Keyword ability

**Keywords Abilities** appear on *Magic: the Gathering* cards as was of shortening the amount of text needed on a card. They consolidate several lines of text into a one or two words that represent that ability.

## Evergreen keywords

Evergreen keywords are a set of keywords that Wizards of the Coast choose to use in most sets, rather than being specific to a block.

### Deathtouch

Deathtouch is a static ability that means any amount of damage dealt by a source with deathtouch is enough to kill the creature receiving the damage.

*Main article: Deathtouch*
### Defender

Defender is a static ability that means the affected permanent cannot attack. It is commonly found on creatures with low power, and high toughness, such as most walls.

*Main article: Defender*
### Double strike

A creature with double strike deals damage during the first combat damage step alongside creatures with first strike, then additionally deal damage during the second damage step along with regular creatures.

*Main article: Double strike*
### Enchant

Enchant {object or player} is a static ability found on auras which defines what they can enchant. The keyword is written with a quality after it (e.g. enchant creature) which defines what a the aura can enchant.

*Main article: Enchant*
### Equip

Equip is an activated ability found on equipment. By paying an equip cost, you can attach the artifact to a creature you control. Equipping can only be used at sorcery speed.

*Main article: Equip*
### First strike

First strike is a static ability that creates an additional combat damage step. A creature with first strike will deal its combat damage before a creature that doesn't. This often leads to the other creature dying before it gets a chance to strike.

*Main article: First strike*
### Flash

Flash is a static ability that allows the affected card to be cast at any time you could cast an instant.

*Main article: Flash (keyword)*
### Flying

A creature with flying cannot be blocked except by other creatures with either flying or reach. Creatures with flying can block other creatures with or without flying.

*Main article: Flying*
### Haste

Haste is a static ability that allows creatures to ignore the rules informally known as "summoning sickness". This means that they can attack, and activate use activated abilities with the tap symbol.

*Main article: Haste*
### Hexproof

Hexproof is a static ability that means that the affected permanent or player cannot be the target of spells or abilities your opponents control, but can still be target by spells or abilities you control.

*Main article: Hexproof*
### Indestructible

Indestructible is a static ability that means that any permanent that has indestructible cannot be destroyed, and cannot die as a result of lethal damage.

*Main article: Indestructible*
### Intimidate

Intimidate is a static ability which restricts the types of creatures that can block a creature with intimidate. A creature with intimidate can't be blocked, except by artifact creatures and by creatures that share a color with it.

*Main article: Intimidate*
### Landwalk

Landwalk is a static ability that means the affected creature cannot be blocked as long as the defending player controls a land of the specified type.

*Main article: Landwalk*
### Lifelink

Lifelink is a static ability that modifies the result of damage. When a card with lifelink deals damage, the controller of that card also gains an amount of life equal to the amount of damage dealt.

*Main article: Lifelink (keyword)*
### Protection

Protection is a static ability which grants the affected permanent the inability to be dealt damage, enchanted, blocked, or targeted by any card with the stated quality.

*Main article: Protection*
### Reach

Reach is a static ability that means the affected creature can block creatures with flying.

*Main article: Reach*
### Shroud

Shroud is a static ability that means the affected permanent or player cannot be the target of any spells or abilities.

*Main article: Shroud*
### Trample

Trample is a static ability of creatures that when attacking, allows it to assign the remaining damage not taken by creatures blocking it to the defending player.

*Main article: Trample*
### Vigilance

Vigilance is a static ability that means the affected creature does not need to tap when being declared as an attacker.

*Main article: Vigilance*
## General keywords

#### Bands with others

Bands with others is bands with others.

*Main article: Banding*
### Rampage

Rampage is a triggered ability that increases the affected creature's power and toughness by a set amount for each creature blocking it beyond the first.

*Main article: Rampage*
### Cumulative upkeep

Cumulative upkeep is a triggered ability that imposes an increasing cost to keep a permanent. At the beginning of its controller's upkeep, that player must put an age counter on that permanent, and then may pay its upkeep cost for each time counter on said permanent, if they choose not to pay the cost they must then sacrifice it.

*Main article: Cumulative upkeep*
### Flanking

Flanking is a triggered ability that means when a creature without flanking blocks a creature with flanking, the blocking creature gets -1/-1 until end of turn.

*Main article: Flanking*
### Phasing

Phasing is phasing.

*Main article: Phasing*
### Buyback

Buyback is a static ability that appears on some instant and sorcery cards. As you cast a spell with buyback you may pay an additional cost. As the affected spell resolves, if this cost was paid, the spell will return to its owner's hand, rather than the graveyard.

*Main article: Buyback*
### Shadow

Shadow is a static ability that means the the affected creature can only block, or be blocked by other creatures with shadow.

*Main article: Shadow*
### Cycling

Cycling is an activated ability that functions from a player's hand. To cycle a card, you must first pay the cost and discard it from your hand, then, when the ability resolves, draw a card.

#### Typecyling

Typecyling is a variant on cycling, where rather than drawing a card, you instead may search your library for a card of the specified type.

*Main article: Cycling*
### Echo

Echo is a triggered ability that requires the affected permanent's controller to pay its echo cost at the beginning of the player's next upkeep after he or she gains control of it, or sacrifice it.

*Main article: Echo*
### Horsemanship

A creature with horsemanship cannot be blocked except by other creatures with horsemanship. Creatures with horsemanship can block other creatures with or without horsemanship.

*Main article: Horsemanship*
### Fading

Fading is an ability that limits the time a permanent will stay on the battlefield.

*Main article: Fading*
### Kicker

Kicker is a static ability that allows you to pay more mana into a spell to get an additional effect.

#### Multikicker

Multikicker is a variant on kicker, where rather than paying the addition cost one, you can pay it multiple times, for an increasing for each time you pay.

*Main article: Kicker*
### Flashback

Flashback is a static ability that appears on some instant and sorcery cards. A spell with flashback may be cast from your graveyard for an alternate cost at any time you could normally cast the spell. If a card is spelt this way it is exiled as the spell resolves.

*Main article: Flashback*