Comprehensive Rules
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Some spells and abilities have additional costs. An additional cost is a cost listed in a spell’s rules text, or applied to a spell or ability from another effect, that its controller must pay at the same time they pay the spell’s mana cost or the ability’s activation cost. Note that some additional costs are listed in keywords; see rule 702.
The combat phase has five steps, which proceed in order: beginning of combat, declare attackers, declare blockers, combat damage, and end of combat. The declare blockers and combat damage steps are skipped if no creatures are declared as attackers or put onto the battlefield attacking (see rule 508.8). There are two combat damage steps if any attacking or blocking creature has first strike (see rule 702.7) or double strike (see rule 702.4).
If the spell is modal, the player announces the mode choice (see rule ). If the player wishes to splice any cards onto the spell (see rule 702.47), they reveal those cards in their hand. If the spell has alternative or additional costs that will be paid as it’s being cast such as buyback or kicker costs (see rules 118.8 and ), the player announces their intentions to pay any or all of those costs (see rule ). A player can’t apply two alternative methods of casting or two alternative costs to a single spell. If the spell has a variable cost that will be paid as it’s being cast (such as an {X} in its mana cost; see rule ), the player announces the value of that variable. If the value of that variable is defined in the text of the spell by a choice that player would make later in the announcement or resolution of the spell, that player makes that choice at this time instead of that later time. If a cost that will be paid as the spell is being cast includes hybrid mana symbols, the player announces the nonhybrid equivalent cost they intend to pay. If a cost that will be paid as the spell is being cast includes Phyrexian mana symbols, the player announces whether they intend to pay 2 life or a corresponding colored mana cost for each of those symbols. Previously made choices (such as choosing to cast a spell with flashback from a graveyard or choosing to cast a creature with morph face down) may restrict the player’s options when making these choices.
Most abilities describe exactly what they do in the card’s rules text. Some, though, are very common or would require too much space to define on the card. In these cases, the object lists only the name of the ability as a “keyword”; sometimes reminder text summarizes the game rule.
If an effect refers to a “[keyword ability] cost,” it refers only to the variable costs for that keyword.
An effect that grants an object a keyword ability may define a variable in that ability based on characteristics of that object or other information about the game state. For these abilities, the value of that variable is constantly reevaluated.
An effect may state that “the same is true for” a list of keyword abilities or similar. If one of those keyword abilities has variants or variables and the effect grants that keyword or counters of that keyword to one or more objects and/or players, it grants each appropriate variant and variable of that keyword.
An effect may refer to an object “with [keyword ability]” or “that has [keyword ability].” This means the same thing as an object “with a [keyword ability] ability” or an object “that has a [keyword ability] ability.”
Deathtouch
Deathtouch is a static ability.
A creature with toughness greater than 0 that’s been dealt damage by a source with deathtouch since the last time state-based actions were checked is destroyed as a state-based action. See rule 704.
Any nonzero amount of combat damage assigned to a creature by a source with deathtouch is considered to be lethal damage for the purposes of determining if a proposed combat damage assignment is valid, regardless of that creature’s toughness. See rules –d.
The deathtouch rules function no matter what zone an object with deathtouch deals damage from.
If an object changes zones before an effect causes it to deal damage, its last known information is used to determine whether it had deathtouch.
Flash
Flash is a static ability that functions in any zone from which you could play the card it’s on. “Flash” means “You may play this card any time you could cast an instant.”
Multiple instances of flash on the same object are redundant.
Phased-out permanents owned by a player who leaves the game also leave the game. This doesn’t cause zone-change abilities to trigger. See rule 800.4.
In a multiplayer game, game rules may cause a phased-out permanent to leave the game or to be exiled once a player leaves the game. (See rules 800.4a and 800.4c.) If a phased-out permanent phased out under the control of a player who has left the game, that permanent phases in during the next untap step after that player’s next turn would have begun.
Wither
Wither is a static ability. Damage dealt to a creature by a source with wither isn’t marked on that creature. Rather, it causes that source’s controller to put that many -1/-1 counters on that creature. See rule .
If an object changes zones before an effect causes it to deal damage, its last known information is used to determine whether it had wither.
The wither rules function no matter what zone an object with wither deals damage from.
Multiple instances of wither on the same object are redundant.
