MTG Keywords Explorer

Addendum gives an extra effect if you cast the instant during your main phase, rewarding sorcery speed play.

Battalion is a creature ability word which gives an advantage whenever the creature attacks with at least two other creatures. It was designed by a contestant during The Great Designer Search II and appears in Gatecrash as the guild keyword of the Boros Legion

Bloodrush lets you discard the card and pay a cost to pump an attacking creature, often granting stats and abilities.

Channel lets you discard the card and pay a cost to produce an effect, turning permanents into flexible spells.

Chroma scales effects based on the number of colored mana symbols among permanents or cards you control.

Domain scales with the number of basic land types among lands you control (up to five).

Enrage is a creature-exclusive ability word, indicating abilities that trigger whenever that creature is dealt damage. It appears in Ixalan block on white, green and red Dinosaur creatures.

Fateful hour turns on stronger effects while you have 5 or less life, enabling comeback plays.

Ferocious checks if you control a creature with power 4 or greater and grants a bonus if you do.

Grandeur lets you discard another legendary card with the same name for a one-shot powerful effect.

Hellbent rewards having no cards in hand, turning on extra abilities or larger effects.

Cards with the heroic ability word gain an advantage when targeted with a spell. Although there are many heroic effects, the most common use of this mechanic is to give a creature a +1/+1 counter. This mechanic first appeared with creatures from the Theros block.

Imprint exiles a card onto this permanent to define or upgrade its ongoing effect.

Join forces has each player contribute mana toward an X value, scaling effects in multiplayer games.

Kinship triggers at upkeep if the top card of your library shares a creature type with this creature; you may reveal it to get a bonus.

Landfall triggers whenever a land enters the battlefield under your control, fueling aggressive or value engines.

Cards with the metalcraft ability word gain an additional effect while their controller controls three or more artifacts. Metalcraft appears in the Scars of Mirrodin block and is associated with the Mirran faction.

Morbid checks if a creature died this turn; if so, the card gets an additional effect.

Radiance spreads effects to permanents that share a color with the target, helping or hindering wide boards.

A card with raid gains an additional effect if their controller attacked the turn they are played. Raid is associated with the Mardu and appears in Khans of Tarkir. It has reoccurred as a pirate mechanic in Ixalan.

Rally triggers when an Ally enters the battlefield under your control, granting your team a bonus for the turn.

Shroud means this permanent can’t be the target of any spells or abilities, including your own.

Sweep lets you return a number of lands to your hand to amplify the spell’s effect.

Threshold turns on stronger effects as long as you have seven or more cards in your graveyard.

Undergrowth provides benefits depending on the number of creatures in the player's graveyard. This mechanic appears in Guilds of Ravnica and is associated with the Golgari Swarm.

Banding lets attacking creatures form a band or lets defenders band when blocking. The controller of the band chooses how combat damage is assigned among creatures in the band.

Bury is an old term meaning to put a permanent into a graveyard without the chance to regenerate; now templated as ‘destroy, it can’t be regenerated’.

Fear is evasion: this creature can be blocked only by artifact creatures and/or black creatures. It has been replaced by intimidate and menace.

Intimidate is evasion: this creature can be blocked only by artifact creatures and/or creatures that share a color with it.

Landhome means a creature can’t attack unless the defending player controls a specific land type and must be sacrificed if you control none of that type.

Landwalk is evasion: if the defending player controls the named land type, this creature can’t be blocked.

Phasing makes permanents phase out and in during your untap steps. While phased out they’re treated as though they don’t exist.

Regenerate represented two related keyword actions. An ability such as "Regenerate [this creature]" could be activated; in this context "regenerate" means "set up a regeneration shield", which protects the affected permanent from the next time it would be destroyed (either due to damage or to "destroy" effects). Instead of being destroyed, the permanent would become tapped and be removed from combat. The second keyword action refers to when this actually occurs: cards like Skeleton Scavengers have a delayed triggered ability that only triggers when the creature has a destroy effect prevented by its regeneration ability. This ability was generally found on creatures, though any permanent c…

Substance was a rules patch placeholder that effectively did nothing; it exists only for old card templating compatibility.

