============================================================================== General Rulings Summary (CHANGES ONLY) Updated 01/20/99 ============================================================================== Rulings are collected from many sources. See credits and disclaimer at the end of the file for details. These rulings are updated monthly. The most recent version is available on the web (WWW) as either of the following: http://www.activesw.com/~sdangelo/rulings.html ftp://ftp.activesw.com/pub/sdangelo/magic/rule-general.txt The above files are also available via FTP to "ftp.activesw.com" under "pub/sdangelo/magic" as "rule-general.txt". If you have neither WWW nor FTP access, send e-mail to "dangelo@netcom.com" requesting a copy of the current Rulings Summaries. A '+' is used to mark changes since the last released version on 12/16/98. Thanx, Stephen. ---- Stephen D'Angelo | Official Magic: The Gathering Rules Summary dangelo@netcom.com | Network Representative for Wizards of the Coast, Inc. ============================================================================== Table of Contents: ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ No changes to this section. A - Abilities ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ A.13 - Buyback: + A.13.6 - Buyback is considered a continuous replacement ability (see Rule A.7.5), and interacts with other continuous replacements as per those rules. [bethmo 01/18/99] C - Combat Rules ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ No changes to this section. D - DCI Tournament Rules ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ D.13 - Classic Tournament Format + D.13.8 - Some cards are 'restricted' so that only one may appear in the combination of deck and sideboard. These cards are: [Tournament Rules 10/01/97] [Update 12/01/98] Ancestral Recall, Library of Alexandria, Sol Ring, Balance, Maze of Ith, Strip Mine, Berserk, Mirror Universe, Stroke of Genius, Black Lotus, Mox Emerald, Timetwister, Black Vise, Mox Jet, Time Walk, Braingeyser, Mox Pearl, Tolarian Academy, Demonic Tutor, Mox Ruby, Underworld Dreams, Fastbond, Mox Sapphire, Wheel of Fortune, Fork, Recall, Windfall, Ivory Tower, Regrowth D.14 - Classic-Restricted Tournament Format + D.14.9 - Some cards are 'banned' so that none may appear in the deck or sideboard. These cards are: [Tournament Rules 10/01/97] [Tourney Updated 12/08/98] Amulet of Quoz, Divine Intervention, Rebirth, Ancestral Recall, Falling Star, Recall, Balance, Fastbond, Regrowth, Berserk, Fork, Shahrazad, Black Lotus, Ivory Tower, Sol Ring, Black Vise, Jeweled Bird, Strip Mine, Braingeyser, Library of Alexandria, Stroke of Genius, Bronze Tablet, Maze of Ith, Tempest Efreet, Candelabra of Tawnos, Mind Twist, Timetwister, Channel, Mirror Universe, Time Walk, Chaos Orb, Mishra's Workshop, Timmerian Fiends, Contract from Below, Mox Emerald, Tolarian Academy, Copy Artifact, Mox Jet, Underworld Dreams, Darkpact, Mox Pearl, Wheel of Fortune, Demonic Attorney, Mox Ruby, Windfall, Demonic Tutor, Mox Sapphire, Zuran Orb D.15 - Extended Tournament Format + D.15.9 - These cards are explicitly banned even though they are from legal sets: [Tournament Rules 10/01/97] [Update 06/01/98] [Update 12/01/98] Amulet of Quoz, Hypnotic Specter, Serendib Efreet, Balance, Ivory Tower, Sol Ring, Black Vise, Jeweled Bird, Strip Mine, Bronze Tablet, Kird Ape, Tempest Efreet, Channel, Land Tax, Timmerian Fiends, Contract from Below, Mana Crypt, Tolarian Academy, Darkpact, Maze of Ith, Wheel of Fortune, Demonic Attorney, Mind Twist, Windfall, Demonic Tutor, Rebirth, Zuran Orb, Fastbond, Regrowth D.16 - Standard Tournament Format + D.16.11 - These cards are explicitly banned even though they are from legal sets: [Tournament Update 12/01/98] Tolarian Academy, Windfall E - Extracted Rulings on Cards ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ No changes to this section. G - Game Terms and Rules ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ No changes to this section. K - Card and Permanent Types and Information ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ No changes to this section. M - Multi-Player Rules ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ No changes to this section. P - Phases of the Turn ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ P.5 - Phase 1: Untap + P.5.1 - During the middle of this phase, you must untap all your tapped permanents (those which are not prevented from untapping) as a mandatory phase ability (see Rule A.5). [Fifth Edition, Page 52] This phase ability is played in a Series (see Rule T.9) much like a begin/end of phase ability, rather than as an instant like a normal phase ability. [bethmo 01/11/99] P.10 - Phase 6: Cleanup + P.10.1 - The phase can be charted out like this: a. All beginning of cleanup abilities and scheduled effects are played in a Series (see Rule T.9). b. All damage is removed from all permanents and all "until end of turn" effects end simultaneously. This is played as a mandatory phase ability (see Rule A.5). This phase ability is played in a Series (see Rule T.9) much like a begin/end of phase ability, rather than as an instant like a normal phase ability. [bethmo 01/11/99] c. All "at end of turn" abilities and scheduled effects are played in a Series (see Rule T.9). T - Timing of Spells and Abilities ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ T.4 - Step 1: Announcing a Spell or Ability + T.4.Ruling.5 - To "play a card" is to either "announce" a spell or to put a land into play using the main phase special action (see Rule P.8.3). To "play an ability" is to "announce" the ability. [D'Angelo 01/18/99] T.10 - Damage Prevention Step + T.10.Ruling.14 - Creatures are not checked for lethal damage until sub-step 5. Sub-step 5a is the chance to use replacement abilities on the creature's death and 5b is the actual death. [bethmo 12/21/98] + T.10.Ruling.15 - Sub-steps 4, 5, and 6 are all done during the damage prevention step, even though they are listed after a step that is named "end of damage prevention". [D'Angelo 12/22/98] Z - Zones of Play ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ No changes to this section. 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. "WotC Rules Team" marks official rulings from the rules team. "Mirage, Page " marks rules from the Mirage rulebook. "Tempest, Page " marks rules from the Tempest rulebook. "Fifth Edition, Page " marks rules from the Fifth Edition rulebook. "Encyclopedia, Page " marks errata from the Magic Official Encyclopedia. "bethmo" is Beth Moursund, the Rules Manager at Wizards of the Coast. "Barclay" is Paul Barclay, the network representative for the "mtg-l" mailing list. "DeLaney" is David DeLaney, the network representative for the "rec.games.trading-cards.magic.rules" newsgroup. "D'Angelo" is Stephen D'Angelo, the Rules Summary network representative. "bethmo" was the previous "mtg-l" representative. "D'Angelo" was the previous "mtg-l" representative. "Peterson" is Paul Peterson, the previous "mtg-l" representative. "bethmo" was also the "mtg-l" representative before Paul. "Aahz" is Tom Wylie, the former Magic Rules Manager. "Snark" is Dave Howell of WotC. 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.