Skull Collector MTG Card

Skull Collector provides continuous creature ability leverage through recur effects each upkeep. While mana cost-specific, its repeat play value can facilitate infinite combos and resilience. Facing Skull Collector requires timing with removal spells or employing graveyard control tactics.

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	3
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Creature — Ogre Warrior
Released	2005-06-03
Set symbol
Set name	Saviors of Kamigawa
Set code	SOK
Power	3
Toughness	3
Number	90
Frame	2003
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Thomas M. Baxa

Text of card

At the beginning of your upkeep, return a black creature you control to its owner's hand. : Regenerate Skull Collector.

"Your blood I'll use. Your skull I'll keep."

Cards like Skull Collector

Skull Collector stands out among the creature cards with its unique return-to-hand ability each upkeep. Comparable to cards like Cadaver Imp, which offers a one-time return of a creature from graveyard to hand when it enters the battlefield, Skull Collector provides a repetitive action but requires the creature to be in hand already to be of any effect.

Another card worth mentioning is Tortured Existence. While this enchantment allows for a constant swap of creatures from hand to graveyard and vice versa, it doesn’t provide a body to block or attack as Skull Collector does. Mortus Strider also exhibits a recurring element, as it returns to its owner’s hand when it dies. Despite this similarity, Mortus Strider’s ability is a one-and-done situation per death without the ability to proactively manage potentially unwanted cards in hand.

To sum up, the ongoing utility of Skull Collector in Magic: The Gathering can be a major game-changer in decks built around utilizing creatures from hand repeatedly, differentiating it within its category of creatures with recurring benefits.

Cards similar to Skull Collector by color, type and mana cost

Mischievous Poltergeist - MTG Card versions

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Skull Collector brings a strategic edge to MTG gameplay by offering the ability to recur creatures with beneficial enter-the-battlefield effects. By returning a creature to your hand at the beginning of each of your upkeep, you can repeatedly leverage those abilities to maintain superior board control.

Resource Acceleration: Skull Collector can be a subtle form of resource acceleration. Even though it doesn’t directly generate mana or tokens, it allows you to reuse mana spent on creatures with important abilities, potentially giving you more utility out of the mana you’ve invested over multiple turns.

Instant Speed: While Skull Collector doesn’t operate at instant speed itself, it synergizes well with creatures that do. This synergy lets players maximize their turns by playing creatures with instant speed effects, knowing they can be returned to hand and replayed thanks to Skull Collector’s ability, thus enhancing strategic depth and tactical flexibility mid-game.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Skull Collector necessitates that you discard a card from your hand each turn it gets back to your hand at the end of turn. This recurring cost can be cumbersome, especially when your hand is already depleted, limiting your options and forcing potentially crucial choices regarding resource management. While it can be a strategic advantage in some decks designed around discard mechanics, the forced discard can be a clear disadvantage in others.

Specific Mana Cost: Requiring both black and generic mana, Skull Collector’s casting cost can be restrictive. It’s exclusively suited for black-centric or black-inclusive decks, which may not always align with a player’s deckbuilding strategy or preferred color archetype. This specificity reduces its versatility across various deck types.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Although a reusable creature that can potentially provide value each turn seems advantageous, Skull Collector comes at a comparatively high mana cost for its power and toughness. In a game where efficiency is key, players might find other three-mana creatures that provide more impact on the game without the drawback of a forced discard.

Reasons to Include Skull Collector in Your Collection

Versatility: Skull Collector offers a recurring bounce mechanism, allowing players to reutilize enter-the-battlefield effects or save creatures from removal. This adaptability makes it a good fit for decks with creatures that have potent abilities triggered when they enter the battlefield or leave it.

Combo Potential: With the proper setup, Skull Collector can become part of infinite combo loops, involving creatures with untap abilities or those that generate additional value when repeatedly cast. Its ability to repeatedly recast a creature each turn without investing additional mana can be a game-changer.

Meta-Relevance: As the battlefield dynamics shift, having a tool that interacts with graveyards becomes increasingly valuable. Whether disrupting opponent strategies or enhancing your own graveyard-based game plan, Skull Collector can be a formidable asset in the evolving metagame.

How to beat

Confronting a Skull Collector on the battlefield can be a strategic puzzle in MTG, requiring a specific approach to overcome its recurring abilities. This creature card is unique in its capacity to return to the owner’s hand at the beginning of their upkeep if they wish to, potentially evading removal spells and essentially becoming a recurring threat to deal with.

To counteract the Skull Collector’s resilience, players may opt to employ instant-speed removal spells right after the Skull Collector’s ability is triggered but before it returns to its owner’s hand. Doing so capitalizes on the moment when the creature is still on the battlefield and vulnerable. Alternatively, using exile effects can effectively bypass the collector’s recursive nature, ensuring it doesn’t return to the opponent’s hand and stays out of play.

Another efficient strategy to defeat Skull Collector is to implement graveyard controls such as Rest in Peace or Leyline of the Void, which prevent cards from hitting the graveyard in the first place. By anticipating the continuous threat posed by the Skull Collector and planning around its critical moments, players can successfully manage and ultimately defeat this formidable foe.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Skull Collector MTG card by a specific set like Saviors of Kamigawa, 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 Skull Collector and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Skull Collector has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Paupercommander	Restricted
Modern	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Predh	Legal