Playtest card (MagicCon)/Mechanics R–Z

Playtest card

 

Mechanics A–K

 

Mechanics L–Q

 

Mechanics R–Z

 

Creature Types

 

Counters

 

Several mechanics are unique to playtest cards from Mystery Booster, Mystery Booster 2, and Unknown Events. This list includes all such mechanics alphabetically from R–Z. Many of them appear on only one card.

Ransom (keyword ability)

The keyword ability ransom appears on the card Squidnapper (Mystery Booster). Ransom abilities have an associated cost; once the cost is paid, it may trigger an ability or end something. The design is similar to Soul Ransom.

Rulings

From the Release Notes for Mystery Booster (November 11, 2019)

• If Squidnapper leaves the battlefield before its triggered ability resolves, you won't gain control of the target creature at all.
• Paying a ransom cost to end an effect is a special action. The card's owner may pay that cost any time they have priority, and players can't take actions in between the time the player announces their intent to pay and the time the card returns to the zone from which it came.
• If a card with a ransom ability loses that ability, it has no ransom cost. No player may pay its ransom cost.
• Pay no attention to any other card in this set using the word "ransom" when determining how Squidnapper's ransom ability works.

Example

Squidnapper
Creature — Squid Pirate
3/4
When Squidnapper enters the battlefield, gain control of target creature an opponent controls until Squidnapper leaves the battlefield or that player pays the ransom.
Ransom — and 2 life

Ransom (keyword action)

The keyword action ransom appears on the card Frogkin Kidnapper (Mystery Booster). To ransom a card is to exile it from hand until the owner pays to return it to their hand. Unlike similar cards that allows the opponent to pay a resource during resolution to keep the effect from working, like Force Spike, the Ransom cost can be paid as a special action at any time the player has priority. Elements of this can be seen later in Elite Spellbinder.

Rulings

From the Release Notes for Mystery Booster (November 11, 2019)

• Paying {3} to get a ransomed card back is a special action. The card's owner may pay that cost any time they have priority, and players can't take actions in between the time the player announces their intent to pay and the time the card returns to the zone from which it came.
• The exiled card's owner may pay its ransom cost even if the permanent that ransomed it leaves the battlefield.
• Pay no attention to any other card in this set using the word "ransom" when determining how Frogkin Kidnapper's ability works.

Example

Frogkin Kidnapper
Creature — Frog Rogue
2/1
When Frogkin Kidnapper enters the battlefield, target opponent reveals their hand. Choose a nonland card from it. Ransom that card. (Exile it. Its owner may pay at any time to return it to their hand.)

Ratmanship

Ratmanship is an ability that appears on Mister Cheddar, Cheese Sliver (2025 Las Vegas Unknown Event). The reminder text reads, "They can’t be blocked except by Cats, Rats, or other creatures with ratmanship".

Reflect

Reflect is a keyword action that allows an opponent to create a copy of the played card. As a card with Reflect enters the battlefield, each opponent may pay the Reflect cost. If they do, they create a token copy of the card except it lacks the Reflect ability. It appears on the card Mirrored Lotus (Mystery Booster).

Rulings

From the Release Notes for Mystery Booster (November 11, 2019)

• You can't pay a reflect cost more than once as a permanent with reflect enters the battlefield.

Example

Mirrored Lotus
Artifact
Reflect (As this enters the battlefield, each opponent may pay . If they do, they create a token copy of this except it lacks this ability.)
, Exile Mirrored Lotus: Add three mana of any one color.

Requirement

Requirement is a keyword that specifies restrictions on contents of a deck that plays with a Vanguard. The rules structure is similar to the later mechanic Companion. It appears on the card Ral's Vanguard (Mystery Booster).

Rulings

From the Release Notes for Mystery Booster (November 11, 2019)

• A vanguard with a requirement can't be your vanguard unless its requirement is met as the game begins.
• Your starting deck includes only those cards that will be shuffled to become your library. It doesn't include your sideboard or any other cards that begin the game outside the game.

