Amass

Amass is a keyword action introduced in War of the Spark that creates and grows an Army.
==Description==
As you amass, if you don't already control an Army creature, you create a 0/0 black Army creature token. Then put a number of +1/+1 counters on one of your Armies equal to the number after amass. If you do control an Army, you don't create any new tokens. Rather, you'll put those +1/+1 counters on an Army you control. In both cases, the Army that you amass then becomes the creature type after amass, in addition to its other types.
Amass was designed so a player would control one Army at any given time but there are several ways to create multiple Armies. You can copy an Army you control, control a creature with Changeling, or modify the creature type using <c>Artificial Evolution</c>. Conversely, Amass sets are designed so that an Army can never be completely "locked down", weakening all future amass spells; this can be seen with <c>Law-Rune Enforcer</c>, <c>Kasmina's Transmutation</c>, <c>Bewitching Leechcraft</c> and <c>Fog on the Barrow-Downs</c>. Each of these use a distinct way to minimize its impact on Army tokens.
Amass has only appeared on , , and cards in sets that feature large-scale conflicts with a numerous, but mostly faceless, antagonist force.
<c>Wick, the Whorled Mind</c> has an ability that is functionally "Amass Snails 1". With no other effects, it could use a conventional 1/1 token rather than the 0/0.
===Amass Zombies===
In War of the Spark, Amass is flavorfully connected to Nicol Bolas's army, the Dreadhorde. It created black Zombie Army creature tokens.
The original form of the mechanic specifically created a black Zombie Army and did not specify a creature type. Mark Rosewater noted that if Amass were ever to return, it was a possibility that it would create an Army of another creature type. However, this would necessitate some tweaking of the mechanic.
When the mechanic was reworked for The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth, all previous amass cards received errata to "amass Zombies N." The functionality of Amass changed slightly so that if an Army creature you amass on was not already the amassed creature type (i.e. Zombie), it becomes that type in addition to its other types. The first card to be printed with the text Amass Zombies was the reprint. The first new card was .
===Amass Orcs===
In The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth, Amass is tied to the Orc hosts of Mordor and Isengard. The mechanic was reworked for the set to allow different creature types to be amassed; changing the mechanic from "amass N" to "amass [subtype] N". Design had looked at extending the flexibility to include a color option but as the Orcs in the set were all black, the simpler version was prefered. R&D decided to keep it in the same colors as War of the Spark — .
The release of The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth Jumpstart Volume 2 include an additional Jumpstart exclusive card with amass Orcs <c>Warg Rider</c>.
===Amass Slivers===
Commander Masters introduced a one-off Amass variant for Slivers on <c>Lazotep Sliver</c>.
==Rules==
==Rulings==
*Amass abilities are now written as "amass [subtype] N." Cards printed prior to The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth with amass received errata to say "amass Zombies N."
**To amass Orcs N, if you don't control an Army creature, create a 0/0 black Orc Army creature token. Then you choose an Army creature you control and put N +1/+1 counters on it. If that Army isn't already an Orc, it becomes an Orc in addition to its other types.
**Amass Zombies works the same way, except you create a 0/0 black Zombie Army creature token if you don't control an Army. And if the Army creature you chose isn't already a Zombie, it becomes a Zombie in addition to its other types. By combining cards with amass Orcs and amass Zombies, you can end up with an Orc Zombie Army.
*In the rare case that you control multiple Army creatures (perhaps because you played a creature with changeling) while you amass Orcs, you choose which of your Army creatures to put the +1/+1 counters on. If that creature isn't an Orc, it becomes an Orc in addition to its other types.
*If you don't control an Army, the Orc Army token you create enters the battlefield as a 0/0 creature before receiving counters. Any abilities that trigger when a creature with a certain power enters the battlefield, such as that of <c>Mentor of the Meek</c>, will see the token enter as a 0/0 creature before it gets +1/+1 counters.
*Some spells and abilities that amass Orcs may require targets. If each target chosen is an illegal target as that spell or ability tries to resolve, it won't resolve. You won't amass Orcs.
*Some cards refer to the "amassed Army." That means the Army creature you chose to receive counters, even if no counters were placed on it for some reason.
==Examples==
==References==
==External links==
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