Magic: The Gathering comprehensive rules
These rules are current as of November 1, 1999.
Introduction
This book is designed for people who’ve moved beyond the basic Magic: The Gathering® game. If you’re a beginning Magic® player, you’ll probably find these rules pretty intimidating. They’re intended to be the ultimate authority to the game, and you won’t usually need to refer to them except in specific cases or during a tournament.
For casual play, and nearly every ordinary situation, you’ll find what you need in the general rulebook included with the Magic: The Gathering—Classic™ game box. That’s also the best place to begin if you’re moving up from a starter-level Magic product such as the Magic: The Gathering—Starter set. If you’re sure this is where you want to be, keep reading.
This document is organized in a series of numbered rules. Many of these rules are in turn subdivided, and each separate rule of the game has its own number. Words or phrases in italics are defined in the glossary, which starts on p. 46.
We at Wizards of the Coast® recognize that no matter how detailed the rules, there will always be situations in which the interactions of specific cards require a precise answer. If you have questions, you can get the answers from us. See inside the front cover for contact information.
1. The Game
100. General
100.1. These Magic rules assume a game between two players. Optional rules allow for more players but aren’t discussed here. These can be found at the Wizards of the Coast® website at [www.wizards.com].
100.2. In constructed-deck play, each player needs his or her own deck of at least sixty cards with no more than four copies of any card except basic lands; small objects to represent any tokens and counters; and some way to clearly track life totals.
100.3. For sealed-deck or draft play, only forty cards are required in a deck, and a player may use as many copies of a card as he or she has. See the DCI™ Magic Floor Rules for more information; they can be found at [Chyba! Záložka není definována.].
100.4. There is no maximum deck size.
100.5. Most Magic tournaments have special rules (not included here) and may limit the use of some cards, including barring all cards from older sets. See the DCI Magic Floor Rules for more information.
101. Starting the Game
101.1. At the start of a game, each player shuffles his or her own deck so that the cards are in a random order. Each player may then cut his or her opponent’s deck.
101.2. After the decks have been shuffled, the players determine who will take the first turn, using any mutually agreeable method (flipping a coin, rolling dice, etc.). In a match of several games, the loser of the previous game decides who will take the first turn. If the previous game was a draw, the person who determined who would take the first turn in the previous game decides.
101.3. Once the starting player has been determined, each player sets his or her life total to 20 and draws a hand of seven cards.
101.4. The player who plays first skips the draw step (see rule 304, „Draw Step") of his or her first turn.
101.5. A player who is dissatisfied with his or her initial hand may mulligan. That player shuffles his or her hand back into the deck, then draws a new hand of six cards. He or she may repeat this process as many times as desired, drawing one fewer card each time, until the hand reaches zero cards. Once the first player decides to keep a hand, the second player may mulligan. Once both players are satisfied with their hands, the first player takes his or her turn.
102. Winning and Losing
102.1. If a player’s life total is 0 or less, he or she loses the game the next time a player receives priority. (This is a state-based effect. See rule 420, „State-Based Effects.")
102.2. When a player is required to draw more cards than are left in his or her library, he or she draws the remaining cards, then loses the game the next time a player receives priority. (This is a state-based effect. See rule 420, „State-Based Effects.")
102.3. A game immediately ends when either these rules or a card effect states that a player loses or wins.
102.4. If both players lose simultaneously, the game is a draw.
102.5. If a player would both win and lose simultaneously, he or she loses.
102.6. If the game somehow „loops," repeating a sequence of events with no way to stop, the game is a draw. Loops that contain an optional action don’t result in a draw.
102.7. A player may concede a game at any time.
103. The Golden Rule
103.1. The Magic Golden Rule is: Whenever a card’s text directly contradicts these rules, the card takes precedence. The card overrides only the rule that applies to that specific situation. If an instruction requires taking an impossible action, it’s ignored. (In many cases the card will specify consequences for this; if it doesn’t, there’s no effect.)
103.2. When two card contradict each other, the card that states something can’t happen takes precedence. For example, if a card in play states „Players can’t gain life" and you play a card that would normally give you life, you don’t gain life. Note that adding and removing characteristics (including abilities) from cards doesn’t fall under this rule. See rule 407, „Adding and Removing Abilities."
2. Cards
200. General
200.1. When a rule or card text refers to a „card," it means a Magic card with a Magic card front and the Magic card back. Tokens aren’t considered cards—even an Unglued™ card that represents a token isn’t considered a card for rules purposes.
201. Parts of a Card
201.1. The parts of a card are: name, mana cost, illustration, type, expansion symbol, text box, power/toughness, credit, legal text, and collector number.
202. Name
202.1. The name of a card is printed on its upper-left corner.
202.2. Card text that refers to that card by name means just that particular copy of the card and not any other copies of it, regardless of any name changes due to game effects.
202.3. Two cards are considered to have the same name if the English versions of their names are identical, regardless of anything else printed on the cards.
203. Mana Cost
203.1. The mana cost of a card is indicated by mana symbols printed on its upper-right corner. Tokens and lands have a mana cost of zero. Paying a card’s mana cost requires matching the color of any colored mana symbols as well as paying the generic mana indicated.
203.2. A card is the color or colors of the mana symbols in its mana cost, regardless of the color of its border. For example, a card with a mana cost oo2oW is white; one with a mana cost of o2oWoB is both white and black. Cards with no colored mana symbols are colorless.
203.3. The converted mana cost of a card is the total amount of mana in the mana cost, regardless of color (for example, a mana cost of o3oUoU translates to a converted mana cost of 5). The converted mana cost may be paid with any combination of colored and/or colorless mana.
203.4. Any additional cost listed in a card’s rules text isn’t part of the mana cost. (See rule 409, „Playing Spells and Activated Abilities.")
204. Illustration
204.1. The illustration is printed on the upper half of a card and has no game significance. For example, a creature doesn’t have the flying ability unless stated in its rules text, even if it’s depicted as flying.
205. Type
205.1. The type (and subtype, if applicable) of a card is printed directly below the illustration. (See rules 212–215.)
206. Expansion Symbol
206.1. The expansion symbol indicates in which Magic set the card was published and is printed below the right edge of the illustration.
206.2. The color of the expansion symbol indicates the rarity of the card within its set. A gold symbol signifies the card is rare; silver, uncommon; and black, common or basic land. (Prior to the Exodus™ set, all expansion symbols were black.)
206.3. A spell or ability that affects cards from a particular set „looks" only for that set’s expansion symbol. A card reprinted in the basic set receives the basic set’s expansion symbol; the reprinted version of the card no longer counts as part of its original set. The first five editions of the basic set had no expansion symbol.
207. Text Box
207.1. The text box is printed on the lower half of the card. It contains rules text stating what the card does and any special requirements for playing it.
207.2. The text box may also contain italicized reminder text (in parentheses and italics) summarizing a rule that applies to that card, and/or italicized flavor text that has no game function but, like the illustration, adds artistic appeal to the game.
208. Power/Toughness
208.1. A creature card has two numbers separated by a slash printed on its lower-right corner. The first number is the creature’s power (the amount of damage it deals in combat); the second is its toughness (the amount of damage needed to destroy it). For example, 2/3 means the creature has power 2 and toughness 3.
209. Credit
209.1. The illustration credit for a card is printed directly below the text box. This has no effect on game play.
210. Legal Text
210.1. Legal text (the fine print at the bottom of the card) lists the copyright information. It has no effect on game play.
211. Collector Number
211.1. Some card sets feature collector numbers. This information is printed in the form [card number/total cards in the set], immediately following the legal text. These numbers have no effect on game play.
212. Card Type
212.1. All cards have one or more types: artifact, creature, enchantment, instant, land, or sorcery. Only one multiple type—artifact creature—currently exists. Artifact creature satisfies the criteria for any effect that applies to an artifact card or a creature card.
212.2. Some card types include subtypes, printed on the same line. If more than one word is listed after the „—," the card has each of those subtypes.
212.2a Creature subtypes are listed after the „Creature," separated by a long dash: „Creature — Minotaur," „Artifact Creature — Golem Legend," etc. Creature subtypes are one word each and are also called „creature types." Creature cards may have multiple creature types listed.
EXAMPLE: „Creature — Minotaur" means the card has type creature and creature type Minotaur. (Creature type is a subtype.) „Creature — Goblin Wizard" means the card has type creature and creature types Goblin and Wizard.
212.2b Enchantment subtypes are listed after the „Enchant," separated by a space: „Enchant Creature," „Enchant Player," etc. („Enchant World" isn’t a type or subtype, but a special category of „Enchantment" found only in sets.) An „Enchantment" card has no enchantment subtype. An enchantment subtype specifies what the enchantment can be attached to legally. „Local enchantment" and „global enchantment" aren’t types or subtypes; they’re categories of enchantments.
212.2c Land subtypes are also called „land type" and are always the same as the name of the land card; they aren’t listed on the type line. A card named „Island" has land type „island"; a card named „Henge of Ramos" has land type „Henge of Ramos." Only basic lands get special abilities just for being a given land type. (See rule 214.9e.) Every land card has one land type listed. „Basic land" and „nonbasic land" aren’t types or subtypes; they’re categories of land.
212.2d There are no subtypes for artifact cards, instant cards, or sorcery cards.
213. Spell Type
213.1. Every card, except land cards, is a spell as it’s being played and stops being a spell when it resolves or is countered. For more information, see rule 401, „Spells."
213.2. A spell’s type is the same as its card type.
214. Permanent Type
214.1. A permanent is a card or token that remains in play. There are four types of permanents: artifacts, creatures, enchantments, and lands.
214.2. A nontoken permanent’s type(s) and subtype(s) are the same as those printed on its card. A token’s type(s) and subtype(s) are set by the spell or ability that created it.
214.3. A card becomes a permanent when it comes into play and stops being a permanent when it leaves play. The term „card" or „spell" is often used to refer to a card that’s not in play, such as a creature card in a player’s hand. For more information, see rule 217, „Zones."
214.4. When a permanent’s type or subtype changes, the new type replaces any existing type(s). This changes only the permanent type—the card type doesn’t change. Counters, effects, and damage affecting the permanent remain with it, even if they are meaningless to the new type.
214.5. The initial value of a permanent’s characteristic is the value printed on the card or specified by the spell or ability that create the token or changed the type of the permanent. Using a type-changing ability that says it changes a characteristic changes the initial values of characteristics stated in the ability’s text, not the current values. Continuous effects that don’t change the type of a permanent affect current values of characteristics and can override characteristics set by type-changing abilities.
EXAMPLE: A player plays an artifact’s ability that reads „2: This permanent is a 3/2 artifact creature." Later in the turn, the artifact creature is affected by an ability that reads „Target creature is 0/2." At this point, playing the ability of the artifact again won’t do anything; because the type-changing ability changes characteristics at the initial level, it can’t override the effect. The artifact creature remains 0/2.
214.6. Artifacts
214.6a Artifacts have no special characteristics. Artifact spells are colorless, although other spells or abilities might confer a color.
214.6b Artifact creatures combine the characteristics of both the creature and artifact subtypes and are subject to spells and abilities that affect both.
214.7. Creatures
214.7a If a card instruction requires choosing a creature subtype, this may be any noun (even if the creature doesn’t exist in Magic), but only one. A word that has some other Magic meaning isn’t a valid choice, because that would cause confusion.
EXAMPLE: Merfolk or Wizard is acceptable, but not Merfolk Wizard. Words like „opponent" or „swamp" can’t be chosen because they have other meanings in the game.
214.7b Plurality and gender are ignored when determining creature types.
EXAMPLE: Ogre, Ogres, Ogress, and Ogresses all count as the same creature type—Ogre.
214.8. Enchantments
214.8a A global enchantment simply reads „Enchantment" as its type. Local enchantments comprise various subtypes: enchant artifact, enchant creature, enchant enchantment, enchant land, and enchant permanent.
214.8b A global enchantment is put into play like any other spell that creates a permanent.
214.8c A local enchantment spell requires a target, whose type is indicated by the enchantment subtype. The local enchantment permanent the spell puts into play must enchant that type of permanent and comes into play attached to the permanent the spell targeted. Additional restrictions are indicated by the phrase „Play [card] only on [permanent type]." These restrictions apply to both playing the spell and to the permanent created by the spell.
EXAMPLE: An enchant creature spell requires a target creature; a creature enchantment in play must enchant a creature. (See rules 420.5d and 214.8g.)
214.8d As part of playing a local enchantment spell, the player announces the spell’s target. The local enchantment comes into play attached to the target permanent. If a local enchantment is coming into play through any other means, the player putting it into play chooses a permanent for it to enchant before it can enter play. If no legal permanent is available, the enchantment remains in the zone that it attempted to move from.
214.8e If a local enchantment ends up enchanting an illegal permanent or the permanent it was attached to no longer exists, the enchantment card is put into its owner’s graveyard. This is a state-based effect. (See rule 420, „State-Based Effects.")
214.8f A local enchantment can’t be attached to itself.
214.8g The permanent a local enchantment is attached to is called „enchanted." The enchantment „enchants" that permanent.
214.8h The abilities of local enchantments don’t target the enchanted permanent unless they’re activated abilities that can target something.
214.8i The controller of a local enchantment is separate from the controller of the enchanted permanent. Changing control of the permanent doesn’t change control of the enchantment, and vice versa. Only the enchantment’s controller can play its abilities. However, if the enchantment adds an ability to the enchanted permanent, that enchanted permanent’s controller is the only one who can play that ability.
214.9. Lands
214.9a A land card isn’t a spell card. It’s put directly into play.
214.9b A player may normally play only one land card during each of his or her own turns. Spells and abilities may allow playing additional lands; doing so doesn’t prevent a player from taking the normal action of playing a land. As a player plays a land, he or she announces if he or she is playing his or her normal land or using an ability. Spells and abilities may also allow you to put lands into play. This isn’t the same as „playing a land" and doesn’t count toward the player’s one land played during his or her turn.
214.9c A land card is one of two categories: basic and nonbasic. Basic and nonbasic are not types or subtypes.
214.9d The basic lands are plains, island, swamp, mountain, and forest.
214.9e A basic land has an intrinsic ability to produce colored mana. (See rule 406.1, „Mana Abilities.") The card is treated as if its text box read, „ocT: Add [mana symbol] to your mana pool" even if the text box doesn’t actually contain text. Plains produce white mana; islands, blue; swamps, black; mountains, red; and forests, green. If a card becomes a basic land, this text replaces all other text on the card.
214.9f If an effect changes a permanent into a basic land, the permanent is no longer its old land type and has only the mana ability of that basic land. It now counts as a basic land. If that land was „Legendary," it is no longer.
214.9g Any land that isn’t a basic land is a nonbasic land. Even if its rules text or a game effect states that it „counts as" a basic land type, it is still nonbasic. Basic and nonbasic are not types; they’re categories.
214.9h Nonbasic lands don’t necessarily have mana abilities.
215. Legends and Legendary Types
215.1. The word „Legend" or „Legendary" may be added to a card type or subtype. This means that the permanent created when that card enters play is subject to the Legend rule (see rule 420, „State-Based Effects") as well as the rules for its type and subtype.
