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Crosswicking
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* TeamBasedTournament: A long-lasting game variant is "Two-Headed Giant", where teams of two play against each other. Each team has a combined life total instead of two separate ones.
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** Throat Wolf, a creature that supposedly had "firstest strike", made the rounds in the early days of the game, before cardlists (not to mention the internet) were available. More than 20 years later, [[https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=476195]] the card was {{Defictionalized}} in the "Mystery Booster" set, a gimmick set wherein all cards have visual design which makes them look like prototypes being tested by Wizards R&D.
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** Throat Wolf, a creature that supposedly had "firstest strike", A fake card called "Throat Wolf" made the rounds on the game's Usenet forums in the early days of the game, before cardlists (not to mention the internet) were available.available. After a user namedropped the nonexistent creature in a post as a joke, other users playing along resulted in rumors about an ultra-rare card with ridiculous abilities like "attacking on an opponent's turn" or "dealing damage before first strike". It got to the point that when a Wizards employee attempted to explain that Throat Wolf isn't real, he got accused of trying to cover up the truth. More than 20 years later, [[https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=476195]] the card was {{Defictionalized}} in the "Mystery Booster" set, a gimmick set wherein all cards have visual design which makes them look like prototypes being tested by Wizards R&D. A full dive into the legend's history can be found [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSD7kaBZ7RA here]].
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Crosswicking new trope
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* TechnicianPerformerTeamUp: Competitive decks tend to follow a TacticalRockPaperScissors breakdown into Aggro, Control, and Combo decks. On one end, Aggro decks are the ultimate "Performer", forgoing any sort of complex strategy in favor of overwhelming opponents with creatures, be they a ZergRush of "weenies" or "big stompy" behemoths. On the other end are Control decks, which use complex tactics of countering, removing, and otherwise disrupting whatever their opponent tries to do, while having either no creatures or weaker ones played for their added abilities rather than their raw power. Combo decks combine the two strategies, utilizing the more complex strategies to beef up their individually weaker but more synergistic creatures to more easily defeat Aggro decks, but opening themselves up to their combos being dismantled by Control decks. The metagame is constantly shifting around these primary archetypes.
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* WoundThatWillNotHeal: Often inflicted via -1/-1 counters. After battle, creatures that survive will regenerate at the end of the turn; not so if they have -1/-1 counters, as that damage and damage debuff will stick around as long as those counters are on the creature. Put enough of them on a creature, and they'll be reduced to 0 toughness, thus killing them.
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* StylisticSuck: The Secret Lair Drop versions of Plaeswalkers are written in the old card format circa Sixth Edition. As a result, they have gigantic walls of text explaining their abilities as well as Planeswalker mechanics instead of the simple bulleted list modern Planeswalkers have.
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* StylisticSuck: The Secret Lair Drop versions of Plaeswalkers Planeswalkers are written in the old card format circa Sixth Edition. As a result, they have gigantic walls of text explaining their abilities as well as Planeswalker mechanics instead of the simple bulleted list modern that usual Planeswalkers have.have, and their type line reads Planeswalker Legend rather than Legendary Planeswalker.
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* StylisticSuck: The Secret Lair Drop versions of Plaeswalkers are written in the old card format circa Sixth Edition. As a result, they have gigantic walls of text explaining their abilities as well as Planeswalker mechanics instead of the simple bulleted list modern Planeswalkers have.
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* TitleDrop: ZigZagged. Cards with the names of sets do occur, such as [[https://scryfall.com/card/usg/103/time-spiral Time Spiral]] or [[https://scryfall.com/card/ons/84/future-sight Future Sight]], but several examples either pre-date or post-date the sets. To date, cards who TitleDrop the set they're in include [[https://scryfall.com/card/a25/202/conflux Conflux]] and [[https://scryfall.com/card/one/118/all-will-be-one All Will Be One]], which was the subtitle for the set that returned to New Phyrexia.
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* UnderratedAndOverleveled: [[http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=31825 Psychatog]] is a mere ''uncommon'', three mana, 1/2 creature...who can also quickly become one of the devastating creatures in the game. By discarding cards from your hand, removing cards from your graveyard, or a combination thereof, you can beef Psychatog up with +1/+1 counters. Its superb offensive and defensive potential let it assert aggressive pressure all by itself, which frees up space for more reactive cards to shut down an opposing deck before it can get rolling—and since it synergizes well with card draw and mill, it also fits well into decks designed to "go off" very quickly. Further, since it can consume an entire graveyard and hand, it can easily reach 20/20 late in the game. Drop an [[http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Upheaval Upheaval]], as the the dominant deck of the 2002 World Championship did, and you have a OneHitKO on your hands. Finally, if all of that power potential alone doesn't do it for you, its abilities to discard and/or remove at will benefit all sorts of decks, including those built around the [[https://mtg.gamepedia.com/Madness Madness]] keyword or [[http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=159249 Animate Dead]], just to name a few.
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* UnderratedAndOverleveled: [[http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=31825 Psychatog]] is a mere ''uncommon'', three mana, 1/2 creature...who can also quickly become one of the devastating creatures in the game. By discarding cards from your hand, removing cards from your graveyard, or a combination thereof, you can beef Psychatog up with +1/+1 counters. Its superb offensive and defensive potential let it assert aggressive pressure all by itself, which frees up space for more reactive cards to shut down an opposing deck before it can get rolling—and since it synergizes well with card draw and mill, it also fits well into decks designed to "go off" very quickly. Further, since it can consume an entire graveyard and hand, it can easily reach 20/20 late in the game. Drop an [[http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Upheaval Upheaval]], as the the dominant deck of the 2002 World Championship did, and you have a OneHitKO on your hands. Finally, if all of that power potential alone doesn't do it for you, its abilities to discard and/or remove at will benefit all sorts of decks, including those built around the [[https://mtg.gamepedia.com/Madness Madness]] keyword or [[http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=159249 Animate Dead]], just to name a few.
