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This search based on the March 17, 2008 release of the Rulings.
503 - Copying Objects
- 503.1 - Some objects become or turn another object into a "copy" of a spell,
permanent, or card. Some effects put a token into play as a copy of
another object. (Certain older cards were printed with the phrase "search
for a copy." This section doesn't cover those cards, which have received
new text in the Oracle card reference.) [CompRules 2007/05/01]
- 503.2 - When copying an object, the copy acquires the copiable values of the
original object's characteristics (name, mana cost, color, card type,
supertype, subtype, expansion symbol, rules text, power, toughness,
loyalty) and, for an object on the stack, choices made when playing
it (mode, targets, the value of X, whether a kicker cost was paid, how it
will affect multiple targets, and so on). The "copiable values" are the
values that are printed on the object, as modified by other copy effects,
by "as . . . comes into play" and "as . . . is turned face up" abilities
that set characteristics, and by abilities that caused the object to be
face down. Other effects (including type-changing and text-changing
effects), status, and counters are not copied. [CompRules 2007/10/01]
Example: Chimeric Staff is an artifact that reads "{X}: Chimeric Staff
becomes an X/X artifact creature until end of turn." Clone is a
creature that reads, "As Clone comes into play, you may choose a creature
in play. If you do, Clone comes into play as a copy of that creature."
After a Staff has become a 5/5 artifact creature, a Clone comes into play
as a copy of it. The Clone is an artifact, not a 5/5 artifact
creature. (The copy has the Staff's ability, however, and will become a
creature if that ability is activated.) [CompRules 2003/07/01]
Example: Clone comes into play as a copy of a
face-down Grinning Demon (a creature with morph {2}{B}{B}). The Clone
is a colorless 2/2 creature with no name, no types, no abilities, and no
mana cost. It will still be face up. Its controller can't pay {2}{B}{B}
to turn it face up. [CompRules 2006/05/01]
- 503.3 - The copy's copiable values become the copied information, as
modified by the copy's status (see Rule 510). Objects that copy the
object will use the new copiable values. [CompRules 2007/10/01]
Example: Vesuvan Doppelganger reads, "As Vesuvan Doppelganger comes
into play, you may choose a creature in play. If you do, Vesuvan
Doppelganger comes into play as a copy of that creature except for its
color and gains 'At the beginning of your upkeep, you may have this
creature become a copy of target creature except for its color. If you
do, this creature gains this ability.'" A Vesuvan Doppelganger comes into
play as a copy of Grizzly Bears (a 2/2 green creature with no abilities).
Then, a Clone comes into play as a copy of the Doppelganger. The Clone
is a 2/2 blue Bear named Grizzly Bears that has the Doppelganger's
upkeep-triggered ability. [CompRules 2003/10/01]
Example: Tomoya the Revealer (a flipped flip card) becomes a copy
of Nezumi Shortfang (an unflipped flip card). Tomoya's characteristics
become the characteristics of Stabwhisker the Odious, which is the
flipped version of Nezumi Shortfang. [CompRules 2006/05/01]
Example: A face-down Grinning Demon (a creature with morph) becomes a
copy of a face-up Branchsnap Lorian (a 4/1 green creature with trample
and morph {G}). The Demon's characteristics become the characteristics of
Branchsnap Lorian. However, since the creature is face down, it remains
a 2/2 colorless creature with no name, types, or abilities, and no mana
cost. It can be turned face up for {G}. If it's turned face up, it will
have the characteristics of Branchsnap Lorian. [CompRules 2006/05/01]
Example: A face-down Grinning Demon (a creature with morph) becomes a
copy of Wandering Ones (a 1/1 blue Spirit creature that doesn't have
morph). It will be a face-down Wandering Ones. It remains a 2/2
colorless creature with no name, types, or abilities, and no mana cost.
Its controller can't turn it face up as a special action. If an effect
turns it face up, it will have the characteristics of Wandering Ones.
