Rulings Summary: General (07/15/97)

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Rulings Summary: General (07/15/97)

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\=============================================================================

General Rulings Summary Updated 07/15/97

\=============================================================================

Rulings are collected from many sources. See credits and disclaimer at the

end of the file for details. The most recent mtg-l digest used was

“13 Jul 1997 to 14 Jul 1997”.

These rulings are updated monthly. The most recent version is available on

the web (WWW) as either of the following:

http://www.activesw.com/~sdangelo/magic.html

ftp://ftp.activesw.com/pub/sdangelo/magic/rule-general.txt

The above files are also available via FTP to “ftp.activesw.com” under

“pub/sdangelo/magic” as “rule-general.txt”. If you have neither WWW nor FTP

access, send e-mail to “dan…@netcom.com” requesting a copy of the current

Rulings Summaries.

A ‘+’ is used to mark changes since the last released version on 06/18/97.

Thanx,

Stephen.

Stephen D’Angelo | Official Magic: The Gathering Rules Summary

dan…@netcom.com | Network Representative for Wizards of the Coast, Inc.

\=============================================================================

Table of Contents:

I. Turn Order

II. Attack Phase

III. Spell and Ability Timing

IV. Glossary of Magic Topics

V. Tournament Rulings

VI. Changes Between Fourth and Fifth Edition Rules

VII. Acknowledgements and Disclaimers

Turn Order Rules and Rulings

About The Phases:

Each phase is broken into 5 parts. They are: [Mirage Page 42]

1. Process all effects that occur at the beginning of the phase.

2. The main body of the phase, which can contain any number of batches

of spells and abilities (phase abilities or other announced spells and

abilities). This is the only time where non-specialized spells and

abilities can be announced.

1. Process all effects that occur at the end of the phase. Once this

part starts, you cannot go back and announce more spells and abilities

during this phase.

1. Check for “mana burn”.

2. Check the life totals of all players.

If more than one thing happens at the beginning or end of a phase, and the

order of these effects matters, they are played in the same way as

specialized abilities. [Mirage Page 42] This means the current player

resolves all of his or her effects and abilities in any order desired,

then the opponent resolves his or her effects and abilities in any order

they desire.

You cannot leave part 2 and enter part 3 of a phase until all “phase

costs” and mandatory “phase effects” or “phase abilities” (which are not

specifically done at the end of the phase) have been dealt with.

[Mirage Page 42]

Also see the “Phase Effect” and “Phase Cost” entries for more information.

Starting the Game:

Prior to the first phase of the first turn of the game, each player brings

their deck to the play area and shuffles it. The opponent may also cut

(or shuffle then cut) the deck. Each player’s deck becomes their library.

[Mirage Page 46]

If this is the first game between players, randomly determine who gets first

choice. If this is not the first game, then the loser of the previous

game chooses. If the previous game was a draw, then the player who chose

last time chooses this time. [Mirage Page 46]

The player gets to choose if they want to go first or not. The player that

goes first skips their first draw phase. [Mirage Page 46]

This is called the “play or draw” choice.

After this choice is made, each player draws a hand of 7 cards and the

game begins. [Mirage Page 46]

Phase 0: Beginning of Turn

This isn’t really a phase, but there is a “beginning of turn” effects and

abilities time before untap that works just like other beginning of phase

effects and abilities times.

There are a few cards that actually do something before the beginning of

untap. These are ones that say they happen at the “beginning of turn”,

such as the change in power/toughness due to Vibrating Sphere, or the

control change from Wellspring. [D’Angelo 11/06/96]

Continuous abilities, such as Vibration Sphere, are dealt with prior to

actual “beginning of turn” effects and abilities like Wellspring.

[Aahz 01/14/97]

Summoning sickness is removed from permanents after all beginning of turn

effects and abilities finish resolving. [Duelist Magazine #17, Page 24]

As usual, when choosing to skip a phase/turn, you make the choice just

before you would start that phase/turn. In the case of skipping turns,

that choice is made before this step. [D’Angelo 11/06/96]

Mana sources which are used during this step do not cause mana burn until

the end of the first phase that you play. Normally this is the untap

phase, but if you skip your untap it could be the upkeep phase.

[Aahz 04/07/97]

Phase 1: Untap

You untap cards as a mandatory phase effect (see Phase Effects for more

information) during the middle of this phase. [Mirage Page 46]

Any mana in mana pool at end of this phase causes “mana burn”.

[Mirage Page 9]

Check for player death at end of phase. [Mirage Page 52]

All cards being untapped, untap simultaneously. [Mirage Page 46] This

means that untapping one thing cannot affect what else you can or cannot

untap. For example, if a Winter Orb is tapped, then it cannot affect

your untapping even though it will also be untapped at the same time.

The cards to be untapped are checked upon resolution of the untap effect.

Thus, when this effect resolves, anything that can untap will untap (unless

you are given the option to not untap it and choose to take that option).

[Aahz 11/01/96]

If there are any decisions to be made about what to untap (if you are

allowed to decide), those decisions are made when you announce the

untap effect. [bethmo 11/07/96] Mirage rulebook page 46 is incorrect

in saying you do this at the beginning of the phase. If something new

happens that would force a decision after you announce the untap, you

must make that decision at the first opportunity, but you may not undo

any previous decisions. Thus, if a land becomes tapped after announcing

and Winter Orb is in play, you may choose that land if you had none

chosen before but may not choose it if you already had one chosen.

[D’Angelo 11/13/96]

You MUST untap each turn. You cannot “forget”.

Phasing happens as a beginning of untap effect. Simultaneously “phase in”

any cards which are currently “phased out” and also “phase out” any

permanents which are in play with the “Phasing” ability.

[Mirage Page 2] Remember that neither happens before the other. They

happen at the same time.

Neither player may cast spells or abilities (other than specialized ones)

before or during the untap phase. [Mirage Page 46] Mana sources are

legal, however. [WotC Rules Team 10/03/96] Interrupts to specialized

spells/effects and anything that happens during damage prevention if

damage occurs are always allowed. [D’Angelo 11/06/96]

If a card enters play due to something (like a Tawnos’s Coffin) untapping,

so that it enters play after or during the resolution of the untap phase

effect, the card entering play does not get to untap. [Bethmo 05/16/96]

All Limited/Unlimited/Arabian Nights/Antiquities cards which said to do

things during the untap phase take place during the upkeep phase.

[PPG Page 110] Newer cards may require you to do something during untap.

Phase 2: Upkeep

You still have an upkeep phase even if nothing happens during it.

Fast effects may be used during this phase by any player. [Mirage Page 46]

Any mana in mana pool at end of this phase causes “mana burn”.

[Mirage Page 9]

Check for player death at end of phase. [Mirage Page 52]

It is common for permanents or effects to offer some actions which can be

done during the Upkeep phase or must be done during the Upkeep phase.

These actions follow the rules for “phase effects”. See the

“Phase Effect” entry for more information.

It is common for permanents or effects to require a payment of some sort

during the Upkeep phase. These follow the rules for “phase costs”. See

the “Phase Costs” entry for more information.

Many permanents offer the ability to untap them during the upkeep phase

for some cost. This is called an “untap cost”. See the “Untap Costs”

entry for more information.

Phase 3: Draw

Fast effects may be used during this phase by any player. [Mirage Page 46]

Any mana in mana pool at end of this phase causes “mana burn”.

[Mirage Page 9]

Check for player death at end of phase. [Mirage Page 52]

Drawing a card is a mandatory “phase effect” done during the middle of

the phase. See “Phase Effects” for more information.

Each ability that provides one or more additional draws is played separately,

rather than combining into a single draw effect. For example, if there

are three Howling Mines in play, then each provides its own effect, rather

than combining with the draw effect you get normally. Similarly, effects

such as Sylvan Library would not combine with other card draws.

[WotC Rules Team 10/12/94]

You cannot skip a draw or take additional draws unless an effect says

otherwise.

If you try to draw and have no cards in your library to draw from, you

lose the game. [Mirage Page 53]

Phase 4: Main Phase

May do the following in any order: [Mirage Page 47]

a. Cast a spell or use an ability – Do this step any number of times

before or after other actions.

b. Play a land – only one per turn before or after other actions.

c. Declare an attack – only one per turn.

The full logic for the turns (without any odd effects applied) works out as:

a. Cast spells/play abilities

b. Play a land

c. Cast spells/play abilities

d. Declare an attack

e. Cast spells/play abilities

f. Play a land (if have not already done so)

g. Cast spells/play abilities

This is the only phase in which you may cast sorcery, summon, enchantment,

or artifact spells. [Mirage Page 47] The opponent may not use these kinds

of spells/abilities during your Main phase. [Mirage Page 43]

Playing a land is a not a fast effect. It cannot be done in response

to something else, nor can it be reacted to with anything (including

interrupts). [Duelist Magazine #5, Page 123]

You may play multiple lands if you have Fastbond, Storm Cauldron or some

other enabling effect in play, but they can only be played when you could

otherwise play a land. [bethmo] They cannot be played in the same

instant. They are played one at a time.

You only get one attack per turn and only on your turn. [Mirage Page 47]

If you manage to untap creatures they cannot be used in that same turn to

attack again unless some effect gives you an additional attack.

If a creature is required to attack (due to a spell like Siren’s Call or an

ability like the Nettling Imp) the player must declare an attack that

turn and send out the affected creature(s) if it is legal to do so.

[Mirage Page 48]

Any mana in mana pool at end of this phase causes “mana burn”.

[Mirage Page 9]

Check for player death at end of phase. [Mirage Page 52]

Phase 5: Discard

Fast effects may be used during this phase by any player. [Mirage Page 46]

This is the last phase where instant speed effects can be used by either

player in the turn.

Any mana in mana pool at end of this phase causes “mana burn”.

[Mirage Page 9]

Check for player death at end of phase. [Mirage Page 52]

Discarding down to 7 cards in your hand is a mandatory “phase effect” done

at the end of this phase. See “Phase Effects” for more information.

The discard effect is done only once, even if more cards somehow get into

your hand afterwards. [Aahz 09/19/96]

You may not just choose to discard because you want to. You only do so if

you have more than 7 cards or because an effect tells you to do so.

Phase 6: Cleanup

No instants may be used during this phase by any player. [Mirage Page 47]

Mana sources are still legal. [WotC Rules Team 10/03/96] And any

interrupts to specialized effects or effects used during damage prevention

are legal as always. [D’Angelo 11/06/96]

Any mana in mana pool at end of this phase causes “mana burn”.

[Mirage Page 9]

Check for player death at end of phase. [Mirage Page 52]

All damage and “until end of turn” effects end simultaneously during this

phase. [Mirage Page 47] This is done as a mandatory Phase Effect.

At the end of the phase, all “at end of turn” effects are dealt with as

per the normal end of phase rules. [Mirage Page 47]

If any new “until end of turn” effects which are started during this phase,

the new effects start up and then immediately end. [Mirage Page 48]

If any new “at end of turn” effects are scheduled for the current player

after starting to resolve that player’s “at end of turn” effects, the new

ones are dealt before going to the opponent’s effects. Once starting the

opponent’s “at end of turn” effects, any new ones generated for the

current player are ignored. [WotC Rules Team 10/03/96]

If any creature is reduced to zero or less toughness at this time, it

dies and cannot successfully live to the next turn because even if it

regenerates, it will immediately die again.

• If any damage is dealt during this phase and the damage is not sufficient

to kill the creature, the damage is immediately removed.

[Fifth Rulebook, Page 54]

There is no time between turns in which to take actions. [bethmo]

Attack Phase Rules and Rulings

Step 0: Declare intention to attack.

This step is actually done as an action during the Main Phase.

[Mirage Page 48]

Your opponent can respond with fast effects. If they do so, the attack

is cancelled. You can try again when the effects are all resolved.

If no one announces any fast effects, continue on to step 1.

[Mirage Page 48]

A player may only attack once per turn and only during their own main phase.

[Mirage Page 48]

It is similar to any phase change in that you cannot go on to declare

attackers until your opponent is done doing actions in your main phase.

See the “I’m Done” entry for more information.

You are not required to say which player in a multiplayer game you are

attacking. You just need to say you want to attack. [D’Angelo 01/23/95]

Any mana in mana pool when going to the next step causes “mana burn”.

[Mirage Page 48]

Check for player death before going to the next Step. [Mirage Page 48]

Step ¹⁄₂: Beginning of Attack

Anything that happens at the beginning of the attack, such as Goblin

Flotilla, gets dealt with here. This works like a normal “beginning of

phase” time. Deal with these prior to declaring attackers.

[D’Angelo 11/06/96]

Step 1: Declare Attackers

No instants are allowed during this step by either player. If you want

to play spells or abilities prior to declaring attackers, they must be

done during the main phase. [Mirage Page 48] Mana sources and specialized

abilities are the only effects usable during this step.

A creature can be declared as an attacker if it is untapped, does not have

summoning sickness, is not a Wall, and does not have any other effect

preventing it from attacking. [Mirage Page 49]

Creatures tap when declared as an attacker. [Mirage Page 49] This is not

a creature ability. It’s a side effect of being declared.

Creatures which have the ability to not tap when attacking, must still be

untapped during this step in order to be declared as an attacker.

[Mirage Page 49]

Typically, all attackers are declared at once. Actually, you can declare

attackers in any order. Each time, you may declare zero or more attackers

at once, followed by any specialized abilities that are to be played, and

repeat as needed. This allows you to deal with paying costs that allow a

creature to attack and so on. [Mirage Page 50]

You may attack with zero creatures. Such an attack is called a “null

attack”, and it does count as your one attack during your turn.

[Mirage Page 49] The Mirage Rulebook erroneously says “one or more

attackers” early on page 49 but is correct later on the page.

[Duelist Magazine #15, Page 28]

Once an attacker is declared, untapping the attacker will not remove it

from the attack. [Duelist Magazine #5, Page 35] Note that

regenerating a creature, losing control of a creature, or having a

creature stop being a creature will remove it from the attack as well.

If some creatures are required to attack, they must be declared (if

possible) before or at the same time as declaring other attackers.

[Mirage Page 49] See “Must Attack or Block” for more information.

Creatures with zero power may attack. [Mirage Page 49]

Creatures cannot attack (or be tapped for their own special ability) unless

that card or token has been in play on your side since the beginning of

your turn. See the “Summoning Sickness” entry for more information.

Banding of attackers must be declared at this time and cannot be changed

later. [Mirage Page 19] You may add members to a band across multiple

declarations within this step of the attack if desired. You do not need

to declare all members simultaneously. [Aahz 03/17/97]

You only check if the creature is allowed to attack (such as can only attack

if opponent has Islands) during this step. If any attack enablers are

removed or attack inhibitors are introduced later, it does not make a

difference. The creature is still attacking. [D’Angelo 02/01/95]

Brainwash and Jade Statue are examples of specialized abilities used during

this step. [WotC Rules Team 06/15/95]

• Any abilities that trigger during this step are dealt with at that time.

[WotC Rules Team 07/03/97] (REVERSAL) They used to save up until the

end of the step.

Most penalties and bonuses due to attacking or not attacking are considered

as triggered abilities. For example, damage from attacking with the

Hasran Ogress. [D’Angelo 10/01/96]

Continuous effects that happen because a creature becomes an attacker take

immediate effect and can affect how other creatures get declared.

[Aahz 10/22/96]

Triggered abilities that trigger on being declared are retroactively treated

as if they never happend if the creature gets undeclared by False Orders

or some other retroactive removal effect. [Aahz 10/22/96]

• Creatures like the Mijae Djinn which require a coin flip to see if they

attack have their coin flip done at the end of this step. You cannot

add or remove creatures once you flip the coin. [D’Angelo 04/04/95]

You always attack your opponent and not your opponent’s creatures.

[Mirage Page 48]

You cannot attack yourself or your own creatures. [Mirage Page 48]

Step 2: Fast Effects before Blocking

You are not limited to a single stack of spells and abilities.

[Mirage Page 50]

This is the ideal time for the defender to eliminate attackers they do

not want to deal with (using Royal Assassin or Lightning Bolt, for

example), or to enhance potential blockers (with Jump or such) to allow

them to be used for defense.

Remove from the combat any attackers and blockers which were killed (even if

they regenerated).

Step 3: Declare Blockers

No fast effects are allowed during this step by either player.

[Mirage Page 50] Mana sources and specialized abilities are the only

effects usable during this step.

Only untapped creatures can block. [Mirage Page 50]

A blocker can only block one attacker unless otherwise stated on a card.

[Mirage Page 50] You do not declare to block a band, you block a member

of a band and thereby become a blocker to all creatures in the band.

This means that if any member of a banded group of attackers can be

blocked by your creature, the entire band can be blocked.

More than one blocker can be declared on a single attacker. [Mirage Page 50]

This is true even without banding ability.

There is no summoning sickness for declaring blockers. You can use any

untapped creature you have. [Duelist Magazine #5, Page 36]

Typically, all blockers are declared at once. Actually, you can declare

blockers in any order. Each time, you may declare zero or more blockers

at once, followed by any specialized abilities that are to be played, and

repeat as needed. This allows you to deal with paying costs to allow a

creature to block and so on. [Mirage Page 50]

The creatures assigned to block an attacker do not have to be assigned all

at once. [Mirage Page 50]

If some creatures are required to block, they must be declared (if possible)

before or at the same time as declaring other blockers. [Mirage Page 50]

See “Must Attack or Block” for more information.

If a creature is required to block more creatures than it can legally block,

then the defender chooses which creature(s) to block, but must choose to

block as many as possible. [Mirage Page 50]

Once blockers are declared against a creature, it is blocked. It remains

blocked even if the blocking creature is killed or the block is made

“illegal” by some action. [Mirage Page 50] This means that if you cast

Jump (for example) on your attacking creature after blockers are declared,

that you do not get around the blocker or even avoid damage.

[Mirage Page 51]

Defenders do not band or group. They can just decide to choose the same

creature to block. Defensive banding only helps during damage

dealing. [Mirage Page 20] See the “Banding” entry for more information.

This is the only time that you check if the creature is allowed to block.

If any evasion abilities or blocking inhibitors are introduced or removed

later, it does not make a difference. The creature either can or cannot

block at this time. [Mirage Page 51]

To block, the creature must be able to get around all of the attacking

creature’s evasion abilities. For example, a Flying creature with Fear

can only be blocked if the blocking creature has Flying (to satisfy the

Flying evasion ability) and if it is Black and/or Artifact (to satisfy

the Fear evasion ability). [Mirage Page 51]

An attacking creature with an evasion ability (flying, xxxwalk, etc.) may

not “turn off” the ability and choose to be blockable. [PPG Page 79]

Defending creatures do NOT tap. This is one of the oldest myths of the

game.

• Any abilities that trigger during this step are dealt with at that time.

[WotC Rules Team 07/03/97] (REVERSAL) They used to save up until the

end of the step.

Most penalties and bonuses due to blocking or not blocking are considered as

triggered abilities. For example, blocking a or blocking with a Thicket

Basilisk triggers its delayed destruction effect. [D’Angelo 10/01/96]

• False Orders is played at the end of this step, after all blocking

assignments are made. False Orders can result in a new blocking

assignment or retroactive removal of an assignment.

[Duelist Magazine #8, Page 47]

• Creatures like the Ydwen Efreet which require a coin flip to see if they

block have their coin flip done at the end of this step. You cannot add

or remove creatures once you flip the coin. [D’Angelo 04/04/95]

For some other important rulings on blocking, see the “Blocking” entry.

Step 4: Fast Effects after Blocking

You are not limited to a single stack of spells and abilities.

[Mirage Page 51]

This is the ideal time for the attacker to surprise the defender by using

fast effects to make the creatures more powerful. Howl from Beyond,

Berserk, and built in creature abilities are good examples.

Any “if is not blocked” abilities of creatures are declared and resolved

at this time. [Duelist Magazine #5, Page 36] See the “Is Not Blocked”

entry for more information.

Remove from the combat any attackers and defenders which were killed (even

if they regenerated).

Remember that killing or otherwise removing the blockers from an attacking

creature does not unblock the attacking creature. [Mirage Page 51]

This is the last chance to use fast effects before the main phase resumes

after the end of combat. [Mirage Page 51]

Step 5+6: First Strike and non-FirstStrike Damage Dealing

In Step 5, all creatures with First Strike deal damage simultaneously. In

Step 6, all creatures without First Strike deal damage simultaneously.

Otherwise, the two steps follow the same rules. [Mirage Page 51]

At the start of Step 5, creatures are divided up depending on whether or not

they have First Strike. This determines if the creatures deal damage in

Step 5 or Step 6. It also means that if a creature gains or loses

First Strike during these step, it does not change which step the creature

actually deals damage in. [Duelist Magazine #18, Page 28]

If the order of assignment makes a difference, the current player assigns

damage first.

Unblocked attackers deal damage to the defending player. Blocked attackers

deal damage to their blockers (if any). [Mirage Page 51] If a Trampling

attacker has no blocker that can legally take the attacker’s damage, then

the damage is directly dealt to the player. [Aahz 05/23/95]

Blocking creatures deal damage to the attacker(s) they blocked only if they

are still untapped at this time. [Mirage Page 51]

There is one damage prevention at the end of each step, followed by putting

dead creatures into the graveyard. [Mirage Page 52]

If more than one blocker is declared for an attacker, the attacking player

decides how the attacker’s damage is divided among the blockers. If

one of the blockers has Banding, then the defending player decides.

(See the Banding entry for more information)

If more than one attacker is blocked by a single blocker, the defending

player decides how the blocker’s damage is divided among the attackers.

If the attackers are part of a Band, then the attacking player decides.

(See the Banding entry for more information)

Each member of a Band of attackers is a separate source of damage. Also,

Banding does not make the attackers or blockers act like one creature or

share abilities. Banding just allows a group to be blocked or let through

as a whole, and for the ability to distribute damage. [bethmo]

Step 7: End of Combat

Deal with all effects that happen “at end of combat”. Follow the normal

rules for “end of phase” effects.

Any mana in mana pool after dealing with “at end of combat” effects causes

“mana burn”. [Mirage Page 52]

Check for player death before returning to the main phase. [Mirage Page 52]

Other Attack Phase Rulings:

Creatures involved in combat are either “attacking creatures” or “blocking

creatures”, and during the attack is the only time when spells which

target such creatures can be played. [Mirage Page 49]

Creatures which are removed from combat stop being an attacking or blocking

creature. They do not untap. They will not deal or receive combat damage

later in the combat. [Mirage Page 49]

A creature which regenerates is removed from combat. [Mirage Page 49]

A creature which stops being a creature is removed from combat.

[Mirage Page 49] If it becomes a creature again, it does not rejoin the

combat. [D’Angelo 10/01/96]

A creature which changes controllers is removed from combat. It will not

rejoin even if it switches back to its original controller. If the

control change happened prior to declaration of blockers, it is possible

for the creature to be declared as a blocker. [Aahz 03/09/95]

Tapping or untapping a creature does not remove the creature from combat.

[Mirage Page 49]

The terms “combat damage” or “damage in combat” only apply to damage dealt

by creatures during the damage dealing steps. Spells and effects which

do damage during the attack phase are not considered “combat damage” or

“damage in combat”. [Mirage Page 48] Once damage is redirected, it stops

being “combat damage” [Duelist Magazine #17, Page 24]

If a creature is removed from the combat, all “at end of combat” effects

that would affect that creature will still work. If the creature is

retroactively removed from the combat, however, such “at end of combat”

effects are removed. [Aahz 09/24/96] “Retroactive” only covers cases

where it is as if the creature never attacked, such as with False Orders

removing the creature from the attack.

Spell and Ability Timing

Kinds and Speeds of Abilities:

Spells and abilities can be announced by a player at any one of four speeds:

mana source, instant, interrupt, or specialized. Sorcery isn’t really a

speed, since sorceries are used in the same stacks as instants. Sorcery

is more of a limitation on when the spell or ability can be announced.

Spells and abilities come in four types: one-shot, continuous, duration,

and scheduled. One-shot is obvious. The effect does its thing and then

ends. The others are discussed later in this section.

Effects can also be generated when something else happens. These are

generated by triggered abilities.

The ability of a permanent with an activation cost is handled as an instant

(and not an interrupt) unless otherwise stated on the card.

The term “fast effect” was used a lot prior to Fifth Edition to include

interrupts, instants and the abilities of permanents. Such spells and

abilities can be used at many times during your turn or your opponent’s

turn.

Artifacts, sorceries, summonings, and enchantments can only be used during

your main phase and only to start a batch of spells and abilities.

[Mirage Page 38]

Such spells are sometimes referred to as “non-fast effects”.

Artifacts, creatures, enchantments, and sorceries are not slower in

resolving or in being announced than instants. The only difference

between such spells and instants is that these spell types are only usable

during the main phase and only to start batches. They resolve at the

same “speed” as an instant.

A mana source ability can be used at almost any time. [Mirage Page 36]

Actually, the book says at any time, but there are a couple of narrow

windows where they cannot be used.

The more complete rule for when you can play mana sources is: You can use

mana sources whenever you have priority to play a spell or ability, even

if there are no such things you can legally play. This applies to any

time in which a normal spell or ability or specialized ability can be

played. [Aahz 01/17/97] This more complete rule does not make any

important changes in when you can play mana sources because priority

switches often enough. It just closes a few odd loopholes.

Mana sources cannot be interrupted like other announced spells and abilities

can. [Mirage Page 8] Abilities that trigger on their use take place

after they finish resolving.

Lands can only be played during your main phase as well, but playing a

land is not a spell or ability. It is a special action. [Mirage Page 72]

You cannot play a land in response to a spell or ability and the playing

of a land cannot be responded to.

Casting a spell means playing a non-Land card from your hand. Using

abilities of creatures, artifacts, or enchantments are not spells.

[Mirage Page 72] Also putting things into play via an effect is not

considered to be a spell.

Life-Cycle of a Spell or Ability:

The life-cycle for a spell or ability looks roughly like this. All spells

and abilities follow this cycle. More detailed sections follow this one.

1. Announcement – Costs are paid. Targets are chosen. Choices are made.

2. Chance for interrupts – A chance is given to use interrupts to counter

the spell or ability. If it is a spell (not an ability) you can also

use modify color, target, and wording interrupts and have them change

the effect of the spell. Abilities are different since very few things

target abilities, and destroying or modifying the source will not counter

or modify the effect of the ability. Abilities are currently not

modifiable once they are announced, but cards could theoretically be added

to do so.

1. Waiting for resolution – When a spell/ability gets to this stage, it is

considered successfully “cast” or “activated”. It can no longer be

modified or countered. It is placed into the batch. Then responses to

the spell/ability can be announced. Specialized abilities are not placed

into batches, so they move through this step immediately to step 4.

1. Resolution – The batch resolves in last-in first-out manner.

Check targets at this time. If a spell/ability’s targets are valid, then

its effects take place, else it “fizzles”.

The chart in Duelist #9 does not reflect Fifth Edition timing rules.

A permanent cannot be acted upon as a permanent until it is successfully

resolved. This means it will have its full effect before you can do

anything to it.

Destroying or modifying the source of a spell/ability after it is announced

will never cause the spell/ability to fail or change in any way.

[Mirage Page 26]

Step 1: Announcing a Spell/Ability

The first thing that happens to a spell/ability is that it gets announced.

Announcing a spell/ability is a special action that cannot be interrupted.

[bethmo 09/07/94] Not even mana sources may be used during this step.

This step is also called “playing” the spell or ability.

During announcement, all costs are paid (see the “Costs” entry for more

information on costs), all targets are selected (see the “Targeting”

entry for more information), and all other spell/ability decisions are

made.

Everything that happens during this step is considered to be simultaneous.

[Mirage Page 30] If this gets confusing, consider it as if the state of

the game were saved just as the step starts and that’s what you are playing

against. This means, for example, you can target the card you are

sacrificing to pay the cost of an ability.

