I'm sure you've all seen MTG creatures wield swords, cast devastating spells, and Regenerate entirely new appendages mid?combat, but have you ever watched one treat a direct hit from a Lightning Bolt as if it was a lukewarm bath?

Well, in case you haven't, in today's Mechanics Overview Segment, I'd like to introduce you to the seldomly seen keyword ability that is Absorb! Now, you may be thinking, "You're making up abilities at this point, Chris." And that is no surprise. After all, there's only one creature in all of Magic with this ability. And, not to mention, the creature in question didn't exactly set Standard on fire when it was printed, and yet its legend persists to this day.

Nevertheless, I hope you'll join me as we grab a towel, along with a healthy disrespect for incoming damage, and dive right into one of Magic's most underrated damage?prevention abilities!

What Is Absorb?

If a source would deal damage to this creature, prevent N of that damage.

And that's pretty much all Absorb wrote. No triggers, no timing restrictions, and no need to scream at the top of your lungs for a judge. If you control a creature with Absorb 1, each incoming source of damage is reduced by 1. Got Absorb 5? Congratulations, Mono-Red is essentially never killing your creatures.

The History of Absorb

Absorb's origin story begins not on Dominaria's Shield of The Realm but in a galaxy far, far away, or, more specifically, in the Star Wars Trading Card Game. In that game, Wizards of the Coast initially experimented with a mechanic called Armor, which reduced incoming damage in a similar fashion. It played well... a little too well, in fact. Games would inevitably drag on and on, and the design team shelved the idea faster than you can say, "This is broken!"

Then, coming back to MTG, as we fast?forwarded to Future Sight (2007), the set featured 81 "futureshifted" cards wearing experimental mechanics. One of those was Lymph Sliver, the sole owner of the new-and-improved Armor ability with its monumental Absorb 1.

But don't let this sole printing of Absorb lull you into thinking it's ever going to become an evergreen mechanic or anything like that. Even head designer Mark Rosewater later confessed the ability ranked a whopping 8 on the Storm Scale. It just goes to show that sometimes even the coolest abilities must stay locked in R&D's attic so the rest of us don't poke an eye out.

Absorb Vs. Other Damage-Prevention Abilities

Mechanic What It Does Why Absorb Is (or Isn't) Better

Protection Prevents all damage and stops targeting, blocking, and enchanting. Absorb stacks but doesn't dodge exile spells like Swords to Plowshares or Path to Exile.

Ward Imposes a tax or penalty in order to target. Absorb outright stops the damage once it resolves; Ward only ever discourages.

Prevent All Damage (Fog Effects) Stops all damage for a turn. Absorb is a static ability, so it prevents damage every turn always, albeit all damage is all damage.

Indestructible Ignores lethal damage but still takes the damage. Absorb lowers the amount of damage taken, so your creature may get to survive and avoid excess Trample damage potentially.

Absorb Vs. Other Damage-Prevention Abilities

Spotlight on Lymph Sliver

I keep throwing its name around, but just for a minute, let's once again give a big round of applause to the one and only champion of the Absorb ability: Lymph Sliver.

• • Cost and Stats: Lymph Sliver is a 5-drop (3WW) with a 3/3 body. A bit on the pricier side for a Sliver, sure, but it does something unique that no other Sliver does: Grants Absorb 1 to all Slivers.
  • Synergy: Obviously, as with every other Sliver in existence, the more Slivers you have, the better. Each new instance of Lymph Sliver (if you Clone it or Replicate it with Hatchery Sliver, for example) creates more instances of Absorb. With just 2 Lymph Slivers on the board, suddenly, your 1/1 Slivers can block 2/2 creatures without dying. With 13 Lymph Slivers, you're suddenly playing one-sided Blasphemous Acts.
  • Pitfalls: At the end of the day, Lymph Sliver's still just a 3/3 for 5. It's by no means an unstoppable threat. A Fireball for 10 is still going to kill it (though reduced by 1, sure). Cards that say "damage can't be prevented" or just say "destroy target creature" also bypass it entirely.
  • It's Just Fun Magic: Lymph Sliver adds an entire new dimension to Sliver math. Slivers were already the "hive mind" archetype that share all sorts of abilities, from Flash to Flying to "I'm going to play my whole deck if this The First Sliver if it resolves." And now, they can even share a damage shield with the help of Lymph Sliver!

Are You Ready to Absorb Some Damage?

Absorb may certainly be one of those weird one-off mechanics that never got to shine in the limelight like Cycling or Scry or Kicker, but that doesn't mean it's not worth your attention. Whether you're an avid Sliver fan, a general lover of obscure mechanics, or just someone who thinks damage prevention is underutilized, there's a certain mischievous glee in watching your opponent's big, scary sources of damage get slowly but surely whittled down by a humble Absorb 1 as games progress.

As I always say, at the end of the day, MTG has always been about freedom of expression, creativity, and occasionally leaving your opponent tilted because you opted to play with weird abilities. And while Absorb might not ever win you a Pro Tour, it could very well generate those unforgettable table moments where a single point of prevention stands between you and losing.

With all that said, that's been Absorb in a Sliver Hive. As always, happy brewing and may you get to dusting off that Lymph Sliver for your next Commander Night.