215.2. „Legend" is a creature type; „Legendary" is not. If a „Legendary" noncreature permanent becomes a creature, it gets the creature type „Legend" for as long as it’s a creature. If a creature of type „Legend" becomes a noncreature permanent, it’s a „Legendary" permanent of the new type. In other words, they mean the same thing, except that one refers to creatures and the other to noncreatures.
216. Tokens
216.1. Some spells and abilities put a token creature into play. The token is controlled by whoever put it into play and owned by the controller of the spell or ability that created it. The rules text of the spell or ability defines the initial characteristics of the token it creates. A token’s name is its creature type unless otherwise specified; for example, the creature type of a Goblin token is Goblin. Once a token is in play, changing its name doesn’t change its creature type, and vice versa.
216.2. A token is subject to anything that affects permanents in general or the token’s type or subtype. A token isn’t considered a card (even if represented by cards from other games or Unglued token cards) and isn’t subject to any effect that specifically uses the word „card."
216.3. A token in a zone other than the in-play zone ceases to exist. This is a state-based effect. (Note that a token changing zones will set off triggered abilities before the token ceases to exist.)
217. Zones
217.1. A zone is a place that Magic cards can be during a game. There are six basic zones: library, hand, graveyard, in play, stack, and removed from the game. Each player has his or her own copy of each zone, except for the in-play and stack zones, which are shared.
217.2. Library
217.2a When a game begins, each player’s deck becomes his or her library.
217.2b Each library must be kept in a single face-down pile. Players can’t look at or change the order of cards in a library.
217.2c A player may count the number of cards remaining in either player’s library at any time.
217.2d If an effect puts two or more cards into the same library at the same time, the owner of those cards may arrange them in any order.
217.3. Hand
217.3a The hand is where a player holds cards that have been drawn but not yet played.
217.3b Each player has a maximum hand size, which is normally seven cards. A player may have any number of cards in his or her hand but as part of his or her clean-up step must discard excess cards down to the maximum hand size.
217.3c A player may arrange his or her hand in any convenient fashion and look at it as much as he or she wishes. A player can’t look at the cards in the other player’s hand but may count the number of cards in either player’s hand at any time.
217.4. Graveyard
217.4a A graveyard is a discard pile. Any card that’s countered, discarded, destroyed, or sacrificed is put on top of its owner’s graveyard. Each player’s graveyard starts out empty.
217.4b Each graveyard is kept in a single face-up pile. A can examine the cards in any graveyard at any time but can’t change their order.
217.4c If an effect puts two or more cards into the same graveyard at the same time, the owner of those cards may arrange them in any order.
217.5. In Play
217.5a Most of the area between the players represents the in-play zone. The in-play zone starts out empty. Cards a player controls (other than local enchantments enchanting the other player’s permanents) are kept in front of him or her.
217.5b A spell or ability affects only the in-play zone unless it specifically mentions another zone. Permanents exist only in the in-play zone.
217.5c Whenever a card enters the in-play zone, it’s a brand-new permanent as far as the game is concerned and has no relationship to any previous permanent represented by the same card.
217.5d A card outside the in-play zone isn’t „in play" and isn’t considered tapped or untapped and isn’t controlled by either player.
217.6. Stack
217.6a When a spell or ability is played, it goes on top of the stack and waits to resolve. The stack keeps track of the order that spells and/or abilities were added to it. See rule 408, „Timing of Spells and Abilities."
217.6b A spell card is played face up in the stack zone, and other spells or abilities played in response are „stacked" on top of it. Abilities in the stack are represented by imaginary cards called pseudospells. A pseudospell has the color of the permanent that created it, as well as the text of the ability, and is controlled by the player who played the ability.
217.6c When both players decline to add a spell or ability to the stack, the top (last-played) spell or ability resolves.
217.7. Removed from the Game
217.7a A spell or ability can remove a card from the game. Some spells or abilities may provide a way for the card to return to play and use the term „set aside." Cards that are set aside this way are still removed from the game, even if temporarily.
217.7b Cards in the removed-from-the-game zone are kept face up and may be examined by either player at any time. Cards „removed from the game face down" can’t be examined by either player except when instructions allow it.
217.7c Cards that might return to play should be kept in separate piles to keep track of their respective ways of returning. Cards with no way of returning may be kept in one pile for each player, regardless of what removed them.
217.8. Whenever a card moves from one zone to another, it is treated as a new copy of that card (effects connected to its previous existence expire) with the exception that effects editing a spell in the stack will continue to apply to the permanent that spell becomes.
3. Turn Structure
300. General
300.1. A turn consists of five phases, in this order: beginning, first main, combat, second main, and end. Each of these phases takes place every turn, even if nothing happens during the phase. The beginning, combat, and end phases are further broken down into steps, which are followed in order.
300.2. A phase or step ends when the stack is empty and both players pass in succession. No game events can occur between turns, phases, or steps. (Simply having the stack become empty doesn’t cause the phase or step to end; both players have to pass with the stack empty. Because of this, each player always gets a chance to add new things to the stack before the current step or phase ends.)
300.3. When a phase or step ends, any effects scheduled to last „until the end of" that phase or step expire. When a phase or step begins, any effects scheduled to last „until" that phase or step expire.
300.4. When a phase ends (but not a step), any unused mana left in a player’s mana pool is lost. That player loses 1 life for each one mana lost this way. This is called mana burn. Note that mana burn is loss of life, not damage, so it can’t be prevented or altered by effects that affect damage. (See rule 406.1, „Mana Abilities.")
300.5. When a phase or step begins, any triggered abilities „at the beginning of" that phase or step are added to the stack.
300.6. Some spells or abilities can give a player additional turns. If a player has multiple additional turns or if both players have additional turns, the additional turns are taken in the order they were created.
301. Beginning Phase
301.1. The beginning phase consists of three steps, in this order: untap, upkeep, and draw.
302. Untap Step
302.1. First, the active player determines which permanents he or she controls will untap. (Normally they all do, but effects may modify this.) Then he or she untaps them all simultaneously.
302.2. No player receives priority during the untap step, so no spells or abilities can be played or resolved. Any ability that triggers during this step will be held until a player receives priority during the upkeep step. (See rule 303, „Upkeep Step.")
303. Upkeep Step
303.1. The upkeep step begins with the active player having priority. Any abilities that triggered during the untap step, as well as abilities that trigger at the beginning of upkeep, go on the stack. Upkeep-triggered abilities use the phrase „At the beginning of your upkeep" or similar wording. (See rule 404, „Triggered Abilities.") Then players may play spells and abilities.
304. Draw Step
304.1. The draw step begins with the active player having priority. „Draw a card" is placed on the stack, just as if a card read „At the beginning of your draw step, draw a card." Then players may play spells and abilities.
305. Main Phase
305.1. There are two main phases in a turn. The first main phase, known as the precombat main phase, and second main phase, known as the postcombat main phase, are separated by the combat phase (see rule 306, „Combat Phase") and are collectively known as the „main phase."
305.2. The main phase has no steps.
305.3.The main phase begins with the active player having priority. After triggered abilities (if any) are added to the stack, players may play spells and abilities. (This is the only phase in which a player can normally play artifact, creature, enchantment, and sorcery spells and only the active player may play these spells.)
305.4. During either main phase, the active player may play one land from his or her hand if the stack is empty, the player has priority, and he or she hasn’t yet taken this special action this turn. (See rule 214.9, „Lands.")
306. Combat Phase
306.1. The combat phase has five steps: beginning of combat, declare attackers, declare blockers, combat damage, and end of combat.
306.2. A creature is removed from combat if it stops being a creature or its controller changes. „Removed from combat" means the creature stops being an attacking, blocking, blocked, and/or unblocked creature. Once it’s declared as an attacker or blocker, tapping or untapping a creature doesn’t remove it from combat or prevent it from dealing combat damage. Neither does playing a spell or ability that, if played earlier, would have prevented it from attacking or blocking.
307. Beginning of Combat Step
307.1. After triggered abilities (if any) are added to the stack, the active player receives priority to play spells and abilities when the step begins.
308. Declare Attackers Step
308.1. The active player declares which, if any, creatures he or she controls are attacking. Tapped creatures (even those that can attack without tapping), Walls, creatures that the active player didn’t control continuously since the beginning of the turn, and noncreature permanents can’t be declared as attackers. This declaration is simultaneous, not sequential, and doesn’t go on the stack. Any triggered ability generated during this action waits until a player receives priority.
308.2. The active player determines whether the attack is legal. (See section 5, „Additional Combat Rules.") If it is, he or she pays all required costs. Tapping is a cost to attack for all creatures unless otherwise specified; other costs and/or restrictions may also apply. (See rule 409.1f.) The active player may play mana abilities at this time only if an attack cost includes a mana payment.
308.3. If the proposed attack isn’t legal or the active player can’t pay all required costs, all actions described in rules 308.1 and 308.2 are canceled. Then the active player redeclares attacking creatures. (See rule 422, „Handling Illegal Actions.")
308.4. If no creatures are declared as attackers, the game proceeds directly to the end of combat step, skipping the remainder of the declare attackers step and the intervening steps.
308.5. A creature becomes an attacking creature when declared as part of a legal attack and all attack costs have been paid. It remains an attacking creature until it’s removed from combat or the combat phase ends.
308.6. After a legal attack has been declared and all required costs paid, the active player receives priority to play spells and abilities.
309. Declare Blockers Step
309.1. The defending player declares which, if any, creatures he or she controls are blocking and which attacking creature each one blocks. Tapped creatures and noncreature permanents can’t be declared as blockers. Each creature may block only one attacking creature, though any number of creatures may block the same attacking creature. (Note that blocking doesn’t cause a creature to tap.) This declaration is simultaneous, not sequential, and doesn’t go on the stack. Any triggered ability generated during this action waits until a player receives priority.
309.2. The defending player determines whether the block is legal. (See section 5, „Additional Combat Rules.") If it is, he or she pays all required costs. A player may play mana abilities at this time only if a blocking cost includes a mana payment.
309.2a. If the proposed block isn’t legal or the defending player can’t pay all required costs, all actions described in rules 309.1 and 309.2 are canceled. Then the defending player redeclares blocking creatures. (See rule 422, „Handling Illegal Actions.")
309.3. A creature becomes a blocking creature when declared as part of a legal block and all block costs have been paid. An attacking creature with one or more creatures declared as blockers against it becomes a blocked creature; one with no blockers becomes an unblocked creature. The creature’s status remains unchanged until the creature is removed from combat or the combat phase ends.
309.4. Once a creature has been declared as a blocker, playing a spell or ability that removes it from combat doesn’t „unblock" creatures it was blocking.
309.5. After all legal blocks have been declared and all required costs paid, the active player receives priority to play spells and abilities.
310. Combat Damage Step
310.1. First the active player announces how each attacking creature will assign its combat damage. Then the defending player announces how each blocking creature will assign its combat damage. (See also rule 502.2, „First Strike.") A player may divide a creature’s combat damage as he or she chooses among the legal recipients. Dividing combat damage is subject to the following restrictions:
310.1a Each attacking creature and each blocking creature will assign combat damage equal to its power.
310.1b An unblocked creature will assign all its combat damage to the defending player.
310.1c A blocked creature will assign combat damage, divided as its controller chooses, to the creatures blocking it. If no creatures are currently blocking it (if, for example, they were destroyed or removed from combat), it will assign no combat damage.
310.1d A blocking creature will assign combat damage, divided as its controller chooses, to the attacking creatures it’s blocking. If it isn’t currently blocking any creatures (if, for example, they were destroyed or removed from combat), it will assign no combat damage.
310.2. All announcements of combat damage go on the stack as a single entry. Then the active player receives priority to play spells and abilities.
310.3. Assigning combat damage isn’t a spell or ability, so it can’t be countered.
310.4. When the combat damage resolves, it’s dealt as originally assigned. This happens even if the creature dealing damage is no longer in play or has its power changed or if the creature receiving damage has left combat. (Note that the source of the damage is the creature as it currently exists, or as it most recently existed if it is no longer in play.) If a creature that was supposed to receive damage is no longer in play, the damage assigned to it isn’t dealt.
311. End of Combat Step
311.1. All „at end of combat" abilities trigger and go on the stack. (See rule 404, „Triggered Abilities.") Then the active player receives priority to play spells and abilities.
312. End Phase
312.1. The end phase consists of two steps: end of turn and cleanup.
313. End of Turn Step
313.1. The end of turn step begins with the active player having priority. All „at end of turn" abilities trigger and go on the stack. Then players may play spells and abilities.
314. Cleanup Step
314.1. The cleanup step proceeds in the following order.
314.1a First, if the active player’s hand contains more cards than his or her maximum hand size (normally seven), he or she discards enough cards to reduce the hand to that number. This action doesn’t go on the stack.
314.1b Then, simultaneously, all damage is removed from permanents and all „until end of turn" and „this turn" effects end. This action doesn’t go on the stack.
314.1c Then, only if the conditions for any state-based effects exist or if any abilities have triggered, the active player receives priority to play spells and abilities. Once the stack is empty and both players pass, another cleanup step begins. Otherwise, no player receives priority and the step ends.
4. Spells, Abilities, and Effects
400. General
400.1. The difference between an ability and an effect is that text in a card’s text box is an ability (except for text setting characteristics), and following the instructions of that text generates an effect. Text itself is never an effect.
401. Spells
401.1. A spell is a card on the stack. As the first step of being „played," the card becomes a spell and goes on the stack. (See rule 217.6, „Stack.") It stops being a spell when it resolves (see rule 413.2) or is countered (see rule 414).
401.2. Each card type other than land has a corresponding spell type. For example, a creature card is a creature spell until it resolves.
401.3. As the final part of an instant or sorcery spell’s resolution, the card is put into its owner’s graveyard. As the final part of an artifact, creature, or enchantment spell’s resolution, the card becomes a permanent and is put into the in-play zone. If any spell is countered, the card is put into its owner’s graveyard as part of the resolution of the countering spell or ability. (See rule 413, „Resolving Spells and Abilities.")
402. Abilities
402.1. An instruction in a card’s text is an ability. The result of following such an instruction or of following a spell’s text is an effect. (See rule 416, „Effects.")
402.2. Abilities can be beneficial or detrimental—for example, „[This creature] can’t block" is an ability.
402.3. Text on a card stating that the card „is" or „counts as" a particular type or color isn’t an ability. Such statements apply no matter what zone the card is in and aren’t removed by effects that cause a permanent to lose its abilities.
402.4. An additional cost or alternative cost to play a card isn’t an ability of the card.
402.5. An ability isn’t a spell and therefore can’t be countered by anything that counters only spells.
402.6. Once activated or triggered, an ability exists independently of its source (the card on which it’s printed). Destruction or removal of the source after that time won’t affect the ability. Note that some abilities make a source do something (for example, „Prodigal Sorcerer deals 1 damage to target creature or player.") rather than the ability do the something directly. In these cases anything that cares about characteristics of the source will check the source’s characteristics at the ability’s resolution or the last known characteristics if the source is no longer in play.
402.7. A card may have several abilities. Aside from certain defined abilities that may be strung together on a single line (see rule 502, „Keyword Abilities"), each paragraph break in the card’s text marks a separate ability. A card may also have multiple copies of the same ability. Each copy functions independently. This may or may not produce more effects than a single copy; refer to the specific ability for more information.
