Sky Skiff MTG Card
2016-09-30 - Number 233
2020-11-12 - Number 271
| Card sets | Released in 2 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 2 |
| Rarity | Common |
| Type | Artifact — Vehicle |
| Abilities | Crew,Flying |
| Power | 2 |
| Toughness | 3 |
Key Takeaways
- Sky Skiff transforms idle creatures into formidable flying threats, optimizing board presence without extra cards.
- Crewing the Skiff sidesteps high aerial costs, offering a mana-efficient pathway to swift aerial combat.
- Its ability to activate at instant speed adds strategic unpredictability, turning the tide of battle suddenly.
Text of card
Flying Crew 1 (Tap any number of creatures you control with total power 1 or more: This Vehicle becomes an artifact creature until end of turn.)
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Sky Skiff’s crew ability lets you turn a creature that has already attacked or has summoning sickness into an aerial threat, effectively giving you an extra use out of that creature and increasing your board presence without expending additional cards from your hand.
Resource Acceleration: Crewing Sky Skiff can effectively bypass certain mana costs associated with playing aerial creatures. You can deploy a flying vehicle quickly without the same mana investment as casting a creature with flying, thereby accelerating your resource usage.
Instant Speed: Although not an instant itself, Sky Skiff can be activated at instant speed in response to your opponent’s moves, adding a level of unpredictability. You can surprise them by transforming a seemingly harmless creature into a flying blocker or attacker when most advantageous for you.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Sky Skiff doesn’t require a card to be discarded, which gives it an edge in maintaining hand advantage over other vehicles or artifacts that might have such a downside.
Specific Mana Cost: While Sky Skiff does have a low and generic mana cost of two, which improves its versatility across multiple deck archetypes, its crew cost requires tapping another creature with power 1 or more.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: Although not excessively high, the mana investment to get Sky Skiff flying compared to other one-mana artifacts or creatures means it can be slower to impact the board state in an aggressive game.
Reasons to Include in Your Collection
Versatility: Sky Skiff is a flexible card that can find a place in various deck archetypes due to its low cost and ability to become a flying threat. It can be easily included in vehicle decks, or any deck that can utilize a quick creature in the air.
Combo Potential: As a vehicle, Sky Skiff has synergy with creature cards that have tap abilities. This can create powerful interactions as you can tap a creature to crew the Skiff, and effectively use the creature’s ability and attack with the Skiff in the same turn.
Meta-Relevance: In a meta where flying creatures are crucial for bypassing ground defenses, Sky Skiff excels. Its resilience against sorcery-speed removal while it’s not a creature can be a tactical advantage in keeping your offensive threats on the board.
How to beat Sky Skiff
Sky Skiff is an agile vehicle card that swiftly becomes a creature with flying when crewed in the world of Magic: The Gathering. Facing off against this artifact can be challenging given its ability to evade ground blockers and its modest crew cost. Its strength lies in its flying capability, making it a handy tool for getting past ground-based defenses and applying aerial pressure to your opponent.
To counteract Sky Skiff, one effective strategy is to employ instant-speed removal spells that can disrupt your opponent’s plans. Cards that can eliminate creatures or artifacts, such as Naturalize or Fatal Push, can be excellent choices to keep the Skiff from taking off. It’s also worth considering cards with reach or other flyers to defend against it once it becomes a creature. These strategies not only neutralize the threat but also maintain the balance of the game in your favor.
In essence, a well-timed piece of removal or an adequate blocker with flying or reach in your lineup stands as your best defense against the agility of Sky Skiff. Managing these resources effectively will aid in maintaining control of the skies and securing your position in the game.
Cards like Sky Skiff
The Sky Skiff stands out in the roster of MTG vehicles, offering unique benefits for a low casting and crew cost. Its closest analogue is Smuggler’s Copter, which also boasts flying and provides a similar effect by allowing you to draw and discard when it attacks. However, Sky Skiff requires no discard, making it simpler to use but less potent in terms of card filtering capabilities.
Another card worthy of comparison is Aethersphere Harvester. Though costing one more energy to cast and requiring a higher crew cost, it compensates with lifelink and a better defensive capability. The Sky Skiff, on the other hand, prioritizes speed and accessibility, proving valuable for early air control without committing extra resources.
In the context of MTG, evaluating vehicles like Sky Skiff against its peers showcases its strength in efficiency and early game presence. While lacking some of the utility its counterparts possess, its straightforward use makes it a dependable player favorite for initiating an aerial assault right out of the gate.
Cards similar to Sky Skiff by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Sky Skiff MTG card by a specific set like Kaladesh and Kaladesh Remastered, 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 Sky Skiff 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 Sky Skiff Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2016-09-30 and 2020-11-12. Illustrated by Richard Wright.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2016-09-30 | Kaladesh | KLD | 233 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Richard Wright | |
| 2 | 2020-11-12 | Kaladesh Remastered | KLR | 271 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Richard Wright |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Sky Skiff has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Historicbrawl | Legal |
| Historic | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Gladiator | Legal |
| Pioneer | Legal |
| Commander | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Pauper | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Explorer | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
| Timeless | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Sky Skiff card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2017-09-29 | Any untapped creature you control can be tapped to pay a crew cost, even one that just came under your control. |
| 2017-09-29 | Creatures that crew a Vehicle aren't attached to it or related in any other way. Effects that affect the Vehicle, such as by destroying it or giving it a +1/+1 counter, don't affect the creatures that crewed it. |
| 2017-09-29 | Each Vehicle is printed with a power and toughness, but it's not a creature. If it becomes a creature (most likely through its crew ability), it will have that power and toughness. |
| 2017-09-29 | For a Vehicle to be able to attack, it must be a creature as the declare attackers step begins, so the latest you can activate its crew ability to attack with it is during the beginning of combat step. For a Vehicle to be able to block, it must be a creature as the declare blockers step begins, so the latest you can activate its crew ability to block with it is during the declare attackers step. In either case, players may take actions after the crew ability resolves but before the Vehicle has been declared as an attacking or blocking creature. |
| 2017-09-29 | If a permanent becomes a copy of a Vehicle, the copy won't be a creature, even if the Vehicle it's copying has become an artifact creature. |
| 2017-09-29 | If an effect causes a Vehicle to become an artifact creature with a specified power and toughness, that effect overwrites the Vehicle's printed power and toughness. |
| 2017-09-29 | Once a Vehicle becomes a creature, it behaves exactly like any other artifact creature. It can't attack unless you've controlled it continuously since your turn began, it can block if it's untapped, it can be tapped to pay a Vehicle's crew cost, and so on. |
| 2017-09-29 | Once a player announces that they are activating a crew ability, no player may take other actions until the ability has been paid for. Notably, players can't try to stop the ability by changing a creature's power or by removing or tapping a creature. |
| 2017-09-29 | Vehicle is an artifact type, not a creature type. A Vehicle that's crewed won't normally have any creature type. |
| 2017-09-29 | When a Vehicle becomes a creature, that doesn't count as having a creature enter the battlefield. The permanent was already on the battlefield; it only changed its types. Abilities that trigger whenever a creature enters the battlefield won't trigger. |
| 2017-09-29 | You may activate a crew ability of a Vehicle even if it's already an artifact creature. Doing so has no effect on the Vehicle. It doesn't change its power and toughness. |
| 2017-09-29 | You may tap more creatures than necessary to activate a crew ability. |
