Rulebook
Pure match rules for Age of Wild Magic: card effects, combat keywords, and private mana pools.
aowm-rules · v0.1.0
Two wizards face off with 20 life, private mana pools, and constructed decks. Who goes first is chosen at random. Reduce the opposing mage to 0 life to win.
On your turn you may, in any order your mana and actions allow:
Each card has a name, a type line (for example, beast - fire), and a mana cost in the top right. Pay that cost from your mana pool to play it.
Spells are cast from hand for an effect. They do not stay on the board.
A spell opens a short response window only if the opponent can afford a counter such as Dispel. If they cannot, the spell happens immediately. While a spell is waiting, neither player may attack, move, or end the turn. The same rule applies to other optional interrupts (Ward, board watchers, Ash Priest, sacrifice): you are only asked when you have something legal besides Allow.
Spell effects are listed in the Effects section.
Creatures are units. They occupy a board slot, have power (damage they deal when they attack) and toughness (how much damage they can take before they are destroyed).
Special behaviour is printed on the card. How they Act is in Action states. How they fight is in Combat at a glance.
Structures are also units. They occupy a board slot and can block unless the card says they cannot. They cannot attack. Most cannot move after they are deployed.
Build a 40-card deck from your collection. You may include up to 3 copies of the same card.
Spent spells and destroyed units go to a face-up cemetery. When you would draw and your deck is empty, shuffle your cemetery into a new deck, then draw. If both piles are empty, you draw nothing.
You start with 5 cards. When you end your turn, draw until you have 5 again. Playing cards does not refill your hand mid-turn.
Each player has a private mana pool. The first player opens on 1 mana; the second player’s first turn opens on 2. At the start of each of your turns, your mana refills to the next step on your curve (first player: 1→2→3→4→5→6→7; second player: 2→3→4→5→6→7→7).
Unused mana stays available during the opponent’s turn, so you can still pay for Dispel. It is replaced when your next turn starts.
Arcane Conduit and similar cards add extra remaining mana on top of the cap at the start of your turn.
The battlefield has two rows of 5 slots each:
A unit is a creature or a structure. Units occupy slots. Spells are not units.
A unit is destroyed when marked damage is greater than or equal to its toughness.
Structures cannot attack. Most cannot move once they are placed. Combat rules for rows, blocking, and the opposing mage are in Combat at a glance.
On your turn you can play units onto the board. A newly summoned unit enters Dormant. At the start of your next turn it becomes Ready and may Act once: move or attack. After it Acts, it is Action Used until your next turn.
Dormant and Action Used units can still block. Acting does not turn a unit off for defense.
A newly summoned unit enters play Dormant.
A Dormant unit:
At the beginning of its controller’s next turn, it leaves Dormant and becomes Ready.
Ready means the unit is not Dormant, has not used its action this turn, and is not under Cannot Act.
A Ready unit:
When a Ready unit Acts (by moving or attacking), it spends its action for that turn.
An Action Used unit:
Action Used lasts through the opponent’s turn. At the beginning of its controller’s next turn, the unit is Ready again (unless a later summon left it Dormant — Dormant and Action Used both clear at that turn start). Cannot Act can still stop it from Acting after those clear.
Some spells mark a unit Cannot Act until the end of its controller’s next turn. Boulder Drop does this if the target survives.
A Cannot Act unit:
Destroying the unit ends the effect.
These words appear in rules text. They describe where a unit sits and how the board around it looks — not whether it is Ready.
The unit is in its controller’s front row.
Row only — not Ready, Flying, or blocking.
The unit is in its controller’s back row.
Row only.
The unit does not currently have Flying.
A printed flyer that has lost Flying counts as Grounded. Structures are always Grounded.
The unit currently has Flying.
It must have Flying printed (or granted) and not be under an effect that takes Flying away. Same meaning as in combat.
Any board slot directly surrounding this unit, including diagonals.
On your own side: up to eight neighbouring slots, staying on the board. Hostile effects skip your own units in those slots.
Across the battle line: a Front-row unit is also adjacent to the three opposing front slots it faces (same column and both diagonals). Back-row units are not adjacent to the enemy board that way.
