Games How To Design Evergreen Keywords

The term "evergreen", as in the context of "an evergreen keyword", refers to keywords or keyword actions that can be used in any set.^[1]

As the core set has always been the place for new players to start, as of Eighth Edition it was decided to include reminder text with the evergreen creature keywords.^[2]

Primary/secondary/tertiary [ ]

When talking about which colors get which evergreen creature keywords, R&D tends to talk about a system called "primary/secondary/tertiary". In their quest to differentiate the colors in the color wheel, each should have strengths and weaknesses. Therefore, not every color gets every keyword.^{[3] [4] [5]}

• Primary — This is the color (or colors) the ability is seen most in as-fan.^[6] That means it shows up in the highest volume and usually at the lowest rarity that the type of effects get used at. The primary color will almost always get this effect in a set if it's an ability we do every set. It also tends to be the color that most often pushes the power level, if it's an effect we push the power level on. There's a wide range on what primary means, because different types of effects exist at different levels. A color secondary in flying can show up way more than a color primary in taking extra turns, for instance, because there are more flying cards than extra-turn cards.
• Secondary — This is the color (or colors) that an ability shows up in on a somewhat regular basis, but not as often as the primary and not always in as low of rarity as the primary. If the effect is something we do a lot of, the secondary color will usually get the ability in most sets. Sometimes a secondary color will have restrictions. For instance, red is secondary in flying, but only on Dragons and Phoenixes.
• Tertiary — This is the color (or colors) that get the ability occasionally. It's not every set. For some abilities, we could go years without seeing a tertiary color using it. Tertiary colors can often come with rules, meaning it's a very narrow subset that makes use of the mechanic. For example, black is tertiary in first strike and gets it primarily on Knights, most often when paired against a mirrored white Knight.

Current evergreen keywords [ ]

Icons	Keyword	Type	Found in	First used in	First keyworded in
	Activate	Action	All colors	Alpha	Sixth Edition
	Attach	Action	All colors	Mirrodin	Mirrodin
	Cast	Action	All colors	Alpha	Alpha
	Counter	Action		Alpha	Alpha
	Create	Action	All colors	Alpha	Kaladesh
	Deathtouch	Static ability		Future Sight	Future Sight
	Defender	Static ability	Walls in all colors[notes 1] [7]	Alpha	Betrayers of Kamigawa
	Destroy	Action	All colors	Alpha	Alpha
	Discard	Action	All colors	Alpha	Alpha
	Double strike	Static ability		Legions	Legions
	Enchant	Static ability	Auras of all colors	Alpha [notes 2]	Alpha
	Equip	Activated ability	Equipment	Mirrodin	Mirrodin
	Exchange	Action	All colors	Alpha	Sixth Edition
	Exile	Action	All colors	Alpha	Magic 2010
	Fight	Action		Visions	Innistrad
	First strike	Static ability		Alpha	Alpha
	Flash	Static ability	[4] [8]	Visions	Time Spiral
	Flying	Static ability		Alpha	Alpha
	Haste	Static ability	[9]	Alpha	Sixth Edition
	Hexproof	Static ability	[10]	Portal Three Kingdoms	Duels of the Planeswalkers 2012
	Indestructible	Static ability	Artifacts and	Alpha	Darksteel
	Lifelink	Static ability		Mirrodin	Future Sight
	Menace[11]	Static ability		Fallen Empires	Magic Origins‎
	Mill	Action		Antiquities	Core Set 2021
	Play	Action	All colors	Alpha	Alpha
	Protection	Static ability		Alpha	Alpha
	Reach	Static ability	[12] [13]	Alpha	Future Sight
	Reveal	Action	All colors	Sixth Edition	Sixth Edition
	Sacrifice	Action	All colors	Alpha	Revised Edition
	Scry	Action		Alliances	Fifth Dawn
	Search	Action	All colors	Alpha	Alpha
	Shuffle	Action	All colors	Alpha	Alpha
	Tap/Untap	Action	All colors	Alpha	Alpha
	Trample	Static ability		Alpha	Alpha
	Vigilance	Static ability		Alpha	Champions of Kamigawa
	Ward	Static ability	All colors	Commander 2014	Strixhaven: School of Mages

Former evergreen keywords [ ]