[CompRules 2006/05/01]
- 503.4 - Some effects cause a permanent that's copying a permanent to copy a
different object while remaining in play. The change doesn't trigger
comes-into-play or leaves-play abilities. This also doesn't change any
noncopy effects presently affecting the permanent. [CompRules 2007/10/01]
Example: Unstable Shapeshifter reads, "Whenever a creature comes into
play, Unstable Shapeshifter becomes a copy of that creature and gains this
ability." It's affected by Giant Growth, which reads "Target creature
gets +3/+3 until end of turn." If a creature comes into play later this
turn, Unstable Shapeshifter will become a copy of that creature, but it
will still get +3/+3 from the Giant Growth. [CompRules 2007/10/01]
- 503.5 - An object that comes into play "as a copy" of another object becomes
a copy as it comes into play. It doesn't come into play, and then become
a copy of that permanent. If the text that's being copied includes any
abilities that replace the comes-into-play event (such as "comes into play
with" or "as [this] comes into play" abilities), those abilities will take
effect. Also, any comes-into-play triggered abilities of the copy will
have a chance to trigger. [CompRules 2007/10/01]
Example: Skyshroud Behemoth reads, "Fading 2 (This creature comes into
play with two fade counters on it. At the beginning of your upkeep,
remove a fade counter from it. If you can't, sacrifice it.)"
and "Skyshroud Behemoth comes into play tapped." A Clone that comes
into play as a copy of a Skyshroud Behemoth will also come into play
tapped with two fade counters on it. [CompRules 2007/02/01]
Example: Striped Bears reads, "When Striped Bears comes into play, draw
a card." A Clone comes into play as a copy of Striped Bears. The
Clone has the Bears' comes-into-play triggered ability, so the Clone's
controller draws a card. [CompRules 2003/07/01]
- 503.6 - When copying a permanent, any choices that have been made for that
permanent aren't copied. Instead, if an object comes into play as a copy
of another permanent, the object's controller will get to make any
"as comes into play" choices for it.
Example: A Clone comes into play as a copy of Chameleon Spirit.
Chameleon Spirit reads, in part, "As Chameleon Spirit comes into play,
choose a color." The Clone won't copy the color choice of the Spirit;
rather, the controller of the Clone will get to make a new choice.
[CompRules 2003/07/01]
- 503.7 - Because any choices that have been made for a permanent aren't
copied, sometimes a copy card will gain an ability that refers to a choice
that was never made. In that case, the choice is considered to
be "undefined." If an ability refers to an undefined choice, that part
of the ability has no effect. [CompRules 2007/02/01]
Example: Voice of All comes into play and Unstable Shapeshifter
copies it. Voice of All reads, in part, "As Voice of All comes into play,
choose a color." and "Voice of All has protection from the chosen color."
Unstable Shapeshifter never had a chance for a color to be chosen for it,
because it didn't come into play as a Voice of All card, so the protection
ability doesn't protect it from anything at all. [CompRules 2007/10/01
- 503.8 - If an ability causes a player to make a choice as a copy comes into
play, the copy will "remember" that choice and continue to use it for its
abilities if appropriate. If the choice is not appropriate, it is
considered to be "undefined." If an ability refers to an undefined
choice, that part of the ability has no effect. [CompRules 2007/02/01]
Example: A Vesuvan Doppelganger comes into play as a copy of
Chameleon Spirit, and the Doppelganger's controller chooses blue.
Later, the Doppelganger copies Quirion Elves. The Elves has the
ability, "{Tap}: Add one mana of the chosen color to your mana pool." If
the mana ability of the Doppelganger is played, it will produce blue mana.
[CompRules 2003/07/01]
Example: A Vesuvan Doppelganger comes into play as a copy of
Caller of the Hunt. Caller of the Hunt reads, in part, "As
Caller of the Hunt comes into play, choose a creature type." The
Doppelganger's controller chooses Goblin. Later, the Doppelganger copies
Quirion Elves. If the mana ability of the Doppelganger is played, it
will fail to produce any mana. It won't produce Goblin mana.
