Affinity

1 Affinity for Plains card 100%
1 Affinity for Islands card 100%
1 Affinity for Swamps card 100%
1 Affinity for Mountains card 100%
1 Affinity for Forests card 100%
1 Affinity for Tokens card 100%
1 Affinity for Clowns card 100%
1 Affinity for Food card 100%
1 Affinity for artifact creatures card 100%
4 Affinity for Equipment cards 75%  25%
1 Affinity for Daleks card 100%

**Affinity** is a keyword ability that reduces the mana cost of a spell by the number of permanents of a certain type that the player controls. It first appeared in the Mirrodin block.

## Description

The ability is always written as "Affinity for [something]". The most common instance is "Affinity for artifacts" (see Frogmite). However, a cycle of Golems (consisting of Dross Golem, Oxidda Golem, Razor Golem, Spire Golem, and Tangle Golem) appeared in the *Darksteel* expansion, each with affinity for a particular basic land type. Hum of the Radix functions as an "anti-affinity" enchantment, increasing by  the cost of all artifact spells for each artifact its controller owns. Mycosynth Golem grants affinity to artifacts for all artifact creature spells cast by its controller, in addition to having affinity for artifacts itself.

Mirrodin block's cards with affinity contributed heavily to the Second Combo Winter and soured public perception towards the mechanic. The mechanic was considered for a return in the Scars of Mirrodin block but rejected because it had been so destructive for the metagame in its first appearance.

Affinity for artifacts appeared as a one-off in *War of the Spark* with Tezzeret, Master of the Bridge., followed by a reintroduction in *Modern Horizons 2*, alongside a new variant in Junk Winder's "Affinity for tokens".

R&D officially promoted Affinity to a deciduous mechanic with its return in *Phyrexia: All Will Be One*. The set debuted Affinity for Equipment, with some classic Affinity for Artifacts in the Commander release. *The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth* featured Affinity for Food.

### Unkeyworded affinity

Affinity was always designed to use a variety of objects, but the disastrous first try gave the keyword a bad reputation. In between the near-two-decade gap between the debut in *Mirrodin* block and its return to becoming deciduous *Phyrexia: All Will Be One*, various other forms of Affinity were tested for a better sense of how to cost them. However, the mechanic was not keyworded to save keyword learning space, while some designs have wordings that are not practical in using the Affinity phrasing. Saheeli, the Gifted (*Commander 2018*), Gearseeker Serpent (*Kaladesh*), Emry, Lurker of the Loch (*Throne of Eldraine*) and Reality Heist are examples of unkeyworded "affinity for artifacts", which were not errata'ed to have affinity after the policy change.

Other unkeyworded objects of affinity include:

* Gate Colossus (Gates)
* Embercleave (attacking creatures)
* The Circle of Loyalty (Knights)
* Brine Giant and Sky-Blessed Samurai (enchantments)
* Hamza, Guardian of Arashin (creatures with +1/+1 counters, also grants it to your other creature spells)
* Icebreaker Kraken (snow lands)
* Millicent, Restless Revenant (Spirits)
* Walking Skyscraper (modified creatures)
* Angelic Observer (Citizens)
* Argivian Phalanx (creatures)
* Magnus the Red (grants "Affinity for creature tokens" to instants and sorceries)
* Cinderslash Ravager (permanents you control with Oil counters)
* Riders of the Mark (Humans)
* Gargantuan Leech (Caves; also Caves in graveyard)

Ten spells that care about Party have "Affinity for creatures in your Party", but the wording for Party and the wording of Affinity mix poorly. In a similar vein:

* Stratadon, Leyline Binding and Yavimaya Sojourner has "Affinity for Domain"; Draco and Scion of Draco have "Affinity for Domain" twice.
* Valiant Changeling has "Affinity for creature types".
* Drag to the Underworld and Marshmist Titan have "Affinity for devotion to black"; Daybreak Chimera has "Affinity for devotion to white"
* Khalni Hydra has a unique version where the cost reduced is  rather than , but otherwise has "Affinity for green creatures".

The next list does not require controlling the objects to discount, such as a certain quality of players, cards in other zones, or other player's creatures.