Rulebreaker

Rulebreaker is a Commander-specific ability word which signals that a commander allows extra types of cards in the deck that don't need to match its color identity. The rulebreaker ability word signals a subset of cards may break the color identifier rule in the deck. Current usages have included legendary permanents of any color, instant and sorcery cards of any color, creature cards of power 4 or greater of any color, and all artifacts and enchantments regardless of color identity. It appears on four Unknown Event cards.

Scrap

Scrap is an predefined token, defined as an artifact with no abilities. They are created by The Crafter (2024 Chicago Unknown Event). Despite having no abilities, Scrap tokens can be used as sacrificial resources for other abilities or cards. As test cards have lower requirements for strict templating, they can predefine tokens more readily. The previously released Farid, Enterprising Salvager (The Brothers' War Commander) has a similar effect, but the token is merely a colorless artifact token named Scrap rather than a true predefined token.

Scrycast

Scrycast is a keyword ability that allows a player to reveal a card that they have seen while scrying, which they may then cast for its Scrycast cost. The mechanic appears on Biting Remark (Mystery Booster).

Rulings

From the Release Notes for Mystery Booster (November 11, 2019)

• If you cast a spell with scrycast, you don't look at any additional cards in your library. If you were instructed to scry 1, you won't do anything else to finish scrying, although you're still scrying while you cast the spell.

Example

Biting Remark
Creature — Elemental
3/3
Scrycast (If you see this card while scrying, you may reveal it and cast it by paying .)
Flying

Scryfall

Scryfall is an ability word which signals triggered abilities that respond to their controller scrying. The scryfall ability word rewards a player each time they scry but ignores the size of the scry. The ability will trigger while the payer is scrying but won't go on the stack until the spell or ability that caused the scry has finished resolving. The ability is a riff on landfall and the Scryfall card database and search engine. It appears on the card Search Elemental (Mystery Booster 2).

Rulings

From the Release Notes for Mystery Booster 2 (September 20, 2024)

• Search Elemental's first ability won't be put onto the stack until after the spell or ability that caused you to search your library finishes resolving.
• Search Elemental's second ability won't be put onto the stack until after the spell or ability that caused you to scry finishes resolving.
• Search Elemental doesn't have a third ability as far as we can tell, but feel free to keep looking.

Example

Search Elemental
Creature — Elemental
1/1
Whenever you search your library, scry 1
Scryfall — Whenever you scry, put a +1/+1 counter on Search Elemental. It can't be blocked this turn.

Scythe

Scythe is an predefined token, defined as an Equipment with “Equipped creature gets +1/+1” and equip . Scythe tokens are created by The Keeper of Four Scythes (2024 Las Vegas Unknown Event), a reference to Aaron Forsythe, the Wizards of the Coast Vice President of Game Design. As test cards have lower requirements for strict templating, they can predefine tokens more readily. It is ambiguous on if Scythe is an artifact type itself like most other predefined tokens or just a predefined Equipment token similar to how Walker tokens aren't a unique type.

Secret Mission

Secret Mission is a conspiracy subtype. A Secret Mission begins the game face up in the command zone. Before the game, its owner secretly chooses one of the three described options. During their end step, if that player meets the condition, they may reveal their choice, turn the card face down, and collect the reward. The only Secret Mission card is Marchesa's Surprise Party (Mystery Booster 2).

Rulings

From the Release Notes for Mystery Booster 2 (September 20, 2024)

• Any time during your end step, if Marchesa's Surprise Party is face up in the command zone and your chosen condition is fulfilled, you may reveal the choice you made and turn Marchesa's Surprise Party face down. This is a special action that can't be responded to. When you do so, the reward triggered ability goes onto the stack and will have you draw a card once it resolves.
• Once you've taken the special action to reveal your chosen condition and turn Marchesa's Surprise Party face down, the reward ability will trigger and resolve regardless of whether you continue to fulfill the condition. For example, if you chose the "nine or more cards in your graveyard" condition, exiling cards from your graveyard after you've already taken the special action won't prevent you from drawing a card.
• There are several ways to secretly choose one of the options, including writing the name on a piece of paper that's kept with the conspiracy.

