You've probably witnessed firsthand how creatures with Flying can often soar majestically across the battlefield, effortlessly evading your blockers like they're Anthony Mackie in the latest Captain Marvel movie. But what if I told you there's another, subtler way to ground all these airborne divas without needing your own squadron of winged pals?

Well, gather 'round, because in today's Mechanics Overview Segment, we're diving headfirst into the wonderful world of the Reach mechanic, the everGreen keyword ability that'll surely stop, or at least deter, all those pesky airborne invaders.

What Is Reach?

"A creature with Flying can't be blocked except by creatures with Flying and/or reach."

Simply put, Reach is an evergreen keyword ability that allows a creature to block fliers. That's it: simple on paper, but surprisingly impactful in the real world of tapping lands and attacking life totals.

For example, normally, your 5/5 Flying Dragon gets to bypass all those pesky 1/1 White Soldier tokens with no problem. But if your opponent happens to also have a creature with Reach, suddenly your proud, winged behemoth can potentially be knocked out of the air by what might look like a big, Deathouch Spider or an Archer, who also randomly has Deathtouch for one reason or another (*cough* Thornweald Archer *cough* *cough*)

The History of Reach

Now, let's talk about the roots of Reach. Back in the primordial days of Magic, there was this majestic creature known as Giant Spider. This eight-legged friend was basically your local bouncer for anything with feathers and a wingspan, with a lovely line of rules text that read, "Does not fly, but can block Flying creatures."

As you can see, back then, this ability wasn't known as Reach. It was, in the words of the ancients, the "Spider ability." Because, what else do Spiders do better than trap unsuspecting Flying creatures in their webs of doom? Over time, though, we got a little more sophisticated (or we like to think we did), and Mark Rosewater convinced R&D that this clunky text needed a big old glow-up. Hence, the invention of the keyword for what had formerly been standard spider procedure: Reach, which made its official debut as a keyword in Future Sight (2007)and then solidified its presence in the core-set environment with Tenth Edition (2007).

Congratulations, Giant Spider! You finally got your name in the lights! Well, not your name exactly, but something that explains your job without taking up half the textbox.

What Colors Get Reach?

Now, you might be thinking: "Why is Reach so Green?" And to that, I say, have you seen just how many creatures with wings show up in White and Blue? If Green didn't have something to handle all these flocks of Flying menaces, the forest would basically be a never-ending snack bar for Angels, Birds, and Drakes.

So yes, Reach cards are primary in Green. It's the color of large, spindly-limbed Beasts, nature's unstoppable expansions, and occasionally Archers who decided that vantage points are for the Birds. But in the grand color pie distribution, it's also begun steadily sneaking into Red. Because what's more Red than a towering, flaming Giant (e.g., Iron-Fist Pulverizer, Skyraker Giant, Grabby Giant) that hurls rocks at all them unsuspecting Flyers?

And every now and then, White also gets a bit of Reach. Historically, it showed up on Archers because "Archer" as a creature type practically screams, "We shoot things out of the sky!" It's important to note that White's usage is tertiary, though, so you rarely see it unless it's a specialized effect or, you know, a fancy specialized giant with 100 arms (looking right at you, Hundred-Handed One).

The Future of Reach

With the introduction of Reach Counters in Ikoria (2020), it's now certainly possible to see a future where any color might spontaneously sprout the ability to take down Flyers. It's just one of those inevitabilities that you either love or hate, depending on how much you enjoy unpredictability.

And as the game continues to expand (and sets get ever more experimental), we can surely expect even more interesting designs that'll allow us to slip Reach onto unsuspecting creatures. Because let's face it, players, myself included, simply adore weird interactions, and R&D definitely enjoys seeing us puzzle through new, once-impossible scenarios.

From "Spider Ability" to an Ever-Present Safeguard

So, there you have it: the short and sweet story of how the humble effect of a Giant Spider became a permanent fixture in Magic's arsenal of evergreen keywords. Reach may certainly be straightforward on paper, but in practice, it's the silent hero that ensures Flyers don't reign unchallenged, balancing the game one spindly leg at a time.

And as Magic continues to evolve, Reach stands as a testament to the game's design philosophy of checks and balances. Because if you're going to fly, you'd better watch the skies for your own kind and keep an eye on the ground for an unexpected Reacher cameo (I still have nightmares about Skylasher, the undisputed Flash nemesis of Mono-Blue Devotion from Theros Block).

With all that said, that's it for me this time. As always, happy brewing, and may you always remember that sometimes, all it takes is one sticky, all-reaching web to ground even the mightiest of wings. Until next time!