Evergreen

The term "evergreen", as in the context of "an evergreen keyword", refers to keywords or keyword actions that are regularly seen in premier sets. This is in contrast to deciduous, which are also available for sets but not always called upon. If not a set mechanic, most creature keyword abilities are evergreen.
As the core set has always been the place for new players to start, as of Eighth Edition it was decided to include reminder text with the evergreen creature keywords.
==Primary/secondary/tertiary==
When talking about which colors get which evergreen creature keywords, R&D tends to talk about a system called "primary/secondary/tertiary". In their quest to differentiate the colors in the color wheel, each should have strengths and weaknesses. Therefore, not every color gets every keyword.
*Primary This is the color (or colors) the ability is seen most in as-fan. That means it shows up in the highest volume and usually at the lowest rarity that the type of effects get used at. The primary color will almost always get this effect in a set if it's an ability we do every set. It also tends to be the color that most often pushes the power level, if it's an effect we push the power level on. There's a wide range on what primary means, because different types of effects exist at different levels. A color secondary in flying can show up way more than a color primary in taking extra turns, for instance, because there are more flying cards than extra-turn cards.
*Secondary This is the color (or colors) that an ability shows up in on a somewhat regular basis, but not as often as the primary and not always in as low of rarity as the primary. If the effect is something we do a lot of, the secondary color will usually get the ability in most sets. Sometimes a secondary color will have restrictions. For instance, red is secondary in flying, but only on Dragons and Phoenixes.
*Tertiary This is the color (or colors) that get the ability occasionally. It's not every set. For some abilities, we could go years without seeing a tertiary color using it. Tertiary colors can often come with rules, meaning it's a very narrow subset that makes use of the mechanic. For example, black is tertiary in first strike and gets it primarily on Knights, most often when paired against a mirrored white Knight.
*Quaternary This is the color (or colors) that get to use the ability only when absolutely necessary as part of a design requirement (e.g. as part of a cycle). For example, green is quaternary in flying. It only gets the keyword when Design needs to complete a cycle and usually only on Dragon creatures.
==Current evergreen keywords==
Keyword 	Type 	Found in 	First used in	First keyworded in
Activate 	Action	All colors	Alpha 	Sixth Edition
Attach 	Action	All colors	Mirrodin 	Mirrodin
Cast 	Action	All colors	Alpha 	Alpha
Counter 	Action	 	Alpha 	Alpha
Create 	Action	All colors	Alpha 	Kaladesh
Destroy 	Action	All colors	Alpha 	Alpha
Discard 	Action	All colors	Alpha 	Alpha
Exchange 	Action	All colors	Alpha 	Sixth Edition
Exile 	Action	All colors	Alpha 	Magic 2010
Fight 	Action	 	Visions 	Innistrad
Mill 	Action	 	Antiquities 	Core Set 2021
Play 	Action	All colors	Alpha 	Alpha
Reveal 	Action	All colors	Sixth Edition	Sixth Edition
Sacrifice	Action	All colors	Alpha 	Revised Edition
Scry 	Action	 	Alliances 	Fifth Dawn
Search 	Action	All colors	Alpha 	Alpha
Shuffle 	Action	All colors	Alpha 	Alpha
Tap/Untap	Action	All colors	Alpha 	Alpha
====Multiplayer only====
One keyword is evergreen in multiplayer games only.
Icon	Keyword	Type 	Found in 	First used in 	First keyworded in
 	Goad 	Action	All colors	Commander 2017	Commander 2017
===Abilities===
New Icon	Old Icon	Keyword 	Type 	Found in 	First used in 	First keyworded in
 	 	Deathtouch 	Static ability 	 	Future Sight 	Future Sight
 	 	Defender 	Static ability 	and all Walls 	Alpha 	Betrayers of Kamigawa
 	 	Double strike 	Static ability 	 	Legions 	Legions
 	 	Enchant 	Static ability 	Auras of all colors 	Alpha 	Alpha
 	 	Equip 	Activated ability	Equipment of all colors	
Mirrodin 	Mirrodin
 	 	First strike 	Static ability 	 	Alpha 	Alpha
 	 	Flash 	Static ability 	 	Visions 	Time Spiral
 	 	Flying 	Static ability 	 	Alpha 	Alpha
 	 	Haste 	Static ability 	 	
Alpha 	Sixth Edition
 	 	Hexproof 	Static ability 	 	Portal Three Kingdoms 	Duels of the Planeswalkers 2012
 	 	Indestructible	Static ability 	Artifacts and 	Alpha 	Darksteel
 	 	Lifelink 	Static ability 	 	Arabian Nights, Mirrodin	Future Sight
 	 	Menace 	Static ability 	 	Fallen Empires 	Magic Origins‎
 	 	Reach 	Static ability 	 	Alpha 	Future Sight
 	 	Trample 	Static ability 	 	Alpha 	Alpha
 	 	Vigilance 	Static ability 	 	Alpha 	Champions of Kamigawa
 	 	Ward 	Static ability 	All colors but costs vary:
*Mana 
*Life	Magic 2011 	Strixhaven: School of Mages
==Former evergreen keywords==
Most, but not all, keywords in these categories have been made obsolete by other mechanics. Those still in use have been demoted to deciduous.
