Halo-Charged Skaab MTG Card
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 5 |
| Rarity | Common |
| Type | Creature — Zombie |
| Abilities | Mill |
| Released | 2023-04-21 |
| Set symbol | |
| Set name | March of the Machine |
| Set code | MOM |
| Power | 4 |
| Toughness | 4 |
| Number | 60 |
| Frame | 2015 |
| Layout | Normal |
| Border | Black |
| Illustred by | Igor Kieryluk |
Text of card
When Halo-Charged Skaab enters the battlefield, each player mills two cards. Then you may put an instant, sorcery, or battle card from your graveyard on top of your library. (To mill two cards, a player puts the top two cards of their library into their graveyard.)
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Cards like Halo-Charged Skaab
Halo-Charged Skaab presents itself as a unique creature among the blue spells in Magic: The Gathering. Its ability to gain power equal to the number of cards in your hand sets it alongside other hand-size matters cards like Errant Ephemeron. While Errant Ephemeron doesn’t dynamically grow its power, it offers suspend, giving a delayed yet efficient creature play.
Consider Aeon Chronicler, which draws its strength from hand size, offering players a way to scale their creature’s power and simultaneously draw cards. Though it’s a slower card, it gives sustained card advantage. Then there is Masumaro, First to Live, a card that while expensive mana-wise, it boasts a scale of power and toughness to the number of cards in your hand, which mirrors Halo-Charged Skaab’s mechanics but on a potentially larger scale.
To sum up, Halo-Charged Skaab finds its niche by enabling players to put forward a creature whose power tension is tied closely to hand size. It offers a rapid threat on the battlefield that has to be answered, whilst similarly thematic cards provide different benefits and trade-offs, making it a versatile addition to the blue card lineup.
Cards similar to Halo-Charged Skaab by color, type and mana cost
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Halo-Charged Skaab offers a unique avenue for card advantage by allowing its controller to potentially draw cards equal to the number of charge counters on it. This effectively fuels strategic play while enhancing your hand size.
Resource Acceleration: When Halo-Charged Skaab enters the battlefield, graveyard synergy becomes a significant tool. This creature can utilize the graveyard as a resource to expedite your game plan, potentially transforming a dormant card pool into a dynamic arsenal.
Instant Speed: The abilities of Halo-Charged Skaab can be leveraged at instant speed, granting you the ability to adapt swiftly to the evolving state of the match. Reacting to your opponent’s actions without sacrificing the tempo is a tactical advantage that can be game-defining.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Halo-Charged Skaab will have you discard a card as part of its casting cost. This can potentially deplete your hand, leaving you at a disadvantage, especially if you are already behind or struggling to maintain card advantage on the battlefield.
Specific Mana Cost: The mana cost of Halo-Charged Skaab is color-intensive, demanding both blue and black mana. This can pose a deck-building restriction, making it less flexible for inclusion in decks that aren’t squarely focused on a Dimir (blue-black) strategy or have a strong mana base to accommodate such specificity.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a combined mana cost that’s on the higher end for its creature type and abilities, it competes with other cards at similar mana points that might offer lower-costing or more impactful abilities. Players might find themselves weighing the cost against other potentially more valuable plays at the same stage of the game.
Reasons to Include in Your Collection
Versatility: Halo-Charged Skaab offers flexible play options, seamlessly integrating into various blue-centric decks. Its ability to potentially return an instant or sorcery from your graveyard makes it a versatile addition to spell-heavy strategies.
Combo Potential: This creature’s prowess in self-milling synergizes with graveyard-centric combos, enabling you to strategically place valuable spells into your graveyard for future recursion. Its synergy with other spells amplifies its combo-enabling capabilities.
Meta-Relevance: Given its adaptability and strength in reusing powerful instants and sorceries, Halo-Charged Skaab holds its ground in environments rich with spell-based interactions. Its presence in your collection can boost the resilience and potency of your deck against an ever-shifting meta.
How to beat
Confronting the Halo-Charged Skaab in your MTG battle can be challenging, but understanding its strengths and weaknesses is key to claiming victory. This formidable creature brings a unique blend of resilience and offensive capabilities to the battlefield. Preparing your deck with removal spells that can bypass its protection against a given color, such as a Universal Solvent or a colorless, non-damage-based exile like Oblivion Ring, can effectively neutralize the threat.
Moreover, amplifying your deck with graveyard hate cards can counter the Skaab’s potent ability to return from the graveyard, rendering that avenue of recurrence obsolete. Cards like Tormod’s Crypt target the Skaab’s graveyard synergy, removing its potential for recursion altogether. Lastly, countering this creature upon cast is an efficient way to handle it; spells like Negate or Essence Scatter can be very effective if timed well. Recognize the Skaab’s strengths, prepare your deck to address them, and you’ll enhance your prospects for victory.
In essence, tackling the Halo-Charged Skaab demands strategic planning and a well-crafted deck. When you anticipate its arrival, and arm yourself with the right counters, this creature can be managed, enabling you to maintain control of the match and emerge triumphant.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Halo-Charged Skaab MTG card by a specific set like March of the Machine, 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 Halo-Charged Skaab and other MTG cards:
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- eBay
- Card Kingdom
- Card Market
- Star City Games
- CoolStuffInc
- MTG Mint Card
- Hareruya
- Troll and Toad
- ABU Games
- Card Hoarder Magic Online
- MTGO Traders Magic Online
See MTG Products
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Halo-Charged Skaab 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 |
| Future | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Explorer | Legal |
| Brawl | Legal |
| Timeless | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Halo-Charged Skaab card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2023-04-14 | The card you put on top of your library, if any, may be one you just milled, or it can be one that was already in your graveyard. |