============================================================================= General Rulings Summary (CHANGES ONLY) Updated 04/15/98 ============================================================================= Rulings are collected from many sources. See credits and disclaimer at the end of the file for details. The most recent mtg-l digest used was "13 Apr 1998 to 14 Apr 1998". These rulings are updated monthly. The most recent version is available on the web (WWW) as either of the following: http://www.activesw.com/~sdangelo/magic.html ftp://ftp.activesw.com/pub/sdangelo/magic/rule-general.txt The above files are also available via FTP to "ftp.activesw.com" under "pub/sdangelo/magic" as "rule-general.txt". If you have neither WWW nor FTP access, send e-mail to "dangelo@netcom.com" requesting a copy of the current Rulings Summaries. A '+' is used to mark changes since the last released version on 03/19/98. 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. Turn Order Rules and Rulings ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Phase 6: Cleanup + There is no time between turns in which to take actions. [bethmo] Attack Phase Rules and Rulings ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- No changes to this section. Spell and Ability Timing ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Rule Triggers: + No player is considered the controller of a Rule Trigger, such as burial for duplicate legends. [WotC Rules Team 03/31/98] Damage Prevention: + If the side-effects assign damage to new places, a second damage prevention step (which will follow sub-step D of this one) to handle that damage. [Mirage Page 45] All damage from the side-effects is handled in a single damage prevention step regardless of the the number of different effects which deal damage at this time. [bethmo 03/30/98] Glossary of Magic Topics ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Abilities: + An effect grants an ability if is says a permanent "gains " (or "gets " and removes an ability if the permanent "loses ". If "gains" (or "gets") is not present, then the effect is just an effect and is not granting an ability. This matters for cards such as Humility which removes abilities. Humility will counteract Flight (which grants an ability), but not Pacifism (which is just an effect). [WotC Rules Team 03/31/98] Comes Into Play Effects: + A card with "When comes into play, ..." will trigger only on itself coming into play. After that, the ability is inactive. [WotC Rules Team 03/31/98] + A card with "Whenever comes into play, ..." creates a continuous effect that lasts as long as this card is in play and watches for anything matching the description. Cards with this ability will not trigger on itself entering play or on anything that enters play at the same time this card enters play. [WotC Rules Team 03/31/98] For example, if two Mogg Bombers enter play simultanously due to Living Death, neither Mogg Bomber will trigger. Copy Cards: + Cards which copy other cards include Clone, Copy Artifact, Dance of Many, Echo Chamber, Fork, Unstable Shapeshifter, Vesuvan Doppelganger, and Volrath's Shapeshifter. + Most copy cards are targeted and cannot be brought into play without a legal target. If the target becomes invalid after declaration but before resolution, the spell fizzles. [WotC Rules Team 02/09/95] + A Vesuvan Doppelganger changing forms is also targeted and will fizzle if the target becomes illegal before resolution. [Peterson 11/07/94] If it fizzles, it remains in its old form. + Copy cards read the base characteristics of the card or token, ignoring any changes made by other spells and abilities. Thse characteristics become the base characteristics of the copy. [WotC Rules Team 03/31/98] + If a copy card copies another permanent which is a copy, then the base values on that permanent are used, which will be the base values from the thing that permanent copied. [WotC Rules Team 03/31/98] + If a copy card copies a permanent which has characteristics defined when it enters play, such as Primal Clay, it will copy the existing characteristics rather than allow you to choose new ones. [WotC Rules Team 03/31/98] + The copy does get tokens when the copy card is cast if the card being copied gets tokens when it is normally cast, for example with Tetravus. [WotC Rules Team 07/27/94] + Copy cards in general cannot copy things which are only of the appropriate type due to some effect. This is because the copy cards do not copy existing effects on the target, they only copy the target card or token. For example, Clone and Vesuvan Doppelganger can only copy permanents created by a "Summon" or "Artifact Creature" spell, or tokens that inherently count as creatures. They may not copy permanents which are only creatures due to some sort of animation such as Kormus Bell. [WotC Rules Team 03/31/98] + The copy card does not keep any of its own characteristics unless otherwise specified on the card. [WotC Rules Team 03/31/98] + Does not copy Magical Hack or Sleight of Mind changes. [WotC Rules Team 03/31/98] (REVERSAL) + Some copy cards can change forms while in play, and these form changes have additional rules. + If the copy card can