Relentless Skaabs MTG Card
2012-02-03 - Number 45
2016-02-26 - Number 46
| Card sets | Released in 2 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 5 |
| Rarity | Uncommon |
| Type | Creature — Zombie |
| Abilities | Undying |
| Power | 4 |
| Toughness | 4 |
Text of card
As an additional cost to cast Relentless Skaabs, exile a creature card from your graveyard. Undying (When this creature dies, if it had no +1/+1 counters on it, return it to the battlefield under its owner's control with a +1/+1 counter on it.)
Cards like Relentless Skaabs
Relentless Skaabs is a creature card that can impact the board in the realm of Magic: The Gathering, standing amidst a lineage of other notable zombie cards. It shares similarities with other creatures such as Stitched Drake. Both require a creature card to be exiled from the graveyard as part of their respective casting costs. Nevertheless, the Skaabs are a class apart with their higher power and the added benefit of being able to recur themselves from the graveyard to the battlefield.
Comparatively, Advanced Stitchwing also resonates with Skaabs’ theme of graveyard interaction, allowing players to return it to the battlefield by discarding two cards. Though the Stitchwing comes at a lower casting cost, it provides less power on the board. Additionally, Wight of Precinct Six gains strength with each creature card residing in opponents’ graveyards. It’s a dynamic contrast to Relentless Skaabs as the Wight potentially grows to overpower its static power.
In assessing these options, Relentless Skaabs emerges as a reliable and resilient choice for decks centering around graveyard synergy and recurring threats. Its solid power level and ability to return from the graveyard make it a staple for strategies looking to maximize endurance and presence on the board.
Cards similar to Relentless Skaabs by color, type and mana cost
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Relentless Skaabs allows you to recur a creature from your graveyard when it enters the battlefield. This translates to maintaining presence on the board and gaining an edge over opponents through increased options in hand or in play.
Resource Acceleration: While not directly providing mana, Relentless Skaabs effectively conserves your resources. By utilizing cards from your graveyard, it allows for a more efficient use of the cards you’ve already played or discarded to build a formidable board state faster.
Instant Speed: While Relentless Skaabs itself is not an instant card, it synergizes well with instant-speed graveyard interactions. It lets you capitalize on surprise graveyard plays, setting up the stage for your Relentless Skaabs to make a robust entry on your next turn.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: When bringing Relentless Skaabs into play, you’re faced with the hurdle of discarding a creature card. This can be particularly taxing when your hand is already running low, forcing you to make tough decisions about which resources to sacrifice.
Specific Mana Cost: Commanding both blue mana and generic mana, the Skaabs demand a dedicated slot in your mana base. This requirement can be restrictive, especially in multicolor decks where mana flexibility is key to a consistent performance.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: Clocking in at five mana, with two of those being blue, the cost to cast Relentless Skaabs is on the higher end. For the same investment, players might find creatures with lower casting costs or more impactful abilities, leading to more efficient deck-building choices.
Reasons to Include Relentless Skaabs in Your Collection
Versatility: Relentless Skaabs presents a flexible option for blue-based control or graveyard-centric decks. Its role as both a sizable creature and a graveyard-utilizing component means it can adeptly fulfill multiple roles within different strategic outlines.
Combo Potential: As a creature card with undying, this card has potential to synergize with various sacrifice outlets and graveyard manipulation spells. It can be a resilient threat in any setup that aims to leverage creature deaths for broader strategic gains.
Meta-Relevance: Given its ability to persist after death due to undying, Relentless Skaabs can maintain board presence against decks that rely heavily on removal. This makes it a sturdy choice in environments where control decks are prevalent, ensuring you retain a creature in play even through heavy removal.
How to beat
Relentless Skaabs from Magic: The Gathering is a noteworthy creature that presents a moderate challenge to overcome in a match, primarily due to its comeback mechanism. This zombie creature not only bolsters your board when it’s in play, but its undying ability means it returns to the battlefield after being destroyed, potentially stronger than before. It’s in this resilience where the challenge lies.
To effectively combat Relentless Skaabs, removal spells that exile such as Path to Exile or exile upon death like Leyline of the Void can be key. This nullifies the undying ability, ensuring that Relentless Skaabs doesn’t make a second appearance. Board sweepers are less effective given its ability to return. Additionally, strategies that reduce graveyard interactions can be valuable, as they curb its undying potential and keep it in the graveyard once it’s been dealt with. Ensnaring the Skaabs in the graveyard, perhaps with spells like Rest in Peace, is essential to ensure your opponent doesn’t repeatedly leverage its undying advantage.
Considering these tactics, the once daunting task of facing Relentless Skaabs becomes more manageable, and with the right tools, one can ensure that what’s dead—in this case, the relentless undead—stays truly dead.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Relentless Skaabs MTG card by a specific set like Dark Ascension and Duel Decks: Blessed vs. Cursed, 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 Relentless Skaabs 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
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Printings
The Relentless Skaabs Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2012-02-03 and 2016-02-26. Illustrated by Karl Kopinski.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2012-02-03 | Dark Ascension | DKA | 45 | 2003 | Normal | Black | Karl Kopinski | |
| 2 | 2016-02-26 | Duel Decks: Blessed vs. Cursed | DDQ | 46 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Karl Kopinski |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Relentless Skaabs has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Restricted |
| Modern | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Relentless Skaabs card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2011-01-22 | When Relentless Skaabs returns to the battlefield because of its undying ability, it’s not being cast. You won’t exile a creature card from your graveyard. |
| 2013-04-15 | Players can only respond once this spell has been cast and all its costs have been paid. No one can try to otherwise remove the creature card you exiled in order to prevent you from casting this spell. |
| 2013-04-15 | You must exile exactly one creature card from your graveyard to cast this spell; you cannot cast it without exiling a creature card, and you cannot exile additional creature cards. |