Skitterbeam Battalion
Artifact Creature — ConstructPower and toughness4/4
Card text
Prototype — 2/2 (You may cast this spell with different mana cost, color, and size. It keeps its abilities and types.)
Trample, haste
When this creature enters, if you cast it, create two tokens that are copies of it.
Showing The Brothers' War#165
Price
1.93 $
Foil 2.63 $
16 printings · up to 5.97 $
Daily estimate from Scryfall, not a shop quote.
Skitterbeam Battalion rulings
The copies will have the same mana cost, mana value, color, power, and toughness as Skitterbeam Battalion, which vary depending on whether it was cast as a prototyped spell.
A prototype card is a colorless card in every zone except the stack or the battlefield, as well as while on the stack or the battlefield if not cast as a prototyped spell. Ignore its alternative characteristics in those cases. For example, while it's in your graveyard, Blitz Automaton is a colorless creature card with mana value 7. It can't be the target of Recommission, a spell that targets an artifact or creature card with mana value 3 or less in your graveyard.
When cast as a prototyped spell, that spell has the mana cost, power, and toughness characteristics shown in its colored, secondary text box rather than the normal values of those characteristics. Its color and mana value are determined by that mana cost. The permanent that spell becomes as it resolves has the same characteristics. If the spell leaves the stack in any other way, or the permanent it becomes leaves the battlefield, it immediately resumes using its normal characteristics.
Regardless of how it was cast, a prototype card always has the same name, abilities, types, and so on. Only the mana cost, mana value, color, power, and toughness change depending on whether the card was cast as a prototyped spell.
The prototype ability functions in any zone that the spell could be cast from. For example, if an effect allows you to cast artifact spells from your graveyard, you could cast a prototyped Blitz Automaton from your graveyard.
Casting a prototyped spell isn't the same as casting it for an alternative cost, and an alternative cost may be applied to a spell cast this way. For example, if an effect allows you to cast an artifact card without paying its mana cost, you could either cast Blitz Automaton normally, or as a prototyped spell.
When casting a prototyped spell, use only its prototype characteristics to determine whether it's legal to cast it. For example, if Blitz Automaton is exiled with the last ability of Chandra, Dressed to Kill, you would be able to cast it for
(because it's a red spell), even though you wouldn't be able to cast it as a colorless spell for its normal cost.
If an effect copies a prototyped spell, that copy (as well as the token it becomes on the battlefield) will have the same characteristics as the prototyped spell. Similarly, if an effect creates a token that's a copy of a prototyped permanent or causes another permanent to become a copy of it, the copy would have the same characteristics as the prototyped permanent.
Skitterbeam Battalion keyword rules
Haste Rule 702.10
Haste is a static ability.
If a creature has haste, it can attack even if it hasn’t been controlled by its controller continuously since their most recent turn began. (See rule .)
If a creature has haste, its controller can activate its activated abilities whose cost includes the tap symbol or the untap symbol even if that creature hasn’t been controlled by that player continuously since their most recent turn began. (See rule .)
Multiple instances of haste on the same creature are redundant.
Trample Rule 702.19
Trample is a static ability that modifies the rules for assigning an attacking creature’s combat damage. The ability has no effect when a creature with trample is blocking or is dealing noncombat damage. (See rule , “Combat Damage Step.”)
The controller of an attacking creature with trample first assigns damage to the creature(s) blocking it. Once all those blocking creatures are assigned lethal damage, any excess damage is assigned as its controller chooses among those blocking creatures and the player, planeswalker, or battle the creature is attacking. When checking for assigned lethal damage, take into account damage already marked on the creature and damage from other creatures that’s being assigned during the same combat damage step, but not any abilities or effects that might change the amount of damage that’s actually dealt. The attacking creature’s controller need not assign lethal damage to all those blocking creatures but in that case can’t assign any damage to the player or planeswalker it’s attacking.
Trample over planeswalkers is a variant of trample that modifies the rules for assigning combat damage to planeswalkers. The controller of a creature with trample over planeswalkers assigns that creature’s combat damage as described in rule , with one exception. If that creature is attacking a planeswalker, after lethal damage is assigned to all blocking creatures and damage at least equal to the loyalty of the planeswalker the creature is attacking is assigned to that planeswalker, further excess damage may be assigned as the attacking creature’s controller chooses among those blocking creatures, that planeswalker, and that planeswalker’s controller. When checking for assigned damage equal to a planeswalker’s loyalty, take into account damage from other creatures that’s being assigned during the same combat damage step, but not any abilities or effects that might change the amount of damage that’s actually dealt.
If an attacking creature with trample or trample over planeswalkers is blocked, but there are no creatures blocking it when damage is assigned, its damage is assigned to the defending player and/or planeswalker as though all blocking creatures have been assigned lethal damage.
If a creature with trample over planeswalkers is attacking a planeswalker and that planeswalker is removed from combat, the creature’s damage may be assigned to the defending player once all blocking creatures have been dealt lethal damage or, if there are no blocking creatures when damage is assigned, all its damage is assigned to the defending player. This is an exception to rule , and it does not cause the creature to be attacking that player.
If a creature without trample over planeswalkers is attacking a planeswalker, none of its combat damage can be assigned to the defending player, even if that planeswalker has been removed from combat or the damage the attacking creature could assign is greater than the planeswalker’s loyalty.
Multiple instances of trample on the same creature are redundant. Multiple instances of trample over planeswalkers on the same creature are redundant.
Prototype Rule 702.160
Prototype is a static ability that appears on prototype cards that have a secondary set of power, toughness, and mana cost characteristics. A player who casts a spell with prototype can choose to cast that card “prototyped.” If they do, the alternative set of its power, toughness, and mana cost characteristics are used. See 718, “Prototype Cards.”
Skitterbeam Battalion format legality
Constructed
- StandardNot legal
- PioneerLegal
- ModernLegal
- Future StandardNot legal
Eternal
- LegacyLegal
- VintageLegal
- PauperNot legal
- PremodernNot legal
- Old SchoolNot legal
- Penny DreadfulLegal
Commander
- CommanderLegal
- OathbreakerLegal
- Pauper CommanderNot legal
- Duel CommanderLegal
- PreDHNot legal
Arena & online
- HistoricLegal
- TimelessLegal
- AlchemyNot legal
- GladiatorLegal
- BrawlLegal
- Standard BrawlNot legal
- Competitive BrawlLegal
Other
- TLRNot legal
All printings of Skitterbeam Battalion 16
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