Today I will be analyzing the mechanic of Kicker. It was first introduced around Planeshift and now has returned with Zendikar. What is kicker?

702.30a Kicker is a static ability that functions while the spell is on the stack. "Kicker [cost]" means "You may pay an additional [cost] as you cast this spell." The phrase "Kicker [cost 1] and/or [cost 2]" means the same thing as "Kicker [cost 1], kicker [cost 2]." Paying a spell's kicker cost(s) follows the rules for paying additional costs in rules 601.2b and 601.2e-g.

Source: http://wiki.mtgsalvation.com/article/Kicker

An important thing to note is that the kicker cost should not be a positive effect. Something like "Kicker--Draw 3 cards" is not a good kicker cost since it benefits you. So what are some established kicker costs?

• Mana cost - This is the most common form of kicker. By paying extra mana, you can have an extra effect of the card. See: Into the Roil
• Sacrifice a land - By sacrificing a land, you get the extra effect. See: Dwarven Landslide
• Discarding a creature card - By discarding a creature card, you get the extra effect. See Dralnu's Pet
• Paying life - By paying life you get the extra effect. See: Phyrexian Scuta
• Tapping a creature - By tapping a creature you get the extra effect. See: Blood Tribute

There's still a ton of design space for kicker. Here's some examples of kickers not yet seen:

• Sacrifice a (permanent of a specified type) - Dwarven Landslide had the effect of destroying land by sacrificing your land, adding some flavor to the card. Make the permanent sacrificed relevant to the kicker like so:
  
  Cannibal Metamorph 2UB
  Creature -- Shapeshifter
  Kicker - Sacrifice a creature
  If ~ was kicked, ~ becomes a copy of the sacrificed creature. ~ still keeps its abilities.
  
  UU: Return ~ to its owner's hand.
  
  0/1
• Discarding a (permanent of a specified type) - Same concept as the above, except discarding a card.
  
• Have the opponent gain a beneficial effect - For a good example, see Questing Phelddagrif
• Exiling a card in hand/field/graveyard - One example:
  
  Greeding Indulgence UU
  Instant
  Kicker - Exile a blue card in your hand
  Look at the top 3 cards of your library. Put one of those cards into your hand. If ~ was kicked, put another of those cards into your hand. Put the rest on the bottom of your library in any order.
  

Now this part will have rumoriffic spoilers about kicker so if you want to know nothing about Worldwake, stop reading now.
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Rumored according to: MTGSalvation Forums
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MULTIKICKER -- Whenever you play a spell with multikick, you may pay the kicker cost any number of times and get an effect based on the number of times that spell is kicked.

A very basic example:
Thought Process 1U
Instant
Multikicker 2U
Draw a card. Draw an additional card for each time ~ is kicked.

No official cards have been released yet.

Until next time,
ShadowSketched
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