Comprehensive Rules/Changes

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Comprehensive Rules
 
Changes
 

The comprehensive rules have changed many times throughout the years. Those changes tend to correspond with the release of a new set. While many of the changes are changes in wording or numbering, others fundamentally change gameplay.

For example, with the release of Battle for Zendikar, the rules were updated so that after mulligans were taken, each player with fewer cards in hand than the starting value was allowed to scry 1.

Edge of Eternities

  • New ability word: Void.
  • New keyword abilities: Station and Warp.
    • Cards with station have a unique frame and are referred to as "station cards."
  • New predefined token: Lander.
  • New artifact types: Lander and Spacecraft.
  • New creature types: Drix, Echidna, Hedgehog, and Lobster.
  • New land type: Planet.
  • If an effect puts a permanent onto the battlefield and modifies the characteristics of that permanent while that permanent also has an ability modifying its own characteristics, the other effect always applies after the permanent's own ability, rather than the controller choosing the order.
    • For example, if Abuelo's Awakening returns Heliod, Sun-Crowned to the battlefield, then the "it's a creature" effect of Abuelo's Awakening will always apply after Heliod's "Heliod isn't a creature" effect, meaning it will always be a creature regardless of devotion, rather than the controller getting the choice to choose the order (and thus whether or not devotion affects Heliod's creature status).
  • The inability to use wish effects in Commander is formally codified into the rules.
    • Previously, this ruling was facilitated by a rule linking to the Commander Rules Committee's website which included the ruling, but it was added to the comprehensive rules after the dissolution of the committee in September 2024[1] and the removal of the rule referring to the committee in the previous update.
  • In Commander and Brawl, Vehicles and Spacecraft with a power/toughness box are valid choices for commanders (provided they follow the other requirements for commanders as well, such as being legendary).[2]

Final Fantasy

  • New keyword abilities: Job select and Tiered.
  • New keyword action: Triple.
  • New creature types: Hero, Moogle, and Qu.
  • New land type: Town.
  • A reference to the Commander Rules Committee and their authority over the rules of the commander format was removed, as the group dissolved and handed authority over the format to Wizards of the Coast in September 2024.[1]
  • If a Saga has no chapter abilities, it will not be immediately sacrificed (even though the number of lore counters is greater than its "final chapter number" of 0). It will also not get a lore counter each turn.[3]

Tarkir: Dragonstorm

Aetherdrift

Magic: The Gathering Foundations

  • Noncreature permanents can now be considered modified.
  • If a creature is blocked by or blocking multiple creatures, rather than using damage assignment order, the order in which creatures will be dealt combat damage is determined as the damage is dealt, with no distinct action that can be responded to that determines the order in which creatures will be damaged.
  • Most places where a card uses its name to refer to itself have been replaced with the phrase "this creature," "this card," or similar.
    • Legendary creatures still use their names, as do other cards in some cases where it's unclear which quality should be used for "this [quality]."
  • The phrases "puts [something] on the top or bottom of their library" and "sacrifices [something]" have had the phrase "of their choice" added to them to make it clear who makes those decisions.[6]

Duskmourn: House of Horror

  • New mana symbols: Colorless hybrid mana. (Introduced in Modern Horizons 3, but not included in the comprehensive rules until this update.)
  • New ability words: Eerie and Survival.
  • New keyword action: Manifest dread.
  • New keyword ability: Impending.
  • New creature types: Glimmer and Toy.
  • New enchantment type: Room.
  • New game format: Archenemy Commander.
  • Since "second main phase" excludes additional main phases created by extra combat effects, cards that formerly used "postcombat main phase" before the errata in Bloomburrow once again use the old term, although it has been reworded to "each of your postcombat main phases" to make the interaction with additional phases more clear.[7]

Bloomburrow

  • New ability word: Valiant.
  • New game term: Expend.
  • New keyword action: Forage.
  • New keyword abilities: Freerunning, Gift, and Offspring.
  • New creature types: Skunk and Weasel.
  • The terms "precombat" and "postcombat" main phase have been replaced with "first" and "second" main phase in most cases.
  • The phrase "enters the battlefield" has been replaced with simply "enters" in most cases.[8]

Modern Horizons 3

  • New keyword counter: Exalted.
  • New keyword ability variant: Emerge from [quality].
  • Removed creature types: Cephalid, Naga, and Viashino.
  • The "tribal" card type has been renamed to Kindred.
  • The keyword "totem armor" has been renamed to Umbra armor."
  • Effects can now create a token based on a card's name, such as "a Tarmogoyf token." a token created in such a way is a copy of the named card according to its qualities in Oracle.[9]

