Comprehensive Rules
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At the start of a game, before decks are shuffled, each player may put any number of conspiracy cards from their sideboard into the command zone. Conspiracy cards with hidden agenda are put into the command zone face down. (See rule 702.106, “Hidden Agenda.”)
A creature’s activated ability with the tap symbol ({T}) or the untap symbol ({Q}) in its activation cost can’t be activated unless the creature has been under its controller’s control since the start of their most recent turn. Ignore this rule for creatures with haste (see rule 702.10).
If the object that’s resolving has a target, it checks whether the target is still legal, as described in . If a spell with an illegal target is a bestowed Aura spell (see rule 702.103e) or a mutating creature spell (see rule 702.140b), it becomes a creature spell and will resolve as described in rule . Otherwise, the spell doesn’t resolve. It is removed from the stack and put into its owner’s graveyard.
If the object that’s resolving has a static ability that functions on the stack and creates a delayed triggered ability, that delayed triggered ability is created as that permanent is put onto the battlefield in any of the steps above. (See rules 702.109, “Dash,” and rule 702.152, “Blitz.”)
A splice ability changes a spell’s text by adding the rules text of the card with splice to the spell, following that spell’s own rules text. It doesn’t modify or replace any of that spell’s own text. (See rule 702.47, “Splice.”)
Haste
Haste is a static ability.
If a creature has haste, it can attack even if it hasn’t been controlled by its controller continuously since their most recent turn began. (See rule .)
If a creature has haste, its controller can activate its activated abilities whose cost includes the tap symbol or the untap symbol even if that creature hasn’t been controlled by that player continuously since their most recent turn began. (See rule .)
Multiple instances of haste on the same creature are redundant.
If multiple sources with lifelink deal damage at the same time, they cause separate life gain events (see rules –10).
Protection is a static ability, written “Protection from [quality].” This quality is usually a color (as in “protection from black”) but can be any characteristic value or information. If the quality happens to be a card name, it is treated as such only if the protection ability specifies that the quality is a name. If the quality is a card type, subtype, or supertype, the ability applies to sources that are permanents with that card type, subtype, or supertype and to any sources not on the battlefield that are of that card type, subtype, or supertype. This is an exception to rule 109.2.
Epic represents two spell abilities, one of which creates a delayed triggered ability. “Epic” means “For the rest of the game, you can’t cast spells,” and “At the beginning of each of your upkeeps for the rest of the game, copy this spell except for its epic ability. If the spell has any targets, you may choose new targets for the copy.” See rule 707.10.
Poisonous is a triggered ability. “Poisonous N” means “Whenever this creature deals combat damage to a player, that player gets N poison counters.” (For information about poison counters, see rule 104.3d.)
Evolve
Evolve is a triggered ability. “Evolve” means “Whenever a creature you control enters, if that creature’s power is greater than this creature’s power and/or that creature’s toughness is greater than this creature’s toughness, put a +1/+1 counter on this creature.”
A creature “evolves” when one or more +1/+1 counters are put on it as a result of its evolve ability resolving.
A creature can’t have a greater power or toughness than a noncreature permanent.
If a creature has multiple instances of evolve, each triggers separately.
Extort
Extort is a triggered ability. “Extort” means “Whenever you cast a spell, you may pay {W/B}. If you do, each opponent loses 1 life and you gain life equal to the total life lost this way.”
If a permanent has multiple instances of extort, each triggers separately.
Fuse
Fuse is a static ability found on some split cards (see rule , “Split Cards”) that applies while the card with fuse is in a player’s hand. If a player casts a split card with fuse from their hand, the player may choose to cast both halves of that split card rather than choose one half. This choice is made before putting the split card with fuse onto the stack. The resulting spell is a fused split spell.
A fused split spell has the combined characteristics of its two halves. (See rule .)
The total cost of a fused split spell includes the mana cost of each half.
As a fused split spell resolves, the controller of the spell follows the instructions of the left half and then follows the instructions of the right half.
Bestow
Bestow represents a static ability that functions in any zone from which you could play the card it’s on. “Bestow [cost]” means “As you cast this spell, you may choose to cast it bestowed. If you do, you pay [cost] rather than its mana cost.” Casting a spell using its bestow ability follows the rules for paying alternative costs (see and –h).
