Kicker

Kicker (Multikicker)
[[File:{{#setmainimage:MTGA Kicker.png}}|70x70px]]
Keyword Ability
Type	Static
Introduced	Invasion
Last used	Modern Horizons 3
Reminder Text	Kicker [cost] (You may pay an additional [cost] as you cast this spell.) Multikicker [cost] (You may pay an additional [cost] any number of times as you cast this spell.)
Storm Scale	3/5
Statistics	216 kicker cards 12.5% 19.9% 19.4% 20.4% 24.5% 0.5% 0.9% 1.9% 19 multikicker cards 15.8% 15.8% 10.5% 21.1% 21.1% 10.5% 5.3%
Scryfall Search
keyword:"Kicker" keyword:"Multikicker"

Kicker is a keyword ability that allows the player to pay an optional cost when casting a spell to achieve an additional effect.

History

Kicker was introduced during Invasion block. In this block, the five-colored Coalition Symbol, or at least part of it, is buried in the art of most cards with the kicker ability. Being a multicolored set, off-colored kicker costs were immediately implemented, and with Planeshift nonmana kickers and multiple kicker abilities were added.

One design choice that is no longer in use was the granting of abilities to creatures through kicker; while acceptable at the time as +1/+1 counters were rarely granted, with New World Order and more +1/+1 counters used, using the +1/+1 counters as a marker is now less reliable and so not done. Another design choice was that colorless kicker costs were "magnifiers", in that the spell's effect numerically increases (creatures could either gain counters or create tokens), but colored kicker costs added a different effect, necessitating a denser color cost. By Zendikar Rising, this was relaxed, with several that are designed opposite to this prior rule.

The basic design premise of Kicker is so simple, many additional-payment mechanics are functionally a form of kicker, making it less desirable to reuse in the aggregate. Nevertheless, Kicker was brought back in the Time Spiral and Zendikar blocks. It also appeared in Dominaria, Modern Horizons , Modern Horizons 2, Zendikar Rising, the Lord of the Rings Holiday Release and Modern Horizons 3.

Dominaria United, taking cues from Invasion block, was the first return to off-color and multiple different kickers; in fact, all kicker spells in Dominaria United have multicolored identities and are slotted neatly into nine cycles: for each color, an uncommon and common kicked with each of the other four colors, and one wedge-identified rare.

March of the Machine had one card with kicker, signifying that it had joined cycling and flashback as deciduous mechanic. This was subsequently confirmed by Mark Rosewater.

Rules

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

Kicker, Kicked

Kicker is a keyword ability that represents an optional additional cost. A spell has been kicked if its controller declared the intention to pay any or all of its kicker costs. See rule 702.33, “Kicker.”

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

• 702.33. Kicker
  • 702.33a Kicker is a static ability that functions while the spell with kicker is on the stack. “Kicker [cost]” means “You may pay an additional [cost] as you cast this spell.” Paying a spell’s kicker cost(s) follows the rules for paying additional costs in rules 601.2b and 601.2f–h.
  • 702.33b The phrase “Kicker [cost 1] and/or [cost 2]” means the same thing as “Kicker [cost 1], kicker [cost 2].”
  • 702.33c Multikicker is a variant of the kicker ability. “Multikicker [cost]” means “You may pay an additional [cost] any number of times as you cast this spell.” A multikicker cost is a kicker cost.
  • 702.33d If a spell’s controller declares the intention to pay any of that spell’s kicker costs, that spell has been “kicked.” If a spell has two kicker costs or has multikicker, it may be kicked multiple times. See rule 601.2b.
  • 702.33e Objects with kicker or multikicker have additional abilities that specify what happens if they were kicked. These abilities are linked to the kicker or multikicker abilities printed on that object: they can refer only to those specific kicker or multikicker abilities. See rule 607, “Linked Abilities.”
  • 702.33f Objects with more than one kicker cost may also have abilities that each correspond to a specific kicker cost. Those abilities contain the phrases “if it was kicked with its [A] kicker” and “if it was kicked with its [B] kicker,” where A and B are the first and second kicker costs listed on the card, respectively. Each of those abilities is linked to the appropriate kicker ability.
  • 702.33g If part of a spell’s ability has its effect only if that spell was kicked, and that part of the ability includes any targets, the spell’s controller chooses those targets only if that spell was kicked. Otherwise, the spell is cast as if it did not have those targets. See rule 601.2c.
  • 702.33h Sticker kicker is a keyword ability that represents a kicker ability and an ability that imposes an additional cost if the spell is kicked. “Sticker kicker [cost]” means “Kicker [cost]” and “As an additional cost to cast this spell, if it’s kicked, you get a ticket counter and you may put a sticker on this spell.”