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** [[http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Chaos+Orb Chaos Orb]] and [[http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Falling+Star Falling Star]] are unique cards which involve literally dropping the cards onto the playing field to damage/destroy what they fall onto. Nothing else in the game involves physical dexterity (besides parody or joke cards, which these are based on) and online play with these cards is difficult at least. For this reason they were banned in all official formats.
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** [[http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Chaos+Orb Chaos Orb]] and [[http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Falling+Star Falling Star]] are unique cards which involve literally dropping the cards onto the playing field to damage/destroy what they fall onto. Nothing else in the game involves physical dexterity (besides parody or joke cards, some of which these are based on) on these) and online play with these cards is difficult at least. For this reason they were banned in all official formats.
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Islandwalk is a separate thing that is actually a huge advantage
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* SeaMonster: Blue has examples of nearly every single sub-type listed on the page. Leviathans, Krakens, Giant Crabs, Giant Fish, Giant Whales... Mechanically, they tend to be very large but more mana intensive to summon than similarly sized creatures in other colors. In the early days, they also had the crippling handicap of "Islandwalk", a since-retired mechanic which prevented sea-based creatures from attacking players who did not control an Island. There is also have the eponymous [[https://gatherer.wizards.com/pages/card/details.aspx?multiverseid=4724 Sea Monster]], who possesses each of the above tendencies.
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* SeaMonster: Blue has examples of nearly every single sub-type listed on the page. Leviathans, Krakens, Giant Crabs, Giant Fish, Giant Whales... Mechanically, they tend to be very large but more mana intensive to summon than similarly sized creatures in other colors. In the early days, they also had the crippling handicap of "Islandwalk", a since-retired mechanic which prevented sea-based creatures from attacking not being able to attack players who did not control an Island. There is also have the eponymous [[https://gatherer.wizards.com/pages/card/details.aspx?multiverseid=4724 Sea Monster]], who possesses each of the above tendencies.
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Using "official" formats to condense, home games can do whatever they want.
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* ScheherezadeGambit: The alternatively spelled [[https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=980 Shahrazad]], which forces both players to put their game of ''Magic'' on hold while they play ''another'' game of ''Magic'', with the loser of that game losing half their life points in the first game. Given that each player could have up to four of these in their decks, this could make for some ''very'' long games...it's little wonder that its one of the few cards banned in all formats.
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* ScheherezadeGambit: The alternatively spelled [[https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=980 Shahrazad]], which forces both players to put their game of ''Magic'' on hold while they play ''another'' game of ''Magic'', with the loser of that game losing half their life points in the first game. Given that each player could have up to four of these in their decks, this could make for some ''very'' long games...it's little wonder that its one of the few cards banned in all official formats.
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** [[http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Chaos+Orb Chaos Orb]] and [[http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Falling+Star Falling Star]] are unique cards which involve literally dropping the cards onto the playing field to damage/destroy what they fall onto. Nothing else in the game involves physical dexterity (besides parody or joke cards, which these are based on) and online play with these cards is difficult at least. For this reason they were banned in all formats.
** One card from the Arabian Nights expansion, [[http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=980 Shahrazad]], makes everyone play a whole subgame of Magic where players have to abandon the main game, find a new space and use their libraries as decks for the subgame and cannot re-enter main game until the subgame is decided. With the possibility of having several copies of this card and even summoning subgames within subgames, it's no wonder this card was banned in all formats except possibly home games.
** One card from the Arabian Nights expansion, [[http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=980 Shahrazad]], makes everyone play a whole subgame of Magic where players have to abandon the main game, find a new space and use their libraries as decks for the subgame and cannot re-enter main game until the subgame is decided. With the possibility of having several copies of this card and even summoning subgames within subgames, it's no wonder this card was banned in all formats except possibly home games.
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** [[http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Chaos+Orb Chaos Orb]] and [[http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Falling+Star Falling Star]] are unique cards which involve literally dropping the cards onto the playing field to damage/destroy what they fall onto. Nothing else in the game involves physical dexterity (besides parody or joke cards, which these are based on) and online play with these cards is difficult at least. For this reason they were banned in all official formats.
** One card from the Arabian Nights expansion, [[http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=980 Shahrazad]], makes everyone play a whole subgame of Magic where players have to abandon the main game, find a new space and use their libraries as decks for the subgame and cannot re-enter main game until the subgame is decided. With the possibility of having several copies of this card and even summoning subgames within subgames, it's no wonder this card was banned in allformats except possibly home games.official formats.
** One card from the Arabian Nights expansion, [[http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=980 Shahrazad]], makes everyone play a whole subgame of Magic where players have to abandon the main game, find a new space and use their libraries as decks for the subgame and cannot re-enter main game until the subgame is decided. With the possibility of having several copies of this card and even summoning subgames within subgames, it's no wonder this card was banned in all
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* UnexpectedGameplayChange:
** [[http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Chaos+Orb Chaos Orb]] and [[http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Falling+Star Falling Star]] are unique cards which involve literally dropping the cards onto the playing field to damage/destroy what they fall onto. Nothing else in the game involves physical dexterity (besides parody or joke cards, which these are based on) and online play with these cards is difficult at least. For this reason they were banned in all formats.
