Cameo

In 2023, Magic: The Gathering R&D started experimenting with cameos, where an old mechanic appears once in a premier set on a card at a higher rarity.

Description

Cameos are non-deciduous and non-evergreen mechanics that only occur on one or few cards in a set. They can be put in as a mechanical call-back to previous sets, without having the density to be relevant in wider play. Occasionally, the mechanic is spelled out in rules text as an Easter egg and to save learning space for newer players. The name is derived from the film and television practice of known characters or actors making short appearances.

The rules for cameo cards require that they're relatively simple and don't have a history of balance issues.

It is relatively easy to do more one-of existing ability words in sets, as the card text explains everything, and thus an ability word comes at less of a mental cost.

List of cameos

Set	Cameo mechanic	Card
Phyrexia: All Will Be One	Battle cry	Ria Ivor, Bane of Bladehold
Wilds of Eldraine	Skulk	Ingenious Prodigy
The Lost Caverns of Ixalan	Battle cry	Sanguine Evangelist
	Rebound	Ojer Pakpatiq, Deepest Epoch
	Adventure	Kellan, Daring Traveler
Murders at Karlov Manor	Wither	Massacre Girl, Known Killer
	Adventure	Kellan, Inquisitive Prodigy
Outlaws of Thunder Junction	Investigate	Malcolm, the Eyes
Bloomburrow	Storm	Ral, Crackling Wit
Duskmourn: House of Horror	Ninjutsu	Kaito, Bane of Nightmares
	-1/-1 counter	Patched Plaything
	Shard token	Niko, Light of Hope
Aetherdrift	Embalm	Cursecloth Wrappings
	Exert	Basri, Tomorrow's Champion
Tarkir: Dragonstorm	Decayed	Rot-Curse Rakshasa
	Delve	Teval, Arbiter of Virtue
	Storm	Stormscale Scion
	Suspend	Taigam, Master Opportunist