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Keywords are words or short phrases that represent specific abilities and mechanics. They replace larger explanations of their effects on cards, saving space in cards' text while providing a shorthand for easier memorization and reference.

Keywords appear as bolded text on cards. Hovering over cards with keywords will make a box appear, above or to the card's side, with a description of the keywords' effects. Note that references to other card's names are also bolded. Hovering usually displays referenced cards too.

Keywords are often used to thematically group cards in Eternal's sets, providing a common identity to the various factions or themes that are represented.

Trigger Keywords[]

Note: "Trigger keywords" is not an official Eternal term. It is being used here to define this subset of keywords, but should be updated if an official term is created.

These keywords are shorthand for triggers, circumstances where something else will happen. While the triggering circumstance is always the same for most of these, their resulting effects vary and are defined on the individual cards.

For example, Dark Wisp, Soulfire Drake, and Claw of the First Dragon all have Entomb, but what happens when they are killed varies wildly.

The Bargain keyword is listed as a Trigger Keyword here, although it functions a bit differently than the others - the text after the keyword lists the trigger instead of the result.

Ally:
Does something the first time you have a unit of the named type.
Amplify:
When you play this, you may pay the Amplify cost any number of times to gain the effect.
Bargain:
Can be played from your Market if you met its requirement this turn. Bargain cards can be in your deck and market at the same time.
Contract:
When you play this card, you may take that much Debt to get the effect.
Decimate:
When you play this, you can choose to lose one Maximum Power to gain the effect.
Empower:
Does something when you play a Power card.
Entomb:
Does something when it is killed.
Fate:
Does something when drawn.
Infiltrate:
This does something the first time it hits the enemy player.
Inspire:
Does something to units you draw.
Lifeforce:
Does something when you gain Icon hp.
Mastery:
When this unit deals damage and survives, add to its Mastery total. When the Mastery target is reached, gain the effect.
Mentor:
When a card with Mentor is played, you may exhaust one of your units as a Student to get an extra effect.
Muster:
Each turn, while this unit is in play and you play both a spell and an attachment, gain the effect.
Onslaught:
Does something when played if you or any of your units have attacked this turn.
Renown:
Does something the first time you play a spell or weapon directly on it.
Shift:
When you play a unit Shifted, you’ll pay in power the Shift number instead of its normal cost.
While Shifted, the unit is in play, but it can’t attack, block, or be selected by any cards.
The unit will remain Shifted for three turns. When you start your third turn, it will Emerge immediately ready to attack or block and it gains Unblockable for the turn.
Spark:
If the enemy player has taken damage this turn, this does something extra when played.
Spellcraft:
When played, you may also pay its Spellcraft cost to play the spell.
Summon:
Does something when played.
Surge:
Does something when you gain an influence.
Transmute X:
When you reach X maximum power before playing this, it transforms into a new card.
Tribute:
Does something when played if a unit went to your void this turn.
Ultimate:
Can only be used once.
Valkyrie-Warp:
You can play this from the top of your deck if you have a Valkyrie. When you do, it has an additional effect.
Crown of Possibilities

Crown of Possibilities gives units Skill keywords.

Skills[]

See the main Skills article for a list of skill and battle skill keywords.

Skill is an Eternal term that refers to a specific set of keywords (including their subset battle skills). Unlike trigger keywords, skills do not have varying effects—they will always do the same thing wherever they appear.

Cards that reference skills do not refer to non-skill keywords.

Note that sometimes these cards have exceptions to the skills they reference, see the Notes section on the individual card pages for details.

Skills are not the only keywords that have unvarying effects. Skills are differentiated in that they can appear as a stand-alone keyword on unit cards with no other context, while the other keywords would require other text.

For example, the Lifesteal skill appears on Cabal Cutthroat on its own. It also appears on its own on non-unit cards, such as Spirit Drain and Lethrai Falchion. Alternatively, Scout appears as a stand-alone keyword on the non-unit card Crest of Chaos, but on units it must appear in context such as a trigger keyword's effect.

Other Keywords[]

Debt:
Your available power is spent to pay off debt. If you can't pay it all, you pay at the start of the next turn.
Depleted:
Isn't usable the turn it is played.
Hunt:
The enemy player discards that many cards from the top of their deck. The hunter gets +1/+1 for each non-power discarded and you drawn an Advantage with +1 power for each power discarded.
Invoke:
Choose between a random spell, unit, and attachment of this card's factions to create and draw.
The Market:
You may store up to five different cards in your Market when you build a deck.
Night:
When you start a turn at Night, draw an additional card and take 1 damage.

Nightfall:
The first Nightfall card played in a turn makes it Night and extends it by a turn for each player.
Plunder:
You may transform a power card in your hand into a Treasure Trove or a non-power card in your hand into a sigil of its faction.
Scout:
Look at the top card of your deck. You may put it on the bottom.
Silence:
Remove all text from a card and its attachments.
Steal:
Taking an enemy card is stealing. Stealing a card removes its influence requirements.
Stun:
Exhaust a unit. It doesn't ready on its owner's next turn. (Exhausted units can't attack or block).
Twist:
Twisting a unit gives it +1/-1 and does an effect.

Deprecated Keywords[]

These keywords have been removed from the game.

Powersurge:
When played, spends all of your remaining power to increase its effect.
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