This part of the FAQ deals with players returning to the game after a
time away. It notes when particular changes were made to the rules,
card templates or game philosophy so that returning players can catch
up without being caught out.
------------------------------
Subject: 2.1.00: 1993
Sets released: Alpha, Beta, Unlimited, Arabian Nights
The rules were in quite a state of flux, with many interactions
unexplored and undefined.
------------------------------
Subject: 2.1.01: 1994
Sets released: Antiquities. Revised Edition, Legends, the Dark,
Fallen Empires
Major stuff:
- The types 'poly artifact' and 'mono artifact' were dropped for
Revised Edition.
- The tilted-T tap symbol was introduced in Revised Edition.
- Legends introduced Enchant World, the Legend creature type and
Legendary lands, as well as gold-bordered cards with more than one
color.
Trivia:
- The original 'legend rule' restricted Legend cards to maximum one
of each name per deck as well as maximum one of any name in play.
- Fourth edition contained a batch timing system that delayed damage
dealing until the end of the batch and contained an interrupt window
and a damage-prevention bubble.
------------------------------
Subject: 2.1.03: 1996
Sets released: Alliances, Mirage
Major stuff:
- The card templating for instants and sorceries with an additional
cost changed in Mirage to writing the cost in the one-shot effect,
separated by a colon.
Trivia:
- Mirage was the first set that was designed as a block and with
limited play in mind as well as constructed. It also had 'theme decks',
the first preconstructed decks for an expansion.
- Fifth Edition tightened up the timing rules even further, bringing in
phase abilities, phase costs, pre-series and all sorts of long-forgotten
concepts.
- The card templating changed again; abilities with non-mana and
non-tap costs used to be phrased '{0}: <other cost> to <effect>'.
This was changed to the more modern '<other cost>: <effect>' to keep
all the costs on the same side of the colon.
- Fifth Edition saw the introduction of mana source cards.
- Fifth Edition forced players to play interrupt cards that targeted
a permanent using the timing rules for instant cards.
- Fifth Edition removed an older rule about 'pumping' that allowed
a player to announce and pay for multiple activations of an effect
at once.
- April 1997 introduced the modern 'Paris mulligan' rule; previously
a mulligan required either all land or no land in the hand and could
be taken only once, now the mulligan can be taken as many times as
desired with any hand, but reduces starting hand size by one each time
the mulligan is taken.
Trivia:
Portal was a vastly simplified version of the game, using just
creatures, sorceries and lands.
Iconic creatures Serra Angel and Sengir Vampire were dropped from
the base set for Fifth Edition.
- Exodus brought in a change to the card design to denote the card
rarity with the colour of the expansion symbol and the card number
and set size.
Trivia:
- Several cards from Urza's Saga were given errata to prevent their
comes-into-play abilities working unless they were played from your
hand; the errata were removed in 2006.
- Sixth edition was a pretty complete rethink of the whole timing system
and card templating, ending up with the 'Grand Unified Timing System'
- No more batches, interrupt windows, damage prevention bubbles,
pre-series, phase abilities or phase costs.
- No more interrupt or mana source cards, these can be played as
instant cards under the new system.
- The stack was introduced.
- The term 'fast effect' was dropped from the rules.
- The term 'pseudospell' was dropped from the rules.
- The concept of setting up a prevention or replacement shield was
introduced.
- The term 'bury' was dropped from Magic vocabulary.
- The term 'successfully cast' was dropped as well.
- The ability 'haste' was introduced and the term 'summoning sickness'
was dropped.
- No more summon cards, replaced with creature cards instead.
- Creature cards with multiple-word creature types now count as each
separate creature type individually, with many older types being
hyphenated.
- No more 'fizzle', replaced with 'countered on resolution'.
- No more 'cast', replaced with 'play'.
- No more 'total mana cost', replaced with 'converted mana cost'.
- Triggered abilities never resolve at the pauses during a spell,
they all use the stack and resolve independently.
- Players lose from having 0 life almost immediately, rather than
waiting until the end of the phase.
- Combat became a phase of its own.
- Combat damage uses the stack.
- Protection no longer absorb all trample damage, as the damage
assignment ignores the protection ability.
- Tapped blockers now deal combat damage, they previously didn't.
- Tapped artifacts don't automatically turn off; Howling Mine, Static
Orb and Winter Orb got errata to preserve their turning off behaviour.
- The end of turn step / until end of turn wear-off distinction is
introduced.
- The Oracle was introduced.
- The core set has its own expansion symbol as of Sixth Edition.
- Urza's Legacy introduced premium (foil) cards.
- Urza's Legacy also marked a trend for effects that tap or untap
something to change from only being "target creature, artifact or land"
to "target permanent"
Trivia:
- No cards with trample were printed in Sixth Edition.
