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Skill Borrower

Blue

1 printing listed in our catalog, from newest to oldest.

Skill Borrower, Shards of Alara printing
Shards of Alara ALA · No. 56 2008-10-03

Card text

{2}{U}
Artifact Creature — Human Wizard
Play with the top card of your library revealed. As long as the top card of your library is an artifact or creature card, this creature has all activated abilities of that card. (If any of the abilities use that card's name, use this creature's name instead.)
1 / 3
EDHREC rank #25061 Rare Not on the Reserved List
Seen in store
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Standard ∅ Not legal
Pioneer ∅ Not legal
Modern ✓ Legal
Legacy ✓ Legal
Vintage ✓ Legal
Pauper ∅ Not legal
Commander ✓ Legal
Oathbreaker ✓ Legal
Brawl ∅ Not legal
Historic ∅ Not legal
Timeless ∅ Not legal
Alchemy ∅ Not legal
Explorer ∅ Not legal
Gladiator ∅ Not legal
Penny ✓ Legal
Duel ✓ Legal

Official rulings

5 rulings · in English, source Scryfall

The only difference between a colored artifact and a colorless artifact is, obviously, its color. Unlike most artifacts, a colored artifact requires colored mana to cast. Also unlike most artifacts, a colored artifact has a color in all zones. It will interact with cards that care about color. Other than that, a colored artifact behaves just like any other artifact. It will interact as normal with any card that cares about artifacts, such as Shatter or Arcbound Ravager.

2008-10-01 · Wizards of the Coast

Skill Borrower may gain activated abilities that it can’t use. For example, if the top card of your library is an artifact or creature card with cycling, Skill Borrower will have cycling. However, since cycling can’t be activated from the battlefield, this won’t have any significant benefit. The same is true for unearth.

2008-10-01 · Wizards of the Coast

Activated abilities contain a colon. They’re generally written “[Cost]: [Effect].” Some keywords are activated abilities; they have colons in their reminder text.

2008-10-01 · Wizards of the Coast

If an effect tells you to draw several cards, reveal each one before you draw it. Skill Borrower will momentarily gain the activated abilities of artifact and creature cards revealed this way, but you won’t be able to activate those abilities while the effect is still happening.

2008-10-01 · Wizards of the Coast

If the top card of your library changes while you’re activating one of Skill Borrower’s activated abilities gained from that card, the ability will still be activated and will resolve normally even though Skill Borrower has lost that ability.

2008-10-01 · Wizards of the Coast

All printings