Skyclave Apparition MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 5 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityRare
TypeCreature — Kor Spirit
Power 2
Toughness 2

Key Takeaways

  1. Skyclave Apparition provides a unique card advantage by exiling problematic nonland permanents at sorcery speed.
  2. It poses deck restrictions with a specific white mana cost and gives opponents a 2/2 token upon leaving.
  3. Valued in various formats for its utility and synergy with flicker effects, it’s a staple for competitive play.

Text of card

When Skyclave Apparition enters the battlefield, exile up to one target nonland, nontoken permanent you don't control with mana value 4 or less. When Skyclave Apparition leaves the battlefield, the exiled card's owner creates an X/X blue Illusion creature token, where X is the mana value of the exiled card.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Skyclave Apparition offers a unique form of card advantage by temporarily removing a problematic nonland permanent your opponent controls. This can potentially disrupt your opponent’s strategies and tip the scales in your favor without losing card equity in the process.

Resource Acceleration: While Skyclave Apparition itself doesn’t directly provide resource acceleration, efficiently dealing with an opponent’s early to mid-game threats can preserve your resources. This enables you to invest mana more efficiently in subsequent turns, effectively accelerating your own game plan.

Instant Speed: Skyclave Apparition operates at sorcery speed, which encourages strategic planning when considering the best moment for deployment. This foresight can often lead to more impactful plays, setting up devastating turns for your opponent while they’re unable to respond on your turn.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Though Skyclave Apparition does not directly require that you discard a card, it can pose certain disadvantages when played. Being removed from the battlefield, especially through an exile effect, gives your opponent a 2/2 token, which can be seen as an indirect cost of playing the card. This consequence needs to be weighed against the benefits of exiling a nonland permanent that your opponent controls with converted mana cost 4 or less.

Specific Mana Cost: One of the limitations of Skyclave Apparition is its color identity; this card requires both white mana and two additional mana of any color. This specific mana cost confines it to white or multicolored decks, reducing its versatility across various deck archetypes.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Skyclave Apparition has a mana value of three, which is not insubstantial. For control decks that aim to stabilize early, there may be other low-cost removal options that could compete for a slot in your deck. Therefore, depending on your strategy, Skyclave Apparition’s mana cost might be seen as a drawback when considering the overall pace and synergy of your game plan.


Reasons to Include Skyclave Apparition in Your Collection

Versatility: Skyclave Apparition is a powerhouse in decks that require flexible removal options. This card can exile any nonland, nontoken permanent with mana value four or less, making it an excellent choice for dealing with a wide array of threats.

Combo Potential: Upon leaving the battlefield, Skyclave Apparition provides an Illusion token to your opponent, which can be manipulated for further strategic play. It also plays well with flicker or bounce mechanics, allowing you to reuse its powerful exiling ability multiple times.

Meta-Relevance: With meta-games often dominated by aggressive strategies and pivotal permanents, having a card that can disrupt your opponent’s tempo while providing board presence is invaluable. Skyclave Apparition holds its ground in a variety of competitive formats, proving its mettle time and again.


How to beat

Skyclave Apparition is a versatile creature capable of disrupting various strategies in the MTG universe. Its unique exile ability targets nonland, nontoken permanents with converted mana cost four or less, making it invaluable in controlling the battlefield. Confronting this card requires a precise approach. Adjusting your tactics to outmaneuver its ability can turn the tide of the game.

One effective method is using instant removal spells that can handle the Apparition before it exiles your valuable permanents. Spells such as Fatal Push or Heartless Act are efficient tools in your arsenal. Additionally, employing indestructible or hexproof creatures circumvents the Apparition’s ability, as they remain out of reach from its exiling grasp. Cards like Alseid of Life’s Bounty provide protection and ensure the safety of key permanents on your board.

Another tactic involves waiting out the Apparition and removing it later, gaining value from the Illusion token created after its exit. Shielding your key pieces or playing less critical cards when Skyclave Apparition is likely to be cast can minimize the impact of its powerful exile ability, maintaining your advantage and control over the game’s tempo.


BurnMana Recommendations

As an MTG player, understanding the synergy between cards is crucial, and Skyclave Apparition is a perfect example of strategic depth. Whether optimizing your deck’s control elements or just looking to handle threats efficiently, it’s clear this card brings considerable value to the table. Its ability to exile nonland permanents, offering a semi-permanent solution, is an asset in various matchups. If you are eager to sharpen your deck-building skills and learn more about maximizing the potential of cards like Skyclave Apparition, delve deeper with us. Join fellow enthusiasts in mastering the nuances of MTG, and make your next duel a display of strategic brilliance.