===Actions===
Icon	Keyword 	Type 	Found in 	First used in 	First keyworded in	Last used in 	Supplanted by
 	Ante 	Action	Artifacts, black, red, green	Alpha 	Alpha 	Homelands 	Nothing
 	Bury 	Action	All colors 	Revised Edition	Revised Edition 	Fifth Edition 	Destroy [something]. It can't be regenerated.
 	Regenerate	Action	 	Alpha 	Alpha 	Oath of the Gatewatch	Indestructible (until end of turn)
===Abilities===
Icon	Keyword 	Type 	Found in 	First used in 	First keyworded in	Last used in 	Supplanted by
 	Banding 	Static ability 	 	Alpha 	Alpha 	Weatherlight 	Nothing
 	Fear 	Static ability 	 	Alpha 	Onslaught 	Doctor Who 	Intimidate
 	Shroud 	Static ability 	 	Legends 	
Future Sight 	Fallout 	Hexproof
 	Intimidate	Static ability 	 	Zendikar 	Zendikar 	Fallout 	Menace
 	Landwalk 	Static ability 	(islandwalk) (swampwalk) (forestwalk) (plainswalk)	Alpha 	Alpha 	Doctor Who 	Nothing
 	Protection	Static ability 	 	Alpha 	Alpha 	Modern Horizons 3	Nothing. Demoted to deciduous.
 	Prowess 	Triggered ability	 	Khans of Tarkir	Khans of Tarkir 	Modern Horizons 3	Nothing, but this mechanic is now deciduous.
==Evergreen keywords by color==
Color	Primary 	Secondary 	Tertiary 	Obsolete
White	Defender, double strike, first strike, flying, indestructible, lifelink, vigilance	Scry 	Flash, hexproof, reach, trample 	Banding
Blue 	Counter, flash, flying, hexproof, scry 	Defender, vigilance 	Indestructible, trample 	Landwalk, shroud
Black	Deathtouch, menace 	Defender, flash, flying, indestructible, lifelink, scry 	First strike, haste, hexproof, trample	Fear, intimidate, regenerate
Red 	Double strike, first strike, haste 	Defender, fight, menace, reach, scry, trample 	Flash, flying, indestructible 	Intimidate
Green	Fight, reach, trample 	Deathtouch, defender, flash, haste, hexproof, indestructible, scry, vigilance	Flying, menace 	Regenerate, shroud
 	Equip, indestructible 	 	 	
Of particular note are the evergreen creature keywords that are each shared between two colors. Prowess formerly served as the red/blue keyword before it lost its evergreen status.
Pair	Keyword
 	Flying
 	Flash
 	Menace
 	Trample, haste
 	Vigilance
Pair	Keyword
 	Lifelink
 	-
 	Deathtouch
 	First strike, double strike
 	Hexproof
==Evergreen keyword matters==
A small set of cards reward having multiple evergreen keywords amongst one's cards, usually on the battlefield or in the graveyard. One case is from drafting () and one is from the library (). These cards are an unusual class of mechanical relevance as "Evergreen Keyword" is not a defined term, so they often list eight or more abilities in its rules text. This list has a tendency to change every printing as evergreen mechanics are introduced or are deprecated and can't be updated with errata as it would make a functional change to the card. A brief list of interesting results follows:
*The first "instance" of this, , only had flying, first strike, trample and protection amongst its options, as common keywords double strike, haste, deathtouch, vigilance, menace, reach and lifelink were not keyworded yet. It also required the opponent to be the one with the keyworded creatures.
* and included fear and landwalk, which later were deprecated. excludes vigilance as it was keyworded in Champions of Kamigawa, while excludes haste as it is an upkeep trigger. Later keyword-granting effects do so at beginning of combat as to keep haste relevant.
* is the only one of these that has Shroud, being the only design of this style made in the four years between Future Sight keywording it and Hexproof replacing it in Magic 2012. 
* lists Skulk, suggesting that it was intended to be an evergreen keyword before reception and gameplay determined otherwise. Curiously, it is also the only one to use first strike as the example rather than flying.
* gains abilities when attacking, so the defensive keywords hexproof and reach are left out, as are haste and vigilance, for obvious reasons.
*<c>Odric, Blood-Cursed</c> is the only one of these whose keyword counting has nothing to do with combat, instead creating a blood for each keyword.
*<c>Indominus Rex, Alpha</c> gains keyword counters, which introduces the haste keyword counter, in contrast to <c>Kathril, Aspect Warper</c>. It also inexplicably switches the order of hexproof and haste in its listing.
==Notes==
==References==
Category:Magic slang
Category:Mechanics