A Back-row unit is Shielded when the Front-row slot directly in front of it (same column, same controller) is occupied by a friendly unit that blocks attacks toward the back row.
That front unit must actually gate Ground Melee and Ground Ranged: it blocks, and it is not Flying.
A looser cousin of Shielded. A Back-row unit is Screened when any unit occupies the matching Front-row column — including Flying units and units that do not block.
Vine Snap cares about Screened. Force Shield Screens a column but does not Shield it.
How units fight by default. A printed exception on a card wins over this chapter.
The front is your first line. Melee creatures attack from here. If at least one front unit blocks for an attacker, that row is a blocking front against that attacker.
The back is your second line. A Melee creature in the back cannot attack until it moves forward. Back-row units do not block attacks aimed at you.
There is no separate “declare blockers” step. Blocking means a front-row unit stands in the way of certain attacks.
Who counts depends on the attacker:
Dormant and Action Used units still block if their position and type allow it. A unit does not need to be Ready to protect you.
Combat against a unit is one-way: the attacker deals its damage; the defender does not hit back. Attacks against the mage are one-way as well.
Moving is an Act. A Ready unit may spend its action to change rows or slots, or to swap with another of your movable units. After moving it is Action Used and cannot also attack that turn.
Dormant and Action Used units cannot move on their own. They may still be displaced when a Ready unit swaps into their slot. Units that cannot move (all current structures, and some creatures) cannot move or be swapped.
Pay the unit’s mana cost on your turn to put it into an empty slot. It enters Dormant and cannot Act until your next turn.
Spells and unblocked attacks can damage the opposing mage. Units that soak damage aimed at you (Force Shield) take that damage first, in board order, before life is reduced. You lose at 0 life.
Melee creatures attack from the front only. A Melee unit in the back must spend an action to move forward, then wait until it is Ready again before it can attack.
If the enemy has any blocking front-row units for this attacker, you must attack one of them — or a front-row unit that does not block. Those non-blocking front units stay legal even when a blocker is present. Once the blocking front is empty, you may attack the back row or the opposing mage.
Ground Melee cannot attack Flying creatures. Flying Melee can.
Ranged creatures may attack from the front or back.
From either row they may shoot past a blocking front to hit units in either row. Attacking the mage still needs an empty blocking front for that attacker: an all-Flying front is open against Ground Ranged, but every front unit closes the mage against Flying Ranged.
Ranged can attack Flying creatures.
Flying changes who counts as a blocker and who may be targeted:
A creature is Flying only while it currently has Flying. If it loses Flying, it blocks and can be hit as a ground unit until that effect ends.
Some spells may be cast only while you control a Flying creature. Dormant flyers still count.
Boulder Drop deals extra damage to Flying. If the target survives, it loses Flying and cannot Act until the end of its controller’s next turn.
Vine Snap deals extra damage to a Screened unit (see Words on cards). Occupancy of the front column is enough; the front unit does not have to block.
Other spell effects are listed in the Effects section.
“Empty front” below means no front unit that blocks this attacker.
| Attacker | Front unit | Back unit | Mage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ground Melee | Yes, except Flying | Only if the front is empty | Only if the front is empty |
| Flying Melee | Yes | Only if the front is empty | Only if the front is empty |
| Ranged | Yes | Yes (may shoot past the front) | Only if the front is empty |
| Attacker | Front unit | Back unit | Mage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Melee | No | No | No |
| Ranged | Yes | Yes (may shoot past the front) | Only if the front is empty |
Dormant and Action Used creatures still count if the row below says they block.
| Front unit | Blocks Ground Melee | Blocks Flying | Blocks Ground Ranged |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ground unit | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Flying unit | No | Yes | No |
| Grounded flyer (lost Flying) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Does not block | No | No | No |
Back-row units never block, whether they are Flying or not.
Ranked Match is how you climb the public ladder. Sign in, then find a match. The matcher looks for a nearby mage first. The longer you wait, the wider the ranking window. If no one is in range, the wild sits a nearby rival across from you.
Practice against the Wild Bot is exhibition. You pick the difficulty there, and those games do not change ranking. A private lobby with a friend does not change ranking either.
