
=============================================================================

General Rulings Summary                                      Updated 05/20/97

=============================================================================

Rulings are collected from many sources.  See credits and disclaimer at the
end of the file for details. The most recent mtg-l digest used was
"18 May 1997 to 19 May 1997".

These rulings are updated monthly.  The most recent version is available on
the web (WWW) as either of the following:

    http://www.activesw.com/~sdangelo/magic.html
    ftp://ftp.activesw.com/pub/sdangelo/magic/rule-general.txt
    ftp://ftp.itis.com/pub/deckmaster/rules/rule-general.txt

The above files are also available via FTP to "ftp.activesw.com" under
"pub/sdangelo/magic" or to "ftp.itis.com" under "/pub/deckmaster/rules" as
"rule-general.txt".  If you have neither WWW nor FTP access, send e-mail to
"dangelo@netcom.com" requesting a copy of the current Rulings Summaries.

A '+' is used to mark changes since the last released version on 04/16/97.

Thanx,

Stephen.
----
Stephen D'Angelo    |  Official Magic: The Gathering Rules Summary
dangelo@netcom.com  |  Network Representative for Wizards of the Coast, Inc.

=============================================================================


Table of Contents:
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 I.   Turn Order
 II.  Attack Phase
 III. Spell and Ability Timing
 IV.  Glossary of Magic Topics
 V.   Tournament Rulings
 VI.  Changes Between Fourth and Fifth Edition Rules
 VII. Acknowledgements and Disclaimers


Turn Order Rules and Rulings
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

About The Phases:
  Each phase is broken into 5 parts.  They are: [Mirage Page 42]
    1. Process all effects that occur at the beginning of the phase.
    2. The main body of the phase, which can contain any number of batches
       of spells and abilities (phase abilities or other announced spells and
       abilities).  This is the only time where non-specialized spells and
       abilities can be announced.
    3. Process all effects that occur at the end of the phase.  Once this
       part starts, you cannot go back and announce more spells and abilities
       during this phase.
    4. Check for "mana burn".
    5. Check the life totals of all players.
  If more than one thing happens at the beginning or end of a phase, and the
    order of these effects matters, they are played in the same way as
    specialized abilities. [Mirage Page 42]  This means the current player
    resolves all of his or her effects and abilities in any order desired,
    then the opponent resolves his or her effects and abilities in any order
    they desire.
  You cannot leave part 2 and enter part 3 of a phase until all "phase
    costs" and mandatory "phase effects" or "phase abilities" (which are not
    specifically done at the end of the phase) have been dealt with.
    [Mirage Page 42]
  Also see the "Phase Effect" and "Phase Cost" entries for more information.

Starting the Game:
  Prior to the first phase of the first turn of the game, each player brings
    their deck to the play area and shuffles it.  The opponent may also cut
    (or shuffle then cut) the deck.  Each player's deck becomes their library.
    [Mirage Page 46]
  If this is the first game between players, randomly determine who gets first
    choice.  If this is not the first game, then the loser of the previous
    game chooses.  If the previous game was a draw, then the player who chose
    last time chooses this time. [Mirage Page 46]
  The player gets to choose if they want to go first or not.  The player that
    goes first skips their first draw phase. [Mirage Page 46]
    This is called the "play or draw" choice.
  After this choice is made, each player draws a hand of 7 cards and the
    game begins. [Mirage Page 46]

Phase 0: Beginning of Turn
  This isn't really a phase, but there is a "beginning of turn" effects and
    abilities time before untap that works just like other beginning of phase
    effects and abilities times.
  There are a few cards that actually do something before the beginning of
    untap.  These are ones that say they happen at the "beginning of turn",
    such as the change in power/toughness due to Vibrating Sphere, or the
    control change from Wellspring.  [D'Angelo 11/06/96]
  Continuous abilities, such as Vibration Sphere, are dealt with prior to
    actual "beginning of turn" effects and abilities like Wellspring.
    [Aahz 01/14/97]
  Summoning sickness is removed from permanents after all beginning of turn
    effects and abilities finish resolving. [Duelist Magazine #17, Page 24]
  As usual, when choosing to skip a phase/turn, you make the choice just
    before you would start that phase/turn.  In the case of skipping turns,
    that choice is made before this step. [D'Angelo 11/06/96]
  Mana sources which are used during this step do not cause mana burn until
    the end of the first phase that you play.  Normally this is the untap
    phase, but if you skip your untap it could be the upkeep phase.
    [Aahz 04/07/97]

Phase 1: Untap
  You untap cards as a mandatory phase effect (see Phase Effects for more
    information) during the middle of this phase. [Mirage Page 46]
  Any mana in mana pool at end of this phase causes "mana burn".
    [Mirage Page 9]
  Check for player death at end of phase. [Mirage Page 52]
  All cards being untapped, untap simultaneously.  [Mirage Page 46]  This
    means that untapping one thing cannot affect what else you can or cannot
    untap.  For example, if a Winter Orb is tapped, then it cannot affect
    your untapping even though it will also be untapped at the same time.
  The cards to be untapped are checked upon resolution of the untap effect.
    Thus, when this effect resolves, anything that can untap will untap (unless
    you are given the option to not untap it and choose to take that option).
    [Aahz 11/01/96]
  If there are any decisions to be made about what to untap (if you are
    allowed to decide), those decisions are made when you announce the
    untap effect. [bethmo 11/07/96]  Mirage rulebook page 46 is incorrect
    in saying you do this at the beginning of the phase.  If something new
    happens that would force a decision after you announce the untap, you
    must make that decision at the first opportunity, but you may not undo
    any previous decisions.  Thus, if a land becomes tapped after announcing
    and Winter Orb is in play, you may choose that land if you had none
    chosen before but may not choose it if you already had one chosen.
    [D'Angelo 11/13/96]
  You MUST untap each turn.  You cannot "forget".
  Phasing happens as a beginning of untap effect.  Simultaneously "phase in"
    any cards which are currently "phased out" and also "phase out" any
    permanents which are in play with the "Phasing" ability.
    [Mirage Page 2]  Remember that neither happens before the other.  They
    happen at the same time.
  Neither player may cast spells or abilities (other than specialized ones)
    before or during the untap phase.  [Mirage Page 46]  Mana sources are
    legal, however.  [WotC Rules Team 10/03/96]  Interrupts to specialized
    spells/effects and anything that happens during damage prevention if
    damage occurs are always allowed. [D'Angelo 11/06/96]
  If a card enters play due to something (like a Tawnos's Coffin) untapping,
    so that it enters play after or during the resolution of the untap phase
    effect, the card entering play does not get to untap.  [Bethmo 05/16/96]
  All Limited/Unlimited/Arabian Nights/Antiquities cards which said to do
    things during the untap phase take place during the upkeep phase.
    [PPG Page 110]  Newer cards may require you to do something during untap.

Phase 2: Upkeep
  You still have an upkeep phase even if nothing happens during it.
  Fast effects may be used during this phase by any player. [Mirage Page 46]
  Any mana in mana pool at end of this phase causes "mana burn".
    [Mirage Page 9]
  Check for player death at end of phase. [Mirage Page 52]
  It is common for permanents or effects to offer some actions which can be
    done during the Upkeep phase or must be done during the Upkeep phase.
    These actions follow the rules for "phase effects".  See the
    "Phase Effect" entry for more information.
  It is common for permanents or effects to require a payment of some sort
    during the Upkeep phase.  These follow the rules for "phase costs".  See
    the "Phase Costs" entry for more information.
  Many permanents offer the ability to untap them during the upkeep phase
    for some cost.  This is called an "untap cost".  See the "Untap Costs"
    entry for more information.

Phase 3: Draw
  Fast effects may be used during this phase by any player. [Mirage Page 46]
  Any mana in mana pool at end of this phase causes "mana burn".
    [Mirage Page 9]
  Check for player death at end of phase. [Mirage Page 52]
  Drawing a card is a mandatory "phase effect" done during the middle of
    the phase.  See "Phase Effects" for more information.
  Each ability that provides one or more additional draws is played separately,
    rather than combining into a single draw effect.  For example, if there
    are three Howling Mines in play, then each provides its own effect, rather
    than combining with the draw effect you get normally.  Similarly, effects
    such as Sylvan Library would not combine with other card draws.
    [WotC Rules Team 10/12/94]
  You cannot skip a draw or take additional draws unless an effect says
    otherwise.
  If you try to draw and have no cards in your library to draw from, you
    lose the game.  [Mirage Page 53]

Phase 4: Main Phase
  May do the following in any order: [Mirage Page 47]
    a. Cast a spell or use an ability -- Do this step any number of times
       before or after other actions.
    b. Play a land -- only one per turn before or after other actions.
    c. Declare an attack -- only one per turn.
  The full logic for the turns (without any odd effects applied) works out as:
    a. Cast spells/play abilities
    b. Play a land
    c. Cast spells/play abilities
    d. Declare an attack
    e. Cast spells/play abilities
    f. Play a land (if have not already done so)
    g. Cast spells/play abilities
  This is the only phase in which you may cast sorcery, summon, enchantment,
    or artifact spells. [Mirage Page 47]  The opponent may not use these kinds
    of spells/abilities during your Main phase.  [Mirage Page 43]
  Playing a land is a not a fast effect.  It cannot be done in response
    to something else, nor can it be reacted to with anything (including
    interrupts).  [Duelist Magazine #5, Page 123]
  You may play multiple lands if you have Fastbond, Storm Cauldron or some
    other enabling effect in play, but they can only be played when you could
    otherwise play a land. [bethmo]  They cannot be played in the same
    instant.  They are played one at a time.
  You only get one attack per turn and only on your turn. [Mirage Page 47]
    If you manage to untap creatures they cannot be used in that same turn to
    attack again.
  If a creature is required to attack (due to a spell like Siren's Call or an
    ability like the Nettling Imp) the player must declare an attack that
    turn and send out the affected creature(s) if it is legal to do so.
    [Mirage Page 48]
  Any mana in mana pool at end of this phase causes "mana burn".
    [Mirage Page 9]
  Check for player death at end of phase. [Mirage Page 52]

Phase 5: Discard
  Fast effects may be used during this phase by any player. [Mirage Page 46]
    This is the last phase where instant speed effects can be used by either
    player in the turn.
  Any mana in mana pool at end of this phase causes "mana burn".
    [Mirage Page 9]
  Check for player death at end of phase. [Mirage Page 52]
  Discarding down to 7 cards in your hand is a mandatory "phase effect" done
    at the end of this phase.  See "Phase Effects" for more information.
  The discard effect is done only once, even if more cards somehow get into
    your hand afterwards. [Aahz 09/19/96]
  You may not just choose to discard because you want to.  You only do so if
    you have more than 7 cards or because an effect tells you to do so.

Phase 6: Cleanup
  No instants may be used during this phase by any player. [Mirage Page 47]
    Mana sources are still legal. [WotC Rules Team 10/03/96]  And any
    interrupts to specialized effects or effects used during damage prevention
    are legal as always. [D'Angelo 11/06/96]
  Any mana in mana pool at end of this phase causes "mana burn".
    [Mirage Page 9]
  Check for player death at end of phase. [Mirage Page 52]
  All damage and "until end of turn" effects end simultaneously during this
    phase. [Mirage Page 47]  This is done as a mandatory Phase Effect.
  At the end of the phase, all "at end of turn" effects are dealt with as
    per the normal end of phase rules. [Mirage Page 47]
  If any new "until end of turn" effects which are started during this phase,
    the new effects start up and then immediately end. [Mirage Page 48]
  If any new "at end of turn" effects are scheduled for the current player
    after starting to resolve that player's "at end of turn" effects, the new
    ones are dealt before going to the opponent's effects.  Once starting the
    opponent's "at end of turn" effects, any new ones generated for the
    current player are ignored.  [WotC Rules Team 10/03/96]
  If any creature is reduced to zero or less toughness at this time, it
    dies and cannot successfully live to the next turn because even if it
    regenerates, it will immediately die again.
  There is no time between turns in which to take actions. [bethmo]


Attack Phase Rules and Rulings
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Step 0: Declare intention to attack.
  This step is actually done as an action during the Main Phase.
    [Mirage Page 48]
  Your opponent can respond with fast effects.  If they do so, the attack
    is cancelled.  You can try again when the effects are all resolved.
    If no one announces any fast effects, continue on to step 1.
    [Mirage Page 48]
  A player may only attack once per turn and only during their own main phase.
    [Mirage Page 48]
  It is similar to any phase change in that you cannot go on to declare
    attackers until your opponent is done doing actions in your main phase.
    See the "I'm Done" entry for more information.
  You are not required to say which player in a multiplayer game you are
    attacking.  You just need to say you want to attack. [D'Angelo 01/23/95]
  Any mana in mana pool when going to the next step causes "mana burn".
    [Mirage Page 48]
  Check for player death before going to the next Step. [Mirage Page 48]

Step 1/2: Beginning of Attack
  Anything that happens at the beginning of the attack, such as Goblin
    Flotilla, gets dealt with here.  This works like a normal "beginning of
    phase" time.  Deal with these prior to declaring attackers.
    [D'Angelo 11/06/96]

Step 1: Declare Attackers
  No instants are allowed during this step by either player.  If you want
    to play spells or abilities prior to declaring attackers, they must be
    done during the main phase. [Mirage Page 48]  Mana sources and specialized
    abilities are the only effects usable during this step.
  A creature can be declared as an attacker if it is untapped, does not have
    summoning sickness, is not a Wall, and does not have any other effect
    preventing it from attacking. [Mirage Page 49]
  Creatures tap when declared as an attacker. [Mirage Page 49]  This is not
    a creature ability.  It's a side effect of being declared.
  Creatures which have the ability to not tap when attacking, must still be
    untapped during this step in order to be declared as an attacker.
    [Mirage Page 49]
  Typically, all attackers are declared at once.  Actually, you can declare
    attackers in any order.  Each time, you may declare zero or more attackers
    at once, followed by any specialized abilities that are to be played, and
    repeat as needed.  This allows you to deal with paying costs that allow a
    creature to attack and so on. [Mirage Page 50]
  You may attack with zero creatures.  Such an attack is called a "null
    attack", and it does count as your one attack during your turn.
    [Mirage Page 49]  The Mirage Rulebook erroneously says "one or more
    attackers" early on page 49 but is correct later on the page.
    [Duelist Magazine #15, Page 28]
  Once an attacker is declared, untapping the attacker will not remove it
    from the attack.  [Duelist Magazine #5, Page 35]  Note that
    regenerating a creature, losing control of a creature, or having a
    creature stop being a creature will remove it from the attack as well.
  If some creatures are required to attack, they must be declared (if
    possible) before or at the same time as declaring other attackers.
    [Mirage Page 49]  See "Must Attack or Block" for more information.
  Creatures with zero power may attack. [Mirage Page 49]
  Creatures cannot attack (or be tapped for their own special ability) unless
    that card or token has been in play on your side since the beginning of
    your turn.  See the "Summoning Sickness" entry for more information.
  Banding of attackers must be declared at this time and cannot be changed
    later. [Mirage Page 19]  You may add members to a band across multiple
    declarations within this step of the attack if desired.  You do not need
    to declare all members simultaneously. [Aahz 03/17/97]
  You only check if the creature is allowed to attack (such as can only attack
    if opponent has Islands) during this step.  If any attack enablers are
    removed or attack inhibitors are introduced later, it does not make a
    difference.  The creature is still attacking. [D'Angelo 02/01/95]
  Brainwash and Jade Statue are examples of specialized abilities used during
    this step. [WotC Rules Team 06/15/95]
  Any abilities that trigger during this step are saved until the end of the
    step, then all triggered abilities for the step are dealt with in one
    group as per the normal triggered abilities timing rules. [Mirage Page 50]
    Deal with any damage dealt or changes in creature toughness as they
    happen.
  Most penalties and bonuses due to attacking or not attacking are considered
    as triggered abilities.  For example, damage from attacking with the
    Hasran Ogress. [D'Angelo 10/01/96]
  Continuous effects that happen because a creature becomes an attacker take
    immediate effect and can affect how other creatures get declared.
    [Aahz 10/22/96]
  Triggered abilities that trigger on being declared are retroactively treated
    as if they never happend if the creature gets undeclared by False Orders
    or some other retroactive removal effect. [Aahz 10/22/96]
  Creatures like the Mijae Djinn which require a coin flip to see if they
    attack have their coin flip done at the end of this step just prior to
    dealing with triggered abilities.  You cannot add or remove creatures once
    you flip the coin. [D'Angelo 04/04/95]
  You always attack your opponent and not your opponent's creatures.
    [Mirage Page 48]
  You cannot attack yourself or your own creatures. [Mirage Page 48]

Step 2: Fast Effects before Blocking
  You are not limited to a single stack of spells and abilities.
    [Mirage Page 50]
  This is the ideal time for the defender to eliminate attackers they do
    not want to deal with (using Royal Assassin or Lightning Bolt, for
    example), or to enhance potential blockers (with Jump or such) to allow
    them to be used for defense.
  Remove from the combat any attackers and blockers which were killed (even if
    they regenerated).

Step 3: Declare Blockers
  No fast effects are allowed during this step by either player.
    [Mirage Page 50]  Mana sources and specialized abilities are the only
    effects usable during this step.
  Only untapped creatures can block. [Mirage Page 50]
  A blocker can only block one attacker unless otherwise stated on a card.
    [Mirage Page 50]  You do not declare to block a band, you block a member
    of a band and thereby become a blocker to all creatures in the band.
    This means that if any member of a banded group of attackers can be
    blocked by your creature, the entire band can be blocked.
  More than one blocker can be declared on a single attacker. [Mirage Page 50]
    This is true even without banding ability.
  There is no summoning sickness for declaring blockers.  You can use any
    untapped creature you have. [Duelist Magazine #5, Page 36]
  Typically, all blockers are declared at once.  Actually, you can declare
    blockers in any order.  Each time, you may declare zero or more blockers
    at once, followed by any specialized abilities that are to be played, and
    repeat as needed.  This allows you to deal with paying costs to allow a
    creature to block and so on. [Mirage Page 50]
  The creatures assigned to block an attacker do not have to be assigned all
    at once. [Mirage Page 50]
  If some creatures are required to block, they must be declared (if possible)
    before or at the same time as declaring other blockers. [Mirage Page 50]
    See "Must Attack or Block" for more information.
  If a creature is required to block more creatures than it can legally block,
    then the defender chooses which creature(s) to block, but must choose to
    block as many as possible. [Mirage Page 50]
  Once blockers are declared against a creature, it is blocked.  It remains
    blocked even if the blocking creature is killed or the block is made
    "illegal" by some action. [Mirage Page 50]  This means that if you cast
    Jump (for example) on your attacking creature after blockers are declared,
    that you do not get around the blocker or even avoid damage.
    [Mirage Page 51]
  Defenders do not band or group.  They can just decide to choose the same
    creature to block.  Defensive banding only helps during damage
    dealing.  [Mirage Page 20]  See the "Banding" entry for more information.
  This is the only time that you check if the creature is allowed to block.
    If any evasion abilities or blocking inhibitors are introduced or removed
    later, it does not make a difference.  The creature either can or cannot
    block at this time.  [Mirage Page 51]
  To block, the creature must be able to get around all of the attacking
    creature's evasion abilities.  For example, a Flying creature with Fear
    can only be blocked if the blocking creature has Flying (to satisfy the
    Flying evasion ability) and if it is Black and/or Artifact (to satisfy
    the Fear evasion ability).  [Mirage Page 51]
  An attacking creature with an evasion ability (flying, xxxwalk, etc.) may
    not "turn off" the ability and choose to be blockable. [PPG Page 79]
  Defending creatures do NOT tap.  This is one of the oldest myths of the
    game.
  Any abilities that trigger during this step are saved until the end of the
    step, then all triggered abilities for the step are dealt with in one
    group as per the normal triggered abilities timing rules.
  Most penalties and bonuses due to blocking or not blocking are considered as
    triggered abilities.  For example, blocking a or blocking with a Thicket
    Basilisk triggers its delayed destruction effect. [D'Angelo 10/01/96]
  False Orders is played at the end of this step, after all blocking
    assignments are made but prior to the triggered abilities of assigning
    blockers being resolved.  False Orders can result in a new blocking
    assignment or retroactive removal of an assignment.
    [Duelist Magazine #8, Page 47]
  Creatures like the Ydwen Efreet which require a coin flip to see if they
    block have their coin flip done at the end of this step just prior to
    dealing with triggered abilities.  You cannot add or remove creatures once
    you flip the coin. [D'Angelo 04/04/95]
  For some other important rulings on blocking, see the "Blocking" entry.

Step 4: Fast Effects after Blocking
  You are not limited to a single stack of spells and abilities.
    [Mirage Page 51]
  This is the ideal time for the attacker to surprise the defender by using
    fast effects to make the creatures more powerful.  Howl from Beyond,
    Berserk, and built in creature abilities are good examples.
  Any "if is not blocked" abilities of creatures are declared and resolved
    at this time. [Duelist Magazine #5, Page 36]  See the "Is Not Blocked"
    entry for more information.
  Remove from the combat any attackers and defenders which were killed (even
    if they regenerated).
  Remember that killing or otherwise removing the blockers from an attacking
    creature does not unblock the attacking creature.  [Mirage Page 51]
  This is the last chance to use fast effects before the main phase resumes
    after the end of combat. [Mirage Page 51]

Step 5+6: First Strike and non-FirstStrike Damage Dealing
  In Step 5, all creatures with First Strike deal damage simultaneously. In
    Step 6, all creatures without First Strike deal damage simultaneously.
    Otherwise, the two steps follow the same rules.  [Mirage Page 51]
  At the start of Step 5, creatures are divided up depending on whether or not
    they have First Strike.  This determines if the creatures deal damage in
    Step 5 or Step 6. [WotC Rules Team 12/03/96]
  If the order of assignment makes a difference, the current player assigns
    damage first.
  Unblocked attackers deal damage to the defending player.  Blocked attackers
    deal damage to their blockers (if any). [Mirage Page 51]  If a Trampling
    attacker has no blocker that can legally take the attacker's damage, then
    the damage is directly dealt to the player. [Aahz 05/23/95]
  Blocking creatures deal damage to the attacker(s) they blocked only if they
    are still untapped at this time. [Mirage Page 51]
  There is one damage prevention at the end of each step, followed by putting
    dead creatures into the graveyard. [Mirage Page 52]
  If more than one blocker is declared for an attacker, the attacking player
    decides how the attacker's damage is divided among the blockers.  If
    one of the blockers has Banding, then the defending player decides.
    (See the Banding entry for more information)
  If more than one attacker is blocked by a single blocker, the defending
    player decides how the blocker's damage is divided among the attackers.
    If the attackers are part of a Band, then the attacking player decides.
    (See the Banding entry for more information)
  Each member of a Band of attackers is a separate source of damage.  Also,
    Banding does not make the attackers or blockers act like one creature or
    share abilities.  Banding just allows a group to be blocked or let through
    as a whole, and for the ability to distribute damage. [bethmo]

Step 7: End of Combat
  Deal with all effects that happen "at end of combat".  Follow the normal
    rules for "end of phase" effects.
  Any mana in mana pool after dealing with "at end of combat" effects causes
    "mana burn". [Mirage Page 52]
  Check for player death before returning to the main phase. [Mirage Page 52]

Other Attack Phase Rulings:
  Creatures involved in combat are either "attacking creatures" or "blocking
    creatures", and during the attack is the only time when spells which
    target such creatures can be played. [Mirage Page 49]
  Creatures which are removed from combat stop being an attacking or blocking
    creature.  They do not untap.  They will not deal or receive combat damage
    later in the combat. [Mirage Page 49]
  A creature which regenerates is removed from combat. [Mirage Page 49]
  A creature which stops being a creature is removed from combat.
    [Mirage Page 49]  If it becomes a creature again, it does not rejoin the
    combat. [D'Angelo 10/01/96]
  A creature which changes controllers is removed from combat.  It will not
    rejoin even if it switches back to its original controller.  If the
    control change happened prior to declaration of blockers, it is possible
    for the creature to be declared as a blocker. [Aahz 03/09/95]
  Tapping or untapping a creature does not remove the creature from combat.
    [Mirage Page 49]
  The terms "combat damage" or "damage in combat" only apply to damage dealt
    by creatures during the damage dealing steps.  Spells and effects which
    do damage during the attack phase are not considered "combat damage" or
    "damage in combat". [Mirage Page 48]  Once damage is redirected, it stops
    being "combat damage" [Duelist Magazine #17, Page 24]
  If a creature is removed from the combat, all "at end of combat" effects
    that would affect that creature will still work.  If the creature is
    retroactively removed from the combat, however, such "at end of combat"
    effects are removed.  [Aahz 09/24/96]  "Retroactive" only covers cases
    where it is as if the creature never attacked, such as with False Orders
    removing the creature from the attack.
  If a creature gains or loses First Strike between damage dealing steps, it
    will not change when it deals damage. [WotC Rules Team 12/03/96]


Spell and Ability Timing
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kinds and Speeds of Abilities:
  Spells and abilities can be announced by a player at any one of four speeds:
    mana source, instant, interrupt, or specialized.  Sorcery isn't really a
    speed, since sorceries are used in the same stacks as instants.  Sorcery
    is more of a limitation on when the spell or ability can be announced.
  Spells and abilities come in four types: one-shot, continuous, duration,
    and scheduled.  One-shot is obvious.  The effect does its thing and then
    ends.  The others are discussed later in this section.
  Effects can also be generated when something else happens.  These are
    generated by triggered abilities.
  The ability of a permanent with an activation cost is handled as an instant
    (and not an interrupt) unless otherwise stated on the card.
  The term "fast effect" was used a lot prior to Fifth Edition to include
    interrupts, instants and the abilities of permanents.  Such spells and
    abilities can be used at many times during your turn or your opponent's
    turn.
  Artifacts, sorceries, summonings, and enchantments can only be used during
    your main phase and only to start a batch of spells and abilities.
    [Mirage Page 38]
    Such spells are sometimes referred to as "non-fast effects".
  Artifacts, creatures, enchantments, and sorceries are _not_ slower in
    resolving or in being announced than instants.  The only difference
    between such spells and instants is that these spell types are only usable
    during the main phase and only to start batches.  They resolve at the
    same "speed" as an instant.
  A mana source ability can be used at almost any time. [Mirage Page 36]
    Actually, the book says at any time, but there are a couple of narrow
    windows where they cannot be used.
  The more complete rule for when you can play mana sources is: You can use
    mana sources whenever you have priority to play a spell or ability, even
    if there are no such things you can legally play.  This applies to any
    time in which a normal spell or ability or specialized ability can be
    played. [Aahz 01/17/97] This more complete rule does not make any
    important changes in when you can play mana sources because priority
    switches often enough.  It just closes a few odd loopholes.
  Mana sources cannot be interrupted like other announced spells and abilities
    can. [Mirage Page 8]  Abilities that trigger on their use take place
    after they finish resolving.
  Lands can only be played during your main phase as well, but playing a
    land is not a spell or ability.  It is a special action.  [Mirage Page 72]
  You cannot play a land in response to a spell or ability and the playing
    of a land cannot be responded to.
  Casting a spell means playing a non-Land card from your hand.  Using
    abilities of creatures, artifacts, or enchantments are not spells.
    [Mirage Page 72]  Also putting things into play via an effect is not
    considered to be a spell.

