Disney Lorcana keywords explained — all 14 abilities

Bigger when it's the one throwing the punch.

Challenger gives the character +N Strength only while it's the one initiating a challenge — i.e., when you choose to attack with it. It does nothing on defense when it's being challenged. If a card has Challenger +1 and gets another +2 from somewhere, the two stack to +3 for that one swing.

Only other Evasive characters can touch it.

An Evasive character can only be challenged by other Evasive characters. Against a board with no Evasive of their own, your opponent simply can't reach into combat with it — questing or attacking are both free.

Your answer to flying questers — on offense only.

Alert lets this character challenge Evasive characters, ignoring Evasive's "only Evasive can challenge me" rule. Importantly, Alert does not make this character itself Evasive — opponents can still target it with anything that doesn't need to be Evasive.

Challenge the turn it shows up.

Normally a character you just played has to wait a turn before it can act — it's "drying." Rush removes that delay for challenging only. The character still can't quest for lore on the turn it's played; it just gets to swing into combat right away.

A bouncer that draws every punch.

Bodyguard is actually two abilities in one. First, you may put the character into play exerted instead of ready — your choice as you play it. Second, while it's in play and able to be challenged, an opponent who wants to challenge anything of yours must choose a Bodyguard if there's one available.

Shrinks the damage that lands.

Resist reduces the damage dealt to this character or location by N. Multiple instances stack. The key word is dealt — Resist softens incoming damage from challenges and damage-dealing effects, but it does not protect against damage that's simply placed on the card or moved over from somewhere else.

Can't quest, won't sit still.

A Reckless character can't quest, and you can't end your turn while it's ready and able to challenge something. It's a pure offensive piece — all teeth, no lore — that forces you to swing every turn it's available.

Opponents can't point at it.

Opponents can't choose this card for the effects of their abilities or actions. Anything that says "choose a character" — targeted removal, bounce, exert effects — simply can't pick it. Effects that hit everything at once (no choosing involved) still apply, and Ward does not stop challenges, which are their own thing.

Punish them for picking on it.

When an opponent chooses this character as part of resolving one of their actions, this character is banished. It doesn't prevent the action from being played — but the character disappears in response, often before the chosen effect can squeeze more value out of it.

Sing as if you're worth more ink.

This character can exert to sing a song as though it cost N ink, even if its actual ink cost is much lower. So a 2-cost character with Singer 5 can exert to play any 5-or-less song for "free." It's a static ability that gives you a powerful alternate cost whenever a big song is in your hand.

Choir mode — many singers, one giant song.

A song with Sing Together N can be sung by exerting any number of your ready characters whose combined ink costs add up to N or more. No single character has to hit the number alone — it's a group sing.

Pay less, upgrade in place.

If you already have a character in play with the same name as this one, you can play this version by paying its Shift cost instead of its full ink cost. The new card goes on top of the existing character, essentially upgrading it on the spot. There are also Classification Shift (you can shift onto any character with a named classification, not just the same name) and Universal Shift (you can shift onto any of your characters). On cards you'll see it written as something like "Shift 4 {I}."

Lends its muscle to a teammate.

Whenever this character quests, you may add its Strength to another of your characters' Strength for the rest of the turn. It's an opt-in team buff that triggers on quest, so it pays both lore and combat math at the same time.

Tuck a card under it to power things on.

Once per turn you may pay N ink to put the top card of your deck facedown under this character. Cards tucked underneath aren't in play and stay hidden — they exist purely as a counter. The payoff comes from other abilities or cards that care how many cards are boosted under a character; Boost itself doesn't do anything until something else reads that number.