1. The Game

   100. General

100.1. These Magic rules assume a game between two players. Optional rules
allow for more players but aren't discussed here. These can be found at the
Wizards of the Coast(r) website at [www.wizards.com/magic/MTG_Rules.asp].

100.2. In constructed-deck play, each player needs his or her own deck of at
least sixty cards with no more than four of any card with a particular
English name other than the five basic land cards, of which any number are
allowed; small objects to represent any tokens and counters; and some way to
clearly track life totals.

100.3. For sealed-deck or draft play, only forty cards are required in a
deck, and a player may use as many duplicates of a card as he or she has.
See the DCI(tm) Magic Floor Rules for more information; they can be found at
[www.wizards.com/DCI/UTR_MTG.asp].

100.4. There is no maximum deck size.

100.5. Most Magic tournaments have special rules (not included here) and may
limit the use of some cards, including barring all cards from older sets.
See the DCI Magic Floor Rules for more information.

   101. Starting the Game

101.1. At the start of a game, each player shuffles his or her own deck so
that the cards are in a random order. Each player may then shuffle his or
her opponent's deck.

101.2. After the decks have been shuffled, the players determine who will
take the first turn, using any mutually agreeable method (flipping a coin,
rolling dice, etc.). In a match of several games, the loser of the previous
game decides who will take the first turn. If the previous game was a draw,
the person who determined who would take the first turn in the previous game
decides.

101.3. Once the starting player has been determined, each player sets his or
her life total to 20 and draws a hand of seven cards.

101.4. The player who plays first skips the draw step (see rule 304, "Draw
Step") of his or her first turn.

101.5. A player who is dissatisfied with his or her initial hand may
mulligan. That player shuffles his or her hand back into the deck, then
draws a new hand of six cards. He or she may repeat this process as many
times as desired, drawing one fewer card each time, until the hand reaches
zero cards. Once the first player decides to keep a hand, the second player
may mulligan. Once both players are satisfied with their hands, the first
player takes his or her turn.

   102. Winning and Losing

102.1. If a player's life total is 0 or less, he or she loses the game the
next time a player receives priority. (This is a state-based effect.  See
rule 420, "State-Based Effects.")

102.2. When a player is required to draw more cards than are left in his or
her library, he or she draws the remaining cards, then loses the game the
next time a player receives priority. (This is a state-based effect. See
rule 420, "State-Based Effects.")

102.3. A game immediately ends when either these rules or a card effect
states that a player loses or wins.

102.4. If both players lose simultaneously, the game is a draw.

102.5. If a player would both win and lose simultaneously, he or she loses.

102.6. If the game somehow enters a "loop," repeating a sequence of events
with no way to stop, the game is a draw. Loops that contain an optional
action don't result in a draw.

102.7. A player may concede a game at any time.

   103. The Golden Rule

103.1. The Magic Golden Rule is: Whenever a card's text directly contradicts
these rules, the card takes precedence. The card overrides only the rule
that applies to that specific situation. If an instruction requires taking
an impossible action, it's ignored. (In many cases the card will specify
consequences for this; if it doesn't, there's no effect.)

103.2. When one effect say something can happen and another says it can't,
the "can't" effect wins. For example, if a static ability reads "Players
can't gain life" and you play a card that would normally give you life, you
don't gain life. Note that adding and removing abilities to and from cards
doesn't fall under this rule. See rule 407, "Adding and Removing Abilities."



2. Cards

  200. General

200.1. When a rule or text on a card refers to a "card," it means a Magic
card with a Magic card front and the Magic card back. Tokens aren't
considered cards-even an Unglued(tm) card that represents a token isn't
considered a card for rules purposes.

   201. Parts of a Card

201.1. The parts of a card are: name, mana cost, illustration, type,
expansion symbol, text box, power/toughness, credit, legal text, and
collector number. Some cards may have more than one of any or all of these
characteristics.

   202. Name

202.1. The name of a card is printed on its upper-left corner.

202.2. Card text that refers to that card by name means just that particular
card and not any other duplicates of it, regardless of any name changes due
to game effects. Also, if a card has an effect on or grants an ability to
another card that includes the first card's name, the name refers only to
the card generating the effect or granting the ability, not to duplicates of
cards with the same name.

202.3. Two cards are considered to have the same name if the English
versions of their names are identical, regardless of anything else printed
on the cards.

   203. Mana Cost

203.1. The mana cost of a card is indicated by mana symbols printed on its
upper-right corner. Tokens and lands have no mana cost, so their mana costs
and converted mana costs are considered to be zero. Paying a card's mana
cost requires matching the color of any colored mana symbols as well as
paying the generic mana cost indicated.

203.2. A card is the color or colors of the mana symbols in its mana cost,
regardless of the color of its border. For example, a card with a mana cost
oo2oW is white; one with a mana cost of o2oWoB is both white and black.
Cards with no colored mana symbols are colorless. Cards with more than one
colored mana symbol in their mana costs are multicolored. Multicolored cards
are printed with a gold frame, but this is not a requirement for a card to
be multicolored.

203.3. The converted mana cost of a card is the total amount of mana in the
mana cost, regardless of color (for example, a mana cost of o3oUoU
translates to a converted mana cost of 5). The converted mana cost is a
generic cost-it may be paid with any combination of colored and/or colorless
mana, regardless of the colors in the spell's mana cost.

203.4. Any additional cost listed in a card's rules text isn't part of the
mana cost. (See rule 409, "Playing Spells and Activated Abilities.") Such
costs are paid at the same time as the spell's other costs.

   204. Illustration

204.1. The illustration is printed on the upper half of a card and has no
game significance. For example, a creature doesn't have the flying ability
unless stated in its rules text, even if it's depicted as flying.

   205. Type

205.1. The type (and subtype, if applicable) of a card is printed directly
below the illustration. (See rules 212-215.)

   206. Expansion Symbol

206.1. The expansion symbol indicates in which Magic set the card was
published and is printed below the right edge of the illustration.

206.2. The color of the expansion symbol indicates the rarity of the card
within its set. A gold symbol signifies the card is rare; silver, uncommon;
and black, common or basic land. (Prior to the Exodus(tm) set, all expansion
symbols were black, regardless of rarity.)

206.3. A spell or ability that affects cards from a particular set "looks"
only for that set's expansion symbol. A card reprinted in the basic set
receives the basic set's expansion symbol; any reprinted version of the card
no longer counts as part of its original set. The first five editions of the
basic set had no expansion symbol.

   207. Text Box

207.1. The text box is printed on the lower half of the card. It usually
contains rules text stating what the card does and any special requirements
for playing it.

207.2. The text box may also contain italicized reminder text (in
parentheses and italics) summarizing a rule that applies to that card,
and/or italicized flavor text that has no game function but, like the
illustration, adds artistic appeal to the game.

   208. Power/Toughness

208.1. A creature card has two numbers separated by a slash printed on its
lower-right corner. The first number is the creature's power (the amount of
damage it deals in combat); the second is its toughness (the amount of
damage needed to destroy it). For example, 2/3 means the creature has power
2 and toughness 3. Power and toughness can be modified or set to particular
values by effects.

   209. Credit

209.1. The illustration credit for a card is printed directly below the text
box. This has no effect on game play.

   210. Legal Text

210.1. Legal text (the fine print at the bottom of the card) lists the
copyright information. It has no effect on game play.

   211. Collector Number

211.1. Some card sets feature collector numbers. This information is printed
in the form [card number/total cards in the set], immediately following the
legal text. These numbers have no effect on game play.

   212. Card Type

212.1. All cards have one or more card types: artifact, creature,
enchantment, instant, land, or sorcery. Only one multiple type-artifact
creature-currently exists. The artifact creature type satisfies the criteria
for any effect that applies to an artifact card or a creature card. A card's
type appears below its illustration.


212.2. Some card types include subtypes, printed on the same line. The
exception is land subtypes (see rule 212.2c). Creature and artifact creature
subtypes appear after a dash that follows their card type. Enchantment
subtypes consist of the word "enchant" and the word(s) that follow it, such
as "enchant creature" or "enchant artifact."

212.2a Creature subtypes are listed after "Creature," separated by a long
dash: "Creature - Minotaur," "Artifact Creature - Golem Legend," etc.
Creature subtypes are one word each and are also called "creature types."
Creature cards may have multiple creature types.
EXAMPLE: "Creature - Minotaur" means the card is a creature with the type
Minotaur. "Creature - Goblin Wizard" means the card is a creature with the
types Goblin and Wizard.

212.2b Enchantment subtypes consist of the word "enchant" and the word(s)
that follow it: "enchant creature," "enchant land," etc. ("enchant world"
isn't a type or subtype, but a special category of enchantment found only in
some older sets.) A card with the type "enchantment" has no enchantment
subtype. An enchantment subtype specifies what the enchantment can be
attached to legally. "Local enchantment" and "global enchantment" aren't
types or subtypes; they're categories of enchantments. (Also see rule
214.8.)

212.2c Land subtypes are also called "land type" and are always the same as
the name of the land card; they aren't listed on the type line. A card named
"Island" has land type "island"; a card named "Henge of Ramos" has land type
"Henge of Ramos." Only lands with a basic land type get abilities just for
being a given land type. (See rule 214.9e.) Every land card has one land
type listed. "Basic land" and "nonbasic land" aren't types or subtypes;
they're categories of land.

212.2d There are no subtypes for artifact cards, instant cards, or sorcery
cards.

   213. Spell Type

213.1. Every card is a spell while it's being played (see rules
409.1a-409.1f) and while it's on the stack. The exception is land cards.
Once it's played, a card remains a spell until it resolves or is countered.
For more information, see rule 401.

213.2. A spell's spell type is the same as its card type.

   214. Permanent Type

214.1. A permanent is a card or token in play. Permanents stay in play
unless moved to another zone by an effect or rule. There are four types of
permanents: artifacts, creatures, enchantments, and lands.

214.2. A nontoken permanent's type(s) and subtype(s) are the same as those
printed on its card. A token's type(s) and subtype(s) are set by the spell
or ability that created it.

214.3. A card becomes a permanent when it comes into play and stops being a
permanent when it leaves play. The term "card" is often used to refer to a
card that's not in play, such as a creature card in a player's hand. "Spell"
is often used to refer to a card while it's on the stack. "Spell card" is
used to refer to cards that aren't in play and aren't land cards. For more
information, see rule 217, "Zones."

214.4. When a permanent's type or subtype changes, the new type replaces any
existing type(s). This changes only the permanent type-the card type doesn't
change. Counters, effects, and damage affecting the permanent remain with
it, even if they are meaningless to the new type.

214.4a Some effects change a permanent's type or subtype but specify that
the permanent retains a prior type or subtype. In such cases, the retained
type isn't replaced, but any other types the permanent has are replaced.
EXAMPLE: An ability reads, "All lands are 1/1 creatures that are still
lands." The affected lands now have two types: creature and land. If there
were any lands that also had the artifact type before the ability's effect
applied to them, those lands would become "land creatures," not "artifact
land creatures." The effect allows them to retain the land type, but wipes
out the artifact type.

214.4b If a permanent's type changes, the subtype of its old permanent type
don't exist in any way under the new type. The subtype disappears completely
for the entire time the card's permanent type is changed. This does not
override the rule that a permanent retains its legendary status when its
type changes (see rule 215.2).

214.5. The initial value of a permanent's characteristic is the value
printed on the card or specified by the spell or ability that created the
token or changed the type of the permanent. A permanent-type-changing
ability that changes one or more characteristics changes the initial values
of characteristics stated in the ability's text, not the current values.
Continuous effects that don't change a permanent's type affect current
values of characteristics and can override characteristics set by
type-changing abilities.
EXAMPLE: A player plays an artifact's ability that reads "2: This permanent
is a 3/2 artifact creature." Later in the turn, the artifact creature is
affected by an ability that reads "Target creature is 0/2." At this point,
playing the ability of the artifact again won't do anything; because the
type-changing ability changes characteristics at the initial level, it can't
override the effect. The artifact creature remains 0/2.

214.6. Artifacts

214.6a Artifacts have no characteristics specific to their type. Because
artifact spells have no colored mana in their mana costs, they're colorless,
and the permanents they create are also colorless. Effects can give artifact
spells or artifacts one or more colors, however.

214.6b Artifact creatures combine the characteristics of both the creature
and artifact types and are subject to spells and abilities that affect
either or both types.

214.7. Creatures

214.7a If a card instruction requires choosing a creature subtype, this may
be any noun (even if that creature type doesn't exist in Magic), but only
one. Any existing creature type is a valid choice, even if the creature's
type is the same as its name. A word that has some other Magic meaning isn't
a valid choice, because that would cause confusion.
EXAMPLE: Merfolk or Wizard is acceptable, but not Merfolk Wizard. Words like
"opponent," "swamp," or "kindle" can't be chosen because they have other
meanings in the game.

214.7b Plurality and gender are ignored when determining creature types.
EXAMPLE: Ogre, Ogres, Ogress, and Ogresses all count as the same creature
type-Ogre.

214.8. Enchantments

214.8a A global enchantment simply has "enchantment" as its type. Local
enchantments comprise various subtypes: enchant artifact, enchant creature,
enchant enchantment, enchant land, and enchant permanent.

214.8b A global enchantment is put into play on the side of the player who
controlled the spell that created it, like any other spell that creates a
permanent.

214.8c A local enchantment spell requires a target, whose type is indicated
by the enchantment subtype. The local enchantment permanent the spell puts
into play must enchant that type of permanent and comes into play attached
to the permanent the spell targeted. Additional targeting requirements are
indicated by the phrase "[This card] can enchant only a [permanent with
specified characteristics]." These restrictions apply to playing the spell,
and they become restrictions on what the resulting permanent can enchant.
Similar restrictions can limit what a permanent can be enchanted by. For
example, a permanent might have an ability that reads, "[This card]" can't
be enchanted by [local enchantment with specified characteristics]".
EXAMPLE: An enchant creature spell requires a target creature; a creature
enchantment in play must enchant a creature. (See rules 420.5d and 214.8g.)

214.8d As part of playing a local enchantment spell, the player announces
the spell's target. The local enchantment comes into play attached to that
target permanent. If a local enchantment is coming into play by any other
means, the player putting it into play chooses a permanent for it to enchant
as it comes into play. In this case, the enchantment doesn't target the
permanent, but the player still must choose a permanent that the enchantment
can enchant. If no legal permanent is available, the enchantment remains in
the zone from which it attempted to move instead of coming into play. The
same rule applies to moving a local enchantment from one permanent to
another. The permanent to which the enchantment is to be moved must be able
to be enchanted by it. If it isn't legal, the enchantment doesn't move.

214.8e If a local enchantment is enchanting an illegal permanent or the
permanent it was attached to no longer exists, the enchantment card is put
into its owner's graveyard. This is a state-based effect. (See rule 420,
"State-Based Effects.")

214.8f A local enchantment can't be attached to itself. If this occurs
somehow, the local enchantment is put into its owner's graveyard as a
state-based effect (see rule 420.5d).

214.8g The permanent a local enchantment is attached to is called
"enchanted." The enchantment "enchants" or, in explanatory contexts, "is
attached to" that permanent.

214.8h Local enchantments' abilities don't target the permanents they
enchant unless they state they can target it. Only the enchantment spell
targets the permanent it will enchant; the resulting permanent doesn't
continue to target it after the enchantment spell resolves. If a permanent
"can't be enchanted" in general or by enchantments with specified
characteristics, it also can't be the target of a spell that would enchant
it with such an enchantment.

214.8i A local enchantment's controller is separate from the enchanted
permanent's controller; the two need not be the same. Changing control of
the permanent doesn't change control of the enchantment, and vice versa.
Only the enchantment's controller can play its abilities. However, if the
enchantment adds an ability to the enchanted permanent (with "gains" or
"has"), that enchanted permanent's controller is the only one who can play
that ability.

214.8j Local enchantments generate their effects only if the enchanted
permanent matches the characteristics in the enchantment's subtype without
considering the enchantment's own effect.
EXAMPLE:
214.9. Lands

214.9a A land card isn't a spell card, and at no time is it a spell. When a
player plays a land card, it's simply put into play. The land card doesn't
go on the stack, so players can't respond to it with instants or activated
abilities.

214.9b A player may normally play only one land card during each of his or
her own turns, only during a main phase, and only when the stack is empty.
Spells and abilities may allow playing additional lands; doing so doesn't
prevent a player from taking the normal action of playing a land. Players
can't begin to play a land that's prohibited from being played by an effect.
As a player plays a land, he or she announces whether he or she is using the
once-per-turn action of playing a land. If not, he or she specifies which
effect is allowing the additional land play. Spells and abilities may also
allow you to put lands into play. This isn't the same as "playing a land"
and doesn't count toward the player's one land played during his or her
turn.

214.9c A land card is one of two categories: basic and nonbasic. Basic and
nonbasic are not types or subtypes.

214.9d The basic land types are plains, island, swamp, mountain, and forest.
A land with one of these words as its name is a basic land. Other lands can
state that they are or count as basic lands. A land that has one or more
basic land types is not necessarily a basic land, but a land that has only
basic types is basic. Moreoever, the name of a land with a single land type
that's basic becomes that basic land-type word.
EXAMPLE: Taiga is a land with the following text in its text box: "Taiga is
a mountain and a forest in addition to its type." Even though Taiga has two
basic land types, it's not a basic land, because (a) its name doesn't match
a basic land type word, and (b) it doesn't specify that it's basic.

214.9e A land with a basic type has an intrinsic ability to produce colored
mana. (See rule 406.1, "Mana Abilities.") The card is treated as if its text
box read, "ocT: Add [mana symbol] to your mana pool" even if the text box
doesn't actually contain text. Plains produce white mana; islands, blue;
swamps, black; mountains, red; and forests, green. These intrinsic mana
abilities replace all other text on the card for as long as the card has
only basic land types.

