Gift
| Gift | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Keyword Ability | |
| Type | Static |
| Introduced | Bloomburrow |
| Last used | Alchemy: Bloomburrow |
| Reminder Text | Gift (You may promise an opponent a gift as you cast this spell. If you do, they [get whatever you're gifting them].) |
| Statistics |
26 cards  23.1%  23.1%  15.4%  15.4%  15.4%  3.8%  3.8% |
| Scryfall Search | |
| keyword:"Gift" | |
Gift [something] is a keyword ability introduced in Bloomburrow. It represents an additional cost.[1][2][3][4]
Description
The additional cost is that you may promise an opponent a gift as you cast a spell with this mechanic. This is optional, and if you have more than one opponent, you choose one and only one of them at most. They don't receive the gift yet. Each card with gift has additional or alternative effects if the gift was or wasn't promised.
- As you cast a permanent spell with gift, you can promise the gift to an opponent if you want. When the permanent enters, the chosen opponent receives the gift.
- As you cast an instant or sorcery spell, you can promise the gift to an opponent if you want. Then the spell's other effects happen. Note that if a spell has targets, those targets are chosen long before any gifts are given, so those gifts (should they happen to be newly created tokens) can't be those targets. However, the tokens will be on the battlefield for any other untargeted effects the spell may have.
For all cards with gift, permanent and otherwise, the spell must resolve for the gift to be received. For permanent spells, if the spell doesn't resolve, the permanent never enters, so its triggered ability never triggers. For instants and sorceries, if the spell is countered or its targets become illegal, none of its effects will happen, including the gift.
Types of Gifts
| Gift ... | Opponent's action | Example |
|---|---|---|
| a card | Draw a card. | Kitnap |
| a tapped Fish | Create a tapped 1/1 blue Fish creature token. | Parting Gust |
| a Food | Create a Food token. (It’s an artifact with “ ,  , Sacrifice this artifact: You gain 3 life.”)
|
Valley Rally |
| a Treasure | Create a Treasure token. (It’s an artifact with “, Sacrifice this artifact: Add one mana of any color.”)
|
Blooming Blast |
| an extra turn | Take an extra turn after this one. | Perch Protection |
| an Octopus | Create an 8/8 blue Octopus creature token. | Octomancer |
| a Rhystic Study | Conjure a card named Rhystic Study onto the battlefield. | Archival Whorl |
Rules
From the glossary of the Comprehensive Rules (April 4, 2025—Tarkir: Dragonstorm)
- Gift
- A keyword ability that allows a spell’s caster to choose an opponent as to receive a benefit as the spell resolves or when the permanent with the ability enters. See rule 702.174, “Gift.”
From the Comprehensive Rules (April 4, 2025—Tarkir: Dragonstorm)
- 702.174. Gift
- 702.174a Gift is a keyword that represents two abilities. It is written “Gift a [something].” The first ability is a static ability that functions while the card with gift is on the stack, and the second is either a static ability that functions while the card with gift is on the stack or a triggered ability that functions while the card with gift is on the battlefield. The first ability is always “As an additional cost to cast this spell, you may choose an opponent.” Paying a spell’s gift cost follows the rules for paying additional costs in rules 601.2b and 601.2f–h. The second ability depends on the [something] listed as well as whether the object with the ability is a permanent or an instant or sorcery spell.
- 702.174b On a permanent, the second ability represented by gift is “When this permanent enters, if its gift cost was paid, [effect].” On an instant or sorcery spell, the second ability represented by gift is “If this spell’s gift cost was paid, [effect].” The specific effect is defined by the [something] listed.
- 702.174c Some effects trigger whenever a player gives a gift. Such an ability triggers whenever an instant or sorcery spell that player controls whose gift cost was paid resolves. It also triggers whenever the gift triggered ability of a permanent that player controls resolves.
- 702.174d “Gift a Food” means the effect is “The chosen player creates a Food token.”
- 702.174e “Gift a card” means the effect is “The chosen player draws a card.”
- 702.174f “Gift a tapped Fish” means the effect is “The chosen player creates a tapped 1/1 blue Fish creature token.”
- 702.174g “Gift an extra turn” means the effect is “The chosen player takes an extra turn after this one.”
