Skill Borrower
ALAShards of Alara/#56/2008Rare
Colour IDMV 3
Current paper retail
Card Kingdom$0.49
Cardmarket€0.27
ManaPool$0.17
TCGplayer$0.31
Buylist (dealers pay)
Card Kingdom$0.03
MTGO (Cardhoarder)
retail$0.02 tix
Paper retail history (USD)
3 providers
Latest $0.49High $0.49Low $0.49▲ 0.0%
Market and collecting
Market overview
$0.31TCGplayer, USD, retail, nonfoil
Latest observation: 2026-11-10
7d▲ 3.3%30d▼ 3.1%90d▼ 11.4%
90d high
$0.35
90d low
$0.30
Paper printings priced
1
Currently 1st
Cheapest paper printing
$0.31
Shards of Alara
- Down 3.1% over the last 30 days on TCGplayer.
- Currently 11% below its 90 day high of $0.35.
- Foil copies of this printing carry a 1019% premium over nonfoil.
Find this printing on eBayView on TCGplayerAffiliate. MTGPrices may earn from qualifying eBay and TCGplayer purchases.
Collect
Play
Compare printings (1 priced)
Gameplay and rules
Artifact Creature — Human Wizard
Play with the top card of your library revealed.
As long as the top card of your library is an artifact or creature card, this creature has all activated abilities of that card. (If any of the abilities use that card's name, use this creature's name instead.)
1 / 3
Card capabilities
ArtifactCreature
Derived deterministically from card types, Oracle text and keywords. Not a strategic evaluation.
Format legality
Primary formats
Eternal formats
Digital formats
Rulings (5)
wotc1 Oct 2008
If an effect tells you to draw several cards, reveal each one before you draw it. Skill Borrower will momentarily gain the activated abilities of artifact and creature cards revealed this way, but you won’t be able to activate those abilities while the effect is still happening.
wotc1 Oct 2008
Activated abilities contain a colon. They’re generally written “[Cost]: [Effect].” Some keywords are activated abilities; they have colons in their reminder text.
wotc1 Oct 2008
The only difference between a colored artifact and a colorless artifact is, obviously, its color. Unlike most artifacts, a colored artifact requires colored mana to cast. Also unlike most artifacts, a colored artifact has a color in all zones. It will interact with cards that care about color. Other than that, a colored artifact behaves just like any other artifact. It will interact as normal with any card that cares about artifacts, such as Shatter or Arcbound Ravager.
wotc1 Oct 2008
If the top card of your library changes while you’re activating one of Skill Borrower’s activated abilities gained from that card, the ability will still be activated and will resolve normally even though Skill Borrower has lost that ability.
wotc1 Oct 2008
Skill Borrower may gain activated abilities that it can’t use. For example, if the top card of your library is an artifact or creature card with cycling, Skill Borrower will have cycling. However, since cycling can’t be activated from the battlefield, this won’t have any significant benefit. The same is true for unearth.
Similar cardsOpen Card Finder →
Ranked by shared capabilities, colour identity, mana value and type. Never by strategic judgement.
About this card
Skill Borrower
Skill Borrower is an Artifact Creature — Human Wizard, with mana cost {2}{U} (mana value 3).
Format legality: Commander: legal, Modern: legal, Standard: not_legal, Pioneer: not_legal, Legacy: legal, Pauper: not_legal.
Current headline price on TCGplayer: $0.31 (down 3.1% over 30 days).
Frequently asked
Skill Borrower FAQ
How much is Skill Borrower worth?
The current TCGplayer USD retail price for Skill Borrower is $0.31. It is down 3.1% over the last 30 days. Over 90 days it has ranged from $0.30 to $0.35.
What is the cheapest printing of Skill Borrower?
The cheapest currently priced paper printing is from Shards of Alara at $0.31 on TCGplayer.
What set was Skill Borrower first printed in?
The earliest English paper printing that MTGPrices tracks is from ALA #56, released 2008-10-03.
Is there a foil version of Skill Borrower?
Yes. On this printing, foil copies trade at $3.47 versus $0.31 for nonfoil, which is 1019% more expensive on TCGplayer.
Is Skill Borrower legal in Commander?
Yes, Skill Borrower is currently legal in Commander per Scryfall's legality feed.
Is Skill Borrower legal in Modern?
Yes, Skill Borrower is currently legal in Modern per Scryfall's legality feed.
Is Skill Borrower legal in Standard?
Skill Borrower is not currently legal in Standard per Scryfall's legality feed.
What does Skill Borrower do?
Skill Borrower is an Artifact Creature — Human Wizard with mana cost {2}{U}. Its Oracle text reads: "Play with the top card of your library revealed. As long as the top card of your library is an artifact or creature card, this creature has all activated abilities of that card. (If any of the abilities use that card's name, use this creature's name instead.)".