Everything You Need to Know About Activated Abilities in Magic

Last updated on January 20, 2026

Narfi, Betrayer King | Illustration by Daarken

Magic boasts a wide range of different cards, effects, and abilities. But unless you delve a little deeper into the rules, sometimes the details of how these work are completely lost on you.

Today I share all about activated abilities. What they are, how they work, and how you can identify them on your cards. Let’s just jump right into it!

What is an Activated Ability in Magic?

Reap What Is Sown | Illustration by Cynthia Sheppard

Activated abilities are structured as a list of costs that you have to pay, each separated by a comma, followed by a colon, and then the effect that the ability gives you. It looks something like this:

[Cost 1], [Cost 2], [Cost 3] : [Effect].

We don’t use our English punctuation skills all that often in regular speech, but what you need to look for is a colon. All activated abilities in Magic have a colon (“:”). It’s that simple.

Let's look at Bender's Waterskin as an example. The Waterskin has an activated ability that says “: Add one mana of any color.” Its ability has one cost listed before the colon (tapping itself), and the effect you get one mana. Great Divide Guide grants this same activated ability to lands and allies you control.

Did you find the activated ability on High Perfect Morcant? The card wants to tap elves to proliferate. Morcant itself could be one of the elves to tap, and it could be any of your other elves. Plus it gives us a timing restriction with the sentence: “Activate only as sorcery.”

What Things Count as Activated Abilities?

Any paragraph on a Magic card that has a colon is an activated ability. It’s that easy to identify an activated ability.

The loyalty abilities of planeswalkers are also activated abilities.

Weird Examples of Activated Abilities

There are around 6,500 cards in the game that either have or reference activated abilities. Among that enormous pool of cards are some really weird examples.

While you may think of activated abilities as something that cards on the battlefield use, like lands tapping for mana or planeswalkers using their abilities, there’s actually no reason why we can’t have abilities that activate from other zones. Channel and cycling are examples of activated abilities that activate in your hand. Canyon Crawler finds food and those artifact tokens have an activated ability of their own. There are also quite a few cards that activate when they’re in your graveyard like Narfi, Betrayer King and Cobbled Lancer.

By far the weirdest activated ability I know of is Lightning Storm, the card that used to be the win condition in Modern Ad Nauseam decks. Only a small handful of cards (five in total) even reference the stack in the first place, let alone having an activated ability that can only be used while there. Torrent of Lava similarly grants activated abilities to creatures while it’s on the stack.

Activated abilities do all sorts of things. While they can mostly only be used while on the battlefield, you should read the ability and look for clues as to when it’s supposed to be used. If the card has to be discarded as a cost then it can only be used from the hand. If the effect returns it from the graveyard, then of course it can only be used from the graveyard.

When Can Activated Abilities be Used?

Activated abilities can generally be used at any time as if you just cast an instant. This includes when you attack, during your upkeep before you draw for the turn, and even on your opponent’s turn.

But there are some exceptions. Some abilities specify a time when you can activate them, like Eternal Dragon’s first ability or the opponent clause on Oft-Nabbed Goat. Bloodrush abilities like Ghor-Clan Rampager are restricted based on what kind of target they need since it requires an attacking creature and can only be used during combat. The exhaust mechanic on Bitter Work modifies the ability to be a one-time activation.

The most common restrictions you’ll see on cards is “activate only as a sorcery,” meaning you can only activate it on one of your own main phases while the stack is empty, the same as if you were casting a sorcery spell.

Can You Activate a Creature's Ability Before It Dies?

Yes, you can absolutely activate a creature’s ability before it dies, assuming that you can pay the costs. The best part about creatures that sacrifice themselves as the cost of their ability is that removal is so bad against them and they make for great chump blockers. Sakura-Tribe Elder is my favorite example of this, letting you play it out and absorb a bit of damage before sacrificing itself for value.

This also includes other kinds of activated abilities. If your creature has a tap ability but you want to block with it, you can always block while it’s untapped and then tap it to use its ability before it dies in combat. The same goes for if it’s targeted by removal. You might as well get value from your ability before the removal spell hits, though you have to account for summoning sickness.

Can You Use an Activated Ability More Than Once?

As long as you can pay the cost each time, you can use the same activated ability as many times as you like. Though some recently printed abilities have the wording “activate only once each turn” to restrict this. Abilities that require you to tap the permanent they’re on certainly feel like they can only be used once per turn, but you can use the ability again if another ability untaps it.

