Intensity

Keywords · intermediate

Intensity is digital-only: it appears on MTG Arena / Alchemy cards and does not appear in paper Magic.

How it works

• A card with intensity is printed with a "Starting intensity N" line, and the card's own effect references that number, for example "deals damage equal to its intensity" or "X is Minthara of the Absolute's intensity."
• An ability on the card increases the number, worded as the card (or "cards you own named [this card]") "intensify by 1."
• The trigger that intensifies a card is usually tied to the card doing its job again, such as a sorcery dealing damage, a creature attacking, or an aura's enchanted land being tapped for mana.

Rules notes

• Some cards intensify only themselves ("this creature intensifies by 1," "this enchantment intensifies by 1"), while others intensify every card you own with that name ("cards you own named Static Discharge intensify by 1"), which matters for instants and sorceries that leave the stack and land in your graveyard.
• Starting intensity can be 0, as on Minthara of the Absolute, so the bonus it grants starts at nothing and only grows once its intensify trigger has fired at least once.