Icon	Keyword	Type	Found in	First used in	First keyworded in	Last used in	Supplanted by
	Ante	Action	Artifacts, black, red, green	Alpha	Alpha	Homelands	Nothing
	Banding	Static ability		Alpha	Alpha	Weatherlight	Nothing
	Bury	Action	All colors	Revised Edition	Revised Edition	Fifth Edition	Destroy [something]. It can't be regenerated.
	Fear	Static ability		Alpha	Onslaught	Alara Reborn	Intimidate
	Shroud	Static ability		Legends	Future Sight	Mirrodin Besieged	Hexproof
	Intimidate	Static ability		Zendikar	Zendikar	Commander 2014	Menace
	Landwalk	Static ability	(islandwalk) (swampwalk) (mountainwalk) (forestwalk) (plainswalk)	Alpha	Alpha	Khans of Tarkir	Nothing
	Prowess	Triggered ability		Khans of Tarkir	Khans of Tarkir	Hour of Devastation	Nothing, but this mechanic is now deciduous.
	Regenerate	Action		Alpha	Alpha	Oath of the Gatewatch	Indestructible (until end of turn)[14]

Most these have been obsoleted, but protection was considered to be deciduous. It is a tool in R&D's toolbox that they're allowed to use, but it's not something they expect to use in every set.^[11]

However, protection was reinstated as Evergreen in Core Set 2020.

Evergreen keywords by color [ ]

Color	Primary	Secondary	Tertiary	Obsolete
White	Defender, double strike, first strike, flying, indestructible, lifelink, vigilance	Scry	Flash, hexproof, reach, trample	Banding
Blue	Counter, flash, flying, hexproof, scry	Defender	Indestructible, trample	Landwalk, prowess, shroud
Black	Deathtouch, menace	Defender, flash, flying, indestructible, lifelink, scry	First strike, haste, hexproof, trample	Fear, intimidate, regenerate
Red	Double strike, first strike, haste	Defender, fight,[15] menace, reach,[12] [13] scry, trample	Flash, flying, indestructible	Intimidate, prowess
Green	Fight, reach, trample	Deathtouch, defender, flash, haste, hexproof, indestructible, scry, vigilance	Flying, menace	Regenerate, shroud
Colorless	Equip, indestructible

Of particular note is the evergreen creature keywords each shared between two colors.^[16] Prowess formerly served as the red/blue keyword before it lost its evergreen status.

Notes [ ]

1. ↑ Originally the creature type "Wall" carried the special rule that the creature couldn't attack. This was removed with the release of Champions of Kamigawa. Walls printed prior to that set have received errata giving them defender. Additionally, Wall of Junk, which used to be able to attack, was given defender and the Wall subtype.
2. ↑ By errata as of Ninth Edition. Originally cards that now have the subtype Aura were "local enchantments", with a type including what it could enchant, such as "enchant creature" or "enchant land".

References [ ]

1. ↑ Mark Rosewater (June 18, 2007). "Keyword Play". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
2. ↑ Mark Rosewater (August 05, 2013). "Twenty Things That Were Going To Kill Magic". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
3. ↑ Mark Rosewater (November 6, 2015) "Primary/Secondary/Tertiary". Drive to Work # 276
4. ↑ ^{a b} Mark Rosewater (June 5, 2017). "Mechanical Color Pie 2017". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
5. ↑ Mark Rosewater (October 18, 2021). "Mechanical Color Pie 2021 Changes". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
6. ↑ Mark Rosewater (November 10, 2021). "What exactly does it mean for a color to be "primary in a mechanic?"". Blogatog. Tumblr.
7. ↑ Mark Rosewater (October 04, 2004). "Change For the Better". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
8. ↑ Mark Rosewater (January 14, 2018). "Flash has been upgraded to secondary in black.". Blogatog. Tumblr.
9. ↑ Mark Rosewater (December 09, 2018). "Is vengvine a bend in green having haste and all?". Blogatog. Tumblr.
10. ↑ Mark Rosewater (April 03, 2016). "What was the thought process behind not giving Elusive Tormentor a blue activation cost?". Blogatog. Tumblr.
11. ↑ ^{a b} Mark Rosewater (June 8, 2015). "Evergreen Eggs & Ham". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
12. ↑ ^{a b} Mark Rosewater (2015-07-05). "How do you feel about the red Giant in orgins having reach?". Blogatog. Tumblr.
13. ↑ ^{a b} Mark Rosewater (2017-04-14). "Is Reach in Red's pie now?". Blogatog. Tumblr.
14. ↑ Mark Rosewater (2016-09-16). "Rush of Vitality?". Blogatog. Tumblr.
15. ↑ Mark Rosewater (2015-09-10). "Could colours other than green have fight effects?". Blogatog. Tumblr.
16. ↑ Mark Rosewater (February 17, 2019). "What are the color pairings' evergreen mechanics?". Blogatog. Tumblr.

