Gems
This page describes the types of Gems you can encounter on the Gem board during a game of Magic: the Gathering Puzzle Quest
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Contents
Colored gems
Colored gems are white, blue, black, red, or green.
- Colored gems may become Support gems when a support is played.
- Colored gems may become Activated gems when a card with an activated Ability is played.
Matching colored gems (making 3 in a row of the same color) gives you 1 Mana per gem, extra mana equal to your mana bonus in that color, and 1 Loyalty.
Loyalty gems
Matching loyalty gems gives you 1 Loyalty per gem, but no mana.
Loyalty gems generally can't be converted into other gem colors or types unless explicitly specified.
Support gems
When a support card or support Token 
enters play, a colored gem becomes a Support gem.
- If possible, the support is placed on a gem matching a color of the support.
- If that's not possible, the support may be placed on any colored gem.
Support gems enter play with a numerical shield value. The shield value represents the durability of the support.
The side of the gem on which the shield value is shown corresponds to the player who controls the support.
Support gems can't be converted into other gem colors or types.
Support gems which are reinforced gain a circular icon around the shield value.
Support gems with Mana Field 
have a large glowing halo during the controlling player's turn.
Creating support gems
Support gems can be created by:
- Playing a support card from hand.
- Playing the same support card again reinforces the existing support gem, unless otherwise specified.
- Using a card or an ability to create a support tokens. Types of support tokens are described below.
Matching support gems
Matching or hitting a support gem by a match-4 reduces its shield by 1. If the shield goes to 0, the support is destroyed. Some supports are indestructible, i.e. they lose no shield when matched; they can still be destroyed by card and Planeswalker abilities. Others regain shields after losing them to a match. Fractals gain shield when matched.
| Type of indestructible support | Effect of matching |
|---|---|
| Created by a player's card or loyalty ability | No effect (unless otherwise specified) |
| Part of an event node's special rules | Changes the support gem's color to a random color |
Types of support gems
Support cards
Support gems created by an ordinary support card act as described on the card. Ordinary supports reinforce if played when you already control the same support in play, unless otherwise specified on the card. When a support gem which was cast as a support card is destroyed from play, the support card enters the graveyard.
Support tokens
Support tokens are created by effects rather than being cast as a card. When destroyed, support tokens do not enter the graveyard; they just disappear. Support tokens have the same appearance on the gem board as support cards, and unless otherwise specified are affected by the same effects and abilities that affect support gems cast as cards.
| Type | Image | Reinforces | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clue token | 
|
Doesn't reinforce |
|
| Supporting Servo token | 
|
Doesn't reinforce |
|
| Food token | 
|
Doesn't reinforce |
|
| Treasure token | 
|
Reinforces only when you have 4+ treasure tokens in play |
|
| Others | Reinforces unless otherwise specified | Many other support tokens can enter play from card or planeswalker abilities, many with unique effects. |
Vanguards
Vanguards 
are a special type of support card representing planeswalkers. They have a different appearance on the gem board to card or token supports.
Vanguard cards enter the gem board as Vanguard support gems when played, and are reinforced if already in play when played again. Vanguards have passive and active abilities which their controller can benefit from.
By default, effects which work on general supports don't work on Vanguards; Vanguards are only affected if it's specifically stated on the card or effect. For example:
- A card which says "Destroy a support." doesn't affect Vanguards.
- But a card which says "Destroy a support. This effect can affect Vanguards." does.
Activated gems
Matching activated gems destroys them and produces an effect which depends on the type of the activated gem. Activated gems can also be destroyed with abilities, whether cast or on the board (such as Ignited gems) or used by Planeswalkers, which often destroy square gem blocks of various sizes (eg 3x3 or 5x5).
Activated gems are created from existing colored gems, and keep their color after becoming activated gems.
Activated gems can't be converted into other gem colors or types.
While most activated gems have no effect if matched by the opponent, the Puzzle Masters set introduced a new type of Activated gem that always does : Improved gems.
