G.33 - Sacrifice


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G.33.1- To sacrifice means to put a permanent from in play into its owner's graveyard. [CompRules 1999/04/23]

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G.33.2- Sacrifices cannot be prevented by any means. [D'Angelo 1998/02/03]

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G.33.3- You can only choose to sacrifice a permanent you control. If asked to sacrifice something you don't control, nothing happens. [CompRules 1999/04/23]

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G.33.4- Sacrifices are not targeted. [bethmo 1996/10/03] So Protection from Color (see Rule A.31) will not protect a creature from being sacrificed. [D'Angelo 1998/02/03]

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G.33.Ruling.1- Sacrificing is not done at any particular speed. To determine if it is legal to sacrifice something at a given time, it is legal only if the spell or ability which requires the sacrifice is legal at that time. [D'Angelo 1998/02/03] For example, the Altar of Dementia has an ability that is played whenever you could play an instant. So it is legal to sacrifice a creature to it when instants are legal.

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G.33.Ruling.2- Sacrificing as a cost works just like spending mana. You cannot spend the same permanent to satisfy two spells or abilities that require sacrifices, just like you cannot spend a single mana point to cast two spells. [D'Angelo 1998/02/03]

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G.33.Ruling.3- You cannot sacrifice something unless a spell or ability instructs you to do so. In other words, you cannot just remove something from play because you want to. [D'Angelo 1997/11/14]

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G.33.Ruling.4- When a sacrifice is done as a cost (see Rule G.6.2), then it is in the graveyard before any responses can be used (see Rule T.5). This means that if the spell or ability is countered, you do not get the sacrificed permanent back. [D'Angelo 1998/02/03]

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G.33.Ruling.5- A permanent can sacrifice itself to one of its own abilities, unless otherwise prevented by the card text or some effect. [Duelist Magazine #5, Page 123, 1995/05/01]

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G.33.Ruling.6- You can sacrifice something that is tapped or that has summoning sickness (see Rule G.37) since it just entered play. [D'Angelo 1998/07/05]

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Note- You may not even attempt to regenerate a sacrificed creature. See Rule G.29.4. [D'Angelo 1998/02/03]

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