Lure
The lure ability, informally named after the eponymous Lure card, is an ability that limits an opponent's options when blocking, such that he or she is impelled to block any creatures with the ability. It is primary in green. This ability has been with Magic since Alpha, but R&D has started scaling back how often it is used. It's done infrequently now, and only at higher rarities because of its impact on Limited.[1]
Two main forms of the ability exist, forcing all creatures able to block ("lure") or a given target creature to block a creature with the ability ("targeted lure" or "Lure Limited"). R&D has started occasionally using the latter ability in red.<ref name="Color Pie 2017">
The lure ability can be used to force opponents to block smaller creatures to permit larger ones to directly attack them or to block creatures with abilities that would produce a favourable outcome to the attacking player (e.g., deathtouch, venom, rampage).
Lure
Creatures
- Elvish Bard
- Golgari Decoy
- Marble Priest (walls)
- Mortipede
- Nath's Elite
- Prized Unicorn
- Shinen of Life's Roar
- Stone-Tongue Basilisk
- Talruum Piper (creatures with flying)
- Taunting Elf
- Tempting Licid
Enchantments
Sorceries
Instants
Artifacts
Targeted Lure
Creatures
- Burning-Tree Bloodscale
- Courtly Provocateur
- Giant Ambush Beetle
- Matsu-Tribe Decoy
- Nacatl Hunt-Pride
- Rampant Elephant
- Rimehorn Aurochs
- Sisters of Stone Death
- Tangle Angler
- Torchling
- Trumpeting Armodon
- Turntimber Basilisk
Sorceries
Artifacts