Anchor word
An anchor word is a word that precedes a choice on a modal spell, to give the respective abilities a bit of flavor and signify the choice. Anchor words don't have a specific rule attached to them, but always tie the existence of a continuous effect to the choice.[1]
History
Anchor words were introduced in Fate Reforged, where the "Siege"-cycle featured the choice between "Khans" and "Dragons".[2][3]
Anchor words also appeared in Unstable and Modern Horizons. The flavor words from Adventures in the Forgotten Realms have a similar function.
List of anchor words
- "Khans" and "Dragons" ("Siege"-cycle)
- "Flavorful" and "Bland" (Ineffable Blessing (Unstable, #113a))[4]
- "Whack", "Doodle" and "Buzz" (Buzzing Whack-a-Doodle)[5]
- "Mirran" and "Phyrexian" (Mirrodin Besieged)
- "Truth" and "Dare" (Truth or Dare)
Rules
From the glossary of the Comprehensive Rules (June 7, 2024—Modern Horizons 3)
- Anchor Word
- A word that precedes one of two abilities a permanent may enter the battlefield with. See rule 614.12b.
From the Comprehensive Rules (June 7, 2024—Modern Horizons 3)
- 614.12b Some replacement effects cause a permanent to enter the battlefield with its controller’s choice of one of two abilities, each marked with an anchor word and preceded by a bullet point. “[Anchor word] — [ability]” means “As long as [anchor word] was chosen as this permanent entered the battlefield, this permanent has [ability].” The abilities preceded by anchor words are each linked to the ability that causes a player to choose between them. See rule 607, “Linked Abilities.”
Rulings
- The anchor word "Dragons" has no connection to the creature type Dragon.[6]
- Will of the council options from Conspiracy, and Council's dilemma options from Conspiracy: Take the Crown are not anchor words, because they don't represent a modal choice.[1] The voting is just voting for arbitrary words and referring to how many times certain votes were received.
References
- ↑ a b Ethan Fleischer (July 30, 2019). "Know Your Anchor Words.". Twitter.
- ↑ Mark Rosewater (January 12, 2015). "Fate-ful Stories, Part 1". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Matt Tabak (January 15, 2015). "Fate Reforged Update Bulletin — Comprehensive Rule Changes". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Adam Styborski (November 14, 2017). "Welcome to Flavortown! (Or Not)". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Mark Rosewater (November 27, 2017). "Unstable Scraps, Part 1". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Wizards of the Coast (January 14, 2015). "Fate Reforged Release Notes". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.