- 702.174h “Gift a Treasure” means the effect is “The chosen player creates a Treasure token.”
- 702.174i “Gift an Octopus” means the effect is “The chosen player creates an 8/8 blue Octopus creature token.”
- 702.174j For instant and sorcery spells, the effect of a gift ability always happens before any other spell abilities of the card. If the spell is countered or otherwise leaves the stack before resolving, the gift effect doesn’t happen.
- 702.174k If a spell’s controller declares the intention to pay a spell’s gift cost, that spell’s gift was promised.
- 702.174m If part of a spell’s ability has its effect only if its gift was promised, and that part of the ability includes any targets, the spell’s controller chooses those targets only if the gift was promised.
Rulings
- The tokens that can be created by a gift ability are predefined as part of the ability's rules. "Gift a tapped Fish" has a specific meaning in those rules, so "Fish" isn't being used as a creature type in that context.[5]
- As an additional cost to cast a spell with gift, you can promise the listed gift to an opponent. That opponent is chosen as part of that additional cost. The gift isn't given at this time; rather, it's given at a later time based on whether or not the spell is a permanent spell.
- For permanent spells with gift, an ability triggers when that permanent enters if the gift was promised. When that ability resolves, the gift is given to the appropriate opponent.
- For instants and sorceries with gift, the gift is given to the appropriate opponent as part of the resolution of the spell. This happens before any of the spell's other effects would take place.
- If a spell for which the gift was promised is countered, doesn't resolve (perhaps because all of its targets are illegal), or is otherwise removed from the stack, the gift won't be given. None of its other effects will happen either.
- You can't pay a gift cost more than once.
- If you copy a spell for which the gift was promised, the gift was also promised to the same opponent for the copy. If a card or token enters as a copy of a permanent that's already on the battlefield, the gift isn't promised for that new permanent, even if it was promised for the original.
- Some instant or sorcery spells require alternative or additional targets if the gift was promised. You ignore these targeting requirements if the gifts aren't promised for those spells. On the other hand, you can promise a gift for a permanent spell even if you won't be able to choose targets for an enters ability of that permanent once the spell resolves.
Example
Example 1
Kitnap
Enchantment - Aura
Gift a card (You may promise an opponent a gift as you cast this spell. If you do, when it enters, they draw a card.)
Enchant creature
When Kitnap enters, tap enchanted creature. If the gift wasn’t promised, put three stun counters on it.
You control enchanted creature.
Example 2
Parting Gust
Instant
Gift a tapped Fish (You may promise an opponent a gift as you cast this spell. If you do, they create a tapped 1/1 blue Fish creature token before its other effects.)
Exile target nontoken creature. If the gift wasn't promised, return that creature to the battlefield under its owner's control with a +1/+1 counter on it at the beginning of the next end step.
Example 3
Valley Rally
Instant
Gift a Food (You may promise an opponent a gift as you cast this spell. If you do, they create a Food token before its other effects. It’s an artifact with “, , Sacrifice this artifact: You gain 3 life.”)
Creatures you control get +2/+0 until end of turn. If the gift was promised, target creature you control gains first strike until end of turn.
Trivia
- In development, R&D explored just having players gift an opponent life directly instead of gifting a Food token, but the flavor felt a little off.[2]
- Alania, Divergent Storm essentially grants "Gift a card" to the first instant, sorcery, or Otter spell cast in a turn. Doing so allows the player to copy that spell.
- According to Mark Rosewater, the mechanic in Bloomburrow was "liked but not loved" by players.[6]
References
- ↑ Matt Tabak (July 9, 2024). "Bloomburrow Mechanics". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ a b Mark Rosewater (July 15, 2024). "The Bloom of the Burrow". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Eric Levine and Eliana Rabinowitz (July 19, 2024). "Bloomburrow Release Notes". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Mark Rosewater (August 5, 2024). "Bloomburrow Vision Design Handoff, Part 3". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Jess Dunks (July 9, 2024). "The tokens that can be created by a gift ability are predefined as part of the ability's rules.". Twitter.
- ↑ Mark Rosewater (February 12, 2025). "How popular was gift as a mechanic?". Blogatog. Tumblr.