You start at 1000. There is a floor of 100 and no ceiling.
A stronger rival yields more ranking if you win, and costs more if you lose. Your first ranked games move ranking faster; later games move it more slowly. Both a found mage and a wild rival change ranking.
Leave the field — resign, or stay away until the match is forfeit — and you take the loss.
If a mock rival vanishes from the table before the match is decided, the game is void. Ranking does not change.
Ranked Match also yields Wild Essence (WE) — a magical fragment, not coin. A win is 120, a loss is 80. If your rival was another mage, both amounts are multiplied by 1.2. Leave the field and you earn none — the victor still takes the win payout. Exhibition and private lobbies award none.
Until you have finished ten ranked games, your title is Challenger. Your ranking stays hidden, and you are not listed on the public leaderboard.
After ten games your title follows your ranking, and you appear among other Wild mages on the ladder.
Deal damage to the opposing mage (face).
Timing: Resolves when a spell finishes after the opponent passes priority.
Deal damage to the opposing mage.
Units with Face Blocking on that player’s board absorb the damage first, in board order. Each unit takes marked damage until it is destroyed.
Any damage not absorbed reduces the mage’s life. If life reaches 0, that player loses.
See also: Face Blocking
Deal damage to one chosen board unit (spell).
Timing: Resolves when a spell finishes after the opponent passes priority.
Choose one unit (creature or structure) and deal damage to it.
By default the target may be yours or an opponent’s. Some spells restrict you to friendly units only, or to creatures only (structures are then illegal).
Some spells deal extra damage when the target is screened: in the back row with any unit occupying the front-row slot directly in front of it. This is based on slot occupancy only — not the same as Shielded. Units with Not Blocking still count as screening.
Some spells deal a different amount when the target currently has Flying. If both a screened bonus and a Flying bonus would apply, the Flying amount takes precedence.
Some spells deal damage equal to the target’s Power instead of a fixed number.
If marked damage on the unit is greater than or equal to its effective toughness, destroy it.
Creature combat damage comes from Melee or Ranged attack keywords, not from this spell effect.
See also: Melee Attack, Ranged Attack, Apply Status, Destroy Creature
Destroy one chosen creature (not a structure).
Timing: Resolves when a spell finishes after the opponent passes priority.
Choose one creature on either side of the board and destroy it.
Structures are never legal targets.
The creature goes to its owner's cemetery. Its toughness and any damage already marked on it do not matter.
To damage or destroy structures, or to destroy a creature by dealing lethal damage, use a spell that deals damage to a unit instead.
See also: Damage One Unit
Add mana to the caster's remaining pool.
Timing: On board units without a move trigger: when the unit is played. With a move trigger: the first time this unit moves on its controller’s turn. On spells: when the spell resolves after priority is passed.
Add mana to the caster’s remaining pool for this turn.
This does not raise the player’s mana cap — it only adds spendable mana right now.
If the card lists a moved trigger, mana is granted on the unit’s first move each controller turn instead of when it enters play. Being swapped when another unit moves does not count.
Cancel an opposing spell during the response window.
Timing: When cast during an opposing spell’s response window — resolves immediately and does not open its own response window.
You may play this only while an opposing spell is waiting for a response and it is your turn to respond.
The response window opens only if you have an affordable counterspell in hand. Otherwise the spell resolves immediately.
Pay this card’s mana cost from your remaining mana, remove it from your hand, and cancel the opposing spell. That spell’s effects never resolve.
You cannot counter your own spell.
Attack only from the front row; deal your attack amount to the defending unit.
Timing: Combat — when this creature attacks on its controller’s turn.
A creature with Melee may attack only from the front row.
If the opponent has any blocking front-row units, you must attack one of them. Once the blocking front is empty, you may attack a back-row unit or the opposing mage.
Flying front-row units do not block ground Melee attackers, but they do block Flying Melee attackers.
Ground Melee cannot attack Flying creatures. Flying Melee can.
The damage dealt is set on the card — usually equal to the creature’s power, sometimes power plus a bonus.
When Melee attacks a unit, combat is one-way: the attacker deals its attack amount. The defender does not deal damage back. Face attacks and Ranged combat also stay one-way.
