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This search based on the March 17, 2008 release of the Rulings.
410 - Handling Triggered Abilities
- 410.1 - Because they aren't played, triggered abilities can trigger even
when it isn't legal to play spells and abilities, and effects that prevent
abilities from being played don't affect them. [CompRules 2003/07/01]
- 410.2 - Whenever a game event or game state matches a triggered ability's
trigger event, that ability triggers. When a phase or step begins, all
abilities that trigger "at the beginning of" that phase or step trigger.
The ability is controlled by the player who controlled its source at the
time it triggered, unless it's a delayed triggered ability. The controller
of a delayed triggered ability is the player who controlled the spell or
ability that created it. The ability doesn't do anything when it
triggers, but it's automatically put on the stack by its controller as
soon as a player would receive priority. Each triggered ability on the
stack has the text of the ability that created it, and no other
characteristics. [CompRules 2007/10/01]
- 410.2a - If a triggered ability's trigger condition is met, but the object
with that triggered ability is at no time visible to all players, the
ability does not trigger. [CompRules 2007/07/13]
- 410.3 - If multiple abilities have triggered since the last time a player
received priority, each player, in APNAP order, puts triggered abilities
he or she controls on the stack in any order he or she chooses. (See
Rule 103.4.) Then players once again check for and resolve state-based
effects until none are generated, then abilities that triggered during
this process go on the stack. This process repeats until no new
state-based effects are generated and no abilities trigger. Then the
appropriate player gets priority. [CompRules 2005/08/01]
- 410.4 - When a triggered ability goes on the stack, the controller of the
ability makes any choices that would be required while playing an
activated ability, following the same procedure (see Rule 409, "Playing
Spells and Activated Abilities"). If no legal choice can be made (or if a
rule or a continuous effect otherwise makes the ability illegal), the
ability is simply removed from the stack. [CompRules 2003/07/01]
- 410.4a - If a triggered ability is modal (that is, it uses the
phrase "Choose one -" or "[specified player] chooses one -"), its
controller announces the mode choice when he or she puts the ability on
the stack. If one of the modes would be illegal to play (due to an
inability to choose legal targets, for example), that mode can't be
chosen. If no mode can be chosen, the ability is removed from the stack.
[CompRules 2007/05/01]
- 410.5 - Some triggered abilities' effects are optional (they contain "may,"
as in "At the beginning of your upkeep, you may draw a card"). These
abilities go on the stack when they trigger, regardless of whether their
controller intends to exercise the ability's option or not. The choice is
made when the ability resolves. Likewise, triggered abilities that have
an effect "unless" something is true or a player chooses to do something
will go on the stack normally; the "unless" part of the ability is dealt
with when the ability resolves. [CompRules 2003/07/01]
- 410.6 - An ability triggers only once each time its trigger event occurs.
However, it can trigger repeatedly if one event contains multiple
occurrences. See also Rule 410.9.
Example: A permanent has an ability whose trigger condition reads,
"Whenever a land is put into a graveyard from play, ...." If someone
plays a spell that destroys all lands, the ability will trigger once for
each land put into the graveyard during the spell's resolution.
[CompRules 2003/07/01]
- 410.7 - An ability triggers only if its trigger event actually occurs. An
event that's prevented or replaced won't trigger anything.
Example: An ability that triggers on damage being dealt won't trigger if
all the damage is prevented. [CompRules 2003/07/01]
- 410.8 - Triggered abilities with a condition directly following the trigger
event (for example, "When/Whenever/At [trigger],
if [condition], [effect]"), check for the condition to be true as part of
the trigger event; if it isn't, the ability doesn't trigger. The ability
checks the condition again on resolution. If it's not satisfied, the
ability does nothing. Note that this mirrors the check for legal targets.
Note that this rule doesn't apply to any triggered ability with an "if"
condition elsewhere within its text. This rule is referred to as
the "intervening 'if' clause" rule. [CompRules 2003/07/01]
- 410.9 - Some abilities trigger when creatures block or are blocked in
combat. (See Rule 306 through Rule 311 and Rule 500, "Legal Attacks
and Blocks.") They may trigger once or repeatedly, depending on the
wording of the ability. [CompRules 2005/08/01]
- 410.9a - An ability that reads "Whenever [this creature] blocks, ..."
triggers only once each combat for that creature, even if it blocks
multiple creatures. It triggers only if the creature is declared as a
blocker. [CompRules 2006/05/01]
- 410.9b - An ability that reads "Whenever [this creature] blocks a
creature, ..." triggers once for each attacking creature the creature with
the ability blocks. It triggers only if the creature is declared as a
blocker. [CompRules 2006/05/01]
- 410.9c - An ability that reads "Whenever [this creature] becomes
blocked, ..." triggers only once each combat for that creature, even if
it's blocked by multiple creatures. It will also trigger if an effect
causes a creature to block the attacking creature, but only if it hadn't
already been blocked that combat. It will trigger if the creature becomes
blocked by an effect rather than a creature. [CompRules 2006/05/01]
- 410.9d - An ability that reads "Whenever a creature blocks [this
creature], ..." triggers once for each creature that blocks the named
creature. It will also trigger if an effect causes a creature to block
the attacking creature, even if it had already been blocked that combat.
