Heroic
| Heroic | |
|---|---|
| Ability Word | |
| Introduced | Theros |
| Last used | Unfinity |
| Typical Text | Heroic — Whenever you cast a spell that targets this card, ... |
| Storm Scale | 5[1] |
| Statistics |
43 cards  2.3%  30.2%  23.3%  9.3%  16.3%  14%  2.3%  2.3% |
| Scryfall Search | |
| keyword:"Heroic" | |
- For other uses, see Hero.
Heroic is an ability word introduced in Theros. A creature with heroic gives the controlling player powerful benefits every time they cast a spell that targets it.[2][3][4]
History
After Theros, Heroic is also featured in the other sets of the Theros block. The most common Heroic ability is to put +1/+1 counters on the targeted creature; five Green Heroes put more than one, whereas each color has at least one that does so. In the return set, Theros Beyond Death the heroic mechanic was used on five cards, but without the actual ability.[5][6] To ease learning the "mechanic", all five have the same result of giving creatures you control +1/+0.
Outside of Theros, Tenth District Legionnaire has effective Heroic, and Feather, the Redeemed has a broad semi-heroic variant. Both are , making it a seed for a constructed deck.
Heroic was one of the non-evergreen, non-deciduous ability words included in the Unfinity sticker sheets.
Rulings
- A heroic ability triggers only when the creature's controller casts a spell that targets it, not when any other player does.
- A heroic ability triggers whenever a player casts any spell that targets the heroic creature, including a spell that also targets another creature.
- If a spell targets multiple creatures with heroic abilities, all of them trigger.
- Activated abilities, such as equip, do not cause heroic abilities to trigger.
- An instant or sorcery spell has a target if it includes the word "target" in its rules text.
- Each Aura spell also has a target, indicated by its enchant ability.
- Creature spells and other non-aura permanent spells never have targets.
- Heroic abilities will resolve before the spell that caused them to trigger.
- Heroic abilities will trigger only once per spell, even if that spell targets the creature with the heroic ability multiple times.
- Heroic abilities won't trigger when a copy of a spell is created on the stack or when a spell's targets are changed to include a creature with a heroic ability.
- If the spell that caused heroic to be triggered is countered, heroic will still resolve.
Examples
Example
Favored Hoplite
Creature — Human Soldier
1/2
Heroic — Whenever you cast a spell that targets Favored Hoplite, put a +1/+1 counter on Favored Hoplite and prevent all damage that would be dealt to it this turn.
References
- ↑ Mark Rosewater (2020-12-07). "Storm Scale: Theros and Theros Beyond Death". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Wizards of the Coast (September 2, 2013). "The Mechanics of Theros". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Mark Rosewater (September 16, 2013). "A Theros By Any Other Name, Part 3". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Mark Rosewater (October 18, 2013). "Hero Complex". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Mark Rosewater (December 14, 2019). "So it looks like there will be creatures in Theros with the text of the Heroic ability, but no Heroic keyword?". Blogatog. Tumblr.
- ↑ Mark Rosewater (January 20, 2020). "More to the Death". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.