Regenerate

Regenerate
Keyword Action
Introduced	Alpha
Last used	MH3 Commander
Reminder Text	[cost]: Regenerate (The next time this creature would be destroyed this turn, it isn't. Instead tap it, remove all damage from it, and remove it from combat.)
Storm Scale	10 (deprecated)
Statistics	257 cards 1.2% 8.6% 2.7% 32.7% 4.7% 30% 0.4% 1.2% 0.4% 1.9% 0.4% 3.9% 1.6% 8.9% 1.6%
Scryfall Search
fulloracle:"Regenerate"

Regenerate is a former evergreen keyword action until it was removed from evergreen status after Oath of the Gatewatch.

Regeneration is a replacement effect which means: "The next time this permanent would be destroyed this turn, it isn't. Instead tap it, remove all damage from it, and remove it from combat."

History

Regenerate appears mostly on black cards or green cards, though it appeared on white cards early in Magic's history and again in Planar Chaos. The primary color of regenerate was green, then secondary in black, and tertiary in white.

Regeneration was designed by Richard Garfield for Alpha. Regeneration has historically been a confusing effect. Originally, regeneration was an ability that only could be activated in the damage prevention step, which was a step right after damage was dealt, to save a creature that would otherwise go to the graveyard. It could not be activated or triggered at any other time.

In the Sixth Edition rules changes, the damage prevention step became obsolete, and damage was no longer "assigned" before being dealt - it was simply dealt. Damage prevention, regeneration, and other spells and abilities that generated replacement effects were now played just like other instants. As such, regeneration had drifted in flavor; instead of regenerating when a creature was about to die, you set a regenerative shield that would save the creature if it otherwise would die that turn. Another strike against regenerate was the fact that "can't be regenerated" was such a ubiquitous rider at the time (152 cards that prevented regeneration against 230 cards that used regeneration) that it was often invalidated.

"The word 'regenerate' has been tossed onto cards for years as if it was one of the most simple concepts in the game, along the lines of 'attack' and 'graveyard.' The truth is that the mechanic is so complicated and wonky that we would never greenlight it today, but it has been grandfathered into the fabric of the game, and it does fill a nice niche."

— Aaron Forsythe

Oath of the Gatewatch was the last standard set in which regeneration was printed, after which it was finally retired from premier sets, as was the phrase "can't be regenerated".. Instead, in the following set Shadows over Innistrad the phrase “gains indestructible until end of turn” came into being for new but similar cards. The change came with a shift in color pie, as the flavor leaned more towards protective magic rather than a creature's innate resilience, and so green lost their regenerating creatures while white gained both instants and creatures that granted temporarily indestructible, though rarely granted to themselves. Black retained both spells that gave indestructible and creatures that protected themselves. Starting with Supernatural Stamina, another replacement mechanic has been a series of black instants that grant the target creature a dies trigger that returns it to the battlefield. While more accurate in the "saving a creature after dying" sense, it is also more powerful with dies and entry triggers.

Regenerate made flavor-induced returns as on-offs in supplemental sets like Modern Horizons 2 and MH3 Commander.

Shield counters take some of the aspects of regeneration and rework them to a more intuitive form.

Rules

From the Comprehensive Rules (September 20, 2024—Duskmourn: House of Horror)

• 614.8. Regeneration is a destruction-replacement effect. The word “instead” doesn’t appear on the card but is implicit in the definition of regeneration. “Regenerate [permanent]” means “The next time [permanent] would be destroyed this turn, instead remove all damage marked on it and its controller taps it. If it’s an attacking or blocking creature, remove it from combat.” Abilities that trigger from damage being dealt still trigger even if the permanent regenerates. See rule 701.15.

From the glossary of the Comprehensive Rules (September 20, 2024—Duskmourn: House of Horror)

Regenerate

To replace a permanent’s destruction with an alternate sequence of events. See rule 701.15, “Regenerate.”

From the Comprehensive Rules (September 20, 2024—Duskmourn: House of Horror)

• 701.15. Regenerate
  • 701.15a If the effect of a resolving spell or ability regenerates a permanent, it creates a replacement effect that protects the permanent the next time it would be destroyed this turn. In this case, “Regenerate [permanent]” means “The next time [permanent] would be destroyed this turn, instead remove all damage marked on it and its controller taps it. If it’s an attacking or blocking creature, remove it from combat.”
  • 701.15b If the effect of a static ability regenerates a permanent, it replaces destruction with an alternate effect each time that permanent would be destroyed. In this case, “Regenerate [permanent]” means “Instead remove all damage marked on [permanent] and its controller taps it. If it’s an attacking or blocking creature, remove it from combat.”
  • 701.15c Neither activating an ability that creates a regeneration shield nor casting a spell that creates a regeneration shield is the same as regenerating a permanent. Effects that say that a permanent can’t be regenerated don’t preclude such abilities from being activated or such spells from being cast; rather, they cause regeneration shields to not be applied.

Rulings

• An effect that says something "can't be regenerated" means that the Regenerate replacement effect won't be applied to that creature even if one is active. If something "can't be regenerated", you can still cast spells and activate abilities that produce a Regenerate effect, but they just won't do anything useful.

Examples

Example

Cudgel Troll
Creature — Troll
4/3
: Regenerate Cudgel Troll. (The next time this creature would be destroyed this turn, it isn't. Instead tap it, remove all damage from it, and remove it from combat.)

Enchantments that grant just regeneration

Target creature

• Broken Fall
• Fanatical Devotion
• Horror of Horrors
• Molting Skin
• Regeneration

Aura (enchanted creature)

• Blessing of Leeches
• Fortitude
• Jolrael's Favor
• Soul Channeling
• Strands of Undeath
• Trollhide

Trivia

• Players must apply the regenerate effect BEFORE the permanent would die. If it's a creature in combat, the last chance to do this is during the declare blockers step, after blockers are declared and before damage. This is referred to as "giving the creature a regeneration shield".
• Up until The Dark, a creature that could regenerate itself would say "Regenerates"
• Terror (Limited Edition Alpha) is the only instance of the word "regeneration" appearing in the rules text.
• Both Regenerate and Regeneration would provide regeneration effects.
  • However, the Universes Beyond card Time Lord Regeneration does not.
• Buried cards couldn't be regenerated.
• Four cards - Soldevi Sentry, Debt of Loyalty, Skeleton Scavengers and Matopi Golem - have secondary effects tied to their regeneration effect. Such effects were intended to only occur when regeneration occurs, and as such are the only cards with "regenerates this way". Debt of Loyalty is the most confusing as the rules text does not indicate that and as such reads like a three-mana Mind Control.
• The fear, lifelink, manifest dread, regenerate, and vigilance keywords are the only keywords with a card of the exact name (Fear, Lifelink, Manifest Dread, Regenerate, and Vigilance respectively).