Example

Marchesa's Surprise Party
Conspiracy — Secret Mission
(Start the game with this conspiracy face up in the command zone. Before the game, secretly choose one of the following. During your end step, if you meet the condition, you may reveal your choice and turn this card face down. When you do, collect the reward.)
• You’ve cast three or more spells this turn.
• An opponent lost 6 or more life this turn.
• There are nine or more cards in your graveyard.
Reward — Draw a card.

Shackle

Shackle is a keyword ability found on Equipment. It is similar to equip but targets your opponent's creatures instead of your own. Shackling can only be activated at sorcery speed. As with an equipped creature, when the shackled creatures leaves the battlefield, the equipment remains on the battlefield. Shackle appears on the card Avacyn's Collar, the Symbol of her Church (Mystery Booster 2).

Rulings

From the Release Notes for Mystery Booster 2 (September 20, 2024)

• Although it causes an Equipment to become attached to a creature, shackle is not an "equip ability" for the purpose of cards like Fighter Class and Leonin Shikari.
• Attaching an Equipment to a creature you don't control by using a shackle ability doesn't cause that Equipment to change controllers.
• Once an Equipment is attached to a creature, that Equipment won't fall off even if the creature changes controllers. The attachment only ends if something explicitly unattaches the Equipment or attaches it to another permanent (such as from you activating the shackle ability again).
• In the rare case where you control the targeted creature as an Equipment's shackle ability tries to resolve, it won't resolve.

Example

Avacyn's Collar, the Symbol of her Church
Artifact — Equipment
Equipped creature can’t attack, block, or transform, and its activated abilities can’t be activated.
Shackle (: Attach to target creature you don’t control. Shackle only as a sorcery.)

Sinecure

Sinecure is a keyword ability. A creature with sinecure can occupy a space two spaces higher on the Monk Track than its power. It appears on Abbot of the Sacred Meeple (Mystery Booster 2).

A sinecure (/ˈsɪnɪkjʊər/ or /ˈsaɪnɪkjʊər/; from the Latin sine, 'without', and cura, 'care') is an office, carrying a salary or otherwise generating income, that requires or involves little or no responsibility, labour, or active service.

Rulings

From the Release Notes for Mystery Booster 2 (September 20, 2024)

• If the space two spaces higher than this creature's power on the Monk Track is already occupied (or, in rare cases, if its power is so high that there is no such space), this creature can occupy any lower-valued space on the Monk Track.

Example

Abbot of the Sacred Meeple
Creature — Human Monk
2/2
Sinecure (This creature can occupy a space two spaces higher on the Monk Track than its power.)
Once on each of your odd-numbered (beige) production phases, you may spend two additional sheep when constructing a building. If you do, you may activate the lesser production ability of any building of prestige 5 or lower you control. Exceptions: Apiary, Cobbler (but not Shoemaker), Wainwright.

Spaceship

"Spaceship" redirects here. Not to be confused with Spacecraft.

Spaceship is a keyword ability and variant of the Clockwork creature mechanic. A Construct (not a Vehicle!) enters the battlefield with a set amount of +1/+1 counters on it, which it progressively loses when participating in combat. If it would be dealt damage, that many +1/+1 counters are removed instead. The spaceship can be recharged if additional counters are added through other means. Spaceship also introduces new templating for static abilities that turn on or off based on the creature's power. Thrusters are active with at least six counters (the construct has flying), and lasers are active with at least 3 counters (whenever it attacks, it deals 1 damage to any target). Spaceship appears on the card Vuzzle Spaceship (Mystery Booster 2) and is a predecessor to the station mechanic.

Rulings

From the Release Notes for Mystery Booster 2 (September 20, 2024)

• If Vuzzle Spaceship is blocking a creature with flying, causing it to lose flying by removing counters from it won't stop it from blocking. Similarly, once Vuzzle Spaceship's "Lasers" ability is on the stack, removing counters from it to cause it to lose that ability won't affect the ability on the stack.

Example

Vuzzle Spaceship
Artifact Creature — Construct
0/0
Spaceship 6 (This creature enters with six +1/+1 counters. If it would be dealt damage, remove that many +1/+1 counters instead. Its abilities are active as long as it has at least that many +1/+1 counters.)
Thrusters [6] → Flying
Lasers [3] → Whenever Vuzzle Spaceship attacks, it deals 1 damage to any target.