402.8. Abilities function only while the permanent with the ability is in play unless the ability states otherwise.
EXAMPLE: Black spells and abilities can target a card with protection from black when it’s in a library or graveyard.
402.9. Some cards have abilities that can be played when the card’s not in play. These are clearly marked; for example, „Play only when [this card] is in your graveyard." They’re not abilities of any class of permanent, just card abilities—cards not in play aren’t permanents.
402.10. There are three general types of abilities: activated, triggered, and static.
403. Activated Abilities
403.1. An activated ability can exist in one of three places: on a permanent; on a card outside the in-play zone with the text „Play this ability only if [this card] is in [zone]; or as a delayed ability. An activated ability that isn’t from a delayed ability is written as „cost: effect." The activation cost is everything before the colon (:). An activated ability that’s from a delayed ability is written as „[Player] may pay [cost] to [effect]." In both cases the activation cost must be paid to play the ability.
403.2. Only a permanent’s controller can play its activated ability unless the card specifically says otherwise.
403.3. If an activated ability has a restriction on its use (for example, „Play this ability only once each turn"), the restriction continues to apply to that permanent even if its controller changes.
404. Triggered Abilities
404.1. A triggered ability begins with the word „when," „whenever," or „at." The phrase containing one of these words is the trigger condition, which defines the trigger event.
404.2. Triggered abilities aren’t played. Instead, they automatically „trigger" each time their trigger event occurs. Once an ability has triggered, it goes on the stack the next time a player receives priority.
405. Static Abilities
405.1. A static ability does something all the time rather than being activated or triggered. The ability isn’t played—it just „is."
406. Ability Subtypes
406.1. Mana Abilities
406.1a A mana ability is an activated ability that puts mana into a player’s mana pool when it resolves or a triggered ability that triggers from an activated mana ability and produces additional mana. It can generate other effects at the same time it produces mana.
406.1b Spells that put mana into a player’s mana pool aren’t mana abilities. They’re played and resolved exactly like any other spell. Triggered abilities that put mana into a player’s mana pool but trigger from events other than activating mana abilities aren’t mana abilities. They go on the stack and resolve like any other triggered ability.
406.1c A mana ability exists even if the game state doesn’t allow it to produce mana.
EXAMPLE: A card has an ability that reads, „ocT: Add oG to your mana pool for each creature you control." This is still a mana ability even if you control no creatures.
406.1d A mana ability can be activated or triggered. However, the rules for playing and resolving mana abilities differ slightly from those for other abilities. See rule 411, „Playing Mana Abilities," for details.
406.1e The ability resolves immediately, without going on the stack. (See rule 408.2, „Actions That Don’t Use the Stack.") Abilities that trigger on playing mana abilities do go on the stack, however.
406.2. Delayed Abilities
406.2a An effect may create a delayed ability that can do something at a later time. Delayed abilities can be activated or triggered.
406.2b If a delayed ability is triggered, the trigger event is irrelevant until the ability actually exists. Other events that happen earlier may make the trigger event impossible.
EXAMPLE: Part of an effect reads, „When this card leaves play," but the named card leaves play before the spell or ability generating the effect resolves. In this case, the delayed ability never triggers. If an effect reads, „When this card becomes untapped" and the named card becomes untapped before the effect resolves, the ability waits for the next time that card untaps.
406.2c A delayed ability that refers to a particur permanent still affects it even if the permanent changes characteristics.
EXAMPLE: An ability reading, „At end of turn, destroy that creature" will destroy the permanent even if it’s no longer a creature during the end of turn step.
406.2d A delayed ability that refers to a particular permanent will fail if the permanent leaves play (even if it returns again before the specified time). Similarly, delayed abilities that apply to a card in a particular zone will fail if the card leaves that zone.
EXAMPLE: An ability reading, „At end of turn, remove this creature from the game" won’t do anything if the creature leaves play before the end of turn step.
406.2e A delayed triggered ability will trigger only once unless there’s a stated duration.
407. Adding and Removing Abilities
407.1. Effects can add or remove abilities of permanents. If two or more effects add and remove the same ability, in general the most recent one prevails. (See rule 418.5, „Interaction of Continuous Effects.")
407.2. A characteristic of a permanent as the result of an effect is different from an ability granted by an effect. When a permanent „gains" or „has" an ability, it can be removed by another effect. If an effect defines a characteristic of the permanent („[permanent] is [characteristic]"), it’s not granting an ability.
EXAMPLE: An effect reads, „Enchanted creature gains flying." This confers an ability that can be removed by effects that remove flying. An effect that reads, „Enchanted creature is unblockable" simply defines a property of the creature and can’t be removed by effects that cause permanents to „lose" abilities.
407.3. Effects that remove an ability remove all copies of it.
EXAMPLE: If a creature with flying is enchanted with Flight, it has two copies of the flying ability. A single effect that reads „Target creature loses flying" will remove both.
408. Timing of Spells and Abilities
408.1. Timing, Priority, and the Stack
408.1a Spells and abilities can be played only at certain times and follow a simple set of rules for doing so.
408.1b Spells and activated abilities are played by players (if they choose) using a system of priority, while other types of abilities and effects are automatically generated by the game rules. Each time a player receives priority, all applicable state-based effects resolve (See rule 420, „State-Based Effects"), then triggered abilities are added to the stack (See rule 410, „Handling Triggered Abilities"); these steps repeat until no further state-based effects or triggered abilities are generated. Then the player may play a spell, ability, or land as governed by the rules for that phase.
408.1c The active player has priority at the beginning of most phases and steps. (The exceptions are the untap step and the cleanup step.) The player with priority may either play a spell or ability, or pass. If he or she plays a spell or ability, the player again receives priority; otherwise, his or her opponent receives priority. If both players pass in succession, the top spell or ability on the stack resolves and the active player receives priority. If the stack is empty when both players pass in succession, the phase or step ends.
408.1d A player may play a spell or activated ability only when he or she has priority. Spells other than instants can be played only during a player’s main phase, when that player has priority, and only when the stack is empty.
408.1e When a spell or ability is played, it goes on top of the stack.
408.1f Triggered abilities can trigger at any time, including during the playing or resolution of a spell or another ability. However, nothing actually happens at the time the abilities trigger. Each time a player receives priority, all abilities that have triggered but that haven’t been put on the stack go on the stack before the player with priority may play spells or abilities. (See rule 410, „Handling Triggered Abilities.")
408.1g Combat damage goes on the stack once it’s been assigned. For more information, see rule 310, „Combat Damage Step."
408.1h Static abilities aren’t played—they continuously affect the game. Priority doesn’t apply to them. (See rule 418, „Continuous Effects" and rule 419, „Prevention and Replacement Effects.")
408.2. Actions That Don’t Use the Stack
408.2a Effects don’t go on the stack. When a spell or ability resolves, its instructions are executed immediately. These instruction may create a delayed ability. (See rule 406.2, „Delayed Abilities.")
408.2b Static abilities continuously generate effects and don’t go on the stack.
408.2c State-based effects (see rule 420) resolve whenever a player receives priority as long as the required game condition is true.
408.2d Playing a land is a special action consisting of putting that land into play. (See rule 214.9, „Lands.")
408.2e Mana abilities resolve immediately. If a mana ability produces both mana and another effect, both the mana and the other effect resolve immediately. (See rule 406.1, „Mana Abilities.")
408.f Card text that isn’t an ability, such as „[This card] counts as a forest," is simply read and followed as applicable.
408.g Game actions—untapping during the untap step, cleanup, and mana burn—don’t use the stack.
409. Playing Spells and Activated Abilities
409.1. Playing a spell or activated ability follows the steps listed below, in order. (If partially through the step a player determines that he or she is unable to comply with the steps listed below , see rule 422, „Handling Illegal Actions.") No announcements or payments can be altered after they’ve been made. Playing a spell or ability that alters costs won’t do anything to spells and abilities that are already on the stack.
409.1a The player announces that he or she is playing the spell or ability. It goes on the stack and remains there until it’s countered or resolves. Spell cards are physically placed on the stack. For abilities, a pseudospell with the text and color of the card generating the ability goes on the stack.
409.1b If the spell or ability is modal (uses the phrase „Choose one —"), the player announces which mode he or she is using. A few spells and abilities allow the player’s opponent to choose the mode. That choice is also made at this time. If the spell or ability has a variable mana cost (indicated by „oX"), the player announces the value of X at this time.
409.1c If the spell or ability requires any targets, the player announces these. It can’t be played unless the required number of legal targets are chosen. The same target can’t be chosen multiple times. A few spells or abilities allow the player’s opponent to choose the target or require some choice that affects the number or type of targets. Those choices are also made at this time. If both players are required to choose targets, the player playing the spell or ability chooses first.
409.1d If the spell or ability affects several targets, the player announces how it will apply to each.
409.1e If the spell or ability requires the player to divide an effect (such as damage or counters) among a variable number of targets, the player announces the division as he or she plays the spell. Each of these targets must receive at least one of whatever is being divided. This doesn’t apply when the player isn’t given a choice.
409.1f The player pays all costs in any order. Partial payments aren’t allowed. Usually this is just the mana cost (for spells) or activation cost (for abilities). Some cards list additional or alternative costs in their text, and some effects may increase or reduce the cost to pay. The player announces choices for any variable or alternative costs at this time. Costs may include paying mana, tapping cards, sacrificing permanents, discarding cards, and so on. The total cost is the mana or activation cost, plus all cost increases and minus all cost reductions. If the cost includes mana, mana abilities can be played at this time. (See rule 411, „Playing Mana Abilities.")
409.2. Activated abilities that read „Play this ability any time you could play [spell type]" or „Play this ability only if you could play [spell type]" mean follow the timing rules for that spell type, though the ability isn’t actually of that spell type.
409.3 An activation cost for a creature’s ability that includes tapping (ocT) can’t be played unless the creature was continuously under the player’s control since the most recent start of his or her turn.
410. Handling Triggered Abilities
410.1. Because they aren’t played, triggered abilities can trigger even when it isn’t otherwise legal to play spells and abilities, and effects that prevent abilities from being played don’t affect them.
410.2. Whenever a game event matches the trigger event of an ability, that ability „triggers." When a phase or step begins, all abilities that trigger „at the beginning of" that phase or step trigger. The ability doesn’t do anything when it triggers but automatically puts a pseudospell (see rule 217.6b) on the stack as soon as a player gets priority. If the ability says a player „may" do something, that player controls the triggered ability and the pseudospell. If the ability says this for more than one player, it generates one pseudospell per player. If the ability doesn’t use the word „may," the controller of the source of the triggered ability controls the ability (and the pseudospell).
410.3. If multiple abilities have triggered since the last time a player received priority, pseudospells controlled by the active player go on the stack first, in any order he or she chooses, then those controlled by the opponent go on the stack in the same way. (Then the players once again check for state-based effects and add any new abilities that triggered during this process.)
410.4. When a triggered ability goes on the stack, the controller of the pseudospell makes all required choices, following the rules for activated abilities (see rule 409, „Playing Spells and Activated Abilities"). If no legal choice can be made (or if a rule or a continuous effect otherwise makes the ability illegal), the pseudospell is simply removed from the stack.
410.5. Some triggered abilities give a player a choice of completing an action or doing nothing (denoted with the word „may"). This choice is made at the time the ability would be put on the stack. If the player chooses to complete the action, a psuedospell is added to the stack. Otherwise, nothing is added to the stack; the ability is ignored. This doesn’t apply to a triggered ability that requires a player to do something „unless" that player pays the alternative requirement.
410.6. An ability triggers only once each time its trigger event occurs. However, it can trigger repeatedly if one event contains multiple occurrences.
EXAMPLE: A permanent has an ability whose trigger condition reads, „Whenever a land is put into the graveyard from play, . . . ." If someone plays a spell that destroys all lands, the ability will trigger once for each land put into the graveyard during the spell’s resolution.
410.7. An ability is triggered only if its trigger event actually occurs. An event that’s prevented or replaced won’t trigger anything.
EXAMPLE: An ability that triggers on damage being dealt won’t trigger if all the damage is prevented.
410.8. Triggered abilities with a condition directly following the trigger event (for example, „When[ever] [trigger], if [condition], [event]"), check for the condition to be true as part of the trigger event; if it isn’t, the ability doesn’t trigger. The ability checks the condition again on resolution. If it’s not satisfied, the ability does nothing. Note that this mirrors the check for legal targets.
410.9. Some abilities trigger when creatures block or are blocked in combat. (See rules 306–311 and section 5, „Additional Combat Rules.") They may trigger once or repeatedly, depending on the wording of the ability.
410.9a An ability that reads „Whenever [name] blocks" or „Whenever [name] becomes blocked" triggers only once each combat for that creature, even if it blocks or is blocked by multiple creatures. An effect that causes the creature to become blocked (if the creature wasn’t already blocked) will also trigger such abilities.
410.9b An ability that reads „Whenever [name] blocks a creature" triggers once for each attacking creature the named creature blocks.
410.9c An ability that reads „Whenever a creature blocks [name]" triggers once for each creature that blocks the named creature. It won’t trigger if the attacking creature becomes blocked by an effect rather than a blocking creature.
410.10. Trigger events that involve cards or permanents changing zones are called „zone-change triggers." Many abilities with zone-change triggers attempt to do something to the card after it changes zones. During resolution, these abilities look for the card in the zone that it moved to. If the card leaves the specified zone before the ability resolves, the part of the ability attempting to do something to the card will fail to do anything. (This rule applies even if the card leaves the zone and returns again before the ability resolves.) The most common types of zone-change triggers are comes-into-play triggers and leaves-play triggers.
410.10a Comes-into-play abilities trigger when a permanent enters the in-play zone. These are written, „When [this card] comes into play, . . . „ or „Whenever a [permanent type] comes into play, . . ." Each time an event puts one or more permanents into play, all permanents in play (including the newcomers) are checked for any comes-into-play triggers that match the event.
410.10b Continuous effects that modify card characteristics do so as cards come into play. They don’t wait for the card to enter play and then change it.
EXAMPLE: If an effect reads, „All lands are creatures" and a land card is played, it comes into play as a creature and triggers abilities that depend on a creature coming into play. Conversely, if an effect reads, „All creatures lose all abilities" and someone plays a creature card with a comes-into-play triggered ability, it comes into play with no abilities, so the printed ability won’t trigger.
410.10c Leaves-play abilities trigger when a permanent leaves the in-play zone. These are written as, but aren’t limited to, „Whenever [this card] leaves play, . . ." or „Whenever [permanent type] is put into a graveyard from play, . . . ." An ability that attempts to do something to the card that left play checks for it only in the first zone that it went to.
410.10d Leaves-play triggers have to be treated specially because the permanent with the ability may no longer be in play after the event. The game has to „look back in time" to resolve them. Each time an event removes one or more permanents from play, all the permanents that were in play just before the event (with continuous effects that existed at that time) are checked for any leaves-play triggers that match what just left play.
EXAMPLE: Two creatures are in play along with an artifact that has the ability „Whenever a creature is put into a graveyard from play, you gain 1 life." Someone plays a spell that destroys all artifacts, creatures, and enchantments. The artifact’s ability triggers twice, even though the artifact goes to the graveyard at the same time as the creatures.
