Modal

Modal spells or abilities give the caster a choice of two or more effects when it is cast or otherwise put on the stack. Modes are the different effects you may choose on a modal spell or ability. 
==Description==
A modal spell or ability begins with "Choose one —" (or "Choose two —", etc.) followed by multiple bulleted possible effect choices, or modes. When a modal spell or ability is announced its controller first chooses one of the modes to take effect before choosing its target or targets if it requires any. A permanent with an activated or triggered ability that includes modes is not a modal spell. 
A list of all cards with modal effects.
The keyword abilities escalate, entwine, and spree allow the caster to choose additional/all options by paying an additional cost.
===History===
The earliest modal spell is <c>Healing Salve</c>, although initially, it didn't have the "Choose one —" wording. It was reworded when reprinted in Urza's Saga.
In August 2014, along with the rules update for Khans of Tarkir, the templating for modal abilities was changed from its previous semicolon-separated prose list format to a bulleted list, making them more readable. All existing modal cards received errata on Oracle to have bullet points, and all subsequent modal cards (e.g. <c>Jeskai Charm</c>) have been formatted this way.
In 2024, was the first card to reference modal spells by name. It also has a unique modal ability that where the number of modes is not controlled by the ability individually, but by another modal spell.
===Variations===
There are several variations of modal spells and abilities:
*"An opponent chooses one —" appears on three spells, <c>Fatal Lore</c>, <c>Library of Lat-Nam</c> and <c>Misfortune</c>, all from Alliances. Largely obsolete, as most punisher choices are binary and use "may have X, else Y", though if there ends up more than two choices it may return. The greatest functional difference is that if copied the choice is locked in, whereas modern punisher cards can result in the opponent splitting the difference. has this if the caster can't call someone to choose for them.
*"If [event], instead choose one —". This is a modal replacement effect. This wording was used for <c>Time Vault</c>'s Oracle text at one point but is no longer on any cards.
* "Choose two —" appears on a series of cards known as Commands; the caster is given a choice of four effects, and as expected allows the user to use two of them. Four cycles have been printed, alongside some one-offs. One common lets one choose two of three options.
*"Choose one or both —" has appeared a few times starting in Alara block; two effects are given, and the caster is allowed to choose either for resolution. This is for spells priced to hit two targets but can be still used when only one target is the rational choice. The wording is also used for the two common Escalate cards, which typically use "one or more" as the others have three modes.
**"Choose up to one" is a similar concept, appearing on generally unavoidable triggered abilities, first seen on . Phrasing it this way avoids the problem of forcing a player into a bad decision as one cannot choose a mode with no legal targets: each of the six cards has two targeted modes.
*"Choose one or more —" was first seen on <c>Rain of Thorns</c> in Avacyn Restored but has appeared most in Eldritch Moon's Escalate. 
**"Choose any number" is close to identical, having first appeared on <c>Rankle, Master of Pranks</c>. It is used as unlike casting an instant or sorcery, it can be rational for the triggered ability to choose nothing. It appears again on the cycle of Inscriptions in Zendikar Rising, though the reasoning behind the templating there is unknown.
**"Choose one or more costs" is the templating for Spree, which is unique as a player is "locked out" of certain modes if the mana is insufficient. In this sense it is similar to fuse.
*"Choose three" has appeared on the Confluence cycle in Commander 2015, returning in Streets of New Capenna/Commander decks, and one-off in <c>Cosmium Confluence</c>. All of these have the text of "you may choose the same mode more than once" with three modes. uses it more conventionally with six modes. 
**"Choose four" with the same rider text has appeared once on <c>Planewide Celebration</c>. has "Choose five". Both have several modes equal to the number to choose from. <c>Doomsday Confluence</c> has "Choose X" with three choices and a mana-defined X cost.
*"Choose up to X pawprints worth of modes" is a new templating from Bloomburrow, first seen on the "Pick Your Poison" Mystery Booster card. A player can distribute the allocated value among the modes, but some cost more than others; it contains the "you may choose the same mode more than once" clause so a player can spend their currency on multiple one-value modes or a single activation of a more expensive mode.
* "Choose one that hasn't been chosen —" appears on , <c>Demonic Pact</c>, <c>Captive Audience</c>, <c>Sol'Kanar the Tainted</c>, <c>Gandalf the Grey</c>, <c>Three Bowls of Porridge</c>, <c>Survivor's Med Kit</c> and <c>Silent Hallcreeper</c>. All of these cards funnel the player into a particular outcome, either having negative effects or an unreversible change. has all positive effects due to being inactive half the time, taking ten turns on average to complete. has a similar phrasing, but each outcome is more or less identical (getting a particular card). 
**<c>Kargan Intimidator</c> adds the rider "this turn" for an activated ability; , <c>Galadriel, Light of Valinor</c> and <c>Breeches, Eager Pillager</c> does the same for their triggered abilities. This lets each mode be more powerful as they can't repeat, but also lets players vary the gameplay or build around them. <c>Genku, Future Shaper</c> does it as a simple cap of three creatures a turn.
*"Choose one at random" has appeared on two cards: <c>Outlaw's Merriment</c>, where it still ultimately makes a creature, and <c>Cult of Skaro</c>, which has four disparate outcomes.
*"Choose X or Y —" was devised to allow for a singular choice for a permanent, currently on seven enchantments and an artifact. The Siege cycle from Fate Reforged used "Khans or Dragons"; inspired by this, <c>Mirrodin Besieged</c> asked "Mirran or Phyrexian". The other two are Unstable cards: "Bland or Flavourful" for a variant of <c>Ineffable Blessing</c>, and "Whack or Doodle" for <c>Buzzing Whack-a-Doodle</c>.
**Modal double-faced cards from the sets in 2021 are a new form of this X or Y choice, which avoids memory issues by having a different face being used. All of them from Zendikar Rising have lands on the back face, which makes it very clear as to which side is the default side. Kaldheim follows a similar rule in that the front face is always a God; and finally Strixhaven: School of Mages have enemy color sides, though which side is the front is not immediately obvious.
====Cards choosing a quality====
A subset of modal spells have choices regarding choosing a color, creature type, name, or card type. These are distinct from other modal spells in that the spell more or less has the same effects on the chosen quality, whereas the modal spells that follow the bullet point format often have several distinct effects.
== Rules==
==As design element==
Modality is one of the fundamental building blocks of Magic design, alongside kicker, covering mechanics such as Channel, Evoke, Adventure, Cycling, Fuse, Adventure and Bestow; this article covers otherwise uncategorized modal spells.
Venture into the dungeon is a unique modal mechanic; while every spell or ability that ventures uses the same text, the ability functions as a long-form modal decision tree, starting with a choice between three dungeons and several potential binary options after that.
==Trivia==
*Modal spells may use anchor word or flavor words, to better illustrate the choices.
* is a functionally text-changing Acorn card that lets you choose multiple modes for modal cards rather than their original options.
*<c>Riku of Many Paths</c> rewards players for playing spells with multiple selectable modes, typically Spree in the set as printed, but also applicable to Confluences and Commands.
==References==
Category:Miscellaneous mechanics