Spark

Spark is a keyword action that allows players to activate spark abilities by spending or giving themselves spark counters. Only one spark ability may be activated per turn, and only as a sorcery. Spark abilities act exactly like loyalty abilities, except that spark counters belong to the player, not to the card, similar to energy counters. Spark appears on the card Blood Poet (Mystery Booster).

From the Release Notes for Mystery Booster (November 11, 2019)

• You can activate only one spark ability from among permanents you control each turn, no matter how many permanents you control with spark abilities.
• If Blood Poet loses spark, its spark abilities can't be activated.

Example

Blood Poet
Creature — Vampire Cleric
3/2
Spark (Activate spark abilities by spending or giving yourself spark counters. Activate only one spark ability per turn, and only as a sorcery.)
+1: Blood Poet gains lifelink until end of turn.
−3: Target opponent discards a card. You gain life equal to its converted mana cost.

Spellmorph

Spellmorph is a morph variant for instants and sorceries. It appears on the card Spellmorph Raise Dead (Mystery Booster). Spellmorph has been tested in design for an actual appearance, but doesn't play as well as might be imagined.

Rulings

From the Release Notes for Mystery Booster (November 11, 2019)

• Spellmorph is a variant of morph. A spellmorph ability is a morph ability, and a spellmorph cost is a morph cost. All rules and rulings for morph apply to spellmorph, except for how to turn it face up.
• The controller of the face-down creature with spellmorph can cast it, regardless of who cast the face-down creature spell.
• To cast a spell with spellmorph from the battlefield, first reveal that it has a spellmorph cost. If it does, ignore all effects that are affecting it to determine whether it's legal to cast; it's no longer a creature. If it's legal to cast, move it to the stack. If you realize that you can't legally cast the spell, the game rewinds and it remains face down on the battlefield.
• If a face-down creature with spellmorph loses all abilities, it can't be cast from the battlefield.
• If a card with spellmorph is manifested, you can cast it from the battlefield.
• There are no cards in this set that would turn a face-down instant or sorcery card face up, but some older cards can try to do this. If something tries to turn a face-down instant or sorcery card on the battlefield face up, reveal that card to show all players it's an instant or sorcery card. The permanent remains on the battlefield face down. Abilities that trigger when a permanent turns face up won't trigger, because even though you revealed the card, it never turned face up.
• If an effect tries to return a face-down creature to the battlefield after it leaves (such as Momentary Blink or Adarkar Valkyrie's delayed triggered ability), that effect returns the card face up. If it tries to put an instant or sorcery card onto the battlefield this way, that card remains in its current zone instead.

Tantrum

Tantrum is a keyword ability that acts as "trample but for blocking". A blocking creature with tantrum deals excess damage to the attacking player as it blocks. The keyword appears on the card Toddler's Rage (Mystery Booster 2) and is referenced by Oddric, Lunar Marquis (Mystery Booster 2).

Rulings

From the Release Notes for Mystery Booster (November 11, 2019)

• To be more specific, the controller of a blocking creature with tantrum first assigns combat damage to the creature(s) it's blocking. Once all of those attacking creatures are assigned lethal damage, any excess damage is assigned as its controller chooses among those attacking creatures and their controllers.

Example

Toddler's Rage
Enchantment — Aura
Flash
Enchant creature
Enchanted creature gets +2/+1 and has tantrum. (It’s like trample but for blocking.)

Tasty

Tasty is a static ability that renders a creature vulnerable to direct attacks, similar how a planeswalker can be attacked. It takes inspiration from other card games like Hearthstone or Yu-Gi-Oh where the player on the offensive has more agency and can directly target opposing creatures. Within the context of Magic, it acts like an anti-provoke, where instead of the controller being able to force combat with any opposing creature, the controller's opponents can force combat with this one particular one. Tasty appears on Seasoned Weaponsmith (Mystery Booster).

