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This search based on the January 15, 2004 release of the Rulings.
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. [CompRules 2003/07/01]
- 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
the ability on the stack as soon as a player would receive priority. The
ability is controlled by the player who controlled its source at the time
it triggered. It has the text of the ability that created it, and no
other characteristics. [CompRules 2003/07/01]
- 410.3 - If multiple abilities have triggered since the last time a player
received priority, the abilities 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 any order that opponent chooses. Then players
once again check for and resolve state-based effects until none are
generated, then abilities that triggered during this process go on the
stack. This process repeats until no new state-based effects are
generated and no abilities trigger. Then the appropriate player gets
priority. [CompRules 2003/07/01]
- 410.4 - When a triggered ability goes on the stack, the controller of the
ability makes any choices that would be required while playing an
activated ability, following the same procedure (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
ability is simply removed from the stack. [CompRules 2003/07/01]
- 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. [CompRules 2003/07/01]
- 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 a 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.
[CompRules 2003/07/01]
- 410.7 - An ability triggers 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. [CompRules 2003/07/01]
- 410.8 - Triggered abilities with a condition directly following the trigger
event (for example, "When/Whenever/At [trigger],
if [condition], [effect]"), 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 an "if"
condition elsewhere within its text. This rule is referred to as
the "intervening 'if' clause" rule. [CompRules 2003/07/01]
- 410.9 - Some abilities trigger when creatures block or are blocked in
combat. (See Rule 306 through Rule 311 and Section 500, "Legal Attacks
and Blocks.") They may trigger once or repeatedly, depending on the
wording of the ability. [CompRules 2003/07/01]
- 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.
[CompRules 2003/07/01]
- 410.9b - An ability that reads "Whenever [this creature] blocks a creature"
triggers once for each attacking creature the named creature blocks.
[CompRules 2003/07/01]
- 410.9c - An ability that reads "Whenever a creature blocks [this creature]"
triggers once for each creature that blocks the named creature. It
doesn't trigger if the attacking creature becomes blocked by an effect
rather than a blocking creature. [CompRules 2003/07/01]
- 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. This also applies to abilities that trigger on a
creature blocking or being blocked by at least a certain number of
creatures. [CompRules 2003/07/01]
- 410.10 - Trigger events that involve objects changing zones are called
"zone-change triggers." Many abilities with zone-change triggers attempt
to do something to that object after it changes zones. During resolution,
these abilities look for the object in the zone that it moved to. If the
object is unable to be found in the zone it went to, the part of the
ability attempting to do something to the object will fail to do anything.
The ability could be unable to find the object because the object never
entered the specified zone, because it left the zone before the ability
resolved, or because it is in a zone that is hidden from a player, such as
a library or an opponent's hand. (This rule applies even if the object
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. [CompRules 2003/07/01]
- 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. [CompRules 2003/07/01]
- 410.10b - Continuous effects that modify characteristics of a permanent do
so the moment the permanent is in play (and not before then). The
permanent is never in play with its unmodified characteristics.
Continuous effects don't apply before the permanent is in play,
however (see Rule 410.10e).
Example: If an effect reads "All lands are creatures" and a land card is
played, the effect makes the land card into a creature the moment it
enters play, so it would trigger abilities that trigger when a creature
comes into play. Conversely, if an effect reads "All creatures lose all
abilities" and a creature card with a comes-into-play triggered ability
enters play, that effect will cause it to lose its abilities the moment it
enters play, so the comes-into-play ability won't trigger.
[CompRules 2003/07/01]
- 410.10c - Leaves-play abilities trigger when a permanent leaves the in-play
zone. These are written as, but aren't limited to, "When [this object]
leaves play, ..." or "Whenever [something] 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.
[CompRules 2003/10/01]
- 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 determine what triggered.
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. [CompRules 2003/07/01]
- 410.10e - Some permanents have text that reads "[This permanent] comes into
play with ...," "As [this permanent] comes into play ...," "[This
permanent] comes into play as ...," 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.
[CompRules 2003/07/01]
- 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. They'll go onto the stack at the next available
opportunity. 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 ability has resolved, has been countered,
or has otherwise left the stack. Then, if the object with the ability is
still in the same zone and the game state still matches its trigger
condition, the ability will trigger again. [CompRules 2003/07/01]
Example: A permanent's ability reads, "Whenever you have no cards in hand,
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.
[CompRules 2003/10/01]
- 410.Ruling.1 - Cards that are not in play that have text that defines a
trigger do work. For example, Dragon Scales does trigger on the
appropriate creature coming into play. [Jordan 2003/07/27] The text of
Rule 410.10a is too narrow in saying that only permanents in play can
trigger.
This search based on the January 15,2004 release of the Rulings.
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