Outlaws of Thunder Junction

Fallout

Murders at Karlov Manor

The Lost Caverns of Ixalan

Doctor Who

Wilds of Eldraine

The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth

  • New keyword counter: Shadow.
  • New ability word: Secret council.
  • New keyword action: The Ring tempts you.
  • The Amass keyword action now specifies a creature type to amass.
    • Counters can be added to the same army regardless of the type being amassed.
    • Amassing onto an existing Army adds the type amassed to that creature.
  • The phrase "you may spend mana as though it were mana of any type" has been replaced with "mana of any type can be spent."
    • The similar phrase "You may spend mana as though it were mana of any color" remains unchanged.[17]

March of the Machine

Phyrexia: All Will Be One

  • New card type: Battle.
    • At this point, the rules for the type simply state "No cards currently exist with the battle card type."
  • New keyword abilities: For Mirrodin! and Toxic.
  • New creature type: Mite.
  • New land type: Sphere.[19]

The Brothers' War

  • New keyword abilities: Prototype, Living metal, and More Than Meets the Eye.
  • New keyword action: Convert.
  • New keyword ability variant: [Quality] offering.
  • New planeswalker types: Jared and Urza.
  • Starting with this set, rather than each set with transforming double-faced cards using unique icons to represent the faces, there is consistent pair of icons: a white triangle inside a black circle, pointing upward on the front face and downward on the back face.[20]

Unfinity


Dominaria United

Commander Legends: Battle for Baldur's Gate

Streets of New Capenna

Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty

Innistrad: Crimson Vow

  • New predefined token and artifact type: Blood.
  • New keyword abilities: Cleave and Training.
  • The default name of a token is now the subtypes of the token being created followed by the word "Token."
    • This means that certain tokens can no longer be named for "choose a card name" effects due to their subtypes overlapping with an existing card name, such as being able to choose Blood because of the card Flesh // Blood.[26]

Innistrad: Midnight Hunt

Adventures in the Forgotten Realms

Modern Horizons 2

Strixhaven

  • The term "converted mana cost" has been replaced with "mana value."
  • The phrase "Activate this ability only any time you could cast a [type]" has been replaced with "Activate only as a [type]."
  • New ability word: Magecraft.
  • New keyword action: Learn.
  • New keyword abilities: Demonstrate and Ward.
  • New creature types: Fractal and Inkling.
  • New spell type: Lesson.[30]

Cascade Rules Change

Due to a powerful combo caused by an unintuitive interaction between the Cascade ability and modal double-faced cards (specifically, being able to cast the 7 mana back side of Valki, God of Lies // Tibalt, Cosmic Impostor from a low-cost cascade spell like Violent Outburst), the comprehensive rules were updated alongside the February 15, 2021 changes to the banned and restricted list.

  • When casting the card that was stopped on by a cascade ability, the resulting spell must also have a lower mana value than the spell that triggered cascade.[31]

Kaldheim

  • New keyword abilities: Boast and Foretell.
  • New predefined tokens: Shard and Walker.
  • New creature type: Phyrexian.
  • New enchantment types: Rune and Shard.
  • New planeswalker types: Jeska, Niko, Szat, and Tyvar.
  • A the state-based action that can return a commander to the command zone from exile may now do so any time the commander becomes a new object in exile.
    • This means if a commander is allowed to stay in exile, and then attempts to return but is exiled instead (for example, the commander was exiled by Otherworldly Journey but Containment Priest stopped it from returning), its owner gets another chance to return it.[32]

Commander Legends

  • The Commander Draft format was defined.
  • New keyword ability: Encore.
  • An object with no name does not count as having a "different name" from another object.
  • If part of an ability refers to the colors or number of colors in a commander's color identity during a game where a player has no commander, that part of the ability will have no effect.[33]

Zendikar Rising

  • New game term: Party.
  • Permanent spells can be copied. When a copy of a permanent spell resolves, it will enter as a token (but that token does not count as being "created").
  • Introduced modal double-faced cards.
  • "Checklist card" has been renamed to substitute card.[34]

Double Masters

  • The only change with this set was new rules for a permanent phasing out "until" some event occurs, to support the errata to Oubliette.[35]

Core Set 2021

  • New keyword action: Mill.
  • The creature type Hound has been removed and replaced with Dog.
  • New planeswalker type: Basri.
  • The starting player is determined before decks are shuffled rather than the order of the two events being ambiguous.
  • When a commander is first put into a graveyard or exile from the battlefield, its owner may choose to return it to the command zone as a state-based action.
    • This replaces the previous rule that forced a commander's owner to either let it stay in those zones indefinitely like any other card or send it to the command zone without ever touching those zones.[36]

Companion Rules Change

Due to the unprecedented strength of the companion mechanic as a whole, the comprehensive rules were updated alongside the June 1, 2020 changes to the banned and restricted list.

