Cycling (2024)

Cycling is a keyword ability that allows a player to pay a cost that includes discarding the card. When the activated ability resolves, that player draws a card.

Description[ | ]

Cycling was created by Richard Garfield during Tempest design (although not premiering in print until Urza's Saga).^[2]

Cycling has been perennially popular and has been featured in more blocks than any other non-evergreen keyword, appearing in the Urza's,^[3] Onslaught, Time Spiral, and Alara blocks, the last of which introduced cards with hybrid cycling costs. It once again returned in Amonkhet block,^[4] where it focused in blue and black and rewarded cycling cards that were put into the graveyard.^[5][6] In Modern Horizons^[7] , on the other hand, cycling appeared in all colors, with a slight lean to blue and red for the "draw-two" archetype. The mechanic returned yet again in Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths, this time featured primarily in red and white.^[8][9] Ikoria notably had the most aggressive cycling costs with many spells costing to cycle.

From its constant returns, to "cycle" a card has become common parlance to describe single drawing effects regardless of whether the effect is a discard ability, spell effect, or battlefield-based ability.

The Time Spiral futureshifted card Edge of Autumn and Street Wraith introduced non-mana cycling costs, but Mark Rosewater considers them too strong for a reprint.^[10] Since Onslaught block, some cards have additional bonuses for cycling them. These are written "When you cycle [this card's name], [effect]."

Although cycling had been used repeatedly, it was not considered to be deciduous until Streets of New Capenna.^[11][12] March of the Machine was the next appearance, with a cycle of land cyclers and two Ikoria-set cards having cycling as a callback.

R&D have experimented with cycling costs, but never .^[13]

Rules[ | ]

Typecycling[ | ]

A variant of the ability, typecycling, allows the player to search their library for a card of a certain subtype instead of drawing the top card of their library.^[14] The first cards with this ability appeared in Scourge and allowed a player to search for a land card with a specific land type. Future Sight then expanded the ability to search for cards with a specific creature type, but appears on only two cards: Vedalken Aethermage (wizard) and Homing Sliver (sliver).^[15][16]

Alara Reborn introduced the first cards with two landcycling abilities. Modern Horizons 2 brings another tweak of the landcycling mechanic with artifact landcycling (Sojourner's Companion).

As R&D has soured on tutoring mechanics (as it leads to repetitive gameplay and slows games through shuffling), the return of typecycling in premier sets is dubious.^[17] Landcycling was granted a return in March of the Machine with a cycle of commons.

In Modern Horizons 2, a second card with Wizardcycling was printed: Step Through.

Basic Landcycling[ | ]

Basic landcycling was introduced in Conflux.^[18] Despite how cycling has returned in other sets, basic landcycling initially only returned in supplementary products (Commander 2016, Modern Horizons 2, Doctor Who). For Murders at Karlov Manor, Basic landcycling returned and was elevated to deciduous.^[19]

• Unlike the normal cycling ability, basic landcycling doesn't allow you to draw a card. Instead, it lets you search your library for a basic land card. You don't choose the type of basic land card you'll find until you're performing the search. After you choose a basic land card in your library, you reveal it, put it into your hand, then shuffle your library.
• Basic landcycling is a form of cycling. Any ability that triggers on a card being cycled also triggers on a card being basic landcycled. Any ability that stops a cycling ability from being played also stops a basic landcycling ability from being played.
• Basic landcycling is an activated ability. Effects that interact with activated abilities (such as Stifle or Rings of Brighthearth) will interact with basic landcycling. Effects that interact with spells (such as Remove Soul or Faerie Tauntings) will not.
• You can choose not to find a basic land card, even if there is one in your library.

Examples[ | ]

"Cycling from the battlefield"[ | ]

"Cycling from the battlefield" or "Cycling from play" is an effect that appeared on eight permanents in Urza's Destiny. Each contained the rules text, ", Sacrifice this permanent: Draw a card." This mechanic was designed by Mark Rosewater, who considers it a variation of cycling.^[20] This was not well-noticed by players at the time, and given that the cost to cast and cycle the card it did not act as a good smoothing mechanic. Later mechanics like Clues and Filter artifacts would cycle from play in a similar fashion.

Permanents that reduce Cycling costs[ | ]

• Fluctuator: reduced by .
• Gavi, Nest Warden: reduced to for the first card cycled each turn.
• New Perspectives: reduced to if seven or more cards in hand.

Cards that Grant [Type]cycling[ | ]

• Homing Sliver: Grants Slivercycling to each Sliver card in players' hands.
• Tectonic Reformation: Grants Cycling to each land card in your hand.
• Jo Grant: Grants Cycling to each historic card in your hand.

References[ | ]

External links[ | ]

• New Features of Urza's Saga: Cycling
• Mark Rosewater (September 16, 2002). "Cycling Cycling". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
• Mark Rosewater (March 22, 2004). "A Cycling Built for Two". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
• Mark Rosewater (February 23, 2009). "Cycling Round the Track". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
• Mark Rosewater (May 06, 2013). "New & Improved". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
• A Planeswalker's Primer for Conflux: Basic Landcycling (Video). Magic: the Gathering. YouTube.
• A Planeswalker's Primer for Alara Reborn: Cycling and Landcycling (Video). Magic: the Gathering. YouTube.
• Mark Rosewater. "#8 - Cycling". Drive to Work.
• Gavin Verhey (May 4, 2017). "Should You Cycle?". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
• Jacob Van Lunen (May 9, 2017). "Cycling through Amonkhet". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.