============================================================================== General Rulings Summary (CHANGES ONLY) Updated 00/01/19 ============================================================================== Rulings are collected from many sources. See credits and disclaimer at the end of the file for details. This release is under the SIXTH EDITION rules. These rulings are updated monthly. The most recent version is available on the web (WWW) as the following: http://www.crystalkeep.com/magic/rules/index.html If you do not have web access, send e-mail to "dangelo@crystalkeep.com" requesting a copy of the current Rulings Summaries be e-mailed to you. A '+' is used to mark changes since the 99/12/14 release. Thanx, Stephen. ---- Stephen D'Angelo | Official Rulings Summary NetRep dangelo@crystalkeep.com | Network Representative, Wizards of the Coast, Inc. ============================================================================== Table of Contents: ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ No changes to this section. A - Abilities ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ A.1 - General Rulings on Abilities + A.1.13 - Any text on a card which describes what to do when a tie occurs in a calculation is rules text, not reminder text. This is because there is no default default rule for how to resolve ties. For example, Drop of Honey. [WotC Rules Team 00/01/11] A.3 - Static Abilities + A.3.3 - A static ability may apply while a spell is on the stack. For example, Kaervek's Torch. [CompRules 99/11/01] These are usually limited to restricting targeting or countering of the spell. + A.3.4 - A static ability may apply while a card is in your hand. [CompRules 99/11/01] These are usually limited to "you may/can't play this spell" wordings. A.4 - Triggered Abilities + A.4.14 - Some triggered abilities give a player a choice of doing something or doing nothing. These use the word "may" and are worded like "When , you may do X". Such abilities give the player the choice of doing nothing or putting the triggered ability on the stack. So the choice is made when you get the chance to put the trigger on the stack. This rule does not apply to abilities worded as "When , you may do X. If you don't, do Y." This kind of ability is always put on the stack, and for this wording you choose on resolution whether or not to do X. [CompRules 99/11/01] + A.4.17 - A triggered ability that watches for a game state will not trigger again until any unresolved pseudospell placed on the stack by the ability resolves. For example, an ability reads "When your hand is empty, draw a card." If its controller plays the last spell from their hand, it triggers once and won't trigger again until after this resolves, and then you empty your hand again. [CompRules 99/04/23] A.5 - Delayed Abilities + A.5.5 - A delayed ability with a trigger condition will not trigger more than once (unless it says otherwise). [CompRules 99/11/01] A.6 - Mana Abilities + A.6.1 - Any activated ability which puts mana into a player's mana pool is a mana ability. Any triggered ability that triggers off a mana ability and which also puts mana into a player's mana pool is also a mana ability. [CompRules 99/11/01] + A.6.4 - Triggered abilities that generate mana and trigger on a mana ability, resolve immediately after the mana ability without going on the stack. Triggered abilities that generate mana and which trigger on a non-mana ability, are not mana abilities and go on the stack as normal. [CompRules 99/11/01] Note that the ability has to say it triggers on something which is known to be a mana ability, such as tapping a land for mana. Triggering off something that happens as part of a mana ability does not count. For example, Cathodion triggers on being put into the graveyard, so even though it gives mana it is not a mana ability since it does not trigger on a known mana ability. So, if Cathodion is put in the graveyard by a mana ability such as Ashnod's Altar it is still a non-mana ability trigger. [DeLaney 99/12/11] + A.6.Ruling.4 - Being asked to pay zero mana counts as being asked to pay mana for purposes of rule A.6.3. There actually has to be a mana circle in the cost for this rule to apply. If there is no mana circle, then you cannot use a mana ability under this rule. [Bethmo 99/12/10] A.9 - Buyback + A.9.4 - If you pay the Buyback cost when you play the spell, then the spell is returned to its controller's hand at the end of resolution, instead of going to its controller's graveyard. If it it not going to its controller's graveyard, the ability does nothing. [CompRules 99/11/01] + A.9.Ruling.2 - If a Buyback spell is cast by someone other than the owner (using Grinning Totem), the card goes to the owner's graveyard, not to anyone's hand. [D'Angelo 00/01/18] A.10 - Cumulative Upkeep + A.10.Ruling.6 - If the cumulative upkeep cost somehow changes between the time the ability is placed on the stack and when it resolves, use the cost at the time it was put on the stack. [DeLaney 00/01/13] A.21 - Protection + A.21.Ruling.7 - Protection only works while the card is in play, so it does not prevent the spell from being targeted in the graveyard or on the spell stack (which means a Counterspell can target a creature with Protection from Blue). [D'Angelo 99/11/23] C - Combat Rules ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ C.3 - Step 2: Declare Attackers + C.3.Ruling.8 - An ability which involves "attacking alone" or "blocking alone" refers to having the creature be the only attacker or only blocker. For example, Reckless Ogre reads "Whenever Reckless Ogre attacks alone, it gets +3/+0 until end of turn." and the ability triggers when it is the only attacker. [WotC Rules Team 00/01/11] C.5 - Step 4: Combat Damage + C.5.Ruling.3 - If there is just one blocker and it has banding, the defending player still decides how damage is divided. This can be important if the attacking creature has Trample (see Rule A.24), or if a creature like Thorn Elemental is involved. [DeLaney 00/01/13] D - DCI Tournament Rules ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ No changes to this section. E - Extracted Rulings on Cards ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ E.7 - Licids + E.7.Ruling.5 - If a Licid targets itself with its ability, the effect will turn the Licid into a creature enchantment enchanting itself. Since this is an illegal subject for the enchantment, is it put into the graveyard afterwards as a state-based effect. [DeLaney 99/12/02] E.8 - Moving Enchantments + E.8.2 - When moving an enchantment, nothing changes about the enchantment other than the thing it enchants and its timestamp for deciding how its effects are ordered with other effects. The timestamp is set to the time at which the enchantment was moved. [CompRules 99/11/01] E.11 - Templates + E.11.Ruling.6 - If a spell or ability says you can do an action "as though" some condition were true, the condition is not considered true for any action other than the one specified. [CompRules 99/11/01] + E.11.Ruling.7 - The template "any time you could play " means "if the rules of the game allow you to play a at this time, regardless of whether you actually have a to play". [CompRules 99/11/01] For example, "any time you could play an instant" works out to mean the same thing as "any time you have priority" since you can always play an instant if you have priority. [DeLaney 99/12/11] E.12 - Vanguard Cards + E.12.3 - Abilities of a Vanguard card have no color. [CompRules 99/11/01] + E.12.4 - Damage from a Vanguard card is not considered to come from a permanent of any type or a source of any color. [CompRules 99/11/01] + E.12.5 - A Vanguard card is not considered a Magic "card" so it cannot be affected by any spells or abilities. [CompRules 99/11/01] G - Game Terms and Rules ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ G.6 - Costs + G.6.Ruling.6 - You can both tap and sacrifice a card at once. This is not a contradictory cost (as per Rule G.6.5). [DeLaney 00/01/13] G.15 - Draw + G.15.Ruling.2 - If you are required to draw more than one card due to a single action, the draws happen in sequence. For example, "draw 3 cards" works just like "Draw a card. Draw a card. Draw a card." [Jackson 99/12/07] The result of this is that replacement effects which affect the drawing of cards are applied one draw at a time. For example, with Abundance, you choose how to use it before each card. And with Field of Dreams, each and every card is face up along the way. [Jackson 99/12/07] G.28 - Put Into Play + G.28.5 - If a local enchantment is being put into play without playing it from your hand, the player putting it into play chooses a permanent for it to enchant right before it enters play. If there is no legal permanent for it to enchant, it remains in the zone it was in. [CompRules 99/11/01] G.31 - Reveal + G.31.Ruling.3 - If multiple cards are revealed, you reveal all of them at the same time before putting them back (or wherever you are instructed to put them). [D'Angelo 00/01/08] K - Card and Permanent Types and Information ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ K.6 - Characteristics + K.6.7 - If a spell or ability is to check the characteristics of something and that something is no longer in play at the start of resolution, use the last value that something had before it left play. [CompRules 99/04/23] This same rule applies for any zone change. If the card is not in the zone it was expected to be in, use its last known state in that zone. [CompRules 99/11/01] K.11 - Creature Type + K.11.7 - If you are asked to choose a creature type, you do not have to choose a creature type which already exists in the game. You can make up your own type, such as Platypus, if you choose. This type can only have one word. You may not choose a name which has another meaning in the game, such as "opponent" or "land". Also, slanderous, obscene, and otherwise offensive choices are considered poor sportsmanship and may cause ejection from a tournament. [CompRules 99/04/23] You can choose any creature type that exists on any Magic card in existance. You cannot choose the name of a card in Magic (unless that name is also a creature type), any word that is in the glossary of the comprehensive rules or is otherwise used to mean something special under the rules. [bethmo 99/11/30] K.12 - Enchantment + K.12.3 - Local enchantment spells target the permanent they are going to enchant. This target choice is made when the spell is played. If put into play directly, the choice of what to enchant is made by the player putting it into play at the time it would be put into play, and this is not considered targeting. [CompRules 99/11/01] + K.12.13 - A global enchantment has no subtype. A local enchantment's subtype is the word after "Enchant". For example, an "Enchant Creature" has a "Creature" subtype. Local and Global are not subtypes; they are categories. [CompRules 99/11/01] K.15 - Land + K.15.Ruling.4 - When you announce the playing of a land, your "play a land" action is used for the turn. It remains used even if a replacement ability causes the land to not enter play. [bethmo 99/11/18] + K.15.Ruling.5 - When an effect allows you to put an extra land into play from your hand, you have to state whether the land you are playing is your normal land play or specify which of the effects you are using. [CompRules 99/11/01] K.17 - Legendary Permanents + K.17.4 - If a creature Legend is changed to a non-creature permanent type, it is still a legendary permanent. This is true for