** One card from the Arabian Nights expansion, [[http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=980 Shahrazad]], makes everyone play a whole subgame of Magic where players have to abandon the main game, find a new space and use their libraries as decks for the subgame and cannot re-enter main game until the subgame is decided. With the possibility of having several copies of this card and even summoning subgames within subgames, it's no wonder this card was banned in all formats except possibly home games.
** [[http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Chaos+Orb Chaos Orb]] and [[http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Falling+Star Falling Star]] are unique cards which involve literally dropping the cards onto the playing field to damage/destroy what they fall onto. Nothing else in the game involves physical dexterity (besides parody or joke cards, which these are based on) and online play with these cards is difficult at least. For this reason they were banned in all formats.
** One card from the Arabian Nights expansion, [[http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=980 Shahrazad]], makes everyone play a whole subgame of Magic where players have to abandon the main game, find a new space and use their libraries as decks for the subgame and cannot re-enter main game until the subgame is decided. With the possibility of having several copies of this card and even summoning subgames within subgames, it's no wonder this card was banned in all formats except possibly home games.
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These were correct, fixing them. The "less than" symbol should be used in each case. (Rogue defeats Counter defeats Dominant defeats Rogue/Control defeats Combo defeats Aggro defeats Control) - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Less-than_sign
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** Present in the three standard categories of tournament decks: aggressive, combination, or control (aggro, combo, and control). Sometimes decks can play as either of two roles, but not as well as a deck truly dedicated to that role. The three roles fall into a rock-paper-scissors scenario: Aggro decks play multiple redundant threats to keep the pressure on and overwhelm Control decks. Combo decks use cards that are individually relatively weak but synergize to create powerful effects that can overcome even the strong threats from an Aggro deck. Control decks focus on defense foremost and use card-removal effects to dismantle combos — if a Control deck removes one part of a three-card combo, it cripples the whole combo, while removing one of three Aggro deck cards will leave the other two to continue attacking. So basically: Control > Combo > Aggro > Control.
** Distinct from the "roles" of the tournament decks are the metagaming nature of the decks, which similarly fall into three categories. Despite steps taken toward balance with each block, there always arises one or two dominant "tier 1" decks. As they become dominant, "counter" decks are created with the specific goal of defeating the dominant decks. As these two balace each other out, there then arises "rogue" decks which will be beaten by the dominant decks, but can defeat the counter decks which are so specialized for countering the dominant decks that they cannot adapt to the new threats posed by the rogue deck. So basically: Rogue > Counter > Dominant > Rogue.
** Distinct from the "roles" of the tournament decks are the metagaming nature of the decks, which similarly fall into three categories. Despite steps taken toward balance with each block, there always arises one or two dominant "tier 1" decks. As they become dominant, "counter" decks are created with the specific goal of defeating the dominant decks. As these two balace each other out, there then arises "rogue" decks which will be beaten by the dominant decks, but can defeat the counter decks which are so specialized for countering the dominant decks that they cannot adapt to the new threats posed by the rogue deck. So basically: Rogue > Counter > Dominant > Rogue.
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** Present in the three standard categories of tournament decks: aggressive, combination, or control (aggro, combo, and control). Sometimes decks can play as either of two roles, but not as well as a deck truly dedicated to that role. The three roles fall into a rock-paper-scissors scenario: Aggro decks play multiple redundant threats to keep the pressure on and overwhelm Control decks. Combo decks use cards that are individually relatively weak but synergize to create powerful effects that can overcome even the strong threats from an Aggro deck. Control decks focus on defense foremost and use card-removal effects to dismantle combos — if a Control deck removes one part of a three-card combo, it cripples the whole combo, while removing one of three Aggro deck cards will leave the other two to continue attacking. So basically: Control > < Combo > < Aggro > < Control.
** Distinct from the "roles" of the tournament decks are the metagaming nature of the decks, which similarly fall into three categories. Despite steps taken toward balance with each block, there always arises one or two dominant "tier 1" decks. As they become dominant, "counter" decks are created with the specific goal of defeating the dominant decks. As these two balace each other out, there then arises "rogue" decks which will be beaten by the dominant decks, but can defeat the counter decks which are so specialized for countering the dominant decks that they cannot adapt to the new threats posed by the rogue deck. So basically: Rogue> < Counter > < Dominant > < Rogue.
** Distinct from the "roles" of the tournament decks are the metagaming nature of the decks, which similarly fall into three categories. Despite steps taken toward balance with each block, there always arises one or two dominant "tier 1" decks. As they become dominant, "counter" decks are created with the specific goal of defeating the dominant decks. As these two balace each other out, there then arises "rogue" decks which will be beaten by the dominant decks, but can defeat the counter decks which are so specialized for countering the dominant decks that they cannot adapt to the new threats posed by the rogue deck. So basically: Rogue
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** [[http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=1544 Shelkin Brownie's]] special ability is to remove the "Bands with other" ability from creatures. In the history of ''Magic'', there are ''two'' cards with the "Bands from other" ability: the 1/1 tokens created by [[http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=1534 Master of the Hunt]], and the ''Unhinged'' card [[http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=74235 Old Fogey]], which is illegal in every format and only has the ability as a joke (the only creatures he can band with, aside from creatures that have the regular Banding ability, are other copies of himself). Oh, plus a [[http://magiccards.info/query?q=o%3Aband+o%3Awith+o%3Aother+c%3Al&v=card&s=cname cycle of lands]] that are serious contenders for "Worst card in the game" and probably shouldn't count. Good old Shelkin Brownie, keeping the world safe from four-mana [=1/1s=] and legendary lands that don't produce mana!
