Earthbend

Earthbend
Keyword Action
Introduced	Avatar: The Last Airbender
Last used	Avatar: The Last Airbender Eternal
Reminder Text	Earthbend N (Target land you control becomes a 0/0 creature with haste that's still a land. Put N +1/+1 counters on it. When it dies or is exiled, return it to the battlefield tapped.)
Scryfall Statistics
cards

Earthbend is an keyword action introduced in Avatar: The Last Airbender. It represents the art of earthbending in the Avatar universe.

Description

Earthbend symbolizes Earthbenders' ability to take advantage of the terrain around them. When you earthbend X, target land you control becomes a 0/0 creature with haste in addition to its other types, and you put X +1/+1 counters on it. When that land dies or is exiled, you return it to the battlefield tapped.

Earthbend shares aspects with awaken, as another mechanic that animates lands with haste with an associated value. Awaken is strictly an alternative cost and requires another spell effect while earthbend is its own, self-contained effect.

Future use

If the mechanic is to be reused outside of the Avatar: The Last Airbender IP it has to be renamed.

Rulings

• "Earthbend N" means "Target land you control becomes a 0/0 land creature with haste in addition to its other types. Put N +1/+1 counters on it. When it dies or is exiled, return it to the battlefield tapped under your control."
• If the targeted land becomes an illegal target before the spell or ability that includes earthbend resolves, earthbend does nothing. If the spell or ability didn't have other targets, it won't resolve.
• The land will retain any other types, subtypes, or supertypes it previously had. It will also retain any mana abilities it had as a result of those subtypes. For example, a Forest that's turned into a creature this way can still be tapped for .
• Earthbend doesn't give the land you control a color. As most lands are colorless, in most cases the resulting land creature will also be colorless.
• You may target a land that is already a creature, perhaps because of a previous earthbend ability. The land will get the +1/+1 counters, gain haste, and have its base power and toughness set to 0/0.
• If a land was animated by earthbend and would go to any zone other than the graveyard or exile, it will not be returned to the battlefield by the delayed triggered ability created by earthbend.

Examples

Example

Earthbending Lesson
Sorcery — Lesson
Earthbend 4. (Target land you control becomes a 0/0 creature with haste that’s still a land. Put four +1/+1 counters on it. When it dies or is exiled, return it to the battlefield tapped.)

See also

• Airbend
• Firebending
• Waterbend
• Awaken