Damage is applied to toughness. If marked damage meets or exceeds effective toughness, the unit is destroyed.
See also: Ranged Attack, Flying
Attack from either row; deal combat damage.
Timing: Combat — when this creature attacks on its controller’s turn.
A creature with Ranged may attack from the front or back row. Melee creatures may attack only from the front.
From either row, Ranged attackers may shoot past a blocking front row to hit front- or back-row units. Attacking the opposing mage still requires an empty blocking front.
Flying front-row units do not block ground Ranged attackers for face damage, but they do block Flying Ranged attackers.
Ranged attackers can attack Flying creatures.
The damage dealt is set on the card — usually equal to the creature’s power, sometimes power plus a bonus.
Some Ranged creatures deal extra damage when the target currently has Flying.
Damage is applied to the target unit’s toughness. If marked damage meets or exceeds effective toughness, the unit is destroyed.
See also: Melee Attack, Flying
Does not block ground Melee or Ranged; blocks Flying attackers. Ground Melee cannot target it.
Timing: Combat — when attacking or when declared as a target.
A Flying creature does not count as a front-row blocker for ground Melee or ground Ranged attackers. If every front-row unit is Flying, those attackers may treat the front as open for back-row units or the opposing mage.
Flying creatures do block Flying attackers, along with every other front-row unit that blocks.
Ground Melee cannot attack Flying creatures. Ranged and Flying Melee can.
Whether a unit is Flying depends on its current state: it must have Flying and not be under an effect that suppresses Flying. A grounded flyer blocks and can be targeted like a non-Flying unit until that effect ends.
See also: Melee Attack, Ranged Attack, Apply Status
Cannot move or be displaced by a swap.
Timing: Always — when attempting to move this unit or land on its slot.
This unit cannot change rows or slots after it enters play.
Other units cannot swap into its slot — the unit stays where it was placed.
All structures have this keyword. Some creatures do as well.
Never counts toward the blocking front.
Timing: Combat — when determining which front-row units block an attacker.
This unit never counts as a front-row blocker — not for ground attackers and not for Flying attackers.
It may still be attacked directly as a board target, even when other front-row units are blocking. It does not gate access to the back row or the opposing mage.
Unlike Flying, which blocks only Flying attackers, Not Blocking applies to every attacker type.
See also: Flying, Face Blocking, Melee Attack, Ranged Attack, Not Blocking On Act
Cannot block on the turn it Acts. After it moves or attacks, it does not count for the blocking front until its Action Used flag clears.
Timing: Combat — when determining which front-row units block an attacker. Action Used persists through the opponent’s turn.
While this unit has not Acted, it blocks like any other front-row creature — including while Dormant.
Once it Acts (move or attack), it is treated as Not Blocking until Action Used clears (the start of its controller’s next turn).
Activated abilities that do not spend Action (Pact, Dryad heal) do not trigger this.
It may still be attacked as a board target, even when other front-row units are blocking. It does not soak face damage (faceBlocking is separate).
See also: Not Blocking, Melee Attack, Face Blocking
Absorbs damage aimed at the controller before life is reduced.
Timing: Whenever damage would reduce the controller’s life.
When the controlling mage would take damage — from combat or a spell — this unit absorbs it first, in board order. The unit takes marked damage toward its toughness.
If the unit is destroyed, any remaining damage passes to the next Face Blocking unit, then to the mage’s life.
Face Blocking works from any row. It does not by itself make the front row a blocking front for attacks. A unit can absorb face damage without blocking attackers.
See also: Damage Opponent, Not Blocking
You must control a Flying creature to cast this spell.
Timing: Checked when the spell is played, before the response window opens.
You may cast this spell only if you control at least one creature that currently has Flying.
Dormant and Action Used flyers still count — you need control, not a Ready creature.
Structures never count toward this requirement.
If the requirement is not met, the spell stays in your hand and no mana is spent.
See also: Flying, Apply Status
You must control a matching unit to play this card.
Timing: Checked when the card is played, before it leaves your hand.
You may play this card only if you control at least one unit that matches the listed filter (kind, prefix, suffix).
Dormant and Action Used units still count — you need control, not a Ready unit.