Life-Cycle of a Spell or Ability:
  The life-cycle for a spell or ability looks roughly like this.  All spells
    and abilities follow this cycle. More detailed sections follow this one.
  1. Announcement -- Costs are paid.  Targets are chosen.  Choices are made.
  2. Chance for interrupts -- A chance is given to use interrupts to counter
    the spell or ability.  If it is a spell (not an ability) you can also
    use modify color, target, and wording interrupts and have them change
    the effect of the spell.  Abilities are different since very few things
    target abilities, and destroying or modifying the source will not counter
    or modify the effect of the ability.  Abilities are currently not
    modifiable once they are announced, but cards could theoretically be added
    to do so.
  3. Waiting for resolution -- When a spell/ability gets to this stage, it is
    considered successfully "cast" or "activated".  It can no longer be
    modified or countered.  It is placed into the batch.  Then responses to
    the spell/ability can be announced.  Specialized abilities are not placed
    into batches, so they move through this step immediately to step 4.
  4) Resolution -- The batch resolves in last-in first-out manner.
    Check targets at this time.  If a spell/ability's targets are valid, then
    its effects take place, else it "fizzles".
  The chart in Duelist #9 does not reflect Fifth Edition timing rules.
  A permanent cannot be acted upon as a permanent until it is successfully
    resolved.  This means it will have its full effect before you can do
    anything to it.
  Destroying or modifying the source of a spell/ability after it is announced
    will never cause the spell/ability to fail or change in any way.
    [Mirage Page 26]

Step 1: Announcing a Spell/Ability
  The first thing that happens to a spell/ability is that it gets announced.
    Announcing a spell/ability is a special action that cannot be interrupted.
    [bethmo 09/07/94]  Not even mana sources may be used during this step.
    This step is also called "playing" the spell or ability.
  During announcement, all costs are paid (see the "Costs" entry for more
    information on costs), all targets are selected (see the "Targeting"
    entry for more information), and all other spell/ability decisions are
    made.
  Everything that happens during this step is considered to be simultaneous.
    [Mirage Page 30]  If this gets confusing, consider it as if the state of
    the game were saved just as the step starts and that's what you are playing
    against.  This means, for example, you can target the card you are
    sacrificing to pay the cost of an ability.
  In addition to the spell cost or activation cost, you must pay any
    additional costs listed in the card text. [Mirage Page 30]
  You must have all necessary payments for the cost before starting this step.
    For spells/ability with a mana cost, this means that you must use your
    mana sources prior to starting the announcement and have the mana in your
    mana pool. [Mirage Page 32]  You cannot get mana during this step.
  Nothing can stop a cost from being paid or prevent the results of anything
    which is done as a cost. [Mirage Page 33]  Things may prevent you from
    announcing a spell/ability.  Usually these involve raising the cost
    (Gloom) or making a resource unavailable for use (Imprison).
    [D'Angelo 11/07/96]
  Targets are chosen during this step.  All targets chosen must be legal.
    [Mirage Page 31]
  If more than one target is to be selected at the same time, the same target
    may not be selected twice. [Mirage Page 31]
  All other decisions which do not require looking at another player's hand
    or in a player's library are made at this time. [Mirage Page 31]
    Some cards will clearly state that a decision is made upon resolution and
    will thereby override this rule.
  Decisions which are made that affect neither how it is announced or how it
    resolves are always delayed.  For example, what to do about Mind Bomb
    damage or how many cards to draw during the upkeep following Arcane
    Denial being used. [Duelist Magazine #13, Page 26]
  Any counting of cards in play (which does not affect whether or not you can
    announce it) is done on resolution and not on announcement.
    [Visions FAQ 02/16/97]
  All characteristics of the source of an ability are "locked in" at this
    time.  [Mirage Page 27]
  Targets and other choices selected by the opponent are also made during
    this step. [WotC Rules Team 06/27/96]  But they are made after the current
    player makes any of their choices.
  Random choices are not made on announcement unless they are part of the
    cost. [D'Angelo 10/03/96]
  Any abilities that trigger during this step are saved up and handled at the
    end of this step as a single group of triggered abilities. [Aahz 01/12/95]
    See "Triggered Abilities" in this section for more information.
  A spell goes into "limbo" when it is announced and it is not considered to
    be in play or in the graveyard until it resolves.  [Mirage Page 60]
    The spell itself leaves your hand even prior to paying costs.
    [D'Angelo 11/07/96]
  If a spell asks you to choose a card in your hand, you cannot choose a
    spell that is currently announced (including the one which is asking you
    to choose a card) but not resolved. [WotC Rules Team 02/06/96]  The card
    is, however, considered to be in your hand until the end of announcement
    for all other reasons.  For example, if you announce Infernal Harvest with
    no other cards in your hand, the swamps return to your hand at the same
    time the Infernal Harvest leaves your hand.  There is no time when you
    have zero cards in your hand. [WotC Rules Team 03/14/97]

Step 2: Interrupting a Spell/Ability
  Just after announcement is complete but before the spell is considered
    successfully "played" (or "cast") or ability "played" (or "activated" or
    "used") as appropriate, there is a chance to interrupt the spell/ability.
    At this point we say the spell/ability is "being played" (or "being cast"
    or "being activated").
  See the "Interrupts" entry for more information on interrupts.
  Interrupts may only target the spell which is currently "being cast" (i.e.
    that is in Step 2 of the life cycle).  If more than one spell is in the
    "being cast" state, the most recently announced one is the only one that
    can be targeted. [Mirage Page 38]
  Interrupts follow the standard life-cycle steps, so they too may be
    interrupted or responded to. [Mirage Page 38]  When responding to an
    interrupt, you only get to target the spell that interrupt was targeting.
    When interrupting an interrupt, you only get to target that interrupt.
  There may be any number of batches of interrupts during this step.
    [Mirage Page 38]
  If the spell/ability is countered, then it is not considered
    successfully cast, activated, or used.  If it is a spell, it is placed in
    the graveyard at that time. [Mirage Page 38]  Any other interrupts
    targeting that spell will fizzle.
  An interrupt which modifies the color, target, or wording of a spell can
    change how the spell will resolve. [D'Angelo 05/19/95]

Step 3: Waiting for Resolution
  Once all interrupts to a spell/ability are resolved, the spell is placed
    into the current batch of spells/abilities.  At this point it is
    considered successfully played, cast, or activated as appropriate.
  During this step, a response to the spell or ability can be announced.  Only
    interrupts may respond to interrupts.  Only instants (and the abilities of
    permanents which are played as instants) may respond to non-interrupts.
    Note that some spells which are interrupts are played as instants when
    targeting a permanent and may be used to respond to a non-interrupt.
  The term "responding to a spell/ability" means to play a spell/ability
    during this part of a spell's life-cycle.
  The spell/ability will not proceed to step 4 until its response (if any)
    has been resolved.  The result of this is a last-in first-out behavior
    which is described more fully under "Batches of Spells and Abilities"
    below.
  Specialized abilities (and other ones which are not played in batches) move
    through this step to Step 4 immediately.

Step 4: Resolution
  The spell or abilities rechecks any targeting conditions it has.  If it has
    any targets and all the targets are illegal, the spell/ability fizzles and
    does nothing (and if it was to become a permanent, it is put into the
    graveyard instead).  If it has no targets or at least one target is legal,
    the effect proceeds to happen normally but fizzles with regards to any
    targets which are illegal.  See the "Targeting" entry and "Fizzle" entry
    for more information.
  Once resolution of a batch starts, no additional spells/abilities may be
    announced (and added to that batch) until all spells/abilities in the
    batch have been resolved. [Mirage Page 36]  Specialized abilities and
    damage prevention spells/abilities can be used as normal.
  Mana sources are allowed during a spell/ability's resolution.  But they
    cannot be used during the middle of a single step in the resolution.  For
    example, with Balance you could use mana sources between any of the three
    steps you are required to do, but you cannot use them during the dealing
    with any single thing required by the resolution.
    [Duelist Magazine #15, Page 56]  You determine where the 'gaps' where you
    can play mana sources are by looking for a period (sentence ends) or the
    word 'then'.  Either of these indicates a chance to use mana sources
    before continuing. [Duelist Magazine #15, Page 56]
  If the thing resolving is a spell, its card is either put into play as a
    permanent (if it is a summon, artifact or enchantment) or it is put into
    the graveyard when it finishes resolving. [Mirage Page 60]
  Any abilities that trigger during a spell/ability's resolution are saved
    until the end of this step and are handled in one group.  This is true
    even if they trigger as the result of something other than the
    spell/ability's own resolution (like a specialized ability or mana
    source).
  After triggered abilities are dealt with, a damage prevention step happens
    if damage was dealt. [Mirage Page 41]
  Note that continuous abilities and triggered abilities are checked at all
    times during the resolution.  Continuous abilities happen immediately,
    while triggered ones do not do anything until the end of the this step.
    [Aahz 08/20/96]  For example, a Sea Serpent will trigger a "bury itself"
    ability if at some point during the resolution you had no islands, and this
    effect will happen even if you have some islands before the end of the
    resolution.  As another example, a Maro will be killed as a continuous
    ability during the middle of the resolution of Wheel of Fortune because
    its toughness will become zero.

Batches of Spells and Abilities:
  The above timing life-cycle results in batches of spells/abilities.  This
    entry describes how batches work.
  A batch of spells/abilities can be started by either player.
    [Mirage Page 37] See "Who Announces First" for more information.
  A batch may be started using any instant (or ability of a permanent that
    is played as an instant), or during the main phase the current player may
    start a batch with a sorcery, enchantment, summon, or artifact spell.
  Spells/abilities are added to the batch as they become successfully cast.
    The batch continues to build until neither player wants to add any
    more spells/abilities to the batch.  At that time it begins to resolve.
    [Mirage Page 36]
  Batches resolve in last-in first-out order. [Mirage Page 36]  This can be
    counter-intuitive sometimes, but it works to allow the responding player
    a minor advantage.
  Once the batch begins to resolve, the spells/abilities in that batch resolve
    one at a time, each effect resolving completely before the next one starts
    resolving. [Mirage Page 36]  In between effects resolving, triggered
    abilities and damage prevention may occur. [Mirage Page 36]
  You do not need to alternate one player and then the other when announcing
    spells/abilities.  See "Who Announces First" in this section for more
    information.

Batches of Interrupts:
  Interrupt batches follow all the rules for normal batches except that only
    interrupts may be added to them. [Mirage Page 36]
  During a batch of interrupts, the player whose spell is most recently "being
    cast" (and is thereby the legal target for interrupts) has the right to
    announce first.  This is the only time the "current player goes first"
    rule is overridden. [Mirage Page 38]

Who Announces First:
  The general rule is that if both players want to announce something, the
    current player gets to go first.  This works fine for casual play, but
    a more complete system follows.
  Each phase starts in a "neutral state".  At this time the active player
    decides if they want to start a batch or not.  If they do not do so,
    the opponent gets a chance to start a batch, and if they don't do so
    either, the phase ends. [Mirage Page 37]  Note that once the current
    player passes on starting a batch, they've effectively said "I'm ending
    the phase if you don't do anything" and that player cannot take back this
    choice.
  If either player starts a batch by announcing a spell/ability, the active
    player now has the option of responding to it.  If that player does not,
    the opponent may.  If they do not, the batch of spells/abilities begins
    resolving.  [Mirage Page 37]  Again, once the current player passes, it's
    like saying "I'm done with this batch if you are".
  If either player responds with a spell/ability, repeat the process until
    both players pass. [Mirage Page 36]  This way, both players get to use as
    many spells/abilities as they want.
  These timing rules prevent any possibility of a stalemate where neither
    player wants to act first during play.  The active player always has to
    choose whether or not to act.
  Only the player with priority at the moment can play mana sources.
    [Aahz 01/17/97]  This reverses something I had in here before about mana
    source priority being a different concept, but it does not affect any
    scenarios I've been able to think up because priority is given often
    enough, especially if you consider priority to play specialized abilities.
  When in the "neutral state" during the main phase, the current player may
    play a land (if they have not already done so) instead of starting a
    batch.  The land enters play and then play returns to the "neutral state".
    [Mirage Page 37]
  When in the "neutral state" during the main phase, the current player may
    declare the intent to start an attack (if they have not already done so)
    instead of starting a batch.  The opponent may respond to this declaration
    by starting a batch and thereby cancelling the attack declaration.
    [Mirage Page 37]
  There is no difference between a sorcery and an instant in terms of priority
    of announcing. It only matters if it is legal to be cast at this time.
    The current player goes first even if the spell they want to cast is a
    sorcery and the opponent has an instant.  [Duelist Magazine #3, Page 22]
  There are no official rules for what order players announce spells/abilities
    in multiplayer games.  One suggested strategy is to let the current
    player go first, then go around the table in the order of play.
  If a the current player skips on to a new phase when the opponent wanted
    to announce something, or a player announces multiple spells/abilities at
    one time without allowing a chance to make a legal response, or the
    opponent announces something when the current player was going to do so,
    then you should back up the game and continue from the point where the
    goof-up occurred.  Players are not bound to follow the same set of actions
    they did after that time. You should stop the game as soon as possible by
    jumping in with a "Wait!  I want to do something".  Letting something pass
    without saying "Wait" is quiet agreement with what they did.
  If the opponent announces something without first getting the current player
    to say (or otherwise indicate) they are not doing something, this is
    technically an illegal move and should be taken back.  The most common way
    to deal with this, however, is for the current player to get the choice of
    saying that they want to do something and force the other player to take
    back their action, or to let the opponent's action stand and announce
    whether or not they want to respond.  This is pretty much equivalent in
    the outcome to taking it back and then having the current player say
    "I'm not doing anything, go ahead and play that again."
    [D'Angelo 02/12/97]
  You cannot make someone back up because you forgot to do something, even
    if it is something you "usually do".  They may allow you to if they want
    but they are not bound to do so.
  Strictly speaking you have to notify your opponent at every point what you
    are doing with things like "I'm announcing this spell, do you want to
    interrupt it", "I'm done with this spell stack, do you want to add
    anything to it before it resolves", and "I'm done with the xxxx phase,
    do you want to do anything".  This is very annoying and breaks up game
    play, but if you are having problems with a given player, fall back on
    this until you learn to deal with each other.

Specialized Abilities:
  Specialized abilities are abilities that can be used when spells/abilities
    could not normally be used.  By definition, these kinds of abilities break
    the normal rules for when something can be announced.
  These abilities typically have nothing happen in Step 3 of their life-cycle
    because they cannot be responded to.  [D'Angelo 10/03/96]  See below
    for handling of triggered abilities.
  These types of spells are usually of type Instant, but they are not played
    in batches. [Mirage Page 40]
  Specialized abilities are usually used once each time their condition is met.
    For example, Regeneration abilities can only be used once each time the
    creature is sent to the graveyard. [D'Angelo 10/03/96]
  If a specialized ability is countered or otherwise fails and the condition
    for its use still exists, you may use the ability again (if available).
    For example, if a regeneration ability is countered, you may try again.
    [D'Angelo 11/06/96]
  If more than one specialized ability can be used at a given time, the
    current player uses all of theirs first, then the opponent uses all of
    theirs.  Each ability is announced and resolved fully before the next one
    is announced. [Mirage Page 40]
  If any damage is caused in the resolution of a specialized ability, a
    damage prevention step happens prior to the use of any additional
    specialized abilities but after any triggered abilities from the
    specialized ability are resolved. [Mirage Page 41]
  Regeneration abilities are an example of a specialized ability.
    [Mirage Page 40]  They can be used whenever a creature is being sent to
    the graveyard due to being destroyed or to having lethal damage (and
    thereby prevents it from going there).  Thus, this kind of ability is
    often used during the middle of Step 4 of the spell life-cycle.
  Most specialized abilities fall in to one of two categories.  Either they
    are "replacement effects" which are used just prior to something happening
    in order to change that action.  Or they are specialized only in that they
    are used at a non-standard time, in which case they are usually used
    just prior to or just after normal a action at that special time.
    [Aahz 11/07/96]
  If an effect says to do something "instead" of something else, the something
    else never happens.  Thus, if you gain 1 life "instead" of drawing a card,
    abilities that trigger off drawing a card will not happen.
    [bethmo 10/14/96]
  Jandor's Ring and Aladdin's Lamp are also used as specialized abilities to
    modify the resolution of a draw effect. [Aahz 11/30/95]
  If an ability is triggered off the use of a specialized ability, the
    triggered ability waits until the next normal time for triggers to be
    dealt with.  For example, if used during a spell's resolution, the
    triggered abilities wait until the resolution completes and are handled
    with other triggers from during the resolution. [Aahz 10/22/96]
  About all that happens in Step 3 is abilities that trigger on the
    specialized effect being successfully cast. [D'Angelo 10/03/96]  Note
    that if the specialized ability is used during some period where triggered
    abilities are delayed (such as during spell resolution or attack
    declaration), then the delay takes precedence over this rule.
    [D'Angelo 11/13/96]
  How do you tell if something is a specialized ability?  Well, you just have
    to notice that the ability is used when other abilities are generally not
    legal, such as to modify something which happens during a spell/ability's
    resolution, during declaration of attackers or blockers, and so on.
  Things that are done during specific phases (like phase effects or declaring
    attackers during the declare attackers step) are not considered
    specialized abilities.  They are handled as appropriate.

Triggered Abilities:
  Triggered abilities follow the same rules as specialized abilities for how
    they are played.  See "Specialized Abilities" for more information.
  Triggered abilities differ from specialized abilities because they "trigger"
    upon some condition in the game.  You cannot choose whether or not they
    "trigger", but if there is an activation cost, you may choose whether
    or not to use the ability which is triggered.  [D'Angelo 10/03/96]
  When triggered during the resolution of a spell/ability, all abilities
    triggered during that resolution are handled in one group.
  Remember that even though the resolution of a triggered ability may be
    delayed, the ability actually triggers if the condition is met at ANY
    time, even during the middle of a spell/ability's resolution.
  A triggered ability can trigger on its own permanent leaving play.  It will
    still be resolved even if its source is no longer in play.
    [Mirage Page 41]  Thus, an Animate Artifact on a Soul Net will allow
    you to use its ability when the Soul Net is killed.
  Triggered abilities nest.  If one effect's resolution causes two triggered
    abilities to trigger, then during the resolution of the first one of
    these triggered abilities, another effect is triggered.  The newly
    triggered ability is resolved prior to going back and resolving the second
    of the original pair of triggered abilities.
    [Duelist Magazine #14, Page 26]  Note that nesting does not mean that the
    triggered abilities resolve during the middle of the resolution of another
    triggered ability.  They just get dealt with immediately following its
    resolution and prior to dealing with anything else that may be waiting to
    happen.
  Triggered abilities are controlled/owned by the controller of the permanent
    which triggered the ability at the time the ability is triggered (which
    may not be the same as the controller at the time the ability is played
    and resolved). [D'Angelo 07/22/96]
  Abilities which trigger on you losing control of something also trigger if
    it leaves play since you lose control of it when it leaves play.
    [bethmo 01/15/96]
  Multiple abilities can trigger off the same thing happening, but a single
    card will never double-fire off of a single event.  For example, if you
    have two Scavenging Ghouls in play, each will get a counter if a creature
    dies, but neither will get two counters. [D'Angelo 10/03/96]
  Abilities that say "If something leaves play, do something to it" will only
    work if the "something" is in the same location that it left play to.  For
    example, if it says "If creature leaves play, remove it from the game" and
    the card is sent to the graveyard, but before this effect resolves it is
    instead sent to the hand, the removal from the game will fizzle.
    [bethmo 06/26/96]  In other words, abilities are not smart enough to track
    a card around.
  How do you tell if something is a triggered ability?  The most common
    wordings are like this: "when or if such and such happens, do such and
    such" (like "If at any time you control no islands, bury Sea Serpent")
    and "for each such and such that happens, do such and such".  Another
    good clue is that most triggered abilities cause a one-time or duration
    effect on something in play.  Some continuous abilities use similar
    wordings but obviously have some sort of continuous effect.
    [D'Angelo 07/15/96]
  A handy way to translate triggers into timing is to change "when" or "if"
    to "just after" in your head, since triggers are resolved just after the
    thing that triggers them finishes happening. [D'Angelo 10/15/96]

Rule Triggers:
  Some rules work much like triggered abilities.  For example, if a duplicate
    Legend enters play, the new one is buried.  Such Rule Triggers are
    resolved using all the rules for normal Triggered abilities regarding
    order (active player first) and such, but they are resolved immediately
    instead of waiting until the next trigger time. [WotC Rules Team 03/14/97]
    This makes all Rules Triggers resolve prior to dealing with any normal
    triggers.
  The burial of enchantments because their targets are not valid is considered
    a Rule Trigger. [WotC Rules Team 03/14/97]

Continuous Abiltiies and Continuous Effects:
  Continuous abilities are always on.  They have their effect at all times,
    even during the resolution of a spell/ability.  You can never do something
    before a continuous effect is applied.
  Continuous effects may even modify how a permanent enters play, such as
    with Kismet.  [Aahz 12/18/95]
  Continuous abilities of artifacts which are not creatures or lands only
    work as long as they are untapped.  [Mirage Page 12]
  Continuous abilities of creatures work whether or not they are tapped.
    Artifact creatures count as creatures for this ruling. [Mirage Page 12]
  Continuous abilities of lands work whether or not they are tapped.  Artifact
    lands count as lands for this ruling.  [WotC Rules Team 04/26/95]
  The term "immediately" is often used to describe how continuous effects
    take effect, because nothing is faster than these kinds of effects.
  A continuous effect affects permanents as soon as they enter play.  For
    example, if Blood Moon is in play and a non-basic land is played, the
    land enters play as its original land type but is changed to a Mountain
    immediately.  If the permanent has any "when it comes into play" triggered
    abilities on it, or any effects trigger on the original land type entering
    play, those abilities still trigger. [D'Angelo 10/03/96]

Duration Effects:
  These are effects which last for a given time period, such as "until end of
    turn", "until the beginning of your next upkeep phase", but they can
    also be until a certain condition is met, such as "until the creature
    leaves your control".
  Many activated spells/abilities and triggered abilities will cause a
    duration effect.
  The effect lasts for the duration no matter what happens to the source of
    the effect.
  The effect lasts for the duration even if the target of the effect becomes
    illegal or even nonsensical. [Mirage Page 34]
  If the duration is only until a certain condition happens and that
    condition is met before the ability generating the effect resolves, the
    effect still takes effect but ends immediately.  [Mirage Page 28]  For
    example, if you take control of a creature with Seasinger and the
    Seasinger is untapped before the ability resolves, you take control of the
    creature and then immediately lose control of it.
  If the duration is until a player's next phase ending or such, it does not
    pick one, it waits until the next such time actually happens.  This means
    if phases or turns are skipped, that it might take a while.
    [D'Angelo 11/07/96]
  Duration effects end when the permanent they are affecting (if any) leaves
    play. [D'Angelo 11/07/96]
  An "until time T" effect ends right before time T starts and handing of any
     things that happen "at time T" is dealt with.  So, if something lasts
     "until your next upkeep", it ends right before handing "at beginning of
     upkeep" effects.  And if something lasts "until end of upkeep", it ends
     right before processing "at end of upkeep". [Aahz 01/30/97]

Delayed or Scheduled Effects:
  These are effects which wait until a specific time to do something.  For
    example, "do this at end of turn" or "draw a card at the beginning of
    your next upkeep".  If the effect waits until a specific thing happens
    instead of until a specific time, it's a triggered ability.
  Many activated spells/abilities and triggered abilities cause something to
    happen at a later time, and therefore create delayed effects.
  The effect happens no matter what happens to the source of the effect or
    even if the original conditions that set them up no longer apply.
  Effects that say "Do this at end of turn" can be avoided if the creature
    phases out because the creature will not be there at the scheduled time.
    Ones that say "Do this at end of _any_ turn" are applied every turn.
    [Aahz 10/04/96]
  The effect will do what it can at the specified time even if the effect
    would be meaningless on the target at that time.  Meaningless effects
    do nothing.  For example, you cannot give damage to or change the
    power/toughness of a non-creature.  You may however, give a +1/+1 counter
    to a non-creature.  Counters are always meaningful even if their effects
    are not. [D'Angelo 10/03/96]
  If an effect says to do something in your next Xxxx phase, it means the
    next one you encounter.  It does not look into the future and pick a
    specific phase.  So if some phase skipping happens in between, then you
    don't get to/have to do the thing until the right time comes around.
    [D'Angelo 11/08/96]
  Delayed effects differ slightly from triggered abilities in terms of
    resolution because they happen at the start or end of a phase or such.
    See the "Phase Effect" entry for more information.

Damage Prevention:
  Damage prevention can happen after any spell/ability resolves or after the
    damage dealing steps in combat. [Mirage Page 44]  They happen only if
    damage was assigned.
  A damage prevention step occurs even if there is no hope of preventing
    the effect in question.  Often it is meaningless and can be ignored,
    but it is always there (much like upkeep phase).
  Loss of life is not damage and cannot be prevented or redirected.  It also
    does not cause a damage prevention step.
  Destruction or burial of a permanent does not cause damage prevention.
  All damage which is dealt at one time is handled in the same damage
    prevention step. [Mirage Page 44]
  Being reduced to zero toughness (or to less or equal toughness to the damage
    on the creature) does not cause a damage prevention.  The creature just
    dies of lethal damage. [Mirage Page 4]
  Although the damage prevention is actually one step, I've broken it down
    below so the rulings are easier to find in time-order.
  Sub-Step A: Main Part of Damage Prevention
    Damage is considered assigned when this step starts.
    At the start of the damage prevention step, any abilities or effects which
      automatically prevent or reduce damage take effect.  For example, the
      damage reduction due to Protection from Color.  These effects are also
      re-applied if any new damage arrives during the step. [Mirage Page 44]
    Automatic damage prevention abilities are dealt with as triggered
      abilities at the start of this step.  [Aahz 01/14/97]
    There is no difference between automatic abilities like Protection from
      Color and abilities that trigger on "damage being assigned", like
      Benevolent Unicorn or Justice. [Aahz 01/14/97]
    During damage prevention, batches of spells/abilities are used as per the
      normal timing rules, but the only allowed spells/abilities are those
      which prevent or redirect damage or those which are used when a player
      or creature is damaged.  Multiple batches of spells/abilities can be
      used. [Mirage Page 44]  Remember that mana sources are always legal and
      that damage prevention effects follow the normal life-cycle so they can
      be interrupted.
    Spells/abilities which coincidentally allow a creature to survive damage
      prevention are not allowed.  For example, Giant Growth or Unsummon.
      [Mirage Page 46]
    If anything happens during this part of damage prevention which causes new
      damage to occur that damage is added to this damage prevention and dealt
      with during it.  A new damage prevention step is not started.
      [Mirage Page 45]  Also, any automatic damage prevention spells/abilities
      are immediately re-applied.  [D'Angelo 11/07/96]
    Damage from a single source to a single recipient comes in a "packet".  If
      a source damages multiple things, each thing gets a "packet" of damage.
      Preventing all the damage in a "packet" will cause the "packet" to cease
      to exist, along with all of its side effects.  [Mirage Page 44]  See the
      "Damage" entry for more information.
    Damage prevention spells and abilities target one or more "packets" of
      damage.  [Mirage Page 44]  They cannot be used if there is no packet to
      target.  [Mirage Page 4]
    Because you target specific damage points with damage prevention
      spells/abilities, you are never forced to prevent one type of damage
      instead another type of damage, unless the damage prevention effect
      itself forces you to do so.  So, you can prevent Trample damage and
      leave non-Trample damage, or remove damage of one color before damage of
      another color. [bethmo]
    Tapping a blocking creature at this time to use a damage prevention
      spell/ability is legal and will not undo the damage the blocker already
      did.  [Duelist Magazine #5, Page 37]
  Sub-Step B: End of Damage Prevention
    At the end of the damage prevention step, any abilities or effects which
      automatically redirect damage (like Veteran Bodyguard and Martyrs of
      Korlis) and abilities or effects which specifically wait to prevent
      damage (like Ali from Cairo and Sustaining Spirit) take effect.
      [Mirage Page 44]
    If this redirection moves damage to new places, a second damage prevention
      step will follow this one to handle that damage. [Mirage Page 45]
    Trample is considered as automatic damage redirection.  Trample damage
      (when added above any other damage) on a blocking creature in excess of
      the creature's toughness is redirected to the defending player.
      Unprevented damage is applied with non-Trample first and then Trample
      damage, so that there is the greatest chance of Trample working.
      [Mirage Page 19]  Note that when redirected, the Trample nature is
      removed from the damage.
    Soul Echo happens during this step. [Aahz 11/27/96]
    Damage redirected by automatic damage redirection is not considered
      "successfully dealt" and is handled in the next damage prevention step.
  Sub-Step C: Side-Effects of Damage
    Once all the automatic prevention happens, the damage becomes
      "successfully dealt" to the player or creature.
    At this time, all side-effects of dealt damage take effect (like Hypnotic
      Specter or Spirit Link). [Mirage Page 44] If there are multiple
      side-effects, follow the rules for end of phase effects to determine the
      order of resolution.  This means the current player's resolve first,
      then the opponent's.
    If the side-effects assign damage to new places, a second damage
      prevention step will follow this one to handle that damage.
      [Mirage Page 45]
    Damage does become successfully dealt if the permanent is no longer
      a creature at the end of damage prevention.  Effects due to damage will
      still happen if they make sense, but the target is considered to have
      zero power and toughness for things like El-Hajjaj or such.  Note that
      the target had to be a creature when the damage effect resolved in order
      to be damaged at all. [Aahz 11/08/96]  Spirit Link works because it is
      not bounded by the toughness of the creature.
    Damage successfully dealt to players causes loss-of-life as a side effect.
      [DeLaney 01/28/97]
  Sub-Step D: Dead Go to the Graveyard
    This separate sub-step exists only to point out that all side effects are
      dealt with before putting the creatures into the graveyard.
    All creatures with lethal damage are sent to the graveyard (but may be
      regenerated). [Mirage Page 44]

Duration of a Spell/Ability:
  The effects of all spells and abilities are permanent unless otherwise
    stated on the card. [WotC Rules Team 09/22/95]  Many older cards have
    errata in order to deal with this change.  In particular, many cards which
    give +X/+X did not have the "until end of turn" on them and this has now
    been added by errata.

