Kicker

Kicker is a keyword ability that allows the player to pay an optional cost when casting a spell to achieve an additional effect.
==History==
Kicker was introduced during Invasion block. In this block, the five-colored Coalition Symbol, or at least part of it, is buried in the art of most cards with the kicker ability. Being a multicolored set, off-colored kicker costs were immediately implemented, and with Planeshift nonmana kickers and multiple kicker abilities were added.
One design choice that is no longer in use was the granting of abilities to creatures through kicker; while acceptable at the time as +1/+1 counters were rarely granted, with New World Order and more +1/+1 counters used, using the +1/+1 counters as a marker is now less reliable and so not done. Another design choice was that colorless kicker costs were "magnifiers", in that the spell's effect numerically increases (creatures could either gain counters or create tokens), but colored kicker costs added a different effect, necessitating a denser color cost. By Zendikar Rising, this was relaxed, with several that are designed opposite to this prior rule.
The basic design premise of Kicker is so simple, many additional-payment mechanics are functionally a form of kicker, making it less desirable to reuse in the aggregate. Nevertheless, Kicker was brought back in the Time Spiral and Zendikar blocks. It also appeared in DominariaDominaria Release Notes, Modern Horizons , Modern Horizons 2, Zendikar Rising, the Lord of the Rings Holiday Release and Modern Horizons 3.
Dominaria United, taking cues from Invasion block, was the first return to off-color and multiple different kickers; in fact, all kicker spells in Dominaria United have multicolored identities and are slotted neatly into nine cycles: for each color, an uncommon and common kicked with each of the other four colors, and one wedge-identified rare.
March of the Machine had one card with kicker, signifying that it had joined cycling and flashback as deciduous mechanic. This was subsequently confirmed by Mark Rosewater.
==Rules==
===Kicker===
===Multikicker===
Multikicker, introduced in Worldwake, is a variant of kicker. Multikicker functions the same as kicker, except that the multikicker cost can be paid multiple times and the effect generated from it is duplicated for each time the cost is paid. Multikicker made a reappearance in Modern Horizons 2, and was referenced in the Adversary cycle of Innistrad: Midnight Hunt'.
===Sticker kicker===
"Sticker kicker", introduced in Unfinity, is another variant on kicker (You may pay an additional as you cast a creature spell. If you do, you get , then you may put a sticker on it.)
===Assist kicker===
"Assist kicker" for team play was introduced on the Mystery Booster 2 test card (You and up to one other player can spend mana to pay this kicker cost.)
==Rulings==
*You kick a spell as you cast it. You declare whether you're going to pay a kicker cost at the same time you'd choose a spell's mode, and then you pay it at the same time you pay the spell's mana cost. Kicking a spell is always optional.
*You can pay any particular kicker cost only once unless the card says "multikicker" instead of kicker. You can't pay it multiple times to "pump up" the effect if it is not multikicker.
*Some instant and sorcery spells have an additional effect if they were kicked. Other instant and sorcery spells have a different effect if they were kicked. Read these cards carefully: If they include the word "instead," the second effect replaces the first. If they don't include the word "instead," both the first and second effects occur. 
*Some permanents with kicker enter the battlefield with counters on them if they were kicked. Other permanents with kicker have "enters the battlefield" triggered abilities that check whether they were kicked. These look at whether they were kicked when cast as a spell. If not, the ability doesn't trigger at all. If such a permanent is put onto the battlefield as the result of a spell or ability, there's no opportunity to kick them.
*If a permanent has a targeted "enters the battlefield" ability that triggers if it was kicked, the target isn't chosen until the permanent enters the battlefield and the ability triggers (as opposed to when that permanent was cast). That means that sometimes you may wind up targeting something you don't want to. For example, say you cast a kicked Heartstabber Mosquito, which has the ability "When Heartstabber Mosquito enters the battlefield if it was kicked, destroy target creature." In response to the Heartstabber Mosquito spell, your opponent sacrifices their only creature. When the Mosquito enters the battlefield, its ability triggers, and you must choose a target for it. If no one else controls any creatures, you must target one of your own—possibly Heartstabber Mosquito itself.
*Kicker costs don't change a spell's mana cost or mana value.
*If a kicked spell is copied, the copy is also kicked.
*Older cards with kicker were printed with abilities that had the text "if you paid the kicker cost" or "if its kicker cost was paid." Cards that were printed with that text have received errata in the Oracle card reference so they now say "if it was kicked." The cards work the same way they always did; these abilities have their effects if the player decided to pay the kicker cost, not necessarily if the listed cost was paid.
;Assist kicker
*Assist kicker is a variant of the kicker ability. An assist kicker cost is a kicker cost.
*You may reveal a card with assist kicker and discuss how to pay for it before you begin to cast the spell. Targets are chosen for that spell before you choose another player to help you pay for it and before that player has committed any mana to doing so. 
*Only the assist kicker cost (or part of that cost) can be paid by another player. Any other costs must be paid by the spell's controller. 
*If there are no other players on your team (probably because you're not playing a Two-Headed Giant or similar multiplayer game), you can't pass the ball. However, if All-Star Kicker was kicked, its last ability will still give creatures you control +1/+1 and haste until end of turn.
==Examples==
==External links==
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==References==