The term attach is used on Auras (see enchant), Equipment (see equip), and Fortifications (see fortify), which provide effects to certain other cards for an indeterminate amount of time. These types of cards are used by designating something (usually a permanent) for them to be "attached" to.

To counter a spell or ability is to remove it from the stack without resolving its effects, putting it directly into its owner's graveyard. Some spells and abilities have an additional clause that replaces the graveyard with another game zone. There are instant spells that will explicitly counter other spells, generally known as "counterspells" after the original card with this effect. Some cards specify that they "cannot be countered".

To exile a card is to put it into the exile zone, usually as part of a card's effect. Starting from the Magic 2010 rules changes, cards that "remove [something] from the game" or "set [something] aside" were issued errata to say "exile [something]" instead.

When two creatures fight each other, each creature deals damage equal to its power to the other creature. Multiple creatures may fight each other at the same time. Fight is a keyword action that has been sporadically printed in some form since the card Gargantuan Gorilla, but it was not keyworded until Innistrad.

When a player Mills x cards, they put the top x cards of that library into their graveyard. Mill is an action that has been around since Antiquities with Millstone but was never given a keyword until M21, though the term "mill" had been used informally for years prior to the official keywording.

To sacrifice a permanent is to put it into its owner's graveyard. A player can only sacrifice a permanent they control. Note that this term is separate from other ways permanents can be put into their owners' graveyards, such as destruction (meaning regeneration has no effect on sacrifice) and state-based actions (a creature having 0 toughness, for example). Players are not allowed to sacrifice unless prompted to by a game effect.

Scry x allows the player to take the top x cards from their deck, examine them, and place any number of them on the bottom of their deck and the rest on top in any order desired. Scry originally appeared in Fifth Dawn as a keyword ability, primarily on instants and sorceries as "Scry 2", though it was designed to allow other values. Future Sight added values 1 through 4 and redefined scry to be a keyword action, allowing it to be placed in the middle of an ability rather than as a "tack-on" to other abilities. Scry then appeared in Magic 2011, becoming the first mechanic to be revisited in a core set. Scry also returned in Theros block before becoming an evergreen keyword in Magic Origins…

To tap a permanent is to rotate the card 90 degrees. This indicates it is being used, often as a cost, or to indicate that a creature is attacking (except for creatures with vigilance). Creatures a player controls that have not been under their control since the beginning of their most recent turn are said to have "summoning sickness" and cannot be tapped for their abilities that include the "tap symbol", nor can they attack, but they can be tapped for costs that use the word "tap" (for example, "Tap two untapped creatures you control"). To untap a permanent is to return it to a vertical orientation, allowing it to be tapped again. A tapped permanent must be untapped before it can be tapp…

Deathtouch is a static ability that causes a creature to be destroyed as a result of having been dealt damage by a source with deathtouch. In this way, for a creature with deathtouch, any nonzero amount of damage it deals to another creature is considered enough to kill it. Deathtouch appears mostly on black cards and green cards, and is often thematically associated with poisonous or cursed creatures. Prior to the introduction of the keyword, similar abilities have appeared mostly on green and black cards, but in most cases those abilities were functionally different (typically triggering on combat damage and/or at end of combat). This ability was first printed on a single timeshifted cr…

A creature with defender can’t attack. It can still block and use abilities normally.

A creature with double strike deals damage during both the first-strike and regular combat damage steps. Effects like lifelink and deathtouch apply in each step separately.

Enchant appears on Auras and defines what the Aura can legally attach to (e.g., ‘enchant creature’, ‘enchant artifact or creature’). If the object becomes illegal, the Aura falls off.

Equip is an activated ability on Equipment that attaches the Equipment to a target creature you control. Equip only as a sorcery unless stated otherwise.

A creature with first strike deals its combat damage before creatures without first strike. If it destroys its blockers in that step, they won’t deal damage back unless they also have first strike or double strike.