Who Plays Abilities:
  Generally, the controller of the card generating the ability plays it.
    This happens if no player is specified or if "you" is stated as the
    player to do something. [bethmo 02/21/97]
  If a card says "During such-and-such player's upkeep, do something", the
    ability is played by the controller of the card with this ability because
    no player is stated. [bethmo 02/21/97]  For example, the place a counter
    ability of Unstable Mutation is played by the Unstable Mutation's
    controller during the creature controller's upkeep.
  If a card says "all players", "each player" or "any player may" do
    something, then the ability is played by that player and not by the card's
    controller. [bethmo 02/21/97]  The effect is controlled by the source's
    controller even though the other player played the ability.
    [Aahz 03/17/97]  For example, Howling Mine makes each player play the
    drawing ability during their draw phase.

Characteristics:
  The characteristics of the source of a spell/ability (i.e. color, power, or
    anything else which might be relevant to how the effect works) are set
    when the spell/ability is announced.  The characteristics of the target
    (and the rest of the universe) are set when the spell/ability itself
    begins to resolve.  Interrupts to a spell (but not to an ability) can be
    used just after announcement to alter the characteristics of the spell.
    [Mirage Page 27] For example, using Giant Growth on Tracker after his
    ability is announced will not increase his amount of damage, but doing it
    on the target will increase the target's amount of damage.
  Characteristics of the target (and the rest of the universe) are set when
    the spell/ability starts resolving, so if something happens during
    resolution, it will not change the effect. [WotC Rules Team 12/03/96]
    For example, Divine Offering gives you an appropriate amount of life even
    though its target is no longer in play.
  Targets are also fixed.  Also, who the "you" is on the card is fixed.
    If you use an Orcish Artillery, you will take the damage even if you
    lose control of it before it resolves because the "you" on the card is
    set when the spell/ability is announced.


Glossary of Magic Topics
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Abilities:
  This is a general term for any activated or continuous things a permanent
    may do.  The result of an ability is called its "effect".
  A permanent may have the same ability more than once.  If this happens,
    it has all the abilities.  For many abilities, having it more than once
    makes no difference, such as with Flying or First Strike.  These kinds
    of abilities simply make a creature able to do something or make something
    "true" about it.  For others, such as Rampage X and Flanking, the ability
    becomes cumulative because the effect is active. [Mirage Page 28]

Activation Cost:
  An activation cost is anything listed as "xxx : effect".  [Mirage Page 32]
    Parts of the cost may be on the right hand side of the colon for older
    cards so they read "xxx: do yyy to do effect".  (See the "Costs" entry
    for more information as to what constitutes a cost.)
  Only the controller of a permanent can pay an activation cost for that
    permanent. [Mirage Page 11]  Cards may override this rule explicitly.
  A single cost payment cannot pay for multiple different cards.  For
    example, sacrificing a single artifact will not feed two Atogs.
  Permanents which have an activation cost cannot have that cost paid more
    than one time in a single activation. [Duelist Magazine #12, Page 26]
  A restriction like "no more than BB can be spent this way each turn"
    effectively limits the number of uses.  Note that if the activation cost
    is increased or decreased that the number of uses that is possible may
    change, and it may even become zero.  For example a Roterothopter with
    Power Artifact can be given +4/+0 since this can be done with four
    payments of 1 mana.  [WotC Rules Team 11/10/95]
  A restriction like "No more than XX can be spent per turn" applies to all
    players who might control the card during a turn.  A restriction like
    "Use this only X times" or "You may pay no more than X" applies to each
    player separately since it implies the controller is affected.
    [Aahz 03/17/97]
  Effects that make an enchantment or artifact activation more expensive
    apply to each activation.  For example, if Gloom were in play and Holy
    Armor was used 5 times in sequence, you would have to pay 20 mana
    (5*(1+3)) for the +0/+5 bonus.  [D'Angelo 06/28/96]
  Paying an artifact or enchantment activation cost is not considered to be
    "casting a spell" and so it cannot be countered by something which
    counters a spell (such as Counterspell, Deathgrip, etc.) [bethmo]
  Some non-permanent-creating spells (instants, interrupts, sorceries) have
    the "cost: effect" format text in them.  In this case, this is not an
    activation cost, it is merely an addition to the casting cost.  You cannot
    pay this cost more or less than once. [bethmo 11/27/96]
  The term "Mono Artifact" was used on Limited/Unlimited/Arabian Nights/
    Antiquities cards to mean that the artifact had "Tap" as part of the
    activation cost (if it had one) or as the activation cost (if it had no
    activation cost before).  This is considered errata to such cards.

Animated Lands and Animated Artifacts:
  Animated lands do not automatically get a color.  They are by default
    colorless.  Note that just because they are colorless does not make
    them artifacts. [Peterson 10/14/94]
  Animated lands and artifacts fall under all the rules for creatures
    with regards to summoning sickness.  This means that unless the permanent
    started your turn in play on your side, it cannot be tapped for any
    ability or used to attack.  See the "Summoning Sickness" entry for more
    information.
  Animated lands have casting costs of zero. [bethmo]
  When a land or artifact de-animates, any enchant creatures on it are
    immediately buried at the speed of a rule-speed trigger (which is
    effectively a continuous effect).
  When a land or artifact de-animates, any counters on it that specifically
    apply to creatures are not removed.  These counters just don't do anything
    until the land or artifact becomes a creature again.  For example, a
    +1/+1 counter from Dwarven Weaponsmith remains.
  When a land or artifact de-animates, any duration effects which specifically
    apply to creatures (like "+1/+1 until end of turn") stay in effect until
    the duration would normally end.  If the land or artifact becomes animated
    again before the duration ends, the effect kicks back in immediately.
  When a land or artifact de-animates, any damage on it remains until end of
    turn, when it is healed normally.  If the land or artifact becomes
    animated before the end of turn, the damage is still there.
    [WotC Rules Team 09/22/95]  Such damage is still removed during Cleanup.

Ante:
  Magic can be played for "ante".  This means that you are playing for the
    ownership of one (or more) of your opponent's cards.
  The standard way to play for ante is for each player to take the top card
    off of their decks after shuffling and cutting.  These cards are then
    considered to be the "ante" for the game.  The winner gets these cards.
    [Mirage Page 55]
  Any card that refers to a player's ante, refers to the card(s) they
    currently have in the ante area. [Mirage Page 55]
  The ante area can be examined by either player at any time. [Mirage Page 59]

Artifact:
  Artifacts which are not creatures or lands lose their abilities when
    they become tapped.  Any continuous abilities, triggered abilities,
    specialized abilities, and so on cease and any activation costs cannot be
    paid. [Mirage Page 12]
  There are three systematic exceptions to artifacts turning "off" when
    tapped.  They are: 1) any phase costs, even ones in the card text, must
    still be dealt with [Mirage Page 12], 2) any abilities which are used to
    untap the artifact automatically override this rule, 3) any time the card
    says something happens when it is in a tapped state (i.e. Mana Vault
    damage). [WotC Rules Team 10/18/95]  Phase abilities of a tapped artifact
    are not exempted unless they fall into the above.
  Artifacts have no color but can given a color with effects like the
    xxxxLace spells. [Mirage Page 65]
  The artifact quality of a card has nothing to do with its color.  If you
    Chaoslace an artifact, it is now a red artifact.  [bethmo]
  The term "Mono Artifact" was used on Limited/Unlimited/Arabian Nights/
    Antiquities cards to mean that the artifact had "Tap" as part of the
    activation cost (if it had one) or as the activation cost (if it had no
    activation cost before).  This is considered errata to all such cards.
  The term "Poly Artifact" was used on Limited/Unlimited/Arabian Nights/
    Antiquities cards to mean that the activation cost did not include
    tapping.
  The term "Continuous Artifact" was used on Limited/Unlimited/Arabian
    Nights/Antiquities to mean that the artifact had no activation costs.

Artifact Creature:
  Artifact Creatures cannot attack the turn in which they are put into play
    or do any action which would require them to tap to pay for the action.
    They have all the limitations that regular creatures do.  [Mirage Page 12]
  The abilities of artifact creatures (or artifact lands) can be used even
    when the creature (or land) is tapped (as long as tapping is not part of
    the use cost).  [Mirage Page 12]
  Artifact creature cards are not "summon" spells.
  These are considered "creature cards" while in play, in your hand, in
    the graveyard, or anywhere else.

Attack:
  See the section on the "Attack Phase" for information about attacks.

Attack or Die Effects:
  Several creatures and spells have the ability to force a creature to attack
    or be destroyed.  These include Siren's Call, Nettling Imp and Norrit.
  See the "Must Attack" entry for more information.
  Creature is destroyed if it cannot attack.  This includes a Sea Serpent
    which cannot attack if opponent has no Islands, non-flying creatures
    which cannot attack if the opponent has an Island Sanctuary, or if the
    creature is in a tapped state and cannot attack. [Aahz]
  Can affect a tapped creature. [Snark]
  These effects can only affect a creature or set of creatures if used on
    the appropriate player's turn.  Thus, you cannot use it on your turn to
    affect an opponent's creature.  In multiplayer games, you cannot make it
    affect a creature unless it is that player's turn.
    [Duelist Magazine #4, Page 64]
  Can only be used prior to the attack on a player's turn.  Cannot be used
    after the end of the main phase even if the player did not declare an
    attack. [Aahz 04/11/95]
  These effects cannot be used on creatures with summoning sickness.

Banding:
  Banding consists of two separate abilities, which can be referred to as
    "mutual assistance" and "damage sharing". [Mirage Page 19]
  Mutual assistance only applies to attacking creatures.  It is an agreement
    that if any one of the attackers is blocked, that the whole group will
    stop and gang up on the blocker(s).
  Damage sharing applies only when damage is assigned during the attack phase
    due to attacking or blocking.  This part of the ability applies to
    attackers and defenders and allows the players with banding in their
    group to distribute damage among the banded creatures. [Mirage Page 20]
  The attacking player needs for all or all-but-one of the attacking
    creatures to have banding ability in order for the attacking group to
    be considered banded. [Mirage Page 19]
  The creatures in an attacking band are set when the attackers are announced
    and cannot be changed after that. [Mirage Page 19]  Even during the
    declaration of attackers, once an attacker is added to a band, it cannot
    be removed. [Aahz 04/07/97]
  The defending player needs to only have one creature with banding blocking
    an attacker for all the creatures blocking the attacker to gain the
    benefits of damage sharing. [Mirage Page 20]
  Creatures do not "band for defense".  Even without banding multiple
    creatures can choose to block one attacker.  Creatures must still be
    able to block the attacker in order to be declared as a blocker.  For
    example, if a Serra Angel is attacking, you cannot choose to "band"
    your War Mammoth with your Mesa Pegaus as a defense.  The Mammoth
    simply cannot block the Angel. [Mirage Page 20]
  To block an attacking band with a creature, your blocker only needs to be
    able to block one of the creatures in order for mutual assistance to
    kick in and have it block the entire band of attackers. [Mirage Page 19]
    For example, a Mesa Pegasus banded with an Fear-enchanted Scathe Zombies
    can be blocked by either a flying creature or a black or artifact
    creature.
  If the conditions for banding are met (i.e. one banding creature in a
    group of blockers or all or all-but-one in a group of attackers), then
    the damage sharing ability automatically kicks in.  You cannot choose
    not to use it.
  Damage may be divided up among a banded group any way you want to.  You
    can give all of it to one creature or any other way you want.
    [Mirage Page 20]  But all of it must be assigned somewhere.
  Assigning more damage to a creature than it can survive is allowed.
    [Mirage Page 38]  If some or all of the extra damage assigned to a blocker
    is Trample damage, it does go past and damages the defending player.
  Each member of a Band of attackers is a separate source of damage.
    Banding just allows a group to be blocked or let through as a whole,
    and for the ability to distribute damage.  It does not mean that the
    creatures act as one.
  Grouping or banding in defense or banding to attack, does not change the
    actual power, nature, or color of the creatures attacking.  When damage
    gets distributed, the damage still has color and may have Trample or
    other special abilities. [Mirage Page 19]
  If Banding is removed after attackers are declared, the band stays intact
    anyway.  But the attacker does not get to use the damage sharing ability
    unless at least one band member has Banding when damage is assigned.
    [Duelist Magazine #17, Page 24] (REVERSAL)
  If a Banding creature in a defending group is killed before damage dealing
    and it regenerates, it is removed from the combat and cannot contribute
    Banding any longer.
  Banding on attack does not work like Banding on defense.  Banding must be
    declared along with the attack.  If a defending creature that can block
    more than one attacker chooses to block a creature that has Banding and
    one that does not have Banding, the two attackers are not considered to
    be Banded.  Note that this is different from the opposite case where two
    blockers block one attacker and one of the blockers happens to have
    Banding.
  Prior to Fourth Edition, this ability was called "Bands" rather than
    "Banding".

Bands with Other:
  Bands with Other rules were introduced in the Legends expansion set and
    have not been seen in any other set as of yet.
  Creatures with the ability 'bands with other <creature type>' have a
    limited form of the banding ability.  When attacking, a creature with
    this ability may join with any number of attacking creatures as long
    as they all have banding or 'bands with other <creature type>' where
    the creature type listed is the same.  The choice to use this ability
    must be announced when the attack is declared.  These creatures must
    then be treated as if they had joined together using the regular
    banding ability.  When defending, if at least two creatures with the
    ability 'bands with other <creature type>', where the creature type
    listed is the same, block the same attacker or attackers, then the damage
    from the attacking creature or creatures is distributed among all the
    blockers of this attacker as the defending player decides.
    [Legends Rulecard -- complete text]
  This ability is similar to Banding but only allows creatures with this
    ability to band with others of the appropriate type.  For example,
    Wolves of the Hunt (as created by the Master of the Hunt) can Band with
    Other Wolves of the Hunt.
  This ability does not allow for creatures without the ability to join in.
    The key is the <creature type> specified.  If the types match, then
    they creatures can band together.
  Creatures with full Banding ability may join the band. [Legends Rulecard]
  If Bands with Others is removed after attackers are declared during an
    attack, then band will stay together.  See the rules under "Banding" for
    more information.

Blocking:
  See Step 3 in the Attack Phase section for more information.
  The rules differentiate between being "assigned to block" or "assigned a
    blocker" from "blocking" or "blocked".  The first two only happen during
    the "Assign Blockers" step of the attack.  The latter happen no matter
    how a creature gets blocked. [WotC Rules Team 09/22/95]
  A creature is "assigned to block" another creature by a specific action
    taken during the "Assign Blockers" step of the attack.
    [Mirage Page 50]
  Some effects can result in a creature being blocked or blocking without
    actually being assigned.  For example, when a blocker is assigned to one
    member of a band of attackers, the other attackers in the band are blocked
    but were not "assigned" a blocker. [Duelist Magazine #8, Page 46]
    Also, General Jarkeld and Sorrow's Path can swap blockers such that they
    are now blocking different creatures but never were "assigned" to block
    them. [WotC Rules Team 09/22/95]
  See individual card entries to see if they depend on this distinction.
  If a blocking ability does not indicate that it happens when or because
    of blockers being "assigned", it is safe to assume that it works no
    matter how a creature becomes blocked. [Duelist Magazine #8, Page 47]
  Conditions for a blocking ability are checked when the block happens and
    may set up a delayed effect.  The effect will happen even if the creature
    would not qualify for the effect later (i.e. a War Mammoth blocks an
    Abomination but is Chaoslaced before the end of combat so it is no longer
    green). [Duelist Magazine #8, Page 47]  However, a creature which is
    retroactively removed from combat will not be affected by "end of combat"
    effects affecting it.   Normal ways to remove a creature from combat will
    still leave "at end of combat" effects on the creature. [Aahz 09/24/96]
  Conditions are not constantly rechecked.  For example, if a Hill Giant
    blocks an Abomination, it is not marked for destruction.  Then if it is
    lifelaced to green later, it will not be rechecked to discover that it
    is now eligible for the effect. [Duelist Magazine #8, Page 47]
  It is possible for a blocker to end up blocking two un-banded attackers
    or even two separate banded groups.  If there are two groups blocked by
    one defender, then the defender chooses how to divide damage between
    the two groups.  And if one or more of the groups is an attacking band,
    that banded group decides how to share the damage amongst itself after
    the defender divides its damage among the groups.
    [Duelist Magazine #2, Page 9]

Bury:
  This means to put a permanent into the graveyard.  A bury may not be
    prevented by any means. [Mirage Page 11]
  Burial has been extended to apply to any placing of a card into the
    graveyard, whether this is from play or not. [WotC Rules Team 03/14/97]
  You may not attempt to regenerate a buried creature.
    [Duelist Magazine #16, Page 24]
  Also see "Destroy".
  The Limited/Unlimited/Arabian Nights/Antiquities cards did not use
    this term.  They used "destroyed without the possibility of regeneration"
    or something similar.

Cantrips:
  Cards which say "Draw a card at the beginning of the next turn" or "Draw a
    card at the beginning of the next turn's upkeep" are called 'cantrips'.
  For older cards, you draw a card at the beginning of the next turn's upkeep
    after you cast the spell or use the ability (as appropriate to the card).
    In a 2 player game this usually means your opponent's upkeep.  You do not
    necessarily wait for your next upkeep. [WotC Rules Team 06/15/95]
  For newer cards, the ability has you draw at the beginning of the next
    turn regardless of which player's turn that is. [D'Angelo 04/11/97]
    Older cards are not getting errata to play this way.
  If a targeted cantrip fizzles you do not draw a card for it.
    [WotC Rules Team 06/15/95]
  If a cantrip is countered you do not draw a card for it.
    [Duelist Magazine #7, Page 8]
  It does mean the next turn's upkeep.  If you use a cantrip during
    untap (prior to upkeep), you will not draw on that turn's upkeep.

Card Text:
  Whenever a card mentions its own card name, it means to refer to itself.
    It does not refer to other cards of its name. [bethmo 11/18/96]
  Something that affects "each X and Y" affects everything that counts as an
    X and/or counts as a Y.  It will not affect anything twice.
    [WotC Rules Team 11/10/95]
  The text "target X or target Y" is the same as "target X or Y" and is just
    spelled out to make the targeting more clear.
    [WotC Rules Team 11/10/95]

Caster:
  See "Controller, Caster, and Owner".

Casting Cost:
  The "casting cost" of a spell is the number of mana points, regardless of
    color, which are specified in the upper right hand corner of the card.
    [Mirage Page 32]
  If there is an 'X' in the cost, consider the amount paid in 'X' to be
    part of the cost during casting, but to be zero after the card becomes
    a permanent. [Mirage Page 30]
  The "casting cost" does not include any extra mana that was spent to
    overcome obstacles like Gloom or Power Sink. [Mirage Page 32]  Nor does
    it include any extra costs listed in the text box.
  The casting cost is not reduced by a spell or ability which helps pay part
    of the spell/ability's cost. [Mirage Page 32]
  Nothing can increase the cost to cast an already-announced spell.  For
    example, you cannot Sleight of Mind a Gloom enchantment to make green
    spells cost 3 more after a green spell is cast and expect 3 extra mana
    to have to be spent. [bethmo]
  Token creatures have casting costs of zero. [Mirage Page 23]
  Animated lands have casting costs of zero.
  A creatures which is in play due to an effect like Animate Dead has a
    casting cost equal to the cost on the creature card, not that of Animate
    Dead. [bethmo]
  If a spell, ability, or effect directs you to pay the casting cost of a
    spell, rather than an amount of mana equal to it, you must pay the
    specific colors of mana listed on the spell card.  [D'Angelo 11/07/96]
    Few cards do this.  Some are Flash, Transmute Artifact, and Illusionary
    Mask.

Color:
  Black, Blue, Green, Red, and White are the only colors in the game.
    [Mirage Page 8]
  Artifact is not a color, it is an attribute. [Mirage Page 8]
  Colorless is not a color.  It means "no color". [Mirage Page 8]
  "Gold" is not a new color in the game.  It is just used to help identify
    cards with more than one color. [Aahz 06/15/94]
  Also see "Color of a Spell".

Colorless and Generic Mana:
  The colorless/generic mana symbol is a grey circle with a number in it.
  Generic mana is the term for spell and ability costs which can be paid
    with any color (or with colorless) mana. [Mirage Page 9]
  Colorless mana is the term used for effects that generate mana which has
    no color. [Mirage Page 8]
  A generic mana symbol of cost N when used in a spell or ability's cost or as
    part of a payment indicates that N mana of any color needs to be spent.
    [Mirage Page 9]  For example, an Artifact can be cast with mana of any
    color.
  There technically is no colorless mana symbol.  But some old cards use the
    generic mana symbol when listing the color of mana they produce.  In this
    case, consider the mana colorless.
  The generic X cost is still considered generic even if there is a
    requirement that a specific color be used for it.  For example, "only
    black mana can be spent this way".  This distinction is important for
    effects which reduce the colorless portion of a spell's cost.  For
    exmaple, if you had 2 Helms of Awakening in play (each reduces the gemeric
    costs of all spells by 1), you could cast a Fifth Edition Drain Life for
    just "B" and still do 1 damage. [bethmo 03/31/97]

Color of a Spell:
  The initial color of a spell is the color of mana specified in the casting
    cost.  [Mirage Page 9]  The background color of the card is used only as
    an aid.  [Mirage Page 10]  For example, the error with the Serendib Efreet
    in the Revised Edition has a green background color, but the card is blue
    because the casting cost includes blue mana.
  If a spell only has generic mana in its casting cost, then it is colorless.
    Note that some cards with a zero casting cost do have color.  When this is
    so, there will be card text to remind you.  For example, the Kobolds have
    a text saying they are red.  In general, the explanitory color text is
    subject to Sleight of Mind, but for some cards such as Dark Heart of the
    Wood, it cannot.  See the appropriate card ruling if you really need to
    know.
  If a spell has more than one color of mana in its casting cost, it is
    considered to be of all the specified colors.
  A card which takes red and black mana to cast is considered to be both
    red and  black.  It would therefore be immune to Terror (which cannot
    target black) and could have its damage prevented with a Circle of
    Protection of either color. [Mirage Page 27]
  A card with more than one color will become a single color if xxxxLaced.
    [Mirage Page 8]
  If an effect changes the mana symbols on a card, it will change the base
    color for that card.  For example, Celestial Dawn will temporarily change
    a Phantom Monster to be white.  When the effect ends, the base color of
    the card reverts to match its actual mana symbols.  So the Phantom Monster
    becomes blue again when the Celestial Dawn leaves play.
    [Duelist Magazine #16, Page 24]
  An effect which overrides the color of a card (such as a xxxxLace spell),
    overrides the color regardless of the casting cost or changes to the
    casting cost.  [Duelist Magazine #16, Page 24]
  An effect which affects "non-black" things means things which are not black
    at all.  It does not mean things which have a color in addition to black.
    [Mirage Page 27]  Things are either black or non-black.  They cannot be
    both and they cannot be neither.
  A spell which becomes a permanent, becomes a permanent of the same color
    the spell was when it resolved.  Usually this is the color in the casting
    cost, but if the color is changed by a xxxxLace or such, the color change
    is permanent. [Mirage Page 10]

Comes Into Play Effects:
  Comes into play effects are triggered abilities on permanents that happen as
    soon as the card is brought into play by casting or by any other means.
  Since it is a triggered ability, you cannot use anything other than mana
    sources (and maybe specialized abilities if they apply) between the card
    entering play and the triggered abilities being dealt with.
    [bethmo 11/06/96]
  If the spell/ability is countered and the permanent does not enter play, the
    ability does not trigger.
  Any effect of the permanent on itself due to the permanent coming into play
    is considered a phase cost, so the abilities of the permanent entering
    play may not be used until the comes into play effect is dealt with.
    [Duelist Magazine #16, Page 25]  This closes up a loophole in which
    permanents with mana source speed abilities were using their abilities
    prior to dealing with the comes into play effect.  Comes into play effects
    from cards other than the permanent itself are not considered phase costs.
  Some comes into play effects are not considered costs, for example the
    Kjeldoran Dead.  The key to knowing if it is a phase cost is if there is
    an "or do something else" (most often bury something) in the effect.
    [Duelist Magazine #16, Page 25]  See Phase Cost and Phase Effects for more
    information.
  All comes into play effects which are considered costs (which means innate
    and externally applied ones) must be dealt with together.  This means they
    work just like other phase costs do.  They combine and get paid or not
    paid at once. [Aahz 12/18/96]  Combined costs of this type are very
    unlikely.
  Phasing a card in will never trigger such abilities. [Mirage Page 2]

Continuous Abilities and Continuous Effects:
  See the "Continuous Abilities and Continuous Effects" entry in the Timing
    section.

