VolCanon
03-10-2004, 12:32 PM
For an UPDATED version of this go HERE.
A quick glance has a whole bunch of "What are these mechanics" questions on this forum, so I'm going to just list them all and then we can avoid questions like that. Parts of this may be shamelessly copied from other websites.
Arcane (Champions of Kamigawa) - By itself, Arcane does nothing and is simply a sub type of an instant/sorcery. However certain spelles can trigger effects on arcane spells (eg Splice onto Arcane).
Affinity (Mirrodin) - "This permanent costs (1) less to cast for every of (type) you control." Myr Enforcer costs (3) if you control 4 artifacts. Spire Golem is free if you control 9 Islands.
Amplify (Onslaught) - Amplify X means "When this creature card is summoned, reveal X creatures of the summoned creature's creature type(s). If you do, put X times N +1/+1 counters on that creature (X = Amplify X. N = Number of revealed creatures).
Banding, Bands with other - This is a doozy, I refer you to http://www.essentialmagic.com/rule-general.html#502.10
Bushido X (Champions of Kamigawa) - When this blocks or becomes blocked, it gets +X/+X until end of turn.
BuyBack - (Tempest Cycle) - You may pay an additional [cost] as you play this spell. If you do, put the spell into your hand instead of into your graveyard as it resolves. Thus if you pay 4UU for Capsize (1UU + 3), and the spell resolves, Capsize is returned to your hand. You can use it again if you have the mana.
Cycling (Urza and Onslaught Block) - "X: Pay cost X to discard this card and draw a card." Some cards may also say "When you cycle you may...", some others say "When you cycle you may pay to do...". Cycling is a discard, so cards like Megrim activate. Cycling is a draw, so cards like Underworld Dreams activate.
Cumulative Upkeep - (Last appeared in Weatherlight) Cumulative upkeep [cost]" means "At the beginning of your upkeep, put an age counter on this permanent, then sacrifice this permanent unless you pay [cost] for each age counter on it". This means that you CAN use Power Conduit/Giant Fan to remove Age Counters and turn them into +1/+1 counters (and pay less upkeep).
Defender (Ninth Edition) - Defender (This creature can't attack.) (It will be put on all walls.)
Double-Strike (Onslaught) - This creature deals first-strike damage and regular combat damage. This counts as two separate attacks but you cannot change targets of the attack. Thus a 2/1 Double-Strike deals a total of 4 damage. If you attack the opponent directly, "When this deals combat damage to a player" activates twice.
Echo - (Urza block) - "At the beginning of your upkeep, if this permanent came under your control since the beginning of your last upkeep, sacrifice it unless you pay its mana cost." You only have to pay Echo once.
Entwine (Mirrodin) - "You may choose to use all modes of this spell instead of just one. If you do, you pay an additional [cost]". Promise of Power costs 2BBB, pay entwine (4) and it costs (6)BBB and you get to draw 5 and a token. You DO NOT choose which entwine ability happens first; it happens on the order that they are printed on the card.
Equip (Mirrodin) - "[cost]: Move this Equipment onto target creature you control. Play this ability only any time you could play a sorcery". Equipment taps with the creature it is attached to.
Fading (Masques) - This permanent comes into play with X fade counters on it. At the beginning of your upkeep, remove a fade counter from this permanent. If you can't, sacrifice the permanent. Something with Fading 0 is sacrificed the turn after it is cast.
Fear - This creature cannot be blocked except by black and/or artifact creatures
First Strike - Essentially deals damage before other creatures without first strike deal damage. If a creature takes first strike damage that is lethal, it dies before doing it's damage.
Flanking - Whenever this creature becomes blocked by a creature without flanking, the blocking creature gets -1/-1 until end of turn. This only applies to when the creature is attacking.
Flashback - "You may play this card from your graveyard by paying [cost] rather than paying its mana cost. If you do, remove this card from the game instead of putting it anywhere else any time it would resolve". You can only play Flashback when it is legal to play that spell. A sorcery with Flashback can't be played on the opponent's turn, etc.