214.9f If an effect changes a permanent into a basic land, the permanent is
no longer its old land type and has only the mana ability of that basic
land. It is now a basic land, and its name is that basic land's name. If
that land was "Legendary," it is no longer. This rule applies only to lands
that become basic, not to nonbasic lands that gain basic types.

214.9g Any land that isn't a basic land is a nonbasic land. Even if its
rules text or a game effect states that it "counts as" a basic land type, it
is still nonbasic. Basic and nonbasic are not types; they're categories.

214.9h Unlike basic lands and lands that have one or more basic types,
nonbasic lands don't necessarily have mana abilities.

   215. Legends and Legendary Types

215.1. The word "Legend" or "Legendary" may appear in a card's type or
subtype. This means that the permanent created when that card enters play is
subject to the Legend rule (see rule 420, "State-Based Effects") as well as
the rules for its type and subtype.

215.2. "Legend" is a creature type; "legendary" is not. If a "legendary"
noncreature permanent becomes a creature, it gets the creature type "Legend"
for as long as it's a creature. If a creature of type "Legend" becomes a
noncreature permanent, it's a "legendary" permanent of the new type. In
other words, they mean the same thing, except that one refers to creatures
and the other to noncreatures.

215.2a. If an effect makes a non-Legend creature into a Legend, and the
creature then becomes another permanent type, such as an enchantment, the
resulting permanent will not be legendary.

   216. Tokens

216.1. Some spells and abilities put a token creature into play. The token
is controlled by whoever put it into play and owned by the controller of the
spell or ability that created it. The rules text of the spell or ability may
define any number of characteristics for the token. These are the token
permanent's initial values. A token doesn't have any characteristics not
defined by the spell or ability that created it. A token's name is its
creature type unless otherwise specified; for example, the creature type of
a Goblin token is Goblin. Once a token is in play, changing its name doesn't
change its creature type, and vice versa.

216.2. A token is subject to anything that affects permanents in general or
that affects the token's type or subtype. A token isn't considered a card
(even if represented by cards from other games or Unglued token cards) and
isn't subject to any effect that specifically uses the word "card."

216.3. A token in a zone other than the in-play zone ceases to exist. This
is a state-based effect. (Note that a token changing zones will set off
triggered abilities before the token ceases to exist.) Once a token has left
play, it can't be returned to play by any means.

   217. Zones

217.1. A zone is a place that Magic cards can be during a game. There are
six basic zones: library, hand, graveyard, in play, stack, and removed from
the game. Each player has his or her own set of zones, except for the
in-play and stack zones, which are shared.

217.1a If a card would go to any library, graveyard, or hand other than its
owner's, it goes to the corresponding zone of its owner's instead.

217.1b The order of cards in a library or graveyard, or on the stack, can't
be changed except when effects allow it. Cards in other zones can be
arranged however their owner wishes, although who controls them, whether
they're tapped, and what enchants them must remain clear to both players.

217.1c A card that moves from one zone to another is treated as a new card.
Effects connected with its previous location expire. There are two
exceptions to this rule: Effects that edit the characteristics of a spell on
the stack will continue to apply to the permanent that spell creates, and
abilities that trigger when a card moves from one zone to another (for
example, "When Rancor is put into a graveyard from play") can "track" the
card across zones for purposes of applying their effects.

217.1d If a card or permanent would move from one zone to another, first
determine what event is moving the card. Then apply any appropriate
replacement effects to that event. If an effect tries to do two or more
contradictory or mutually exclusive things to a particular card or
permanent, that card or permanent's controller-or its owner if it has no
controller-chooses what the effect does to the card or permanent. Then the
event moves the card or permanent.

217.2. Library

217.2a When a game begins, each player's deck becomes his or her library.

217.2b Each library must be kept in a single face-down pile. Players can't
look at or change the order of cards in a library.

217.2c Any player may count the number of cards remaining in either player's
library at any time.

217.2d If an effect puts two or more cards into the same library at the same
time, the owner of those cards may arrange them in any order. That library's
owner doesn't reveal the order in which the cards go into his or her
library.


217.3. Hand

217.3a The hand is where a player holds cards that have been drawn but not
yet played.

217.3b Each player has a maximum hand size, which is normally seven cards. A
player may have any number of cards in his or her hand but as part of his or
her clean-up step must discard excess cards down to the maximum hand size.

217.3c A player may arrange his or her hand in any convenient fashion and
look at it as much as he or she wishes. A player can't look at the cards in
the other player's hand but may count the number of cards in either player's
hand at any time.

217.4. Graveyard

217.4a A graveyard is a discard pile. Any card that's countered, discarded,
destroyed, or sacrificed is put on top of its owner's graveyard. Each
player's graveyard starts out empty.

217.4b Each graveyard is kept in a single face-up pile. A can examine the
cards in any graveyard at any time but can't change their order.

217.4c If an effect puts two or more cards into the same graveyard at the
same time, the owner of those cards may arrange them in any order.

217.5. In Play

217.5a Most of the area between the players represents the in-play zone. The
in-play zone starts out empty. Cards a player controls (other than local
enchantments enchanting the other player's permanents) are kept in front of
him or her.

217.5b A spell or ability affects only the in-play zone unless it
specifically mentions a player or another zone. Permanents exist only in the
in-play zone. Only permanents are legal targets for spells and abilities,
unless a spell or ability (a) specifies that it can target a player or a
card in another zone, or (b) affects an object that can't exist in the
in-play zone.

217.5c Whenever a card enters the in-play zone, it's a brand-new permanent
as far as the game is concerned and has no relationship to any previous
permanent represented by the same card (see rule 217.8.).

217.5d A card not in the in-play zone isn't "in play" and isn't considered
tapped or untapped. Cards that aren't either in play or on the stack aren't
controlled by either player.

217.6. Stack

217.6a When a spell or ability is played, it goes on top of the stack and
waits to resolve. The stack keeps track of the order that spells and/or
abilities were added to it. (See rules 408 and 409.1.)

217.6b When a spell is played, it goes on the stack  face up. Other spells
or abilities played in response go on top of it. Abilities that go on the
stack are represented by imaginary cards called pseudospells. Each
pseudospell from an activated ability has the color of the permanent that
created it, as well as the text of the ability, and is controlled by the
player who played the ability. For each pseudospell from a triggered
ability, its controller is the player who controlled the ability's source
when it triggered.

217.6c When both players pass in succession, the top (last-played) spell or
ability resolves. If the stack is empty when both players pass, the current
step or phase ends and the next begins.

217.7. Removed from the Game

217.7a Effects can remove cards from the game. Some effects may provide a
way for the card to return to play and use the term "set aside." Cards that
are set aside this way are still removed from the game, even if temporarily.

217.7b Cards in the removed-from-the-game zone are kept face up and may be
examined by either player at any time. Cards "removed from the game face
down" can't be examined by either player except when instructions allow it.

217.7c Cards that might return to play should be kept in separate piles to
keep track of their respective ways of returning. Cards with no way of
returning may be kept in one pile for each player, regardless of what
removed them.


3. Turn Structure

   300. General

300.1. A turn consists of five phases, in this order: beginning, first main,
combat, second main, and end. Each of these phases takes place every turn,
even if nothing happens during the phase. The beginning, combat, and end
phases are further broken down into steps, which proceed in order.

300.2. A phase or step ends when the stack is empty and both players pass in
succession. No game events can occur between turns, phases, or steps.
(Simply having the stack become empty doesn't cause the phase or step to
end; both players have to pass with the stack empty. Because of this, each
player always gets a chance to add new things to the stack before the
current step or phase ends.)

300.3. When a phase or step ends, any effects scheduled to last "until the
end of" that phase or step expire. When a phase or step begins, any effects
scheduled to last "until" that phase or step expire. Effects that last
"until end of turn" are subject to special rules; see rule 314.1b.

300.4. When a phase ends (but not a step), any unused mana left in a
player's mana pool is lost. That player loses 1 life for each one mana lost
this way. This is called mana burn. Note that mana burn is loss of life, not
damage, so it can't be prevented or altered by effects that affect damage.
(See rule 406.1, "Mana Abilities.")

300.5. When a phase or step begins, any abilities that trigger "at the
beginning of" that phase or step are added to the stack.

300.6. Some spells or abilities can give a player additional turns. If a
player gets multiple additional turns or if both players get additional
turns during a single turn, the additional turns are taken in the order they
were created.


301. Beginning Phase

301.1. The beginning phase consists of three steps, in this order: untap,
upkeep, and draw.

   302. Untap Step

302.1. First, the active player determines which permanents he or she
controls will untap. (Normally they all do, but effects may modify this.)
Then he or she untaps them all simultaneously. Effects can keep one or more
of a player's permanents from untapping normally.

302.2. No player receives priority during the untap step, so no spells or
abilities can be played or resolved. Any ability that triggers during this
step will be held until a player receives priority during the upkeep step.
(See rule 303, "Upkeep Step.")

   303. Upkeep Step

303.1. As the upkeep step begins, any abilities that trigger at the
beginning of that upkeep step or that turn's untap step go on the stack.
(Upkeep-triggered abilities use the phrase "At the beginning of your upkeep"
or a similar wording; see rule 404.) Once all such abilities have gone onto
the stack, the active player gets priority. Then players may play spells and
abilities.

   304. Draw Step

304.1. As the draw step begins, any abilities that trigger at the beginning
of the draw step go on the stack. (Draw-step-triggered abilities use the
phrase "At the beginning of your draw step" or a similar wording; see rule
404.) Then the draw step action, the active player drawing a card, goes on
the stack. This happens just as if the "draw your card for this turn" action
were a played ability. Then the active player gets priority, and players may
play spells and abilities.

   305. Main Phase

305.1. There are two main phases in a turn. In each turn, the first main
phase, known as the precombat main phase, and second main phase, known as
the postcombat main phase, are separated by the combat phase (see rule 306).
The precombat and postcombat main phases are individually and collectively
known as the "main phase."

305.2. The main phase has no steps, so it ends when both players pass in
succession while the stack is empty.

305.3. As the main phase begins, any abilities that trigger at the beginning
of that main phase go on the stack. (Main-phase-triggered abilities use the
phrase "At the beginning of your main phase" or a similar wording; see rule
404.) Then the active player gets priority, and players may play spells and
abilities. (This is the only phase in which a player can normally play
artifact, creature, enchantment, and sorcery spells, and only the active
player may play these spells.)

305.4. During either main phase, the active player may play one land from
his or her hand if the stack is empty, the player has priority, and he or
she hasn't yet taken this special action this turn. (See rule 214.9,
"Lands.") This action doesn't use the stack and it isn't a spell or ability
of any kind. It can't be countered or responded to with instants or
activated abilities.

   306. Combat Phase

306.1. The combat phase has five steps, which proceed in order: beginning of
combat, declare attackers, declare blockers, combat damage, and end of
combat. The declare blockers and combat damage steps are skipped if no
creatures are declared as attackers; see rule 308.4.

306.2. A creature is removed from combat if it stops being a creature (as a
result of leaving play by any means, such as by being destroyed or removed
from the game, for example), if it regenerates (see rule 419.6b), or if its
controller changes. "Removed from combat" means the creature stops being an
attacking, blocking, blocked, and/or unblocked creature. Once a creature has
been declared as an attacking or blocking creature, spells or abilities that
would have kept that creature from attacking or blocking don't remove the
creature from combat.

   307. Beginning of Combat Step

307.1. As this step begins, triggered abilities (if any) are added to the
stack, and then the active player gets priority to play spells and
abilities.

   308. Declare Attackers Step

308.1. The active player declares which, if any, creatures he or she
controls are attacking. Only creatures can attack, and the following
creatures can't attack: tapped creatures (even those that can attack without
tapping), Walls, and creatures the active player didn't control continuously
since the beginning of the turn. This declaration is simultaneous, not
sequential, and doesn't go on the stack. Any triggered ability generated
during this action waits until a player receives priority.

308.1a A creature is said to be attacking alone if it's the sole creature
declared as an attacker in a given combat phase.

308.2. The active player determines whether the attack is legal. (See
section 5, "Additional Combat Rules.") If it is, he or she pays all required
costs. Tapping is a cost to attack for all creatures unless otherwise
specified; other costs and/or restrictions may also apply. (See rule
409.1f.) The active player may play mana abilities at this time only if an
attack cost includes a mana payment.

308.3. If the proposed attack isn't legal or the active player can't pay all
required costs, all actions described in rules 308.1 and 308.2 are canceled.
Then the active player redeclares attacking creatures. (See rule 422,
"Handling Illegal Actions.")

308.4. If no creatures are declared as attackers, the game proceeds directly
to the end of combat step, skipping the remainder of the declare attackers
step as well as the entire declare blockers and combat damage steps.

308.5. A creature becomes an attacking creature when declared as part of a
legal attack and all attack costs have been paid. It remains an attacking
creature until it's removed from combat or the combat phase ends, whichever
comes first. The nonactive player is considered to have been attacked that
turn at this time if one or more creatures areattacking.

308.6. After a legal attack has been declared and all required costs paid,
the active player receives priority to play spells and abilities.

   309. Declare Blockers Step

309.1. The defending player declares which, if any, creatures he or she
controls are blocking and which attacking creature each one blocks. Tapped
creatures and noncreature permanents can't be declared as blockers. Each
creature may block only one attacking creature, though any number of
creatures may block the same attacking creature. (Note that blocking doesn't
cause a creature to tap.) This declaration is simultaneous, not sequential,
and doesn't go on the stack. Any triggered ability generated during this
action waits until a player receives priority.

308.1a A creature is said to be blocking alone if it's the sole creature
declared as a blocker in a given combat phase.

309.2. The defending player determines whether the block is legal. (See
section 5, "Additional Combat Rules.") If it is, he or she pays all required
costs. A player may play mana abilities at this time only if a blocking cost
that player could pay includes a mana payment.

309.2a. If the proposed block isn't legal or the defending player can't pay
all required costs, all actions described in rules 309.1 and 309.2 are
canceled. Then the defending player redeclares blocking creatures. (See rule
422, "Handling Illegal Actions.")

309.3. A creature becomes a blocking creature when declared as part of a
legal block and all block costs have been paid. An attacking creature with
one or more creatures declared as blockers for it becomes a blocked
creature; one with no blockers becomes an unblocked creature. The creature's
status remains unchanged until the creature is removed from combat or the
combat phase ends, whichever comes first.

309.4. Once a creature has been declared as a blocker, the block can't be
"undone" by playing a spell or ability that removes it from combat, that
makes the attacking creature unblockable, or that would have made the
blocker unable to block earlier.

309.5. After all legal blocks have been declared and all required costs
paid, the active player receives priority to play spells and abilities.

   310. Combat Damage Step

310.1. First the active player announces how each attacking creature will
assign its combat damage. Then the defending player announces how each
blocking creature will assign its combat damage. (See also rule 502.2,
"First Strike.") A player may divide a creature's combat damage as he or she
chooses among the legal recipients. Dividing combat damage is subject to the
following restrictions:

310.1a Each attacking creature and each blocking creature will assign combat
damage equal to its power.

310.1b An unblocked creature will assign all its combat damage to the
defending player.

310.1c A blocked creature will assign combat damage, divided as its
controller chooses, to the creatures blocking it. If no creatures are
currently blocking it (if, for example, they were destroyed or removed from
combat), it will assign no combat damage.

310.1d A blocking creature will assign combat damage, divided as its
controller chooses (no fractions), to the attacking creatures it's blocking.
If it isn't currently blocking any creatures (if, for example, they were
destroyed or removed from combat), it will assign no combat damage.

310.2. All assignments of combat damage go on the stack as a single entry.
Then the active player receives priority to play spells and abilities.

310.3. Although combat-damage assignments go on the stack, they're aren't a
spell or ability, so they can't be countered.

310.4. When the combat damage resolves, it's dealt as originally assigned.
This happens even if the creature dealing damage is no longer in play or has
its power changed or if the creature receiving damage has left combat. (Note
that the source of the damage is the creature as it currently exists, or as
it most recently existed if it is no longer in play.) If a creature that was
supposed to receive damage is no longer in play or is no longer a creature,
the damage assigned to it isn't dealt.

   311. End of Combat Step

311.1. All "at end of combat" abilities trigger and go on the stack. (See
rule 404, "Triggered Abilities.") Then the active player receives priority
to play spells and abilities.

   312. End Phase

312.1. The end phase consists of two steps: end of turn and cleanup.

   313. End of Turn Step

313.1. The end of turn step begins with the active player having priority.
All "at end of turn"-triggered abilities trigger and go on the stack. Then
players may play spells and abilities.

313.2. If "at end of turn"-triggered abilities are created, or if cards with
"at end of turn"-triggered abilities come into play after preexisting ones
have already gone on the stack at the beginning of the end of turn step,
those abilities won't go on the stack until the next turn's end phase. In
other words, the step doesn't "back up" so new "at end of turn"-triggered
abilities can go on the stack.

   314. Cleanup Step

314.1. The cleanup step proceeds in the following order.

314.1a First, if the active player's hand contains more cards than his or
her maximum hand size (normally seven), he or she discards enough cards to
reduce the hand to that number. This action doesn't go on the stack.

314.1b Then, simultaneously, all damage is removed from permanents and all
"until end of turn" and "this turn" effects end. This action doesn't go on
the stack.

314.1c Then, only if the conditions for any state-based effects exist or if
any abilities have triggered, the active player receives priority to play
spells and abilities. Once the stack is empty and both players pass, another
cleanup step begins. Otherwise, no player receives priority and the step
ends.

