MTG Salvation

Quote from Welding_Jar »

The guys who said that the only Eqiupment was Warhammer and Morningstar was right.

That's totally weird. I didn't think that WotC would include such a complicated keyword in a core set without having a few more examples to show off. At least the Morningstar should still be a common. I would'a bet money on seeing Bonesplitter in that list.

So far, the spoiler's good. Filled with the requisite junk, but enough big names to be exciting.

Quote from jalora »

... and elves should have made the top ten.

The thing about Elves, Soldiers, Wizards, Zombies, etc. is that they weren't the first to do anything important (as a creature type) in Magic, they aren't the best at anything important (as a creature type) in Magic, and they don't really have anything unique that they can call their own (that's important, as a creature type) in Magic.

Llanowar Elves is a great card, and it's made a huge impact on the game over the years. But, just because it's famous and has a good legacy doesn't necessarily mean that Elves in general have made a huge impact on the game.

I'm not disagreeing with their popularity - it's just not my criterion.

I'm expecting some controversy over my picks for the Top Five Creature Types of all time, but if I have my way, this list will get you thinking, and talking about it. Here are the real heavies:

#5 - Demon (Lord of the Pit, Grinning Demon)

Like most adolescents, Magic went through a pretty jarring identity crisis when it left the comfort of its parents and met with the harsh, unforgiving world at large. The Demon creature type was the poster child for this identity crisis. When Magic hit the big time, it was lambasted by certain interests in the Christian right for peddling Satanism to little kids. Demons (the creature type, mind you) took the brunt of this attack, and WotC responded by removing all Demons, and all references to non-Christian religion from the game of Magic (but we still had Crusade and Wrath of God... sigh). It took WotC a long time to grow into its position as a market leader in fantasy games, and equally long to realize special interest groups for what they are - belligerent, laregly unreasonable, and not representative of the average consumer. When Demons made their quiet return to the game in Onslaught block, it was an indicator that Magic had reclaimed its identity - not because Demons define Magic, but because a commitment to unrepressed creativity does. Demons were Magic's coming-of-age trial, and we should be glad that Magic passed with flying colors.

#4 - Human (Eternal Witness, Homura, Human Ascendant)

When WotC originally popped the question on magicthegathering.com, I was initially very much against Humans getting their own creature type. We have always had Humans in the game of Magic, they just hadn't been named as such until Mirrodin came along. I felt at the time that WotC was going down the slippery slope of imitating their other big name franchise, the recently acquired Dungeons and Dragons. But, introducing Humans as an official creature type has not made the game less unique. It has made it better, just as WotC said it would. As the most conspicuous element of WotC's move towards having a race/class format for creature types, Humans have added variety and complexity to the game. Now, we don't just have Wizards, but we have Elf Wizards, Human Wizards and Moonfolk Wizards. That is certainly more interesting than just Wizards alone. With 9th edition, WotC will go back in time and selectively errata many old favorites to now be Humans. This will make the creature type more important than anybody ever expected it to be. Giving Humans their own creature type was a smart design choice - one of the smartest of all time.

#3 - Sliver (Muscle Sliver, Sliver Queen)

They weren't the first (see #10 - Atog, above), but Slivers were, and still are the greatest creature type that belongs to Magic, and Magic alone. We saw them first in Tempest, then for a second helping in Stronghold, and a third years later, in Legions. In all three sets, Slivers were the stars of the show. This is because, unlike some of the strange creature types that have come over the years, Slivers owned a unique mechanic (each Sliver shares its abilities with the other Slivers in play) that was fun, functional, and gave them an identity that transcended the letters in their type line. Slivers were printed in each of the five colors, plus one artifact (Metallic Sliver). This meant that not only could any player play Slivers no matter what that player's color preference, but that Slivers were natural candidates for multicolor decks. A confluence of great design choices, Slivers made for deep deckbuilding, interesting play situations, and great value for collectors. Bringing them back in Legions was a great move that sent newer players out searching for classic cards, thereby bringing the Magic community together just that much more. Slivers can do no wrong.

