| Flying | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Keyword Ability | |
| Type | Evasion |
| Introduced | Alpha |
| Last used | Evergreen |
| Reminder Text | Flying (This creature can't be blocked except by creatures with flying and/or reach.) |
| Scryfall Search | |
| keyword:"Flying" | |
Flying is an evergreen evasion ability that makes creatures without flying unable to block creatures with flying. It has been in Magic since the original Alpha set.[1][2] It was the first mechanic that Richard Garfield designed for the game.[3]
Description
Flying appears on over 1,000 different cards and is scattered wildly on the color wheel, mostly being found on blue and white cards, and to a lesser extent in black and red.[4] Green rarely has flying creatures, but is the best color at destroying them (e.g. Hurricane, Plummet).[4] There are a number of creature types that almost always have flying, such as Angels, Birds, Sphinxes, Dragons, and Griffins (each of these generally being creatures with wings).
The Mystery Booster test cards and Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths introduced flying counters.
Rules
From the glossary of the Comprehensive Rules (April 12, 2024—Outlaws of Thunder Junction)
- Flying
- A keyword ability that restricts how a creature may be blocked. See rule 702.9, “Flying.”
From the Comprehensive Rules (April 12, 2024—Outlaws of Thunder Junction)
- 702.9. Flying
- 702.9a Flying is an evasion ability.
- 702.9b A creature with flying can’t be blocked except by creatures with flying and/or reach. A creature with flying can block a creature with or without flying. (See rule 509, “Declare Blockers Step,” and rule 702.17, “Reach.”)
- 702.9c Multiple instances of flying on the same creature are redundant.
Examples
Example
Bog Imp 
Creature — Imp
1/1
Flying (This creature can't be blocked except by creatures with flying or reach.)
Enchantments that grant just flying
One creature
- Flight
- Shimmering Wings
- Arcanum Wings
- Buoyancy
- Crown of Ascension
- Dragon Wings
- Illuminated Wings
- Launch
- Phantom Wings
- Flight of Fancy
All your creatures
Pseudo-flying
Some creatures without flying can't be blocked except by creatures with flying or reach. Mark Rosewater is not a fan of this design.[5]
Can't be blocked by creatures with flying
Some creatures without flying can't be blocked by creatures with flying. This is a red ability, and is sometimes nicknamed "Tunneling"[6] However, "Tunneling" is more often used for “target creature with power 2 or less is unblockable this turn”.[7][8]
Player flying
The Mystery Booster test card| Sarah's Wings (a On Serra's Wings) grants flying to a player (Players with flying can’t be dealt damage by creatures without flying).
See also
References
- ↑ Mark Rosewater (Monday, November 17, 2003). "Up, Up and Away". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Mark Rosewater (June 8, 2015). "Evergreen Eggs & Ham". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Brady Dommermuth (June 01, 2009). "Mechanically Inclined". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ a b Mark Rosewater (June 5, 2017). "Mechanical Color Pie 2017". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Mark Rosewater (February 16, 2017). "What is the point of pseudo-flying creatures like Signal Pest and Orchard Spirit?". Blogatog. Tumblr.
- ↑ Mark Rosewater (May 12, 2018). "What color is "can't be blocked by creatures with flying"?". Blogatog. Tumblr.
- ↑ Mark Rosewater (September 21, 2019). "Whatever happened to tunneling?". Blogatog. Tumblr.
- ↑ Mark Rosewater (September 21, 2019). "I was just reading a wiki article on flying and it referenced tunneling as "can't be blocked by creatures with flying."". Blogatog. Tumblr.
External links
- A Planeswalker's Primer for Magic 2010: Flying (Video). Magic: The Gathering. YouTube.
- Gavin Verhey (February 3, 2017). "The Invention of Flying". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
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