flexibility to respond to threats at a moment’s notice, disrupt opponent strategies, or simply capitalize on an unguarded state of the opponent during their turn. This versatility is a significant advantage, keeping your opponents guessing and allowing for unexpected plays.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Skull Catapult requires sacrificing a creature to activate its ability, potentially diminishing your board presence. This can be especially detrimental in decks that rely on maintaining creature control or when facing an empty board.

Specific Mana Cost: Sporting a specific activation cost can be restrictive, as the colorless requirement may not always align seamlessly with your mana base, particularly in multi-colored decks craving greater flexibility.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With an initial investment of four mana, Skull Catapult’s cost sits on the higher side for a standalone artifact. For this expenditure, players may expect a more impactful and immediate effect on the game state than what Skull Catapult offers.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Skull Catapult can be a multifaceted tool in decks that thrive on creature sacrifice. Whether you’re aiming to control the board or fuel graveyard synergies, its ability to turn creatures into direct damage can be a surprising asset.

Combo Potential: This card has considerable combo potential with decks that generate a large number of tokens or have recurring creatures. These interactions allow you to maximize Skull Catapult’s damage output, turning each creature’s demise into a strategic advantage.

Meta-Relevance: Against decks that rely on creature swarms or combos, Skull Catapult can be surprisingly relevant, acting as both a deterrent and a removal option. Its capacity to chip away at an opponent’s life total can apply pressure and shift the game in your favor.


How to beat

Skull Catapult is a niche yet potentially powerful artifact that can inflict damage on opponents by sacrificing creatures. To effectively counteract the impact of Skull Catapult, consider strategies that limit creature availability. This can be done by using cards that restrict your opponent’s ability to field more creatures or cards which can exile or control creatures before they become ammunition for their catapult. Preventing creatures from reaching the battlefield in the first place can render the Skull Catapult ineffective.

Another approach involves cards that protect from artifacts or redirect damage, like Shroud or Hexproof granting abilities, and damage prevention spells that can nullify the Catapult’s effect. Cards like Naturalize or Disenchant, which can destroy artifacts directly, provide a simple yet direct way to remove Skull Catapult from play. Lastly, playing aggressively and reducing your opponent’s life total before Skull Catapult can become a game-changing factor is also a viable strategy. Remember, keeping the pressure up and holding key removal spells can assure Skull Catapult doesn’t turn the tide against you.


Cards like Skull Catapult

Skull Catapult presents a unique approach to artifact-based removal in Magic: The Gathering. It bears some resemblance to cards like Goblin Bombardment, allowing players to sacrifice creatures for an effect. With Skull Catapult, creatures become ammunition, dealing two damage to any target when sacrificed, ideal for localized removal or final damage pushes. Goblin Bombardment, however, trades damage output for flexibility, enabling you to target creatures or players at the cost of less damage per creature.

Comparatively, Blasting Station offers a similar sacrifice outlet with the potential for repeated activations in a single turn, generating more damage in decks designed around creature tokens or recursion. While Skull Catapult’s damage output is consistent, Blasting Station requires setup but can be significantly more potent under the right conditions. Then there’s Ashnod’s Altar, a card that eschews direct damage for colorless mana upon creature sacrifice, delivering a different kind of resource to players interested in combo plays or big mana strategies.

Considering these aspects, Skull Catapult serves as a stout choice for players craving reliable direct damage in exchange for creature sacrifices, finding its niche within MTG’s arsenal of creature-sacrificing artifacts.

Goblin Bombardment - MTG Card versions
Blasting Station - MTG Card versions
Ashnod's Altar - MTG Card versions
Goblin Bombardment - Tempest (TMP)
Blasting Station - Fifth Dawn (5DN)
Ashnod's Altar - Antiquities (ATQ)

Cards similar to Skull Catapult by color, type and mana cost

Conservator - MTG Card versions
Jayemdae Tome - MTG Card versions
Juggernaut - MTG Card versions
Dancing Scimitar - MTG Card versions
Grinning Totem - MTG Card versions
Lodestone Myr - MTG Card versions
Krark-Clan Ironworks - MTG Card versions
Ur-Golem's Eye - MTG Card versions
Jester's Cap - MTG Card versions
Bottled Cloister - MTG Card versions
Gnarled Effigy - MTG Card versions
Scrapbasket - MTG Card versions
Magnetic Mine - MTG Card versions
Eye of Doom - MTG Card versions
Well of Lost Dreams - MTG Card versions
Coercive Portal - MTG Card versions
Aetherworks Marvel - MTG Card versions
Nevinyrral's Disk - MTG Card versions
Sword of the Paruns - MTG Card versions
Grappling Hook - MTG Card versions
Conservator - Fourth Edition (4ED)
Jayemdae Tome - Introductory Two-Player Set (ITP)
Juggernaut - Collectors' Edition (CED)
Dancing Scimitar - Revised Edition (3ED)
Grinning Totem - Mirage (MIR)
Lodestone Myr - Modern Masters 2015 (MM2)
Krark-Clan Ironworks - Fifth Dawn (5DN)
Ur-Golem's Eye - Commander 2014 (C14)
Jester's Cap - Pro Tour Collector Set (PTC)
Bottled Cloister - Ravnica: City of Guilds (RAV)
Gnarled Effigy - Shadowmoor (SHM)
Scrapbasket - Shadowmoor (SHM)
Magnetic Mine - Mirrodin Besieged (MBS)
Eye of Doom - Commander 2013 (C13)
Well of Lost Dreams - The List (PLST)
Coercive Portal - Conspiracy (CNS)
Aetherworks Marvel - Kaladesh Promos (PKLD)
Nevinyrral's Disk - Modern Horizons 2 Promos (PMH2)
Sword of the Paruns - Commander Anthology (CMA)
Grappling Hook - Commander 2017 (C17)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Skull Catapult MTG card by a specific set like Ice Age and Fifth Edition, 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 Skull Catapult and other MTG cards:

Continue exploring other sealed products in Amazon
See Magic products

Printings

The Skull Catapult Magic the Gathering card was released in 5 different sets between 1995-06-03 and 2008-09-22. Illustrated by 2 different artists.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
11995-06-03Ice AgeICE 3361993normalblackBryon Wackwitz
21997-03-24Fifth Edition5ED 3991997normalwhiteIan Miller
31999-04-21Classic Sixth Edition6ED 3101997normalwhiteIan Miller
42006-07-21Coldsnap Theme DecksCST 3362003normalblackBryon Wackwitz
52008-09-22Masters Edition IIME2 2191997normalblackBryon Wackwitz

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Skull Catapult has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PremodernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal
PennyLegal

Recent MTG decks

Continue exploring other format decks
More decks