BinderLoot

Abilities and keywords

Tell the three kinds of ability apart, and read the keywords that change a fight.

7 min read

After this guide you can

  • Say if an ability is static, triggered or activated.
  • Resolve a fight with trample, deathtouch, flying and first strike.

Three kinds of ability

  • Llanowar Elves, a green creature that taps to add one green manaLlanowar ElvesCreature — Elf Druid · 1/1
  • A.I.M. Scientists, a blue creature that costs four mana and is a 3/3A.I.M. ScientistsCreature — Human Scientist Villain · 3/3
  • Kree Commandos, a white creature card that costs three mana and is a 2/1 with flying and vigilanceKree CommandosCreature — Kree Soldier Villain · 2/1

Llanowar Elves, Foundations, illustrated by Kev Walker. A.I.M. Scientists, Marvel Super Heroes, illustrated by Bartek Fedyczak. Kree Commandos, Marvel Super Heroes, illustrated by Aaron J. Riley. Card images from Scryfall. Magic: The Gathering is a trademark of Wizards of the Coast. Marvel and all related character names are trademarks of MARVEL. BinderLoot is unofficial Fan Content and is not approved or endorsed by Wizards or by Marvel.

  • Activated: Llanowar Elves reads {T}: Add . You choose when to pay the cost and use it.
  • Triggered: A.I.M. Scientists reads "When this creature enters, it connives." It happens on its own, every time it enters.
  • Static: the flying of Kree Commandos is always true. Nobody uses it.

  • An activated ability is written as a cost, a colon and an effect. A player activates it, and it uses the stack.

    CR 602.1, 602.2

  • A triggered ability starts with when, whenever or at. It triggers on its own and uses the stack.

    CR 603.1, 603.2

  • A static ability is always true while its permanent is on the battlefield. It is not activated and does not trigger.

    CR 604.1

Keywords that decide who can block

  • Kree Commandos, a white creature card that costs three mana and is a 2/1 with flying and vigilanceKree CommandosCreature — Kree Soldier Villain · 2/1

Kree Commandos, Marvel Super Heroes, illustrated by Aaron J. Riley. Card images from Scryfall. Magic: The Gathering is a trademark of Wizards of the Coast. Marvel and all related character names are trademarks of MARVEL. BinderLoot is unofficial Fan Content and is not approved or endorsed by Wizards or by Marvel.

A keyword is one word that stands for a rule. Kree Commandos has flying and vigilance, so only a creature with flying or reach can block it, and it stays untapped when it attacks.

  • A creature with flying can be blocked only by creatures with flying or reach. A creature with flying can block any creature.

    CR 702.9b, 702.17b

  • A creature with menace cannot be blocked except by two or more creatures.

    CR 702.111b

  • A creature with vigilance does not tap when it attacks.

    CR 702.20b

Keywords that change the damage

  • Savage Land Dinosaur, a green creature that is a 7/6 with trampleSavage Land DinosaurCreature — Dinosaur · 7/6
  • Captain Marvel, Earth's Protector, a white legendary creature that can lead a Commander deckCaptain Marvel, Earth's ProtectorLegendary Creature — Human Kree Hero · 5/4

Savage Land Dinosaur, Marvel Super Heroes, illustrated by Josu Hernaiz. Captain Marvel, Earth's Protector, Marvel Super Heroes, illustrated by Victor Adame Minguez. Card images from Scryfall. Magic: The Gathering is a trademark of Wizards of the Coast. Marvel and all related character names are trademarks of MARVEL. BinderLoot is unofficial Fan Content and is not approved or endorsed by Wizards or by Marvel.

Savage Land Dinosaur has trample. Captain Marvel has flying and lifelink.

  • If a creature in combat has first strike or double strike, combat gets an extra damage step, and creatures with first strike deal their damage first.

    CR 702.7b, 702.7c, 510.4

  • A creature with double strike deals damage in the first damage step and again in the regular damage step.

    CR 702.4b, 702.4c

  • An attacker with trample assigns lethal damage to its blockers and can assign the rest to the player. If no blocker is left, all its damage goes to the player.

    CR 702.19b, 702.19d

  • Any nonzero damage from a source with deathtouch destroys the creature it hits, and one point counts as lethal damage for trample.

    CR 702.2b, 702.2c, 704.5h

  • Damage dealt by a source with lifelink makes its controller gain that much life.