#2 - Rebel / Mercenary (Lin Sivvi, Defiant Hero, Cateran Overlord)

The years between the Fall of 1998 and the Fall of 2000 were some of the darkest times in the history of Magic. Urza's block proved to be a development slip-up of astronomical proportions, throwing the game so far off kilter that only a slew of bannings and an immediate curb on the power level of the next year's expansions could keep the game from disintegrating under its own weight. Mercadian Masques was the result of this power check, and as most people playing at the time could tell you, it couldn't hold a candle to the dreadnaught that was Urza's block. WotC had consciously instigated a healing period, at Masques block's expense. In the midst of this tumult, however, two creature types heeded the call to battle and brought the pain to Urza's block in what little way they could: the mighty Rebels and the not-so-mighty (but virtually identical, and still plucky) Mercenaries. As much as Homarids almost single-handedly wrecked the game of Magic in 1994, Rebels and Mercenaries may have double-handedly saved it in 1999. They were fun, they were unique, and they were powerful enough to put up a fight. WotC has been teasing us with their full-fledged return ever since. Could it be far off?

#1 - Goblin (Mons's Goblin Raiders, Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker)

Before WotC even knew what a creature type was (and before anybody playing Magic could necessarily tell you if Goblin King counted as one or not), Goblins were there, rioting en masse, launching themselves at you and/or your opponent with gleeful abandon. Magic didn't need The Dark to be the first set to bring everybody lots of Goblins, (though it was the first) - they were wildly popular from the moment Alpha was released. Thank the fact that there was no four card limit rule at the time. Goblins have been a major presence in almost every set in the history of Magic, and where they weren't, their absence was arguably more noticable than their presence would have been. People expect Goblins when they play a game of Magic; Goblins and Magic have grown up hand-in-hand. Goblins have been popular with casual players, Goblins have dominated professional tournaments, Goblins have gone through more appearance and style changes than any other creature type in history. (Moggs and Kyren and Akki, for starters.) Goblins have served as a bridge between the familiar world of fantasy and the specific fantasy worlds of Magic. They just about do it all when it comes to creature types. The King!

Whew! It takes a while to write these things! I'd love to hear your opinions. What would your choices have been?

So, on to the best creature types. As I said, there are so many contenders, it's inevitable that some all-time favorites are going to be left out. I picked these ten because they add a varied mix of benefits to playing the game of Magic - I could have picked the ten most popular, or most printed, but there's not necessarily a whole lot to say about them. Each of these ten is a unique example of how creature types make the game more fun to play. The countdown:

#10 - Atog (Chronatog, Psychatog)

When the Alpha set was first released, Magic's ambitions were simply to be another alternative to the already large number of fantasy-themed games on the market. It didn't have to be unique, in fact, the more familiar it was, the greater the chances that players would take to it. But, Magic caught on rapidly, and soon it became evident that one of the healthiest things for the game was for it to be distinctive. Antiquities, the second Magic expansion, introduced a lot of Magic's unique thematic elements, one of which was the unassuming Atog. Created as a kind of inside joke ("Atog" is an anagram of "Goat"), the Atog turned out to be one of the more memorable early creature types, so much that they decided to bring it back starting in Mirage as the first Magic "megacycle" (a cycle that crosses multiple sets). Now most famous for its multicolor cycle in Odyssey, Atog was Magic's first completely proprietary creature type to make the big time. You know you're talking about Magic when you hear it's name.

#9 - Spirit (Frostling, Kodama of the North Tree)

WotC has never been so monomaniacal about a creature type as it was when it made Spirits the focus of Kamigawa block. Whether you liked the flavor of Spirits or not is largely irrelevant - WotC put so much stake on them right from the get-go that they now stand as one of the foremost creature types in all of Magic. And, yes, it was ultimately a good thing. Printing a major creature type in such great numbers in all five colors let WotC design mechanics that would have otherwise been impossible to produce successfully. Channel, soulshift and spiritcraft (the unofficial name for "whenever you play a spirit or arcane spell" abilities) are just some of the results. Printing Spirits in such high numbers also allowed WotC to design mechanics around the binary choice of Spirit / non-Spirit (see Clash of Realities), and moreover, it provided a constant for WotC to fall back on when conducting all sorts of design experiments in Kamigawa block. The secret to appreciating Spirits is to know that they were created as much for WotC's self-education as they were for your enjoyment. As such, their greatest worth lies in how their lessons will yet impact the future of Magic.