Controller, Caster and Owner:
  The owner of a card is the one who started the game with that card in their
    library. [Mirage Page 23]  Note that the game does not care who has
    property ownership of the cards in the game.  Ownership changes only when
    a card specifically says that it does.
  The controller of a permanent starts as the one who brought the permanent
    into play, but cards can change controller. [Mirage Page 11]  Also, there
    are a couple of cards, such as Varchild's War-Riders, that actually put
    something into play under your opponent's control.  But this is stated on
    the card if it applies.
  The controller of a spell is the player casting the spell. [Mirage Page 23]
  All effects are considered "controlled" by the player who controls the card
    that generated the effect at the time the effect was generated.  This
    applies to the effects of activated abilities, continuous abilities, and
    triggered abilities. [D'Angelo 07/30/96]
  The caster is the one who cast the spell.  This is always equal to the
    owner. [Duelist Magazine #5, Page 123]  Actually, Grinning Totem changes
    this and allows the caster to differ from the owner. [bethmo 10/14/96]
  Only the controller can pay costs associated with a permanent (unless
    otherwise specified on the card). [Mirage Page 11]  This means that if
    an enchantment you control, like Regeneration, ends up on an opponent's
    creature, that you (not your opponent) can power the enchantment's ability
    since you are still the controller of the enchantment.
  There is currently no way to change the controller of an enchantment.  This
    means that enchantments are controlled by their caster.  Enchantments on
    a creature do not switch controllers if the creature switches controllers.
    [Aahz 07/05/95]
  The text "you" or "your" refers to the controller of the card and not the
    owner. [Mirage Page 11]
  Cards which go to the graveyard or to a player's hand or library always go
    to their owner's graveyard, hand or library , regardless of who currently
    controls them.  [Mirage Page 23]

Copy Cards:
  Cards which copy other cards include Clone, Doppelganger, Dance of Many,
    and Copy Artifact.
  All copy cards are targeted and cannot be brought into play without a legal
    target.  If the target becomes invalid after declaration but before
    resolution, the spell fizzles.  [WotC Rules Team 02/09/95]  They are
    considered targeted no matter how they are brought into play.  They cannot
    Autumn Willow (which cannot be targeted by effects) when brought into
    play with Resurrection, for example. [Aahz 12/07/96]
  If a copy card is brought into play by a means other than casting, then the
    target is chosen when the copy card would enter play, and if there is
    no valid target, the bringing into play will fizzle and the copy card will
    remain where it is. [D'Angelo 11/07/96]
  A Doppelganger changing forms is also targeted and will fizzle if the target
    becomes illegal before resolution.  [Peterson 11/07/94]  If it fizzles, it
    remains in its old form.
  Copy cards in general cannot copy things which are only of the appropriate
    type due to some effect.  This is because the copy cards do not copy
    existing effects on the target, they only copy the target.  They look to
    see the type of the target with all effects on it removed and if it
    is still not of the correct type, it will not allow itself to be used.
    [D'Angelo 06/30/95]
  Clone and Doppelganger can only copy permanents created by a "Summon" or
    "Artifact Creature" spell, or tokens that inherently count as
    creatures.  They may not copy permanents which are only creatures due
    to some sort of animation such as Kormus Bell.  [WotC Rules Team]
  Creatures in play due to Animate Dead or similar spells cannot be copied.
    [Aahz 10/07/96]  (It is unclear if this is still true, D'Angelo 04/11/97)
  Copy Artifact can only copy permanents created by "Artifact" or "Artifact
    Creature" spells, or tokens that inherently count as artifacts.  They
    may not copy permanents which are only artifacts due to some other
    effect. [WotC Rules Team]  Copy Artifact cannot copy another Copy Artifact
    since it is only an artifact due to an effect.
  The casting cost is one of the characteristics which is copied.  This means
    that casting the Sacrifice spell on a Clone of a Lord of the Pit would
    give you seven black mana. [WotC Rules Team 07/27/94]
  The copy of an artifact creature is an artifact creature.  In other words,
    "artifactness" is a characteristic that is copied.
  Copies the color of the target unless otherwise stated on the copy card.
    [WotC Rules Team 10/03/96]
  The name is a normal characteristic and is copied.  For example, a Clone
    of a Plague Rat counts towards the number of Plague Rats in play.
    [WotC Rules Team 07/27/94]
  They come into play in the same tapped/untapped state as the target
    would have when cast.  [WotC Rules Team]
  They do not copy the "expansion symbol" on a card. [WotC Rules Team]
  They remain cards even when copying a token. [WotC Rules Team]
  If a card being copied has variable forms or characteristics (set at
    casting or changeable during play), the copy will be of the current
    form.  If the form is changeable, then the copy may change at a later
    time as per the characteristics of the card that was copied.
    [Aahz 06/06/94]
  Anything that is normally done when a card enters play is done when the
    copy comes into play.  For example, if a copy of a Nameless Race is put
    into play you would have to pay the life. [Aahz 01/16/95]
  They copy the base creature/artifact and not any enchantments or counters
    on it, regardless of whether the counters are due to natural abilities of
    the creature/artifact or of other spells.  [WotC Rules Team]  This means
    that a copy of a Rock Hydra with 6 heads will be a zero-headed Hydra (and
    will most likely die immediately).
  The copy does get tokens when the copy card is cast if the card being
    copied gets tokens when it is normally cast.  This ruling includes the
    Tetravus, Triskelion, Clockwork Beast and Clockwork Avian.  The
    Doppelganger does not get any tokens when switching to one of these
    creatures during upkeep.  [WotC Rules Team 07/27/94]
  Copies of creatures (such as the Rock Hydra) with an X in the casting
    cost treat X as zero.  [WotC Rules Team 07/27/94]
  The effects of Sleight of Mind, xxxxLace, and Magical Hack affect the
    characteristics of the card and so copies of that card will also have
    the same change.  For example, a copy of a Hacked Nightmare to be based
    on Islands will also be based on Islands. [Duelist Magazine #3, Page 22]
  Permanent effects which use counters are not copied, so Ashnod's
    Transmogrant, Aisling Leprechaun, and other such effects are not copied.
    [WotC Rules Team 07/27/94]
  Permanent effects played on the copy card override the characteristics it
    is copying.  For example, if a Doppelganger is modified with Ashnod's
    Transmogrant, it will act as a Transmografied version of the creature it
    copies even if it changes creatures. [Aahz 08/08/94]

Costs:
  Payment of costs is always unpreventable.  It happens during announcement
    of the spell or ability. [Mirage Page 33]  Things may prevent you from
    being able to pay a cost.  Usually these involve raising the cost (Gloom)
    or making a resource unavailable for use (Imprison).  But nothing can
    stop you if you have the resources available. [D'Angelo 11/07/96]
  The cost to cast a spell includes the mana cost in the upper right hand
    corner of the card, plus any other costs written in the text.
  While the "Cost: Effect" notation on a permanent indicates an activatable
    ability, this same notation on a non-permanent spell indicates a cost
    that must be paid when announcing the spell. [D'Angelo 01/28/97]
  The cost to use an ability is usually written as an activation cost
    (See "Activation Cost" for more information) but can also just be
    spelled out.
  Costs can usually include tapping the source of the ability, sacrifices,
    mana, payment of life (loss of life on some older cards), or removal of
    counters.  Generally, if something on the spell or permanent is not one
    of these, then it is not a cost.  If it is one of these, and the card
    text is not clear as to when this is done, it is probably a cost and not
    an effect.
  All cards that read "Do X to do Y" now mean that X is a cost regardless of
    what it has you do. [Duelist Magazine #11, Page 56]
  All cards written as "X: do Y" mean that X is a cost regardless of what it
    has you do. [Mirage Page 32]
  Costs are all lost if a spell is countered. [Mirage Page 38]
  If something has a cost, it cannot be paid accidentally.  For example,
    someone cannot make your Prodigal Sorcerer deal damage by making it
    become tapped.  You must actually pay the cost with the intent of
    getting the effect in order for the effect to occur.
  You cannot pay a cost of life if you have zero or less life or if the
    payment will bring you below zero life. [Duelist Magazine #3, Page 22]
  You cannot tap a tapped card or untap an untapped card as part of a cost.
    The payment of the cost must be successfully done and cannot fail.
    [D'Angelo 12/23/96]
  If costs combine (as with phase costs) into something that is contradictory,
    then you cannot pay the cost at all.  For example, you cannot both
    unsummon and sacrifice the same card. [Aahz 02/16/97]

Countering Spells and Abilities:
  A countered spell is placed in the owner's graveyard and all mana (or
    other costs such as sacrifices) used for the casting are wasted.
    [Mirage Page 38]
  A countered spell or ability simply goes away without any of its costs
    (including sacrifices) being refunded.  [Mirage Page 38]
  If a spell is countered, it is not considered to have been "successfully
    cast".  This means that you cannot use spells or abilities which say
    "Gain one life if xxx is cast" or anything similar. [Aahz]
  Once a spell is countered, it is an illegal target for any other interrupts,
    so any interrupts which target it that have been cast and are waiting to
    resolve will fizzle. [Mirage Page 38]
  Note that you cannot use an interrupt until after all decisions about
    a spell/ability are made, so you cannot counterspell until the person
    declares how much mana is actually in that X damage spell, or otherwise
    finishes announcing the spell/ability.
  There are currently few spells/abilities which will counter the ability of a
    permanent, and countering the ability of a permanent is completely
    different from countering a spell.

Counters:
  Counters are used in Magic to signify permanent or long-lasting effects
    on a creature or other permanent. [Mirage Page 24]  Typically counters are
    given names or numeric values to be associated with them.
  Counters of the same name are interchangeable.  Thus a 'spore' counter from
    any source is considered to be the same as any other 'spore' counter.
    [Mirage Page 25]  Unnamed counters are never interchangeable.  They only
    work with that particular card and are not counted or affected by other
    cards.  Counters with just values, such as +1/+1, are considered to be
    unnamed. [D'Angelo 09/01/95]
  Counters are considered to apply themselves to the permanent they are on
    as a continuous effect.  If the effect cannot be applied to the permanent
    because it does not make sense (e.g. +1/+1 counter on a land), the
    counter remains on the permanent and will become active again as soon
    as the permanent can be legally affected again. [Mirage Page 25]
  Counters remain even on a permanent if what they do does not currently
    apply.  For example, if a Mishra's Factory gets a +1/+1 counter while it
    is a creature, the counter will remain when it de-animates.
    [Mirage Page 25]
  Note that tokens and counters are different concepts in Magic.  These
    rulings do not apply to tokens.

Creature in the Graveyard:
  Cards which refer to a "creature in the graveyard" or "dead creature" really
    mean a "creature card in the graveyard."
  A creature card is any "Summon Xxxx" or "Artifact Creature" card.

Creature Power and Toughness:
  Enchantments on a creature which enhance the power of a creature do not
    change the color of the damage that creature does.  For example, a
    Firebreathing Pegasus does White damage. [Mirage Page 8]
  Creatures can have negative power ratings due to a variety of reasons.
    Such a creature does zero damage when attacking or defending and is
    considered to have a power of zero for all intents and purposes other
    than changes in their power. [Mirage Page 13]  For example, a creature
    with Power of -2 and Farrel's Mantle still deals 2 damage with that
    effect.
  Creatures can have negative toughness ratings due to a variety of reasons.
    This is usually _very_ temporary since the creature is dying, but it can
    happen.  If it does, the toughness is considered to be zero for all
    reasons other than changes in their toughness.  [Mirage Page 13]
    This ruling becomes important in cases like Creature Bond, where it is
    not possible to cause a negative amount of damage.
  If an effect sets the power and toughness on a creature to a specific value,
    treat this as if the numbers on the card were changed.  The effect of
    any fast effects, enchantments, or other things stay in effect.
    [Mirage Page 13]  So if a Hill Giant(3/3) with Giant Growth(+3/+3) and
    Holy Strength(+1/+2) is affected by a Sorceress Queen(set to 0/2), then
    it's power/toughness is 4/7.  Similarly, with Blood Lust (+4/-4 but
    toughness does not dip below 1) instead of Giant Growth, the Hill Giant
    would be 8/3 before and 5/3 after the Sorceress Queen.  The trick to
    remember is that you are altering the base creature, and the base is
    considered the first effect in play, then reapply effects in the order
    they entered play.
  If a creature's toughness becomes 0 (or less) at any time during a spell or
    ability's resolution, the creature is destroyed and the death is dealt
    with before even continuing with the resolution. [Aahz 09/27/96]

Creature Type:
  Creature type is defined as being the word(s) that follow the word "Summon"
    on a "Summon Xxxxx".  The creature is of type "Xxxxx".
    [Mirage Page 14]
  The plural of a creature type is the same as the base creature type.  Thus
    Goblin and Goblins are the same, and Faerie and Faeries are the same.
    [Mirage Page 15]
  The gender of a creature type does not matter.  "Summon Actor" and "Summon
    Actress" are the same type as are "Summon Sorcerer" and "Summon
    Sorceress". [WotC Rules Team 12/03/96]  Also "Brother" and "Sister".
    [Aahz 04/07/97]
  Creature type names do have to match identically (other than in
    single/plural sense) to be considered the same.  "Spirit" and "Blinking
    Spirit" are not the same creature type. [Duelist Magazine #9, Page 36]
  Token creatures are of the creature type they are specified to be in the
    spell/ability that generates them. [Mirage Page 24]  For example, the
    creatures generated by The Hive are of type "Wasp" and ones from the
    Serpent Generator are type "Poison Snake".
  When an effect turns a permanent into a creature, it will specify the
    creature type, which will often be the same as the name.  For example,
    Mishra's Factory becomes a creature of type (and name) Assembly Worker.
    [D'Angelo 10/25/95]  Note that many artifact animators simply say that
    the artifact becomes an Artifact Creature and therefore it has no
    creature type.
  Cards which say "Counts as a Xxxxx" such as the artifact creatures which say
    "counts as a wall" are considered to be of that creature type.
    [Mirage Page 14]
  "Artifact Creature" and "Land Creature" are not creature types.  Those are
    permanent types.  Such permanents do not have a creature type at all
    unless the card text says that they do. [Mirage Page 14]  For example, an
    artifact creature that says "Counts as a wall" is of creature type "Wall"
    in addition to being an Artifact Creature.  Also, there are several token
    creatures which are also artifacts and have types.
  Elder Dragon Legends have errata to say "Summon Legend" instead.  They count
    as type Legend for all spells that affect Legends.
    [Duelist Magazine #9, Page 36]  They do not count as Dragons.
    [bethmo 09/17/96]
  Other card characteristics, such as color, do not count as a creature type
    either.  So "red creatures" or "flying creatures" are not valid choices
    of creature type.  [Duelist Magazine #9, Page 36]
  Creatures can have more than one creature type.  For example, Goblin Scout
    tokens are both Goblins and Goblin Scouts because the card says it
    produces Goblin Scouts that count as Goblins. [Aahz 10/08/96]

Cumulative Upkeep:
  A card with cumulative upkeep requires you to pay a cost that increases by
    its base value each upkeep.  This generally means that you pay the cost
    on the first upkeep, 2 times the cost on your next upkeep, 3 times the
    cost on your next upkeep and so on.  If you do not pay, bury the card.
    [Mirage Page 61]
  For example, if a card has "Cumulative Upkeep: B and 2 life", you pay
    B and 2 life on the first upkeep, BB and 4 life on the next upkeep,
    BBB and 6 life on the next upkeep, and so on.
  Cumulative upkeep is tracked with counters associated with the source of the
    cumulative upkeep ability.  If the upkeep is paid, a counter is added when
    the upkeep ability resolves.  If it is not paid, no counter is added and
    the consequences are suffered.  There is no way to remove these counters
    or to cause cumualtive upkeep to be reset. [Duelist Magazine #16, Page 24]
    (REVERSAL)  Note that although the counter is associated with the source
    of the ability (so it'll go away with the source), if the source affects
    multiple things, the counters for each affected thing are separate.  It's
    probably easier to put the counters on the affected thing and just
    remember to remove them when appropriate. [D'Angelo 12/04/96]
  If a cumulative upkeep payment is suspended by some odd case, the upkeep
    continues where it left off once it resumes.  For example, a green
    creature is affected by Breath of Dreams for 3 turns.  Then the Breath of
    Dreams is changed to affect blue creatures for a while.  Then it is
    changed back to affect green creatures.  The cumulative upkeep resumes
    from 3. [Duelist Magazine #16, Page 24]
  Note that if a card has more than one cumulative upkeep applied to it that
    you track and pay for each one separately. [bethmo 03/06/96]

Damage:
  See "Damage Prevention" for more information.
  Damage accumulates on creatures over the course of the turn and is healed
    at the end of each turn. [Mirage Page 15]
  Damage arrives in "packets".  A "packet" contains all the damage done by
    a single creature in combat or by a single effect.  If an effect damages
    more than one target, the effect does one "packet" to each target.
    [Mirage Page 44]
  Damage always remembers all the characteristics of the source of that
    damage.  This includes color, creature type, artifact nature, and any
    special ability associated with the damage. [Mirage Page 44]
  Damage is compared to a creature's toughness.  You total up all damage
    done to a creature, and once it has as much damage than it has toughness,
    it has lethal damage.  [Mirage Page 15]
  You recheck a creature's damage versus toughness whenever it takes more
    damage or has its toughness change.  This means that if a 3/3 Hill Giant
    with Holy Strength (+1/+2 making it a 4/5 creature) takes 3 damage then
    later in the turn the Holy Strength gets Disenchanted, the Hill Giant
    will die of its wounds because it is now just a 3/3 creature with 3
    damage. [Mirage Page 13]
  Damage is not subtracted from toughness.  A 5 toughness creature with 4
    damage still has a toughness of 5 and will be worth 5 to a Diamond
    Valley. [bethmo]
  If a creature is ever removed from play, all damage to it is immediately
    removed.  This includes creatures targeted by an Oubliette.
    [WotC Rules Team 02/07/94]
  Damage is not removed if a permanent stops being a creature.  The damage
    will be there if it becomes a creature again at a later time during the
    same turn.  [WotC Rules Team 09/22/95]  Remember that all damage is
    always removed from all permanents at the end of the turn.
  Damage can only be assigned to a creature or player.  If a target of damage
    is not still a creature or player when the damage effect resolves, then
    it won't take the damage.  The target does not still need to be a creature
    or player all the way through damage prevention.
    [WotC Rules Team 09/22/95]
  If you are to distribute damage among some number of targets of a
    multi-targeted spell or ability, you can only distribute whole number
    values and you cannot choose zero. [Duelist Magazine #7, Page 100]  This
    does not apply to Fireball which tells how to distribute damage, and it
    does not apply to Dwarven Catapult which just targets an opponent.
    [Duelist Magazine #7, Page 100]
  Combat damage is a term used to describe damage done during the damage
    dealing step of the attack.  It does not include damage due to spells or
    abilities used or triggered during the attack phase. [Mirage Page 48]
  All cards that refer to "damage in combat" mean "combat damage".
    [Duelist Magazine #13, Page 51]
  Damage to a player causes a loss of life equal to the amount of the damage
    when the damage becomes successfully dealt.  This is done as a side
    effect.  Note that the damage is not removed from the player by this loss
    of life. [DeLaney 01/28/97]  Retroactive damage removal can see this old
    damage and adjust the player's life total without being considered a
    gain of life. [DeLaney 01/28/97]

Damage Prevention:
  See "Damage Prevention" in the Timing section for more information.
  See "Damage" for more information.
  Damage prevention spells and abilities target one or more "packets" of
    damage and not the source of the damage or the damaged creature (unless
    the spell or ability says otherwise). [Mirage Page 44]
+ You can target any number of packets with one damage prevention
    spell/ability and divide the prevention among those packets as desired
    with at least one point of prevention per packet. [D'Angelo 10/01/96]
    You can assign more prevention to a packet than the packet has points
    of damage.  Overprevention is allowed. [Aahz 05/19/97]
  Damage prevention spells/abilities may only be played during a Damage
    Prevention step and only if they have a valid "packet" of damage to
    target. [Mirage Page 44]
  If all damage in a "packet" is prevented, the packet ceases to exist and
    is no longer a valid target. [Mirage Page 44]
  The side-effects of damage are associated with the damage in a "packet", so
    preventing all the damage will also stop the side-effects from happening.
    [Mirage Page 44]
  If damage is retroactively prevented (with spells like Reverse Damage or
    Simulacrum) then the damage is undone but any effects of the damage are
    not undone. [WotC Rules Team 05/10/95]
  You can always try to prevent more damage than is there, but you can't use
    a damage prevention spell/ability at all unless there is at least one
    packet. [Aahz 09/24/96]
  If a prevention or redirection spell/ability applies to all damage from a
    given source's effect on a given target, the prevention or redirection
    spell/ability targets all packets of damage from that source's effect to
    the target.  This means that if you redirect Earthquake's damage to all
    your creatures to yourself, you can prevent all the damage with one use
    of a Circle of Protection: Red. [WotC Rules Team 10/03/96]  Similarly,
    you can take damage multiple times from Manabarbs during a Damage
    Prevention step (since damage during Damage Prevention gets added to the
    current step) and prevent it all with one use of a Circle.
    [Duelist Magazine #17, Page 24]

Damage Redirection:
  Spells and abilities which cause damage to move from one target to another
    are called Damage Redirection spells/abilities.
  Excess Trample damage is considered damage redirection. [Mirage Page 18]
    Note that Whippoorwill, which prevents redirection, will not prevent
    Trample damage from passing through. [Aahz 11/07/96]
  Redirected damage maintains its color, source and nature.  Nature
    includes any special effects that occur due to damaging.  For example,
    the Hypnotic Specter will cause a player to discard if any of its
    damage is redirected to the player. [Duelist Magazine #5, Page 37]
  If damage is redirected in a retroactive manner, as Simulacrum does, then
    the damage only retains color and other knowledge of the source.  It does
    not keep any abilities of the original damage such as the Hypnotic Specter
    or Sengir Vampire. [WotC Rules Team 05/10/95]
  Damage loses its Trample nature when redirected.  This is because the
    Trample ability only applies to the creature(s) blocking the attacker.
    [D'Angelo 01/06/96]
  Damage stops being "combat damage" when it is redirected.
    [Duelist Magazine #17, Page 24]
  Damage may be redirected from a target to that same target.
    [WotC Rules Team 03/14/97] (REVERSAL)  This means you can erase some
    damage nature such as Trample and "combat damage" and still keep the
    damage in the same place.
  Redirecting damage can cause a "packet" of damage to be split.  These
    packets do not rejoin if they later get redirected back to a single
    target.  [Aahz 09/19/96]
  Redirecting all the damage from a "packet" causes the original "packet" to
    no longer exist and damage prevention spells/abilities targeting that
    packet will fizzle. [D'Angelo 11/07/96]

Destroy:
  To destroy something is to place it into the graveyard from play.
  Destroying a creature is the same as killing it.  Creatures can be
    regenerated from a destroy.
  Also see "Bury".
  All cards that destroy themselves have errata to say they bury themselves.
    For example, Dragon Whelp buries itself if pumped up too much.
    [WotC Rules Team 10/03/96]

Discard:
  A discard is putting a card from your hand on top of your graveyard.
    [Mirage Page 54]
  Some spells/abilities may have you put a card from your hand into the
    graveyard in a way that is not a "discard" unless the card says so.
    [Mirage Page 54]
  When you are asked to discard and are not told how, you get to choose a
    card from your hand. [Mirage Page 54]
  If you are required to discard more than one card due to an effect, handle
    the discards one at a time. [Mirage Page 54]  An effect which modifies
    the discarding of cards applies to each one. [Mirage Page 54]
  Some of the older cards used the word "discard" when talking about
    cards in play instead of in your hand.  All such cards have errata
    issued on them to treat the word "discard" as "destroy".
    [PPG Page 113]  Except if the card is "discarding" itself.  A card which
    discards itself is considered to be a sacrifice.
    [WotC Rules Team 01/29/95]
+ A discard that is part of a spell/ability's resolution is considered forced,
    even if you can do something instead. [Duelist Magazine #14, Page 26]

Draw:
  Drawing a card is defined as taking the top card from your library and
    putting it into your hand. [Mirage Page 53]
  Effects that happen when or modify a draw happen only when you are told that
    the action is a draw.  Effects that move cards around and happen to move
    one from your library to your hand are not necessarily draws.
    [Mirage Page 53]
  If you are required to draw more than one card due to a spell/ability,
    handle the draws one at a time. [Mirage Page 54]  A spell/ability which
    modifies or triggers on the drawing of cards applies to each one.
    [Mirage Page 54]

Exchange:
  You cannot play a spell/ability which will cause an exchange unless you have
    the thing you will be exchanging. [Mirage Page 29]
  The spell/ability fails to do anything on resolution if either player does
    not have a thing to be exchanged upon resolution. [Mirage Page 29]

Enchantments:
  Global enchantments are of card type "Enchantment".  They are played in your
    territory and may affect any number of players or permanents.
    [Mirage Page 22]  They may target something when played, but they are
    still played in your territory. [Mirage Page 23]
  Local enchantments are of card type "Enchant _something_".  They enchant
    and target a permanent of type "_something_".  They are also played
    onto the permanent they target and may or may not be in your territory.
    [Mirage Page 22]
  Enchant World is a special kind of global enchantment that follows special
    rules.  See "Enchant World" for more information.
  If a local enchantment's target becomes illegal at any time, the enchantment
    is buried. [Mirage Page 22]
  If a local enchantment says "Play on a such-and-such", the "such-and-such"
    is considered a targeting restriction even though it does not use the
    word "target". [Mirage Page 22]
  Enchantments are not specifically prevented from becoming tapped, but they
    generally do not tap.  The exception to this is that Copy Artifact is both
    an artifact and an enchantment. [Aahz 10/11/96]
  Changing control of the permanent a local enchantment is on will not change
    the controller of the enchantment. [Mirage Page 23]
  Only the controller of the enchantment can pay the activation cost on an
    enchantment.  There is a misleading statement in the Fourth Edition
    rulebook about creature enchantments acting like their text is on the
    creature.  This is not strictly true. [Aahz 05/19/95]
  If two enchantments or other effects contradict one another, the most
    recently cast wins.  See the "Order to Apply Effects" entry for more
    information.
  Using the ability of a local enchantment card does not target the card each
    time it is used. [Duelist Magazine #5, Page 122]  For example, the use of
    Firebreathing does not target the creature it is on with an effect each
    time it is used.
  If an enchantment is removed after its ability is used, the effect
    still remains until the duration would normally end (usually end of turn).
    For example, if a 1/1 creature with Holy Armor (treated as 1/3) gets
    pumped up with 3 white mana, it gets +0/+3 making it 1/6.  If the Holy
    Armor was then removed, the +0/+3 would still remain, although the +0/+2
    granted by the enchantment would leave and the creature would be 1/4.
    [bethmo]
  The text "enchanted something" refers to the something that the enchantment
    is on.  It does not mean _any_ enchanted something in play.
    [Duelist Magazine #11, Page 54]
  A "creature enchantment" means an "Enchant Creature" card.  It does not
    include "Enchant Permanent" or other local enchantments that may end up
    on a creature. [DeLaney 01/28/97]

Enchant World:
  See "Enchantments" for more information.
  Enchant World rules were introduced in the Legends expansion set and
    have been in the base rules since Fourth Edition.
  Enchant world cards are treated like enchantments, except that only one
    enchant world may be in play at a time.  If one enchant world is
    brought into play while another is already in play, the one in play
    is buried. [Legends Rulecard] [Mirage Page 57]
  Enchant World spells follow all the normal rules for Enchantments.  They
    are not more powerful than normal enchantments and do follow the normal
    rule of the most recently used effect overrides the previous one.  So,
    for example, a Flight enchantment put on a creature after Gravity Sphere
    is put into play will override the Gravity Sphere's effect.
    [bethmo 07/07/94]

Existing Effects:
  See "Order to Apply Effects".

