Magic: The Gathering Comprehensive Rules

by Mark L. Gottlieb

  212.2g Some artifacts have the subtype “Equipment.” An Equipment can be attached to a creature. It can’t legally be attached to an object that isn’t a creature.

  212.2h An Equipment is played and comes into play just like any other artifact. An Equipment doesn’t come into play attached to a creature. The equip keyword ability moves the Equipment onto a creature you control (see rule 502.33, “Equip”). Control of the creature matters only when the equip ability is played and when it resolves. The creature to which the Equipment is to be moved must be able to be equipped by it. If it can’t, the Equipment doesn’t move.

  212.2i An Equipment that’s also a creature can’t equip a creature. Equipment that loses the subtype “Equipment” can’t equip a creature. An Equipment can’t equip itself. An Equipment that equips an illegal or nonexistent permanent becomes unattached from that permanent but remains in play. (This is a state-based effect. See rule 420.)

  212.2j The creature an Equipment is attached to is called the “equipped creature.” The Equipment is attached to, or “equips,” that creature.

  212.2k An Equipment’s controller is separate from the equipped creature’s controller; the two need not be the same. Changing control of the creature doesn’t change control of the Equipment, and vice versa. Only the Equipment’s controller can play its abilities. However, if the Equipment adds an ability to the equipped creature (with “gains” or “has”), the equipped creature’s controller is the only one who can play that ability.

  212.3. Creatures

  212.3a A player may play a creature card from his or her hand during a main phase of his or her turn, when he or she has priority and the stack is empty. Playing a creature as a spell uses the stack. (See rule 409, “Playing Spells and Activated Abilities.”)

  212.3b When a creature spell resolves, its controller puts it into play under his or her control.

  212.3c Creature subtypes are always a single word and are listed after a long dash: “Creature – Human Soldier,” “Artifact Creature – Golem,” and so on. Creature subtypes are also called creature types. Creatures may have multiple subtypes.

  Example: “Creature – Goblin Wizard” means the card is a creature with the subtypes Goblin and Wizard.

  212.3d A creature’s activated ability with the tap symbol in its activation cost can’t be played unless the creature has been under its controller’s control since the start of his or her most recent turn. A creature can’t attack unless it has been under its controller’s control since the start of his or her most recent turn. This rule is informally called the “summoning sickness” rule. Ignore this rule for creatures with haste (see rule 502.5).

  212.4. Enchantments

  212.4a A player may play an enchantment card from his or her hand during a main phase of his or her turn, when he or she has priority and the stack is empty. Playing an enchantment as a spell uses the stack. (See rule 409, “Playing Spells and Activated Abilities.”)

  212.4b When an enchantment spell resolves, its controller puts it into play under his or her control.

  212.4c Enchantment subtypes are always a single word and are listed after a long dash: “Enchantment – Shrine.” Each word after the dash is a separate subtype. Enchantment subtypes are also called enchantment types. Enchantments may have multiple subtypes.

  212.4d Some enchantments have the subtype “Aura.” An Aura comes into play attached to a permanent or player. What an Aura can be attached to is restricted by its enchant keyword ability (see rule 502.45, “Enchant”). Other effects can limit what a permanent can be enchanted by.

  212.4e An Aura spell requires a target, which is restricted by its enchant ability.

  212.4f If an Aura is enchanting an illegal permanent, or the permanent it was attached to no longer exists, the Aura is put into its owner’s graveyard. (This is a state-based effect. See rule 420.)

  212.4g An Aura can’t enchant itself, and an Aura that’s also a creature can’t enchant a permanent. If this occurs somehow, the Aura is put into its owner’s graveyard. (This is a state-based effect. See rule 420.)

  212.4h The permanent an Aura is attached to is called enchanted. The Aura is attached to, or “enchants,” that permanent.

  212.4i An Aura’s controller is separate from the enchanted permanent’s controller; the two need not be the same. Changing control of the permanent doesn’t change control of the Aura, and vice versa. Only the Aura’s controller can play its abilities. However, if the Aura adds an ability to the enchanted permanent (with “gains” or “has”), the enchanted permanent’s controller is the only one who can play that ability.

  212.4j If an Aura is coming into play by any means other than by being played and the effect putting it into play doesn’t specify the permanent or player the Aura will enchant, the player putting it into play chooses what it will enchant as the Aura comes into play. The player must choose a legal permanent or player according to the Aura’s enchant ability and any other applicable effects. If the player can’t make a legal choice, the Aura remains in its current zone, unless that zone is the stack. In that case, the Aura is put into its owner’s graveyard instead of coming into play.

  212.4k If an effect attempts to attach an Aura in play to a permanent or player, that permanent or player must be able to be enchanted by it. If the permanent or player can’t be, the Aura doesn’t move.