#8 - Dragon (Dragon Whelp, Rith, the Awakener)

Standing in contrast to proprietary creature types like Atog, Dragons best represent how WotC has taken a number of fantasy staples and made them especially relevant to Magic. A lot of creature types can be "cool", but as long as you speak the language of fantasy games, "cool" goes without saying when it comes to Dragons. Much like summer blockbusters are to the movie industry, Dragons have been the tentpole that is used to keep set after Magic set accessible to the masses. A number of famous sets have ridden far on their fame: Legends, Mirage, Invasion, and Champions of Kamigawa have all benefited from high profile 5-color cycles of rare Dragons. Their flavor even defined a whole set (Scourge) and brought us such unique ideas as Form of the Dragon and such delicious, over-the-top cards like Dragonstorm. Dragons keep Magic exciting, and most importantly for the continued health of Magic, they keep bringing new players to the game, and keep people buying packs. They might not be native to Magic, but Magic would be much the worse without them.

#7 - Incarnation (Genesis, Wonder)

Odyssey block was full of unexpected mechanics that turned your graveyard into a resource. One of the most unexpected was the mechanic present on only seven creatures in Judgment, the Incarnations. Able to live on after their death (or, in many cases, just pitched into your graveyard directly from your hand), Incarnations were immediately accepted by casual and tournament players alike. What makes them all the more relevant today is twofold. First, and most importantly, they represented a shift in the way that WotC thought about creatures. Previously, the most radical thing you could do with a creature and an out-of-play zone was maybe cycle a Bloated Toad, or return your Nether Shadow to play. Incarnations let everybody know that the foundation of the game was shifting. Creatures could now do so much more than they could before, and later cards like Jiwari, the Earth Aflame proved that the innovation was no fluke. The second reason the Incarnations are important is because they first showed us how a type of creature could be used to flesh out themes that were originally just on non-creature cards (like flashback). Incarnations were one of the brightest ideas in the history of Magic.

#6 - Shapeshifter (Duplicant, Shifty Doppelganger)

Shapeshifters? They've never had a huge presence in any set, and their mechanics have been as varied as creatures from a number of different types might be. Morphling is the only truly famous card of the bunch. Why, then, should such a rag-tag creature type make it into the Top Ten? The answer is simple: whether WotC intended it to be this way or not, the creature type has been home to consistently interesting and challenging abilities since the day it was introduced. If you include almost-Shapeshifters like Clone, Vesuvan Doppelganger, and, erm... Shapeshifter, the pedigree starts to become more apparent. Shapeshifters represent WotC at its most intellectual, its most risk-taking, and (though it may not seem like a good thing) its least accessible to the average player. They prove to the more experienced players, time and time again, that the rules of Magic have great depth, and that they can always be twisted and turned in new and interesting ways. Shapeshifters are a shout-out to the old guard of Magic, and are a great example of how the game can consistently appeal to so many different kinds of players.

OK! Did I leave out your favorite creature type? There are still five more to go, and they're the big ones. I'll be back soon to post them.

I had a lot of fun with my Top Ten Keyword Abilities thread, so I thought I'd make it a series, touching on notable innovations in the game of Magic that have shaped how we play or view the game. Creature types are certainly one such innovation. Highlighted most famously in Onslaught block, but owned by no one incarnation of Magic, they give form to the numbers and text on each creature card, making the game something we can engage in and imagine.

Even after WotC has gone through and condensed many of them, there are still a LOT of creature types in the game of Magic. That makes it especially hard to sort out the best. While everybody who plays Magic has their pet favorites (mine are pirates), my criteria isn't the "cool" factor as much as it is the impact that the creature type has had on the game.

As before, I'm actually going to start out with the top five WORST creature types. These creature types might have showcased cards with horrible mechanics, or they may have represented a serious flaw in the way that WotC thought about flavor. Look out, here they come:

#5 - Kavu (Horned Kavu, Kavu Titan)

What are Kavu, exactly? Even by perusing the flavor text of every last card in Invasion block, you wouldn't really know. They're genetic freaks, and they come out of the ground. Unfortunately, WotC never stopped to give them a unique set of abilities, or really anything to tie them together as a creature type, save the name. Kavu wouldn't have been much worse than, say, Thrulls, except that there were so many of them. It didn't help that they were named after a brand of outdoor clothing, either. They remain the biggest "huh?" in the history of creature types.

