Magic: The Gathering/Gameplay Tropes: Difference between revisions

** The general rule is to rely on the most recent printed text of a card to determine what it does, even if someone is playing with an older copy on which its abilities are phrased differently. Without that rule, for example, casting [http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=3842 three versions] [http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=14593 of exactly] [http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=107278 the same card] would mean ''none of them'' could actually attack.<ref>This is because the first card prevents every creature type but Evil Eyes attacking. The second is a Horror, not an Evil Eye, so it can't attack. It says only cards called Evil Eye of Orms-By-Gore can attack (though it could potentially be read as saying only ''it'' can attack). The first card ''is'' called Evil Eye of Orms-By-Gore, so it can still attack. But wait! The third card says only "Eyes" can attack. The first isn't an Eye, it's an ''Evil'' Eye, and the third isn't an Evil Eye, it's an Eye. Therefore, ''none'' of the three can now attack.</ref>

** Subverted by the [[Lethal Joke Character|joke card]] [http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=73967 R&D's Secret Lair], which explicitly bans using later printed text, errata or the rules to 'update' cards. It's, naturally, illegal in all competitive play, and rapidly makes friendly games very unfriendly.

* [[Animated Armor]]: The effect of [http://gatherer.wizards.com/pages/card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=220529 March of the Machines].

* [[Animate Dead]]: [http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=159249 Is a card]. And there are many others like it.

* [[Anti Air]]: A stock green ability is attacking, destroying, or disabling flying creatures [http://magiccards.info/10e/en/264.html Femeref Archers], [http://magiccards.info/arb/en/52.html Deadshot Minotaur], [http://magiccards.info/m11/en/190.html Plummet], and so on.

** A less "meta" example is the Orzhov guild from ''Ravnica'' block, whose primary strategy is to gradually "bleed" the opponent by combining lifegain effects with repeatable incremental damage.

* [[Griefer]]: The ''New Phyrexia'' expansion was [[Intentional Trope|intentionally designed with Griefing in mind]], and contains many cards that are intended to make your opponent feel bad. For example, [http://magiccards.info/nph/en/23.html Shattered Angel] takes something they normally feel happy about (getting more mana) and makes them feel bad about it (by making you gain life every time they play a land); there's a similar dynamic with cards like [http://magiccards.info/mbs/en/21.html Consecrated Sphinx], [http://magiccards.info/nph/en/25.html Suture Priest], [http://magiccards.info/nph/en/87.html Invader Parasite], and so on.<br /><br />And while most sets have spells that kill or disable your opponent's stuff, in ''New Phyrexia'' they have added effects that rub your victory in their face, as with [http://magiccards.info/nph/en/40.html Numbing Dose], [http://magiccards.info/nph/en/99.html Victorious Destruction], [http://magiccards.info/nph/en/43.html Psychic Barrier], [http://magiccards.info/nph/en/110.html Glissa's Scorn], [http://magiccards.info/nph/en/58.html Enslave], [http://magiccards.info/nph/en/41.html Phyrexian Ingester], etc.<br /><br />Or, as development team member Tom LaPille [http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtg/daily/ld/140 puts it]:

* [[History Repeats]]: Literal example in the ''Time Spiral'' block, which brought back lots of old cards and themes as part of its "time" gimmick.

* [[Hit Points]]: 20 for each player to start, though it can get very low, very high, and some cards even let the player [[Determinator|keep going]] [[Only Mostly Dead|with 0 or less]]. Creatures also have these (in the form of toughness), but theirs reset each turn as long as they take less-than-fatal damage. Planeswalkers have Loyalty points which work a lot like the player's hit points.

** Cards from the silly, silver-bordered sets ''Unglued'' and ''Unhinged'' aren't tournament-legal, but can be surprisingly effective at the kitchen table.

* [[Living Weapon]]:

** [http://magiccards.info/5dn/en/119.html Ensouled Scimitar] and [http://magiccards.info/an/en/75.html Dancing Scimitar]

* [[Loads and Loads of Loading]]:

* [[Luck Manipulation Mechanic]]:

** [http://magiccards.info/mi/en/190.html Krark's Thumb] and [http://magiccards.info/ug/en/43.html Goblin Bookie], allow you to re-flip a coin if you lose the flip.

* [[Luke Nounverber]]: A common naming convention.

* [[Playing With Fire]]: A large portion of Red, described in detail throughout this page. Also, [http://gatherer.wizards.com/pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=109752 Jaya Ballard] and her pupil, the lesser planeswalker [http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=205958 Chandra Nalaar].

* [[Rule of Cool]]:

** Both Johnnies and Timmies will play cards just because they do something cool, though for different reasons.

** [http://www.wizards.com/magic/Magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtgcom/daily/jm38 This quote] regarding [http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=143024 Dragon Roost] sums things up:

{{quote| "Is there a downside?" <br />

* [[There Is No Kill Like Overkill]]: [http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=134740 Shivan Meteor] is a prime example.

* [[Too Awesome to Use]]: The very first edition included the ante system, which allowed the winner of the match to ''take some of the loser's cards''. This made players very reluctant to add very rare, powerful cards to a deck.

* [[Tournament Play]]: Sponsored by the game's creators.

* [[Transformation Is a Free Action]]: The Morph capacity. Free in term of timing as it don't use the stack so one can't do anything to respond its use.