What Can Spellskite Do? A Comprehensive Guide
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Spellskite is a fascinating and often misunderstood card in Magic: The Gathering. At its core, Spellskite’s ability allows you to redirect the target of a spell or ability to itself. This simple yet powerful effect opens up a world of strategic possibilities and defensive plays. However, it’s crucial to understand the specific rules governing its use to leverage its potential fully.
In essence, Spellskite does not copy, counter, or negate spells or abilities. It merely changes their target. This distinction is key to understanding its versatility and limitations. The target change occurs when Spellskite’s activated ability resolves, and it only works if the target of the spell or ability you’re trying to redirect could legally target Spellskite. It is not a legal target, the ability does nothing.
This means that even if a spell has multiple targets, you can choose which single target to try and redirect to Spellskite, and if it can be targeted legally, you will. If the initial target could not target spellskite legally, it will not change. The process is as follows: First, the player activates Spellskite and chooses a targeted spell/ability. Next, on resolution, the target is redirected.
Spellskite’s Functionality and Limitations
Spellskite’s ability might sound straightforward, but its use cases are nuanced. Here’s a breakdown of what Spellskite can and cannot do:
What Spellskite CAN Do:
- Redirect harmful spells: You can use Spellskite to redirect single-target spells aimed at your creatures, redirecting it instead.
- Protect your key pieces: By redirecting spells aimed at your vital creatures or planeswalkers to Spellskite, you can keep them alive.
- Mess with opponents’ strategies: Redirecting an opponent’s targeted ability onto your Spellskite, can disrupt their plans if their spell/ability now targets something useless.
- Change the target of an Aura spell: Auras target when they are cast on the stack. So you can steal an aura if you change the target of the spell to Spellskite.
- React to abilities on the stack: Spellskite can respond to an activated or triggered ability.
- Attempt to change the target even if it will not succeed: You can activate spellskite’s ability even if it won’t actually redirect the spell/ability.
What Spellskite CANNOT Do:
- Redirect a spell without targets: If a spell or ability doesn’t have any targets (like a board wipe spell), Spellskite’s ability has no effect.
- Redirect spells that cannot legally target it: If a spell has targeting restrictions that would prevent Spellskite from being a legal target (e.g., a spell that targets only red creatures), Spellskite cannot redirect to it.
- Steal Equip abilities: Equip abilities require the target creature to be a creature the controller of the equip ability controls, so Spellskite cannot redirect the target of these.
- Stop counterspells: Counterspells target a spell on the stack, not creatures, so spellskite is not a legal target for a counterspell.
- Protect itself from targeting: If Spellskite has hexproof, the spell or ability you try to redirect to it will simply fizzle as it is no longer a legal target. Shroud also means the target will not switch to it.
- Redirect everything from a spell that has multiple targets. It only changes one target.
- Target abilities without a legal target: You cannot use Spellskite if the activated ability it targets has no legal targets at all.
Understanding these limitations is as vital as knowing what Spellskite can do. Its specific use cases stem from these rules. In 2019, it was used mainly as a counter to “pump” or “infect” decks, since these decks use targeted buffs to enhance their damage.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Spellskite
To delve even deeper into the intricacies of Spellskite, here are 15 frequently asked questions, addressing common scenarios and edge cases:
1. Can Spellskite redirect a spell if it is not a legal target?
Yes, you can activate Spellskite’s ability even if it is not a legal target for the spell/ability. However, in this case, the target will not change. Spellskite must be a legal target on resolution for its ability to work, so activating it with an illegal target, is essentially an action that does nothing.
2. What happens if Spellskite has shroud?
If Spellskite has shroud, you can still activate its ability, but the target will not change. Since shroud prevents Spellskite from being targeted, it won’t be a legal target to receive the redirection. The same goes for hexproof.
3. Can Spellskite redirect a counterspell?
No, Spellskite cannot redirect counterspells. Counterspells target spells on the stack, not permanents on the battlefield like Spellskite. Therefore, it’s not a legal target for a counterspell.
4. Can Spellskite steal equipment?
No, Spellskite cannot steal equipment. Equip abilities can only target creatures you control. Since Spellskite is controlled by your opponent, it is not a legal target for the equip ability.
5. Does Spellskite stop deathtouch?
Spellskite can redirect a spell dealing damage to it, thus removing it from the creature it would have hit. If a creature with deathtouch deals damage to Spellskite, it will indeed be destroyed by that damage as per deathtouch rules.
6. Can Spellskite change the target of an Aura spell?
Yes, Spellskite can change the target of an Aura spell on the stack. Auras target when they are cast, so this allows Spellskite to redirect them. However, once the aura is attached, Spellskite cannot remove it.
7. Can Spellskite redirect an equip ability?
No, because equip abilities can only target creatures controlled by the controller of that ability. Even if you could reroute it to Spellskite, it would not work.
8. Can you activate Spellskite without a legal target for the spell it’s trying to redirect?
You cannot activate Spellskite’s ability if the spell or ability it’s targeting has no legal targets available. The only exception is that you can activate Spellskite targeting a spell/ability that is not targeting Spellskite, but cannot target it, the target will just not redirect.
9. Does Spellskite protect from sacrifice effects?
No, Spellskite does not protect against sacrifice effects. Sacrificing does not target, so Spellskite cannot interact with it.
10. Does Spellskite work against proliferate?
No, Spellskite does not work against proliferate. Proliferate uses the word “choose”, not “target.” Since it does not use the word “target”, Spellskite does not work against it.
11. Is attacking a targeted ability?
No, attacking is not a targeted ability. Targeting only occurs when the word “target” is used or when an Aura is being cast.
12. Can you redirect a single target from a spell that has multiple targets?
Yes, if a spell has multiple targets, you can choose one of those targets to attempt to redirect to Spellskite (if it can be targeted legally), the others will stay on their original target.
13. Does totem armor protect against exile?
No, totem armor only protects against destroy effects, not exile. Exiling a creature with totem armor bypasses the totem armor.
14. Can Spellskite protect against spells with hexproof?
No, since hexproof prevents targeting, Spellskite cannot redirect spells to a creature with hexproof. Also, you cannot change a target to a creature you control with hexproof since it is not a valid target.
15. Can you Twin Cast a counterspell?
Yes. A counterspell targets, so when it is cast, you can spend sorcery points to create a second copy of the spell that is also targeting something else.
Conclusion
Spellskite is a complex and versatile card that rewards careful planning and a thorough understanding of its mechanics. While its ability to redirect targets might seem simple, the intricacies of its use cases and interactions can be challenging to grasp. By thoroughly understanding what Spellskite can and cannot do, and keeping the answers to the FAQs in mind, players can leverage its unique power to disrupt opponents and protect their own strategic pieces effectively. Its strategic depth is why Spellskite remains a compelling card to this day.