Reach
Reach is an evergreen keyword ability that replaces the “[This creature] can block as though it had flying” ability seen on creatures such as Giant Spider.
From the Comprehensive Rules (November 8, 2024—Edge of Eternities)
- 702.17. Reach
- 702.17a Reach is a static ability.
- 702.17b A creature with flying can’t be blocked except by creatures with flying and/or reach. (See rule 509, “Declare Blockers Step,” and rule 702.9, “Flying.”)
- 702.17c Multiple instances of reach on the same creature are redundant.
History
The mechanic used to be known as the “Spider ability”[1], with Giant Spider in Alpha being the first card with Reach.
For design reasons, Mark Rosewater convinced R&D that they needed to keyword more abilities and then put them in a secondary color. The Rules Manager suggested adding Reach because it would greatly shrink the reminder text for flying.[2]
Reach was first keyworded in Future Sight and was introduced into core sets with Tenth Edition.[3] Reach is primary in green. Lately, it also is appearing in red.[4][5][6][7] Reach is tertiary in white, mostly on archers[8], but there has been a ten year gap between reach creatures that are white but not green from Hundred-Handed One to Escarpment Fortress or Craig Boone, Novac Guard.
Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths introduced reach counters.
Petrifying Meddler from Modern Horizons 3 uses Reach to exemplify Eldrazi weirdness: Blue has no need for reach, as it has flying, but this blue-costed Eldrazi has it.[9] This marks it as an odd card that produces perfectly normal gameplay.
Reach in practice
Reach translates into the defensive part of Flying its only meant to be a block option for evasive creatures going for the attack with Flying.