#4 - Licid (Dominating Licid, Quickening Licid)

Often, when WotC develops a new mechanic for creatures, they will create a new creature type to show off the mechanic. Such was the case with Licids, who showed everybody just how not to approximate a local enchantment and / or remove abilities from a creature in the days of Tempest block. The resulting concoction was so volatile when mixed with the rules of the game, that the whole creature type had to be detonated and vaporized from the collective memory of WotC, never to be visited again. Licids stand out as a prime example for why WotC has both designers and developers - they were an interesting idea that should have been stopped cold when their rules issues became apparent.

#3 - Uncle-Istvan (Uncle Istvan, see also: Niall Silvain)

Legends was the first Magic expansion to add a significant number of new rules to the game. Whether or not most of those rules have stood the test of time, Legends gave us legendary creatures (up until recently its own creature type - Legend), which have proved to be a great addition to the game. Why, why, why, then, did The Dark - the follow-up to the Legends expansion - abandon the work done by its predecessor, and revert to the awful creature type conventions of previous sets? We could forgive Arabian Nights' Ali from Cairo, because Magic was still in its infancy when he came on the scene. Not Uncle Istvan. When The Dark was released, one of the most common cries heard was, "Why didn't they just make him a Legend?" It would have strengthened the bond between the sets, and could have turned Legends, The Dark and Fallen Empires into its own legitimate block. Uncle-Istvan represents the first big missed opportunity in Magic creature types.

#2 - Homarid (Homarid, Viscerid Drone)

Before Onslaught block, one little set dared to explore the idea of tribal decks, and it did it with barely more than 100 cards. Fallen Empires brought us the first Soldier decks (thanks, Icatian Lieutenant) and a slew of new, more streamlined creature types. One of those creature types, unfortunately, was Homarid. It's hard for players weaned on more recent sets (ike, well... Tempest or Urza's Saga) to understand how a little creature type with only four or five unique cards to its name could upset so many people. Just open a pack of Fallen Empires cards and see. With each of the two terrible, confusing common Homarids each having four alternate artworks, players opening a box of Fallen Empires were inundated with a flood of unplayable cards in the form of these grimacing lobster-men. A lot of people lost their faith in Magic then and there. Strange and not-at-all evocative, Homarids cheapened the game right up to the breaking point. While they could certainly be more interesting now if they made a comeback, these guys still don't have many friends among the Magic playing populace.

#1 - Wall (Vine Trellis, Wall of Wonder)

It's strange - didn't anybody at WotC ever stop to think about whether a Wall should really count as a creature? The most dubiously named of all creature types (hey, at least a Ship can move!), Walls were done one worse by the fact that they were all printed with what is today the defender ability, a drawback that's about as exciting as watching mud dry. These things together would have earned Wall a spot on the Top Five Worst list anyway, but it's the fact that Walls forced the entire game to dodge around their strange, subtype-embedded mechanics for so many years (Ageless Sentinels and Animate Wall both played the Wall-chicanery game) that earns Wall the #1 Worst spot. It's definitely a step in the right direction for WotC to create the defender keyword and put its mechanics in the text box, where they belong, and hopefully WotC will continue to phase out the Wall creature type until it is a distant memory in the minds of Magic players.

Coming after I take a nap: Top Ten Best, #10 - 6.

I'm amazed at how many people put storm not just in their top ten or their top five, but as their #1 pick for best keyword ability of all time. That's really shocking to me. Of course, we're probably judging by different criteria.

Storm probably would have made my top fifteen, but not absolutely. The way I see it, storm isn't a very accessible keyword for the majority of players. It was designed as a nod to the pros, and the pros have really taken to it. It never struck me as a keyword that had much staying power - originally, I felt like the twelve cards from Scourge were probably all the mileage that mechanic had in it to begin with. If I played more Extended or Vintage, maybe I would learn to appreciate it more. I'd like to see it again, but in an equally small dose - I don't think that any given environment can support more than a dozen or so storm cards.

On power level, sure. I'd put storm in my top ten, along with affinity and madness. I see all three of those mechanics as largely being popular due to the power level of the cards they're on. Of course, power level is a perfectly valid reason to like a keyword ability, it's just not the stick that I'm measuring keywords by.

Quote from RickCorgan »

BTW, honorable mention as most underused mehcanic EVER: Fading. It was just great, and pretty easy to get.

Yeah, fading is good... it's definitely up there. Fantasy card designers have had such a heyday fleshing it out since Nemesis, it's almost like WotC would be the copycat if they printed it again. But, they should print it again. It's a good keyword.

Quote from herohammer »

Equip is an action, like block, or attack, not a keword. But hey, I dont have a clue.

