Affinity

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Affinity
Keyword Ability
Type	Static
Introduced	Mirrodin
Last used	Aetherdrift
Reminder Text	Affinity for [text] (This spell costs less to cast for each [text] you control.)
Storm Scale	2
Statistics	34 Affinity for artifacts cards 5.9% 44.1% 5.9% 11.8% 5.9% 2.9% 2.9% 20.6% 1 Affinity for artifact creatures card 100% 1 Affinity for creatures card 100% 2 Affinity for enchantments cards 50% 50% 1 Affinity for planeswalkers card 100% 1 Affinity for historic permanents card 100% 1 Affinity for snow lands card 100% 1 Affinity for tokens card 100% 1 Affinity for outlaws card 100% 1 Affinity for Citizens card 100% 1 Affinity for Clowns card 100% 1 Affinity for Daleks card 100% 4 Affinity for Equipment cards 75% 25% 1 Affinity for Food card 100% 1 Affinity for Frogs card 100% 1 Affinity for Humans card 100% 1 Affinity for Knights card 100% 1 Affinity for Lizards card 100% 1 Affinity for Spirits card 100% 1 Affinity for Gates card 100% 1 Affinity for Plains card 100% 1 Affinity for Islands card 100% 1 Affinity for Swamps card 100% 1 Affinity for Mountains card 100% 1 Affinity for Forests card 100%
Scryfall Search
keyword:"Affinity"

Affinity is a keyword ability that reduces the mana cost of a spell by the number of permanents of a certain type that the player controls. It first appeared in the Mirrodin block.

Description

The ability is always written as "Affinity for [something]". The most common instance is "Affinity for artifacts" (see Frogmite). However, a cycle of Golems (consisting of Dross Golem, Oxidda Golem, Razor Golem, Spire Golem, and Tangle Golem) appeared in the Darksteel expansion, each with affinity for a particular basic land type. Hum of the Radix functions as an "anti-affinity" enchantment, increasing by the cost of all artifact spells for each artifact its controller owns. Mycosynth Golem grants affinity to artifacts for all artifact creature spells cast by its controller, in addition to having Affinity for artifacts itself.

History

Mirrodin block's cards with affinity contributed heavily to the Second Combo Winter and soured public perception towards the mechanic. The mechanic was considered for a return in the Scars of Mirrodin block but rejected because it had been so destructive for the metagame in its first appearance.

Affinity for artifacts appeared as a one-off in War of the Spark with Tezzeret, Master of the Bridge., followed by a reintroduction in Modern Horizons 2, alongside a new variant in Junk Winder's "Affinity for tokens".

R&D officially promoted Affinity to a deciduous mechanic with its return in Phyrexia: All Will Be One. The set debuted Affinity for Equipment, with some classic Affinity for Artifacts in the Commander release. The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth featured Affinity for Food.

Tomik, Wielder of Law (Murders at Karlov Manor) had "Affinity for Planeswalkers". Notably, while his mana cost only has generic mana (the only Affinity spell to have that amount of generic), the affinity allows the card to reduce the Commander tax when cast in Commander. The next release saw Outlaws of Thunder Junction feature Affinity for Outlaws as part of it's "villan set" theme.

When Gearseeker Serpent was reprinted in Aetherdrift, the long standing policy of leaving the affinity keyword off of cameo cards came to and end. The Oracle update for Aetherdrift included several older cards that functionally had affinity gain the affinity keyword:

• Emry, Lurker of the Loch (Artifacts)
• Reality Heist (Artifacts)
• Gate Colossus (Gates)
• Polliwallop (Frogs)
• The Circle of Loyalty (Knights)
• Brine Giant and Sky-Blessed Samurai (Enchantments)
• Icebreaker Kraken (Snow lands)
• Millicent, Restless Revenant (Spirits)
• Angelic Observer (Citizens)
• Argivian Phalanx (Creatures)
• Riders of the Mark (Humans)
• Scales of Shale (Lizards)

Unkeyworded affinity

Affinity was always designed to use a variety of objects, but the disastrous first try gave the keyword a bad reputation. In between the near-two-decade gap between the debut in Mirrodin block and its return to becoming deciduous in Phyrexia: All Will Be One, various other forms of Affinity were tested for a better sense of how to cost them. However, the mechanic was not keyworded to save keyword learning space, while some designs had wordings that were not practical in using Affinity phrasing. Saheeli, the Gifted (Commander 2018), Gearseeker Serpent (Kaladesh), Emry, Lurker of the Loch (Throne of Eldraine) and Reality Heist were examples of un-keyworded "affinity for artifacts", which initially were not errata'ed to have affinity after the policy change.