Retrace
Retrace is a static ability that functions while the card with retrace is in a player’s graveyard. “Retrace” means “You may cast this card from your graveyard by discarding a land card as an additional cost to cast it.” Casting a spell using its retrace ability follows the rules for paying additional costs in rules and –h.
Devour
Devour is a static ability. “Devour N” means “As this object enters, you may sacrifice any number of creatures. This permanent enters with N +1/+1 counters on it for each creature sacrificed this way.”
Some objects have abilities that refer to the number of creatures the permanent devoured. “It devoured” means “sacrificed as a result of its devour ability as it entered the battlefield.”
Devour [quality] is a variant of devour. “Devour [quality] N” means “As this object enters, you may sacrifice any number of [quality] permanents. This permanent enters with N +1/+1 counters on it for each permanent sacrificed this way.”
Exalted
Exalted is a triggered ability. “Exalted” means “Whenever a creature you control attacks alone, that creature gets +1/+1 until end of turn.”
A creature “attacks alone” if it’s the only creature declared as an attacker in a given combat phase. See rule .
Unearth
Unearth is an activated ability that functions while the card with unearth is in a graveyard. “Unearth [cost]” means “[Cost]: Return this card from your graveyard to the battlefield. It gains haste. Exile it at the beginning of the next end step. If it would leave the battlefield, exile it instead of putting it anywhere else. Activate only as a sorcery.”
Cascade
Cascade is a triggered ability that functions only while the spell with cascade is on the stack. “Cascade” means “When you cast this spell, exile cards from the top of your library until you exile a nonland card whose mana value is less than this spell’s mana value. You may cast that card without paying its mana cost if the resulting spell’s mana value is less than this spell’s mana value. Then put all cards exiled this way that weren’t cast on the bottom of your library in a random order.”
If an effect allows a player to take an action with one or more of the exiled cards “as you cascade,” the player may take that action after they have finished exiling cards due to the cascade ability. This action is taken before choosing whether to cast the last exiled card or, if no appropriate card was exiled, before putting the exiled cards on the bottom of their library in a random order.
If a spell has multiple instances of cascade, each triggers separately.
Annihilator
Annihilator is a triggered ability. “Annihilator N” means “Whenever this creature attacks, defending player sacrifices N permanents.”
If a creature has multiple instances of annihilator, each triggers separately.
Level Up
Level up is an activated ability. “Level up [cost]” means “[Cost]: Put a level counter on this permanent. Activate only as a sorcery.”
Each card printed with a level up ability is known as a leveler card. It has a nonstandard layout and includes two level symbols that are themselves keyword abilities. See rule , “Leveler Cards.”
Some enchantments have the subtype Class and associated abilities that give them a class level. These are not the same as level up abilities and class levels do not interact with level counters. See rule , “Class Cards.”
Rebound
Rebound appears on some instants and sorceries. It represents a static ability that functions while the spell is on the stack and may create a delayed triggered ability. “Rebound” means “If this spell was cast from your hand, instead of putting it into your graveyard as it resolves, exile it and, at the beginning of your next upkeep, you may cast this card from exile without paying its mana cost.”
Casting a spell as an effect of its rebound ability follows the rules for paying alternative costs in rules and –h.
Multiple instances of rebound on the same spell are redundant.
Umbra Armor
Umbra armor is a static ability that appears on some Auras. “Umbra armor” means “If enchanted permanent would be destroyed, instead remove all damage marked on it and destroy this Aura.”
Some older cards were printed with the ability “totem armor” or referenced that ability. The text of these cards has been updated in the Oracle card reference to refer to umbra armor instead.
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 903.8). 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 ).
Disturb is an ability found on the front face of some transforming double-faced cards (see rule , “Double-Faced Cards”). “Disturb [cost]” means “You may cast this card transformed from your graveyard by paying [cost] rather than its mana cost.” See rule 712.8c.
“Gift an Octopus” means the effect is “The chosen player creates an 8/8 blue Octopus creature token.”
Any ability a leveler card has that isn’t preceded by a level symbol is treated normally. In particular, each leveler permanent has its level up ability (see rule 702.87) at all times; it may be activated regardless of how many level counters are on that permanent.
Some older creature cards, called leveler cards, have level up abilities that add level counters to them. These are not the same as class level abilities. Level counters do not interact with Class cards, and class levels do not interact with leveler cards. See rule 702.87, “Level Up,” and rule , “Leveler Cards.”
Creatures in a band can’t attack different players. See rule 702.22, “Banding.”