Skirge Familiar MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 3 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost5
RarityUncommon
TypeCreature — Phyrexian Imp
Abilities Flying
Power 3
Toughness 2

Key Takeaways

  1. Skirge Familiar excels in transforming excess cards into essential black mana, enhancing spellcasting potential.
  2. Its instant-speed discard offers tactical versatility, allowing players to adapt to game fluctuations seamlessly.
  3. Despite its benefits, the Familiar’s necessity for discards and color-specific mana can limit deck synergy.

Text of card

Flying Choose and discard a card: Add o B to your mana pool. Play this ability as a mana source.

The first Yawgmoth priest to harness their power was rewarded with several unique mutilations.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Skirge Familiar offers you a dynamic way to turn redundant or unnecessary cards in your hand into useful resources, enabling not just card cycling but also empowering graveyard strategies.

Resource Acceleration: This creature provides you with a substantial boost in mana by allowing you to discard a card in exchange for adding a black mana to your mana pool, giving you the opportunity to cast more impactful spells sooner than usual.

Instant Speed: Although Skirge Familiar itself is not an instant, it provides instant speed utility by enabling discard at any time you could cast an instant, offering strategic flexibility especially when you need to adapt to sudden shifts in the state of play.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Skirge Familiar forces players to discard a card to generate mana, which can be a steep price in situations where hand size is crucial for gameplay dynamics.

Specific Mana Cost: Skirge Familiar’s mana cost is exclusively black, requiring a heavy commitment to black mana in your deck, which might not synergize well with multicolored deck strategies.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost of five mana, Skirge Familiar enters the battlefield later in the game. This can be a significant drawback in formats where speed and efficiency are key to overwhelming your opponent.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Skirge Familiar offers a flexible role in various deck types, from enabling graveyard strategies to effectively mitigating hand size constraints for a powerful late-game push.

Combo Potential: This card excels by converting unused cards into resources, crucial for activating combos or chaining spells, which can swiftly turn the tide of a match in your favor.

Meta-Relevance: In an environment where resource acceleration and efficient card utilization are key, the ability of Skirge Familiar to efficiently discard for mana can give you the edge in building unstoppable momentum.


How to beat

Skirge Familiar stands out in games of Magic: The Gathering as a potent engine for generating large amounts of mana quickly. This black creature allows players to convert cards in their hand to elusive black mana, which can be critical for executing high-cost spells or enduring game-changing combos. Dealing with this creature requires timely responses, ideally by disrupting the user’s hand or deploying removal strategies.

One effective method is to limit the player’s hand size, which would stifle Skirge Familiar’s ability. Cards like Shrieking Affliction put pressure on players to keep their hand size under control, and in doing so, they skirmish indirectly with Skirge Familiar’s strength. Another angle is employing cards like Swords to Plowshares, which provides instant-speed removal before the player can utilize the Familiar’s mana-generating ability. Graveyard removal spells like Relic of Progenitus can also curb strategies revolving around Skirge Familiar by trimming the fuel it needs. By understanding these interactions, players can construct strategies that keep Skirge Familiar in check, maintaining balance and steering the game towards their victory.


BurnMana Recommendations

As you strategize for your next MTG victory, consider the versatility and mana amplification Skirge Familiar brings to your deck. Specially suited for graveyard-centric strategies or for those moments requiring a sudden surge of resources, it’s a game-changer for players who can skillfully manage their hand. Assessing both its pros and cons can ensure its inclusion translates into impactful plays. If Skirge Familiar aligns with your playstyle or if you’re intrigued by its potential, we’re here to guide you deeper. Enhance your deck-building prowess and gain strategic insights with us as you navigate the MTG arena.


Cards like Skirge Familiar

Skirge Familiar stands out in the realm of mana acceleration and card cycling in Magic: The Gathering. A creature card from the Urza’s Saga set, it shares some functionality with cards like Psychatog, which similarly thrives on discarding cards for an effect. However, Skirge Familiar uniquely grants you a boost of black mana for each card discarded, rather than increasing its power or toughness like Psychatog.

Additionally, the Familiar can be likened to Zombie Infestation in terms of converting cards in hand into other resources. While Zombie Infestation creates creature tokens, Skirge Familiar fuels your mana pool, which can be critical for enabling powerful spells or game-winning combos. It’s also comparable to the Blood Pet; both provide black mana upon being sacrificed, but Skirge Familiar offers a reusable and potentially more explosive mana generation mechanism, depending on the number of cards you are willing to part with.

Ultimately, Skirge Familiar serves as a potent utility card for players looking to harness the advantages of card cycling while simultaneously ramping up their mana resources, setting it apart from its contemporaries in Magic: The Gathering.

Psychatog - MTG Card versions
Zombie Infestation - MTG Card versions
Blood Pet - MTG Card versions
Psychatog - Odyssey (ODY)
Zombie Infestation - Odyssey (ODY)
Blood Pet - Tempest (TMP)

Cards similar to Skirge Familiar by color, type and mana cost

Skyshroud Vampire - MTG Card versions
Entropic Specter - MTG Card versions
Predatory Nightstalker - MTG Card versions
Fallen Angel - MTG Card versions
Stone Catapult - MTG Card versions
Sengir Vampire - MTG Card versions
Hollow Dogs - MTG Card versions
Grotesque Hybrid - MTG Card versions
Earwig Squad - MTG Card versions
Indulgent Tormentor - MTG Card versions
Sootfeather Flock - MTG Card versions
Zombie Cutthroat - MTG Card versions
Gluttonous Zombie - MTG Card versions
Vermiculos - MTG Card versions
Woebearer - MTG Card versions
Wei Elite Companions - MTG Card versions
Halo Hunter - MTG Card versions
Malakir Bloodwitch - MTG Card versions
Caustic Crawler - MTG Card versions
Shriekmaw - MTG Card versions
Skyshroud Vampire - Tempest (TMP)
Entropic Specter - Exodus (EXO)
Predatory Nightstalker - Vintage Masters (VMA)
Fallen Angel - Mystery Booster (MB1)
Stone Catapult - Portal Three Kingdoms (PTK)
Sengir Vampire - Arena Beginner Set (ANB)
Hollow Dogs - Beatdown Box Set (BTD)
Grotesque Hybrid - Torment (TOR)
Earwig Squad - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Indulgent Tormentor - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Sootfeather Flock - Legions (LGN)
Zombie Cutthroat - Scourge (SCG)
Gluttonous Zombie - Salvat 2005 (PSAL)
Vermiculos - Mirrodin (MRD)
Woebearer - Salvat 2005 (PSAL)
Wei Elite Companions - Masters Edition III (ME3)
Halo Hunter - Zendikar (ZEN)
Malakir Bloodwitch - Zendikar (ZEN)
Caustic Crawler - Worldwake (WWK)
Shriekmaw - Time Spiral Remastered (TSR)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Skirge Familiar MTG card by a specific set like Urza's Saga and Vintage 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 Skirge Familiar and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Skirge Familiar Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 1998-10-12 and 2021-06-18. Illustrated by 2 different artists.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
11998-10-12Urza's SagaUSG 1571997normalblackRon Spencer
22014-06-16Vintage MastersVMA 1402015normalblackRon Spencer
32021-06-18Modern Horizons 2MH2 2762015normalblackUriah Voth

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Skirge Familiar has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PauperLegal
PremodernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal
PennyLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2021-06-18 Skirge Familiar's activated ability is a mana ability. It doesn't use the stack and can't be responded to.

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