Skanos, Black Dragon Vassal MTG Card
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 6 |
| Rarity | Uncommon |
| Type | Legendary Creature — Dragon Ranger |
| Abilities | Menace |
| Released | 2022-07-07 |
| Set symbol | |
| Set name | Alchemy Horizons: Baldur's Gate |
| Set code | HBG |
| Power | 5 |
| Toughness | 5 |
| Number | 18b |
| Frame | 2015 |
| Layout | Normal |
| Border | Black |
| Illustred by | Daarken |
Key Takeaways
- Provides continuous card draw and resource acceleration when conditions are met.
- Instant speed plays reward strategic MTG players by evolving Skanos.
- Demands specific mana and a card discard, challenging deck optimization.
Text of card
Menace Whenever Skanos, Black Dragon Vassal attacks, another target attacking creature gains menace and gets +X/+0 until end of turn, where X is Skanos's power.
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Skanos, Black Dragon Vassal offers a unique angle on card advantage. Once it transforms into Skanos, Jetmir’s Second, it provides you with an ongoing supply of card draw, as long as you control a modified creature. These extra cards can significantly tilt the game in your favor, providing more options and answers to your opponent’s moves.
Resource Acceleration: This dragon vassal may not inherently ramp your mana, but by ensuring a steady flow of cards, it essentially propels your resource acceleration. Moreover, in its ascended form, Skanos can add substantial value by creating Treasure tokens whenever it deals combat damage, thus giving you extra mana resources to deploy more threats or responses during your turn.
Instant Speed: While Skanos itself is not an instant, it rewards players who operate at instant speed. By interacting with ‘training’ mechanics and cards that modify creatures on the go, you can maximize Skanos’s potential and always be a step ahead. Leveraging instant speed spells ensures your dragon is ready to soar into its evolved form at the moment your conditions are met, catching opponents off-guard during critical turns.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Skanos, Black Dragon Vassal’s ability hinges on a critical discard mechanic. Activating its strengths means you have to let go of another card in your hand, a play that could put you at a strategic disadvantage, especially when your hand size is dwindling and every card counts.
Specific Mana Cost: The mana cost to field Skanos commands a specific combination that may not align seamlessly with every deck strategy. Tailoring your land base to accommodate Skanos can be restrictive, potentially diverting you from a more flexible and diverse mana strategy.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: Deploying Skanos onto the battlefield comes at a steep investment. When breaking down the cost-value ratio, it becomes evident that other options might offer a more favorable balance. Players might find themselves weighing Skanos against lower-costed creatures that could fit more efficiently into the pace and synergy of their deck.
Reasons to Include Skanos, Black Dragon Vassal in Your Collection
Versatility: Skanos, Black Dragon Vassal is a perfect fit for several deck archetypes, particularly those that thrive on aggressive plays and require a reliable early to mid-game presence.
Combo Potential: This card serves as a key component in dragon-themed decks, enabling synergistic interactions that can swiftly turn the tide in your favor.
Meta-Relevance: In an environment where dragons or midrange decks are prevalent, Skanos, Black Dragon Vassal can become essential in matching those strategies and providing a competitive edge.
How to beat
Skanos, Black Dragon Vassal introduces a cunning challenge on the battlefield for any MTG player. This versatile card can disrupt your strategy by offering robust defenses and a potential flying threat. To effectively counter Skanos, it’s essential to limit its ability to exploit the graveyard for resurrection. Graveyard hate cards like Relic of Progenitus or Scavenging Ooze can be pivotal in preventing the dragon from returning to the field.
Removal spells are another arrow in your quiver against Skanos. Instant-speed responses like Path to Exile can efficiently deal with the dragon before it has the chance to build a defense or exert its dominance over the game. It’s also worth considering countermeasures to flying creatures, such as plummet or cards that nullify flying abilities, ensuring Skanos doesn’t get a chance to soar over your defenses.
Ultimately, staying ahead involves anticipation and a prepared deck to manage formidable cards like Skanos. Keep your disruption ready, time your removals, and Skanos, Black Dragon Vassal can be managed, allowing you to maintain control and navigate towards victory.
Cards like Skanos, Black Dragon Vassal
Skanos, Black Dragon Vassal is a powerful creature card that players find intriguing due to its unique abilities in the world of Magic: The Gathering. When looking for counterparts, Dragon Hatchling emerges as a similar card, both being dragons with flying and the ability to boost their attack until the end of the turn. Skanos, Black Dragon Vassal, however, distinguishes itself with an additional layer of utility by allowing you to draw a card when it dies if you control a modified creature.
In comparison to other dragons, Dragonlord’s Servant stands out as well with its dragon-cost reduction ability. While not directly enhancing power like Skanos does, it does facilitate a quicker play of dragon-type creatures, an essential strategy for any dragon-themed deck. Contrastingly, Skanos requires a deliberate setup to utilize its full potential, rewarding thoughtful play with card advantage. Lastly, Fire-Belly Changeling also shares some resemblance by being a changeling that can be considered a dragon. Yet, its capabilities are far more limited than Skanos’s potential for card draw and its utility in dragon-centric strategies.
Analyzing gameplay and synergy, Skanos, Black Dragon Vassal maintains a compelling position amongst similar creature cards, offering a solid combination of offensive power and strategic depth to MTG players.
Cards similar to Skanos, Black Dragon Vassal by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Skanos, Black Dragon Vassal MTG card by a specific set like Alchemy Horizons: Baldur's Gate, 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 Skanos, Black Dragon Vassal 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
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