Obsessive Skinner MTG Card
2016-04-08 - Number 220
2023-03-21 - Number 207
| Card sets | Released in 2 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 2 |
| Rarity | Uncommon |
| Type | Creature — Human Rogue |
| Abilities | Delirium |
| Power | 1 |
| Toughness | 1 |
Key Takeaways
- Obsessive Skinner’s potential shines in strategies that maintain a diverse graveyard, crucial for its delirium capability.
- The card’s green-specific mana cost and reliance on graveyard setup can pose deck-building challenges.
- Versatile and meta-relevant, Obsessive Skinner strengthens creatures consistently, enhancing numerous deck types.
Text of card
When Obsessive Skinner enters the battlefield, put a +1/+1 counter on target creature. Delirium — At the beginning of each opponent's upkeep, if there are four or more card types among cards in your graveyard, put a +1/+1 counter on target creature.
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Obsessive Skinner is adept at maximizing board presence by providing consistent counter placements on your creatures. This not only enhances individual creature performance but also sustains long-term advantage in the game.
Resource Acceleration: Through its delirium ability, Obsessive Skinner can boost a vast number of creatures with ease, essentially multiplying your resource investments into a broader, more intimidating force without expending additional cards or mana.
Instant Speed: Although the card itself does not operate at instant speed, its delirium-triggered ability activates at the beginning of each upkeep. This provides a surprise factor similar to that of instant speed, allowing untapped potential to be revealed at a critical point, which can sway the game state unexpectedly.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: For Obsessive Skinner to reach its full potential, certain conditions regarding the graveyard must be met. This can be a drawback if you do not have enough creature cards in your graveyard, limiting its effectiveness.
Specific Mana Cost: Obsessive Skinner comes with a specific green mana requirement in its casting cost, which means it naturally fits into green-based or green-inclusive decks. Players running decks without green mana may find it challenging to incorporate this card effectively.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: When you consider Obsessive Skinner’s mana cost relative to its 1/1 stats and setup-dependent ability, it might seem expensive. There are alternatives that could be more impactful immediately upon hitting the battlefield, offering more flexibility with less setup required.
Reasons to Include Obsessive Skinner in Your Collection
Versatility: Obsessive Skinner is a flexible card that can easily find a home in numerous deck types. Given its ability to distribute +1/+1 counters as long as delirium is met, it proves to be especially effective in decks that focus on permanent types and graveyard strategies.
Combo Potential: This card shines when combined with self-mill tactics or other mechanics that fill the graveyard quickly, enabling its delirium ability and turning even the most unassuming creatures into threats.
Meta-Relevance: In a meta where creature-based strategies are prevalent, Obsessive Skinner can be an under-the-radar powerhouse. Its capability to continually bolster your creatures makes it a recurring benefit throughout the match and a valuable asset against a variety of opposing decks.
How to beat Obsessive Skinner
The Obsessive Skinner, found in the lush realms of Innistrad, is a card that taps into the power of +1/+1 counters to turn creatures into formidable threats. This creature can potentially tip the scales when it hits the battlefield, especially if delirium—an ability that activates if there are four or more card types among cards in your graveyard—is triggered. Once delirium is online, it becomes a silent architect of inexorable growth at the beginning of each upkeep.
Defeating this green powerhouse requires a strategic approach, and one effective tactic is to disrupt its delirium engine. Targeted graveyard removal spells such as Tormod’s Crypt can halt its momentum, leaving the Obsessive Skinner without its primary mechanic. Additionally, incorporating instant-speed removals that can respond to creature enhancements, like Fatal Push or Path to Exile, are key to dealing with the buffed-up creatures before the +1/+1 counters become overwhelming.
Denying the Obsessive Skinner its advantages ensures that it remains just a moderate threat rather than a dominating force. Keeping the board clear of it and its effects helps maintain a balanced battlefield and an upper hand in the game. Keep these strategies in mind, and the Obsessive Skinner will be more a mild nuisance than an obsessive problem.
Cards like Obsessive Skinner
In the intricate ecosystem of buffs and counters that permeates Magic: The Gathering, Obsessive Skinner has carved out a niche for those favoring a growth strategy. Comparable to other +1/+1 counter distributors like Ainok Bond-Kin, Obsessive Skinner offers unique advantages. Where Ainok Bond-Kin grants an ever-useful outlast ability and combat edge with first strike to creatures with +1/+1 counters, Obsessive Skinner focuses on leveraging the delirium mechanic to consistently empower your creatures.
Another similar card is Ivy Lane Denizen; whenever another green creature enters the battlefield under your control, you can place a +1/+1 counter on target creature. While Ivy Lane Denizen has a broader trigger condition, it does not provide the additional benefit of delirium inherent to the Obsessive Skinner for persistent field advantage. Then there is Juniper Order Ranger, which not only gives +1/+1 counters to other creatures but also grows itself, a double threat not presented by Obsessive Skinner.
Each of these cards offers different benefits depending on the deck’s construction and objectives. Despite its conditional ability, Obsessive Skinner is particularly potent in graveyard-centric decks, providing sustained strength as the game progresses, positioning it as a solid choice in its particular strategic mold.
Cards similar to Obsessive Skinner by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Obsessive Skinner MTG card by a specific set like Shadows over Innistrad and Shadows over Innistrad 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 Obsessive Skinner 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 Obsessive Skinner Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2016-04-08 and 2023-03-21. Illustrated by John Stanko.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2016-04-08 | Shadows over Innistrad | SOI | 220 | 2015 | Normal | Black | John Stanko | |
| 2 | 2023-03-21 | Shadows over Innistrad Remastered | SIR | 207 | 2015 | Normal | Black | John Stanko |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Obsessive Skinner has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Historicbrawl | Legal |
| Historic | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Restricted |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Gladiator | Legal |
| Pioneer | Legal |
| Commander | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Explorer | Legal |
| Timeless | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Obsessive Skinner card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2016-04-08 | Because you consider only the characteristics of a double-faced card’s front face while it’s not on the battlefield, the types of its back face won’t be counted for delirium. |
| 2016-04-08 | Both of Obsessive Skinner’s abilities can target Obsessive Skinner itself. |
| 2016-04-08 | In some rare cases, you can have a token or a copy of a spell in your graveyard at the moment that an object’s delirium ability counts the card types among cards in your graveyard, before that token or copy ceases to exist. Because tokens and copies of spells are not cards, even if they are copies of cards, their types will never be counted. |
| 2016-04-08 | Most triggered delirium abilities use an intervening “if” clause. There must be four or more card types among cards in your graveyard in order for these abilities to trigger, otherwise they never trigger at all. There’s no way to have the ability trigger if there aren’t enough card types, even if you intend to raise that number in response to the triggered ability. The number of card types is checked again as the trigger resolves, and if it has become too low somehow, the ability does nothing. If which card types are in your graveyard changes but the quantity of card types stays the same (or increases), then the delirium triggered ability will still resolve. |
| 2016-04-08 | The card types in Magic are artifact, creature, enchantment, instant, land, planeswalker, sorcery, and tribal (a card type that appears on some older cards). Supertypes (such as legendary and basic) and subtypes (such as Human and Equipment) are not counted. |
| 2016-04-08 | The number of card types matters, not the number of cards. For example, Wicker Witch (an artifact creature) along with Catalog (an instant) and Chaplain’s Blessing (a sorcery) will enable delirium. |