Skithiryx, the Blight Dragon – Double Masters MTG Review

David
Fanany
Player
since
1995

I’d like to believe that really cool art like Skithiryx’s was a big part of the reason so many people sided with Phyrexia in those online polls from ten years ago. It might also have had something to do with the fact that he can attack out of nowhere and, with the right support, kill an opponent in one hit. He has some resistance to removal that doesn’t exile, but since Modern has a lot of that, he’s usually seen more at the casual tables right now. And he can be a real powerhouse at those tables – not least since he proclaims the Seven Steel Thanes’ disregard for Commander’s battlecruiser-friendly rules on life total.

Constructed: 2/5
Casual: 4/5
Limited: 5/5
Multiplayer: 3/5
Commander: 4/5

The dragon affectionately known as Skittles is a brutal and majestic creature, the only legendary creature with infect and the infect creature most suited to majestic swooping. Hard to kill if you have mana, and even more brutal if you can grant it haste, Skithiryx presents a fast clock that demands answers immediately. It tends to come up short in Constructed formats anymore, since infect is an on-rails strategy that favors smaller creatures in conjunction with boosting effects, but he’s still able to do a lot of damage if you’re willing to give him the support he desires.

Constructed: 2
Casual: 4
Limited: 4.75 (kills in three hits and resists most removal, but he plays weirdly with most of Double Masters; still legit in Scars of Mirrodin block limited)
Multiplayer: 3
Commander: 3.25 (remember: poison still kills at 10)