Skull Raid MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	4
Rarity	Common
Type	Sorcery
Abilities	Foretell
Released	2021-02-05
Set symbol
Set name	Kaldheim
Set code	KHM
Number	111
Frame	2015
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Igor Kieryluk

Key Takeaways

Skull Raid offers potential card advantage by making opponents discard or allowing you to draw.
Its foretell mechanic adds strategic depth and can reduce mana costs for future turns.
Adapting to Skull Raid’s disruption requires effective hand resource management and strategy.

Text of card

Target opponent discards two cards. If fewer than two cards were discarded this way, you draw cards equal to the difference. Foretell (During your turn, you may pay and exile this card from your hand face down. Cast it on a later turn for its foretell cost.)

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Skull Raid enables players to potentially disrupt their opponent’s hand while refilling their own. Casting this spell during the late game can lead to significant card advantage, especially if the opponent is holding on to key cards.

Resource Acceleration: In situations where an opponent has no cards left to discard, Skull Raid offers a consolation prize by letting the caster draw cards instead. This can accelerate the player’s resources, giving them more options and possibly leading to a quicker victory.

Instant Speed: While Skull Raid is a sorcery, its impact on a game can be as significant as an instant. It forces opponents to play their cards earlier than preferred for fear of losing them, indirectly giving the caster the kind of influence on the game’s tempo usually associated with instant speed spells.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Skull Raid demands your opponent to discard two cards, but this can prove ineffective if they have no cards in hand or if discarding benefits them, as with graveyard-based strategies.

Specific Mana Cost: Skull Raid requires both black mana and generic mana, which might not align with the flexible mana bases of multicolored decks or those looking to optimize mana efficiency.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Priced at four mana, Skull Raid sits at a point where the game may have progressed significantly, potentially reducing its impact compared to lower cost disruption options available to players.

Reasons to Include Skull Raid in Your Collection

Versatility: Skull Raid offers flexiblity as it serves a dual purpose. It not only forces your opponent to discard cards, potentially disrupting their strategy, but with the foretell mechanic it allows for a strategic setup, planning for future turns at a reduced cost.

Combo Potential: For decks centered around the discard theme or that benefit from opponents discarding cards, Skull Raid can synergize well. It pairs nicely with cards that provide payoff for each discarded card, amplifying your deck’s threat level.

Meta-Relevance: In environments where players tend to hold onto key cards for the perfect moment, Skull Raid can be a game changer. It’s effective against control decks or when the meta favors hand card conservation, making it a timely disruption tool.

How to beat

Skull Raid is a unique role player in Magic: The Gathering’s array of hand disruption spells. Unlike targeted discard spells like Thoughtseize or Inquisition of Kozilek, Skull Raid targets an opponent and causes them to discard two cards. Key to overcoming Skull Raid is managing hand resources effectively. Maintaining a diverse set of cards in hand and prioritizing the casting of key spells before Skull Raid can be played is essential. This minimizes the impact it may have on your strategy.

Moreover, cards that generate card advantage or allow you to draw in response, such as instant-speed cantrips or creatures like Sea Gate Oracle, are highly valuable against discard strategies. If playing cards with Flash or effects that allow drawing during an opponent’s turn, this can negate Skull Raid’s potential advantage by refilling your hand efficiently. Additionally, proactive use of graveyard recursion can turn a would-be setback into a setup, leveraging what was discarded for future plays.

Remember, the best strategy against Skull Raid and similar disruption cards lies in agile play, card advantage, and timely graveyard management to ensure you stay one step ahead of the game’s ebb and flow.

Cards like Skull Raid

Skull Raid carves out its niche in MTG’s pantheon of hand disruption spells. A direct peer to Syphon Mind, which also makes opponents discard while granting the caster card advantage, Skull Raid steps ahead by potentially allowing you to draw two cards if an opponent has no cards left in hand. Though Syphon Mind offers an indirect draw by taking one card from each opponent, Skull Raid’s flexibility in granting guaranteed card draw shines in one-on-one formats.

When viewing Mind Rot, a classic example of the discard two effect, Skull Raid stands out with its Fortell mechanic, offering strategic depth and cost reduction. This utility positions it closer to Mind Rake, which holds a similar option to cast for less mana. However, unlike Mind Rake, Skull Raid doesn’t affect its caster’s hand and could surpass it in late-game scenarios where maximizing card advantage is crucial.

Assessing Skull Raid in the realm of hand disruption spells, it holds an advantageous balance of flexible casting cost and potential upside in drawing. This card’s strategic viability, particularly in games heading towards a topdeck war, highlights its worth in a thoughtfully constructed deck.

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

Terisiare's Devastation - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Skull Raid MTG card by a specific set like Kaldheim, 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 Raid and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Skull Raid has restrictions

Format	Legality
Historic	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Paupercommander	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Gladiator	Legal
Pioneer	Legal
Commander	Legal
Modern	Legal
Pauper	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Explorer	Legal
Brawl	Legal
Penny	Legal
Timeless	Legal

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2021-02-05	Because exiling a card with foretell from your hand is a special action, you can do so any time you have priority during your turn, including in response to spells and abilities. Once you announce you’re taking the action, no other player can respond by trying to remove the card from your hand.
2021-02-05	Casting a foretold card from exile follows the timing rules for that card. If you foretell an instant card, you can cast it as soon as the next player’s turn. In most cases, if you foretell a card that isn’t an instant (or doesn’t have flash), you’ll have to wait until your next turn to cast it.
2021-02-05	If you’re casting a foretold card from exile for its foretell cost, you can’t choose to cast it for any other alternative costs. You can, however, pay additional costs, such as kicker costs. If the card has any mandatory additional costs, those must be paid to cast the spell.
2021-02-05	The opponent must discard two cards if they have two or more cards in their hand. If they have only one card in hand, they’ll discard that card and you’ll draw a card. If they have no cards in hand, they can’t discard any, so you’ll draw two cards.