Skeletal Scrying MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 6 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost1
RarityUncommon
TypeInstant

Key Takeaways

  1. Scrying scales with graveyard size, offering significant card advantage as the game unfolds.
  2. Instant speed casting confers a strategic advantage, allowing for informed, reactive plays.
  3. Graveyard exiling poses a potential strategic drawback, especially in graveyard-centric decks.

Text of card

As an additional cost to play Skeletal Scrying, remove X cards in your graveyard from the game. You draw X cards and you lose X life.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Skeletal Scrying offers a dynamic draw mechanism that scales with your graveyard, potentially netting substantial card advantage. As you delve deeper into the game, the card becomes a potent tool to refuel your hand and outmaneuver opponents.

Resource Acceleration: While not directly adding mana, Skeletal Scrying efficiently converts an ample graveyard into new draw opportunities. By tapping into this often underutilized resource, you maintain momentum and pressure on the battlefield without sacrificing board presence.

Instant Speed: The flexibility of casting Skeletal Scrying at instant speed is a strategic advantage. It allows for reactive play during your opponent’s turn or after they’ve committed actions, ensuring you make the most informed and profitable decisions for your gameplay.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: One of the hurdles when using Skeletal Scrying is the requirement to exile cards from your graveyard. This cost thickens the line between a strategic play and a potential pitfall, especially if your graveyard interactions play a critical role in your deck’s mechanics.

Specific Mana Cost: Skeletal Scrying asks for black mana, which can be a barrier in multicolored decks where mana flexibility is essential. This can sometimes delay or even prevent the casting of the spell when you most need it.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: While the card offers flexibility in drawing cards, the conversion rate of mana and cards compared to other card-drawing spells in MTG isn’t the most economical, especially in a scenario where drawing multiple cards is necessary but the life payment becomes too high a cost for the advantage gained.


Reasons to Include Skeletal Scrying in Your Collection

Versatility: Skeletal Scrying is a card that adapts to a wide range of situations, providing crucial card draw when most needed. As it only requires one black mana, it can be easily slotted into various deck types, particularly those utilizing the graveyard.

Combo Potential: This instant has the potential to synergize with decks that capitalize on life loss or large graveyards. It can be a key piece in strategies that use life as a resource or that benefit from having a high card count in the graveyard.

Meta-Relevance: In a game state where resource management and card advantage are paramount, Skeletal Scrying can give you the upper hand. It meshes well with the dynamics of control and reanimator decks common in various metagames, ensuring its ongoing relevance.


How to beat

Skeletal Scrying is a unique instant in the realm of Magic: The Gathering for its flexible card draw, allowing players to exchange life points for cards. While this may seem daunting, there are strategies to counter this card advantage engine. One effective method is through life gain decks, which can offset the life cost significantly, reducing the impact of the drawn cards. Cards like ‘Rest for the Weary’ or ‘Soul Warden’ are good examples that help to nullify the life spent on Skeletal Scrying.

Hand disruption also plays a crucial role in combating the utility of Skeletal Scrying. Using discard spells such as ‘Thoughtseize’ or ‘Inquisition of Kozilek’ before your opponent can build a substantial hand size will undermine their ability to pay life for a significant draw. Artifact control, with cards like ‘Karn, the Great Creator’, can shut down this strategy altogether by disabling ‘Elixir of Immortality’, often used in conjunction to recoup the life spent. Ultimately, timing your disruptions and maintaining board control can render Skeletal Scrying far less effective for your opponent.

In summary, countering Skeletal Scrying involves a mix of life gain, hand disruption, and strategic artifact control. Through these methods, you can mitigate the card advantage gained and maintain an upper hand in the game.


BurnMana Recommendations

For players eager to enhance their MTG decks with savvy card choices, Skeletal Scrying exemplifies the potent blend of strategy and flexibility that can make all the difference during play. It navigates the balance between risk and reward, making it a thrilling addition for those who relish tactical depth. Delve into the intricacies of this card, and you’ll find it’s more than just a draw spell—it’s a Swiss Army knife for deck builders. Embark on the path to mastery and reveal how this card can be pivotal to your gameplay strategy. Ready to explore its full potential? We’ve got insights and tips to turn your next duel into a showcase of skill. Let the journey begin with us by your side.