* Blasphemous Act, Vanquish the Horde (creatures)
* Primeval Protector (opponent's creatures)
* Diregraf Rebirth, Blood for the Blood God!, Death-Rattle Oni (creatures that have died)
* Stone Idol Trap, Ancient Stone Idol (anyone's attacking creatures)
* Search Party Captain, Gnoll Hunting Party (number of your creatures that were declared as attackers)
* Rowdy Research, Witchstalker Frenzy (any creatures declared as attackers)
* Ghalta, Primal Hunger, Volcanic Salvo (power)
* Ghoultree, Karador, Ghost Chieftain, Molderhulk, Nemesis of Mortals, Writhing Necromass, The Cauldron of Eternity (creatures in your graveyard)
* Bedlam Reveler, Cryptic Serpent, The Magic Mirror, Tolarian Terror (instants/sorceries in your graveyard)
* Hearth Elemental (instants/sorceries and Adventure creatures in graveyard)
* Sailor's Bane (instants/sorceries in graveyard and exile, plus exiled Adventure creatures)
* Obsidian Charmaw (opponent's lands that produce )
* Ore-Scale Guardian (lands in graveyard)
* The Balrog, Durin's Bane (any sacrificed permanents)
* Korvold, Gleeful Glutton (card types among sacrificed permanents)
* Emrakul, The Promised End (different types in graveyard)
* Oskar, Rubbish Reclaimer (different mana values in graveyard)
* Avatar of Growth, all spells with Undaunted (opponents)
* Gnoll War Band (damaged opponents)
* Gnoll Hunting Party (opponents attacked that turn)
* Astral Confrontation (attacked opponents by you)
* Licia, Sanguine Tribune, Ezzaroot Channeler, Sproutback Trudge (life gained)

## Rules

From the glossary of the *Comprehensive Rules* (November 17, 2023—*The Lost Caverns of Ixalan*)

Affinity
A keyword ability that reduces how much mana you need to spend to cast a spell. See rule 702.41, “Affinity.”
From the *Comprehensive Rules* (November 17, 2023—*The Lost Caverns of Ixalan*)

* **702.41.** **Affinity**
	+ **702.41a** Affinity is a static ability that functions while the spell with affinity is on the stack. “Affinity for [text]” means “This spell costs you {1} less to cast for each [text] you control.”
	+ **702.41b** If a spell has multiple instances of affinity, each of them applies.

## Rulings

* The affinity ability reduces only the amount of generic mana you pay. It can't reduce how much nongeneric mana you pay.
* Affinity can't reduce the cost to cast a spell to less than .
* Affinity doesn't change the spell's mana cost or converted mana cost. It just changes how much mana you pay to cast the spell.
* The cost reduction is set before you have to pay any costs for the spell. If you sacrifice an artifact while paying the spell's costs, that artifact still counts toward the cost reduction.

## Examples

**Example**

Into Thin Air
Instant
Affinity for artifacts *(This spell costs  less to cast for each artifact you control.)*
Return target artifact to its owner's hand.

## Notable cards with affinity

* Frogmite
* Myr Enforcer
* Thoughtcast - used in affinity decks

## References

1. ↑ Mark Rosewater (2023-01-23). "Hi Mark! I saw that there's an affinity...". *Blogatog*. Tumblr.
2. ↑ Mark Rosewater (January 19, 2004). "To Affinity And Beyond". *magicthegathering.com*. Wizards of the Coast.
3. ↑ Aaron Forsythe (July 30, 2004). "The Power Behind Affinity". *magicthegathering.com*. Wizards of the Coast.
4. ↑ Mark Rosewater, Drive to Work #263 "2010"
5. ↑ Mark Rosewater (March 31, 2019). "AFFINITY FOR ARTIFACTS IN STANDARD?!". *Blogatog*. Tumblr.
6. ↑ Mark Rosewater (January 16, 2023). "Maro’s Phyrexia: All Will Be One Teaser". *Blogatog*. Tumblr.
7. ↑ Mark Rosewater (January 23, 2023). "Is affinity deciduous now?". *Blogatog*. Tumblr.
8. ↑ Why is There Just 1 Flashback Card in Phyrexia: All Will Be One? (Video). *Good Morning Magic*. YouTube (January 25, 2023).