[CompRules 2003/07/01]
- 503.9 - Some copy effects give an ability to the copy as part of the copying
process. This ability becomes part of the copiable values for the copy,
along with any other abilities that were copied. Also, some copy effects
specifically state that they don't copy certain characteristics; they
retain their original values instead. [CompRules 2003/07/01]
Example: Quirion Elves comes into play and an Unstable Shapeshifter
copies it. The copiable values of the Shapeshifter now match those of the
Elves, except that the Shapeshifter also has the ability "Whenever a
creature comes into play, Unstable Shapeshifter becomes a copy of that
creature and gains this ability." Then a Clone comes into play as a
copy of the Unstable Shapeshifter. The Clone copies the new copiable
values of the Shapeshifter, including the ability that the Shapeshifter
gave itself when it copied the Elves. [CompRules 2003/10/01]
- 503.10 - To copy a spell or activated ability means to put a copy of it onto
the stack; a copy of a spell or ability isn't "played." A copy of a spell
or ability copies both the characteristics of the spell or ability and all
decisions made when it was played, including modes, targets, the value of
X, and additional or alternative costs. (See Rule 409, "Playing Spells
and Activated Abilities.") Choices that are normally made on resolution
are not copied. If an effect of the copy refers to objects used to pay
its costs, it uses the objects used to pay the costs of the original spell
or ability. A copy of a spell is owned by the player who controlled the
spell or ability that created it. A copy of a spell or ability is
controlled by the player who put it on the stack. A copy of a spell is
itself a spell, even though it has no spell card associated with it. A
copy of an ability is itself an ability. [CompRules 2008/02/01]
Example: A player plays Fork, targeting an Emerald Charm. Fork
reads, "Put a copy of target instant or sorcery spell onto the stack,
except that it copies Fork's color and you may choose new targets for the
copy." Emerald Charm reads, "Choose one - Untap target permanent; or
destroy target non-Aura enchantment; or target creature loses flying until
end of turn." When the Fork resolves, it puts a copy of the Emerald Charm
on the stack. The copy has the same mode that was chosen for the original
Emerald Charm. It does not necessarily have the same target, but only
because Fork allows choosing of new targets. [CompRules 2005/08/01]
Example: Fling is an instant that reads, "As an additional cost to play
Fling, sacrifice a creature." and "Fling deals damage equal to the
sacrificed creature's power to target creature or player." When
determining how much damage a copy of Fling deals, it checks the power of
the creature sacrificed to pay for the original Fling.
[CompRules 2007/02/01]
- 503.10a - If a copy of a spell is in a zone other than the stack, it ceases
to exist. If a copy of a card is in any zone other than the stack or the
in-play zone, it ceases to exist. These are a state-based effects.
See Rule 420. [CompRules 2008/02/01]
- 503.10b - A copy of an ability has the same source as the original ability.
If the ability refers to its source by name, the copy refers to that same
object and not to any other object with the same name. The copy is
considered to be the same ability by effects that count how many times
that ability has resolved during the turn. [CompRules 2007/10/01]
- 503.10c - Some effects copy a spell or ability and state that its controller
may choose new targets for the copy. The player may leave any number of
the targets unchanged, even if those targets would be illegal. If the
player chooses to change some or all of the targets, the new targets must
be legal. Once the player has decided what the copy's targets will be,
the copy is put onto the stack with those targets. [CompRules 2007/10/01]
- 503.11 - If an effect refers to a permanent by name, the effect still tracks
that permanent even if it changes names or becomes a copy of something
else.
Example: An Unstable Shapeshifter copies a Crazed Armodon.
Crazed Armodon reads, "{G}: Crazed Armodon gets +3/+0 and gains trample
until end of turn. Destroy Crazed Armodon at end of turn. Play this
ability only once each turn." If this activated ability of the
Shapeshifter is played, the Shapeshifter will be destroyed at end of turn,
even if it's no longer a copy of Crazed Armodon at that time.
[CompRules 2003/07/01]
- 503.12 - An effect that instructs a player to "play a copy" of an object
follows the rules for playing spells and abilities, except that the copy
is played while another spell or ability is resolving. Playing a copy
of a nonland object follows steps in Rule 409.1a through
Rule 409.1h, "Playing Spells and Activated Abilities," then the copy
becomes played. The played copy is a spell on the stack, and just like
any other spell it can resolve or be countered. [CompRules 2003/10/01]
This search based on the March 17, 2008 release of the Rulings.
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