Snakeskin Veil
Instant
Put a +1/+1 counter on target creature you control. It gains hexproof until end of turn. (It can't be the target of spells or abilities your opponents control.)
- CMC
- 1
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- G
- Rarity
- uncommon
- Set
- Strixhaven Mystical Archive
- Price
- $0.36
- EDHREC rank
- #476
Snakeskin Veil saves your creature and grows it at instant speed for a single green mana — that combination of protection and permanent upside is what separates it from a pure counterspell tax. In Sarulf, Realm Eater decks specifically, the +1/+1 counter does double duty as board-wipe fuel, making this one of the most efficient one-drops in the archetype.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Sarulf, Realm Eater
Sarulf, Realm Eater's board-wipe ability scales with the number of counters on him, so Snakeskin Veil isn't just protection — it's an activation accelerant that also shields him from the targeted removal that would otherwise dismantle the whole engine.
Sergeant John Benton
Sergeant John Benton rewards you for keeping creatures with counters on the board, and Snakeskin Veil provides exactly the kind of cheap, reactive insurance that lets him survive long enough to generate value.
The Howling Abomination
The Howling Abomination cares about creatures dying with counters on them, and Snakeskin Veil puts a counter on a creature at instant speed — so even if the creature dies to a removal spell you couldn't counter, the counter is already there to trigger the engine.
Legolas, Master Archer
Legolas, Master Archer needs to stay on the battlefield to keep pinging and drawing cards, and Snakeskin Veil is one of the cheapest ways to blank a removal spell while putting a counter toward his damage output.
Kosei, Penitent Warlord
Kosei, Penitent Warlord has to deal combat damage to players to generate value, which means getting him through a removal spell before or during the attack step is critical — Snakeskin Veil handles that while also ticking up his counter count.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | legal |
| standard | legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
In Commander, Snakeskin Veil earns its slot in any green deck that has a single high-value creature it cannot afford to lose — the one-mana cost means it's live on almost any turn, and the +1/+1 counter means it's never a dead draw after the threat resolves. In competitive 1v1 formats like Modern and Pioneer, it sees fringe play in creature-combo shells where protecting a key piece is worth more than a simple hexproof spell, though Veil of Summer and Heroic Intervention often take priority in sideboard slots. Pauper is where it has the most consistent homes, slotting into Bogles-adjacent or counter-synergy decks that want cheap protection at common rarity. Legacy and Vintage have enough free interaction that a one-mana reactive spell rarely makes the cut, but the card is legal in both.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.36 bulk tier
At $0.36, Snakeskin Veil is bulk — buy a playset without thinking about it. It's a high-reprint-risk common that will never appreciate, but at this price point that's irrelevant; you're paying for function, not scarcity.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.