  212.5. Instants

  212.5a A player may play an instant card from his or her hand any time he or she has priority. Playing an instant as a spell uses the stack. (See rule 409, “Playing Spells and Activated Abilities.”)

  212.5b When an instant spell resolves, the actions stated in its rules text are followed. Then it’s put into its owner’s graveyard.

  212.5c Instant subtypes are always single words and are listed after a long dash: “Instant – Arcane.” Each word after the dash is a separate subtype. Instant subtypes are also called instant types. An instant subtype that’s also a sorcery subtype is also called a spell type. Instants may have multiple subtypes.

  212.5d Instants can’t come into play. If an instant would come into play, it remains in its previous zone instead.

  212.5e If text states that a player may do something “any time he or she could play an instant,” it means only that the player must have priority. The player doesn’t need to have an instant he or she could actually play.

  212.6. Land

  212.6a A player may play a land card from his or her hand only during a main phase of his or her turn, and only when he or she has priority and the stack is empty. A land card isn’t a spell card, and at no time is it a spell. When a player plays a land card, it’s simply put into play. The land card doesn’t go on the stack, so players can’t respond to it with instants or activated abilities.

  212.6b A player may play only one land card during each of his or her own turns. Effects may allow the playing of additional lands; playing an additional land in this way doesn’t prevent a player from taking the normal action of playing a land. Players can’t begin to play a land that an effect prohibits from being played. As a player plays a land, he or she announces whether he or she is using the once-per-turn action of playing a land. If not, he or she specifies which effect is allowing the additional land play. Effects may also allow you to “put” lands into play. This isn’t the same as “playing a land” and doesn’t count as the player’s one land played during his or her turn.

  212.6c Land subtypes are always a single word and are listed after a long dash. Land subtypes are also called land types. Lands may have multiple subtypes.

  Example: “Basic Land – Mountain” means the card is a land with the Mountain subtype.

  212.6d The basic land types are Plains, Island, Swamp, Mountain, and Forest. If an object uses the words “basic land type,” it’s referring to one of these subtypes. A land with a basic land type has an intrinsic ability to produce colored mana. (See rule 406, “Mana Abilities.”) The land is treated as if its text box included, “{T}: Add [m
ana symbol] to your mana pool,” even if the text box doesn’t actually contain text or the card has no text box. Plains produce white mana; Islands, blue; Swamps, black; Mountains, red; and Forests, green.

  212.6e If an effect changes a land’s type to one or more of the basic land types, the land no longer has its old land type. It loses all abilities generated from its rules text and its old land types, and it gains the appropriate mana ability for each new basic land type. Note that this doesn’t remove any abilities that were granted to the land by other effects. Changing a land’s subtype doesn’t add or remove any types (such as creature) or supertypes (such as basic, legendary, and snow) the land may have. If a land gains one or more land types in addition to its own, it keeps its land types and rules text, and it gains the new land types and mana abilities.

  212.6f Any land with the supertype “basic” is a basic land. Any land that doesn’t have this supertype is a nonbasic land.

  212.6g If an object is both a land and another type, it can be played only as a land. It can’t be played as a spell.

  212.7. Sorceries

  212.7a A player may play a sorcery card from his or her hand during a main phase of his or her turn, when he or she has priority and the stack is empty. Playing a sorcery as a spell uses the stack. (See rule 409, “Playing Spells and Activated Abilities.”)

  212.7b When a sorcery spell resolves, the actions stated in its rules text are followed. Then it’s put into its owner’s graveyard.

  212.7c Sorcery subtypes are always single words and are listed after a long dash: “Sorcery – Arcane.” Each word after the dash is a separate subtype. Sorcery subtypes are also called sorcery types. A sorcery subtype that’s also an instant subtype is also called a spell type. Sorceries may have multiple subtypes.

  212.7d Sorceries can’t come into play. If a sorcery would come into play, it remains in its previous zone instead.

  212.7e If a spell, ability, or effect states that a player can do something only “any time he or she could play a sorcery,” it means only that the player must have priority, it must be during the main phase of his or her turn, and the stack must be empty. The player doesn’t need to have a sorcery he or she could actually play.

  213. Spells

  213.1. Every nonland card is a spell while it’s being played (see rule 409, “Playing Spells and Activated Abilities”) and while it’s on the stack. Once it’s played, a card remains a spell until it resolves, is countered, or otherwise leaves the stack. For more information, see rule 401, “Spells on the Stack.”

  213.1a A nonexistent mana cost can’t be paid.

  213.2. A spell’s type, supertype, and subtype are the same as those of its card.

  213.3. The term “spell” is used to refer to a card while it’s on the stack. The term “card” isn’t used to refer to a card that’s on the stack as a spell. It’s only used to refer to a card that’s not in play or on the stack, such as a creature card in a player’s hand.

  213.4. Every spell has a controller. By default, a spell’s controller is the player who played it.

  213.5. If an effect changes any characteristics of a spell that becomes a permanent, the effect continues to apply to the permanent when the spell resolves.