It won't trigger if the creature becomes blocked by an effect rather than
a creature. [CompRules 2006/05/01]
- 410.9e - If an ability triggers when a creature blocks or is blocked by a
particular number of creatures, the ability triggers if the creature
blocks or is blocked by that many creatures when blockers are declared.
Effects that add or remove blockers can cause such abilities to trigger.
This applies to abilities that trigger on a creature blocking or being
blocked by at least a certain number of creatures as well.
[CompRules 2007/10/01]
- 410.10 - Trigger events that involve objects changing zones are called
"zone-change triggers." Many abilities with zone-change triggers attempt
to do something to that object after it changes zones. During resolution,
these abilities look for the object in the zone that it moved to. If the
object is unable to be found in the zone it went to, the part of the
ability attempting to do something to the object will fail to do anything.
The ability could be unable to find the object because the object never
entered the specified zone, because it left the zone before the ability
resolved, or because it is in a zone that is hidden from a player, such as
a library or an opponent's hand. (This rule applies even if the object
leaves the zone and returns again before the ability resolves.) The most
common zone-change triggers are comes-into-play triggers and
leaves-play triggers. [CompRules 2007/10/01]
- 410.10a - Comes-into-play abilities trigger when a permanent enters the
in-play zone. These are written, "When [this object] comes into
play, ..." or "Whenever a [type] comes into play, ..." Each time an
event puts one or more permanents into play, all permanents in
play (including the newcomers) are checked for any comes-into-play
triggers that match the event. [CompRules 2006/05/01]
- 410.10b - Continuous effects that modify characteristics of a permanent do
so the moment the permanent is in play (and not before then). The
permanent is never in play with its unmodified characteristics.
Continuous effects don't apply before the permanent is in play,
however (see Rule 410.10e).
Example: If an effect reads "All lands are creatures" and a land card is
played, the effect makes the land card into a creature the moment it
enters play, so it would trigger abilities that trigger when a creature
comes into play. Conversely, if an effect reads "All creatures lose all
abilities" and a creature card with a comes-into-play triggered ability
enters play, that effect will cause it to lose its abilities the moment it
enters play, so the comes-into-play ability won't trigger.
[CompRules 2003/07/01]
- 410.10c - Leaves-play abilities trigger when a permanent leaves the in-play
zone. These are written as, but aren't limited to, "When [this object]
leaves play, ..." or "Whenever [something] is put into a graveyard from
play, ...." An ability that attempts to do something to the card that
left play checks for it only in the first zone that it went to.
[CompRules 2003/10/01]
- 410.10d - Normally, objects that exist immediately after an event are
checked to see if the event matched any trigger conditions. Continuous
effects that exist at that time are used to determine what the trigger
conditions are and what the objects involved in the event look like.
However, some triggered abilities must be treated specially because the
object with the ability may no longer be in play, may have moved to a hand
or library, or may no longer be controlled by the appropriate player. The
game has to "look back in time" to determine if these abilities trigger.
Abilities that trigger specifically when an object leaves play, when an
object is put into a hand or library, or when a player loses control of an
object will trigger based on their existence, and the appearance of
objects, prior to the event rather than afterward.
[CompRules 2007/05/01]
Example: Two creatures are in play along with an artifact that has the
ability "Whenever a creature is put into a graveyard from play, you
gain 1 life." Someone plays a spell that destroys all artifacts,
creatures, and enchantments. The artifact's ability triggers twice, even
though the artifact goes to its owner's graveyard at the same time as the
creatures. [CompRules 2003/07/01]
- 410.10e - Some permanents have text that reads "[This permanent] comes into
play with ...," "As [this permanent] comes into play ...," "[This
permanent] comes into play as ...," or "[This permanent] comes into
play tapped." Such text is a static ability-not a triggered ability-whose
effect occurs as part of the event that puts the permanent into play.
[CompRules 2003/07/01]
- 410.10f - Some Auras have triggered abilities that trigger on the enchanted
permanent leaving play. These triggered abilities can track the Aura
to its owner's graveyard in addition to tracking the enchanted permanent
to whatever zone it moved to. [CompRules 2005/08/01]
- 410.11 - Some triggered abilities trigger on a game state, such as a player
controlling no permanents of a particular card type, rather than
triggering when an event occurs. These abilities trigger as soon as the
game state matches the condition. They'll go onto the stack at the next
available opportunity. These are called state triggers. (Note that state
triggers aren't the same as state-based effects.) A state-triggered
ability doesn't trigger again until the ability has resolved, has been
countered, or has otherwise left the stack. Then, if the object with the
ability is still in the same zone and the game state still matches its
trigger condition, the ability will trigger again. [CompRules 2007/10/01]
Example: A permanent's ability reads, "Whenever you have no cards in hand,
draw a card." If its controller plays the last card from his or her hand,
the ability will trigger once and won't trigger again until it has
resolved. If its controller plays a spell that reads "Discard your hand,
then draw that many cards," the ability will trigger during the spell's
resolution because the player's hand was momentarily empty.
[CompRules 2004/10/01]
- 410.Ruling.1 - Cards that are not in play that have text that defines a
trigger do work. For example, Dragon Scales does trigger on the
appropriate creature coming into play. [Jordan 2003/07/27] The text of
Rule 410.10a is too narrow in saying that only permanents in play can
trigger.
This search based on the March 17, 2008 release of the Rulings.
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