Keyword Actions

Keyword Action for Life Gain

Has making a keyword action for gaining life been considered? Healing (so gain 3 life becomes "heal 3") feels like an easy to understand term for a common effect

I think adding the vocabulary actually makes things harder to learn. “Gain 3 life” is something players intuitively understand.

Keyword Actions Lifegain Heal

Thoughts on Card Draw Formatting

Have you ever thought of formatting card draw as a keyword action like scary and surveil? ("Draw 1" as an analogy to "Scry 1?") Why or why not? Thanks for answering our questions sir.

It’s not necessary and would make it harder for new players to understand.

Beginners Card Draw Keyword Actions Scry Surveil

Keyword Action Considerations

Ever since Mill was made an official keyword action in M21, have there been any other Magic colloquialisms/slang you've also wanted to the same for? (For example, writing "Force" as a keyword on cards instead of "rather than pay this spell's mana cost.")

I have never heard people use the term “Force” outside of the specific card Force of Will, and even then, quite rarely. Is this commonly used?

Core Set 2021 Force of Will Keyword Actions Keywords Mana Mill

Token Keyword Actions

On a scale of 1 to 10 how likely is it that Food and Treasure tokens get keyword actions down the line? I think I'd name them Cook and Score respectively.

I’d say a 2. We consider them not having one an upgrade.

Food Keyword Actions Tokens Treasure

Opponent Equipment Design

Inspired by some recent Custom Magic posts (that I won't share with you for obvious reasons) - what do you think is the design space for Equipment that could attach to an opponent's creatures, and an associated keyword action for it?

Equipment already does most things better than Auras. Let Auras have their place to shine.

Attach Auras Creatures Design Space Equipment Keyword Actions

Investigate Mechanic Regret

Investigate was a mistake?

I believe tying Clue artifact tokens to a keyword action was a mistake.

Artifacts Investigate Keyword Actions Mechanics Tokens

Die vs Destroyed

When cards say die vs destroyed does it mean something different

“Die” means a creature card goes from the battlefield to the discard. This can happen from the creature being destroyed, but there are many others ways, such as sacrifice. “Destroy” is a keyword action that puts a permanent from the battlefield into the graveyard. Any permanent type can be destroyed, not just creatures. If a permanent is indestructible, destroy won’t work on it, and it won’t go to the graveyard.

Creatures Destroy Discard Indestructible Keyword Actions Sacrifice The Graveyard

Out-of-Game Mechanic Complexity

I don't think the number of keyword actions is a problem, but I do think mechanics that introduce out of game elements that aren't present on the cards are more difficult. Dungeons and the Ring Tempts You are part of this; with the new Fallout set none of the cards that mention rad counters tell you what they do.I spend a lot of time teaching people to play magic, and I've noticed that mechanics that rely on helper tokens are reliably more difficult for learning players to grok. I love telling them that Magic is much easier than it seems to learn because every card tells you what it does. That's not the case with cards like these, and I think it undermines one of the game's greatest strengths.

Thirty years in, there is less elegant, non-wordy design space available, so one of the things we’ve leaned on is helper cards that can carry some of the word weight. I do think we have to be careful how often and where we use them, but I do think it’s a useful tool to allow cool new play options.

Design Space Dungeons Keyword Actions Mechanics Rad Counters Rad Counters The Ring Tempts You Tokens

Keyword Action Complexity

For me, I've been having trouble with the new keyword actions that are kind of just groupings or names for existing mechanics, like descend or commit a crime - the lack of "novelty" in their actual mechanics, makes it harder for me to remember what they are. They feel like the kinds of thing that would've been ability words only a few years ago, rather than their own named actions.

One of the challenges in designing new mechanics is wanting to create backwards compatibility. If new mechanics only work with other cards from the same set, it limits how they can be used. That issue is exacerbated by Commander with its 100-card singleton requirement.I do hope that once you grok what crimes are (targeting an opponent or their “stuff”) that it becomes easier to process. It was designed to be something that felt natural with a little bit of play.

