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This search based on the March 17, 2008 release of the Rulings.
413 - Resolving Spells and Abilities
- 413.1 - Each time all players pass in succession, the object (a spell, an
ability, or combat damage) on top of the stack resolves. (See Rule 416,
"Effects.") [CompRules 2005/08/01]
- 413.2 - Resolution of a spell or ability may involve several steps. These
steps are followed in the order listed below. [CompRules 2003/07/01]
- 413.2a - If the spell or ability specifies targets, it checks whether the
targets are still legal. A target that's moved out of the zone it was in
when it was targeted is illegal. Other changes to the game state may
cause a target to no longer be legal; for example, its characteristics may
have changed or an effect may have changed the text of the spell. If the
source of an ability has left the zone it was in, its last known
information is used during this process. The spell or ability is
countered if all its targets, for every instance of the word "target," are
now illegal. If the spell or ability is not countered, it will resolve
normally, affecting only the targets that are still legal. If a target is
illegal, the spell or ability can't perform any actions on it or make the
target perform any actions. [CompRules 2008/02/01]
Example: Aura Blast is a white instant that reads, "Destroy target
enchantment. Draw a card." If the enchantment isn't a legal target
during Aura Blast's resolution (say, if it has gained protection from
white or left play), then Aura Blast is countered. Its controller doesn't
draw a card. [CompRules 2005/02/01]
Example: Plague Spores reads, "Destroy target nonblack creature and
target land. They can't be regenerated." Suppose the same animated land
is chosen both as the nonblack creature and as the land, and the color of
the creature land is changed to black before Plague Spores resolves.
Plagues Spores isn't countered because the black creature land is still a
legal target for the "target land" part of the spell.
[CompRules 2005/08/01]
- 413.2b - The controller of the spell or ability follows its instructions in
the order written. However, replacement effects may modify these actions.
In some cases, later text on the card may modify the meaning of earlier
text (for example, "Destroy target creature. It can't be regenerated"
or "Counter target spell. If that spell is countered this way, put it on
top of its owner's library instead of into its owner's graveyard.") Don't
just apply effects step by step without thinking in these cases-read the
whole text and apply the rules of English to the text.
[CompRules 2007/05/01]
- 413.2c - If an effect offers any choices other than choices already made as
part of playing the spell or ability, the player announces these while
applying the effect. The player can't choose an option that's illegal or
impossible. (For example, if a player can't meet all the immediate
requirements of an optional action, then he or she can't take that action,
regardless of the consequences for not doing it.) Note that as an
exception, having an empty library doesn't make drawing a card an
impossible action. See Rule 423.3. [CompRules 2008/02/01]
Example: A spell's instruction reads, "You may sacrifice a creature. If
you don't, you lose 4 life." A player who controls no creatures can't
choose the sacrifice option. [CompRules 2003/07/01]
- 413.2d - Some spells and abilities have multiple steps or actions, denoted
by separate sentences or clauses, that involve multiple players. In these
cases, the choices for the first action are made in APNAP order, and then
the first action is processed simultaneously. Then the choices for the
second action are made in APNAP order, and then that action is processed
simultaneously, and so on. See Rule 103.4. [CompRules 2007/05/01]
- 413.2e - If an effect gives a player the option to pay mana, he or she may
play mana abilities before taking that action. If an effect specifically
instructs or allows a player to play a spell during resolution, he or she
does so by putting that spell on top of the stack, then continuing to play
it by following the steps in Rule 409.1a through Rule 409.1i except no
player receives priority after it's played. The currently resolving
spell or ability then continues to resolve, which may include playing
other spells this way. No other spells or abilities can normally be
played during resolution. [CompRules 2007/10/01]
- 413.2f - If an effect requires information from the game (such as the number
of creatures in play), the answer is determined only once, when the effect
is applied. If the effect requires information from a specific object,
including the source of the ability itself, the effect uses the current
information of that object if it hasn't changed zones; otherwise, the
effect uses the last known information the object had before leaving the
zone it was expected to be in. There are two exceptions: (1) if an effect
deals damage divided among some number of creatures or players, the amount
and division were determined as the spell or ability was put into the
stack (see Rule 402.6), and (2) static abilities can't use last known
information (see Rule 412.5). If the ability text states that an object
does something, it's the object as it exists-or as it most recently
existed-that does it, not the ability. [CompRules 2007/10/01]
- 413.2g - If an effect refers to certain characteristics, it checks only for
the value of the specified characteristics, regardless of any related ones
an object may also have. [CompRules 2007/05/01]
Example: An effect that reads "Destroy all black creatures" destroys a
white-and-black creature, but one that reads "Destroy all nonblack
creatures" doesn't. [CompRules 2003/07/01]
- 413.2h - If an ability's effect refers to a specific untargeted object that
has been previously referred to by that ability's cost or trigger
condition, it still affects that object even if the object has changed
characteristics. [CompRules 2007/05/01]
Example: Wall of Tears says "Whenever Wall of Tears blocks a creature,
return that creature to its owner's hand at end of combat." If
Wall of Tears blocks a creature, then that creature ceases to be a
creature before the triggered ability resolves, the permanent will still
be returned to its owner's hand. [CompRules 2007/05/01]
- 413.2i - A spell is put into play from the stack under the control of the
spell's controller (for permanents) or is put into its owner's graveyard
from the stack (for instants and sorceries) as the final step of the
spell's resolution. An ability is removed from the stack and ceases to
exist as the final step of its resolution. [CompRules 2007/07/13]
- 413.2j - If an effect could result in a tie, the text of the spell or
ability that created the effect will specify what to do in the event of a
tie. The Magic game has no default for ties. [CompRules 2007/05/01]
This search based on the March 17, 2008 release of the Rulings.
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