Flying - This creature cannot be blocked by creatures without flying.
Haste - This creature may use abilities with (Tap) as a cost and may attack the turn it comes into play.
Horsemanship - (3 Kingdoms Portal) - Essentially flying (made cuz in ancient China they couldnt fly). A creature with horsemanship can't be blocked by creatures without horsemanship. A creature with horsemanship can block a creature with or without horsemanship
Imprint (Mirrodin) - "Imprint - [text]," where "[text]" is a triggered or activated ability. Cards that are in the removed-from-game zone because they were removed from the game by an imprint ability are imprinted on the source of that ability. You can choose to not Imprint if you don't want to, the ability will just not be able to activate on the card. Imprint can be Stifled. Some cards have a cost X (such as Panoptic Mirror) as well as the remove card from game cost.
Indestructable (Mirrodin) - This card cannot be destroyed from lethal damage or "destroy" effects. That means global destruction spells like Wrath of God do not destroy creatures with Indestructable. (Remember however, indestructable is a quality of a card and not an ability).
Kicker - "You may pay an additional [cost] as you play this spell". Playing Kicker often makes cards more powerful. It will say what Kicker does on the card.
Landwalk - (6 varieties, i believe. 1 for every basic land and Desertwalk from some Nomads in Arabian Knights) - Creature with Landwalk may attack directly if opponent controls at least one of that Land. (For example, a hippo with Islandwalk may attack directly if the other guy controls an Island)
Madness (Odyssey) - If a player would discard this card from his or her hand, that player discards it, but may remove it from the game instead of putting it into his or her graveyard" and "When this card is removed from the game this way, until that player passes next, the player may play it any time he or she could play an instant as though it were in his or her hand by paying [cost] rather than paying its mana cost. When the player passes next, he or she puts this card into his or her graveyard.
Basically, play this card when you discard it for it's Madness cost instead of it's Mana cost. For more - http://www.essentialmagic.com/rule-general.html#502.24
Modular - Only applies to some artifact creatures. They come into play with X +1/+1 counters. When they die, those counters may be put on another artifact creature.
Morph (Onslaught) - Instead of playing a creature spell, you may play a creature with Morph face-down for (3). It becomes a nameless no ability 2/2 with casting cost Zero. Pay the "Morph X" cost to turn it face-up at any time. This ability can not be countered. Some Morph creatures do additional things when un-Morphed (such as return target creature to opponent's hand). If a Morphed card leaves play for any reason you must reveal it. While in play, a Morphed creature is only revealable to you.
Phasing - (Mirage Cycle) - During each player's untap step, before the active player untaps his or her permanents, all permanents with phasing the player controls phase out. Simultaneously, all objects that had phased out under that player's control phase in. Phased permanents are removed from the game until they phase back in. Enchantments and Equipment phase out WITH a creature with Phasing. "Leaves play" abilities are activated by Phasing, but "Comes into play" abilities are not.
For more - http://www.essentialmagic.com/rule-general.html#502.15
Protection - (Protection from Black/Red/Green/White/Blue, Protection from Creatures, Protection from Sorceries, Protection from Kavu, Protection from artifacts, etc...) - That color cannot damage, enchant, block, or target a creature. For more Info - http://www.essentialmagic.com/rule-general.html#502.7
Provoke (Onslaught) - Whenever this creature attacks, you may choose to have target creature defending player controls block this creature this combat if able. If you do, untap that creature. If a creature has two instances of Provoke, they may use it on two different creatures.
Rampage - (Alliances or something)Rampage [X] means "Whenever this creature becomes blocked, it gets +X/+X until end of turn for each creature blocking it beyond the first". The mechanic has sometimes appeared more recently but more than ofter the "beyond the first" is removed and the ability is not keyworded.
Regeneration - The next time [permanent] would be destroyed this turn, instead remove all damage from it, tap it, and (if it’s in combat) remove it from combat. (destruction-replacement effect.)