4. Spells, Abilities, and Effects

   400. General

400.1. An ability is text in a card's text box that generates an effect.
Reminder text, flavor text, characteristic-setting text, and instruction
text are not abilities. Instruction text is any text that is not any of the
following: reminder text, flavor text, characteristic-setting text,
activated ability, triggered ability, or static ability. Abilities generate
effects only from the in-play zone unless they state otherwise. Text itself
is never an effect. Spells, activated abilities, and triggered abilities
generate effects when they resolve. Static abilities generate continuous
effects.

   401. Spells

401.1. A spell is a card on the stack. As the first step of being played,
the card becomes a spell and goes on the stack from the zone from which it
was played (usually the player's hand). (See rule 217.6, "Stack.") It stops
being a spell when it resolves (see rule 413.2), is countered (see rule
414), or leaves the stack.

401.2. Each card type other than land has a corresponding spell type. For
example, a played creature card is a creature spell until it resolves, is
countered, or leaves the stack. An instant or sorcery is targeted if it uses
the phrase "target [something]" in its spell text, where the "something" is
a phrase that describes a permanent, spell, ability, card, or player. Also,
local enchantment spells target the permanent they will enchant.

401.3. As the final part of an instant or sorcery spell's resolution, the
card is put into its owner's graveyard. As the final part of an artifact,
creature, or enchantment spell's resolution, the card becomes a permanent
and is put into the in-play zone under the control of the spell's
controller. If any spell is countered, the card is put into its owner's
graveyard as part of the resolution of the countering spell or ability. (See
rule 413, "Resolving Spells and Abilities.")

   402. Abilities

402.1. An ability is instruction in a card's text that's not reminder text,
flavor text, characteristic-setting text, or instruction text (see rule
400.1). The result of following such an instruction or of following a
spell's text is an effect. (See rule 416, "Effects.") Abilities can affect
the cards they're on; they can also affect other cards and/or players.
Abilities can grant abilities to other cards or to the cards they're on.
They do so when the words "has," "have," "gains," or "gain" are used.

402.2. Abilities can be beneficial or detrimental-for example, "[This
creature] can't block" is an ability.

402.3. Text on a card stating that the card "is" or "counts as" a particular
type or color isn't an ability. Such statements apply no matter what zone
the card is in and aren't removed by effects that cause a permanent to lose
its abilities. This rule applies only to text that states a card's type or
color, not to other characteristic-setting text.

402.4. An additional cost or alternative cost to play a card isn't an
ability of the card. Such text is instruction text.

402.5. An ability isn't a spell and therefore can't be countered by anything
that counters only spells. Abilities can be countered by effects that
specifically counter abilities, as well as by the rules (for example, an
ability is countered if all its targets become illegal).

402.6. Once activated or triggered, an ability exists independently of its
source (the card on which it's printed) as a pseudospell on the stack.
Destruction or removal of the source after that time won't affect the
ability. Note that some abilities cause a source to do something (for
example, "Prodigal Sorcerer deals 1 damage to target creature or player.")
rather than the ability doing anything directly. In these cases, any spell
or activated or triggered ability that references information about the
source will check that information when the ability resolves, or will use
the source's last known information if it's no longer in play.

402.7. A card may have several abilities. Aside from certain defined
abilities that may be strung together on a single line (see rule 502,
"Keyword Abilities"), each paragraph break in a card's text marks a separate
ability. A card may also have multiple instances of the same ability. Each
instance functions independently. This may or may not produce more effects
than a single instance; refer to the specific ability for more information.

402.8. Abilities function only while the permanent with the ability is in
play unless the ability states otherwise.
EXAMPLE: Black spells and abilities can target a card with protection from
black when it's in a library or graveyard.

402.9. Some cards have abilities that can be played when the card's not in
play. These are clearly marked; for example, "Play only when [this card] is
in your graveyard." They're not abilities of any particular permanent
type-cards not in play aren't permanents.

402.10. There are three general types of abilities: activated, triggered,
and static. Mana abilities are an ability subtype. Abilities can generate
one-shot effects or continuous effects. Replacement effects and prevention
effects are effect subtypes. An activated or triggered ability is targeted
if it uses the phrase "target [something]" in its text, where the
"something" is a phrase that describes a permanent, spell, ability, card, or
player.


   403. Activated Abilities


403.1. An activated ability can exist in one of two places: on a permanent
or on a card outside the in-play zone with the text "Play this ability only
if [this card] is in [zone]. An activated ability is written as "cost:
effect." The activation cost is everything before the colon (:). The
ability's controller must pay its activation cost to play it.

403.2. Only a permanent's controller can play its activated ability unless
the card specifically says otherwise.

403.3. If an activated ability has a restriction on its use (for example,
"Play this ability only once each turn" or "Spend no more than oR this way
each turn"), the restriction continues to apply to that permanent even if
its controller changes.

   404. Triggered Abilities

404.1. A triggered ability begins with the word "when," "whenever," or "at."
The phrase containing one of these words is the trigger condition, which
defines the trigger event. A delayed triggered ability will also contain one
of these three words, although it won't usually begin the ability.

404.2. Triggered abilities aren't played. Instead, they automatically
"trigger" each time their trigger event occurs. Once an ability has
triggered, it goes on the stack the next time a player receives priority.

404.3. A triggered ability may read "When(ever)/At . . . , if . . . ,
[action]." The ability checks for the stated condition to be true when the
trigger event occurs. If it is, the ability triggers and goes on the stack.
On resolution, the ability rechecks the condition. If the condition isn't
true at either of those times, the ability does nothing. This rule is
referred to as the "intervening 'if' clause" rule. Note that the word "if"
has only its normal English meaning anywhere else in the text of a card;
this rule only applies to an "if" that immediately follows the trigger
condition.

   405. Static Abilities

405.1. A static ability does something all the time rather than being
activated or triggered. The ability isn't played-it just "is."

   406. Ability Subtypes

406.1. Mana Abilities

406.1a A mana ability is either an activated ability that puts mana into a
player's mana pool when it resolves or a triggered ability that triggers
from an activated mana ability and produces additional mana. It can generate
other effects at the same time it produces mana.

406.1b Spells that put mana into a player's mana pool aren't mana abilities.
They're played and resolved exactly like any other spell. Triggered
abilities that put mana into a player's mana pool but trigger from events
other than activating mana abilities aren't mana abilities. They go on the
stack and resolve like any other triggered ability.

406.1c A mana ability remains a mana ability even if the game state doesn't
allow it to produce mana.
EXAMPLE: A card has an ability that reads, "ocT: Add oG to your mana pool
for each creature you control." This is still a mana ability even if you
control no creatures, or if the card is already tapped.

406.1d A mana ability can be activated or triggered. However, the rules for
playing and resolving mana abilities differ slightly from those for playing
other abilities. See rule 411, "Playing Mana Abilities," for details.

406.1e Mana abilities are played and resolve like other abilities, but they
don't go on the stack, so they can't be countered or responded to. (See rule
408.2, "Actions That Don't Use the Stack.") Abilities (other than mana
abilities) that trigger on playing mana abilities do go on the stack,
however.

406.2. Delayed Triggered Abilities

406.2a An effect may create a delayed triggered ability that can do
something at a later time.

406.2b Delayed triggered abilities come from other spells or abilities that
create them on resolution. That means the delayed triggered ability won't
trigger until it has actually been created, even if its trigger event
occurred just beforehand. Other events that happen earlier may make the
trigger event impossible.
EXAMPLE: Part of an effect reads, "when this card leaves play," but the card
in question leaves play before the spell or ability creating the effect
resolves. In this case, the delayed ability never triggers. As another
example, if an effect reads, "when this card becomes untapped" and the named
card becomes untapped before the effect resolves, the ability waits for the
next time that card untaps.

406.2c A delayed ability that refers to a particular permanent still affects
it even if the permanent changes characteristics.
EXAMPLE: An ability reading, "At end of turn, destroy that creature" will
destroy the permanent even if it's no longer a creature during the end of
turn step.

406.2d A delayed ability that refers to a particular permanent will fail if
the permanent leaves play (even if it returns again before the specified
time). Similarly, delayed abilities that apply to a card in a particular
zone will fail if the card leaves that zone.
EXAMPLE: An ability reading, "At end of turn, remove this creature from the
game" won't do anything if the creature leaves play before the end of turn
step.

406.2e A delayed triggered ability will trigger only once-the next time its
trigger event occurs-unless it has a stated duration, such as "this turn."

   407. Adding and Removing Abilities

407.1. Effects can add or remove abilities of permanents. If two or more
effects add and remove the same ability, in general the most recent one
prevails. (See rule 418.5, "Interaction of Continuous Effects.")

407.2. A characteristic of a permanent set by an effect is different from an
ability granted by an effect. When a permanent "gains" or "has" an ability,
it can be removed by another effect. If an effect defines a characteristic
of the permanent ("[permanent] is [characteristic]"), it's not granting an
ability. (See also rule 402.3.)
EXAMPLE: An effect reads, "Enchanted creature has 'This creature is
unblockable.'" This confers an ability that can be removed by effects. An
effect that reads, "Enchanted creature is unblockable" simply defines a
property of the creature and can't be removed by effects that cause
permanents to lose abilities.

407.3. Effects that remove an ability remove all instances of it.
EXAMPLE: If a creature with flying is enchanted with Flight, it has two
instances of the flying ability. A single effect that reads "Target creature
loses flying" will remove both.

   408. Timing of Spells and Abilities

408.1. Timing, Priority, and the Stack

408.1a Spells and abilities can be played only at certain times and follow a
set of rules for doing so.

408.1b Spells and activated abilities are played by players (if they choose)
using a system of priority, while other types of abilities and effects are
automatically generated by the game rules. Each time a player would get
priority, all applicable state-based effects resolve first as a single event
(see rule 420), then triggered abilities are added to the stack (see rule
410). These steps repeat in order until no further state-based effects or
triggered abilities are generated. Then the player who would have received
priority does so and may play a spell, ability, or land as governed by the
rules for that phase. The game also checks for state-based effects during
the cleanup step (see rule 314). If any state-based effects resolve, the
active player gets priority afterward.

408.1c The active player gets priority at the beginning of most phases and
steps, after special actions and abilities that trigger at the beginning of
that phase or step go on the stack. The exceptions are the untap step and
the cleanup step. The player with priority may either play a spell or
ability, or pass. If he or she plays a spell or ability, the player again
receives priority; otherwise, his or her opponent receives priority. If both
players pass in succession, the top spell or ability on the stack resolves,
then the active player receives priority. If the stack is empty when both
players pass in succession, the phase or step ends and the next one begins.

408.1d A player may play a spell or activated ability only when he or she
has priority. Spells other than instants can be played only during a
player's main phase, when that player has priority, and only when the stack
is empty.

408.1e When a spell is played, it goes on top of the stack. When an
activated ability is played, a pseudospell representing it goes on the
stack.

408.1f Triggered abilities can trigger at any time, including during the
playing or resolution of a spell or another ability. However, nothing
actually happens at the time the abilities trigger. Each time a player would
receive priority, a pseudospell goes on the stack for each ability that has
triggered but that hasn't yet been put on the stack. Then the player gets
priority and may play spells or abilities. (See rule 410, "Handling
Triggered Abilities.")

408.1g Combat damage goes on the stack once it's been assigned. For more
information, see rule 310, "Combat Damage Step."

408.1h Static abilities aren't played-they continuously affect the game.
Priority doesn't apply to them. (See rule 418, "Continuous Effects" and rule
419, "Prevention and Replacement Effects.")

408.2. Actions That Don't Use the Stack

408.2a Effects don't go on the stack; they're the result of spells and
abilities resolving. Effects may create delayed triggered abilities,
however, and these may go on the stack when they trigger. (See rule 406.2,
"Delayed Abilities.")

408.2b Static abilities continuously generate effects and don't go on the
stack.

408.2c State-based effects (see rule 420) resolve whenever a player receives
priority as long as the required game condition is true.

408.2d Playing a land is a special action consisting of putting that land
into play. (See rule 214.9, "Lands.")

408.2e Mana abilities resolve immediately. If a mana ability produces both
mana and another effect, both the mana and the other effect resolve
immediately. (See rule 406.1, "Mana Abilities.")

408.2f Characteristic-setting text that isn't an ability, such as "[This
card] is a forest," is simply read and followed as applicable. (See also
rule 402.3.)

408.2g Game actions-untapping during the untap step, declaring attacking or
blocking creatures, cleanup, and mana burn-don't use the stack.

   409. Playing Spells and Activated Abilities

409.1. Playing a spell or activated ability follows the steps listed below,
in order. If at the end of playing a spell or ability a player was unable to
comply with any of the steps listed below, the game returns to the moment
before that spell or ability was played (see rule 422). Players can't begin
to play a spell or ability that's prohibited from being played by an effect.
Announcements and payments can't be altered after they've been made. Playing
a spell or ability that alters costs won't do anything to spells and
abilities that are already on the stack.
     Some spells and abilities specify that their controller's opponent does
something the controller would normally do while it's being played, such as
choose a mode, choose targets, or choose how the spell or ability will
affect its targets. In these cases, the opponent does so when the spell or
ability's controller normally would do so. If the spell or ability instructs
both players to do something while it's being played, the active player goes
first, then the opponent.

409.1a The player announces that he or she is playing the spell or ability.
It goes on the stack and remains there until it's countered or resolves.
Spell cards are physically placed on the stack. For abilities, a pseudospell
with the text of the ability goes on the stack. All other characteristics of
the pseudospell depend on the characteristics of the ability's source. For
example, such a pseudospell's color would be determined by the color of its
source, not just the source's color when the pseudospell went on the stack.

409.1b If the spell or ability is modal (uses the phrase "Choose one -" or
"[specified player] chooses one- "), the player announces the mode choice.
If the spell or ability has a variable mana cost (indicated by "oX"), the
player announces the value of X at this time. If the spell or ability has
alternative, additional, or other special costs (such as buyback or kicker
costs), the player announces his or her intentions to pay any or all of
those costs when the rest of the spell or ability's costs are paid (see rule
409.1f).

409.1c If the spell or ability requires any targets, the player first
announces how many targets he or she will choose (if the spell or ability
has a variable number of targets), then announces the targets themselves. A
spell or ability can't be played unless the required number of legal targets
are chosen. The same target can't be chosen multiple times.
     If the spell or ability targets one or more targets only if an
alternative, additional, or special cost (such as a buyback or kicker cost)
is paid for it, its controller chooses those targets only if he or she
announced the intention to pay that cost. Otherwise, the spell or ability is
played as though it did not have those targets.

409.1d If the spell or ability affects several targets in different ways,
the player announces how it will affect each target.

409.1e If the spell or ability requires the player to divide an effect (such
as damage or counters) among a variable number of targets, the player
announces the division as he or she plays the spell. Each of these targets
must receive at least one of whatever is being divided (for example, damage
or counters); this doesn't apply when the player isn't given a choice.

409.1f The player determines the total cost of the spell or ability. Usually
this is just the mana cost (for spells) or activation cost (for abilities).
Some cards list additional or alternative costs in their text, and some
effects may increase or reduce the cost to pay. Costs may include paying
mana, tapping cards, sacrificing permanents, discarding cards, and so on.
The total cost is the mana or activation cost, plus all cost increases and
minus all cost reductions. Once the total cost is determined, it becomes
"locked in," and the player then pays all costs in any order. Partial
payments are not allowed.If effects would change the total cost after this
time, they have no effect. If the cost includes mana, mana abilities can be
played at this time. (See rule 411, "Playing Mana Abilities.")
Example: You play Death Bomb, which costs o3oB and has an additional cost of
sacrificing a creature. You sacrifice Thunderscape Familiar, whose effect
makes Death Bomb cost o1 less to play. Because a spell's total cost is
"locked in" before payments are actually made, Death Bomb costs o2oB, not
o3oB, even though you're sacrificing the Familiar.

409.1g Once the steps described in 409.1a-409.1f are completed, the spell or
ability becomes played. Its controller gains priority.

409.2. Activated abilities that read "Play this ability [only] any time you
could play [spell type]" mean the player must follow the timing rules for
that spell type, though the ability isn't actually of that spell type.

409.3 A creature's activated ability with ocT in its activation cost can't
be played unless the creature has been under its controller's control since
the start of his or her most recent turn. Creatures with haste may ignore
this rule (see rule 502.5).

   410. Handling Triggered Abilities

410.1. Because they aren't played, triggered abilities can trigger even when
it isn't legal to play spells and abilities, and effects that prevent
abilities from being played don't affect them.

410.2. Whenever a game event or game state matches a triggered ability's
trigger event, that ability triggers. When a phase or step begins, all
abilities that trigger "at the beginning of" that phase or step trigger. The
ability doesn't do anything when it triggers but automatically puts a
pseudospell (see rule 217.6b) on the stack as soon as a player gets
priority. The ability (and the pseudospell) is controlled by the player who
controlled its source at the time it triggered. If the ability says a player
"may" do something, that player makes all choices for that instruction. If
the ability says this for more than one player, each player specified makes
the choices for their instructions. See also rule 410.6.

410.3. If multiple abilities have triggered since the last time a player
received priority, pseudospells controlled by the active player go on the
stack first, in any order he or she chooses, then those controlled by the
opponent go on the stack in the same way. Then players once again check for
state-based effects, then they add any new abilities that triggered during
this process. This process repeats until no new state-based effects or
triggered abilities arise to be processed or put on the stack. Then the
appropriate player gets priority.

410.4. When a triggered ability goes on the stack, the controller of the
pseudospell makes all required choices, following the rules for activated
abilities (see rule 409, "Playing Spells and Activated Abilities"). If no
legal choice can be made (or if a rule or a continuous effect otherwise
makes the ability illegal), the pseudospell is simply removed from the
stack.