v t e Mechanics
Keyword Abilities Evergreen Deathtouch Defender Double Strike Enchant Equip Equip [quality] First Strike Flash Flying Haste Hexproof Hexproof from [quality] Indestructible Lifelink Menace Protection Reach Trample Trample over Planeswalkers Vigilance Ward Other Absorb Affinity Afflict Afterlife Aftermath Amplify Annihilator Ascend Assist Aura Swap Awaken Banding Bands with other [quality] Battle Cry Bestow Bloodthirst Boast Bushido Buyback Cascade Champion Changeling Cipher Cleave Companion Conspire Convoke Crew Cumulative Upkeep Cycling [Type]cycling Dash Daybound Nightbound Delve Demonstrate Dethrone Devoid Devour Devour [type] Disturb Dredge Echo Embalm Emerge Encore Entwine Epic Escalate Escape Eternalize Evoke Evolve Exalted Exploit Extort Fabricate Fading Fear Flanking Flashback Forecast Foretell Fortify Frenzy Friends forever Fuse Graft Gravestorm Haunt Hidden Agenda Double Agenda Hideaway Horsemanship Improvise Infect Ingest Intimidate Jump-Start Kicker Multikicker Landwalk Level Up Living Weapon Madness Melee Mentor Miracle Modular Morph Megamorph Mutate Myriad Ninjutsu Commander Ninjutsu Offering Outlast Overload Partner Partner with [name] Persist Phasing Poisonous Provoke Prowess Prowl Rampage Rebound Recover Reinforce Renown Replicate Retrace Riot Ripple Scavenge Shadow Shroud Skulk Soulbond Soulshift Spectacle Splice Split Second Storm Sunburst Surge Suspend Totem Armor Training Transfigure Transmute Tribute Undaunted Undying Unearth Unleash Vanishing Wither
Keyword Actions Evergreen Activate Attach Cast Counter Create Double Destroy Discard Exchange Exile Fight Mill Play Reveal Sacrifice Scry Search Shuffle Tap Untap Other Abandon Adapt Amass Assemble Bolster Clash Detain Exert Explore Fateseal Goad Investigate Learn Manifest Meld Monstrosity Planeswalk Populate Proliferate Regenerate Set in Motion Support Surveil Transform Venture into the Dungeon Vote
Ability Words Adamant Addendum Battalion Bloodrush Channel Chroma Cohort Constellation Converge Council's Dilemma Coven Delirium Domain Eminence Enrage Fateful Hour Ferocious Formidable Grandeur Hellbent Heroic Imprint Inspired Join Forces Kinship Landfall Lieutenant Magecraft Metalcraft Morbid Pack Tactics Parley Radiance Raid Rally Revolt Spell Mastery Strive Sweep Tempting Offer Threshold Undergrowth Will of the Council
Other Digital only Backbone Conjure Perpetually Seek Unstoppable Miscellaneous Ante Divvy Rhystic Silver-bordered Art Menace Art Rampage Augment Ban Blurry Combine Crank‎ Denimwalk Family Gathering Gotcha Hide Install Just a Second Knightlifelink Last Strike Reassemble Super Haste Switch Triple Strike Typelink Undeathtouch Uninstall Playtest Aggressive Bank Challenge Curse Firstest Strike Four-faced Interplanar Kinfall Landship Legacy Megalegendary Motivate Ransom Reflect Requirement Reverse Miracle Scrycast Spark Spellmorph Tasty Token Card Underdog Upgrade Unreleased Double-Tap Forbidden Glorify‎ Hieroglyphics‎ Link Mummify‎ Reckless Unique‎ Former Bury Landhome Substance
Related See also List of obsolete terminology List of deprecated mechanics List of silver-bordered mechanics List of unreleased mechanics Storm Scale

Games How To Design Evergreen Keywords

Source: https://mtg.fandom.com/wiki/Evergreen

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