„Leaves play" triggers are zone-change triggers, even if the trigger condition doesn’t care what zone the permanent is going to. If they attempt to do something to the card that left play, they’ll look for it only in the first zone that it went to after leaving play.
410.10e Some permanents have text that reads, „[This permanent] comes into play as . . . ," „[This permanent] comes into play with . . . ," or „As [this permanent] comes into play . . . ." Such text isn’t a triggered ability. It happens as part of the event that puts the permanent into play.
410.11 Some triggered abilities watch for a game state, such as a player’s life total or the number of cards in play, rather than an event. These abilities trigger as soon as the game state matches the condition (even if it’s not otherwise legal to play a spell or ability at that time). These are called „state triggers." (Note that state triggers aren’t the same as state-based effects.) A state-triggered ability doesn’t trigger again until the pseudospell it created has resolved or been countered. Then, if the permanent with the ability is still in play and the game state still matches its trigger condition, the ability will trigger again.
EXAMPLE: A permanent’s ability reads, „When your hand is empty, draw a card." If its controller plays the last card from his or her hand, the ability will trigger once. If its controller plays a spell that reads, „Discard your hand, then draw the same number of cards," the ability will trigger during the spell’s resolution because the player’s hand was momentarily empty.
411. Playing Mana Abilities
411.1. To play a mana ability, the player announces that he or she is playing it and pays the activation cost. It resolves immediately and doesn’t go on the stack. (See rule 408.2e.)
411.2. A player may play an activated mana ability whenever he or she has priority and also whenever a rule or effect asks for a mana payment, even in the middle of playing or resolving a spell or ability.
411.3. Triggered mana abilities trigger when activated mana abilities are played and add additional mana to a player’s mana pool. These abilities resolve immediately after the mana ability that triggered them, without waiting for priority. If an activated or triggered ability produces both mana and another effect, both the mana and the other effect resolve immediately.
EXAMPLE: An enchantment reads, „Whenever a player taps a land for mana, that land produces one additional mana of the same color." If a player taps lands for mana while playing a spell, the additional mana is added to the player’s mana pool immediately and can be used to pay for the spell.
412. Handling Static Abilities
412.1. A static ability may generate a continuous effect or a prevention or replacement effect. These effects last as long as the permanent with the static ability remains in play.
412.2. Many local enchantments have static abilities that modify their enchanted permanent, but those abilities don’t target that permanent. If a local enchantment is moved to a different permanent, the ability stops applying to the original permanent and starts modifying the new one.
412.3. Some static abilities apply while a spell is on the stack. These are limited to abilities that refer to countering the spell.
412.4. Some static abilities apply while a card is in your hand. These are limited to „you may/can’t play [this spell] . . . ."
413. Resolving Spells and Abilities
413.1. Each time both players pass in succession, the top spell or ability on the stack resolves, creating one or more effects. (See rule 416, „Effects.")
413.2. Resolution may involve several steps but is treated by the game as a single indivisible action. These steps are follow äed in the order listed below.
413.2a If the spell or ability specifies targets, it checks whether the targets are still legal. A target that’s removed from play, or from the zone designated by the spell or ability, is illegal. A target may also become illegal if its characteristics changed since the spell or ability was played or if an effect changed the wording of the spell or ability. If all targets are now illegal, the spell or ability is countered. If some but not all targets are illegal, the spell will resolve normally, affecting only the targets that are still legal. The effect on the remaining legal targets is the same as it would have been if all targets had remained legal.
413.2b The controller of the spell or ability follows its instructions in the order written. However, replacement effects may modify these actions. In some cases, later text on the card may modify the meaning of earlier text (for example, „Destroy target creature. It can’t be regenerated" or „Counter target spell. Put it on top of its owner’s library instead of in its owner’s graveyard.") Don’t just execute the instructions step by step without thinking in these cases—read the whole card and apply the rules of English to the text.
413.2c If the instructions offer any choices other than choices already made as part of playing the spell or ability, the player announces these while carrying them out. The player can’t choose an option that’s illegal or impossible. If the instructions provide an optional action with a consequence for not doing so, the player can’t choose that action unless he or she can meet all requirements.
EXAMPLE: A spell’s instruction reads, „You may sacrifice a creature. If you don’t, you lose 4 life." A player who controls no creatures can’t choose the sacrifice option.
413.2d If an instruction requires both players to make choices or take actions, the active player makes and announces his or hers first, then his or her opponent does (knowing the first player’s choices). This is called the „active player rule." Then, the actions are processed simultaneously.
413.2e If an instruction gives a player the option to pay mana, he or she may play mana abilities as part of the action. No other spells or abilities can be played during resolution.
413.2f If an instruction requires information from the game (such as the number of creatures in play), the answer is determined when the player carries out that instruction. The instruction uses the current information of a specific permanent, if that permanent is still in play, or of a specific card in the stated zone; otherwise, the instruction uses the last known information the card or permanent had before leaving that zone. If the ability text states that a permanent does something, it’s the permanent as it exists (or most recently existed) that does it, not the ability.
413.2g An instruction that refers to characteristics of a permanent checks only for the value of the specified characteristics, regardless of any related ones the permanent may also have.
EXAMPLE: An effect that reads, „Destroy all black creatures" destroys a white-and-black creature, but „Destroy all nonblack creatures" doesn’t.
413.2h A spell card is put into play under the control of the spell’s controller (for permanents) or is put into its owner’s graveyard (for instants and sorceries) as the final step of resolution.
414. Countering Spells and Abilities
414.1. To counter a spell is to move the spell card from the stack to its owner’s graveyard. Countering an ability removes its pseudospell from the stack. Spells and abilities that are countered don’t resolve.
414.2. The player who played the countered spell or ability doesn’t get a „refund" of any costs that were paid.
415. Editing a Spell or Ability
415.1. A few effects can „edit" a spell or ability after it goes on the stack, changing its target, rules text, or other characteristics.
415.2. The target of a spell or ability can change only to another legal target. If the new target is illegal when the change resolves, the original target is unchanged.
415.2a Modal spells may have different targeting requirements for each mode. Target changing can’t change the mode.
415.2b The word „you" in a card’s text isn’t a target. A spell that affects only its player can’t be retargeted.
415.3. If an effect edits any characteristics of a spell that becomes a permanent, the effect continues to apply to the permanent when the spell resolves.
EXAMPLE: If an effect changes a black creature spell to white, the creature is white when it comes into play and remains white for the duration of the effect changing it.
416. Effects
416.1. When a spell or ability resolves, it creates one or more effects. There are three main types: one-shot effects, continuous effects, and replacement and prevention effects. Effects of a fourth category, state-based effects, are generated by specific states of the game.
416.2. Effects apply only to cards in play unless the instruction’s text states otherwise or they clearly can’t apply to another zone.
EXAMPLE: An effect that changes all lands to creatures won’t alter land cards in the players’ graveyards.
416.3. If an effect attempts to do something impossible, it does only as much as possible.
EXAMPLE: If a player is holding only one card, an effect that reads „Discard two cards" causes him or her to discard only that card. If an effect moves cards out of the library (as opposed to drawing), it moves as many as possible.
417. One-Shot Effects
417.1. A one-shot effect does something just once and doesn’t have a duration. Examples include damage dealing, destruction, and moving cards between zones.
417.2. Some one-shot effects instruct a player to do something later in the game (usually at a specific time) rather than when they resolve. Their effects actually create a new ability that waits to be activated or triggered. (See rule 406.2, „Delayed Abilities.")
418. Continuous Effects
418.1. A continuous effect modifies permanents or the rules of the game for a fixed or indefinite period. A continuous effect may be generated by the resolution of a spell or ability or by a static ability of a permanent.
418.2. Continuous effects that modify characteristics of permanents do so as the permanents come into play. They don’t wait for the permanent to enter play and then change it.
418.3. Continuous Effects from Spells or Abilities
418.3a A continuous effect generated by the resolution of a spell or ability lasts as long as stated by the spell or ability creating it (such as „until end of turn"). If no duration is stated, it lasts until the end of the game.
418.3b The set of permanents subject to continuous effects from a spell or ability is chosen either when the spell or ability is played (if it targets the permanents) or when it resolves (if it’s not targeted). After resolution, this set won’t change. Note that this differs from continuous effects from permanents.
EXAMPLE: An effect that reads „All white creatures get +1/+1 until end of turn" gives the bonus to all permanents that are white creatures when the spell or ability resolves—even if they change color later—and doesn’t affect those that come into play or turn white afterward.
418.3c If the spell or ability creating a continuous effect is variable, the effect is determined only once, on resolution. A numeric change other than simple addition or subtraction (for example, double or half) converts to a simple +X or -X at resolution. It isn’t recomputed if the initial value changes later.
EXAMPLE: A spell that reads „Target creature gets +X/+X until end of turn, where X is the number of cards in your hand" counts the number of cards in the controller’s hand when the spell resolves and grants that bonus for the rest of the turn, even if the hand size changes.
418.3d If an effect’s duration expires before the spell or ability creating it resolves, then the effect does nothing—it doesn’t start and immediately stop again, and it doesn’t last forever.
418.4. Continuous Effects from Permanents
418.4a A continuous effect generated by a static ability of a permanent isn’t „locked in"; it applies at any given moment to whatever its text indicates.
418.4b The effect applies at all times that the permanent generating it is in play.
EXAMPLE: A permanent with the static ability „All white creatures get +1/+1" generates an effect that continuously gives +1/+1 to each white creature in play. If a creature becomes white, it gets this bonus; a creature that stops being white loses it. A creature spell that would normally create a 1/1 white creature instead creates a 2/2 white creature. The creature doesn’t come into play as 1/1 and then change to 2/2.
418.5. Interaction of Continuous Effects
418.5a Sometimes the results of one effect determine whether another effect applies or what it does. For example, one effect might read, „All white creatures get +1/+1" and another, „Enchanted creature is white."
418.5b An effect is said to „depend on" another if applying the other would change the text or the existence of the first effect, what it applies to, or what it does to any of the things it applies to. Otherwise, the effect is considered to be independent of the first effect.
418.5c Whenever one effect depends on another, the independent one is applied first. If several dependent effects form a loop, or if none depends on another, they’re applied in „timestamp order." (See Glossary.)
418.5d A continuous effect can override another.
EXAMPLE: Two enchantments are played on the same creature: „Enchanted creature gains flying" and „Enchanted creature loses flying." Neither of these depends on the other, since nothing changes what they affect or what they’re doing to it. Applying them in timestamp order means the one that was generated last „wins." It’s irrelevant whether an effect is temporary (such as „Target creature loses flying until end of turn") or global (such as „All creatures lose flying").
419. Replacement and Prevention Effects
419.1. Replacement and prevention effects are similar to continuous effects. They watch for a type of event and replace it with a different one, modify it in some way, or prevent it from happening. These effects act like „shields" around whatever they’re affecting. Replacement effects use the word „instead," while prevention effects use „prevent."
419.2. Replacement and prevention effects apply continuously as events happen—they aren’t locked in ahead of time.
419.3. There are no special restrictions on playing a spell or ability that generates a replacement or prevention effect. Such effects last until they’re used up or their duration has expired.
419.4. Replacement or prevention effects must exist before the appropriate event occurs—they can’t „go back in time" and change something that’s already happened. Usually spells and abilities that generate these effects are played in response to whatever would produce the event and thus resolve before that event would occur.
EXAMPLE: A player can play a regeneration ability in response to a spell that would destroy a creature he or she controls.
419.5. If an event is prevented or replaced, it never happens. Instead of a replaced event, a modified event occurs, which may in turn trigger abilities. Note that the modified event may contain instructions that can’t be carried out, in which case the player simply ignores the impossible instruction. A prevented event is simply ignored—no abilities trigger.
419.6. Replacement Effects
419.6a A replacement effect doesn’t invoke itself repeatedly and gets only one opportunity for each event.
EXAMPLE: A player controls two copies of a permanent with an ability that reads, „Instead of dealing their normal damage, creatures you control deal double that damage." A creature that normally deals 1 damage will deal 4 damage—not just 2, and not an infinite amount.
419.6b Regeneration is a destruction-replacement effect. The key word „instead" doesn’t appear on the card but is implicit in its definition. „Regenerate [permanent]" means „The next time [permanent] would be destroyed this turn, instead remove all damage from it, tap it, and (if it’s in combat) remove it from combat." Note that if destruction is caused by lethal damage, any abilities that trigger from that damage being dealt still trigger even if the permanent regenerates.
419.7. Prevention Effects
419.7a Prevention effects usually apply to damage that would be dealt.
419.7b Some prevention effects refer to a specific amount of damage—for example, „Prevent the next 3 damage to target creature or player this turn." These work like ablative shields. Each 1 damage that would be dealt to the „shielded" creature or player instead reduces the shield by 1. Once the shield has been reduced to 0, any remaining damage is dealt normally. Such effects count only the amount of damage; the number of events or sources dealing it doesn’t matter.
419.7c Some prevention effects apply to damage from a specified source—for example, „The next time a red source of your choice would deal damage to you this turn, prevent that damage." The source is chosen when the spell or ability resolves. If an effect requires a player to choose a source, he or she may choose either a permanent or a spell on the stack (including one that creates a permanent) or any card or permanent referred to by a spell or pseudospell on the stack.. If the player chooses a permanent or a permanent spell, the prevention will apply to the next damage from that card, regardless of whether it’s from one of that permanent’s abilities or combat damage dealt by it. It’s possible for the source to be out of play by the time the spell or ability resolves.
419.8. Interaction of Replacement or Prevention Effects
419.8a If two or more replacement or prevention effects are attempting to modify the same event in contradictory ways, the affected player chooses the order to apply them. If no player is directly affected, the player who controls the affected permanent chooses the order to apply them.
EXAMPLE: Two cards are in play. One is an enchantment that reads, „If a card would be put into a graveyard, instead remove it from the game" and the other, a creature that reads, „If [this card] would be put into a graveyard, instead shuffle it into its owner’s library." The controller of the creature that would be destroyed decides which replacement to apply first; the other does nothing.
419.8b Two or more replacement effects can interact without contradicting one another.
EXAMPLE: One effect reads, „For each 1 life you would gain, instead draw a card" and another, „Instead of drawing a card, return target card from your graveyard to your hand." Both effects combine (regardless of the order they came into play): Instead of gaining 1 life, the player puts a card from his or her graveyard into his or her hand.
420. State-Based Effects
420.1. State-based effects are a special category that applies only to those conditions listed below. Abilities that watch for a specified game state are triggered abilities. (See rule 410.8.)
420.2. State-based effects are always active and are not controlled by either player.
420.3. Whenever a player has priority to play a spell or ability (see rule 408, „Timing of Spells and Abilities"), the game checks for any of the listed conditions for state-based effects. All applicable effects resolve as a single event, then the check is repeated. This check is also made during the cleanup step (see rule 314); if any of the listed conditions apply, the active player receives priority.
420.4. Unlike triggered abilities, state-based effects pay no attention to what happens during the resolution of a spell or ability.
EXAMPLE: A player controls a creature with the ability „This creature has power and toughness each equal to the number of cards in your hand" and plays a spell whose effect is „Discard your hand, then draw seven cards." The creature will temporarily have toughness 0 in the middle of the spell’s resolution but will be back up to toughness 7 when the spell finishes resolving. Thus the creature will survive when state-based effects are checked. In contrast, an ability that triggers when there are no cards in the hand goes on the stack after the spell resolves, because its trigger event happened during resolution.
