Way back in 2006, the second set in the Ravnica block, Guildpact, was released. It introduced three more color pairs (each set in Ravnica block introduced a few more, so by the end all ten were represented), including the Orzhov Syndicate.

Ten cards in Black and White received a new keyword ability: Haunt. Let's get into it.

Mechanics of Magic: Haunt

Was Casper really friendly?

Haunt is a way to make a spell work twice. If the Haunting item is an Instant or Sorcery, it will happen twice. If it's a Permanent, its Enters ability will happen twice. It does so by "Haunting" a Creature.

Absolver Thrull Enters and blows up an Enchantment. Cool! Then someone Lightning Bolts it. Uncool. Absolver Thrull goes to the Graveyard, and Haunt triggers. When it does, Haunt triggers, and the Thrull Exiles itself. It targets another Creature. When that Creature dies, Absolver Thrull's ability triggers again, destroying another Enchantment!

It works the same way for Instants and Sorceries, except no Creatures have to die the first time around. Benediction of Moons gets cast and resolves, gaining you some amount of life. It goes to the Graveyard, then Exiles itself and targets a Creature. When that Creature dies, you gain life again!

Does the Headless Horseman play polo with his own head?

There are a few particulars about this worth understanding, in the event you decide to play something with Haunt.

• Comprehensive Rule 702.55 states that a card in Exile because of the Haunt ability "Haunt[s]" the Creature it targeted with that ability, so the phrase "Creature it Haunts" means the thing being Haunted, regardless if it's still a Creature or not.
• If a spell with Haunt is countered, Haunt doesn't trigger.
• You can Haunt any Creature, not just your own, and a single Creature may be Haunted multiple times.
• A card Exiled with the Haunt ability remains in Exile even after the Creature it Haunts goes to the Graveyard.
• On the other hand, if there are no Creatures to Haunt when the card with Haunt goes to the Graveyard, the card with Haunt stays in the Graveyard because Haunt can't trigger.
• When Haunt triggers, your opponents have the opportunity to respond. If they respond by moving the card with Haunt from the Graveyard to Exile, the Haunt ability resolves but because it can't Exile itself, it won't actually Haunt anything. The same is true with tokens of Permanents or copies of spells with Haunt - they have vanished from the Graveyard by the time Haunt attempts to Exile them, so it won't Haunt the targeted Creature.
• Similarly, if a card with Haunt is Haunting something, but the card with Haunt is removed from Exile somehow, Haunting ends.
• Finally, the source of the ability that triggers when the Haunted Creature dies is the Exiled Creature with Haunt. That means the ability is controlled by the owner of the Exiled Haunt card, not the Haunted Creature.

As an example of that final one, let's say you cast a Blind Hunter, gaining a little life and Shocking one of your friends.

Your friend steals the Blind Hunter (what a jerk!) with Threaten, then sacrifices the Blind Hunter to Ashnod's Altar. Your friend controls the Haunt ability which triggers, meaning they have to Exile the Blind Hunter and choose a target Creature to Haunt.

Now the Haunted Creature dies. Even though your friend chose where the Haunting went, because you own the Exiled Blind Hunter, the ability helps you, gaining you a bit more life and Shocking someone again.

Could Myrtle decide to live somewhere other than a bathroom?

The Lead Designer of Magic has a number of issues with Haunt, so it's unlikely we'll ever see any cards past the 10 with the ability. It is, according to Wizards, "unsticky" (in that people don't really remember what it does), it's rather difficult to track - especially in paper Magic - which tends to be a problem, and it works differently on noncreature spells than on Creature spells.

That said, there are some interesting ramifications to Haunt which could be useful to the clever deck designer. Seize the Soul, while a bit pricey and limited, does kill two Creatures for a single card, and leaves you with a mini-fleet (very mini, actually) of fliers.

Exhumer is a bit pricey, but returning two things from the Graveyard with a single card could also be relevant.

Finally, I like the idea of combining Graven Dominator and Orzhov Pontiff.

If you can get both of these cards to Enter or have the Creatures they Haunt die in the same turn, it's a lopsided Wrath of God. No one else will like it, but you might be able to leverage that into a win of some kind.

Was Slimer actually a good guy?

Innistrad: Crimson Vow considered fixing Haunt and using it for the set, but ultimately settled on expanding Disturb, which used double-faced cards in an attempt to function in a similar but less-restrained way - when the Creature dies, it returns as an actual Aura.

Thanks for reading.