In addition to the spell cost or activation cost, you must pay any

additional costs listed in the card text. [Mirage Page 30]

You must have all necessary payments for the cost before starting this step.

For spells/ability with a mana cost, this means that you must use your

mana sources prior to starting the announcement and have the mana in your

mana pool. [Mirage Page 32] You cannot get mana during this step.

Nothing can stop a cost from being paid or prevent the results of anything

which is done as a cost. [Mirage Page 33] Things may prevent you from

announcing a spell/ability. Usually these involve raising the cost

(Gloom) or making a resource unavailable for use (Imprison).

[D’Angelo 11/07/96]

Targets are chosen during this step. All targets chosen must be legal.

[Mirage Page 31]

If more than one target is to be selected at the same time, the same target

may not be selected twice. [Mirage Page 31]

All other decisions which do not require looking at another player’s hand

or in a player’s library are made at this time. [Mirage Page 31]

Some cards will clearly state that a decision is made upon resolution and

will thereby override this rule.

Decisions which are made that affect neither how it is announced or how it

resolves are always delayed. For example, what to do about Mind Bomb

damage or how many cards to draw during the upkeep following Arcane

Denial being used. [Duelist Magazine #13, Page 26]

Any counting of cards in play (which does not affect whether or not you can

announce it) is done on resolution and not on announcement.

[Visions FAQ 02/16/97]

• All characteristics of the source of an ability are “locked in” at this

time. [Mirage Page 27] This is true even if the permanent is also the

target of its own ability. The characteristics are locked in on

announcement and are not looked up again on resolution.

[WotC Rules Team 07/03/97]

Targets and other choices selected by the opponent are also made during

this step. [WotC Rules Team 06/27/96] But they are made after the current

player makes any of their choices.

Random choices are not made on announcement unless they are part of the

cost. [D’Angelo 10/03/96]

Any abilities that trigger during this step are saved up and handled at the

end of this step as a single group of triggered abilities. [Aahz 01/12/95]

See “Triggered Abilities” in this section for more information.

A spell goes into “limbo” when it is announced and it is not considered to

be in play or in the graveyard until it resolves. [Mirage Page 60]

The spell itself leaves your hand even prior to paying costs.

[D’Angelo 11/07/96]

If a spell asks you to choose a card in your hand, you cannot choose a

spell that is currently announced (including the one which is asking you

to choose a card) but not resolved. [WotC Rules Team 02/06/96] The card

is, however, considered to be in your hand until the end of announcement

for all other reasons. For example, if you announce Infernal Harvest with

no other cards in your hand, the swamps return to your hand at the same

time the Infernal Harvest leaves your hand. There is no time when you

have zero cards in your hand. [WotC Rules Team 03/14/97]

Step 2: Interrupting a Spell/Ability

Just after announcement is complete but before the spell is considered

successfully “played” (or “cast”) or ability “played” (or “activated” or

“used”) as appropriate, there is a chance to interrupt the spell/ability.

At this point we say the spell/ability is “being played” (or “being cast”

or “being activated”).

See the “Interrupts” entry for more information on interrupts.

Interrupts may only target the spell which is currently “being cast” (i.e.

that is in Step 2 of the life cycle). If more than one spell is in the

“being cast” state, the most recently announced one is the only one that

can be targeted. [Mirage Page 38]

Interrupts follow the standard life-cycle steps, so they too may be

interrupted or responded to. [Mirage Page 38] When responding to an

interrupt, you only get to target the spell that interrupt was targeting.

When interrupting an interrupt, you only get to target that interrupt.

There may be any number of batches of interrupts during this step.

[Mirage Page 38]

If the spell/ability is countered, then it is not considered

successfully cast, activated, or used. If it is a spell, it is placed in

the graveyard at that time. [Mirage Page 38] Any other interrupts

targeting that spell will fizzle.

An interrupt which modifies the color, target, or wording of a spell can

change how the spell will resolve. [D’Angelo 05/19/95]

Step 3: Waiting for Resolution

Once all interrupts to a spell/ability are resolved, the spell is placed

into the current batch of spells/abilities. At this point it is

considered successfully played, cast, or activated as appropriate.

During this step, a response to the spell or ability can be announced. Only

interrupts may respond to interrupts. Only instants (and the abilities of

permanents which are played as instants) may respond to non-interrupts.

Note that some spells which are interrupts are played as instants when

targeting a permanent and may be used to respond to a non-interrupt.

The term “responding to a spell/ability” means to play a spell/ability

during this part of a spell’s life-cycle.

The spell/ability will not proceed to step 4 until its response (if any)

has been resolved. The result of this is a last-in first-out behavior

which is described more fully under “Batches of Spells and Abilities”

below.

Specialized abilities (and other ones which are not played in batches) move

through this step to Step 4 immediately.

Step 4: Resolution

The spell or abilities rechecks any targeting conditions it has. If it has

any targets and all the targets are illegal, the spell/ability fizzles and

does nothing (and if it was to become a permanent, it is put into the

graveyard instead). If it has no targets or at least one target is legal,

the effect proceeds to happen normally but fizzles with regards to any

targets which are illegal. See the “Targeting” entry and “Fizzle” entry

for more information.

Once resolution of a batch starts, no additional spells/abilities may be

announced (and added to that batch) until all spells/abilities in the

batch have been resolved. [Mirage Page 36] Specialized abilities and

damage prevention spells/abilities can be used as normal.

• Mana sources are allowed during a spell/ability’s resolution. But they

cannot be used during the middle of a single step in the resolution. For

example, with Balance you could use mana sources between any of the three

steps you are required to do, but you cannot use them during the dealing

with any single thing required by the resolution.

[Duelist Magazine #15, Page 56] You determine where the ‘gaps’ where you

can play mana sources are by looking for the word “then”. This indicates

a chance to use mana sources before continuing.

[WotC Rules Team 07/03/97] (REVERSAL) You used to also be allowed to use

them at periods/sentence endings.

If the thing resolving is a spell, its card is either put into play as a

permanent (if it is a summon, artifact or enchantment) or it is put into

the graveyard when it finishes resolving. [Mirage Page 60]

• Any abilities that trigger on a spell/ability’s resolution are saved until

the next time at which mana sources would be allowed. For most

spells/abilities, this means after resolution. But if the spell/ability

has multiple steps (separated by “then”) then triggers from one step

are resolved before continuing to the next step. [Aahz 07/14/97] For

example, Balance has three times at which triggered abilities are dealt

with. After lands, then after cards in hand, then after creatures.

• Triggers from the use of mana sources or specialized abilities which happen

to get used during this step (which is the resolution of a spell/ability)

are not saved up. They happen as appropriate for that mana source or

specialized ability. [WotC Rules Team 07/03/97]

After each triggered ability is dealt with, a damage prevention step happens

if damage was dealt by that ability. [Mirage Page 41]

Note that continuous abilities and triggered abilities are checked at all

times during the resolution. Continuous abilities happen immediately,

while triggered ones do not do anything until the end of the this step.

[Aahz 08/20/96] For example, a Sea Serpent will trigger a “bury itself”

ability if at some point during the resolution you had no islands, and this

effect will happen even if you have some islands before the end of the

resolution. As another example, a Maro will be killed as a continuous

ability during the middle of the resolution of Wheel of Fortune because

its toughness will become zero.

Batches of Spells and Abilities:

The above timing life-cycle results in batches of spells/abilities. This

entry describes how batches work.

A batch of spells/abilities can be started by either player.

[Mirage Page 37] See “Who Announces First” for more information.

A batch may be started using any instant (or ability of a permanent that

is played as an instant), or during the main phase the current player may

start a batch with a sorcery, enchantment, summon, or artifact spell.

Spells/abilities are added to the batch as they become successfully cast.

The batch continues to build until neither player wants to add any

more spells/abilities to the batch. At that time it begins to resolve.

[Mirage Page 36]

Batches resolve in last-in first-out order. [Mirage Page 36] This can be

counter-intuitive sometimes, but it works to allow the responding player

a minor advantage.

Once the batch begins to resolve, the spells/abilities in that batch resolve

one at a time, each effect resolving completely before the next one starts

resolving. [Mirage Page 36] In between effects resolving, triggered

abilities and damage prevention may occur. [Mirage Page 36]

You do not need to alternate one player and then the other when announcing

spells/abilities. See “Who Announces First” in this section for more

information.

Batches of Interrupts:

Interrupt batches follow all the rules for normal batches except that only

interrupts may be added to them. [Mirage Page 36]

During a batch of interrupts, the player whose spell is most recently “being

cast” (and is thereby the legal target for interrupts) has the right to

announce first. This is the only time the “current player goes first”

rule is overridden. [Mirage Page 38]

Who Announces First:

The general rule is that if both players want to announce something, the

current player gets to go first. This works fine for casual play, but

a more complete system follows.

Each phase starts in a “neutral state”. At this time the active player

decides if they want to start a batch or not. If they do not do so,

the opponent gets a chance to start a batch, and if they don’t do so

either, the phase ends. [Mirage Page 37] Note that once the current

player passes on starting a batch, they’ve effectively said “I’m ending

the phase if you don’t do anything” and that player cannot take back this

choice.

If either player starts a batch by announcing a spell/ability, the active

player now has the option of responding to it. If that player does not,

the opponent may. If they do not, the batch of spells/abilities begins

resolving. [Mirage Page 37] Again, once the current player passes, it’s

like saying “I’m done with this batch if you are”.

If either player responds with a spell/ability, repeat the process until

both players pass. [Mirage Page 36] This way, both players get to use as

many spells/abilities as they want.

• If a spell/ability is countered, you return to the same state you were in

before that spell/ability was announced. This could be the neutral state

or one of the players may have priority in the middle of a batch.

[Aahz 07/11/97]

These timing rules prevent any possibility of a stalemate where neither

player wants to act first during play. The active player always has to

choose whether or not to act.

Only the player with priority at the moment can play mana sources.

[Aahz 01/17/97] This reverses something I had in here before about mana

source priority being a different concept, but it does not affect any

scenarios I’ve been able to think up because priority is given often

enough, especially if you consider priority to play specialized abilities.

When in the “neutral state” during the main phase, the current player may

play a land (if they have not already done so) instead of starting a

batch. The land enters play and then play returns to the “neutral state”.

[Mirage Page 37]

When in the “neutral state” during the main phase, the current player may

declare the intent to start an attack (if they have not already done so)

instead of starting a batch. The opponent may respond to this declaration

by starting a batch and thereby cancelling the attack declaration.

[Mirage Page 37]

There is no difference between a sorcery and an instant in terms of priority

of announcing. It only matters if it is legal to be cast at this time.

The current player goes first even if the spell they want to cast is a

sorcery and the opponent has an instant. [Duelist Magazine #3, Page 22]

There are no official rules for what order players announce spells/abilities

in multiplayer games. One suggested strategy is to let the current

player go first, then go around the table in the order of play.

If a the current player skips on to a new phase when the opponent wanted

to announce something, or a player announces multiple spells/abilities at

one time without allowing a chance to make a legal response, or the

opponent announces something when the current player was going to do so,

then you should back up the game and continue from the point where the

goof-up occurred. Players are not bound to follow the same set of actions

they did after that time. You should stop the game as soon as possible by

jumping in with a “Wait! I want to do something”. Letting something pass

without saying “Wait” is quiet agreement with what they did.

If the opponent announces something without first getting the current player

to say (or otherwise indicate) they are not doing something, this is

technically an illegal move and should be taken back. The most common way

to deal with this, however, is for the current player to get the choice of

saying that they want to do something and force the other player to take

back their action, or to let the opponent’s action stand and announce

whether or not they want to respond. This is pretty much equivalent in

the outcome to taking it back and then having the current player say

“I’m not doing anything, go ahead and play that again.”

[D’Angelo 02/12/97]

You cannot make someone back up because you forgot to do something, even

if it is something you “usually do”. They may allow you to if they want

but they are not bound to do so.

Strictly speaking you have to notify your opponent at every point what you

are doing with things like “I’m announcing this spell, do you want to

interrupt it”, “I’m done with this spell stack, do you want to add

anything to it before it resolves”, and “I’m done with the xxxx phase,

do you want to do anything”. This is very annoying and breaks up game

play, but if you are having problems with a given player, fall back on

this until you learn to deal with each other.

Specialized Abilities:

Specialized abilities are abilities that can be used when spells/abilities

could not normally be used. By definition, these kinds of abilities break

the normal rules for when something can be announced.

These abilities typically have nothing happen in Step 3 of their life-cycle

because they cannot be responded to. [D’Angelo 10/03/96] See below

for handling of triggered abilities.

These types of spells are usually of type Instant, but they are not played

in batches. [Mirage Page 40]

Specialized abilities are usually used once each time their condition is met.

For example, Regeneration abilities can only be used once each time the

creature is sent to the graveyard. [D’Angelo 10/03/96]

If a specialized ability is countered or otherwise fails and the condition

for its use still exists, you may use the ability again (if available).

For example, if a regeneration ability is countered, you may try again.

[D’Angelo 11/06/96]

If more than one specialized ability can be used at a given time, the

current player uses all of theirs first, then the opponent uses all of

theirs. Each ability is announced and resolved fully before the next one

is announced. [Mirage Page 40]

If any damage is caused in the resolution of a specialized ability, a

damage prevention step happens prior to the use of any additional

specialized abilities but after any triggered abilities from the

specialized ability are resolved. [Mirage Page 41]

Regeneration abilities are an example of a specialized ability.

[Mirage Page 40] They can be used whenever a creature is being sent to

the graveyard due to being destroyed or to having lethal damage (and

thereby prevents it from going there). Thus, this kind of ability is

often used during the middle of Step 4 of the spell life-cycle.

Most specialized abilities fall in to one of two categories. Either they

are “replacement effects” which are used just prior to something happening

in order to change that action. Or they are specialized only in that they

are used at a non-standard time, in which case they are usually used

just prior to or just after normal a action at that special time.

[Aahz 11/07/96]

If an effect says to do something “instead” of something else, the something

else never happens. Thus, if you gain 1 life “instead” of drawing a card,

abilities that trigger off drawing a card will not happen.

[bethmo 10/14/96]

Jandor’s Ring and Aladdin’s Lamp are also used as specialized abilities to

modify the resolution of a draw effect. [Aahz 11/30/95]

• If an ability is triggered off the use of a specialized ability, the

triggered ability is dealt with as normal for a spell or ability.

[WotC Rules Team 07/03/97] (REVERSAL) Triggers on specialized abilities

used to wait until the end of the resolution in which they were being

used.

• About all that happens in Step 3 is abilities that trigger on the

specialized effect being successfully cast. [D’Angelo 10/03/96]

How do you tell if something is a specialized ability? Well, you just have

to notice that the ability is used when other abilities are generally not

legal, such as to modify something which happens during a spell/ability’s

resolution, during declaration of attackers or blockers, and so on.

Things that are done during specific phases (like phase effects or declaring

attackers during the declare attackers step) are not considered

specialized abilities. They are handled as appropriate.

Triggered Abilities:

Triggered abilities follow the same rules as specialized abilities for how

they are played. See “Specialized Abilities” for more information.

Triggered abilities differ from specialized abilities because they “trigger”

upon some condition in the game. You cannot choose whether or not they

“trigger”, but if there is an activation cost, you may choose whether

or not to use the ability which is triggered. [D’Angelo 10/03/96]

When triggered during the resolution of a spell/ability, all abilities

triggered during that resolution are handled in one group.

Remember that even though the resolution of a triggered ability may be

delayed, the ability actually triggers if the condition is met at ANY

time, even during the middle of a spell/ability’s resolution.

A triggered ability can trigger on its own permanent leaving play. It will

still be resolved even if its source is no longer in play.

[Mirage Page 41] Thus, an Animate Artifact on a Soul Net will allow

you to use its ability when the Soul Net is killed.

Triggered abilities nest. If one effect’s resolution causes two triggered

abilities to trigger, then during the resolution of the first one of

these triggered abilities, another effect is triggered. The newly

triggered ability is resolved prior to going back and resolving the second

of the original pair of triggered abilities.

[Duelist Magazine #14, Page 26] Note that nesting does not mean that the

triggered abilities resolve during the middle of the resolution of another

triggered ability. They just get dealt with immediately following its

resolution and prior to dealing with anything else that may be waiting to

happen.

Triggered abilities are controlled/owned by the controller of the permanent

which triggered the ability at the time the ability is triggered (which

may not be the same as the controller at the time the ability is played

and resolved). [D’Angelo 07/22/96]

Abilities which trigger on you losing control of something also trigger if

it leaves play since you lose control of it when it leaves play.

[bethmo 01/15/96]

Multiple abilities can trigger off the same thing happening, but a single

card will never double-fire off of a single event. For example, if you

have two Scavenging Ghouls in play, each will get a counter if a creature

dies, but neither will get two counters. [D’Angelo 10/03/96]

Abilities that say “If something leaves play, do something to it” will only

work if the “something” is in the same location that it left play to. For

example, if it says “If creature leaves play, remove it from the game” and

the card is sent to the graveyard, but before this effect resolves it is

instead sent to the hand, the removal from the game will fizzle.

[bethmo 06/26/96] In other words, abilities are not smart enough to track

a card around.

• Triggers on announcing a spell/ability or successfully casting a

spell/ability are always dealt with after completing the announcement or

successful casting. [WotC Rules Team 07/03/97] The only exception to

this is mana sources, for which all triggers are saved until after the

mana source resolves (since mana sources cannot be interrupted).

[WotC Rules Team 07/03/97]

• Triggers on things that happen during resolution of a spell/ability always

happen after completion of the resolution, regardless of when this

happens. [WotC Rules Team 07/03/97] This means that if a specialized

spell/ability, such as Death Ward, were used during the resolution of

something else, such as Wrath of God, any triggers on the Death Ward are

resolved before continuing with the resolution of the thing the

specialized ability is acting on.

• Triggers that happen during declaration of attackers or blockers are also

dealt with as normal. For example, if Choking Vines is played while

blockers are declared, abilities of cards such as Bazaar of Wonders and

Skulking Ghost are played just after Choking Vines is played, rather than

waiting until after blockers have been declared.

[WotC Rules Team 07/03/97]

How do you tell if something is a triggered ability? The most common

wordings are like this: “when or if such and such happens, do such and

such” (like “If at any time you control no islands, bury Sea Serpent”)

and “for each such and such that happens, do such and such”. Another

good clue is that most triggered abilities cause a one-time or duration

effect on something in play. Some continuous abilities use similar

wordings but obviously have some sort of continuous effect.

[D’Angelo 07/15/96]

A handy way to translate triggers into timing is to change “when” or “if”

to “just after” in your head, since triggers are resolved just after the

thing that triggers them finishes happening. [D’Angelo 10/15/96]

Rule Triggers:

Some rules work much like triggered abilities. For example, if a duplicate

Legend enters play, the new one is buried. Such Rule Triggers are

resolved using all the rules for normal Triggered abilities regarding

order (active player first) and such, but they are resolved immediately

instead of waiting until the next trigger time. [WotC Rules Team 03/14/97]

This makes all Rules Triggers resolve prior to dealing with any normal

triggers.

The burial of enchantments because their targets are not valid is considered

a Rule Trigger. [WotC Rules Team 03/14/97]

Rule Triggers are applied after continuous effects. [D’Angelo 05/22/97]

Rule Triggers are resolved using the same ordering rules as normal triggers.

[D’Angelo 05/28/97]

Continuous Abiltiies and Continuous Effects:

Continuous abilities are always on. They have their effect at all times,

even during the resolution of a spell/ability. You can never do something

before a continuous effect is applied.

Continuous effects may even modify how a permanent enters play, such as

with Kismet. [Aahz 12/18/95]

Continuous abilities of artifacts which are not creatures or lands only

work as long as they are untapped. [Mirage Page 12]

Continuous abilities of creatures work whether or not they are tapped.

Artifact creatures count as creatures for this ruling. [Mirage Page 12]

Continuous abilities of lands work whether or not they are tapped. Artifact

lands count as lands for this ruling. [WotC Rules Team 04/26/95]

The term “immediately” is often used to describe how continuous effects

take effect, because nothing is faster than these kinds of effects.

A continuous effect affects permanents as soon as they enter play. For

example, if Blood Moon is in play and a non-basic land is played, the

land enters play as its original land type but is changed to a Mountain

immediately. If the permanent has any “when it comes into play” triggered

abilities on it, or any effects trigger on the original land type entering

play, those abilities still trigger. [D’Angelo 10/03/96]

Duration Effects:

These are effects which last for a given time period, such as “until end of

turn”, “until the beginning of your next upkeep phase”, but they can

also be until a certain condition is met, such as “until the creature

leaves your control”.

Many activated spells/abilities and triggered abilities will cause a

duration effect.

The effect lasts for the duration no matter what happens to the source of

the effect.

The effect lasts for the duration even if the target of the effect becomes

illegal or even nonsensical. [Mirage Page 34]

If the duration is only until a certain condition happens and that

condition is met before the ability generating the effect resolves, the

effect still takes effect but ends immediately. [Mirage Page 28] For

example, if you take control of a creature with Seasinger and the

Seasinger is untapped before the ability resolves, you take control of the

creature and then immediately lose control of it.

If the duration is until a player’s next phase ending or such, it does not

pick one, it waits until the next such time actually happens. This means

if phases or turns are skipped, that it might take a while.

[D’Angelo 11/07/96]

Duration effects end when the permanent they are affecting (if any) leaves

play. [D’Angelo 11/07/96]

An “until time T” effect ends right before time T starts and handing of any

things that happen “at time T” is dealt with. So, if something lasts

“until your next upkeep”, it ends right before handing “at beginning of

upkeep” effects. And if something lasts “until end of upkeep”, it ends

right before processing “at end of upkeep”. [Aahz 01/30/97]

Delayed or Scheduled Effects:

These are effects which wait until a specific time to do something. For

example, “do this at end of turn” or “draw a card at the beginning of

your next upkeep”. If the effect waits until a specific thing happens

instead of until a specific time, it’s a triggered ability.

Many activated spells/abilities and triggered abilities cause something to

happen at a later time, and therefore create delayed effects.

The effect happens no matter what happens to the source of the effect or

even if the original conditions that set them up no longer apply.

Effects that say “Do this at end of turn” can be avoided if the creature

phases out because the creature will not be there at the scheduled time.

Ones that say “Do this at end of any turn” are applied every turn.

[Aahz 10/04/96]

The effect will do what it can at the specified time even if the effect

would be meaningless on the target at that time. Meaningless effects

do nothing. For example, you cannot give damage to or change the

power/toughness of a non-creature. You may however, give a +1/+1 counter

to a non-creature. Counters are always meaningful even if their effects

are not. [D’Angelo 10/03/96]

If an effect says to do something in your next Xxxx phase, it means the

next one you encounter. It does not look into the future and pick a

specific phase. So if some phase skipping happens in between, then you

don’t get to/have to do the thing until the right time comes around.

[D’Angelo 11/08/96]

Delayed effects differ slightly from triggered abilities in terms of

resolution because they happen at the start or end of a phase or such.

See the “Phase Effect” entry for more information.

Damage Prevention:

Damage prevention can happen after any spell/ability resolves or after the

damage dealing steps in combat. [Mirage Page 44] They happen only if

damage was assigned.

A damage prevention step occurs even if there is no hope of preventing

the effect in question. Often it is meaningless and can be ignored,

but it is always there (much like upkeep phase).

Loss of life is not damage and cannot be prevented or redirected. It also

does not cause a damage prevention step.

Destruction or burial of a permanent does not cause damage prevention.

All damage which is dealt at one time is handled in the same damage

prevention step. [Mirage Page 44]

Being reduced to zero toughness (or to less or equal toughness to the damage

on the creature) does not cause a damage prevention. The creature just

dies of lethal damage. [Mirage Page 4]

Although the damage prevention is actually one step, I’ve broken it down

below so the rulings are easier to find in time-order.

Sub-Step A: Main Part of Damage Prevention

Damage is considered assigned when this step starts.

At the start of the damage prevention step, any abilities or effects which

automatically prevent or reduce damage take effect. For example, the

damage reduction due to Protection from Color. These effects are also

re-applied if any new damage arrives during the step. [Mirage Page 44]

Automatic damage prevention abilities are dealt with as triggered

abilities at the start of this step. [Aahz 01/14/97]

There is no difference between automatic abilities like Protection from

Color and abilities that trigger on “damage being assigned”, like

Benevolent Unicorn or Justice. [Aahz 01/14/97]

During damage prevention, batches of spells/abilities are used as per the

normal timing rules, but the only allowed spells/abilities are those

which prevent or redirect damage or those which are used when a player

or creature is damaged. Multiple batches of spells/abilities can be

used. [Mirage Page 44] Remember that mana sources are always legal and

that damage prevention effects follow the normal life-cycle so they can

be interrupted.

Spells/abilities which coincidentally allow a creature to survive damage

prevention are not allowed. For example, Giant Growth or Unsummon.

[Mirage Page 46]

If anything happens during this part of damage prevention which causes new

damage to occur that damage is added to this damage prevention and dealt

with during it. A new damage prevention step is not started.

[Mirage Page 45] Also, any automatic damage prevention spells/abilities

are immediately re-applied. [D’Angelo 11/07/96]

Damage from a single source to a single recipient comes in a “packet”. If

a source damages multiple things, each thing gets a “packet” of damage.

Preventing all the damage in a “packet” will cause the “packet” to cease

to exist, along with all of its side effects. [Mirage Page 44] See the

“Damage” entry for more information.

Damage prevention spells and abilities target one or more “packets” of

damage. [Mirage Page 44] They cannot be used if there is no packet to

target. [Mirage Page 4]

Because you choose which damage points to prevent with damage prevention

spells/abilities, you are never forced to prevent one type of damage

instead another type of damage, unless the damage prevention effect

itself forces you to do so. So, you can prevent Trample damage and

leave non-Trample damage, or remove damage of one color before damage of

another color. [bethmo]

Tapping a blocking creature at this time to use a damage prevention

spell/ability is legal and will not undo the damage the blocker already

did. [Duelist Magazine #5, Page 37]

Sub-Step B: End of Damage Prevention

At the end of the damage prevention step, any abilities or effects which

automatically redirect damage (like Veteran Bodyguard and Martyrs of

Korlis) and abilities or effects which specifically wait to prevent

damage (like Ali from Cairo and Sustaining Spirit) take effect.

[Mirage Page 44]

If this redirection moves damage to new places, a second damage prevention

step will follow this one to handle that damage. [Mirage Page 45]

Trample is considered as automatic damage redirection. Trample damage

(when added above any other damage) on a blocking creature in excess of

the creature’s toughness is redirected to the defending player.

Unprevented damage is applied with non-Trample first and then Trample

damage, so that there is the greatest chance of Trample working.

[Mirage Page 19] Note that when redirected, the Trample nature is

removed from the damage.

Soul Echo happens during this step. [Aahz 11/27/96]

Damage redirected by automatic damage redirection is not considered

“successfully dealt” and is handled in the next damage prevention step.

Sub-Step C: Side-Effects of Damage

Once all the automatic prevention happens, the damage becomes

“successfully dealt” to the player or creature.

At this time, all side-effects of dealt damage take effect (like Hypnotic

Specter or Spirit Link). [Mirage Page 44] If there are multiple

side-effects, follow the rules for end of phase effects to determine the

order of resolution. This means the current player’s resolve first,

then the opponent’s.

If the side-effects assign damage to new places, a second damage

prevention step will follow this one to handle that damage.