420.5. The state-based effects are as follows:
420.5a A player with 0 life or less or who was required to draw more cards than were in his or her library loses the game.
420.5b A creature with toughness 0 (or less) is put into its owner’s graveyard. Regeneration can’t replace this event.
420.5c A creature with lethal damage is destroyed. Lethal damage is an amount of damage greater than 0 and greater than or equal to a creature’s toughness. Regeneration does replace this event.
420.5d A local enchantment that enchants an illegal or nonexistent permanent is put into its owner’s graveyard.
420.5e If two or more Legends or Legendary permanents with the same name are in play, all except the one with the earliest timestamp are put into in their owners’ graveyards. This is called the „Legend rule." In the event of a tie for earliest timestamp, each Legend with the same name is put into its owner’s graveyard.
420.5f A token in a zone other than the in-play zone ceases to exist.
421. Handling „Infinite" Loops
421.1. Occasionally the game can get into a state where a set of actions could be repeated forever. The „infinity rule" governs how to break such loops.
421.2. If the loop contains one or more optional actions and one player controls them all, that player chooses a number. The loop is treated as repeating that many times or until the other player intervenes, whichever comes first.
421.3. If the loop contains at least one optional action controlled by each player and actions by both players are required to continue the loop, the active player chooses a number. The nonactive player then has two choices. He or she can choose a lower number, in which case the loop continues that number of times plus whatever fraction is necessary for the active player to „have the last word." Or he or she can agree to the number the active player chose, in which case the loop continues that number of times plus whatever fraction is necessary for the nonactive player to „have the last word." (Note that either fraction may be zero.)
EXAMPLE: The active player controls a creature with the ability „o0: [This creature] gains flying." The nonactive player has an ability „o0: Target creature loses flying." The rule ensures that regardless of which player initiated the gain/lose flying ability, the nonactive player will always have the final choice and therefore be able to determine whether the creature has flying. Note that this assume that the active player attempted to give the creature flying at least once.
421.4. If the loop contains only mandatory actions, the game ends in a draw. (See rule 102.6.)
421.5. If the loop contains at least one optional action controlled by each player and these actions don’t depend on one another, the active player chooses a number. The nonactive player can either agree to that number or choose a higher number. Note that this rule applies even if the actions could exist in separate loops rather than in a single loop.
422. Handling Illegal Actions
422.1. If a player realizes that he or she can’t legally take an action after starting to do so, the entire action is reversed and any payments already made are canceled. No abilities trigger as a result of an undone action. If the action was playing a spell, the spell card returns to the player’s hand. He or she may also reverse any legal mana abilities played while making the illegal play.
422.2. When reversing illegal spells and abilities, the player who had priority retains it and may take another action or pass. Otherwise, the player may redo the reversed action in a legal way or take any other action allowed by the rules.
5. Additional Combat Rules
500. Legal Attacks and Blocks
500.1. Some abilities and continuous effects restrict declaring attackers or blockers in combat. (See rule 308, „Declare Attackers Step," and rule 309, „Declare Blockers Step.")
500.2. The active player checks each creature declared as an attacker for any restriction on attacking when combined with the rest of the proposed attack. Likewise, he or she checks each creature not declared as an attacker for any attacking requirements that don’t conflict with the rest of the proposed attack. If either of these is the case, that set of attackers is illegal, and the active player must propose another attack. Similar restrictions apply to declaring blockers.
EXAMPLE: A player controls two creatures, each with a restriction that states „[This creature] can’t attack unless another creature attacks." It’s legal to declare both as attackers. If one creature „attacks if able" and an effect states „Only one creature may attack each turn," it’s legal to declare either creature as an attacker but illegal to attack with both or neither.
501. Evasion Abilities
501.1. Evasion abilities restrict what can block an attacking creature. These are static abilities that modify the declare blockers step of combat.
501.2. Evasion abilities are cumulative.
EXAMPLE: A Wall without flying can’t block a creature that can be blocked only by Walls and by creatures with flying.
501.3. Some creatures have abilities that restrict how they can block. As with evasion abilities, these modify only the rules for the declare blockers step of combat. (If a creature gains an evasion ability after a legal block has been declared, it doesn’t affect that block.)
502. Keyword Abilities
502.1. Most creature abilities describe exactly what they do in the card’s rules text. Some, though, are very common or would require too much space to define on the card. In these cases, the card lists only the name of the ability as a „keyword"; sometimes reminder text summarizes the game rule.
€502.2. First Strike
502.2a First strike is a static ability that modifies the rules for the combat damage step.
502.2b During the combat damage step, if at least one attacking or blocking creature has first strike, creatures without first 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.
502.2c Adding or removing first strike after the first combat damage step won’t prevent a creature from dealing combat damage or allow it to deal combat damage twice.
502.2d Multiple copies of first strike on the same creature are redundant.
502.3. Flanking
502.3a Flanking is a triggered ability that triggers during the declare blockers step.
502.3b Whenever a creature with flanking is blocked by a creature without flanking, the blocking creature gets -1/-1 until end of turn.
502.3c If a creature has multiple copies of flanking, each triggers separately.
502.4. Flying
502.4a Flying is an evasion ability.
502.4b A creature with flying can’t be blocked by creatures without flying. A creature with flying can block a creature with or without flying.
502.4c Multiple copies of flying on the same creature are redundant.
502.5. Haste
502.5a Haste is a static ability.
502.5b A creature with haste can attack or use activated abilities whose cost includes tapping the creature even if it hasn’t been controlled by its controller continuously since the most recent beginning of his or her turn.
502.5c Multiple copies of haste on the same creature are redundant.
502.6. Landwalk
502.6a Landwalk is a generic term; a card’s rules text usually names a specific type of land (such as in „islandwalk" or „swampwalk").
502.6b Landwalk is an evasion ability. A creature with landwalk is unblockable as long as the defending player controls at least one land of the specified type.
502.6c Landwalk abilities don’t „cancel" one another.
EXAMPLE: Controlling a creature with forestwalk doesn’t let a defending player block a creature with forestwalk if he or she controls a forest.
502.6d Multiple copies of the same type of landwalk on the same creature are redundant.
502.7. Protection
502.7a Protection is a static ability, written „Protection from [quality]." This quality is usually a color (as in „protection from black") but can be any characteristic, such as a permanent type.
502.7b A permanent with protection can’t be targeted by spells or abilities that have the stated quality, and can’t be enchanted by enchantments that have the stated quality. In addition, any damage that would be dealt to it from sources having that quality is prevented. If it attacks, it can’t be blocked by creatures having that quality.
502.7c Multiple copies of protection from the same quality on the same permanent are redundant.
502.8. Shadow
502.8a Shadow is an evasion ability.
502.8b A creature with shadow can’t be blocked by creatures without shadow, and a creature without shadow can’t be blocked by creatures with shadow.
502.8c Multiple copies of shadow on the same creature are redundant.
502.9. Trample
502.9a Trample is a static ability that modifies the rules for assigning an attacking creature’s combat damage. A creature with trample has no special abilities when blocking or dealing noncombat damage.
502.9b The controller of an attacking creature with trample first assigns damage to the creature(s) blocking it. If all those blocking creatures receive lethal damage, any remaining damage is assigned as its controller chooses among the blocking creatures and the defending player. The controller need not assign lethal damage to all blocking creatures but can’t assign any damage to the defending player in this case.
502.9c If all the creatures blocking an attacking creature with trample are removed from combat before the combat damage step, all its damage is assigned to the defending player.
502.9d An attacking creature with trample ignores any blocking creatures that can’t have damage assigned to them.
502.9e Assigning damage from a creature with trample considers only the actual toughness of a blocking creature, not any abilities or effects that might change the final amount of damage dealt.
502.9f When there are several attacking creatures, it’s legal to assign damage from those without trample so as to maximize the damage of those with trample.
EXAMPLE: A 2/2 creature with an ability that enables it to block multiple attackers blocks two attackers, one 1/1 with no special abilities and the other 3/3 with trample. The active player could assign 1 damage from the first attacker and 1 damage from the second to the blocking creature and 2 damage to the defending player from the creature with trample.
502.9g Multiple copies of trample on the same creature are redundant.
Glossary
Ability
„Ability" and „effect" are often confused with one another. An instruction in a permanent’s text is an ability. The result of following such an instruction, or of a spell’s instruction, is an effect.
A permanent may have one or more abilities or no abilities at all. For more information, see section 4, „Spells, Abilities, and Effects."
When an effect states that a permanent „gains" or „has" an ability, it’s granting that permanent an ability. If an effect defines a characteristic of the permanent („[permanent] is [characteristic]"), it’s not granting an ability.
Activated Ability
An activated ability is written as „activation cost: effect." By paying the activation cost, a player may play such abilities whenever he or she has priority. See rule 403, „Activated Abilities."
Activation Cost
The activation cost of an activated ability is everything before the colon in „activation cost: effect" and must be paid to play the ability. For example, the activation cost of an ability that reads „o2, ocT: Gain 1 life" is two mana of any color plus tapping the permanent. See rule 403, „Activated Abilities."
Active Player
The active player is the player whose turn it is. The active player gets priority at the start of each phase or step, except for the begin of untap and clean-up, and after any spell or ability (except mana abilities) resolves.
Whenever both players are instructed to make choices at the same time, the active player makes all his or her choices first, then the nonactive player.
Additional Cost
Some spells have additional costs listed in their text, which are paid at the same time as the player pays the mana cost. See rule 409, „Playing Spells and Activated Abilities."
Alternative Cost
The rules text of some spells reads, „You may [action] to play [name] instead of paying its mana cost." These are alternative costs. Other spells and abilities that refer to a spell’s mana cost don’t consider any alternative cost. If an effect requires paying additional costs to play a spell, they still apply to the alternative cost.
Ante (Obsolete)
The Magic game once included an optional ante rule. When using this rule, at the beginning of the game each player puts one random card from his or her deck into the ante zone. At the end of the game, the winner becomes the owner of all cards in the ante.
Artifact
An artifact is both a card and a permanent type. Artifact spells can be played only during the active player’s main phase when the stack is empty.
Artifact Creature
This permanent is a combination of artifact and creature, subject to the rules for both. (See rule 214, „Permanent Type.") „Artifact" isn’t a creature type. Most artifact creatures have no creature type. Those with a creature type will say „Artifact Creature — [type]"; for example, „Artifact Creature — Golem."
„As though"
Text that states a player or card may do something „as though" some condition were true applies only to the stated action. For purposes of that action, treat the game exactly as if the stated condition is true. For all other purposes, treat the game normally.
Example: „Giant Spider may block as though it had flying." You may treat the Spider as a creature with flying when you declare blockers. This allows Giant Spider to block creature with flying (or with „[card] can’t be blocked except by creatures with flying"), assuming no other blocking restrictions apply. For example, Giant Spider can’t normally block a creature with both flying and shadow.
Example: „You may play that card as though it were in your hand." The card may be played by the usual rules. If it’s a spell, it’s placed on the stack as the first step of playing it (see rule 409, „Playing Spells and Activated Abilities"); if it’s a land, it’s put directly into play. Because the card isn’t actually in your hand, it can’t be discarded, removed from the game to pay a cost, cycled, or counted when counting the number of cards in your hand.
Example: „Walls may attack as though they weren’t Walls." As long as this effect is active, Walls are treated exactly like creatures with no creature type for the purpose of declaring attackers. They’re still subject to all other rules and effects that determine whether an attack is legal.
Attack
A creature attacks when it is declared as an attacker during the combat phase. (See rule 308, „Declare Attackers Step.") Using a spell or ability (even during the combat phase) is never considered to be an attack.
Attacking Creature
A creature becomes an attacking creature when declared as an attacker during the combat phase. It remains an attacking creature until it’s removed from combat, it stops being a creature, its controller changes, or the combat phase ends. Attacking creatures don’t exist outside of the combat phase. See rule 308, „Declare Attackers Step."
Banding, Bands with Other (Obsolete)
Banding is a static ability that affects the combat phase. „Bands with other" is a specialized version of the ability. (See Appendix B, „Older Rules," section 5.)
Basic Land
There are five basic land types: plains, island, swamp, mountain, and forest. Every basic land has an intrinsic mana ability. (See rule 214.9, „Lands.") Snow-covered lands are still basic lands, for example, Snow-Covered Plains is considered a plains.
Becomes
Some trigger events use the word „becomes"; for example, „becomes tapped" or „becomes blocked." These trigger only at the time the named event happens—they don’t trigger if that state already exists or retrigger if it persists. For example, „becomes tapped" triggers once, and only when a permanent’s status changes from untapped to tapped.
Beginning of Turn
An ability that triggers on „beginning of turn" goes on the stack the first time a player has priority—normally, the beginning of the upkeep step. See rule 410, „Handling Triggered Abilities."
Beginning Phase
The beginning phase is the first phase of the turn. It has three steps: untap, upkeep, and draw. See rule 301, „Beginning Phase."
Block
A creature blocks when it’s declared as a blocker during the combat phase. See rule 309, „Declare Blockers Step."
Blocked Creature
An attacking creature becomes a blocked creature when another creature blocks it or an effect causes it to become blocked during the combat phase. It remains a blocked creature until it’s removed from combat, it stops being a creature, its controller changes, or the combat phase ends. A blocked creature doesn’t become unblocked if the blocking creature is later removed from combat. Blocked creatures don’t exist outside of the combat phase. See rule 309, „Declare Blockers Step."
Blocking Creature
A creature becomes a blocking creature when it blocks an attacking creature during the combat phase. It remains a blocking creature until it’s removed from combat, it stops being a creature, its controller changes, or the combat phase ends. Blocking creatures don’t exist outside of the combat phase. See rule 309, „Declare Blockers Step."
Bury (Obsolete)
This is the act of putting a permanent into its owner’s graveyard. Regeneration can’t replace a „bury" effect. For most purposes, „bury" is equivalent to „destroy [this permanent]; it can’t be regenerated."
Buyback
Buyback is a replacement ability modifying rule 413.2h. When playing an instant or sorcery spell with buyback, the controller of the spell may pay an additional cost specified on the card. If he or she does, when the spell resolves, the card is put into his or her hand instead of into his or her graveyard. If for some reason the card wouldn’t otherwise go to its controller’s graveyard, it doesn’t go to his or her hand; it goes to wherever it’s otherwise destined.
Cantrip (Informal)
This is a nickname for any spell that has „Draw a card" as part of its effect.
Card
This is specifically a Magic card, and is always considered a card regardless of which zone it’s in. Tokens aren’t cards. See section 2, „Cards."
Cast (Obsolete)
This is a synonym for playing a spell.
Caster (Obsolete)
The caster of a spell is the player who played it.
Casting Cost (Obsolete)
This is the old term for mana cost. The obsolete term „total casting cost" means „converted mana cost."
Characteristics
A card’s characteristics are exclusively: name, mana cost, color, type and subtype, expansion symbol, abilities, power, and toughness. A card’s characteristics at any given time start with the initial values, then are adjusted by any counters (on a permanent), then by continuous effects. Characteristics don’t include other information about a card, such as being tapped or untapped, its controller, its target, what it enchants, and so on.
