I was dubious about how effective this would be in the EDH precons, until I saw the deck pumped out Saprolings like milk from a cow's udder.....I mean a lot.
Chamale
★★★☆☆ (3.9/5.0)(6 votes)
SKULLCLAMP?
This was the last card to get banned in Standard. In too many decks, it was used simply as a "(1): Draw a card" effect. However, I think it won't break Commander, because a deck can only have 1 Skullclamp, 1 Memnite, 1 Crimson Kobolds, 1 Llanowar Elves, and so on.
Kailen4
★★★★☆ (4.4/5.0)(9 votes)
Banned in Singleton 100, but they put it in a Commander deck.
ClockworkSwordfish
★★★★☆ (4.1/5.0)(4 votes)
A lot of things won't break Commander since you can only have one. That's half the reason it's still around. Skullclamp is great in this deck, show the new kids why it was banned back in the day. Expect veterans to Shatter this on sight, even in Commander.
Magnor_Criol
★★★☆☆ (3.7/5.0)(3 votes)
I nearly did a spit-take when I bought the decks and was flipping through Devour for Power and saw this. I never, ever expected them to reprint this (outside of the FTV stuff, which is more of a collection than a group of cards to be played with).
And in the deck that creates lots of 1-butt tokens? Sick.
Makes sense, though, and I appreciate that they decided to do it out of respect for what most deckbuilders making that sort of deck would put in it, in the same way they put Sol Ring in all the decks, rather than trying to ignore its existence. Kinda fun to own one myself finally, too.
Pigfish99
★★★★☆ (4.2/5.0)(5 votes)
holy hell. O_O
blurrymadness
★★★☆☆ (3.7/5.0)(3 votes)
I love this commander series. So many awesome awesome cards being reprinted that potentially make them go down in price or simply much easier to get. <3
Nickajack
★★★☆☆ (3.8/5.0)(5 votes)
Other commander decks got Mythic rares (Garruk, Malfegor, Comet storm), but Devour for Power needs only Skullclamp :P
So so so good.
Mattmedia
★★★☆☆ (3.8/5.0)(6 votes)
the skullclamp was in counterpunch, the one that made tokens. i played that deck at the launch party, and skullclamp certainly does help, i also have an oona EDH deck and trinket mage is always makes a hard decision between this and sensei's divining top or Sol ring, all provide an immense amount of power.
5/5 for being so totally broken, and to think they almost did not make it as broken as it is by making it +1/+1, even -1/+1 would of made it a little more balanced, as balanced as making Ancestral recall 2 mana....
DarthParallax
★★☆☆☆ (2.8/5.0)(4 votes)
WAIT WHAT?!?!?!?!
SKULLCLAMP?!?!?!!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!!?!?!?
IN. THE. TOKEN DECK!?!?!??!?!?!?!!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!!?
I don't know anything else about the decks except the broadest stuff from the hype. I know almost nothing about EDH strategy.
But I'm calling the Skullclamp deck as the strongest of the five out of the box. It's Skullclamp. Kinda wish they'd put it in New Phyrexia. It feels so Phyrexian!
Lol- NO NO NO! I'm KIDDING! this is barely legit in Legacy, I don't want to THINK what Caw-CLAMP would look like o.O does not belong in Standard. ever.
MechaKraken
★★☆☆☆ (2.8/5.0)(2 votes)
I'm guessing this is one of the few cards to begin life as an uncommon, become mythic, then go back to uncommon again.
There's only one in the deck at uncommon, but we all know what it's REAL rarity is.
Shadoflaam
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
@Chamale: Not anymore, Jace and Mystic were last banned now.
You should never run those cards in EDH (Llanowar Elves, Crimson Kobolds, and Memnite) Outside of Skullclamp they're utterly useless in EDH, and as was previously stated on this page, you only have 1 Skullclamp.