[Mirage Page 45]

Damage does become successfully dealt if the permanent is no longer

a creature at the end of damage prevention. Effects due to damage will

still happen if they make sense, but the target is considered to have

zero power and toughness for things like El-Hajjaj or such. Note that

the target had to be a creature when the damage effect resolved in order

to be damaged at all. [Aahz 11/08/96] Spirit Link works because it is

not bounded by the toughness of the creature.

Damage successfully dealt to players causes loss-of-life as a side effect.

[DeLaney 01/28/97]

Sub-Step D: Dead Go to the Graveyard

This separate sub-step exists only to point out that all side effects are

dealt with before putting the creatures into the graveyard.

All creatures with lethal damage are sent to the graveyard (but may be

regenerated). [Mirage Page 44]

Duration of a Spell/Ability:

The effects of all spells and abilities are permanent unless otherwise

stated on the card. [WotC Rules Team 09/22/95] Many older cards have

errata in order to deal with this change. In particular, many cards which

give +X/+X did not have the “until end of turn” on them and this has now

been added by errata.

Who Plays Abilities:

Generally, the controller of the card generating the ability plays it.

This happens if no player is specified or if “you” is stated as the

player to do something. [bethmo 02/21/97]

If a card says “During such-and-such player’s upkeep, do something”, the

ability is played by the controller of the card with this ability because

no player is stated. [bethmo 02/21/97] For example, the place a counter

ability of Unstable Mutation is played by the Unstable Mutation’s

controller during the creature controller’s upkeep.

If a card says “all players”, “each player” or “any player may” do

something, then the ability is played by that player and not by the card’s

controller. [bethmo 02/21/97] The effect is controlled by the source’s

controller even though the other player played the ability.

[Aahz 03/17/97] For example, Howling Mine makes each player play the

drawing ability during their draw phase.

Characteristics:

The characteristics of the source of a spell/ability (i.e. color, power, or

anything else which might be relevant to how the effect works) are set

when the spell/ability is announced. The characteristics of the target

(and the rest of the universe) are set when the spell/ability itself

begins to resolve. Interrupts to a spell (but not to an ability) can be

used just after announcement to alter the characteristics of the spell.

[Mirage Page 27] For example, using Giant Growth on Tracker after his

ability is announced will not increase his amount of damage, but doing it

on the target will increase the target’s amount of damage.

Characteristics of the target (and the rest of the universe) are set when

the spell/ability starts resolving, so if something happens during

resolution, it will not change the effect. [WotC Rules Team 12/03/96]

For example, Divine Offering gives you an appropriate amount of life even

though its target is no longer in play.

• If the source of a spell/ability targets itself, then the characteristics

of itself as a target are locked in on announcement at the time when the

characteristics of itself as a source are locked in. They are not

checked again on resolution. [WotC Rules Team 07/03/97]

Targets are also fixed. Also, who the “you” is on the card is fixed.

If you use an Orcish Artillery, you will take the damage even if you

lose control of it before it resolves because the “you” on the card is

set when the spell/ability is announced.

Glossary of Magic Topics

Abilities:

This is a general term for any activated or continuous things a permanent

may do. The result of an ability is called its “effect”.

A permanent may have the same ability more than once. If this happens,

it has all the abilities. For many abilities, having it more than once

makes no difference, such as with Flying or First Strike. These kinds

of abilities simply make a creature able to do something or make something

“true” about it. For others, such as Rampage X and Flanking, the ability

becomes cumulative because the effect is active. [Mirage Page 28]

Abilities played when a card is not in play are not “creature abilities”,

“artifact abilities” or so on. They are card abilities (or more

specifically “creature card abilities”, etc.). Thus Elvish Spirit Guide

and similar cards are not affected by Gloom or Cursed Totem.

[WotC Rules Team 06/01/97]

Activation Cost:

An activation cost is anything listed as “xxx : effect”. [Mirage Page 32]

Parts of the cost may be on the right hand side of the colon for older

cards so they read “xxx: do yyy to do effect”. (See the “Costs” entry

for more information as to what constitutes a cost.)

Only the controller of a permanent can pay an activation cost for that

permanent. [Mirage Page 11] Cards may override this rule explicitly.

A single cost payment cannot pay for multiple different cards. For

example, sacrificing a single artifact will not feed two Atogs.

Permanents which have an activation cost cannot have that cost paid more

than one time in a single activation. [Duelist Magazine #12, Page 26]

A restriction like “no more than BB can be spent this way each turn”

effectively limits the number of uses. Note that if the activation cost

is increased or decreased that the number of uses that is possible may

change, and it may even become zero. For example a Roterothopter with

Power Artifact can be given +4/+0 since this can be done with four

payments of 1 mana. [WotC Rules Team 11/10/95]

A restriction like “No more than XX can be spent per turn” applies to all

players who might control the card during a turn. A restriction like

“Use this only X times” or “You may pay no more than X” applies to each

player separately since it implies the controller is affected.

[Aahz 03/17/97]

Effects that make an enchantment or artifact activation more expensive

apply to each activation. For example, if Gloom were in play and Holy

Armor was used 5 times in sequence, you would have to pay 20 mana

(5*(1+3)) for the +0/+5 bonus. [D’Angelo 06/28/96]

Paying an artifact or enchantment activation cost is not considered to be

“casting a spell” and so it cannot be countered by something which

counters a spell (such as Counterspell, Deathgrip, etc.) [bethmo]

Some non-permanent-creating spells (instants, interrupts, sorceries) have

the “cost: effect” format text in them. In this case, this is not an

activation cost, it is merely an addition to the casting cost. You cannot

pay this cost more or less than once. [bethmo 11/27/96]

The term “Mono Artifact” was used on Limited/Unlimited/Arabian Nights/

Antiquities cards to mean that the artifact had “Tap” as part of the

activation cost (if it had one) or as the activation cost (if it had no

activation cost before). This is considered errata to such cards.

Animated Lands and Animated Artifacts:

Animated lands do not automatically get a color. They are by default

colorless. Note that just because they are colorless does not make

them artifacts. [Peterson 10/14/94] Similarly, they do not get a

creature type. They have no creature type at all unless the card that

animates them says they do. In other words, Forests animated by Living

Lands have no creature type. They are not creature type Forest.

[WotC Rules Team 06/01/97]

Animated lands and artifacts fall under all the rules for creatures

with regards to summoning sickness. This means that unless the permanent

started your turn in play on your side, it cannot be tapped for any

ability or used to attack. See the “Summoning Sickness” entry for more

information.

Animated lands have casting costs of zero. [bethmo]

When a land or artifact de-animates, any enchant creatures on it are

immediately buried at the speed of a rule-speed trigger (which is

effectively a continuous effect).

When a land or artifact de-animates, any counters on it that specifically

apply to creatures are not removed. These counters just don’t do anything

until the land or artifact becomes a creature again. For example, a

+1/+1 counter from Dwarven Weaponsmith remains.

When a land or artifact de-animates, any duration effects which specifically

apply to creatures (like “+1/+1 until end of turn”) stay in effect until

the duration would normally end. If the land or artifact becomes animated

again before the duration ends, the effect kicks back in immediately.

When a land or artifact de-animates, any damage on it remains until end of

turn, when it is healed normally. If the land or artifact becomes

animated before the end of turn, the damage is still there.

[WotC Rules Team 09/22/95] Such damage is still removed during Cleanup.

• Animating a land or artifact does not count as a “creature entering play”.

It was already in play. It’s just becoming a creature. [bethmo 06/30/97]

Ante:

Magic can be played for “ante”. This means that you are playing for the

ownership of one (or more) of your opponent’s cards.

The standard way to play for ante is for each player to take the top card

off of their decks after shuffling and cutting. These cards are then

considered to be the “ante” for the game. The winner gets these cards.

[Mirage Page 55]

Any card that refers to a player’s ante, refers to the card(s) they

currently have in the ante area. [Mirage Page 55]

The ante area can be examined by either player at any time. [Mirage Page 59]

Artifact:

Artifacts which are not creatures or lands lose their abilities when

they become tapped. Any continuous abilities, triggered abilities,

specialized abilities, and so on cease and any activation costs cannot be

paid. [Mirage Page 12]

There are three systematic exceptions to artifacts turning “off” when

tapped. They are: 1) any phase costs, even ones in the card text, must

still be dealt with [Mirage Page 12], 2) any abilities which are used to

untap the artifact automatically override this rule, 3) any time the card

says something happens when it is in a tapped state (i.e. Mana Vault

damage). [WotC Rules Team 10/18/95] Phase abilities of a tapped artifact

are not exempted unless they fall into the above.

Artifacts have no color but can given a color with effects like the

xxxxLace spells. [Mirage Page 65]

The artifact quality of a card has nothing to do with its color. If you

Chaoslace an artifact, it is now a red artifact. [bethmo]

The term “Mono Artifact” was used on Limited/Unlimited/Arabian Nights/

Antiquities cards to mean that the artifact had “Tap” as part of the

activation cost (if it had one) or as the activation cost (if it had no

activation cost before). This is considered errata to all such cards.

The term “Poly Artifact” was used on Limited/Unlimited/Arabian Nights/

Antiquities cards to mean that the activation cost did not include

tapping.

The term “Continuous Artifact” was used on Limited/Unlimited/Arabian

Nights/Antiquities to mean that the artifact had no activation costs.

Artifact Creature:

Artifact Creatures cannot attack the turn in which they are put into play

or do any action which would require them to tap to pay for the action.

They have all the limitations that regular creatures do. [Mirage Page 12]

The abilities of artifact creatures (or artifact lands) can be used even

when the creature (or land) is tapped (as long as tapping is not part of

the use cost). [Mirage Page 12]

Artifact creature cards are not “summon” spells.

These are considered “creature cards” while in play, in your hand, in

the graveyard, or anywhere else.

Attack:

See the section on the “Attack Phase” for information about attacks.

Attack or Die Effects:

Several creatures and spells have the ability to force a creature to attack

or be destroyed. These include Siren’s Call, Nettling Imp and Norrit.

See the “Must Attack” entry for more information.

Creature is destroyed if it cannot attack. This includes a Sea Serpent

which cannot attack if opponent has no Islands, non-flying creatures

which cannot attack if the opponent has an Island Sanctuary, or if the

creature is in a tapped state and cannot attack. [Aahz]

Can affect a tapped creature. [Snark]

These effects can only affect a creature or set of creatures if used on

the appropriate player’s turn. Thus, you cannot use it on your turn to

affect an opponent’s creature. In multiplayer games, you cannot make it

affect a creature unless it is that player’s turn.

[Duelist Magazine #4, Page 64]

Can only be used prior to the attack on a player’s turn. Cannot be used

after the end of the main phase even if the player did not declare an

attack. [Aahz 04/11/95]

If the player cannot attack due to an effect such as Festival, then these

effects are not legal since they can only be played at a time in which

the player can declare an attack later this turn. [Aahz 06/16/97]

These effects cannot be used on creatures with summoning sickness.

Banding:

Banding consists of two separate abilities, which can be referred to as

“mutual assistance” and “damage sharing”. [Mirage Page 19]

Mutual assistance only applies to attacking creatures. It is an agreement

that if any one of the attackers is blocked, that the whole group will

stop and gang up on the blocker(s).

Damage sharing applies only when damage is assigned during the attack phase

due to attacking or blocking. This part of the ability applies to

attackers and defenders and allows the players with banding in their

group to distribute damage among the banded creatures. [Mirage Page 20]

The attacking player needs for all or all-but-one of the attacking

creatures to have banding ability in order for the attacking group to

be considered banded. [Mirage Page 19]

The creatures in an attacking band are set when the attackers are announced

and cannot be changed after that. [Mirage Page 19] Even during the

declaration of attackers, once an attacker is added to a band, it cannot

be removed. [Aahz 04/07/97]

The defending player needs to only have one creature with banding blocking

an attacker for all the creatures blocking the attacker to gain the

benefits of damage sharing. [Mirage Page 20]

Creatures do not “band for defense”. Even without banding multiple

creatures can choose to block one attacker. Creatures must still be

able to block the attacker in order to be declared as a blocker. For

example, if a Serra Angel is attacking, you cannot choose to “band”

your War Mammoth with your Mesa Pegaus as a defense. The Mammoth

simply cannot block the Angel. [Mirage Page 20]

To block an attacking band with a creature, your blocker only needs to be

able to block one of the creatures in order for mutual assistance to

kick in and have it block the entire band of attackers. [Mirage Page 19]

For example, a Mesa Pegasus banded with an Fear-enchanted Scathe Zombies

can be blocked by either a flying creature or a black or artifact

creature.

If the conditions for banding are met (i.e. one banding creature in a

group of blockers or all or all-but-one in a group of attackers), then

the damage sharing ability automatically kicks in. You cannot choose

not to use it.

Damage may be divided up among a banded group any way you want to. You

can give all of it to one creature or any other way you want.

[Mirage Page 20] But all of it must be assigned somewhere.

Assigning more damage to a creature than it can survive is allowed.

[Mirage Page 38] If some or all of the extra damage assigned to a blocker

is Trample damage, it does go past and damages the defending player.

Each member of a Band of attackers is a separate source of damage.

Banding just allows a group to be blocked or let through as a whole,

and for the ability to distribute damage. It does not mean that the

creatures act as one.

Grouping or banding in defense or banding to attack, does not change the

actual power, nature, or color of the creatures attacking. When damage

gets distributed, the damage still has color and may have Trample or

other special abilities. [Mirage Page 19]

If Banding is removed after attackers are declared, the band stays intact

anyway. But the attacker does not get to use the damage sharing ability

unless at least one band member has Banding when damage is assigned.

[Duelist Magazine #17, Page 24] (REVERSAL)

If a Banding creature in a defending group is killed before damage dealing

and it regenerates, it is removed from the combat and cannot contribute

Banding any longer.

Banding on attack does not work like Banding on defense. Banding must be

declared along with the attack. If a defending creature that can block

more than one attacker chooses to block a creature that has Banding and

one that does not have Banding, the two attackers are not considered to

be Banded. Note that this is different from the opposite case where two

blockers block one attacker and one of the blockers happens to have

Banding.

Prior to Fourth Edition, this ability was called “Bands” rather than

“Banding”.

Bands with Other:

Bands with Other rules were introduced in the Legends expansion set and

have not been seen in any other set as of yet.

Creatures with the ability ‘bands with other ’ have a

limited form of the banding ability. When attacking, a creature with

this ability may join with any number of attacking creatures as long

as they all have banding or ‘bands with other ’ where

the creature type listed is the same. The choice to use this ability

must be announced when the attack is declared. These creatures must

then be treated as if they had joined together using the regular

banding ability. When defending, if at least two creatures with the

ability ‘bands with other ‘, where the creature type

listed is the same, block the same attacker or attackers, then the damage

from the attacking creature or creatures is distributed among all the

blockers of this attacker as the defending player decides.

[Legends Rulecard – complete text]

This ability is similar to Banding but only allows creatures with this

ability to band with others of the appropriate type. For example,

Wolves of the Hunt (as created by the Master of the Hunt) can Band with

Other Wolves of the Hunt.

This ability does not allow for creatures without the ability to join in.

The key is the specified. If the types match, then

they creatures can band together.

Creatures with full Banding ability may join the band. [Legends Rulecard]

If Bands with Others is removed after attackers are declared during an

attack, then band will stay together. See the rules under “Banding” for

more information.

Blocking:

See Step 3 in the Attack Phase section for more information.

The rules differentiate between being “assigned to block” or “assigned a

blocker” from “blocking” or “blocked”. The first two only happen during

the “Assign Blockers” step of the attack. The latter happen no matter

how a creature gets blocked. [WotC Rules Team 09/22/95]

A creature is “assigned to block” another creature by a specific action

taken during the “Assign Blockers” step of the attack.

[Mirage Page 50]

Some effects can result in a creature being blocked or blocking without

actually being assigned. For example, when a blocker is assigned to one

member of a band of attackers, the other attackers in the band are blocked

but were not “assigned” a blocker. [Duelist Magazine #8, Page 46]

Also, General Jarkeld and Sorrow’s Path can swap blockers such that they

are now blocking different creatures but never were “assigned” to block

them. [WotC Rules Team 09/22/95]

See individual card entries to see if they depend on this distinction.

If a blocking ability does not indicate that it happens when or because

of blockers being “assigned”, it is safe to assume that it works no

matter how a creature becomes blocked. [Duelist Magazine #8, Page 47]

Conditions for a blocking ability are checked when the block happens and

may set up a delayed effect. The effect will happen even if the creature

would not qualify for the effect later (i.e. a War Mammoth blocks an

Abomination but is Chaoslaced before the end of combat so it is no longer

green). [Duelist Magazine #8, Page 47] However, a creature which is

retroactively removed from combat will not be affected by “end of combat”

effects affecting it. Normal ways to remove a creature from combat will

still leave “at end of combat” effects on the creature. [Aahz 09/24/96]

Conditions are not constantly rechecked. For example, if a Hill Giant

blocks an Abomination, it is not marked for destruction. Then if it is

lifelaced to green later, it will not be rechecked to discover that it

is now eligible for the effect. [Duelist Magazine #8, Page 47]

It is possible for a blocker to end up blocking two un-banded attackers

or even two separate banded groups. If there are two groups blocked by

one defender, then the defender chooses how to divide damage between

the two groups. And if one or more of the groups is an attacking band,

that banded group decides how to share the damage amongst itself after

the defender divides its damage among the groups.

[Duelist Magazine #2, Page 9]

Bury:

This means to put a permanent into the graveyard. A bury may not be

prevented by any means. [Mirage Page 11]

Burial has been extended to apply to any placing of a card into the

graveyard, whether this is from play or not. [WotC Rules Team 03/14/97]

You may not attempt to regenerate a buried creature.

[Duelist Magazine #16, Page 24]

Also see “Destroy”.

The Limited/Unlimited/Arabian Nights/Antiquities cards did not use

this term. They used “destroyed without the possibility of regeneration”

or something similar.

Cantrips:

Cards which say “Draw a card at the beginning of the next turn” or “Draw a

card at the beginning of the next turn’s upkeep” are called ‘cantrips’.

All older cantrips have errata to draw a card at the beginning of the next

turn instead of the next turn’s upkeep. [Duelist Magazine #18, Page 28]

You draw at the beginning of the next turn regardless of which player’s

turn that is. [D’Angelo 04/11/97]

If a targeted cantrip fizzles you do not draw a card for it.

[WotC Rules Team 06/15/95]

If a cantrip is countered you do not draw a card for it.

[Duelist Magazine #7, Page 8]

It does mean the next turn’s upkeep. If you use a cantrip during

untap (prior to upkeep), you will not draw on that turn’s upkeep.

Card Text:

Whenever a card mentions its own card name, it means to refer to itself.

It does not refer to other cards of its name. [bethmo 11/18/96]

Something that affects “each X and Y” affects everything that counts as an

X and/or counts as a Y. It will not affect anything twice.

[WotC Rules Team 11/10/95]

The text “target X or target Y” is the same as “target X or Y” and is just

spelled out to make the targeting more clear.

[WotC Rules Team 11/10/95]

Caster:

See “Controller, Caster, and Owner”.

Casting Cost:

The “casting cost” of a spell is the number of mana points, regardless of

color, which are specified in the upper right hand corner of the card.

[Mirage Page 32]

If there is an ‘X’ in the cost, consider the amount paid in ‘X’ to be

part of the cost during casting, but to be zero after the card becomes

a permanent. [Mirage Page 30]

The “casting cost” does not include any extra mana that was spent to

overcome obstacles like Gloom or Power Sink. [Mirage Page 32] Nor does

it include any extra costs listed in the text box.

The casting cost is not reduced by a spell or ability which helps pay part

of the spell/ability’s cost. [Mirage Page 32]

Nothing can increase the cost to cast an already-announced spell. For

example, you cannot Sleight of Mind a Gloom enchantment to make green

spells cost 3 more after a green spell is cast and expect 3 extra mana

to have to be spent. [bethmo]

Token creatures have casting costs of zero. [Mirage Page 23]

Animated lands have casting costs of zero.

A creatures which is in play due to an effect like Animate Dead has a

casting cost equal to the cost on the creature card, not that of Animate

Dead. [bethmo]

If a spell, ability, or effect directs you to pay the casting cost of a

spell, rather than an amount of mana equal to it, you must pay the

specific colors of mana listed on the spell card. [D’Angelo 11/07/96]

Few cards do this. Some are Flash, Transmute Artifact, and Illusionary

Mask.

Color:

Black, Blue, Green, Red, and White are the only colors in the game.

[Mirage Page 8]

Artifact is not a color, it is an attribute. [Mirage Page 8]

Colorless is not a color. It means “no color”. [Mirage Page 8]

“Gold” is not a new color in the game. It is just used to help identify

cards with more than one color. [Aahz 06/15/94]

Also see “Color of a Spell”.

Colorless and Generic Mana:

The colorless/generic mana symbol is a grey circle with a number in it.

Generic mana is the term for spell and ability costs which can be paid

with any color (or with colorless) mana. [Mirage Page 9]

Colorless mana is the term used for effects that generate mana which has

no color. [Mirage Page 8]

A generic mana symbol of cost N when used in a spell or ability’s cost or as

part of a payment indicates that N mana of any color needs to be spent.

[Mirage Page 9] For example, an Artifact can be cast with mana of any

color.

There technically is no colorless mana symbol. But some old cards use the

generic mana symbol when listing the color of mana they produce. In this

case, consider the mana colorless.

The generic X cost is still considered generic even if there is a

requirement that a specific color be used for it. For example, “only

black mana can be spent this way”. This distinction is important for

effects which reduce the colorless portion of a spell’s cost. For

exmaple, if you had 2 Helms of Awakening in play (each reduces the gemeric

costs of all spells by 1), you could cast a Fifth Edition Drain Life for

just “B” and still do 1 damage. [WotC Rules Team 06/01/97]

Color of a Spell:

The initial color of a spell is the color of mana specified in the casting

cost. [Mirage Page 9] The background color of the card is used only as

an aid. [Mirage Page 10] For example, the error with the Serendib Efreet

in the Revised Edition has a green background color, but the card is blue

because the casting cost includes blue mana.

If a spell only has generic mana in its casting cost, then it is colorless.

Note that some cards with a zero casting cost do have color. When this is

so, there will be card text to remind you. For example, the Kobolds have

a text saying they are red. In general, the explanitory color text is

subject to Sleight of Mind, but for some cards such as Dark Heart of the

Wood, it cannot. See the appropriate card ruling if you really need to

know.

If a spell has more than one color of mana in its casting cost, it is

considered to be of all the specified colors.

A card which takes red and black mana to cast is considered to be both

red and black. It would therefore be immune to Terror (which cannot

target black) and could have its damage prevented with a Circle of

Protection of either color. [Mirage Page 27]

A card with more than one color will become a single color if xxxxLaced.

[Mirage Page 8]

If an effect changes the mana symbols on a card, it will change the base

color for that card. For example, Celestial Dawn will temporarily change

a Phantom Monster to be white. When the effect ends, the base color of

the card reverts to match its actual mana symbols. So the Phantom Monster

becomes blue again when the Celestial Dawn leaves play.

[Duelist Magazine #16, Page 24]

An effect which overrides the color of a card (such as a xxxxLace spell),

overrides the color regardless of the casting cost or changes to the

casting cost. [Duelist Magazine #16, Page 24]

An effect which affects “non-black” things means things which are not black

at all. It does not mean things which have a color in addition to black.

[Mirage Page 27] Things are either black or non-black. They cannot be

both and they cannot be neither.

A spell which becomes a permanent, becomes a permanent of the same color

the spell was when it resolved. Usually this is the color in the casting

cost, but if the color is changed by a xxxxLace or such, the color change

is permanent. [Mirage Page 10]

Comes Into Play Effects:

Comes into play effects are triggered abilities on permanents that happen as

soon as the card is brought into play by casting or by any other means.

Since it is a triggered ability, you cannot use anything other than mana

sources (and maybe specialized abilities if they apply) between the card

entering play and the triggered abilities being dealt with.

[bethmo 11/06/96]

If the spell/ability is countered and the permanent does not enter play, the

ability does not trigger.

Any effect of the permanent on itself due to the permanent coming into play

follow the same rules as phase costs, so the abilities of the permanent

entering play may not be used until the comes into play effect is dealt

with. [Duelist Magazine #16, Page 25] Note that they are not actually

phase costs, they just follow the same rules. [Aahz 06/14/97] This closes

up a loophole in which permanents with mana source speed abilities were

using their abilities prior to dealing with the comes into play effect.

Comes into play effects from cards other than the permanent itself do not

follow the phase cost rules.

Some comes into play effects are not considered costs, for example the

Kjeldoran Dead. The key to knowing if it is a phase cost is if there is

an “or do something else” (most often bury something) in the effect.

[Duelist Magazine #16, Page 25] See Phase Cost and Phase Effects for more

information.

All comes into play effects which are considered costs (which means innate

and externally applied ones) must be dealt with together. This means they

work just like other phase costs do. They combine and get paid or not

paid at once. [Aahz 12/18/96] Combined costs of this type are very

unlikely.

Phasing a card in will never trigger such abilities. [Mirage Page 2]

Continuous Abilities and Continuous Effects:

See the “Continuous Abilities and Continuous Effects” entry in the Timing

section.

Controller, Caster and Owner:

The owner of a card is the one who started the game with that card in their

library. [Mirage Page 23] Note that the game does not care who has

property ownership of the cards in the game. Ownership changes only when

a card specifically says that it does.

The controller of a permanent starts as the one who brought the permanent

into play, but cards can change controller. [Mirage Page 11] Also, there

are a couple of cards, such as Varchild’s War-Riders, that actually put

something into play under your opponent’s control. But this is stated on

the card if it applies.

The controller of a spell is the player casting the spell. [Mirage Page 23]

All effects are considered “controlled” by the player who played the spell

or ability that generated the effect. The actual controller of the card

is not relevant. For example, the player who plays and pays for the

ability of Zur’s Weirding is the controller of the effect, whether or not

that palyer controls Zur’s Weirding itself. [WotC Rules Team 06/01/97]

This is a REVERSAL of previous rulings where the controller of the card

that generated the effect was the controller of the effect.

• Phase abilities, phase costs, and untap costs are played by the active

player. It does not matter who controls the source of the ability or

cost. [WotC Rules Team 07/03/97]

The caster is the one who cast the spell. This is always equal to the

owner. [Duelist Magazine #5, Page 123] Actually, Grinning Totem changes

this and allows the caster to differ from the owner. [bethmo 10/14/96]

Only the controller can pay costs associated with a permanent (unless

otherwise specified on the card). [Mirage Page 11] This means that if

an enchantment you control, like Regeneration, ends up on an opponent’s

creature, that you (not your opponent) can power the enchantment’s ability

since you are still the controller of the enchantment.

There is currently no way to change the controller of an enchantment. This

means that enchantments are controlled by their caster. Enchantments on

a creature do not switch controllers if the creature switches controllers.

[Aahz 07/05/95]

The text “you” or “your” refers to the controller of the card and not the

owner. [Mirage Page 11]

Cards which go to the graveyard or to a player’s hand or library always go

to their owner’s graveyard, hand or library , regardless of who currently

controls them. [Mirage Page 23]

Copy Cards:

Cards which copy other cards include Clone, Doppelganger, Dance of Many,

and Copy Artifact.

All copy cards are targeted and cannot be brought into play without a legal

target. If the target becomes invalid after declaration but before

resolution, the spell fizzles. [WotC Rules Team 02/09/95] They are

considered targeted no matter how they are brought into play. They cannot

Autumn Willow (which cannot be targeted by effects) when brought into

play with Resurrection, for example. [Aahz 12/07/96]

If a copy card is brought into play by a means other than casting, then the

target is chosen when the copy card would enter play, and if there is

no valid target, the bringing into play will fizzle and the copy card will

remain where it is. [D’Angelo 11/07/96]

A Doppelganger changing forms is also targeted and will fizzle if the target

becomes illegal before resolution. [Peterson 11/07/94] If it fizzles, it

remains in its old form.

