What are ‘flavor words’ in Magic: The Gathering?

All about the flavor.
AFR Hall of the Storm Giant MTG Alex Stone
Image via WotC

Magic: The Gathering’s newest set, Dungeons & Dragons: Adventures of the Forgotten Realms, is all about highlighting the lore of D&D through the flavor of MTG.

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This appears through cards named after iconic pieces of D&D. But Wizards of the Coast extended that to include a new spin on “ability words.”

Traditionally, an ability word is italicized text on a card indicating an ability that it has. Because these specific abilities appear on multiple cards, it “ties together abilities on different cards that have similar functionality,” according to the game’s comprehensive rules.

An example of an ability word is “Magecraft,” which was added earlier this year in the set Strixhaven: School of Mages.

For Adventures of the Forgotten Realms, MTG took a more loose approach to the idea of ability words. Instead, WotC is introducing a plethora of what it calls “flavor words.”

These words appear the same as ability words, but instead of the ability being similar to something you’d see on many cards, the word is just a reference to an iconic action, ability, or spell in D&D

In total, the set has 76 different flavor words and exact descriptions of each ability are printed in full on each card with a flavor word. So there’s no reason to be overwhelmed or feel like you’re missing something if you see a flavor ability on your cards.

Here’s an all-inclusive list of all the flavor words in MTG’s Adventures of the Forgotten Realms:

  • Acid Breath
  • Animate Walking Statue
  • Anitmagic Cone
  • Archery
  • Bardic Inspiration
  • Beacon of Hope
  • Bear Form
  • Befriend Them
  • Bewitching Whispers
  • Binding Contract
  • Brave the Stench
  • Break Their Chains
  • Charge Them
  • Clever Conjurer
  • Climb Over
  • Combat Inspiration
  • Cold Breath
  • Cone of Cold
  • Cunning Action
  • Cure Wounds
  • Dispel Magic
  • Displacement
  • Dissolve
  • Distract the Guard
  • Divine Intervention
  • Dominate Monster
  • Drag Below
  • Engulf
  • Fear Ray
  • Fend Them Off
  • Fight the Current
  • Find a Crossing
  • Flurry of Blows
  • Foil Their Scheme
  • Form a Party
  • Gentle Repose
  • Grant an Advantage
  • Hide
  • Interrogate Them
  • Intimidate Them
  • Journey On
  • Keen Senses
  • Learn Their Secrets
  • Life Drain
  • Lift the Curse
  • Lightning Breath
  • Magical Tinkering
  • Make a Retreat
  • Make Camp
  • Poison Breath
  • Pry It Open
  • Psionic Spells
  • Rappel Down
  • Rejuvenation
  • Rouse the Party
  • Search the Body
  • Search the Room
  • Set Off Traps
  • Siege Monster
  • Smash It
  • Smash the Chest
  • Song of Rest
  • Split
  • Stand and Fight
  • Start a Brawl
  • Steal Its Eyes
  • Stunning Strike
  • Tail Spikes
  • Teleport
  • Tie Up
  • Tragic Backstory
  • Trapped!
  • Two-Weapon Fighting
  • Whirlwind
  • Whispers of the Grave
  • Wild Magic Surge

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Max Miceli
Senior Staff Writer. Max graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a journalism and political science degree in 2015. He previously worked for The Esports Observer covering the streaming industry before joining Dot where he now helps with Overwatch 2 coverage.