Amass
| Amass | |
|---|---|
|
[[File:{{#setmainimage:Icon Amass.png}}|70x70px]] | |
| Keyword Action | |
| Introduced | War of the Spark |
| Last used | The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth |
| Reminder Text | Amass N (Put N +1/+1 counters on an Army you control. If you don't control one, create a 0/0 black Zombie Army creature token first.) |
| Storm Scale | 5[1] |
| Statistics |
23 cards
 30.4%  26.1%  17.4%  13%  8.7%  4.3% 1 Amass Orcs card  100% |
| Scryfall Search | |
| keyword:"Amass" | |
Amass is a keyword action introduced in War of the Spark, which creates a Zombie Army.[2][3][4][5]
Description
Amass appears in because it is flavorfully connected to Bolas's army, the Dreadhorde.[6]
As you amass, if you don't already control an Army creature, you create a 0/0 black Zombie Army creature token. Then put a number of +1/+1 counters on one of your Armies equal to the number after amass. If you do control an Army, you don't create any new tokens. Rather, you'll put those +1/+1 counters on an Army you control.
Amass was designed so you'd control one Army at most at any given time. But there are several ways around that. You could copy an Army you control, or maybe you control a creature with all creature types.
Rules
From the glossary of the Comprehensive Rules (June 7, 2024—Modern Horizons 3)
- Amass
- A keyword action that gives you a Zombie Army creature token or grows an Army you already have. See rule 701.44, “Amass.”
From the Comprehensive Rules (June 7, 2024—Modern Horizons 3)
- 701.44. Amass
- 701.44a To amass [subtype] N means “If you don’t control an Army creature, create a 0/0 black [subtype] Army creature token. Choose an Army creature you control. Put N +1/+1 counters on that creature. If it isn’t a [subtype], it becomes a [subtype] in addition to its other types.”
- 701.44b A player “amassed” after the process described in rule 701.44a is complete, even if some or all of those actions were impossible.
- 701.44c The phrases “the Army you amassed” and “the amassed Army” refer to the creature you chose, whether or not it received counters.
- 701.44d Some older cards were printed with amass N without including a subtype. Those cards have received errata in the Oracle card reference so that they read “amass Zombies N.”
Rulings
- It's possible to control a nontoken Army (perhaps a creature with the changeling ability) and, through combinations of other cards, it's possible to control multiple Army tokens. When instructed to amass, you may put +1/+1 counters on any of your Army creatures, and you may choose a different one each time.[7]
- If you don't control an Army, the Zombie Army token that you create enters the battlefield as a 0/0 creature. Any abilities that trigger when a creature with a certain power enters the battlefield, such as that of Mentor of the Meek, will see the token enter as a 0/0 creature before it gets +1/+1 counters.
- Although players can respond to the spell or ability that instructs you to amass, once you start to amass, no one can interrupt you. This is true even if you're creating a new Army — no player can do anything while the Zombie Army creature token is still 0/0, before it gets the counters.
- Even though the +1/+1 counters represent the growing numbers of Eternals joining your ranks, the Zombie Army creature token is still a single creature. It has two creature types: Zombie and Army.
- Some spells that amass may require targets. If each target chosen is an illegal target as that spell tries to resolve, it doesn't resolve. You won't amass.
- Some cards that cause you to amass also provide bonuses to "Zombie tokens." These affect any token that happens to be a Zombie, not just a Zombie Army you've amassed.
Examples
Example
Relentless Advance 
Sorcery
Amass 3. (Put three +1/+1 counters on an Army you control. If you don't control one, create a 0/0 black Zombie Army creature token first.)
Trivia
- If Amass ever returns, Mark Rosewater considers it a possibility that it will create an Army of another creature type.[8] However, this would necessitate some tweaking of the mechanic.[9]
References
- ↑ Mark Rosewater (2022-03-08). "Hey Mark, was talking to some friends and got curious...". Blogatog. Tumblr.
- ↑ Matt Tabak (March 31, 2019). "War of the Spark Mechanics". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Mark Rosewater (April 15, 2019). "Waging War of the Spark, Part 3". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Mark Rosewater (March 31, 2019). "Will any older cards be given the army creature...". Blogatog. Tumblr.
- ↑ Mark Rosewater (March 31, 2019). "Will army be a token only creature type made...". Blogatog. Tumblr.
- ↑ Mark Rosewater (March 31, 2019). "Why force such a mechanic into these colors?". Blogatog. Tumblr.
- ↑ Wizards of the Coast (April 19, 2019). "War of the Spark Release Notes". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Mark Rosewater (March 8, 2022). "If we ever see it again would it still be zombie armies?". Blogatog. Tumblr.
- ↑ Mark Rosewater (March 8, 2022). "If amass were to return with a new tribe, would the original be erratad in some way?". Blogatog. Tumblr.
External links
- War of the Spark - Mechanic Spotlight: Amass | Magic (Video). Magic: The Gathering. YouTube (April 1, 2019).