Scry (Fifth Dawn) - "Look at the top two cards of your library. Put any number of them on the bottom of your library and the rest on top in any order."
Shadow - (Tempest) - A creature with shadow can't be blocked by creatures without shadow, and a creature without shadow can't be blocked by creatures with shadow.
Snow-Covered - (Badly supported mechanic from Ice Age and Alliances) - Snow-Covered Lands (all 5), are still considered basic lands but have the ability "Snow-Covered". There are several cards that have different abilities or functions depending on whether you or your opponent controls a Snow-Covered land. (such as Snow-Covered Landwalk).
Soulshift (Champions of Kamigawa) - Soulshift X (When this permanent is put into a graveyard, you may return target Spirit card with converted mana cost X or less from your graveyard to your hand."
Splice onto Arcane (Champions of Kamigawa) - "You may reveal this card from your hand as you play a [type or subtype] spell. If you do, copy this card's text box onto that spell and pay [cost] as an additional cost to play that spell."
Storm (Onslaught) - "When you play this spell, put a copy of it onto the stack for each other spell that was played before it this turn. If the spell has any targets, you may choose new targets for any number of the copies." This doesnt count the Storm spell itself. If you play Disenchant, then Wing Shards, the opponent must sacrifice two attackers. Probably the most annoying mechanic in Type 2 right now (one-turn kill with mind's desire, etc.)
Sunburst (Fifth Dawn) - "This comes into play with a charge coutner on it for each [different] color mana used to pay its cost."
Threshold (Odyssey) - "As long as you have seven or more cards in your graveyard, [this card] has [text] instead of it's original wording."
Trample - If an attacking creature has trample and is blocked by a creature with toughness lower than the attacking creature's power, the attacking player may assign trample damage to the defender. You may only assign trample damage to a player if all blockers first recieve lethal damage.
Vigilance (Keyworded in Fifth Dawn; mech has been around since Alpha) - Attacking does not cause this creature to tap.
A quick glance has a whole bunch of "What are these mechanics" questions on this forum, so I'm going to just list them all and then we can avoid questions like that. Parts of this may be shamelessly copied from other websites.
Arcane (Champions of Kamigawa) - By itself, Arcane does nothing and is simply a sub type of an instant/sorcery. However certain spelles can trigger effects on arcane spells (eg Splice onto Arcane).
Affinity (Mirrodin) - "This permanent costs (1) less to cast for every of (type) you control." Myr Enforcer costs (3) if you control 4 artifacts. Spire Golem is free if you control 9 Islands.
Amplify (Onslaught) - Amplify X means "When this creature card is summoned, reveal X creatures of the summoned creature's creature type(s). If you do, put X times N +1/+1 counters on that creature (X = Amplify X. N = Number of revealed creatures).
Banding, Bands with other - This is a doozy, I refer you to http://www.essentialmagic.com/rule-general.html#502.10
Bushido X (Champions of Kamigawa) - When this blocks or becomes blocked, it gets +X/+X until end of turn.
BuyBack - (Tempest Cycle) - You may pay an additional [cost] as you play this spell. If you do, put the spell into your hand instead of into your graveyard as it resolves. Thus if you pay 4UU for Capsize (1UU + 3), and the spell resolves, Capsize is returned to your hand. You can use it again if you have the mana.
Cycling (Urza and Onslaught Block) - "X: Pay cost X to discard this card and draw a card." Some cards may also say "When you cycle you may...", some others say "When you cycle you may pay to do...". Cycling is a discard, so cards like Megrim activate. Cycling is a draw, so cards like Underworld Dreams activate.
Cumulative Upkeep - (Last appeared in Weatherlight) Cumulative upkeep [cost]" means "At the beginning of your upkeep, put an age counter on this permanent, then sacrifice this permanent unless you pay [cost] for each age counter on it". This means that you CAN use Power Conduit/Giant Fan to remove Age Counters and turn them into +1/+1 counters (and pay less upkeep).
