Banding

Banding is a keyword ability with different effects depending on whether the banding creature is attacking or blocking. It was introduced in Alpha, and is no longer used on regular cards.

Description
By nature, banding is primarily a white ability (distributing damage – or another way of preventing damage by having it go to another creature). It was first printed in Alpha ("bands" was the original keyword used to represent the ability).

While acknowledging that banding was flavorful and effective if used properly, it has been effectively abandoned by designers for being overly confusing. The last basic set in which banding appeared was the Fifth Edition, and the last tournament-legal set was Weatherlight. The most recent cards to be printed with banding are and.

Rules
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Bands with other
A variant of banding, "bands with other" restricts banding to working with other creatures of a given quality (such as creatures that have a certain name). However, before the Magic 2010 rules changes (which came several years later than any cards featuring the ability), it was probably the most counter-intuitive ability in the game, because instead of allowing banding of with creatures of the given type, it only allowed banding with creatures with the same "bands with other" ability.

There are eight cards in the Legends set with "bands with other" in the card text. Five banding lands can give the ability to legendary creatures, one creature can create tokens with the ability (Master of the Hunt) and two cards can remove the ability (Shelkin Brownie and Tolaria).

There are no tournament-legal creature cards that have "bands with other" ability. The only creature card actually printed with "bands with other" ability is Old Fogey in Unhinged. Mark Rosewater rates the mechanic an 11 on the Storm Scale of 10.

Attacking
Any number of attacking creatures with banding can join together with up to one attacking creature without banding; the defending player must either block the entire band or allow it to be unblocked. If a blocking creature can block any one creature in the band, it can block the entire band.

In addition, if an attacking creature with banding becomes blocked, the attacking player chooses how damage from the blocking creatures is assigned.

Blocking
When blocking, if at least one creature blocking an attacker has banding, then the defending player may choose how the creature blocked by the creature(s) with banding assigns combat damage. This is a change from the normal rule in which the attacking player always chooses how their attacking creatures assign combat damage.

Cards that grant banding
Enchantments Enchanted creature
 * Nature's Blessing 
 * Cooperation

Wall creatures you control
 * Fortified Area (walls only)

Instant


 * Formation

Artifacts
 * Helm of Chatzuk</c>
 * Baton of Morale</c>