If the requirement is not met, the card stays in your hand and no mana is spent.
See also: Require Flying
Attach a named status to the target.
Timing: Resolves when a spell finishes after the opponent passes priority.
Attach a temporary status to a unit (creature or structure). The target is usually the same unit chosen by an earlier effect on the same spell.
The status lasts until its duration ends. A common duration is until the end of that unit’s controller’s next turn — meaning through this turn and the next if it is already their turn.
If the target left the board before this resolves, nothing happens.
A Suppress Flying status does nothing if the target is not currently Flying.
Different status types expire independently. While active, a status may prevent the unit from Acting or from counting as Flying.
See also: Flying, Prevent Act, Suppress Flying, Damage One Unit, Damage Units
Target loses Flying until the end of its controller’s next turn.
Timing: Resolves when a spell finishes after the opponent passes priority.
The target loses Flying until the end of its controller’s next turn.
While grounded this way, the unit is treated as not Flying for blocking, targeting, and cast restrictions.
If the target was destroyed by an earlier effect on the same spell, this does nothing.
If the target is not currently Flying, this does nothing.
See also: Apply Status, Flying, Prevent Act
Target cannot Act until the end of its controller’s next turn.
Timing: Resolves when a spell finishes after the opponent passes priority.
The target cannot Act until the end of its controller’s next turn.
While affected, the unit cannot move or attack, even if it would otherwise be Ready.
It may still block attacks and be targeted by spells. Dormant and Action Used still apply as usual once the status ends.
If the target was destroyed by an earlier effect on the same spell, this does nothing.
See also: Apply Status, Suppress Flying
While this unit is in play, matching friendly units gain power and toughness bonuses or penalties.
Timing: Continuous — while the source unit remains on its controller’s board.
While this unit is on the board, matching friendly units on the same side get bonuses or penalties to power and/or toughness.
Positive values increase a stat; negative values decrease it. A stat that is not listed is unchanged.
Some Buffs apply only to creatures, only to structures, or only to units with a matching type line (prefix or suffix).
Combat and damage use the effective power and toughness after all Buffs. The numbers printed on the card stay as the base values.
When a Buff source leaves play, every surviving unit is checked again. Any unit whose damage is greater than or equal to its new effective toughness is destroyed.
See also: Melee Attack, Ranged Attack
The first time this unit moves each turn, deal damage to one enemy unit, with an optional opponent fallback.
Timing: After the unit successfully moves: if this is its first move this turn and an enemy unit is on the board, the controller must choose a target before continuing. If no enemy units remain, deal the listed damage to the opponent when the effect has opponentIfNoUnits; otherwise skip the trigger.
The first time this unit moves on its controller’s turn, if the opponent has at least one unit, open a targeting window and deal the listed damage to the chosen enemy unit.
The move happens first; damage is chosen afterward. Later moves the same turn do not trigger again. Being swapped when another unit moves does not count as this unit moving.
If no enemy units are on the board when the move resolves, opponentIfNoUnits deals the listed damage to the opposing mage instead. Face Blocking applies as usual. Without that option, skip the trigger.
See also: Damage One Unit, Ranged Attack
When its configured trigger occurs, this unit temporarily gains modifiers.
Timing: Immediately after the configured event successfully resolves.
A Self Buff watches for its configured trigger and applies temporary modifiers to the source unit.
For a moved trigger with first each controller turn frequency, only the unit's first move during its controller's turn triggers it. Being swapped when another unit moves does not count.
Power, Toughness, and Flying modifiers become temporary statuses and expire at the configured duration. The trigger resolves before later effects inspect the moved unit, such as Tailwind's Ready-if-Flying clause.
See also: Flying, Buff, On First Move Damage, Free Move Friendly
Whenever this deals damage to a unit, ping the opposing mage and/or splash an adjacent unit.
Timing: After this unit deals at least 1 damage to a board unit (combat or a move strike). Attacking the mage directly does not trigger this.
Whenever this unit deals damage to a unit, apply each listed follow-up.
Opponent: deal that much to the opposing mage. Face Blocking absorbs as usual. The ping happens even if the damaged unit is destroyed.