Rather, you would use this as a draw engine with something more like Gloodghast and Nether Traitor. This would allow you 2 easily recurring creatures with 1 toughness, meaning you would only need 2 mana (one black) to draw 4 extra cards minimum, each turn. Combine this combo with River Kelpie and you will get 6 draws as opposed to 4, combined with your natural draw phase this will give you a whole new hand. Next drop something like Reliquary Tower, Library of Leng, or Venser's Journal and you can get so many cards you might not know what to do with them all, at least for the first few times you play.
Also, make sure to run something that can bring back your artifacts, like Eternal Witness, and other reanimation effects like Necromancy or Reanimate. I honestly could continue with these combos, but I think you (the reader) get the idea on how to properly abuse this as a draw engine. Like I said, be sure that you have ways to reuse your artifacts, because artifact destruction is very common.
Welcome to EDH.
WateryMind
★★★☆☆ (3.5/5.0)(5 votes)
Skullclamp, y u so op?
Kryptnyt
★★★★☆ (4.0/5.0)(5 votes)
DIE X/1s DIE
Condor_96
★★★★☆ (4.8/5.0)(8 votes)
They reprinted WHAT?
Justice1337
★★★☆☆ (3.5/5.0)(3 votes)
Best draw engine in EDH, even better thanks to Trinket Mage. I mean, Rhystic Study even gets out-competed for a deck slot, and I never thought they'd reprint that either. Combine with Kher Keep for the lulz.
Lueseto
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(3 votes)
This thing is mad. For 1 colorless mana you got to kill their 1/1s plus you draw TWO CARDS??
Lueseto, you can only use equip abilities on your own creatures, not your opponents'. So effectively, you're sacrificing your own creatures for card draw.
Salient
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I'm glad this is legal in Commander (and only in Commander). It's such a fun card, but absurdly overpowered in any deck that can run four copies of a creature for consistency.
You could also try Skullclamp + Squee in a red deck, I've seen others do that, using cheap red creatures as draw engines in a burn deck. it lets you run cheap red baddies that are worthless in the late game, sacrificing them to this or Ashnod's Altar. Skullclamp in red makes Siege-Gang Commander or Chancellor of the Forge absolutely incredible.
wowsers
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
You could use this with phantasmal image and draw two card when in a bind.
gman92
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I actually never thought of just equipping this to 1/1's and drawing. It's even more amazing this way. *Runs off to add to my EDH deck*
Lash_of_Dragonbreath
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
@wowsers: not really. Equipping is a targeted ability, so when you target Phantasmal Image its ability triggers and it dies before the equipping resolves. I like your thinking, though.
Drawing billions of cards aside, the artworks gives me shivers. I wouldn't like having a drill that big attached to my skull.
TheWrathofShane
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(3 votes)
.5/5 for being broken... broken cards get a .5/5 broken rating....
Banned in our EDH playgroup. For the type of EDH games that I prefer, skullclamp's costs are too little for the awesomeness it does. Even with one copy, its still too easy to break. There can only be one copy, sure, but there can be plenty of tutor and recur effects in EDH. Sure you could counter-exile or shatter-exile it, or remove it from the graveyard, but it still just feels too powerful. And skullclamp+ grave pact? Disgusting. Note: we ban gravepact too. As well as spell crumple... Whether your group plays with skullclamp or other similarly uber-potent cards really depends on how you see EDH. If you see it as a new format to build new ridiculously powerful decks that synergize with a general's abilities, by all means, play the clamp. If you see EDH as a somewhat slower paced format which allows for a wide variety of cards to flourish, then my feeling is that skullclamp is probably a bad idea.
tcollins
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Llanowar Elves: "Boy that sure is some shiny equipment there, Mr. Planeswalker, mind if i tap for {G} and equip it to meself?" Planeswalker: "Go right ahead, don't say I didn't warn you though." Elves: "Wha..? It's equipment.. i wonder what it'll give me, maybe vigilance or reach or even trample!- GAH OH SWEET MERCIFUL GAEA'S BLESSING WHY????" *Goes to graveyard* *Draws 2*
This is what I picture happens whenever I equip this broken card to my creatures. Their deaths shall not be in vain.