Copy cards in general cannot copy things which are only of the appropriate

type due to some effect. This is because the copy cards do not copy

existing effects on the target, they only copy the target. They look to

see the type of the target with all effects on it removed and if it

is still not of the correct type, it will not allow itself to be used.

[D’Angelo 06/30/95]

Clone and Doppelganger can only copy permanents created by a “Summon” or

“Artifact Creature” spell, or tokens that inherently count as

creatures. They may not copy permanents which are only creatures due

to some sort of animation such as Kormus Bell. [WotC Rules Team]

• Creatures in play due to Animate Dead or similar spells can be copied.

[WotC Rules Team 07/03/97] (REVERSAL)

Copy Artifact can only copy permanents created by “Artifact” or “Artifact

Creature” spells, or tokens that inherently count as artifacts. They

may not copy permanents which are only artifacts due to some other

effect. [WotC Rules Team] Copy Artifact cannot copy another Copy Artifact

since it is only an artifact due to an effect.

The casting cost is one of the characteristics which is copied. This means

that casting the Sacrifice spell on a Clone of a Lord of the Pit would

give you seven black mana. [WotC Rules Team 07/27/94]

The copy of an artifact creature is an artifact creature. In other words,

“artifactness” is a characteristic that is copied.

Copies the color of the target unless otherwise stated on the copy card.

[WotC Rules Team 10/03/96]

The name is a normal characteristic and is copied. For example, a Clone

of a Plague Rat counts towards the number of Plague Rats in play.

[WotC Rules Team 07/27/94]

They come into play in the same tapped/untapped state as the target

would have when cast. [WotC Rules Team]

They do not copy the “expansion symbol” on a card. [WotC Rules Team]

They remain cards even when copying a token. [WotC Rules Team]

If a card being copied has variable forms or characteristics (set at

casting or changeable during play), the copy will be of the current

form. If the form is changeable, then the copy may change at a later

time as per the characteristics of the card that was copied.

[Aahz 06/06/94]

Anything that is normally done when a card enters play is done when the

copy comes into play. For example, if a copy of a Nameless Race is put

into play you would have to pay the life. [Aahz 01/16/95]

They copy the base creature/artifact and not any enchantments or counters

on it, regardless of whether the counters are due to natural abilities of

the creature/artifact or of other spells. [WotC Rules Team] This means

that a copy of a Rock Hydra with 6 heads will be a zero-headed Hydra (and

will most likely die immediately).

The copy does get tokens when the copy card is cast if the card being

copied gets tokens when it is normally cast. This ruling includes the

Tetravus, Triskelion, Clockwork Beast and Clockwork Avian. The

Doppelganger does not get any tokens when switching to one of these

creatures during upkeep. [WotC Rules Team 07/27/94]

Copies of creatures (such as the Rock Hydra) with an X in the casting

cost treat X as zero. [WotC Rules Team 07/27/94]

• The effects of Sleight of Mind, xxxxLace, and Magical Hack affect the

characteristics of the card and so copies of that card will also have

the same change. For example, a copy of a Hacked Nightmare to be based

on Islands will also be based on Islands. [Duelist Magazine #3, Page 22]

All permanent effects which do not use counters are copied.

[WotC Rules Team 07/03/97]

Permanent effects which use counters are not copied, so Ashnod’s

Transmogrant, Aisling Leprechaun, and other such effects are not copied.

[WotC Rules Team 07/27/94]

Permanent effects played on the copy card override the characteristics it

is copying. For example, if a Doppelganger is modified with Ashnod’s

Transmogrant, it will act as a Transmografied version of the creature it

copies even if it changes creatures. [Aahz 08/08/94]

Costs:

Payment of costs is always unpreventable. It happens during announcement

of the spell or ability. [Mirage Page 33] Things may prevent you from

being able to pay a cost. Usually these involve raising the cost (Gloom)

or making a resource unavailable for use (Imprison). But nothing can

stop you if you have the resources available. [D’Angelo 11/07/96]

The cost to cast a spell includes the mana cost in the upper right hand

corner of the card, plus any other costs written in the text.

While the “Cost: Effect” notation on a permanent indicates an activatable

ability, this same notation on a non-permanent spell indicates a cost

that must be paid when announcing the spell. [D’Angelo 01/28/97]

The cost to use an ability is usually written as an activation cost

(See “Activation Cost” for more information) but can also just be

spelled out.

Costs can usually include tapping the source of the ability, sacrifices,

mana, payment of life (loss of life on some older cards), or removal of

counters. Generally, if something on the spell or permanent is not one

of these, then it is not a cost. If it is one of these, and the card

text is not clear as to when this is done, it is probably a cost and not

an effect.

All cards that read “Do X to do Y” now mean that X is a cost regardless of

what it has you do. [Duelist Magazine #11, Page 56]

All cards written as “X: do Y” mean that X is a cost regardless of what it

has you do. [Mirage Page 32]

Costs are all lost if a spell is countered. [Mirage Page 38]

If something has a cost, it cannot be paid accidentally. For example,

someone cannot make your Prodigal Sorcerer deal damage by making it

become tapped. You must actually pay the cost with the intent of

getting the effect in order for the effect to occur.

You cannot pay a cost of life if you have zero or less life or if the

payment will bring you below zero life. [Duelist Magazine #3, Page 22]

You cannot tap a tapped card or untap an untapped card as part of a cost.

The payment of the cost must be successfully done and cannot fail.

[D’Angelo 12/23/96]

If costs combine (as with phase costs) into something that is contradictory,

then you cannot pay the cost at all. For example, you cannot both

unsummon and sacrifice the same card. [Aahz 02/16/97]

Costs are also not modifiable. Hence, you cannot use a draw modifying

spell/ability on the draw cost of Psychic Vortex. [Aahz 06/16/97]

Countering Spells and Abilities:

A countered spell is placed in the owner’s graveyard and all mana (or

other costs such as sacrifices) used for the casting are wasted.

[Mirage Page 38]

A countered spell or ability simply goes away without any of its costs

(including sacrifices) being refunded. [Mirage Page 38]

If a spell is countered, it is not considered to have been “successfully

cast”. This means that you cannot use spells or abilities which say

“Gain one life if xxx is cast” or anything similar. [Aahz]

Once a spell is countered, it is an illegal target for any other interrupts,

so any interrupts which target it that have been cast and are waiting to

resolve will fizzle. [Mirage Page 38]

Note that you cannot use an interrupt until after all decisions about

a spell/ability are made, so you cannot counterspell until the person

declares how much mana is actually in that X damage spell, or otherwise

finishes announcing the spell/ability.

There are currently few spells/abilities which will counter the ability of a

permanent, and countering the ability of a permanent is completely

different from countering a spell.

Counters:

Counters are used in Magic to signify permanent or long-lasting effects

on a creature or other permanent. [Mirage Page 24] Typically counters are

given names or numeric values to be associated with them.

Counters of the same name are interchangeable. Thus a ‘spore’ counter from

any source is considered to be the same as any other ‘spore’ counter.

[Mirage Page 25] Unnamed counters are never interchangeable. They only

work with that particular card and are not counted or affected by other

cards. Counters with just values, such as +1/+1, are considered to be

unnamed. [D’Angelo 09/01/95]

Counters are considered to apply themselves to the permanent they are on

as a continuous effect. If the effect cannot be applied to the permanent

because it does not make sense (e.g. +1/+1 counter on a land), the

counter remains on the permanent and will become active again as soon

as the permanent can be legally affected again. [Mirage Page 25]

Counters remain even on a permanent if what they do does not currently

apply. For example, if a Mishra’s Factory gets a +1/+1 counter while it

is a creature, the counter will remain when it de-animates.

[Mirage Page 25]

Note that tokens and counters are different concepts in Magic. These

rulings do not apply to tokens.

Creature in the Graveyard:

Cards which refer to a “creature in the graveyard” or “dead creature” really

mean a “creature card in the graveyard.”

A creature card is any “Summon Xxxx” or “Artifact Creature” card.

Creature Power and Toughness:

Enchantments on a creature which enhance the power of a creature do not

change the color of the damage that creature does. For example, a

Firebreathing Pegasus does White damage. [Mirage Page 8]

Creatures can have negative power ratings due to a variety of reasons.

Such a creature does zero damage when attacking or defending and is

considered to have a power of zero for all intents and purposes other

than changes in their power. [Mirage Page 13] For example, a creature

with Power of -2 and Farrel’s Mantle still deals 2 damage with that

effect.

Creatures can have negative toughness ratings due to a variety of reasons.

This is usually very temporary since the creature is dying, but it can

happen. If it does, the toughness is considered to be zero for all

reasons other than changes in their toughness. [Mirage Page 13]

This ruling becomes important in cases like Creature Bond, where it is

not possible to cause a negative amount of damage.

If an effect sets the power and toughness on a creature to a specific value,

treat this as if the numbers on the card were changed. The effect of

any fast effects, enchantments, or other things stay in effect.

[Mirage Page 13] So if a Hill Giant(³⁄₃) with Giant Growth(+3/+3) and

Holy Strength(+1/+2) is affected by a Sorceress Queen(set to 0/2), then

it’s power/toughness is ⁴⁄₇. Similarly, with Blood Lust (+4/-4 but

toughness does not dip below 1) instead of Giant Growth, the Hill Giant

would be ⁸⁄₃ before and ⁵⁄₃ after the Sorceress Queen. The trick to

remember is that you are altering the base creature, and the base is

considered the first effect in play, then reapply effects in the order

they entered play.

If a creature’s toughness becomes 0 (or less) at any time during a spell or

ability’s resolution, the creature is destroyed and the death is dealt

with before even continuing with the resolution. [Aahz 09/27/96]

Creature Type:

Creature type is defined as being the word(s) that follow the word “Summon”

on a “Summon Xxxxx”. The creature is of type “Xxxxx”.

[Mirage Page 14]

The plural of a creature type is the same as the base creature type. Thus

Goblin and Goblins are the same, and Faerie and Faeries are the same.

[Mirage Page 15]

The gender of a creature type does not matter. “Summon Actor” and “Summon

Actress” are the same type as are “Summon Sorcerer” and “Summon

Sorceress”. Also “Brother” and “Sister”. [Duelist Magazine #18, Page 28]

Creature type names do have to match identically (other than in

single/plural sense) to be considered the same. “Spirit” and “Blinking

Spirit” are not the same creature type. [Duelist Magazine #9, Page 36]

Token creatures are of the creature type they are specified to be in the

spell/ability that generates them. [Mirage Page 24] For example, the

creatures generated by The Hive are of type “Wasp” and ones from the

Serpent Generator are type “Poison Snake”.

When an effect turns a permanent into a creature, it will specify the

creature type, which will often be the same as the name. For example,

Mishra’s Factory becomes a creature of type (and name) Assembly Worker.

[D’Angelo 10/25/95] Note that many artifact animators simply say that

the artifact becomes an Artifact Creature and therefore it has no

creature type.

Cards which say “Counts as a Xxxxx” such as the artifact creatures which say

“counts as a wall” are considered to be of that creature type.

[Mirage Page 14]

“Artifact Creature” and “Land Creature” are not creature types. Those are

permanent types. Such permanents do not have a creature type at all

unless the card text says that they do. [Mirage Page 14] For example, an

artifact creature that says “Counts as a wall” is of creature type “Wall”

in addition to being an Artifact Creature. Also, there are several token

creatures which are also artifacts and have types.

Elder Dragon Legends have errata to say “Summon Legend” instead. They count

as type Legend for all spells that affect Legends.

[Duelist Magazine #9, Page 36] They do not count as Dragons.

[bethmo 09/17/96]

Other card characteristics, such as color, do not count as a creature type

either. So “red creatures” or “flying creatures” are not valid choices

of creature type. [Duelist Magazine #9, Page 36]

Creatures can have more than one creature type. For example, Goblin Scout

tokens are both Goblins and Goblin Scouts because the card says it

produces Goblin Scouts that count as Goblins. [Aahz 10/08/96]

Cumulative Upkeep:

A card with cumulative upkeep requires you to pay a cost that increases by

its base value each upkeep. This generally means that you pay the cost

on the first upkeep, 2 times the cost on your next upkeep, 3 times the

cost on your next upkeep and so on. If you do not pay, bury the card.

[Mirage Page 61]

For example, if a card has “Cumulative Upkeep: B and 2 life”, you pay

B and 2 life on the first upkeep, BB and 4 life on the next upkeep,

BBB and 6 life on the next upkeep, and so on.

Cumulative upkeep is tracked with counters associated with the source of the

cumulative upkeep ability. If the upkeep is paid, a counter is added when

the upkeep ability resolves. If it is not paid, no counter is added and

the consequences are suffered. There is no way to remove these counters

or to cause cumualtive upkeep to be reset. [Duelist Magazine #16, Page 24]

(REVERSAL) Note that although the counter is associated with the source

of the ability (so it’ll go away with the source), if the source affects

multiple things, the counters for each affected thing are separate. It’s

probably easier to put the counters on the affected thing and just

remember to remove them when appropriate. [D’Angelo 12/04/96]

If a cumulative upkeep payment is suspended by some odd case, the upkeep

continues where it left off once it resumes. For example, a green

creature is affected by Breath of Dreams for 3 turns. Then the Breath of

Dreams is changed to affect blue creatures for a while. Then it is

changed back to affect green creatures. The cumulative upkeep resumes

from 3. [Duelist Magazine #16, Page 24]

Note that if a card has more than one cumulative upkeep applied to it that

you track and pay for each one separately. [bethmo 03/06/96]

• Cards that count their last paid cumulative upkeep, only count their own

cumulative upkeep, not ones imposed by other cards. [bethmo 06/20/97]

Damage:

See “Damage Prevention” for more information.

Damage accumulates on creatures over the course of the turn and is healed

at the end of each turn. [Mirage Page 15]

Damage arrives in “packets”. A “packet” contains all the damage done by

a single creature in combat or by a single effect. If an effect damages

more than one target, the effect does one “packet” to each target.

[Mirage Page 44]

Damage always remembers all the characteristics of the source of that

damage. This includes color, creature type, artifact nature, and any

special ability associated with the damage. [Mirage Page 44]

Damage is compared to a creature’s toughness. You total up all damage

done to a creature, and once it has as much damage than it has toughness,

it has lethal damage. [Mirage Page 15]

You recheck a creature’s damage versus toughness whenever it takes more

damage or has its toughness change. This means that if a ³⁄₃ Hill Giant

with Holy Strength (+1/+2 making it a ⁴⁄₅ creature) takes 3 damage then

later in the turn the Holy Strength gets Disenchanted, the Hill Giant

will die of its wounds because it is now just a ³⁄₃ creature with 3

damage. [Mirage Page 13]

Damage is not subtracted from toughness. A 5 toughness creature with 4

damage still has a toughness of 5 and will be worth 5 to a Diamond

Valley. [bethmo]

If a creature is ever removed from play, all damage to it is immediately

removed. This includes creatures targeted by an Oubliette.

[WotC Rules Team 02/07/94]

Damage is not removed if a permanent stops being a creature. The damage

will be there if it becomes a creature again at a later time during the

same turn. [WotC Rules Team 09/22/95] Remember that all damage is

always removed from all permanents at the end of the turn.

Damage can only be assigned to a creature or player. If a target of damage

is not still a creature or player when the damage effect resolves, then

it won’t take the damage. The target does not still need to be a creature

or player all the way through damage prevention.

[WotC Rules Team 09/22/95]

If you are to distribute damage among some number of targets of a

multi-targeted spell or ability, you can only distribute whole number

values and you cannot choose zero. [Duelist Magazine #7, Page 100] This

does not apply to Fireball which tells how to distribute damage, and it

does not apply to Dwarven Catapult which just targets an opponent.

[Duelist Magazine #7, Page 100]

Combat damage is a term used to describe damage done during the damage

dealing step of the attack. It does not include damage due to spells or

abilities used or triggered during the attack phase. [Mirage Page 48]

All cards that refer to “damage in combat” mean “combat damage”.

[Duelist Magazine #13, Page 51]

Damage to a player causes a loss of life equal to the amount of the damage

when the damage becomes successfully dealt. This is done as a side

effect. Note that the damage is not removed from the player by this loss

of life. [DeLaney 01/28/97] Retroactive damage removal can see this old

damage and adjust the player’s life total without being considered a

gain of life. [DeLaney 01/28/97]

Damage Prevention:

See “Damage Prevention” in the Timing section for more information.

See “Damage” for more information.

• Damage prevention spells and abilities do not target damage or “packets”

of damage. They just target what the card says they target.

[WotC Rules Team 07/03/97] (REVERSAL) The rules used to say that they

targetd the damage “packets”.

• If the spell/ability prevents a specific amount of damage, you choose one or

more packets of the appropriate type of damage and divide that amount of

prevention among the packets. [WotC Rules Team 07/03/97]

• If the spell/ability prevents all damage of a type, it seeks out all damage

of that type which is there upon resolution. [WotC Rules Team 07/03/97]

This means that if you redirect Earthquake’s damage to all your creatures

to yourself, you can prevent all the damage with one use of a Circle of

Protection: Red (because all the damage is from a single source).

[WotC Rules Team 10/03/96] Similarly, you can take damage multiple times

from Manabarbs during a Damage Prevention step (since damage during Damage

Prevention gets added to the current step) and prevent it all with one use

of a Circle. [Duelist Magazine #17, Page 24]

• Damage prevention spells/abilities may only be played during a Damage

Prevention step and only if they have valid damage to prevent.

[Mirage Page 44] You cannot cast them if there is not at least one

point of relevant damage to be prevented, even if you want to choose to

prevent zero damage. [WotC Rules Team 07/03/97]

• If all damage in a “packet” is prevented, the packet ceases to exist.

[Mirage Page 44]

The side-effects of damage are associated with the damage in a “packet”, so

preventing all the damage will also stop the side-effects from happening.

[Mirage Page 44]

If damage is retroactively prevented (with spells like Reverse Damage or

Simulacrum) then the damage is undone but any effects of the damage are

not undone. [WotC Rules Team 05/10/95]

• You can cast a damage prevention spell to try to prevent more damage than

is actually there. It will then prevent what it can. [Aahz 05/19/97]

• When an effect that pervents all damage from a source resolves, it also

prevents any damage from that source that arrived after the prevention

spell/ability was announced but before it resolved.

[WotC Rules Team 07/03/97] (REVERSAL)

• If an effect deals damage but gives a way to prevent that damage, the

prevention is played during damage prevention and not during the

resolution of the effect. [WotC Rules Team 07/03/97] For example, Mind

Bomb.

Damage Redirection:

Spells and abilities which cause damage to move from one target to another

are called Damage Redirection spells/abilities.

• For deciding whether or not a redirection spell/ability can be used and

whether or not it’ll affect the damage, see the “Damage Prevention” entry.

Damage redirection effects follow the same rules.

Excess Trample damage is considered damage redirection. [Mirage Page 18]

Note that Whippoorwill, which prevents redirection, will not prevent

Trample damage from passing through. [Aahz 11/07/96]

Redirected damage maintains its color, source and nature. Nature

includes any special effects that occur due to damaging. For example,

the Hypnotic Specter will cause a player to discard if any of its

damage is redirected to the player. [Duelist Magazine #5, Page 37]

If damage is redirected in a retroactive manner, as Simulacrum does, then

the damage only retains color and other knowledge of the source. It does

not keep any abilities of the original damage such as the Hypnotic Specter

or Sengir Vampire. [WotC Rules Team 05/10/95]

Damage loses its Trample nature when redirected. This is because the

Trample ability only applies to the creature(s) blocking the attacker.

[D’Angelo 01/06/96]

Damage stops being “combat damage” when it is redirected.

[Duelist Magazine #17, Page 24]

Damage may be redirected from a target to that same target.

[WotC Rules Team 03/14/97] (REVERSAL) This means you can erase some

damage nature such as Trample and “combat damage” and still keep the

damage in the same place. Note that Page #28 of Duelist #18 is in error

when it says that you cannot do this. [Aahz 06/06/97]

Redirecting damage can cause a “packet” of damage to be split. These

packets do not rejoin if they later get redirected back to a single

target. [Aahz 09/19/96]

Redirecting all the damage from a “packet” causes the original “packet” to

no longer exist and damage prevention spells/abilities targeting that

packet will fizzle. [D’Angelo 11/07/96]

Destroy:

To destroy something is to place it into the graveyard from play.

Destroying a creature is the same as killing it. Creatures can be

regenerated from a destroy.

Also see “Bury”.

All cards that destroy themselves have errata to say they bury themselves.

For example, Dragon Whelp buries itself if pumped up too much.

[WotC Rules Team 10/03/96]

Discard:

A discard is putting a card from your hand on top of your graveyard.

[Mirage Page 54]

Some spells/abilities may have you put a card from your hand into the

graveyard in a way that is not a “discard” unless the card says so.

[Mirage Page 54]

When you are asked to discard and are not told how, you get to choose a

card from your hand. [Mirage Page 54]

If you are required to discard more than one card due to an effect, all the

cards are chosen and discarded at one time. Specific cards can declare

that a discard order is in effect, as with Stupor.

[Duelist Magazine #18, Page 55] (REVERSAL) You used to choose and

discard one at a time.

A triggered ability which says “for each card discarded” will trigger only

once even if multiple discards happen as the result of a single

spell/ability. When dealing with the triggered ability, the effect for

an X card draw, the effect happens X times during the resolution of that

single triggered ability. [Aahz 06/16/97] (REVERSAL) It used to trigger

once for each card discarded.

A triggered ability which says “whenever a card is discarded” will trigger

once for each discard, even if multiple discards happen as the result of

a single spell/ability. [Aahz 06/16/97]

Some of the older cards used the word “discard” when talking about

cards in play instead of in your hand. All such cards have errata

issued on them to treat the word “discard” as “destroy”.

[PPG Page 113] Except if the card is “discarding” itself. A card which

discards itself is considered to be a sacrifice.

[WotC Rules Team 01/29/95]

Discards which are done as costs are not considered forced. This includes

Land’s Edge. [D’Angelo 06/11/97] Ones that are done as effects of

spells or abiliites are forced, even if you do them to yourself on

purpose.

A discard that is part of a spell/ability’s resolution is considered forced,

even if you can do something instead. [Duelist Magazine #14, Page 26]

Draw:

Drawing a card is defined as taking the top card from your library and

putting it into your hand. [Mirage Page 53]

Effects that happen when or modify a draw happen only when you are told that

the action is a draw. Effects that move cards around and happen to move

one from your library to your hand are not necessarily draws.

[Mirage Page 53]

If you are required to draw more than one card due to a single

spell/ability, all the draws happen at once.

[Duelist Magazine #18, Page 55] (REVERSAL) The draws used to happen one

at a time.

A spell/ability which triggers on the drawing of cards triggers on each card

drawn in a multiple draw but waits until the effect is completely resolved

before being dealt with. [Mirage Page 54]

A triggered ability which says “for each card drawn” will trigger only once

even if multiple draws happen as the result of a single spell/ability.

When dealing with the triggered ability, the effect for an X card draw,

the effect happens X times during the resolution of that single triggered

ability. [Aahz 06/16/97] (REVERSAL) It used to trigger once for each

card drawn.

A triggered ability which says “whenever a card is drawn” will trigger once

for each draw, even if multiple draws happen as the result of a single

spell/ability. [Aahz 06/16/97]

Specialized abilities which modify a single draw modify a single card in the

multiple draw being done and is played (and resolved) before looking at

any of the cards. [D’Angelo 06/11/97]

Exchange:

You cannot play a spell/ability which will cause an exchange unless you have

the thing you will be exchanging. [Mirage Page 29]

The spell/ability fails to do anything on resolution if either player does

not have a thing to be exchanged upon resolution. [Mirage Page 29]

Enchantments:

Global enchantments are of card type “Enchantment”. They are played in your

territory and may affect any number of players or permanents.

[Mirage Page 22] They may target something when played, but they are

still played in your territory. [Mirage Page 23]

Local enchantments are of card type “Enchant something”. They enchant

and target a permanent of type “something”. They are also played

onto the permanent they target and may or may not be in your territory.

[Mirage Page 22]

Enchant World is a special kind of global enchantment that follows special

rules. See “Enchant World” for more information.

If a local enchantment’s target becomes illegal at any time, the enchantment

is buried. [Mirage Page 22]

If a local enchantment says “Play on a such-and-such”, the “such-and-such”

is considered a targeting restriction even though it does not use the

word “target”. [Mirage Page 22]

Enchantments are not specifically prevented from becoming tapped, but they

generally do not tap. The exception to this is that Copy Artifact is both

an artifact and an enchantment. [Aahz 10/11/96]

Changing control of the permanent a local enchantment is on will not change

the controller of the enchantment. [Mirage Page 23]

Only the controller of the enchantment can pay the activation cost on an

enchantment. There is a misleading statement in the Fourth Edition

rulebook about creature enchantments acting like their text is on the

creature. This is not strictly true. [Aahz 05/19/95]

If two enchantments or other effects contradict one another, the most

recently cast wins. See the “Order to Apply Effects” entry for more

information.

Using the ability of a local enchantment card does not target the card each

time it is used. [Duelist Magazine #5, Page 122] For example, the use of

Firebreathing does not target the creature it is on with an effect each

time it is used.

If an enchantment is removed after its ability is used, the effect

still remains until the duration would normally end (usually end of turn).

For example, if a ¹⁄₁ creature with Holy Armor (treated as ¹⁄₃) gets

pumped up with 3 white mana, it gets +0/+3 making it ¹⁄₆. If the Holy

Armor was then removed, the +0/+3 would still remain, although the +0/+2

granted by the enchantment would leave and the creature would be ¹⁄₄.

[bethmo]

The text “enchanted something” refers to the something that the enchantment

is on. It does not mean any enchanted something in play.

[Duelist Magazine #11, Page 54]

A “creature enchantment” means an “Enchant Creature” card. It does not

include “Enchant Permanent” or other local enchantments that may end up

on a creature. [DeLaney 01/28/97]

Enchant World:

See “Enchantments” for more information.

Enchant World rules were introduced in the Legends expansion set and

have been in the base rules since Fourth Edition.

Enchant world cards are treated like enchantments, except that only one

enchant world may be in play at a time. If one enchant world is

brought into play while another is already in play, the one in play

is buried. [Legends Rulecard] [Mirage Page 57]

Enchant World spells follow all the normal rules for Enchantments. They

are not more powerful than normal enchantments and do follow the normal

rule of the most recently used effect overrides the previous one. So,

for example, a Flight enchantment put on a creature after Gravity Sphere

is put into play will override the Gravity Sphere’s effect.

[bethmo 07/07/94]

Existing Effects:

See “Order to Apply Effects”.

Face Down Cards:

Face down creatures (hidden by Camouflage or Illusionary Mask) still have

any counters they have on top of the creature. Some creatures are just

not very disguisable. [bethmo]

Face down creatures do not have their enchantments turned face down as well.

[Duelist Magazine #11, Page 56]

A blocking decision made on a face down creature may turn out to be invalid.

If this happens, the creature simply does not block and cannot be assigned

to a different attacker. [WotC Rules Team 11/10/95] The creature is

considered retroactively removed from combat if all of its block

declarations are negated because they are illega. [Aahz 12/07/96]

Face down token creatures need not still be shown as tokens in play. You

can use cards to mark them so your opponent cannot tell them apart.

[WotC Rules Team 12/15/94]

Continuous effects of face down creatures still take effect. If you have

a face down Goblin King, you should tell your opponent that his Goblins

are ²⁄₂ creatures now. Again, these creatures are hard to disguise.

