Player
A player is one of the people in the game.
Rules
From the Comprehensive Rules (June 7, 2024—Modern Horizons 3)
- 102. Players
- 102.1. A player is one of the people in the game. The active player is the player whose turn it is. The other players are nonactive players.
- 102.2. In a two-player game, a player’s opponent is the other player.
- 102.3. In a multiplayer game between teams, a player’s teammates are the other players on their team, and the player’s opponents are all players not on their team.
- 102.4. A spell or ability may use the term “your team” as shorthand for “you and/or your teammates.” In a game that isn’t a multiplayer game between teams, “your team” means the same thing as “you.”
From the glossary of the Comprehensive Rules (June 7, 2024—Modern Horizons 3)
- Player
- One of the people in the game. See rule 102, “Players.”
Types of players
Starting player
The starting player is the player who has the first turn.
From the glossary of the Comprehensive Rules (June 7, 2024—Modern Horizons 3)
- Starting Player
- The player chosen to take the first turn of a game. See rule 103.1.
Active player
The active player, also referred to as the attacking player, is the player currently taking his or her turn. (Compare with all other players in the game, who are nonactive players.) When more than one player have to take actions or make choices, usually the active player goes first (see APNAP).
From the glossary of the Comprehensive Rules (June 7, 2024—Modern Horizons 3)
- Active Player
- The player whose turn it is. See rule 102.1.
Non-active player
A nonactive player is any player who is not currently taking his or her turn. (Compare with the player/players who are currently taking a turn, active players.) When more than one player have to take actions or make choices, usually the active player goes first (see APNAP).
Defending player
During the combat phase of a two-player game, the nonactive player is the defending player; that player and planeswalkers he or she controls may be attacked.
From the glossary of the Comprehensive Rules (June 7, 2024—Modern Horizons 3)
- Defending Player
- The player who can be attacked, and whose planeswalkers can be attacked, during the combat phase. See rule 506.2. In certain multiplayer games, there may be more than one defending player; see rule 802, “Attack Multiple Players Option,” and rule 805.10.
From the Comprehensive Rules (June 7, 2024—Modern Horizons 3)
- 506.2. During the combat phase, the active player is the attacking player; creatures that player controls may attack. During the combat phase of a two-player game, the nonactive player is the defending player; that player, planeswalkers they control, and battles they protect may be attacked.
- 506.2a During the combat phase of a multiplayer game, there may be one or more defending players, depending on the variant being played and the options chosen for it. Unless all the attacking player’s opponents automatically become defending players during the combat phase, the attacking player chooses one of their opponents as a turn-based action during the beginning of combat step. (Note that the choice may be dictated by the variant being played or the options chosen for it.) That player becomes the defending player. See rule 802, “Attack Multiple Players Option,” rule 803, “Attack Left and Attack Right Options,” and rule 809, “Emperor Variant.”
- 506.2b In multiplayer games using the shared team turns option, the active team is the attacking team and the nonactive team is the defending team. See rule 805, “Shared Team Turns Option.”
In certain multiplayer games, there may be more than one defending player.
From the Comprehensive Rules (June 7, 2024—Modern Horizons 3)
- 802. Attack Multiple Players Option
- 802.1. Some multiplayer games allow the active player to attack multiple other players. If this option is used, a player can also choose to attack only one player during a particular combat.
- 802.2. As the combat phase starts, the attacking player doesn’t choose an opponent to become the defending player. Instead, all the attacking player’s opponents are defending players during the combat phase.
- 802.2a Any rule, object, or effect that refers to a “defending player” refers to one specific defending player, not to all of the defending players. If an ability of an attacking creature refers to a defending player, or a spell or ability refers to both an attacking creature and a defending player, then unless otherwise specified, the defending player it’s referring to is the player that creature is attacking, the controller of the planeswalker that creature is attacking, or the protector of the battle that player is attacking. If that creature is no longer attacking, the defending player it’s referring to is the player that creature was attacking before it was removed from combat, the controller of the planeswalker that creature was attacking before it was removed from combat, or the protector of the battle that player was attacking before it was removed from combat. If a spell or ability could apply to multiple attacking creatures, the appropriate defending player is individually determined for each of those attacking creatures. If there are multiple defending players that could be chosen, the controller of the spell or ability chooses one.
Example: Rob attacks Alex with Runeclaw Bear and attacks Carissa with a creature with mountainwalk. Whether the creature with mountainwalk can be blocked depends only on whether Carissa controls a Mountain.
- 802.2a Any rule, object, or effect that refers to a “defending player” refers to one specific defending player, not to all of the defending players. If an ability of an attacking creature refers to a defending player, or a spell or ability refers to both an attacking creature and a defending player, then unless otherwise specified, the defending player it’s referring to is the player that creature is attacking, the controller of the planeswalker that creature is attacking, or the protector of the battle that player is attacking. If that creature is no longer attacking, the defending player it’s referring to is the player that creature was attacking before it was removed from combat, the controller of the planeswalker that creature was attacking before it was removed from combat, or the protector of the battle that player was attacking before it was removed from combat. If a spell or ability could apply to multiple attacking creatures, the appropriate defending player is individually determined for each of those attacking creatures. If there are multiple defending players that could be chosen, the controller of the spell or ability chooses one.