"Equip" is a keyword that lets you "attach" an artifact to a creature. I think that you're getting the two confused.

Everything in section 502 of the comp. rules is a keyword ability, plus Epic, which hasn't been entered yet. Evidently, though, I was wrong about sweep. Channel and sweep are not keywords (I hadn't read that part of the Saviors FAQ), but ability words, which is a subtle difference. I'm gonna go back and edit that part of my first post. But, for the record, Loot Niptil, you were right.

My top ten cards are ranked by their influence on the game and potential for design, not necessarily the power level of the cards that bear their keyword. The same goes for the top five, though I think you'll agree that a number of them are among the all-time most powerful, as well. Here they are, the best of the best:

#5 - Splice (Evermind, Glacial Ray)

Buyback was a great mechanic for its time. It gave you the option of either cheap spells or card advantage, and in doing so really tested players' understanding of the game in ways that no mechanic had ever done before. Buyback was awesome, but the pluckier splice recently stormed its castle and snatched its crown. Splice is everything that buyback was and more. It gives you the option of playing early or holding back for card advantage, but it allows you to mix and match your effects in a way that buyback couldn't. And, it did this while giving propers to the brand new concept of instant and sorcery subtypes. It also played with the rules in an unusual way by adding text onto an effect, which no other mechanic had done. In Saviors of Kamigawa, the keyword also gave rise to the first spell without a mana cost - something that would have been pointless without splice to guide the way. Splice is a big deal, even if it's getting about as much professional attention right now as cycling got during Urza's block. It's another one of those mechanics that can do just about anything. Instants and sorceries are proud to call it their own.

#4 - Trample (Ball Lightning, Force of Nature)

Did you smell this one coming? Trample and WotC have been having relationship difficulties for many years now. WotC evidently suspects that trample has been seeing banding on the side ever since banding got the boot, and WotC's been jealous. WotC tried to show trample that it wasn't needed, that creatures could just go ahead and deal damage to the defending player as though they weren't blocked... WRONG!!! Trample has been here since day one, holding its own, staring opposing blockers in the face and telling them, "you don't amount to nothin". It is the once and future king of the beatdown, and not just because some of the greatest creatures of all time bear its brutal mark - trample is as indigenous and essential to the combat system of Magic as attacking, blocking, and dealing damage. Creatures need to fight - this is what shadow and other keywords of its ilk do not understand. But then, after some creatures are done fighting, they need to come in like a wrecking ball and smash your opponent in the face. Trample is the original double strike. It is the original "big fattie" mechanic. Sure, it's got a few rules to learn, but it's the original learning curve ability. The original, and still the best. On all counts.

#3 - Equip (Bonesplitter, Umezawa's Jitte)

Yep, that's right, EQUIP is #3 on the all-time list of greatest keywords, beating out the likes of haste, madness, you name it (well, there are a #1 and #2 on the list yet, you know). A lot of people don't like equip, or the equipment that it lives on. Equip was the ultimate dark horse - it rode up out of nowhere, and then, like it owned the place, told everybody that they were going to be playing by a different set of rules. That local enchantment you liked so much? Obsolete. You want your artifacts to be a little more unique, and independent? Sorry, now they get to live on your creatures. People had developed their own internal vision of what Magic was like, and then equip came around and told everybody that they were wrong. Naturally, some people were bitter about that. But, the mechanic solved so many glaring problems with the game in one fell swoop, it earned its place. No longer was bulking up your creature simply bait for your opponent's 2-for-1 removal, as it had been when enchantments were your only permanent option. Artifacts had a new, major role to play in the game. And finally, it answered the obvious question about the game of Magic: "Ummm, where's the equipment?"

#2 - Flashback (Quiet Speculation, Roar of the Wurm)

The Magic-playing populace had just come off the revolution that was Invasion block - one of the greatest Magic blocks of all time - and many people were wondering how this kind of low-key upcoming block, Odyssey, was going to even lick the boots of this new emperor of Magic excellence. All it took was one little keyword ability, a few mana symbols, and some reminder text. Flashback was (and still is) Magic's greatest act of keywording genius since the release of Alpha back in 1993. Not only did it make the graveyard count for something (with threshold playing sidekick), but it forced players to engage in a kind of reverse psychology where discarding cards was a good thing. Of course, other cards in Odyssey block played that kind of game, but flashback did it with more grace, and more style. Playing Odyssey block was a completely singular experience because of this. Other keywords made this list because they instigated some kind of radical change, or because they are essential to the game. Flashback is only these things by coincidence, but it is something that no other keyword ability can claim to be - a true work of gaming art.

