Glossary

Attach
The term attach is used primarily on cards which can provide effects to certain other cards for an indeterminate amount of time, like Auras, and Equipment.

Counter
To counter a spell or ability is to remove it from the stack without resolving its effects, putting it directly into its owner's graveyard.

Exile
To exile a card is to put it into the exile zone, usually as part of a card's effect.

Fight
When two creatures fight each other, each creature deals damage equal to its power to the other creature.

Daybound/Nightbound
When you play a card with Daybound, the game becomes "day".  If any player decides not to play ANY spells on THIER OWN turn, it becomes night.  Night becomes day again if 2 spells are played by a player on their own turn.  Playing spells on the opponents turn won't count.  Use the token guide in the cube to make tracking easier, and watch out for effects that happen when day becomes night or vise versa.

Deathtouch
Deathtouch is a static ability that causes a creature to be destroyed as a result of having been dealt damage by a source with deathtouch.

Defender
Creatures with defender can't attack.

Double strike

A creature with double strike deals both first strike and normal combat damage.

Enchant
This ability is written Enchant (quality) and appears on Auras. An Aura enters the battlefield attached to a permanent spell with the quality of its Enchant ability.

Equip
This ability is written Equip (cost). It is found only on Equipment. A player may pay the Equip cost as a sorcery to attach it to a creature he or she controls.

First strike
Creatures with first strike deal damage before other creatures in combat. Therefore, if a creature with first strike deals sufficient damage to kill an opposing creature without this ability, it will not suffer any combat damage from that creature in return.

Flash
Artifacts, creatures or enchantments with flash may be played any time their controller could play an instant.

Flying
Creatures with flying can't be blocked except by other creatures with flying or reach.

Haste
Creatures with the haste ability are able to attack and use abilities that involve the tap symbol on the turn a player gains control of them, instead of waiting until their controller's next turn.

Hexproof
A player or permanent with hexproof cannot be the target of spells or abilities controlled by an opponent.

Indestructible
A permanent with indestructible can't be destroyed by effects that say "Destroy" or by lethal damage.

Lifelink
Permanents with lifelink cause their controller to gain life whenever they deal damage equal to the amount of damage dealt.

Madness
This ability is written Madness (cost). At the time a player discards a card with madness, he or she may pay its madness cost and cast the card.

Menace
A creature with menace can only be blocked by two or more creatures.

Mill
When a player Mills x cards, they put the top x cards of that library into their graveyard.

Protection
This ability is written as Protection from (quality). A creature with protection from a quality cannot be enchanted, equipped, blocked, or targeted by anything with that quality, and all damage that would be dealt by a source of that quality is prevented.

Prowess
Prowess is a triggered ability. A creature with prowess gains +1/+1 until end of turn whenever a noncreature spell is cast by its controller.

Reach
Creatures with reach can be block creatures with flyers.

Sacrifice
To sacrifice a permanent is to put it into its owner's graveyard.

Scry
Scry x allows the player to take the top x cards from their deck, examine them, and place any number of them on the bottom of their deck and the rest on top in any order desired.

Tap/Untap
To tap a permanent is to rotate the card 90 degrees. This indicates it is being used, often as a cost, or to indicate that a creature is attacking. To untap a permanent is to return it to a vertical orientation, allowing it to be tapped again.

Transform
Transform is a keyword action that only appears on double-faced cards. Each transform card enters the battlefield with its front face up, and when certain conditions are met, the player turns the card over to its other face to transform it.

Trample
An attacking creature with trample which is blocked may deal any excess damage, above what is needed to kill the blocker, directly to the defending player.

Vigilance
Creatures with vigilance do not tap when attacking.

Ward
Whenever a permanent with ward becomes the target of a spell or ability an opponent controls, counter it unless that player pays an additional cost