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Skeleton
Skeleton
Creature Type
(Subtype for creature/kindred cards)
Statistics
74 cards
{U} 2.7% {B} 74.3% {R} 2.7% {G} 1.4% {U/B} 5.4% {B/R} 5.4% {W/B} 1.4% {B/G} 6.8%
14 Skeleton creation cards
{C} 14.3% {B} 57.1% {R} 14.3% {W/B} 7.1% {B/G} 7.1%
as of Murders at Karlov Manor
Scryfall Search
type:"Skeleton"

A Skeleton comprises a creature's bones. In Magic, the creature type is used for cards that depict the magically animated bones of deceased creatures.

Description[ | ]

Skeletons are, with a few exceptions, a mono-Black aligned "race". All multicolored Skeletons are also partially black, though Deathless Knight can be cast for all-green. Skeletons were intertwined with the mechanical ability to keep coming back, originally closely associated with the ability Regeneration until its deprecation - now R&D tends to give them some kind of limited self reanimation.[1]

Most often Skeletons are of Human origin, but that subtype is never added. This is shared with Zombie, Spirit, and Illusion as being both a race and a class. Known Skeletons include Dragons, Dinosaurs, Crocodiles, Snakes, Trolls, Wurms and Walls.

Alara[ | ]

Anywhere on Grixis, you can find the animated skeletons of the dead.[2] The skeleton is the common foot soldier of the necromancer's army and personal retinue, but unbound skeletons can also be found. When necromancers die or finally lose their grip on sanity, their skeleton minions are freed from service and roam Grixis, motivated only by an intrinsic hatred for life. Most skeletons are human in origin, the puppeteered remains of ancient Vithians or their present-day descendants, but skeletons also exist that were once other species, such as rats, bats, wolves, viashino, ogres, minotaurs, and rarely, more massive creatures such as baloths, hellions, and dragons. Large, durable skeletons are prized on Grixis, as most skeletons on the plane do not self-reassemble, but rather continue to sustain damage until they are unable to move, rejoining the heaps of scrap corpses that litter the plane.

Eldraine[ | ]

Undead human knights are known to patrol the outer Wilds far from the Realm.[3] Known as deathless riders, lich-knights, or fell horsemen, they ride skeletal warhorses or nightmares. They are said to serve the Shadow Queen, who rules from the castle Dynnistad.

In stark contrast to the knights of Eldraine, the deathless riders lack all virtue.[3] They are few, but when mortal knights meet them in the Wilds, the encounter rarely ends well for the living. The deathless riders fight with superhuman strength, heedless of wounds, and relentless in their assault. While they understand the languages that they spoke while alive, they are no longer able to sleep.

Theros[ | ]

On Theros, deathless soldiers called phylaskia guard the borders of The Underworld.[4]

Altered Chinese art[ | ]

7ED Drudge Skeletons

English and Chinese Seventh Edition Drudge Skeletons

The People's Republic of China frowns on the public display of human or humanoid skeletons and Magic cards are no exception. For this reason, the artwork of many Chinese-language cards depicting skeletons, though not necessarily of the skeleton type, had to be altered to make it possible to sell the product.[5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13] This practice was abandoned for Shards of Alara. While skeletons are still not exactly "polite," they have turned more into an unlucky symbol that the older generation reacts much more strongly to than the younger, games-playing population.[14]

Notable Skeletons[ | ]

Trivia[ | ]

Tokens[ | ]

Token Name Color Type Line P/T Text Box Source Printings
Skeleton Black Creature — Skeleton 1/1
Black Creature — Skeleton 1/1 {B}: Regenerate this creature.
Black Creature — Skeleton 2/1
Black Creature — Skeleton 4/1 Menace
Skeleton Pirate Black Creature — Skeleton Pirate 2/2
Heroes of the Realm
Token Name Color Type Line P/T Text Box Source Printings
Skeleton Black Creature — Skeleton 1/1 When this creature dies, each opponent gains 2 life.
Test cards
Token Name Color Type Line P/T Text Box Source Printings
Reassembling Skeleton Black Creature — Skeleton Warrior 1/1 (This is a token card which doesn't cease to exist in a zone other than the battlefield and has a {1}{B} mana cost.)
{1}{B}: Return Reassembling Skeleton from your graveyard to the battlefield tapped.

References[ | ]

  1. Mark Rosewater (October 06, 2016). "Some trivia about Skeletons?". Blogatog. Tumblr.
  2. Doug Beyer & Jenna Helland (2008). A Planeswalker's Guide to Alara, Wizards of the Coast. ISBN-13 978-0786951246
  3. a b James Wyatt et al. (2023). "D&D Monstrous Compendium: Vol. 4: Eldraine Creatures". Wizards of the Coast.
  4. Flavor text for Underworld Sentinel
  5. Magic Arcana (March 13, 2002). "Chinese Skeletons (Urza's Saga and Sixth Edition)". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  6. Magic Arcana (February 12, 2002). "Chinese art (Seventh Edition)". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  7. Worth Wollpert (April 18, 2005). "Ask Wizards". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  8. Magic Arcana (November 14, 2005). "Alternate Chinese Art in Ravnica, Part 1". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  9. Magic Arcana (November 30, 2005). "Alternate Chinese Art in Ravnica, Part 2". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  10. Magic Arcana (December 14, 2005). "Alternate Chinese Art in Ravnica, Part 3". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  11. Magic Arcana (February 23, 2006). "Alternate Chinese Art in Guildpact, Part 1". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  12. Magic Arcana (March 06, 2006). "Alternate Chinese Art in Guildpact, Part 2". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  13. Wizards of the Coast (April, 2005). "Ask Wizards - April, 2005". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  14. Magic Arcana (November 13, 2008). "Ask Wizards?". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  15. Monty Ashley (October 04, 2011). "Sketches: Manor Skeleton". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
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