Get the most value out of you Firedrinker Satyr by giving it lifelink! Any damage it deals to anything (including you!) causes you to gain that much life, negating any possible drawback.
Category: Static Abilities
Taking control of creatures with Ethereal Armor attached.
When you take control of a creature, you don't get control of the things that are attached to it. This makes a big difference in the case of certain things like Ethereal Armor.
Devotion and Counterspells
By far the biggest chunk of questions I’ve gotten from my players and my threads the past week are all about the last mechanic we’re covering this week (sorry, Scry): Devotion. Devotion is more or less a reworking of Chroma, an ability word from back in Lorwyn block. Put simply, “Devotion to COLOR” is measured […]
Two Syphon Slivers are the same as one.
There are some keyword abilities that are useful in multiples. Generally speaking, it’s the triggered abilities (like Exalted or Flanking) that make sense to have more than one. Static abilities that modify power/toughness (like or ) also make cumulative sense. However, there are also many abilities that are useless when duplicated. Things like Trample, First […]
M14 Rules Changes! Making “indestructible” an ability
In the post-Magic 2014 world, “indestructible” is now a keyworded ability! Instead of cards having the wording “Darksteel Ingot is indestructible”, the Ingot now simply has the ability “indestructible.” The indestructible ability does the exact same thing that “this permanent is indestructible” used to: a permanent with indestructible can’t be destroyed by lethal damage or […]
M14 Rules Changes, effective this Saturday July 13!
While we’re still waiting for the FAQ and the final Comprehensive Rules update bulletin for all the nit-picky details, we wanted to make sure everyone at least has an idea of how the rules are changing. The most noticeable changes are to the Legend Rule and the Planeswalker Uniqueness Rule. Rather than reinvent the wheel, […]
Goblin Electromancer only reduces the cost of a fused spell by 1.
Before the Izzet, there was Arcane. Before Arcane, there was storm. And before storm, there were split spells! Fresh off the heels of Grand Prix Modern Masters, we come full circle with a look at the Fuse mechanic, a blast from the past in Dragon’s Maze with a little twist involved. Probably no guild benefited […]
With Melek, you will reveal every card you draw, even if drawing multiple cards at a time.
Question: When is drawing 3 cards not drawing 3 cards? The truth is that certain things, although simple and intuitive in the real world, end up not translating so well into Magic-ese, and drawing cards turns out to be one of these things. Since the game can’t handle multiple card draws simultaneously, it ends up […]
Abilities, Activated Abilities, Characteristics, Continuous Effects, Effects, Interaction of Continuous Effects, Keywords, Static Abilities
Melira and Inkmoth Nexus
Infect! Quite the polarizing mechanic in most areas, it was either considered laughably bad or stupidly broken depending on who you were talking to. It’s gained some traction lately with eggs-in-one-basket rush decks, especially in Modern, and it’s possible you might run into a Pod deck running and you want to know how it interacts […]