Keyword action

A keyword action is a word or words, usually, a verb, that substitutes for a piece of rules text.^[1]^[2] Many keywords are summarized in reminder text, especially in core sets.

Description

Keyword actions are somewhat different from keyword abilities, and both are distinct from ability words. Collectively, they are described as named mechanics.

If a keyword is used as a verb, like scry, it is called a keyword action. It's still a keyword mechanic, but these are used in the middle of lines of rules text in a way that keyword abilities are not. R&D likes to label keywords because it helps players recognize what cards do and provides players with a shared vocabulary to talk about the game. Also, and arguably most importantly, keywords can be mechanically referenced in rules text.^[3]

Monstrosity is notable because it is the only keyword action that is not a verb.

Rules

From the glossary of the Comprehensive Rules (April 4, 2025—Tarkir: Dragonstorm)

Keyword Action: A verb, such as “destroy” or “cast,” used as a game term rather than as its normal English meaning. See rule 701, “Keyword Actions.”

From the Comprehensive Rules (April 4, 2025—Tarkir: Dragonstorm)

701. Keyword Actions
- 701.1. Most actions described in a card’s rules text use the standard English definitions of the verbs within, but some specialized verbs are used whose meanings may not be clear. These “keywords” are game terms; sometimes reminder text summarizes their meanings.
- 701.2. Activate
- 701.3. Attach
- 701.4. Cast
- 701.5. Counter
- 701.6. Create
- 701.7. Destroy
- 701.8. Discard
- 701.9. Double
- 701.10. Exchange
- 701.11. Exile
- 701.12. Fight
- 701.13. Mill
- 701.14. Play
- 701.15. Regenerate
- 701.16. Reveal
- 701.17. Sacrifice
- 701.18. Scry
- 701.19. Search
- 701.20. Shuffle
- 701.21. Tap and Untap
- 701.22. Fateseal
- 701.23. Clash
- 701.24. Planeswalk
- 701.25. Set in Motion
- 701.26. Abandon
- 701.27. Proliferate
- 701.28. Transform
- 701.29. Detain
- 701.30. Populate
- 701.31. Monstrosity
- 701.32. Vote
- 701.33. Bolster
- 701.34. Manifest
- 701.35. Support
- 701.36. Investigate
- 701.37. Meld
- 701.38. Goad
- 701.39. Exert
- 701.40. Explore
- 701.41. Assemble
- 701.42. Surveil
- 701.43. Adapt
- 701.44. Amass
- 701.45. Learn
- 701.46. Venture into the Dungeon
- 701.47. Connive
- 701.48. Open an Attraction
- 701.49. Roll to Visit Your Attractions
- 701.50. Convert
- 701.51. Incubate
- 701.52. The Ring Tempts You
- 701.53. Face a Villainous Choice
- 701.54. Time Travel
- 701.55. Discover
- 701.56. Cloak
- 701.57. Collect Evidence
- 701.58. Suspect
- 701.59. Forage
- 701.60. Manifest Dread
- 701.61. Behold
- 701.62. Endure

Trivia

Keyword actions were first referred to in reminder text on the Mystery Booster 2 test card TL;DR.

References

↑ Aaron Forsythe (May 18, 2007). "Scry and Keyword Actions". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 2020-12-02.
↑ Mark Rosewater (January 10, 2022). "Even More Words From R&D". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
↑ Mark Rosewater (April 7, 2025). "Nuts & Bolts #17: Finding Your Mechanics, Part 1". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.

Mechanics

Keyword Abilities

Evergreen	Deathtouch Defender Double strike Enchant Equip Equip [quality] Equip planeswalker First strike Flash Flying Haste Hexproof Hexproof from [quality] Indestructible Lifelink Menace Protection Reach Trample Trample over Planeswalkers Vigilance Ward

Other	Absorb Affinity Afflict Afterlife Aftermath Amplify Annihilator Ascend Assist Aura swap Awaken Backup Banding Bands with other [quality] Bargain Battle cry Bestow Blitz Bloodthirst Boast Bushido Buyback Cascade Casualty Champion Changeling Cipher Cleave Companion Compleated Conspire Convoke Craft Crew Cumulative upkeep Cycling [Type]cycling Dash Daybound Nightbound Decayed Delve Demonstrate Dethrone Devoid Devour Devour [type] Disguise Disturb Dredge Echo Embalm Emerge Encore Enlist Entwine Epic Escalate Escape Eternalize Evoke Evolve Exalted Exhaust Exploit Extort Fabricate Fading Fear Flanking Flashback Forecast Foretell Fortify For Mirrodin! Freerunning Frenzy Fuse Gift Graft Gravestorm Harmonize Haunt Hidden agenda Double Agenda Hideaway Horsemanship Impending Improvise Infect Ingest Intimidate Job select Jump-start Kicker Multikicker Landwalk Level up Living Metal Living weapon Madness Melee Mentor Miracle Mobilize Modular More Than Meets the Eye Morph Megamorph Mutate Myriad Ninjutsu Commander Ninjutsu Offering Offspring Outlast Overload Partner Choose a Background Doctor's Companion Friends forever Partner with [name] Persist Phasing Plot Poisonous Prototype Provoke Prowess Prowl Rampage Ravenous Read ahead Rebound Reconfigure Recover Reinforce Renown Replicate Retrace Riot Ripple Scavenge Shadow Shroud Skulk Solved Soulbond Soulshift Space sculptor Spectacle Splice Split second Spree Squad Start your engines! Max speed Storm Sunburst Surge Suspend Toxic Training Transfigure Transmute Tribute Umbra armor Undaunted Undying Unearth Unleash Vanishing Visit Wither

