What are Permanents in MTG?

What Are Permanents?

Permanents in MTG refer to cards that remain on the battlefield and have lasting effects. These cards encompass planeswalker, creatures, lands, artifacts, and enchantments that stay in play once they're cast.

Permanents are integral to gameplay, representing the ongoing presence of various elements within the game world.

Types of Permanent Cards

Certainly! Here's the overview of the types of permanent cards in MTG:

Creatures:

Creatures are the most common type of permanent cards. They represent various beings, from dinosaurs to trolls, and play a significant role in battles. Creatures have power and toughness attributes, can attack opponents, or defend against attacks. They are the primary combat units in the game.

Lands:

Lands are the foundation of the game, generating mana resources. They symbolize different environments like forests, mountains, etc. By tapping lands, players acquire mana used to cast spells.

Artifacts:

Artifacts are artificial constructs that provide various effects. They range from weapons to magical devices, offering diversity to the game. Artifacts can enhance creatures, generate mana, or alter the game state uniquely.

Enchantments:

Enchantments are magical auras attached to other permanents, providing lasting effects. They can enhance creatures, change game rules, or influence the battlefield in distinct ways. Enchantments grant players ongoing impacts throughout the game.

Planeswalkers:

Planeswalkers are powerful characters with the ability to traverse between different planes of existence.

Represented by unique cards, they offer diverse abilities that impact the game. Players can use these abilities to cast spells, summon creatures, and alter the game state. Planeswalkers introduce additional layers of strategy and dynamics to MTG gameplay.

These different types of permanent cards, contribute to the multifaceted and strategic nature of MTG, enriching the player experience with their varied interactions and possibilities.

Permanent's Characteristics

In the realm of MTG, permanents stand as the bedrock of strategic gameplay.

These steadfast entities, be they creatures, lands, artifacts, or enchantments, bring to the forefront a rich tapestry of shared attributes that profoundly influence the game's tactical and strategic dimensions.

Let's delve into some of these common characteristics and decipher their impact on the battlefield.

Summoning Sickness:

Summoning sickness is a hallmark of freshly deployed creatures. It bars them from attacking or activating abilities on the turn they're brought into play.

This attribute imposes a temporal limitation, compelling players to consider the timing of their creature deployments. Incorporating summoning sickness into your tactical approach allows for prudent maneuvering and defense against opponent onslaughts.

Colors and Symbolism:

Colors are the vivid strokes that define MTG's mana system and card interactions. Represented by five distinct colors—white, blue, black, red, and green—each holds its philosophy and attributes.

The interplay of these colors influences the strategic composition of your deck, impacting the harmony of your spells and permanents. Crafting a balanced color palette can bolster your strategy's adaptability and efficiency.

Power and Toughness:

Power and toughness encapsulate the combat potency of creatures in MTG. Power signifies the damage a creature inflicts in combat, while toughness denotes its resilience against damage.

These values dictate the outcome of battles, aligning with strategy in diverse ways. Choosing when and how to attack or defend hinges on these attributes, forming a foundation for nuanced tactical choices.

Each of these characteristics intertwines seamlessly, creating a symphony of choices that shape the course of MTG battles.

The pursuit of strategic mastery demands a keen awareness of summoning sickness dynamics, a finesse in harmonizing color synergies, and the art of optimizing power and toughness ratios.

As players navigate the intricate dance of permanents' attributes, they craft narratives of victory and lay the foundations for their unique strategic prowess in the ever-evolving realms of MTG.

Summoning Permanents

In the MTG, the art of summoning permanents is a pivotal skill that shapes the ebb and flow of battles.

This process involves intricacies such as casting costs, summoning sickness, and a myriad of tactical considerations. Join us as we unveil the mechanics behind the summoning of these enduring entities.

Casting Costs:

Before a permanent graces the battlefield, players must fulfill its casting cost, typically denoted in the upper-right corner of the card.

Casting costs are represented by a combination of mana symbols and numbers, reflecting the resources required to bring the permanent into play. For instance, a creature with a casting cost of 3G necessitates paying three mana, with at least one of them being green.

Mana and Lands:

Mana, the magical lifeblood of MTG, is harnessed from lands—your primary resource.

Tapping a land generates mana of its designated color. To summon permanents, players must tap an appropriate combination of lands, aligning with the required casting costs.

A creature demanding one blue and one black mana, for instance, necessitates tapping a blue and a black land.

Summoning Sickness:

As newly summoned creatures grace the battlefield, they bear summoning sickness—a restriction preventing them from attacking or using abilities that have the tap symbol.

This limitation persists until the start of the player's next turn. Strategic planning comes to the fore, as players assess the optimal timing for deploying creatures to maximize their impact.

Examples in Action:

Consider the creature "Goblin Piker" with a casting cost of 1R. To summon it, you tap a Mountain (red land) and pay one red mana. Upon entering the battlefield, Goblin Piker is afflicted with summoning sickness, unable to attack or use abilities until your next turn.