#1 - Flying (Morphling, Shivan Dragon)

The keyword that is so essential to the game that you probably forgot it was even a keyword. Flying is the archetypal evasion ability, heck, the archetypal ability, period. It was part of Magic from the get-go, and it has left its mark on more cards than any other keyword. Sure, something else could come and take its place - many have tried - but flying has such a great track record that all challengers need to take a step back and assess what it is they're bringing to the competition. It's telling that, at Magic's most stripped down level (namely, the "Starter" sets), flying is still there. It's that fundamental to the game. It's also the role model for an ability that has both flavor and function - how exactly do you represent creatures with wings in a strategy card game? It's amazing to me how far WotC hit it out of the ballpark on opening day with this one. While its Alpha siblings (like first strike and protection) are often clunky, complex, or limited, flying is easy, clear, and has ever-expanding potential. It is one of the few constants in an ever-changing landscape of design choices, and one thing that players know they can always rely on. It deserves to be the greatest.

OK, now for the ones that I missed. There are a lot of good mechanics out there. I feel like, if I was doing a top fifteen, probably everybody would have their favorites on the list. The almost-made-its include: haste (a combat staple, to be sure, but not especially deep), kicker (very general, which is both a plus and a minus), and morph (very innovative yet very problematic).

Anyway, that's it! Please post your top 10 lists, or discuss at your leisure.

Great!! I'm glad that we disagree. That's why I like top ten lists so much - they start discussion.

Anyway, now is the time that I present my top ten picks for the best keyword abilities of all time. As I said, Magic is a huge game, so great keyword abilities could be great for any number of reasons. Perhaps they marked an important change in the understanding of the game, or opened up an innovative new area of design that nobody had thought to explore. The single unifying factor is that each of these mechanics has truckloads of untapped potential, and could see print again in the future (possibly many times). Here they are, my top ten:

#10 - Ninjutsu (Ninja of the Deep Hours, Throat Slitter)

It's fitting that I should start this out with what's sure to be a controversial pick (especially once you see the keywords I bumped out to put this one in the top ten), but Ninjutsu really is the little keyword that could. Everybody knew that it was coming from the moment Kamigawa block was announced, but nobody knew how deviously simple and elegant the keyword would be. Even if the power level for ninjas is low, low, low, the depth of play factor for this mechanic is super high - it requires careful attention to tempo over multiple turns, allows you to bluff your opponent in a way morph only wished it could, and is the first mechanic to let you switch attackers mid-combat. Most importantly, it's just cool. Everybody wants to be a ninja (admit it) - this mechanic proves that they want the right thing. It's the single best argument for re-visiting the Kamigawa plane at some point in the future.

#9 - Echo (Avalanche Riders, Ring of Gix)

When Urza's Saga was released, echo was living proof that WotC had learned much since alpha - learned about tempo, learned about how much players liked the upkeep step (i.e. not very much), and learned about how to make cheap cards work in Magic design. Unfortunately for the rest of Urza's block, they learned that last lesson a bit too well. Seven years later, echo stands out as the biggest "overdue to be reprinted" mechanic in Magic history. It achieved the unique status of being a drawback keyword that people actually liked. (Defender? Yeah... keep dreaming!) It almost goes without saying that the mechanic has ripened with age, and with a few little tweaks, could provide us with another block's worth of interesting design. Still, echo's claim to fame is that it took all the earlier attempts at upkeep-based mechanics (keyworded or not) and single-handedly put them all to shame. I'm excited to see what else it can do.

#8 - Provoke (Deftblade Elite, Hunter Sliver)

Looking back at Onslaught block, it's really funny the way its keyword abilities ultimately impacted Magic. The major headliner (morph) was met with a lukewarm reception, but two of the sideshows (double strike and storm) went on to become a permanent staple of new design, and a major player in Vintage tournaments, respectively. Provoke was the mechanic that turned the sideshow posse into a triumvirate, and it did so by being the single most interesting mechanic in the whole of Onslaught block. Provoke filled a conspicuous hole in creature combat - there were any number of evasion abilities, but what could you do if you wanted your creature to get blocked? Such a mechanic had been a long time in coming. It's almost a shame that double strike has been getting all of the attention since Onslaught block, and not provoke, but something is surely cooking at WotC. When we see the mechanic again, it will probably have an entire block in which to be showcased, and hopefully will be in the game for keeps.