- Some time around here the rule on creature type changed, so that
when asked to name a creature type, only an existing creature type
could be chosen.
------------------------------
Subject: 2.1.09: 2002
Sets released: Torment, Judgement, Onslaught
Major stuff:
- Onslaught brought back face-down creatures with more comprehensive
rules support.
Trivia:
- Torment contained more black cards at the expense of green and
white cards.
- Judgment contained more green and white cards at the expense of
black cards.
- Judgment introduced the cycle of Wishes, cards that retrieve other
cards from outside the game - an effect not seen since the Ring
of Ma'ruf.
- Eighth Edition brought a new card frame with room for more artwork
and text. The frame for artifacts was considered too close to the
frame for white cards in appearance.
- Eighth Edition introduced the 'basic' supertype to identify basic
lands by their type.
- Mirrodin block introduced the Equipment subtype.
Trivia:
- Legions contained only creature cards.
- Legions introduced the first creatures with double strike.
- Mirrodin block saw a change to the card distribution across the block.
------------------------------
Subject: 2.1.11: 2004
Sets released: Darksteel, Fifth Dawn, Unhinged, Champions of Kamigawa
Major stuff:
- Darksteel introduced 'indestructible'.
- Fifth Dawn introduced a darker artifact frame to help distinguish
artifact cards from white cards.
- Champions of Kamigawa introduced a new Legend rule (if Legends share
a name, they are all put into their owners' graveyards, not just all
but the first) and removed the Legend creature type, creating 'Legendary
Creature'.
- Champions of Kamigawa introduced flip cards, cards with a compressed
card face on either end and a suitable picture in the middle.
- Champions of Kamigawa introduced a modification to the targeting rule
(targets only need to be unique for each instance of the qualifier
'target') to assist with splice cards.
- Champions of Kamigawa introduced the 'defender' ability, retroactively
added to all of the creatures with creature type Wall, to eliminate
the direct link between creature type and not being able to attack.
------------------------------
Subject: 2.1.12: 2005
Sets released: Betrayers of Kamigawa, Saviors of Kamigawa, 9th Edition,
Ravnica: city of Guilds
Major stuff:
- Ravnica: City of Guilds introduced hybrid mana costs that can be
paid with one point of either of two specific colors of mana.
- Ninth edition introduced the Aura subtype and the enchant keyword.
...
============================================================
Welcome to the FAQ for rec.games.trading-cards.magic.rules
============================================================
Last Modified: 22nd May 2011
By Zoe Stephenson (mtg...@daeghnao.com) based on previous versions from:
Patrik Linell, Laurie Cheers, Bill Dugan.
Copyright (c) 2011 Zoe Stephenson. All rights reserved. This article is
freely distributable except that it may not be sold nor included in any
compilation (book, magazine, disk, CD-ROM, or otherwise) which is for
sale, without the express written consent of the author.
version 5.00: Complete overhaul for Magic 2010 rules.
version 5.10: Complete up to New Phyrexia; fixed stray tabs.
------------------------------
Subject: 1.0: Introduction
1.0.01 Notation:
------
Magic uses distinctive symbols for mana of various colors and for
self-tap costs. To represent these symbols in text, the following
conventions are used:
G: One green mana
R: One red mana
W: One white mana
B: One black mana
U: One blue mana
S: One mana from a snow source
T: The tap symbol
Q: The untap symbol
1: One generic or colorless mana - and so on for 2,3,4...
X,Y,Z: The symbols for variable mana costs
Note the use of B for Black and U for blUe. These symbols are combined
in the same way as on the cards. So, Seething Song produces RRRRR;
Savra, Queen of the Golgari costs 2BG; Vitu-Ghazi, the City-Tree's
ability costs 2GW, T. Often the symbols are written within braces
(e.g. {2}{G}{W}) to emphasise that they represent the symbols
on the cards. This is especially useful for split-mana symbols
(e.g. {R/G}{R/G} on the Guildpact card Gruul Guildmage) and for
Phyrexian costs ("phybrid" costs) such as "Phyrexian Red" {R/P}.
1.0.02 Structure:
------
This FAQ is divided into three parts, each with a different focus.
This introduction is attached to the first part.
Part 1:
The first part deals with newcomers to the game. There are a few
very common types of question that new players often need answers to;
this part tries to answer them. The questions are phrased in very
general terms, so you may have to read through to find an answer.
The first part also contains important information about posting to
the newsgroup and other places to find answers.
Part 2:
The second part deals with players returning to the game or only
playing now and again. Returning players will often need to know
what has changed, so this part lists major changes to the rules and
the cards.
