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MTG Regeneration is one of the oldest keyword abilities in all of Magic: The Gathering. The mechanic has been around since the very first set Limited Edition Alpha in 1993. Its age is felt in how the mechanic works, and it is notoriously confusing because of its intricacy.
Regenerate was last seen in 2016’s Oath Of The Gatewatch where it was retired afterward, with Head Designer Mark Rosewater saying it is unlikely it will ever come back. While the mechanic itself may be retired, the cards that interact with regenerating are still legal in all non-Standard formats, meaning it is vital to know how it works as you will likely come across regenerate in your games.
This is everything you need to know about how regeneration works. If you’re just starting out, here’s how to play Magic: The Gathering. And here are the best MTG Commander Precons.
How does regenerate work in MTG
Regenerate is a replacement effect that will prevent a creature from dying. It gives a creature the static ability “the next time this creature would be destroyed this turn, instead tap it and remove all damage from it and remove it from combat.”
Simply put, it has a creature gain indestructible with a few downsides. Namely, the creature gets tapped when the effect goes off. If you are using regenerate in combat, since it gets removed from combat and all damage gets erased from it, regenerate is a great tool to keep your creature safe from -X/-X spells that would otherwise get around protection provided by something like indestructible.
Even if a creature is already tapped, you can still regenerate it. While tapping is a part of the effect to regenerate, the rules still allow you to regenerate it. This is because it is a replacement effect that resolves as much as it can.
Regenerate only saves a creature from destruction once. However, if you have ways to regenerate multiple times a turn, you can ensure a creature never dies. It is important to note that regenerating only protects from destruction effects. This means cards that exile a creature force you to sacrifice it. Or giving a creature -X/-X will get around regeneration and they will still be removed.
There are some removal spells that prevent a creature from being able to regenerate. This cancels out the effect when it comes time to regenerate to trigger. You do have the option of giving a creature regenerate in response to these removal spells. But the regenerate will have no effect and the creature will still be destroyed. There generally are not many reasons to do this, but there are some niche cases where the card that allows a creature to regenerate will enable other permanents you control, such as if it requires the tapping of a creature.
What colors can regenerate in MTG
While regenerate has been around since the start of the game, the spread of what colors have access to them is very skewed. The color with the most cards is black, with green closely behind. These are the two colors that are the primary colors, and are tertiary in white, though the gap in the number of cards is huge compared to green and black. Although blue and red both have cards that can regenerate, Mono Blue only has three cards and Mono Red has four that can regenerate. The rest in those colors require another color to regenerate.
What card types regenerate?
Most regeneration cards are attached to creatures, usually paying mana to regenerate themselves. There are no sorceries that can regenerate a creature, and between every other card type excluding creatures, there are only 59 cards that regenerate.
In total, 259 cards can regenerate a creature. Of these 259, there are no two-color pairs that do not have green or black in them that grant the ability. Black and green cards make up over 60% of the card pool of effects that can regenerate creatures.
The best regeneration cards in MTG
When it comes to regeneration, the best cards are the ones that can keep being used. These are permanents that let you regenerate infinitely so long as you can pay the cost to do so. Auras can protect one creature directly and are great in enchantment-based strategies to raise your enchantment count while keeping the creature you are giving Auras to protection. Examples of these include Jolrael’s Favor which requires you to pay two mana, Soul Channeling which makes you pay two life, and Gaea’s Embrace which gives a +3/+3 stat boost, trample, and lets you regenerate for one green mana.
The other great regeneration spells are the permanents that can regenerate any creature on the battlefield. This helps to protect multiple creatures from a board wipe or keep multiple creatures protected through combat. It also helps to ensure your entire battlefield is protected, not just one specific creature. Fanatical Devotion can regenerate any creature by sacrificing another, Asceticism gives all your creatures hexproof and lets you regenerate a creature for two mana, and both Broken Fall and Molting Skin can be returned to the hand to regenerate a creature which lets you re-cast them.
The last section of the best regeneration spells are the ones that can do more than just regenerate. For example, multiple Charm spells can be used differently depending on the game state. Golgari Charm can give all creatures -1/-1, destroy a target enchantment, or regenerate all creatures you control. This is the best Charm for regeneration purposes, as the other effects are likely to come up throughout a game.
That is everything you need to know about how regeneration works. The rulings are a bit clunky, and that is the main reason the mechanic was discontinued. Temporarily giving a creature indestructible proved to be a much simpler way to give the same kind of effect that regeneration was trying to make work. Except Standard, every format has to deal with regeneration, be they cards that let a creature regenerate or prevent a creature from being regenerated.
The regeneration mechanic in MTG sees the most play in Commander where there are plenty of useful cards that can keep your creatures safe. This is especially true for your commander where your deck tends to be built around it. Keeping them protected is more important compared to other formats. Our best MTG Commander Decks will give you a headstart if you’re considering the Commander game mode. And if you’re new to it, here’s how to play Commander in MTG.
Regeneration MTG FAQs
What kind of effect is regenerate?
It is a replacement effect.
Is regeneration instant in MTG?
No, it is not an instant spell.