Cleanup
Cleanup is the second and final step of the end phase. Spells and abilities may be played during this step only if the conditions for any state-based effects exist or if any abilities have triggered. In that case, the step repeats. See rule 314, „Cleanup Step."
Color
The only colors in Magic are white, blue, black, red, and green. A permanent can be one or more of those colors or it can be colorless. „Colorless" isn’t a color; neither are „artifact," „land," „brown," etc.
A card’s initial color is determined by the color(s) of the mana
symbols in its mana cost.
Spells and abilities may change a permanent’s color temporarily or permanently. If an effect gives a permanent a new color, the new color replaces all previous colors rather than adding to them.
Colorless
A card with no color is colorless. Lands and artifacts are colorless because they have either no mana cost or no colored mana in their mana costs. They can be given a color by effects.
Combat Damage
Combat damage is dealt during the combat damage step of the combat phase by attacking creatures and blocking creatures. It doesn’t include damage dealt by spells and abilities during the combat phase. See rule 310, „Combat Damage Step."
Combat Phase
Combat is the third phase of the turn. The combat phase has five steps: beginning of combat, declare attackers, declare blockers, combat damage, and end of combat. See rules 306–311.
Comes into Play
A permanent comes into play when the card or token representing it is moved into the in-play zone. A permanent whose type or controller changes doesn’t „come into play."
Permanents come into play untapped and under the control of whoever put them into play.
Instructions that alter permanents coming into play do so as they come into play. For example, if an instruction causes something to come into play tapped, it isn’t put into play untapped and then tapped. The controller-to-be of that permanent makes any choices required by the instruction.
When a permanent comes into play, first apply any „as [card] comes into play" text, then apply any „[card] comes into play with" text, then apply continuous effects, then check to determine if the current form of the permanent generates any triggered abilities.
Continuous Ability (Obsolete)
This is the old term for static ability.
Continuous Effect
Continuous effects are usually active as long as the permanent with the associated static ability remains in play. A spell or ability can also create a continuous effect that doesn’t depend on a permanent; these last for the specified time. See rule 418, „Continuous Effects."
Control/Controller
Every permanent, spell, and ability has a controller.
When a permanent comes into play, its controller is whoever put it into play unless the spell or ability that generated the permanent states otherwise. Other effects can later change the controller.
Cards in zones other than in play or the stack have no controller. A spell or ability on the stack is controlled by whoever played it. A triggered ability is controlled by the controller of the permanent that generated it unless the ability states that a player „may" do something, in which case the ability is controlled by the player given the option.
Converted Mana Cost
The converted mana cost of a card is the total amount of mana in its mana cost, regardless of color. For example, Air Elemental has a mana cost of o3oUoU and a converted mana cost of 5. The old term for converted mana cost was „total casting cost." See rule 203, „Mana Cost."
Cost
Playing spells and activated abilities requires paying a cost. Most costs are in mana, but they may also include paying life, tapping or sacrificing permanents, or discarding cards, and so on.
It’s illegal to pay a cost without having the necessary resources. For example, a player with only 1 life can’t pay a cost of 2 life, and a permanent that’s already tapped can’t be tapped to pay a cost. See rule 203, „Mana Cost," and rule 403, „Activated Abilities."
Could
„Could" in Magic language doesn’t provide for endless possibilities. Only two templates use „could": „any time you could play" and „mana [permanent] could produce."
„Any time you could play ‘foo’" means „if the rules of the game allow you to play a ‘foo’ at this time, regardless of whether you actually have a ‘foo’ to play."
„Mana [permanent] could produce" means „type of mana any ability of [permanent] can generate, taking into account any applicable replacement effects." The game state (the ability to play the ability, number of counters on the permanent, etc.) doesn’t matter. Some cards refer to a type of mana that other cards „could produce." To determine the type of mana, use any phrase on that card containing the words „add mana to your mana pool," as modified by replacement effects, regardless of whether the ability can currently be played and whether it will currently produce any mana. If the type of mana is undefined, no type of mana is generated.
Counter
1. To counter a spell or ability is to cancel it, removing it from the stack zone. A countered spell is put into its owner’s graveyard.
2. A counter is a marker placed on a permanent, either modifying its characteristics or interacting with an ability. For example, some creatures come into play with a number of +1/+1 counters, increasing their power and toughness. Counters with the same name or description are interchangeable. Counters may also be given to players. See „Poison Counters" in this Glossary.
Counts As
If a card’s text states that it „counts as" something, then as far as the game rules and other cards are concerned the card is that thing. This isn’t an ability; it applies even when the card’s not in play. For example, a card that „counts as a forest" can be retrieved with a spell that searches the library for a forest card, and once in play it may be tapped for green mana and allows forestwalk.
Creature
éA creature is both a card type and permanent type. The active player can play creature spells only during his or her main phase when the stack is empty. See rule 214.7, „Creatures."
Cumulative Upkeep
Cumulative upkeep is an upkeep-triggered ability. „Cumulative upkeep — [cost]" means „At the beginning of your upkeep, put a cumulative upkeep counter on this card. You may pay [cost] for each cumulative upkeep counter on the car If you don’t, sacrifice it." Note that if a card has more than one cumulative upkeep cost, each creates a separate triggered ability at the beginning of upkeep that counts all the cumulative upkeep counters on the card from both abilities. See rule 410, „Handling Triggered Abilities."
Cycling
Cycling is an activated ability. „Cycling [cost]" means „Pay [cost], discard this card: Draw a card. Play this ability only when this card is in your hand."
Damage
Many spells and abilities deal damage to creatures and/or players. Creatures may also deal combat damage during the combat phase.
Damage dealt to a player is subtracted from his or her life total.
Damage dealt to a creature stays on the permanent, even if it stops being a creature. A creature with damage greater than or equal to its toughness has lethal damage and is destroyed. (See rule 420, „State-Based Effects.") A noncreature permanent isn’t affected by damage (but if it becomes a creature again before the damage is removed, the creature may be destroyed). During the cleanup step, all damage is removed from permanents.
Costs and effects that read „lose life" or „pay life" aren’t damage and can’t be prevented or otherwise altered by damage-prevention effects.
Damage-Prevention Ability
A damage-prevention ability is a static or activated ability that generates a damage-prevention effect.
Deck
The deck is the collection of cards each player starts the game with. When the game begins, each player’s deck becomes his or her library.
Defending Player
During the combat phase, the active player’s opponent is the defending player. (In a multiplayer game, there may be one defending player at a time or there may be more than one, depending on which variant is being played.) Creatures can attack only the defending player; they can’t attack other players or creatures. During phases other than combat, there is no defending player.
Delayed Ability
A delayed ability is an activated or triggered ability created by effects generated when some spells or abilities resolve. See rule 406.2, „Delayed Abilities."
Destroy
To destroy a permanent is to move it from the in-play zone to its owner’s graveyard. Regeneration or other destruction-replacement effects can replace this action. See rule 419, „Replacement and Prevention Effects."
Discard
A player discards a card by putting the card from his or her hand into his or her graveyard. By default, spells and abilities that cause a player to discard a card allow the affected player to choose which card to discard. Some spells and abilities, however, allow another player to make the choice for a random discard.
Draw
1. A player draws a card by putting the top card of his or her library into his or her hand. A spell or ability may move cards from a player’s library to the hand without „drawing" them; this makes a difference for abilities that trigger on drawing cards or that replace card draws.
2. A game ends in a draw if both players lose or win simultaneously.
Draw Step
The draw step is the third step of the beginning phase, with a triggered ability that requires the active player to draw a card at the beginning of the step. A player may play spells and abilities during this step
whenever he or she has priority. See rule 304, „Draw Step."
Duel (Obsolete)
This is a synonym for a game of Magic. See also Match.
During (Obsolete)
Phase-triggered abilities were sometimes written „During [phase], . . . ." These should be read as „At the beginning of [phase], . . . ."
Echo
Echo is a upkeep-triggered ability. „Echo" in a permanent’s rules text means „At the beginning of your upkeep, if this card came under your control since the beginning of your last upkeep, you may pay its mana cost. If you don’t, sacrifice it."
Effect
„Ability" and „effect" are often confused with one another. An instruction in a permanent’s text is an ability. The result of carrying out such an instruction, or that of a spell, is an effect. See rule 416, „Effects."
When a spell or ability resolves, it creates an effect. There are three basic types: one-shot, continuous, and replacement or prevention effects.
Some effects may in turn create delayed abilities to be played later.
Enchant World (Obsolete)
Enchant world is a category of global enchantment found only in out-of-print cards. Whenever two or more enchant world cards are in play, all but the one with the most recent timestamp are put into their owners’ graveyard. This is a state-based effect.
Enchantment
An enchantment is both a card and a permanent type. The active player can play enchantment spells only during his or her main phase when the stack is empty. See rule 214.8, „Enchantments." See also Global Enchantment, Local Enchantment.
End of Turn
This is the first step of the end phase. See rule 313, „End of Turn Step."
End Phase
The end phase is the fifth and final phase of the turn. It has two steps: end of turn and cleanup. See rule 312, „End Phase."
Evasion Ability
Evasion abilities restrict what creatures can block an attacking creature. These are static abilities that modify the declare blockers step of the combat phase. See rule 501, „Evasion Abilities."
Event
Anything that happens in a game is an event. Multiple events may take place during the resolution of a spell or ability. The text of triggered abilities and replacement effects defines the event they’re looking for; one „happening" may be treated as a single event by one ability and as multiple events by another. For example, if an attacking creature is blocked by two defending creatures, this is one event for a triggered ability that reads „Whenever [name] becomes blocked" but two events for a triggered ability that reads „Whenever [name] becomes blocked by a creature."
Exchange
A spell or ability may instruct players to exchange something as part of its resolution; for example, life totals or control of two permanents. When such a spell or ability resolves, if it can’t exchange the chosen things, it has no effect on them. For example, if a spell attempts to exchange control of two target creatures but one of them is destroyed before it resolves, the spell does nothing to the other creature.
When life totals are exchanged, each player gains or loses the amount of life necessary to equal the other player’s previous life total. Replacement effects may modify these gains and losses, and triggered abilities may trigger on them.
Expansion Symbol
The small icon printed below the right edge of the illustration on a Magic card is the expansion symbol, indicating in which set the card was published. Cards reprinted in the basic set receive its expansion symbol and no longer count as part of their original set. This is important only to spells and abilities that affect cards from a particular expansion. The first five editions of the basic set had no expansion symbol.
The expansion symbols to date are:
Expansions and Editions
Arabian Nights® [symbol]
Antiquities® [symbol]
Legends® [symbol]
The Dark® [symbol]
Fallen Empires™ [symbol]
Ice Age™ [symbol]
Homelands™ [symbol]
Alliances™ [symbol]
Mercadian Masques™ [symbol]
Mirage™ [symbol]
Visions™ [symbol]
Weatherlight™ [symbol]
Tempest™ [symbol]
Stronghold™ [symbol]
Exodus™ [symbol]
Urza’s Destiny™ [symbol]
Urza’s Saga™ [symbol]
Urza’s Legacy™ [symbol]
Classic™ (Sixth Edition) [symbol]
Starter-Level Sets
Portal™ [symbol]
Portal Second Age™ [symbol]
Portal Three Kingdoms™ [symbol]
Starter [symbol]
Promotional Cards
DragonCon [symbol]
Magic novels [symbol]
Arena™ league cards [symbol]
Reprints
Cards reprinted in Chronicles™, Anthologies, Battle Royale, and other reprint sets have the same expansion symbol as the original cards. These cards are treated as belonging to the original set.
Social-Play Sets
Unglued™ [symbol]
Fast Effect (Obsolete)
This is an old term for instant spells and activated abilities.
First Strike
First strike is a static ability that modifies the rules for the combat phase. Creatures with first strike assign and deal their damage first, then surviving creatures without first strike assign and deal their damage in a separate step. See rule 502.2, „First Strike."
Fizzle (Obsolete)
Older versions of Magic rules use the term „fizzle" when spells or abilities are countered due to missing or illegal targets on resolution.
Flanking
Flanking is a triggered ability that triggers during the declare blockers step of the combat phase. The word „flanking" in a creature card’s rules text 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."
Flavor Text
This is text in italics appearing below the rules text on a card. It provides a mood or gives interesting background detail for the game world but has no effect on play.
Flying
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."
Forestwalk
See Landwalk.
Generic Mana Cost
A generic mana cost is represented by a number in a gray circle, such as o1. Any color of mana, as well as colorless, may be used to pay a generic mana cost.
Global Enchantment
Global enchantments are a category of enchantments. They are labeled „Enchantment" and aren’t attached to another permanent while they’re in play.
Graveyard
Each player’s discard pile is his or her graveyard. Countered spells, destroyed or sacrificed permanents, and discarded cards are put into their owner’s graveyard. See rule 217, „Zones."
Hand
The hand is the zone where a player holds cards that haven’t been played yet. See rule 217, „Zones."
Haste
Normally a creature can’t attack or use activated abilities whose cost includes tapping the creature unless it’s been controlled by the player continuously since the most recent beginning of that controller’s turn. Haste is a static ability that allows a creature to ignore this rule. See rule 502.5, „Haste."
Hidden Information (Obsolete)
In earlier Magic rules, choices involved in playing spells and abilities were made during announcement, except sacrifices and certain categories of choices involving „hidden information" defined by complex rules. Under Classic rules, most choices called for by a spell or ability are made during resolution and are unknown to the opponent until then. See rule 409, „Playing Spells and Activated Abilities."
If
A triggered ability may read „When(ever)/At . . . , if . . . , [action]." The ability checks for the stated condition to be true when the trigger event occurs. If it is, the ability triggers and goes on the stack. On resolution, the ability rechecks the condition. If the condition isn’t true at either of those times, the ability does nothing. Note that the word „if" has only its normal English meaning anywhere else in the text of a card; this rule only applies to an „if" that immediately follows the trigger condition.
In Play
In play is the zone in which permanents exist. When an artifact, creature, or enchantment spell resolves, the card is put into the in-play zone as a permanent. Tokens and lands also exist in this zone. See rule 217, „Zones."
Infinity Rule
There’s no such thing as „infinity" in Magic rules. Occasionally the game can get into a state where a set of actions could be repeated forever. The „infinity rule" governs how to break such loops. See rule 421, „Handling ‘Infinite’ Loops."
Initial Value
The initial values of a card’s characteristics are printed on the card or in the rules text of the spell or ability that creates a token.
Effects that change a card’s type change the initial values for one or more of its characteristics, not the current values. They don’t override continuous effects that are changing those characteristics. See rule 214.5.
Instant
An instant is a card type. A player may play instant spells whenever he or she has priority. Instant spells are put into their owner’s graveyard as the last step of resolution. See rule 409, „Playing Spells and Activated Abilities."
Interrupt (Obsolete)
An interrupt is a form of instant that targets a spell or ability.
Islandwalk
See Landwalk.
Land
Land is both a card and permanent type. Lands aren’t spells and don’t go on the stack; they are simply put in play from the hand. The active player may play a land once each turn during his or her main phase when he or she has priority and the stack is empty. See rule 214.9, „Lands."
