Skystreamer 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
Assist (Another player can pay up toof this spell's cost.) Flying When this creature enters, target player gains 4 life.
Complete guide
Skystreamer is a high-flying Griffin that brings the power of cooperation to the battlefield. By using the Assist mechanic, you can invite your allies to help fund this creature, rewarding players with a significant life boost upon its arrival.
How Assist Works
Skystreamer features Assist, which allows you to delegate the payment of its generic mana cost. When you cast Skystreamer, you still pay the white mana requirement ({W}), but you can choose another player to pay any portion of the remaining {4} generic mana. This makes it an excellent political tool in multiplayer games like Commander.
Step-by-Step Resolution
First, you announce you are casting Skystreamer and choose a target player for its life-gain ability. Second, you choose an opponent or teammate to assist you. That player decides how much mana they wish to contribute toward the {4} generic cost. Finally, you pay any remaining costs, and Skystreamer is placed on the stack. Once it resolves and enters the battlefield, the targeted player gains 4 life.
Common Mistakes
A common misconception is that the assisting player can pay for the colored mana. According to the rules, Assist only applies to the generic mana portion of the total cost. Additionally, the target for the life-gain ability must be chosen before the other player commits any mana, so you cannot wait to see if they pay before deciding who gets the life.
When to Play It
Skystreamer is best utilized in political scenarios where an opponent needs life to stay in the game and is willing to pay for the privilege. It also serves as a reliable aerial blocker or attacker that can be cast for as little as one white mana if your allies are generous.
Interaction examples
You cast Skystreamer and target yourself for the life-gain. You ask an opponent for help; they pay {4} generic mana. You pay {W}. Skystreamer enters the battlefield, and you gain 4 life for a total investment of only one white mana.
Roaming ThroneWith Roaming Throne on the battlefield naming 'Griffin', Skystreamer enters. Because Roaming Throne doubles the triggered abilities of your Griffins, Skystreamer's life-gain ability triggers twice. You can target two different players to gain 4 life each, or target one player to gain 8 life total.
Solemn SimulacrumYou use the land fetched by Solemn Simulacrum to provide the white mana needed for Skystreamer. An ally assists with the generic cost. This sequence ensures you keep your lands untapped for defensive spells while still developing a board of flyers and gaining life.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Skystreamer
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· Wizards of the Coast
You may reveal a card with assist and discuss how to pay for it before you begin to cast the spell. Targets are chosen for that spell before you choose another player to help you pay for it and before that player has committed any mana to doing so.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #2· Wizards of the Coast
Only the generic mana portion of a spell’s cost can be paid with assist. Any colored mana costs must be paid by the spell’s controller, even if the assisting player paid mana of that color.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #3· Wizards of the Coast
If an effect allows a player to cast a spell spending mana “as though it were mana of any color” or “of any type,” that player must still pay for the colored mana in that spell’s total cost. That cost doesn’t become generic.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #4· Wizards of the Coast
Assist allows another player to pay for any amount of generic mana. If an effect changes the cost of the spell, the amount that player may pay will be more or less than the amount in the spell’s reminder text.
No other card is named in this ruling.
Legal formats
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Meta decks with Skystreamer
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