Part 3:
The third part deals with complex situations for which the outcome
is unintuitive or for which the outcome has changed because of
rules changes. This goes into some depth and assumes familiarity
with the rulebook.
------------------------------
Subject: 1.1: Beginner Questions
1.1.01: How do I know what's a target and what's not?
------
Any spell or ability can have any number of targets. Look through
the text for the word target. It can be used in several ways; look
for where it's used in front of a noun, rather than as a noun itself
or as a verb. Some examples:
Shock {R} Instant
/ Shock deals 2 damage to target creature or player.
Shock has one target. The word "target" is used in front of the
phrase "creature or player" to indicate that the creature or player
is the target.
Deflection {3}{U} Instant
/ Change the target of target spell with a single target.
Deflection has only one target. The word "target" is used in front
of the phrase "spell with a single target" to indicate that the
spell-with-a-single-target is the target. The first use of the word
"target" is used as a noun, to say what to change.
Radiate {3}{R}{R} Instant
/ Choose target instant or sorcery spell that targets only a single
permanent or player. Copy that spell for each other permanent or
player the spell could target. Each copy targets a different one
of those permanents and players.
Radiate has only one target. The word "target" is used in front of the
phrase "instant or sorcery spell that targets only a single permanent or
player" to indicate that that instant or sorcery spell is the target.
The first use of the word "target" is like an adjective, the other
uses are as verbs.
Each use of the word "target" to denote targets requires the right
number of different targets.
Hex {4}{B}{B} Sorcery
/ Destroy six target creatures.
Hex targets six creatures. It's not legal to target a creature more
than once in this way. It has to be six different creatures.
If the word "target" is used again to denote targets, the same target
can be chosen as for a previous use of the word "target" to denote
targets.
Decimate has four targets. Each has its own use of the word "target".
If there were one permanent on the battlefield that's an artifact, a
creature, an enchantment and a land all at once, then Decimate could
target that one permanent four times. It would only be destroyed
once, though.
When you cast an Aura from your hand, you target whatever it's
going to enchant. Here, the word target won't appear in the main
part of the text; it's implied by the enchant ability:
The last thing the Holy Strength does when it resolves is to put
itself onto the battlefield attached to whatever creature it was
targeting. Once it does so, it stops targeting the creature. If
something later stops spells and abilities from targeting the
creature, this doesn't affect the Holy Strength. The reference
to "enchanted creature" (and the similar phrases "equipped creature"
and "fortified land") doesn't target the creature. Another
example:
Firebreathing {R} Enchantment - Aura
/ Enchant creature
/ {R}: Enchanted creature gets +1/+0 until end of turn.
When you cast Firebreathing, it targets the creature it's going to
enchant. When you activate the ability of Firebreathing, it doesn't
target the creature it enchants. Even if the creature enchanted by
Firebreathing can't be the target of spells or abilities any more,
Firebreathing's activated ability can still affect it.
Some spells and abilities look like they ought to target, but don't
actually target. For example:
Clone {3}{U} Creature - Shapeshifter 0/0
/ You may have Clone enter the battlefield as a copy of any creature on
the battlefield.
Clone can copy a creature that can't be the target of spells or
abilities. At the point where you choose a creature on the battlefield,
the word target isn't used, so you choose without targeting.
Many spells and abilities affect things without using the word target:
Hurricane {X}{G} Sorcery
/ Hurricane deals X damage to each creature with flying and each player.
Hurricane can deal damage to a creature that can't be targeted, as
long as the creature has flying. It can also deal damage to a player
even if that player can't be the target of spells or abilities.
Wrath of God {2}{W}{W} Sorcery
/ Destroy all creatures. They can't be regenerated.
Wrath of God will destroy creatures even if those creatures can't
be targeted. It refers to all creatures; it doesn't use the word
"target", so it doesn't target.
1.1.02: What things will stop me from targeting?
------
There are two things that stop targeting. One is simply static
abilities that state outright that the targeting isn't allowed:
Troll Ascetic {1}{G}{G} Creature - Troll Shaman 3/2
/ Troll Ascetic can't be the target of spells or abilities your opponents
control.
/ {1}{G}: Regenerate Troll Ascetic.
This kind of ability is common enough that its simple form has
its own name, "shroud":
Deadly Insect {4}{G} Creature - Insect 6/1
/ Shroud (This permanent can't be the target of spells or abilities.)
The other ability that can prevent targeting is protection.
1.1.03: So what is protection?
------
Protection is a static ability that's usually found on creatures
and usually confers protection from a particular color. Protection
actually does four related things, all bundled up into a neat package.