Multikicker

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

Multikicker

Multikicker is a variant of the kicker keyword ability. It represents an optional additional cost that may be paid any number of times. See rule 702.33, “Kicker.” See also Kicker.

Multikicker, introduced in Worldwake, is a variant of Kicker. Multikicker functions the same as Kicker, except that the Multikicker cost can be paid multiple times and the effect generated from it is duplicated for each time the cost is paid. Multikicker made a reappearance in Modern Horizons 2, and was referenced in the Adversary cycle of Innistrad: Midnight Hunt.

Sticker kicker

Sticker kicker, introduced in Unfinity, is another variant on Kicker. (You may pay an additional as you cast a creature spell. If you do, you get [[[ticket]]], then you may put a sticker on it.)

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

• 702.33h Sticker kicker is a keyword ability that represents a kicker ability and an ability that imposes an additional cost if the spell is kicked. “Sticker kicker [cost]” means “Kicker [cost]” and “As an additional cost to cast this spell, if it’s kicked, you get a ticket counter and you may put a sticker on this spell.”

Rulings

• You kick a spell as you cast it. You declare whether you're going to pay a kicker cost at the same time you'd choose a spell's mode, and then you pay it at the same time you pay the spell's mana cost. Kicking a spell is always optional.
• You can pay any particular kicker cost only once unless the card says "multikicker" instead of kicker. You can't pay it multiple times to "pump up" the effect if it is not multikicker.
• Some instant and sorcery spells have an additional effect if they were kicked. Other instant and sorcery spells have a different effect if they were kicked. Read these cards carefully: If they include the word "instead," the second effect replaces the first. If they don't include the word "instead," both the first and second effects occur.
• Some permanents with kicker enter the battlefield with counters on them if they were kicked. Other permanents with kicker have "enters the battlefield" triggered abilities that check whether they were kicked. These look at whether they were kicked when cast as a spell. If not, the ability doesn't trigger at all. If such a permanent is put onto the battlefield as the result of a spell or ability, there's no opportunity to kick them.
• If a permanent has a targeted "enters the battlefield" ability that triggers if it was kicked, the target isn't chosen until the permanent enters the battlefield and the ability triggers (as opposed to when that permanent was cast). That means that sometimes you may wind up targeting something you don't want to. For example, say you cast a kicked Heartstabber Mosquito, which has the ability "When Heartstabber Mosquito enters the battlefield if it was kicked, destroy target creature." In response to the Heartstabber Mosquito spell, your opponent sacrifices their only creature. When the Mosquito enters the battlefield, its ability triggers, and you must choose a target for it. If no one else controls any creatures, you must target one of your own—possibly Heartstabber Mosquito itself.
• Kicker costs don't change a spell's mana cost or mana value.
• If a kicked spell is copied, the copy is also kicked.
• Older cards with kicker were printed with abilities that had the text "if you paid the kicker cost" or "if its kicker cost was paid." Cards that were printed with that text have received errata in the Oracle card reference so they now say "if it was kicked." The cards work the same way they always did; these abilities have their effects if the player decided to pay the kicker cost, not necessarily if the listed cost was paid.

Examples

Example 1

Heartstabber Mosquito
Creature — Insect
2/2
Kicker (You may pay an additional as you cast this spell.)
Flying
When Heartstabber Mosquito enters the battlefield, if it was kicked, destroy target creature.

Example 2

Skitter of Lizards
Creature — Lizard
1/1
Multikicker (You may pay an additional any number of times as you cast this spell.)
Haste
Skitter of Lizards enters the battlefield with a +1/+1 counter on it for each time it was kicked.

Example 3

Wicker Picker
Artifact Creature — Scarecrow Guest
2/3
Creature spells you cast have sticker kicker . (You may pay an additional as you cast a creature spell. If you do, you get

, then you may put a sticker on it.)

External links

• A Planeswalker's Primer for Zendikar: Kicker (Video). Magic: The Gathering. YouTube.
• A Planeswalker's Primer for Worldwake: Multikicker (Video). Magic: The Gathering. YouTube.
• Every Magic: The Gathering Mechanic Is Just Kicker (Video). Tolarian Community College. YouTube.