Flash is the keyword of an ability introduced in Mirage. Artifacts, creatures or enchantments with flash may be played any time their controller could play an instant. Older cards with that ability have been updated via rules errata to have flash; this allows them to work with cards such as Mystical Teachings.

Creatures with flying can only be blocked by creatures with flying or reach. It’s the most common form of evasion and appears across all colors, most often in blue and white.

Creatures with haste can attack and use abilities with the tap or untap symbol as soon as they come under your control. They ignore ‘summoning sickness’.

A permanent with hexproof can’t be the target of spells or abilities your opponents control. You can still target your own permanents.

An indestructible permanent can’t be destroyed by damage or effects that say ‘destroy’. It can still be exiled, bounced, sacrificed, or die with 0 toughness.

Damage dealt by a source with lifelink also causes its controller to gain that much life. This happens as damage is dealt, not later.

A creature with menace can’t be blocked except by two or more creatures. Removing one blocker after blocks are declared doesn’t make it unblocked.

Protection from [quality] means: can’t be damaged, enchanted/equipped, blocked, or targeted by anything with that quality. Remember the acronym DEBT.

Prowess gives a creature +1/+1 until end of turn whenever you cast a noncreature spell. It can trigger multiple times in a turn.

Creatures with reach can block creatures with flying. They don’t gain flying themselves.

When assigning combat damage, a creature with trample must assign lethal damage to blockers first, then any excess can be assigned to the defending player or planeswalker.

Attacking doesn’t cause a creature with vigilance to tap, so it can still block later that turn.

Absorb N means if this would be dealt damage, prevent N of that damage. It helps small creatures survive burn or combat trades.

Adapt N lets you pay a cost to put N +1/+1 counters on a creature if it has none. If it already has a +1/+1 counter, adapt does nothing.

Affinity reduces a spell’s cost by 1 for each permanent of the stated type you control (for example, artifacts). It rewards specific board states with cheap spells.

This ability is written Afflict x. When a creature with aflict becomes blocked the defending player loses x life. This was a mechanic from the Hour of Devestation block and was primarily printed on blue, black and red zombie creatures from the set.

Afterlife N creates N 1/1 white and black Spirit creature tokens with flying when the creature dies, leaving value behind.

Aftermath appears on split cards. The second half can be cast only from your graveyard, then the card is exiled.

This ability is written Amplify x. As a creature with amplify enters the battlefield, its controller may reveal any number of creature cards in their hand that share a creature type with the creature . That creature enters the battlefield with x +1/+1 counters on it for each card revealed this way. Amplify only appears in Legions.

Annihilator N triggers when this creature attacks; defending player sacrifices N permanents. It ends games quickly if unanswered.

Ascend gives you the city’s blessing for the rest of the game once you control ten or more permanents, unlocking stronger effects.

Aura swap lets you pay a cost to exchange the Aura with another Aura card in your hand, enabling big upgrades midgame.

Bands with other is like banding but restricted to a specific creature type or quality. It’s a retired, niche combat mechanic.

Battle cry pumps your team when this creature attacks: other attacking creatures get +1/+0 until end of turn.

Bestow lets you cast a creature as an Aura. If the enchanted creature leaves, the Aura falls off and the bestowed creature enters the battlefield.

This ability is written Bloodthirst x. A creature with bloodthirst x enters the battlefield with x +1/+1 counters on it if an opponent was damaged during that turn. Bloodthirst appears mainly in the sets Guildpact and Magic 2012, and is mostly associated with the Gruul Clans (green and red colors), though it can be found on some black cards too.

Bolster N puts N +1/+1 counters on the creature you control with the least toughness, shoring up your weakest body.

Bushido N gives the creature +N/+N until end of turn when it blocks or becomes blocked, making combat unfavorable for opponents.

Buyback lets you pay an extra cost as you cast a spell to return that card to your hand on resolution instead of the graveyard.