Cards like Skeletal Scrying

Skeletal Scrying is an intriguing option when it comes to instant-speed card draw spells in Magic: The Gathering. Similar to spells like Sign in Blood, this card offers players the chance to draw cards at the cost of some life. What makes Skeletal Scrying stand out is its flexibility – the number of cards drawn and life paid can be tailored to the situation, whereas Sign in Blood always draws two cards for two life. This adaptability can be crucial in tight game scenarios.

Another comparable card is Night’s Whisper, which allows players to draw two cards at the cost of two life, much like Sign in Blood but without targeting restrictions. Skeletal Scrying’s variable cost gives it an edge in the late game where maximizing card advantage can turn the tides. On the other side, Night’s Whisper maintains consistency with its fixed rate.

Concluding, Skeletal Scrying holds its own within the realm of card draw spells in Magic: The Gathering. Its scalability and instant speed nature provide players with strategic options that can be pivotal especially when every life point and card in hand counts.

Sign in Blood - MTG Card versions
Night's Whisper - MTG Card versions
Sign in Blood - Magic 2010 (M10)
Night's Whisper - Fifth Dawn (5DN)

Cards similar to Skeletal Scrying by color, type and mana cost

Howl from Beyond - MTG Card versions
Dark Ritual - MTG Card versions
Sacrifice - MTG Card versions
Darkness - MTG Card versions
Marsh Gas - MTG Card versions
Gravebind - MTG Card versions
Misinformation - MTG Card versions
Vampiric Tutor - MTG Card versions
Dredge - MTG Card versions
Coffin Purge - MTG Card versions
Defile - MTG Card versions
March of Wretched Sorrow - MTG Card versions
Fatal Push - MTG Card versions
Foulmire Knight // Profane Insight - MTG Card versions
Fade from Memory - MTG Card versions
Duh - MTG Card versions
Aesthetic Consultation - MTG Card versions
Stop That - MTG Card versions
Disembowel - MTG Card versions
Surgical Extraction - MTG Card versions
Howl from Beyond - Seventh Edition (7ED)
Dark Ritual - Jumpstart: Historic Horizons (J21)
Sacrifice - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Darkness - Warhammer 40,000 Commander (40K)
Marsh Gas - The Dark (DRK)
Gravebind - Ice Age (ICE)
Misinformation - Alliances (ALL)
Vampiric Tutor - Dominaria Remastered (DMR)
Dredge - Invasion (INV)
Coffin Purge - Odyssey (ODY)
Defile - Modern Horizons 1 Timeshifts (H1R)
March of Wretched Sorrow - Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty (NEO)
Fatal Push - Kaladesh Remastered (KLR)
Foulmire Knight // Profane Insight - The List (PLST)
Fade from Memory - Onslaught (ONS)
Duh - Unhinged (UNH)
Aesthetic Consultation - Unhinged (UNH)
Stop That - Unhinged (UNH)
Disembowel - Ravnica: City of Guilds (RAV)
Surgical Extraction - Double Masters 2022 (2X2)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Skeletal Scrying MTG card by a specific set like Odyssey and Conspiracy, 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 Skeletal Scrying and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Skeletal Scrying Magic the Gathering card was released in 6 different sets between 2001-10-01 and 2019-11-07. Illustrated by Bob Petillo.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12001-10-01OdysseyODY 1611997normalblackBob Petillo
22014-06-06ConspiracyCNS 1242003normalblackBob Petillo
32014-11-07Commander 2014C14 1622015normalblackBob Petillo
42017-08-25Commander 2017C17 1252015normalblackBob Petillo
52019-11-07Mystery BoosterMB1 7742015normalblackBob Petillo
62020-09-26The ListPLST C14-1622015normalblackBob Petillo

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Skeletal Scrying has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PremodernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal

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