Let's take the example of a Hand of Cruelty:
Hand of Cruelty {B}{B} Creature - Human Samurai 2/2
/ Protection from white
/ Bushido 1 (When this blocks or becomes blocked, it gets +1/+1 until
end of turn.)
The first part of protection says to prevent all damage dealt to the
Hand of Cruelty from a white source. So, if it blocks a white creature,
the combat damage to the Hand of Cruelty is prevented.
The second part is that the Hand of Cruelty can't be enchanted or
equipped by white Auras and Equipment. If a white Aura ends up on
a creature with protection from white (this isn't straightforward,
but can sometimes happen) then it goes to its owner's graveyard.
Thirdly, white creatures can't block the Hand of Cruelty. It blazes
a trail right on by.
Lastly, the Hand of Cruelty can't be the target of white spells or
abilities from white sources. It can be affected by untargeted white
spells and untargeted
...
This part of the FAQ deals with advanced issues that delve into parts
of the game that have changed, or which are complex. For beginners,
this section gives the answers to some difficult questions; for players
with more experience, the discussion should provide skills that will
help solve most Magic problems. For this part of the FAQ especially,
it's worth having the Comprehensive Rulebook available while reading.
------------------------------
Subject: 3.01: Templating and identification
Magic card text uses specific templates to indicate that a particular
type of effect is intended. Some of the templates refer to the use
of particular words, some of the templates are simply idiomatic use
of English that Magic has adopted.
The templating has changed over the years, gradually improving to
eliminate ambiguities and inconsistencies. The following points
cover most of the templating found in card texts these days:
- Activated abilities are written with a cost, a colon and an effect.
The effect is a one-shot effect, containing instructions to follow.
The instructions may set up a continuous effect or a delayed triggered
ability.
- Triggered abilities are written using the word when, whenever or at.
They specify either a particular part of a step or phase to trigger at,
a particular event to trigger on, or a particular state to trigger on.
When they resolve, they have a one-shot effect containing instructions
that may set up a continuous effect or a delayed triggered ability.
- The one-shot instructions on an instant or sorcery spell are spell
abilities.
- Anything else is a static ability, including instructions on an instant
or sorcery that modify how it's cast. They have a continuous effect
that is always active in the appropriate zone.
- An instruction can refer to a permanent by its type, by just using
the type word alone. This always refers to a permanent of that type,
not to any other object with that type. So "creature" on its own
always means a creature permanent, and so on.
- A cost can include the tap-symbol. This stands for tapping the
permanent the ability is on, and this cost cannot be paid if the
permanent is a creature that its controller did not continuously
control since the beginning of his or her most recent turn. This is
different to a cost that involves tapping a particular type of
permanent; a creature that isn't eligible for paying a tap-symbol
tap cost may still be used to pay a more general tap-cost. The same
applies to untapping and the untap-symbol.
- An effect may have one instruction that is conditional on choosing
a particular option previously in the effect. This uses the phrase
"if you do". It refers to the choice to perform the action, and still
holds even if a different action actually takes place.
- An effect can place a restriction or compulsion on attacking or
blocking. The template for these effects applies only to the act
of declaring a creature as an attacking creature or a blocking
creature. It does not refer to other ways for a creature to become
an attacking or blocking creature.
- Effects often instruct a player to make a choice of some kind. The
only choices available are those that exist within the game. So, a
choice of permanent is limited to the permanents that exist at the
time, a choice of color to one of the five colors, and a choice of
creature type to an existing creature type in the set of Magic cards.
- An instruction can refer to the card that it's on by using the
card's name as a noun. The instruction refers only to that particular
instance of the card. This can get complicated when instructions move
between cards with copy, gain or grant effects:
- When one card copies another, the name references refer to the
card doing the copying.
- When one card grants new abilities to another, the name references
the card doing the granting.
- When one card gains the existing abilities of another, the name
references the card doing the gaining.
In some cases, a card will refer to itself using just the first part
of its name, rather than the whole name - this follows the same pattern:
Ink-Eyes, Servant of Oni {4}{B}{B} Legendary Creature - Rat Ninja 5/4
/ Ninjutsu {3}{B}{B}
/ Whenever Ink-Eyes, Servant of Oni deals combat damage to a player,
you may put target creature card from that player's graveyard onto
the battlefield under your control.
/ {1}{B}: Regenerate Ink-Eyes.
Even with all of these guidelines on the templating of Magic cards,
sometimes the templates are not followed strictly in order to fit
the text onto the card in all of the languages in which Magic is
printed. Sometimes there will be a FAQ entry for the card in its
individual set FAQ to explain what is meant.