    CR 702.15b

Worked example: Savage Land Dinosaur tramples over a blocker

  • Savage Land Dinosaur, a green creature that is a 7/6 with trampleSavage Land DinosaurCreature — Dinosaur · 7/6
  • Agent of Atlas, a white creature that costs two mana and is a 2/2Agent of AtlasCreature — Human Spy Hero · 2/2

Savage Land Dinosaur, Marvel Super Heroes, illustrated by Josu Hernaiz. Agent of Atlas, Marvel Super Heroes, illustrated by Michael Machira. Card images from Scryfall. Magic: The Gathering is a trademark of Wizards of the Coast. Marvel and all related character names are trademarks of MARVEL. BinderLoot is unofficial Fan Content and is not approved or endorsed by Wizards or by Marvel.

  1. 1Savage Land Dinosaur, a 7/6 with trample, attacks. Agent of Atlas, a 2/2, blocks it.
  2. 2Lethal damage for Agent of Atlas is 2, its toughness. You assign those 2 to it.
  3. 3Trample lets you assign the other 5 to your opponent.
  4. 4Agent of Atlas dies, and your opponent loses 5 life. The Dinosaur takes 2 and survives.

  • A creature with damage equal to or greater than its toughness is destroyed.

    CR 704.5g

Hexproof, protection and indestructible

  • Wrath of God, a white sorcery that destroys every creature on the battlefieldWrath of GodSorcery
  • Hour of Defeat, a black instant that destroys one creatureHour of DefeatInstant
  • Lightning Strike, a red instant that deals three damage and has no power or toughnessLightning StrikeInstant

Wrath of God, Commander Masters, illustrated by Willian Murai. Hour of Defeat, Marvel Super Heroes, illustrated by Jake Murray. Lightning Strike, Marvel Super Heroes, illustrated by Toni Infante. Card images from Scryfall. Magic: The Gathering is a trademark of Wizards of the Coast. Marvel and all related character names are trademarks of MARVEL. BinderLoot is unofficial Fan Content and is not approved or endorsed by Wizards or by Marvel.

Hour of Defeat targets a creature, so it cannot choose a creature with hexproof that your opponent controls. Wrath of God targets nothing, so it destroys that creature.

A creature with protection from red takes no damage from Lightning Strike or any other red source.

Wrath of God says destroy, so it does not destroy a creature with indestructible.

  • A permanent with hexproof cannot be the target of spells or abilities that an opponent controls. An effect that does not target, such as destroy all creatures, still affects it.

    CR 702.11b

  • Damage from a source of the stated quality to a permanent or player with protection is prevented, even when the effect does not target.

    CR 702.16e

  • A permanent with indestructible cannot be destroyed, by a destroy effect or by lethal damage. Sacrifice, exile and toughness 0 still remove it.

    CR 702.12b, 701.8b

Tokens and dies

Some cards make tokens, such as a 1/1 Soldier. A token plays like a creature card, and it is gone for good when it leaves the battlefield.

A card that says "dies" means a creature that goes from the battlefield to its owner's graveyard.

  • A token is a permanent that is not a card. A token that leaves the battlefield stops existing.

    CR 111.1, 111.7

  • Dies means put into a graveyard from the battlefield.

    CR 700.4

Your turn: Captain Marvel attacks

  • Captain Marvel, Earth's Protector, a white legendary creature that can lead a Commander deckCaptain Marvel, Earth's ProtectorLegendary Creature — Human Kree Hero · 5/4
  • Agent of Atlas, a white creature that costs two mana and is a 2/2Agent of AtlasCreature — Human Spy Hero · 2/2

Captain Marvel, Earth's Protector, Marvel Super Heroes, illustrated by Victor Adame Minguez. Agent of Atlas, Marvel Super Heroes, illustrated by Michael Machira. Card images from Scryfall. Magic: The Gathering is a trademark of Wizards of the Coast. Marvel and all related character names are trademarks of MARVEL. BinderLoot is unofficial Fan Content and is not approved or endorsed by Wizards or by Marvel.

Captain Marvel, a 5/4 with flying and lifelink, attacks you. You control Agent of Atlas, a 2/2 without flying or reach.

1 / 2Can Agent of Atlas block Captain Marvel?
2 / 2Captain Marvel deals 5 damage to you. How much life does her controller gain?

Check yourself

1 / 4Llanowar Elves reads {T}: Add {G}. What kind of ability is it?
2 / 4A card reads "Whenever you cast a noncreature spell, this creature gets +1/+1 until end of turn." What kind of ability is it?
3 / 4A 4/4 with deathtouch and trample is blocked by a 3/3. How much damage can go to the player?
4 / 4A 2/2 with first strike is blocked by a 2/2 without it. What happens?
Next guideThe stack and respondingA spell does not happen at once. It waits on the stack, and your opponent can answer it.

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