MDV Featured Mechanic Spoilers - Old: [ Back ] [ Home ] [ Up ] [ Next ] MDV Featured Item - Old Featured Mechanic Spoiler - Charms. - by Streetz - posted 6/10/03 - discuss here

Below you will find an old featured mechanic in spoiler form.  This is old and thus is not up to date with all of the new cards.  The original posting date is referenced above.  Don't be surprised if you see a new version of this spoiler soon!

If you have any comments, suggestions or notes about these pages, please email the webmaster: streetz@magicdeckvortex.com. 

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Who doesn't like options?

6/10/03.  I love options, but to digress, Charmed Griffin is pictured to the right.  While he doesn't fit the description for this page he has it in his name.  There are several cards in Magic that just have Charm in their name, but most of them have what I like to call the "Charm" mechanic.  The charm mechanic is a term used to describe the fact that a card has options.  Many of these cards say "Choose one -" or "do this or do this". 

The charms are spread out through the five colors and gold cards and usually are in themes (running through each color of a particular set).  For instance, Mirage has charms: Ivory (white), Sapphire (blue), Emerald (green), Chaos (red) and Ebony (black).  Visions, Planescape and Onslaught also had a set of charms.  All of the charms are listed below.  Note that Planescape had GOLD charms corresponding to each of the Legend Dragons from the set.  Below is a list of the card categories for this page:

• White Charms
• Blue Charms
• Green Charms
• Red Charms
• Black Charms
• Gold Charms
• Spells that deal damage with options
• Creatures/Spells that gain life with options
• Misc. Spells with options
• Split cards from the Invasion Block
• Creatures that have options (not kickers)
• Cards which have Charm in the name

Charms are nice because they give you the capability to do several different different things. Vitality Charm, for instance, allows you do regenerate a beast, put a 1/1 saproling token into play, or give target creature +1/+1 and trample.  By themselves, these are not game breaking abilities.  However, the element of suprise is awesome.  Your opponent attacks with a non-trample 6/6 Wurm.  You cast Vitality Charm and now you can block it without losing one of your other creature which may be pertinent to your next turn kill.. or whatever.  Or, You can do one of the other options and keep a beast or beat an opponent's creature with your own.  Vitality Chamr is a great example of the benefits you can reap from these cards.  With exception to the Gold charms, each are only one mana.  It fits the mana curve one slot nicely and gives your deck versatility.

To support what I just said, Bennie Smith writes in an article he wrote:

The beauty of the Charms is their flexibility. While they typically aren't undercosted for their effects, they make up for it in versatility. The trick is to find a good use for one of the abilities and keep an eye out for other opportunities where the Charm can shine. For instance, the Visions card Emerald Charm was often used as instant, pinpoint, global enchantment removal, but it was known to occasionally untap a Gaea's Cradle or bring down a Serra Angel in its day.

Other charms are just bad.  For instance, well, nevermind.  For one mana, the abilities that you get aren't spectacular, but each one has atleast a really good option and two not-so-good options.  I was going to mention Ivory Charm as a bad charm.  However, All creatures get -2/-0, preventing one damage, or tapping a creature are all nifty tricks.  Okay, so moving on...

I was just doing some research on the charms (as I wrote this article) and found an article by Bennie Smith on the charms (found on wizards.com).  The "CHARM" mechanic I speak of is actually a "MODAL" spell.  Below is the detail found from this page about "MODAL" spells (QUOTED WORD FOR WORD):

Rules Corner: Modal Spells

The Onslaught Charms are called "modal" spells because each Charm has three different modes, or ways to use it. You can tell a spell or ability is modal if it includes the phrase "Choose one --."

Immediately after announcing that you are playing a modal spell, you must choose the mode you want to use (Rule 409.1). For example: first you announce that you are playing Piety Charm, then you say that you are using the +2/+2 to target Soldier mode, then you choose an appropriate target. You can't switch modes once one has been chosen.

If a modal spell is copied (by a card like Mirari, Fork, or Radiate), the copy always uses the same mode as the original (Rule 503.10). That means you can't play a Fever Charm to give one of your creatures +2/+0 and then make a copy with Mirari that will do three damage to a Wizard.

Well, that pretty well raps up this edition of "MECHANIC FEATURE" on Magic Deck Vortex.  Thank you, as always, for visiting my humble site. To make a final Conclusion, below is a list of some decks on this site which use the Charms.

Sincerely,

John Streetz
webmaster of Magic Deck Vortex 

Top 15 Cards - Charms
not in any order

If there are any cards you feel should be on this list, please email the webmaster.

Black Charms

Green Charms

Red Charms

Blue Charms

White Charms

Gold Charms

Spells that deal damage with options

Spells/Creatures that gain life with options

Split Cards from the Invasion Block

Misc. Sorceries that deliver options like the charms

Creatures that have options (not kicker costs)

Cards with Charm in its name (without the Charm mechanic)

Decks Using Charms.

Deck Title	Color	Style	Notes, Themes, Specialties	Which Charm Used?
PALLADIA-MORS	WGR	BEATDOWN	THORNSCAPE STYLE	Rith's Charm
Wirewood League	G	BEATDOWN	Elves - One with Nature	Vitality Charm
FEVER SLINGER	R	BURN	FEVER CHARM	Fever Charm
Chimeric Abyss	UGB	COMBO	The Abyss / Chimeric Staff	Emerald Charm
Blue Annoyance	U	CONTROL	Mana Web / Shimmer	Vision Charm
Old Style Pox	B	CONTROL	Pox	Funeral Charm
Rainbow Burn	WUGRB	DOMAIN	Burn - Tribal Flame	Dromar/Crosis/Treva Charms
The Combo	WUGRB	DOMAIN	Control - Accelerated Land Drop	Dromar's Charm
Kangee	WUGRB	DOMAIN	Kangee, Aerie Keeper	Dromar's Charm
Collapsing Border Lk	WUGRB	DOMAIN	LD - Collapsing Borders	Dromar/Rith's Charms
MILL ENGINE	WUB	MILL	Haunting Echoes/Traumatize	Dromar's Charm
The Gooey Almost Tribe	UGRB	THEME	Oozes (Incomplete)	Darigaaz's Charm
Loss of Life	B	THEME	Losing life	Misery Charm
ONWARD PIOUS SOLDIERS	W	THEME	SOLDIERS / PIETY CHARM	Piety Charm
THE NAÏVE AND THE CORRUPT	WB	THEME	CLERICS / MISERY CHARM	Misery Charm
Insect Swarm	NEW	THEME	Insects	Vitality Charm
Vitality Brutality	GR	THEME	BEASTS / VITALITY CHARM	Vitality Charm
Poisoned Venom	NEW	THEME	Poised Counters - Fear	Ebony Charm
Flame Dance	NEW	UNQIUE	Cauldron Dance	Darigaaz's Charm
Discord	NEW	UNIQUE	Discordant Spirit	Ebony Charm
Suleiman	NEW	UNIQUE	Bottle of Suleiman	Darigaaz's Charm
THE SNATCH AND SAC TRICK	UB	UNIQUE	Trickery Charm	Trickery Charm

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Old Mechanic Features...:

(2003) Charms
(2005) +1/+1 Counters