Skittering Surveyor MTG Card
2018-04-27 - Number 230
2020-07-17 - Number 486
2023-04-21 - Number 264
| Card sets | Released in 3 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 3 |
| Rarity | Common |
| Type | Artifact Creature — Construct |
| Power | 1 |
| Toughness | 2 |
Key Takeaways
- Skittering Surveyor grants card advantage by fetching lands, optimizing hand size and gameplay consistency.
- Fetches lands for color fixing and landfall, aiding flexible resource development in various decks.
- Adaptable in many strategies, it can also trigger artifact synergies and combo potential.
Text of card
When Skittering Surveyor enters the battlefield, you may search your library for a basic land card, reveal it, put it into your hand, then shuffle your library.
Like a cross between a spider and a spyglass, but friendlier.
Card Pros
Card Advantage: The Skittering Surveyor offers a subtle form of card advantage by enabling you to search your library for a basic land card and put it into your hand. This not only increases your hand size but ensures you make your land drops consistently, which is crucial in every stage of the game.
Resource Acceleration: Although it doesn’t provide traditional acceleration like mana rocks or ramp spells, Skittering Surveyor’s ability to fetch a land to your hand technically accelerates your resource development by guaranteeing land plays. This can be particularly beneficial in decks that need specific color fixing or are aiming to hit landfall triggers regularly.
Instant Speed: While Skittering Surveyor doesn’t operate at instant speed itself, it allows for flexibility in your plays. After casting, it leaves your mana open to react to the board with instant speed spells on subsequent turns, having ensured your land play. Also, it can block an attacker in a pinch before potentially fetching a land to your hand if it survives combat.
Card Cons
Specific Mana Cost: Skittering Surveyor has a colorless mana cost, which might seem versatile, but it does mean that it doesn’t contribute to color-specific synergies or requirements which may be essential for certain deck strategies.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: The mana investment for Skittering Surveyor is three, which for a 1/2 creature, might be considered high, especially when other cards at a lower mana cost could potentially offer more immediate board presence or impact.
Discard Requirement: Although the direct Discard Requirement is not a factor for this card, its ability to fetch a land card is a one-time use. This leaves players with a decision to whether the card slot in their deck could be better utilized by a card offering repeatable utility or effects.
Reasons to Include Skittering Surveyor in Your Collection
Versatility: Skittering Surveyor is a flexible addition to any deck as it allows for mana fixing. Regardless of the deck’s color identity, the ability to search for a basic land ensures smoother gameplay.
Combo Potential: As an artifact creature, Skittering Surveyor can be easily integrated into strategies that capitalize on artifact synergies or recurring effects to maximize value.
Meta-Relevance: In a format where land consistency is key to outpacing opponents, Skittering Surveyor can be a crucial enabler, especially when deck strategies require specific mana at precise times to execute winning plays.
How to Beat Skittering Surveyor
Skittering Surveyor is a versatile card in Magic: The Gathering, serving as both a mana fixer and a deck thinner. When Skittering Surveyor enters the battlefield, it allows the user to search their library for a basic land card, reveal it, put it into their hand, then shuffle their library. This can be quite beneficial for ensuring consistent land drops and improving the quality of subsequent draws.
To effectively counteract Skittering Surveyor, consider using removal spells that can deal with artifacts and creatures simultaneously. Cards like Abrade or Release to the Wind offer versatile solutions, allowing you to handle Skittering Surveyor without wasting valuable resources. Additionally, since Skittering Surveyor is often used in decks that require mana fixing, targeting the player’s mana base with land destruction or disruption can be an effective strategy to hamper their game plan and ultimately give you an upper hand.
Preventing Skittering Surveyor from providing its land-finding value is tough due to its enter-the-battlefield trigger. Therefore, strategies should focus on minimizing its impact rather than outright stopping its ability. By doing so, the temporary speed bump it provides becomes far less of an issue over the course of the game.
Cards like Skittering Surveyor
The Skittering Surveyor serves as a versatile utility creature in Magic: The Gathering, allowing players to ensure land drops by searching for a basic land card. This ability mirrors that of the Pilgrim’s Eye, which also fetches a land upon entering the battlefield. However, the Skittering Surveyor’s advantage lies in its ability to grab any basic land, not just Plains, furthering its utility across various deck types.
Solemn Simulacrum is another notable comparison, albeit at a higher mana cost, it not only fetches a land but also provides card advantage upon death. Despite being more efficient in terms of card value, the Simulacrum’s higher cost makes the Surveyor an optimal choice for earlier gameplay stabilization. There is also the humble Burnished Hart, which, though costlier to activate, can fetch two lands, providing a potentially greater long-term benefit.
In evaluating the value and impact on gameplay, the Skittering Surveyor maintains its significance as a reliable early-game fixer across all MTG formats. It balances deck consistency and mana ramp while remaining accessible and easy to cast.
Cards similar to Skittering Surveyor by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Skittering Surveyor MTG card by a specific set like Dominaria and Jumpstart, 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 Skittering Surveyor and other MTG cards:
- eBay
- TCG Player
- 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
Printings
The Skittering Surveyor Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2018-04-27 and 2023-04-21. Illustrated by 2 different artists.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2018-04-27 | Dominaria | DOM | 230 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Dan Scott | |
| 2 | 2020-07-17 | Jumpstart | JMP | 486 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Dan Scott | |
| 3 | 2023-04-21 | March of the Machine | MOM | 264 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Igor Kieryluk |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Skittering Surveyor 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 |
