T.8 - Continuous Effects


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T.8.1- A continuous effect generated by the resolution of a spell or ability lasts as long as stated (for example, "until end of turn", or "as long as this card remains tapped"). If no duration is stated, it lasts until the end of the game. [CompRules 1999/04/23]

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T.8.2- A continuous effect generated by the resolution of a spell or ability will "lock in" the set of permanents it will affect. If the spell or ability is targeted, this is done at the time it is announced. If the spell or ability is not targeted, this is done when it resolves. [CompRules 1999/04/23] For example, a spell that reads "All white creatures get +1/+1 until end of turn" gives the bonus to all permanents that are white creatures when the spell resolves. These permanents keep the bonus if they stop being white or stop being creatures, and permanents that become white creatures later in the turn do not get the bonus.

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T.8.3- A continuous effect generated by the resolution of a spell or ability will "lock in" any variables and calculations when it resolves. [CompRules 1999/04/23] For example, "target creature gets +X/+X until end of turn, where X is the number of cards in your hand" counts the cards in your hand when the spell resolves. The bonus is not recalculated if your hand size changes. Similarly, an effect which is limited in some way (as with Blood Lust) also gets locked in this way and does not change later even if other effects change. [CompRules 1999/11/01]

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T.8.4- If the end condition for a continuous effect using the "as long as" template for the end condition is met before the effect is applied, then the effect never takes place. You do not apply the effect and then end it, and you do not let the effect continue until end of game. For example, if an effect lasts "as long as this card remains tapped" and the card untaps before the effect is applied, then the effect never is applied. [WotC Rules Team 2002/02/01] If the end condition for other templates, primarily "until ", is met before the effect is applied, you wait for the next time that condition occurs. [WotC Rules Team 2002/02/01]

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T.8.5- A continuous effect generated by a static ability of a permanent is in effect as long as the permanent is in play, and ends as soon as the permanent leaves play. [CompRules 1999/04/23]

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T.8.6- A continuous effect generated by a static ability of a permanent does not "lock in" the set of permanents it affects. The effect is continuously checking to see what it applies to. [CompRules 1999/04/23] For example, a static ability "All white creatures get +1/+1" will give the bonus to white creatures. If a permanent stops being a white creature, it loses the bonus. If a permanent becomes a white creature, it gains the bonus.

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T.8.7- A continuous effect generated by a static ability of a permanent does not "lock in" any variables. All variables are continuously recalculated. [D'Angelo 1999/05/01] For example, "enchanted creature gets +X/+X, where X is the number of cards in your hand" will grant a bonus that changes when your hand size changes.

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T.8.8- All effects of all sorts on a permanent end when the permanent leaves play. [D'Angelo 1996/11/07] There is one exception to this. A permanent phasing out may have some effects continue. See Rule G.27.

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T.8.9- A continuous effect is said to "depend on" another if applying the other would change the text or existence of the first effect, what it applies to, or what it does to any of the things it applies to. Otherwise, the first effect is considered independent of the second one. [CompRules 1999/04/23]

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T.8.10- Whenever one continuous effect "depends on" another, the independent one is applied first. If several dependent effects form a loop, or if none depends on another, the effects are applied in the order they came into play. This ordering is called "timestamp order". [CompRules 1999/04/23] For example, if one effect says "all white creatures get +1/+1" and another effect says "enchanted creature is white", the creature gets the bonus regardless of the order the effects entered play because the first effect depends on the second one and is therefore always applied afterwards.

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T.8.11- For purposes of these rules, each permanent considers effects from its built-in abilities to be the oldest effects upon itself. [D'Angelo 1999/05/01] This means that if an enchantment says that all creatures lose Flying, a Flying creature that was in play before, or enters play after this enchantment entered play, will still lose Flying.

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T.8.12- A continuous effect affects permanents as soon as they enter play. For example, if Blood Moon is in play and a non-basic land is played, the land enters play as a Mountain. It does not enter play as its original type and then change. [CompRules 1999/04/23]

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T.8.13- A continuous effect that says something cannot happen overrides any one-shot effect that tries to do that thing. This rule does not apply to the adding or removing of abilities. For example, if a continuous effect said "players can't gain life" and a spell or ability is played that says "You gain 3 life" then you do not gain life. [D'Angelo 2000/02/25]

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T.8.14- A continuous effect is said to have "limited duration" if it lasts "until" some time or condition, or "as long as" some condition is true. An effect is said to have "unlimited duration" if the effect lasts indefinitely. [WotC Rules Team 2000/02/16] Note that the Licid ability is considered to be unlimited even though there is a new ability created which can end the effect. The effect itself does not define its end condition in this case. [WotC Rules Team 2000/02/16]

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T.8.15- A continuous effect generated by a card in the graveyard has its "timestamp" set at the time the card entered the graveyard. For example, Anger. [Judgment FAQ 2002/05/28]

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T.8.Ruling.1- A continuous effect may modify how a permanent enters play. For example, Kismet will make land cards enter play in a tapped state. They do not enter play and tap afterwards. [WotC Rules Team 1997/08/05]

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T.8.Ruling.2- A continuous effect from a spell or non-static ability lasts its full duration even if the source of the effect leaves play or the affected permanent temporarily becomes inapplicable to the effect. [D'Angelo 1999/05/01] For example, if Giant Growth is cast on an artifact creature, which then stops being a creature for a while, the +3/+3 will still be there if it becomes a creature before the end of turn when the duration effect ends.

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T.8.Ruling.3- One continuous effect can override another. This happens if one is applied after the other as per Rule T.8.10. This makes it so the most recent effect "wins". For example, two enchantments are played on the same creature. One says "enchanted creature gains flying" and the other says "enchanted creature loses flying". Neither of these depends on the other, so they are applied in the order they came into play. So the one that was in play first "loses" to the one that came into play most recently. [CompRules 1999/04/23]

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T.8.Ruling.4- Because of Rule T.8.8, an "at end of turn do " effect can be avoided if the affected permanent leaves play by phasing out (see Rule G.27.4). [Aahz 1996/10/04]

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T.8.Ruling.5- If the source of a continuous effect is removed or changed, re-apply any other effects using the rules to discover the new outcome. If the removed effect was one that changed a characteristic, side-effects may result. [D'Angelo 1998/02/03] For example, if you cast a Conversion enchantment to change all Mountains into Plains and then used Magical Hack on a second Conversion enchantment to turn all Mountains into Forests, the first one would be applied and turn them all into Plains. The second one would find no Mountains in play, so it would do nothing. Later, if the first one were removed, the second one would immediately discover the Mountains and convert them to Forests (and they would not even momentarily be Mountains).

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T.8.Ruling.6- A permanent with a built-in ability (as per Rule T.8.11) that has a conditional effect is still considered to have that ability as a built-in ability. For example, if it had "As long as this card is untapped, it has Flying", it would act as if Flying were in its built-in abilities while it was untapped and as if it did not have Flying when it was tapped. [Aahz 1997/08/10]

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T.8.Ruling.7- When a card phases in (see Rule G.27), its effect is considered to be a new one entering play. [Aahz 1996/11/08]

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T.8.Ruling.8- For purposes of reordering effects due to dependencies (as outlined in Rule T.8.10), the dependent effect moves to after the one it depends on, not the other way around. For example, if effects A, B, and C are in play and effect A depends on effect C, then the ordering is B, C, and then A. [bethmo 1999/07/27]

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