Like Morbid, or Metalcraft. Every card tells you "do this only if a creature died ths turn" or "Do this is you control 3 or more artifacts". So why waste space on the card printing a keyword, when they tell you they game state needed for the effect right there on the card?
They give them names so that people realize they are a thing and don't give them a goofy name. After people named Nekrataal and Man-o'-war "187 creatures" and failed to notice that Yavimaya Elder "cycled from play," the design team decided they wanted a little more influence over what things were named what.
Thou shalt not have others of the same Legendary before me Thou shalt not frame images with the modern card face Thou shalt not change rules in vain Remember the Reserved List to keep it holy Honor thy Slivers and the symmetry of their abilities Thou shalt not kill mana burn Thou shalt not sacrifice depth for accessibility Thou shalt not steal combat damage from the stack Thou shalt tell a story through thy cards All must be one
People called Nekrataal "187" because "187" is the police code for a murder. This was a popular reference in rap music around 1996, when the card first came out.
I have heard vague rumors of a moustache-dispensing vending machine in a distant laundromat, across the street from a tattoo parlor. However, this information is shaky, and time is of the essence.
They give them names so that people realize they are a thing and don't give them a goofy name. After people named Nekrataal and Man-o'-war "187 creatures" and failed to notice that Yavimaya Elder "cycled from play," the design team decided they wanted a little more influence over what things were named what.
I personally hate it.
Eh... I don't think people giving a card a goofy name has anything to do with it. I think it allows for better design in the long run. In most rares, they DON'T put reminder text. By keywording, it allows them to put abilities on a more complex rare without having to write everything out. The reason commons and most uncommons don't is because people see them more often when opening packs and in limited, so the learning curve is there.
People called Nekrataal "187" because "187" is the police code for a murder. This was a popular reference in rap music around 1996, when the card first came out.
Yes, I know that (it's actually not a universal police thing; it the number of the section in the California Penal Code, but whatever). The point is that WotC hated it. Their beautifully designed cards getting slapped with an ugly moniker made up by the unwashed hordes of players? Pah.
Eh... I don't think people giving a card a goofy name has anything to do with it. I think it allows for better design in the long run. In most rares, they DON'T put reminder text. By keywording, it allows them to put abilities on a more complex rare without having to write everything out. The reason commons and most uncommons don't is because people see them more often when opening packs and in limited, so the learning curve is there.
This thread is not about keyword abilities. It's about the so called "ability words" like Hellbent, Landfall, and Metalcraft.
All of these. Plus, it makes databases much easier to search. Want to know all the cards that do something cool when you have 3 or more artifacts? Much easier to search for the word "Metalcraft" than a phrase.
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Yes, I know that (it's actually not a universal police thing; it the number of the section in the California Penal Code, but whatever). The point is that WotC hated it. Their beautifully designed cards getting slapped with an ugly moniker made up by the unwashed hordes of players? Pah.
Oh please. Yes, WotC was so upset with fans of their game that they felt compelled to force them to use language they don't want to. They have such a disdain for the people who buy their products that it eats away at them to know someone might use a non-copyrighted word to describe their game. Give me a break.
This thread is not about keyword abilities. It's about the so called "ability words" like Hellbent, Landfall, and Metalcraft.
Without the ability words what would you call the abilities? The "I don't have any cards in hand at the moment ability" or the "I have already played a land this turn ability" or the "I am currently in possession of three Artifact-type cards that are on the battlefield under my control ability"? Keywords get rid of the wordiness that would become rampant without them (look at Yugioh or example). As for the reminder text, they usually use reminder text on Beginner level products like Core Sets or on newly made abilities and then phase them out once everyone has seen them a number of times. When's the last time you saw reminder text for Flying or Trample in an expansion set?
The point is that WotC hated it. Their beautifully designed cards getting slapped with an ugly moniker made up by the unwashed hordes of players? Pah.
Having worked in game design myself, usually the game companies could care less what cute little names that people were using so long as people were caring enough about the game to bother giving cute little names. No designer is THAT pompus to feel like their "precious little game" is being treated unjustly by players. Seriously. They don't get paid enough to care.