410.5. Some triggered abilities' effects are optional (they contain "may,"
as in "At the beginning of your upkeep, you may draw a card"). These
abilities go on the stack when they trigger, regardless of whether their
controller intends to exercise the ability's option or not. (The choice is
made when the ability resolves.) Likewise, triggered abilities that have an
effect "unless" something is true or a player chooses to do something will
go on the stack normally; the "unless" part of the ability is dealt with
when the ability resolves. Note that this rule is a reversal of the rule it
replaced.

410.6. An ability triggers only once each time its trigger event occurs.
However, it can trigger repeatedly if one event contains multiple
occurrences. See also rule 410.9.
EXAMPLE: A permanent has an ability whose trigger condition reads, "Whenever
a land is put into the graveyard from play, . . . ." If someone plays a
spell that destroys all lands, the ability will trigger once for each land
put into the graveyard during the spell's resolution.

410.7. An ability is triggered only if its trigger event actually occurs. An
event that's prevented or replaced won't trigger anything.
EXAMPLE: An ability that triggers on damage being dealt won't trigger if all
the damage is prevented.

410.8. Triggered abilities with a condition directly following the trigger
event (for example, "When[ever] [trigger], if [condition], [event]"), check
for the condition to be true as part of the trigger event; if it isn't, the
ability doesn't trigger. The ability checks the condition again on
resolution. If it's not satisfied, the ability does nothing. Note that this
mirrors the check for legal targets. Note that this rule doesn't apply to
any triggered ability with a condition elsewhere within its text.

410.9. Some abilities trigger when creatures block or are blocked in combat.
(See rules 306-311 and section 5, "Additional Combat Rules.") They may
trigger once or repeatedly, depending on the wording of the ability.

410.9a An ability that reads "Whenever [this creature] blocks" or "Whenever
[this creature] becomes blocked" triggers only once each combat for that
creature, even if it blocks or is blocked by multiple creatures. An effect
that causes the creature to become blocked (if the creature wasn't already
blocked) will also trigger such abilities.

410.9b An ability that reads "Whenever [this creature] blocks a creature"
triggers once for each attacking creature the named creature blocks.

410.9c An ability that reads "Whenever a creature blocks [this creature]"
triggers once for each creature that blocks the named creature. It won't
trigger if the attacking creature becomes blocked by an effect rather than a
blocking creature.

410.9d If an ability triggers when a creature blocks or is blocked by a
particular number of creatures, the ability triggers only if the creature
blocks or is blocked by that many creatures when the attack or block
declaration is made. Effects that add or remove blockers can cause such
abilities to trigger, but effects that switch blockers cannot. This also
applies to abilities that trigger on a creature blocking or being blocked by
at least a certain number of creatures.
EXAMPLE: Johtull Wurm reads, "Whenever Johtull Wurm becomes blocked by two
or more creatures, it gets -2/-1 until end of turn for each creature
blocking it beyond the first."If Johtull Wurm attacks and is blocked by one
creature, and an effect later causes an additional creature to block the
Wurm, its ability will trigger. But if an effect such as that of False
Orders switches the first blocker for another one, the Wurm's ability won't
trigger.

410.10. Trigger events that involve cards or permanents changing zones are
called "zone-change triggers." Many abilities with zone-change triggers
attempt to do something to the card after it changes zones. During
resolution, these abilities look for the card in the zone that it moved to.
If the card leaves the specified zone before the ability resolves, the part
of the ability attempting to do something to the card will fail to do
anything. (This rule applies even if the card leaves the zone and returns
again before the ability resolves.) The most common types of zone-change
triggers are comes-into-play triggers and leaves-play triggers.

410.10a Comes-into-play abilities trigger when a permanent enters the
in-play zone. These are written, "When [this card] comes into play, . . . "
or "Whenever a [type] comes into play, . . ." Each time an event puts one or
more permanents into play, all permanents in play (including the newcomers)
are checked for any comes-into-play triggers that match the event.

410.10b Continuous effects that modify card characteristics do so as cards
come into play. They don't wait for the card to enter play and then change
it.
EXAMPLE: If an effect reads, "All lands are creatures" and a land card is
played, it comes into play as a creature and triggers abilities that depend
on a creature coming into play. Conversely, if an effect reads, "All
creatures lose all abilities" and someone plays a creature card with a
comes-into-play triggered ability, it comes into play with no abilities, so
the printed ability won't trigger.

410.10c Leaves-play abilities trigger when a permanent leaves the in-play
zone. These are written as, but aren't limited to, "Whenever [this card]
leaves play, . . ." or "Whenever [permanent type] is put into a graveyard
from play, . . . ." An ability that attempts to do something to the card
that left play checks for it only in the first zone that it went to.

410.10d Abilities that trigger on one or more permanents leaving play, or on
a player losing control of a permanent, must be treated specially because
the permanent with the ability may no longer be in play after the event. The
game has to "look back in time" to resolve them. Each time an event removes
from play or changes who controls one or more permanents, all the permanents
in play just before the event (with continuous effects that existed at that
time) are checked for trigger events that match what just left play or
changed control.
EXAMPLE: Two creatures are in play along with an artifact that has the
ability "Whenever a creature is put into a graveyard from play, you gain 1
life." Someone plays a spell that destroys all artifacts, creatures, and
enchantments. The artifact's ability triggers twice, even though the
artifact goes to its owner's graveyard at the same time as the creatures.
"Leaves play" triggers are zone-change triggers, even if the trigger
condition doesn't care what zone the permanent is going to. If they attempt
to do something to the card that left play, they'll look for it only in the
first zone that it went to after leaving play.

410.10e Some permanents have text that reads, "[This permanent] comes into
play as . . . ," "[This permanent] comes into play with . . . ," "As [this
permanent] comes into play . . . ," or "[This permanent] comes into play
tapped." Such text is a static ability-not a triggered ability- whose effect
occurs as part of the event that puts the permanent into play.

410.11 Some triggered abilities trigger on a game state , such as a player
controlling no permanents of a particular type, rather than triggering when
an event occurs. These abilities trigger as soon as the game state matches
the condition (even if it's not legal to play a spell or ability at that
time). These are called "state triggers." (Note that state triggers aren't
the same as state-based effects.) A state-triggered ability doesn't trigger
again until the pseudospell it created has resolved or been countered. Then,
if the permanent with the ability is still in play and the game state still
matches its trigger condition, the ability will trigger again.
EXAMPLE: A permanent's ability reads, "When your hand is empty, draw a
card." If its controller plays the last card from his or her hand, the
ability will trigger once and won't trigger again until it has resolved. If
its controller plays a spell that reads, "Discard your hand, then draw the
same number of cards," the ability will trigger during the spell's
resolution because the player's hand was momentarily empty.


   411. Playing Mana Abilities

411.1. To play a mana ability, the player announces that he or she is
playing it and pays the activation cost. It resolves immediately afterward
and doesn't go on the stack. (See rule 408.2e.)

411.2. A player may play an activated mana ability whenever he or she has
priority. A player may also play one whenever a rule or effect asks for a
mana payment, even in the middle of playing or resolving a spell or ability.

411.3. Triggered mana abilities trigger when an activated mana ability is
played and adds one or more mana to a mana pool. These abilities resolve
immediately after the mana ability that triggered them, without waiting for
priority. If an activated or triggered ability produces both mana and
another effect, both the mana and the other effect resolve immediately.
EXAMPLE: An enchantment reads, "Whenever a player taps a land for mana, that
land produces one additional mana of the same color." If a player taps lands
for mana while playing a spell, the additional mana is added to the player's
mana pool immediately and can be used to pay for the spell.

411.3a If a triggered mana ability adds mana "of the same type" to a
player's mana pool, and the mana ability that triggered it produced more
than one type of mana, the player to whose mana pool the mana is being added
chooses which type of mana the triggered ability adds.

   412. Handling Static Abilities

412.1. A static ability may generate a continuous effect or a prevention or
replacement effect. These effects last as long as the permanent with the
static ability remains in play.

412.2. Many local enchantments have static abilities that modify their
enchanted permanent, but those abilities don't target that permanent. If a
local enchantment is moved to a different permanent, the ability stops
applying to the original permanent and starts modifying the new one.

412.3. Some static abilities apply while a spell is on the stack. These are
limited to abilities that refer to countering the spell.

412.4. Some static abilities apply while a card is in your hand. These are
limited to "you may/can't play [this spell] . . . ."

412.5. Unlike spells and other kinds of abilities, static abilities can't
use a card or permanent's last known information for purposes of how their
effects are applied.

413. Resolving Spells and Abilities

413.1. Each time both players pass in succession, the top spell or ability
on the stack resolves, creating one or more effects. (See rule 416,
"Effects.")

413.2. Resolution may involve several steps but is treated by the game as a
single indivisible action. These steps are followed in the order listed
below.

413.2a If the spell or ability specifies targets, it checks whether the
targets are still legal. A target that's removed from play, or from the zone
designated by the spell or ability, is illegal. A target may also become
illegal if its characteristics changed since the spell or ability was played
or if an effect changed the wording of the spell or ability. If all targets
are now illegal, the spell or ability is countered. If the spell or ability
is not countered it will resolve normally, affecting only the targets that
are still legal. The effect on the remaining legal targets is the same as it
would have been if all targets had remained legal.

413.2b The controller of the spell or ability follows its instructions in
the order written. However, replacement effects may modify these actions. In
some cases, later text on the card may modify the meaning of earlier text
(for example, "Destroy target creature. It can't be regenerated" or "Counter
target spell. Put it on top of its owner's library instead of into its
owner's graveyard.") Don't just apply effects step by step without thinking
in these cases-read the whole card and apply the rules of English to the
text.

413.2c If an effect offers any choices other than choices already made as
part of playing the spell or ability, the player announces these while
applying the effect. The player can't choose an option that's illegal or
impossible. If the effect provides an optional action with a consequence for
not doing so, the player can't choose that action unless he or she can meet
all requirements.
EXAMPLE: A spell's instruction reads, "You may sacrifice a creature. If you
don't, you lose 4 life." A player who controls no creatures can't choose the
sacrifice option.

413.2d If an effect requires both players to make choices or take actions at
the same time, the active player makes and announces his or her choices
first, then his or her opponent does (knowing the first player's choices).
Then the actions take place simultaneously. This is called the "active
player rule." If a player must make more than one choice at a time, he or
she makes the choices in the order written, or in the order he or she
chooses if the choices aren't ordered. Then, the actions are processed
simultaneously.
     Some spells and abilities have multiple steps or actions, denoted by
separate sentences or clauses. In these cases, the active player does the
first action, then the nonactive player does that action, then the active
player does the second action, then the nonactive player does that action,
and so on.
EXAMPLE: Stronghold Gambit reads, "Each player chooses a card in his or her
hand. Then each player reveals his or her chosen card. . . ." First the
active player chooses a card, then the nonactive player does so, then the
active player reveals his or her chosen card, then the nonactive player does
so.

413.2e If an effect gives a player the option to pay mana, he or she may
play mana abilities as part of the action. No other spells or abilities can
be played during resolution.

413.2f If an effect requires information from the game (such as the number
of creatures in play), the answer is determined when the effect is applied.
The effect uses the current information of a specific permanent, if that
permanent is still in play, or of a specific card in the stated zone;
otherwise, the effect uses the last known information the card or permanent
had before leaving that zone. The exception is that static abilities can't
use last known information; see rule 412.5. If the ability text states that
a permanent does something, it's the permanent as it exists (or most
recently existed) that does it, not the ability.

413.2g An effect that refers to characteristics of a permanent checks only
for the value of the specified characteristics, regardless of any related
ones the permanent may also have.
EXAMPLE: An effect that reads, "Destroy all black creatures" destroys a
white-and-black creature, but "Destroy all nonblack creatures" doesn't.

413.2h A spell card is put into play under the control of the spell's
controller (for permanents) or is put into its owner's graveyard (for
instants and sorceries) as the final step of resolution.

413.2i If an effect could result in a tie, the text of the spell or ability
that created the effect will specify what to do in the event of a tie. The
Magic game has no default for ties.

   414. Countering Spells and Abilities

414.1. To counter a spell is to move the spell card from the stack to its
owner's graveyard. Countering an ability removes its pseudospell from the
stack. Spells and abilities that are countered don't resolve.

414.2. The player who played the countered spell or ability doesn't get a
"refund" of any costs that were paid.

   415. Editing a Spell or Ability

415.1. A few effects can "edit" a spell or ability after it goes on the
stack, changing its target, rules text, or other characteristics.

415.2. The target of a spell or ability can change only to another legal
target. If the new target is illegal when the change resolves, the original
target is unchanged.

415.2a Modal spells may have different targeting requirements for each mode.
Target changing can't change the mode.

415.2b The word "you" in a card's text isn't a target. A spell that affects
only its player can't be retargeted.

415.3. If an effect edits any characteristics of a spell that becomes a
permanent, the effect continues to apply to the permanent when the spell
resolves.
EXAMPLE: If an effect changes a black creature spell to white, the creature
is white when it comes into play and remains white for the duration of the
effect changing it.

   416. Effects

416.1. When a spell or ability resolves, it creates one or more effects.
There are three main types: one-shot effects, continuous effects, and
replacement and prevention effects. Effects of a fourth category,
state-based effects, are generated by specific states of the game.


416.2. Effects apply only to cards in play unless the instruction's text
states otherwise or they clearly can't apply to another zone.
EXAMPLE: An effect that changes all lands to creatures won't alter land
cards in the players' graveyards.

416.3. If an effect attempts to do something impossible, it does only as
much as possible.
EXAMPLE: If a player is holding only one card, an effect that reads "Discard
two cards" causes him or her to discard only that card. If an effect moves
cards out of the library (as opposed to drawing), it moves as many as
possible.

   417. One-Shot Effects

417.1. A one-shot effect does something just once and doesn't have a
duration. Examples include damage dealing, destruction, and moving cards
between zones.

417.2. Some one-shot effects instruct a player to do something later in the
game (usually at a specific time) rather than when they resolve. Their
effects actually create a new ability that waits to be triggered. (See rule
406.2, "Delayed Abilities.")

   418. Continuous Effects

418.1. A continuous effect modifies permanents or the rules of the game for
a fixed or indefinite period. A continuous effect may be generated by the
resolution of a spell or ability or by a static ability of a permanent.

418.2. Continuous effects that modify characteristics of permanents do so
simultaneously with the permanent coming into play. They don't wait  until
the permanent is in play and then change it. Because such effects apply as
the permanent comes into play, apply them before determining whether the
permanent will cause an ability to trigger when it comes into play.

418.3. Continuous Effects from Spells or Abilities

418.3a A continuous effect generated by the resolution of a spell or ability
lasts as long as stated by the spell or ability creating it (such as "until
end of turn"). If no duration is stated, it lasts until the end of the game.

418.3b The set of permanents subject to continuous effects from a spell or
ability is chosen either when the spell or ability is played (if it targets
the permanents) or when it resolves (if it's not targeted). After
resolution, this set won't change. Note that this differs from continuous
effects from permanents.
EXAMPLE: An effect that reads "All white creatures get +1/+1 until end of
turn" gives the bonus to all permanents that are white creatures when the
spell or ability resolves-even if they change color later-and doesn't affect
those that come into play or turn white afterward.

418.3c If the spell or ability creating a continuous effect is variable, the
effect is determined only once, on resolution.
EXAMPLE: A spell that reads "Target creature gets +X/+X until end of turn,
where X is the number of cards in your hand" counts the number of cards in
the controller's hand when the spell resolves and grants that bonus for the
rest of the turn, even if the hand size changes.

418.3d If an effect's duration expires before the spell or ability creating
it resolves, then the effect does nothing-it doesn't start and immediately
stop again, and it doesn't last forever.

418.4. Continuous Effects from Permanents

418.4a A continuous effect generated by a static ability of a permanent
isn't "locked in"; it applies at any given moment to whatever its text
indicates.

418.4b The effect applies at all times that the permanent generating it is
in play.
EXAMPLE: A permanent with the static ability "All white creatures get +1/+1"
generates an effect that continuously gives +1/+1 to each white creature in
play. If a creature becomes white, it gets this bonus; a creature that stops
being white loses it. A creature spell that would normally create a 1/1
white creature instead creates a 2/2 white creature. The creature doesn't
come into play as 1/1 and then change to 2/2.

418.5. Interaction of Continuous Effects

418.5a Sometimes the results of one effect determine whether another effect
applies or what it does. For example, one effect might read, "All white
creatures get +1/+1" and another, "Enchanted creature is white."

418.5b An effect is said to "depend on" another if applying the other would
change the text or the existence of the first effect, what it applies to, or
what it does to any of the things it applies to. Otherwise, the effect is
considered to be independent of the first effect.

418.5c Whenever one effect depends on another, the independent one is
applied first. If several dependent effects form a loop, or if none depends
on another, they're applied in "timestamp order." (See Glossary.)

418.5d A continuous effect can override another.
EXAMPLE: Two enchantments are played on the same creature: "Enchanted
creature gains flying" and "Enchanted creature loses flying." Neither of
these depends on the other, since nothing changes what they affect or what
they're doing to it. Applying them in timestamp order means the one that was
generated last "wins." It's irrelevant whether an effect is temporary (such
as "Target creature loses flying until end of turn") or global (such as "All
creatures lose flying").

   419. Replacement and Prevention Effects

419.1. Replacement and prevention effects are continuous effects that watch
for a particular event to happen and then completely or partially replace
that event. (Prevention effects replace events with "nothing happens.")
These effects act like "shields" around whatever they're affecting.
Replacement effects use the word "instead" to indicate what events will be
replaced with other events, and prevention effects use "prevent" to indicate
what events will not occur.

