Magic: The Gathering is packed with a wide variety of creatures whose identities revolve around their abilities and how they fit into a deck’s strategy. No matter what set you started playing MTG during, you’ve certainly seen cards that contain words such as Flying or Haste which provide abilities to the card they’re printed on.
Some of these cards have “reminder text” printed along with them that gives a brief explanation as to what the words mean. Unfortunately, not every card has enough room to include rules for each Keyword Ability– especially those that contain multiple abilities on a single card.
There are currently 18 evergreen Keyword Abilities in MTG. These are abilities that are commonly printed in new releases and have spent years of playtesting to earn their lifetime spot in the TCG. Overall, there are 170+ Keyword Abilities in MTG. Most of them are exclusive to particular sets due to their theme (Ninjutsu or Bushido) or have been banned from the game entirely (Ante).
While Wizards of the Coast tend to introduce new Keyword Abilities into every Magic: The Gathering release, knowing the evergreen Keyword Abilities and the rules associated with them will get you through 90% of MTG without issue. Here are all of the MTG evergreen Keyword Abilities, along with explanations and examples so that you can be the rules judge at your kitchen table:
Deathtouch is a Keyword Ability that causes any amount of damage dealt by a source (Player, Planeswalker, creature) to be lethal damage.
Example interaction: A 1/1 creature with Deathtouch that is blocked by a 5/5 creature would result in both creatures being destroyed.
Defender is a Keyword Ability that prevents a creature from being able to attack while still being capable of blocking attacks.
Creatures with Defender typically boast high toughness and commonly have zero power. Defenders are intended to be used as blockers in combat.
However, some Defender creatures have special triggers that temporarily lift the restriction, allowing them to ‘attack as though it didn’t have Defender.’ These enable certain combos to turn the beefy Defender creatures into hard-to-kill juggernauts of the battlefield.
Double Strike is a Keyword Ability that allows a creature to deal combat damage twice within the Combat Phase.
A second Combat Damage step is inserted before the original Combat Damage step where only the creatures with First Strike or Double Strike assign their damage. Afterward, creatures with Double Strike assign combat damage in the regular Combat Damage step along with the other creatures that don’t contain either of the Strike Keywords.
Since Double Strike applies damage in two different steps, abilities that activate ‘whenever a creature deals combat damage’ trigger twice (unless the card explicitly states that the trigger can only occur once per turn).
Enchant is a Keyword Ability that states which type of target an Aura can attach to. This is represented within the text box of the Aura card.
Equip is a Keyword Ability found on Equipment artifacts. This ability will often have a cost associated with it that, once paid, allows the Equipment to be attached to a creature. Creatures with Equipment attached to them will henceforth be considered an ‘equipped creature.’
First Strike is a Keyword Ability that adds an additional Combat Damage step before the standard one.
Creatures with either the First Strike or Double Strike Keyword Ability deal combat damage within the first Combat Damage step.
Example interaction:
- A 2/2 creature with First Strike attacks a 2/2 creature without First Strike.
- The creature with First Strike will destroy the other creature without taking damage. In a normal combat scenario, both creatures would’ve been destroyed.
Flash is a Keyword Ability that allows a card to be played at Instant speed. This is one way that Non-Active Players can cast creatures during their opponents’ turns.
This ability is commonly found on cards with Enters-the-Battlefield abilities which enable strategic responses to spells on the Stack.
Flying is a Keyword Ability that makes it so that creatures without Flying are unable to block those that do. Only other creatures with Flying or the Reach Keyword Ability are able to block Flying creatures.
Haste is a Keyword Ability that negates the effect of summoning sickness on a creature.
Normally, creatures are prevented from attacking or tapping during the first turn that they enter the battlefield. With the Haste ability, creatures can immediately attack or become tapped upon entering the battlefield.
This ability is typically found in Red cards and is responsible for the color’s aggressive reputation.
Hexproof is a Keyword Ability that prevents a permanent or player from being targeted by an opponent’s spells or abilities.
It’s important to understand the rules surrounding Hexproof. While a permanent cannot be “targeted” by an ability or spell, it is still susceptible to the effects of cards that don’t require declaring a target for their effects.