Cascade reveals cards from the top of your library until you reveal a cheaper nonland card; you may cast it for free. The rest go to the bottom in random order.

This ability is written Champion a (type). It is an evolution-style mechanic that mimics a creature changing into a "new improved version". When a creature with champion enters the battlefield, its controller must exile a card they control of the appropriate type, or sacrifice the champion. When the creature with champion leaves the battlefield, the creature it "championed" (the exiled card) is returned to the battlefield. Most creatures with champion replace a creature that shares their own creature type, but those with the changeling ability have the generic "Champion a creature". Champion was introduced in Lorwyn.

Changeling means this card is every creature type at all times. It enables tribal synergies across sets.

Cipher is printed on sorceries and represents two effects. When a spell with cipher resolves, its controller may exile the spell "encoded" on a creature they control. Then, whenever that creature deals combat damage to an opponent, its controller can cast a free copy of the encoded spell. Cipher appears in Gatecrash as the guild keyword of House Dimir.

Clash has players reveal the top card of their libraries; the higher mana value wins a small bonus. Players may then put that card on the bottom.

Conspire lets you tap two creatures that share a color with the spell to copy it. Each conspire payment makes one copy.

Convoke lets your creatures help cast a spell: each tapped creature pays for 1 or one mana of its color.

Crew N: Tap any number of creatures you control with total power N or more to turn the Vehicle into an artifact creature for the turn.

This ability is written Cumulative upkeep (cost). At the beginning of each of its controller's upkeeps, an "age counter" is put on the card. The player must then either pay the cumulative upkeep cost for each age counter on the permanent, or sacrifice it. The ability was originally designed to represent an ever-climbing cost, eventually forcing the player to sacrifice the card and lose its benefits, although later incarnations provide a benefit for the number of age counters on the card. The ability first appeared on the card Cyclone from Arabian Nights, and was first keyworded in Ice Age. The mechanic also appeared in Mirage block, with Weatherlight offering a number of twists on the upk…

Cycling lets you pay a cost and discard the card to draw a card. Many cycling cards also have effects that trigger when they’re cycled.

Dash lets you cast the creature for an alternate cost; it gains haste and returns to your hand at end of turn, dodging sorcery-speed removal.

Daybound/Nightbound track day and night. On your turn, if no spells were cast last turn it becomes day; if a player cast two or more, it becomes night. Some permanents transform accordingly.

Delve lets you exile cards from your graveyard to reduce a spell’s generic mana cost by 1 per card exiled.

Detain temporarily turns off a permanent: until your next turn it can’t attack, block, or activate abilities.

This ability is written Devour x. As a creature with devour enters the battlefield, its controller may sacrifice any number of creatures in order to put x +1/+1 counters on the devouring creature for each creature sacrificed. Devour appears on Jund cards in the Alara block.

Dredge N replaces a draw: you may put the top N cards of your library into your graveyard to return this card from your graveyard to your hand.

Echo is a delayed cost. At the beginning of your upkeep after this permanent entered, pay its echo cost or sacrifice it.

Embalm lets you exile the creature card from your graveyard for a cost to create a token copy that’s a white Zombie and has no mana cost.

Emerge lets you cast a creature for a discount by sacrificing a creature; the sacrifice reduces the emerge cost by the sacrificed creature’s mana value.

This ability is written Entwine (cost). All cards with entwine are modal spells with two choices. Normally, a player chooses one mode or the other. If the card's entwine cost is paid in addition to its regular cost, both effects happen. Entwine appears in the Mirrodin block.

Epic spells lock you out of casting spells for the rest of the game, but copy themselves for free at each of your upkeeps.

Evoke lets you cast a creature for a cheaper cost; it enters, triggers ETB abilities, then is sacrificed.

Evolve puts a +1/+1 counter on this creature when a bigger creature (higher power or toughness) enters the battlefield under your control.

Exalted triggers when a creature you control attacks alone; that attacker gets +1/+1 until end of turn for each exalted trigger.

