Skinwing MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost4
RarityUncommon
TypeArtifact — Equipment
Abilities Equip,Living weapon

Key Takeaways

  1. Skinwing provides immediate impact by creating a 2/2 flier and enhances any creature.
  2. It can synchronize with instant speed spells for a resilient battlefield presence.
  3. The requirement to discard and specific mana costs limit Skinwing’s versatility.

Text of card

Living weapon (When this Equipment enters the battlefield, put a 0/0 black Germ creature token onto the battlefield, then attach this to it.) Equipped creature gets +2/+2 and has flying. Equip


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Skinwing offers a unique twist on card advantage. When used as living weapon, it immediately equips to a 0/0 Germ token, effectively giving you a creature with evasion in the form of a 2/2 flying artifact creature. Later, you can attach it to a bigger creature for game-changing effects, maintaining card presence on the board.

Resource Acceleration: Although not traditionally a resource accelerator, Skinwing can be considred a form of tempo acceleration. By equipping a creature with Skinwing, you potentially improve your battlefield position faster than normal summoning would allow, making your creatures more formidable threats.

Instant Speed: Although Skinwing is not an instant itself, it synergizes well with instant speed spells. It serves as a resilient threat that survives board wipes which are typically cast at instant speed, allowing you to quickly re-equip it to a new creature during your next turn.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Skinwing demands that a player discards another card to unleash its Living Weapon ability. While this can be advantageous in certain situations, it often means sacrificing valuable hand presence for a single artifact creature boost, a trade-off not always in your favor, especially in resource-tight scenarios.

Specific Mana Cost: Deploying Skinwing requires a specific combination of mana – two generic and two Phyrexian blue mana. This cost frame can be somewhat restrictive as it tends to mesh best within blue-centric decks or those with a heavy artifact theme, limiting its versatility across various deck archetypes.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a cost of four mana, including two that can be paid with life, Skinwing’s equip cost also carries a considerable investment. Given the pace of current game meta, deploying a creature with modest stats through this mana expenditure might not always contend efficiently on the battlefield, where lower-cost equipment or creatures could provide similar or superior advantages.


Reasons to Include Skinwing in Your Collection

Versatility: Skinwing provides adaptability to your deck thanks to its dual nature as both an artifact and a creature. This 2/2 Living Weapon equips to give a creature +2/+2 and flying, making it a flexible addition to bolster your aerial offense or defense.

Combo Potential: As an artifact with a Living Weapon ability, Skinwing can seamlessly fit into strategies focused on synergies with equipment or artifact-centric decks. It can also work well in decks that manipulate or recur artifacts from the graveyard.

Meta-Relevance: In any MTG meta that values creature-based strategies, Skinwing can serve as an unexpected threat, attaching to enhance creatures that otherwise wouldn’t have evasion. Its inclusion can tilt the scales in combat, especially when flying is a crucial factor in the matchup.


How to beat

Skinwing is a unique artifact creature within the world of Magic: The Gathering, boasting the ability to not only serve as an equipment but also a creature. What sets Skinwing apart from other flying creatures is its Living Weapon ability, which creates a 0/0 black Germ creature token, then attaches itself to the token. This essentially provides you with a ready-to-use creature that can be a surprise blocker or an attacker from the moment it hits the battlefield.

To effectively combat Skinwing, consider removal spells that can target both creatures and artifacts, such as Abrade or a flexible option like Disenchant. Having these in your deck will enable you to take care of Skinwing, regardless of its current form. Additionally, cards that force your opponent to sacrifice a creature, like Diabolic Edict, bypass the need to target Skinwing directly and can disrupt your opponent’s strategy by removing the Germ token it’s attached to. By staying one step ahead and planning for multifaceted threats, you can neutralize the versatility that Skinwing brings to the table and maintain control of the game.


Cards like Skinwing

Skinwing brings a unique blend of artifact creature and equipment characteristics to Magic: The Gathering decks. It bears resemblance to other cards like Strider Harness which also provides a boost to the equipped creature’s power and gives haste. Skinwing distinguishes itself with its Living Weapon ability, automatically creating a 0/0 black Germ creature token that it attaches to upon entering the battlefield.