change forms, any ability usage restrictions are kept. If a permanent had "use this ability only once per turn" or "you can spend no more than this way each turn", and it changes to another permanent with the exact same ability, the restriction will carry over. This means that switching forms to the same creature you were copying will not allow you to get around the restriction. [WotC Rules Team 03/31/98] + If the copy card can change forms, it does not trigger any "comes into play" effects when it changes to a new form. This means that changing to a Nekrataal will not allow you to bury a creature. [D'Angelo 03/31/98] + If the copy card can change forms, it does not get any counters or other benefits the copied permanent would get when cast, nor do you have to pay any costs that are normally paid when playing that permanent. [WotC Rules Team 07/27/94] For example, when switching to a Tetravus it gets no counters. And when switching to a Minion of the Wastes you do no pay any life. + If the copy card can change forms, it does not trigger any "leaves play" effects when it changes to a copy a different permanent. But, any effects which were waiting for it to leave play will trigger when the copy card itself leaves play. [WotC Rules Team 03/31/98] For example, if a Vesuvan Doppelganger is in a copy of a Gaea's Liege and it changes to a new form, the lands it changed into Forests will not revert until the Doppelganer's card actually leaves play. + Whenever a card refers to itself by name, it means "this card" even if it changes its name by changing what it is copying. [WotC Rules Team 03/31/98] + If the copy card can change forms, and it changes to copy a Legend in play, it will be the newer copy of that Legend in play and will be buried even if the copy card itself was in play longer. [WotC Rules Team 03/31/98] + If the copy card can change forms, and it in turn copies another card which can change forms it will have both copy abilities. But the next form change will erase all the previous copy abilities and it will once again have just one ability. [WotC Rules Team 03/31/98] Creature Type: + 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. 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. [WotC Rules Team 03/31/98] Damage: + No player is considered the controller of the effect which puts a creature into the graveyard due to lethal damage. The game rules are poducing this effect. [WotC Rules Team 03/31/98] Infinity: + There is no such thing as "infinity" in Magic. [WotC Rules Team 03/31/98] + If a combination occurs which is completely under player control, it could potentially be repeated an infinite number of times. If this happens, the player should demonstrate the cycle a few times, then state how many times they want to do this. This must be a positive, finite integer. If the opponent does nothing to interfere, then the actions occur the stated number of times. [WotC Rules Team 03/31/98] + If a loop occurs for which the players have no control, first demonstrate the cycle a few times. Then each player picks a number, which must be a finite positive integer. The active player picks first. The loop repeats for a number of times equal to the larger of the numbers chosen. [WotC Rules Team 03/31/98] + There is no ruling for loops where a loop consits of player actions, but there is an element of randomness involved, such as coin flipping or deck shuffling. If a player wants to repeat until a certain condition occurs, the result will be up to the judge at any particular tournament. [WotC Rules Team 03/31/98] + For loops not under player control, cards remain where they would be at the end of the loop. [WotC Rules Team 03/31/98] + For example, if an Ivory Gargoyle comes into play at end of turn and an AEther Flash is in play, a loop will start. In this case, the Gargoyle enters play, dies, enters play, dies, ... The end condition is the end of a loop, which means it ends when the Gargoyle dies so it stays in the graveyard. [WotC Rules Team 03/31/98] + For example, Sacred Ground is in play under one player's control and Land Equilibrium is under another player's control. When a player puts a land into play, it triggers a cycle of sacrifice a land, put it back into play, sacrifice a land, put it back into play... The end condition is that the land ends up in play. [WotC Rules Team 03/31/98] Land: + If a spell/ability puts a land into play for you, it does not count as playing a land, therefore it does not count as your one land you can play for that turn. [bethmo 11/05/96] For example, the Mirage lands that bring a land from your library into play. Licid: + If any phase costs or phase abilities on the Licid in enchantment form are dealt with, and then the Licid changes into a creature and back into an enchantment, the phase cost or phase ability is not be dealt with again. The same is true if it changes from a creature to an enchantment and back into a creature. [D'Angelo 03/23/98] Tournament Rulings ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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. "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 not be 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.