419.2. Replacement and prevention effects apply continuously as events
happen-they aren't locked in ahead of time.

419.3. There are no special restrictions on playing a spell or ability that
generates a replacement or prevention effect. Such effects last until
they're used up or their duration has expired.

419.4. Replacement or prevention effects must exist before the appropriate
event occurs-they can't "go back in time" and change something that's
already happened. Usually spells and abilities that generate these effects
are played in response to whatever would produce the event and thus resolve
before that event would occur.
EXAMPLE: A player can play a regeneration ability in response to a spell
that would destroy a creature he or she controls.

419.5. If an event is prevented or replaced, it never happens. Instead of a
replaced event, a modified event occurs, which may in turn trigger
abilities. Note that the modified event may contain instructions that can't
be carried out, in which case the player simply ignores the impossible
instruction. If a source would deal 0 damage, it does not deal damage at
all. That means abilities that trigger on damage being dealt won't trigger
on 0 damage. It also means that replacement effects that increase damage
dealt have no event to replace when 0 damage is dealt, so they have no
effect[CBD1].

419.6. Replacement Effects

419.6a A replacement effect doesn't invoke itself repeatedly and gets only
one opportunity for each event.
EXAMPLE: A player controls two permanents, each with an ability that reads,
"Instead of dealing their normal damage, creatures you control deal double
that damage." A creature that normally deals 1 damage will deal 4 damage-not
just 2, and not an infinite amount.

419.6b Regeneration is a destruction-replacement effect. The key word
"instead" doesn't appear on the card but is implicit in its definition.
"Regenerate [permanent]" means "The next time [permanent] would be destroyed
this turn, instead remove all damage from it, tap it, and (if it's in
combat) remove it from combat." Note that if destruction is caused by lethal
damage, any abilities that trigger from that damage being dealt still
trigger even if the permanent regenerates.

419.6c Some effects replace damage dealt to one creature or player with the
same damage dealt to another creature or player; such effects are called
"redirection" effects. If either creature is no longer in play or is no
longer a creature when the damage would be redirected, the effect does
nothing. Likewise, if either player is no longer in the game, the effect
does nothing.

419.7. Prevention Effects

419.7a Prevention effects usually apply to damage that would be dealt.

419.7b Some prevention effects refer to a specific amount of damage-for
example, "Prevent the next 3 damage to target creature or player this turn."
These work like ablative shields. Each 1 damage that would be dealt to the
"shielded" creature or player instead reduces the shield by 1. Once the
shield has been reduced to 0, any remaining damage is dealt normally. Such
effects count only the amount of damage; the number of events or sources
dealing it doesn't matter.

419.7c Some prevention effects apply to damage from a specified source-for
example, "The next time a red source of your choice would deal damage to you
this turn, prevent that damage." The source is chosen when the spell or
ability resolves. If an effect requires a player to choose a source, he or
she may choose either a permanent or a spell on the stack (including one
that creates a permanent) or any card or permanent referred to by a spell or
pseudospell on the stack. If the player chooses a permanent or a permanent
spell, the prevention will apply to the next damage from that card,
regardless of whether it's from one of that permanent's abilities or combat
damage dealt by it. It's possible for the source to be out of play by the
time the spell or ability resolves.
     Some abilities that generate prevention effects can affect damage only
from a source with certain characteristics, such as a creature or a source
of a particular color. When prevention "shields" with these types of
restrictions are used, they recheck the source from which they're preventing
damage. If the characteristics no longer match, the damage isn't prevented.

419.8. Interaction of Replacement or Prevention Effects

419.8a If two or more replacement or prevention effects are attempting to
modify the way an event affects a permanent or player in contradictory ways,
the affected permanent's controller or the affected player chooses the order
to apply them to that permanent.
EXAMPLE: Two cards are in play. One is an enchantment that reads, "If a card
would be put into a graveyard, instead remove it from the game" and the
other, a creature that reads, "If [this card] would be put into a graveyard,
instead shuffle it into its owner's library." The controller of the creature
that would be destroyed decides which replacement to apply first; the other
does nothing.

419.8b Two or more replacement effects can interact without contradicting
one another.
EXAMPLE: One effect reads, "For each 1 life you would gain, instead draw a
card" and another, "Instead of drawing a card, return target card from your
graveyard to your hand." Both effects combine (regardless of the order they
came into play): Instead of gaining 1 life, the player puts a card from his
or her graveyard into his or her hand.

   420. State-Based Effects

420.1. State-based effects are a special category that applies only to those
conditions listed below. Abilities that watch for a specified game state are
triggered abilities. (See rule 410.8.)

420.2. State-based effects are always active and are not controlled by
either player.

420.3. Whenever a player would get priority to play a spell or ability (see
rule 408, "Timing of Spells and Abilities"), the game checks for any of the
listed conditions for state-based effects. All applicable effects resolve as
a single event, then the check is repeated. This check is also made during
the cleanup step (see rule 314); if any of the listed conditions apply, the
active player receives priority.

420.4. Unlike triggered abilities, state-based effects pay no attention to
what happens during the resolution of a spell or ability.
EXAMPLE: A player controls a creature with the ability "This creature has
power and toughness each equal to the number of cards in your hand" and
plays a spell whose effect is "Discard your hand, then draw seven cards."
The creature will temporarily have toughness 0 in the middle of the spell's
resolution but will be back up to toughness 7 when the spell finishes
resolving. Thus the creature will survive when state-based effects are
checked. In contrast, an ability that triggers when there are no cards in
the hand goes on the stack after the spell resolves, because its trigger
event happened during resolution.

420.5. The state-based effects are as follows:

420.5a A player with 0 life or less or who was required to draw more cards
than were in his or her library loses the game.

420.5b A creature with toughness 0 (or less) is put into its owner's
graveyard. Regeneration can't replace this event.

420.5c A creature with lethal damage is destroyed. Lethal damage is an
amount of damage greater than 0 and greater than or equal to a creature's
toughness. Regeneration does replace this event.

420.5d A local enchantment that enchants an illegal or nonexistent permanent
is put into its owner's graveyard.

420.5e If two or more Legends or legendary permanents with the same name are
in play, all except the one that has been a Legend or legendary permanent
with that name the longest are put into their owners' graveyards. This is
called 'the Legend rule.' In the event of a tie, each Legend or legendary
permanent with the same name is put into its owner's graveyard. (If two
permanents have the same name but only one is a Legend or is legendary, this
rule doesn't apply.)

420.5f A token in a zone other than the in-play zone ceases to exist.

   421. Handling "Infinite" Loops

421.1. Occasionally the game can get into a state where a set of actions
could be repeated forever. The "infinity rule" governs how to break such
loops.

421.2. If the loop contains one or more optional actions and one player
controls them all, that player chooses a number. The loop is treated as
repeating that many times or until the other player intervenes, whichever
comes first.

421.3. If the loop contains at least one optional action controlled by each
player and actions by both players are required to continue the loop, the
active player chooses a number. The nonactive player then has two choices.
He or she can choose a lower number, in which case the loop continues that
number of times plus whatever fraction is necessary for the active player to
"have the last word." Or he or she can agree to the number the active player
chose, in which case the loop continues that number of times plus whatever
fraction is necessary for the nonactive player to "have the last word."
(Note that either fraction may be zero.)
EXAMPLE: The active player controls a creature with the ability "o0: [This
creature] gains flying." The nonactive player has an ability "o0: Target
creature loses flying." The rule ensures that regardless of which player
initiated the gain/lose flying ability, the nonactive player will always
have the final choice and therefore be able to determine whether the
creature has flying. Note that this assume that the active player attempted
to give the creature flying at least once.

421.4. If the loop contains only mandatory actions, the game ends in a draw.
(See rule 102.6.)

421.5. If the loop contains at least one optional action controlled by each
player and these actions don't depend on one another, the active player
chooses a number. The nonactive player can either agree to that number or
choose a higher number. Note that this rule applies even if the actions
could exist in separate loops rather than in a single loop.

   422. Handling Illegal Actions

422.1. If a player realizes that he or she can't legally take an action
after starting to do so, the entire action is reversed and any payments
already made are canceled. No abilities trigger as a result of an undone
action. If the action was playing a spell, the spell card returns to the
player's hand. He or she may also reverse any legal mana abilities played
while making the illegal play. Legally played spells and abilities that have
moved cards to or from a hand or library can't be reversed.

422.2. When reversing illegal spells and abilities, the player who had
priority retains it and may take another action or pass. Otherwise, the
player may redo the reversed action in a legal way or take any other action
allowed by the rules.


5. Additional Combat Rules

   500. Legal Attacks and Blocks

500.1. Some abilities and continuous effects restrict declaring attackers or
blockers in combat. (See rule 308, "Declare Attackers Step," and rule 309,
"Declare Blockers Step.")

500.2. As part of declaring attackers, the active player checks each
creature he or she controls to see whether it must attack, can't attack, or
has some other attacking restriction or requirement. If such a restriction
or requirement conflicts with the proposed attack, the attack is illegal.
(Tapped creatures are exempt, as are creatures with unpaid costs to attack.)
The active player must then propose another set of attacking
creatures[CBD2].
EXAMPLE: A player controls two creatures, each with a restriction that
states "[This creature] can't attack unless another creature attacks." It's
legal to declare both as attackers.
EXAMPLE: If one creature "attacks if able" and an effect states "Only one
creature may attack each turn," it's legal to declare either creature as an
attacker but illegal to attack with both or neither.

500.3. As part of declaring blockers, the defending player checks each
creature he or she controls to see whether it must block, can't block, or
has some other blocking restriction or requirement. If such a restriction or
requirement conflicts with the proposed set of blocking creatures, the block
is illegal. The defending player must then propose another set of blocking
creatures.

   501. Evasion Abilities

501.1. Evasion abilities restrict what can block an attacking creature.
These are static abilities that modify the declare blockers step of combat.

501.2. Evasion abilities are cumulative.
EXAMPLE: A Wall without flying can't block a creature that can be blocked
only by Walls and by creatures with flying.

501.3. Some creatures have abilities that restrict how they can block. As
with evasion abilities, these modify only the rules for the declare blockers
step of combat. (If a creature gains an evasion ability after a legal block
has been declared, it doesn't affect that block.)

   502. Keyword Abilities

502.1. Most creature abilities describe exactly what they do in the card's
rules text. Some, though, are very common or would require too much space to
define on the card. In these cases, the card lists only the name of the
ability as a "keyword"; sometimes reminder text summarizes the game rule.

502.2. First Strike

502.2a First strike is a static ability that modifies the rules for the
combat damage step.

502.2b During the combat damage step, if at least one attacking or blocking
creature has first strike, creatures without first strike don't assign
combat damage. Instead of proceeding to end of combat, the phase gets a
second combat damage step to handle the remaining creatures.

502.2c Adding or removing first strike after the first combat damage step
won't prevent a creature from dealing combat damage or allow it to deal
combat damage twice.

502.2d Multiple instances of first strike on the same creature are
redundant.

502.3. Flanking

502.3a Flanking is a triggered ability that triggers during the declare
blockers step.

502.3b Whenever a creature with flanking is blocked by a creature without
flanking, the blocking creature gets -1/-1 until end of turn.

502.3c If a creature has multiple instances of flanking, each triggers
separately.

502.4. Flying

502.4a Flying is an evasion ability.

502.4b A creature with flying can't be blocked by creatures without flying.
A creature with flying can block a creature with or without flying.

502.4c Multiple instances of flying on the same creature are redundant.

502.5. Haste

502.5a Haste is a static ability.

502.5b A creature with haste can attack or use activated abilities whose
cost includes ocT even if it hasn't been controlled by its controller
continuously since the most recent beginning of his or her turn.

502.5c Multiple instances of haste on the same creature are redundant.

502.6. Landwalk

502.6a Landwalk is a generic term; a card's rules text usually names a
specific type of land (such as in "islandwalk" or "swampwalk").

502.6b Landwalk is an evasion ability. A creature with landwalk is
unblockable as long as the defending player controls at least one land of
the specified type.

502.6c Landwalk abilities don't "cancel" one another.
EXAMPLE: Controlling a creature with forestwalk doesn't let a defending
player block a creature with forestwalk if he or she controls a forest.

502.6d Multiple instances of the same type of landwalk on the same creature
are redundant.

502.7. Protection

502.7a Protection is a static ability, written "Protection from [quality]."
This quality is usually a color (as in "protection from black") but can be
any characteristic, such as a permanent type.

502.7b A permanent with protection can't be targeted by spells or abilities
from a source with the stated quality, and can't be enchanted by
enchantments that have the stated quality. Such enchantments enchanting the
permanent with protection will be put into their owners' graveyards as a
state-based effect. In addition, any damage that would be dealt to it from
sources having that quality is prevented. If it attacks, it can't be blocked
by creatures having that quality.

502.7c Multiple instances of protection from the same quality on the same
permanent are redundant.

502.8. Shadow

502.8a Shadow is an evasion ability.

502.8b A creature with shadow can't be blocked by creatures without shadow,
and a creature without shadow can't be blocked by creatures with shadow.

502.8c Multiple instances of shadow on the same creature are redundant.

502.9. Trample

502.9a Trample is a static ability that modifies the rules for assigning an
attacking creature's combat damage. A creature with trample has no special
abilities when blocking or dealing noncombat damage.

502.9b The controller of an attacking creature with trample first assigns
damage to the creature(s) blocking it. If all those blocking creatures are
assigned lethal damage, any remaining damage is assigned as its controller
chooses among the blocking creatures and the defending player. When checking
for assigned lethal damage, take into account damage already on the creature
and damage from other creatures that is to be assigned at the same time (see
rule 502.9f). The controller need not assign lethal damage to all blocking
creatures but can't assign any damage to the defending player in this case.

502.9c If all the creatures blocking an attacking creature with trample are
removed from combat before the combat damage step, all its damage is
assigned to the defending player.

502.9e Assigning damage from a creature with trample considers only the
actual toughness of a blocking creature, not any abilities or effects that
might change the final amount of damage dealt.

502.9f When there are several attacking creatures, it's legal to assign
damage from those without trample so as to maximize the damage of those with
trample.
EXAMPLE: A 2/2 creature with an ability that enables it to block multiple
attackers blocks two attackers, one 1/1 with no special abilities and the
other 3/3 with trample. The active player could assign 1 damage from the
first attacker and 1 damage from the second to the blocking creature and 2
damage to the defending player from the creature with trample.

502.9g Multiple instances of trample on the same creature are redundant.


Glossary

Ability
"Ability" and "effect" are often confused with one another. An instruction
in a permanent's text is an ability. The result of following such an
instruction, or of a spell's instruction, is an effect.
A permanent may have one or more abilities or no abilities at all. For more
information, see section 4, "Spells, Abilities, and Effects."
When an effect states that a permanent "gains" or "has" an ability, it's
granting that permanent an ability. If an effect defines a characteristic of
the permanent ("[permanent] is [characteristic]"), it's not granting an
ability.

Activated Ability
An activated ability is written as "activation cost: effect." By paying the
activation cost, a player may play such abilities whenever he or she has
priority. See rule 403, "Activated Abilities."

Activation Cost
The activation cost of an activated ability is everything before the colon
in "activation cost: effect" and must be paid to play the ability. For
example, the activation cost of an ability that reads "o2, ocT: Gain 1 life"
is two mana of any color plus tapping the permanent. See rule 403,
"Activated Abilities."

Active Player
The active player is the player whose turn it is. The active player gets
priority at the start of each phase or step, except for the begin of untap
and clean-up, and after any spell or ability (except mana abilities)
resolves.
Whenever both players are instructed to make choices at the same time, the
active player makes all his or her choices first, then the nonactive player.

Additional Cost
Some spells have additional costs listed in their text, which are paid at
the same time as the player pays the mana cost. See rule 409, "Playing
Spells and Activated Abilities."

Alternative Cost
The rules text of some spells reads, "You may [action] to play [name]
instead of paying its mana cost." These are alternative costs. Other spells
and abilities that refer to a spell's mana cost don't consider any
alternative cost. If an effect requires paying additional costs to play a
spell, they still apply to the alternative cost.

Ante
Earlier versions of the Magic rules included an ante rule as a way of
playing "for keeps." Playing Magic for ante is now considered an optional
variation on the game. When using this rule, at the beginning of the game
each player puts one random card from his or her deck into his or her ante
zone. At the end of the game, the winner becomes the owner of the cards in
each player's ante zone. See rule 217.10 in Appendix B, "Older Rules."

Artifact
An artifact is both a card and a permanent type. Artifact spells can be
played only during the active player's main phase when the stack is empty.

Artifact Creature
This permanent is a combination of artifact and creature, subject to the
rules for both. (See rule 214, "Permanent Type.") "Artifact" isn't a
creature type. Most artifact creatures have no creature type. Those with a
creature type will say "Artifact Creature - [type]"; for example, "Artifact
Creature - Golem."

"As though"
Text that states a player or card may do something "as though" some
condition were true applies only to the stated action. For purposes of that
action, treat the game exactly as if the stated condition is true. For all
other purposes, treat the game normally.
Example: "Giant Spider may block as though it had flying." You may treat the
Spider as a creature with flying when you declare blockers. This allows
Giant Spider to block creature with flying (or with "[card] can't be blocked
except by creatures with flying"), assuming no other blocking restrictions
apply. For example, Giant Spider can't normally block a creature with both
flying and shadow.
Example: "You may play that card as though it were in your hand." The card
may be played by the usual rules. If it's a spell, it's placed on the stack
as the first step of playing it (see rule 409, "Playing Spells and Activated
Abilities"); if it's a land, it's put directly into play. Because the card
isn't actually in your hand, it can't be discarded, removed from the game to
pay a cost, cycled, or counted when counting the number of cards in your
hand.
Example: "Walls may attack as though they weren't Walls." As long as this
effect is active, Walls are treated exactly like creatures with no creature
type for the purpose of declaring attackers. They're still subject to all
other rules and effects that determine whether an attack is legal.

