MagicTheGathering.fyi

Skilled Animator

Creature — Human Artificer

When this creature enters, target artifact you control becomes an artifact creature with base power and toughness 5/5 for as long as this creature remains on the battlefield.

CMC
3
Mana cost
{2}{U}
Color identity
U
Rarity
uncommon
Set
Commander Legends
Price
$0.10
EDHREC rank
#21104
Buy on TCGplayer
Skilled Animator card art
Skilled Animator turns any artifact into a 5/5 creature for three mana — and that includes something like Aetherflux Reservoir, which becomes a massive attacker while keeping its triggered ability. It's a role-player, not a finisher, but in the right artifact-dense shell the on-board swing is immediate and real.

Format Analysis

Where it lives, where it can’t

FormatVerdict
commander legal
legacy legal
modern legal
pioneer legal
standard not legal
vintage legal
pauper not legal
oathbreaker legal

Skilled Animator lives almost exclusively in Commander, where artifact-heavy decks are common and the singleton format rewards cards that create unexpected angles of attack. In competitive formats like Modern and Legacy it doesn't see play — a 1/1 for three that requires setup is far too slow against the threats those formats present. Pioneer and Vintage are theoretically legal but offer no realistic home. Commander is the only format where Skilled Animator earns a slot, and even there it's a card for specific artifact-synergy builds rather than a generic include.

Key Combos

Combo lines featuring this card

Price Context

Current price

$0.10 bulk tier

At $0.10, Skilled Animator is deep bulk — the kind of card you pull from a box rather than buy. That price is stable because demand is narrow and supply is wide; don't expect movement in either direction.

Explore

Sources

Mentioned

← All cards

Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.