Another card with comparable qualities is Flayer Husk. Like Skinwing, Flayer Husk is also a Living Weapon, which means it’s an equipment that brings its own creature to the table. However, Skinwing has a larger impact, granting a more significant power increase and the ability to grant flying, at the cost of being more mana-intensive to cast and equip than Flayer Husk.

A closer look reveals Bonesplitter as a simpler alternative, devoid of the Living Weapon mechanic but offering a substantial power boost at a very low equip cost. While it lacks the synergies and versatility of Skinwing’s modal use as a creature or equipment, its efficiency in boosting creature power can’t be overlooked in crafting strategies for Magic: The Gathering gameplay.

Strider Harness - MTG Card versions
Flayer Husk - MTG Card versions
Bonesplitter - MTG Card versions
Strider Harness - Scars of Mirrodin (SOM)
Flayer Husk - Mirrodin Besieged (MBS)
Bonesplitter - Arena League 2003 (PAL03)

Cards similar to Skinwing by color, type and mana cost

Jayemdae Tome - MTG Card versions
Juggernaut - MTG Card versions
Dancing Scimitar - MTG Card versions
Grinning Totem - MTG Card versions
Phyrexian Processor - MTG Card versions
Patagia Golem - MTG Card versions
Lodestone Myr - MTG Card versions
Krark-Clan Ironworks - MTG Card versions
Ur-Golem's Eye - MTG Card versions
Jester's Cap - MTG Card versions
Bottled Cloister - MTG Card versions
Rod of Ruin - MTG Card versions
Gnarled Effigy - MTG Card versions
Scrapbasket - MTG Card versions
Magnetic Mine - MTG Card versions
Icy Manipulator - MTG Card versions
Eye of Doom - MTG Card versions
Well of Lost Dreams - MTG Card versions
Coercive Portal - MTG Card versions
Aetherworks Marvel - MTG Card versions
Jayemdae Tome - Pro Tour Collector Set (PTC)
Juggernaut - Collectors' Edition (CED)
Dancing Scimitar - Revised Edition (3ED)
Grinning Totem - Mirage (MIR)
Phyrexian Processor - World Championship Decks 2000 (WC00)
Patagia Golem - Eighth Edition (8ED)
Lodestone Myr - Mirrodin (MRD)
Krark-Clan Ironworks - Fifth Dawn (5DN)
Ur-Golem's Eye - Commander 2014 (C14)
Jester's Cap - Pro Tour Collector Set (PTC)
Bottled Cloister - Ravnica: City of Guilds (RAV)
Rod of Ruin - Classic Sixth Edition (6ED)
Gnarled Effigy - Shadowmoor (SHM)
Scrapbasket - Shadowmoor (SHM)
Magnetic Mine - Mirrodin Besieged (MBS)
Icy Manipulator - Ninth Edition (9ED)
Eye of Doom - Commander 2013 (C13)
Well of Lost Dreams - The List (PLST)
Coercive Portal - Conspiracy (CNS)
Aetherworks Marvel - Kaladesh Promos (PKLD)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Skinwing MTG card by a specific set like Mirrodin Besieged and Double Masters, 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 Skinwing and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Skinwing Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2011-02-04 and 2020-08-07. Illustrated by Igor Kieryluk.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12011-02-04Mirrodin BesiegedMBS 1332003normalblackIgor Kieryluk
22020-08-07Double Masters2XM 2882015normalblackIgor Kieryluk

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Skinwing has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PauperLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal
PennyLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2020-08-07 If the Germ token is destroyed, the Equipment remains on the battlefield as with any other Equipment.
2020-08-07 If the living weapon trigger causes two Germs to be created (due to an effect such as that of Doubling Season), the Equipment becomes attached to one of them. The other will be put into your graveyard and subsequently cease to exist, unless another effect raises its toughness above 0.
2020-08-07 Like other Equipment, each Equipment with living weapon has an equip cost. You can pay this cost to attach an Equipment to another creature you control. Once the Germ token is no longer equipped, it will be put into your graveyard and subsequently cease to exist, unless another effect raises its toughness above 0.
2020-08-07 The Germ token enters the battlefield as a 0/0 creature and the Equipment becomes attached to it before state-based actions would cause the token to die. Abilities that trigger as the token enters the battlefield see that a 0/0 creature entered the battlefield.

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