"Liquimetal Coating is an enabler for the cards that care about having 3 or more artifacts."
Ability words help tie together set themes and allow players to more easily discuss common mechanics in the set. Don't like em? You can still say the second line.
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It also allows them to define additional rules behind the scenes. For example: Equip. When first printed it started with something like this:
"Equip (: Attach to target creature you control. Equip only as a sorcery. This card enters the battlefield unattached and stays on the battlefield if the creature leaves.)"
But those aren't the only rules that govern Equiping. These are the full rules regarding the keyword Equip:
301.5. Some artifacts have the subtype “Equipment.” An Equipment can be attached to a creature. It can’t legally be attached to an object that isn’t a creature.
301.5a The creature an Equipment is attached to is called the “equipped creature.” The Equipment is attached to, or “equips,” that creature.
301.5b An Equipment is cast and enters the battlefield just like any other artifact. An Equipment doesn’t enter the battlefield attached to a creature. The equip keyword ability attaches the Equipment to a creature you control (see rule 702.6, “Equip”). Control of the creature matters only when the equip ability is activated and when it resolves. Spells and other abilities may also attach an Equipment to a creature. If an effect attempts to attach an Equipment to an object that can’t be equipped by it, the Equipment doesn’t move.
301.5c An Equipment that’s also a creature can’t equip a creature. An Equipment that loses the subtype “Equipment” can’t equip a creature. An Equipment can’t equip itself. An Equipment that equips an illegal or nonexistent permanent becomes unattached from that permanent but remains on the battlefield. (This is a state-based action. See rule 704.)
301.5d An Equipment’s controller is separate from the equipped creature’s controller; the two need not be the same. Changing control of the creature doesn’t change control of the Equipment, and vice versa. Only the Equipment’s controller can activate its abilities. However, if the Equipment grants an ability to the equipped creature (with “gains” or “has”), the equipped creature’s controller is the only one who can activate that ability.
Obviously, you can't put that on the card. So you make it a Keyword that effectively links to those rules. The reminder text associated is used when it can be, but when a card like Umezawa's Jitte is made that needs the full text space, Equip 2 is used. Eventually, the reminder text is removed when most people understand how Equip works. Core sets can be the exception as they are for introducing newer players to Keywords.
tl;dr Keywords allow for more design freedom by condensing commonly used, but complicated rule sets, into an easily defined phrase.
There is a distinction that must be made between 2 sorts of special words:
1) Keywords are fully defined in the official rules, and can be put on a card with just a mana cost or number, and no need for explanation text.
2) Ability words don't provide enough information to do anything with the card. Instead, they tie together concepts common among cards.
A keyword has a functional purpose of reducing card text. An ability word ties together common ideas. They are similar in their purpose of making cards more understandable, but intrinsically different in form.
If you're not sure what sort of word it is, imagine if it was printed on Goblin Piker, without any additional text. If you added "Dredge 4" to to Mr. Piker, you'd know exactly what he did. If you added "Radiance", it wouldn't make any sense.
Search your library for a creature card with morbid, put it into your hand then shuffle your library. That's a fine wording, sir.
I actually don't know if this is a possible printing. I'm not familiar with any tutor that can search by ability words.
Keywords are another issue (although it sounds like they got the names mixed up and keyword fits stuff like Chroma and ability sounds like it should fit First Strike.)
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Out of the blackness and stench of the engulfing swamp emerged a shimmering figure. Only the splattered armor and ichor-stained sword hinted at the unfathomable evil the knight had just laid waste.
I'm unsure if the rules currently allow you to search by ability words because they are just glorified flavor text and have no real rules meanings.
702. Keyword Abilities
702.1. Most abilities describe exactly what they do in the card’s rules text. Some, though, are very common or would require too much space to define on the card. In these cases, the object lists only the name of the ability as a “keyword”; sometimes reminder text summarizes the game rule.
[snip]
702.8. Flash
702.8a Flash is a static ability that functions in any zone from which you could play the card it’s on.