- 802.3. As the attacking player declares each attacking creature, they choose a defending player, a planeswalker controlled by a defending player, or a battle protected by a defending player for it to attack. See rule 508, “Declare Attackers Step.”
- 802.3a Restrictions and requirements that don’t apply to attacking a specific player are evaluated based on the entire group of attacking creatures. Restrictions and requirements that apply to attacking a specific player apply only to creatures attacking that player. The entire group of attacking creatures must still be legal. See rule 508.1.
- 802.3b Creatures in a band can’t attack different players. See rule 702.22, “Banding.”
- 802.4. If more than one player is being attacked, controls a planeswalker that’s being attacked, or protects a battle that’s being attacked, each defending player in APNAP order declares blockers as the declare blockers step begins. (See rule 101.4 and rule 509, “Declare Blockers Step.”) The first defending player declares all their blocks, then the second defending player, and so on.
- 802.4a A defending player can block only with creatures they control. Those creatures can block only creatures attacking that player, a planeswalker that player controls, or a battle that player protects.
- 802.4b When determining whether a defending player’s blocks are legal, ignore any creatures attacking other players and any blocking creatures controlled by other players.
- 802.5. After blockers have been declared, if any creatures are blocking multiple creatures, each defending player in APNAP order announces the damage assignment order among the attacking creatures for each blocking creature they control. See rule 510, “Combat Damage Step.”
- 802.6. Combat damage is assigned in APNAP order. Other than that, the combat damage step proceeds just as in a two-player game. See rule 510, “Combat Damage Step.”
From the Comprehensive Rules (June 7, 2024—Modern Horizons 3)
- 810.7. The Two-Headed Giant variant uses the combat rules for the shared team turns option (see rule 805.10). This is a change from previous rules.
APNAP
APNAP stands for active player, then non-active player. When an effect lets more than one player do something at the same time, the active player will make and announce all decisions necessary for the action first, then the nonactive player(s) will do the same in turn order, and finally all of the actions will take place simultaneously.
From the glossary of the Comprehensive Rules (June 7, 2024—Modern Horizons 3)
- Active Player, Nonactive Player Order
- A system that determines the order by which players make choices if multiple players are instructed to make choices at the same time. See rule 101.4. This rule is modified for games using the shared team turns option; see rule 805.6.
From the Comprehensive Rules (June 7, 2024—Modern Horizons 3)
- 101.4. If multiple players would make choices and/or take actions at the same time, the active player (the player whose turn it is) makes any choices required, then the next player in turn order (usually the player seated to the active player’s left) makes any choices required, followed by the remaining nonactive players in turn order. Then the actions happen simultaneously. This rule is often referred to as the “Active Player, Nonactive Player (APNAP) order” rule.
Example: A card reads “Each player sacrifices a creature.” First, the active player chooses a creature they control. Then each of the nonactive players, in turn order, chooses a creature they control. Then all creatures chosen this way are sacrificed simultaneously.
- 101.4a If an effect has each player choose a card in a hidden zone, such as their hand or library, those cards may remain face down as they’re chosen. However, each player must clearly indicate which face-down card they are choosing.
- 101.4b A player knows the choices made by the previous players when making their choice, except as specified in 101.4a.
- 101.4c If a player would make more than one choice at the same time, the player makes the choices in the order specified. If no order is specified, the player chooses the order.
- 101.4d If a choice made by a nonactive player causes the active player, or a different nonactive player earlier in the turn order, to have to make a choice, APNAP order is restarted for all outstanding choices.
- 101.4e If multiple players would make choices or take actions while starting the game, the starting player is considered the active player and each other player is considered a nonactive player.
APNAP also applies when the rules (or an effect) require several players to do something that can't all be done at the same time. If multiple triggered abilities are waiting to go on the stack when a player would receive priority, the players will first put their triggered abilities on the stack in APNAP order. Since the stack resolves in reverse order, this means the active player's triggers will resolve last.
From the Comprehensive Rules (June 7, 2024—Modern Horizons 3)
- 805.6. The Active Player, Nonactive Player order rule (see rule 101.4) is modified if the shared team turns option is used. If multiple teams would make choices and/or take actions at the same time, first the active team makes any choices required, then each nonactive team in turn order makes any choices required. If multiple players would make choices and/or take actions at the same time, first each player on the active team makes any choices required in whatever order they like, then the players on each nonactive team in turn order do the same. Once all choices have been made, the actions happen simultaneously.
- 805.6a If more than one player is instructed to draw cards in a game that’s using the shared team turns option, first each player on the active team, in whatever order that team likes, performs that player’s draws, then each player on each nonactive team in turn order does the same.