Ability Words Commander Keyword Actions Mechanics Singleton

Mechanic Design Displeasure

Hi Mark! I've noticed a rise in named mechanics over the past couple years where there are specific keyword actions that, while very flavorful for the set they're in, are adding a lot of mental load to the game. I'm meaning the rise of things like Connive, Venture Into The Dungeon, Suspect, and now Plot and Commit a Crime coming out in Thunder Junction. I'd like to express my distaste for these types of mechanics as an enfranchised player that mostly plays eternal legal formats. Often there are only a handful of cards in each set that I'm interested in, and those cards feel a out of place in my decks. I understand that you make cards for the entirety of the magic audience, so I don't expect a single voice to make you change how you design magic, but I wanted to express my opinion on the matter.
I hope you have a great day!

I’m having trouble seeing the throughline of your examples. Can you give me a more concrete description of what you don’t like?

Connive Eternal Experienced / Enfranchised Players Flavor Keyword Actions Mechanics Plot Suspect Venture into the Dungeon

Keywording Entry Action

Bouncing off another question, can Magic even keyword 'enter the battlefield'? Other games usually does it by 'Keyword: Effect', but to my understanding magic uses the colon symbol to denote cost, i.e. Cost: Effect.

We could make a keyword action.

Keyword Actions Keywords

Detain Mechanic Future

Hi and Happy Friday Mark!

Where would you say is Detain (keyword action from Return to Ravnica) on the Storm scale currently?

In a 2016 article, you ranked it as a 3 on the Storm Scale so I'm surprised it hasn't been revisited yet in a premiere set even after 12 years.

It's one of my favorite mechanics so I'm rooting for its return!

It’s a clean mechanic with plenty of design space. We still need to find the right set for it.

Design Space Detain Keyword Actions Mechanics Return to Ravnica Storm Scale

Collect Evidence vs Delve

How is collect evidence different from delve

It’s a keyword action that is neither tied to a spell being cast nor cost reduction. It also treats cards differently whereas every card is of equal value to delve.

Collect Evidence Cost Reduction Delve Keyword Actions

Keyword Action Discussion

Has there ever been any discussion re: making keyword actions for creating other predefined tokens similar to investigate? Cook for food tokens perhaps?

More the reverse discussion. Can we just make Clues without investigate?

Food Investigate Keyword Actions Tokens

Investigate Mechanic Query

If the existence of investigate causes such a hassle when compared to other predefined tokens without keyword actions, have you considered errata-ing it away? Voldaren Bloodcaster shows that cards that care about investigating could just care about creating the Clues.

It’s less that it causes a hassle than it’s not necessary. We don’t tend to errata that kind of thing away.

Blood Errata Investigate Keyword Actions Mechanics Tokens

Keyword Action Tokens

Can you solve the following riddle? Investigate -> Clue; Feast ->___; Hoard -> ___; Excavate -> ___; Scrounge-> ___; Pluck ->___

We don’t want keyword actions to make the various artifact tokens.

Artifacts Investigate Keyword Actions Tokens

Keyword Consistency

"Investigate and clues are pretty closely tied, but other things might not as be as closely tied to one another. If you “cook” food, you now can’t have creatures die into food, a device we use often." I'm not sure why you wouldn't say "cook" in cases where it made sense, and spell it out in others where it didn't

Or we could be consistent and not use a keyword action.

Creatures Food Investigate Keyword Actions Keywords

Clues and Keywords

"No, we consider tying clues to a keyword action a mistake." I'd like to hear the reasons for this. I find the mechanic elegant and intuitive, and the wording evocative.

Tying artifact tokens to ability words limits card concepts. If you have to investigate to find clues,there are cards concepts we can’t make. For example, maybe someone committing a crime leaves a clue. (“Destroy target creature. Create a clue and give it to the creature’s controller.”) Investigate and clues are pretty closely tied, but other things might not as be as closely tied to one another. If you “cook” food, you now can’t have creatures die into food, a device we use often.

Ability Words Artifacts Creatures Destroy Food Investigate Keyword Actions Keywords Mechanics Tokens

Keyword Mistake Admission

I like how thematic investigate is, and would love to see similar key wording for other “make a token” effects

For those wondering if people read all the answers on this blog. : )No, we consider tying clues to a keyword action a mistake.

Blogatog / Tumblr Humor Investigate Keyword Actions Keywords Tokens

Token Keyword Regret

Since "investigate" exists as shorthand for "create a Clue token", do you think we could get "cook" to replace "create a Food token"?

We consider tying token to a keyword action a mistake, and thus, stopped doing it for later tokens.

Clue Tokens Food Investigate Keyword Actions Keywords Tokens