#7 - Cycling (Astral Slide, Krosan Tusker)

The other headliner from Onslaught block, cycling actually made its debut in Urza's Saga, though you wouldn't hardly know, seeing how quickly the entire mechanic was eclipsed by that block's power curve. Cycling had a lot to answer for when it came back in Onslaught - namely, why should we give you a second chance when you were so underwhelming the first time? There were two answers - versatility and simplicity. Given, Invasion block had kicker, and that showed us that it's not hard to be versatile. But, where kicker eschewed focus, cycling had it in spades. It's still the only keyword that deals with drawing cards - something that every deck needs to do. The fact that it's easy to understand makes it the perfect mechanic for new players looking for something to do besides make creatures. Cycling's second coming was the first time that WotC attempted to explore every nook and cranny of interactions with a keyword ability. It's so intuitive and fundamental that we're bound to see it again.

#6 - Imprint (Chrome Mox, Isochron Scepter)

Mirrodin block was the first block to hit us with an full-on deluge of new keyword abilities right out of the gate. Affinity and entwine made immediate names for themselves, since two of the most powerful decks to be spawned by Mirrodin block had these keywords on their namesake cards. But, affinity (as printed) was woefully unbalanced, and entwine was all-too-derivative of Invasion's kicker keyword to be truly compelling. With all of the new faces on the street, it was easy to overlook the chameleon-like imprint. But, it was imprint that was the most radical idea of the whole block - up there among the most radical ideas of all time in Magic. Imprint as an ability can do almost anything, but the way it makes it happen is extremely simple. You just stick one card onto another, and go crazy. It still boggles peoples' minds to think about it. Imprint was the perfect way to show off some recent improvements to the rules of the game (the ability wouldn't have been possible without the new concept of "copiable values") and to give artifacts something new that they could call their own. Imprint is a HUGE mechanic with unlimited possibilities. It'll be back.

Coming next: the top five.

I've recently become a big fan of top ten lists, so now it's time to do my own. Magic is a game with great complexity and depth, but within the sea of rules and mechanics stand high-profile keyword abilities. Some of them are essential and some of them are superfluous, but after more than 10 years, there are finally enough of them to rank (43, in fact).

To qualify for this list, an ability needs to be listed under section 502 of the comprehensive rules. Pseudo-keyword abilities, while important, are not eligible. Sorry, indestructible and spiritcraft.

I'm actually going to start at the bottom - I'm going to give you the top five WORST keyword mechanics of all time, before we get to the good stuff. The criteria for this worst-of list are varied, but generally, these keywords are either needlessly complicated, frustrating to meet in a game, or just plain boring. Without further ado, the worst of the keyword abilities:

#5 - Shadow (Dauthi Mercenary, Soltari Trooper)

Designed to be a flavorful alternative to flying during Tempest block, shadow missed the mark entirely. With relatively few shadow creatures printed, games with shadow creatures degenerated into bouts of unblockability, where the subtle tactical strategy of creature development meant little to nothing. While some players still have a fondness for shadow, it's only the flavor of Tempest bock that can be thanked. The ability itself was a turkey.

#4 - Cumulative Upkeep (Polar Kraken, Tombstone Stairwell)

Winning the prize for the most memory-intensive keyword, cumulative upkeep took everybody's least favorite step of the game (back when cards like Force of Nature were ubiquitous and Eon Hub was unheard of), then made players pay more during each upkeep, and worst of all, forced each to keep track of a constantly increasing payment. WotC has since learned to take it easy with the upkeep costs, much to everybody's enjoyment.

#3 - Amplify (Feral Throwback, Kilnmouth Dragon)

The worst keyword mechanic in the modern (read: post-Invasion) era of Magic, it's hard to believe that amplify was almost the major block mechanic for Onslaught, Legions, and Scourge. Very limited in its scope, amplify rewarded you not just for building cookie-cutter tribal decks, but for not playing cards at all. Then, all you got for your troubles were a few +1/+1 counters on already overcosted creatures. You have to thank WotC for pulling the plug on this mechanic and relegating it to the ghetto of Legions, but the whole block would have surely been better had it not even existed.