any type changes to legendary permanents. They do not lose their legendary status. [CompRules 99/11/01] Similarly, if a Legendary non-creature is changed into a creature, it gains creature type Legend. [CompRules 99/11/01] K.24 - Token Creatures + K.24.8 - The player putting the token into play controls it unless otherwise stated on the card. [CompRules 99/11/01] M - Multi-Player Rules ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ No changes to this section. P - Phases of the Turn ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ P.2 - Phases of the Turn + P.2.3 - A spell or ability may grant a player an additional turn after the current one. If multiple additional turns are granted during one turn, take these additional turns in the order granted. [CompRules 99/11/01] P.3 - General Phase and Step Rules + P.3.4 - When a phase or step begins, all effects scheduled to last "until" the current phase or step end. For example, an effect that lasts "until your next upkeep step" will end at the beginning of your upkeep step. [CompRules 99/11/01] P.8 - First Main Phase + P.8.6 - This phase is also called the "Precombat Main Phase". [CompRule 99/11/01] P.10 - Second Main Phase + P.10.1 - This phase is called the "Postcombat Main Phase". [CompRules 99/11/01] T - Timing of Spells and Abilities ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ T.8 - Continuous Effects + T.8.13 - If one effect says an action "can't happen" and another effect says that the action does happen, then "can't happen" effect takes precedence regardless of the order in which the effects came into play. For example, if one card says "players can't gain life" and another says "You gain 3 life" then you do not gain life. This rule does not apply to the adding or removing of abilities. [CompRule 99/11/01] T.10 - Replacement and Prevention Effects + T.10.8 - Each replacement effect gets only one opportunity to apply to each event. For example, a player controls two copies of a permanent with the ability "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. [CompRules 99/04/23] For another example, if a creature has both Pariah and Treacherous Link on it, then there is no loop. The damage always ends up where it would have been if neither had been there. [D'Angelo 00/01/02] T.11 - State-Based Effects + T.11.5 - The state-based effects are: [CompRules 99/11/01] a) A player with zero or less life loses the game. b) A creature with toughness of zero or less is put into its owner's graveyard and it cannot regenerate. c) A creature with lethal damage (see Rule K.10.4) (which does not also have zero or less toughness) is destroyed. Regeneration can replace this event. [bethmo 99/07/27] d) A local enchantment that enchants an illegal or non-existant permanent is put into its owner's graveyard. e) Duplicate legends are put into their owner's graveyard. See Rule K.17. f) A token in a zone other than "in play" ceases to exist. g) A player who was unable to draw a card due to their library being empty loses the game. h) If more than one Enchant World is in play, all or all-but-one are put into their owner's graveyard. See Rule K.12.10. U - Unglued ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ No changes to this section. Z - Zones of Play ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Z.6 - Library + Z.6.8 - If a player is instructed to draw a card and their library is empty, that player loses the game the next time state-based effects (see Rule T.11) are checked. [CompRules 99/11/01] Index ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ No changes to this section. Acknowledgements and Disclaimers ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ While this work is not officially issued by Wizards of the Coast, it is the official collected rulings from official sanctioned representatives of and publications by Wizards of the Coast. This summary is collected from rulings made by officials and network representatives of Wizards of the Coast, along with a number of unofficial rulings also collected from the net. Whenever a source for a ruling is known, the name of that person is listed with the ruling. "Aahz" is Tom Wylie, the former Magic Rules Manager. "Barclay" is Paul Barclay, the network representative for the MTG-L mailing list. "bethmo" is Beth Moursund, the Rules Manager at Wizards of the Coast, and former MTG-L mailing list NetRep. "CompRules" marks rules from the Sixth Edition Comprehensive Rules. "D'Angelo" is Stephen D'Angelo, the Rules Summary network representative, and former MTG-L mailing list NetRep. "DeLaney" is David DeLaney, the network representative for the "rec.games.trading-cards.magic.rules" newsgroup. "Encyclopedia, Page " marks errata from the Magic Official Encyclopedia. "Fifth Edition, Page " marks rules from the Fifth Edition rulebook. "Jackson" is Collin Jackson, the DCI Rules Documentation NetRep. "Mirage, Page " marks rules from the Mirage rulebook. "Peterson" is Paul Peterson, a previous MTG-L mailing list NetRep. "Tempest, Page " marks rules from the Tempest rulebook. "WotC Rules Team" marks official rulings from the rules team. These files may be freely copied and posted anywhere you'd like. The contents can also be included in other formats (such as HTML or databases) or in products, but there are two restrictions. I insist that the files are not sold for profit. Anything you put them in must be available at no more than cost of duplication. Also, you must give credit to me and list the version date your work is derived from. Thanks. Every attempt has been made to make this summary accurate, but errors do creep in. Nothing in this work is guaranteed to be accurate. Use at your own risk. Magic: The Gathering and all of the cards listed herein are copyrighted by Wizards of the Coast.