Face Down Cards:
  Face down creatures (hidden by Camouflage or Illusionary Mask) still have
    any counters they have on top of the creature.  Some creatures are just
    not very disguisable. [bethmo]
  Face down creatures do not have their enchantments turned face down as well.
    [Duelist Magazine #11, Page 56]
  A blocking decision made on a face down creature may turn out to be invalid.
    If this happens, the creature simply does not block and cannot be assigned
    to a different attacker.  [WotC Rules Team 11/10/95]  The creature is
    considered retroactively removed from combat if all of its block
    declarations are negated because they are illega. [Aahz 12/07/96]
  Face down token creatures need not still be shown as tokens in play.  You
    can use cards to mark them so your opponent cannot tell them apart.
    [WotC Rules Team 12/15/94]
  Continuous effects of face down creatures still take effect.  If you have
    a face down Goblin King, you should tell your opponent that his Goblins
    are 2/2 creatures now.  Again, these creatures are hard to disguise.
  All you really know about a face down card is what kind of permanent it
    is.  Usually, it is a creature.  This means that you may target any spell
    which targets creatures at the card.  If the target turns out not to be
    valid (for example, you try to Terror a black creature) the spell will
    fizzle. [PPG Page 57]  This rule applies even if you have more
    knowledge, such as knowing that your opponent is playing an all black
    deck!
  A face down creature with Lure on it must be blocked.  This is true even if
    you know the block will be illegal (because the attacker has a landwalk
    ability or some other evasion ability).  Your blockers do not know this
    unless the ability is granted by an enchantment or external effect.
    [D'Angelo 11/21/95]
  If a face down creature is controlled by Control Magic or other means by
    another player, it remains face down but the new controller may look at
    the card.
  A Clone or Doppelganger can be made of a face down creature.  Your
    opponent does not need to tell you anything about your creature's
    power/toughness or abilities.  The opponent must, however, inform you
    of the results of actions you take (i.e. how much damage was done, or
    whether tapping the creature allows you some special ability).
    [bethmo]

Fast Effect:
  Fast effects are Instants, Interrupts, Mana Sources, or non-continuous
    special abilities of a permanent. [Mirage Page 68]  Most people use the
    term as slang for "instant speed effect" but this is not accurate.
  Some other game actions are treated as instant speed fast effects.  For
    example, the draw during your draw phase. [D'Angelo 07/30/96]

First Strike:
  Creatures with First Strike deal combat damage before creatures without it.
    If a creature without First Strike is killed during First Strike damage
    dealing, then it will not deal damage during normal damage dealing.
    (See Step 5 of Attack Phase Rules and Rulings for more information.)
  Having First Strike more than once has no additional effect. [Page 34]

Fizzle:
  The term "fizzle" is used to indicate a spell/ability which was announced
    with a legal target but whose target becomes illegal or invalid prior to
    resolution.  The spell/ability does nothing and is said to "fizzle".
    [Mirage Page 68] This is different from a "failure" to work correctly on a
    valid target.
  Spells which fizzle are still considered "successfully cast" even though
    they have no effect.  [bethmo 05/30/94]

Flanking:
  Whenever a creature without Flanking is assigned to block a creature with
    Flanking, the blocking creature gets -1/-1 until end of turn.
    [Mirage Page 1]
  This may kill the blocker prior to it dealing damage, or in fact prior to
    even fast effects after blocking being announced. [D'Angelo 10/15/96]
  Note that this only applies to assigned blockers and not to all blockers.
    There are ways to have a creature end up as a blocker without being
    assigned.  For example, if you assign a creature to block a member of a
    band, the creature ends up blocking the other members but was never
    "assigned" to block them. [Mirage Page 1]
  Flanking is cumulative.  A creature with Flanking twice gives out -1/-1
    twice (total of -2/-2 but in two separate triggered abilities) to a
    non-Flanking blocker. [bethmo 09/26/96]  A blocker with Flanking never
    takes any penalty.
  Remember that if Flanking kills the blocker, the attacker is still blocked.

Flying:
  A creature with Flying can only be blocked by a creature with Flying.
    [Mirage Page 17]
  A Flying creature can block a non-Flying creature if it wants to.
    [Mirage Page 17]

Fog Effects:
  Fog effects are effects that prevent a creature from dealing damage in
    combat.
  These effects only prevent combat damage (which is damage done by creatures
    during the damage dealing portion of the attack) and do not prevent damage
    from other effects during the attack phase. [Mirage Page 48]
  Does not prevent a creature from being affected by blocking abilities such
    as the Thicket Basilisk's [Duelist Magazine #2, Page 8]  Note that
    Revised Edition Fog does add in that special prevention clause.
  Does not prevent the "Is Not Blocked" abilities from being used.
    [Aahz 12/19/94]
  If a Trampling attacker can deal damage (because it is not under the fog
    effect) but none of the blockers can receive damage, then the Trample
    damage goes through to the defender. [Aahz 05/23/95]
  If a single creature is under a Fog effect and it is a member of a band,
    it can still contribute banding to the band. [Aahz 08/31/94]
  If a single creature is under a Fog effect and it is a member of a band,
    it cannot have damage assigned to it as part of the band. [Aahz 12/03/94]

Generic Mana:
  See "Colorless and Generic Mana".

Graveyard:
  The graveyard is also called the discard pile. [Mirage Page 59]
  The graveyard has an order to it.  All cards that enter the graveyard
    are placed on top of it.  If more than one card is to be placed in at
    a time, the owner of that graveyard decides the order the cards get
    stacked in. [Mirage Page 59]
  Cards in the graveyard are just cards.  They have no memory of whether
    they were ever in play or not, or of anything that may have happened
    to them when they were in play.  This includes removal of any choices
    about the card, any alterations via spells like Magical Hack or Purelace,
    and so on.  [Mirage Page 59]
  Some special cards (such as Nether Shadow) do work in the graveyard, but
    these cards explicitly say so.
  When a card goes to the graveyard, several things happen before triggered
    ability resolve.  First, any effects that depend on it being in play end,
    then any changes to the permanent are erased, and then if it is a token
    creature it is "dissolved" (removed from the game). [Aahz 06/18/96]
  If something goes to the graveyard then comes back, it is considered a
    new card since it forgot its previous life when it went to the graveyard.
    [bethmo 05/03/94]
  Any player can look at any other player's graveyard at any time.  This
    means that a player cannot hide what goes into or gets taken out of the
    graveyard from any other player.  Cards are always face up.
    [Mirage Page 59]  Same goes for any cards removed from the game.
    [Mirage Page 60]
  When a card comes from the graveyard back into play (for example by
    Animate Dead or Resurrection), any features which are normally set at
    summoning time are set as if it was just summoned.  If the creature has
    an X in the casting cost, X is zero.  So, Clockwork Beast comes out
    fully wound, Clone must choose a creature to copy as it is brought out,
    and the Rock Hydra has zero heads.  [WotC Rules Team 02/07/94]
  If a card talks about a creature in the graveyard, it is referring to any
    Summon or Artifact Creature card.

Hand:
  All players have the right to know how many cards you have in your hand.
    [Mirage Page 59]
  You always know what cards are in your hand, and get to know what cards an
    opponent sees when they look at cards from your hand. [D'Angelo 02/10/97]
  You are technically not allowed to show cards in your hand to other players.
    [Aahz 03/04/97]

"I'm Done":
  "I'm done" always means "I'm done unless you do something else".  If the
    player does something, then you continue as if you never said you were
    done.  Anything legal at that time is still legal. [bethmo]
  Be careful about the use of this phrase since it is often unclear if you
    are done with a stack of spells, done with the main phase or done with
    your turn.

Infinite Combos:
  Infinite combos are legal.  There are currently no rulings to prevent them
    from happening. [D'Angelo 11/07/96]
  In reality, most "infinite" combos are just "arbitrarily large" combos.
    This means that you can do it as many times as you want, but the question
    of how many times comes up.  There is no official ruling on this.  Some
    people play that you can just say you do it X times (where X may even be
    infinity!) and get on with the game, but many say that you are required to
    do each instance so it would not truly be infinite.  And then taking too
    long to do something may actually considered stalling the game.  At a
    Pro-Tour event, it was ruled that you had to do the action 10 times
    individually.  If it was not broken after that, you could pick any finite
    number and just say it happens that many times.
  Some things really are infinite.  For example, a Clergy of the Holy Nimbus
    with Weakness on it will keep dying and regenerating until the end of
    time.  And if an Ivory Gargoyle comes into play at end of turn while a
    Vibrating Sphere is in play, it'll keep dying and coming back.  In these
    cases, it has been ruled that you project the eventual outcome and just
    have it be that way.  The Clergy stay tapped but in play.  The Gargoyle
    is put in the graveyard and you lose all your draw phases for the rest of
    the game.  Usually the really infinite things are automatic and not under
    your control.
  A player with infinite life or a creature with infinite toughness cannot
    be killed by damage, even infinite damage. [Aahz 11/04/96]

In Play:
  Player's hands, graveyards, libraries, removed from game, ante, "set aside",
    "out of play", and "limbo" zones are not in play.  [Mirage Page 59]

Instant:
  This is the standard speed at which most spells/abilities resolve.
  Instant speed spells and abilities may be used to start batches or to add to
    an existing batch. [Mirage Page 37]
  Instants can be used on your turn and your opponent's turn.
  Artifacts, summons, enchantments, and sorceries resolve at the same speed
    as instants.  These spell types can only be announced during your main
    phase to start a batch.

Interrupt:
  Interrupts are spells and abilities which target other spells and abilities
    with the intent of countering or modifying them. [Mirage Page 38]
  Cards printed prior to Mirage and the introduction of Fifth Edition rules
    may be labeled as interrupts when they are not.  All such cards that
    produce mana (and no other effect at the same time) work as mana sources
    instead of interrupts.  And all such cards that which have an effect that
    does not produce mana and it does not target a spell or ability are played
    as instants. [Mirage Page 2-4]  This is considered mass errata.
  Cards which are modal and can either target a spell or do something else
    are played as interrupts or as instants as appropriate.
    [Mirage Page 39]  But they are still considered to be spell type
    "interrupt" in any case.
  You cannot respond to an interrupt with a non-interrupt. [Aahz 10/21/94]
  See "Step 2" of the "Spell and Ability Timing" section for more information.

Interrupting:
  This means to play an interrupt to target a spell/ability during the
    interrupting portion of that spell/ability's life cycle.  See the major
    section "Spell and Ability Timing" for more information.

Is Not Blocked:
  This ability is also known as a "saboteur" ability.
  This ability is treated as a triggered ability that is dealt with at the
    end of declaration of blockers.  For some, such as Coral Fighters, the
    ability is not optional.  For others, such as Farrel's Zealot, which say
    you "may do something", the ability is optional.  For optional abilities,
    the choice is made at this time as to whether or not the triggered ability
    is used.  You cannot delay the choice of usage until later.
    [Aahz 03/17/97]  (REVERSAL)  These abilities used to be played as if they
    were zero cost instant-speed effects used during the fast effects step
    after declaration of blockers.
  The abilities are typically worded with a targeted effect and the untargeted
    effect of not dealing damage that turn.  If the targeted effect fails
    because the target is invalid then the untargeted portion also fails and
    the creature will deal damage (unless prevented by other means).
    [Duelist Magazine #6, Page 132]
  This ability works even if Fog is cast.  As long as the creature is not
    blocked, it works. [Duelist Magazine #4, Page 6]
  These abilities can be used cumulatively with other "Is Not Blocked"
    abilities. [Duelist Magazine #4, Page 6]
  You can use more than one of the same Is Not Blocked ability on the same
    creature.  For example, you can use two Cloaks of Confusion or Gazes of
    Pain and take benefit from both abilities. [Aahz 06/12/96]
  If an attacker changes controllers, it is removed from the attack and since
    it is not attacking any longer, the new controller cannot use the ability.
    [Duelist Magazine #7, Page 100]
  The ability only checks to make sure it is not blocked when announced, it
    does not check on resolution. [Duelist Magazine #7, Page 100]

Land:
  Basic land types are: Forest, Island, Mountain, Plains, and Swamp.
    Multilands and the other special lands are not "basic" lands types for
    purposes of any spell. [Mirage Page 12]  The Snow-Covered variations of
    the basic lands are still basic lands.
  Tapping a land for mana is always done as a mana source.
    [Mirage Page 12]
  If something is turned into a basic land, it becomes a land of that name
    with exactly the same card text and loses any previous abilities.
    [Mirage Page 58]  Aspects of the nature of the card are not lost, so the
    land may still be Snow-Covered, have a color, be an artifact, or be a
    creature in addition to being the new basic land type. [D'Angelo 11/07/96]
  Changing a land's type will not change the land's color if it was given a
    color by a Lace or other effect. [Mirage Page 58]
  Changing a land's type will not remove any expansion symbol the land might
    have had.  The symbol is still there. [Aahz 10/07/95]
  Changing a land creature's land type can remove or change the creature type.
    Thus, a Mishra's Factory which is animated to an Assembly Worker
    and is then hit with a Phantasmal Terrain to become a Mountain is no
    longer an Assembly Worker, it is just a 2/2 animated Mountain.
    [WotC Rules Team 11/10/95]  It's creature type is also changed.
    [Aahz 11/08/96]
  If a land is animated by an effect that lasts until end of turn, such as
    Mishra's Factory or Thelonite Druid, the animation effect will not wear
    off immediately if the land changes type.  The land stays animated until
    the effect would normally end. [WotC Rules Team 11/10/95]
  Not all lands produce mana.  If a land does not specifically say that it
    does produce mana, then it doesn't. [Mirage Page 12]
  Lands are not spells. [Mirage Page 72]
  Lands have no color. [Mirage Page 69]  But they can be given a color.
  If there is a question about what mana gets produced by a land, first figure
    out what kind of land it is by applying any land changing effects
    (like Conversion or Phantasmal Terrain) in the order they entered play.
    Then figure out what color mana it produces by applying any color changing
    effects (like Reality Twist).  Finally figure out any additional mana
    that might be produced (from Wild Growth, Mana Flare, etc.).
    [Mirage Page 61]
  If a spell/ability puts a land into play for you, it does not count as your
    land for that turn. [bethmo 11/05/96]  For example, the Mirage lands that
    bring a land from your library into play.
  Lands are not considered "mana sources", but any ability that gets mana from
    a land is played as a "mana source".  The Mirage rulebook erroneously
    leads to the wrong conclusion in the glossary.
    [Duelist Magazine #15, Page 28]

Landhome:
  This actually comes in specific flavors such as Islandhome.
  This is a name for a restriction on a creature.  The creature cannot attack
    unless the opponent has at least one land of the required type, and the
    creature is buried if at any time you control no lands of the required
    type. [Mirage Page 17]
  The land type (if it is a basic type) can be affected by Magical Hack or
    Mind Bend.

Landwalk:
  This actually comes in specific flavors such as Swampwalk or Plainswalk.
  A creature with a landwalk ability can be blocked normally if the defending
    player does not have any lands of the appropriate type, but they cannot
    be blocked at all if the defending player does have lands of that type
    at the time blockers are declared. [Mirage Page 17]  Even other creatures
    with the same landwalk ability cannot block them.
  Cards which look for a kind of landwalk work whether or not the landwalk
    is more specific or not.  For example, a spell/ability that targets a
    creature with IslandWalk will work on one with Snow-Covered IslandWalk.
    [WotC Rules Team 09/22/95]
  The land type (if it is a basic type) can be affected by Magical Hack or
    Mind Bend.

Legends:
  The most common kind of Legend is the Summon Legend card.  In addition to
    these, there can also be Legendary Lands, Artifacts, and Enchantments.
    [Mirage Page 56]
  There may be only one legend of the same name in play at a time.  If a
    second legend of the same name is brought into play, it is buried.  If
    more than one legend is brought into play at the same time, all of them
    are buried. [Mirage Page 56]  Note that two (or more) legends of different
    names can be in play at the same time.
  If one Legend is phasing out while another phases in, they will not see
    each other. [bethmo 09/19/96]
  If a Legend is changed into something else for a while and changes back,
    it is considered the "new" one entering play and will be buried if there
    is already one in play. [Mirage Page 56]
  Cards which affect "all legends" or use similar text refer to Summon Legend
    cards.  They do not refer to cards from the Legends expansion set, nor do
    they refer to Legendary Lands.  [Duelist Magazine #2, Page 7]  The Mirage
    rulebook was a bit too general when it classified Legendary cards as all
    being Legends. [Aahz 10/22/96]
  A copy of a Legend (Clone, Doppelganger, etc.) will immediately be buried
    because it is considered the new Legend that is entering play.
    [Duelist Magazine #2, Page 7]
  If you have a Legend face down because of Illusionary Mask or some other
    effect, any duplicate Legend brought into play is still buried.
    [WotC Rules Team 12/15/94]
  All "Summon Elder Dragon Legend" cards have errata to make them say
    "Summon Legend" instead.  They have also never been considered as
    dragons. [Duelist Magazine #11, Page 57]
  The burial due to duplicate legends happens as a rule-speed trigger (which
    is just about as fast as a continuous effect) and will happen even before
    an interrupt can be declared.
  The effect of a Legend burying itself since it is the newest in play is
    considered to be controlled by the controller of the permanent that is
    burying itself.  [D'Angelo 07/30/96]
  Just because a card has a gold border does not make it a Legend.
  Token creatures can be Legends.
  All "Summon Legend" and "Legendary Land" cards were on the Duelists'
    Convocation restricted list (only 1 per deck) for tournaments from
    08/01/94 until 11/01/95.

Legendary Land:
  See "Legends".

Library:
  Also called your "draw pile". [Mirage Page 59]
  You do not need to show anything which goes into or comes out of your
    Library (unless it came from or goes to a publicly viewable place).
    [Mirage Page 59]
  The number of cards in your library is public information and any player
    has the right to know this count. [Mirage Page 59]
  Spells/abilities which allow you to dig into your library are not targeted.
    [Aahz 06/18/95]
  If an effect has you do something to more cards in your library than you
    currently have in your library, it affects all the remaining cards.
    [Mirage Page 59]
  You must have at least 40 cards in your library at the start of the game.
    [Mirage Page 46]
  Several cards let you choose a card (or cards) in your library, shuffle the
    rest of the library, and put the chosen cards on top.  The chosen cards
    are considered to be "in the library" during this time, and the entire
    action is one step.  You cannot use mana sources during this time.
    Consider it a kind of modified shuffle. [Aahz 03/17/97]

Life:
  You start the game with 20 life but may gain life and have a higher total
    during the game.
  You lose if you have less than 1 life at the end of any phase or the
    beginning or end of an attack. [Mirage Page 52]
  You cannot spend more life than you currently have.  It's not possible to
    pay life and end up with less than zero life. [Mirage Page 52]
  You can be knocked to below zero life by damage and loss of life.
    [Mirage Page 53]
  It is not possible to prevent or redirect any loss of life. [Mirage Page 53]
  If you are at less than 0 life, you are treated as having 0 life for all
    reasons other than changing your life total. [Mirage Page 52]
  If an effect has you lose a fraction of your life total and you are
    already below 0 life, your life total does not change. [Mirage Page 53]
  All players are entitled to know each other's life totals at all times.

Losing the Game:
  Check for player death due to less than one life at the end of each phase,
    the beginning and end of the attack. [Mirage Page 52]  This allows even
    sorceries and similar abilities such as Stream of Life to save the player.
    As long as you have a positive life total at the end of a phase, you will
    live.
  If both players have life totals of zero or less at the time it is checked,
    they both lose.  It does not matter if one player is more negative than
    the other.  They are both dead. [Mirage Page 52]
  You lose if you try to draw a card from your library and you can't because
    the library has no more cards.  This is true no matter how or why you are
    drawing a card and happens immediately and not at the end of the phase.
    [Mirage Page 53]
  Check to see if a player loses only after fully resolving a spell/ability
    and not part way through.  For example, if Wheel of Fortune is cast and
    neither player has enough cards in their library, they both lose.  It
    is not the first one to draw that loses. [Duelist Magazine #5, Page 123]
    This most often only applies to draw effects since that is one of the
    few ways to lose because of an effect.
  The damage prevention step that follows the resolution a spell/ability is
    not considered contiguous with the effect for purposes of "losing at the
    same time".  For example, if one effect made the current player draw and
    did lethal damage to a creature (which would cause the player to lose the
    game if that creature left play) while the current player had no cards in
    their library, the current player would lose prior to starting damage
    prevention.  The same goes for any triggered abilities due to a spell or
    ability's resolution.  A player can lose prior to resolving any triggered
    abilities. [D'Angelo 08/01/96]
  A player can concede at any time and if they do so they lose any ante
    they have put up. [bethmo]  This can be done at any time other than
    during the middle of the resolution of a spell/ability.
    [D'Angelo 11/08/96]
  A player loses if they have 10 or more Poison counters.  This is a
    continuous effect.

Loss of Life:
  Loss of life is not the same as damage.  Only players have life points.
    Creatures do not.  Unprevented damage will result in a loss of life.  Life
    can also be lost directly due to effects which do not cause damage.
  There is no way to prevent or redirect the loss of life caused directly by
    spells and abilities.  Only damage can be prevented. [Mirage Page 53]
    Many cards say this (as reminder text), but it is true even if they do
    not.
  Loss of Life in general does not have color associated with it.
  Abilities that trigger on loss of life also trigger when you pay life for
    something. [WotC Rules Team 02/06/96]
  Note that the pre-Fourth Edition Conservator has errata issued to say that
    it prevents damage to a player (rather than preventing loss of life) and
    that Forcefield has errata saying that it prevents all but 1 point of
    damage rather than causing one loss of life.

Lucky Charms:
  The Lucky Charms are: Crystal Rod, Iron Star, Ivory Cup, Throne of Bone,
    and Wooden Sphere.
+ Since these are triggered abilities, they can only be used once for each
    time their condition (an appropriate spell being cast) is met.  They
    trigger on the spell becoming "successfully cast". [D'Angelo 04/17/97]
  They are normal triggered abilities that can only be used at the time that
    ability is dealt with.  You cannot wait until later in the turn to use
    them. [D'Angelo 04/11/97]
  Abilities of cards like Soul Net and Tablet of Epityr are not considered
    "lucky charms" even though they have a similar effect. [Aahz 07/05/95]
  The Limited, Unlimited and Revised Edition versions do not say you can only
    use them once per spell, but they are triggered abilities and so are under
    this restriction anyway. [D'Angelo 10/16/96]
  Prior to Fifth Edition, the cards said they could be used later in the same
    turn.  This is no longer true. [D'Angelo 04/11/97]

Mana Burn:
  Mana burn is the loss of life caused by having extra mana in your pool at
    the end of a phase or at the beginning or end of an attack.  You lose 1
    life for each mana left in your pool. [Mirage Page 9]  Remember that
    loss of life cannot be prevented or redirected.
  Mana burn is a single action which uses all the mana in your pool.

Mana Pool:
  Spells' costs are not paid by tapping lands.  Spells' costs are paid by
    using mana from your mana pool.  You cannot shortcut mana from
    the land directly to the spell.  It must go to the pool first.
    [Mirage Page 9]
  Tapping basic lands is the most common way to add mana to your mana pool.
  You can leave mana in your pool during the casting of several spells.
  If you have mana in your pool at the end of a phase or the beginning or
    ending of an attack, then you will take mana burn (See the "Mana Burn"
    entry for information). [Mirage Page 9]

Mana Source:
  A mana source spell/ability can be used at almost any time. [Mirage Page 36]
  Mana sources do not go through the normal life-cycle, they resolve
    immediately after being announced. [Duelist Magazine #15, Page 28]  They
    are never responded to.
  Mana sources cannot be interrupted like other announced spells and abilities
    can. [Mirage Page 8]
  Any abilities which trigger off a mana source being used are dealt with
    normally. [Mirage Page 39]  But the triggers don't happen until after the
    resolution is complete.  Cards like Nether Void that trigger and try
    to counter the spell/ability will fizzle on a Mana Source like Dark
    Ritual. [Duelist Magazine #15, Page 28]
  Cards like Imprison can stop a mana source spell/ability from even being
    played.  [Duelist Magazine #15, Page 56]  Same for Drought.
    [Aahz 01/14/97]
  Tapping a land for mana is always done as a mana source even if it does not
    say so on the land.  Lands themselves are not considered mana sources.
  See the Spell and Ability Timing section for more information.

Modal Effects:
  Some spells/abilities require a choice as to which mode they operate in.
    This choice is a casting decision made on announcement.
    [Duelist Magazine #8, Page 50]
  If someone tries to redirect the spell/ability, they cannot change the mode
    of the effect. [WotC Rules Team 09/22/95]
  If a spell is modal and has different kinds of targets depending on the
    mode, you choose the mode before picking targets.  [D'Angelo 10/15/96]
  If the opponent gets to pick the mode, the caster must make all choices
    before knowing the mode.  This means, he may have to pick targets which
    won't actually be targeted upon resolution. [Aahz 10/07/96]
  Cards worded as "Do A to target X or do B to target Y" or "Do A or do B to
    target X" require you to choose which of the two options is being used.
    If the spell is Forked or Deflected, this choice of mode cannot be
    changed.  For example, Red Elemental Blast lets you choose to counter a
    spell or destroy a permanent.  If the choice is made to counter a spell,
    then a target spell is selected.  The Blast cannot then be redirected to
    target a permanent since that is an illegal target for the spell's mode.
    [Duelist Magazine #8, Page 50]
  Cards worded as "Do A to target X, Y, or Z" are not modal.  You do not have
    to choose the type of target before choosing the target.  For example,
    Twiddle can tap a land, artifact, or creature.  If the spell/ability was
    redirected, the type of the target could be changed, but the choice to
    tap or untap is modal and cannot be changed.
    [Duelist Magazine #8, Page 50]
  Interpreting to figure out if a spell is modal can be tricky.  In general,
    if the spell does more than one kind of effect (which is usually easy to
    pick out since there will be more than one verb) then it is probably modal
    with regards to those kinds of effects.
  Some spells/abilities are considered modal even though the choice is not up
    to the player.  For example, Gangrenous Zombies has two modes: "deal 1
    damage" and "deal 2 damage".  The mode is locked in on announcement and is
    not changed later even if which lands you control changes.
    [Duelist Magazine #8, Page 50]

Moving Enchantments:
  Several spells/abilities can result in the moving of a local enchantment
    from one target to another.
  The rulings in this section apply to enchantment movers, like Enchantment
    Alteration and Crown of the Ages, that say to treat the enchantment as
    if it were just cast.
  When moving an enchantment, play the card from scratch.  This means that
    all counters, modifications, cumulative upkeep, and choices associated
    with the enchantment are removed and you make all new choices as if you
    were freshly casting it. [Mirage Page 56]  This includes changes by
    interrupts such as Sleight of Mind.
  The enchantment considers itself as freshly entering play and will trigger
    any "comes into play" abilities which it has in its text.  For example,
    the damage from Earthbind or drawing a card for Krovikan Fetish.
    [Mirage Page 56]
  Other cards in play do _not_ consider the enchantment to have entered play
    or to have been "cast".  For example, a Verduran Enchantress or Lucky
    Charm will not trigger on the move.  Effects already in play just see
    a move and not a re-entering of play. [Mirage Page 56]
  You can move an enchantment onto a permanent that cannot normally be
    targeted by a spell or effect.  This is because the enchantment is just
    a permanent and is not considered either a spell or effect.
    [Mirage Page 56]  Examples are Deadly Insect and Autumn Willow.
    There is one exception, and that is Bartel Runeaxe which is never a legal
    target for an enchantment. [WotC Rules Team 05/26/96]
  Any choices made when moving the enchantment are made by the enchantment's
    controller/caster and not necessarily by the player using the move
    spell or ability. [D'Angelo 09/25/95]
  When the enchantment is moved, it forgets that it had been used that turn.
    So, you can use an Instill Energy again if you move it.
    [WotC Rules Team 09/15/94]
  If you move an enchantment such as Firebreathing after mana has been spent
    to pump it up, the effects of the pumping are directly on the creature and
    do not move with the Firebreathing card.  If you moved it after activation
    but before resolution, the effect will still happen to the original
    creature and not the new one because this is locked in on announcement of
    the ability. [WotC Rules Team 12/03/96]
  If the enchantment itself has upkeep costs or effects and you deal with them
    prior to moving it, you still have to deal with them again because it
    acts as just cast and forgets you dealt with it.
    [WotC Rules Team 11/16/94]
  If there is an X in the casting cost of the enchantment, treat X as zero
    when it is "re-cast".  [D'Angelo 04/14/95]
  If the enchantment was targeted by a spell or ability prior to being moved,
    the moving will not cause the targeting to fail.  It is still the same
    enchantment. [D'Angelo 09/26/95]
  Keep in mind that you cannot move an enchantment onto an illegal target
    using the current enchantment movers.  Thus, you cannot move a black
    enchantment onto a creature with protection from black.
  If the destination of the move is not in play upon resolution of an
    enchantment moving effect, the enchantment simply does not move.
    [Aahz 09/19/96]
  Cannot move a Dance of the Dead enchantment onto a live creature and you
    cannot move it onto a creature in a graveyard.
    [Duelist Magazine #7, Page 98]
  You can move a Dance of the Dead enchantment onto another creature which
    already has Dance of the Dead on it. [Duelist Magazine #2, Page 8]
    This ruling used to apply to Animate Dead before it got reworded in
    Fifth Edition.
  If an enchantment is moved onto something that turns out to be invalid,
    the enchantment "falls off" (is destroyed) after reaching the destination.
    For example, if a Chaoslaced Holy Armor is moved from a Scryb Sprite onto
    a Black Knight, the move is legal since a red enchantment can be moved
    onto a creature with Protection from White.  But during the move, the
    lace effect is lost and the enchantment turns White.
    [Duelist Magazine #10, Page 43]
  Moving an enchantment does not make its effect start as if it just came into
    play for purposes of the "apply effects in the order they enter play
    rule." [Aahz 11/08/96]
  For the enchantments that can be played as an instant, you do not get to
    choose to do that when you move them. [Aahz 10/15/96]
  When the enchantment is moved, any effects on the enchantment stay on it.
    For example, the enchantments that play as an instant and are scheduled to
    be buried at end of turn will still be buried at end of turn if they are
    moved. [Duelist Magazine #16, Page 24]

Multiplayer Rulings:
  Opponent is defined as any player other than yourself.
  In team play, opponent should not include your teammates.
    [WotC Rules Team 01/10/95]
  In multiplayer games, cards which read "both players" affect all players.
  A permanent that targets a player with a continuous ability has a single
    player chosen when it is cast.  This player choice cannot be changed
    even if the permanent changes control.  If the target player leaves the
    game then the permanent becomes useless but stays in play.
    [WotC Rules Team 01/10/95]
  A permanent that targets a player when it is activated may choose a player
    each time it is used. [WotC Rules Team 01/10/95]
  A permanent that says "opponent's choice" allows you to choose an opponent
    each time the choice needs to be made.  Examples are Demonic Hordes and
    Clergy of the Holy Nimbus. [WotC Rules Team 01/10/95]
  If a card reads "each upkeep" or "each turn", it means each of your
    upkeep phases or each of your turns.  If the card affects multiple
    players, it affects each player during his (or her) upkeep or turn.
  In most multiplayer rule sets, if a player is killed, all of that
    player's cards are immediately removed from the game.  This can have
    a drastic effect on the balance of power in the game.

