============================================================================== General Rulings Summary (CHANGES ONLY) Updated 2001/09/20 ============================================================================== Rulings are collected from many sources. See credits and disclaimer at the end of the file for details. This release is under rules used by SIXTH EDITION and SEVENTH EDITION. Both of these editions use the same 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 A '+' is used to mark changes since the 2001/08/21 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.9 - Buyback + A.9.2 - Buyback is defined as "You may pay an additional as you play this spell. If you do, put this card into your hand instead of into your graveyard as this spell resolves.". [CompRules 2001/07/23 - 502.16a] A.10 - Cumulative Upkeep + A.10.2 - This ability means "At the beginning of your upkeep, put a cumulative upkeep counter on this permanent. Then sacrifice this permanent unless you for each cumulative upkeep counter on the permanent." [CompRules 2001/07/23 - 502.13a] + A.10.4 - If a permanent has multiple cumulative upkeep abilities, each one triggers separately, but each one counts all cumulative upkeep counters. For example, if a permanent has two instances of "Cumulative Upkeep - Pay one life", then both would trigger. When the first trigger resolves, you add one counter and pay the life total (1 if no counters were there before). When the second trigger resolves, you add a second counter and pay the life total (2 if no counters were there before). [CompRules 2001/07/23 - 502.13b] A.12 - Echo + A.12.2 - This ability means "At the beginning of your upkeep, if this permanent came under your control since the beginning of your last upkeep, sacrifice it unless you pay its mana cost." [CompRules 2001/07/23 - 502.19a] A.20 - Kicker + A.20.5 - A spell may have multiple kicker costs listed. If so, each one is treated independently. In addition the card text may identify each of these kickers by the cost paid. If the cost is altered for some reason, the card text will still apply because you paid the appropriate kicker. The use of the costs in the text is a convenience. [CompRules 2001/07/23 - 502.21d] A.22 - Landwalk + A.22.Ruling.5 - Spells and abilities which look for a kind of Landwalk only find the exact kind of Landwalk specified. For example, a spell which targets a creature with Islandwalk will not work on a creature with Snow-Covered Islandwalk, as that is a different kind of Islandwalk. [D'Angelo 2001/09/17] A.23 - Phasing + A.24.4 - Phasing is not cumulative. Having more than one instance of this ability has no additional effect. [CompRules 2001/07/23 - 502.15p] C - Combat Rules ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ No changes to this section. D - DCI Tournament Rules ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ No changes to this section. E - Extracted Rulings on Cards ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ E.4 - Copy Cards + E.4.2 - Copy cards read the printed characteristics (see Rule K.6) of the card or token, ignoring any changes made by other spells and abilities, including type changes, temporary effects such as Giant Growth or continuous effects. These characteristics become the new printed characteristics of the copy. The implication of changing the printed characteristics is that the copy itself can also be copied. [CompRules 2001/07/23 - 503.2/3] + E.4.5 - If there are any choices that have to be made to define the card being copied, those choices are not copied. All choices are considered to be zero if numeric or not made otherwise. [CompRules 2001/07/23 - 505.6] There is one exception. If the copy comes into play (as opposed to changing form in play) any "as it comes into play" choices can made at the time the copy is made. For example, copying a Chameleon Spirit with a Clone allows you to choose a new color. But doing the same copy with an Unstable Shapeshifter would not. [CompRules 2001/07/23 - 505.6] Choices made on playing the card or after the card is in play are never copied. For example, any X in the mana cost is considered to be zero and anything tied to payments of the mana cost are considered unpaid. [CompRules 2001/07/23 - 505.7] + E.4.6 - If the copy card can change forms, any choices made on the original form persist even if they are useless. These choices may become valid again if a later form acts for a compatible choice. For example, if a Vesuvan Doppelganger copies a Chameleon Spirit on entering play, it lets you choose a color (let's say "blue"). If it later shifts to copying a Quirion Elves, which also requires a color choice, this choice is applied (so the Elves make blue mana). [CompRules 2001/07/23 - 503.8] + E.4.7 - If the copy card can change forms, any ability usage restrictions are not honored. 