Abilities and keywords
Feb 2, 2019 18:31:28 GMT
Post by TheLivingCME on Feb 2, 2019 18:31:28 GMT
Yo mates! In this guide of this section I'll cover a very important aspect of the game: abilities!
Why are abilities important? Easy enough: many of the synergies you will encounter, brew, and most importantly exploit in the game come from these little sequences of words!
Actually, every effect in the game is an ability, since when you cast a spell, the effect of the spell going on the stack (that you can clearly see on the right of your screen during MTGA matches) is called a spell ability, but let's not concern ourselves with such technicisms.
Basically there are three types of abilities in the game:
Activated abilities are the ones written with the format "Cost: Effect", like the ones we can find on Fanatical Firebrand, or Chromium. Planeswalkers abilities are activated abilities too!
One of the best things about activated abilities is that they can't be normally countered, since they aren't spells: there are very few ways of denying them to your opponent, aside from destroying the card which is "using" them.
Activated abilities can be used at any time like instants (except for planeswalkers abilities): the only restriction is that, if the ability requires the creature to become tapped, you can't use it until that creature got rid of the infamous summoning sickness.
Activated abilities like the one of Llanowar Elves are called mana abilities and they don't use the stack: basically you get that mana no matter what.
Triggered abilities are the ones written with the format "When/Whenever Event happens, Effect triggers", like the ones we can find on Electrostatic Field, or Ravenous Chupacabra, or else "At Specific moment, Effect triggers", like the one we can find on Search for Azcanta.
Like activated abilities, they can't be normally countered since they aren't spells.
Notice that triggered abilities MUST take effect when they ... trigger, unless there is a "may" word involved in the text. Which basically means if you're casting Viashino Pyromancer and you can't target your opponent for some reason, you must Shock yourself!
Static abilities are abilities that are always "on" and are an integral part of the card.
The effects of static abilities are often resumed with a specific keyword; some keywords, like flying, have become very common, but some other, like spectacle, are introduced in a specific set and often used only as a mechanic there.
Below I'll describe some of the most common keywords non-set related:
And I think this should be enough! Feel free to ask anything here below if you have doubts.
MAJULAH BP!
Why are abilities important? Easy enough: many of the synergies you will encounter, brew, and most importantly exploit in the game come from these little sequences of words!
Actually, every effect in the game is an ability, since when you cast a spell, the effect of the spell going on the stack (that you can clearly see on the right of your screen during MTGA matches) is called a spell ability, but let's not concern ourselves with such technicisms.
Basically there are three types of abilities in the game:
- Activated abilities;
- Triggered abilities;
- Static abilities.
Activated abilities are the ones written with the format "Cost: Effect", like the ones we can find on Fanatical Firebrand, or Chromium. Planeswalkers abilities are activated abilities too!
One of the best things about activated abilities is that they can't be normally countered, since they aren't spells: there are very few ways of denying them to your opponent, aside from destroying the card which is "using" them.
Activated abilities can be used at any time like instants (except for planeswalkers abilities): the only restriction is that, if the ability requires the creature to become tapped, you can't use it until that creature got rid of the infamous summoning sickness.
Activated abilities like the one of Llanowar Elves are called mana abilities and they don't use the stack: basically you get that mana no matter what.
Triggered abilities are the ones written with the format "When/Whenever Event happens, Effect triggers", like the ones we can find on Electrostatic Field, or Ravenous Chupacabra, or else "At Specific moment, Effect triggers", like the one we can find on Search for Azcanta.
Like activated abilities, they can't be normally countered since they aren't spells.
Notice that triggered abilities MUST take effect when they ... trigger, unless there is a "may" word involved in the text. Which basically means if you're casting Viashino Pyromancer and you can't target your opponent for some reason, you must Shock yourself!
Static abilities are abilities that are always "on" and are an integral part of the card.
The effects of static abilities are often resumed with a specific keyword; some keywords, like flying, have become very common, but some other, like spectacle, are introduced in a specific set and often used only as a mechanic there.
Below I'll describe some of the most common keywords non-set related:
- Deathtouch: Any damage this card assigns is enough to destroy a creature. (Noncombat damage too!)
- Defender: This creature can't attack.
- Double Strike: This creature assigns both first strike combat damage and normal combat damage. See First Strike.
- Enchant: Literally, "attach this Aura to X and destroy it when X leaves the battlefield".
- Equip: Literally, "attach this Equipment to X". (If X leaves the battlefield the Equipment stays on the battlefield)
- First Strike: This creature assigns combat damage before any other creature without First Strike.
- Flash: You can play this card any time you could play an instant.
- Flying: This creature can be blocked only by other creatures with Flying and Reach.
- Haste: This creature does not suffer from summoning sickness.
- Hexproof: This card can't be the target of spells and abilities your opponent controls.
- Indestructible: This card can't be destroyed by any effects which says "destroy".
- Intimidate: This creature can't be blocked except by artifact creatures and creatures that share a color with it.
- Landwalk: This creature can't be blocked if the opponent controls a land of the indicated type. (Islands for islandwalk and so on)
- Lifelink: Any damage this card assigns causes his controller to gain that much life. (Noncombat damage too!)
- Menace: This creature can be blocked only by two or more creatures.
- Protection: This card can't be damaged, enchanted, equipped, blocked or targeted by any creature, spell, or effect it has protection from.
- Reach: This creature can block other creatures with Flying.
- Shroud: This card can't be the target of spell or abilities (even yours).
- Trample: Any excess damage this creature deals to blocking creatures is dealt to the opponent.
- Vigilance: This creature attacks without tapping.
And I think this should be enough! Feel free to ask anything here below if you have doubts.
MAJULAH BP!