Exert is an ability that appears on creature cards. Each card with Exert has a unique activated or triggered ability that asks you to exert the card in exchange for a positive effect. An exerted card does not untap during its controller's next untap step. Exert appears in both sets of the Amonkhet block, exclusively on green, red, and white cards.

Exploit lets you sacrifice a creature when this one enters the battlefield to unlock an additional effect.

Explore reveals the top card of your library. Put it into your hand if it’s a land; otherwise put a +1/+1 counter on this creature, then you may put the card in your graveyard.

Extort triggers when you cast a spell; you may pay {W/B}. Each opponent loses 1 life and you gain that much life.

This creature ability is written as Fabricate x. When a creature with fabricate enters the battlefield, its controller either puts x +1/+1 counters on it or creates x 1/1 colorless Servo artifact creature tokens. Fabricate appears in Kaladesh

Fading N enters with N fade counters. Remove one each upkeep; when you can’t, sacrifice it. You may remove counters to fuel other effects.

Fateseal N lets you look at the top N cards of an opponent’s library and put any number of them on the bottom and the rest back on top.

Flanking gives blocking creatures -1/-1 until end of turn unless they also have flanking, making blocks harder.

Flashback lets you cast the card from your graveyard for its flashback cost, then exile it.

Flip is a keyword action that deals with specially printed cards known as "flip cards". Each of these cards has two sets of normal card attributes (e.g. name, rules text, power and toughness): one right-side-up above the card's image and one upside-down (with no mana cost) below the image. Flip cards enter the battlefield unflipped, with only the former set of attributes applying. Once certain conditions are met, the player flips the card (rotating it 180 degrees) and the second set of attributes come into effect. Once flipped, a card cannot be unflipped (except by leaving the battlefield and returning), and effects that would "flip" a card that is already "flipped" do nothing. Flip cards…

Forecast appears on cards with an ability you may reveal from your hand during your upkeep to get a small repeatable effect.

Foretell lets you pay {2} to exile a card from your hand face down. Later you may cast it for its foretell cost.

This ability is written Fortify (cost). It is found only on fortifications, a subtype of artifacts. A player pays the fortify cost as a sorcery (only during their own main phase when the stack is empty) and attaches it to a land they control. That land becomes "fortified" and can then be referenced by the fortification as the "fortified land". Other than attaching to lands instead of creatures, the rules for fortifications are similar to those for equipment. Fortify appears on a timeshifted artifact from Future Sight, and an artifact from the Fallout set.

Frenzy N gives an attacking creature +N/+0 if it isn’t blocked, rewarding evasive attacks.

Graft N enters with N +1/+1 counters and moves a counter to any creature that enters the battlefield under your control.

Gravestorm copies a spell for each permanent put into a graveyard this turn, scaling with mass sacrifices and wipes.

Haunt exiles a card to ‘haunt’ a creature. When the haunted creature dies, you get the card’s haunt effect again.

Hideaway hides a card exiled face down under a permanent. When you meet its condition, you may play that card for free or cheaply.

Horsemanship is evasion like flying but can only be blocked by creatures with horsemanship. Mostly appears in Portal Three Kingdoms.

Creatures with infect deal damage to other creatures in the form of −1/−1 counters, similar to wither, and to players in the form of poison counters. A player who receives 10 poison counters loses the game. Infect appears on Phyrexian cards in the Scars of Mirrodin block.

Jump-start lets you cast an instant or sorcery from your graveyard by discarding a card in addition to paying its cost. Then exile it.

Kicker is an optional additional cost you can pay as you cast the spell. If paid, the spell gets an extra effect. Some spells have multiple kicker costs.

Level up lets you pay to add level counters to a creature, unlocking new stats/abilities at specific levels.

Living weapon creates a 0/0 Germ and attaches the Equipment to it as it enters, so it’s immediately a creature.

This ability is written Madness (cost). At the time a player discards a card with madness, they may pay its madness cost and cast the card. Madness first appeared in Torment, and the rules for madness were subtly shifted for its reappearance in Time Spiral block, where the vast majority of madness cards were black. A madness cost is usually cheaper than the normal mana cost of a card (but the Future Sight set introduced Ichor Slick whose madness cost is more expensive than its normal cost). The rules for madness were changed again when it was reintroduced for Shadows over Innistrad.