Land Type
A land’s type is its card title. For example, a Forest is type „forest" and an Adarkar Wastes is type „Adarkar Wastes." Note that „basic" and „nonbasic" aren’t land types.
Landhome (Obsolete)
„Landhome" is a generic term; a card’s rules text names a specific type of land, such as „islandhome." A creature with landhome can’t be declared as an attacking creature during the combat phase unless the defending player controls at least one land of the specified type. If its controller controls no land of the specified type, the creature is put into its owner’s graveyard as a triggered ability.
Landwalk
„Landwalk" is a generic term; a card’s rules text usually names a specific type of land, such as „islandwalk."
Landwalk is an evasion ability. A creature with landwalk is unblockable as long as the defending player controls at least one land of the specified type. See rule 502.6, „Landwalk."
Leaves Play
A permanent leaves play when it moves from the in-play zone to any other zone. See rule 410.10c.
If a token leaves play, it ceases to exist. This is a state-based effect.
If a card leaves play and later returns, it’s treated as an entirely new permanent with no „memory" of anything from its former existence. (Phasing is an exception to this; see Appendix B, „Older Rules.")
Legend/Legendary
Legend is a special creature type. Legendary is a supertype that may apply to any type; for example, „Legendary Land," „Legendary Artifact," etc.
Whenever two or more Legends or legendary permanents with the same name are in play, all but the first played are put into their owners’ graveyards. This „Legend rule" is a state-based effect.
A Legend that stops being a creature is still legendary, and a legendary permanent that becomes a creature gets the creature type Legend in addition to any other creature type it may have.
Lethal Damage
Lethal damage is an amount of damage greater than 0 and greater than or equal to a creature’s toughness. A creature with lethal damage is destroyed. This is a state-based effect.
Library
The library is the zone from which a player draws cards. When a game begins, each player’s deck becomes his or her library. See rule 217.2, „Library."
Life/Life Total
Life total is a sort of score. Each player starts the game with 20 life, and a player whose life total drops to 0 loses. This is a state-based effect.
LIFO
An acronym for „Last In, First Out," LIFO is the order in which spells and abilities resolve after going on the stack. The last played is resolved first. See rule 413, „Resolving Spells and Abilities."
Local Enchantment
Local enchantments are a category of enchantments. They are labeled „Enchant [type]" and are attached to another permanent while in play. See rule 214.8, „Enchantments."
Main Phase
The term „main phase" comprises the first main and second main phases, also called the „precombat" and „postcombat" main phases.. Artifact, creature, enchantment, and sorcery spells may be played only by the active player during his or her main phase, and only when the stack is empty. A player may also play one land each turn during his or her main phase.
Mana
Mana is the energy used to play spells and usually is produced by lands. Mana is created by a spell or mana ability and can be used to
pay costs immediately or can go into the player’s mana pool.
Colored mana costs, represented by colored mana symbols, can be paid only with the appropriate color of mana. Generic mana costs can be paid with any color of, or with colorless, mana.
Specialized types of mana can exist. For example, an ability might produce mana that can be used only to play creature spells, or to pay activation costs.
Mana Ability
This is an ability category and is either activated or triggered. A mana ability doesn’t go on the stack—it resolves immediately.
A player may play a mana ability whenever he or she has priority and whenever a rule or effect asks for a mana payment. This is the only type of ability that can be played in the middle of playing or resolving a spell or ability. See rule 406.1, „Mana Abilities."
Mana Burn
When a phase ends, any unused mana remaining in a player’s mana pool is lost. The player loses 1 life for each one mana lost this way. This is called „mana burn."
Mana Cost
The mana cost of a nonland card is indicated by the mana symbols printed on its upper right corner. The mana cost of a land card or a token is 0. See rule 203, „Mana Cost."
Mana Pool
When a spell or ability creates mana that’s not used immediately to pay a cost, the mana is stored in the mana pool, an imaginary area. From there, it can be used to pay for spells and abilities. The mana pool is cleared at the end of each phase. See also Mana Burn.
Mana Source (obsolete)
Spells listed as type „Mana Source" are now instants. Abilities that read „Play this ability as a mana source" are now mana abilities.
Mana Symbol
The mana symbols are oW, oU, oB, oR, oG, o0, numerals, and oX.
Each of the colored mana symbols represents one colored mana: oW white, oU blue, oB black, oR red, and oG green.
Numeral symbols (such aso1) are generic mana costs and represent an amount of mana that can be paid with any color of, or colorless, mana.
The symbol oX represents an unspecified amount of mana; when playing a spell or activated ability with oX in its cost, its controller decides the value of X.
The symbol o0 represents zero mana and is used as a placeholder when a spell or activated ability costs nothing to play. A spell or ability whose cost is o0 must still be played the same way as one with a cost greater than zero; it won’t „play itself automatically."
Match
A match is a series of Magic games and is important only for tournament or league play. A match usually consists of the best two of three games, or sometimes the best three of five. For more information, consult the DCI Magic Floor Rules.
Maximum Hand Size
Each player’s maximum hand size is normally seven cards, though effects may modify this. As the first part of the active player’s cleanup step, if he or she has too many cards in his or her hand, that player chooses and discards as many cards as needed to reduce his or her hand to its maximum size (but no more than that). See rule 314, „Cleanup Step."
Modal/Mode
A spell is modal if it offers a choice of effects. Its controller must choose the mode as part of playing the spell. On current cards, modal spells are always written „Choose one — ."
Mountainwalk
See Landwalk.
Move
A spell or ability may instruct a player to „move" a local enchantment or a counter from one permanent to another. If the enchantment or counter no longer exists or the new permanent is no longer in play when the spell or ability resolves, nothing happens. Similarly, an enchantment that can’t enchant the new permanent stays where it was.
A moved enchantment stops enchanting the previous permanent and starts enchanting the new one, and it receives a new timestamp. Nothing else about the enchantment changes. The enchantment never left play, so no comes-into-play or leaves-play triggered abilities will trigger. If an ability of the moved enchantment affecting „enchanted [permanent]" was on the stack when the enchantment moved, it will affect the new enchanted permanent when it resolves, not the old one.
Mulligan
A player can „mulligan" by shuffling his or her hand back into his or her library and drawing a new hand with one fewer card before taking the first turn. Any player dissatisfied with his or her starting hand may mulligan as often as he or she wishes, drawing one fewer card each time. See rule 101.5.
Multicolored
A multicolored card has two or more colors. Multicolored cards are printed with gold frames to reinforce this.
A multicolored permanent is affected by anything that singles out any of its colors. For example, a black-and-green creature is destroyed by a spell that reads, „Destroy all green creatures." Something that can’t affect a particular color won’t affect a multicolored permanent with that color, so the above creature can’t be targeted by a spell or ability that reads, „Destroy target nonblack creature."
Name
The name of a card is printed on its upper-left corner. See rule 202, „Name."
Nonbasic Land
Any land other than a basic land (plains, island, swamp, mountain, forest) is nonbasic. A nonbasic land that „counts as" a basic land has that land’s mana ability and is subject to any spells or abilities that act on that land type, but it isn’t a basic land.
Number
Magic uses only natural numbers. You may not choose a fractional number, deal fractional damage, and so on. When a spell or ability could generate a fractional number, the spell or ability will tell you whether to round up or down.
If a creature’s power or toughness, a mana cost, an amount of damage, or an amount of life loss would be less than zero, it’s treated as zero for all purposes except adding to or subtracting from it.
Obsolete
Terms marked „(Obsolete)" in this glossary were used on older cards or older editions of the rules. Updated wordings for all cards using these terms are available in the Oracle™ card reference.
One-Shot Effect
One-shot effects are effects that do something only once and then end. See also Continuous Effects.
Opponent
The word „opponent" in a spell or ability’s rules text always refers to the opponent of the player controlling the spell or ability.
In a team game, only members of the opposing team are opponents; teammates aren’t opponents. In a free-for-all, all other players are a player’s opponents.
Owner
The owner of a card is the player who started the game with that card in his or her deck. (Legal ownership is irrelevant to the game rules.) The owner of a token is the controller of the spell or ability that created it.
A spell or ability can change a permanent’s controller but never its owner.
A card is always put into its owner’s library, hand, or graveyard, regardless of who currently controls the card.
Pass
To pass is to decline to play a spell or ability. When a player passes, his or her opponent receives priority. If both players pass in succession, the last-played spell or ability on the stack resolves. If the stack is empty, the phase or step ends.
Pay
Playing most spells and activated abilities requires paying costs.
Paying mana is done by either playing a mana ability or removing the indicated amount of mana from the player’s mana pool. Any time a player is asked to pay mana, mana abilities may be played. Paying life subtracts the indicated amount of life from the player’s life total. A player can’t pay a nonzero mana or life cost greater than he or she currently has. Costs of zero can always be paid.
To pay any other cost, the player carries out the instructions specified in the card’s rules text. It’s illegal to attempt paying a cost when unable to successfully follow the instructions. For example, a player can’t pay a cost that requires tapping a creature if that creature is already tapped.
Each payment applies to only one spell or ability. For example, a player can’t sacrifice just one creature to play activated abilities of two permanents that require sacrificing a creature as a cost. Also, the resolution of a spell or ability doesn’t pay another spell or ability’s cost, even if part of its effect is doing the same thing as the other cost asks for.
Permanent
A permanent is any card or token in the in-play zone. See rule 214, „Permanent Type."
Permanently (Obsolete)
Some older cards use the word „permanently" to indicate effects with no expiration. For example, „Gain control of [name] permanently" grants control of it until something else changes the controller or it leaves play. It doesn’t make the permanent immune to other control effects.
Phase
Each turn is divided into five phases: beginning, first main, combat, second main, and end. See section 3, „Turn Structure."
Phase Ability (Obsolete)
This is a term for triggered abilities written „During [phase], . . . ." These should be read as „At the beginning of [phase], . . . ."
Phased Out (Obsolete)
The „phased out" zone is a special zone for permanents with phasing that are temporarily out of play. See Appendix B, „Older Rules."
Phasing (Obsolete)
Phasing is a static ability that causes a permanent to leave play and later return, without losing its „memory." See Appendix B, „Older Rules."
Plainswalk
See Landwalk.
Play
The act of playing a spell, land, or ability involves announcing the action and taking the necessary steps to complete it.
Playing a spell or activated ability requires paying any costs and choosing any required modes an d/or targets. The spell or ability then goes on the stack. See rule 409, „Playing Spells and Activated Abilities."
Playing a land simply requires choosing a land card from the hand and putting it into play.
Playing a mana ability requires paying any costs, then immediately resolving the ability. See rule 411, „Playing Mana Abilities."
Triggered abilities and static abilities aren’t played—they happen automatically.
Play/Draw
At the start of a game, one player gets to choose the order of play. Whoever plays first skips his or her first draw step. This is referred to as the „play/draw" choice. See rule 101, „Starting the Game."
Postcombat
The second main phase in each turn is called the „postcombat" main phase. If an effect causes a turn to have an extra combat phase and another main phase, the additional one is also a postcombat main phase.
Power
Creatures that attack or block assign combat damage equal to their power. (See rule 310, „Combat Damage Step.")
A few creature cards have power represented by * instead of a number. This signifies that the creature has a static ability setting its power according to some stated condition. If a spell or ability attempts to read the power when the creature card isn’t in play, the * is equal to 0.
Precombat
The first main phase in each turn is called the „precombat" main phase.
Prevention
Effects that prevent something from happening replace it with „do nothing." (See rule 419, „Replacement and Prevention Effects.") These effects must be active before the event they’re intended to prevent.
Effects that prevent a specific amount of damage act as „shields" and stay active until that amount of damage has been prevented or the turn ends. The damage doesn’t have to be dealt by a single source or all at once.
Effects that prevent all damage from a specific source apply to the next damage dealt by that source, regardless of the amount. These effects expire when the turn ends.
Priority
The player who has the option to play a spell or ability at any given time has priority.
Each time a spell or ability (other than a mana ability) resolves, and at the beginning of most phases or steps, the active player receives priority. After a player plays a spell, ability, or land, he or she again receives priority. When a player passes, his or her opponent receives priority. (If both players pass in succession the top spell or ability on the stack resolves, or if the stack is empty the phase or step ends.)
Each time a player receives priority, all applicable state-based effects resolve (see rule 420, „State-Based Effects") and then triggered abilities are added to the stack (see rule 410, „Handling Triggered Abilities"); these steps repeat until no further state-based effects or triggered abilities are generated. Then the player may play a spell, abilit y, or land as governed by the rules for that phase.
Protection
Protection is a static ability. A permanent with protection from [quality] can’t be targeted by [quality] spells or abilities, or enchanted by [quality] enchantments. If it attacks, it can’t be blocked by [quality] creatures. In addition, all damage dealt to it from [quality] sources is prevented. See rule 502.7, „Protection."
Pseudospell
A pseudospell is an activated or triggered ability that goes on the stack like a spell.
Rampage (Obsolete)
Rampage is a triggered ability that triggers in the declare blockers step of the combat phase. „Rampage [X]" means „When this creature becomes blocked, it gets +[X]/+[X]until end of turn for each creature after the first blocking it."
Redirect (Obsolete)
To redirect damage is to deal it to a different player or creature than originally specified by the spell, ability, or combat damage assignment. This doesn’t change the source or type of damage. A damage-redirection ability creates replacement effect, which must be active before the damage is actually dealt.
Regenerate
Regeneration is a destruction-replacement effect. „Regenerate [permanent]" means „The next time [permanent] would be destroyed this turn, instead remove all damage from it, tap it, and (if it’s in combat) remove it from combat." Because it’s a replacement effect, it must be active before the attempted destruction event. Note that if destruction is caused by lethal damage, any abilities that trigger from that damage being dealt still trigger even if the permanent regenerates.
Reminder Text
Reminder text appears after a keyword ability printed on a card and is italicized and in parentheses. This text provides a summary of the game rule but isn’t itself considered rules text.
Removed from Combat
An attacking or blocking creature that is removed from combat stops being an attacking or blocking creature and can no longer assign combat damage or have combat damage assigned to it. Any combat damage that’s already on the stack assigned to or by the creature will still resolve normally.
Removed from the Game
A card removed from the game is out of play and can’t be affected by spells or abilities. However, the spell or ability that removed it may specify a way for it to return. Some cards use the expression „set aside" for situations in which a card removed from the game can return to play. See rule 217.7, „Removed from the Game."
Replacement Ability
A replacement ability is a static ability that generates a replacement effect.
Replacement Effect
A replacement effect is a type of continuous effect that „watches" for a specified event and replaces it with a different one. See rule 419, „Replacement and Prevention Effects."
Resolve
When the spell or ability on top of the stack resolves, its controller carries out the instructions printed on the card, in the order written. See rule 413, „Resolving Spells and Abilities."
Respond/Response (Informal)
A player can choose to play an instant spell or activated ability when something else is already on the stack, rather than waiting for the earlier spell or ability to resolve first. The spell or ability is said to be played „in response to" the earlier spell or ability.
Reveal
To reveal a card is to show that card to all players. This is a one-shot effect; after all players have seen the card, it’s returned to its former state.
Saboteur (Informal)
This is a nickname for any creature with abilities that trigger when it’s unblocked or that can be played only when it’s unblocked.