In contrast, "Elvish Mystic" with a casting cost of G is summoned by tapping a Forest (green land) and paying one green mana. The Mystic is then free to tap for an additional green mana on the same turn, enabling further spellcasting or summoning.

Mastering the intricacies of summoning permanents—juggling casting costs, aligning mana resources, and navigating summoning sickness—bestows players with a profound understanding of tactical flow.

Permanents in Competitive Play

As the theater of battle unfolds, permanents bear the weight of tactics, synergy, and resilience, showcasing their pivotal role in the pursuit of championship glory.

Strategic Significance:

Permanents serve as strategic linchpins, allowing players to craft nuanced gameplay in the high-stakes arena of competitive play.

The astute use of creatures, lands, artifacts, and enchantments empowers professionals to orchestrate potent synergies, disrupt opponents' strategies, and pivot gameplay to their advantage.

Aces Up the Sleeve:

Renowned players harness permanents as instruments of mastery, exploiting their inherent versatility to secure dominance. For instance, top-tier players deftly deploy lands, curating mana bases that fuel a spectrum of potent spells.

Creatures, meticulously chosen for their attributes and abilities, sway confrontations. Artifacts, like "Aether Vial," accelerate summoning and enhance efficiency. Enchantments, exemplified by "Teferi's Time Raveler," exert rule-altering influence.

 

Exemplary Performances:

The captivating journey of "Jace, the Mind Sculptor" exemplifies permanents' prowess.

This planeswalker weaves strategic tapestries, controlling the battlefield and sculpting victory through his abilities, including drawing, removing threats, and manipulating opponents' decks. Another marvel, "Field of the Dead," transforms lands into resilient zombie armies, offering a formidable late-game advantage.

Impact on the Battlefield:

In the exhilarating crucible of competitive play, permanents wield transformative influence. "Tarmogoyf," adapting its power and toughness with graveyards' evolution, epitomizes dynamic potential.

"Urza's Tower," a land trio, fuels mammoth spells and permanents. "Ensnaring Bridge" thwarts foes, forcing combat constraints. These permanents craft tales of triumph and exhibit their enduring significance.

As the spotlight shines on competitive MTG, permanents emerge as pivotal actors shaping narrative arcs of victory and defeat.

The mastery of their deployment, synergies, and interactions defines the mettle of professional players. With each shuffle, draw, and summon, permanents craft stories of unparalleled strategic artistry, elevating them beyond mere cards to heralds of competitive grandeur.

Exclusions from Permanents in MTG

Instant and Sorcery Spells

Unlike permanents, instant and sorcery spells exert their influence momentarily. Cast for immediate effects, these spells don't linger on the battlefield.

Instants are unleashed during either player's turn, offering swift responses to various situations. Sorceries, on the other hand, are cast during your main phase, showcasing their one-time potency.

Emblem

An emblem is not considered a permanent in MTG. While it is a powerful game element that represents a unique and enduring effect, emblems do not fall under the permanent category.

Emblems are created as a result of certain planeswalker abilities and have a distinct set of rules governing their existence.

Unlike traditional permanents, emblems do not have a physical presence on the battlefield, nor can they be interacted with or removed by most game mechanics. They are a representation of a continuous effect that originates from a planeswalker's loyalty ability.

Emblems persistently impact the game, often introducing unique and game-altering effects that can shape the course of battles and strategies.

Dungeon

Dungeons are not considered permanents

Is a Token a Permanent?

Token is considered a permanent in MTG. Tokens represent various game elements, such as creatures, that are created by card effects. Once created, tokens exist on the battlefield like other permanents and are subject to the rules and interactions that affect permanents.

Tokens have power, toughness, abilities, and other attributes as specified by the card that created them. While they may not have a physical card counterpart, they are still considered permanent and can interact with other cards, abilities, and effects in the game.

Wrap Up

In MTG, "permanents" stand as a cornerstone, encompassing various card types like planeswalker, creatures, lands, artifacts, and enchantments. These enduring elements play a pivotal role in shaping gameplay, influencing players' tactical and strategic decisions.

Creatures, as primary combat units, engage in battles with power and toughness attributes. Lands generate mana, providing resources for spellcasting. Artifacts and enchantments bestow cards with a spectrum of effects, from enhancing creatures to altering game rules. Planeswalkers possess unique abilities that can impact the course of the game.

In competitive play, permanents become keystones for high-level players to craft tactics. Adeptly employing different types of permanents, they concoct strategic blends, counter opponents' strategies, and gain advantages. Notable permanent cards such as "Jace, the Mind Sculptor" and "Field of the Dead" showcase their remarkable impact in tournaments.

While certain elements like instants and sorcery spells lie outside the realm of permanents, the presence of permanents enriches the MTG experience with depth, strategy, and boundless possibilities.