Skirk Alarmist — ruling 1

If this ability is used during the end step, the creature is not sacrificed until the end of the next turn.

Skirk Alarmist : règles, fonctionnement et interactions (MTG)

Skirk Alarmist 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

Haste : Turn target face-down creature you control face up. At the beginning of the next end step, sacrifice it.

Complete guide

Skirk Alarmist is a high-octane Human Wizard that excels at forcing secrets into the light. With Haste and a unique tap ability, it allows you to bypass expensive morph or disguise costs at the price of the creature's longevity. This card is a staple for decks that want to trigger powerful 'when this creature is turned face up' abilities without paying full price.

Unmasking the Unknown

The primary function of Skirk Alarmist is its activated ability. By tapping the Alarmist, you target a face-down creature you control and turn it face up. This action does not count as casting a spell or using the creature's own morph ability; it is a direct transformation dictated by the Alarmist's ability. This is particularly useful for massive creatures that have high turn-up costs.

The Timing of the Sacrifice

When the ability resolves, it creates a delayed triggered ability that triggers at the beginning of the next end step. If you activate Skirk Alarmist during your main phase, you must sacrifice the creature when your end step begins. However, if you activate this ability during the end step itself, the 'next' end step won't occur until the following turn, giving you a temporary reprieve.

Strategic Deployment

Skirk Alarmist is best used as a finishing move or a way to trigger utility effects. Since the creature is sacrificed at the end of the turn, you should look for ways to extract value from it before it leaves the battlefield. Using the creature for combat or sacrificing it to another effect before the end step trigger resolves are excellent ways to mitigate the downside.

Interaction examples

Aggressive Resource Generation

Professional Face-Breaker

If you have a face-down Professional Face-Breaker, you can tap Skirk Alarmist to turn it face up. Because Skirk Alarmist has haste, you can do this the same turn it enters the battlefield. You can then attack with the Professional Face-Breaker to create a Treasure token. Before your end step, you could even sacrifice that Treasure to exile a card, maximizing your resources before the Face-Breaker is sacrificed by the Alarmist's effect.

Mana Fixing and Evasion

Ornithopter of Paradise

If Ornithopter of Paradise is face-down (perhaps due to an effect that manifests cards), Skirk Alarmist can flip it face up. You now have a flying blocker and a source of mana of any color for the duration of the turn. If you need that mana to cast a spell during your second main phase, the Alarmist provides a cheap way to access the Ornithopter's ability before it is sacrificed at the end of the turn.

Solo Efficiency

With only Skirk Alarmist on the field and a face-down creature, you can wait until your opponent's turn to act. By tapping Skirk Alarmist to flip your creature during your opponent's declare blockers step, you can surprise them with a powerful creature they weren't expecting. The creature will persist through the opponent's turn and will only be sacrificed at the beginning of the next end step, which would be your opponent's end step.

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

How it works : Skirk Alarmist

Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall

#1October 4, 2004· Wizards of the Coast
If this ability is used during the end step, the creature is not sacrificed until the end of the next turn.
No other card is named in this ruling.