Skittering Heartstopper
Creature — Insect
: This creature gains deathtouch until end of turn.
- CMC
- 1
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- B
- Rarity
- common
- Set
- Ixalan
- Price
- $0.08
- EDHREC rank
- #20719
Skittering Heartstopper is a one-mana 1/2 that taps to drain an opponent for 1 life — cheap, recurring, and relevant in any deck that cares about Insects, sacrifice, or incremental life loss. The rate is unspectacular in a vacuum, but the activation cost of zero mana means it works every turn without eating into your spell development.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
In Commander, Skittering Heartstopper earns its slot in Insect tribal builds and aristocrats shells where repeated no-mana activations add up across a long game and multiple opponents. Pauper is where it most consistently sees play — the common-only card pool rewards cheap, persistent sources of life loss, and its 1/2 body survives many common pings. In Modern and Pioneer it's strictly outclassed by faster threats and more impactful one-drops, so Skittering Heartstopper stays on the bench in those formats. Legacy and Vintage have no interest in a card this slow. Oathbreaker mirrors the Commander read — niche at best, but not unplayable in the right shell.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.08 bulk tier
At $0.08, Skittering Heartstopper is deep bulk — the kind of card you pick up from a common box without a second thought. Bulk commons essentially never appreciate, so grab a playset for pocket change and don't think about it again.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.