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Understanding power and toughness ratios through Skittering Cicada's Flash-driven math
There’s something delightfully sneaky about Skittering Cicada. Released in Commander Masters as a rare colorless creature with a modest 2/2 body for three mana, it wears a deceptively simple cloak: Flash. That single keyword opens up a world of tempo tricks and math gymnastics that can swing a game from a tense stalemate to a decisive blitz in a single moment 🧙♂️🔥. This article dives into how the P/T ratio of this insect is not just a number on a card, but a toolkit for evaluating your turns, sequencing, and the kinds of colorless spells that turn tiny numbers into huge consequences 💎⚔️.
A quick primer on P/T ratios and what Skittering Cicada adds to the equation
Power and toughness in MTG aren’t just about raw numbers; they reflect what you can pressure on the battlefield, what you can survive in combat, and how you squeeze extra value out of timing. Skittering Cicada starts as a dependable 2/2 in a world of flashy legends and giant spells. But its true potential emerges when you factor in the card’s core interaction: “Whenever you cast a colorless spell, until end of turn, this creature gains trample and gets +X/+X, where X is that spell’s mana value.” In other words, your X becomes a weapon you wield every time you cast a colorless spell. If you drop a spell with mana value 5, Cicada’s body becomes a 7/7 with trample that turn. If you peel off an 11-mana behemoth like Blightsteel Colossus, the Cicada can become a towering 13/13 with trample for a single combat swing 🧙♂️🎲.
The math here is delightfully scalable. Colorless spells come in a broad spectrum of mana values, from utility artifacts with zero-cost or near-zero-cost cantrips to game-ending finishers that crash onto the table with immense mana values. Because the buff is tied to the spell’s mana value, your sequencing decisions—when to cast what, and in what order—directly shape the round’s outcome. This makes Skittering Cicada a perfect anchor for artifact-heavy or “colorless-first” decks, where every spell you cast serves a dual purpose: advancing your game plan and pumping your own attacker just enough to tilt the combat math in your favor 🧙♂️💎.
Flash: tempo, surprise, and the parasitic pleasure of swinging first
Flash lets you play this cyphering intruder as though it were a spell you could cast at instant speed. That means you can cast a colorless spell on your opponent’s end step, then flash in Skittering Cicada and immediately swing with a boosted body on your own turn. It’s tempo in a single package: you deny your foe a clean attack step while you set up a lethal follow-through. The “you may cast colorless spells as though they had flash” clause is the real star here; it turns every colorless spell in your deck into a potential surprise buff that hits the battlefield at precisely the moment you need it most ⚔️🎨.
Consider the cascade of decisions you can trigger. If an opponent taps out for a big threat, you flash in Cicada, cast a colorless spell with a high mana value to buff it, and trample your way through. If you’re defending, you can flash out a cheap countermeasure to buy time and then push for a decisive attack later that same turn. The nontraditional timing is what makes this card shine, and the strategic depth is a treat for players who love to measure every attack’s odds in the moment 🧭🔥.
Deckbuilding ideas: how to maximize the P/T payoff
- Fill with big colorless spells. The bigger the spell’s mana value, the bigger the XiX you grant Skittering Cicada. Think inclusions like Blightsteel Colossus (11), Darksteel Colossus (11), and other classic colorless finishers. The payoff scales dramatically—a single buff can turn a 2/2 into a 13/13 with trample, and that number keeps growing with more mana-value spells in the mix 🧙♂️💥.
- Burden of the board with artifacts. Rely on artifact ramp and colorless card draw to fuel your spell value. Cards that accelerate your mana production and reduce the perceived cost of high-value spells let you cast more colorless spells per turn, which in turn amplifies Cicada’s on-board math.
- Synergize with resilience and protection. Since Cicada’s buff is temporary, you’ll want to pair it with spells and effects that protect your board when you go all-in. Counterspells targeting your buff chain, or to blunt blockers, can preserve the swing you’ve engineered 🛡️.
- Plan for the turns after the big buff. If you’re swinging in for a large blow, ensure you have a follow-up plan for post-combat—either another buff, evasion, or a way to deal with opposing blockers. The same flash ability can surprise with a second burst of damage, especially if you can chain more colorless spells during the same round 🎲.
Flavor, lore, and the design elegance of a P/T multiplier
Skittering Cicada embodies that classic MTG design pattern where a small, humble body becomes a vehicles for “infinite adaptability” through clever timing and resource manipulation. The lore-friendly idea of a swift, cunning insect that uses your colorless toolkit to become something far beyond its 2/2 origins is exactly the kind of flavor that makes Commander Masters feel like a celebration of the format’s breadth. The art by Denis Zhbankov and the black-border, frames-from-2015 aesthetic give the card a sense of timeless menace, even as the mechanics lean modern and playful. The card’s rarity at rare and its chessboard-like interactions make it a coveted piece for theme decks and “colorless-first” archetypes, particularly in casual to semi-competitive circles 🧙♂️🎨.
“Flash. You may cast colorless spells as though they had flash. Whenever you cast a colorless spell, until end of turn, this creature gains trample and gets +X/+X, where X is that spell's mana value.”
From a collector’s perspective, the card’s place in Commander Masters is notable. It leverages the set’s artifacts-and-colorless-spell-palettes to produce memorable moments around big-value plays. Market values, while fluid, tend to reflect both nostalgia and practical play—Skittering Cicada sits comfortably as a talking point about power creep, clever tempo, and the joy of surprising your friends with math on a lunch break battlefield 🧙♂️💎.
For players looking to test the waters of this clever creature, the card’s price bracket and accessibility in Commander circles make it a friendly pickup for both budget and competitive builds. If you’re eyeing a cross-promotional upgrade to your gaming setup, a well-chosen display piece can complement your MTG gear while you talk shop about deck ideas and favorite colorless finishers. And if you’re scouting hardware to accompany your next game night, consider the product link below for a practical, stylish addition to your desk setup—because a sharp playmat underpins even sharper plays 🧙♂️🎲.