Rulings

From the Release Notes for Mystery Booster (November 11, 2019)

• If a creature attacks a creature, the controller of the attacked creature is the defending player. That player's creatures that aren't attacked can block the attacking creature.
• A player can use an attacked creature to block a creature attacking it or choose to not block with it at all.
• An unblocked attacking creature that's attacking a creature deals its combat damage to the creature it attacks and vice versa, following the same rules for an attacking creature and a creature blocking it. However, if the attacking creature has trample, it can't assign trample damage to the defending player.

Example

Seasoned Weaponsmith
Creature — Bird Warrior
5/2
Tasty (This creature can be attacked directly. If it is attacked, it can't block creatures that didn't attack it.)

Teach

Teach is a keyword ability that appears on a Lesson card, Pyromancy 101 (Mystery Booster 2). As opposed to Lessons learned, teaching is a cipher-like mechanic that ads its ability to other cards. When cast, a Lesson can be taught to a creature. This means that the Lesson is exiled, and for as long as it remains exiled, the creature has ": Copy the exiled card. You may cast the copy for its teach cost."

Rulings

From the Release Notes for Mystery Booster 2 (September 20, 2024)

• You choose the creature to teach as Pyromancy 101 resolves. The teach ability doesn't target that creature.

Example

Pyromancy 101
Sorcery — Lesson
Pyromancy 101 deals 1 damage to any target.
Teach (Then exile this spell taught to a creature you control. For as long as this card remains exiled, that creature has “: Copy the exiled card. You may cast the copy for its teach cost.”)

Thoughtweft

Thoughtweft is a mechanic based on the the thoughtweft, a collective consciousness shared by the kithkin of Lorwyn-Shadowmoor. A creature with thoughtweft has all printed keyword abilities of other creatures you control with thoughtweft. It appears on Brigid, Who's Seen Some Stuff (Mystery Booster 2).

Rulings

From the Release Notes for Mystery Booster 2 (September 20, 2024)

• All Kithkin, including Brigid, Who's Seen Some Stuff, have thoughtweft as long as Brigid is on the battlefield.
• Keyword abilities are abilities that provide shorthand for properties objects have, and are usually just a single word or phrase. Examples include: vigilance, double strike, banding, and space sculptor. (Okay, maybe that last one is a bad example.) Keyword actions like explore or scry aren't granted by thoughtweft, which is good because that wouldn't make much sense anyway.
• Thoughtweft confers only keyword abilities that are actually printed on the card. Any keyword abilities that are gained by the permanent are ignored, including keyword abilities gained from copy effects or static abilities. For example, a Kithkin card printed with "During your turn, this creature has first strike" is not considered to have first strike as a printed keyword ability.

Example

Brigid, Who's Seen Some Stuff
Legendary Creature — Kithkin Archer
3/3
Vigilance
Nimble (This creature can’t be blocked by creatures with power 3 or greater.)
Kithkin you control have thoughtweft. (A creature with thoughtweft has all printed keyword abilities of other creatures you control with thoughtweft.)

Underdog

Underdog is an ability word that gives cards a bonus in the next game within a match, when they have lost a previous game in that match. It appears on the card Ruff, Underdog Champ (Mystery Booster).

Rulings

From the Release Notes for Mystery Booster (November 11, 2019)

• If a game in a match is a draw, no player lost that game, even if the game was a draw because both players lost the game at the same time.

Example

Ruff, Underdog Champ
Legendary Creature — Dog Soldier
3/2
All Hounds are Dogs. (We'll errata this to be true.)
First strike, lifelink
Underdog — If you've lost a game this match, CARDNAME and other Dogs you control get +1/+1.

Upgrade

Upgrade is a keyword action for artifact creatures, which improves other artifacts on the battlefield. An artifact creature with upgrade moves to the battlefield covering another artifact that player controls. If it can't, it is exiled. The covered artifact is further ignored. Anywhere the card with upgrade goes, cards underneath it also go. It has haste. The mechanic appears on the card Weaponized Scrap (Mystery Booster).

Given the rules text, upgrade could be considered a prototype of mutate, albeit with looser rules integrity.