Attack
A creature attacks when it is declared as an attacker during the combat
phase. (See rule 308, "Declare Attackers Step.") Using a spell or ability
(even during the combat phase) is never considered to be an attack.

Attack Alone
A creature is attacking alone when it's the sole creature declared as an
attacker in a given combat phase.

Attacked
Some triggered abilities trigger when a player is "attacked." At least one
creature must actually be attacking for such abilities to trigger. Also,
"attacked" means "attacked by one or more creatures," so such abilities can
trigger only once each combat.

Attacking Creature
A creature becomes an attacking creature when declared as an attacker during
the combat phase. It remains an attacking creature until it's removed from
combat, it stops being a creature, its controller changes, or the combat
phase ends. Attacking creatures don't exist outside of the combat phase. See
rule 308, "Declare Attackers Step."

Banding, Bands with Other
Banding is a static ability that affects the combat phase. "Bands with
other" is a specialized version of the ability. See rules 502.10 and 502.11
of Appendix B, "Older Rules."

Basic Land
There are five basic land types: plains, island, swamp, mountain, and
forest. Every basic land has an intrinsic mana ability. (See rule 214.9,
"Lands.") Snow-covered lands are still basic lands, for example,
Snow-Covered Plains is considered a plains.

Becomes
Some trigger events use the word "becomes"; for example, "becomes tapped" or
"becomes blocked." These trigger only at the time the named event
happens-they don't trigger if that state already exists or retrigger if it
persists. For example, "becomes tapped" triggers once, and only when a
permanent's status changes from untapped to tapped.

Beginning of Turn
An ability that triggers on "beginning of turn" goes on the stack the first
time a player has priority-normally, the beginning of the upkeep step. See
rule 410, "Handling Triggered Abilities."

Beginning Phase
The beginning phase is the first phase of the turn. It has three steps:
untap, upkeep, and draw. See rule 301, "Beginning Phase."

Block
A creature blocks when it's declared as a blocker during the combat phase.
See rule 309, "Declare Blockers Step."

Block Alone
A creature is blocking alone when it's the sole creature declared as a
blocker in a given combat phase.

Blocked Creature
An attacking creature becomes a blocked creature when another creature
blocks it or an effect causes it to become blocked during the combat phase.
It remains a blocked creature until it's removed from combat, it stops being
a creature, its controller changes, or the combat phase ends. A blocked
creature doesn't become unblocked if the blocking creature is later removed
from combat. Blocked creatures don't exist outside of the combat phase. See
rule 309, "Declare Blockers Step."

Blocking Creature
A creature becomes a blocking creature when it blocks an attacking creature
during the combat phase. It remains a blocking creature until it's removed
from combat, it stops being a creature, its controller changes, or the
combat phase ends. Blocking creatures don't exist outside of the combat
phase. See rule 309, "Declare Blockers Step."

Bury (Obsolete)
Some older cards are printed with the term "bury," which meant to put a
permanent into its owner's graveyard without the opportunity for
regeneration. In general, cards that were printed with the term "bury" now
read "destroy [a permanent]. It can't be regenerated."

Buyback
Buyback is a replacement ability modifying rule 413.2h. When playing an
instant or sorcery spell with buyback, the controller of the spell may pay
an additional cost specified on the card. If he or she does, when the spell
resolves, the card is put into his or her hand instead of into his or her
graveyard. If for some reason the card wouldn't otherwise go to its
controller's graveyard, it doesn't go to his or her hand; it goes to
wherever it's otherwise destined.

Cantrip (Informal)
This is a nickname for any spell that has "Draw a card" as part of its
effect.

Card
This is specifically a Magic card, and is always considered a card
regardless of which zone it's in. Tokens aren't cards. See section 2,
"Cards."

Cast (Obsolete)
Some older cards are printed with the term "cast" to describe the playing of
a spell. In general, cards that were printed with the term "cast" now use
the term "play."

Caster (Obsolete)
Some older cards are printed with the term "caster" to describe the player
who played a spell. In general, cards that were printed with the term
"caster" now refer to the spell's "controller."

Casting Cost (Obsolete)
Some older cards are printed with the term "casting cost" to describe the
mana cost of a spell. In general, cards that were printed with the term
"casting cost" now use the term "mana cost." Cards that used the term "total
casting cost" now use the term "converted mana cost."

Characteristics
A card's characteristics are exclusively: name, mana cost, color, type and
subtype, expansion symbol, abilities, power, and toughness. A card's
characteristics at any given time start with the initial values, then are
adjusted by any counters (on a permanent), then by continuous effects.
Characteristics don't include other information about a card, such as being
tapped or untapped, its controller, its target, what it enchants, and so on.

Cleanup
Cleanup is the second and final step of the end phase. Spells and abilities
may be played during this step only if the conditions for any state-based
effects exist or if any abilities have triggered. In that case, the step
repeats. See rule 314, "Cleanup Step."

Color
The only colors in Magic are white, blue, black, red, and green. A permanent
can be one or more of those colors or it can be colorless. "Colorless" isn't
a color; neither are "artifact," "land," "brown," etc.
A card's initial color is determined by the color(s) of the mana
symbols in its mana cost.
Spells and abilities may change a permanent's color temporarily or
permanently. If an effect gives a permanent a new color, the new color
replaces all previous colors rather than adding to them.

Colorless
A card with no color is colorless. Lands and artifacts are colorless because
they have either no mana cost or no colored mana in their mana costs. They
can be given a color by effects.

Combat Damage
Combat damage is dealt during the combat damage step of the combat phase by
attacking creatures and blocking creatures. It doesn't include damage dealt
by spells and abilities during the combat phase. See rule 310, "Combat
Damage Step."

Combat Phase
Combat is the third phase of the turn. The combat phase has five steps:
beginning of combat, declare attackers, declare blockers, combat damage, and
end of combat. See rules 306-311.

Comes into Play
A permanent comes into play when the card or token representing it is moved
into the in-play zone. A permanent whose type or controller changes doesn't
"come into play."
Permanents come into play untapped and under the control of whoever put them
into play.
Instructions that alter permanents coming into play do so as they come into
play. For example, if an instruction causes something to come into play
tapped, it isn't put into play untapped and then tapped. The
controller-to-be of that permanent makes any choices required by the
instruction.
When a permanent comes into play, first apply any "as [card] comes into
play" text, then apply any "[card] comes into play with" text, then apply
continuous effects, then check to determine if the current form of the
permanent generates any triggered abilities.

Continuous Ability (Obsolete)
In earlier versions of the rules, static abilities were known as "continuous
abilities."

Continuous Effect
Continuous effects are usually active as long as the permanent with the
associated static ability remains in play. A spell or ability can also
create a continuous effect that doesn't depend on a permanent; these last
for the specified time. See rule 418, "Continuous Effects."

Continuous Artifact (Obsolete)
Earlier versions of the rules provided support for a "continuous artifact"
card type. All continuous artifact cards are now artifact cards. Artifacts
printed with the continuous artifact card type generally have no activated
abilities.

Control/Controller
Every permanent, spell, and ability has a controller.
    When a permanent comes into play, its controller is whoever put it into
play unless the spell or ability that generated the permanent states
otherwise. Other effects can later change the controller.
    Cards in zones other than in play or the stack have no controller. A
spell or ability on the stack is controlled by whoever played it. A
triggered ability is controlled by the controller of the permanent that
generated it unless the ability states that a player "may" do something, in
which case the ability is controlled by the player given the option.

Converted Mana Cost
The converted mana cost of a card is the total amount of mana in its mana
cost, regardless of color. For example, Air Elemental has a mana cost of
o3oUoU and a converted mana cost of 5. The old term for converted mana cost
was "total casting cost." See rule 203, "Mana Cost."

Copy Card
A "copy card" is a card that creates or becomes a "copy" of another spell,
permanent, or card. See rule 601 of Appendix B, "Older Rules."

Cost
Playing spells and activated abilities requires paying a cost. Most costs
are in mana, but they may also include paying life, tapping or sacrificing
permanents, or discarding cards, and so on.
    It's illegal to pay a cost without having the necessary resources. For
example, a player with only 1 life can't pay a cost of 2 life, and a
permanent that's already tapped can't be tapped to pay a cost. See rule 203,
"Mana Cost," and rule 403, "Activated Abilities."

Could
"Could" in Magic language doesn't provide for endless possibilities. Only
two templates use "could": "any time you could play" and "mana [permanent]
could produce."
    "Any time you could play 'foo'" means "if the rules of the game allow
you to play a 'foo' at this time, regardless of whether you actually have a
'foo' to play."
    "Mana [permanent] could produce" means "type of mana any ability of
[permanent] can generate, taking into account any applicable replacement
effects." The game state (the ability to play the ability, number of
counters on the permanent, etc.) doesn't matter. Some cards refer to a type
of mana that other cards "could produce." To determine the type of mana, use
any phrase on that card containing the words "add mana to your mana pool,"
as modified by replacement effects, regardless of whether the ability can
currently be played and whether it will currently produce any mana. If the
type of mana is undefined, no type of mana is generated.

Counter
1. To counter a spell or ability is to cancel it, removing it from the stack
zone. A countered spell is put into its owner's graveyard.

2. A counter is a marker placed on a permanent, either modifying its
characteristics or interacting with an ability. For example, some creatures
come into play with a number of +1/+1 counters, increasing their power and
toughness. Counters with the same name or description are interchangeable.
Counters may also be given to players. See "Poison Counters" in this
Glossary.

Counts As
If a card's text states that it "counts as" something, then as far as the
game rules and other cards are concerned the card is that thing. This isn't
an ability; it applies even when the card's not in play. For example, a card
that "counts as a forest" can be retrieved with a spell that searches the
library for a forest card, and once in play it may be tapped for green mana
and allows forestwalk.

Creature
A creature is both a card type and permanent type. The active player can
play creature spells only during his or her main phase when the stack is
empty. See rule 214.7, "Creatures."

Cumulative Upkeep
Cumulative upkeep is an upkeep-triggered ability. "Cumulative upkeep -
[cost]" means "At the beginning of your upkeep, put a cumulative upkeep
counter on this card. You may pay [cost] for each cumulative upkeep counter
on the card. If you don't, sacrifice it." Note that if a card has more than
one cumulative upkeep cost, each creates a separate triggered ability at the
beginning of upkeep that counts all the cumulative upkeep counters on the
card from both abilities. See rule 410, "Handling Triggered Abilities."

Cycling
Cycling is an activated ability. "Cycling [cost]" means "Pay [cost], discard
this card: Draw a card. Play this ability only when this card is in your
hand."

Damage
Many spells and abilities deal damage to creatures and/or players. Creatures
may also deal combat damage during the combat phase.
    Damage dealt to a player is subtracted from his or her life total.
Damage dealt to a creature stays on the permanent, even if it stops being a
creature. A creature with damage greater than or equal to its toughness has
lethal damage and is destroyed. (See rule 420, "State-Based Effects.") A
noncreature permanent isn't affected by damage (but if it becomes a creature
again before the damage is removed, the creature may be destroyed). During
the cleanup step, all damage is removed from permanents.
    Costs and effects that read "lose life" or "pay life" aren't damage and
can't be prevented or otherwise altered by damage-prevention effects.

Damage-Prevention Ability
A damage-prevention ability is a static or activated ability that generates
a damage-prevention effect.

Deck
The deck is the collection of cards each player starts the game with. When
the game begins, each player's deck becomes his or her library.

Defending Player
During the combat phase, the active player's opponent is the defending
player. (In a multiplayer game, there may be one defending player at a time
or there may be more than one, depending on which variant is being played.)
Creatures can attack only the defending player; they can't attack other
players or creatures. During phases other than combat, there is no defending
player.

Delayed Ability
A delayed ability is an activated or triggered ability created by effects
generated when some spells or abilities resolve. See rule 406.2, "Delayed
Abilities."

Destroy
To destroy a permanent is to move it from the in-play zone to its owner's
graveyard. Regeneration or other destruction-replacement effects can replace
this action. See rule 419, "Replacement and Prevention Effects."

Discard
A player discards a card by putting the card from his or her hand into his
or her graveyard. By default, spells and abilities that cause a player to
discard a card allow the affected player to choose which card to discard.
Some spells and abilities, however, allow another player to make the choice
for a random discard.

Draw
1. A player draws a card by putting the top card of his or her library into
his or her hand. A spell or ability may move cards from a player's library
to the hand without "drawing" them; this makes a difference for abilities
that trigger on drawing cards or that replace card draws.

2. A game ends in a draw if both players lose or win simultaneously.

Draw Step
The draw step is the third step of the beginning phase, with a triggered
ability that requires the active player to draw a card at the beginning of
the step. A player may play spells and abilities during this step
whenever he or she has priority. See rule 304, "Draw Step."

Dual Land (Informal)
Ten "dual land" cards were printed in early Magic editions; each of these
has two basic land types in addition to its inherent land type. For example,
Taiga has a land type of Taiga, forest, and mountain. Dual land cards have
the default abilities of both basic land types and are treated as both by
all spells and abilities that specifically refer to those types. However,
they are not basic lands. A dual land card doesn't count as two lands while
in play-it's just one land with multiple abilities. Changing one of the land
type words on a dual land also changes which mana ability it has. Thus, if
you play a spell or ability that edits Taiga to read, "a forest and a plains
in addition to its land type," it can then be tapped for green or white
mana.

Duel (Obsolete)
In earlier versions of the rules, a game of Magic was known as a "duel." See
also Match.

During (Obsolete)
Earlier versions of the rules provided support for "phase abilities," which
were written "During [phase], . . ." In general, cards that were printed
with phase abilities now have abilities that trigger at the beginning of a
step or phase. "During" appears in current card text, but only in its normal
English sense and not as game terminology.

Echo
Echo is a upkeep-triggered ability. "Echo" in a permanent's rules text means
"At the beginning of your upkeep, if this card came under your control since
the beginning of your last upkeep, you may pay its mana cost. If you don't,
sacrifice it."

Effect
"Ability" and "effect" are often confused with one another. An instruction
in a permanent's text is an ability. The result of carrying out such an
instruction, or that of a spell, is an effect. See rule 416, "Effects."
    When a spell or ability resolves, it creates an effect. There are three
basic types: one-shot, continuous, and replacement or prevention effects.
    Some effects may in turn create delayed abilities to be played later.

Enchant World
A card printed with the type "Enchant World" is a global enchantment. If two
or more enchant worlds are in play, all are put into their owners'
graveyards except for the one that has been an enchant world for the
shortest amount of time. This is a state-based effect; see rule 420.

Enchantment
An enchantment is both a card and a permanent type. The active player can
play enchantment spells only during his or her main phase when the stack is
empty. See rule 214.8, "Enchantments." See also Global Enchantment, Local
Enchantment.

End of Turn
This is the first step of the end phase. See rule 313, "End of Turn Step."

End Phase
The end phase is the fifth and final phase of the turn. It has two steps:
end of turn and cleanup. See rule 312, "End Phase."

Evasion Ability
Evasion abilities restrict what creatures can block an attacking creature.
These are static abilities that modify the declare blockers step of the
combat phase. See rule 501, "Evasion Abilities."

Event
Anything that happens in a game is an event. Multiple events may take place
during the resolution of a spell or ability. The text of triggered abilities
and replacement effects defines the event they're looking for; one
"happening" may be treated as a single event by one ability and as multiple
events by another. For example, if an attacking creature is blocked by two
defending creatures, this is one event for a triggered ability that reads
"Whenever [name] becomes blocked" but two events for a triggered ability
that reads "Whenever [name] becomes blocked by a creature."

Exchange
A spell or ability may instruct players to exchange something as part of its
resolution; for example, life totals or control of two permanents. When such
a spell or ability resolves, if it can't exchange the chosen things, it has
no effect on them. For example, if a spell attempts to exchange control of
two target creatures but one of them is destroyed before it resolves, the
spell does nothing to the other creature.
    When life totals are exchanged, each player gains or loses the amount of
life necessary to equal the other player's previous life total. Replacement
effects may modify these gains and losses, and triggered abilities may
trigger on them.

Expansion Symbol
The small icon printed below the right edge of the illustration on a Magic
card is the expansion symbol, indicating in which set the card was
published. Cards reprinted in the basic set receive its expansion symbol and
no longer count as part of their original set. This is important only to
spells and abilities that affect cards from a particular expansion. The
first five editions of the basic set had no expansion symbol.
The expansion symbols to date are:

    Expansions and Editions

    Arabian Nights(r) [symbol]

    Antiquities(r) [symbol]

    Legends(r) [symbol]

    The Dark(r) [symbol]

    Fallen Empires(tm) [symbol]

    Ice Age(tm) [symbol]

    Homelands(tm) [symbol]

    Alliances(tm) [symbol]

    Mercadian Masques(tm) [symbol]

    Mirage(tm) [symbol]

    Visions(tm) [symbol]

    Weatherlight(tm) [symbol]

    Tempest(tm) [symbol]

    Stronghold(tm) [symbol]

    Exodus(tm) [symbol]

    Urza's Destiny(tm) [symbol]

    Urza's Saga(tm) [symbol]

    Urza's Legacy(tm) [symbol]

     Classic(tm) (Sixth Edition) [symbol]


   Starter-Level Sets

   Portal(tm) [symbol]

   Portal Second Age(tm) [symbol]

   Portal Three Kingdoms(tm) [symbol]

   Starter [symbol]


    Promotional Cards

    DragonCon [symbol]

   Magic novels [symbol]

    Arena(tm) league cards [symbol]

    Reprints
    Cards reprinted in Chronicles(tm), Anthologies, Battle Royale, and other
reprint sets have the same expansion symbol as the original cards. These
cards are treated as belonging to the original set.