------------------------------
Subject: 3.02: Spiders and stone
The rules on the spider ability (the ability to block creatures with
flying, without actually having flying) have changed over the course
of the game. First they were mandatory, then they could have been
considered optional, then they were mandatory again but people often
read them as optional, then another wording change was used, and
finally the whole thing was replaced with a new ability, reach. So
now, the situation is as follows:
The spider ability itself:
Giant Spider {3}{G} Creature - Spider 2/4
/ Reach (This creature can block creatures with flying.)
Flying-evasion:
Stone Spirit {4}{R} Creature - Elemental Spirit 4/3
/ Stone Spirit can't be blocked by creatures with flying.
Nonflying-evasion:
Treetop Scout {G} Creature - Elf Scout 1/1
/ Treetop Scout can't be blocked except by creatures with flying.
The Giant Spider can block a creature with flying, and it can block
the Stone Spirit, but it can't block the Treetop Scout.
------------------------------
Subject: 3.03: Time Vault
The wording and behaviour of Time Vault has changed over the course
of the game, in part to try to clean it up and in part to try to
control its power level. The current wording is as follows:
Time Vault {2} Artifact
/ Time Vault enters the battlefield tapped.
/ Time Vault doesn't untap during your untap step.
/ If you would begin your turn while Time Vault is tapped, you may
skip that turn instead. If you do, untap Time Vault.
/ {T}: Take an extra turn after this one.
This uses turn-skipping, which is an extension of phase- and step-
skipping, to try to limit the number of times the Time Vault could
be untapped and tapped again in a turn.
------------------------------
Subject: 3.04: Trample vs. protection
The interaction between trample and protection has changed over the
course of the game. Nowadays, it's as follows:
Combat damage happens in two distinct steps, assignment and dealing.
In assignment, a record is made of the source, destination and amount
of each piece of combat damage. If a creature has trample, then
it's legal to assign some or all of the damage from that creature
to the defending player, as long as the assignment also assigns
lethal damage to all creatures blocking the creature with trample.
Lethal damage is considered as however much damage is needed to make
up the difference between damage already marked on the creature from
before the assignment was made, and the toughness of the creature.
Effects that would alter the amount of damage that actually gets dealt
are not taken into account at this stage. Note that any amount of
damage from a creature with deathtouch is considered lethal damage.
When the damage is dealt, there may be replacements that alter the
amount of damage or prevent it entirely. This is where the protection
can step in and shield the creature.
------------------------------
Subject: 3.05: Order of triggered abilities
The way in which triggered abilities have been dealt with has changed
dramatically throughout the history of the game.
When any instruction is followed in the game, it may match the trigger
event of any number of triggered abilities. Each time this happens,
the triggered event triggers. When a player is in the process of
gaining priority to play spells and abilities, players put any triggered
abilities that have triggered onto the stack. First the active player
adds all the triggered abilities that he or she controls, in the
order of his or her choice, and then the non-active player does so.
With multiple non-active players, players go in turn order.
With this system, triggered abilities never go onto the stack while
another spell or ability is resolving. They always wait until a
player is about to gain priority. However, the order of events within
the resolution of the spell or ability does still matter. For example,
during the resolution of Hypergenesis, a Where Ancients Tread enters
the battlefield, and then its controller also puts a Woolly Thoctar
onto the battlefield:
Hypergenesis Sorcery
/ Hypergenesis is green.
/ Suspend 3 - {1}{G}{G} (Rather than cast this card from your hand, pay
{1}{G}{G} and exile it with three time counters on it. At the beginning
of your upkeep, remove a time counter. When the last is removed, cast
it without paying its mana cost.)
/ Starting with you, each player may put an artifact,
...
============================================================
Welcome to the FAQ for rec.games.trading-cards.magic.rules
============================================================
Last Modified: 22nd May 2011
By Zoe Stephenson (mtg...@daeghnao.com) based on previous versions from:
Patrik Linell, Laurie Cheers, Bill Dugan.
Copyright (c) 2011 Zoe Stephenson. All rights reserved. This article is
freely distributable except that it may not be sold nor included in any
compilation (book, magazine, disk, CD-ROM, or otherwise) which is for
sale, without the express written consent of the author.
version 5.00: Complete overhaul for Magic 2010 rules.
version 5.10: Complete up to New Phyrexia; fixed stray tabs.
------------------------------
Subject: 1.0: Introduction
1.0.01 Notation:
------
Magic uses distinctive symbols for mana of various colors and for
self-tap costs. To represent these symbols in text, the following
conventions are used:
G: One green mana
R: One red mana
W: One white mana
B: One black mana
U: One blue mana
S: One mana from a snow source
T: The tap symbol
Q: The untap symbol
1: One generic or colorless mana - and so on for 2,3,4...