Must Attack or Block:
  Sometimes a creature will be required to attack or block.
  All required attackers or blockers must be declared before or at the same
    time as any creatures which are not required to do so. [Mirage Page 49+50]
  If a creature is forced to attack, it does not have to attack immediately,
    but it must attack this turn if possible.  This means you must declare an
    attack (if possible) and send the creature out (if possible).
  Being already tapped or being tapped for a special ability prior to the
    attack will make it unable to attack.
  Being prevented by an effect such as Island Sanctuary or card text such
    as the Sea Serpent's "cannot attack if opponent has no Islands" will also
    make it unable to attack.
  You are not forced to maximize the number of "must attack" (or block)
    creatures that you can declare.  "Must attack" (or block) creatures do
    have to be declared first, but if one of them has Errantry on it you can
    declare that one and thereby cause the others to be unable to attack.  You
    cannot use a non-"must attack" creature with Errantry to do this, however.
    [D'Angelo 07/25/95]
  You cannot use the declaration of a non-"must attack" attacker as a way to
    avoid attacking with a "must attack" attacker.  For example, if you are
    only allowed to declare 2 attackers, those two slots must be taken by
    "must attack" creatures if possible. [WotC Rules Team 09/15/94]
  If something happens to make a "must attack" attacker able to attack, you
    must declare it at that time if possible.  For example, Orcish Conscripts
    cannot attack unless at least 2 other attackers do.  If the Conscripts
    must attack, you must declare it if you declare at least 2 other
    attackers. [D'Angelo 11/07/96]
  If there is a cost to declare the attacker, the fact that it would be
    required to attack if possible does not require you to pay the cost in
    order to allow it to attack.  For example, you don't have to pay the
    Brainwash cost on a Juggernaut.  If you do pay the cost, it must attack,
    but if you do not, it does not.  [Aahz 01/25/96]
  If a creature is required to block more creatures than it can legally
    block, then you must block as many as possible but you are otherwise
    free to choose what you block. [Mirage Page 50]
  A creature that must attack each turn, must attack during each attack in
    each turn. [DeLaney 01/28/97]

On Its Way to the Graveyard:
  This term was used prior to Fifth Edition to mean a card with a destroy
    effect or lethal damage on it.  It is not defined for Fifth Edition.

Order to Apply Effects:
  The rule for effects is that they are applied in the order in which they
    enter play.  [Mirage Page 29]  This also means that the most recent one
    takes precedence if the order matters.  For example, if Earthbind is
    placed on a creature and then Flight is placed on the creature, the Flight
    will take precedence because it is the newer effect.
  This goes for general continuous effects as well as it does for
    enchantments, spells, or abilities on a permanent.  If Gravity Sphere is
    put into play, it removes Flying ability from all creatures in play.  If a
    Flight spell were placed on the creature after that, the Flight would have
    precedence because it took effect more recently.  [bethmo 06/29/94]
  All kinds of effects are subject to this rule.  This includes enchantments,
    instants, abilities of permanents, and more.  Just resolve things in
    order.
  If the source of an effect is removed, reapply the effects in order of
    casting.  This does not happen often but is theoretically possible.
    For example, if you cast a Conversion spell to change all Mountains into
    Plains and then used Magical Hack on a second Conversion spell to
    turn all Mountains into Forests, the first one would be applied and turn
    them all into Plains.  The second one would find no Mountains in play,
    so it would do nothing.  Later, if the first one were removed, the
    second one would immediately discover the Mountains and convert them to
    Forests. [bethmo 06/29/94]
  Note that these rules apply to non-continuous effects as much as to
    continuous ones.  A non-continuous effect "enters play" when it resolves.
    Thus, a Jump spell can make a creature with Earthbind fly.
    [D'Angelo 08/01/96]
  Each permanent considers its built-in abilities to be the oldest effect
    upon itself and then the effects of other permanents are applied to it in
    order. [Mirage Page 30]  This means that if an enchantment says that
    all creatures lose Flying, a Flying creature that was in play before or
    enters play after this enchantment entered play will still lose Flying.
  Changing the base power/toughness of a creature (using Sorceress Queen) or
    altering the text of a card (using Sleight of Mind) will not change the
    "when it entered play" time for an effect. [D'Angelo 11/07/96]
  When a card phases in, it's effect is considered the new one in play for the
    order to apply effects. [Aahz 11/08/96]

Owner:
  See "Controller, Caster, and Owner".

Permanent:
  A permanent is any card in play (enchantments, creatures, artifacts, land)
    or any token in play which represents a creature (or other permanent
    type). [Mirage Page 10]
  Cards in play are not spells, they are "permanents".  They can no longer
    be affected by things that affect "spells" (e.g. Counterspell, Lifeforce).
  A permanent stays in play until destroyed by an effect or otherwise
    removed from play.  You cannot just destroy a permanent because you no
    longer want it. [Mirage Page 10]
  Spells which become permanents do not become permanents until they resolve.
    [Mirage Page 60]

Phase Cost:
  Phase Costs are payments that a player is supposed to make during a
    certain phase.  The most common phase costs are called Upkeep Costs.
    Generally, a phase cost is optional but contains a penalty for
    non-payment, but some phase costs must be paid if you are able.
  Paying (or not-paying) a phase cost is done as an instant. [Mirage Page 43]
    The cost is paid or not paid during announcement, and the phase cost is
    considered "dealt with" when the instant-speed action resolves.  At that
    time, the cost is either considered paid or any negative results of not
    paying are resolved.
  A phase cost may only be paid once per phase. [Mirage Page 43]  And they
    are almost always paid during your appropriate phase.
  Permanents with phase costs on them may not use optional abilities (like
    ones with activation costs) until the phase cost has been "dealt with".
    [Mirage Page 43]  If the phase cost is paid during upkeep, the ability
    cannot be used at any time during the turn prior to it being paid.
    [D'Angelo 11/07/96]
  Continuous and non-optional abilities are not prevented by phase costs.
  If you choose not to pay the phase cost, the optional abilities may be used
    as soon as the negative results are applied.  [D'Angelo 06/06/95]
    Under previous rules it was possible to use a mana source during the
    damage prevention after it was destroyed by not paying upkeep.  This is
    no longer true.  The card is put into the graveyard during the resolution
    so there is no chance after the resolution to use it. [Aahz 10/22/96]
  Phase costs are always dealt with.  Even tapping a non-creature, non-land
    artifact will not prevent the phase cost from being required.
    [Mirage Page 43]  The only way to avoid dealing with the phase cost is
    by removing the permanent from play. [Duelist Magazine #3, Page 15]
  Most phase costs are on a permanent.  You can avoid dealing with the phase
    cost by removing the permanent from play. [Mirage Page 43]  Or by
    removing the cause of the phase cost if that is possible.
  If a permanent has more than one phase cost applied to it, the costs combine
    into a single one.  You cannot pay just some of the phase costs on a
    permanent.  You must pay them all or not at all. [Mirage Page 43]
  If there are multiple phase costs (for the same phase) on a permanent, they
    are all paid at the time the latest one would be paid. [Mirage Page 43]
    For example, if part is paid "during upkeep" and the other part is "at the
    end of upkeep", the entire thing is paid at the end of upkeep.
  Even if a phase cost says you must pay it, you do not need to do anything
    special to make it payable.  So, if a phase cost says you must sacrifice
    a creature and you have no creatures, you are not required to use your
    The Hive to generate a creature.  Similarly, you are not required to
    draw mana from any mana sources in order to pay a phase cost (unless the
    effect says otherwise). [Aahz 08/20/96]
  If something happens which adds an phase cost during a phase, it must be
    paid.  For example, if a Doppelganger becomes a Lord of the Pit, during
    upkeep, a creature must be sacrificed.  [Duelist Magazine #3, Page 15]
  If not paying upkeep results in the card being destroyed or buried, the
    card is considered to be destroying or burying itself.  This is true
    even if the upkeep cost is imposed from an outside source.
    [WotC Rules Team 08/17/95]
  Optional phase costs are written as "Do something during your Xxxx phase or
    do something else".  You can choose to do either to deal with the cost.
    Mandatory phase costs are written as "Do something during your Xxxx phase.
    If you cannot do that, do something else".  You must do the something
    if possible.  If there is no "or" or "If you cannot do that" clause, then
    it is a phase effect and not a phase cost, and there is no bad effect if
    you cannot do it. [D'Angelo 12/03/96]
  Phase costs differ from phase effects in their wording.  Phase costs have
    something that happens if you do not pay.  For example: "During (your)
    Xxxx phase, do something or something else happens".  Also, the verb is
    usually "pay" or "sacrifice".  If you are unsure whether it's a phase cost
    or effect and the verb is something other than "pay" or "sacrifice", it is
    most likely a phase effect. [D'Angelo 12/03/96]

Phase Effects and Phase Abilities:
  Phase Effects are things you are told to do during a specific phase.  The
    term applies to something done during the middle of the phase, or to
    something done at the end or beginning of a phase.  An example effect is
    Unstable Mutation requiring during Upkeep that you put a -1/-1 counter
    on the creature it enchants.
  No player may let a phase end until all mandatory phase effects are dealt
    with.  [Mirage Page 42]
  Each player plays their own phase effects.  For example, the controller of
    Unstable Mutation will play that effect at a time of their choice during
    creature controller's upkeep. [Duelist Magazine #17, Page 24]
  Each phase effect is used only once per phase.  [Mirage Page 42]
  Phase effects played during the middle of a phase are played as instants.
    [Mirage Page 42]  You announce them like any normal spell or ability and
    the result takes place (and the phase effect is considered "dealt with")
    when the effect resolves.  They can also be part of batches.
  Phase effects played at the beginning or end of a phase follow the
    appropriate timing rules for effects played at that time.
  Most phase effects are imparted by a permanent.  You can avoid dealing
    with the phase effect by removing the permanent from play or by otherwise
    deactivating its effect (remember that non-creature, non-land artifacts
    deactivate when they are in a tapped state).  [Mirage Page 43]  For
    example, if you Disenchant an Unstable Mutation off a creature, you do not
    later need to put the -1/-1 counter on it.  If you already dealt with the
    effect prior to removing the permanent from play, however, this does not
    undo the effect.
  You may not announce the dealing with of a targeted phase effect unless
    there is a legal target at the time. [D'Angelo 09/25/96]
  If there is no legal target for a mandatory phase effect, you can end the
    phase without dealing with it. [Mirage Page 43]  For example, Erhnam Djinn
    says to give an opponent's creature ForestWalk during Upkeep.  You cannot
    end upkeep without dealing with this if there are any valid target
    creatures in play, but if there are no valid target creatures, you may
    do so.
  You can always choose not to use an optional phase effect.  In this case,
    you simply end the phase without declaring it.
  If a phase effect fizzles with respect to all its targets, it is considered
    dealt with and need not (may not) be used again.  It was successfully
    used. [Duelist Magazine #16, Page 25]  (REVERSAL)
  Having a phase effect applied to a permanent does not prevent the abilities
    of the permanent from being used.  [WotC Rules Team 11/16/94]  Only
    "phase costs" can do that.  See "Phase Costs" for more information.
  If more than one effect happens at the beginning or end of a phase, and the
    order of these effects matters, they are played in the same way as
    specialized effects. [Mirage Page 42]  This means the current player
    resolves all of his or her effects in any order desired, then the
    opponent resolves their effects in any order they desire.
  If a new beginning or end of phase effect is introduced which affects a
    player while dealing with that player's end of phase effects, you have to
    deal with the new effects as well.  But, once you pass a player's phase
    effects and go to the next player, you do not loop back and do the
    previous player's effects again.  Such extra effects are just ignored.
    [Duelist Magazine #15, Page 28]
  Note that beginning and end of phase effects done by permanents are dealt
    with in the same group with ones scheduled by Scheduled Effect.
    [D'Angelo 09/25/96]  This is important only in understanding that
    although specialized ability timing is used for such effects, that not
    all of them are specialized abilities.
  If an infinite loop of effects happens at the end of a phase, such as an
    Ivory Gargoyle and Vibrating Sphere (where you can't pay to remove it),
    simply figure out what the end result would be and continue.  In the
    Gargoyle and Sphere case, the Gargoyle is put into the graveyard and the
    player loses all their draw phases for the rest of the game.
    [WotC Rules Team 10/03/96]
  Phase effects are typically written as "During (your) Xxxx phase, (you may)
    do something."  Ones that are written "Cost: Effect.  Use this effect only
    during Xxxx phase" are not phase effects. [Aahz 10/16/96]

Phase Skipping:
  You check if you are to skip a phase right before it would start, which is
    the same as just after the end of the previous phase's "end of phase"
    effects.  If you are to skip it, then continue to the next phase.
    [Mirage Page 58]
  If you skip a phase to use an ability, then the phase is skipped as a cost.
    You cannot "spend" the same phase more than once.  You can only pay a
    phase during your turn and only before that phase starts. [Mirage Page 58]
  Some effects may cause you to automatically skip a particular phase.  These
    effects happen at the time the specified phase would start.  Instead of
    starting the phase, you just skip it. [Duelist Magazine #13, Page 26]
    Necropotence is an example.  If it is in play when your draw phase would
    start, you skip it.
  The effects which allow you to choose to skip a phase can override the
    automatic skipping because the choice effect is used earlier.
    [Duelist Magazine #13. Page 26]  Thus you may "spend" the phase prior to
    the automatic effect getting a chance at it.
  If more than one automatic phase skipping effect is in play, you choose
    which one actually causes you to skip the phase.  Normally, this does
    not matter, but it can in the case of the Ivory Gargoyle for which you
    have to skip a certain number of draw phases using its effect.
    [Duelist Magazine #13, Page 26]
  The Ivory Gargoyle ability that causes you to skip a draw phase is
    considered an automatic one. [D'Angelo 07/29/96]
  If an effect says to skip your next Xxxx phase, it means the next one you
    encounter.  It does not look into the future and pick a specific one.
    [D'Angelo 11/08/96]

Phasing:
  All your permanents which are "phased out", will "phase in" at the
    beginning of your untap. [Mirage Page 1]  They do not have to have
    Phasing ability to phase in, they just do.
  A permanent with Phasing ability which is in play will "phase out" at the
    beginning of your untap simultaneously with any other permanents "phasing
    in". [Mirage Page 1]  Permanents phasing out and phasing in at this time
    never are both play. [bethmo 09/19/96]
  When a permanent "phases out", it leaves play much as if it were removed
    from the game, except that any enchantments, counters, and permanent
    changes to the card phase out with it and are not removed.
    [Mirage Page 1]  Permanent effects (such as Ritual of the Machine) also
    stay with it. [Duelist Magazine #15, Page 28]
  All "at end of turn" effects or other effects on the permanent or that
    depend on it being in play are removed.  Also, all damage on it is
    removed. [Mirage Page 1]
  Permanents remember their history when they phase out.  For example, The
    Fallen remembers who it has damaged and Safe Haven will not forget what it
    has removed from the game. [Duelist Magazine #16, Page 24]
  When a permanent "phases in", it enters play in the same tap/untap state it
    was in when it phased out.  As far as the permanent is concerned, it never
    left play, does not have summoning sickness, and will otherwise continue
    where it left off. [Mirage Page 2]
  If the permanent was only under your control due to an effect which having
    the creature phase out would end, the permanent would switches controllers
    while phased out, it will phase in its old controller's untap phase, but
    it will phase in under it's new controller's control.
    [bethmo 10/03/96]
  Any effects that would trigger on the permanent coming into play are
    ignored.  [Mirage Page 2]  This includes effects that apply to a card
    coming into play, such as Kismet's effect. [Aahz 04/07/97]
  An apparent exception to this is having a Legend come into play.  The Legend
    phasing in will consider itself to be the newer one and will bury itself
    if another Legend of the same name is still in play.  Similarly, an
    Enchant World phasing in will bury an existing Enchant World.  This isn't
    really an exception, though since the Legend and Enchant World burials are
    continuous effects and not triggered. [D'Angelo 10/15/96]
  A token that phases out has left play so it is removed from the game.
    [Mirage Page 2]
  While phased out, the card does not change its tapped state and cannot be
    targeted by a spell or ability.
  Cumulative upkeep is not reset or increased while it is phased out.
    [D'Angelo 10/15/96]
  Creatures like Stangg and Hazezon Tamar which get token creatures when they
    enter play do not get those creatures when they re-enter.
    [WotC Rules Team 09/15/94] (Actually a ruling for Oubliette)
  When a card phases in, it's effects are considered the new ones in play for
    the order to apply effects. [Aahz 11/08/96]
  All cards phase in without summoning sickness regardless of whether or not
    they had it when they phased out. [Visions FAQ 02/16/97]
  If more than one card phases in at a time, you may need to determine the
    order in which the effects enter play.  See the "Simultaneous" entry for
    details on how to do this.
  Enchantments on a permanent phase in when the permanent phases in, but if
    the permanent never phases in, the enchantments do not return either.
    For example, a token creature with enchantments on it that phases out will
    leave the game and will never phase in, so its enchantments stay out of
    play. [WotC Rules Team 12/03/96]  This overrides the general rule that all
    your phased out permanents phase in.

Pitch Spells:
  This is the nickname for spells which allow you to discard cards (typically
    they are actually removed from the game) instead of paying the casting
    cost.  They were introduced in Alliances.
  This name has also been extended to cover other non-mana ways to cast
    spells.  For example, the Visions card Fireblast which lets you sacrifice
    Mountains.
  The card is discarded (or other non-mana cost is paid) at the time you
    announce the spell or ability and is considered to be paying the cost.
    [Duelist Magazine #11, Page 55]
  It does not actually change the casting cost of the spell for any other
    reasons, including spells or abilities like Spell Blast.
    [Duelist Magazine #12, Page 32]
  If there is a penalty on the cost of the spell, such as Gloom on a Scars
    of the Veteran, you must pay the penalty even if you use the "pitch"
    ability to avoid the rest of the casting cost.
    [Duelist Magazine #12, Page 32]
  You cannot use Sleight of Mind to stop a "pitch" spell which requires a
    card of a certain color to be discarded.  This is because the costs are
    paid prior to the Sleight being usable. [Duelist Magazine #12, Page 32]

Poison:
  Poison counters are poison counters.  A player dies if they have 10 (or
    more) such counters no matter what the source is.
    [Duelist Magazine #2, Page 7] This loss of the game is immediate.  It's a
    continuous effect.
  The "you die with 10 poison counters" effect is built into the poison
    counters.  You do not need a poison generating card in play for the
    rule to have effect. [D'Angelo 10/01/96]

Protection:
  A creature may have Protection from anything, but typically you get
    Protection from a color.
  Protection from <XXX> means that a creature: [Mirage Page 21]
    1.  Reduces damage from <XXX> to zero.
    2.  Cannot be blocked by <XXX> creatures.
    3.  Cannot be targeted by <XXX> abilities, spells, or enchantments.
        Not being targeted by <XXX> enchantments means that any such
        enchantments on the creature are buried.  The creature may be affected
        by <XXX> spells or abiltiies which do not target it specifically.
        Note that ability #1 still reduces damage from these untargeted
        abilities to zero.
  Protection from <XXX> does not protect creatures from general enchantments
    or spells.  So a creature with Protection from Red is still affected by
    Orcish Oriflamme.
  Protection from <XXX> does not stop damage prevention spells from working.
    Damage prevention spells target the damage and not the creature.  For
    example, you can use a Healing Salve to remove damage from a creature
    with Protection from White.
  See the "Targeting" entry for more information on what is targeted and
    what is not.
  Protection does not protect creatures from being sacrificed (even from
    spells or abilities of the appropriate type).  Sacrificing is not
    preventable.
  The "cannot be blocked by <XXX> creatures" ability is an absolute
    statement.  The creature cannot even be blocked by creatures of <color>
    which have Protection from the appropriate color.  So, a Black Knight
    and a White Knight cannot meet each other in combat.
  Protection from <XXX> protects the creature but it does not protect any
    of the enchantments on the creature. [bethmo]
  A Protection from <XXX> ability does not work for a creature while it is
    not in play. [Mirage Page 21]  Hence a White Knight can have Animate Dead
    cast on it and a Black Knight can be Resurrected.  Note that the White
    Knight would immediately dispel the Animate Dead and go back to the
    graveyard, but the example still holds.
  If Protection is gained during a damange prevention step, it will not
    reduce any damage already on creatures to zero.  It will only affect
    damage assigned after the Protection starts. [Aahz 02/16/97]

Protection from Color:
  See "Protection".

Rampage:
  After defense is chosen but before damage is assigned, an attacking
    creature with 'rampage *' gains +*/+* until end of turn for each
    creature beyond the first assigned to block it. [Mirage Page 22]
    This ability is triggered by declaring blockers so it happens at the end
    of that step.
  Bonus is applied when blockers are declared and lasts until the end of
    the turn.  Removing a blocker after this does not change the bonus.
    [Duelist Magazine #2, Page 7]
  Fog effects do not stop the bonus from being gained. [Aahz 02/09/95]
  If a creature which already has Rampage X gets Rampage Y added to it, it
    now has Rampage Z where Z=X+Y. [Duelist Magazine #13, Page 26]  So if a
    creature with Rampage 1 gains Rampage 1 again, it now effectively has
    Rampage 2.
  This used to be written "Rampage:X" and is now written "Rampage X".
  Note that this applies only to assigned blockers and not to all blockers.
    There are ways to have a creature end up as a blocker without being
    assigned.  For example, if you assign a creature to block a member of a
    band, the creature ends up blocking the other members but was never
    "assigned" to block them. [D'Angelo 10/15/96]

Regeneration:
  Regeneration is a means of preventing a creature from going to the
    graveyard.  It is used as a specialized ability at the time the creature
    would go there.  As a specialized ability, regeneration abilities cannot
    be used except when the creature is actually going to go to the graveyard.
  Regeneration actually prevents the creature from going to the graveyard so
    no effects of going to the graveyard will trigger. [Mirage Page 15]
  You may not even attempt to regenerate a creature which has been buried or
    sacrificed. [WotC Rules Team 12/03/96]
  You may attempt to regenerate a creature which "cannot regenerate" because
    of an effect like Bone Shaman. [Aahz 02/18/97]
  When a creature regenerates, any damage on it is removed. [Mirage Page 15]
  When a creature regenerates, all counters and enchantments or other
    modifications to the creature remain.
  When a creature regenerates, it becomes tapped.  This tapping is part of
    the effect of regeneration and not part of the cost.  This means that
    tapped creatures can still be regenerated. [Mirage Page 16]
+ If a creature is in an attack and it regenerates, it is removed from the
    combat [Mirage Page 5]  Being removed from combat does not negate any
    "at end of combat" effects on the creature.
  Regeneration effects generally target the creature they are played on
    (unless the regeneration is a built in ability or is granted by an
    enchantment on that creature).  [Aahz 04/07/97]

Removed from the Game:
  If a creature is "removed from the game" by some effect, it cannot be
    regenerated from this.  Also, all enchantments on the creature are put in
    the graveyard just like they would be if the creature were destroyed.
  Any player can look through the cards in the "out of the game" pile
    at any time. [Mirage Page 60]

Resolving Spells and Effects:
  Spells always resolve as completely as possible.  A spell that says "Do one
    thing.  Do another" or one that says "Do one thing and do another" will
    do both parts even if one part fails (see the next entry for the exception
    to this rule). [Duelist Magazine #5, Page 22]
  Spells that say "Do one thing to do another" do the first thing during
    announcement and as a cost, regardless of what that thing is.  The rest of
    the text is the effect. [Duelist Magazine #11, Page 56]
  Effects will try to keep doing their thing for their full duration (which
    may be permanent).  They do not continue to check if their target is
    legal after they resolve.  If the target of the effect becomes illegal,
    the effect still continues. [Mirage Page 34]  For example, if you steal
    a card with Aladdin or Seasinger, you do not lose control of the card if
    it stops being an artifact or creature (as appropriate).
  If the effect itself makes no sense when applied to the target, then the
    effect becomes dormant until it can take affect again. [Mirage Page 34]
    For example, if a creature has Giant Growth cast on it and then stops
    being a creature, the +3/+3 will remain dormant until either the end of
    turn (it's duration) or in case the card becomes a creature again.
    Note that the Mirage rulebook on page 34 uses the term "target is illegal"
    instead of "effect cannot be applied to the target".  This is an error.
    [Aahz 10/22/96]

Responding:
  Responding to a spell/ability means to add a spell/ability to the batch the
    one you are responding to is in.  See the major "Spell and Ability Timing"
    section for more information.