    Social-Play Sets

    Unglued(tm) [symbol]

Fading
Fading is a keyword ability that causes permanents to stay in play for a
limited time. Cards with fading come into play with a specified number of
fade counters on them, as if the card read, "[This card] comes into play
with [a number of] fade counters on it." They also have a triggered ability
that reads "At the beginning of your upkeep, remove a fade counter from
CARDNAME. If you can't, sacrifice CARDNAME."

Fast Effect (Obsolete)
In earlier versions of the rules, instants and activated abilities were also
known as "fast effects."

First Strike
First strike is a static ability that modifies the rules for the combat
phase. Creatures with first strike assign and deal their damage first, then
surviving creatures without first strike assign and deal their damage in a
separate step. See rule 502.2, "First Strike."

Fizzle (Obsolete)
In earlier versions of the rules, the term "fizzle" was used when spells or
abilities were countered as a result of missing or illegal targets on
resolution.

Flanking
Flanking is a triggered ability that triggers during the declare blockers
step of the combat phase. The word "flanking" in a creature card's rules
text means "Whenever this creature becomes blocked by a creature without
flanking, the blocking creature gets -1/-1 until end of turn." See rule
502.3, "Flanking."

Flavor Text
This is text in italics appearing below the rules text on a card. It
provides a mood or gives interesting background detail for the game world
but has no effect on play.

Flying
Flying is an evasion ability. A creature with flying can't be blocked by
creatures without flying. A creature with flying can block a creature with
or without flying. See rule 502.4, "Flying."

Forestwalk
See Landwalk.

Generic Mana Cost
A generic mana cost is represented by a number in a gray circle, such as o1.
Any color of mana, as well as colorless, may be used to pay a generic mana
cost.

Global Enchantment
Global enchantments are a category of enchantments. They are labeled
"Enchantment" and aren't attached to another permanent while they're in
play.

Graveyard
Each player's discard pile is his or her graveyard. Countered spells,
destroyed or sacrificed permanents, and discarded cards are put into their
owner's graveyard. See rule 217, "Zones."

Hand
The hand is the zone where a player holds cards that haven't been played
yet. See rule 217, "Zones."

Haste
Normally a creature can't attack or use activated abilities whose cost
includes ocT unless it's been controlled by the player continuously since
the most recent beginning of that controller's turn. Haste is a static
ability that allows a creature to ignore this rule. See rule 502.5, "Haste."

Hidden Information (Obsolete)
In earlier versions of the rules, choices involved in playing spells and
abilities were made during announcement, except sacrifices and certain
categories of choices involving "hidden information" defined by complex
rules. Under current Magic rules, a clearly defined set of choices are made
during the announcement of a spell or ability, and all other choices are
made when the spell or ability resolves. See rule 409, "Playing Spells and
Activated Abilities."

If
A triggered ability may read "When(ever)/At . . . , if . . . , [action]."
The ability checks for the stated condition to be true when the trigger
event occurs. If it is, the ability triggers and goes on the stack. On
resolution, the ability rechecks the condition. If the condition isn't true
at either of those times, the ability does nothing. This rule is referred to
as the "intervening 'if' clause" rule. Note that the word "if" has only its
normal English meaning anywhere else in the text of a card; this rule only
applies to an "if" that immediately follows the trigger condition.

In Play
In play is the zone in which permanents exist. When an artifact, creature,
or enchantment spell resolves, the card is put into the in-play zone as a
permanent. Tokens and lands also exist in this zone. See rule 217, "Zones."

Infinity Rule
There's no such thing as "infinity" in Magic rules. Occasionally the game
can get into a state where a set of actions could be repeated forever. The
"infinity rule" governs how to break such loops. See rule 421, "Handling
'Infinite' Loops."

Initial Value
The initial values of a card's characteristics are printed on the card or in
the rules text of the spell or ability that creates a token.
    Effects that change a card's type change the initial values for one or
more of its characteristics, not the current values. They don't override
continuous effects that are changing those characteristics. See rule 214.5.

Instant
An instant is a card type. A player may play instant spells whenever he or
she has priority. Instant spells are put into their owner's graveyard as the
last step of resolution. See rule 409, "Playing Spells and Activated
Abilities."

Interrupt (Obsolete)
Earlier versions of the rules provided support for the "interrupt" spell
type. All interrupt cards are now instant cards.

Islandwalk
See Landwalk.

Kicker
Kicker is a keyword ability with a cost and an effect. Paying a spell's
kicker cost causes it to have an additional or alternative effect than if
its kicker cost wasn't paid.
    A kicker cost is an additional cost to play a spell. You declare whether
you intend to pay a spell's kicker cost at the same time you would choose
the spell's mode (see 409.1b), and you actually pay the cost when you pay
the rest of the spell's costs (see 409.1f). Paying a kicker cost is always
optional.
    A spell's controller chooses targets (see 409.1c) for a kicker effect
only if he or she declared the intention to pay the kicker cost for that
effect. If the spell's controller declared that he or she wouldn't pay a
particular kicker cost, he or she doesn't choose the targets for the effect
associated with that kicker cost.

Lair
"Lair" is a land type. Having the type Lair does not make a land a basic
land.

Land
Land is both a card and permanent type. Lands aren't spells and don't go on
the stack; they are simply put in play from the hand. The active player may
play a land once each turn during his or her main phase when he or she has
priority and the stack is empty. See rule 214.9, "Lands."

Land Type
A land's type is its card title. For example, a Forest is type "forest" and
an Adarkar Wastes is type "Adarkar Wastes." Note that "basic" and "nonbasic"
aren't land types.

Landhome (Obsolete)
Earlier versions of the rules provided support for a class of abilities
called "landhome." The term itself is generic; a card's rules text usually
names a specific type of land, such as in "islandhome." This means, "This
creature can't attack unless defending player controls an island. When you
control no islands, sacrifice this creature." Cards that previously had
landhome now simply have the two parts of landhome written out without using
the keyword.

Landwalk
"Landwalk" is a generic term; a card's rules text usually names a specific
type of land, such as "islandwalk."
    Landwalk is an evasion ability. A creature with landwalk is unblockable
as long as the defending player controls at least one land of the specified
type. See rule 502.6, "Landwalk."

Leaves Play
A permanent leaves play when it moves from the in-play zone to any other
zone. See rule 410.10c.
    If a token leaves play, it ceases to exist. This is a state-based
effect.
    If a card leaves play and later returns, it's treated as an entirely new
permanent with no "memory" of anything from its former existence. (Phasing
is an exception to this; see Appendix B, "Older Rules.")

Legend/Legendary
Legend is a special creature type. Legendary is a supertype that may apply
to any type; for example, "Legendary Land," "Legendary Artifact," etc.
Whenever two or more Legends or legendary permanents with the same name are
in play, all but the first played are put into their owners' graveyards.
This "Legend rule" is a state-based effect.
A Legend that stops being a creature is still legendary, and a legendary
permanent that becomes a creature gets the creature type Legend in addition
to any other creature type it may have.
A Legend that changes creature type to a creature type other than Legend is
no longer a Legend and is no longer subject to the Legend rule. A creature
that changes creature type to Legend is now a Legend, and is subject to the
Legend rule.

Lethal Damage
Lethal damage is an amount of damage greater than 0 and greater than or
equal to a creature's toughness. A creature with lethal damage is destroyed.
This is a state-based effect.

Library
The library is the zone from which a player draws cards. When a game begins,
each player's deck becomes his or her library. See rule 217.2, "Library."

Life/Life Total
Life total is a sort of score. Each player starts the game with 20 life, and
a player whose life total drops to 0 or less loses. This is a state-based
effect.

LIFO
An acronym for "Last In, First Out," LIFO is the order in which spells and
abilities resolve after going on the stack. The last played is resolved
first. See rule 413, "Resolving Spells and Abilities."

Local Enchantment
Local enchantments are a category of enchantments. They are labeled "Enchant
[type]" and are attached to another permanent while in play. See rule 214.8,
"Enchantments."

Main Phase
The term "main phase" comprises the first main and second main phases, also
called the "precombat" and "postcombat" main phases. Artifact, creature,
enchantment, and sorcery spells may be played only by the active player
during his or her main phase, and only when the stack is empty. A player may
also play one land each turn during his or her main phase.

Mana
Mana is the energy used to play spells and usually is produced by lands.
Mana is created by a spell or mana ability and can be used to
pay costs immediately or can go into the player's mana pool.
    Colored mana costs, represented by colored mana symbols, can be paid
only with the appropriate color of mana. Generic mana costs can be paid with
any color of, or with colorless, mana.
    Specialized types of mana can exist. For example, an ability might
produce mana that can be used only to play creature spells, or to pay
activation costs.

Mana Ability
This is an ability category and is either activated or triggered. A mana
ability doesn't go on the stack-it resolves immediately.
    A player may play a mana ability whenever he or she has priority and
whenever a rule or effect asks for a mana payment. This is the only type of
ability that can be played in the middle of playing or resolving a spell or
ability. See rule 406.1, "Mana Abilities."

Mana Burn
When a phase ends, any unused mana remaining in a player's mana pool is
lost. The player loses 1 life for each one mana lost this way. This is
called "mana burn."

Mana Cost
The mana cost of a nonland card is indicated by the mana symbols printed on
its upper right corner. The mana cost of a land card or a token is 0. See
rule 203, "Mana Cost."

Mana Pool
When a spell or ability creates mana that's not used immediately to pay a
cost, the mana is stored in the mana pool, an imaginary area. From there, it
can be used to pay for spells and abilities. The mana pool is cleared at the
end of each phase. See also Mana Burn.

Mana Source (Obsolete)
Earlier versions of the rules provided support for the "mana source" spell
type. All mana source cards are now instant cards. Abilities that read,
"Play this ability as a mana source" are now mana abilities.

Mana Symbol
The mana symbols are oW, oU, oB, oR, oG, o0, numerals, and oX.
    Each of the colored mana symbols represents one colored mana: oW white,
oU blue, oB black, oR red, and oG green.
    Numeral symbols (such aso1) are generic mana costs and represent an
amount of mana that can be paid with any color of, or colorless, mana.
    The symbol oX represents an unspecified amount of mana; when playing a
spell or activated ability with oX in its cost, its controller decides the
value of X.
    The symbol o0 represents zero mana and is used as a placeholder when a
spell or activated ability costs nothing to play. A spell or ability whose
cost is o0 must still be played the same way as one with a cost greater than
zero; it won't "play itself automatically."

Match
A match is a series of Magic games and is important only for tournament or
league play. A match usually consists of the best two of three games, or
sometimes the best three of five. For more information, consult the DCI
Magic Floor Rules.

Maximum Hand Size
Each player's maximum hand size is normally seven cards, though effects may
modify this. As the first part of the active player's cleanup step, if he or
she has too many cards in his or her hand, that player chooses and discards
as many cards as needed to reduce his or her hand to its maximum size (but
no more than that). See rule 314, "Cleanup Step."

Modal/Mode
A spell is modal if it offers a choice of effects. Its controller must
choose the mode as part of playing the spell. On current cards, modal spells
are always written "Choose one - ." or "[player X] chooses one- ," where
"player X" is a specific player, usually an opponent.

Mono Artifact (Obsolete)
Earlier versions of the rules provided support for the "mono artifact" card
type. All mono artifact cards are now artifact cards. Artifacts printed with
the mono artifact card type generally have an activation cost of "T:" if
there is none printed. If there is an activation cost, "T" must be added to
the printed cost.

Mountainwalk
See Landwalk.

Move
A spell or ability may instruct a player to "move" a local enchantment or a
counter from one permanent to another. If the enchantment or counter no
longer exists or the new permanent is no longer in play when the spell or
ability resolves, nothing happens. Similarly, an enchantment can't be moved
onto a permanent it couldn't enchant; if this kind of move is attempted, the
new permanent stays where it was.
    A moved enchantment stops enchanting the previous permanent and starts
enchanting the new one, and it receives a new timestamp. Nothing else about
the enchantment changes. The enchantment never left play, so no
comes-into-play or leaves-play triggered abilities will trigger. If an
ability of the moved enchantment affecting "enchanted [permanent]" was on
the stack when the enchantment moved, it will affect the new enchanted
permanent when it resolves, not the old one.

Mulligan
A player can "mulligan" by shuffling his or her hand back into his or her
library and drawing a new hand with one fewer card before taking the first
turn. Any player dissatisfied with his or her starting hand may mulligan as
often as he or she wishes, drawing one fewer card each time. See rule 101.5.

Multicolored
A multicolored card has two or more colors. Multicolored cards are printed
with gold frames to reinforce this.
    A multicolored permanent is affected by anything that singles out any of
its colors. For example, a black-and-green creature is destroyed by a spell
that reads, "Destroy all green creatures." Something that can't affect a
particular color won't affect a multicolored permanent with that color, so
the above creature can't be targeted by a spell or ability that reads,
"Destroy target nonblack creature."

Name
The name of a card is printed on its upper-left corner. See rule 202,
"Name."

Nonbasic Land
Any land other than a basic land (plains, island, swamp, mountain, forest)
is nonbasic. A nonbasic land that "counts as" a basic land has that land's
mana ability and is subject to any spells or abilities that act on that land
type, but it isn't a basic land.

Number
Magic uses only natural numbers. You may not choose a fractional number,
deal fractional damage, and so on. When a spell or ability could generate a
fractional number, the spell or ability will tell you whether to round up or
down.
    If a creature's power or toughness, a mana cost, a player's life total,
an amount of damage, or an amount of life loss would be less than zero, it's
treated as zero for all purposes except adding to or subtracting from it.
EXAMPLE: A 0/2 creature gets -1/-1 until end of turn. It is now a -1/1
creature, which acts exactly like a 0/1 creature except for things that
would change its power further. If it is later given +2/+0, then it becomes
a 1/1 creature, not a 2/1 creature.

Obsolete
Terms marked "(Obsolete)" in this glossary were used on older cards or older
editions of the rules. Updated wordings for all cards using these terms are
available in the Oracle(tm) card reference.

One-Shot Effect
One-shot effects are effects that do something only once and then end. See
also Continuous Effects.

Opponent
The word "opponent" in a spell or ability's rules text always refers to the
opponent of the player controlling the spell or ability.
    In a team game, only members of the opposing team are opponents;
teammates aren't opponents. In a free-for-all, all other players are a
player's opponents.

Owner
The owner of a card is the player who started the game with that card in his
or her deck. (Legal ownership is irrelevant to the game rules.) The owner of
a token is the controller of the spell or ability that created it.
    A spell or ability can change a permanent's controller but never its
owner.
    A card is always put into its owner's library, hand, or graveyard,
regardless of who currently controls the card.

Pass
To pass is to decline to play a spell or ability. When a player passes, his
or her opponent receives priority. If both players pass in succession, the
last-played spell or ability on the stack resolves. If the stack is empty,
the phase or step ends.

Pay
Playing most spells and activated abilities requires paying costs.
    Paying mana is done by either playing a mana ability or removing the
indicated amount of mana from the player's mana pool. Any time a player is
asked to pay mana, mana abilities may be played. Paying life subtracts the
indicated amount of life from the player's life total. A player can't pay a
nonzero mana or life cost greater than he or she currently has. Costs of
zero can always be paid.
    To pay any other cost, the player carries out the instructions specified
in the card's rules text. It's illegal to attempt paying a cost when unable
to successfully follow the instructions. For example, a player can't pay a
cost that requires tapping a creature if that creature is already tapped.
    Each payment applies to only one spell or ability. For example, a player
can't sacrifice just one creature to play activated abilities of two
permanents that require sacrificing a creature as a cost. Also, the
resolution of a spell or ability doesn't pay another spell or ability's
cost, even if part of its effect is doing the same thing as the other cost
asks for.

Permanent
A permanent is any card or token in the in-play zone. See rule 214,
"Permanent Type."

Permanently (Obsolete)
Certain older cards are printed with the term "permanently" to indicate
effects with no expiration. In general, cards that were printed with the
term "permanently" now instead use reminder text to indicate that the effect
lasts past the end of the turn.
EXAMPLE: A spell card that originally had the text "Gain control of target
creature permanently" would now have the following text: "Gain control of
target creature. #(This effect doesn't end at end of turn.)#" This effect
grants control of the permanent until something else changes the controller
or it leaves play. It doesn't make the permanent immune to other control
effects.

Phase
Each turn is divided into five phases: beginning, first main, combat, second
main, and end. See section 3, "Turn Structure."

Phase Ability (Obsolete)
Earlier versions of the rules provided support for "phase abilities," which
were written "During [phase], . . . ." In general, cards that were printed
with phase abilities now have abilities that trigger at the beginning of a
step or phase.

Phased-Out
The "phased-out" zone is a special zone for permanents with phasing that are
temporarily out of play. See rule 217.9 of Appendix B, "Older Rules."

Phasing (Obsolete)
Phasing is a static ability that causes a permanent to leave play and later
return, without losing its "memory." See Appendix B, "Older Rules."

Plainswalk
See Landwalk.