This is especially relevant for infinite loops. The classic combos of Deceiver Exarch with Splinter Twin or Devoted Druid with Vizier of Remedies involve you activating the same ability as many times as needed to win the game.

Pit Automaton makes an exception out of an exception. Exhaust abilities are designed as one-time use, but this construct gives you a second instance of the ability.

What's the Difference Between Triggered and Activated Abilities?

An activated ability is basically an ability that you have complete control over. Very similarly to casting a spell you have to choose to use it. You don’t have any direct control over triggered abilities as they automatically trigger whenever their trigger happens.

I already mentioned how you can identify activated abilities by the fact that they contain a colon. In the same vein all triggered abilities start with the words “when,” “whenever,” or “at,” and these words are only used on Magic cards to denote triggered abilities.

Are Tap Abilities Activated Abilities?

Early on in learning to play Magic you learn about summoning sickness and that it applies to “tap abilities.” (i.e.: abilities that include the tap symbol as a cost). These are activated abilities as they contain a colon, and the tap symbol is one of the listed costs.

Can You Activate a Creature's Ability if it Has Summoning Sickness?

Summoning sickness only stops creatures from attacking and activating abilities that use the tap symbol as a cost. As long as the tap symbol isn’t in the list of costs then you can still activate those abilities.

This also applies to abilities that tap the creature as a cost but don’t use the tap symbol. Heritage Druid and Birchlore Rangers can tap themselves to activate their abilities through summoning sickness, and summoning sick creatures can also be used for convoke, to crew a vehicle, or waterbend.

What About While It's Tapped?

As long as you can pay the costs, you can activate a creature’s abilities even if it’s tapped. Obviously you can't use an ability with the tap symbol if the permanent is already tapped.

Is Paying Mana an Activated Ability?

Probably the most common cost for an activated ability is to pay some amount of mana, so most instances of paying mana are to activate an ability. But paying mana isn’t inherently an activated ability, so you should check the card and look for the colon to see if the ability is activated or not.

Are Planeswalker Loyalty Abilities Activated Abilities?

All planeswalker loyalty abilities count as activated abilities. While planeswalker abilities don’t have a colon in them that’s just because of the way planeswalker cards are templated.

Are Activated Abilities “Spells”?

An activated ability does not count as a spell.

Activated abilities don’t trigger effects like magecraft, and their costs aren’t reduced by cards like The Immortal Sun. They also can’t be countered by counterspells that say “counter target spell.” But some counterspells are capable of countering them, like Voidslime or Disallow since they specifically name activated abilities as something they can counter.

A special creature subtype called spellshapers essentially turn a card in your hand into a spell. Bog Witch basically substitutes one card into a Dark Ritual and Dreamscape Artist gives you a blue version of Harrow. Then there's Jaya Ballard, Task Mage that offers your hand three different “spells”.

How Do you Search for Activated Abilities on Gatherer/Scryfall?

On Scryfall, use the syntax [o:”:”] without the square brackets and you’ll find all cards that have an activated ability in their card text. This also includes cards that give abilities to other cards.

All activated abilities have a colon punctuation mark. The colon is also only used in activated abilities though you might find it in the name of a few select cards and summons. So all you need to do is search for cards that include a colon in their rules text.

What Cards Stop Activated Abilities?

A lot of activated abilities are very powerful and shutting them down shuts down a whole card. Cards that shut down activated abilities have been popular hate cards for a long time.

My favorite and probably the card that most competitive players jump to is Pithing Needle. I used to joke that every single sideboard I played had at least one Needle in it when I started playing Legacy.

Whether you use it to shut down Aether Vial, Wasteland, or Jace, the Mind Sculptor, Pithing Needle found targets in a lot of matchups. And at just 1 mana you’re unlikely to find another option that’s as good.

Five years ago we saw the natural successor to Pithing Needle when we got Sorcerous Spyglass in Ixalan. While Spyglass costs an extra mana it lets you take a look at your opponent’s hand to see if a better option presents itself, which makes it a better card to side in if you can reliably cast it.

I won a game thanks to this card in early 2020 as my Bant Control opponent laid out his hand expecting me to name the Oko, Thief of Crowns he had waiting for me. Instead I named Misty Rainforest since they were his two land drops so far and he hadn’t cracked them yet. He then had no mana to play the game with and lost shortly after.

