<p>A cantrip is any spell that allows you to draw a card in addition to it's regular effect (e.g. <a href="http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=130903" rel="nofollow">Peek</a>).  It is typically of low casting cost, and the drawing is a secondary effect.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2011-09-19T12:58:46.300Z
The original cantrips were in Ice Age, and typically read "draw a card at the beginning of next turn's upkeep".  Eventually Wizards decided that was too much faff and changed the card-draw to be an immediate effect.  Some people call the Ice Age cards "slowtrips" as a result!
thesunneversets
CC BY-SA 3.0
2011-09-19T12:43:51.727Z
2011-09-19T12:43:51.727Z
Ian Pugsley
<p>In discussions of Magic cards, I've heard a card called a <em>cantrip</em> on several occasions, but I haven't been able to find a definition of what that term means for MtG. Is a cantrip a particular card, a card with a particular mechanism, or what?</p>

<magic-the-gathering><terminology>
What's a cantrip?
JSBձոգչ
# What's a cantrip?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2011-09-19)

In discussions of Magic cards, I've heard a card called a *cantrip* on several occasions, but I haven't been able to find a definition of what that term means for MtG. Is a cantrip a particular card, a card with a particular mechanism, or what?

**Tags:** magic-the-gathering, terminology


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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2011-09-19. Score: 8 | Accepted answer

A cantrip is any spell that allows you to draw a card in addition to it's regular effect (e.g. [Peek](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=130903)). It is typically of low casting cost, and the drawing is a secondary effect.

> **Comments:**
> **username_2**: The original cantrips were in Ice Age, and typically read "draw a card at the beginning of next turn's upkeep".  Eventually Wizards decided that was too much faff and changed the card-draw to be an immediate effect.  Some people call the Ice Age cards "slowtrips" as a result!  

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