EDH Optimizer
Skeleton Ship
Legendary Creature — Skeleton · 3UB
Color identity: Black · Blue · Dimir
Skeleton Ship is Dimir (black and blue): its deck can only run cards of those colors plus colorless ones.
Rules text:
When you control no Islands, sacrifice Skeleton Ship.
{T}: Put a -1/-1 counter on target creature.
Reference price of the card: €2.49
Average lands in decks for Skeleton Ship: 35
-1/-1 CountersSkeletonsInfectControlComboProliferateVehiclesTap / Untap
Build your Skeleton Ship deck step by step, with in-depth analysis and AI optimization of your list.
🛠️ Build a deck for Skeleton Ship 📥 Analyze my deck🎲 How the average Skeleton Ship deck starts over 4,000 games
The list people actually play per EDHREC (the 99 most-included cards, with its average land count), simulated with the EDH Optimizer engine: hands, mulligans, lands, curve and commander. It does not model opponents; it measures whether the plan gets going.
Deck health of the average list: C+ (57/100)
- Consistency28
- Speed45
- Interaction81
- Resilience87
- Closing49
See the cards of the average deck · 99 cards, 35 lands (21 nonbasic, 7 Island, 7 Swamp)
Sol Ring · Arcane Signet · Nest of Scarabs · Blowfly Infestation · Crumbling Ashes · Necroskitter · Counterspell · Dimir Signet · Inexorable Tide · Tezzeret's Gambit · Contagion Clasp · Freed from the Real · Thrummingbird · Mass Diminish · Massacre Girl, Known Killer · Contentious Plan · Flux Channeler · Contagion Engine · Talisman of Dominance · Grim Affliction · Experimental Augury · Polymorphist's Jest · Ioreth of the Healing House · Vizier of Tumbling Sands · Maha, Its Feathers Night · Drown in Ichor · Kelpie Guide · Skeleton Crew · Dark Ritual · Horobi, Death's Wail · Dreamtide Whale · Reassembling Skeleton · Swiftfoot Boots · Tekuthal, Inquiry Dominus · Willbreaker · Black Sun's Zenith · Pemmin's Aura · Read the Bones · Fatestitcher · Steady Progress · Thousand-Year Elixir · Whisper of the Dross · Flatline · Patriar's Seal · Dramatic Reversal · Illusionist's Bracers · Intruder Alarm · Persistent Constrictor · Spitting Dilophosaurus · Everflowing Chalice · Eaten by Piranhas · Feed the Swarm · Cinderbones · Corpses of the Lost · Dismiss into Dream · Forsaken Miner · Gisa, the Hellraiser · Sting, the Glinting Dagger · Negate · Scheming Aspirant · Fuel for the Cause · Pirate Ship · Skithiryx, the Blight Dragon · Unstoppable Plan · Command Tower · Sunken Hollow · Drowned Catacomb · Karn's Bastion · Watery Grave · Dimir Aqueduct · Shipwreck Marsh · Bojuka Bog · Choked Estuary · Tainted Isle · Morphic Pool · Temple of Deceit · Polluted Delta · Underground River · Arcane Lighthouse · Fetid Pools · Myriad Landscape · Evolving Wilds · Minamo, School at Water's Edge · Reliquary Tower · Darkwater Catacombs
🃏 Recommended cards for Skeleton Ship
The highest-synergy cards in decks for Skeleton Ship, with their inclusion rate.
| Card | Inclusion | Synergy |
|---|---|---|
| Nest of Scarabs | 63% | +62% |
| Blowfly Infestation | 57% | +57% |
| Crumbling Ashes | 54% | +54% |
| Necroskitter | 52% | +51% |
| Inexorable Tide | 50% | +47% |
| Tezzeret's Gambit | 50% | +47% |
| Contagion Clasp | 48% | +46% |
| Freed from the Real | 47% | +46% |
| Karn's Bastion | 49% | +46% |
| Thrummingbird | 47% | +44% |
| Mass Diminish | 45% | +43% |
| Contentious Plan | 43% | +41% |
| Massacre Girl, Known Killer | 44% | +41% |
| Contagion Engine | 42% | +41% |
| Flux Channeler | 43% | +40% |
| Grim Affliction | 41% | +40% |
| Experimental Augury | 40% | +38% |
| Polymorphist's Jest | 40% | +38% |
| Ioreth of the Healing House | 38% | +37% |
| Vizier of Tumbling Sands | 38% | +37% |
| Kelpie Guide | 36% | +36% |
| Skeleton Crew | 36% | +36% |
| Horobi, Death's Wail | 35% | +35% |
| Maha, Its Feathers Night | 37% | +35% |
💰 The best cards for your Skeleton Ship deck, by budget
Three tiers based on the maximum price PER CARD you are willing to pay. Paste your list and hit Optimize: you pick that cap and the AI only suggests swaps that fit under it.