“Flash” means “You may play this card any time you could cast an instant.”
702.8b Multiple instances of flash on the same object are redundant
It's right up there with Deathtouch, First Strike, Flying, etc...
they, at a glance, tell you that different cards act/react in the same way and behave in an identical way within the rules of the game.
if they just had the text and no keyword, and out of context, you might mistake two cards with the same ability for having different effects.
being able to appraise the function of a card at a glance, and be absolutely certain that all cards with the same keyword behave in the same way, is a powerful tool for the designers at WotC.
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I'm unsure if the rules currently allow you to search by ability words because they are just glorified flavor text and have no real rules meanings.
Mark Rosewater confirms that because ability words like landfall have no rules meaning, they are not part of a card's rules text and cannot be referred to by other cards and abilities.
Quote from Mark Rosewater, question 29 »
Ability words are more decorative than rule-setting. They exist mostly to help players see the connectivity between like-minded cards. They don't have any rules content, though, meaning that other cards can't look for cards with a specific ability word.
It's right up there with Deathtouch, First Strike, Flying, etc...
Keyword abilities ≠ Ability words. Funny, I know.
Quote from M:TG Comp Rules »
206.2c An ability word appears in italics at the beginning of some abilities on cards. Ability words
are similar to keywords in that they tie together cards that have similar functionality, but they have no special rules meaning and no individual entries in the Comprehensive Rules. The ability
words are channel, chroma, domain, grandeur, hellbent, imprint, join forces, kinship, landfall,
metalcraft, radiance, sweep, and threshold.
So I dunno.
Edit: The post above me clarifies better. That's a shame though- would be nice if you could search for ability words. Might be too parasitic though.
OK, so what are we talking about now: keyword abilities, or ability words? Cause I thought we were talking about the latter, but keyword abilities keep getting brought into the conversation.
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Like Morbid, or Metalcraft. Every card tells you "do this only if a creature died ths turn" or "Do this is you control 3 or more artifacts". So why waste space on the card printing a keyword, when they tell you they game state needed for the effect right there on the card?
From Mark Rosewater's Monday Article:
keyword is used when the ability is the same or mostly the same from card to card (e.g., exalted), or when we need the rules to be able to refer to the ability by name in order for it to function (e.g., reach). An ability word is a word in italics before text that could just exist on a card by itself. We use ability words because there are things that feel like mechanics and want to have a name for flavor and referencing, but aren't consistent enough in function to make a keyword.
Mark Rosewater confirms that because ability words like landfall have no rules meaning, they are not part of a card's rules text and cannot be referred to by other cards and abilities.
Ok, I see what is going on there. Though I don't yet see the why. What problems might arise from landfall having rules weight rather than just describing rules?
I personally hate it.
2) They provide a name
3) They add flavor
4) They help market a set
http://www.wizards.com/magic/magazine/article.aspx?x=mtgcom/daily/mr342
Thou shalt not frame images with the modern card face
Thou shalt not change rules in vain
Remember the Reserved List to keep it holy
Honor thy Slivers and the symmetry of their abilities
Thou shalt not kill mana burn
Thou shalt not sacrifice depth for accessibility
Thou shalt not steal combat damage from the stack
Thou shalt tell a story through thy cards
All must be one
Eh... I don't think people giving a card a goofy name has anything to do with it. I think it allows for better design in the long run. In most rares, they DON'T put reminder text. By keywording, it allows them to put abilities on a more complex rare without having to write everything out. The reason commons and most uncommons don't is because people see them more often when opening packs and in limited, so the learning curve is there.
All of these. Plus, it makes databases much easier to search. Want to know all the cards that do something cool when you have 3 or more artifacts? Much easier to search for the word "Metalcraft" than a phrase.
As an example, I don't play a have three or more artifacts in play deck, I play a Metalcraft Deck.
Its similar to a keyword in that it generalizes something about the card.
Oh please. Yes, WotC was so upset with fans of their game that they felt compelled to force them to use language they don't want to. They have such a disdain for the people who buy their products that it eats away at them to know someone might use a non-copyrighted word to describe their game. Give me a break.
