Level up

Level up
Keyword Ability
Type	Activated
Introduced	Rise of the Eldrazi
Last used	Modern Horizons
Reminder Text	Level up [cost] ([Cost]: Put a level counter on this. Level up only as a sorcery.)
Storm Scale	8
Statistics	25 cards 28% 28% 16% 12% 16%
Scryfall Search
keyword:"Level up"

Level up is a mechanic used in Rise of the Eldrazi on Leveler cards and in Modern Horizons.

Description

The ability can only be activated anytime the player could cast a sorcery. When the ability resolves a level counter is put on the creature, and its level is considered to be the number of level counters on the card. When leveler cards enter the battlefield, they have no level counters and are therefore Level 0.

When the creature reaches a certain level, its power and toughness changes and the creature may gain additional abilities. For example, Knight of Cliffhaven starts out as a 2/2 creature for . When leveled up at least once for , it becomes a 2/3 creature with flying. If it was leveled up at least four times, it becomes a 4/4 creature with flying and vigilance.

Creatures with level up have a different card frame in a similar manner as Flip cards and planeswalkers were printed with a different card face. The textbox is separated into the strips with the top strip showing the Level up ability with a P/T-box on the right showing the base power/toughness. On the stripes below it are arrow-like boxes on the left showing the levels a change in the creature occurs with P/T-boxes on the right. In between the box designating the level and the P/T-box is space for additional abilities if the creature gains any.

For example Knight of Cliffhaven gains Flying when it becomes level 1. Also, its power/toughness change from 2/2 to 2/3 when it becomes level 1. Not all creatures with Level up gain abilities and not all creatures' power/toughness change. Enclave Cryptologist is an example of a creature with Level up that does not have a power/toughness change.

Level up doesn't interact with the levels on Class cards.

History

The mechanic was inspired by Figure of Destiny in Eventide, a single-card design by Rise of the Eldrazi lead Brian Tinsman. That card itself was the product of a top-down design process (much like Tinsman's famous Form of the Dragon), inspired by the leveling system of Dungeons & Dragons and other role playing games. In order to reduce complexity and power level, the variable costs were removed and sorcery speed was added for Level up.

Level up was received with mixed reactions, including dislike for the card frame and confusion about starting at level 0 rather than 1. It has not been reprinted in any Standard-legal sets. After Level up was discontinued, the original template based on creature types was later reused, with unique twists each time: Warden of the First Tree (off-color hybrid mana) Ascendant Spirit (snow), Evolved Sleeper (monocolor; noncombat third ability payoff), Frodo, Sauron's Bane (hybrid cost into off-color cost), and Tenth District Hero (collect evidence). Surge Engine uses a variant based on having defender or being a color. Timber Paladin cannot level itself up, but follows a similar pattern based on the number of Auras attached to it.

Class enchantments were introduced in Dungeons & Dragons: Adventures in the Forgotten Realms, bringing the Level up concept full circle by directly representing the Dungeons & Dragons concept that inspired Level up originally, with a similar implementation on cards. This mechanic addressed players' feedback about Level up, using a simpler card frame due to the lack of power and toughness on enchantments (and using a frame layout similar to the popular Sagas), and starting at level 1 rather than 0.

Rules

From the glossary of the Comprehensive Rules (June 7, 2024—Modern Horizons 3)

Level Up

A keyword ability that can put level counters on a creature. See rule 702.87, “Level Up.” For class level abilities of Class cards, see rule 716, “Class Cards.”

From the Comprehensive Rules (June 7, 2024—Modern Horizons 3)

• 702.87. Level Up
  • 702.87a Level up is an activated ability. “Level up [cost]” means “[Cost]: Put a level counter on this permanent. Activate only as a sorcery.”
  • 702.87b Each card printed with a level up ability is known as a leveler card. It has a nonstandard layout and includes two level symbols that are themselves keyword abilities. See rule 711, “Leveler Cards.”
  • 702.87c Some enchantments have the subtype Class and associated abilities that give them a class level. These are not the same as level up abilities and class levels do not interact with level counters. See rule 716, “Class Cards.”

Level up rules have an inherent interdependence with the rules for Leveler cards:

From the glossary of the Comprehensive Rules (June 7, 2024—Modern Horizons 3)

Leveler Cards

Cards with striated text boxes and three power/toughness boxes. See rule 711, “Leveler Cards.”

From the Comprehensive Rules (June 7, 2024—Modern Horizons 3)

• 711. Leveler Cards
  • 711.1. Each leveler card has a striated text box and three power/toughness boxes. The text box of a leveler card contains two level symbols.
  • 711.2. A level symbol is a keyword ability that represents a static ability. The level symbol includes either a range of numbers, indicated here as “N1-N2,” or a single number followed by a plus sign, indicated here as “N3+.” Any abilities printed within the same text box striation as a level symbol are part of its static ability. The same is true of the power/toughness box printed within that striation, indicated here as “[P/T].”
    • 711.2a “{LEVEL N1-N2} [Abilities] [P/T]” means “As long as this creature has at least N1 level counters on it, but no more than N2 level counters on it, it has base power and toughness [P/T] and has [abilities].”
    • 711.2b “{LEVEL N3+} [Abilities] [P/T]” means “As long as this creature has N3 or more level counters on it, it has base power and toughness [P/T] and has [abilities].”
  • 711.3. The text box striations have no game significance other than clearly demarcating which abilities and which power/toughness box are associated with which level symbol. Leveler cards each contain only one text box.
  • 711.4. Any ability a leveler card has that isn’t preceded by a level symbol is treated normally. In particular, each leveler permanent has its level up ability (see rule 702.87) at all times; it may be activated regardless of how many level counters are on that permanent.
  • 711.5. If the number of level counters on a leveler creature is less than N1 (the first number printed in its {LEVEL N1-N2} symbol), it has the power and toughness denoted by its uppermost power/toughness box.
  • 711.6. In every zone other than the battlefield, a leveler card has the power and toughness denoted by its uppermost power/toughness box.
  • 711.7. Some enchantments have the subtype Class and associated abilities that give them a class level. These are not level up abilities and class levels do not interact with level counters. See rule 716, “Class Cards.”

Examples

Example

Beastbreaker of Bala Ged
Creature — Human Warrior
2/2
Level up (: Put a level counter on this. Level up only as a sorcery.)
LEVEL 1-3: 4/4
LEVEL 4+: 6/6, Trample

Trivia

• Level up was featured as rules card 1 of 5 in the Rise of the Eldrazi set.
• Level up was received with mixed reactions. The layout confused a lot of players. For example, on some leveler cards such as Coralhelm Commander, the first time their abilities change is at Level 2, leaving some players to mistakenly believe the card enters the battlefield beginning at Level 1.

External links

• A Planeswalker's Primer to Rise of the Eldrazi: Levelers (Video). YouTube.