Jawbone Skulkin MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	1
Rarity	Common
Type	Artifact Creature — Scarecrow
Released	2008-07-25
Set symbol
Set name	Eventide
Set code	EVE
Power	1
Toughness	1
Number	170
Frame	2003
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Jeff Easley

Key Takeaways

Jawbone Skulkin enhances skeleton cards, offering strategic combat advantages through first strike at instant speed.
Card’s utility may be hindered by its specific mana requirements and potential for card disadvantage.
Its versatility and meta-relevance make it a valuable card for aggressive red-themed decks.

Text of card

: Target red creature gains haste until end of turn.

"Ah, skull of shrew—a very potent substance. In powdered form, it gives thrice the zing of noggle hoof pulp." —Boghald, Barrenton medic

Card Pros

Card Advantage: While Jawbone Skulkin doesn’t directly influence the number of cards in hand, it enhances card utility by giving your skeleton creatures an unexpected benefit. This incremental advantage can snowball into a significant edge over the course of a game.

Resource Acceleration: The Skulkin cycle, including Jawbone Skulkin, provides a resourceful means to repeatedly leverage the abilities of tribal cards. Although Jawbone Skulkin itself doesn’t accelerate mana, it can turn otherwise unassuming skeletons into repeatable sources of damage or utility, effectively quickening your game plan.

Instant Speed: Jawbone Skulkin’s ability to grant first strike can be activated at instant speed, allowing you to surprise an opponent during combat. This adaptability can shift the tide of battle, making it easier to eliminate threats and protect valuable creatures on the fly.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Jawbone Skulkin requires you to discard a card to activate its ability, which could set you back if your hand size is already reduced.

Specific Mana Cost: This artifact creature demands a strict red mana investment for its ability, potentially limiting its inclusion to decks that can consistently produce red mana.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting and activation cost that may be seen as steep relative to its ability, the Jawbone Skulkin might be outmatched by other options with lower or more flexible costs.

Reasons to Include Jawbone Skulkin in Your Collection

Versatility: Jawbone Skulkin’s ability to grant all red creatures haste can be a game-changer across a wide range of red-centered decks. Its inclusion enables surprise attacks and paves the way for swift plays, perfectly aligning with aggressive strategies.

Combo Potential: This card shines in combination with creatures that have impactful tap abilities. It can also be a key component in decks that focus on quickly summoning creatures and attacking all in the same turn, thus raising the potential for sudden, overwhelming board presence.

Meta-Relevance: With the pace of most games increasing and with red decks typically aiming to win quickly, Jawbone Skulkin can be crucial. As the meta shifts towards more haste-reliant decks, this card might become an even more significant asset in maintaining tempo and pressure on opponents.

How to beat

Jawbone Skulkin is a unique artifact creature card in MTG that can provide a strategic edge to decks that capitalize on Skeleton tribal synergies. This card allows for a key combat tactic, offering skeletons the ability to gain haste until end of turn, an ability normally uncommon in such deck types. The strategic implementation of Jawbone Skulkin can be a game changer, as the ability to suddenly activate all skeletons on the battlefield can catch an unprepared opponent off guard.

However, overcoming the surprise factor of Jawbone Skulkin is about anticipating the haste it can provide and managing it effectively during gameplay. This involves removing the Skulkin before or during combat or countering crucial spells that depend on the haste it provides. Effective artifact disruption spells or targeted removal can mitigate the impact of Jawbone Skulkin. Additionally, ensuring a strong board presence with creatures ready to block can diminish the Skulkin’s haste advantage. Preparing in such a way will keep your defenses strong against the quickened onslaught of skeleton tribal decks bolstered by Jawbone Skulkin.

Ultimately, acknowledging the potential impact of Jawbone Skulkin in your MTG matchups and maintaining versatile answers within your deck are key components to reigning victorious against an adversary utilizing this peculiar card.

Cards like Jawbone Skulkin

Jawbone Skulkin finds its niche within the MTG realm of Skeleton tribal mechanics. Like its bony brethren, it provides a tactical boon to Graveyard strategies. It’s akin to Skull Catapult in terms of Skeleton synergy but instead of flinging creatures for damage, Jawbone Skulkin’s ability focuses on recurring value by letting you return another target Skeleton from your graveyard to your hand.

Contrasting with Drudge Skeletons, which offers a simple regenerative ability, Jawbone Skulkin extends playability by interacting with the graveyard. Both celebrate the undead theme but Jawbone Skulkin is more synergistic with the overarching tribal strategy seen in MTG Skeleton decks, notably in those capitalizing on creature return mechanics.

Moreover, when compared with Reassembling Skeleton, a staple for any deck emphasizing graveyard recursion, Jawbone Skulkin doesn’t bring itself back from the graveyard but instead targets other skeletons, often leading to more strategic depth in gameplay. Each card exhibits unique strengths: Reassembling Skeleton guarantees its own return, while Jawbone Skulkin provides a wider scope for return plays within the tribal theme.

Evaluating each for their unique contributions, Jawbone Skulkin stands out by enhancing community amongst its skeletal peers, lending itself to exciting graveyard-based strategies in Magic: The Gathering.

Reassembling Skeleton - MTG Card versions

Cards similar to Jawbone Skulkin by color, type and mana cost

Candelabra of Tawnos - MTG Card versions

Phyrexian Dreadnought - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Jawbone Skulkin MTG card by a specific set like Eventide, 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 Jawbone Skulkin and other MTG cards: