Magic The Gathering: Descend & Finality Mechanics Explained

With the upcoming launch of Lost Caverns of Ixalan, we can expect a lot of expansion upon already existing Magic The Gathering mechanics. However, in addition to that, there's a brand new mechanic being added to the game which is named the Descend mechanic which will both change how you build your decks and change how you play your games. There's also an update to an already existing mechanic. But what are the new mechanics? We've got the answers you need to know.

Descend Explained In Magic The Gathering

The Descend Mechanic is defined as follows:

• Descend: You descend each time a permanent card is put into your graveyard from anywhere.

What this means is that whenever a card is destroyed, or a card is sacrificed you have 'Descended'. Some cards Descend a specific number of cards such as Uchbenbak, The Great Mistake, which Descends eight times. It's important to note though that Instant and Sorcery cards don't count as permanent, which means you can't just spam them on the field in order to push up your Descend counter.

Finality Explained In Magic The Gathering

In addition to this, there's also an update to an existing ability. Usually, a card that returns from the graveyard is exiled when it leaves the field again. In order to make sure that this applies to as many cards as possible, the Finality mechanic has been implemented, which is defined as follows:

• Finality: If a creature with a Finality counter on it would die, exile it instead.