============================================================================== General Rulings Summary (CHANGES ONLY) Updated 08/20/98 ============================================================================== 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 07/20/98. 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.1 - General Rulings on Abilities + A.1.6 - Unless otherwise stated, the controller of the permanent generating the ability is the only one who can play it. [bethmo 02/21/97] Exceptions are usually noted with text such as "any/each player may". [D'Angelo 08/03/98] + A.1.7 - If a card says "During such-and-such player's upkeep, do something", the ability is played by the current player. It does not matter who controls the permanent generating the ability. [WotC Rules Team 07/03/97] Such abilities are controlled by the current player. It does not matter who controls the permanent. See Rule A.5.4. [D'Angelo 08/03/98] + A.1.10 - The characteristics (see Rule K.4) and controller of an ability are "locked in" when the ability is announced. The characteristics are the same as the characteristics of the source at that time. [Mirage, Page 26] See Rule K.4.4. + A.1.13 - An effect is considered to grant an ability if it says that a permanent "gains " or "gets ", where the is anything other than a power/toughness bonus (such as +1/+1). The effect is just an effect if these words are not present. For example, Flight grants an ability, while Pacifism just has an effect. [WotC Rules Team 03/31/98] A.3 - Begin/End of Phase Abilities + A.3.5 - Begin/end of phase abilities are played only once each turn. [Barclay 08/03/98] A.8 - Triggered Abilities + A.8.1 - Triggered abilities are written as "If , do " or "When/whenever , do " or "For each , do ". If the ability says you "may do ", then use of the ability is optional. If not, then use of the ability is mandatory. [D'Angelo 08/03/98] + A.8.3 - Triggered abilities check their condition continuously, even during the middle of an event (see Rule T.1.9), but they are played only after the event (see Rule T.1.9) or transition in the game (such as a spell becoming "successfully cast) completes. See Rule T.5, Rule T.6, and Rule T.7 for when triggered abilities are played. + A.8.7 - Triggered abilities which trigger on a permanent leaving play will trigger based on the characteristics of the permanent just before it left play. [WotC Rules Team 02/01/98] + A.8.8 - Triggered abilities which trigger on a permanent coming into play will trigger based on the characteristics on the card or the token-creating ability which generated the permanent. If the card or ability refers to the permanent by name, its identity is also recorded so the effect knows exactly what card/token it is associated with even if the card or token changes names after entering play. [WotC Rules Team 02/01/98] A.9 - Unactivated Abilities + Note - One card with an unactivated ability is Ifh-Biff Efreet. A.25 - Trample: + A.25.5 - Trample is a continuous, cumulative ability. See Rule A.1.2. Having Trample more than once usually gives no additional effect since the first instance will redirect the excess damage, but it is possible to have a creature's toughness lowered between playing two Trample abilities and thereby redirect a little more damage through. [Barclay 07/23/98] C - Combat Rules ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ C.8 - Step 6: Damage Dealing + C.8.Ruling.4 - When assigning damage among multiple blockers, you can assign it in any way you choose. With all damage going to one blocker, or any division of damage among the blockers, as long as each point of damage is assigned somewhere. [D'Angelo 08/04/98] D - DCI Tournament Rules ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ D.13 - Classic Tournament Format + D.13.Ruling.2 - Square edged cards from the Collector's Editions are not legal. + D.13.Ruling.3 - Silver bordered cards from Unglued are not legal. D.14 - Classic-Restricted Tournament Format + D.14.Ruling.1 - Square edged cards from the Collector's Editions are not legal. + D.14.Ruling.2 - Silver bordered cards from Unglued are not legal. D.15 - Extended Tournament Format + D.15.Ruling.2 - Square edged cards from the Collector's Editions are not legal. + D.15.Ruling.3 - Silver bordered cards from Unglued are not legal. D.16 - Standard Tournament Format + D.16.Ruling.2 - Square edged cards from the Collector's Editions are not legal. + D.16.Ruling.3 - Silver bordered cards from Unglued are not legal. E - Extracted Rulings on Cards ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ E.1 - Attack or Die Effects + E.1.Ruling.4 - Most of these spells and abilities say they may not be used on a creature which has summoning sickness. [D'Angelo 