Rounding:
  Rounding down means to drop the fractional part.  Rounding up means to
    add one if there is a fractional part, and then drop the fractional part.
    [bethmo 05/30/94]

Sacrifice:
  A sacrifice is a burial of a permanent which is usually done as a cost.
    Sacrifices cannot be prevented by any means. [Mirage Page 33]
  You can only sacrifice things that you control. [Mirage Page 26]
  When done as a cost, the sacrifice happens during the announcing of the
    appropriate spell or ability.  You do not get the permanent back if the
    spell/ability is countered or otherwise prevented. [Mirage Page 26]
  There are a few spells/abilities which have you sacrifice something during
    resolution.  These sacrifices are still unpreventable. [D'Angelo 10/15/96]
  A given permanent cannot be sacrificed more than once. [Mirage Page 26]
    This makes sense when you think that you cannot pay the same mana point
    to power more than one spell.
  Sacrificing is not a targeted effect.  So Protection from Color or any other
    anti-targeting ability will not protect a creature from a sacrifice.
    [bethmo 10/03/96]
  A permanent can sacrifice itself to itself as part of an ability (if it is
    of the proper type) unless prevented by some card text or other means.
    [Duelist Magazine #5, Page 123]
  Some older cards had you sacrifice a card in your hand.  All such cards have
    errata changing these sacrifices into discards. [WotC Rules Team 05/10/95]
  The Antiquities expansion used the text "choose one of your artifacts in
    play and place it in the graveyard" to mean a sacrifice.  [bethmo]
  Any Limited/Unlimited/Arabian Nights/Antiquities card which destroys
    itself when used is considered to sacrifice itself.
    [WotC Rules Team 01/29/94]
  You can sacrifice something even if it is tapped or has just entered play.
    There is no summoning sickness or "turning off" for sacrifices.
    [D'Angelo 07/05/95]
  You may not even attempt to regenerate a sacrificed creature.
    [WotC Rules Team 12/03/96]  This is irregardless if the sacrifice is a
    cost or effect. [Aahz 11/08/96]

Simultaneous:
  Very few things in Magic are simultaneous, meaning "happening as an
    indivisible and unordered action".  While many things are indivisible,
    they are usually broken up into steps which are taken in order.
    Be careful with the use of this term.  The rulings summaries try to use
    this term only when it applies.
  If something is to be done simultaneously with something else and both
    things have decisions to be made, all decisions are made before you do
    anything.  Then you do all the simultaneous actions.  For example, untap
    is simultaneous, but you may need to decide what to untap.  If so, you
    do so before untapping anything.  This way, the untapping of any one
    thing (or more generally, any part of a simultaneous action) cannot
    affect any of the others. [D'Angelo 08/01/96]
  It is possible for several permanents to enter or leave play simultaneously.
    For example, Wrath of God's resolution will destroy all creatures at once.
    And a number of creatures can phase in at once. [D'Angelo 12/31/96]
  If more than one card enters play simultaenously, then the order in which
    the effects of those cards are applied to play needs to be determined.
    Note that calculating this order for effects does _not_ mean that the
    cards actually entered play in any order.  They entered play
    simultaneously, but their effects must have an order.  The order for the
    effects entering play is determined by the following rules.  When multiple
    cards enter play, the active player decides the order in which their
    effects enter play.  All enchantments on a card will have their effects
    enter play after the main card but before any other cards.  The local
    enchantments are considered to enter play after the card they are on, and
    in the same order (relative to each other) that they originally entered
    play.  Enchantments on those enchantments follow the enchantment they are
    on and precede any other enchantments.  For example, a Sandbar Crocodile
    is phased out with Flight and Earthbind on it (cast in that order).
    Feedback is on the Flight.  When it phases in, the Crocodile's effects
    are considered to enter play first, then Flight's effect, then Feedback's
    effect (since it is on the Flight), then Earthbind's effect.
    [Aahz 12/04/96]

Snow-Covered Lands:
  Think of "snow-covered" as another adjective about a card, like color or
    artifactness.  For example, a land can be a basic Plains and be animated,
    snow-covered, artifact, and blue all at once.
  Snow-Covered lands are treated like non-Snow-Covered lands of the same
    type.  Being snow-covered does not stop a land from being a basic land.
    [Mirage Page 62]  The Ice Age rulebook says "Snow-covered lands are
    considered basic lands."  What this means is that the cards named
    "Snow-covered XXXX" are considered to be basic XXXX cards.
    [D'Angelo 06/08/95]  The Mirage rule is a bit clearer.
  They are considered to be of the proper basic land type.  Anything which
    affects Plains will affect a Snow-Covered Plains.  Forestwalk will work
    on a Snow-Covered Forest. [Duelist Magazine #6, Page 132]  Land Tax and
    other cards that look for basic lands also work on them.
    [Duelist Magazine #7, Page 8]
  Effects that change a land type, like Phantasmal Terrain, cannot give a
    land Snow-Covered nature or take it away. [Mirage Page 62]  If you change
    a Snow-Covered Forest to a Mountain with Phantasmal Terrain, then it is a
    Snow-Covered Mountain.
  Cards which require Snow-Covered lands only work on such lands.  Ones that
    only require a land type work whether or not it is Snow-Covered.
    [Duelist Magazine #6, Page 132]
  Cards which look for a kind of landwalk work whether or not the landwalk
    is more specific or not.  For example, an effect that targets a creature
    with IslandWalk will work on one with Snow-Covered IslandWalk.
    [Duelist Magazine #8, Page 51]
  If you manage to make a non-basic land gain the snow-covered attribute, it
    does not become a basic land. [Duelist Magazine #7, Page 8]
  Cards which ask you to specifically name a card, such as Nebuchadnezzar,
    do not see "Swamp" and "Snow-Covered Swamp" as the same name.  They are
    distinctly named cards. [D'Angelo 01/07/96]
  Another way to evolve the rules for Snow-Covered lands is to compare them
    to creatures.  The land "Snow-Covered Swamp" is of 'land type' "Swamp" and
    it has the 'ability' "Snow-Covered".  Compare this to a creature
    "Whatumacallit" of 'summon type' "Thingy" and the ability "Flying".  If a
    spell affected all Thingies (Swamps), you would not care if it was
    Flying (Snow-Covered) or not.  If it affected all "Flying Thingies" (Snow-
    Covered Swamps), you would not consider non-Flyers an option.
    [D'Angelo 01/13/97]

Successfully Cast:
  A spell is considered successfully cast once it leaves step 2 of its life
    cycle.  See the "Life-Cycle of a Spell or Ability" entry in the Spell and
    Ability Timing section for more information.

Summoning Sickness:
  Creatures cannot attack (or be tapped for a special ability of their own)
    unless that creature's card or token has been in play on your side since
    the beginning of your most recent turn. [Mirage Page 14]  This includes
    all possible ways of getting creatures: Summon, Animate, Resurrect, Living
    Lands, Control Magic, etc.
  If a card or token starts your turn in play on your side, leaves your
    side and then returns in the same turn, and it is a creature, you cannot
    use it.  It must wait until it begins your turn in play on your side
    again.  [Mirage Page 28]
  It does not matter whether the creature was a creature at the start of your
    most recent turn.  It only matters if you have controlled its permanent
    since then.  This means you can animate a land or artifact and whether or
    not it has summoning sickness depends on how long you've controlled it.
    [Mirage Page 14]
  If a non-creature is tapped for an ability on the turn it enters play and
    is animated so that it is a creature at some time before the ability
    resolves, the effect will not fizzle. [D'Angelo 06/07/95]
  All permanents get summoning sickness when they come under your control.
    Some cards allow you ignore the effects of summoning sickness, but none
    remove it entirely.  So for example, a creature which just entered play
    but can ignore summoning sickness is immune to Siren's Call.
    [Aahz 12/07/96]
  Creatures with summoning sickness can be tapped by spells or by the
    abilities of permanents other than their own.  For example, Veteran's
    Voice and Icy Manipulator can be used to tap a creature which has
    summoning sickness. [D'Angelo 12/18/96]

Tap and Hold Abilities:
  Abilities for which you tap the card, and the effects last as long as the
    card is tapped are called 'tap and hold effects'.
  This is a kind of duration effect.  See "Duration Effect" in the Spell and
    Ability Timing section for more information.
  Although these cards only say "as long as it remains tapped", it also
    means "and is in play". [WotC Rules Team 02/06/96] A card which is not
    in play cannot be still tapped.   A similar rule applies to "as long
    as you control" effects; these wear off if the source of the effect leaves
    play. [WotC Rules Team 02/06/96]
  The effect lasts until the card is untapped.  This is similar to a normal
    time duration effect such as "until end of turn", but is "until the
    card which generated the effect is untapped or leaves play".
    [D'Angelo 09/12/95]
  If the card untaps before the tap and hold ability actually resolves, the
    tap and hold effect ends immediately after the ability resolves.  This
    means that the full effect takes place then stops immediately thereafter
    causing anything that happens when the effect ends to happen.
    [Duelist Magazine #9, Page 60]
  The effect continues even if the card loses its abilities (which is possible
    if an artifact is animated by Titania's Song or a land changes type by
    Phantasmal Terrain).  It only ends if the card untaps or leaves play.
    [D'Angelo 09/12/95]
  If one of these cards or its target leaves play temporarily by phasing out
    or by entering an Oubliette or Tawnos's Coffin, the effect will end and
    will not restart when it re-enters play. [D'Angelo 10/15/96]

Tapping a Permanent:
  Tapping a permanent with an effect will never trigger any ability on that
    permanent which has tapping as part of the activation cost.
  You can use a tap effect on an tapped card.  The effect does not
    "fizzle", but it does "fail" to do anything.
    [Duelist Magazine #5, Page 23]
  You cannot tap a tapped card as part of a cost.  Costs must be successfully
    done and cannot be faked. [D'Angelo 12/23/96]

Target:
  Some old spells/abilities let you pick a "target" and did not say what kind
    of target.  This was shorthand for "target creature or player".

Targeting--Announcing and Resolving:
  You may not announce a targeted spell or ability unless it is aimed at a
    legal target.  [Mirage Page 33]
  You may not announce a targeted spell declaring an illegal target with
    the intent to use an interrupt afterward to somehow make the target
    legal. [Mirage Page 33]
  If a spell/ability has you pick multiple targets, you may not pick the same
    target more than once.  There is an implied "multiple different targets".
    [Mirage Page 33]  But if the spell or ability has you pick a single target
    at one time and again has you pick a target later, you can pick the same
    target. [Mirage Page 58]
  Spells which target "all" of something can be played even if there is
    none of the somethings available.  For example, you can use Flashfires
    even if no Plains are in play.  This is because the spell does not require
    a target  to act upon.  It just does something.
  Some spells are modal in their targeting.  See the "Modal Effects" entry
    for more information.
  In addition to having a valid target when announced, a spell or ability must
    have a valid target when resolved.  If the target is not valid when
    the spell or ability would resolve, then it fizzles. [Mirage Page 34]
    Note that it only checks validity on announcement and on resolution and
    not continuously in between. [Mirage Page 34]
  If a spell has multiple targets and one of the targets becomes illegal,
    only that one portion of the spell fizzles out.  The rest of the
    targets are affected normally. [Mirage Page 34]  For example, if a
    Fireball is used on 3 targets and one is Unsummoned, the damage is still
    spread between the 3 targets with one target's damage fizzling out.
  If all the targeted parts of a spell fizzle, then the untargeted parts will
    not take effect, and the spell as a whole is said to fizzle.
    [Mirage Page 34] For example, Crumble targets an artifact to be buried
    and has an untargeted gaining of life.  If the target becomes invalid and
    the spell fizzles then no life will be given.
  Note that some cards target something which is used in the cost, for
    example "tap target creature to do ...".  In this case, the target only
    needs to be legal at the time the cost is paid and not on resolution as
    well. [Duelist Magazine #13, Page 26]  This rule applies to all ways that
    costs can do something to a card.
  There are many ways to make a target illegal before resolution.  The
    most common way is for the target to be destroyed, unsummoned, or
    otherwise removed from play prior to resolution.  Other requirements
    on the targeting may be invalidated due to adding Protection to a target
    creature, or through the use of interrupts to change the color or wording
    of the spell or target.
  Spells can be modified between being announced and being successfully cast.
    If something about the targeting makes the target choice illegal at that
    time then the spell will fizzle.  Effects have all their attributes
    set on announcement and even text changes to the source card cannot make
    the effect fizzle.  It remembers what the text said when it was
    announced. [Mirage Page 26]
  Some permanents have you pick a target when they are played.  This target
    choice stays with the permanent and cannot be changed. [Mirage Page 35]
    For example, Kismet and Black Vise both target a player when played.  The
    choice of player is made on casting and does not change later.
  If a card reads "a xxx" or "any xxx" it means "any one xxx in play, no
    matter who it belongs to."  [bethmo]
  If a card requires a target when played, then it requires a target in all
    ways in which it can be brought into play. [Aahz 02/16/97]  For example,
    you cannot Eureka an Enchant Creature into play without a creature to
    target, nor can you put Clone in for the same reason.
  See "Resolving Spells and Abilities" for more information on what happens on
    resolution.

Targeting--Is Something Targeted:
  New cards are clear as to when something is targeted (it will use the word
    'target' on the card), but older cards were not so clear.
  All local enchantments target the thing they are played on.
  Choosing defenders is not a choice that makes something a targeted spell or
    ability. Hence abilities which affect creatures "blocking" or "blocked by"
    a creature are not targeted and are not stopped by Protection from Color.
    For example, a Green Ward will not save a creature from being destroyed by
    the Thicket Basilisk.  [WotC Rules Team 02/07/94]
  Combat damage and effects are not targeted.  This means that the Basilisk
    gaze, Battering Ram ability, Aisling Leprechaun, and others are not
    targeted abilities and will therefore not be prevented by Protection from
    Color or other "you can't target me" effects.
  Any spell or permanent that affects itself does so in a non-targeted way.
    [D'Angelo 05/19/95]  Although some targeted spells and abilities can be
    aimed at the permanent that generated the effect.  If this happens, it is
    still a targeted spell/ability.
  Spells/abilties which affect a card which is in the graveyard are targeted.
    [Duelist Magazine #5, Page 123]
  Enchantments on a permanent target the permanent (as a spell) when cast and
    continue to target it (as a permanent) while in play.  The abilities of
    enchantments generally do not target the card they are on, however.
    For example, Firebreathing's effect does not target the creature to give
    it +1/+0 and Regeneration does not target the creature when it is used.
    [WotC Rules Team 02/09/95]
  Damage prevention cards almost never say they are targeted, but they target
    damage "packets".
  When deciding if an older spell/ability targets a something or if it is a
    general spell/ability, just ask if the player using the spell/ability at
    any time chooses something to be affected.  If no choice is made, then it
    is a general spell/ability, if at least once a card or target must be
    specified, then it is a targeted spell/ability. [bethmo]

Targeting--Valid Targets:
  Damage prevention spells usually target the damage and not the source of
    the damage or even the creature or player with damage on it.
    [Mirage Page 44]
  You may target a spell/ability which removes an ability at a permanent
    without that ability.  It just does nothing.
    [Duelist Magazine #5, Page 23]
  You may target a tapping spell/ability at a tapped card or an untapping
    spell/ability at an untapped card unless the card says it targets a tapped
    or untapped permanent. [Duelist Magazine #5, Page 22]
  Spells that target "attacking" or "defending" creatures may only be used
    during an attack and only if there is an appropriate creature to target.
  You cannot target a spell which will become a permanent with a spell/ability
    that targets a permanent until the permanent resolves.  Prior to it
    resolving, it is just a spell.

Token Creatures:
  Token creatures are in all ways like card creatures, except they are not
    cards. [Mirage Page 23]  Some older spells/ability which target "cards"
    instead of "permanents" cannot target token creatures.
  The color and creature type of token creatures is set by the spell or
    ability which created them.  The token name and creature type name are the
    same (unless overridden). [Mirage Page 23]  Tokens do not inherit the
    color of the spell/ability that made them.
  Token creatures are removed from the game entirely if they are ever removed
    from play. [Mirage Page 24]  This happens as a continuous effect, which
    means it happens during the resolution of whatever effect removes it from
    play, so the token will be gone before triggered abilities happen.
    [D'Angelo 10/15/96]  Removal from play means sending to hand, library,
    graveyard, phasing out, and so on.
  Before leaving the game token creature actually do go to the graveyard or
    other out-of-play zone very briefly.  Trips to the graveyard can be used
    by Soul Net and other cards. [Mirage Page 24]  This means that abilities
    which triggering off them leaving play to the appropriate place do
    trigger.
  Token creature are considered to have a zero casting cost. [Mirage Page 23]
    Note that this is true even if a cost was paid to generate the token
    creature (i.e. a Wasp from the Hive).
  A Clone (or other copy card) used on a token creature is a card and not a
    token, so the copy ignores the rules about token creatures which appear
    on some cards as reminder text.  Token creatures, such as the ones the
    Tetravus makes, may have rules on them and those are copied.
  Token creatures are not considered to have expansion symbols on them so
    they ignore "expansion killer" cards like City in a Bottle or
    Golgothian Sylex.
  The 'owner' of the token is the player that played the spell/ability that
    brought the token into play. [Aahz 06/08/95]  This is true even if the
    spell/ability brings the token into play under another player's control.
    [Bethmo 05/16/96]

Trample:
  Trample is an ability that allows an attacking creature to do damage to the
    defending player even when blocked.  All it has to do is overcome the
    blocker(s).
  Any successfully dealt trample damage (when added to other damage on the
    creature) in excess of a blocker's toughness is redirected to the
    defending player (and causes a second damage prevention step).
    [Mirage Page 18]  Remember that there is a chance to prevent or redirect
    damage prior to the damage becoming successfully dealt.  See "Damage
    Prevention" in the "Spell and Ability Timing" section for details on
    exactly when this happens.
  When determining how much excess Trample damage goes through when there is
    a mix of Trample and non-Trample damage are involved, non-Trample damage
    is applied first, and Trample damage applied is applied afterwards.
    [Mirage Page 19]
  If by the time damage dealing comes around, a trample creature has no
    blockers or all the blockers are unable to receive damage, all of the
    trample damage is delivered directly to the defending player.
    [Mirage Page 18]
  Remember that if more than one blocker is blocking a creature that the
    damage from that creature may be divided up among the blockers in any way.
    You may put all of it on one blocker (even if it exceeds the blocker's
    toughness) or you can spread it around.  Normally, the attacking player
    divides the damage among the blockers, but if a blocker has banding, the
    defending player does so.
  See "Damage Prevention" and "Damage Redirection" for more information.
  Defenders do not get to use Trample ability.  Only attackers.
  Damage loses its Trample nature when redirected. [D'Angelo 01/06/96]
  Whippoorwill, which prevents redirection, will not prevent Trample damage
    from passing through. [Aahz 11/07/96]

Untap Cost:
  Follow the same timing rules as Phase Costs but differ in other ways.
    [Mirage Page 47]  See "Phase Cost" for more information.
  You are not required to pay untap costs. [Mirage Page 47]
  If you have a way to untap the card with a spell/ability (such as Instill
    Energy), you do not also have to pay the untap cost.
    [Duelist Magazine #3, Page 15]
  Untap costs which are not used at the end of a phase, may be used more
    than once if desired. [Mirage Page 47]  For example, a creature with
    Paralyze on it may be untapped any number of times during Upkeep as long
    as you can keep paying the 4 mana.
  Must pay the entire untap cost on a creature or none of it.  For example,
    if an Island Fish Jasconius had two Paralyze spells on it, you would have
    to pay the three blue mana plus 8 mana of any color to untap it.
    [Duelist Magazine #7, Page 98]

Untapping a Permanent:
  Untapping a permanent does not undo the effects of that card; it merely
    makes the card available to be used again. [bethmo]
  You can use an untap spell/ability on an untapped card.  The spell/ability
    does not "fizzle", but it does "fail" to do anything.
    [Duelist Magazine #5, Page 23]
  An external effect which untaps the card, such as Jandor's Saddlebags,
    Twiddle or Instill Energy is not cumulative with untap costs.  They just
    untap the card. [Duelist Magazine #7, Page 98]
  You cannot untap an untapped card as part of a cost.  Costs must be
    successfully done and cannot be faked. [D'Angelo 12/23/96]

Upkeep Cost:
  See Phase Cost.

Walls:
  Walls are in all senses creatures.  They are affected by any spell or
    ability which affects creatures (including Paralyze, Terror, Creature
    Bond, and so on).  [Mirage Page 13]
  Walls cannot attack even if power is greater than zero.  If Animate Wall
    is used on them, they may attack even if power is zero.
  Creatures which say "Counts as a wall" are Walls.

X Cost:
  If there is an 'X' in the cost, consider the amount paid in 'X' to be
    part of the cost during casting, but to be zero at all other times.
    [Mirage Page 31]
  Spells with an X cost can legally be cast with zero as the X, unless
    otherwise stated on the card.
  Spells with an X cost are declared when they are cast as to how much mana
    is in them.  This amount cannot be increased or decreased after it is
    declared.
  If more than one X is in the cost, both Xs must be the same.  In fact, all
    Xs on the card are considered to have the same value.
    [Duelist Magazine #13, Page 27]

Zones:
  There are 9 zones in Magic.  Each player has their own version of each zone.
  The zones are: Hand, Graveyard, Library, Territory, Out of Game, Out of
    Play, Set Aside, Ante, and Limbo.
  If a card moves from one zone to another, it forgets everything about what
    it was doing and any effects which were upon the card lose track of it.
    [Mirage Page 58]  The only effects that can track are ones that
    specifically do track certain transitions (i.e. from play to the
    graveyard).
  An ability that triggers on something going from one zone to another is not
    resolved until after the something gets to its target zone.
    [Mirage Page 60]
  The Hand, Library, Graveyard, Ante, and Out of Game zones are fairly
    self-explanatory.
  The Territory is also known as your "in play" area.  Tokens cannot exist
    outside of this zone.  [Mirage Page 59]
  An Out of Play card is one that is not in play but is expected to return to
    play at some time.  Cards in this zone can be examined only if the card
    could have been examined while it was in play. [Mirage Page 59]  This
    usually only applies to permanents.  In some cases, as with Phasing, the
    card may even keep counters and enchantments.
  Some effects have cards "Set Aside".  These cards are commonly put under
    or near other cards which are in play, but these cards are not in play.
    [Mirage Page 59]  Cards that are set aside may only be viewed if the
    effect that puts them there makes them face-up.
  Limbo is the place where spells that have been announced but are not yet
    resolved are.  Such cards are not in your hand, in play or in the
    graveyard. [Mirage Page 59]  Cards in this zone break one of the basic
    rules of zones.  They can enter and leave this zone and carry changes
    with them.  Normally zone changes clear a card's "memory".


Tournament Rulings
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

General:
  Most tournaments are now being played as per the most recent card texts.
    This means you play all cards as if they read like the most recent English
    language version of the card (plus errata).
  All cards are played according to the text on the most recent edition of the
    card plus any errata. [Tourney Rules 10/01/96]  This used to be up to the
    judge to allow cards to be played as they read.
  Non-English language cards are to be played by the most recent English
    language version of that card.  Translational errors are avoided in this
    way. [Tourney Rules 10/01/96]  For misprinted cards with the wrong art,
    the card is played according the title and text.  The art is unimportant.
    [D'Angelo 03/17/97]
  Mixed language decks can be played. [Aahz 07/09/95]
  If during tournament play, a player forgets to deal with upkeep prior to
    drawing their card, the upkeep is considered as if the player chose not
    to pay it. [Aahz 08/12/96]  This is a fix put in place to stop people
    from purposely "forgetting" to pay upkeeps until they see what's going
    on.  The rules actually require that a player who forgets something should
    go back and deal with it, but if that rule appears to be bent by a
    player's actions, this rule should be used instead.  Try giving a player
    a warning or two before going full force on this one.

Floor Rules:
  Fifth Edition rules become the standard rules as of November 8, 1996.
    [Update 10/01/96]
  Decision of the judge is final.  This is true even if the judge turns out
    later to have made an incorrect ruling. [Tourney Rules 10/01/96]
  All tournaments are single elimination, double elimination, round-robin,
    or Swiss draw format with each round consisting of up to 3 duels during
    a fixed time limit.  A win gets 3 points and a draw gets 1 point.  A bye
    gives a player 6 points.  [Tourney Rules 10/01/95]
  Players cannot change the contents of their deck and sideboard throughout
    the entire tournament, but cards can be rotated between the deck and
    sideboard between games.  The sideboard (if used at all) must always have
    exactly 15 cards (except in Sealed Deck tournaments).
  Players may not play for ante. [Tourney Rules 10/01/96]
  If a player draws all land or no land in the initial 7 cards, they can
    call a 'mulligan' and reshuffle, recut, and draw again.  If a player does
    this, the opponent has the option of doing so as well.  Each player is
    allowed to use this rule once per duel. [Tourney Rules 10/01/96]
  Card sleeves are allowed on cards, but the judge or opponent in a specific
    duel may request that they be removed.  If this is requested, it must
    be complied with.  If sleeves are used, all cards in the deck, library and
    sideboard must be identically wrapped.  If holograms are on the sleeves,
    they must be on the face (not the back) of the cards.  Players can ask the
    judge to inspect the sleeves and can disallow them if they are obviously
    marked, worn, or in a poor condition that may interfere with shuffling.
    [Tourney Rules 10/01/96]
  Black-backed sleeves are allowed but are subject to the normal sleeve
    removal rule.  The deck must be fully legal without the sleeves.
    [DCI Letter Jan 1997]
  You can always use a card sleeve as a reminder when placing one of your
    cards in your opponent's territory.
  Using "proxy" cards is not allowed. [Tourney Rules 10/01/96]
  If a deck contains Alpha printing cards, it must consist entirely of them.
    You should also inform the judge that your deck is so constructed.
    [Tourney Rules 10/01/96]
  A time limit of 45 or more minutes may be placed on a round other than the
    semi-final or final rounds.  A 10 minute warning should be given.  The
    duel is over when the time is called, except the current player has 60
    seconds to finish their turn.  The turn is considered started if they
    had already untapped all their cards. [Tourney Rules 10/01/95]
    A time limit may be placed on the final rounds, but it is strongly
    recommended that the judge not do so. [Aahz 01/14/97]
  The head judge may terminate a match early.  If this is done, at least a 30
    minute warning must be given.  It a mgame is terminated this way, the
    judge will give the player who is currently in the middle of their turn
    a fixed amount of time to finish it. [Tourney Rules 10/01/96]
  If time runs out during the second duel, the player who won the first game
    wins the match.  If it runs out during the first or third duel, the match
    is decided by the judge.  In the normal case, the judge should call the
    match a draw.  If the tournament is an elimination tournament where a
    player must advance, the judge should declare the player with the higher
    life total the winner.
  Players can look through their sideboards during play. [bethmo 07/18/95]
  After whatever normal shuffling you do, you are required to do three "riffle
    shuffles" (this is the standard shuffle technique of dividing the deck in
    half and then placing the ends of the two halves together and rapidly
    interleaving them as the fall together). [Tourney Rules 10/01/96]
  Your opponent is always entitled to shuffle your deck before each duel
    begins if they want to.  They get the right to a final shuffle if they
    want it.  [Mirage Page 46]  This is to prevent people from possibly
    stacking the deck.  Usually people just settle for "cutting the deck".
  Your opponent is always entitled to shuffle or cut your deck after any
    shuffle during a game.  They may not use this opportunity to view cards
    in your deck. [Tourney Rules 10/01/96]
  As per the game rules, the first player each game skips their draw phase.
    The winner of the coin toss before the each match decides if they want
    to play first or to draw first. [Mirage Page 46]
  You are not allowed to waive any penalties imposed by the judge on your
    opponent.  Violation of the floor rules must be enforced.
    [Update 10/01/96]
  Players are allowed only 5 minutes prior to each duel to do sideboarding,
    deck shuffling and shuffling/cutting of opponent's deck.  Violation of
    this rule is considered stalling and may result in a warning or
    disqualification as decided by the judge.  The judge may alter this time
    limit (usually lowering it) but if so, this must be advertised prior to
    the tournament. [Update 10/01/96]
  Players in a tournament environment that withdraw before the first match
    will receive a loss for that match and the opponent will receive a win.
    Players may withdraw between matches without penalty. [Update 04/01/97]