All you really know about a face down card is what kind of permanent it

is. Usually, it is a creature. This means that you may target any spell

which targets creatures at the card. If the target turns out not to be

valid (for example, you try to Terror a black creature) the spell will

fizzle. [PPG Page 57] This rule applies even if you have more

knowledge, such as knowing that your opponent is playing an all black

deck!

A face down creature with Lure on it must be blocked. This is true even if

you know the block will be illegal (because the attacker has a landwalk

ability or some other evasion ability). Your blockers do not know this

unless the ability is granted by an enchantment or external effect.

[D’Angelo 11/21/95]

If a face down creature is controlled by Control Magic or other means by

another player, it remains face down but the new controller may look at

the card.

A Clone or Doppelganger can be made of a face down creature. Your

opponent does not need to tell you anything about your creature’s

power/toughness or abilities. The opponent must, however, inform you

of the results of actions you take (i.e. how much damage was done, or

whether tapping the creature allows you some special ability).

[bethmo]

Fast Effect:

Fast effects are Instants, Interrupts, Mana Sources, or non-continuous

special abilities of a permanent. [Mirage Page 68] Most people use the

term as slang for “instant speed effect” but this is not accurate.

Some other game actions are treated as instant speed fast effects. For

example, the draw during your draw phase. [D’Angelo 07/30/96]

First Strike:

Creatures with First Strike deal combat damage before creatures without it.

If a creature without First Strike is killed during First Strike damage

dealing, then it will not deal damage during normal damage dealing.

(See Step 5 of Attack Phase Rules and Rulings for more information.)

Having First Strike more than once has no additional effect. [Page 34]

Fizzle:

The term “fizzle” is used to indicate a spell/ability which was announced

with a legal target but whose target becomes illegal or invalid prior to

resolution. The spell/ability does nothing and is said to “fizzle”.

[Mirage Page 68] This is different from a “failure” to work correctly on a

valid target.

Spells which fizzle are still considered “successfully cast” even though

they have no effect. [bethmo 05/30/94]

Flanking:

Whenever a creature without Flanking is assigned to block a creature with

Flanking, the blocking creature gets -1/-1 until end of turn.

[Mirage Page 1]

This may kill the blocker prior to it dealing damage, or in fact prior to

even fast effects after blocking being announced. [D’Angelo 10/15/96]

Note that this only applies to assigned blockers and not to all blockers.

There are ways to have a creature end up as a blocker without being

assigned. For example, if you assign a creature to block a member of a

band, the creature ends up blocking the other members but was never

“assigned” to block them. [Mirage Page 1]

Flanking is cumulative. A creature with Flanking twice gives out -1/-1

twice (total of -2/-2 but in two separate triggered abilities) to a

non-Flanking blocker. [bethmo 09/26/96] A blocker with Flanking never

takes any penalty.

Remember that if Flanking kills the blocker, the attacker is still blocked.

Flanking is not a targeted ability. In general, blocking assignment-based

abilities are not targeted. [D’Angelo 05/21/97]

Flying:

A creature with Flying can only be blocked by a creature with Flying.

[Mirage Page 17]

A Flying creature can block a non-Flying creature if it wants to.

[Mirage Page 17]

Fog Effects:

Fog effects are effects that prevent a creature from dealing damage in

combat.

These effects only prevent combat damage (which is damage done by creatures

during the damage dealing portion of the attack) and do not prevent damage

from other effects during the attack phase. [Mirage Page 48]

Does not prevent a creature from being affected by blocking abilities such

as the Thicket Basilisk’s [Duelist Magazine #2, Page 8] Note that

Revised Edition Fog does add in that special prevention clause.

Does not prevent the “Is Not Blocked” abilities from being used.

[Aahz 12/19/94]

If a Trampling attacker can deal damage (because it is not under the fog

effect) but none of the blockers can receive damage, then the Trample

damage goes through to the defender. [Aahz 05/23/95]

If a single creature is under a Fog effect and it is a member of a band,

it can still contribute banding to the band. [Aahz 08/31/94]

If a single creature is under a Fog effect and it is a member of a band,

it cannot have damage assigned to it as part of the band. [Aahz 12/03/94]

Generic Mana:

See “Colorless and Generic Mana”.

Graveyard:

The graveyard is also called the discard pile. [Mirage Page 59]

The graveyard has an order to it. All cards that enter the graveyard

are placed on top of it. If more than one card is to be placed in at

a time, the owner of that graveyard decides the order the cards get

stacked in. [Mirage Page 59]

Cards in the graveyard are just cards. They have no memory of whether

they were ever in play or not, or of anything that may have happened

to them when they were in play. This includes removal of any choices

about the card, any alterations via spells like Magical Hack or Purelace,

and so on. [Mirage Page 59]

Some special cards (such as Nether Shadow) do work in the graveyard, but

these cards explicitly say so.

When a card goes to the graveyard, several things happen before triggered

ability resolve. First, any effects that depend on it being in play end,

then any changes to the permanent are erased, and then if it is a token

creature it is “dissolved” (removed from the game). [Aahz 06/18/96]

If something goes to the graveyard then comes back, it is considered a

new card since it forgot its previous life when it went to the graveyard.

[bethmo 05/03/94]

Any player can look at any other player’s graveyard at any time. This

means that a player cannot hide what goes into or gets taken out of the

graveyard from any other player. Cards are always face up.

[Mirage Page 59] Same goes for any cards removed from the game.

[Mirage Page 60]

When a card comes from the graveyard back into play (for example by

Animate Dead or Resurrection), any features which are normally set at

summoning time are set as if it was just summoned. If the creature has

an X in the casting cost, X is zero. So, Clockwork Beast comes out

fully wound, Clone must choose a creature to copy as it is brought out,

and the Rock Hydra has zero heads. [WotC Rules Team 02/07/94]

If a card talks about a creature in the graveyard, it is referring to any

Summon or Artifact Creature card.

Hand:

All players have the right to know how many cards you have in your hand.

[Mirage Page 59]

You always know what cards are in your hand, and get to know what cards an

opponent sees when they look at cards from your hand. [D’Angelo 02/10/97]

You are technically not allowed to show cards in your hand to other players.

[Aahz 03/04/97]

Spell cards being announced are considered to not be in your hand for

purposes of target selection, sacrifices, and other things related to

casting the spell. For all other reasons, such as for the power/toughness

of Maro, the spell card is still in your hand until the spell announcement

is complete. [Duelist Magazine #18, Page 28]

“I’m Done”:

“I’m done” always means “I’m done unless you do something else”. If the

player does something, then you continue as if you never said you were

done. Anything legal at that time is still legal. [bethmo]

Be careful about the use of this phrase since it is often unclear if you

are done with a stack of spells, done with the main phase or done with

your turn.

Infinite Combos:

Infinite combos are legal. There are currently no rulings to prevent them

from happening. [D’Angelo 11/07/96]

In reality, most “infinite” combos are just “arbitrarily large” combos.

This means that you can do it as many times as you want, but the question

of how many times comes up. There is no official ruling on this. Some

people play that you can just say you do it X times (where X may even be

infinity!) and get on with the game, but many say that you are required to

do each instance so it would not truly be infinite. And then taking too

long to do something may actually considered stalling the game. At a

Pro-Tour event, it was ruled that you had to do the action 10 times

individually. If it was not broken after that, you could pick any finite

number and just say it happens that many times.

Some things really are infinite. For example, a Clergy of the Holy Nimbus

with Weakness on it will keep dying and regenerating until the end of

time. And if an Ivory Gargoyle comes into play at end of turn while a

Vibrating Sphere is in play, it’ll keep dying and coming back. In these

cases, it has been ruled that you project the eventual outcome and just

have it be that way. The Clergy stay tapped but in play. The Gargoyle

is put in the graveyard and you lose all your draw phases for the rest of

the game. Usually the really infinite things are automatic and not under

your control.

A player with infinite life or a creature with infinite toughness cannot

be killed by damage, even infinite damage. [Aahz 11/04/96]

In Play:

Player’s hands, graveyards, libraries, removed from game, ante, “set aside”,

“out of play”, and “limbo” zones are not in play. [Mirage Page 59]

Instant:

This is the standard speed at which most spells/abilities resolve.

Instant speed spells and abilities may be used to start batches or to add to

an existing batch. [Mirage Page 37]

Instants can be used on your turn and your opponent’s turn.

Artifacts, summons, enchantments, and sorceries resolve at the same speed

as instants. These spell types can only be announced during your main

phase to start a batch.

Interrupt:

Interrupts are spells and abilities which target other spells and abilities

with the intent of countering or modifying them. [Mirage Page 38]

Cards printed prior to Mirage and the introduction of Fifth Edition rules

may be labeled as interrupts when they are not. All such cards that

produce mana (and no other effect at the same time) work as mana sources

instead of interrupts. And all such cards that which have an effect that

does not produce mana and it does not target a spell or ability are played

as instants. [Mirage Page 2-4] This is considered mass errata.

Cards which are modal and can either target a spell or do something else

are played as interrupts or as instants as appropriate.

[Mirage Page 39] But they are still considered to be spell type

“interrupt” in any case.

You cannot respond to an interrupt with a non-interrupt. [Aahz 10/21/94]

See “Step 2” of the “Spell and Ability Timing” section for more information.

Interrupting:

This means to play an interrupt to target a spell/ability during the

interrupting portion of that spell/ability’s life cycle. See the major

section “Spell and Ability Timing” for more information.

Is Not Blocked:

This ability is also known as a “saboteur” ability.

This ability is treated as a triggered ability that is dealt with at the

end of declaration of blockers. For some, such as Coral Fighters, the

ability is not optional. For others, such as Farrel’s Zealot, which say

you “may do something”, the ability is optional. For optional abilities,

the choice is made at this time as to whether or not the triggered ability

is used. You cannot delay the choice of usage until later.

[Aahz 03/17/97] (REVERSAL) These abilities used to be played as if they

were zero cost instant-speed effects used during the fast effects step

after declaration of blockers.

The abilities are typically worded with a targeted effect and the untargeted

effect of not dealing damage that turn. If the targeted effect fails

because the target is invalid then the untargeted portion also fails and

the creature will deal damage (unless prevented by other means).

[Duelist Magazine #6, Page 132]

This ability works even if Fog is cast. As long as the creature is not

blocked, it works. [Duelist Magazine #4, Page 6]

These abilities can be used cumulatively with other “Is Not Blocked”

abilities. [Duelist Magazine #4, Page 6]

You can use more than one of the same Is Not Blocked ability on the same

creature. For example, you can use two Cloaks of Confusion or Gazes of

Pain and take benefit from both abilities. [Aahz 06/12/96]

If an attacker changes controllers, it is removed from the attack and since

it is not attacking any longer, the new controller cannot use the ability.

[Duelist Magazine #7, Page 100]

The ability only checks to make sure it is not blocked when announced, it

does not check on resolution. [Duelist Magazine #7, Page 100]

Land:

Basic land types are: Forest, Island, Mountain, Plains, and Swamp.

Multilands and the other special lands are not “basic” lands types for

purposes of any spell. [Mirage Page 12] The Snow-Covered variations of

the basic lands are still basic lands.

Tapping a land for mana is always done as a mana source.

[Mirage Page 12]

If something is turned into a basic land, it becomes a land of that name

with exactly the same card text and loses any previous abilities.

[Mirage Page 58] Aspects of the nature of the card are not lost, so the

land may still be Snow-Covered, have a color, be an artifact, or be a

creature in addition to being the new basic land type. [D’Angelo 11/07/96]

Changing a land’s type will not change the land’s color if it was given a

color by a Lace or other effect. [Mirage Page 58]

Changing a land’s type will not remove any expansion symbol the land might

have had. The symbol is still there. [Aahz 10/07/95]

Changing a land creature’s land type can remove or change the creature type.

Thus, a Mishra’s Factory which is animated to an Assembly Worker

and is then hit with a Phantasmal Terrain to become a Mountain is no

longer an Assembly Worker, it is just a ²⁄₂ animated Mountain.

[WotC Rules Team 11/10/95] It’s creature type is also changed.

[Aahz 11/08/96]

If a land is animated by an effect that lasts until end of turn, such as

Mishra’s Factory or Thelonite Druid, the animation effect will not wear

off immediately if the land changes type. The land stays animated until

the effect would normally end. [WotC Rules Team 11/10/95]

Not all lands produce mana. If a land does not specifically say that it

does produce mana, then it doesn’t. [Mirage Page 12]

Lands are not spells. [Mirage Page 72]

Lands have no color. [Mirage Page 69] But they can be given a color.

If there is a question about what mana gets produced by a land, first figure

out what kind of land it is by applying any land changing effects

(like Conversion or Phantasmal Terrain) in the order they entered play.

Then figure out what color mana it produces by applying any color changing

effects (like Reality Twist). Finally figure out any additional mana

that might be produced (from Wild Growth, Mana Flare, etc.).

[Mirage Page 61]

If a spell/ability puts a land into play for you, it does not count as your

land for that turn. [bethmo 11/05/96] For example, the Mirage lands that

bring a land from your library into play.

Lands are not considered “mana sources”, but any ability that gets mana from

a land is played as a “mana source”. The Mirage rulebook erroneously

leads to the wrong conclusion in the glossary.

[Duelist Magazine #15, Page 28]

Landhome:

This actually comes in specific flavors such as Islandhome.

This is a name for a restriction on a creature. The creature cannot attack

unless the opponent has at least one land of the required type, and the

creature is buried if at any time you control no lands of the required

type. [Mirage Page 17]

The land type (if it is a basic type) can be affected by Magical Hack or

Mind Bend.

Landwalk:

This actually comes in specific flavors such as Swampwalk or Plainswalk.

A creature with a landwalk ability can be blocked normally if the defending

player does not have any lands of the appropriate type, but they cannot

be blocked at all if the defending player does have lands of that type

at the time blockers are declared. [Mirage Page 17] Even other creatures

with the same landwalk ability cannot block them.

Cards which look for a kind of landwalk work whether or not the landwalk

is more specific or not. For example, a spell/ability that targets a

creature with IslandWalk will work on one with Snow-Covered IslandWalk.

[WotC Rules Team 09/22/95]

The land type (if it is a basic type) can be affected by Magical Hack or

Mind Bend.

Legends:

The most common kind of Legend is the Summon Legend card. In addition to

these, there can also be Legendary Lands, Artifacts, and Enchantments.

[Mirage Page 56]

There may be only one legend of the same name in play at a time. If a

second legend of the same name is brought into play, it is buried. If

more than one legend is brought into play at the same time, all of them

are buried. [Mirage Page 56] Note that two (or more) legends of different

names can be in play at the same time.

If one Legend is phasing out while another phases in, they will not see

each other. [bethmo 09/19/96]

If a Legend is changed into something else for a while and changes back,

it is considered the “new” one entering play and will be buried if there

is already one in play. [Mirage Page 56]

Cards which affect “all legends” or use similar text refer to Summon Legend

cards. They do not refer to cards from the Legends expansion set, nor do

they refer to Legendary Lands. [Duelist Magazine #2, Page 7] The Mirage

rulebook was a bit too general when it classified Legendary cards as all

being Legends. [Aahz 10/22/96]

A copy of a Legend (Clone, Doppelganger, etc.) will immediately be buried

because it is considered the new Legend that is entering play.

[Duelist Magazine #2, Page 7]

If you have a Legend face down because of Illusionary Mask or some other

effect, any duplicate Legend brought into play is still buried.

[WotC Rules Team 12/15/94]

All “Summon Elder Dragon Legend” cards have errata to make them say

“Summon Legend” instead. They have also never been considered as

dragons. [Duelist Magazine #11, Page 57]

The burial due to duplicate legends happens as a rule-speed trigger (which

is just about as fast as a continuous effect) and will happen even before

an interrupt can be declared.

The effect of a Legend burying itself since it is the newest in play is

considered to be controlled by the controller of the permanent that is

burying itself. [D’Angelo 07/30/96]

Just because a card has a gold border does not make it a Legend.

Token creatures can be Legends.

All “Summon Legend” and “Legendary Land” cards were on the Duelists’

Convocation restricted list (only 1 per deck) for tournaments from

08/01/94 until 11/01/95.

Legendary Land:

See “Legends”.

Library:

Also called your “draw pile”. [Mirage Page 59]

You do not need to show anything which goes into or comes out of your

Library (unless it came from or goes to a publicly viewable place).

[Mirage Page 59]

The number of cards in your library is public information and any player

has the right to know this count. [Mirage Page 59]

Spells/abilities which allow you to dig into your library are not targeted.

[Aahz 06/18/95]

If an effect has you do something to more cards in your library than you

currently have in your library, it affects all the remaining cards.

[Mirage Page 59]

You must have at least 40 cards in your library at the start of the game.

[Mirage Page 46]

Several cards let you choose a card (or cards) in your library, shuffle the

rest of the library, and put the chosen cards on top. The chosen cards

are considered to be “in the library” during this time, and the entire

action is one step. You cannot use mana sources during this time.

Consider it a kind of modified shuffle. [Aahz 03/17/97]

Life:

You start the game with 20 life but may gain life and have a higher total

during the game.

You lose if you have less than 1 life at the end of any phase or the

beginning or end of an attack. [Mirage Page 52]

You cannot spend more life than you currently have. It’s not possible to

pay life and end up with less than zero life. [Mirage Page 52]

You can be knocked to below zero life by damage and loss of life.

[Mirage Page 53]

It is not possible to prevent or redirect any loss of life. [Mirage Page 53]

If you are at less than 0 life, you are treated as having 0 life for all

reasons other than changing your life total. [Mirage Page 52]

If an effect has you lose a fraction of your life total and you are

already below 0 life, your life total does not change. [Mirage Page 53]

All players are entitled to know each other’s life totals at all times.

Losing the Game:

Check for player death due to less than one life at the end of each phase,

the beginning and end of the attack. [Mirage Page 52] This allows even

sorceries and similar abilities such as Stream of Life to save the player.

As long as you have a positive life total at the end of a phase, you will

live.

If both players have life totals of zero or less at the time it is checked,

they both lose. It does not matter if one player is more negative than

the other. They are both dead. [Mirage Page 52]

You lose if you try to draw a card from your library and you can’t because

the library has no more cards. This is true no matter how or why you are

drawing a card and happens immediately and not at the end of the phase.

[Mirage Page 53]

Check to see if a player loses only after fully resolving a spell/ability

and not part way through. For example, if Wheel of Fortune is cast and

neither player has enough cards in their library, they both lose. It

is not the first one to draw that loses. [Duelist Magazine #5, Page 123]

This most often only applies to draw effects since that is one of the

few ways to lose because of an effect.

The damage prevention step that follows the resolution a spell/ability is

not considered contiguous with the effect for purposes of “losing at the

same time”. For example, if one effect made the current player draw and

did lethal damage to a creature (which would cause the player to lose the

game if that creature left play) while the current player had no cards in

their library, the current player would lose prior to starting damage

prevention. The same goes for any triggered abilities due to a spell or

ability’s resolution. A player can lose prior to resolving any triggered

abilities. [D’Angelo 08/01/96]

A player can concede at any time and if they do so they lose any ante

they have put up. [bethmo] This can be done at any time other than

during the middle of the resolution of a spell/ability.

[D’Angelo 11/08/96]

A player loses if they have 10 or more Poison counters. This is a

continuous effect.

Loss of Life:

Loss of life is not the same as damage. Only players have life points.

Creatures do not. Unprevented damage will result in a loss of life. Life

can also be lost directly due to effects which do not cause damage.

There is no way to prevent or redirect the loss of life caused directly by

spells and abilities. Only damage can be prevented. [Mirage Page 53]

Many cards say this (as reminder text), but it is true even if they do

not.

Loss of Life in general does not have color associated with it.

Abilities that trigger on loss of life also trigger when you pay life for

something. [WotC Rules Team 02/06/96]

Note that the pre-Fourth Edition Conservator has errata issued to say that

it prevents damage to a player (rather than preventing loss of life) and

that Forcefield has errata saying that it prevents all but 1 point of

damage rather than causing one loss of life.

Lucky Charms:

The Lucky Charms are: Crystal Rod, Iron Star, Ivory Cup, Throne of Bone,

and Wooden Sphere.

Since these are triggered abilities, they can only be used once for each

time their condition (an appropriate spell being cast) is met. They

trigger on the spell becoming “successfully cast”. [D’Angelo 04/17/97]

They are normal triggered abilities that can only be used at the time that

ability is dealt with. You cannot wait until later in the turn to use

them. [D’Angelo 04/11/97]

Abilities of cards like Soul Net and Tablet of Epityr are not considered

“lucky charms” even though they have a similar effect. [Aahz 07/05/95]

The Limited, Unlimited and Revised Edition versions do not say you can only

use them once per spell, but they are triggered abilities and so are under

this restriction anyway. [D’Angelo 10/16/96]

Prior to Fifth Edition, the cards said they could be used later in the same

turn. This is no longer true. [D’Angelo 04/11/97]

Mana Burn:

Mana burn is the loss of life caused by having extra mana in your pool at

the end of a phase or at the beginning or end of an attack. You lose 1

life for each mana left in your pool. [Mirage Page 9] Remember that

loss of life cannot be prevented or redirected.

Mana burn is a single action which uses all the mana in your pool.

Mana Pool:

Spells’ costs are not paid by tapping lands. Spells’ costs are paid by

using mana from your mana pool. You cannot shortcut mana from

the land directly to the spell. It must go to the pool first.

[Mirage Page 9]

Tapping basic lands is the most common way to add mana to your mana pool.

You can leave mana in your pool during the casting of several spells.

If you have mana in your pool at the end of a phase or the beginning or

ending of an attack, then you will take mana burn (See the “Mana Burn”

entry for information). [Mirage Page 9]

Mana Source:

A mana source spell/ability can be used at almost any time. [Mirage Page 36]

• Mana sources do not go through the normal life-cycle, they resolve

immediately after being announced. They are never responsded to.

[Duelist Magazine #15, Page 28] They do, however, have separate

announcement and resolution steps, but nothing can be done between these

steps. [WotC Rules Team 07/03/97]

Mana sources cannot be interrupted like other announced spells and abilities

can. [Mirage Page 8]

Any abilities which trigger off a mana source being used are dealt with

normally. [Mirage Page 39] But the triggers don’t happen until after the

resolution is complete. Cards like Nether Void that trigger and try

to counter the spell/ability will fizzle on a Mana Source like Dark

Ritual. [Duelist Magazine #15, Page 28]

Cards like Imprison can stop a mana source spell/ability from even being

played. [Duelist Magazine #15, Page 56] Same for Drought.

[Aahz 01/14/97]

Tapping a land for mana is always done as a mana source even if it does not

say so on the land. Lands themselves are not considered mana sources.

See the Spell and Ability Timing section for more information.

Modal Effects:

Some spells/abilities require a choice as to which mode they operate in.

This choice is a casting decision made on announcement.

[Duelist Magazine #8, Page 50]

If someone tries to redirect the spell/ability, they cannot change the mode

of the effect. [WotC Rules Team 09/22/95]

If a spell is modal and has different kinds of targets depending on the

mode, you choose the mode before picking targets. [D’Angelo 10/15/96]

If the opponent gets to pick the mode, the caster must make all choices

before knowing the mode. This means, he may have to pick targets which

won’t actually be targeted upon resolution. [Aahz 10/07/96]

Cards worded as “Do A to target X or do B to target Y” or “Do A or do B to

target X” require you to choose which of the two options is being used.

If the spell is Forked or Deflected, this choice of mode cannot be

changed. For example, Red Elemental Blast lets you choose to counter a

spell or destroy a permanent. If the choice is made to counter a spell,

then a target spell is selected. The Blast cannot then be redirected to

target a permanent since that is an illegal target for the spell’s mode.

[Duelist Magazine #8, Page 50]

Cards worded as “Do A to target X, Y, or Z” are not modal. You do not have

to choose the type of target before choosing the target. For example,

Twiddle can tap a land, artifact, or creature. If the spell/ability was

redirected, the type of the target could be changed, but the choice to

tap or untap is modal and cannot be changed.

[Duelist Magazine #8, Page 50]

Interpreting to figure out if a spell is modal can be tricky. In general,

if the spell does more than one kind of effect (which is usually easy to

pick out since there will be more than one verb) then it is probably modal

with regards to those kinds of effects.

Some spells/abilities are considered modal even though the choice is not up

to the player. For example, Gangrenous Zombies has two modes: “deal 1

damage” and “deal 2 damage”. The mode is locked in on announcement and is

not changed later even if which lands you control changes.

[Duelist Magazine #8, Page 50]

Moving Enchantments:

Several spells/abilities can result in the moving of a local enchantment

from one target to another.

The rulings in this section apply to enchantment movers, like Enchantment

Alteration and Crown of the Ages, that say to treat the enchantment as

if it were just cast.

When moving an enchantment, play the card from scratch. This means that

all counters, modifications, cumulative upkeep, and choices associated

with the enchantment are removed and you make all new choices as if you

were freshly casting it. [Mirage Page 56] This includes changes by

interrupts such as Sleight of Mind.

The enchantment considers itself as freshly entering play and will trigger

any “comes into play” abilities which it has in its text. For example,

the damage from Earthbind or drawing a card for Krovikan Fetish.

[Mirage Page 56]

Other cards in play do not consider the enchantment to have entered play

or to have been “cast”. For example, a Verduran Enchantress or Lucky

Charm will not trigger on the move. Effects already in play just see

a move and not a re-entering of play. [Mirage Page 56]

You can move an enchantment onto a permanent that cannot normally be

targeted by a spell or effect. This is because the enchantment is just

a permanent and is not considered either a spell or effect.

[Mirage Page 56] Examples are Deadly Insect and Autumn Willow.

There is one exception, and that is Bartel Runeaxe which is never a legal

target for an enchantment. [WotC Rules Team 05/26/96]

Any choices made when moving the enchantment are made by the enchantment’s

controller/caster and not necessarily by the player using the move

spell or ability. [D’Angelo 09/25/95]

When the enchantment is moved, it forgets that it had been used that turn.

So, you can use an Instill Energy again if you move it.

[WotC Rules Team 09/15/94]

If you move an enchantment such as Firebreathing after mana has been spent

to pump it up, the effects of the pumping are directly on the creature and

do not move with the Firebreathing card. If you moved it after activation

but before resolution, the effect will still happen to the original

creature and not the new one because this is locked in on announcement of

the ability. [WotC Rules Team 12/03/96]

If the enchantment itself has upkeep costs or effects and you deal with them

prior to moving it, you still have to deal with them again because it

acts as just cast and forgets you dealt with it.

[WotC Rules Team 11/16/94]

If there is an X in the casting cost of the enchantment, treat X as zero

when it is “re-cast”. [D’Angelo 04/14/95]

If the enchantment was targeted by a spell or ability prior to being moved,

the moving will not cause the targeting to fail. It is still the same

enchantment. [D’Angelo 09/26/95]

Keep in mind that you cannot move an enchantment onto an illegal target

using the current enchantment movers. Thus, you cannot move a black

enchantment onto a creature with protection from black.

If the destination of the move is not in play upon resolution of an

enchantment moving effect, the enchantment simply does not move.

[Aahz 09/19/96]

You cannot move Dance of the Dead, Animate Dead, or Necromancy to another

creature or to a creature in the graveyard. These have exactly one legal

target creature, the one they were cast for.

[Duelist Magazine #17, Page 25] [D’Angelo 06/05/97]

If an enchantment is moved onto something that turns out to be invalid,

the enchantment “falls off” (is destroyed) after reaching the destination.

For example, if a Chaoslaced Holy Armor is moved from a Scryb Sprite onto

a Black Knight, the move is legal since a red enchantment can be moved

onto a creature with Protection from White. But during the move, the

lace effect is lost and the enchantment arrives White.

