Struggle for Skemfar MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	4
Rarity	Common
Type	Sorcery
Abilities	Fight,Foretell
Released	2021-02-05
Set symbol
Set name	Kaldheim
Set code	KHM
Number	196
Frame	2015
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Bram Sels

Key Takeaways

Enhances your hand with critical creature cards while potentially accelerating land deployment on the battlefield.
Instant speed casting offers reactive play options and vital flexibility within the ever-changing game dynamics.
Requires strategic management of its discard condition and specific mana cost to unlock its full potential.

Text of card

Put a +1/+1 counter on target creature you control. Then that creature fights up to one target creature you don't control. (Each deals damage equal to its power to the other.) 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: Struggle for Skemfar is an exemplary card when it comes to enhancing your hand. This potent spell provides a peek into your library’s top cards and enables you to select a powerhouse creature card to add to your hand, ensuring you don’t run out of threats to deploy on the battlefield.

Resource Acceleration: Beyond the direct card advantage, Struggle for Skemfar fuels your resource pool by potentially placing additional land cards onto the field. This effect accelerates your game plan, allowing you to summon formidable creatures earlier than usual, tipping the scales in your favor.

Instant Speed: The ability to cast Struggle for Skemfar at instant speed grants you the flexibility to react to your opponent’s moves. You can adapt to the ever-changing landscape of the game, keeping your adversaries guessing whether you have more surprises up your sleeve, thereby adding a strategic layer to your play.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Struggle for Skemfar demands a card to be discarded to gain its full effect. This can put players at a disadvantage when they need to maintain hand advantage for strategic flexibility or when facing decks designed to deplete the opponent’s resources.

Specific Mana Cost: This card’s cost includes both green and black mana, which can be restrictive. Players using a multicolor deck without a consistent mana base may struggle to summon Struggle for Skemfar when needed, limiting its adaptability.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With the cost resting at four mana, with two being colored, Struggle for Skemfar might be seen as less efficient compared to other cards in the same mana range. This high mana demand can be a bottleneck, especially in fast-paced games where tempo is crucial.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Struggle for Skemfar stands out as a flexible card capable of influencing the board state in a variety of decks. Its ability to serve as both removal and a means of creature growth ensures that it remains relevant at different stages of the game.

Combo Potential: With its elf synergy, Struggle for Skemfar can be a linchpin in elf-themed decks, unlocking powerful interactions with cards that benefit from either the removal of threats or the empowerment of your own creatures.

Meta-Relevance: Given its dual utility and low casting cost, Struggle for Skemfar holds a solid position within the current meta, countering numerous creature-heavy strategies that are prevalent in the game, while also promoting a strong board presence for the player.

How to beat

Struggle for Skemfar is a notable presence in any MTG deck themed around elves or counters, combining an attack boost with permanent stat increases. It shines by turning a simple combat phase into a potential game-changer, especially when timed to save a crucial creature or eliminate a key threat. As an instant, it gives green decks more flexibility during battle.

To outmaneuver this card, consider strategies that reduce its impact or negate it altogether. Counterspells can stop Struggle for Skemfar before it ever alters the battlefield. Removal spells cast in response to it can ensure that, even if Struggle for Skemfar resolves, the creature it targets won’t benefit from it. Keeping the board clear of elves or creatures with +1/+1 counters minimizes the pain Struggle for Skemfar can inflict. Finally, cards that prevent your opponent from targeting their creatures or granting them hexproof can leave Struggle for Skemfar stranded in their hand, awaiting a target that never comes.

In essence, dealing with Struggle for Skemfar relies on disrupting the synergies it feeds on or preemptively countering its casting. This approach ensures your opponent doesn’t leverage their elves to create an overwhelming presence on the board, thus maintaining a balanced state of play.

Cards like Struggle for Skemfar

Struggle for Skemfar is an intriguing card in the context of elves tribal decks in MTG. It shares characteristics with other elf-synergy cards like Elvish Archer which is known for its ability to provide direct damage to creatures, albeit without the added bonus of bolstering one of your creatures. These cards pivot the game state, yet Struggle for Skemfar’s potential for a prolonged impact by also increasing a creature’s power and toughness sets it apart.

When analyzing parallel cards like Nissa’s Judgment and Wildheart Invoker, it’s clear Struggle for Skemfar provides a unique experience. Nissa’s Judgment diversifies by offering support counters while also removing a threat, yet it doesn’t flexibly scale with the number of elves you command. Wildheart Invoker flaunts the power-increase element but forgoes the tactical removal aspect. Struggle for Skemfar’s duality of enhancing your board while weakening your opponent’s gives it a notch above the rest in certain gameplay scenarios.

While considering card choices, it is essential to consider both immediate and lasting outcomes on the battlefield. In this view, Struggle for Skemfar delivers a compelling blend of aggression and team strengthening in elf-themed decks within MTG.

Cards similar to Struggle for Skemfar by color, type and mana cost

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Struggle for Skemfar 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 Struggle for Skemfar and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Struggle for Skemfar 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
Timeless	Legal

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Struggle for Skemfar 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 the creature you control is an illegal target as Struggle for Skemfar tries to resolve, you won’t put a +1/+1 counter on it. If that creature is a legal target but the other creature isn’t, you’ll still put the +1/+1 counter on the creature you control.
2021-02-05	If you choose two target creatures and either target is an illegal target as Struggle for Skemfar tries to resolve, neither creature will deal or be dealt damage.
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	You can cast Struggle for Skemfar targeting only a creature you control.