Fading is a keyword ability that represents two abilities. “Fading N” means “This permanent comes into play with N fade counters on it” and “At the beginning of your upkeep, remove a fade counter from this permanent. If you can’t, sacrifice the permanent.” See rule 502.20, “Fading.”

Fear is an evasion ability. A creature with fear can’t be blocked except by artifact creatures and/or black creatures. See rule 502.25, “Fear.”

First strike is a static ability that modifies the rules for the combat damage step. At the start of the combat damage step, if at least one attacking or blocking creature has first strike or double strike (see rule 502.28), creatures without first strike or double strike don’t assign combat damage. Instead of proceeding to end of combat, the phase gets a second combat damage step to handle the remaining creatures. See rule 502.2, “First Strike.”

The term “fizzle” is an informal term, used when a spell or ability was countered as a result of all its targets being missing or illegal when it resolved. See rule 413.2a.

Flanking is a triggered ability that triggers during the declare blockers step of the combat phase. “Flanking” means “Whenever this creature becomes blocked by a creature without flanking, the blocking creature gets -1/-1 until end of turn.” See rule 502.3, “Flanking.”

Flash

Flash is a static ability that functions in any zone from which you could play the card it’s on. “Flash” means “You may play this card any time you could play an instant.” See rule 502.57, “Flash.”

Flashback appears on some instants and sorceries. It represents two static abilities: one functions while the card is in a player’s graveyard and the other functions while the card is on the stack. “Flashback [cost]” means “You may play this card from your graveyard by paying [cost] rather than paying its mana cost” and “If the flashback cost was paid, remove this card from the game instead of putting it anywhere else any time it would leave the stack.” Playing a spell using its flashback ability follows the rules for paying alternative costs in rules 409.1b and 409.1f-h. See rule 502.22, “Flashback.”

This is text in italics (but not in parentheses) in the text box of a card. It provides a mood or gives interesting background detail for the game world but has no effect on play. See rule 207.2.

To flip a coin for an object that cares whether a player wins or loses the flip, the affected player flips the coin and calls “heads” or “tails.” If the call matches the result, that player wins the flip. Otherwise, the player loses the flip. Only the player who flips the coin wins or loses the flip; no other players are involved.

To flip a coin for an object that cares whether the coin comes up heads or tails, each affected player flips a coin without making a call. No player wins or loses this kind of flip.

If the coin that’s being flipped doesn’t have an obvious “heads” or “tails,” designate one side to be “heads,” and the other side to be “tails.” Other methods of randomization may be substituted for flipping a coin as long as there are two possible outcomes of equal likelihood and all players agree to the substitution.

Flip cards have a two-part card frame on a single card. The text that appears right side up on the card defines the card’s normal characteristics. Additional alternative characteristics appear upside down on the card. The back of a flip card is the normal Magic: The Gathering card back. See rule 508, “Flip Cards.”

The top half of a flip card contains the card’s normal name, text box, type line, power, and toughness. The text box usually contains an ability that causes the permanent to “flip” if certain conditions are met. The bottom half of a flip card contains an alternative name, text box, type line, power, and toughness. These characteristics are used only if the permanent is in play and only if the permanent is flipped.

A flip card’s color, mana cost, expansion symbol, illustration credit, and legal text don’t change if the permanent is flipped. Also, any changes to it by external effects will still apply.

In every zone other than the in-play zone, and also in the in-play zone before the permanent flips, a flip card has only the normal characteristics of the permanent. Once the flip permanent in the in-play zone is flipped, the normal name, text box, type line, power, and toughness of the flip permanent don’t apply and the alternative versions of those characteristics apply instead.

If you control a flip permanent, you must ensure that it’s clear at all times whether the permanent is flipped or not, both when it’s untapped and when it’s tapped. Common methods for distinguishing between flipped and unflipped permanents include using coins or dice to mark flipped objects.

Flipping a permanent is a one-way process. Once a permanent is flipped, it’s impossible for it to become unflipped. However, if flipped permanent leaves play, it retains no memory of its status.

The current DCI Magic: The Gathering Floor Rules can be found at www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dci/doccenter/home.

Flying is an evasion ability. A creature with flying can’t be blocked by creatures without flying. A creature with flying can block a creature with or without flying. See rule 502.4, “Flying.”

Forecast is a special kind of activated ability that can be played only from a player’s hand. It’s written “Forecast – [Activated ability].” A forecast ability may be played only during the upkeep step of the card’s owner and only once each turn. The controller of the forecast ability reveals the card with that ability from his or her hand as the ability is played. That player plays with that card revealed in his or her hand until the upkeep step ends or until it leaves the player’s hand, whichever comes first.

“Forest” is one of the five basic land types. Any land with the land type Forest has the ability “{T}: Add {G} to your mana pool.” See rule 212.6d.

See Landcycling.

See Landwalk.

Free-for-All is a multiplayer variant in which a group of players complete as individuals against each other. See rule 605, “Free-for-All Variant.”