Tapping an activated gem will cause a glow to appear on or around any source that created it present on the gem board, or a Planeswalker's portrait if their ability was the source.
| Activated gem type | Image | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Activate | 
|
Triggers an effect on the card which created the activate gem |
Adapt 
|
|
The creature which created the adapt gem gets +1/+1 and has its Adapt ability triggered
|
| Aftermath |
|
|
| Countdown | 
|
Counts down by 1 each turn and triggers the match effect on zero
|
| Embalm |
|
|
| Energize | 
|
Can trigger an Overload effect on your cards in play |
Enhanced 
|
|
When matched with a swap, adds 1 to the Enhanced value of your first card in hand which can be Enhanced
|
| Eternalize |
|
|
Graveyard 
|
|
Adds 3 mana to the first card in your graveyard with Buried
|
Phyrexian 
|
|
Adds 3 mana to the first card in your hand with Compleated that can gain mana and you lose 2 life; only triggers if you have a card with Compleated in hand that can gain mana and you have 5 or more life
|
Snow 
|
|
Adds 1 mana to the first card in your hand with Snow ; can trigger additional Snow effects on cards
|
| Trap | 
|
Traps owned by the opponent are invisible to the player. However, the AI sees traps! Triggers an effect of the card that created the trap gem |
Improved gems
Improved Gems were introduced with the Puzzle Masters set. They always trigger with an effect for the player that matches them. Only the Blue Deny 
and Time Bubble gems are unequivocally detrimental to the enemy that matches them.
| Activated gem type | Image | Effect |
|---|---|---|
Corrupted 
|
|
Adds 3 mana to the first card in your graveyard with Buried that can gain mana, or lose 3 life if no cards can
|
Crystalized 
|
Counts as a gem of any color. Crystalizing destroys enemy supports to create the gem. | |
| Deny
|
On creation of the Deny support, opponent gains Denied. On match by a Denied player, that player is Restrained. Otherwise, matching it creates a Time Bubble token : [Enchantment: Support's owner drains 3 mana from opponent if it is matched on their turn. On opponents' turn, matching it forces them to Discard] | |
Enlist 
|
Gives 3 Life to the player that matches it | |
Ignited 
|
|
Destroy a block of 3x3 gems around the ignited gem |
Seed 
|
|
Gives mana to the player that matches it: 1 for each creature and reinforcement they control |
Mana Field
Introduced by PMA, but now widely used, Mana Field supports trigger their effects when any gem on the Gem board is matched adjacent or diagonally adjacent to the support.
Lotus Field 
supports trigger their effects like a Mana Field, but the effects, usually converting gems to that color or increasing that color's mana bonus, are dependent on the color of gem matched.
Blood is a token support created by other cards or Planeswalker abilities. When a gem in its Mana Field is matched, it loses a shield, and then Discards a card and Draws a card.
Event supports
Event supports are a means of varying the gameplay with special rules, abilities, restrictions.. They are always invulnerable to having their shields reduced by matching, either by being Resilient 
, and always getting their shields back, or by having infinite shields. Almost all are also invulnerable to destruction by cards and Planeswalker abilities. An exception is the Atogatog support in the Seize the Day.
Day and Night
Day and Night supports are like Event supports in that they are invulnerable (Day and Night cannot be destroyed by any means), automatically added to the gem board, and add special effects to gameplay.
The Day support is always added first: whenever a Transform 
card (that can change back; Disturb 
cards can only Transform into their flip side) is Summoned, or when Arlinn, the Pack's Hope begins the game, or when Teferi, Who Slows the Sunset or Arlinn Kord use their abilities.
A Daybound 
card Transforms to its Nightbound 
side if played at Night, or at the end of any player's turn during which no cards were cast (which is what makes it become Night).
Anytime it is Night, and a player casts two or more cards during their turn, it becomes Day at the end of that turn.
Either of these changes, from Day to Night or vice versa, trigger Dayshift 
cards, and one of the support cards is replaced by the other.
Void gems
Void gems are empty bubbles created by cards with the Ingest ability.
Cards with the Process ability require void gems on the board to work.
Matching 3 or more void gems gives +1 mana per gem to a card in hand with the Devoid 
ability, and +1 Loyalty. If you have no Devoid cards in hand, matching devoid gems gives no mana. Void gems cannot give extra mana from any coloured mana bonus.