Rulings

From the Release Notes for Mystery Booster (November 11, 2019)

• The card with upgrade moves to the battlefield, but it doesn't enter the battlefield. Instead, it overlays an artifact you control. That artifact becomes represented by the new card — if it was tapped, it's still tapped; if it had counters on it, it still has those counters; if it was attacking, it's still attacking; and so on.
• Enters-the-battlefield triggers won't trigger when an artifact with upgrade overlays another artifact.
• If you can't choose an artifact you control while applying a permanent's upgrade replacement effect, it doesn't move to or enter the battlefield at all and instead moves to exile.
• An artifact can be upgraded more than once.
• If the upgraded object moves to the top or bottom of its owner's library, that player chooses the relative order for its component cards without revealing that order.
• If a player's commander is upgraded, the resulting creature is still their commander. If it leaves the battlefield, the commander can be put into the command zone instead, and the other cards move to the expected zone.

Example

Weaponized Scrap
Artifact Creature — Construct
6/6
Upgrade (This creature enters the battlefield covering another artifact you control. If it can’t, exile it. Ignore the artifact it’s covering. Anywhere this card goes, cards underneath it also go. It has haste).

Ustujnin

Ustujnin is a ninjutsu variant. The reminder text reads, "[cost], Return a blocking creature you control to hand: Put this card onto the battlefield from your hand blocking the same creature". Ustujnin appears on the card Reverse Ninja (Unknown Event).

Way behind

Way behind is a game term that describes a state in which a player is at a significant disadvantage. You are way behind if, at any point during a turn, an opponent has 10 or more life than you, controls at least three more creatures than you, or has at least three more cards in hand than you. Way behind appears on Knight of Lost Causes (Mystery Booster 2).

Cards of this vein have been printed prior in Eternal Magic, but rarely to the same degree of requirements. Timely Reinforcements, Sunset Revelry, Linvala, the Preserver and Beza, the Bounding Spring all articulate several states of "being behind", with the Keeper and Oath cycles in Exodus and the Pulse cycle of Darksteel have single versions. However, the major difference is that "way behind" is used as a continuous check while the other designs are instants or single triggers.

Rulings

From the Release Notes for Mystery Booster 2 (October 3, 2024)

• To determine if you are way behind, check the game state as it was at any point during the current turn, regardless of whether Knight of Lost Causes was on the battlefield at that time. For example, if you control one creature and an opponent controls four, then you play Knight of Lost Causes going up to two creatures, you are way behind this turn because, at some point in the past the turn, that opponent controlled three creatures more than you.

Example

Knight of Lost Causes
Creature — Human Knight
2/2
Vigilance
As long as you are way behind, Knight of Lost Causes gets +3/+3 and has indestructible. (You are way behind if, at any point during this turn, an opponent had 10 or more life than you, controlled at least three more creatures than you, or had at least three more cards in hand than you.)}

Whammy deck

A whammy deck is a tool that creates a random effect in the game play of Magic. A whammy deck consists of five cards: a Plains, Island, Swamp, Mountain, and Forest. Like a contraption deck, it exists outside of the main deck, in this case in its own zone, the whammy zone. It appears on the card Whammy Burn (Mystery Booster).

Rulings

From the Release Notes for Mystery Booster (November 11, 2019)

• If you don't have a whammy deck when an effect refers to it, shuffle a Plains, Island, Swamp, Mountain, and Forest card from outside the game to form your whammy deck immediately before performing any part of that effect.
• The whammy deck exists in the additional deck zone. Since this is a game zone, it's not outside the game (for effects such as that of Frontier Explorer).
• You can't draw cards from the whammy deck or interact with it in any way other than by effects that specifically interact with the whammy deck. Effects that affect cards you own not on the battlefield don't affect cards in the whammy deck.
• You choose a target as you cast Whammy Burn before revealing any cards from your whammy deck.

Example

Whammy Burn
Instant
Shuffle your whammy deck, then reveal cards from the top of your whammy deck until you reveal an Island or choose to stop. Then, if no Islands were revealed this way, Whammy Burn deals X damage to any target, where X is the number of cards revealed. (A whammy deck consists of a Plains, Island, Swamp, Mountain, and Forest.)