Bushido
| Bushido | |
|---|---|
| Keyword Ability | |
| Type | Triggered |
| Introduced | Champions of Kamigawa |
| Last used | Unfinity |
| Reminder Text | Bushido N (Whenever this creature blocks or becomes blocked, it gets +N/+N until end of turn.) |
| Storm Scale | 8[1] |
| Scryfall Statistics | |
Bushido (boo-SHEE-doh)[2] is a triggered keyword ability that makes creatures bigger if they block or are blocked.
History
Bushido appeared in the Kamigawa block as an ability associated with the Samurai creature type, and the ability has only appeared on Samurai creature cards, with the exception of Greater Morphling from the silver-bordered (and therefore tournament-illegal) Unhinged set. Some cards from other sets (such as Chub Toad from Ice Age) have similar abilities but do not use the bushido keyword.
Takeno, Samurai General is a mechanic lord for Bushido, and uniquely refers to the points of the mechanic. No other card in Magic refers to "point" in this context.
Bushido, renamed Chivalry, was considered as a knight mechanic for Throne of Eldraine.[3] It was also considered for the return set Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty, but was relegated as an unworded mechanic on one card, Jukai Trainee. It was found the mechanic had issues in volume as it made attacking difficult, and that tended to manifest in board stalls.
Bushido was one of the non-evergreen, non-deciduous keywords included in the Unfinity sticker sheets.
Play design has now soured on Bushido, because it discourages combat.[4][5]
Rules
From the glossary of the Comprehensive Rules (November 14, 2025—Avatar: The Last Airbender)
- Bushido
- A keyword ability that can make a creature better in combat. See rule 702.45, “Bushido.”
From the Comprehensive Rules (November 14, 2025—Avatar: The Last Airbender)
- 702.45. Bushido
- 702.45a Bushido is a triggered ability. “Bushido N” means “Whenever this creature blocks or becomes blocked, it gets +N/+N until end of turn.” (See rule 509, “Declare Blockers Step.”)
- 702.45b If a creature has multiple instances of bushido, each triggers separately.
Rulings
From the Champions of Kamigawa Frequently Asked Questions (October 2004)[6]
- The bushido ability doesn't care how many creatures are blocking the creature with bushido. For example, a creature with bushido 1 that's blocked by three creatures still gets only +1/+1.
Examples
Example 1
Devoted Retainer 
Creature — Human Samurai
1/1
Bushido 1 (Whenever this creature blocks or becomes blocked, it gets +1/+1 until end of turn.)
Example 2
Inner-Chamber Guard 
Creature — Human Samurai
0/2
Bushido 2 (Whenever this creature blocks or becomes blocked, it gets +2/+2 until end of turn.)
Cards that grants Bushido
Creature
Sticker
References
- ↑ Mark Rosewater (2023-01-03). "Mark, where does Bushido (or a renamed version) sits on the Storm Scale?". Blogatog. Tumblr.
- ↑ Magic Arcana (September 14, 2004). "A Kamigawa Glossary, Part 1". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 2021-04-18.
- ↑ Mark Rosewater (November 11, 2019). "Throne of Eldraine Vision Design Handoff, Part 1". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Mark Rosewater (June 15, 2025). "If you made Neon Dynasty today do you think Bushido would have appeared as a cameo mechanic?". Blogatog. Tumblr.
- ↑ Mark Rosewater (June 16, 2025). "What about Bushido doesn't play well?". Blogatog. Tumblr.
- ↑ Paul Barclay, David DeLaney and Jeff Jordan (October 2004). "Champions of Kamigawa(TM) Frequently Asked Questions". Archived from the original on October 28, 2017.