Cards like Skyclave Apparition

Skyclave Apparition is an outstanding utility creature that has made a significant impact in MTG gameplay. It stands alongside cards like Fiend Hunter in its ability to exile opponents’ threats temporarily. However, Skyclave Apparition doesn’t allow the exiled card to return upon leaving the battlefield but instead gives a token proportional to the exiled card’s mana value. This subtle yet impactful difference means that it provides a more permanent solution than Fiend Hunter.

Another card worth mentioning is Banisher Priest, which provides a similar exile effect. Although both cards share the functionality of exiling creatures when they enter the battlefield, Banisher Priest returns the exiled card once it leaves the battlefield, unlike Skyclave Apparition which offers an illusionary consolation through a token. Moreover, Banisher Priest’s effect is limited to creatures, whereas Skyclave Apparition’s reach extends to any nonland, non-token cards with lower mana value, granting it a wider scope of removal.

In summary, while there are other creatures that share the exile upon entry theme, Skyclave Apparition secures a unique position. By providing a semi-permanent solution and dealing with a broader range of cards, it remains a formidable choice for players looking to add effective removal to their decks in MTG.

Fiend Hunter - MTG Card versions
Banisher Priest - MTG Card versions
Fiend Hunter - Innistrad (ISD)
Banisher Priest - Magic 2014 (M14)

Cards similar to Skyclave Apparition by color, type and mana cost

Argivian Blacksmith - MTG Card versions
Jamuraan Lion - MTG Card versions
Snow Hound - MTG Card versions
Elvish Healer - MTG Card versions
Soraya the Falconer - MTG Card versions
Femeref Knight - MTG Card versions
Border Guard - MTG Card versions
Stern Marshal - MTG Card versions
Soltari Crusader - MTG Card versions
Town Sentry - MTG Card versions
Benalish Knight - MTG Card versions
Regal Unicorn - MTG Card versions
Wild Griffin - MTG Card versions
Pianna, Nomad Captain - MTG Card versions
Dogged Hunter - MTG Card versions
Sanctum Prelate - MTG Card versions
Diving Griffin - MTG Card versions
Faithful Squire // Kaiso, Memory of Loyalty - MTG Card versions
Kitsune Palliator - MTG Card versions
Freewind Equenaut - MTG Card versions
Argivian Blacksmith - Antiquities (ATQ)
Jamuraan Lion - Media Inserts (PMEI)
Snow Hound - Ice Age (ICE)
Elvish Healer - Ice Age (ICE)
Soraya the Falconer - Homelands (HML)
Femeref Knight - Mirage (MIR)
Border Guard - Portal (POR)
Stern Marshal - Portal (POR)
Soltari Crusader - Tempest (TMP)
Town Sentry - Portal Second Age (P02)
Benalish Knight - Anthologies (ATH)
Regal Unicorn - Classic Sixth Edition (6ED)
Wild Griffin - Starter 2000 (S00)
Pianna, Nomad Captain - Odyssey (ODY)
Dogged Hunter - Odyssey (ODY)
Sanctum Prelate - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Diving Griffin - Eighth Edition (8ED)
Faithful Squire // Kaiso, Memory of Loyalty - Betrayers of Kamigawa (BOK)
Kitsune Palliator - Betrayers of Kamigawa (BOK)
Freewind Equenaut - Salvat 2005 (PSAL)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Skyclave Apparition MTG card by a specific set like Magic Online Promos and Zendikar Rising Promos, 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 Skyclave Apparition and other MTG cards:

Continue exploring other sealed products in Amazon
See Magic products

Printings

The Skyclave Apparition Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2020-09-25 and 2020-09-25. Illustrated by Donato Giancola.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12002-06-24Magic Online PromosPRM 838242015normalblackDonato Giancola
22020-09-25Zendikar Rising PromosPZNR 39s2015normalblackDonato Giancola
32020-09-25Zendikar Rising PromosPZNR 39p2015normalblackDonato Giancola
42020-09-25Zendikar RisingZNR 392015normalblackDonato Giancola
52020-09-25Zendikar RisingZNR 3222015normalblackDonato Giancola

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Skyclave Apparition has restrictions

FormatLegality
HistoricbrawlLegal
CommanderLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
GladiatorLegal
PioneerLegal
TimelessLegal

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Skyclave Apparition card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.

DateText
2020-09-25 If Skyclave Apparition leaves the battlefield before its first ability resolves, the ability still exiles the target permanent.
2020-09-25 If Skyclave Apparition’s first ability exiled more than one card owned by a single player, that player creates a token with power and toughness equal to the sum of those cards’ converted mana costs. If the first ability exiled cards owned by more than one player, each of those players creates a token with power and toughness equal to the sum of the converted mana costs of all cards exiled by the first ability.
2020-09-25 If a creature on the battlefield has in its mana cost, X is considered to be 0.
2020-09-25 If there’s no exiled card when Skyclave Apparition leaves the battlefield (most likely because its first ability hasn’t resolved yet), no player creates a token.

Recent MTG decks

Continue exploring other format decks
More decks