Evergreen Keywords

Evergreen keywords are familiar keywords used ubiquitously on cards in any set. The set of evergreen keywords are distributed evenly across ten color pairs. Each color pair gets three positive (normal font) and one negative (bolded) keyword.

Evergreen Keyword by Color Pairs

• : Guardian, Flying, Retreat, Defender
• : Inform, Elude, Impervious, Hexdoom
• : Virulent, Menace, Double Strike, Defenseless
• : Haste, Animosity, Reach, Berserk
• : Stalwart, Vigilance, Absorb, Disability
• : Protection, Lifelink, Rearguard, Disempowered
• : Mimicry, Subsurface, Flash, Demise
• : Predation, Deathtouch, Indestructible, Vulnerable
• : Retaliate, First Strike, Escort, Intercept
• : Trample, Hexproof/Ward, Frostbite, Frozen

Evergreen Keyword Definitions

• Guardian N = can block N additional creatures
• Flying = can only be blocked by creatures with flying or reach
• Retreat = when blocked, can leave combat and untap it
• Defender = can't attack
• Inform = when unblocked, draw a card
• Elude = can't be blocked
• Impervious = prevent all damage dealt to this unless a single source deals lethal damage to it
• Hexdoom = sacrifice when targeted by opponent's spell
• Virulent = damage dealt by this can't be prevented
• Menace = blocked only by two or more creatures
• Double Strike = deals damage in first strike and normal combat damage step
• Demise = sacrifice at beginning of end step
• Haste = not affected by lag
• Animosity = can assign all combat damage to defending player or permanent if blocked
• Reach = can block creatures with flying
• Berserk = must attack if able
• Stalwart = combat damage dealt with toughness rather than power
• Absorb N = prevent N damage to this object per source = replaces regeneration
• Vigilance = doesn't tap to attack
• Disability = can't activate abilities
• Protection = can't be targeted or blocked by trait
• Lifelink = controller gains life as this creature deals damage
• Rearguard = can't be blocked until other non-rearguard creatures are blocked
• Disempowered = final power is zero
• Mimicry = when enters, copy a keyword from another creature on the field
• Subsurface = can't be blocked by flyers = replaces landwalk
• Flash = can cast at any time can cast instant
• Defenseless = can't block
• Deathtouch = damage dealt by this creature destroys damaged creature
• Indestructible = can't be destroyed = replaces regeneration
• Predation = when this creature defeats another creature, this gets a +1/+1 counter
• Vulnerable = destroyed when taken damage
• Retaliate = if source deals damage to this, this deals damage to source's controller
• First Strike = deals combat damage first
• Escort = must be blocked before creatures without escort if able
• Intercept = must block if able
• Trample = extra damage goes through to defending player or permanent
• Hexproof = can't be targeted by opponent's spell or ability
• Ward = when targeted by spell, counter it unless spell's controller pays extra
• Frostbite = creature damaged by this is tapped and frozen
• Frozen = can't untap next time