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** [[http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=1544 Shelkin Brownie's]] special ability is to remove the "Bands with other" ability from creatures. In the history of ''Magic'', there are ''two'' cards with the "Bands from other" ability: the 1/1 tokens created by [[http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=1534 Master of the Hunt]], and the ''Unhinged'' card [[http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=74235 Old Fogey]], which is illegal in every format and only has the ability as a joke (the only creatures he can band with, aside from creatures that have the regular Banding ability, are other copies of himself). Oh, plus a [[http://magiccards.info/query?q=o%3Aband+o%3Awith+o%3Aother+c%3Al&v=card&s=cname [[https://scryfall.com/search?q=o%3Aband+o%3Awith+o%3Aother+c%3Al+type%3Aland&unique=cards&as=full&order=name cycle of lands]] that are serious contenders for "Worst card in the game" and probably shouldn't count. Good old Shelkin Brownie, keeping the world safe from four-mana [=1/1s=] and legendary lands that don't produce mana!
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** Single-card examples include [[http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?id=83292 Swarm of Rats]], among others.
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** Single-card examples include [[http://gatherer.[[https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?id=83292 aspx?multiverseid=6555 Swarm of Rats]], among others.
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* ZombieGait: Evoked with some of the ''Innistrad'' zombies. [[http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=226747 Diregraf Ghoul]] is a good example--it comes into play tapped to represent its slow gait. M11's [[http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=205047 Rotting Legion]] does the same thing. Parodied with [[http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=439443 Extremely Slow Zombie]], which is so slow that it suffers from an inverse ActionInitiative -- nearly anything can hit it before it hits back.
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* ZombieGait: Evoked with some of the ''Innistrad'' zombies. [[http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=226747 Diregraf Ghoul]] is a good example--it comes into play tapped to represent its slow gait. M11's [[http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=205047 Rotting Legion]] does the same thing. Parodied with [[http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=439443 Extremely Slow Zombie]], which is so slow that it suffers from an inverse ActionInitiative -- nearly anything can hit it before it hits back.back, and its flavour text is spread around 4 different printings.
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** Distinct from the "roles" of the tournament decks are the metagaming nature of the decks, which similarly fall into three categories. Despite steps taken toward balance with each block, there always arises one or two dominant "tier 1" decks. As they become dominant, "counter" decks are created with the specific goal of defeating the dominant decks. As these two balace each other out, there then arises "rogue" decks which will be beaten by the dominant decks, but can defeat the counter decks which are so specialized for countering the dominant decks that they cannot adapt to the new threats posed by the rogue deck. So basically: Rogue < Counter < Dominant < Rogue.
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** Distinct from the "roles" of the tournament decks are the metagaming nature of the decks, which similarly fall into three categories. Despite steps taken toward balance with each block, there always arises one or two dominant "tier 1" decks. As they become dominant, "counter" decks are created with the specific goal of defeating the dominant decks. As these two balace each other out, there then arises "rogue" decks which will be beaten by the dominant decks, but can defeat the counter decks which are so specialized for countering the dominant decks that they cannot adapt to the new threats posed by the rogue deck. So basically: Rogue < > Counter < > Dominant < > Rogue.
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** Present in the three standard categories of tournament decks: aggressive, combination, or control (aggro, combo, and control). Sometimes decks can play as either of two roles, but not as well as a deck truly dedicated to that role. The three roles fall into a rock-paper-scissors scenario: Aggro decks play multiple redundant threats to keep the pressure on and overwhelm Control decks. Combo decks use cards that are individually relatively weak but synergize to create powerful effects that can overcome even the strong threats from an Aggro deck. Control decks focus on defense foremost and use card-removal effects to dismantle combos — if a Control deck removes one part of a three-card combo, it cripples the whole combo, while removing one of three Aggro deck cards will leave the other two to continue attacking. So basically: Control < Combo < Aggro < Control.
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** Present in the three standard categories of tournament decks: aggressive, combination, or control (aggro, combo, and control). Sometimes decks can play as either of two roles, but not as well as a deck truly dedicated to that role. The three roles fall into a rock-paper-scissors scenario: Aggro decks play multiple redundant threats to keep the pressure on and overwhelm Control decks. Combo decks use cards that are individually relatively weak but synergize to create powerful effects that can overcome even the strong threats from an Aggro deck. Control decks focus on defense foremost and use card-removal effects to dismantle combos — if a Control deck removes one part of a three-card combo, it cripples the whole combo, while removing one of three Aggro deck cards will leave the other two to continue attacking. So basically: Control < > Combo < > Aggro < > Control.
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* TookALevelInBadass: [[http://magiccards.info/query?q=o%3A%22flip%22+%28e%3Asok%2Fen+or+e%3Abok%2Fen+or+e%3Achk%2Fen%29&s=cname&v=card&p=1 Flip cards]], [[http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=236456 Figure of Destiny]], and [[http://magiccards.info/query?q=o%3Alevel+o%3Aup&v=card&s=cname leveler creatures]] turn it into a game mechanic. Double-faced transform cards in Innistrad also fit the bill.
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* TookALevelInBadass: [[http://magiccards.info/query?q=o%3A%22flip%22+%28e%3Asok%2Fen+or+e%3Abok%2Fen+or+e%3Achk%2Fen%29&s=cname&v=card&p=1 [[https://scryfall.com/search?q=o%3A%22flip%22+&unique=cards&as=full&order=name Flip cards]], [[http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=236456 Figure of Destiny]], and [[http://magiccards.info/query?q=o%3Alevel+o%3Aup&v=card&s=cname leveler creatures]] turn it into a game mechanic. Double-faced transform cards in Innistrad also fit the bill.