Adjacent: if another unit is Adjacent to the damaged unit (same-board Moore neighborhood, including diagonals; hostile effects ignore friendlies), choose one and deal that much damage. If the damaged unit leaves play, measure from its last slot. If no adjacent unit remains, skip. Attacking the mage (face) does not trigger this.
See also: Ranged Attack, Damage Opponent, Face Blocking
Move a friendly creature. That move does not use its Action.
Timing: Resolves when a spell finishes after the opponent passes priority.
Choose one friendly creature you control that can move, and a new board slot for it.
The creature relocates (and may swap with another of your movable units). This does not mark Action Used — a Ready creature stays Ready to Act afterward.
The move still counts as that creature moving for first-move triggers (for example Stormcaller).
If the spell has readyIfFlying, a Flying creature becomes Ready after the move (Dormant and Action Used both clear).
Dormant creatures and creatures that already Acted may be moved this way.
Structures and units that cannot move are illegal targets.
See also: On First Move Damage, Ranged Attack
Once per your turn, clear damage from this unit or an adjacent friendly unit.
Timing: Activated on your turn while you control this unit. Does not use Action. Cannot be used while a spell or move strike is pending.
Once on your turn, choose this unit or an adjacent friendly unit that has damage marked on it, and clear the listed amount of damage (up to its current damage).
This does not mark Action Used — the unit may still Act (move or attack) the same turn.
Adjacent uses the same-board Moore neighborhood (including diagonals). Facing adjacency across the battle line does not apply.
Dormant units may still use this ability. The once-per-turn flag resets at the start of your next turn.
See also: Melee Attack, Buff
Once per your turn, you may deal damage to this unit to give it extra power until end of turn.
Timing: Activated on your turn while you control this unit. Does not use Action. Cannot be used while a spell or pending strike is waiting.
Once on your turn, you may deal the listed damage to this unit. If you do, it gets the listed Power until end of turn.
This does not mark Action Used — the unit may still Act (move or attack) the same turn, using the new Power.
Pact is not cumulative: you cannot activate it again this turn, and a second Pact would not stack.
If the damage is lethal, the unit is destroyed and the Power bonus never applies.
Dormant units may still use Pact. The once-per-turn flag resets at the start of your next turn.
If Ash Scapegoat opens a soak window, the Power bonus waits until you Allow the hit. Protect redirects the damage and cancels the bonus.
See also: Ranged Attack, Heal Adjacent Ally, Buff, Counter Action
On play, choose a friendly creature; it cannot Act for the rest of this turn.
Timing: When the card enters play (structures and creatures with this effect).
As this card enters play, choose a friendly creature you control.
If a type-line suffix is listed (for example Arcane), only creatures with that suffix are legal.
The chosen creature cannot Act until the end of this turn. That does not spend its Action flag — it simply cannot move or attack while the status remains.
You must have a legal creature to play this card.
See also: Prevent Act, Apply Status, Friendly Spell Ward
On play, choose another unit. It cannot attack until your next turn.
Timing: When this creature enters play. Optional if no other unit is present.
As this card enters play, you may choose another unit (creature or structure) on either board.
That unit cannot attack until your next turn. It may still move, block, and use activated abilities.
The lock lasts through the target’s next controller end-turn — an enemy skips its upcoming attack; a friendly unit is free again on your next turn.
You may play this card with no target when the board is empty. You cannot Anchor this unit itself.
See also: Prevent Act, Apply Status, Drain Energy
While this unit is in play, friendly units cannot be targeted by spells.
Timing: Continuous while this unit remains on the board.
While this unit is on your board, friendly units (including this one) cannot be chosen as targets of spells.
This blocks both your spells and the opponent’s. Spells that do not target a unit (for example face damage only, or Dispel) are unaffected.
Combat attacks are not spells and may still hit these units.
See also: Drain Energy, Spell Untargetable, Damage One Unit, Destroy Creature
This unit cannot be targeted by spells.
Timing: Continuous while this unit remains on the board.
This unit cannot be chosen as a target of spells — yours or the opponent’s.
Spells that do not target a unit (face damage only, Dispel) are unaffected. Combat attacks may still hit this unit.