Without the ability words what would you call the abilities? The "I don't have any cards in hand at the moment ability" or the "I have already played a land this turn ability" or the "I am currently in possession of three Artifact-type cards that are on the battlefield under my control ability"? Keywords get rid of the wordiness that would become rampant without them (look at Yugioh or example). As for the reminder text, they usually use reminder text on Beginner level products like Core Sets or on newly made abilities and then phase them out once everyone has seen them a number of times. When's the last time you saw reminder text for Flying or Trample in an expansion set?
Having worked in game design myself, usually the game companies could care less what cute little names that people were using so long as people were caring enough about the game to bother giving cute little names. No designer is THAT pompus to feel like their "precious little game" is being treated unjustly by players. Seriously. They don't get paid enough to care.
"Liquimetal Coating is a Metalcraft enabler."
"Liquimetal Coating is an enabler for the cards that care about having 3 or more artifacts."
Ability words help tie together set themes and allow players to more easily discuss common mechanics in the set. Don't like em? You can still say the second line.
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"Equip (: Attach to target creature you control. Equip only as a sorcery. This card enters the battlefield unattached and stays on the battlefield if the creature leaves.)"
But those aren't the only rules that govern Equiping. These are the full rules regarding the keyword Equip:
Obviously, you can't put that on the card. So you make it a Keyword that effectively links to those rules. The reminder text associated is used when it can be, but when a card like Umezawa's Jitte is made that needs the full text space, Equip 2 is used. Eventually, the reminder text is removed when most people understand how Equip works. Core sets can be the exception as they are for introducing newer players to Keywords.
tl;dr Keywords allow for more design freedom by condensing commonly used, but complicated rule sets, into an easily defined phrase.
1) Keywords are fully defined in the official rules, and can be put on a card with just a mana cost or number, and no need for explanation text.
2) Ability words don't provide enough information to do anything with the card. Instead, they tie together concepts common among cards.
Keyword Examples
Echo 1B
Bloodthirst 3
Cycling 5
Affinity for artifacts
Madness 0
Equip 2
Flashback 3U
Ability Word Examples
Landfall
Metalcraft
Hellbent
Chroma
Morbid
Kicker
A keyword has a functional purpose of reducing card text. An ability word ties together common ideas. They are similar in their purpose of making cards more understandable, but intrinsically different in form.
If you're not sure what sort of word it is, imagine if it was printed on Goblin Piker, without any additional text. If you added "Dredge 4" to to Mr. Piker, you'd know exactly what he did. If you added "Radiance", it wouldn't make any sense.
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I actually don't know if this is a possible printing. I'm not familiar with any tutor that can search by ability words.
Keywords are another issue (although it sounds like they got the names mixed up and keyword fits stuff like Chroma and ability sounds like it should fit First Strike.)
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Flash isn't an ability word, just saying
I'm unsure if the rules currently allow you to search by ability words because they are just glorified flavor text and have no real rules meanings.
It's right up there with Deathtouch, First Strike, Flying, etc...
they, at a glance, tell you that different cards act/react in the same way and behave in an identical way within the rules of the game.
if they just had the text and no keyword, and out of context, you might mistake two cards with the same ability for having different effects.
being able to appraise the function of a card at a glance, and be absolutely certain that all cards with the same keyword behave in the same way, is a powerful tool for the designers at WotC.
Mark Rosewater confirms that because ability words like landfall have no rules meaning, they are not part of a card's rules text and cannot be referred to by other cards and abilities.
The reason they exist at all is that being able to refer to "cards with Spiritcraft" is easier than //gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Search/Default.aspx?text=+[%22whenever%20you%20cast%20a%20spirit%20or%20arcane%20spell%22">"]the alternative.
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Keyword abilities ≠ Ability words. Funny, I know.
So I dunno.
Edit: The post above me clarifies better. That's a shame though- would be nice if you could search for ability words. Might be too parasitic though.
They've had some odd wordings through the years. For example, I love the reminder text on the Portal Wrath of God.
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From Mark Rosewater's Monday Article:
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