Mechanics
Legends introduce several important mechanics to the game and each pack of cards contained a rules card explaining the new mechanics and keywords.
- Legendary - The Legendary play mechanic, known as the "Legends Rule" was introduced in this set. Legends are powerful creatures that were allowed only once in a deck when Legends came out, but this restriction has been dropped since. As a further restriction only one copy of a Legend can be in play at a time. Legends provided both Legendary Creatures and Legendary Lands, while Legendary Enchantments would not arise until Champions of Kamigawa.
- Enchant World - Enchantments that enchanted the entire "world." These enchantments would have an effect that affected all players at the same time and were limited to only one in play at a time.
- Multicolor - Legends was the first set to include cards that required more than one color of mana to play. These cards were distinguished by a gold background and have become much more commonplace (The last expansion of the Alara block, Alara Reborn, is composed of entirely multicolor cards).
- Rampage - An ability that took effect whenever said creature became blocked by more than one creature. Creatures with Rampage would get a bonus to their power and toughness for each creature blocking it beyond the first.
- Banding - A very complex game mechanic that was eventually dropped from the game after Weatherlight, Legends further complicated matters by creating creatures that banded only with creatures of a certain type. In essence, banding allowed multiple creatures to attack as a single unit, allowing the attacking player to decide how damage was distributed to his or her creatures, if the defending player blocked. Legends is the only set to feature the "bands with other" mechanic, with the exception of the Unhinged card Old Fogey.
Read more about this topic: Legends (Magic: The Gathering)
Famous quotes containing the word mechanics:
“the moderate Aristotelian city
Of darning and the Eight-Fifteen, where Euclid’s geometry
And Newton’s mechanics would account for our experience,
And the kitchen table exists because I scrub it.”
—W.H. (Wystan Hugh)
“It is only the impossible that is possible for God. He has given over the possible to the mechanics of matter and the autonomy of his creatures.”
—Simone Weil (1909–1943)