Zokorad
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Amazing Card. Considered by me to be a Casual Staple.
IceMetalPunk
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I'm a little new to Magic, so I have a question. Let's say I stick this on a 1/1 token. It obviously kills the token, but does its card-draw effect trigger? Or does it kill the token before it's technically "equipped", so the effect doesn't trigger? Can I just keep sticking this on 1/1 tokens and sacking them for 2 cards each?
JaxsonBateman
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Just played against someone who suggested they had a casual deck. After playing alpha duals, Gaea's Cradle, and a bunch of RG token cards, they produce Skullclamp, the straw that broke the camels back.
For whatever reason, they couldn't understand why I was irked that they had included such a broken card in a 'casual' deck.
Axelle
★★★☆☆ (3.8/5.0)(4 votes)
@IceMetalPunk: Yes, the token becomes equipped to it before it dies, and you get to draw. That's why it's considered so powerful in the first place.
This is awesome with my Bitterblossom/Faerie deck, my Elf deck, my Cawblade deck, my Affinity deck, my Goblin deck, my Merfolk deck. Wait ... any deck that likes playing creatures and/or tokens.
j_mindfingerpainter
★★☆☆☆ (2.8/5.0)(2 votes)
So tokens are powerful in Commander. Especially Ajani's token. And of course card draw is great. So overpowered card draw that works with weak tokens... that sounds fair XD
DlCK
★★★★☆ (4.0/5.0)(2 votes)
Sure, there's a lot of combos out there, but I'm most partial to equipping bloodghast with this little draw engine.
MaizeRage47
★★★★☆ (4.0/5.0)(2 votes)
Combos with everything ever made
Also, @IceMetalPunk that's actually the point of the card. Tokens hit the graveyard long enough for "put into graveyard" effects to go into place, and then they disappear from existence.
For those who haven't read it, the article about the banning of this card is a really good read, very illuminating in terms of how R&D can mess up: http://www.wizards.com/Magic/magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtgcom/daily/af17
Scroll down to the "How Did This Happen?" section.
EGarrett01
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Hey Wizards when you print a mana cost of (1) on a card and the phrase "Draw two cards," with no drawback, it MIGHT be a broken piece of poop.
atemu1234
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
You know, for once I think actually increasing one of the "benefits" of the card would have made it less broken. Instead of +1/-1 it should have been +1/+0, because then you couldn't, once you had it out, turn a pile of tokens into two cards apiece for 1 mana per token.
Snarblo
★★★★☆ (4.8/5.0)(2 votes)
Before I realized that you can only equip equipment to your own creatures, I used this to kill my brother's creatures and draw 2 cards. Needless to say, we thought this was the most OP card ever. Now that we understand the rules, it is still the most OP card ever. :p
Ligerman30
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Works well in a lot of different decks. Obviously broken in the formats it's banned it but, in edh, I don't think it's really insane in anything but token decks or decks with a lot of 1 toughness utility/value creatures like eternal witness and wood elves. That being said, it's still very good in commander and worth consideration even in 5 Color because it really is that good. Also there are some fairly funny shenanigans you can pull off with cards like Rotting Rats. In all honesty though this card was a MAJOR mistake in terms of design.
5/5 for power 0/5 for design
raptorman333
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
12/5/2011 11:14:10 AM Basically reads: "{1}, Sacrifice an X/1 creature: Draw two cards."
Edit: @Reversed: you feel guilty with Gravecrawler... does Bloodghast make you feel muddy?
Lifegainwithbite
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
With a sac outlet, this reads: 1, sacrifice a creature: Draw two cards which is just ridiculous.
somegeek
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Equip on Young Wolf and move that counter over to another permanent or even skull clamp for later use using a Power Conduit... oh yeah, and draw two cards for that you spent... then repeat to fill your hand back up. Fun in a deck built around Ghave.