  • Rather than directly casting their companion from outside of the game, a player must pay 3 generic mana as a special action to put the card into their hand. A player can only take this action when they could cast a sorcery.[37]

Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths

  • Introduced keyword counters, which grant a keyword ability to the creature they're on.
  • New keyword counters: flying, first strike, double strike, deathtouch, haste, hexproof, indestructible, lifelink, menace, reach, trample, and vigilance.
  • New creature types: Otter and Shark.
  • New planeswalker type: Lukka.
  • New keyword abilities: Companion and Mutate.
  • All counters of the same kind share the timestamp of the most recent counter of that kind.
  • If multiple things would get a timestamp simultaneously, those timestamps are determined by the controllers of the affected objects in APNAP order. Each player determines the relative order of their timestamps, which are all placed after players earlier in the order.
  • If an effect allows a card to be brought in from outside of the game in a commander game, that card can't violate the deck's color identity.
    • While most such effects have been ruled to not function in commander, this rule is relevant for the companion mechanic.[38]

Theros: Beyond Death

  • New predefined token and artifact type: Gold.
    • Older cards that created a token with the name Gold and the same ability received errata to create gold tokens instead.[39]
  • New creature types: Demigod and Tentacle.
  • New planeswalker type: Calix.
  • New keyword ability: Escape.
  • If an ability triggers "at the beginning of each [player/opponent]'s" step or phase in a game where multiple players share a turn (such as Two-Headed Giant), that ability will trigger once for each of those players, but only if the ability later refers to "that player."[40]

Throne of Eldraine

  • New predefined token and artifact type: Food.
  • New creature types: Mouse, Noble, Peasant, and Warlock.
  • New planeswalker type: Oko.
  • New spell type: Adventure.
  • New ability word: Adamant.
  • If an effect makes an object become a "[creature type(s)] artifact creature," it loses its old creature types, but still keeps any other prior types and subtypes.
  • If an effect allows a player to cast a spell with particular qualities, they may begin to cast a card if it can take on those qualities. (For example, Kari Zev's Expertise will allow a player to cast the Night half of Night // Day, even though the card has a mana value of 4 while not being cast.)[41]

Commander 2019

  • New creature type: Sculpture.
  • New planeswalker types: Serra and Wrenn.
  • The default controller of a permanent is the player who first cast the permanent spell rather than the player under whose control it entered. This means that if a player gains control of a permanent spell then later loses the game, the player who first cast the spell will gain control of the permanent rather than it being exiled.
  • A player goading a creature multiple times does not add any additional combat requirements. This means that if one player goads a creature twice and each other player goads that creature once, the creature is still able to attack any of those players.[42]

Core Set 2020

  • Mulligans now use the London Mulligan rules — Players draw to their maximum hand size with each mulligan, then when they choose to keep, they put one card from their hand on the bottom of their library for each time they choose to mulligan.
    • In multiplayer and Brawl games, the first mulligan taken does not count towards the number of cards a player puts back.
  • Introduced predefined tokens, which allow an effect to create a token with given properties by just saying the token's name.
  • New predefined token: Treasure.
  • If an effect divides or distributes something among any number of objects, a player can choose zero objects (likely leading to the effect doing nothing).[43]

War of the Spark

  • New keyword action: Amass.
  • New creature types: Army.
  • New planeswalker types: Davriel, Kasmina, and Teyo.
  • Proliferate now adds one counter of each kind already on a chosen permanent or player rather than only a single kind.[44]

Ravnica Allegiance

Guilds of Ravnica

Core Set 2019

  • The Brawl format was defined.
  • New creature type: Egg.
  • New planeswalker type: Vivien.
  • The owner of a token is now defined as the player who created it rather than the player under whose control it entered.[48]

Battlebond

Dominaria

  • New keyword action: Double.
  • New keyword ability variants: Hexproof from [quality] and Equip [quality] creature.
  • New enchantment type: Saga.
  • New planeswalker type: Jaya.
  • New game term: Historic.
  • Chapter symbols were added that represent chapters as an ability of Sagas, similar to the level symbol from Rise of the Eldrazi.
  • The legendary supertype was expanded. Legendary sorcery spells can only be cast if the player controls a legendary creature or planeswalker.
  • The order of three or more colored mana symbols was standardized. Wedges have the shared enemy color in the center.
  • Cards that referenced their own name while being cast received errata to refer to "this spell" instead of repeating the card name.
  • The planeswalker redirection rule was removed. Most cards with "target player" or "target creature or player" that deal damage received errata to say "target player or planeswalker" or "any target" respectively. ("Any target" means "target creature, player or planeswalker", excluding other kinds of object.)
  • The template for pronouns changed from "he or she", "him or her", or "his or her" to singular "they", "them" and "their".
  • The template for "Add {mana} to your mana pool" shortened to "Add {mana}".[50]

