409.1c If the spell or ability requires any targets, the player first announces how many targets he or she will choose (if the spell or ability has a variable number of targets), then announces the targets themselves. A player can’t play a spell or ability unless he or she chooses the required number of legal targets. The same target can’t be chosen multiple times for any one instance of the word “target” on the spell or ability. If the spell or ability uses the word “target” in multiple places, the same object, player, or zone can be chosen once for each instance of the word “target” (as long as it fits the targeting criteria).
Example: If an ability reads “Tap two target creatures,” then the same target can’t be chosen twice; the ability requires two different legal targets. An ability that reads “Destroy target artifact and target land,” however, can target the same artifact land twice because it uses the word “target” in multiple places.
409.1d If the spell or ability targets one or more targets only if an alternative, additional, or special cost (such as a buyback or kicker cost) is paid for it, or if a particular mode is chosen for it, its controller chooses those targets only if he or she announced the intention to pay that cost or chose that mode. Otherwise, the spell or ability is played as though it did not have those targets.
409.1e If the spell or ability affects several targets in different ways, the player announces how it will affect each target. If the spell or ability requires the player to divide or distribute an effect (such as damage or counters) among one or more targets, or any number of untargeted objects or players, the player announces the division. Each of these targets, objects, or players must receive at least one of whatever is being divided.
409.1f The player determines the total cost of the spell or ability. Usually this is just the mana cost (for spells) or activation cost (for abilities). Some cards list additional or alternative costs in their text, and some effects may increase or reduce the cost to pay. Costs may include paying mana, tapping permanents, sacrificing permanents, discarding cards, and so on. The total cost is the mana cost, activation cost, or alternative cost, plus all cost increases and minus all cost reductions. Once the total cost is determined, it becomes “locked in.” If effects would change the total cost after this time, they have no effect.
409.1g If the total cost includes a mana payment, the player then has a chance to play mana abilities (see rule 411, “Playing Mana Abilities”). Mana abilities must be played before costs are paid.
409.1h The player pays the total cost in any order. Partial payments are not allowed.
Example: You play Death Bomb, which costs {3}{B} and has an additional cost of sacrificing a creature. You sacrifice Thunderscape Familiar, whose effect makes your black spells cost {1} less to play. Because a spell’s total cost is “locked in” before payments are actually made, you pay {2}{B}, not {3}{B}, even though you’re sacrificing the Familiar.
409.1i Once the steps described in 409.1a-409.1h are completed, the spell or ability becomes played. Any abilities that trigger on a spell or ability being played or put onto the stack trigger at this time. If the spell or ability’s controller had priority before playing it, he or she gets priority.
409.2. Some spells and abilities specify that one of their controller’s opponents does something the controller would normally do while it’s being played, such as choose a mode, choose targets, or choose how the spell or ability will affect its targets. In these cases, the opponent does so when the spell or ability’s controller normally would do so.
409.2a If there is more than one opponent who could make such a choice, the spell or ability’s controller decides which of those opponents will make the choice.
409.2b If the spell or ability instructs its controller and another player to do something at the same time as the spell or ability is being played, the spell’s controller goes first, then the other player. This is an exception to rule 103.4.
409.3. Playing a spell or ability that alters costs won’t do anything to spells and abilities that are already on the stack.
409.4. A player can’t begin to play a spell or activated ability that’s prohibited from being played by an effect.
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.
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. It has the text of the ability that created it, and no other characteristics. 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
410.9. Some abilities trigger when creatures block or are blocked in combat. (See rules 306-311 and rule 500, “Legal Attacks and Blocks.”) They may trigger once or repeatedly, depending on the wording of the ability.
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.
410.9b An abi
lity 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.
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.
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.
410.9e If an ability triggers when a creature blocks or becomes blocked by a particular number of creatures, the ability triggers if the creature blocks or is blocked by that many creatures when the attack or block declaration is made. Effects that add or remove blockers can cause such abilities to trigger. This also applies to abilities that trigger on a creature blocking or being blocked by at least a certain number of creatures.
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 types of zone-change triggers are comes-into-play triggers and leaves-play triggers.
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.
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.
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.
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, no longer be in a zone visible to all players, or 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 leaves any visible zone for a hidden one, 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.
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.
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.
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.
410.11. Some triggered abilities trigger on a game state, such as a player controlling no permanents of a particular 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.
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.
411. Playing Mana Abilities
411.1. To play a mana ability, the player announces that he or she is playing it and pays the activation cost, following the steps in rules 409.1b-i. It resolves immediately after it is played and doesn’t go on the stack. (See rule 408.2e.)
411.2. A player may play an activated mana ability whenever he or she has priority, or whenever he or she is playing a spell or activated ability that requires a mana payment. A player may also play one whenever a rule or effect asks for a mana payment, even in the middle of playing or resolving a spell or ability.
411.3. Triggered mana abilities trigger when an activated mana ability is played. These abilities resolve immediately after the mana ability that triggered them, without waiting for priority. If an activated or triggered ability produces both mana and another effect, both the mana and the other effect resolve immediately.
Example: An enchantment reads, “Whenever a player taps a land for mana, that player adds one mana of that type to his or her mana pool.” If a player taps lands for mana while playing a spell, the additional mana is added to the player’s mana pool immediately and can be used to pay for the spell.
411.3a If a triggered mana ability adds mana “of the same type” or “of the same color” to a player’s mana pool and the mana ability that triggered it produced more than one type or color of mana, the player to whose mana pool the mana is being added chooses which type or color of mana the triggered ability adds.
412. Handling Static Abilities
412.1. A static ability may generate a continuous effect or a prevention or replacement effect. These effects last as long as the object with the static ability remain
s in the appropriate zone.
412.2. Many Auras and Equipment have static abilities that modify the permanent they’re attached to, but those abilities don’t target that permanent. If an Aura or Equipment is moved to a different permanent, the ability stops applying to the original permanent and starts modifying the new one.
412.3. Some static abilities apply while a spell is on the stack. These are often abilities that refer to countering the spell. Also, abilities that say “As an additional cost to play . . . ,” “You may pay [cost] rather than pay [this object]’s mana cost,” and “You may play [this object] without paying its mana cost” work while a spell is on the stack.
Magic: The Gathering Comprehensive Rules Page 7