Reach — what does it mean?
Can block creatures with flying, even though it doesn't have flying itself.
Reach appears on 439 cards.
How does Reach work?
A creature with flying normally can't be blocked except by creatures with flying. Reach is the exception: a creature with reach can block a flier even though it doesn't fly itself. It also blocks creatures without flying, just like any other creature.
Reach only matters when blocking. An attacking creature with reach gets nothing from it: anything can block it, and it doesn't fly over anything. Reach also isn't flying. An effect that hits each creature with flying doesn't hit a creature with reach, and a creature with both flying and reach gets nothing extra from the reach.
Reach only lifts the restriction that flying creates. Other evasion still applies. A creature that can't be blocked can't be blocked by a reach creature either. If a flier also has menace, you need two blockers that each have flying or reach. Multiple instances of reach on the same creature are redundant.
An example at the table
Your opponent attacks with a 3/3 with flying. You're at 4 and have a 1/4 with reach and a vanilla 4/4. Your 4/4 can't block the flier, but your 1/4 with reach can. You block: the 3/3 deals 3 damage to your 1/4, which survives with 4 toughness, and your 1/4 deals 1 back. Nothing dies, but you stay at 4 instead of dropping to 1. If the flier had menace too, your 1/4 couldn't have blocked it alone.
Cards with Reach
SixIllustration: Andrew Mar
Ancient GreenwardenIllustration: Grzegorz Rutkowski
Kodama of the West TreeIllustration: Daarken
Kodama of the East TreeIllustration: Daarken
Arasta of the Endless WebIllustration: Sam RowanCommon mistakes
- Thinking reach is the same as flying. A creature with reach doesn't fly, so it can be blocked normally when it attacks, and effects that care about flying don't affect it.
- Thinking a creature with reach can only block fliers. It blocks creatures without flying too.
- Thinking reach beats all evasion. It only answers flying; other restrictions like menace or can't be blocked still apply.
Frequently asked questions
- Can a creature with reach block a creature without flying?
- Yes. Reach only adds the ability to block fliers; otherwise it blocks like any other creature.
- Does reach do anything when the creature attacks?
- No. Reach only matters when blocking. An attacking creature with reach can be blocked by anything.
- Does a creature with reach count as having flying?
- No. Effects that only hit or count creatures with flying skip a creature with reach.
- Can a creature with reach block a flier with menace?
- Not alone. Menace requires at least two blockers, and each one needs flying or reach.
Official rule: Comprehensive Rules 702.17. More on where this rulebook comes from under Sources.
Often seen with
TrampleVigilanceDeathtouchTransformFlash
Which cards with Reach do you own? →
Last updated: 26 October 2026