Molting Snakeskin MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	1
Rarity	Common
Type	Enchantment — Aura
Abilities	Enchant
Released	2014-09-26
Set symbol
Set name	Khans of Tarkir
Set code	KTK
Number	80
Frame	2015
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	YW Tang

Key Takeaways

Efficient to play early in the game due to its low mana cost, facilitating early defensive strategies.
Enables instant-speed reactions to protect creatures, giving you a strategic edge in battle.
Crucial in environments where removal spells are prevalent, ensuring creature longevity on the board.

Text of card

Enchant creature Enchanted creature gets +2/+0 and has ": Regenerate this creature."

Flesh wounds are meaningless to those who discard their flesh so readily.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Molting Snakeskin provides incremental benefit by giving a creature repeatable regeneration. This can protect your key creatures and sustain your board presence, which indirectly contributes to card advantage by preventing the loss of your creatures.

Resource Acceleration: While Molting Snakeskin doesn’t directly accelerate resources, its low casting cost of a single black mana makes it an efficient play. This allows you to deploy your defensive strategies early on without significantly impacting your mana curve.

Instant Speed: The aura’s ability to regenerate the enchanted creature can be activated at instant speed. This flexibility ensures that you can respond to threats or removal spells on the fly, surprising your opponent and potentially disrupting their strategies during crucial moments of the game.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Molting Snakeskin demands a creature to be sacrificed when you’re looking to reclaim it from the graveyard. This could work against you, especially when your field is scarce on creatures or you’re strategizing to maintain board presence.

Specific Mana Cost: This enchantment requires black mana, potentially limiting its usability to decks that run black or have a reliable mana base to accommodate such specific casting costs.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: While granting regeneration to a creature, its repetitive cost can be considered high given the pace of gameplay. Players might prioritize other enchantments or spells that provide larger payoffs for the same or lower mana investment.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Molting Snakeskin offers an unconventional form of protection and resilience for creatures, which can be a boon in both aggressive and defensive decks. Its ability to give a creature +1/+1 and regenerate at a moment’s notice means it can consistently support a range of strategy types.

Combo Potential: With decks that thrive on enchantment synergy or graveyard mechanics, Molting Snakeskin can be a valued component. Its cheap casting cost and aura nature also makes it a suitable candidate for triggering Heroic abilities in creatures from sets like Theros.

Meta-Relevance: In a game state where removal spells are common, Molting Snakeskin can prevent key creatures from being swept away, keeping your side of the board intact. It’s particularly relevant when faced with decks that rely on targeted removal to disrupt opponents’ setups.

How to beat

Molting Snakeskin is an aura enchantment in Magic: The Gathering that offers a solid boost to any creature it enchants. Commonly found in black decks, this card is known for granting +2/+0 and the much-coveted ability of regeneration for a minimal mana activation cost. This makes creatures not only more powerful in combat but also difficult to remove permanently.

When facing an opponent’s creature enchanted with Molting Snakeskin, removal spells that exile or force the owner to sacrifice the creature become particularly effective. Spells such as Path to Exile or Diabolic Edict can bypass the regeneration shield provided by the enchantment. Another efficient tactic is to use enchantment removals like Disenchant or Naturalize, directly targeting the Molting Snakeskin, thus stripping the creature of its advantages and leaving it vulnerable once more.

Strategic blocking can also play a key role. Since Molting Snakeskin only increases the creature’s power and not its toughness, it’s possible to outmatch it in combat by using a formidable blocker. This way, you’ll not need to spend resources dealing with the enchantment at all. By adjusting your game plan and utilizing the right spells, beating an opponent’s creature equipped with Molting Snakeskin becomes a manageable challenge.

Cards like Molting Snakeskin

Molting Snakeskin is an enchantment that enhances the resilience of creatures on the battlefield, granting both regeneration and a boost to their power. Another card with a comparable function is Unholy Strength, which also provides an improved attack at an affordable mana cost, but without the regeneration ability. Regeneration is a key asset during combat, making Molting Snakeskin a unique asset for any deck strategy focusing on durability.

Another congruent card to consider is Rancor, an enchantment that not only increases a creature’s power but grants trample as well. Rancor may not provide regeneration, but it possesses a returning mechanism to your hand when it hits the graveyard, allowing for perpetual reuse. While Rancor offers a more aggressive approach, Molting Snakeskin prioritizes creature survivability.

Examining the landscape of creature auras in Magic: The Gathering reveals that Molting Snakeskin holds a niche for those who value keeping their creatures around as steadfast battlefield contenders. Its blend of offensive and defensive capabilities gives it a solid position among similar cards.

Cards similar to Molting Snakeskin by color, type and mana cost

Volrath's Motion Sensor - MTG Card versions

Phyrexian Reclamation - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Molting Snakeskin MTG card by a specific set like Khans of Tarkir, 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 Molting Snakeskin and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Molting Snakeskin 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 Molting Snakeskin card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.