[Duelist Magazine #10, Page 43] Note that the enchantment “falling off”

is after any continous effects of the enchantment are applied. This means

that an enchantment like Enfeeblement could actually kill the creature

before falling off. [D’Angelo 05/22/97]

Moving an enchantment does not make its effect start as if it just came into

play for purposes of the “apply effects in the order they enter play

rule.” [Aahz 11/08/96]

For the enchantments that can be played as an instant, you do not get to

choose to do that when you move them. [Aahz 10/15/96]

When the enchantment is moved, any effects on the enchantment stay on it.

For example, the enchantments that play as an instant and are scheduled to

be buried at end of turn will still be buried at end of turn if they are

moved. [Duelist Magazine #16, Page 24]

Multiplayer Rulings:

Opponent is defined as any player other than yourself.

In team play, opponent should not include your teammates.

[WotC Rules Team 01/10/95]

In multiplayer games, cards which read “both players” affect all players.

A permanent that targets a player with a continuous ability has a single

player chosen when it is cast. This player choice cannot be changed

even if the permanent changes control. If the target player leaves the

game then the permanent becomes useless but stays in play.

[WotC Rules Team 01/10/95]

A permanent that targets a player when it is activated may choose a player

each time it is used. [WotC Rules Team 01/10/95]

A permanent that says “opponent’s choice” allows you to choose an opponent

each time the choice needs to be made. Examples are Demonic Hordes and

Clergy of the Holy Nimbus. [WotC Rules Team 01/10/95]

If a card reads “each upkeep” or “each turn”, it means each of your

upkeep phases or each of your turns. If the card affects multiple

players, it affects each player during his (or her) upkeep or turn.

In most multiplayer rule sets, if a player is killed, all of that

player’s cards are immediately removed from the game. This can have

a drastic effect on the balance of power in the game.

• In multiplayer games, if the order of players matters, such as with

triggered effect resolution which is current player then opponent, a

rule needs to be made for how to deal with this in multiplayer

environments. One suggestion is that the things be handled from the

current player around the table in turn order (which is usually to the

left).

Must Attack or Block:

Sometimes a creature will be required to attack or block.

All required attackers or blockers must be declared before or at the same

time as any creatures which are not required to do so. [Mirage Page 49+50]

If a creature is forced to attack, it does not have to attack immediately,

but it must attack this turn if possible. This means you must declare an

attack (if possible) and send the creature out (if possible).

Being already tapped or being tapped for a special ability prior to the

attack will make it unable to attack.

Being prevented by an effect such as Island Sanctuary or card text such

as the Sea Serpent’s “cannot attack if opponent has no Islands” will also

make it unable to attack.

You are not forced to maximize the number of “must attack” (or block)

creatures that you can declare. “Must attack” (or block) creatures do

have to be declared first, but if one of them has Errantry on it you can

declare that one and thereby cause the others to be unable to attack. You

cannot use a non-“must attack” creature with Errantry to do this, however.

[D’Angelo 07/25/95]

You cannot use the declaration of a non-“must attack” attacker as a way to

avoid attacking with a “must attack” attacker. For example, if you are

only allowed to declare 2 attackers, those two slots must be taken by

“must attack” creatures if possible. [WotC Rules Team 09/15/94]

If something happens to make a “must attack” attacker able to attack, you

must declare it at that time if possible. For example, Orcish Conscripts

cannot attack unless at least 2 other attackers do. If the Conscripts

must attack, you must declare it if you declare at least 2 other

attackers. [D’Angelo 11/07/96]

If there is a cost to declare the attacker, the fact that it would be

required to attack if possible does not require you to pay the cost in

order to allow it to attack. For example, you don’t have to pay the

Brainwash cost on a Juggernaut. If you do pay the cost, it must attack,

but if you do not, it does not. [Aahz 01/25/96]

If a creature is required to block more creatures than it can legally

block, then you must block as many as possible but you are otherwise

free to choose what you block. [Mirage Page 50]

A creature that must attack each turn, must attack during each attack in

each turn. [DeLaney 01/28/97]

On Its Way to the Graveyard:

This term was used prior to Fifth Edition to mean a card with a destroy

effect or lethal damage on it. It is not defined for Fifth Edition.

Order to Apply Effects:

The rule for effects is that they are applied in the order in which they

enter play. [Mirage Page 29] This also means that the most recent one

takes precedence if the order matters. For example, if Earthbind is

placed on a creature and then Flight is placed on the creature, the Flight

will take precedence because it is the newer effect.

This goes for general continuous effects as well as it does for

enchantments, spells, or abilities on a permanent. If Gravity Sphere is

put into play, it removes Flying ability from all creatures in play. If a

Flight spell were placed on the creature after that, the Flight would have

precedence because it took effect more recently. [bethmo 06/29/94]

All kinds of effects are subject to this rule. This includes enchantments,

instants, abilities of permanents, and more. Just resolve things in

order.

If the source of an effect is removed, reapply the effects in order of

casting. This does not happen often but is theoretically possible.

For example, if you cast a Conversion spell to change all Mountains into

Plains and then used Magical Hack on a second Conversion spell to

turn all Mountains into Forests, the first one would be applied and turn

them all into Plains. The second one would find no Mountains in play,

so it would do nothing. Later, if the first one were removed, the

second one would immediately discover the Mountains and convert them to

Forests. [bethmo 06/29/94]

Note that these rules apply to non-continuous effects as much as to

continuous ones. A non-continuous effect “enters play” when it resolves.

Thus, a Jump spell can make a creature with Earthbind fly.

[D’Angelo 08/01/96]

Each permanent considers its built-in abilities to be the oldest effect

upon itself and then the effects of other permanents are applied to it in

order. [Mirage Page 30] This means that if an enchantment says that

all creatures lose Flying, a Flying creature that was in play before or

enters play after this enchantment entered play will still lose Flying.

Changing the base power/toughness of a creature (using Sorceress Queen) or

altering the text of a card (using Sleight of Mind) will not change the

“when it entered play” time for an effect. [D’Angelo 11/07/96]

When a card phases in, it’s effect is considered the new one in play for the

order to apply effects. [Aahz 11/08/96]

Owner:

See “Controller, Caster, and Owner”.

Permanent:

A permanent is any card in play (enchantments, creatures, artifacts, land)

or any token in play which represents a creature (or other permanent

type). [Mirage Page 10]

Cards in play are not spells, they are “permanents”. They can no longer

be affected by things that affect “spells” (e.g. Counterspell, Lifeforce).

A permanent stays in play until destroyed by an effect or otherwise

removed from play. You cannot just destroy a permanent because you no

longer want it. [Mirage Page 10]

Spells which become permanents do not become permanents until they resolve.

[Mirage Page 60]

Phase Cost:

Phase Costs are payments that a player is supposed to make during a

certain phase. The most common phase costs are called Upkeep Costs.

Generally, a phase cost is optional but contains a penalty for

non-payment, but some phase costs must be paid if you are able.

Paying (or not-paying) a phase cost is done as an instant. [Mirage Page 43]

The cost is paid or not paid during announcement, and the phase cost is

considered “dealt with” when the instant-speed action resolves. At that

time, the cost is either considered paid or any negative results of not

paying are resolved.

A phase cost may only be paid once per phase. [Mirage Page 43] And they

are almost always paid during your appropriate phase.

Permanents with phase costs on them may not use optional abilities (like

ones with activation costs) until the phase cost has been “dealt with”.

[Mirage Page 43] If the phase cost is paid during upkeep, the ability

cannot be used at any time during the turn prior to it being paid.

[D’Angelo 11/07/96]

Continuous and non-optional abilities are not prevented by phase costs.

If you choose not to pay the phase cost, the optional abilities may be used

as soon as the negative results are applied. [D’Angelo 06/06/95]

Under previous rules it was possible to use a mana source during the

damage prevention after it was destroyed by not paying upkeep. This is

no longer true. The card is put into the graveyard during the resolution

so there is no chance after the resolution to use it. [Aahz 10/22/96]

Phase costs are always dealt with. Even tapping a non-creature, non-land

artifact will not prevent the phase cost from being required.

[Mirage Page 43] The only way to avoid dealing with the phase cost is

by removing the permanent from play. [Duelist Magazine #3, Page 15]

Most phase costs are on a permanent. You can avoid dealing with the phase

cost by removing the permanent from play. [Mirage Page 43] Or by

removing the cause of the phase cost if that is possible.

If a permanent has more than one phase cost applied to it, the costs combine

into a single one. You cannot pay just some of the phase costs on a

permanent. You must pay them all or not at all. [Mirage Page 43]

If there are multiple phase costs (for the same phase) on a permanent, they

are all paid at the time the latest one would be paid. [Mirage Page 43]

For example, if part is paid “during upkeep” and the other part is “at the

end of upkeep”, the entire thing is paid at the end of upkeep.

If there are multiple phase costs on a single permanent and any one of them

is mandatory, then all of the costs on that permanent are mandatory. In

other words, the entire phase cost is an all-or-nothing deal. You pay all

the costs or none of them. [WotC Rules Team 06/01/97] For example, a

Lord of the Pit is in place with The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale, then you

must sacrifice a creature and pay 1 mana (if possible).

If there are penalties for multiple phase costs on a single permanent, these

penalties are played out as a sequence of effects rather than as a single

effect. First the permanent’s own penalties, then the others in the order

in which those effects entered play. [WotC Rules Team 06/01/97]

If there are multiple phase costs on a single permanent and they are

contradictory, then you simply cannot pay the combined cost and have no

option but to suffer the penalties. [WotC Rules Team 06/01/97] For

example, if you had to both sacrifice a card and send that same card to

your hand as part of the phase cost of a single permanent, you could not

do either.

Even if a phase cost says you must pay it, you do not need to do anything

special to make it payable. So, if a phase cost says you must sacrifice

a creature and you have no creatures, you are not required to use your

The Hive to generate a creature. Similarly, you are not required to

draw mana from any mana sources in order to pay a phase cost (unless the

effect says otherwise). [Aahz 08/20/96]

If something happens which adds an phase cost during a phase, it must be

paid. For example, if a Doppelganger becomes a Lord of the Pit, during

upkeep, a creature must be sacrificed. [Duelist Magazine #3, Page 15]

If not paying upkeep results in the card being destroyed or buried, the

card is considered to be destroying or burying itself. This is true

even if the upkeep cost is imposed from an outside source.

[WotC Rules Team 08/17/95]

Optional phase costs are written as “Do something during your Xxxx phase or

do something else”. You can choose to do either to deal with the cost.

Mandatory phase costs are written as “Do something during your Xxxx phase.

If you cannot do that, do something else”. You must do the something

if possible. If there is no “or” or “If you cannot do that” clause, then

it is a phase effect and not a phase cost, and there is no bad effect if

you cannot do it. [D’Angelo 12/03/96]

Phase costs differ from phase effects in their wording. Phase costs have

something that happens if you do not pay. For example: “During (your)

Xxxx phase, do something or something else happens”. Also, the verb is

usually “pay” or “sacrifice”. If you are unsure whether it’s a phase cost

or effect and the verb is something other than “pay” or “sacrifice”, it is

most likely a phase effect. [D’Angelo 12/03/96]

Phase Effects and Phase Abilities:

Phase Effects are things you are told to do during a specific phase. The

term applies to something done during the middle of the phase, or to

something done at the end or beginning of a phase. An example effect is

Unstable Mutation requiring during Upkeep that you put a -1/-1 counter

on the creature it enchants.

No player may let a phase end until all mandatory phase effects are dealt

with. [Mirage Page 42]

Each player plays their own phase effects. For example, the controller of

Unstable Mutation will play that effect at a time of their choice during

creature controller’s upkeep. [Duelist Magazine #17, Page 24]

Each phase effect is used only once per phase. [Mirage Page 42]

Phase effects played during the middle of a phase are played as instants.

[Mirage Page 42] You announce them like any normal spell or ability and

the result takes place (and the phase effect is considered “dealt with”)

when the effect resolves. They can also be part of batches.

Phase effects played at the beginning or end of a phase follow the

appropriate timing rules for effects played at that time.

Most phase effects are imparted by a permanent. You can avoid dealing

with the phase effect by removing the permanent from play or by otherwise

deactivating its effect (remember that non-creature, non-land artifacts

deactivate when they are in a tapped state). [Mirage Page 43] For

example, if you Disenchant an Unstable Mutation off a creature, you do not

later need to put the -1/-1 counter on it. If you already dealt with the

effect prior to removing the permanent from play, however, this does not

undo the effect.

You may not announce the dealing with of a targeted phase effect unless

there is a legal target at the time. [D’Angelo 09/25/96]

If there is no legal target for a mandatory phase effect, you can end the

phase without dealing with it. [Mirage Page 43] For example, Erhnam Djinn

says to give an opponent’s creature ForestWalk during Upkeep. You cannot

end upkeep without dealing with this if there are any valid target

creatures in play, but if there are no valid target creatures, you may

do so.

You can always choose not to use an optional phase effect. In this case,

you simply end the phase without declaring it.

If a phase effect fizzles with respect to all its targets, it is considered

dealt with and need not (may not) be used again. It was successfully

used. [Duelist Magazine #16, Page 25] (REVERSAL)

Having a phase effect applied to a permanent does not prevent the abilities

of the permanent from being used. [WotC Rules Team 11/16/94] Only

“phase costs” can do that. See “Phase Costs” for more information.

If more than one effect happens at the beginning or end of a phase, and the

order of these effects matters, they are played in the same way as

specialized effects. [Mirage Page 42] This means the current player

resolves all of his or her effects in any order desired, then the

opponent resolves their effects in any order they desire.

If a new beginning or end of phase effect is introduced which affects a

player while dealing with that player’s end of phase effects, you have to

deal with the new effects as well. But, once you pass a player’s phase

effects and go to the next player, you do not loop back and do the

previous player’s effects again. Such extra effects are just ignored.

[Duelist Magazine #15, Page 28]

Note that beginning and end of phase effects done by permanents are dealt

with in the same group with ones scheduled by Scheduled Effect.

[D’Angelo 09/25/96] This is important only in understanding that

although specialized ability timing is used for such effects, that not

all of them are specialized abilities.

If an infinite loop of effects happens at the end of a phase, such as an

Ivory Gargoyle and Vibrating Sphere (where you can’t pay to remove it),

simply figure out what the end result would be and continue. In the

Gargoyle and Sphere case, the Gargoyle is put into the graveyard and the

player loses all their draw phases for the rest of the game.

[WotC Rules Team 10/03/96]

Phase effects are typically written as “During (your) Xxxx phase, (you may)

do something.” Ones that are written “Cost: Effect. Use this effect only

during Xxxx phase” are not phase effects. [Aahz 10/16/96]

Phase Skipping:

You check if you are to skip a phase right before it would start, which is

the same as just after the end of the previous phase’s “end of phase”

effects. If you are to skip it, then continue to the next phase.

[Mirage Page 58]

If you skip a phase to use an ability, then the phase is skipped as a cost.

You cannot “spend” the same phase more than once. You can only pay a

phase during your turn and only before that phase starts. [Mirage Page 58]

Some effects may cause you to automatically skip a particular phase. These

effects happen at the time the specified phase would start. Instead of

starting the phase, you just skip it. [Duelist Magazine #13, Page 26]

Necropotence is an example. If it is in play when your draw phase would

start, you skip it.

The effects which allow you to choose to skip a phase can override the

automatic skipping because the choice effect is used earlier.

[Duelist Magazine #13. Page 26] Thus you may “spend” the phase prior to

the automatic effect getting a chance at it.

If more than one automatic phase skipping effect is in play, you choose

which one actually causes you to skip the phase. Normally, this does

not matter, but it can in the case of the Ivory Gargoyle for which you

have to skip a certain number of draw phases using its effect.

[Duelist Magazine #13, Page 26]

The Ivory Gargoyle ability that causes you to skip a draw phase is

considered an automatic one. [D’Angelo 07/29/96]

If an effect says to skip your next Xxxx phase, it means the next one you

encounter. It does not look into the future and pick a specific one.

[D’Angelo 11/08/96]

Phasing:

All your permanents which are “phased out”, will “phase in” at the

beginning of your untap. [Mirage Page 1] They do not have to have

Phasing ability to phase in, they just do.

A permanent with Phasing ability which is in play will “phase out” at the

beginning of your untap simultaneously with any other permanents “phasing

in”. [Mirage Page 1] Permanents phasing out and phasing in at this time

never are both play. [bethmo 09/19/96]

When a permanent “phases out”, it leaves play much as if it were removed

from the game, except that any enchantments, counters, and permanent

changes to the card phase out with it and are not removed.

[Mirage Page 1] Permanent effects (such as Ritual of the Machine) also

stay with it. [Duelist Magazine #15, Page 28]

• All effects that trigger on the permanent phasing out, do trigger.

[D’Angelo 07/03/97]

All “at end of turn” effects or other effects on the permanent or that

depend on it being in play are removed. Also, all damage on it is

removed. [Mirage Page 1]

Permanents remember their history when they phase out. For example, The

Fallen remembers who it has damaged and Safe Haven will not forget what it

has removed from the game. [Duelist Magazine #16, Page 24]

When a permanent “phases in”, it enters play in the same tap/untap state it

was in when it phased out. As far as the permanent is concerned, it never

left play, does not have summoning sickness, and will otherwise continue

where it left off. [Mirage Page 2]

If the permanent was only under your control due to an effect which having

the creature phase out would end, the permanent would switches controllers

while phased out, it will phase in its old controller’s untap phase, but

it will phase in under it’s new controller’s control.

[bethmo 10/03/96]

Any effects that would trigger on the permanent coming into play are

ignored. [Mirage Page 2] Any effects that modify how a card comes into

play, such as Kismet, are ignored. [Duelist Magazine #18, Page 28]

Abilities that are only usable if something had come into play earlier in

the turn, but that are not triggered by the coming into play, may be used

if an appropriate permanent phased in this turn. [Aahz 06/14/97] For

example, Fungus Elemental.

An apparent exception to this is having a Legend come into play. The Legend

phasing in will consider itself to be the newer one and will bury itself

if another Legend of the same name is still in play. Similarly, an

Enchant World phasing in will bury an existing Enchant World. This isn’t

really an exception, though since the Legend and Enchant World burials are

continuous effects and not triggered. [D’Angelo 10/15/96]

A token that phases out has left play so it is removed from the game.

[Mirage Page 2]

While phased out, the card does not change its tapped state and cannot be

targeted by a spell or ability.

Cumulative upkeep is not reset or increased while it is phased out.

[D’Angelo 10/15/96]

Creatures like Stangg and Hazezon Tamar which get token creatures when they

enter play do not get those creatures when they re-enter.

[WotC Rules Team 09/15/94] (Actually a ruling for Oubliette)

When a card phases in, it’s effects are considered the new ones in play for

the order to apply effects. [Aahz 11/08/96]

All cards phase in without summoning sickness regardless of whether or not

they had it when they phased out. [Visions FAQ 02/16/97]

If more than one card phases in at a time, you may need to determine the

order in which the effects enter play. See the “Simultaneous” entry for

details on how to do this.

Enchantments on a permanent phase in when the permanent phases in, but if

the permanent never phases in, the enchantments do not return either.

For example, a token creature with enchantments on it that phases out will

leave the game and will never phase in, so its enchantments stay out of

play. [WotC Rules Team 12/03/96] This overrides the general rule that all

your phased out permanents phase in.

Pitch Spells:

This is the nickname for spells which allow you to discard cards (typically

they are actually removed from the game) instead of paying the casting

cost. They were introduced in Alliances.

This name has also been extended to cover other non-mana ways to cast

spells. For example, the Visions card Fireblast which lets you sacrifice

Mountains.

The card is discarded (or other non-mana cost is paid) at the time you

announce the spell or ability and is considered to be paying the cost.

[Duelist Magazine #11, Page 55]

It does not actually change the casting cost of the spell for any other

reasons, including spells or abilities like Spell Blast.

[Duelist Magazine #12, Page 32]

If there is a penalty on the cost of the spell, such as Gloom on a Scars

of the Veteran, you must pay the penalty even if you use the “pitch”

ability to avoid the rest of the casting cost.

[Duelist Magazine #12, Page 32]

You cannot use Sleight of Mind to stop a “pitch” spell which requires a

card of a certain color to be discarded. This is because the costs are

paid prior to the Sleight being usable. [Duelist Magazine #12, Page 32]

Poison:

Poison counters are poison counters. A player dies if they have 10 (or

more) such counters no matter what the source is.

[Duelist Magazine #2, Page 7] This loss of the game is immediate. It’s a

continuous effect.

The “you die with 10 poison counters” effect is built into the poison

counters. You do not need a poison generating card in play for the

rule to have effect. [D’Angelo 10/01/96]

Protection:

A creature may have Protection from anything, but typically you get

Protection from a color.

Protection from means that a creature: [Mirage Page 21]

1. Reduces damage from to zero.

2. Cannot be blocked by creatures.

3. Cannot be targeted by abilities, spells, or enchantments.

Not being targeted by enchantments means that any such

enchantments on the creature are buried. The creature may be affected

by spells or abiltiies which do not target it specifically.

Note that ability #1 still reduces damage from these untargeted

abilities to zero.

Protection from does not protect creatures from general enchantments

or spells. So a creature with Protection from Red is still affected by

Orcish Oriflamme.

Protection from does not stop damage prevention spells from working.

Damage prevention spells target the damage and not the creature. For

example, you can use a Healing Salve to remove damage from a creature

with Protection from White.

See the “Targeting” entry for more information on what is targeted and

what is not.

Protection does not protect creatures from being sacrificed (even from

spells or abilities of the appropriate type). Sacrificing is not

preventable.

The “cannot be blocked by creatures” ability is an absolute

statement. The creature cannot even be blocked by creatures of

which have Protection from the appropriate color. So, a Black Knight

and a White Knight cannot meet each other in combat.

Protection from protects the creature but it does not protect any

of the enchantments on the creature. [bethmo]

A Protection from ability does not work for a creature while it is

not in play. [Mirage Page 21] Hence a White Knight can have Animate Dead

cast on it and a Black Knight can be Resurrected. Note that the White

Knight would immediately dispel the Animate Dead and go back to the

graveyard, but the example still holds.

If Protection is gained during a damange prevention step, it will not

reduce any damage already on creatures to zero. It will only affect

damage assigned after the Protection starts. [Aahz 02/16/97]

Protection from Color:

See “Protection”.

Rampage:

After defense is chosen but before damage is assigned, an attacking

creature with ‘rampage ’ gains +/+* until end of turn for each

creature beyond the first assigned to block it. [Mirage Page 22]

This ability is triggered by declaring blockers so it happens at the end

of that step.

Bonus is applied when blockers are declared and lasts until the end of

the turn. Removing a blocker after this does not change the bonus.

[Duelist Magazine #2, Page 7]

Fog effects do not stop the bonus from being gained. [Aahz 02/09/95]

If a creature which already has Rampage X gets Rampage Y added to it, it

now has Rampage Z where Z=X+Y. [Duelist Magazine #13, Page 26] So if a

creature with Rampage 1 gains Rampage 1 again, it now effectively has

Rampage 2.

This used to be written “Rampage:X” and is now written “Rampage X”.

Note that this applies only to assigned blockers and not to all blockers.

There are ways to have a creature end up as a blocker without being

assigned. For example, if you assign a creature to block a member of a

band, the creature ends up blocking the other members but was never

“assigned” to block them. [D’Angelo 10/15/96]

Regeneration:

Regeneration is a means of preventing a creature from going to the

graveyard. It is used as a specialized ability at the time the creature

would go there. As a specialized ability, regeneration abilities cannot

be used except when the creature is actually going to go to the graveyard.

Regeneration actually prevents the creature from going to the graveyard so

no effects of going to the graveyard will trigger. [Mirage Page 15]

You may not even attempt to regenerate a creature which has been buried or

sacrificed. [WotC Rules Team 12/03/96]

You may attempt to regenerate a creature which “cannot regenerate” because

of an effect like Bone Shaman. [Aahz 02/18/97]

When a creature regenerates, any damage on it is removed. [Mirage Page 15]

When a creature regenerates, all counters and enchantments or other

modifications to the creature remain.

When a creature regenerates, it becomes tapped. This tapping is part of

the effect of regeneration and not part of the cost. This means that

tapped creatures can still be regenerated. [Mirage Page 16]

If a creature is in an attack and it regenerates, it is removed from the

combat [Mirage Page 5] Being removed from combat does not negate any

“at end of combat” effects on the creature.

Regeneration effects generally target the creature they are played on

(unless the regeneration is a built in ability or is granted by an

enchantment on that creature). [Aahz 04/07/97]

If more than one creature is being destroyed by a single effect,

regenerating one of them removes it from the current destruction but does

not remove any of the others. This is true even if the act of

regenerating one causes another one to have its toughness raised so it

would not have died. In other words, once a creature is dying, it can

only be saved by actually regenerating that particular creature.

[WotC Rules Team 06/01/97]

• You cannot regenerate a creature which is not dying. Regeneration replaces

the creature’s destruction with a regeneration, so it cannot be used

unless there is a creature being destroyed.

• If by some chance a regeneration resolves when the creature is not dying,

the spell “fails” but does not fizzle. For example, if your Debt of

Loyalty on your opponent’s creature is Forked to point at the same

creature, the Forked one regenerates it and causes the control effect,

then your spell resolves and fails to regenerated but it still gives you

control of the creature. [bethmo 06/20/97]

• If a regeneration ability is countered, you cannot use that same ability

again for that creature’s death, but you can use other regeneration

spells/abilities. For example, if a Clay Statue’s built-in regeneration

is Rusted, you cannot use its built in ability again, but you can use

Death Ward. [Aahz 07/03/97] This is because each specialized ability

can only be used once per time it is usable.

Removed from the Game:

If a creature is “removed from the game” by some effect, it cannot be

regenerated from this. Also, all enchantments on the creature are put in

the graveyard just like they would be if the creature were destroyed.

Any player can look through the cards in the “out of the game” pile

at any time. [Mirage Page 60]

Resolving Spells and Effects:

Spells always resolve as completely as possible. A spell that says “Do one

thing. Do another” or one that says “Do one thing and do another” will

do both parts even if one part fails (see the next entry for the exception

to this rule). [Duelist Magazine #5, Page 22]

Spells that say “Do one thing to do another” do the first thing during

announcement and as a cost, regardless of what that thing is. The rest of

the text is the effect. [Duelist Magazine #11, Page 56]

Effects will try to keep doing their thing for their full duration (which

may be permanent). They do not continue to check if their target is

legal after they resolve. If the target of the effect becomes illegal,

the effect still continues. [Mirage Page 34] For example, if you steal

a card with Aladdin or Seasinger, you do not lose control of the card if

it stops being an artifact or creature (as appropriate).

If the effect itself makes no sense when applied to the target, then the

effect becomes dormant until it can take affect again. [Mirage Page 34]

For example, if a creature has Giant Growth cast on it and then stops

being a creature, the +3/+3 will remain dormant until either the end of

turn (it’s duration) or in case the card becomes a creature again.

Note that the Mirage rulebook on page 34 uses the term “target is illegal”

instead of “effect cannot be applied to the target”. This is an error.

[Aahz 10/22/96]

Responding:

Responding to a spell/ability means to add a spell/ability to the batch the

one you are responding to is in. See the major “Spell and Ability Timing”

section for more information.

Rounding:

Rounding down means to drop the fractional part. Rounding up means to

add one if there is a fractional part, and then drop the fractional part.

[bethmo 05/30/94]

Sacrifice:

A sacrifice is a burial of a permanent which is usually done as a cost.

