Cards And Zones
How Do Passive and Activated Abilities Work?
Passive abilities apply automatically; activated abilities require you to choose to use them and pay their costs.
RiftPal explanation · Answer first
The short answer
A Passive AbilityAn ability that applies automatically while its conditions are true, without being activated or put on the Chain.View in Glossary applies while its conditions are true. You do not announce it or pay to switch it on.
An Activated AbilityAn ability you choose to use by paying the cost before its colon. Its effect is written after the colon.View in Glossary has a cost before a colon and an effect after it. Choose to use it, make the required choices and pay the cost. The effect then waits on the ChainAn off-board zone that holds cards and abilities during the process of playing them. Cards and abilities on it are public information.View in Glossary for responses.
RiftPal explanation
How it works
Card reference
Seal of Rage
Normally, use activated abilities during your Main Phase when there is no ChainAn off-board zone that holds cards and abilities during the process of playing them. Cards and abilities on it are public information.View in Glossary , Showdown or Combat. ActionA timing keyword that also permits a card or activated ability during a Showdown on any player's turn. You still need Focus and Priority with an empty Chain; Action alone does not allow a response to a waiting Chain.View in Glossary , ReactionA timing keyword that includes Action's permissions and also permits a card or activated ability while a Chain is waiting. You still need the proper opportunity, normally Priority; it does not allow an interruption halfway through resolution.View in Glossary or other explicit permission can change that timing. Abilities that AddPut the stated Energy or Power into your Rune Pool. Activated and triggered Add abilities resolve as soon as finalized; spells that Add resources use the Chain normally.View in Glossary resources resolve immediately once their choices, costs and legality are settled.
Gear
Seal of Rage
[Exhaust]: [Reaction] — [Add] [Fury]. (Abilities that add resources can't be reacted to.)
An ability on a card normally works while that card is on the board. Text that works elsewhere describes that context, such as playing a card from your Trash. An exhausted card can still have active abilities; exhaustion stops you paying an exhaust cost again, not everything the card can do.
An effect beginning with "when" or "at" is usually a Triggered AbilityAn ability started by a stated event or time, usually introduced by "when" or "at." It goes on the Chain when its condition is met.View in Glossary instead: the stated event starts it, rather than you choosing to activate it.
In practice
Example
An ability reads "Exhaust this: Draw 1." Turn the ready card sideways to pay its cost, allow responses, then draw when the ability resolves. A passive ability saying the unit has +1 Might while alone needs no such activation.