Chasm Skulker — ruling 1

If you draw multiple cards, the first ability will trigger that many times. Each of these abilities will cause a +1/+1 counter to be put on Chasm Skulker.

Chasm Skulker — ruling 2

If enough -1/-1 counters are put on Chasm Skulker at the same time to make its toughness 0 or less, the number of +1/+1 counters on it before it got any -1/-1 counters will be used to determine how many Squid tokens you get. For example, if there are two +1/+1 counters on Chasm Skulker and it gets three -1/-1 counters, you'll get two Squid tokens.

Chasm Skulker : règles, fonctionnement et interactions (MTG)

Chasm Skulker is one of those cards players keep asking about. Here is, in plain words, what its official text says, the rulings published by Wizards of the Coast, and the combos players actually run.

Official card text

Whenever you draw a card, put a +1/+1 counter on this creature. When this creature dies, create X 1/1 blue Squid creature tokens with islandwalk, where X is the number of +1/+1 counters on this creature. (They can't be blocked as long as defending player controls an Island.)

Complete guide

Chasm Skulker is a versatile blue creature that punishes your opponents for letting you draw cards. As your hand grows, so does this Squid Horror, eventually exploding into a massive army of ink-spraying tokens upon its demise. It serves as both a scaling threat and a resilient board presence that demands an exile effect to truly answer.

Scaling with Knowledge

Chasm Skulker features two triggered abilities. The first triggers every time you draw a card, placing a +1/+1 counter on the creature. If an effect causes you to draw multiple cards at once, this ability triggers separately for each card drawn. The second ability triggers when Chasm Skulker dies, checking the total number of +1/+1 counters it had at the moment it left the battlefield to determine how many 1/1 blue Squid tokens you create.

Step-by-Step Resolution

When you draw a card, the growth trigger is put on the stack. Once it resolves, a +1/+1 counter is added. When Chasm Skulker dies, the game looks back in time to see how many counters were on it. Even if it was destroyed by -1/-1 counters that brought its toughness to zero, the game uses the number of +1/+1 counters it had immediately prior to that event. You then place the Squid tokens onto the battlefield; these tokens possess islandwalk, making them unblockable if your opponent controls an Island.

Common Mistakes

A common misconception is that Chasm Skulker only gets one counter if you draw multiple cards from a single spell. In reality, you get a trigger for each individual card. Additionally, players often worry about the interaction with -1/-1 counters. If a Skulker with two +1/+1 counters is hit by an effect giving it -3/-3, it still 'remembers' it had two +1/+1 counters, resulting in two Squids being created.

Strategic Deployment

Play Chasm Skulker in decks with high card velocity. Since its death trigger relies on the creature actually hitting the graveyard, it is best utilized in environments where you can protect it from exile effects or sacrifice it yourself to generate a sudden army of unblockable attackers.

Interaction examples

Drawing through Death

Solemn Simulacrum

If your Solemn Simulacrum dies while Chasm Skulker is on the battlefield, its death trigger allows you to draw a card. This draw immediately triggers Chasm Skulker, adding a +1/+1 counter to it.

Double the Squids

Roaming Throne

With Roaming Throne on the battlefield naming 'Squid' or 'Horror', Chasm Skulker's abilities trigger an additional time. Drawing a card will now result in two +1/+1 counters. Furthermore, when Chasm Skulker dies, the death trigger occurs twice, effectively doubling the number of Squid tokens produced based on the counters it had.

The Army Rises

Squid

If a Chasm Skulker with five +1/+1 counters is destroyed, it creates five 1/1 blue Squid tokens. These tokens are particularly dangerous because they have islandwalk, allowing them to bypass all blockers if the defending player has an Island in play.

Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.

How it works : Chasm Skulker

Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall

#1July 18, 2014· Wizards of the Coast
If you draw multiple cards, the first ability will trigger that many times. Each of these abilities will cause a +1/+1 counter to be put on Chasm Skulker.
No other card is named in this ruling.
#2July 18, 2014· Wizards of the Coast
If enough -1/-1 counters are put on Chasm Skulker at the same time to make its toughness 0 or less, the number of +1/+1 counters on it before it got any -1/-1 counters will be used to determine how many Squid tokens you get. For example, if there are two +1/+1 counters on Chasm Skulker and it gets three -1/-1 counters, you'll get two Squid tokens.
Card named in this ruling
Squid