If you go to enough competitive events you will likely be deck checked at some point. If you haven’t, it’s nothing to worry about. Judges check decks periodically as part of their efforts to make sure that the event is fair. We want to make sure that not only are players not intentionally cheating in […]
Creatures only exist on the battlefield; in every other zone they are creature cards.
Many spells and abilities affect creatures in some way or another. When text on a card refers to creatures, it means creatures on the battlefield. This is because creatures only exist when on the battlefield. When a creature card is in any other zone, it is just that: a creature card. For example, let’s say […]
What targets and what does not.
While technically not a keyword ability or a keyword mechanic, ‘target’ is definitely a key word in Magic, and one that can confuse players. It is important to know which spells and abilities target because of the interactions with actual keyword mechanics like protection, shroud and hexproof, and for other rules issues like determining if […]
Tokens don’t have to be perfect, but you do have to be able to differentiate them.
For several years now, boosters have contained token cards representing the various token creatures that can be made by cards in that expansion. Many are fairly generic and have a name, type, and power and toughness. However, a few others do have more abilities such as flying, regeneration, deathtouch, lifelink and more. You do not […]
Sacrificing a creature to Birthing Pod is a cost.
, an artifact from New Phyrexia, has an activated ability that allows you to search your library for creature cards. This ability has an additional cost of sacrificing a creature you control. The creature card you end up finding must have a converted mana cost equal to one plus the converted mana cost of the […]
Instigator Gang / Wildblood Pack’s static abilities end when it leaves play.
Both sides of / have static abilities that give either a +1/+0 or +3/+0 bonus to attacking creatures controlled by the controller of this permanent. This bonus is applied as soon as a creature controlled by this player becomes an attacking creature and lasts until the combat phase ends or the Instigator Gang / Wolfblood […]
Corpse Lunge deals damage, the exiled creature card does not.
As an additional cost to cast , you exile a creature card from your graveyard. When Corpse Lunge resolves, damage equal to the power of the exiled creature card will be dealt to the targeted creature. It is important to note that the source of this damage is the Corpse Lunge itself, and not the […]
How Reach works
Reach is a somewhat unusual keyword abilities for a few reasons. Like a few other keyword abilities, it has been around since the start of Magic–it just didn’t become a keyword ability until much later. Another unusual fact about reach is that it is specifically mentioned in the rules governing another keyword ability: flying. Reach, […]
Creatures are no longer attacking or blocking once combat ends.
Attacking or blocking is a status that is given to creatures in combat when they attack or block. A creature will become either attacking or blocking when legal blocks or attacks are made. This status will remain until the combat phase ends. For example, a creature that was attacking earlier in a turn is not […]