X,Y,Z: The symbols for variable mana costs
Note the use of B for Black and U for blUe. These symbols are combined
in the same way as on the cards. So, Seething Song produces RRRRR;
Savra, Queen of the Golgari costs 2BG; Vitu-Ghazi, the City-Tree's
ability costs 2GW, T. Often the symbols are written within braces
(e.g. {2}{G}{W}) to emphasise that they represent the symbols
on the cards. This is especially useful for split-mana symbols
(e.g. {R/G}{R/G} on the Guildpact card Gruul Guildmage) and for
Phyrexian costs ("phybrid" costs) such as "Phyrexian Red" {R/P}.
1.0.02 Structure:
------
This FAQ is divided into three parts, each with a different focus.
This introduction is attached to the first part.
Part 1:
The first part deals with newcomers to the game. There are a few
very common types of question that new players often need answers to;
this part tries to answer them. The questions are phrased in very
general terms, so you may have to read through to find an answer.
The first part also contains important information about posting to
the newsgroup and other places to find answers.
Part 2:
The second part deals with players returning to the game or only
playing now and again. Returning players will often need to know
what has changed, so this part lists major changes to the rules and
the cards.
Part 3:
The third part deals with complex situations for which the outcome
is unintuitive or for which the outcome has changed because of
rules changes. This goes into some depth and assumes familiarity
with the rulebook.
------------------------------
Subject: 1.1: Beginner Questions
1.1.01: How do I know what's a target and what's not?
------
Any spell or ability can have any number of targets. Look through
the text for the word target. It can be used in several ways; look
for where it's used in front of a noun, rather than as a noun itself
or as a verb. Some examples:
Shock {R} Instant
/ Shock deals 2 damage to target creature or player.
Shock has one target. The word "target" is used in front of the
phrase "creature or player" to indicate that the creature or player
is the target.
Deflection {3}{U} Instant
/ Change the target of target spell with a single target.
Deflection has only one target. The word "target" is used in front
of the phrase "spell with a single target" to indicate that the
spell-with-a-single-target is the target. The first use of the word
"target" is used as a noun, to say what to change.
Radiate {3}{R}{R} Instant
/ Choose target instant or sorcery spell that targets only a single
permanent or player. Copy that spell for each other permanent or
player the spell could target. Each copy targets a different one
of those permanents and players.
Radiate has only one target. The word "target" is used in front of the
phrase "instant or sorcery spell that targets only a single permanent or
player" to indicate that that instant or sorcery spell is the target.
The first use of the word "target" is like an adjective, the other
uses are as verbs.
Each use of the word "target" to denote targets requires the right
number of different targets.
Hex {4}{B}{B} Sorcery
/ Destroy six target creatures.
Hex targets six creatures. It's not legal to target a creature more
than once in this way. It has to be six different creatures.
If the word "target" is used again to denote targets, the same target
can be chosen as for a previous use of the word "target" to denote
targets.
Decimate has four targets. Each has its own use of the word "target".
If there were one permanent on the battlefield that's an artifact, a
creature, an enchantment and a land all at once, then Decimate could
target that one permanent four times. It would only be destroyed
once, though.
When you cast an Aura from your hand, you target whatever it's
going to enchant. Here, the word target won't appear in the main
part of the text; it's implied by the enchant ability:
The last thing the Holy Strength does when it resolves is to put
itself onto the battlefield attached to whatever creature it was
targeting. Once it does so, it stops targeting the creature. If
something later stops spells and abilities from targeting the
creature, this doesn't affect the Holy Strength. The reference
to "enchanted creature" (and the similar phrases "equipped creature"
and "fortified land") doesn't target the creature. Another
example:
Firebreathing {R} Enchantment - Aura
/ Enchant creature
/ {R}: Enchanted creature gets +1/+0 until end of turn.
When you cast Firebreathing, it targets the creature it's going to
enchant. When you activate the ability of Firebreathing, it doesn't
target the creature it enchants. Even if the creature enchanted by
Firebreathing can't be the target of spells or abilities any more,
Firebreathing's activated ability can still affect it.
Some spells and abilities look like they ought to target, but don't
actually target. For example:
Clone {3}{U} Creature - Shapeshifter 0/0
/ You may have Clone enter the battlefield as a copy of any creature on
the battlefield.
Clone can copy a creature that can't be the target of spells or
abilities. At the point where you choose a creature on the battlefield,
the word target isn't used, so you choose without targeting.
Many spells and abilities affect things without using the word target:
Hurricane {X}{G} Sorcery
/ Hurricane deals X damage to each creature with flying and each player.
Hurricane can deal damage to a creature that can't be targeted, as
long as the creature has flying. It can also deal damage to a player
even if that player can't be the target of spells or abilities.