I use Skullclamp in my Kresh reanimator/voltron EDH. My favourite use is with Goblin Assault at the moment. Goblin, swing, Skullclamp, draw two, sac (great with other pieces in play, such as Grave pact), profit. Just an amazing EDH piece.
ReneesAnatomy
★★☆☆☆ (2.0/5.0)(1 vote)
Truly awesome, stupidly broken card. I want to build entire decks around its trolling abilities.
TheShadow344
★★☆☆☆ (2.0/5.0)(1 vote)
The card that made our playgroup start a restricted list, limiting certain cards to 2 per deck. Even with only two, it's still bonkers.
Sure, Coalation Victory is an "unfun" way to win the game, and Panoptic Mirror has potential for abuse. But this broken atrocity is undeniably both those things.
It doesn't matter at which point in the game you draw Skullclamp. You'll have your hand refilled faster than any of your opponents can say "I cast removal on your broken, unfun, absuable equipment."
Kyblueboy
★★☆☆☆ (2.5/5.0)(1 vote)
Skullclamp and shrine of loyal legions are a great combo together
Phyrexian_Niv_Mizzet
★★☆☆☆ (2.5/5.0)(1 vote)
I agree with Mode.
You're going to ban Coalition Victory, Worldfire, and other interesting cards that are only out-of-control in specific kinds of decks, but you'll let Ghave, Goblins, and every token deck imaginable run wild with this?
Continue
★★☆☆☆ (2.5/5.0)(1 vote)
With Bitterblossom unbanned in Modern, I think we can safely say that this is never coming back. Good riddance.
Comments (60)
This was the last card to get banned in Standard. In too many decks, it was used simply as a "(1): Draw a card" effect. However, I think it won't break Commander, because a deck can only have 1 Skullclamp, 1 Memnite, 1 Crimson Kobolds, 1 Llanowar Elves, and so on.
Skullclamp is great in this deck, show the new kids why it was banned back in the day. Expect veterans to Shatter this on sight, even in Commander.
And in the deck that creates lots of 1-butt tokens? Sick.
Makes sense, though, and I appreciate that they decided to do it out of respect for what most deckbuilders making that sort of deck would put in it, in the same way they put Sol Ring in all the decks, rather than trying to ignore its existence. Kinda fun to own one myself finally, too.
So so so good.
5/5 for being so totally broken, and to think they almost did not make it as broken as it is by making it +1/+1, even -1/+1 would of made it a little more balanced, as balanced as making Ancestral recall 2 mana....
SKULLCLAMP?!?!?!!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!!?!?!?
IN.
THE.
TOKEN DECK!?!?!??!?!?!?!!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!!?
I don't know anything else about the decks except the broadest stuff from the hype.
I know almost nothing about EDH strategy.
But I'm calling the Skullclamp deck as the strongest of the five out of the box.
It's Skullclamp. Kinda wish they'd put it in New Phyrexia. It feels so Phyrexian!
Lol- NO NO NO! I'm KIDDING! this is barely legit in Legacy, I don't want to THINK what Caw-CLAMP would look like o.O
does not belong in Standard. ever.
There's only one in the deck at uncommon, but we all know what it's REAL rarity is.
this + Ghave, Guru of Spores = 3 mana draw 2 cards.
Rather, you would use this as a draw engine with something more like Gloodghast and Nether Traitor. This would allow you 2 easily recurring creatures with 1 toughness, meaning you would only need 2 mana (one black) to draw 4 extra cards minimum, each turn. Combine this combo with River Kelpie and you will get 6 draws as opposed to 4, combined with your natural draw phase this will give you a whole new hand. Next drop something like Reliquary Tower, Library of Leng, or Venser's Journal and you can get so many cards you might not know what to do with them all, at least for the first few times you play.