Example interaction:
- A creature has the Hexproof ability.
- An opponent casts a spell that says destroy all creatures.
- Since a target doesn’t need to be selected, the creature is destroyed.
Indestructible is a Keyword Ability that prevents permanents from being destroyed due to damage, rules, or effects.
Something to keep in mind: Permanents with Indestructible can still be dealt with by other means. Being sacrificed, bounced (returned to owner’s hand), exiled or brought down to zero or less toughness (commonly done with -1/-1 counter) are all ways the permanents with Indestructible can be removed from the battlefield.
Example interaction:
- A 1/1 creature with Indestructible is dealt 2 damage by a spell.
- The creature is not destroyed since damage cannot destroy it.
- The 1/1 creature is targeted with a spell that adds a -1/-1 counter to it.
- Since the creature’s toughness has been brought down to 0, it is sent to the graveyard.
Lifelink is a Keyword Ability that causes damage dealt by a source to grant its controller (or owner if there isn’t a controller) that much life.
The life gained through Lifelink occurs at the same time as the damage that causes it and doesn’t go to the Stack.
Example interaction:
- Player One has 2 life and controls a 4/3 creature with Lifelink.
- Player Two controls a 6/6 creature with Trample.
- Player Two’s creature attacks Player One, who blocks with their 4/3 creature.
- The 4/3 creature will be killed by the 6/6 creature and the Trample ability will cause the excess damage (3 damage) to be dealt to Player One.
- However, since Player One’s creature had Lifelink and dealt 4 damage, Player One gains 4 life at the same time that it loses 3 life and manages to stay in the game with 3 life left.
Menace is a Keyword Ability that is given to creatures. Creatures with Menace can only be blocked by two or more creatures.
Protection [from X] is a Keyword Ability that has a wide variety of types in MTG. Protection can be found or granted to any permanent or player and is written as ‘Protection from X’. (With X being the color, type or subtype written on the card.)
Some examples of Protection:
- Protection from a color (all spells and effects of that color).
- Protection from a card types such as Artifacts, Instants, or Planeswalkers.
- Protection from card subtypes such as Ninjas, Dinosaurs, or Zombies.
The easiest way to remember what Protection entails is the mnemonic acronym: DEBT
Permanents with Protection cannot be:
- Damaged by [X]
- Enchanted, equipped, or fortified by [X]
- Blocked by [X]
- Targeted by [X]
Reach is a Keyword Ability that grants non-Flying creatures the ability to block Flying creatures. It is one of the first “anti-keywords” since it is a direct counter to the Flying Keyword Ability.
Trample is a Keyword Ability that deals excess damage to the defending player or Planeswalker even if it was blocked.
Normally, excess damage in combat is wasted, and a creature’s toughness drops below 0 into the negative digits. With Trample, all of the damage dealt past 0 (known in other games as overkill damage) is directed toward the player or Planeswalker (whichever the attacking player originally targeted).
Example interaction:
- The attacking player declares an attack with a 5/5 creature with Trample against the defending player.
- The defending player blocks with a 1/1 creature.
- The excess damage calculated after combat, in this case 4, is directed towards the defending player’s health.
Vigilance is a Keyword Ability that allows creatures to attack without having to become tapped.
Normally, creatures must be tapped once declared as attackers. Since creatures remained tapped until the controlling player’s Untap step, that typically means that they won’t be capable of blocking until the next turn. With Vigilance, creatures can attack and remain available to block afterward.
Ward is currently the only evergreen-triggered ability in Magic: The Gathering. Whenever a permanent with Ward is targeted with a spell or ability, it is countered unless the targeting opponent pays the permanent’s printed Ward cost.
Example interaction:
- Player One’s creature has ‘Ward 2’ written on its card.
- Player Two targets Player One’s creature with a Lightning Bolt instant spell.
- In order for the spell to resolve, Player Two has to tap two mana and pay the Ward cost.
- If Player Two can’t afford this cost, the Lightning Bolt is considered countered and moved to the graveyard.