  Example: If an effect changes a black creature spell to white, the creature is white when it comes into play and remains white for the duration of the effect changing its color.

  214. Permanents

  214.1. A permanent is a card or token in play. Permanents stay in play unless moved to another zone by an effect or rule. There are four types of permanents: artifacts, creatures, enchantments, and lands. Instant and sorcery cards can’t come into play.

  214.2. Permanent type is the type of a card or token that’s in play. A nontoken permanent’s types, supertypes, and subtypes are the same as those printed on its card. A token’s types, supertypes, and subtypes are set by the spell or ability that created it.

  214.3. A card or token becomes a permanent when it comes into play and it stops being a permanent when it leaves play. Permanents come into play untapped. The term “permanent” is used to refer to a card or token while it’s in play. The term “card” isn’t typically used to refer to a card that’s in play as a permanent; rather, it’s nearly always used to refer to a card that’s not in play and not on the stack, such as a creature card in a player’s hand. For more information, see rule 217, “Zones.”

  214.4. Every permanent has a controller. By default, a permanent’s controller is the player who put it into play.

  214.5. Every permanent has a value in each of three status categories: tapped/untapped, flipped/unflipped, and face up/face down. By default, a permanent comes into play untapped, unflipped, and face up. For more information, see rule 510, “Status.”

  215. This section is now empty. See rule 205.4c and rule 420.5e about legendary permanents.

  216. Tokens

  216.1. Some effects put token creatures into play. A token is controlled by whomever put it into play and owned by the controller of the spell or ability that created it. The spell or ability may define any number of characteristics for the token. A token doesn’t have any characteristics not defined by the spell or ability that created it. The spell or ability that creates the token sets both its name and its creature type. If the spell or ability doesn’t specify the name of the token, its name is the same as its creature type(s). A “Goblin Scout creature token,” for example, is named “Goblin Scout” and has the creature subtypes Goblin and Scout. Once a token is in play, changing its name doesn’t change its creature type, and vice versa.

  216.2. A token is subject to anything that affects permanents in general or that affects the token’s type or subtype. A token isn’t a card (even if represented by cards from other games or Unglued™ cards).

  216.3. A token in a zone other than the in-play zone ceases to exist. This is a state-based effect. (Note that a token changing zones sets off triggered abilities before the token ceases to exist.) Once a token has left play, it can’t be returned to play by any means.

  217. Zones

  217.1. A zone is a place where objects can be during a game. There are normally six zones: library, hand, graveyard, in play, stack, and removed from the game. Some older cards also use the ante and phased-out zones. Each player has his or her own library, hand, and graveyard. The other zones are shared by all players.

  217.1a If an object would go to any library, graveyard, or hand other than its owner’s, it goes to the corresponding zone of its owner’s instead. If an instant or sorcery card would come into play, it remains in its previous zone instead.

  217.1b The order of objects in a library, in a graveyard, or on the stack can’t be changed except when effects or rules allow it. Objects in other zones can be arranged however their owners wish, although who controls those objects, whether they’re tapped or flipped, and what enchants or equips them must remain clear to all players.

  217.1c An object that moves from one zone to another is treated as a new object. Effects connected with its previous location will no longer affect it. There are three exceptions to this rule: (1) Effects that change the characteristics of an artifact, creature, or enchantment spell on the stack will continue to apply to the permanent that spell creates. (2) Abilities that trigger when an object moves from one zone to another (for example, “When Rancor is put into a graveyard from play”) can find the object in the zone it moved to when the ability triggered. (3) Prevention effects that apply to damage from an artifact, creature, or enchantment spell on the stack will continue to apply to damage from the permanent that spell becomes.

  217.1d If an object would move from one zone to another, first determine what event is moving the object. Then apply any appropriate replacement effects to that event. If an effect or rule tries to do two or more contradictory or mutually exclusive things to a particular object, that object’s controller-or its owner if it has no controller-chooses what the effect does to the object. Then the event mov
es the object.

  217.1e An object is outside the game if it’s in the removed-from-the-game zone, or if it isn’t in any of the game’s zones. All other objects are inside the game. Outside the game is not a zone.

  217.2. Library

  217.2a When a game begins, each player’s deck becomes his or her library.

  217.2b Each library must be kept in a single face-down pile. Players can’t look at or change the order of cards in a library.

  217.2c Any player may count the number of cards remaining in any player’s library at any time.

  217.2d If an effect puts two or more cards on the top or bottom of a library at the same time, the owner of those cards may arrange them in any order. That library’s owner doesn’t reveal the order in which the cards go into his or her library.

  217.2e Some effects tell a player to play with the top card of his or her library revealed. If the top card of the player’s library changes while a spell or ability is being played, the new top card won’t be revealed until the spell or ability becomes played (see rule 409.1i).