See also: Friendly Spell Ward, Damage One Unit, Destroy Creature
While Front-row, facing-adjacent Grounded enemies cannot move.
Timing: Continuous while this unit is on the Front-row.
While this unit is Front-row, each Grounded enemy unit in a facing-adjacent Front-row slot (same column and both diagonals across the battle line) cannot move.
Pinned units cannot Act-move, be swapped as a move partner, or be relocated by move spells. Flying enemies are not Grounded and are unaffected.
If this unit leaves the Front-row (or leaves play), the pin ends immediately.
See also: Melee Attack, Flying, Not Movable
Choose a creature. Next turn it cannot attack. Does not affect beasts.
Timing: Resolves when a spell finishes after the opponent passes priority.
Choose a creature on either board. Next turn that creature cannot attack. It may still move, block, and use activated abilities.
The lock lasts through the target’s next controller end-turn — an enemy skips its upcoming attack.
Beasts (type-line prefix beast) are illegal. Magic beasts are a different class and remain legal.
Structures are never legal. Spell-untargetable units and friendly spell wards still apply.
See also: Anchor, Prevent Act, Apply Status
Choose an enemy unit. Until your next turn, whenever it Acts, it loses Power.
Timing: Resolves when a spell finishes after the opponent passes priority.
Choose an enemy unit. Until your next turn, whenever that unit Acts (move or attack), it loses 1 Power. The Power loss stays on the unit after the glyph fades.
The watching window lasts through the target’s next controller end-turn — typically their upcoming turn.
A cancelled Act (Temporal Anchor) still counts: the unit spent Action.
Spell-untargetable units and friendly spell wards still apply.
See also: Counter Action, Pact, Apply Status
Once per turn: when a matching event happens, you may interrupt it (cancel, reflect, or soak).
Timing: Triggered board ability. Opens an optional response window. Confirm with the source unit; Allow declines.
Triggers - enemyAct — an enemy unit declares a move or attack (Temporal Anchor). - enemyAttack — an enemy unit attacks one of your units or your face (Sea Hag). - friendlyDamaged — another friendly movable unit takes damage (Ash Scapegoat).
Resolve options - cancelAct — the Act does not happen; the actor is marked Action Used. - reflectCombatDamage — the original target (or face) is safe; the attacker takes that attack’s damage; Action is spent. - soakDamage — this unit takes the held damage instead (optional swap with the damaged unit). - applyStatus — reserved for later cards.
The window opens only if a matching watcher can interrupt. Otherwise the event proceeds with no ask — same as Allow. Usually once each turn (oncePerTurn, default true). Dormant units may still watch — this is not an Act of the watcher.
See also: Counter Spell, Counter Attack, Unstable Glyph
Whenever another friendly creature deals damage, this gets extra power and toughness until your next turn. Optional suffix restricts which dealers count.
Timing: After another friendly creature deals at least 1 damage (combat, a move strike, splash, a face ping, an enter ping, or Pact). This unit’s own damage does not count. Spells are not creatures.
Whenever another friendly creature deals damage, this unit gets the listed power and toughness until the start of your next turn.
Optional suffix on the effect: only dealers whose type-line suffix matches count (e.g. fire).
Each hit stacks. This unit’s own attacks do not trigger it. Face-only spells do not trigger it.
The bonus lasts through the rest of this turn and the opponent’s turn, then fades as your next turn begins. If toughness fades while this unit has too much marked damage, it is destroyed.
See also: On Deal Damage To Unit, Apply Status, Pact, Buff
If a friendly creature dealt damage this turn, when this enters, deal damage to a chosen unit.
Timing: When this unit enters play. Requires a target only if the condition is met.
If a friendly creature dealt damage this turn (to a unit or to the opposing mage), as this unit enters you choose a unit and deal the listed damage to it.
Pact self-damage does not count. Face-only spells do not count. Face Blocking soak still counts as damage that creature dealt.
The ping is not a spell — spell wards and spell-untargetable do not stop it.
If no friendly creature has dealt damage this turn, play this with no target.
This unit still enters Dormant.
See also: Apply Status, On Friendly Deal Damage, On Deal Damage To Unit, Damage One Unit
Deal damage to matching units (all, or up to N chosen).