08/18/98] E.3 - Comes Into Play Abilities + E.3.Ruling.8 - 'Comes into play' abilities do not trigger when a card changes its type. For example, animating a land with Living Lands. They only trigger on something going from being out of play to being in play. [D'Angelo 07/30/98] E.8 - Licids + E.8.4 - When a Licid changes form, any counters, effects, and damage on it remain on it until they would normally be removed (if ever). If the counters or effects make no sense when applied to the current card type, then they do not do anything. But if the Licid returns to being a of the proper card type, they may take effect again. [D'Angelo 07/24/98] For example, a +1/+1 counter from Dwarven Weaponsmith would remain, the effect of Giant Growth will wear off at end of turn, and damage will be removed at end of turn. Also see Rule K.5.9. + E.8.Ruling.5 - If a Licid targets itself with its ability, the effect turns the Licid into a creature enchantment targeting itself. After the resolution finishes, it will discover that it is not on a legal target and it will bury itself. See Rule K.14.9. [WotC Rules Team 08/01/98] + E.8.Ruling.8 - The ability to end the Licid's effect of being turned into an enchantment is played as an instant. [D'Angelo 07/22/98] G - Game Terms and Rules ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ G.35 - Sacrifice + G.35.4 - You choose what to sacrifice at the time you sacrifice it. Sacrifices are usually done as a cost during the announcing of a spell or ability. If the sacrifice instead happens during resolution, you choose the thing to sacrifice at that time. [WotC Rules Team 10/06/97] If a spell has you choose what not to sacrifice, such as with Cataclysm, you also make that choice at the time you would do the sacrifices. [WotC Rules Team 08/01/98] K - Card and Permanent Types and Information ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ K.13 - Creature Type + K.13.Ruling.4 - Creature types which differ in a way other than specified by Rule K.13.4 and Rule K.13.5 are different. For example, Blinking Spirit and Spirit are different creature types. [Duelist Magazine #9, Page 36] And a "Goblin Sliver" made with Volrath's Laboratory is neither a Goblin nor a Sliver. [behtmo 07/29/98] K.14 - Enchantment + K.14.4 - Local enchantments have a targeting requirement that they be on a card of the type specified. If at any time the permanent they are on stops being of that card type, or if the permanent becomes untargetable by the enchantment, or if the permanent they are on leaves play, the enchantment will bury itself as a Rule Effect (see Rule T.13). [Fifth Edition, Page 18] + K.14.9 - An enchantment is never a legal target for itself. [WotC Rules Team 08/18/98] For example, if a Licid is made to enchant itself, it will immediately bury itself because it is on an illegal target. M - Multi-Player Rules ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ No changes to this section. P - Phases of the Turn ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ P.4 - Beginning of Turn + P.4.Ruling.2 - If more than one effect can cause you to skip a turn, choose which one is making you skip just before you would start the turn. [Barclay 07/29/98] If an effect is optional, make the choice at the same time. [D'Angelo 11/06/96] T - Timing of Spells and Abilities ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ T.7 - Step 4: Resolution + T.7.1 - This step can be charted out as follows: 1. Recheck targeting conditions. 2. For each part (called an "event", see Rule T.1.9) of the spell or ability's resolution text (events/parts are separated by the word "then" in the text), do the following. a. Chance for replacement spells and abilities (see Rule A.7). These happen in a Series (see Rule T.9). b. Resolve the event/part of spell resolution. If this is the last event and this is a spell which is to become a permanent, put the card into play. If this is the last event and this is a spell which is not to become a permanent, put this card into the graveyard. c. Deal with Rule Effects (see Rule T.13). These all happen simultaneously. Mana sources and replacement abilities (see Rule A.7) can be used before resolving these. d. Deal with triggered abilities (see Rule A.8). These happen in a Series (see Rule T.9). e. Deal with Damage Prevention from the resolution. See Rule T.10. Note that this does not happen if already in a Damage Prevention step (see Rule T.10.9). T.10 - Damage Prevention Step + T.10.3 - Only spells and abilities which prevent or redirect damage may be played during the main part of damage prevention. [Fifth Edition, Page 52] Also mana sources and interrupts to any legal spells. [D'Angelo 08/04/98] 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.