Sacrifices cannot be prevented by any means. [Mirage Page 33]

You can only sacrifice things that you control. [Mirage Page 26]

When done as a cost, the sacrifice happens during the announcing of the

appropriate spell or ability. You do not get the permanent back if the

spell/ability is countered or otherwise prevented. [Mirage Page 26]

There are a few spells/abilities which have you sacrifice something during

resolution. These sacrifices are still unpreventable. [D’Angelo 10/15/96]

A given permanent cannot be sacrificed more than once. [Mirage Page 26]

This makes sense when you think that you cannot pay the same mana point

to power more than one spell.

Sacrificing is not a targeted effect. So Protection from Color or any other

anti-targeting ability will not protect a creature from a sacrifice.

[bethmo 10/03/96]

A permanent can sacrifice itself to itself as part of an ability (if it is

of the proper type) unless prevented by some card text or other means.

[Duelist Magazine #5, Page 123]

Some older cards had you sacrifice a card in your hand. All such cards have

errata changing these sacrifices into discards. [WotC Rules Team 05/10/95]

The Antiquities expansion used the text “choose one of your artifacts in

play and place it in the graveyard” to mean a sacrifice. [bethmo]

Any Limited/Unlimited/Arabian Nights/Antiquities card which destroys

itself when used is considered to sacrifice itself.

[WotC Rules Team 01/29/94]

You can sacrifice something even if it is tapped or has just entered play.

There is no summoning sickness or “turning off” for sacrifices.

[D’Angelo 07/05/95]

You may not even attempt to regenerate a sacrificed creature.

[WotC Rules Team 12/03/96] This is irregardless if the sacrifice is a

cost or effect. [Aahz 11/08/96]

Simultaneous:

Very few things in Magic are simultaneous, meaning “happening as an

indivisible and unordered action”. While many things are indivisible,

they are usually broken up into steps which are taken in order.

Be careful with the use of this term. The rulings summaries try to use

this term only when it applies.

If something is to be done simultaneously with something else and both

things have decisions to be made, all decisions are made before you do

anything. Then you do all the simultaneous actions. For example, untap

is simultaneous, but you may need to decide what to untap. If so, you

do so before untapping anything. This way, the untapping of any one

thing (or more generally, any part of a simultaneous action) cannot

affect any of the others. [D’Angelo 08/01/96]

It is possible for several permanents to enter or leave play simultaneously.

For example, Wrath of God’s resolution will destroy all creatures at once.

And a number of creatures can phase in at once. [D’Angelo 12/31/96]

If more than one card enters play simultaenously, then the order in which

the effects of those cards are applied to play needs to be determined.

Note that calculating this order for effects does not mean that the

cards actually entered play in any order. They entered play

simultaneously, but their effects must have an order. The order for the

effects entering play is determined by the following rules. When multiple

cards enter play, the active player decides the order in which their

effects enter play. All enchantments on a card will have their effects

enter play after the main card but before any other cards. The local

enchantments are considered to enter play after the card they are on, and

in the same order (relative to each other) that they originally entered

play. Enchantments on those enchantments follow the enchantment they are

on and precede any other enchantments. For example, a Sandbar Crocodile

is phased out with Flight and Earthbind on it (cast in that order).

Feedback is on the Flight. When it phases in, the Crocodile’s effects

are considered to enter play first, then Flight’s effect, then Feedback’s

effect (since it is on the Flight), then Earthbind’s effect.

[Aahz 12/04/96]

Snow-Covered Lands:

Think of “snow-covered” as another adjective about a card, like color or

artifactness. For example, a land can be a basic Plains and be animated,

snow-covered, artifact, and blue all at once.

Snow-Covered lands are treated like non-Snow-Covered lands of the same

type. Being snow-covered does not stop a land from being a basic land.

[Mirage Page 62] The Ice Age rulebook says “Snow-covered lands are

considered basic lands.” What this means is that the cards named

“Snow-covered XXXX” are considered to be basic XXXX cards.

[D’Angelo 06/08/95] The Mirage rule is a bit clearer.

They are considered to be of the proper basic land type. Anything which

affects Plains will affect a Snow-Covered Plains. Forestwalk will work

on a Snow-Covered Forest. [Duelist Magazine #6, Page 132] Land Tax and

other cards that look for basic lands also work on them.

[Duelist Magazine #7, Page 8]

Effects that change a land type, like Phantasmal Terrain, cannot give a

land Snow-Covered nature or take it away. [Mirage Page 62] If you change

a Snow-Covered Forest to a Mountain with Phantasmal Terrain, then it is a

Snow-Covered Mountain.

Cards which require Snow-Covered lands only work on such lands. Ones that

only require a land type work whether or not it is Snow-Covered.

[Duelist Magazine #6, Page 132]

Cards which look for a kind of landwalk work whether or not the landwalk

is more specific or not. For example, an effect that targets a creature

with IslandWalk will work on one with Snow-Covered IslandWalk.

[Duelist Magazine #8, Page 51]

If you manage to make a non-basic land gain the snow-covered attribute, it

does not become a basic land. [Duelist Magazine #7, Page 8]

Cards which ask you to specifically name a card, such as Nebuchadnezzar,

do not see “Swamp” and “Snow-Covered Swamp” as the same name. They are

distinctly named cards. [D’Angelo 01/07/96]

Another way to evolve the rules for Snow-Covered lands is to compare them

to creatures. The land “Snow-Covered Swamp” is of ‘land type’ “Swamp” and

it has the ‘ability’ “Snow-Covered”. Compare this to a creature

“Whatumacallit” of ‘summon type’ “Thingy” and the ability “Flying”. If a

spell affected all Thingies (Swamps), you would not care if it was

Flying (Snow-Covered) or not. If it affected all “Flying Thingies” (Snow-

Covered Swamps), you would not consider non-Flyers an option.

[D’Angelo 01/13/97]

Successfully Cast:

A spell is considered successfully cast once it leaves step 2 of its life

cycle. See the “Life-Cycle of a Spell or Ability” entry in the Spell and

Ability Timing section for more information.

Summoning Sickness:

Creatures cannot attack (or be tapped for a special ability of their own)

unless that creature’s card or token has been in play on your side since

the beginning of your most recent turn. [Mirage Page 14] This includes

all possible ways of getting creatures: Summon, Animate, Resurrect, Living

Lands, Control Magic, etc.

If a card or token starts your turn in play on your side, leaves your

side and then returns in the same turn, and it is a creature, you cannot

use it. It must wait until it begins your turn in play on your side

again. [Mirage Page 28]

It does not matter whether the creature was a creature at the start of your

most recent turn. It only matters if you have controlled its permanent

since then. This means you can animate a land or artifact and whether or

not it has summoning sickness depends on how long you’ve controlled it.

[Mirage Page 14]

If a non-creature is tapped for an ability on the turn it enters play and

is animated so that it is a creature at some time before the ability

resolves, the effect will not fizzle. [D’Angelo 06/07/95]

All permanents get summoning sickness when they come under your control.

Some cards allow you ignore the effects of summoning sickness, but none

remove it entirely. So for example, a creature which just entered play

but can ignore summoning sickness is immune to Siren’s Call.

[Aahz 12/07/96]

Creatures with summoning sickness can be tapped by spells or by the

abilities of permanents other than their own. For example, Veteran’s

Voice and Icy Manipulator can be used to tap a creature which has

summoning sickness. [D’Angelo 12/18/96]

Tap and Hold Abilities:

Abilities for which you tap the card, and the effects last as long as the

card is tapped are called ‘tap and hold effects’.

This is a kind of duration effect. See “Duration Effect” in the Spell and

Ability Timing section for more information.

Although these cards only say “as long as it remains tapped”, it also

means “and is in play”. [WotC Rules Team 02/06/96] A card which is not

in play cannot be still tapped. A similar rule applies to “as long

as you control” effects; these wear off if the source of the effect leaves

play. [WotC Rules Team 02/06/96]

The effect lasts until the card is untapped. This is similar to a normal

time duration effect such as “until end of turn”, but is “until the

card which generated the effect is untapped or leaves play”.

[D’Angelo 09/12/95]

If the card untaps before the tap and hold ability actually resolves, the

tap and hold effect ends immediately after the ability resolves. This

means that the full effect takes place then stops immediately thereafter

causing anything that happens when the effect ends to happen.

[Duelist Magazine #9, Page 60]

The effect continues even if the card loses its abilities (which is possible

if an artifact is animated by Titania’s Song or a land changes type by

Phantasmal Terrain). It only ends if the card untaps or leaves play.

[D’Angelo 09/12/95]

If one of these cards or its target leaves play temporarily by phasing out

or by entering an Oubliette or Tawnos’s Coffin, the effect will end and

will not restart when it re-enters play. [D’Angelo 10/15/96]

Tapping a Permanent:

Tapping a permanent with an effect will never trigger any ability on that

permanent which has tapping as part of the activation cost.

You can use a tap effect on an tapped card. The effect does not

“fizzle”, but it does “fail” to do anything.

[Duelist Magazine #5, Page 23]

You cannot tap a tapped card as part of a cost. Costs must be successfully

done and cannot be faked. [D’Angelo 12/23/96]

Target:

Some old spells/abilities let you pick a “target” and did not say what kind

of target. This was shorthand for “target creature or player”.

Targeting–Announcing and Resolving:

You may not announce a targeted spell or ability unless it is aimed at a

legal target. [Mirage Page 33]

You may not announce a targeted spell declaring an illegal target with

the intent to use an interrupt afterward to somehow make the target

legal. [Mirage Page 33]

If a spell/ability has you pick multiple targets, you may not pick the same

target more than once. There is an implied “multiple different targets”.

[Mirage Page 33] But if the spell or ability has you pick a single target

at one time and again has you pick a target later, you can pick the same

target. [Mirage Page 58]

Spells which target “all” of something can be played even if there is

none of the somethings available. For example, you can use Flashfires

even if no Plains are in play. This is because the spell does not require

a target to act upon. It just does something.

Some spells are modal in their targeting. See the “Modal Effects” entry

for more information.

In addition to having a valid target when announced, a spell or ability must

have a valid target when resolved. If the target is not valid when

the spell or ability would resolve, then it fizzles. [Mirage Page 34]

Note that it only checks validity on announcement and on resolution and

not continuously in between. [Mirage Page 34]

If a spell has multiple targets and one of the targets becomes illegal,

only that one portion of the spell fizzles out. The rest of the

targets are affected normally. [Mirage Page 34] For example, if a

Fireball is used on 3 targets and one is Unsummoned, the damage is still

spread between the 3 targets with one target’s damage fizzling out.

If all the targeted parts of a spell fizzle, then the untargeted parts will

not take effect, and the spell as a whole is said to fizzle.

[Mirage Page 34] For example, Crumble targets an artifact to be buried

and has an untargeted gaining of life. If the target becomes invalid and

the spell fizzles then no life will be given.

Note that some cards target something which is used in the cost, for

example “tap target creature to do …”. In this case, the target only

needs to be legal at the time the cost is paid and not on resolution as

well. [Duelist Magazine #13, Page 26] This rule applies to all ways that

costs can do something to a card.

There are many ways to make a target illegal before resolution. The

most common way is for the target to be destroyed, unsummoned, or

otherwise removed from play prior to resolution. Other requirements

on the targeting may be invalidated due to adding Protection to a target

creature, or through the use of interrupts to change the color or wording

of the spell or target.

Spells can be modified between being announced and being successfully cast.

If something about the targeting makes the target choice illegal at that

time then the spell will fizzle. Effects have all their attributes

set on announcement and even text changes to the source card cannot make

the effect fizzle. It remembers what the text said when it was

announced. [Mirage Page 26]

Some permanents have you pick a target when they are played. This target

choice stays with the permanent and cannot be changed. [Mirage Page 35]

For example, Kismet and Black Vise both target a player when played. The

choice of player is made on casting and does not change later.

If a card reads “a xxx” or “any xxx” it means “any one xxx in play, no

matter who it belongs to.” [bethmo]

If a card requires a target when played, then it requires a target in all

ways in which it can be brought into play. [Aahz 02/16/97] For example,

you cannot Eureka an Enchant Creature into play without a creature to

target, nor can you put Clone in for the same reason.

See “Resolving Spells and Abilities” for more information on what happens on

resolution.

Targeting–Is Something Targeted:

New cards are clear as to when something is targeted (it will use the word

‘target’ on the card), but older cards were not so clear.

All local enchantments target the thing they are played on.

Choosing defenders is not a choice that makes something a targeted spell or

ability. Hence abilities which affect creatures “blocking” or “blocked by”

a creature are not targeted and are not stopped by Protection from Color.

For example, a Green Ward will not save a creature from being destroyed by

the Thicket Basilisk. [WotC Rules Team 02/07/94]

Combat damage and effects are not targeted. This means that the Basilisk

gaze, Battering Ram ability, Aisling Leprechaun, and others are not

targeted abilities and will therefore not be prevented by Protection from

Color or other “you can’t target me” effects.

Any spell or permanent that affects itself does so in a non-targeted way.

[D’Angelo 05/19/95] Although some targeted spells and abilities can be

aimed at the permanent that generated the effect. If this happens, it is

still a targeted spell/ability.

Spells/abilties which affect a card which is in the graveyard are targeted.

[Duelist Magazine #5, Page 123]

Enchantments on a permanent target the permanent (as a spell) when cast and

continue to target it (as a permanent) while in play. The abilities of

enchantments generally do not target the card they are on, however.

For example, Firebreathing’s effect does not target the creature to give

it +1/+0 and Regeneration does not target the creature when it is used.

[WotC Rules Team 02/09/95]

Damage prevention cards almost never say they are targeted, but they target

damage “packets”.

When deciding if an older spell/ability targets a something or if it is a

general spell/ability, just ask if the player using the spell/ability at

any time chooses something to be affected. If no choice is made, then it

is a general spell/ability, if at least once a card or target must be

specified, then it is a targeted spell/ability. [bethmo]

Targeting–Valid Targets:

Damage prevention spells usually target the damage and not the source of

the damage or even the creature or player with damage on it.

[Mirage Page 44]

You may target a spell/ability which removes an ability at a permanent

without that ability. It just does nothing.

[Duelist Magazine #5, Page 23]

You may target a tapping spell/ability at a tapped card or an untapping

spell/ability at an untapped card unless the card says it targets a tapped

or untapped permanent. [Duelist Magazine #5, Page 22]

Spells that target “attacking” or “defending” creatures may only be used

during an attack and only if there is an appropriate creature to target.

You cannot target a spell which will become a permanent with a spell/ability

that targets a permanent until the permanent resolves. Prior to it

resolving, it is just a spell.

Token Creatures:

Token creatures are in all ways like card creatures, except they are not

cards. [Mirage Page 23] Some older spells/ability which target “cards”

instead of “permanents” cannot target token creatures.

The color and creature type of token creatures is set by the spell or

ability which created them. The token name and creature type name are the

same (unless overridden). [Mirage Page 23] Tokens do not inherit the

color of the spell/ability that made them.

Token creatures are removed from the game entirely if they are ever removed

from play. [Mirage Page 24] This happens as a continuous effect, which

means it happens during the resolution of whatever effect removes it from

play, so the token will be gone before triggered abilities happen.

[D’Angelo 10/15/96] Removal from play means sending to hand, library,

graveyard, phasing out, and so on.

Before leaving the game token creature actually do go to the graveyard or

other out-of-play zone very briefly. Trips to the graveyard can be used

by Soul Net and other cards. [Mirage Page 24] This means that abilities

which triggering off them leaving play to the appropriate place do

trigger.

Token creature are considered to have a zero casting cost. [Mirage Page 23]

Note that this is true even if a cost was paid to generate the token

creature (i.e. a Wasp from the Hive).

A Clone (or other copy card) used on a token creature is a card and not a

token, so the copy ignores the rules about token creatures which appear

on some cards as reminder text. Token creatures, such as the ones the

Tetravus makes, may have rules on them and those are copied.

Token creatures are not considered to have expansion symbols on them so

they ignore “expansion killer” cards like City in a Bottle or

Golgothian Sylex.

The ‘owner’ of the token is the player that played the spell/ability that

brought the token into play. [Aahz 06/08/95] This is true even if the

spell/ability brings the token into play under another player’s control.

[Bethmo 05/16/96]

Trample:

Trample is an ability that allows an attacking creature to do damage to the

defending player even when blocked. All it has to do is overcome the

blocker(s).

Any successfully dealt trample damage (when added to other damage on the

creature) in excess of a blocker’s toughness is redirected to the

defending player (and causes a second damage prevention step).

[Mirage Page 18] Remember that there is a chance to prevent or redirect

damage prior to the damage becoming successfully dealt. See “Damage

Prevention” in the “Spell and Ability Timing” section for details on

exactly when this happens.

When determining how much excess Trample damage goes through when there is

a mix of Trample and non-Trample damage are involved, non-Trample damage

is applied first, and Trample damage applied is applied afterwards.

[Mirage Page 19]

If by the time damage dealing comes around, a trample creature has no

blockers or all the blockers are unable to receive damage, all of the

trample damage is delivered directly to the defending player.

[Mirage Page 18]

Remember that if more than one blocker is blocking a creature that the

damage from that creature may be divided up among the blockers in any way.

You may put all of it on one blocker (even if it exceeds the blocker’s

toughness) or you can spread it around. Normally, the attacking player

divides the damage among the blockers, but if a blocker has banding, the

defending player does so.

See “Damage Prevention” and “Damage Redirection” for more information.

Defenders do not get to use Trample ability. Only attackers.

Damage loses its Trample nature when redirected. [D’Angelo 01/06/96]

Whippoorwill, which prevents redirection, will not prevent Trample damage

from passing through. [Aahz 11/07/96]

Untap Cost:

Follow the same timing rules as Phase Costs but differ in other ways.

[Mirage Page 47] See “Phase Cost” for more information.

You are not required to pay untap costs. [Mirage Page 47]

If you have a way to untap the card with a spell/ability (such as Instill

Energy), you do not also have to pay the untap cost.

[Duelist Magazine #3, Page 15]

Untap costs which are not used at the end of a phase, may be used more

than once if desired. [Mirage Page 47] For example, a creature with

Paralyze on it may be untapped any number of times during Upkeep as long

as you can keep paying the 4 mana.

Must pay the entire untap cost on a creature or none of it. For example,

if an Island Fish Jasconius had two Paralyze spells on it, you would have

to pay the three blue mana plus 8 mana of any color to untap it.

[Duelist Magazine #7, Page 98]

Untapping a Permanent:

Untapping a permanent does not undo the effects of that card; it merely

makes the card available to be used again. [bethmo]

You can use an untap spell/ability on an untapped card. The spell/ability

does not “fizzle”, but it does “fail” to do anything.

[Duelist Magazine #5, Page 23]

An external effect which untaps the card, such as Jandor’s Saddlebags,

Twiddle or Instill Energy is not cumulative with untap costs. They just

untap the card. [Duelist Magazine #7, Page 98]

You cannot untap an untapped card as part of a cost. Costs must be

successfully done and cannot be faked. [D’Angelo 12/23/96]

Upkeep Cost:

See Phase Cost.

Walls:

Walls are in all senses creatures. They are affected by any spell or

ability which affects creatures (including Paralyze, Terror, Creature

Bond, and so on). [Mirage Page 13]

Walls cannot attack even if power is greater than zero. If Animate Wall

is used on them, they may attack even if power is zero.

Creatures which say “Counts as a wall” are Walls.

X Cost:

If there is an ‘X’ in the cost, consider the amount paid in ‘X’ to be

part of the cost during casting, but to be zero at all other times.

[Mirage Page 31]

Spells with an X cost can legally be cast with zero as the X, unless

otherwise stated on the card.

Spells with an X cost are declared when they are cast as to how much mana

is in them. This amount cannot be increased or decreased after it is

declared.

If more than one X is in the cost, both Xs must be the same. In fact, all

Xs on the card are considered to have the same value.

[Duelist Magazine #13, Page 27]

Zones:

There are 9 zones in Magic. Each player has their own version of each zone.

The zones are: Hand, Graveyard, Library, Territory, Out of Game, Out of

Play, Set Aside, Ante, and Limbo.

If a card moves from one zone to another, it forgets everything about what

it was doing and any effects which were upon the card lose track of it.

[Mirage Page 58] The only effects that can track are ones that

specifically do track certain transitions (i.e. from play to the

graveyard).

Each player has their own hand, graveyard, and library zones. The “in play”

or Territory zone is shared by both players.

[Duelist Magazine #18, Page 55]

If more than one card is moved from one zone to another by a single effect,

all those cards move simultaneously. If the target zone requires some

sort of ordering (as with the graveyard and library), the controller of

that zone decides in what order to place the cards.

[Duelist Magazine #18, Page 55]

An ability that triggers on something going from one zone to another is not

resolved until after the something gets to its target zone.

[Mirage Page 60]

The Hand, Library, Graveyard, Ante, and Out of Game zones are fairly

self-explanatory.

The Territory is also known as your “in play” area. Tokens cannot exist

outside of this zone. [Mirage Page 59]

An Out of Play card is one that is not in play but is expected to return to

play at some time. Cards in this zone can be examined only if the card

could have been examined while it was in play. [Mirage Page 59] This

usually only applies to permanents. In some cases, as with Phasing, the

card may even keep counters and enchantments.

Some effects have cards “Set Aside”. These cards are commonly put under

or near other cards which are in play, but these cards are not in play.

[Mirage Page 59] Cards that are set aside may only be viewed if the

effect that puts them there makes them face-up.

Limbo is the place where spells that have been announced but are not yet

resolved are. Such cards are not in your hand, in play or in the

graveyard. [Mirage Page 59] Cards in this zone break one of the basic

rules of zones. They can enter and leave this zone and carry changes

with them. Normally zone changes clear a card’s “memory”.

Tournament Rulings

General:

Most tournaments are now being played as per the most recent card texts.

This means you play all cards as if they read like the most recent English

language version of the card (plus errata).

• All cards are played according to the text on the most recent edition of the

card plus any errata. [Tourney Rules 10/01/96] This is true even if the

most recent edition is not actually being used in the tournament. For

example, Cloak of Confusion as printed in Fifth Edition would be the

text played in an Ice Age/Homelands/Alliances tourney. [Aahz 07/13/97]

• You can play cards from older or newer printings/expansions which bear the

same name as a card which is allowed in the tournament format. Note

that the “most recent text” rule applies. [Aahz 07/13/97]

Non-English language cards are to be played by the most recent English

language version of that card. Translational errors are avoided in this

way. [Tourney Rules 10/01/96] For misprinted cards with the wrong art,

the card is played according the title and text. The art is unimportant.

[D’Angelo 03/17/97]

Mixed language decks can be played. [Aahz 07/09/95]

If during tournament play, a player forgets to deal with upkeep prior to

drawing their card, the upkeep is considered as if the player chose not

to pay it. [Aahz 08/12/96] This is a fix put in place to stop people

from purposely “forgetting” to pay upkeeps until they see what’s going

on. The rules actually require that a player who forgets something should

go back and deal with it, but if that rule appears to be bent by a

player’s actions, this rule should be used instead. Try giving a player

a warning or two before going full force on this one.

Floor Rules:

Fifth Edition rules become the standard rules as of November 8, 1996.

[Update 10/01/96]

Decision of the judge is final. This is true even if the judge turns out

later to have made an incorrect ruling. [Tourney Rules 10/01/96]

All tournaments are single elimination, double elimination, round-robin,

or Swiss draw format with each round consisting of up to 3 duels during

a fixed time limit. A win gets 3 points and a draw gets 1 point. A bye

gives a player 6 points. [Tourney Rules 10/01/95]

Players cannot change the contents of their deck and sideboard throughout

the entire tournament, but cards can be rotated between the deck and

sideboard between games. The sideboard (if used at all) must always have

exactly 15 cards (except in Sealed Deck tournaments).

Players may not play for ante. [Tourney Rules 10/01/96]

If a player draws all land or no land in the initial 7 cards, they can

call a ‘mulligan’ and reshuffle, recut, and draw again. If a player does

this, the opponent has the option of doing so as well. Each player is

allowed to use this rule once per duel. [Tourney Rules 10/01/96]

Card sleeves are allowed on cards, but the judge or opponent in a specific

duel may request that they be removed. If this is requested, it must

be complied with. If sleeves are used, all cards in the deck, library and

sideboard must be identically wrapped. If holograms are on the sleeves,

they must be on the face (not the back) of the cards. Players can ask the

judge to inspect the sleeves and can disallow them if they are obviously

marked, worn, or in a poor condition that may interfere with shuffling.

[Tourney Rules 10/01/96]

Black-backed sleeves are allowed but are subject to the normal sleeve

removal rule. The deck must be fully legal without the sleeves.

[DCI Letter Jan 1997]

You can always use a card sleeve as a reminder when placing one of your

cards in your opponent’s territory.

Using “proxy” cards is not allowed. [Tourney Rules 10/01/96]

If a deck contains Alpha printing cards, it must consist entirely of them.

You should also inform the judge that your deck is so constructed.

[Tourney Rules 10/01/96]

A time limit of 45 or more minutes may be placed on a round other than the

semi-final or final rounds. A 10 minute warning should be given. The

duel is over when the time is called, except the current player has 60

seconds to finish their turn. The turn is considered started if they

had already untapped all their cards. [Tourney Rules 10/01/95]

A time limit may be placed on the final rounds, but it is strongly

recommended that the judge not do so. [Aahz 01/14/97]

The head judge may terminate a match early. If this is done, at least a 30

minute warning must be given. It a game is terminated this way, the

judge will give the player who is currently in the middle of their turn

a fixed amount of time to finish it. [Tourney Rules 10/01/96]

If time runs out before all the games in the match are completed, the player

who won the most games wins the match. If time runs out during a game,

neither player is considered the winner of that game. If neither player

won more games than the other, the match is a draw. If the tournament is

an elimination tournament where a player must advance, the judge should

declare the player with the higher life total the winner.

Players can look through their sideboards during play. [bethmo 07/18/95]

After whatever normal shuffling you do, you are required to do three “riffle

shuffles” (this is the standard shuffle technique of dividing the deck in

half and then placing the ends of the two halves together and rapidly

interleaving them as the fall together). [Tourney Rules 10/01/96]

Your opponent is always entitled to shuffle your deck before each duel

begins if they want to. They get the right to a final shuffle if they

want it. [Mirage Page 46] This is to prevent people from possibly

stacking the deck. Usually people just settle for “cutting the deck”.

Your opponent is always entitled to shuffle or cut your deck after any

shuffle during a game. They may not use this opportunity to view cards

in your deck. [Tourney Rules 10/01/96]

As per the game rules, the first player each game skips their draw phase.

The winner of the coin toss before the each match decides if they want

to play first or to draw first. [Mirage Page 46]

You are not allowed to waive any penalties imposed by the judge on your

opponent. Violation of the floor rules must be enforced.

[Update 10/01/96]

Players are allowed only 5 minutes prior to each duel to do sideboarding,

deck shuffling and shuffling/cutting of opponent’s deck. Violation of

this rule is considered stalling and may result in a warning or

disqualification as decided by the judge. The judge may alter this time

limit (usually lowering it) but if so, this must be advertised prior to

the tournament. [Update 10/01/96]

Players in a tournament environment that withdraw before the first match

will receive a loss for that match and the opponent will receive a win.

Players may withdraw between matches without penalty. To withdraw, the

proper official must be notified prior to the pairings being assigned for

the next round. Failure to do so, such as just wandering out of the

tournament area, will result in a loss of the next round for failing to

show up. [Update 04/01/97]

Other Regulations:

In a strict tournament, there are some additional rules that get enforced.

If the tournament requires deck registration, any player discovered with a

deck that does not match the registration forfeits a game.