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** Throat Wolf, a creature that supposedly had "firstest strike", made the rounds in the early days of the game, before cardlists (not to mention the internet) were available. More than 20 years later, [[https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=476195the card]] was {{Defictionalized}} in the "Mystery Booster" set, a gimmick set wherein all cards have visual design which makes them look like prototypes being tested by Wizards R&D.
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** Throat Wolf, a creature that supposedly had "firstest strike", made the rounds in the early days of the game, before cardlists (not to mention the internet) were available. More than 20 years later, [[https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=476195the card]] aspx?multiverseid=476195]] the card was {{Defictionalized}} in the "Mystery Booster" set, a gimmick set wherein all cards have visual design which makes them look like prototypes being tested by Wizards R&D.
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** Darksteel Relic is the closest the game gets to a vanilla ''artifact'' -- it's indestructible, but it does nothing. The only reason it isn't a JokeItem is that many cards synergize with artifacts.
** The ''Mystery Booster'' set added How to Keep an Izzet Mage Busy, which is kind of a vanilla ''sorcery'' -- it has no effect other than returning itself to your hand when you cast it. It can be abused with effects that care about spells being cast.
** The ''Mystery Booster'' set added How to Keep an Izzet Mage Busy, which is kind of a vanilla ''sorcery'' -- it has no effect other than returning itself to your hand when you cast it. It can be abused with effects that care about spells being cast.
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** [[https://scryfall.com/card/nph/134/darksteel-relic Darksteel Relic Relic]] is the closest the game gets to a vanilla ''artifact'' -- it's indestructible, but it does nothing. The only reason it isn't a JokeItem is that many cards synergize with artifacts.
** The ''Mystery Booster'' set added [[https://scryfall.com/card/cmb1/93/how-to-keep-an-izzet-mage-busy How to Keep an Izzet MageBusy, Busy]], which is kind of a vanilla ''sorcery'' -- it has no effect other than returning itself to your hand when you cast it. It can be abused with effects that care about spells being cast.
** The ''Mystery Booster'' set added [[https://scryfall.com/card/cmb1/93/how-to-keep-an-izzet-mage-busy How to Keep an Izzet Mage
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moved to mythology gag
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** The ''Time Spiral'' set consisted entirely of cards that referenced other cards printed earlier. For an comprehensive list to [[ReferenceOverdosed (most of?) the call-backs]] check: [[http://wiki.mtgsalvation.com/article/Time_Spiral/Trivia Here]], [[http://wiki.mtgsalvation.com/article/Planar_Chaos/Trivia here]] and [[http://wiki.mtgsalvation.com/article/Future_Sight/Trivia here]].
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*** M15's [[http://i.imgur.com/9Zd7TGl.png Genesis Hydra]] was designed by George Fan himself, and it shows. The creature is a plant hydra, that is seen devouring zombies in its art.
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*** M15's [[http://i.imgur.com/9Zd7TGl.png [[https://scryfall.com/card/m15/176/genesis-hydra Genesis Hydra]] was designed by George Fan himself, and it shows. The creature is a plant hydra, that is seen devouring zombies in its art.
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** The card "Aggressive Mining" was designed by Markus "Notch" Persson, and its art depicts [[VideoGame/{{Minecraft}} a very blocky quarry.]]
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** The card "Aggressive Mining" [[https://scryfall.com/card/m15/127/aggressive-mining Aggressive Mining]] was designed by Markus "Notch" Persson, and its art depicts [[VideoGame/{{Minecraft}} a very blocky quarry.]]
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I don't know what this is refering to, but it seems to be gone now.
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* ScunthorpeProblem: The problem with cards like [[http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=194119 Assault Strobe]] and terms like "Cumulative Upkeep" on the Gatherer site. Yes, they're going that far.
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** Symmetry is a common trait of White cards, as characters of this color are very community-minded and devoted to treating everyone fairly (or at least have the ''appearance'' of fairness). This often leads to effects like [[https://scryfall.com/card/eld/10/deafening-silence setting restrictions that apply to everyone]] or [[https://scryfall.com/card/ema/2/balance equalizing players' resources]]. Additionally, mass destruction effects tend to be white (though other colors occasionally get to mass destroy stuff they can remove).
** Black also gets some symmetric effects, most of which punish everyone to match the color's idea of winning at any cost. Notably, it's fond of making everyone discard cards or sacrifice creatures when it's the color that likes to bring stuff BackFromTheDead.
** Black also gets some symmetric effects, most of which punish everyone to match the color's idea of winning at any cost. Notably, it's fond of making everyone discard cards or sacrifice creatures when it's the color that likes to bring stuff BackFromTheDead.
to:
** Symmetry is a common trait of White cards, as characters of this color are very community-minded and devoted to treating everyone fairly (or at least have having the ''appearance'' of fairness). This often leads to effects like [[https://scryfall.com/card/eld/10/deafening-silence setting restrictions that apply to everyone]] or [[https://scryfall.com/card/ema/2/balance equalizing players' resources]]. Additionally, mass destruction effects tend to be white (though other colors occasionally get to mass destroy stuff they can remove).
** Black also gets some symmetric effects, most of which punish everyoneto (to match the color's idea of winning at any cost. cost). Notably, it's fond of making everyone discard cards or sacrifice creatures creatures, when it's the color that likes to bring stuff BackFromTheDead.
** Black also gets some symmetric effects, most of which punish everyone
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* ShowAndTellAntics: There's a card named [[https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=416878 Show and Tell]] that lets each player put something onto the board for free. Since cards are usually balanced around having a mana cost, things tend to get interesting.