Defender (Ninth Edition) - Defender (This creature can't attack.) (It will be put on all walls.)
Double-Strike (Onslaught) - This creature deals first-strike damage and regular combat damage. This counts as two separate attacks but you cannot change targets of the attack. Thus a 2/1 Double-Strike deals a total of 4 damage. If you attack the opponent directly, "When this deals combat damage to a player" activates twice.
Echo - (Urza block) - "At the beginning of your upkeep, if this permanent came under your control since the beginning of your last upkeep, sacrifice it unless you pay its mana cost." You only have to pay Echo once.
Entwine (Mirrodin) - "You may choose to use all modes of this spell instead of just one. If you do, you pay an additional [cost]". Promise of Power costs 2BBB, pay entwine (4) and it costs (6)BBB and you get to draw 5 and a token. You DO NOT choose which entwine ability happens first; it happens on the order that they are printed on the card.
Equip (Mirrodin) - "[cost]: Move this Equipment onto target creature you control. Play this ability only any time you could play a sorcery". Equipment taps with the creature it is attached to.
Fading (Masques) - This permanent comes into play with X fade counters on it. At the beginning of your upkeep, remove a fade counter from this permanent. If you can't, sacrifice the permanent. Something with Fading 0 is sacrificed the turn after it is cast.
Fear - This creature cannot be blocked except by black and/or artifact creatures
First Strike - Essentially deals damage before other creatures without first strike deal damage. If a creature takes first strike damage that is lethal, it dies before doing it's damage.
Flanking - Whenever this creature becomes blocked by a creature without flanking, the blocking creature gets -1/-1 until end of turn. This only applies to when the creature is attacking.
Flashback - "You may play this card from your graveyard by paying [cost] rather than paying its mana cost. If you do, remove this card from the game instead of putting it anywhere else any time it would resolve". You can only play Flashback when it is legal to play that spell. A sorcery with Flashback can't be played on the opponent's turn, etc.
Flying - This creature cannot be blocked by creatures without flying.
Haste - This creature may use abilities with (Tap) as a cost and may attack the turn it comes into play.
Horsemanship - (3 Kingdoms Portal) - Essentially flying (made cuz in ancient China they couldnt fly). A creature with horsemanship can't be blocked by creatures without horsemanship. A creature with horsemanship can block a creature with or without horsemanship
Imprint (Mirrodin) - "Imprint - [text]," where "[text]" is a triggered or activated ability. Cards that are in the removed-from-game zone because they were removed from the game by an imprint ability are imprinted on the source of that ability. You can choose to not Imprint if you don't want to, the ability will just not be able to activate on the card. Imprint can be Stifled. Some cards have a cost X (such as Panoptic Mirror) as well as the remove card from game cost.
Indestructable (Mirrodin) - This card cannot be destroyed from lethal damage or "destroy" effects. That means global destruction spells like Wrath of God do not destroy creatures with Indestructable. (Remember however, indestructable is a quality of a card and not an ability).
Kicker - "You may pay an additional [cost] as you play this spell". Playing Kicker often makes cards more powerful. It will say what Kicker does on the card.
Landwalk - (6 varieties, i believe. 1 for every basic land and Desertwalk from some Nomads in Arabian Knights) - Creature with Landwalk may attack directly if opponent controls at least one of that Land. (For example, a hippo with Islandwalk may attack directly if the other guy controls an Island)
Madness (Odyssey) - If a player would discard this card from his or her hand, that player discards it, but may remove it from the game instead of putting it into his or her graveyard" and "When this card is removed from the game this way, until that player passes next, the player may play it any time he or she could play an instant as though it were in his or her hand by paying [cost] rather than paying its mana cost. When the player passes next, he or she puts this card into his or her graveyard.