Manifest puts the top card of your library onto the battlefield face down as a 2/2. If it’s a creature card, you can turn it face up by paying its mana cost.

Meld pairs two specific cards; when conditions are met, they exile and return combined as one oversized permanent.

Mentor puts a +1/+1 counter on another attacking creature with lesser power when this creature attacks.

Miracle lets you cast a spell for a cheaper cost if it’s the first card you drew this turn and you reveal it as you draw.

This ability is written Modular x. A creature with modular enters the battlefield with x +1/+1 counters on it, and when that creature is put into a graveyard, its controller may put all the +1/+1 counters on that creature onto a target artifact creature. Modular appeared in Darksteel and on one card in Fifth Dawn (Arcbound Wanderer). Modern Horizons 2 added 8 new creatures with Modular and even a land with it.

Monstrosity turns a creature monstrous by adding counters if it isn’t already. Many cards grant a bonus when it becomes monstrous.

Morph lets you cast a creature face down as a 2/2 for {3}, then turn it face up any time for its morph cost.

Multikicker lets you pay a kicker cost any number of times as you cast the spell, scaling the effect.

If the player casts a spell for its mutate cost, they put it over or under a non-Human creature they own. The creature mutates into the creature on top plus all abilities from under it.

Ninjutsu lets you return an unblocked attacker to hand to put this Ninja onto the battlefield tapped and attacking for a cost.

Offering reduces a spell’s cost if you sacrifice a creature of a stated type, and lets you cast it at instant speed.

Overload is a keyword for instants and sorceries used by the Izzet League in Return to Ravnica. By paying the more-expensive overload cost instead of the regular mana cost, the spell can affect all possible targets, rather than a single one.

Persist returns a creature to the battlefield with a -1/-1 counter when it dies if it had no -1/-1 counters.

Plot exiles a spell from your hand for later. You may cast it on a future turn for free during your main phase.

Poisonous N gives players N poison counters when the creature deals combat damage. Ten poison counters makes a player lose.

Populate creates a token that’s a copy of a creature token you control, doubling your best token.

Proliferate lets you choose any number of permanents and/or players, then give each another counter of each kind already there.

When a creature with provoke attacks, its controller may target a creature the defending player controls, forcing it to untap (if it is tapped) and block the attacking creature if it is able to do so. The ability can choose a creature that is not able to block the creature with provoke. Provoke is cumulative, though no creature has more than one instance of it. Provoke only appears in Legions.

Prowl is an alternate cost if a creature of a stated type dealt combat damage to a player this turn. Often adds a bonus effect too.

Radiation appears in Fallout-themed cards and adds or interacts with radiation counters, which damage players over time.

Rampage N gives +N/+N to a creature for each creature blocking it beyond the first, discouraging gang blocks.

The rebound ability allows a player to cast an instant or sorcery spell more than once. When a spell with rebound is cast from a player's hand, that player exiles it, and during their next upkeep may cast the spell again without paying its mana cost (similar to suspend). Rebound was introduced in Rise of the Eldrazi and was brought back in Dragons of Tarkir.

Recover triggers when a creature is put into your graveyard from play. Pay its cost to return this card from your graveyard to your hand, or exile it.

Reinforce lets you discard the card and pay a cost to put +1/+1 counters on a target creature at instant speed.

Renown N puts N +1/+1 counters on a creature the first time it deals combat damage to a player. It becomes renowned.

This ability is written Replicate (cost). When a player casts a spell with replicate, they may pay the replicate cost any number of times, then they put a copy of the spell on the stack for each time the replicate cost was paid. Replicate appears in Guildpact and is the ability associated with the Izzet League.

Retrace lets you cast the card from your graveyard by discarding a land in addition to paying its other costs.