[Duelist Magazine #14, Page 52]

If a player is found with an illegal deck (as with less than 60 cards),

they forfeit the match, and may even be upgraded to ejection from the

tournament. [Duelist Magazine #14, Page 52] Ejection is normal in games

which do not have registered decks so it cannot be determined where

the deck became illegal. [Aahz 01/14/97]

If you “forget” to pay upkeep before drawing your card or otherwise

proceeding, you must go back and deal with all mandatory upkeep effects,

but optional ones are all considered to go unpaid (with the stated

results). [Duelist Magazine #14, Page 52]

Be sure to collect your cards after each game. Losing cards to another

player may cause your deck to be misregistered or fall below the 60 card

minimum. If such a mistake is discovered, both players forfeit a game.

[Duelist Magazine #14, Page 52]

Players may be required by the judge to record deck contents, including

changes to the deck from the sideboard. [Tourney Rules 10/01/96]

If a player leaves a Pro-Tour event without checking out, they are banned

from the next equivalent event. [Duelist Magazine #14, Page 52]

Being caught cheating will automatically cause disqualification. Cheating

includes (but is not limited to): receiving outside assistance or

coaching, scouting other player’s cards, underpaying mana, using marked

cards, marking cards during play, drawing extra cards, manipulating which

cards are drawn from your (or your opponent’s) deck (including stacking a

deck to separate land and spell cards), arranging cards in a deck to

manipulate card draw, and deliberately stalling to take advantage of a

time limit. [Tourney Rules 10/01/96]

Players must take their turns in a timely fashion. Deliberately stalling

is not allowed and can give you a warning. Failure to begin a match in

a timely way in order to get a psychological advantage is grounds for

disqualification. [Tourney Rules 10/01/96]

Unsportsman-like conduct is not allowed. Profanity and arguing or acting

belligerently toward a tournament official will give a warning. Repeat

offenses will result in disqualification. [Tourney Rules 10/01/96]

Collusion to alter the results of a duel or match (meaning trying to get

someone to throw a game or match) is considered unsportsman-like conduct.

[Tourney Rules 10/01/96]

Both players may agree to call a match a draw before the start of the first

duel of that match. This is called the “Intentional Draw” rule. This

rule does not apply to individual games. This is not considered to break

any other rules. It cannot be declared during or just after a duel.

[Tourney Rules 04/01/97]

Players must keep the cards in their hand above the table. First violation

is a warning and the second may result in disqualification.

[Tourney Rules 10/01/96]

Wizards of the Coast reserves the right to publish deck contents as well as

transcripts or video of any sanctioned tournament.

[Tourney Rules 10/01/96]

Use of counterfeit cards in decks is considered cheating and is subject to

legal action as well. [DCI Letter, Jan 1997]

A player can always request that a judge check the opponent’s deck to see

that it only contains legal and genuine Magic cards.

[DCI Letter, Jan 1997]

Classic Tournaments:

This is also called “Type I” tournament style.

Can be composed of cards from any edition or expansion of Magic (unless the

judge says otherwise). Collector’s Edition cards are not allowed.

Promotional cards are allowed. The poker cards are not allowed (despite

the April Fools article in the Duelist).

Portal cards are not allowed unless they have the same name as a legal card.

In this case, they play as the legal card text and not the Portal card

text. [Duelist Magazine #18, Page 44]

New card sets become effective on the first day of the month following their

introduction. If a set is relesed in the last two weeks of a month, then

the set’s effective date is pushed out to the first of the second month.

For example, a set released on January 8th is legal on February 1st, and

one released on January 25th is legal on March 1st. [Update 05/01/97]

Minimum of 60 cards in a deck.

Optional ‘sideboard’. If you have one, it must be exactly 15 cards.

No more than 4 of any card which is not a basic land can be in the

combination of deck and sideboard. Cards with different art or in

different languages or from different prints but which are the same card

are considered the same.

• Some cards are ‘restricted’ so that only one may appear in the combination

of deck and sideboard. These cards are:

[Tourney Rules 10/01/96] [Update 06/01/97]

Ancestral Recall Feldon’s Cane Mox Sapphire

Balance Fork Mox Jet

Berserk Ivory Tower Recall

Black Lotus Library of Alexandria Regrowth

Black Vise Maze of Ith Sol Ring

Braingeyser Mirror Universe Timetwister

Candelabra of Tawnos Mishra’s Workshop Time Walk

Copy Artifact Mox Emerald Underworld Dreams

Demonic Tutor Mox Pearl Wheel of Fortune

Fastbond Mox Ruby Zuran Orb

Some cards are ‘banned’ so that none may appear in the deck or sideboard.

These cards are: [Tourney Rules 10/01/96]

Amulet of Quoz Darkpact Mind Twist

Bronze Tablet Demonic Attorney Rebirth

Channel Divine Intervention Shahrazhad

Chaos Orb Falling Star Tempest Efreet

Contract from Below Jeweled Bird Timmerian Fiends

Ring of Ma’Ruf can only bring in cards from the sideboard or ones that were

removed from the game by an effect such as Swords to Plowshares.

Standard Tournaments:

This is also called “Type II” tournament style.

• Can be composed of cards from the most recent edition of The Gathering

(currently Fifth Edition) and all sets from the two most recent “blocks”

of expansions (currently Ice Age-Homelands-Alliances, and

Mirage-Visions-Weatherlight). A “block” is a stand-alone set and the two

expansion sets which follow it. This means that cards stay in use for

approximately two years. The Ice Age-Homelands-Alliances “block” will

rotate out (all three sets) when the next stand-alone is introduced.

[Update 05/01/97]

Portal cards are not allowed unless they have the same name as a legal card.

In this case, they play as the legal card text and not the Portal card

text. [Duelist Magazine #18, Page 44]

The policy for removal of sets is that each new edition of the base set

will replace the previous one 30 days after release of the new base set.

A new standalone set will replace the previous standalone set. A new

limited expansion will replace the oldest limited expansion over 10 months

old. [Update 10/01/96]

Cards from previous editions or expansions which are in the current one

are allowed. Collector’s Edition and promo cards (which do not appear

in a currently allowed set) are not allowed.

New card sets become effective on the first day of the month following their

introduction. If a set is relesed in the last two weeks of a month, then

the set’s effective date is pushed out to the first of the second month.

For example, a set released on January 8th is legal on February 1st, and

one released on January 25th is legal on March 1st. [Update 05/01/97]

Minimum of 60 cards in a deck.

Optional ‘sideboard’. If you have one, it must be exactly 15 cards.

No more than 4 of any card which is not a basic land can be in the

combination of deck and sideboard. Cards with different art or in

different languages or from different prints but which are the same card

are considered the same.

• The following cards are ‘banned’ (so that none may appear in the deck or

sideboard cards): [Update 05/01/97]

Amulet of Quoz (IA) Timmerian Fiends (HL) Zuran Orb (IA)

There is no ‘restricted’ list any more. [Tourney Rules Update 12/01/96]

• Snow-covered lands are legal again.

Classic-Restricted Tournaments:

This is also called “Type 1.5”.

Can be composed of cards from any edition or expansion of Magic (unless the

judge says otherwise). Collector’s Edition cards are not allowed.

Promotional cards are allowed. The poker cards are not allowed (despite

the April Fools article in the Duelist).

Portal cards are not allowed unless they have the same name as a legal card.

In this case, they play as the legal card text and not the Portal card

text. [Duelist Magazine #18, Page 44]

New card sets become effective on the first day of the month following their

introduction. If a set is relesed in the last two weeks of a month, then

the set’s effective date is pushed out to the first of the second month.

For example, a set released on January 8th is legal on February 1st, and

one released on January 25th is legal on March 1st. [Update 05/01/97]

Minimum of 60 cards in a deck.

Optional ‘sideboard’. If you have one, it must be exactly 15 cards.

No more than 4 of any card which is not a basic land can be in the

combination of deck and sideboard. Cards with different art or in

different languages or from different prints but which are the same card

are considered the same.

There is no restricted list.

It used to be that all cards banned or restricted for Type I or Type II were

banned in this tournament type. Now a list is kept.

Some cards are ‘banned’ so that none may appear in the deck or sideboard.

These cards are: [Tourney Rules 03/01/97]

Amulet of Quoz Falling Star Rebirth

Ancestral Recall Fastbond Recall

Balance Feldon’s Cane Regrowth

Berserk Fork Shahrazad

Black Lotus Ivory Tower Sol Ring

Black Vise Jeweled Bird Strip Mine

Braingeyser Library of Alexandria Tempest Efreet

Bronze Tablet Maze of Ith Time Walk

Candelabra of Tawnos Mind Twist Timetwister

Channel Mirror Universe Timmerian Fiends

Chaos Orb Mishra’s Workshop Underworld Dreams

Contract From Below Mox Emerald Wheel of Fortune

Copy Artifact Mox Jet Zuran Orb

Darkpact Mox Pearl

Demonic Attorney Mox Ruby

Demonic Tutor Mox Sapphire

Divine Intervention

Extended Tournaments:

This is sometimes called “Type 1.75” tournaments, but the DCI is refraining

from giving this type an official number.

This format comes into effect on 07/01/97.

The DCI originally released this tournament format on 05/01/97 as a

replacement for Classic-Restricted but decided on 06/01/97 to change this

decision and support both formats.

Can be composed of cards from any edition of the basic set from Revised

Edition on (includes Chronicles) plus any expansion of Magic from The Dark

on. Collector’s Edition cards are not allowed. Promotional cards are

allowed. The poker cards are not allowed (despite the April Fools article

in the Duelist).

Portal cards are not allowed unless they have the same name as a legal card.

In this case, they play as the legal card text and not the Portal card

text. [Duelist Magazine #18, Page 44]

New card sets become effective on the first day of the month following their

introduction. If a set is relesed in the last two weeks of a month, then

the set’s effective date is pushed out to the first of the second month.

For example, a set released on January 8th is legal on February 1st, and

one released on January 25th is legal on March 1st. [Update 05/01/97]

Minimum of 60 cards in a deck.

Optional ‘sideboard’. If you have one, it must be exactly 15 cards.

No more than 4 of any card which is not a basic land can be in the

combination of deck and sideboard. Cards with different art or in

different languages or from different prints but which are the same card

are considered the same.

There is no “restricted” list.

The banned list includes all cards from Limited Edition, Unlimited Edition,

Arabian Nights, Antiquities, and Legends which have not been reprinted in

a more recent set are banned. [Update 05/01/97]

These cards are explicitly banned even though they are from legal sets:

[Update 05/01/97]

Amulet of Quoz (IA) Demonic Tutor (RV) Rebirth (4E)

Balance (RV/4E) Fastbond (RV) Regrowth (RV)

Black Vise (RV/4E) Ivory Tower (4E) Serendib Efreet (RV)

Braingeyser (RV) Jeweled Bird (CH) Sol Ring (RV)

Bronze Tablet (4E) Juggernaut (RV) Strip Mine (4E)

Channel (RV/4E) Kird Ape (RV) Tempest Efreet (4E)

Contract from Below(RV) Mana Crypt (PR) Timmerian Fiends (HL)

Darkpact (RV) Maze of Ith (DK) Wheel of Fortune (RV)

Demonic Attorney (RV) Mind Twist (RV/4E) Zuran Orb (IA)

Here is a (hopefully) complete list of cards are banned because they

have not been reprinted: LIMITED/UNLIMITED> Ancestral Recall, Berserk,

Black Lotus, Blaze of Glory, Camouflage, Chaos Orb, Consecrate Land,

Copper Tablet, Cyclopean Tomb, Dwarven Demolition Team, False Orders,

Forcefield, Gauntlet of Might, Ice Storm, Illusionary Mask, Invisibility,

Jade Statue, Lich, Mox Emerald, Mox Jet, Mox Pearl, Mox Ruby,

Mox Sapphire, Natural Selection, Psionic Blast, Raging River, Sinkhole,

Timetwister, Time Vault, Time Walk, Two-Headed Giant of Foriys,

Word of Command. ARABIAN NIGHTS> Ali from Cairo, Army of Allah,

Bazaar of Baghdad, Camel, City in a Bottle, Desert, Desert Nomads,

Diamond Valley, Drop of Honey, Elephant Graveyard, Flying Men,

Guardian Beast, Ifh-Biff Efreet, Island of Wak-Wak, Jihad, Juzam Djinn,

Khabal Ghoul, King Suleiman, Library of Alexandria, Merchant Ship,

Moorish Cavalry, Old Man of the Sea, Oubliette, Pyramids, Ring of Ma’ruf,

Rukh Egg, Sandals of Abdallah, Serendib Djinn, Shahrazad, Singing Tree,

Stone-Throwing Devils, Ydwen Efreet. ANTIQUTIES> Argivian Archaeologist,

Argivian Blacksmith, Argothian Treefolk, Artifact Blast, Artifact

Possession, Artifact Ward, Candelabra of Tawnos, Citanul Druid,

Damping Field, Drafna’s Restoration, Gaea’s Avenger, Gate to Phyrexia,

Golgothian Sylex, Haunting Wind, Martyrs of Korlis, Mightstone,

Mishra’s Workshop, Orcish Mechanics, Phyrexian Gremlins, Power Artifact,

Powerleech, Priest of Yawgmoth, Sage of Lat-Nam, Staff of Zegon, Su-Chi,

Tablet of Epityr, Tawnos’s Coffin, Transmute Artifact, Urza’s Chalice,

Urza’s Miter, Weakstone. LEGENDS> Acid Rain, Adventurers’ Guildhouse,

The Abyss, Adun Oakenshield, AErathi Berserker, Aisling Leprechaun,

Al-abara’s Carpet, Alchor’s Tomb, All Hallow’s Eve, Angus Mackenzie,

Arboria, Avoid Fate, Backdraft, Barbary Apes, Barktooth Warbeard,

Bartel Runeaxe, Blazing Effigy, Boris Devilboon, Brine Hag,

Cathedral of Serra, Caverns of Despair, Chain Lightning,

Chains of Mephistopheles, Cleanse, Clergy of the Holy Nimbus, Crevasse,

Crimson Kobolds, Crookshank Kobolds, Deadfall, Demonic Torment,

Devouring Deep, Disharmony, Divine Intervention, Dream Coat, Dwarven Song,

Elder Spawn, Enchanted Being, Equinox, Eureka, Falling Star, Feint,

Field of Dreams, Fire Sprites, Firestorm Phoenix, Flash Counter,

Floral Spuzzem, Forethought Amulet, Frost Giant, Ghosts of the Damned,

Giant Turtle, Glyph of Delusion, Glyph od Destruction, Glyph of Doom,

Glyph of Life, Glyph of Reincarnation, Gosta Dirk, Gravity Sphere,

Great Defender, Great Wall, Gwednlyn Di Corci, Halfdane, Hammerheim,

Hazezon Tamar, Headless Horseman, Heaven’s Gate, Hellfire, Hell Swarm,

Holy Day, Hornet Cobra, Horror of Horrors, Hunding Gjornersen, Hyperion

Blacksmith, Ichneumon Druid, Imprison, Infernal Medusa, Infinite

Authority, In the Eye of Chaos, Invoke Prejudice, Jacques le Vert,

Jasmine Boreal, Jedit Ojanen, Jerrard of the Closed Fist, Jovial Evil,

Karakas, Kasimir the Lone Worf, Knowledge Vault, Kobold Drill Sergeant,

Kobold Overlord, Kobolds of Kher Keep, Kobold Taskmaster, Kry Shield,

Lady Caleria, Lady Evangela, The Lady of the Mountain, Lady Orca,

Land Equilibrium, Lesser Werewolf, Lifeblood, Life Chisel, Life Matrix,

Living Plane, Livonya Silone, Lord Magnus, Mana Drain, Mana Matrix,

Marble Priest, Master of the Hunt, Mirror Universe, Moat, Mold Demon,

Moss Monster, Mountain Stronghold, Nether Void, North Star, Nova Pentacle,

Part Water, Pavel Maliki, Pendelhaven, Pixie Queen, Planar Gate,

Presence of the Master, Princess Lucrezia, Psychic Purge, Quagmire,

Quarum Trench Gnomes, Ragnar, Ramiriz DePietro, Ramses Overdark,

Rapid Fire, Rasputin Dreamweaver, Reincarnation, Relic Barrier, Reset,

Remove Enchantments, Reverberation, Righteous Avengers, Ring of Immortals,

Riven Turnbull, Rogahh of Kher Keep, Rust, Seafarer’s Quay, Sea King’s

Blessing, Shelkin Brownie, Sir Shandlar of Eberyn, Spectral Cloak,

Spinal Villain, Spiritual Sanctuary, Storm World, Subdue, Sunastian

Falconer, Sword of the Ages, Sylvan Paradise, Syphon Soul, Tabernacle at

Pendrell Vale, Telekinesis, Tetsuo Umezawa, Thunder Spirit, Tolaria,

Torsten Von Ursus, Touch of Darkness, Tuknir Deathlock, Typhoon, Undertow,

Underworld Dreams, Unholy Citadel, Urborg, Ur-Drago, Venarian Gold,

Walking Dead, Wall of Caltrops, Wall of Earth, Wall of Light, Wall of

Putrid Flesh, Wall of Tombstones, Willow Satyr, Wood Elemental.

Sealed Deck:

These rules apply to any sealed deck format.

Decks consist of 90 to 300 cards. The standard way to do it is to provide

one starter deck plus two 15 card boosters or three 8 card boosters. The

judge may also allow additional (usually 4) basic lands to be added to

this. [Tourney Rules 10/01/96]

45 minutes are given to construct the deck.

There is no 30 day period after an expansion set is released in which the

expansion is not valid for Sealed Deck tournaments.

[Tourney Rules 10/01/95]

Minimum of 40 cards in the play deck.

All additional cards function as the ‘sideboard’. The sideboard and deck

size can change freely between duels.

Games are not played for ante. The judge may allow play for ante, but if

so, it is required for all games in the tournament.

[Tourney Rules 10/01/96]

When playing for ante, the top card off each player’s deck is put face-down

on the table as the ante.

No restricted or banned cards, except Ante cards may not be used when

not playing for ante.

Block Constructed Deck Formats:

This section takes effect on 07/01/97.

These formats follow the Type II rules for deck construction but only allow

cards from a given “block” rather than from the larger list of sets.

The current “blocks” are: Ice Age/Homelands/Alliances and

Mirage/Visions/Weatherlight.

Only cards explicitly banned from this format are banned. The Type II list

is not the only indicator.

Some cards are ‘banned’ from the Ice Age/Homelands/Alliances format so that

none may appear in a deck or sideboard. These cards are:

[Tourney Rules 10/01/95] + [Update 04/01/97]

Amulet of Quoz (IA) Thawing Glaciers (AL)

Timmerian Fiends (HL) Zuran Orb (IA)

Some cards are ‘banned’ from the Mirage/Visions/Weatherlight format so that

none may appear in a deck or sideboard. These cards are:

[Update 06/01/97]

Squandered Resources (VI)

Ice Age Constructed Deck:

It appears that this format is no longer supported by DCI as of 07/01/97.

Only cards from Ice Age can be used with the exception of basic lands (which

do not have to be from Ice Age).

Minimum of 60 cards in the play deck.

Optional ‘sideboard’. If you have one, it must be exactly 15 cards.

No more than 4 of any card which is not a basic land can be in the

combination of deck and sideboard. Cards with different art or in

different languages or from different prints but which are the same card

are considered the same.

Some cards are ‘banned’ so that none may appear in the deck or sideboard.

These cards are: [Tourney Rules 10/01/95] + [Update 04/01/97]

Amulet of Quoz Thawing Glaciers Zuran Orb

Ice Age/Alliances Constructed Deck:

It appears that this format is no longer supported by DCI as of 07/01/97.

See the Block Format for Ice Age/Homelands/Alliances.

This follows the same rules as Ice Age Constructed Deck except that

Alliances is allowed. [Tourney Rules 10/01/96]

Booster Draft:

Players sit in groups of no more than 8 players.

On a signal from the judge, each player opens one pack, picks a card and

then passes the remaining cards (face down) the the player on their left.

Repeat until all cards in the opened packs have been chosen by someone.

Then repeat for any additional packs.

Ante cards in initial boosters are replaced by tournament officials from

a random stack of cards.

30 minutes are given to construct the deck after drafting is complete.

Players may add as many basic lands as they want to the deck.

Minimum of 40 cards in the play deck. All other cards function as the

sideboard (as in sealed deck play).

Rating System:

All players start with a rating of 1600.

People who have played less than 25 matches (best 2 of 3) are considered

to have a ‘provisional rating’. After that, scores should be accurate

to within plus or minus 56 points.

During ‘provisional rating’ period, a person’s rating is:

(Rc) + ((400 * (wins - losses)) / number of matches)

Rc = Average rating of all opponents

This rating is re-calculated after each match.

Once a player is off of provisional rating, their score changes with each

match: New Score = (Old Score) + (K * (W - We))

K = 32 for ratings of 0-2099, 24 for 2100-2399, 16 for 2400 and up.

W = 1 for a win, 0 for a loss

We = 1 / ((10^D)+1)

D = (difference between your and opponent’s ratings) / 400

Scores only count in officially sanctioned tournaments and if the

tournament coordinator actually sends the results to WotC.

Changes Between Fourth and Fifth Edition Rules

Abilities:

It is now legal to have the same ability more than once. For simple

abilities like Flying or First Strike, this is meaningless. But for

things like Farrel’s Mantle or Flanking it can matter.

You used to be able to multiply-pump an ability in a single activation.

This was actually removed late in Fourth Edition.

Activation Costs:

All activation costs for the abilities of permanents are now written in the

format “cost: effect.” Previously, some activation costs were

included in the card effect such as with “Cost: Pay additional cost to do

effect”.

Bury:

Bury used to be preventable by some rare means. Now it is flat out

unpreventable.

Combat Damage:

This term is now defined clearly to mean damage dealt during the attack

phase’s dealing damage step by attackers and blockers.

Damage Prevention:

Damage prevention used to be saved up until the end of a batch of

spells/abilities. Now it is handled after each specific spell/ability

resolves. For example, a Pearled Unicorn (²⁄₂) has Giant Growth (+3/+3)

cast on it. The other player responds with a Lightning Bolt. Under the

old rules, the 3 damage from the Bolt would wait until after the Giant

Growth resolved before you had to deal with it. Under the new rules, the

²⁄₂ Unicorn gets 3 damage and the Giant Growth will Fizzle if you don’t

save the Unicorn in some way.

Interrupts used to be allowed during damage prevention. Now they are usable

only if a spell or ability is announced which they can target.

Destroy and bury effects used to cause damage prevention steps. They no

longer do so.

Being reduced to zero toughness or to less or equal toughness to the amount

of damage on the creature does not cause a damage prevention. Toughness

changes in general do not cause damage prevention steps like they used

to. Only damage causes damage prevention.

Damage is now clearly defined to be in packets in the rulebook and not just

in rules postings.

You used to be able to use spells/abilities that could prevent zero damage

on something that had no damage.

Enchantments:

The terms Local Enchantment and Global Enchantment are now defined.

There is no longer a rule preventing enchantments from being tapped.

[Aahz 10/11/96]

Moving enchantments is now in the rulebook instead of just in rules

postings.

Generic Mana:

Colorless mana is mana without any color. Generic mana is a requirement

for mana of any color or which is colorless. Thus, cards can produce

colorless mana, but casting and activation costs require generic mana.

Interrupts:

Interrupt timing has been completely rewritten.

As errata to older cards, interrupts which only produce mana are considered

mana sources. Interrupts which do not only produce mana and do not target

a spell or ability are now instants. [Mirage Page 3-4] Ones that can

be used multiple ways are played at the appropriate speed in each case.

[Mirage Page 39]

Interrupts to a spell/ability used to be able to target any announced but

not successfully cast spell/ability, instead of just the current one.

Untargeted interrupts were also allowed at this time.

Interrupts used to resolve first-in-first-out with some crazy ordering

rules. They now resolve in batches just like instants do.

Specialized spells/abilities used to not be interruptable (counterable). Now

all spells/abilities can be interrupted, except mana sources.

There used to be a rule that using an interrupt did not give up the right to

announce things because a player needed to use interrupts to get mana.

Mana sources now have this rule and interrupts no longer have it.

Landhome:

This is a new shorthand for a creature which needs a certain kind of land

on your side to live and on the opponent’s side to attack.

Legends:

The Legend rules have been broadened to include Legendary lands, artifacts

and creatures.

Library:

Players used to be unable to count the cards in each other’s libraries.

Mana Burn:

It used to be damage and is now loss of life.

Mana Source:

A new “speed” of spell/ability has been created called Mana Source. All

mana-producing interrupts are now called mana sources. Use of a mana

source cannot be interrupted or countered. They are almost always legal

to use.

On Its Way to the Graveyard:

There used to be a concept of “on its way to the graveyard”. A card which

as on its way to the graveyard could not be sacrificed. This rule has

been removed.

Phase Effects:

Effects that happen at the beginning or end of a phase now use the

specialized ability timing rules (active player first, then opponent)

instead of having the active player decide the order of resolution for

all of these effects.

Phase effects used to be played by the current player and are now played

by the phase effect’s controller. [bethmo 02/21/97]

Protection:

The old rules defined only Protection from Color. A creature can now have

protection from other things.

Regeneration:

Regeneration used to be an instant-speed ability used during damage

prevention. It is now a specialized ability. It used to be usable

multiple times, but only one would succeed. Now it can only be used

(successfully) once (like all specialized abilities).

Regeneration used to cause damage on the creature to be “ignored” to fix

some rulings. Now damage is truly removed.

Creatures with several “destroy at end of turn” or similar effects on them

used to only have to regenerate once. Now they need to regenerate once

for each effect.

If an attacking or blocking creature is regenerated, it is removed from

combat. The creature used to stay in combat but just be unable to deal

or be assigned damage.

Triggered Abilities:

A card can now trigger on its own trip to the graveyard, which was not the

case before.

Turn Order:

The “play or draw” rule was added to the core rules. The player who goes

first does not get to draw a card on their first turn. The player who

wins the toss decides if they want to go first or draw first.

The End Turn phase is gone. The Heal Creatures phase was renamed the

Cleanup phase. As a result of this change, the Discard phase is the

last phase in which effects can normally be played in a turn.

The order of “until end of turn” and “at end of turn” effects has been

reversed. “until end of turn” and damage healing are still simultaneous,

but “at end of turn” effects now happen after this instead of before.

Acknowldgements and Disclaimers

While this work is not officially issued by Wizards of the Coast, it does

represent the collected rulings from official sanctioned representatives

of and publications by Wizards of the Coast.

This summary is collected from rulings made by officials and network

representatives of Wizards of the Coast, along with a number of

unofficial rulings also collected from the net. Whenever a source for

a ruling is known, the name of that person is listed with the ruling.

“bethmo” is Beth Moursund, the network representative for the “mtg-l”

mailing list. “D’Angelo” is Stephen D’Angelo, the previous “mtg-l”

representative. “Peterson” is Paul Peterson, the previous “mtg-l”

representative. “bethmo” was also the representative before Paul.

“Aahz” is Tom Wylie, the Magic Rules Guru. “DeLaney” is David DeLaney,

the network representative for the “rec.games.trading-cards.magic.rules”

newsgroup. “Snark” is Dave Howell of WotC. Official rulings from the

rules team are marked as “WotC Rules Team”. Rules from the Mirage rule

book are marked with “Mirage Page #”. Errata from the Magic Official

Encyclopedia are marked with “Encyclopedia Page #”.

These files may be freely copied and posted anywhere you’d like. The

contents can also be included in other formats (such as HTML or databases)

or in products, but there are two restrictions. I insist that the files

are not sold for profit. Anything you put them in must be available at

no more than cost of duplication. Also, you must give credit to me and

list the version date your work is derived from. Thanks.

Every attempt has been made to make this summary accurate, but errors do

creep in. Nothing in this work is guaranteed to be accurate. Use at your

own risk.

Magic: The Gathering and all of the cards listed herein are copyrighted by

Wizards of the Coast.

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