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* UniquenessRule:
** The legend rule: you can't control multiple copies of a legendary permanent on the battlefield. This rule has changed throughout the years; at one point you could only have one copy in your deck, and there was also a time where ''both'' players could only have one copy on the battlefield in total. The main justification for this rule is flavor (these cards portray unique individuals, items and places), but in some cases it's also a balancing mechanism. Some cards interact with this rule, such as [[https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=107697 Leyline of Singularity]] making every nonland permanent legendary, and [[https://gatherer.wizards.com/pages/card/details.aspx?name=Mirror%20Gallery Mirror Gallery]] lifting the rule.
** The now-lifted planeswalker uniqueness rule, which says that you can only have one planeswalker of each planeswalker type. Currently, planeswalkers are just treated as normal legendary permanents.
** The retired "World" supertype shows up on some {{symmetric|Effect}} enchantments and brings the restriction that only one World enchantment can be in play at a time. If you play a new one, the old one goes away. Flavor-wise, they represent mutually exclusive global changes to the battlefield.
** In the Commander format, each card in your deck has to be unique. The only exceptions are basic lands and cards with the very rare effect of explicitly allow you to go above the normal limit. Moreover, you can only have one commander unless the cards explicitly say otherwise.
** The Vintage format almost never bans cards, instead restricting them cards to let players use a single copy of them in a deck.[[note]]The last normal ban for power level reasons was in 1996. Later, Lurrus of the Dream Den had to be banned because the Companion mechanic meant that players were guaranteed access to it anyway and restricting it was pointless.[[/note]] This gives players a chance to use very powerful cards without making things as broken as they'd be if you could go up to 4 copies.
** The Companion keyword lets you start with a creature outside the game, available to be put in your hand if you pay 3 generic mana, as long as you meet the deckbuilding requirement. This keeps you from using multiple copies of the same companion, which would lead to balance issues (there's no reason not to run the theoretical maximum of 4 if your deck meets the restriction anyway), as well as removing the silliness of trying to meet two different companions' deckbuilding requirements at once.
** Certain activated abilities and triggered abilities have the clause that they can only trigger once per turn to keep them from being used too much. A tapping cost can also be used as a soft "only once per turn" restriction, though there are quite a few ways to get around it.
** Some spells exile themselves as part of their effect, all but ensuring that you won't get to use them again. Generally used for effects that could lead to infinite loops or otherwise be obnoxious if repeated.
** The legend rule: you can't control multiple copies of a legendary permanent on the battlefield. This rule has changed throughout the years; at one point you could only have one copy in your deck, and there was also a time where ''both'' players could only have one copy on the battlefield in total. The main justification for this rule is flavor (these cards portray unique individuals, items and places), but in some cases it's also a balancing mechanism. Some cards interact with this rule, such as [[https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=107697 Leyline of Singularity]] making every nonland permanent legendary, and [[https://gatherer.wizards.com/pages/card/details.aspx?name=Mirror%20Gallery Mirror Gallery]] lifting the rule.
** The now-lifted planeswalker uniqueness rule, which says that you can only have one planeswalker of each planeswalker type. Currently, planeswalkers are just treated as normal legendary permanents.
** The retired "World" supertype shows up on some {{symmetric|Effect}} enchantments and brings the restriction that only one World enchantment can be in play at a time. If you play a new one, the old one goes away. Flavor-wise, they represent mutually exclusive global changes to the battlefield.
** In the Commander format, each card in your deck has to be unique. The only exceptions are basic lands and cards with the very rare effect of explicitly allow you to go above the normal limit. Moreover, you can only have one commander unless the cards explicitly say otherwise.
** The Vintage format almost never bans cards, instead restricting them cards to let players use a single copy of them in a deck.[[note]]The last normal ban for power level reasons was in 1996. Later, Lurrus of the Dream Den had to be banned because the Companion mechanic meant that players were guaranteed access to it anyway and restricting it was pointless.[[/note]] This gives players a chance to use very powerful cards without making things as broken as they'd be if you could go up to 4 copies.
** The Companion keyword lets you start with a creature outside the game, available to be put in your hand if you pay 3 generic mana, as long as you meet the deckbuilding requirement. This keeps you from using multiple copies of the same companion, which would lead to balance issues (there's no reason not to run the theoretical maximum of 4 if your deck meets the restriction anyway), as well as removing the silliness of trying to meet two different companions' deckbuilding requirements at once.
** Certain activated abilities and triggered abilities have the clause that they can only trigger once per turn to keep them from being used too much. A tapping cost can also be used as a soft "only once per turn" restriction, though there are quite a few ways to get around it.
** Some spells exile themselves as part of their effect, all but ensuring that you won't get to use them again. Generally used for effects that could lead to infinite loops or otherwise be obnoxious if repeated.
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* SymmetricEffect:
** Symmetry is a common trait of White cards, as characters of this color are very community-minded and devoted to treating everyone fairly (or at least have the ''appearance'' of fairness). This often leads to effects like [[https://scryfall.com/card/eld/10/deafening-silence setting restrictions that apply to everyone]] or [[https://scryfall.com/card/ema/2/balance equalizing players' resources]]. Additionally, mass destruction effects tend to be white (though other colors occasionally get to mass destroy stuff they can remove).
** Black also gets some symmetric effects, most of which punish everyone to match the color's idea of winning at any cost. Notably, it's fond of making everyone discard cards or sacrifice creatures when it's the color that likes to bring stuff BackFromTheDead.