#2 - Banding / Bands with Other (Benalish Hero, Shelkin Brownie)

Beating out even protection as the most complicated combat ability on a creature, banding is the only real dud to come out of the original alpha design of Magic. At the time of its release, people liked banding because it stoked the imagination - your creatures could "party-up" and fight together - what's not to like about that? Unfortunately, the rules made the whole affair a drag, with completely different applications for attacking and blocking. Then, in one of the more questionable design moves of all time, WotC released the even-more-limited, even-more-confusing "bands with other" ability in the Legends set. It was a time when the rules for the game had very large tracts of ambiguity, and adhering to the "spirit" of the mechanic was often the only way to interpret an ability's outcome. If anything good can be said to have come from banding, it's that our rules are better today because of the cleanup that WotC needed to enact on account of it.

#1 - Phasing (Shimmer, Teferi's Imp)

Was there ever any doubt? A case of WotC knowing not what they wrought, phasing must have made sense to somebody in Magic R&D, somewhere, but when it came out into the public swinging, people screamed in terror. How did that local enchantment work, now? Why does my card trigger leaves-play effects, but not comes-into-play effects? There's a new zone? Something happens before my untap step? It's the single longest entry for a keyword ability in the comprehensive rules, and probably the most notorious mechanic (keyword or not) in the history of Magic. It also marked the end of an era in Magic design - the following year brought Tempest block, with its neatly-developed keywords that changed everything about the way we play the game. If new players want to know what it means to be truly old-school, they just need to pick up a few cards with phasing and try to play them in a deck. And for that, they'll need a lot of willpower.

OK, sure, there are other bad keywords, but I really believe that, for their time and place, these five really take the cake. (Dis)honorable mentions go to: landwalk (boring and redundant) and rampage (would have been great without the "beyond the first" clause).

I'll be back in a few hours to post the other side of the coin - the top ten BEST keyword mechanics of all time.

Yeah, if you check Gatherer, you'll note that it (Shatterstorm) was uncommon when it was printed in Revised and 4th edition.

Quote from Beta-Male »

no, the reason granulate was printed as-is was because R&D completely missed the boat on how good the artifact lands were until it was too late.

That's not the reason that it was printed, that's the mistake in their reasoning. The reason it was printed was to be a Shatterstorm lite.

You know, it's really funny that people think that Shatterstorm is undercosted. I remember the days that I couldn't give the things away. I don't hear anybody complaining about Wrath of God - does that mean that Wrath is fairly costed, and Shatterstorm isn't? Wow.

You know, when Mirrodin rotates out, they could print a card that destroys all artifacts without allowing them to be regenerated, and deals 2 damage to your opponent for each artifact destroyed this way, and lets you draw a card, and they could cost it at RR, and nobody would play it except maybe in their sideboard. All of the artifact sweepers mentioned thus far could see print in 9th or Ravnica. No question about it.

My vote is for Pulverize, in 9th, mostly because I have a hunch about Ravnica and its interactions with basic land types (Pulverize requiring you to sacrifice basic lands).

Quote from Uttermadness »

How about Rebels and Mercenaries?

Sokenzan Renegade (a mercenary) might be a teaser for Ravnica, or it might be a red herring. As for Rebels and Mercenaries, I wouldn't mind seeing either / both in the upcoming block.

People have been speculating about seeing more Kobolds since the day Legends was released. We haven't seen any yet. Why would Ravnica be any more likely to host Kobolds than any of the 10 previous blocks that did not?

Spikes should have been in Mirrodin. I really don't understand why they weren't - they fit the flavor and the mechanics of the block perfectly. Again, why would they be in Ravnica if they didn't make it into Mirrodin?

I'd like to see both Kobolds and Spikes, but why now?

Well, Ravnica is a city, not a town, so Citizens would make more sense to me than Townsfolk.

Plus, citizen is a much more elegant word. It's easier to say, it sounds better, it has broader meaning, and it doesn't have this overused-in-fantasy-games, generic "-folk" suffix that can be placed on any noun in existence.

I mean, who needs Nomads when you could have Plainsfolk? Or Wizards when you could have Pointyhatfolk? Or Merfolk when you could have M... oh, wait.

Citizens, a la Icatian Town. That's a pretty old, relevant creature type, yes? (Relevant to Ravnica, at least!)

Of course, my eternal hope is for pirates to make a comeback. Thrulls would be OK, too.