Gatecrash: new mechanics, part 2/2

In one week time we will be pleased to take part in prelease event of Gatecrash. Thus, I decided to introduce you the new mechanics. Every guild have its special abillity. Like in Return to Ravnica we will have 5 guilds: Orzhov, Dimir, Gruul, Boros and Simic.

The Dimir guild: cipher. As a spell you control with cipher resolves, you may exile it and choose a creature you control. The cipher card is then encoded on that creature, and whenever that creature deals combat damage to a player, its controller may copy the encoded card and cast the copy without paying its mana cost. Usually, the creature's controller will be you, but if another player takes control of your creature (due to something like Act of Treason, for example), it takes the encoded spell with it to its new master.

The Gruul guild: bloodrush. Bloodrush is an ability word that marks a particular kind of activated ability you can use when a creature card with bloodrush is in your hand. Each bloodrush ability has a cost of paying some amount of mana and discarding the creature card. It targets an attacking creature, which means it can be activated only during combat and only targeting a creature that's currently attacking. The actual bonus is different on each card with a bloodrush ability. Zhur-Taa Swine is a 5/4, and it gives the attacking creature +5/+4. For instance, a card Viashino Shanktail is a 3/1 with first strike, and its bloodrush ability, correspondingly, gives the attacking creature +3/+1 and first strike. A bloodrush ability isn't a spell and can't be countered by things that only counter spells. It uses the stack and can be responded to normally.