Archive-name: games/magic-t-g/rules/part3
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URL: http://www.daeghnao.com/magic/faq/
Subject: 3.00: Advanced Discussion
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, creature, enchantment
or land card from his or her hand onto the battlefield. Repeat this
process until no one puts a card onto the battlefield.
Where Ancients Tread {4}{R} Enchantment
/ Whenever a creature with power 5 or greater enters the battlefield
under your control, you may have Where Ancients Tread deal 5 damage
to target creature or player.
Woolly Thoctar {R}{G}{W} Creature - Beast 5/4
The Where Ancients Tread "sees" the Woolly Thoctar, and triggers. After
the Hypergenesis has finished resolving, the controller of the Where
Ancients Tread puts its triggered ability on the stack, and chooses a
target for it. This could target another creature that was put onto
the battlefield after the Woolly Thoctar.
Some damage prevention effects have "side-effects", extra things that
are written along with the damage prevention:
Brace for Impact {4}{W} Instant
/ Prevent all damage that would be dealt to target multicolored creature
this turn. For each 1 damage prevented this way, put a +1/+1 counter
on that creature.
These are not usually triggered abilities. They just happen as part
of the event that would have dealt the damage.
Subject: 3.06: Flagbearers
The original Flagbearer text tried to constrain the target selection for
spells and abilities that could target them, but it was unclear whether
that constraint also affected spells and abilities that change targets.
Nowadays, the wording is clearer:
Standard Bearer {1}{W} Creature - Human Flagbearer 1/1
/ While choosing targets as part of casting a spell or activating
an ability, your opponents must choose at least one Flagbearer on
the battlefield if able.
This no longer triggers and ends up with targets changing, it just adds
in the constraint the way the original text tried to.
Subject: 3.07: Attack and block restrictions / requirements
The rules handling multiple interacting attack and block modifications
have evolved throughout the game's history. Rules 508 and 509 define
legal attacks and blocks, here is a quick summary of the current state
of affairs:
When you declare an attack, you may pay any costs that are needed to
allow creatures to attack, then pick a set of untapped creatures as
the attacking creatures. Check for any restrictions and requirements
that are violated - if there are, you have to choose a different
set of attackers. To perform this check, first make sure that all
of the restrictions are being met, then look at the requirements.
If the maximum possible number of requirements are being followed,
then the set of attackers is legal.
Example:
Player A controls:
Crazed Goblin {R} Creature - Goblin Warrior 1/1
/ Crazed Goblin attacks each turn if able.
Runeclaw Bear {1}{G} Creature - Bear 2/2
Player B controls:
Silent Arbiter {4} Artifact Creature - Construct 1/5
/ No more than one creature can attack each combat.
/ No more than one creature can block each combat.
This situation has one requirement, the Crazed Goblin must attack.
It also has one restriction, at most one creature can attack.
The possible sets of attackers that Player A may declare are:
- Just the Crazed Goblin: legal, as it satisfies the requirement
without violating the restriction.
- The Crazed Goblin and the Runeclaw Bear: illegal, as it does not
satisfy the restriction.
- Just the Runeclaw Bear: illegal, as attacking with just the Crazed
Goblin is legal and satisfies more requirements.
- No creatures: illegal, as attacking with just the Crazed Goblin is
legal and satisfies more requirements.
The situation is analogous with blockers: all of the restrictions
must be met, and then a maximum number of requirements must also be
met. An example:
Player A controls:
Razorgrass Screen {1} Artifact Creature - Wall 2/1
/ Defender
/ Razorgrass Screen blocks each turn if able.
Runeclaw Bear {1}{G} Creature - Bear 2/2
Player B controls:
Goblin War Drums {2}{R} Enchantment
/ Each creature you control can't be blocked except by two or more
creatures.
Player B is attacking with one creature. Player A's blocking options
are:
- Both Razorgrass Screen and Runeclaw Bear: legal, as the requirement
for the Razorgrass Screen to block is met, and the restriction for
at least two creatures to block the attacker is also met.
- Just the Razorgrass Screen: illegal; while the requirement is met,
the restriction is not, and another legal block is available that
meets the requirements and also satisfies the restrictions.
- Just the Runeclaw Bear: illegal, as the requirement is not met, and
another legal block is available that does meet the requirement.
- Neither creature: illegal, as there is a restriction that could be
met and the requirements can be met as well.
Subject: 3.08: Compost
There has been some debate over the years as to exactly which
circumstances will trigger a Compost. The main issue arises because
it's possible for the card to be black in the graveyard but not when
it's in the hand, or on the battlefield; it's also possible for the card
to be black in the hand or on the battlefield but not in the graveyard.
Under the current regime, the trigger event is now never considered
to be a leaves-the-battlefield trigger. Consequently, it's the color
of the card once it gets to the graveyard that matters when determining
whether Compost triggers.
Compost {1}{G} Enchantment
/ Whenever a black card is put into an opponent's graveyard from
anywhere, you may draw a card.
Subject: 3.09: Madness
Madness was originally a fairly complex series of triggers so that
the spell could be cast using the system of priority. Since then,
other cards have been created that allow a spell to be cast when
no player has priority. This created the opportunity to "clean up"
the madness rules. So, whereas before it was possible under some
circumstances to play a land inbetween the discard of the card and
casting the card for its madness cost, these days it's much simpler:
- playing or resolving a spell or ability, or dealing with the discard
to maximum hand size at cleanup, causes you to discard a card.
- the madness ability on the card allows you to replace the card going
to the graveyard with removing it from the game. Doing so triggers
an ability: "you may cast this card for its madness cost. If you don't,
put it into your graveyard." Since the madness ability retains the
term 'discard' for this new event, it also triggers anything that
triggers on a discard.
- when a player would next get priority, the triggered ability goes on
the stack. When it resolves, you choose whether to cast the removed
card or not. If so, its cost will be the madness cost instead of the
mana cost. If not, it's put into your graveyard.
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