Keyword Actions

Evergreen	Activate Attach Cast Counter Create Double Destroy Discard Exchange Exile Fight Goad Mill Play Reveal Sacrifice Scry Search Shuffle Tap Untap

Other	Abandon Adapt Amass Assemble Behold Bolster Clash Cloak Collect evidence Connive Convert Detain Discover Endure Exert Explore Face a villainous choice Fateseal Forage Incubate Initiative Investigate Learn Manifest Manifest dread Meld Monstrosity Open an attraction Planeswalk Populate Proliferate Regenerate The Ring Tempts You Roll to visit your attractions Saddle Set in motion Support Surveil Suspect Time Travel Transform Venture into the dungeon Venture into [Quality] Vote

Ability words

Other

Digital only	Backbone Boon Conjure Draft Double team Heist Incorporate Intensity Not the starting player Perpetually Seek Spellbook Specialize Unstoppable

Miscellaneous	Ante Batching Historic Modified Outlaw Party Biting Committing a crime Devotion Divvy Dice rolling Energy Flipping a coin Gift Monarch Pawprint Predefined token Radiation Rhystic Speed

Acorn	Art menace Rampage Augment Ban Blurry Combine Coolness Crank‎ Denimwalk Family gathering Gear Up Gobble Gotcha Hide Install Just a second Knightlifelink Last strike Rangeling Reassemble Stare down Super haste Switch Triple strike Typelink Undeathtouch Uninstall Wrap

Playtest	Aggressive Annihinfect Assist kicker Bank Bedtime story Buddy list Challenge Construct Coststorm Curse Deworded Equipment swap Firstest strike Flashforward Four-faced Grazing type Hope Host Interplanar Kinfall Land drop Landship Legacy Library ninjutsu Megalegendary Miracle Monk Track Mono Eminence Motivate Negamorph Nimble Oil Scavenge Old Companion Partner with itself‎ Pass the ball Performing a magic trick Planeswalkerwalk Poison Modular Poison Tolerance Positioning Proliferatelink Ransom Reflect Requirement Rulebreaker Scrycast Scryfall Shackle Sinecure Spaceship Spark Spellmorph Tantrum Tasty Teach Thoughtweft Token card Underdog Upgrade Way behind

Unreleased	Double-tap Forbidden Glorify‎ Hieroglyphics‎ Link Mummify‎ Reckless Unique‎

Former	Bury Landhome Substance

See also	List of Acorn mechanics List of deprecated mechanics List of obsolete terminology List of unreleased mechanics Special action Storm Scale

Comprehensive Rules

100. Game Concepts

The Magic Golden Rules Players Starting the Game Ending the Game Colors Mana Numbers and Symbols Cards Objects Permanents Tokens Spells Abilities Emblems Targets Special Actions Timing and Priority Costs Life Damage Drawing a Card Counters Stickers

200. Parts of a Card

Name Mana Cost and Color Illustration Color Indicator Type Line Expansion Symbol Text Box Power/Toughness Loyalty Defense Hand Modifier Life Modifier Information Below the Text Box

300. Card Types

Artifacts Creatures Enchantments Instants Lands Planeswalkers Sorceries Kindreds Dungeons Battles Planes Phenomena Vanguards Schemes Conspiracies

400. Zones

Library Hand Battlefield Graveyard Stack Exile Ante Command

500. Turn Structure

Beginning Phase Untap Step Upkeep Step Draw Step Main Phase Combat Phase Beginning of Combat Step Declare Attackers Step Declare Blockers Step Combat Damage Step End of Combat Step Ending Phase End Step Cleanup Step

600. Spells, Abilities, and Effects

Casting Spells Activating Activated Abilities Handling Triggered Abilities Handling Static Abilities Mana Abilities Loyalty Abilities Linked Abilities Resolving Spells and Abilities Effects One-Shot Effects Continuous Effects Text-Changing Effects Interaction of Continuous Effects Replacement Effects Prevention Effects Interaction of Replacement and/or Prevention Effects

700. Additional Rules

800. Multiplayer Rules

Limited Range of Influence Option Attack Multiple Players Option Attack Left and Attack Right Options Deploy Creatures Option Shared Team Turns Option Free-for-All Variant Grand Melee Variant Team vs. Team Variant Emperor Variant Two-Headed Giant Variant Alternating Teams Variant

900. Casual Variants

Planechase Vanguard Commander Archenemy Conspiracy Draft

Keyword action

Contents

Description

Rules

Trivia

See also

References

Navigation menu

Keyword action

Description

Rules

Trivia

See also

References

Navigation menu

Search