Riot gives a creature your choice of a +1/+1 counter or haste as it enters the battlefield.

Ripple N lets you reveal the top N cards of your library when you cast the spell and cast any revealed cards with the same name for free.

Scavenge exiles the creature card from your graveyard to put +1/+1 counters equal to its power on a creature.

Shadow is hard evasion: creatures with shadow can block or be blocked only by creatures with shadow.

Soulbond pairs this creature with another when either enters the battlefield; as long as paired, both get a bonus ability.

This ability is written Soulshift x. When a creature with soulshift is put into a graveyard from the battlefield, its controller may return a spirit card with converted mana cost x or less from their graveyard to their hand. Almost all cards with soulshift are spirits with a soulshift number one less than their converted mana cost (to prevent them from returning themselves); a notable exception is Promised Kannushi (which is a human druid, not a spirit). Soulshift appears in the Kamigawa block.

Spectacle is an alternate cost you may pay if an opponent lost life this turn, often adding a stronger effect.

Splice onto Arcane lets you reveal the card and pay its splice cost to add its rules text to an Arcane spell you’re casting.

Split second stops players from casting spells or activating non-mana abilities while the spell is on the stack, making it hard to interact with.

Storm copies the spell for each other spell cast before it this turn, creating explosive turns.

A permanent with sunburst enters the battlefield with a +1/+1 counter if a creature, or a charge counter otherwise, for each different color of mana spent to pay its mana cost. Sunburst appears in Fifth Dawn on artifacts.

Support N puts a +1/+1 counter on each of up to N other target creatures, spreading stats across your team.

Surveil N lets you look at the top N cards of your library; put any number into your graveyard and the rest back on top.

This ability is written Suspend x — (cost). Any time a player could cast a spell with suspend, they may instead pay its suspend cost to exile it with x time counters on it. The player removes a time counter every time their upkeep step begins. Other spells or effects can add or remove time counters from suspended cards.) When the last counter is removed, the spell is cast without paying its mana cost and, if it is a creature, it gains haste. Cards may be given suspend and have time counters put on them when they are exiled by an effect. In particular, a cycle of cards from the Future Sight set can "re-suspend" themselves after they resolve. Suspend appears in the Time Spiral block.

Toxic N gives a player N poison counters when the creature deals combat damage to them, separate from normal damage.

Transfigure lets you pay a cost and sacrifice the creature to search your library for another creature with the same mana value and put it onto the battlefield.

Transform is a keyword action that only appears on double-faced cards. Each transform card enters the battlefield with its front face up, and when certain conditions are met, the player turns the card over to its other face to transform it. Transform and double-faced cards were introduced in Innistrad block. All Werewolf cards from Innistrad and Dark Ascension, among other cards (mostly creatures), have the ability. Transformed cards retain any enchantments or counters placed on the front face.

Transmute lets you discard the card and pay a cost to tutor for a card with the same mana value and put it into your hand.

Typecycling is cycling restricted to finding a card of a specific subtype (like basic landcycling). Discard it to search for that type.

Umbra armor is shorthand for the Totem armor ability on Auras: if the enchanted permanent would be destroyed, remove all damage from it and sacrifice the Aura instead.

Undying returns a creature to the battlefield with a +1/+1 counter when it dies if it had no +1/+1 counters.

This ability is written Unearth (cost). If a creature with unearth is in a player's graveyard, any time a sorcery could be played, that player may pay its unearth cost to return that creature to the battlefield. The creature gains haste and is exiled at the beginning of the next end step, or if it would otherwise leave the battlefield. Unearth appears on Grixis cards in the Alara block.

Unleash lets you have the creature enter with a +1/+1 counter. It can’t block while it has a +1/+1 counter.

Vanishing N is like fading but uses time counters: remove one at upkeep; when you remove the last, sacrifice it.

Ward is a triggered ability: whenever this permanent becomes the target of a spell or ability an opponent controls, counter it unless that player pays the stated ward cost.

Wither deals damage to creatures in the form of -1/-1 counters, shrinking them permanently.