Also, make sure to run something that can bring back your artifacts, like Eternal Witness, and other reanimation effects like Necromancy or Reanimate. I honestly could continue with these combos, but I think you (the reader) get the idea on how to properly abuse this as a draw engine. Like I said, be sure that you have ways to reuse your artifacts, because artifact destruction is very common.
Welcome to EDH.
Lovely. Goes quite nicely with a Reassembling Skeleton as well.
My current favorite EDH deck (commander Glissa, the Traitor) runs this alongside Bloodghast, Gravecrawler (new in Dark Ascension!), Ashen Ghoul, Ichorid, Nether Traitor, Nether Shadow, Bitterblossom, Reassembling Skeleton, and a Dregscape Zombie just for the heck of it. Throw in a Haakon, Stromgald Scourge, and you can also recur clamping with Stromgald Crusader, Order of the Ebon Hand, Dauthi Mercenary, and Knight of Stromgald. Also running Golgari Thug & Stinkweed Imp just adds to the fun. Good cards on their own, utterly broken as recurring draw engines. In such a graveyard-based deck, my Altar Of Dementia is effectively a second Skullclamp. It's fun to play, and all-around enjoyable for not being broken (having at most one Bridge from Below in the graveyard and only two cards with dredge makes a dredging-deck much less dangerous).
You could also try Skullclamp + Squee in a red deck, I've seen others do that, using cheap red creatures as draw engines in a burn deck. it lets you run cheap red baddies that are worthless in the late game, sacrificing them to this or Ashnod's Altar. Skullclamp in red makes Siege-Gang Commander or Chancellor of the Forge absolutely incredible.
*Runs off to add to my EDH deck*
Drawing billions of cards aside, the artworks gives me shivers. I wouldn't like having a drill that big attached to my skull.
Whether your group plays with skullclamp or other similarly uber-potent cards really depends on how you see EDH. If you see it as a new format to build new ridiculously powerful decks that synergize with a general's abilities, by all means, play the clamp. If you see EDH as a somewhat slower paced format which allows for a wide variety of cards to flourish, then my feeling is that skullclamp is probably a bad idea.
Planeswalker: "Go right ahead, don't say I didn't warn you though."
Elves: "Wha..? It's equipment.. i wonder what it'll give me, maybe vigilance or reach or even trample!-
GAH OH SWEET MERCIFUL GAEA'S BLESSING WHY????"
*Goes to graveyard*
*Draws 2*
This is what I picture happens whenever I equip this broken card to my creatures. Their deaths shall not be in vain.
For whatever reason, they couldn't understand why I was irked that they had included such a broken card in a 'casual' deck.
Also, @IceMetalPunk that's actually the point of the card. Tokens hit the graveyard long enough for "put into graveyard" effects to go into place, and then they disappear from existence.
I actually feel dirty now.
Scroll down to the "How Did This Happen?" section.
5/5 for power
0/5 for design
Basically reads: "{1}, Sacrifice an X/1 creature: Draw two cards."
Edit:
@Reversed: you feel guilty with Gravecrawler... does Bloodghast make you feel muddy?
Of course, it doesn't help that I paired Skullclamp with Gravecrawler and my friend paired it with Arcbound Ravager and Arcbound Reclaimer.
If you didn't answer Skullclamp, stop playing Magic.
I don't see how a ban on cards like Coalition Victory or Panoptic Mirror can be justified.
Sure, Coalation Victory is an "unfun" way to win the game, and Panoptic Mirror has potential for abuse.
But this broken atrocity is undeniably both those things.
It doesn't matter at which point in the game you draw Skullclamp. You'll have your hand refilled faster than any of your opponents can say "I cast removal on your broken, unfun, absuable equipment."
You're going to ban Coalition Victory, Worldfire, and other interesting cards that are only out-of-control in specific kinds of decks, but you'll let Ghave, Goblins, and every token deck imaginable run wild with this?
Oh look, a 1 mana Divination!