============================================================================= General Rulings Summary (CHANGES ONLY) Updated 05/20/98 ============================================================================= 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 "18 May 1998 to 19 May 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 04/15/98. 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 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- No changes to this section. Attack Phase Rules and Rulings ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- No changes to this section. Spell and Ability Timing ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- No changes to this section. Glossary of Magic Topics ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Comes Into Play Effects: + Since it is a triggered ability, you cannot use anything other than mana sources (and maybe specialized abilities if they apply) between the card entering play and the triggered abilities being dealt with. [bethmo 11/06/96] You can play interrupts to the ability once the ability is announced. [D'Angelo 04/20/98] Copy Cards: + Copy cards can copy other copy cards. The copy card is considered to be in all ways the thing it is copying. It is not considered to be a copy only due to an effect. For example, a Copy Artifact can copy a Clone of an Artifact Creature. [bethmo 04/14/98] + A copy card can target a creature which has a built-in "cannot be targeted" ability which has been temporarily removed by an effect such as Humility. [bethmo 05/02/98] Counters: + Counters remain even on a permanent if what they do does not currently apply. For example, if a Mishra's Factory gets a +1/+1 counter while it is a creature, the counter will remain when it de-animates. [Mirage Page 25] Similarly, a +1/+1 counter will remain on a Licid when it changes into an enchantment. [D'Angelo 04/17/98] 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] You can use compound nouns such as "Duck-Billed Platypus" and can use any existing creature type or creature name. For example, "Plague Rats" is a legal type. You cannot use the names of non-creature cards or any other term that means something in the game. [bethmo 04/23/98] Destroy: + All cards that destroy themselves have errata to say they bury themselves. For example, Dragon Whelp buries itself if pumped up too much. [WotC Rules Team 10/03/96] This errata only applies to cards from Mirage and before. Cards printed after Mirage mean what they say. [D'Angelo 04/28/98] Infinity: + 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] Any player may say that after some smaller number of times they want to stop the loop to take some action (which is legal at that time). This causes the additional loops to not happen, but does not stop the player from starting the loop again if they can. [D'Angelo 04/16/98] + 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] If a player has a way to legally do something during the loop, they can stop the loop after any smaller number of times in order to do their action. This causes the additional loops to not happen, but does not stop the loop from starting again if it can. [D'Angelo 04/16/98] + For loops not under player control, cards remain where they would be at the end of the loop. [WotC Rules Team 03/31/98] These kinds of loops only happen when they consist entirely of triggered and/or scheduled abilities, so the loop is considered to start with the first triggered or scheduled ability that ends up being part of the loop as demonstrated. [D'Angelo 04/16/98] + For these rulings, the phrase "end of the loop" is being used. It means "the state right before the loop would begin again". Licid: + Licids do not lose any permanent changes (such as the effects of an xxxxLace) when changing into enchantment form. [Aahz 11/17/97] + When in creature enchantment form, it can be moved onto another creature with an enchantment moving effect. It does not revert to being a creature. [WotC Rules Team 02/01/98] Moving Enchantments: + The rulings in this section apply to enchantment movers, like Enchantment Alteration and Crown of the Ages. + Spells and abilities which move an enchantment from one target to another do _not_ treat it as if the enchantment were just cast. Nothing changes about the enchantment other than its new target. [WotC Rules Team 05/01/98] (REVERSAL) + Any "comes into play" abilities of the enchantment or of other cards will not trigger when it is moved. [WotC Rules Team 05/01/98] + If the enchantment itself has upkeep costs or effects and you deal with them prior to moving it, you do not have to deal with them again because it is still the same permanent. [D'Angelo 05/04/98] Phase Abilities and Phase Effects: + Phase abilities and phase costs which are played during the middle of a phase are played by the active/current player, but are controlled by the player who controls the source of the ability. [WotC Rules Team 05/01/98] (REVERSAL) For example, when Bottomless Pit is in play, the current player plays the ability when they want to, but the opponent may be considered the controller of the discard, and thereby trigger Guerrilla Tactics. Snow-Covered Lands: + Snow-Covered is another characteristic about a card, like color or artifactness. For example, a land can be a basic Plains and be animated, Snow-Covered, artifact, and blue all at once. + Effects which have you choose a land type will not let you choose to add the characteristic Snow-Covered to the land type, just like they will not let you apply a color restriction to the land type. [WotC Rules Team 05/01/98] Tournament Rulings ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Floor Rules: + All tournaments are single elimination, double elimination, round-robin, or Swiss draw format with each round consisting of up to 3 duels during a fixed time limit. A duel a player wins gets them 3 points and each draw gets them 1 point. So a match won 2 games to 1 would net 6 points for the winning player and 3 points for the losing player. A bye gives a player 6 points for the round. [Tourney Rules 10/01/95] 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.