MTG keywords explained: What every keyword means in Magic: The Gathering
“Scry N” means you look at N cards from the top of your library. You can put any number of those cards on the bottom of your library, then you put the rest back on top of your library in any order. The total amount of mana in a mana cost, regardless of color. For example, a card with a mana cost of has a mana value of 5. You can’t interact with cards in exile unless an ability specifies otherwise. This symbol means “tap this permanent” (turn it sideways to show that it has been used).
It opens up a world of pauper decks online gaming, where you can connect with players from around the globe. Understanding these advanced MTG Arena Terminology concepts is like unlocking the final level of a video game. Whether you’re competing in tournaments or just want to deepen your understanding of the game, these terms are essential. I remember the joy of finally understanding what my friends were talking about when they discussed their favorite decks or strategies. It was like unlocking a secret door into a world I wanted to be part of.
PERMANENT
Partner is a Commander mechanic that allows you to have two commanders instead of one. There’s also a variant where two creatures partner with each other specifically. Menace debuted in Fallen Empires and makes a creature unblockable unless the opponent uses two or more creatures. Horsemanship is a Portal Three Kingdoms mechanic that meant that the creature could only be blocked by other creatures with horsemanship. Haunt appeared in Guildpact and allows creatures to have additional effects after they die by exiling themselves and targeting another creature. An ability that allows creatures to attack or tap on the turn they come out.
A creature with flying can be blocked only by creatures with flying or reach. Unleash allows you to put a +1/+1 counter on a creature as it enters the battlefield, but stops the creature being able to block if you do so. This keyword appeared in Return to Ravnica originally. Transfigure allows you to pay a cost and sacrifice the permanent to look through your library for a creature with the same mana value and put it onto the battlefield. Sunburst creatures enter the battlefield with a +1/+1 counter on them for each colour of mana used to cast them. Recover allows you to pay mana to put a card from your graveyard to your hand.
COLORLESS
Encore allows you to exile a creature card from your graveyard to create a token of it that has to attack each opponent you have. Cycling allows you to pay a cost to discard the card and draw a new one, or fetch up a specific kind of card. Battle Cry was first seen in Mirrodin Besieged and grants other attacking creatures +1/+0 whenever the creature with the ability attacks. Awaken is an ability that allowed you to put +1/+1 counters onto a land and then turn it into a 0/0 Elemental creature with haste, that mostly appeared in Battle for Zendikar. Learning and using MTG Arena Terminology is like learning to speak a new language. It can be challenging at first, but it’s also rewarding and fun.
These events allow players to get their hands on the new cards before anyone else, fostering a sense of excitement and camaraderie among the Magic community. The anatomy of an MTG card consists of various sections that provide important information about the card’s attributes and abilities. Understanding these key elements is crucial for players to strategize and make informed decisions during gameplay. When a spell or ability tells you to put something onto the battlefield, you move that card into the battlefield zone.
Now used to describe any Black/Red/Green card or deck. Now used as a wedge nickname for any Blue/Red/White card or deck. A card whose effect dramatically changes the game state.
Milling does not directly cause a game loss; only when the player is required to draw from their empty library do they lose. However, decking and milling are still closely connected, since milling sets a player up to deck themselves. A play on “group hug”, a group slug is a multiplayer archetype involving shared pain, usually in the form of direct damage, life loss, or sacrifice. It typically involves permanents with triggered abilities that deal damage to opponents. To play a card, typically with a large mana cost, without paying that mana cost or at a significantly reduced cost.
All cantrips printed before Weatherlight had the wording “draw a card at the beginning of the next upkeep.” A deck that does not seem to follow the trends of a particular metagame. Using a deck or strategy that is unorthodox or non-conventional. Spells that destroy or otherwise remove an opponent’s permanents.
Unearth allows you to bring a creature back from the graveyard to the battlefield for a turn before exiling it and appeared in Shards of Alara initially. Totem armor is an aura mechanic which means if the permanent they’re attached to would be destroyed, the aura is destroyed instead. Soulshift allows you to return a different spirit creature from the graveyard to your hand as the creature dies. Shadow debuted in Tempest and means a creature can only block or be blocked by other creatures with shadow. Overload is an alternate cost that means a spell will target all potential options instead of just one. Improvise allows you to tap artifacts to reduce the cost of a spell.
Nevertheless, Combo is an excellent deck archetype for those who like to master a single skill. The weaknesses and strengths of this style are entirely based on what kind of combo it’s trying to pull off. You’ll have to learn about it based on which combo you go for.
MTG keywords explained: What every keyword means in Magic: The Gathering
A style of deck that has everyone sacrificing their own permanents or messes with your resources and ability to play the game. A style of deck that aims to use instant and sorcery spells to win the game. Also known as mana curve, the distribution of casting costs within your deck. A card that lets you draw a card when it resolves, but also does something else, such as being a creature or dealing damage. Usually used to refer to a card in a draft or sealed deck that will win a game upon being played. A type of deck in the metagame such as an aggro, midrange or control deck.