Waterbend
| Waterbend | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Keyword Action | |
| Introduced | Avatar: The Last Airbender |
| Last used | Avatar: The Last Airbender Eternal |
| Reminder Text |
Waterbend [cost] (While paying a waterbend cost, you can tap your artifacts and creatures to help. Each one pays for  .) |
| Scryfall Statistics | |
Waterbend is a keyword action introduced in Avatar: The Last Airbender. While paying a waterbend cost, a player can tap an untapped creature or artifact they control to pay for . It represents the art of waterbending in the Avatar universe.[1]
Development
Waterbend is one of the four bending mechanics created for Avatar: The Last Airbender, a Universes Beyond set based on the animated series of the same name.
Traditionally, water magic has been represented by a wide variety of blue-based creature interaction, such as tap, stun, and bounce effects. Vision Design experimented with potential implementations of waterbending in this space, but concluded that a mechanic based solely on interacting with opponents' creatures didn't lead to fun gameplay. A different attempt at waterbending was scrapped for being anti-linear.
While all four bending mechanics were designed to be flexible, waterbending in the show is exceptionally versatile. Therefore, the final version of waterbend was therefore an attempt maximize flexibility, allowing for many different inputs and outputs. Additionally, the physical motion of tapping and untapping permanents was intended to evoke waterbending.[2]
Waterbend costs appear as additional costs, as activation costs, and as part of the resolution of triggered abilities.[2][3] Waterbending costs thus far have been all generic mana. In how they both involve the tapping of nonland permanents to pay for spells, it compares to the cost-reducing abilities convoke and improvise, which can only occur on spells.
When a player has activated a waterbend ability, they are "waterbending".
Future use
If the mechanic is to be reused outside of the Avatar: The Last Airbender IP it has to be renamed.[4]
Rules
From the glossary of the Comprehensive Rules (November 14, 2025—Avatar: The Last Airbender)
- Waterbend
- A keyword action. “Waterbend [cost]” means to pay that cost and, for each {1} in that cost, you may tap an untapped artifact or creature you control rather than pay mana. See rule 701.67, “Waterbend.”
From the Comprehensive Rules (November 14, 2025—Avatar: The Last Airbender)
- 701.67. Waterbend
- 701.67a “Waterbend [cost]” means “Pay [cost]. For each generic mana in that cost, you may tap an untapped artifact or creature you control rather than pay that mana.”
- 701.67b If a waterbend cost is part of the total cost to cast a spell or activate an ability (usually because the waterbend cost itself is an additional cost), the alternate method to pay for mana described in rule 701.67a may be used only to pay for the amount of generic mana in the waterbend cost, even if the total cost to cast that spell or activate that ability includes other generic mana components.
Example: Spirit Water Revival is a spell that costs {1}{U}{U} and says, in part, “As an additional cost to cast this spell, waterbend {6}.” As you cast it, you may tap up to six artifacts and/or creatures you control to pay the for the {6} in its waterbend cost, but you can’t tap any artifacts or creatures to pay for any part of the {1}{U}{U} mana cost.
- 701.67c An ability that triggers whenever a player waterbends triggers whenever that player pays a waterbend cost, regardless of how they paid that cost.
Rulings
From the Release Notes for Avatar: The Last Airbender (June 2, 2025)[1]
- "Waterbend [cost]" means "Pay [cost]. For each generic mana in that cost, you may tap an untapped artifact or creature you control rather than pay that mana."
- If a waterbend cost is part of the total cost to cast a spell or activate an ability, you may tap an untapped artifact or creature you control rather than pay one generic mana in that total cost any number of times up to a maximum of the amount of generic mana in the waterbend component of that total cost.
- Even if the cost of the spell or ability that waterbend is part of increases or decreases, you still may only tap artifacts or creatures to pay for costs up to the amount of the generic mana in the waterbend cost.
- If an artifact or creature you control has a mana ability with
in the cost, activating that ability while casting a spell or activating an ability with waterbend will result in the artifact or creature being tapped before you pay the spell's costs. You won't be able to tap it again for waterbend. Similarly, if you sacrifice an artifact or creature to activate a mana ability to pay a cost with waterbend, that artifact or creature won't be on the battlefield when you pay the spell's costs, so you won't be able to tap it for waterbend. - You can tap any untapped creature or artifact you control to pay a waterbend cost, even one you haven't controlled continuously since the beginning of your most recent turn.
- An ability that triggers "whenever you waterbend" triggers whenever you pay a waterbend cost, regardless of how you paid that cost. You do not have to tap artifacts or creatures to help pay the cost for the ability to trigger.
Examples
Example
Waterbending Lesson 
Instant — Lesson
Draw three cards. Then discard a card unless you waterbend 
. (While paying a waterbend cost, you can tap your artifacts and creatures to help. Each one pays for .)
See also
References
- ↑ a b Eliana Rabinowitz (November 7, 2025). "Magic: The Gathering® - Avatar: The Last Airbender™ Release Notes". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ a b Mark Rosewater. "#1293 - Avatar: The Last Airbender Design with Chris Mooney". Drive to Work.
- ↑ Matt Tabak (October 28, 2025). "Magic: The Gathering® - Avatar: The Last Airbender™ Mechanics". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Mark Rosewater (November 4, 2025). "Are you free to reuse those mechanics as-is in other sets, or would you have to rename them?". Blogatog. Tumblr.