Landwalk
| Landwalk | |
|---|---|
| Keyword Ability | |
| Type | Evasion |
| Introduced | Alpha |
| Last used | Commander 2018 |
| Reminder Text | [Type] Landwalk (This creature can't be blocked as long as defending player controls a [type].) |
| Scryfall Search | |
| keyword:"walk" | |
Landwalk is a former evergreen keyword ability on creatures that makes the creature unblockable if the defending player controls at least one land with a certain characteristic.
Description
Landwalk was introduced in Alpha.[1] The keyword always appeared in conjunction with a subtype or supertype to denote the appropriate characteristic, and in most cases did not actually appear as "Landwalk", but instead "Islandwalk", "Desertwalk", "Snow Forestwalk" and so on. "Denimwalk" was used in Unglued. Exceptions to the rule were "Nonbasic landwalk" (Dryad Sophisticate, Trailblazer's Boots), "Legendary landwalk" (Livonya Silone, Ayumi, the Last Visitor), and "Snow landwalk" (Zombie Musher).
Typically, green could get any type of landwalk, while red, black and blue could get the landwalk associated with their respective basic land (mountainwalk, swampwalk, and islandwalk, respectively). "Plainswalk" has always been the least used basic landwalk type (only 5 cards, including Old Fogey) because it's not a great fit for its color mechanically, nor has particularly strong flavor.[2] Also, the fact that "planeswalk" became an important concept in the game made "plainswalk" confusing.[3]
In the course of time, landwalk fell out of favor with R&D and was not getting used very often. It was declared obsolete altogether with the release of Magic Origins.[1][4]
Rules
Examples
Example
River Bear 
Creature — Bear
3/3
Islandwalk (This creature can't be blocked as long as defending player controls an Island.)
Cards that grant Landwalk
Plainswalk
Islandwalk
- Piracy Charm
- Fishliver Oil
- Lord of Atlantis (other Merfolk creatures)
- Master of the Pearl Trident (other Merfolk creatures)
- Part Water
- Sandals of Abdallah
- War Barge
Swampwalk
- Filth
(if it's in your graveyard and you control a Swamp) - Funeral Charm
- Leshrac's Rite
- Nighthaze
- Zombie Master (other Zombie creatures)
Mountainwalk
- Burrowing
- Cave Sense
- Goblin King (other Goblin creatures)
- Volcanic Strength
Forestwalk
- Dryad's Favor
- Eladamri, Lord of Leaves (other Elf creatures)
- Elvish Champion (other Elf creatures)
- Nature's Cloak
- Hidden Path
- Lumbering Satyr
Nonbasic Landwalk
Landwalk of the chosen type
Multiple (potentially)
- Concerted Effort
(if you control a creature with that landwalk ability)
Anti-landwalk
Anti-landwalk cards allow creatures with a given landwalk ability to be blocked as though they didn't have that ability. The cards are listed below:
Enchantments
- Crevasse (mountainwalk)
- Deadfall (forestwalk)
- Great Wall (plainswalk)
- Quagmire (swampwalk)
- Undertow (islandwalk)
- These five enchantments form a cycle of landwalk hosers in Legends
- The Aura Street Savvy permits enchanted creature block creatures with landwalk abilities as though they didn't have those abilities.
- The World Enchantment Mystic Decree causes all creatures to lose islandwalk.
Creatures
- Gosta Dirk (islandwalk)
- Lord Magnus (plainswalk, forestwalk)
- Ur-Drago (swampwalk)
Artifacts
- Staff of the Ages (any landwalk abilities)
References
- ↑ a b Mark Rosewater (June 8, 2015). "Evergreen Eggs & Ham". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Mark Rosewater (May 14, 2017). "Do you have any trivia on plainswalkers (note the spelling) for me?". Blogatog. Tumblr.
- ↑ Mark Rosewater (May 18, 2015). "Modern Mailbag". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Mark Rosewater (April 20, 2017). "Is nonbasic landwalk retired too? Or other variations?". Blogatog. Tumblr.