The Top 10 Keyword Abilities Ever - #8

Welcome to my countdown of the Top 10 keyword abilities in the history of Magic. To start at the beginning, please go here. To see my #9 pick, go here.

To be considered for this list, a keyword ability has to be just that - both a keyword and an ability. Keyword actions and ability words don't count. I chose three criteria to judge all keywords abilities:
  1. Innovation. When this keyword ability was first released, did it add something fundamentally new to the game of Magic? Since then, has the ability been used in new and different ways?
  2. Endurance. Has the keyword ability aged well? If a number of cards were printed today showcasing this ability, would players welcome those cards? Do players remember the keyword fondly?
  3. Playability. Perhaps the most important criterion, does the keyword ability play well? Is it fun? Does it lead to interesting and exciting games? Can it make for powerful, memorable cards?
In response to one of the previous entries in this list, a reader raised a few questions about my grading system, and I want to take a couple sentences to address them here before continuing. First of all, remember that there are 81 official keyword abilities in Magic to date, and this list deals with my picks for the very best. So, we're starting with the high end of the grading scale here. That's why you won't see C's, D's and F's - just wait until I get to my 5 Worst list! The second concern is about the reliability of my ratings. I am just one lone Magic blogger, so it's just not possible for me to promise reliable ratings. That would require a committee of raters. The best I can promise is some degree of internal consistency - my assurance that I'm applying my stated criteria fairly to all of the 81 keyword candidates. I'm doing my best. Hopefully, as this list goes on, you'll see my logic play out a bit more. With those things said, let's move on to the keyword that almost didn't make my Top 10, but had the best last-minute showing of any of the 81 keyword abilities.

#8 - Lifelink

I have a confession to make: I'm a big-time Johnny player. I have a little bit of Spike in me too, but nothing excites me more about Magic than pulling off an improbable combo in a casual game with my friends. The first pack of Magic I opened was a booster of Legends back in 1994. I pulled what I was convinced had to be the best card in the game: Cosmic Horror. Then I actually learned to play Magic and realized my mistake. Poof! My one true Timmy moment had come and gone, and I hadn't even cracked my first tourney pack. Since then, I've learned to ignore big, obvious mechanics not because they're bad, but because that's not where I get my enjoyment from the game. Give me some weird jank and allow me to astound you with it - now that's what I call fun!

As far as keyword abilities go, it doesn't get any Timmy-er than lifelink. (Sure, Spike loves lifelink too, but Spike loves anything when it comes in a cheap enough package.) Life gain plus beatdown? It's everything Timmy could ever want, wrapped up with a nice little ribbon and no downsides. Although lifelink didn't exist as a keyword ability until Future Sight, it has existed as a mechanic since El-Hajjâj arrived on the scene in Arabian Nights. Then, Spirit Link defined the mechanic for most of Magic's lifespan. A Spirit Linked El-Hajjâj made the perfect target for many an opponent's Giant Growth back in my early days of playing Magic - much to my chagrin. Even if turning lifelink into a keyword ended the possibility for those kinds of nutty combos with future cards (multiple instances of lifelink are redundant), cards like Felidar Sovereign have since stepped up their game to keep lifelink's tiny (but legitimate) combo engine running. Perhaps there's something in the keyword for Johnny to like after all! Still - and let's not kid ourselves - lifelink's main draw is in its capacity to net its players some big, juicy life while pummeling away gleefully and mindlessly on their foes.

So, am I awarding lifelink a spot in the Top 10 out of some desire to appear even-handed to Timmy? Nope. I acknowledge my biases and I don't hide them; I'd be happy to fill out this Top 10 list with nothing but Johnny keywords if I could make the case for them all. Above, I said that lifelink made the biggest last-minute showing of any keyword I considered, and it did so because of multiplayer. No keyword better showcases the differences between single player and multiplayer games than lifelink. In the presence of multiple opponents, lifelink metamorphizes from a merry side effect into a frightening evaluation killer. One humble Knight of Meadowgrain throws all previous multiplayer math out the window, and has the potential to swing entire games just by the threat of what it might be able to do. No other keyword ability in Magic brings as much to the multiplayer table as lifelink. In doing that, lifelink justifies itself as truly an ability for the ages of Magic.
  1. Innovation: B
  2. Endurance: A
  3. Playability: A-
Agree? Disagree? Have a different perspective to share? Post your comments below.
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