Play
The act of playing a spell, land, or ability involves announcing the action
and taking the necessary steps to complete it.
    Playing a spell or activated ability requires paying any costs and
choosing any required modes and/or targets. The spell or ability then goes
on the stack. See rule 409, "Playing Spells and Activated Abilities."
    Playing a land simply requires choosing a land card from the hand and
putting it into play.
    Playing a mana ability requires paying any costs, then immediately
resolving the ability. See rule 411, "Playing Mana Abilities."
    Triggered abilities and static abilities aren't played-they happen
automatically.

Play/Draw
At the start of a game, one player gets to choose the order of play. Whoever
plays first skips his or her first draw step. This is referred to as the
"play/draw" choice. See rule 101, "Starting the Game."

Poly Artifact (Obsolete)
Earlier versions of the rules provided support for the "poly artifact" card
type. All poly artifact cards are now artifact cards. Artifacts printed with
the poly artifact card type generally have an activated ability with no "T"
in the activation cost.

Postcombat
The second main phase in each turn is called the "postcombat" main phase. If
an effect causes a turn to have an extra combat phase and another main
phase, the additional one is also a postcombat main phase.

Power
The number before the slash printed on the lower-right corner of a creature
card is the creature's power. A creature's current power is the initial
value (the printed number), modified by any counters that adjust power and
then by any continuous effects.
    Creatures that attack or block assign combat damage equal to their
power. (See rule 310, "Combat Damage Step.")
    A few creature cards have power represented by * instead of a number.
This signifies that the creature has a static ability setting its power
according to some stated condition. If a spell or ability attempts to read
the power when the creature card isn't in play, the * is equal to 0.

Precombat
The first main phase in each turn is called the "precombat" main phase.

Prevention
Effects that prevent something from happening replace it with "do nothing."
(See rule 419, "Replacement and Prevention Effects.") These effects must be
active before the event they're intended to prevent.
    Effects that prevent a specific amount of damage act as "shields" and
stay active until that amount of damage has been prevented or the turn ends.
The damage doesn't have to be dealt by a single source or all at once.
    Effects that prevent all damage from a specific source apply to the next
damage dealt by that source, regardless of the amount. These effects expire
when the turn ends.

Priority
The player who has the option to play a spell or ability at any given time
has priority.
    Each time a spell or ability (other than a mana ability) resolves, and
at the beginning of most phases or steps, the active player receives
priority. After a player plays a spell, ability, or land, he or she again
receives priority. When a player passes, his or her opponent receives
priority. (If both players pass in succession the top spell or ability on
the stack resolves, or if the stack is empty the phase or step ends.)
    Each time a player receives priority, all applicable state-based effects
resolve (see rule 420, "State-Based Effects") and then triggered abilities
are added to the stack (see rule 410, "Handling Triggered Abilities"); these
steps repeat until no further state-based effects or triggered abilities are
generated. Then the player may play a spell, ability, or land as governed by
the rules for that phase.

Protection
Protection is a static ability. A permanent with protection from [quality]
can't be targeted by [quality] spells or abilities, or enchanted by
[quality] enchantments. Such enchantments enchanting the permanent with
protection will be put into their owners' graveyards as a state-based
effect. If it attacks, it can't be blocked by [quality] creatures. In
addition, all damage dealt to it from [quality] sources is prevented. See
rule 502.7, "Protection."

Pseudospell
A pseudospell is an activated or triggered ability that goes on the stack
like a spell.

Rampage
Rampage is a triggered ability. "Rampage X" means "When this creature
becomes blocked by two or more creatures, it gets +X/+X until end of turn
for each creature blocking it beyond the first."

Redirect (Obsolete)
Some older cards are printed with the term "redirect" to describe the act of
dealing damage to a different player or creature than originally specified
by a spell, ability, or combat damage assignment without changing the source
or type of damage. In general, cards that were printed with the term
"redirect" now have abilities that generate replacement effects that modify
where the damage will be dealt. "Redirect" is still used informally to
describe what these replacement effects do.

Regenerate
Regeneration is a destruction-replacement effect. "Regenerate [permanent]"
means "The next time [permanent] would be destroyed this turn, instead
remove all damage from it, tap it, and (if it's in combat) remove it from
combat." Because it's a replacement effect, it must be active before the
attempted destruction event. Note that if destruction is caused by lethal
damage, any abilities that trigger from that damage being dealt still
trigger even if the permanent regenerates.

Reminder Text
Reminder text appears after a keyword ability printed on a card and is
italicized and in parentheses. This text provides a summary of the game rule
but isn't itself considered rules text.

Removed from Combat
An attacking or blocking creature that is removed from combat stops being an
attacking or blocking creature and can no longer assign combat damage or
have combat damage assigned to it. Any combat damage that's already on the
stack assigned to or by the creature will still resolve normally.

Removed from the Game
A card removed from the game is out of play and can't be affected by spells
or abilities. However, the spell or ability that removed it may specify a
way for it to return. Some cards use the expression "set aside" for
situations in which a card removed from the game can return to play. See
rule 217.7, "Removed from the Game."

Replacement Ability
A replacement ability is a static ability that generates a replacement
effect.

Replacement Effect
A replacement effect is a type of continuous effect that "watches" for a
specified event and replaces it with a different one. See rule 419,
"Replacement and Prevention Effects."

Resolve
When the spell or ability on top of the stack resolves, its controller
carries out the instructions printed on the card, in the order written. See
rule 413, "Resolving Spells and Abilities."

Respond/Response (Informal)
A player can choose to play an instant spell or activated ability when
something else is already on the stack, rather than waiting for the earlier
spell or ability to resolve first. The spell or ability is said to be played
"in response to" the earlier spell or ability.

Reveal
To reveal a card is to show that card to all players. This is a one-shot
effect; after all players have seen the card, it's returned to its former
state.

Saboteur (Informal)
This is a nickname for any creature with abilities that trigger when it's
unblocked or that can be played only when it's unblocked.

Sacrifice
To sacrifice a permanent, its controller moves it from the in-play zone
directly to its owner's graveyard. If an effect instructs a player to
sacrifice a permanent that he or she doesn't control, nothing happens.

Search
If you're required to "search" a zone for cards matching some criteria, you
aren't required to find those cards even if they're present. Even if you
don't find any cards, you are still considered to have searched the zone. If
you're simply searching for "any card," however, you must find a card (if
possible). If you're required to search for a specific number of cards, you
must choose that many cards (or as many as possible.) For example, if an
effect causes you to search a player's hand, graveyard, and library for all
duplicates of a particular card and remove them from the game, you may
choose to leave some of them alone, but if an effect causes you to search
your library for three cards and it contains at least three, you can't
choose less than three.

Separating cards into piles
If a player is asked to separate a group of cards into two or more piles,
the cards do not leave the zone they're currently in. If cards in a
graveyard are split into piles, the order of the graveyard must be
maintained as much as possible.

Set Aside
To set aside a card is to remove it from the game; however, the effect will
specify some condition that allows the set-aside card to return to the game.
See also Removed from the Game.

Shadow
Shadow is an evasion ability. Attacking creatures with shadow can't be
blocked by creatures without shadow, and attacking creatures without shadow
can't be blocked by creatures with shadow. See rule 502.8, "Shadow."

Skip
To skip a step, phase, or turn is to proceed past it as though it didn't
exist. Skipping is a prevention or replacement effect. "Skip [something]" is
the same as "Prevent [something]" or "Instead of doing [something], do
nothing."
    Once a step, phase, or turn has started, it can no longer be skipped-any
skip effects will wait until the next occurrence.
    Anything scheduled for a skipped step, phase, or turn won't happen.
Anything scheduled for the "next" occurrence of something waits for the
first occurrence that isn't skipped. If two effects each cause a player to
skip his or her next occurrence, that player must skip the next two; one
effect will be satisfied in skipping the first occurrence, while the other
will remain until another occurrence can be skipped

Snow-Covered
"Snow-covered" is an ability that doesn't do anything in its own right; it's
simply a keyword that other cards look for. When a card refers to a
"snow-covered land," it means a land with the snow-covered ability. When a
card refers to a "snow-covered forest," it means a forest with the
snow-covered ability, and so on. See rule 605 of Appendix B, "Older Rules."

Snow-Covered Landwalk
"Snow-covered landwalk" is a special form of landwalk. A creature with
snow-covered landwalk is unblockable as long as the defending player
controls at least one land of the specified type that has snow-covered. See
rule 502.13 of Appendix B, "Older Rules."

Sorcery
"Sorcery" is a card type. Sorcery spells can be played only during their
controller's main phase when the stack is empty. See rule 408, "Timing of
Spells and Abilities."

Source
The source of an ability or of damage is the card or token that generated
it. If an effect requires a player to choose a source, he or she may choose
either a permanent or a spell on the stack (including one that creates a
permanent) or any card or permanent referred to by a spell or pseudospell on
the stack. The effect will apply to the next damage dealt by that spell or
by that permanent (in combat or by one of its abilities). A source doesn't
need to be capable of dealing damage to be a legal choice.

Spell
A nonland card becomes a spell when played and remains a spell until it is
countered or resolves. Nonland cards can also be referred to as "spell
cards." See rule 213, "Spell Type."

Split Cards
Split cards have two card faces on a single card. The back of a split card
is the normal, full-size Magic: the Gathering card back. Split cards have
two sets of characteristics: two names, two mana costs, and so on. They
always have both sets, except when they're on the stack. When you play a
split card, you announce which side of the card you're playing. While it's
on the stack, the other side of the card is ignored completely.
    Split cards have two mana costs with different colors of mana in them.
That means they are multicolored cards, except while they're on the stack.
If an effect tells you to name a card, you must name all of its names.
    Effects that ask for a split card's characteristic get both answers.
Effects that ask if a split card's characteristic matches a given value get
only one answer. This answer is "yes" if either side of the split card
matches the given value.

Stack
A spell or ability goes on top of the stack when played. Whenever both
players pass in succession, the top spell or ability on the stack resolves
and the active player receives priority again. See rule 217.6, "Stack" and
rule 408.1, "Timing, Priority, and the Stack."

State-Based Effects
State-based effects continually "watch" the game for a particular state.
Whenever a player receives priority, state-based effects are checked and
applied.

State Triggers
State triggers are triggered abilities that watch for a game state rather
than an event and trigger as soon as the game state matches the condition.
Once a state trigger has triggered, it won't trigger again until the
pseudospell it created has resolved or been countered. See rule 410.11.

Static Ability
Static abilities do something all the time rather than being played at
specific times. Static abilities create continuous effects, which are active
as long as the permanent with the ability remains in play and has the
ability. A spell or ability can also create a continuous effect that doesn't
depend on a permanent; these may last a specified length of time or for the
rest of the game. See rule 412, "Handling Static Abilities."

Step
Some phases of the turn are further subdivided into steps. See section 3,
"Turn Structure."

Successfully Cast (Obsolete)
Earlier versions of the rules provided support for "successfully cast" as a
step in the announcement and resolution of a spell or ability. In general,
any ability that's written as triggering when a spell becomes "successfully
cast" should be read as triggering when the spell is played.

Summon (Obsolete)
In earlier versions of the rules, creature cards were printed with the type
"Summon [creature subtype]." All "Summon [creature subtype]" cards should be
read as "Creature - [creature subtype]."

Summoning Sickness (Obsolete)
In earlier versions of the rules, the term "summoning sickness" was used to
describe a creature's inability to attack or to use activated abilities
which include the ocT symbol when it has come under a player's control since
the beginning of that player's most recent turn. See also Haste.

Swampwalk
See Landwalk.

Tap
To tap a permanent is to turn the card sideways. The symbol ocT in an
activation cost means "Tap this permanent"-a permanent that's already tapped
can't be tapped again to pay the cost. Creatures that haven't been under a
player's control continuously since his or her most recent beginning of turn
can't use any ability with ocT in the cost.

Target
Whenever the word "target" appears in the rules text of a spell or ability,
the controller of the spell or ability chooses something that matches
whatever follows that word. This may be as simple as "target land"
or more complex, such as "target tapped creature one of your opponents
controls." The choice is made when playing the spell or ability, which
"targets" whatever was chosen.
    A spell or pseudospell on the stack can't target itself.

Text Box
The text box is printed below the illustration on a Magic card and contains
rules and flavor text.

Tie
If an effect could result in a tie, the text of the spell or ability that
created the effect will specify what to do in the event of a tie. The Magic
game has no default for ties.

Timestamp Order
A permanent's timestamp is the time it came into play, with two exceptions:
(1) If two or more permanents enter play simultaneously, the active player
determines their timestamp order at the time they come into play, but a
local enchantment must be timestamped after what it enchants; (2) Whenever a
local enchantment becomes attached to a permanent, the enchantment receives
a new timestamp.
    Continuous effects generated by static abilities have the same timestamp
as the permanent that generated them. Continuous effects generated by the
resolution of a spell or ability receive a timestamp when the spell or
ability creating them resolves.

Token
A token is an object in play representing a noncard permanent created by a
spell or ability. Tokens can be tapped and untapped just like cards, though
an alternative to rotation might be needed to distinguish their status. See
rule 216, "Tokens."

Total Casting Cost (Obsolete)
Some older cards are printed with the term "total casting cost" to describe
the converted mana cost of a spell. In general, cards that were printed with
the term "total casting cost" now use the term "converted mana cost."

Toughness
The number after the slash printed on the lower-right corner of a creature
card is the creature's toughness. A creature's current toughness is the
initial value (the printed number), modified by any counters that adjust
toughness and then by any continuous effects.
    A creature that's been dealt damage greater than or equal to its
toughness (and greater than 0) has lethal damage and will be destroyed the
next time any player receives priority. This is a state-based effect.
    A few creature cards have toughness represented by "" instead of a
number. This signifies that the creature has a static ability setting its
toughness according to some stated condition. If a spell or ability attempts
to read the toughness when the creature card isn't in play, the is equal to
0.

Trample
Trample is a static ability modifying the combat damage step of the combat
phase. It lets an attacking creature "trample over" blocking creatures and
assign part of its combat damage to the defending player. See rule 502.9,
"Trample."

Trigger/Triggered Ability
Triggered abilities begin with the word "when," "whenever," or "at."
Whenever the trigger event occurs, the ability goes on top of the stack the
next time a player receives priority. See rule 404, "Triggered Abilities."

Type
The word "type" by itself is ambiguous-it may mean the basic type of a card,
spell, and so on, or a subtype (such as creature or enchantment type). See
rules 212-215.
    The card type (and subtype, if applicable) is printed directly below the
illustration on a card. The spell type for a nonland card is the same as the
card type, even if the rules text states it can be played "as" some other
type (that is, following the timing rules for playing that other type). The
permanent type for a card in play is the same as its card type. Tokens have
no card or spell type but do have a permanent type.
    When a spell or ability changes a permanent's type, the new type
replaces all previous types. If the spell or ability is adding a type, it
will say so.
    A creature's type is printed after the word "creature" below the
illustration on the card, or defined by the spell or ability that created a
token. A creature may have multiple types. A noncreature card that's changed
into a creature by a spell or ability has no creature type unless the
spell/ability gives it one.
    A land's type is the same as its name.
    A local enchantment's type is printed after the word "Enchant" on the
card's type line.
    Categories of cards, such as basic land or local enchantment, aren't
types or subtypes and can't be named when a type must be chosen.
    The "type" of mana includes both its color and any restrictions placed
upon it; for example, mana that can be used only to play artifact spells.

Unblockable
If an ability states that an attacking creature is "unblockable," no
creature can be assigned to block it. Spells or abilities may still cause it
to become blocked.

Unblocked Creature
An attacking creature becomes an unblocked creature after the declare
blockers step of the combat phase if no creature blocks it. It remains an
unblocked creature until a spell or ability causes it to become blocked,
it's removed from combat, it stops being a creature, its controller changes,
or the combat phase ends. Unblocked creatures don't exist outside of the
combat phase or before the declare blockers step. See rule 309, "Declare
Blockers Step."

Unless
Some cards use the phrase "[Do something] unless you [do something else]."
This means the same thing as "You may [do something else]. If you don't, [do
something.]"

Untap
1. To untap a tapped card is to rotate it back to the upright position. See
also Tap.

2. Untap is the first step of the beginning phase of the turn. All
permanents controlled by the active player normally untap at this time. See
rule 302, "Untap Step."

Upkeep
Upkeep is the second step of the beginning phase of the turn. Some cards
have abilities that trigger at the beginning of the upkeep step; such an
ability is called an "upkeep cost" or an "upkeep effect." An upkeep cost is
usually written in the form "At the beginning of your upkeep, you may [pay
cost]. If you don't, sacrifice [this card]." See rule 303, "Upkeep Step."

Vanguard Card
The Vanguard(tm) supplements consist of oversized cards that modify the
game. A Vanguard card is selected before the game begins, adjusting a
player's starting and maximum hand size and starting life total. Any
abilities printed on a Vanguard card are played exactly like those of an
in-play Magic card; however, these abilities have no color, and damage from
them isn't damage from a permanent of any type or a source of any color. A
Vanguard card isn't a Magic card, so it can't be affected by spells or
abilities.

Wall
A Wall is a type of creature that can't be declared as an attacker. In all
other respects, it's the same as any other creature.

X
If a cost has an "oX" in it, the value of X must be announced as part of
playing the spell or ability. (See rule 409, "Playing Spells and
Abilities.") While the spell or ability is on the stack, oX in its mana cost
equals that amount of generic mana. If a card in any other zone has oX in
its mana cost, the amount is treated as o0. In other cases X will be defined
by the text of the ability. If X isn't defined, the controller of the spell
or ability chooses the value of X. All Xs on a card have the same value.

Yield Priority (Obsolete)
In earlier versions of the rules, the term "yield priority" was used instead
of "pass."

You/Your
The words "you" and "your" on a card always refer to its current
controller.

Zone
A zone is any place that Magic cards can be during a game. See rule 217,
"Zones.