** [[https://scryfall.com/card/2xm/39/wrath-of-god Wrath of God]] is an iconic mass destruction spell that destroys all creatures. Similar spells are nicknamed "Wraths" by the community, and are useful for resetting the board if your opponent has played a bunch of creatures. They can also be combined with effects that make your creatures indestructible. There are also conditional Wrath-like cards, e.g. [[https://scryfall.com/card/c17/60/fell-the-mighty Fell the Mighty]] which only kills creatures with high enough power. Similarly, some Wrath-like effects deal damage or decrease the toughness of creatures -- these are survivable for creatures that are big enough. These Wrath-like effects can be played to minimize the damage to your own board.
** There are also mass destruction effects for artifacts, enchantments and planeswalkers. These are more situational, but also give you more freedom to build your strategy to be minimally affected by them.
** Mass land destruction like [[https://scryfall.com/card/a25/5/armageddon Armageddon]] removes everyone's mana sources (except for any mana-producing creatures or artifacts they may have) and slows down the game. They can be used to lock in a game if you're ahead and want to keep your opponent from catching up. Sometimes they can be an answer to players who manage play a ton of lands. They're also useful if you make your own lands indestructible before using them.
** "Wheel" effects like [[https://scryfall.com/card/vma/3/timetwister Timetwister]] make every player lose their hand and draw a new one. Very nice if you just played a bunch of cards while your opponent still has a full hand.
** [[https://strategy.channelfireball.com/all-strategy/mtg/channelmagic-articles/reids-guide-to-legacy-prison-decks/ Prison decks]] rely on making the opponent unable to cast their spells and/or use their cards properly. This involves effects that hinder both players on paper, but the Prison player has built their deck to work around. For instance, they may run [[https://scryfall.com/card/mps/33/chalice-of-the-void Chalice of the Void]] and cast it for X=1 to shut down their opponent's 1-cost spells, while not running any 1-cost spells themselves.
** Some cards give a boon to all players. For instance, [[https://scryfall.com/card/cn2/121/show-and-tell Show and Tell]] lets both players play an artifact, creature, enchantment, or land for free. If you pack some huge, expensive threats, you'll probably get much more value out of it than your opponent. Similarly, [[https://scryfall.com/card/jou/121/dictate-of-karametra Dictate of Karametra]] doubles everyone's mana. You can get more out of it than your opponent by bringing more expensive spells.
** The [[https://mtg.fandom.com/wiki/Shroud Shroud]] keyword ability means that a permanent can't be targeted by any spells or effects -- including ''your'' spells and effects. So your opponent can't use targeted removal against your [[https://scryfall.com/card/m10/193/mist-leopard Mist Leopard]], but you can't target it with your buffs either. [[https://mtg.fandom.com/wiki/Protection Protection]] is a broader effect that works similarly. (Though note that one part of protection -- "this can't be blocked by creatures with the specified quality" is asymmetric because you can't block your own creatures.)
** Symmetry is a common trait of White cards, as characters of this color are very community-minded and devoted to treating everyone fairly (or at least have the ''appearance'' of fairness). This often leads to effects like [[https://scryfall.com/card/eld/10/deafening-silence setting restrictions that apply to everyone]] or [[https://scryfall.com/card/ema/2/balance equalizing players' resources]]. Additionally, mass destruction effects tend to be white (though other colors occasionally get to mass destroy stuff they can remove).
** Black also gets some symmetric effects, most of which punish everyone to match the color's idea of winning at any cost. Notably, it's fond of making everyone discard cards or sacrifice creatures when it's the color that likes to bring stuff BackFromTheDead.
** [[https://scryfall.com/card/2xm/39/wrath-of-god Wrath of God]] is an iconic mass destruction spell that destroys all creatures. Similar spells are nicknamed "Wraths" by the community, and are useful for resetting the board if your opponent has played a bunch of creatures. They can also be combined with effects that make your creatures indestructible. There are also conditional Wrath-like cards, e.g. [[https://scryfall.com/card/c17/60/fell-the-mighty Fell the Mighty]] which only kills creatures with high enough power. Similarly, some Wrath-like effects deal damage or decrease the toughness of creatures -- these are survivable for creatures that are big enough. These Wrath-like effects can be played to minimize the damage to your own board.
** There are also mass destruction effects for artifacts, enchantments and planeswalkers. These are more situational, but also give you more freedom to build your strategy to be minimally affected by them.
** Mass land destruction like [[https://scryfall.com/card/a25/5/armageddon Armageddon]] removes everyone's mana sources (except for any mana-producing creatures or artifacts they may have) and slows down the game. They can be used to lock in a game if you're ahead and want to keep your opponent from catching up. Sometimes they can be an answer to players who manage play a ton of lands. They're also useful if you make your own lands indestructible before using them.
** "Wheel" effects like [[https://scryfall.com/card/vma/3/timetwister Timetwister]] make every player lose their hand and draw a new one. Very nice if you just played a bunch of cards while your opponent still has a full hand.
** [[https://strategy.channelfireball.com/all-strategy/mtg/channelmagic-articles/reids-guide-to-legacy-prison-decks/ Prison decks]] rely on making the opponent unable to cast their spells and/or use their cards properly. This involves effects that hinder both players on paper, but the Prison player has built their deck to work around. For instance, they may run [[https://scryfall.com/card/mps/33/chalice-of-the-void Chalice of the Void]] and cast it for X=1 to shut down their opponent's 1-cost spells, while not running any 1-cost spells themselves.