A host of other cards have seen a ton of competitive play by shutting down the abilities of artifacts, including Null Rod, Stony Silence, Collector Ouphe, and Karn, the Great Creator. These have always been a thorn in the side of affinity-style decks since they even stop artifacts from tapping for mana, effectively switching Mox Opals and artifact lands off.

Karn even resulted in the banning of Mycosynth Lattice in Modern since turning everything into artifacts and stopping your opponent’s artifacts from activating abilities stops them from ever tapping their lands for mana again. You usually lose the game if you can’t spend any mana on anything.

What is the Difference Between Activated and Mana Abilities?

Mana abilities are a special set of activated abilities that generate amounts of mana, like tapping Llanowar Elves to generate , or a Sol Ring to generate 2 colorless mana. Arbor Elf might essentially provide you mana, but is not a mana ability. There are also triggered abilities that also generate mana and are considered mana abilities.

A mana ability has three criteria: It doesn't target, its ability generates mana, and it's not a loyalty ability. That means the first ability on Deathrite Shaman doesn't count (since it targets something), and the +1 on Xenagos, the Reveler doesn't count, since loyalty abilities can't be mana abilities.

It's key to note that a mana ability doesn't use the stack. Even a complex one like the ability on Selvala, Explorer Returned skips the stack and just happens as soon as it's activated, parley and all, without giving players a chance to interact.

What Happens if You Remove a Creature After Its Ability is Activated?

If you remove a creature after the ability went onto the stack, the ability resolves normally.

When you activate a creature’s ability, it goes on the stack, and at that point it’s independent of whether the creature stays on the battlefield or not. Of course, if I activate Basking Rootwalla’s +2/+2 ability and it gets removed, the ability resolves, but the bonus doesn’t go anywhere since there’s no Basking Rootwalla to get the +2/+2 pump. So a Prodigal Sorcerer can deal 1 damage to kill the Rootwall before that ability resolves, but after the cost for the ability has been paid.

Can I Respond to an Activated Ability With Another Activated Ability?

You can. Activated abilities go to the stack the same way spells do, so while the activated ability is on the stack, you can respond to it with your own activated ability. The exception is mana abilities, which are activated abilities that can’t be responded to because they don’t use the stack. 

What Happens if All the Targets of an Ability are No Longer Valid When It Resolves?

If all targets of an ability are no longer valid, the ability gets countered.

On the other hand, if an ability targets two or more creatures, it will resolve if at least one legal (valid) target still exists. 

Is Equip an Activated Ability?

Equip abilities sure are activated abilities! Equipments have activated abilities, and when you equip a Bonesplitter to a creature you control, it’s an activated ability that goes on the stack, and they can even respond by killing the creature you would equip.  

Can I Activate Abilities From My Graveyard?

Yes, some abilities can be activated from the graveyard!

The card in question will let you know if you can do so, but it's fairly common for cards to have activated abilities that only work if they’re in a graveyard, like Balustrade Wurm, Bloodsoaked Champion, or Reassembling Skeleton. But be careful, if you’re thinking about flashback or escape, those are a totally different matter – as static abilities.  

What Does it Mean to Stifle an Activated Ability?

To stifle an activated ability means that it got countered.

Stifle is a classic example of a spell that can counter an activated ability. Other examples of cards that can do that are Disallow and Tale's End. 

What Happens When You Counter an Activated Ability?

When an activated ability is countered, it means that it doesn’t resolve, it doesn’t work. Some people might say that it fizzles.

A classic example is when you use a fetch land, like Polluted Delta. If the tap ability gets countered, you sacrifice your Polluted Delta in vain, because you won’t be able to search your library for a land. Note that costs paid to activate the ability, such as sacrificing permanents, discarding cards, or losing life are not countered.

Is a Treasure Token an Activated Ability?

Treasure[/cai]

A Treasure is an artifact token. However, tapping and sacrificing a Treasure token is an activated ability. Keep in mind that this is a mana ability, though, so it can't get countered.

Wrap Up

Finale of Eternity | Illustration by Daarken

Magic rules can be complex, but some aren’t that complicated; you just haven’t looked into them before. Activated abilities are very easy to identify and the rules surrounding them are pretty straightforward once you read them. Hopefully, you take something away from this and the next time you ask a judge if your Pithing Needle works on your opponent’s card, you might remember this and be able to work it out for yourself.

Do you have any fun stories about activated abilities? What’s your favorite activated ability on a card? Let me know in the comments or over in the official Draftsim Discord.

Until next time, stay safe and have fun!