Trample

Trample is a keyword ability that changes the rules for assigning damage in the Combat Damage Step. An attacker with trample deals excess damage to the defending player or planeswalker even if it is blocked. Trample is primary placed in green on the color wheel, but red's share has been growing over time. Any color is allowed access to trample if the creature is large enough and of a higher rarity.

History
Trample was introduced in Alpha. and is generally printed on creatures with high power, such as Crash of Rhinos, or creatures with the ability to increase their power, such as Keldon Battlewagon. It has also been printed on small creatures with no intrinsic ability to gain power, such as on Defiant Elf, but these are rare.

Trample was removed from the core set with the Sixth Edition. Later on, WotC introduced a vertical cycle of creatures known as "super tramplers" in the Starter 1999 starter-level set, which were all reprinted in Seventh Edition. Lone Wolf, Pride of Lions and Thorn Elemental each can do combat damage to defending players as though they weren't blocked. It is said that this ability was created because Wizards thought trample was too confusing, yet this new ability wasn't taken too well in its place. Consequently, Trample was brought back in Ninth Edition.

In a "Ask Wizards" column, Aaron Forsythe said about Trample:

Three things combined to get trample back in the Core Set with Ninth Edition. One, newer players were running into trample in expert-level sets and not knowing how it worked. Most keywords without reminder text in black-bordered sets (flying, swampwalk, first strike, etc.) are clearly explained in the Core Set. But trample (and protection) were not, meaning the first time players saw it, they were clueless. Two, our replacement for trample (the Thorn Elemental ability) was not particularly easy to understand either. Three, our rules people came up with good reminder text for the mechanic, allowing it to exist happily in the Core Set.

We're not trying to dumb the game down. In fact, we want the Core Set to be a teaching tool, which means we want it to cover as much ground as realistically possible, which is why we worked so hard for a way to get trample (and protection and equipment) into Ninth Edition.

In the silver-bordered set Unstable, Trample appeared for the first time on a non-creature spell (Super-Duper Death Ray) because, ostensibly, putting trample on spells was not possible to be parsed through the black-border rules. Flame Spill</c> was later printed in Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths essentially spelling out the reminder text of Super-Duper Death Ray</c> - the phrase "excess damage" was deemed sufficiently clear for players that it has been introduced into more designs. Ram Through</c> mimics trample damage, Toralf, God of Fury</c> grants an even more powerful form of trample, and Aegar, the Freezing Flame</c> rewards "overkilling". Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths introduced trample counters.

Reminder text
The Ninth Edition reminder text read: Trample (If this creature would assign enough damage to its blockers to destroy them, you may have it assign the rest of its damage to defending player or planeswalker.)

Starting with Magic Origins, it gained a new reminder text: Trample (This creature can deal excess combat damage to defending player or planeswalker while attacking.). There was no change to how trample worked, the reminder text was just changed for clarity and brevity.

In Unstable, the keyword featured on Super-Duper Death Ray</c> (an instant direct damage spell) with a new adapted reminder text (This spell can deal excess damage to its target's controller.)

When Dominaria abandoned the Planeswalker redirection rule, the reminder text was changed to This creature can deal excess combat damage to the player or planeswalker it's attacking.

Trample over planeswalkers
undefined With Thrasta, Tempest's Roar</c>, Modern Horizons 2 introduced the keyword "trample over planeswalkers", which allows an attacking creature to deal excess damage to a planeswalker's controller after attacking a planeswalker.

The reminder text for "trample over planeswalkers" is This creature can deal excess combat damage to the controller of the planeswalker it's attacking.

Rulings

 * If a creature with both Deathtouch and trample is blocked by one or more creatures, assigning to the blockers 1 damage each (and the rest is dealt to the initial target, being player or Planeswalker, regardless of their toughness or previous damage, is considered a legal way to assign the damage. However, if the attacking playing desires, the attacking player may distribute excess damage any other way they see fit.

Enchantments that grant just Trample
One creature
 * Primal Frenzy</c>

All your creatures
 * Primal Rage</c>