Wrath of God {2}{W}{W} Sorcery
/ Destroy all creatures. They can't be regenerated.
Wrath of God will destroy creatures even if those creatures can't
be targeted. It refers to all creatures; it doesn't use the word
"target", so it doesn't target.
1.1.02: What things will stop me from targeting?
------
There are two things that stop targeting. One is simply static
abilities that state outright that the targeting isn't allowed:
Troll Ascetic {1}{G}{G} Creature - Troll Shaman 3/2
/ Troll Ascetic can't be the target of spells or abilities your opponents
control.
/ {1}{G}: Regenerate Troll Ascetic.
This kind of ability is common enough that its simple form has
its own name, "shroud":
Deadly Insect {4}{G} Creature - Insect 6/1
/ Shroud (This permanent can't be the target of spells or abilities.)
The other ability that can prevent targeting is protection.
1.1.03: So what is protection?
------
Protection is a static ability that's usually found on creatures
and usually confers protection from a particular color. Protection
actually does four related things, all bundled up into a neat package.
Let's take the example of a Hand of Cruelty:
Hand of Cruelty {B}{B} Creature - Human Samurai 2/2
/ Protection from white
/ Bushido 1 (When this blocks or becomes blocked, it gets +1/+1 until
end of turn.)
The first part of protection says to prevent all damage dealt to the
Hand of Cruelty from a white source. So, if it blocks a white creature,
the combat damage to the Hand of Cruelty is prevented.
The second part is that the Hand of Cruelty can't be enchanted or
equipped by white Auras and Equipment. If a white Aura ends up on
a creature with protection from white (this isn't straightforward,
but can sometimes happen) then it goes to its owner's graveyard.
Thirdly, white creatures can't block the Hand of Cruelty. It blazes
a trail right on by.
Lastly, the Hand of Cruelty can't be the target of white spells or
abilities from white sources. It can be affected by untargeted white
spells and untargeted
...
This part of the FAQ deals with advanced issues that delve into parts
of the game that have changed, or which are complex. For beginners,
this section gives the answers to some difficult questions; for players
with more experience, the discussion should provide skills that will
help solve most Magic problems. For this part of the FAQ especially,
it's worth having the Comprehensive Rulebook available while reading.
------------------------------
Subject: 3.01: Templating and identification
Magic card text uses specific templates to indicate that a particular
type of effect is intended. Some of the templates refer to the use
of particular words, some of the templates are simply idiomatic use
of English that Magic has adopted.
The templating has changed over the years, gradually improving to
eliminate ambiguities and inconsistencies. The following points
cover most of the templating found in card texts these days:
- Activated abilities are written with a cost, a colon and an effect.
The effect is a one-shot effect, containing instructions to follow.
The instructions may set up a continuous effect or a delayed triggered
ability.
- Triggered abilities are written using the word when, whenever or at.
They specify either a particular part of a step or phase to trigger at,
a particular event to trigger on, or a particular state to trigger on.
When they resolve, they have a one-shot effect containing instructions
that may set up a continuous effect or a delayed triggered ability.
- The one-shot instructions on an instant or sorcery spell are spell
abilities.
- Anything else is a static ability, including instructions on an instant
or sorcery that modify how it's cast. They have a continuous effect
that is always active in the appropriate zone.
- An instruction can refer to a permanent by its type, by just using
the type word alone. This always refers to a permanent of that type,
not to any other object with that type. So "creature" on its own
always means a creature permanent, and so on.
- A cost can include the tap-symbol. This stands for tapping the
permanent the ability is on, and this cost cannot be paid if the
permanent is a creature that its controller did not continuously
control since the beginning of his or her most recent turn. This is
different to a cost that involves tapping a particular type of
permanent; a creature that isn't eligible for paying a tap-symbol
tap cost may still be used to pay a more general tap-cost. The same
applies to untapping and the untap-symbol.
- An effect may have one instruction that is conditional on choosing
a particular option previously in the effect. This uses the phrase
"if you do". It refers to the choice to perform the action, and still
holds even if a different action actually takes place.
- An effect can place a restriction or compulsion on attacking or
blocking. The template for these effects applies only to the act
of declaring a creature as an attacking creature or a blocking
creature. It does not refer to other ways for a creature to become
an attacking or blocking creature.
- Effects often instruct a player to make a choice of some kind. The
only choices available are those that exist within the game. So, a
choice of permanent is limited to the permanents that exist at the
time, a choice of color to one of the five colors, and a choice of
creature type to an existing creature type in the set of Magic cards.