As a spell cast bestowed is put onto the stack, it becomes an Aura enchantment and gains enchant creature. It is a bestowed Aura spell, and the permanent it becomes as it resolves will be a bestowed Aura. These effects last until the spell or the permanent it becomes ceases to be bestowed (see rules 702.103e–g). Because the spell is an Aura spell, its controller must choose a legal target for that spell as defined by its enchant creature ability and rule . See also rule .
If a bestowed Aura spell is copied, the copy is also a bestowed Aura spell. Any rule that refers to a spell cast bestowed applies to the copy as well.
When casting a spell bestowed, only its characteristics as modified by the bestow ability are evaluated to determine if it can be cast.
As a bestowed Aura spell begins resolving, if its target is illegal, it ceases to be bestowed and the effect making it an Aura spell ends. It continues resolving as a creature spell. See rule .
If a bestowed Aura becomes unattached, it ceases to be bestowed. If a bestowed Aura is attached to an illegal object or player, it becomes unattached and ceases to be bestowed. This is an exception to rule .
If a bestowed Aura phases in unattached, it ceases to be bestowed. See rule 702.26, “Phasing.”
Tribute
Tribute is a static ability that functions as the creature with tribute is entering the battlefield. “Tribute N” means “As this creature enters, choose an opponent. That player may put an additional N +1/+1 counters on it as it enters.”
Objects with tribute have triggered abilities that check “if tribute wasn’t paid.” This condition is true if the opponent chosen as a result of the tribute ability didn’t have the creature enter the battlefield with +1/+1 counters as specified by the creature’s tribute ability.
Dethrone
Dethrone is a triggered ability. “Dethrone” means “Whenever this creature attacks the player with the most life or tied for most life, put a +1/+1 counter on this creature.”
If a creature has multiple instances of dethrone, each triggers separately.
Hidden Agenda
Hidden agenda is a static ability that functions as a conspiracy card with hidden agenda is put into the command zone. “Hidden agenda” means “As you put this conspiracy card into the command zone, turn it face down and secretly choose a card name.”
To secretly choose a card name, note that name on a piece of paper kept with the face-down conspiracy card.
Any time you have priority, you may turn a face-down conspiracy card you control in the command zone face up. This is a special action. Doing so will reveal the chosen name. See rule .
Hidden agenda and another ability of the object with hidden agenda that refers to “the chosen name” are linked. The second ability refers only to the card name chosen as a result of that object’s hidden agenda ability. See rule .
If a player leaves the game, all face-down conspiracy cards controlled by that player must be revealed to all players. At the end of each game, all face-down conspiracy cards must be revealed to all players.
Double agenda is a variant of the hidden agenda ability. As you put a conspiracy card with double agenda into the command zone, you secretly name two different cards rather than one. You don’t reveal that more than one name was secretly chosen until you reveal the chosen names.
Outlast
Outlast is an activated ability. “Outlast [cost]” means “[Cost], {T}: Put a +1/+1 counter on this creature. Activate only as a sorcery.”
Prowess
Prowess is a triggered ability. “Prowess” means “Whenever you cast a noncreature spell, this creature gets +1/+1 until end of turn.”
If a creature has multiple instances of prowess, each triggers separately.
Dash
Dash represents three abilities: two static abilities that function while the card with dash is on the stack, one of which may create a delayed triggered ability, and a static ability that functions while the object with dash is on the battlefield. “Dash [cost]” means “You may cast this card by paying [cost] rather than its mana cost,” “If this spell’s dash cost was paid, return the permanent this spell becomes to its owner’s hand at the beginning of the next end step,” and “As long as this permanent’s dash cost was paid, it has haste.” Casting a spell for its dash cost follows the rules for paying alternative costs in rules and –h.
Your deck must contain exactly 100 cards, including its two commanders. Both commanders begin the game in the command zone.
Except for determining the color identity of your commander, the two commanders function independently. When casting a commander with partner, ignore how many times your other commander has been cast (see rule ). When determining whether a player has been dealt 21 or more combat damage by the same commander, consider damage from each of your two commanders separately (see rule 903.10a).
If an object in the [materials] of a craft ability is described using only a card type or subtype without the word “card,” it refers to either a permanent on the battlefield that is that type or subtype or a card in a graveyard that is that type or subtype. This is an exception to rule 109.2.
The characteristics of a fused split spell on the stack are also those of its two halves combined (see rule 702.102, “Fuse”).
Conspiracy cards with hidden agenda are put into the command zone face down. Any time a player has priority, they may turn a face-down conspiracy card they control face up. See rule 702.106, “Hidden Agenda.”