Tier 1 · Budget up to €2/card
The most value for almost nothing. Coming from a precon? Start here.
- Blowfly Infestation
- Necroskitter
- Inexorable Tide
- Tezzeret's Gambit
- Contagion Clasp
- Karn's Bastion
Tier 2 · Balanced up to €10/card
The real step up: pieces that are no longer cheap but still sensible.
- Nest of Scarabs
- Freed from the Real
- Contagion Engine
- Polymorphist's Jest
- Willbreaker
- Dreamtide Whale
Tier 3 · No cap no cap
The cards your price cap was hiding from you.
- Crumbling Ashes
- Maha, Its Feathers Night
- Thousand-Year Elixir
- Persistent Constrictor
- Spitting Dilophosaurus
- Yawgmoth, Thran Physician
Reference prices (cheapest English printing). They change daily.
♾️ Known combos with Skeleton Ship
- Dramatic Reversal + Isochron Scepter → Infinite magecraft triggers, Infinite mana nonland permanents you control can produce, Infinite storm count, Infinite untap of nonland permanents you control
- Blowfly Infestation + Nest of Scarabs → Infinite death triggers, Infinite ETB, Infinite LTB
- Ioreth of the Healing House + Vizier of Tumbling Sands → Infinite untap of legendary creatures you control, Infinite mana legendary creatures you control can produce
- Marvin, Murderous Mimic + Ioreth of the Healing House → Infinite untap of legendary creatures you control, Infinite mana legendary creatures you control can produce
- Ioreth of the Healing House + Kelpie Guide → Infinite untap of legendary creatures you control, Infinite mana legendary creatures you control can produce
- Yawgmoth, Thran Physician + Nest of Scarabs + Blood Artist → Near-infinite -1/-1 counters, Near-infinite card draw, Near-infinite death triggers, Near-infinite draw triggers, Near-infinite ETB, Near-infinite lifegain triggers, Near-infinite LTB, Near-infinite sacrifice triggers, Near-infinite lifeloss
Other commanders
Frequently asked questions
What is Skeleton Ship's color identity?
Skeleton Ship is Dimir (black and blue): its deck can only run cards of those colors plus colorless ones. Color identity comes from every mana symbol on the card, including those in the rules text, not just the casting cost.
What turn does Skeleton Ship come down, and how often does the deck get stuck?
In the average Skeleton Ship deck (the 99 most-included cards per EDHREC, with 35 lands), simulated 4,000 times, the commander comes down on turn 5.1 on average and is on the battlefield before turn 7 in 92 % of games. It misses at least one land drop in the first six turns 35 % of the time and floods 23 %. Deck health: C+ (57/100).
How many lands should a Skeleton Ship deck run?
Real Skeleton Ship decks run 35 lands on average. That is a starting point, not a rule: a lower curve can shave one or two, big-mana builds want more. The EDH Optimizer simulator tells you, over 10,000 games, how often you get mana screwed or flooded with your exact count.
What are the best cards for Skeleton Ship?
The three highest-synergy cards are Nest of Scarabs, Blowfly Infestation, Crumbling Ashes. This page lists the top 24 with their real inclusion rate in Skeleton Ship decks.
What combos does Skeleton Ship have?
Skeleton Ship has 6 known combos. The most popular one is Dramatic Reversal + Isochron Scepter. Note that two-card combos raise your deck's bracket, so it is worth knowing which ones you are running before you sit down.
How much does a Skeleton Ship deck cost?
You can start cheap: Blowfly Infestation, Necroskitter, Inexorable Tide are under €2 each. The "Level up" section on this page splits the best cards into three price caps PER CARD (up to €2, up to €10 and no cap), and the optimizer only suggests swaps that fit the cap you pick.