- An instruction can refer to the card that it's on by using the
card's name as a noun. The instruction refers only to that particular
instance of the card. This can get complicated when instructions move
between cards with copy, gain or grant effects:
- When one card copies another, the name references refer to the
card doing the copying.
- When one card grants new abilities to another, the name references
the card doing the granting.
- When one card gains the existing abilities of another, the name
references the card doing the gaining.
In some cases, a card will refer to itself using just the first part
of its name, rather than the whole name - this follows the same pattern:
Ink-Eyes, Servant of Oni {4}{B}{B} Legendary Creature - Rat Ninja 5/4
/ Ninjutsu {3}{B}{B}
/ Whenever Ink-Eyes, Servant of Oni deals combat damage to a player,
you may put target creature card from that player's graveyard onto
the battlefield under your control.
/ {1}{B}: Regenerate Ink-Eyes.
Even with all of these guidelines on the templating of Magic cards,
sometimes the templates are not followed strictly in order to fit
the text onto the card in all of the languages in which Magic is
printed. Sometimes there will be a FAQ entry for the card in its
individual set FAQ to explain what is meant.
------------------------------
Subject: 3.02: Spiders and stone
The rules on the spider ability (the ability to block creatures with
flying, without actually having flying) have changed over the course
of the game. First they were mandatory, then they could have been
considered optional, then they were mandatory again but people often
read them as optional, then another wording change was used, and
finally the whole thing was replaced with a new ability, reach. So
now, the situation is as follows:
The spider ability itself:
Giant Spider {3}{G} Creature - Spider 2/4
/ Reach (This creature can block creatures with flying.)
Flying-evasion:
Stone Spirit {4}{R} Creature - Elemental Spirit 4/3
/ Stone Spirit can't be blocked by creatures with flying.
Nonflying-evasion:
Treetop Scout {G} Creature - Elf Scout 1/1
/ Treetop Scout can't be blocked except by creatures with flying.
The Giant Spider can block a creature with flying, and it can block
the Stone Spirit, but it can't block the Treetop Scout.
------------------------------
Subject: 3.03: Time Vault
The wording and behaviour of Time Vault has changed over the course
of the game, in part to try to clean it up and in part to try to
control its power level. The current wording is as follows:
Time Vault {2} Artifact
/ Time Vault enters the battlefield tapped.
/ Time Vault doesn't untap during your untap step.
/ If you would begin your turn while Time Vault is tapped, you may
skip that turn instead. If you do, untap Time Vault.
/ {T}: Take an extra turn after this one.
This uses turn-skipping, which is an extension of phase- and step-
skipping, to try to limit the number of times the Time Vault could
be untapped and tapped again in a turn.
------------------------------
Subject: 3.04: Trample vs. protection
The interaction between trample and protection has changed over the
course of the game. Nowadays, it's as follows:
Combat damage happens in two distinct steps, assignment and dealing.
In assignment, a record is made of the source, destination and amount
of each piece of combat damage. If a creature has trample, then
it's legal to assign some or all of the damage from that creature
to the defending player, as long as the assignment also assigns
lethal damage to all creatures blocking the creature with trample.
Lethal damage is considered as however much damage is needed to make
up the difference between damage already marked on the creature from
before the assignment was made, and the toughness of the creature.
Effects that would alter the amount of damage that actually gets dealt
are not taken into account at this stage. Note that any amount of
damage from a creature with deathtouch is considered lethal damage.
When the damage is dealt, there may be replacements that alter the
amount of damage or prevent it entirely. This is where the protection
can step in and shield the creature.
------------------------------
Subject: 3.05: Order of triggered abilities
The way in which triggered abilities have been dealt with has changed
dramatically throughout the history of the game.
When any instruction is followed in the game, it may match the trigger
event of any number of triggered abilities. Each time this happens,
the triggered event triggers. When a player is in the process of
gaining priority to play spells and abilities, players put any triggered
abilities that have triggered onto the stack. First the active player
adds all the triggered abilities that he or she controls, in the
order of his or her choice, and then the non-active player does so.
With multiple non-active players, players go in turn order.
With this system, triggered abilities never go onto the stack while
another spell or ability is resolving. They always wait until a
player is about to gain priority. However, the order of events within
the resolution of the spell or ability does still matter. For example,
during the resolution of Hypergenesis, a Where Ancients Tread enters
the battlefield, and then its controller also puts a Woolly Thoctar
onto the battlefield:
Hypergenesis Sorcery
/ Hypergenesis is green.
/ Suspend 3 - {1}{G}{G} (Rather than cast this card from your hand, pay
{1}{G}{G} and exile it with three time counters on it. At the beginning
of your upkeep, remove a time counter. When the last is removed, cast
it without paying its mana cost.)
/ Starting with you, each player may put an artifact,
...