Timing: Resolves when a spell finishes after the opponent passes priority.
Deal damage to units that match the listed filter (side, kind, row, Flying/Grounded, damage-this-turn flags, suffix, and so on).
By default every match is hit. If chosen is set, the caster picks up to count matching creatures (extraTargetInstanceIds). Choosing zero extras is legal.
Structures are only hit when the filter allows them. Spell-untargetable units and friendly spell wards still apply.
See also: Damage One Unit, Become Dormant, Apply Status
A matching unit becomes Dormant.
Timing: Resolves when a spell finishes after the opponent passes priority.
Choose a unit that matches the listed filter. It becomes Dormant.
Dormant units cannot Act (move or attack) until they become Ready again.
See also: Become Ready, Free Move Friendly, Damage Units
A matching unit becomes Ready.
Timing: Resolves when a spell finishes after the opponent passes priority.
Choose a unit that matches the listed filter. It becomes Ready: Dormant and Action Used both clear.
Cannot Act statuses still prevent Acting until they expire.
See also: Become Dormant, Free Move Friendly
Cancel an opposing elemental attack during the response window.
Timing: When cast during an opposing elemental attack’s response window — resolves immediately and does not open its own response window.
You may play this only while an opposing Elemental creature’s attack is waiting for a response and it is your turn to respond.
The response window opens only if you have an affordable counter-attack in hand. Otherwise the attack resolves immediately.
Pay this card’s mana cost from your remaining mana, remove it from your hand, and cancel the attack. That attack deals no damage. The attacker’s Action is already spent.
You cannot counter your own attack.
Choose cards in your hand and put them into your cemetery.
Timing: When the unit enters play (after it leaves your hand).
Choose up to the listed number of other cards still in your hand and put them into your cemetery.
Discarding never costs mana. You may discard any card you hold, even if its printed cost is higher than your remaining mana.
If you have fewer cards than the listed number, discard what remains. If your hand is empty, skip.
See also: Sacrifice Units
Sacrifice up to N matching friendly units; the source may gain permanent stats per sacrifice.
Timing: When the unit enters play.
The unit enters play first. Then choose up to the listed number of friendly units that match the filter and put them into your cemetery, one at a time — or decline the rest.
The window opens only if a matching friendly remains. Otherwise there is no ask. Choosing zero (Allow) is legal when a window is open. For each unit sacrificed, the entering unit may gain the listed Power and Toughness permanently.
See also: Discard, Apply Status
Destroy a friendly creature. Deal 4 damage to an enemy unit.
Timing: Resolves when the spell finishes after the opponent passes priority.
Choose a friendly creature and destroy it.
Then choose an enemy unit and deal 4 damage to it.
See also: Destroy Creature, Damage One Unit, Sacrifice Units
Spend a cost, resolve up to two chosen targets, then apply an ordered list of consequences.
Timing: Activated on your turn. `action` cost requires this unit to be Ready and marks Action Used. `oncePerTurn` does not spend Action, gated once per turn like Pact — an optional life cost applies immediately and cannot be interrupted.
Spend the listed cost. Action costs require this unit to be Ready and mark Action Used. Once per turn costs do not spend Action, but may only be used once on your turn — an optional life cost (Malachor Devil) applies to your own life directly and does not go through combat, so nothing can intercept it.
If the card lists a target, choose a unit matching its filter (a second, independent target is possible for cards like Infernal Hag).
Consequences resolve in order: damage, destroy, becomeDormant, or attach a status (temporary or, for a power/toughness bonus, permanent). A consequence may be gated on whether the chosen target survived or died to an earlier consequence.
See also: Pact, Heal Adjacent Ally, Damage Units, Apply Status, Become Dormant
When a friendly creature dies, you may discard a card to deal 1 to an enemy unit or the opponent.
Timing: After a friendly creature is buried, if this is still on the board.
When a friendly creature dies, if you have a card in hand, you may discard it. Discarding never costs mana — any card in hand is legal.
If you do, choose an enemy unit or the opposing mage and deal 1 damage.
Decline with Allow. If your hand is empty, nothing happens.
See also: Discard, Damage One Unit