Basically, play this card when you discard it for it's Madness cost instead of it's Mana cost. For more - http://www.essentialmagic.com/rule-general.html#502.24
Modular - Only applies to some artifact creatures. They come into play with X +1/+1 counters. When they die, those counters may be put on another artifact creature.
Morph (Onslaught) - Instead of playing a creature spell, you may play a creature with Morph face-down for (3). It becomes a nameless no ability 2/2 with casting cost Zero. Pay the "Morph X" cost to turn it face-up at any time. This ability can not be countered. Some Morph creatures do additional things when un-Morphed (such as return target creature to opponent's hand). If a Morphed card leaves play for any reason you must reveal it. While in play, a Morphed creature is only revealable to you.
Phasing - (Mirage Cycle) - During each player's untap step, before the active player untaps his or her permanents, all permanents with phasing the player controls phase out. Simultaneously, all objects that had phased out under that player's control phase in. Phased permanents are removed from the game until they phase back in. Enchantments and Equipment phase out WITH a creature with Phasing. "Leaves play" abilities are activated by Phasing, but "Comes into play" abilities are not.
For more - http://www.essentialmagic.com/rule-general.html#502.15
Protection - (Protection from Black/Red/Green/White/Blue, Protection from Creatures, Protection from Sorceries, Protection from Kavu, Protection from artifacts, etc...) - That color cannot damage, enchant, block, or target a creature. For more Info - http://www.essentialmagic.com/rule-general.html#502.7
Provoke (Onslaught) - Whenever this creature attacks, you may choose to have target creature defending player controls block this creature this combat if able. If you do, untap that creature. If a creature has two instances of Provoke, they may use it on two different creatures.
Rampage - (Alliances or something)Rampage [X] means "Whenever this creature becomes blocked, it gets +X/+X until end of turn for each creature blocking it beyond the first". The mechanic has sometimes appeared more recently but more than ofter the "beyond the first" is removed and the ability is not keyworded.
Regeneration - The next time [permanent] would be destroyed this turn, instead remove all damage from it, tap it, and (if it’s in combat) remove it from combat. (destruction-replacement effect.)
Scry (Fifth Dawn) - "Look at the top two cards of your library. Put any number of them on the bottom of your library and the rest on top in any order."
Shadow - (Tempest) - A creature with shadow can't be blocked by creatures without shadow, and a creature without shadow can't be blocked by creatures with shadow.
Snow-Covered - (Badly supported mechanic from Ice Age and Alliances) - Snow-Covered Lands (all 5), are still considered basic lands but have the ability "Snow-Covered". There are several cards that have different abilities or functions depending on whether you or your opponent controls a Snow-Covered land. (such as Snow-Covered Landwalk).
Soulshift (Champions of Kamigawa) - Soulshift X (When this permanent is put into a graveyard, you may return target Spirit card with converted mana cost X or less from your graveyard to your hand."
Splice onto Arcane (Champions of Kamigawa) - "You may reveal this card from your hand as you play a [type or subtype] spell. If you do, copy this card's text box onto that spell and pay [cost] as an additional cost to play that spell."
Storm (Onslaught) - "When you play this spell, put a copy of it onto the stack for each other spell that was played before it this turn. If the spell has any targets, you may choose new targets for any number of the copies." This doesnt count the Storm spell itself. If you play Disenchant, then Wing Shards, the opponent must sacrifice two attackers. Probably the most annoying mechanic in Type 2 right now (one-turn kill with mind's desire, etc.)
Sunburst (Fifth Dawn) - "This comes into play with a charge coutner on it for each [different] color mana used to pay its cost."
Threshold (Odyssey) - "As long as you have seven or more cards in your graveyard, [this card] has [text] instead of it's original wording."
Trample - If an attacking creature has trample and is blocked by a creature with toughness lower than the attacking creature's power, the attacking player may assign trample damage to the defender. You may only assign trample damage to a player if all blockers first recieve lethal damage.
Vigilance (Keyworded in Fifth Dawn; mech has been around since Alpha) - Attacking does not cause this creature to tap.