** Some cards give a boon to all players. For instance, [[https://scryfall.com/card/cn2/121/show-and-tell Show and Tell]] lets both players play an artifact, creature, enchantment, or land for free. If you pack some huge, expensive threats, you'll probably get much more value out of it than your opponent. Similarly, [[https://scryfall.com/card/jou/121/dictate-of-karametra Dictate of Karametra]] doubles everyone's mana. You can get more out of it than your opponent by bringing more expensive spells.
** The [[https://mtg.fandom.com/wiki/Shroud Shroud]] keyword ability means that a permanent can't be targeted by any spells or effects -- including ''your'' spells and effects. So your opponent can't use targeted removal against your [[https://scryfall.com/card/m10/193/mist-leopard Mist Leopard]], but you can't target it with your buffs either. [[https://mtg.fandom.com/wiki/Protection Protection]] is a broader effect that works similarly. (Though note that one part of protection -- "this can't be blocked by creatures with the specified quality" is asymmetric because you can't block your own creatures.)
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* SelfParody: The Ungluded and Unhinged sets, which lampoon the hell out of the game's mechanics and meta in all sorts of bizarre ways. Neither set are legal in serious play, and are solely printed for the novelty.
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Turtle Power is no longer a trope
* SturdyAndSteadyTurtles: Turtles are classic [[StoneWall low power/high toughness]] creatures which, unusually for most creatures, can be found as both Blue and Green with regularity. [[http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=397526 Horned Turtle]] is a classic example, while others include the plain ol' [[http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=1528 Giant Turtle]] and [[http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=221565 Giant Tortoise]]. The ''slowest'' turtle is the [[http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=386602 Meandering Towershell]], which moves so slowly that whenever it attacks, it takes a turn to actually reach your opponent.
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* TurtlePower: Turtles are classic [[StoneWall low power/high toughness]] creatures which, unusually for most creatures, can be found as both Blue and Green with regularity. [[http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=397526 Horned Turtle]] is a classic example, while others include the plain ol' [[http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=1528 Giant Turtle]] and [[http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=221565 Giant Tortoise]]. The ''slowest'' turtle is the [[http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=386602 Meandering Towershell]], which moves so slowly that whenever it attacks, it takes a turn to actually reach your opponent.
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* VanillaUnit:
** There are plenty of creatures with no rules text, and a few cards that explicitly grant bonuses to creatures with no abilities. With that said, vanilla creatures became rarer as the game progressed and players wanted more interesting cards. 9 September 2022 marks the first time of there being no vanilla creatures legal in Standard. However, there are still plenty of virtual vanillas, French vanillas and virtual French vanillas.
** "Bears" are an extremely popular vanilla card archetype named after the ever-popular original Green [[https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=129586 Grizzly Bears]]. They are two-mana 2/2 creatures with no abilities, which offers a great mana/power balance for this purpose and are typically considered the "weakest" creatures to be playable in a competitive deck. Creatures in this mold now exist for every color except Blue (which has creatures as one its biggest weakesses). As the game progresses, [[CrutchCharacter they fall well behind the power curve]], but still have their uses as chump blockers and sacrifices.
** [[https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=gigantosaurus Gigantosaurus]] is notable for being a big vanilla creature with a high stats-to-cost ratio -- you get a statline of 10/10 for five green mana.
** Quite a few Hydras are virtual vanillas whose only effects only come into play as they're cast.
** Darksteel Relic is the closest the game gets to a vanilla ''artifact'' -- it's indestructible, but it does nothing. The only reason it isn't a JokeItem is that many cards synergize with artifacts.
** The ''Mystery Booster'' set added How to Keep an Izzet Mage Busy, which is kind of a vanilla ''sorcery'' -- it has no effect other than returning itself to your hand when you cast it. It can be abused with effects that care about spells being cast.
** The basic lands are the simplest lands. They can tap for a single mana of one color. That's it. No bonuses and no drawbacks. Lands with additional utility or better mana abilities come with drawbacks like entering tapped.
** There are plenty of creatures with no rules text, and a few cards that explicitly grant bonuses to creatures with no abilities. With that said, vanilla creatures became rarer as the game progressed and players wanted more interesting cards. 9 September 2022 marks the first time of there being no vanilla creatures legal in Standard. However, there are still plenty of virtual vanillas, French vanillas and virtual French vanillas.
** "Bears" are an extremely popular vanilla card archetype named after the ever-popular original Green [[https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=129586 Grizzly Bears]]. They are two-mana 2/2 creatures with no abilities, which offers a great mana/power balance for this purpose and are typically considered the "weakest" creatures to be playable in a competitive deck. Creatures in this mold now exist for every color except Blue (which has creatures as one its biggest weakesses). As the game progresses, [[CrutchCharacter they fall well behind the power curve]], but still have their uses as chump blockers and sacrifices.
** [[https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=gigantosaurus Gigantosaurus]] is notable for being a big vanilla creature with a high stats-to-cost ratio -- you get a statline of 10/10 for five green mana.
** Quite a few Hydras are virtual vanillas whose only effects only come into play as they're cast.
** Darksteel Relic is the closest the game gets to a vanilla ''artifact'' -- it's indestructible, but it does nothing. The only reason it isn't a JokeItem is that many cards synergize with artifacts.
** The ''Mystery Booster'' set added How to Keep an Izzet Mage Busy, which is kind of a vanilla ''sorcery'' -- it has no effect other than returning itself to your hand when you cast it. It can be abused with effects that care about spells being cast.
** The basic lands are the simplest lands. They can tap for a single mana of one color. That's it. No bonuses and no drawbacks. Lands with additional utility or better mana abilities come with drawbacks like entering tapped.