Other Regulations:
  In a strict tournament, there are some additional rules that get enforced.
  If the tournament requires deck registration, any player discovered with a
    deck that does not match the registration forfeits a game.
    [Duelist Magazine #14, Page 52]
  If a player is found with an illegal deck (as with less than 60 cards),
    they forfeit the match, and may even be upgraded to ejection from the
    tournament. [Duelist Magazine #14, Page 52]  Ejection is normal in games
    which do not have registered decks so it cannot be determined where
    the deck became illegal. [Aahz 01/14/97]
  If you "forget" to pay upkeep before drawing your card or otherwise
    proceeding, you must go back and deal with all mandatory upkeep effects,
    but optional ones are all considered to go unpaid (with the stated
    results). [Duelist Magazine #14, Page 52]
  Be sure to collect your cards after each game.  Losing cards to another
    player may cause your deck to be misregistered or fall below the 60 card
    minimum.  If such a mistake is discovered, both players forfeit a game.
    [Duelist Magazine #14, Page 52]
  Players may be required by the judge to record deck contents, including
    changes to the deck from the sideboard. [Tourney Rules 10/01/96]
  If a player leaves a Pro-Tour event without checking out, they are banned
    from the next equivalent event. [Duelist Magazine #14, Page 52]
  Being caught cheating will automatically cause disqualification.  Cheating
    includes (but is not limited to): receiving outside assistance or
    coaching, scouting other player's cards, underpaying mana, using marked
    cards, marking cards during play, drawing extra cards, manipulating which
    cards are drawn from your (or your opponent's) deck (including stacking a
    deck to separate land and spell cards), arranging cards in a deck to
    manipulate card draw, and deliberately stalling to take advantage of a
    time limit. [Tourney Rules 10/01/96]
  Players must take their turns in a timely fashion.  Deliberately stalling
    is not allowed and can give you a warning.  Failure to begin a match in
    a timely way in order to get a psychological advantage is grounds for
    disqualification. [Tourney Rules 10/01/96]
  Unsportsman-like conduct is not allowed.  Profanity and arguing or acting
    belligerently toward a tournament official will give a warning.  Repeat
    offenses will result in disqualification. [Tourney Rules 10/01/96]
  Collusion to alter the results of a duel or match (meaning trying to get
    someone to throw a game or match) is considered unsportsman-like conduct.
    [Tourney Rules 10/01/96]
  Both players may agree to call a game a draw before the start of a duel (or
    the match a draw before the start of a match).  This is called the
    "Intentional Draw" rule.  This is not considered to break any other rules.
    It cannot be declared during or just after a duel.
    [Tourney Rules 04/01/97]
  Players must keep the cards in their hand above the table.  First violation
    is a warning and the second may result in disqualification.
    [Tourney Rules 10/01/96]
  Wizards of the Coast reserves the right to publish deck contents as well as
    transcripts or video of any sanctioned tournament.
    [Tourney Rules 10/01/96]
  Use of counterfeit cards in decks is considered cheating and is subject to
    legal action as well. [DCI Letter, Jan 1997]
  A player can always request that a judge check the opponent's deck to see
    that it only contains legal and genuine Magic cards.
    [DCI Letter, Jan 1997]

Type I:
  This is also called "Classic Rules".
  Can be composed of cards from any edition or expansion of Magic (unless the
    judge says otherwise).  Collector's Edition cards are not allowed.
    Promotional cards are allowed.  The poker cards are not allowed (despite
    the April Fools article in the Duelist).
  There is a grace period of one month from the date of the release of a new
    edition or expansion during which the new cards are not valid.  After that
    30 day period, the new cards will be allowed. [Tourney Rules 10/01/95]
+ As of 07/01/97, new card sets become effective on the first day of the
    month following their introduction.  If a set is relesed in the last two
    weeks of a month, then the set's effective date is pushed out to the
    first of the second month.  For example, a set released on January 8th
    is legal on February 1st, and one released on January 25th is legal on
    March 1st. [Update 05/01/97]
  Minimum of 60 cards in a deck.
  Optional 'sideboard'.  If you have one, it must be exactly 15 cards.
  No more than 4 of any card which is not a basic land can be in the
    combination of deck and sideboard.  Cards with different art or in
    different languages or from different prints but which are the same card
    are considered the same.
  Some cards are 'restricted' so that only one may appear in the combination
    of deck and sideboard.  These cards are:
    [Tourney Rules 10/01/96]
        Ancestral Recall      Fork                   Mox Sapphire
        Balance               Ivory Tower            Mox Jet
        Berserk               Library of Alexandria  Recall
        Black Lotus           Maze of Ith            Regrowth
        Braingeyser           Mirror Universe        Sol Ring
        Candelabra of Tawnos  Mishra's Workshop      Timetwister
        Copy Artifact         Mox Emerald            Time Walk
        Demonic Tutor         Mox Pearl              Underworld Dreams
        Fastbond              Mox Ruby               Wheel of Fortune
        Feldon's Cane                                Zuran Orb
  Some cards are 'banned' so that none may appear in the deck or sideboard.
    These cards are: [Tourney Rules 10/01/96]
        Amulet of Quoz        Darkpact               Mind Twist
        Bronze Tablet         Demonic Attorney       Rebirth
        Channel               Divine Intervention    Shahrazhad
        Chaos Orb             Falling Star           Tempest Efreet
        Contract from Below   Jeweled Bird           Timmerian Fiends
  Ring of Ma'Ruf can only bring in cards from the sideboard or ones that were
    removed from the game by an effect such as Swords to Plowshares.

Type II:
  This is also called "Standard Rules".
  Can be composed of cards from the most recent edition of The Gathering
    (currently Fifth Edition) and all available limited edition expansions
    (currently Alliances, Mirage, and Visions).
  Snow-covered lands are no longer legal. [bethmo 11/18/96]
  The policy for removal of sets is that each new edition of the base set
    will replace the previous one 30 days after release of the new base set.
    A new standalone set will replace the previous standalone set.  A new
    limited expansion will replace the oldest limited expansion over 10 months
    old. [Update 10/01/96]
+ As of 07/01/97, Can be composed of cards from the most recent edition of The
    Gathering (currently Fifth Edition) and all sets from the two most recent
    "blocks" of expansions (currently Ice Age-Homelands-Alliances, and
    Mirage-Visions-Weatherlight).  A "block" is a stand-alone set and the two
    expansion sets which follow it.  This means that cards stay in use for
    approximately two years.  The Ice Age-Homelands-Alliances "block" will
    rotate out (all three sets) when the next stand-alone is introduced.
    [Update 05/01/97]
  Cards from previous editions or expansions which are in the current one
    are allowed.  Collector's Edition and promo cards (which do not appear
    in a currently allowed set) are not allowed.
  There is a grace period of one month from the date of the release of a new
    edition or expansion during which the cards valid under the Type II rules
    prior to that edition/expansion are still valid and the new cards are
    not valid.  After that 30 day period, the new cards will be allowed
    and any old ones will be disallowed. [Tourney Rules 10/01/95]
+ As of 07/01/97, new card sets become effective on the first day of the
    month following their introduction.  If a set is relesed in the last two
    weeks of a month, then the set's effective date is pushed out to the
    first of the second month.  For example, a set released on January 8th
    is legal on February 1st, and one released on January 25th is legal on
    March 1st. [Update 05/01/97]
  Minimum of 60 cards in a deck.
  Optional 'sideboard'.  If you have one, it must be exactly 15 cards.
  No more than 4 of any card which is not a basic land can be in the
    combination of deck and sideboard.  Cards with different art or in
    different languages or from different prints but which are the same card
    are considered the same.
  There are no longer any 'banned' (so that none may appear in the deck or
    sideboard cards) which appear in the legal sets.
  There is no 'restricted' list any more. [Tourney Rules Update 12/01/96]
+ As of 07/01/97, Ice Age and Homelands are re-introduced to the card mix
    and the following cards are added back to the banned list:
    [Update 05/01/97]
        Amulet of Quoz (IA)   Timmerian Fiends (HL)    Zuran Orb (IA)

Type I.5:
  This is also called "Classic Restricted Rules".
  Can be composed of cards from any edition or expansion of Magic (unless the
    judge says otherwise).  Collector's Edition cards are not allowed.
    Promotional cards are allowed.  The poker cards are not allowed (despite
    the April Fools article in the Duelist).
  There is a grace period of one month from the date of the release of a new
    edition or expansion during which the new cards are not valid.  After that
    30 day period, the new cards will be allowed. [Tourney Rules 10/01/95]
+ As of 07/01/97, new card sets become effective on the first day of the
    month following their introduction.  If a set is relesed in the last two
    weeks of a month, then the set's effective date is pushed out to the
    first of the second month.  For example, a set released on January 8th
    is legal on February 1st, and one released on January 25th is legal on
    March 1st. [Update 05/01/97]
  Minimum of 60 cards in a deck.
  Optional 'sideboard'.  If you have one, it must be exactly 15 cards.
  No more than 4 of any card which is not a basic land can be in the
    combination of deck and sideboard.  Cards with different art or in
    different languages or from different prints but which are the same card
    are considered the same.
  There is no restricted list.
+ It used to be that all cards banned or restricted for Type I or Type II were
    banned in this tournament type.  Now a list is kept.
+ Some cards are 'banned' so that none may appear in the deck or sideboard.
    These cards are: [Tourney Rules 03/01/97]
        Amulet of Quoz        Falling Star           Rebirth
        Ancestral Recall      Fastbond               Recall
        Balance               Feldon's Cane          Regrowth
        Berserk               Fork                   Shahrazad
        Black Lotus           Ivory Tower            Sol Ring
        Black Vise            Jeweled Bird           Strip Mine
        Braingeyser           Land Tax               Tempest Efreet
        Bronze Tablet         Library of Alexandria  Time Walk
        Candelabra of Tawnos  Maze of Ith            Timetwister
        Channel               Mind Twist             Timmerian Fiends
        Chaos Orb             Mirror Universe        Underworld Dreams
        Contract From Below   Mishra's Workshop      Wheel of Fortune
        Copy Artifact         Mox Emerald            Zuran Orb
        Darkpact              Mox Jet
        Demonic Attorney      Mox Pearl
        Demonic Tutor         Mox Ruby
        Divine Intervention   Mox Sapphire
+ As of 07/01/97, the banned list becomes simpler (but also longer).  All
    cards from Limited Edition, Unlimited Edition, Arabian Nights,
    Antiquities, and Legends which have not been reprinted in a more recent
    set are banned. [Update 05/01/97]  These cards are explicitly banned even
    though they are from legal sets:
      [Update 05/01/97]
        Amulet of Quoz (IA)     Demonic Tutor (RV)     Rebirth (4E)
        Balance (RV/4E)         Fastbond (RV)          Regrowth (RV)
        Black Vise (RV/4E)      Ivory Tower (4E)       Serendib Efreet (RV)
        Braingeyser (RV)        Jeweled Bird (CH)      Sol Ring (RV)
        Bronze Tablet (4E)      Juggernaut (RV)        Strip Mine (4E)
        Channel (RV/4E)         Kird Ape (RV)          Tempest Efreet (4E)
        Contract from Below(RV) Mana Crypt (PR)        Timmerian Fiends (HL)
        Darkpact (RV)           Maze of Ith (DK)       Wheel of Fortune (RV)
        Demonic Attorney (RV)   Mind Twist (RV/4E)     Zuran Orb (IA)
+ Here is a (hopefully) complete list of cards are banned because they
    have not been reprinted:  LIMITED/UNLIMITED> Ancestral Recall, Berserk,
    Black Lotus, Blaze of Glory, Camouflage, Chaos Orb, Consecrate Land,
    Copper Tablet, Cyclopean Tomb, Dwarven Demolition Team, False Orders,
    Forcefield, Gauntlet of Might, Ice Storm, Illusionary Mask, Invisibility,
    Jade Statue, Lich, Mox Emerald, Mox Jet, Mox Pearl, Mox Ruby,
    Mox Sapphire, Psionic Blast, Raging River, Sinkhole, Timetwister,
    Time Vault, Time Walk, Two-Headed Giant of Foriys, Word of Command.
    ARABIAN NIGHTS> Ali from Cairo, Army of Allah, Bazaar of Baghdad, Camel,
    City in a Bottle, Desert, Desert Nomads, Diamond Valley, Drop of Honey,
    Elephant Graveyard, Flying Men, Guardian Beast, Ifh-Biff Efreet,
    Island of Wak-Wak, Jihad, Juzam Djinn, Khabal Ghoul, King Suleiman,
    Library of Alexandria, Merchant Ship, Moorish Cavalry, Natural Selection,
    Old Man of the Sea, Pyramids, Ring of Ma'ruf, Rukh Egg,
    Sandals of Abdallah, Serendib Djinn, Shahrazad, Singing Tree,
    Stone-Throwing Devils, Ydwen Efreet.  ANTIQUTIES> Argivian Archaeologist,
    Argivian Blacksmith, Argothian Treefolk, Artifact Blast, Artifact
    Possession, Artifact Ward, Candelabra of Tawnos, Citanul Druid,
    Damping Field, Drafna's Restoration, Gaea's Avenger, Gate to Phyrexia,
    Golgothian Sylex, Haunting Wind, Martyrs of Korlis, Mightstone,
    Mishra's Workshop, Orcish Mechanics, Oubliette, Phyrexian Gremlins,
    Power Artifact, Powerleech, Priest of Yawgmoth, Reincarnation,
    Sage of Lat-Nam, Staff of Zegon, Su-Chi, Tablet of Epityr, Tawnos's
    Coffin, Transmute Artifact, Urza's Chalice, Urza's Miter, Weakstone.
    LEGENDS> Acid Rain, Adventurers' Guildhouse, The Abyss, Adun Oakenshield,
    AErathi Berserker, Aisling Leprechaun, Al-abara's Carpet, Alchor's Tomb,
    All Hallow's Eve, Angus Mackenzie, Anti-Magic Aura, Arboria, Avoid Fate,
    Backdraft, Barbary Apes, Barktooth Warbeard, Bartel Runeaxe, Blazing
    Effigy, Boris Devilboon, Brine Hag, Cathedral of Serra, Caverns of
    Despair, Chain Lightning, Chains of Mephistopheles, Cleanse, Clergy of
    the Holy Nimbus, Crevasse, Crimson Kobolds, Crookshank Kobolds, Deadfall,
    Demonic Torment, Devouring Deep, Disharmony, Divine Intervention,
    Dream Coat, Dwarven Song, Elder Spawn, Enchanted Being, Equinox, Eureka,
    Evil Eye of Orms-By-Gore, Falling Star, Feint, Field of Dreams,
    Fire Sprites, Firestorm Phoenix, Flash Counter, Floral Spuzzem,
    Force Spike, Forethought Amulet, Frost Giant, Ghosts of the Damned,
    Giant Turtle, Glyph of Delusion, Glyph od Destruction, Glyph of Doom,
    Glyph of Life, Glyph of Reincarnation, Gosta Dirk, Gravity Sphere,
    Great Defender, Great Wall, Gwednlyn Di Corci, Halfdane, Hammerheim,
    Hazezon Tamar, Headless Horseman, Heaven's Gate, Hellfire, Hell Swarm,
    Holy Day, Hornet Cobra, Horror of Horrors, Hunding Gjornersen, Hyperion
    Blacksmith, Ichneumon Druid, Imprison, Infernal Medusa, Infinite
    Authority, In the Eye of Chaos, Invoke Prejudice, Jacques le Vert,
    Jasmine Boreal, Jedit Ojanen, Jerrard of the Closed Fist, Jovial Evil,
    Karakas, Kasimir the Lone Worf, Knowledge Vault, Kobold Drill Sergeant,
    Kobold Overlord, Kobolds of Kher Keep, Kobold Taskmaster, Kry Shield,
    Lady Caleria, Lady Evangela, The Lady of the Mountain, Lady Orca,
    Land Equilibrium, Lesser Werewolf, Lifeblood, Life Chisel, Life Matrix,
    Living Plane, Livonya Silone, Lord Magnus, Mana Drain, Mana Matrix,
    Marble Priest, Master of the Hunt, Mirror Universe, Moat, Mold Demon,
    Moss Monster, Mountain Stronghold, Nether Void, North Star, Nova Pentacle,
    Part Water, Pavel Maliki, Pendelhaven, Pixie Queen, Planar Gate,
    Presence of the Master, Princess Lucrezia, Psychic Purge, Quagmire,
    Quarum Trench Gnomes, Ragnar, Ramiriz DePietro, Ramses Overdark,
    Rapid Fire, Rasputin Dreamweaver, Relic Barrier, Reset, Remove
    Enchantments, Reverberation, Righteous Avengers, Ring of Immortals,
    Riven Turnbull, Rogahh of Kher Keep, Rust, Seafarer's Quay, Sea King's
    Blessing, Shelkin Brownie, Sir Shandlar of Eberyn, Spectral Cloak,
    Spinal Villain, Spiritual Sanctuary, Storm World, Subdue, Sunastian
    Falconer, Sword of the Ages, Sylvan Paradise, Syphon Soul, Tabernacle at
    Pendrell Vale, Telekinesis, Tetsuo Umezawa, Thunder Spirit, Tolaria,
    Torsten Von Ursus, Touch of Darkness, Tuknir Deathlock, Typhoon, Undertow,
    Underworld Dreams, Unholy Citadel, Urborg, Ur-Drago, Venarian Gold,
    Walking Dead, Wall of Caltrops, Wall of Earth, Wall of Light, Wall of
    Putrid Flesh, Wall of Tombstones, Willow Satyr, Wolverine Pack,
    Wood Elemental.

Sealed Deck:
  These rules apply to any sealed deck format.
  Decks consist of 90 to 300 cards.  The standard way to do it is to provide
    one starter deck plus two 15 card boosters or three 8 card boosters.  The
    judge may also allow additional (usually 4) basic lands to be added to
    this. [Tourney Rules 10/01/96]
  45 minutes are given to construct the deck.
  There is no 30 day period after an expansion set is released in which the
    expansion is not valid for Sealed Deck tournaments.
    [Tourney Rules 10/01/95]
  Minimum of 40 cards in the play deck.
  All additional cards function as the 'sideboard'.  The sideboard and deck
    size can change freely between duels.
  Games are not played for ante.  The judge may allow play for ante, but if
    so, it is required for all games in the tournament.
    [Tourney Rules 10/01/96]
  When playing for ante, the top card off each player's deck is put face-down
    on the table as the ante.
  No restricted or banned cards, except Ante cards may not be used when
    not playing for ante.

Block Constructed Deck Formats:
+ This section takes effect on 07/01/97.
+ These formats follow the Type II rules for deck construction but only allow
    cards from a given "block" rather than from the larger list of sets.
+ The current "blocks" are: Ice Age/Homelands/Alliances and
    Mirage/Visions/Weatherlight.
+ Only cards explicitly banned from this format are banned.  The Type II list
    is not the only indicator.
+ Some cards are 'banned' from the Ice Age/Homelands/Alliances format so that
    none may appear in a deck or sideboard.  These cards are:
    [Tourney Rules 10/01/95] + [Update 04/01/97]
        Amulet of Quoz (IA)       Thawing Glaciers (AL)
        Timmerian Fiends (HL)     Zuran Orb (IA)

Ice Age Constructed Deck:
+ It appears that this format is no longer supported by DCI as of 07/01/97.
  Only cards from Ice Age can be used with the exception of basic lands (which
    do not have to be from Ice Age).
  Minimum of 60 cards in the play deck.
  Optional 'sideboard'.  If you have one, it must be exactly 15 cards.
  No more than 4 of any card which is not a basic land can be in the
    combination of deck and sideboard.  Cards with different art or in
    different languages or from different prints but which are the same card
    are considered the same.
+ Some cards are 'banned' so that none may appear in the deck or sideboard.
    These cards are: [Tourney Rules 10/01/95] + [Update 04/01/97]
        Amulet of Quoz       Thawing Glaciers      Zuran Orb

Ice Age/Alliances Constructed Deck:
+ It appears that this format is no longer supported by DCI as of 07/01/97.
    See the Block Format for Ice Age/Homelands/Alliances.
  This follows the same rules as Ice Age Constructed Deck except that
    Alliances is allowed. [Tourney Rules 10/01/96]

Booster Draft:
  Players sit in groups of no more than 8 players.
  On a signal from the judge, each player opens one pack, picks a card and
    then passes the remaining cards (face down) the the player on their left.
    Repeat until all cards in the opened packs have been chosen by someone.
    Then repeat for any additional packs.
  Ante cards in initial boosters are replaced by tournament officials from
    a random stack of cards.
  30 minutes are given to construct the deck after drafting is complete.
  Players may add as many basic lands as they want to the deck.
  Minimum of 40 cards in the play deck.  All other cards function as the
    sideboard (as in sealed deck play).

Rating System:
  All players start with a rating of 1600.
  People who have played less than 25 matches (best 2 of 3) are considered
    to have a 'provisional rating'.  After that, scores should be accurate
    to within plus or minus 56 points.
  During 'provisional rating' period, a person's rating is:
    (Rc) + ((400 * (wins - losses)) / number of games)
    Rc = Average rating of all opponents
    This rating is re-calculated after each match.
  Once a player is off of provisional rating, their score changes with each
    game:  New Score = (Old Score) + (K * (W - We))
    K = 32 for ratings of 0-2099, 24 for 2100-2399, 16 for 2400 and up.
    W = 1 for a win, 0 for a loss
    We = 1 / ((10^D)+1)
    D = (difference between your and opponent's ratings) / 400
  Scores only count in officially sanctioned tournaments and if the
    tournament coordinator actually sends the results to WotC.


Changes Between Fourth and Fifth Edition Rules
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Abilities:
  It is now legal to have the same ability more than once.  For simple
    abilities like Flying or First Strike, this is meaningless.  But for
    things like Farrel's Mantle or Flanking it can matter.
  You used to be able to multiply-pump an ability in a single activation.
    This was actually removed late in Fourth Edition.

Activation Costs:
  All activation costs for the abilities of permanents are now written in the
    format "cost: effect."  Previously, some activation costs were
    included in the card effect such as with "Cost: Pay additional cost to do
    effect".

Bury:
  Bury used to be preventable by some rare means.  Now it is flat out
    unpreventable.

Combat Damage:
  This term is now defined clearly to mean damage dealt during the attack
    phase's dealing damage step by attackers and blockers.

Damage Prevention:
  Damage prevention used to be saved up until the end of a batch of
    spells/abilities.  Now it is handled after each specific spell/ability
    resolves.  For example, a Pearled Unicorn (2/2) has Giant Growth (+3/+3)
    cast on it.  The other player responds with a Lightning Bolt.  Under the
    old rules, the 3 damage from the Bolt would wait until after the Giant
    Growth resolved before you had to deal with it.  Under the new rules, the
    2/2 Unicorn gets 3 damage and the Giant Growth will Fizzle if you don't
    save the Unicorn in some way.
  Interrupts used to be allowed during damage prevention.  Now they are usable
    only if a spell or ability is announced which they can target.
  Destroy and bury effects used to cause damage prevention steps.  They no
    longer do so.
+ Being reduced to zero toughness or to less or equal toughness to the amount
    of damage on the creature does not cause a damage prevention.  Toughness
    changes in general do not cause damage prevention steps like they used
    to.  Only damage causes damage prevention.
  Damage is now clearly defined to be in packets in the rulebook and not just
    in rules postings.
  You used to be able to use spells/abilities that could prevent zero damage
    on something that had no damage.

Enchantments:
  The terms Local Enchantment and Global Enchantment are now defined.
  There is no longer a rule preventing enchantments from being tapped.
    [Aahz 10/11/96]
  Moving enchantments is now in the rulebook instead of just in rules
    postings.

Generic Mana:
  Colorless mana is mana without any color.  Generic mana is a requirement
    for mana of any color or which is colorless.  Thus, cards can produce
    colorless mana, but casting and activation costs require generic mana.

Interrupts:
  Interrupt timing has been completely rewritten.
  As errata to older cards, interrupts which only produce mana are considered
    mana sources.  Interrupts which do not only produce mana and do not target
    a spell or ability are now instants. [Mirage Page 3-4]  Ones that can
    be used multiple ways are played at the appropriate speed in each case.
    [Mirage Page 39]
  Interrupts to a spell/ability used to be able to target any announced but
    not successfully cast spell/ability, instead of just the current one.
    Untargeted interrupts were also allowed at this time.
  Interrupts used to resolve first-in-first-out with some crazy ordering
    rules.  They now resolve in batches just like instants do.
  Specialized spells/abilities used to not be interruptable (counterable). Now
    all spells/abilities can be interrupted, except mana sources.
  There used to be a rule that using an interrupt did not give up the right to
    announce things because a player needed to use interrupts to get mana.
    Mana sources now have this rule and interrupts no longer have it.

Landhome:
  This is a new shorthand for a creature which needs a certain kind of land
    on your side to live and on the opponent's side to attack.

Legends:
  The Legend rules have been broadened to include Legendary lands, artifacts
    and creatures.

Library:
  Players used to be unable to count the cards in each other's libraries.

Mana Burn:
  It used to be damage and is now loss of life.

Mana Source:
  A new "speed" of spell/ability has been created called Mana Source.  All
    mana-producing interrupts are now called mana sources.  Use of a mana
    source cannot be interrupted or countered.  They are almost always legal
    to use.

On Its Way to the Graveyard:
  There used to be a concept of "on its way to the graveyard".  A card which
    as on its way to the graveyard could not be sacrificed.  This rule has
    been removed.

Phase Effects:
  Effects that happen at the beginning or end of a phase now use the
    specialized ability timing rules (active player first, then opponent)
    instead of having the active player decide the order of resolution for
    all of these effects.
  Phase effects used to be played by the current player and are now played
    by the phase effect's controller. [bethmo 02/21/97]

Protection:
  The old rules defined only Protection from Color.  A creature can now have
    protection from other things.

Regeneration:
  Regeneration used to be an instant-speed ability used during damage
    prevention.  It is now a specialized ability.  It used to be usable
    multiple times, but only one would succeed.  Now it can only be used
    (successfully) once (like all specialized abilities).
  Regeneration used to cause damage on the creature to be "ignored" to fix
    some rulings.  Now damage is truly removed.
  Creatures with several "destroy at end of turn" or similar effects on them
    used to only have to regenerate once.  Now they need to regenerate once
    for each effect.
  If an attacking or blocking creature is regenerated, it is removed from
    combat.  The creature used to stay in combat but just be unable to deal
    or be assigned damage.

Triggered Abilities:
  A card can now trigger on its own trip to the graveyard, which was not the
    case before.

Turn Order:
  The "play or draw" rule was added to the core rules.  The player who goes
    first does not get to draw a card on their first turn.  The player who
    wins the toss decides if they want to go first or draw first.
  The End Turn phase is gone.  The Heal Creatures phase was renamed the
    Cleanup phase.  As a result of this change, the Discard phase is the
    last phase in which effects can normally be played in a turn.
  The order of "until end of turn" and "at end of turn" effects has been
    reversed.  "until end of turn" and damage healing are still simultaneous,
    but "at end of turn" effects now happen after this instead of before.


Acknowldgements and Disclaimers
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
  While this work is not officially issued by Wizards of the Coast, it does
    represent the collected rulings from official sanctioned representatives
    of and publications by Wizards of the Coast.
  This summary is collected from rulings made by officials and network
    representatives of Wizards of the Coast, along with a number of
    unofficial rulings also collected from the net.  Whenever a source for
    a ruling is known, the name of that person is listed with the ruling.
    "bethmo" is Beth Moursund, the network representative for the "mtg-l"
    mailing list.  "D'Angelo" is Stephen D'Angelo, the previous "mtg-l"
    representative.  "Peterson" is Paul Peterson, the previous "mtg-l"
    representative.  "bethmo" was also the representative before Paul.
    "Aahz" is Tom Wylie, the Magic Rules Guru.  "DeLaney" is David Delaney,
    the network representative for the "rec.games.trading-cards.magic.rules"
    newsgroup.  "Snark" is Dave Howell of WotC.  Official rulings from the
    rules team are marked as "WotC Rules Team".  Rules from the Mirage rule
    book are marked with "Mirage Page #".  Errata from the Magic Official
    Encyclopedia are marked with "Encyclopedia Page #".
  These files may be freely copied and posted anywhere you'd like.  The
    contents can also be included in other formats (such as HTML or databases)
    or in products, but there are two restrictions.  I insist that the files
    are not sold for profit.  Anything you put them in must be available at
    no more than cost of duplication.  Also, you must give credit to me and
    list the version date your work is derived from.  Thanks.
  Every attempt has been made to make this summary accurate, but errors do
    creep in.  Nothing in this work is guaranteed to be accurate.  Use at your
    own risk.
  Magic: The Gathering and all of the cards listed herein are copyrighted by
    Wizards of the Coast.