After the Aetherdrift update, only a small number of cards continued to have abilities worded in line with affinity:

• Embercleave (attacking creatures)
• Hamza, Guardian of Arashin (creatures with +1/+1 counters, also grants it to your other creature spells)
• Walking Skyscraper (modified creatures)
• Magnus the Red (grants "Affinity for creature tokens" to instants and sorceries)
• Cinderslash Ravager (permanents you control with Oil counters)
• Gargantuan Leech (Caves; also counts Caves in graveyard)

Ten spells that care about Party functionally have "Affinity for creatures in your Party", but the wording for Party and the wording of Affinity mix poorly. In a similar vein:

• Stratadon, Leyline Binding and Yavimaya Sojourner has "Affinity for Domain"; Draco and Scion of Draco have "Affinity for Domain" twice.
• Valiant Changeling has "Affinity for creature types".
• Drag to the Underworld and Marshmist Titan have "Affinity for devotion to black"; Daybreak Chimera has "Affinity for devotion to white"
• Khalni Hydra has a unique version where the cost reduced is rather than , but otherwise has "Affinity for green creatures".
• Ghalta, Primal Hunger and Volcanic Salvo have "Affinity for power". The Pride of Hull Clade has "Affinity for toughness"

The next list does not require controlling the objects to discount, such as a certain quality of players, cards in other zones, or other player's creatures.

• Creatures:
  • Blasphemous Act, Vanquish the Horde (creatures)
  • Primeval Protector (opponent's creatures)
  • Diregraf Rebirth, Blood for the Blood God!, Death-Rattle Oni (creatures that have died)
  • Sentry Bot (creatures attacking you)
  • Stone Idol Trap, Ancient Stone Idol (anyone's attacking creatures)
  • Search Party Captain, Gnoll Hunting Party (number of your creatures that were declared as attackers)
  • Rowdy Research, Witchstalker Frenzy (any creatures declared as attackers)
• Graveyard cards:
  • Ghoultree, Karador, Ghost Chieftain, Molderhulk, Nemesis of Mortals, Writhing Necromass, The Cauldron of Eternity, Hollow Marauder (creatures in your graveyard)
  • Huskburster Swarm (creatures in your graveyard and exile)
  • Bedlam Reveler, Cryptic Serpent, The Magic Mirror, Tolarian Terror, Eddymurk Crab (instants/sorceries in your graveyard)
  • Hearth Elemental (instants/sorceries and Adventure creatures in the graveyard)
  • Sailor's Bane (instants/sorceries in graveyard and exile, plus exiled Adventure creatures)
  • Eris, Roar of the Storm (different mana values of instants/sorceries in graveyard)
  • Emrakul, The Promised End (different types in your graveyard)
  • The Capitoline Triad (Historic cards in your graveyard)
  • Oskar, Rubbish Reclaimer (different mana values in your graveyard)
  • Ore-Scale Guardian, Yuma, Proud Protector, Rumbleweed (lands in graveyard)
• Opponents:
  • Avatar of Growth, all spells with Undaunted (opponents)
  • Gnoll War Band (damaged opponents)
  • Astral Confrontation (attacked opponents by you)
• Obsidian Charmaw (opponent's lands that produce )
• Lumbering Megasloth (counters on anything)
• The Balrog, Durin's Bane (any sacrificed permanents)
• Korvold, Gleeful Glutton (card types among sacrificed permanents)
• Licia, Sanguine Tribune, Ezzaroot Channeler, Sproutback Trudge (life gained)

Rules

From the glossary of the Comprehensive Rules (April 4, 2025—Tarkir: Dragonstorm)

Affinity

A keyword ability that reduces how much mana you need to spend to cast a spell. See rule 702.41, “Affinity.”

From the Comprehensive Rules (April 4, 2025—Tarkir: Dragonstorm)

• 702.41. Affinity
  • 702.41a Affinity is a static ability that functions while the spell with affinity is on the stack. “Affinity for [text]” means “This spell costs you {1} less to cast for each [text] you control.”
  • 702.41b If a spell has multiple instances of affinity, each of them applies.

Rulings

• The affinity ability reduces only the amount of generic mana you pay. It can't reduce how much nongeneric mana you pay.
• Affinity can't reduce the cost to cast a spell to less than .
• Affinity doesn't change the spell's mana cost or converted mana cost. It just changes how much mana you pay to cast the spell.
• The cost reduction is set before you have to pay any costs for the spell. If you sacrifice an artifact while paying the spell's costs, that artifact still counts toward the cost reduction.

Examples

Example

Into Thin Air
Instant
Affinity for artifacts (This spell costs less to cast for each artifact you control.)
Return target artifact to its owner's hand.

Notable cards with affinity

• Frogmite
• Myr Enforcer
• Thoughtcast - used in affinity decks