Sacrifice
To sacrifice a permanent, its controller moves it from the in-play zone directly to its owner’s graveyard. If an effect instructs a player to sacrifice a permanent that he or she doesn’t control, nothing happens.
Search
If you’re required to „search" a zone for cards matching some criteria, you aren’t required to find those cards even if they’re present. If you’re simply searching for „any card," however, you must find a card (if possible). If you’re required to search for a specific number of cards, you must choose that many cards (or as many as possible.) For example, if an effect causes you to search a player’s hand, graveyard, and library for all copies of a particular card and remove them from the game, you may choose to leave some copies alone, but if an effect causes you to search your library for three cards and it contains at least three, you can’t choose less than three.
Set Aside
To set aside a card is to remove it from the game; however, the effect will specify some condition that allows the set-aside card to return to the game. See also Removed from the Game.
Shadow
Shadow is an evasion ability. Attacking creatures with shadow can’t be blocked by creatures without shadow, and attacking creatures without shadow can’t be blocked by creatures with shadow. See rule 502.8, „Shadow."
Skip
To skip a step, phase, or turn is to proceed past it as though it didn’t exist. Skipping is a prevention or replacement effect. „Skip [something]" is the same as „Prevent [something]" or „Instead of doing [something], do nothing."
Once a step, phase, or turn has started, it can no longer be skipped—any skip effects will wait until the next occurrence.
Anything scheduled for a skipped step, phase, or turn won’t happen. Anything scheduled for the „next" occurrence of something waits for the first occurrence that isn’t skipped. If two effects each cause a player to skip his or her next occurrence, that player must skip the next two; one effect will be satisfied in skipping the first occurrence, while the other will remain until another occurrence can be skipped
Snow-Covered (Obsolete)
A land may be snow-covered in addition to its land type. This doesn’t change its type or whether it’s basic or nonbasic. For example, a snow-covered forest is still a forest. „Snow-covered" doesn’t restrict the type and can’t be chosen when a spell or ability specifies a land type.
Effects that change a land’s type don’t add or remove snow-covered
status.
Sorcery
„Sorcery" is a card type. Sorcery spells can be played only during their controller’s main phase when the stack is empty. See rule 408, „Timing of Spells and Abilities."
Source
The source of an ability or of damage is the card or token that generated it. If an effect requires a player to choose a source, he or she may choose either a permanent or a spell on the stack (including one that creates a permanent) or any card or permanent referred to by a spell or pseudospell on the stack. The effect will apply to the next damage dealt by that spell or by that permanent (in combat or by one of its abilities). A source doesn’t need to be capable of dealing damage to be a legal choice.
Spell
A nonland card becomes a spell when played and remains a spell until it is countered or resolves. Nonland cards can also be referred to as „spell cards." See rule 213, „Spell Type."
Stack
A spell or ability goes on top of the stack when played. Whenever both players pass in succession, the top spell or ability on the stack resolves and the active player receives priority again. See rule 217.6, „Stack" and rule 408.1, „Timing, Priority, and the Stack."
State-Based Effects
State-based effects continually „watch" the game for a particular state. Whenever a player receives priority, state-based effects are checked and applied.
State Triggers
State triggers are triggered abilities that watch for a game state rather than an event and trigger as soon as the game state matches the condition. Once a state trigger has triggered, it won’t trigger again until the pseudospell it created has resolved or been countered. See rule 410.11.
Static Ability
Static abilities do something all the time rather than being played at specific times. Static abilities create continuous effects, which are active as long as the permanent with the ability remains in play and has the ability. A spell or ability can also create a continuous effect that doesn’t depend on a permanent; these may last a specified length of time or for the rest of the game. See rule 412, „Handling Static Abilities."
Step
Some phases of the turn are further subdivided into steps. See section 3, „Turn Structure."
Successfully Cast (Obsolete)
Any ability that’s written as triggering when a spell becomes „successfully cast" should be read as triggering when the spell is played.
Summon (Obsolete)
A summon spell is any creature spell that isn’t an artifact spell. „Summoning a creature" is playing a nonartifact creature spell.
Summoning Sickness (Obsolete)
This is an old term for a creature’s inability to attack or tap to use activated abilities when it’s just come under a player’s control since that player’s most recent beginning of turn. See also Haste.
Swampwalk
See Landwalk.
Tap
To tap a permanent is to turn the card sideways. The symbol ocT in an activation cost means „Tap this permanent"—a permanent that’s already tapped can’t be tapped again to pay the cost. Creatures that haven’t been under a player’s control continuously since his or her most recent beginning of turn can’t use any ability with ocT in the cost.
Target
Whenever the word „target" appears in the rules text of a spell or ability, the controller of the spell or ability chooses something that matches whatever follows that word. This may be as simple as „target land"
or more complex, such as „target tapped creature one of your opponents controls." The choice is made when playing the spell or ability, which „targets" whatever was chosen.
A spell or pseudospell on the stack can’t target itself.
Text Box
The text box is printed below the illustration on a Magic card and contains rules and flavor text.
Timestamp Order
A permanent’s timestamp is the time it came into play, with two exceptions: (1) If two or more permanents enter play simultaneously, the active player determines their timestamp order at the time they come into play, but a local enchantment must be timestamped after what it enchants; (2) Whenever a local enchantment becomes attached to a permanent, the enchantment receives a new timestamp.
Continuous effects generated by static abilities have the same timestamp as the permanent that generated them. Continuous effects generated by the resolution of a spell or ability receive a timestamp when the spell or ability creating them resolves.
Token
A token is an object in play representing a noncard permanent created by a spell or ability. Tokens can be tapped and untapped just like cards, though an alternative to rotation might be needed to distinguish their status. See rule 216, „Tokens."
Total Casting Cost (Obsolete)
This is the old term for converted mana cost.
Toughness
The number after the slash printed on the lower-right corner of a creature card is the creature’s toughness. A creature’s current toughness is the initial value (the printed number), modified by any counters that adjust toughness and then by any continuous effects.
A creature that’s been dealt damage greater than or equal to its toughness (and greater than 0) has lethal damage and will be destroyed the next time any player receives priority. This is a state-based effect.
A few creature cards have toughness represented by „„ instead of a number. This signifies that the creature has a static ability setting its toughness according to some stated condition. If a spell or ability attempts to read the toughness when the creature card isn’t in play, the is equal to 0.
Trample
Trample is a static ability modifying the combat damage step of the combat phase. It lets an attacking creature „trample over" blocking creatures and assign part of its combat damage to the defending player. See rule 502.9, „Trample."
Trigger/Triggered Ability
Triggered abilities begin with the word „when," „whenever," or „at." Whenever the trigger event occurs, the ability goes on top of the stack the next time a player receives priority. See rule 404, „Triggered Abilities."
Type
The word „type" by itself is ambiguous—it may mean the basic type of a card, spell, and so on, or a subtype (such as creature or enchantment type). See rules 212–215.
The card type (and subtype, if applicable) is printed directly below the illustration on a card. The spell type for a nonland card is the same as the card type, even if the rules text states it can be played „as" some other type (that is, following the timing rules for playing that other type). The permanent type for a card in play is the same as its card type. Tokens have no card or spell type but do have a permanent type.
When a spell or ability changes a permanent’s type, the new type replaces all previous types. If the spell or ability is adding a type, it will say so.
A creature’s type is printed after the word „creature" below the illustration on the card, or defined by the spell or ability that created a token. A creature may have multiple types. A noncreature card that’s changed into a creature by a spell or ability has no creature type unless the spell/ability gives it one.
A land’s type is the same as its name.
A local enchantment’s type is printed after the word „Enchant" on the card’s type line.
Categories of cards, such as basic land or local enchantment, aren’t types or subtypes and can’t be named when a type must be chosen.
The „type" of mana includes both its color and any restrictions placed upon it; for example, mana that can be used only to play artifact spells.
Unblockable
If an ability states that an attacking creature is „unblockable," no creature can be assigned to block it. Spells or abilities may still cause it to become blocked.
Unblocked Creature
An attacking creature becomes an unblocked creature after the declare blockers step of the combat phase if no creature blocks it. It remains an unblocked creature until a spell or ability causes it to become blocked, it’s removed from combat, it stops being a creature, its controller changes, or the combat phase ends. Unblocked creatures don’t exist outside of the combat phase or before the declare blockers step. See rule 309, „Declare Blockers Step."
Unless
Some cards use the phrase „[Do something] unless you [do something else]." This means the same thing as „You may [do something else]. If you don’t, [do something.]"
Untap
1. To untap a tapped card is to rotate it back to the upright position. See also Tap.
2. Untap is the first step of the beginning phase of the turn. All permanents controlled by the active player normally untap at this time. See rule 302, „Untap Step."
Upkeep
Upkeep is the second step of the beginning phase of the turn. Some cards have abilities that trigger at the beginning of the upkeep step; such an ability is called an „upkeep cost" or an „upkeep effect." An upkeep cost is usually written in the form „At the beginning of your upkeep, you may [pay cost]. If you don’t, sacrifice [this card]." See rule 303, „Upkeep Step."
Vanguard Card
The Vanguard™ supplements consist of oversized cards that modify the game. A Vanguard card is selected before the game begins, adjusting a player’s starting and maximum hand size and starting life total. Any abilities printed on a Vanguard card are played exactly like those of an in-play Magic card; however, these abilities have no color, and damage from them isn’t damage from a permanent of any type or a source of any color. A Vanguard card isn’t a Magic card, so it can’t be affected by spells or abilities.
Wall
A Wall is a type of creature that can’t be declared as an attacker. In all other respects, it’s the same as any other creature.
X
If a cost has an „oX" in it, the value of X must be announced as part of playing the spell or ability. (See rule 409, „Playing Spells and Abilities.") While the spell or ability is on the stack, oX in its mana cost equals that amount of generic mana. If a card in any other zone has oX in its mana cost, the amount is treated as o0. In other cases X will be defined by the text of the ability. If X isn’t defined, the controller of the spell or ability chooses the value of X. All Xs on a card have the same value.
Yield Priority (Obsolete)
To yield priority is to pass.
You/Your
The words „you" and „your" on a card always refer to its current
controller.
Zone
A zone is any place that Magic cards can be during a game. See rule 217, „Zones.
Index
Abilities, 402 activated ability, 403, 406.1d delayed ability, 406.2 evasion ability, 501 keyword ability, 502 mana ability, 214.9f, 406.1, 408.2e, 411, 413.2e static ability, 405, 408.1h, 408.2b, 418.1, 418.4a triggered ability, 404, 408.1f, 408.2e, 410, 420.1 Active player, 408.1c, 413.2d Artifacts, 214.6, 305.3, 401.3 Basic set, 206.3 Beginning phase, 301 draw step, 304 untap step, 302 upkeep step, 303 Card, 200.1 Collector number, 211 Color, 203.2, 217.6b, 402.3 colorless, 203.2 Combat phase, 306 attacking creature, 308.5, 309.1, 309.3, 410.9b beginning of combat, 307 blocked creature, 309.3, 310.1c blocking creature, 309.3, 310.1, 310.1d combat damage step, 310, 502.2b declare attackers step, 308 declare blockers step, 309 end of combat step, 311 removed from combat, 306.2, 309.4 unblocked creature, 309.3, 310.1b Comes into play, 214.3, 410.10a Controller, 214.8i, 403.2, 410.2, 410.4, 413.2b Cost, 308.2, 309.2, 409.1f activation cost, 403.1, 409.1f–g, 411.1 additional cost, 203.4, 402.4, 409.1f alternative cost, 402.4, 409.1f converted mana cost, 203.3 mana cost, 203, 409.1f, 413.2f Countering spells, 401.3, 414 Creatures, 208.1, 214.7, 216.1, 401.3 power, 208, 310.1a toughness, 208, 420.5b Damage, 214.4, 314.1b Deck, 100.2, 100.4, 217.2a Destroy, 217.4a Discard, 217.3b, 217.4a, 314.1a Draw, 102.2, 102.4, 102.6, 304.1 Duration, 418.3a Effects, 214.4, 300.3, 314.1b, 402.1, 408.2a, 416 continuous effect, 214.5, 410.10b, 412.1, 418 dependent effect, 418.5c independent effect, 418.5c one-shot effect, 417 prevention effect, 314.1b, 419, 419.7–8 replacement effect, 314.1b, 419, 419.6, 419.8 state-based effect, 314.1c, 408.2c, 420 Enchantments, 214.8, 305.3, 401.3 enchanted permanent, 214.8g–i global enchantment, 214.8a–b local enchantment, 214.8a, 214.8c–i, 412.2, 420.5d End phase, 312 cleanup step, 312.1, 314 end of turn step, 312.1, 313 Expansion symbol, 206 First strike, 502.2 Flanking, 502.3 Flavor text, 207.2 Flying, 502.4 Game state, 410.8a–b Haste, 502.5 Illegal plays, 422 Illustration, 204 Infinity, 421 Initial value, 214.5, 418.3c Lands, 203.1, 213.1, 214.9, 305.4, 408.2d basic land, 214.9d–g nonbasic land, 214.9g–h Landwalk, 502.6 Leaves play, 214.3, 216.3, 410.10c–d Legend, 215 Legend rule, 215.1, 420.5e Lethal damage, 420.5c Life, 420.5a life total, 101.3, 102.1 Main phase, 305, 408.1d first main phase, 305.1 second main phase, 305.1 Mana pool, 300.4, 406.1a Mana symbols, 203.1, 203.2 Match, 101.2 Maximum hand size, 217.3b, 314.1a Mode, 409.1b, 415.2a Name, 202, 216.1 Pass, 300.2, 408.1c, 413.1 Permanent, 214.1–5, 214.9f, 217.5b–c, 402.8 Phase, 300.1–3, 408.1c, 410.1 Priority, 302.2, 408.1b–d, 420.3 Protection, 502.7 Pseudospell, 217.6b, 409.1a, 410.2 Rarity, 206.2 Regeneration, 419.6b Reminder text, 207.2 Resolve, 217.6c, 401.1, 401.3, 413 Response, 217.6b, 419.4 Rules text, 207.1 Sacrifice, 217.4a Set aside, 217.7a Shadow, 502.8 Shield, 419.1, 419.7b Source, 402.6, 419.7c Spell, 213.1, 217.5b, 217.6a–b, 401, 408.1e Step, 300.1–3, 408.1c, 410.1 Subtype, 212.2, 214.2, 214.7a Tap, 308.2 Target, 409.1c–e, 413.2a, 415.2 Text box, 207 Token, 200.1, 203.1, 214.2, 214.5, 216, 413.2f Trample, 502.9 Trigger event, 404.1–2, 406.2b, 410.2, 410.6–7 Type, 205, 212, 213, 214 Untap, 217.5d, 302.1 Zone, 217, 402.3, 406.2d, 410.10 graveyard, 217.4 hand, 101.3, 217.3 in play, 217.5 library, 217.2 stack, 217.6, 310.2, 408.1c, 408.1e–g, 408.2, 409.1a, 413.1 removed from game, 217.7
©1993–2000 Wizards of the Coast, Inc. All trademarks, including character names, the batwing „M," the mana and tap symbols (oW, oU, oB, oR, oG ocT), and the pentagon of colors, are property of Wizards. U.S.A. Patent 5662332. Foreign patent pending.