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, you can use the new ability even if it is exactly the same text for the old ability. The restriction will not carry over. [D'Angelo 2001/09/17] + E.4.12 - When a copy card copies a spell, all characteristics are copied and so are all choices. This includes targets, the value of X, and optional additional costs such as Buyback. Choices made on resolution are not copied. [CompRules 2001/07/23 - 503.10] + E.4.Ruling.1 - Most copy cards are not targeted. You can play them any time a creature would be legal to cast. They have you choose a card to copy as they enter play. If there is no valid choice, then it will not copy anything and will enter with the characteristics printed on the copy card itself. Some copy cards are targeted (notably Fork) and so they require a target in order to be played at all. [D'Angelo 2001/08/31] + E.4.Ruling.4 - If a copy card copies another permanent which is a copy, then the printed values of the thing being copied are used (unless there are some characteristics that were not copied). [D'Angelo 2001/08/31] G - Game Terms and Rules ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ G.27 - Phasing Out and In + G.27.8 - Permanents that "phase in" may attack or use tap abilities during the turn they enter play as if they had the Haste ability. [CompRules 2001/07/23 - 502.15n] + G.27.14 - A local enchantment that is phased out "directly" (rather than as a result of the permanent it enchants being phased out), then it will phase in on the same permanent. If that permanent is no longer in play when it phases in, it will return to play and then go to the graveyard as a State-Based Effect. [CompRules 2001/07/23 - 502.15j] + G.27.15 - If multiple permanents phase in at the same time, the current player determines the relative order of any effects those permanents have. The permanents are still consisdered to enter play simultaneously for all reasons (such as the Legends Rule G.17.2) but it it sometimes necessary to order the effects. Permanents may be put in any order with the restriction that local enchantments on the permanent must be put in time order after the original permanent and in the order those local enchantments were placed on that permanent. [CompRules 2001/07/23 - 502.15k] + G.27.16 - When a permanent "phases out", any spell or ability that is on the stack which is targeting that permanent will not notice that it is gone until the spell or ability starts to resolve. If the permanent "phases in" before the spell or ability starts to resolve, then permanent is the same permanent and it will still be the target of the spell or ability. [CompRules 2001/07/23 - 502.15n] K - Card and Permanent Types and Information ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ K.14 - Instant + K.14.2 - An Instant cannot come into play. If one would come into play, it remains where it is instead. [WotC Rules Team 2001/08/01] K.21 - Snow-Covered Lands + K.21.2 - Snow-Covered is an ability of a land and can be granted or removed as any other ability. The Snow-Covered ability doesn't do anything, however. It is merely a marker. [CompRules 2001/07/23 - 502.14a] + K.21.3 - If a land's type is changed, the Snow-Covered ability will be removed just as any other ability would be. For example, if you use Phantasmal Terrain to change a Snow-Covered Plains into a Mountain, you end up with a card named Mountain without the Snow-Covered ability. [D'Angelo 2001/09/17] + K.21.4 - Any effect that looks for a Snow-Covered land will look for one with the Snow-Covered ability. Effects may look for more specific lands. For example, an effect looking for a Snow-Covered Forest will find any Forest with the Snow-Covered ability. [CompRules 2001/07/23 - 502.14a] + K.21.5 - Adding or removing the Snow-Covered ability does not change the name of a land. For example, a card named Snow-Covered Forest which has the Snow-Covered ability removed is still named Snow-Covered Forest but it also is not considered to be Snow-Covered any more. [CompRules 2001/07/23 - 502.14c] + K.21.6 - The cards Snow-Covered Forest, Snow-Covered Island, Snow-Covered Mountain, Snow-Covered Plains, and Snow-Covered Swamp are considered basic lands of the appropriate type. This is true even when they are out of play. So Land Tax can be used to select such lands. [CompRules 2001/07/23 - 502.14b] + K.21.Ruling.2 - Cards which look for a kind of Landwalk work only if it is the exact same kind of Landwalk. For example, an effect that targets a creature with Islandwalk will not work on one with Snow-Covered Islandwalk. [D'Angelo 2001/09/17] + K.21.Ruling.7 - Snow-Covered is an ability and will be removed by an effect that removes abilities. [D'Angelo 2001/08/31] K.22 - Sorcery + K.22.2 - A Sorcery cannot come into play. If one would come into play, it remains where it is instead. [WotC Rules Team 2001/08/01] K.24 - Split Cards + K.24.Ruling.1 - Even though the card has two sets of characteristics on the front, it is still considered only one card for purposes of draw, discard, and similar effects. [CompRules 2001/07/23 - 505.4] M - Multi-Player Rules ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ No changes to this section. P - Phases of the Turn ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ No changes to this section. T - Timing of Spells and Abilities ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ No changes to this section. U - Unglued ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ No changes to this section. 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. "Aahz" is Tom Wylie, the former Magic Rules Manager. "Barclay" is Paul Barclay, the previous MTG-L mailing list NetRep. "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. "Dommermuth" is Brady Dommermuth. "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. "Jordan" is Jeff Jordan, the MTG-L mailing list 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.