Skinned card
A skinned card is a Magic: The Gathering reprint card that features a non-Magic IP themed "skin"[1] or overlay[2]. This skin consists of themed alternate artwork and flavor text, and an additional card name.
Description
Skinned cards were first featured in Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths with a Godzilla theme. The name of the original card is featured in a small font below the Outside IP name of the card in the title bar. The alternate name in the title bar is considered flavor text and does not affect gameplay. Rules text always references the original name in the secondary title bar, never the skin name.[3]
The skin treatment can be considered a Showcase and is only used on reprints. This is distinct from the Universes Beyond treatment, which may feature mechanically unique cards that can be rebranded. Crossovers that have the skin treatment are thus always not part of Universes Beyond. If they are, they have the triangular holofoil stamp that characterizes that sub-brand.
Rules
From the glossary of the Comprehensive Rules (June 7, 2024—Modern Horizons 3)
- Alternate Name
- A different name used on promotional or alternate-art versions of some cards. This name has no rules meaning. See rule 201.6.
From the glossary of the Comprehensive Rules (June 7, 2024—Modern Horizons 3)
- Secondary Title Bar
- A smaller name line with the Oracle reference name of a card which has an alternate name in its upper left corner. See rule 201.6.
From the Comprehensive Rules (June 7, 2024—Modern Horizons 3)
- 201.5. Text that refers to the object it’s on by name means just that particular object and not any other objects with that name, regardless of any name changes caused by game effects.
- 201.5a If an ability’s effect grants another ability to an object, and that second ability refers to that first ability’s source by name, the name refers only to the specific object which is that first ability’s source. The second ability does not refer to any other object with the same name as the first ability’s source. However, if the second ability also moved the first ability’s source to a different public zone, the name refers to the object the source became in its new zone. This is also true if the second ability is copied onto a new object.
Example: Gutter Grime has an ability that reads “Whenever a nontoken creature you control dies, put a slime counter on Gutter Grime, then create a green Ooze creature token with ‘This creature’s power and toughness are each equal to the number of slime counters on Gutter Grime.’” The ability granted to the token only looks at the Gutter Grime that created the token, not at any other Gutter Grime on the battlefield. A copy of that token would also have an ability that referred only to the Gutter Grime that created the original token.
- 201.5b If an ability of an object refers to that object by name, and an object with a different name gains that ability, each instance of the first name in the gained ability that refers to the first object by name should be treated as the second name.
Example: Quicksilver Elemental says, in part, “{U}: Quicksilver Elemental gains all activated abilities of target creature until end of turn.” If it gains an ability that says “{G}: Regenerate Cudgel Troll,” activating that ability will regenerate Quicksilver Elemental, not the Cudgel Troll it gained the ability from.
Example: Glacial Ray is an instant with splice onto Arcane that says “Glacial Ray deals 2 damage to any target.” If it’s spliced onto a Kodama’s Reach, that Kodama’s Reach deals 2 damage to the target.
Example: Dimir Doppelganger says “{1}{U}{B}: Exile target creature card from a graveyard. Dimir Doppelganger becomes a copy of that card and gains this ability.” Dimir Doppelganger’s ability is activated targeting a Runeclaw Bear card. The Doppelganger becomes a copy of Runeclaw Bear and gains an ability that should be treated as saying “{1}{U}{B}: Exile target creature card from a graveyard. Runeclaw Bear becomes a copy of that card and gains this ability.”
- 201.5c Text printed on some cards refers to that card by a shortened version of its name. Instances of a card’s shortened name used in this manner are treated as though they used the card’s full name.
- 201.5a If an ability’s effect grants another ability to an object, and that second ability refers to that first ability’s source by name, the name refers only to the specific object which is that first ability’s source. The second ability does not refer to any other object with the same name as the first ability’s source. However, if the second ability also moved the first ability’s source to a different public zone, the name refers to the object the source became in its new zone. This is also true if the second ability is copied onto a new object.
List
Here's the list of sets that include Skinned cards. For the comprehensive list of individual skinned cards, see Skinned Card/List.
| Release | Name | Skin theme | # cards | Main article | Universes Beyond |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-04 | Godzilla Series | Godzilla | 18 | Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths/Box Toppers | 
|
| 2021-11 | Dracula Series | Dracula | 18 | Innistrad: Crimson Vow/Box Toppers |
|
| 2021-11 | Secret Lair Drop Series: Arcane: Lands | Arcane | 1 | Secret Lair Drop Series: Secretversary 2021 | 
|
| 2021-11 | Secret Lair Drop Series: Arcane | Arcane | 5 |
| |
| 2021-11 | Secret Lair Drop Series: Welcome to Castle Dracula | Dracula | 3 |
| |
| 2022-02 | Secret Lair Drop Series: Street Fighter | Street Fighter | 1 | Secret Lair Drop Series: February Superdrop 2022 |
|
| 2022-10 | Secret Lair Drop Series: Warhammer 40,000 | Warhammer 40,000 | 14 | Secret Lair Drop Series: October Superdrop 2022 |
|
| 2022-10 | Secret Lair Drop Series: Post Malone: Backstage Pass | Post Malone | 4 |
| |
| 2022-12 | Secret Lair Drop Series: Transformers: Optimus Prime vs. Megatron | Transformers | 4 | Secret Lair Drop Series: December Superdrop 2022 |
|
| 2023-06 | Realms and Relics | The Lord of the Rings | 30 | The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth Box Toppers |
|
| 2023-06 | Promotional cards | The Lord of the Rings | 2 | The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth Promotional cards |
|
| 2023-10 | Secret Lair Drop Series: The Evil Dead | The Evil Dead | 5 | Secret Lair Drop Series: Spookydrop 2023 |
|
| 2023-10 | Secret Lair Drop Series: The Princess Bride | The Princess Bride | 7 |
| |
| 2023-11 | Hildebrandt reprints | The Lord of the Rings | 5 | The Lord of the Rings Holiday Release |
|
| 2023-11 | Jurassic World: Life Breaks Free | Jurassic World | 6 | Secret Lair Drop Series: Secretversary 2023 |
|
| 2023-11 | Jurassic World: Dr. Ian Malcolm | Jurassic World | 5 |
| |
| 2023-11 | Tomb Raider | Tomb Raider | 6 |
| |
| 2024-02 | Secret Lair Drop Series: Sheldon's Spellbook | Sheldon Menery | 1 | Secret Lair Drop Series: Sheldon's Spellbook |
|
| 2024-03 | Pip-Boy card frames | Fallout | 9 | Fallout |
|
| 2024-04 | Secret Lair Drop Series: Vault Boy | Fallout | 1 | Secret Lair Drop Series: Equinox Superdrop 2024 |
|
| 2024-05 | Hatsune Miku cards | Hatsune Miku | 3 | Secret Lair Drop Series: Spring Superdrop 2024 |
|
References
- ↑ Mike Turian (April 2, 2020). "Collecting Ikoria". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Mark Rosewater (November 8, 2022). "Is "Godzilla Treatment" the official term used at Wizards?". Blogatog. Tumblr.
- ↑ Wizards of the Coast (November 10, 2021). "Innistrad: Crimson Vow Release Notes". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.