Rivals of Ixalan

  • New keyword ability: Ascend.
  • New player designation: City's blessing.
  • New planeswalker type: Angrath.
  • Assemble was added to the glossary in the Comprehensive Rules, pointing to Mark Rosewater's silver border FAQ.[51]

Unstable

  • Unstable did not introduce any new black border rules. Instead, Mark Rosewater wrote an FAQ for the Unstable silver border rules changes, and many Unglued and Unhinged cards received Oracle text updates.[52]

Ixalan

Commander 2017

Hour of Devastation

  • New keyword abilities: Eternalize and Afflict.
  • New planeswalker type: Samut.
  • If an effect would give a creature +X/+X or -X/-X when X is negative, the creature gets +0/+0 instead.[55]

Amonkhet

  • New keyword abilities: Embalm and Aftermath.
  • New keyword action: Exert.
  • New creature type: Jackal.
  • New enchantment type: Cartouche.
  • The characteristics of split cards were changed. While not on the stack, the card's characteristics are a combination of both halves. A split card that's an instant on one half and a sorcery on the other is both an instant and a sorcery when not on a stack, and its converted mana cost is the sum of both halves.
  • With Heart-Piercer Manticore, reflexive triggered abilities were introduced.[56]

Aether Revolt

Commander 2016

Kaladesh

Conspiracy: Take the Crown

Eldritch Moon

Shadows over Innistrad

  • New keyword ability: Skulk.
  • New keyword action: Investigate.
  • New ability word: Delirium.
  • If an object gains an ability, the value of X within that ability is the value defined by that ability, or 0 if that ability doesn't define a value of X.
  • The converted mana cost of the back side of a double-faced card is the same as its front side. It used to be 0.
  • If a spell or ability instructs a player to transform a permanent, and the face that permanent would transform into is represented by an instant or sorcery card face, nothing happens.
  • If a spell or ability attempts to transform a permanent, but that permanent has transformed since the spell or ability was put on the stack, the permanent doesn't transform.
  • If a player is instructed to put a card that isn't a double-faced card onto the battlefield transformed, that card stays in its current zone.[62]

Oath of the Gatewatch

  • New keyword ability: Surge.
  • New keyword action: Support.
  • Added Colorless mana (represented by the letter 'C') as a symbol for colorless mana. Older cards that read "Add 1 generic mana to your mana pool" or similar received errata to read "Add Colorless mana to your mana pool". This is solely a templating change, not a functional one. Colorless mana in a mana cost must be paid with colorless mana. Generic mana costs (1 generic mana, 2 generic mana, X generic mana, etc.) can still be paid with any color of mana.
  • Effects that would add mana represented by a generic symbol (1 generic mana, 2 generic mana, X generic mana, etc.) to a mana pool add that much colorless mana.
  • Removed special mulligan rule for Commander. Commander now uses normal mulligan rules for two-player or multiplayer games.
  • Mana of any color can be added to your mana pool in Commander. Previously, mana not in your commander's color identity was converted to colorless mana.[63]

Commander 2015

Battle for Zendikar

  • New creature types: Processor and Scion.
  • New keyword abilities: Awaken, Devoid, and Ingest.
  • New ability words: Rally and Convoke.
  • Vancouver mulligan — The long-standing Paris mulligan rule was augmented with the following: After all players have kept an opening hand, each player in turn order whose hand contains fewer cards than that player's starting hand size may look at the top card of his or her library. If a player does, that player may put that card on the bottom of his or her library. (This is equivalent to scry 1, but not described as such in the rules.)
  • Face-down cards in exile should be kept in separate piles based on when they were exiled and how they were exiled. If a player is instructed to choose an exiled card, the player may choose a specific face-down card only if the player is allowed to look at that card. Otherwise, he or she may choose a pile of face-down exiled cards, and then a card is chosen at random from within that pile. If choosing such a card is part of casting a spell or activating an ability, the chosen card isn't revealed until after that cost is fully paid.
  • If a player would scry 0, that player doesn't scry.[65]

Magic Origins

  • New ability word: Spell mastery.
  • New keyword abilities: Menace and Renown.
  • Abilities that trigger when a permanent is tapped for mana look at what mana was produced when the mana ability resolved.
  • Choices for spells are made before legality is checked. For example, if you can't cast creature spells, you can still cast a spell with bestow as an Aura.
  • Permanents get a new timestamp when they turn face up, turn face down, or transform.
  • If you would shuffle cards into your library, but no cards are added to it (for example, due to a replacement effect), you still shuffle it.
  • The chaos symbol, Chaos ensues symbol, is now represented by the word 'CHAOS' instead of 'C'.
  • If your commander would be exiled or go to your hand, library or graveyard, you may choose to have it go to the command zone instead. (Previously this was only the case for exile and graveyard.)[66]

Dragons of Tarkir

Fate Reforged

  • Removed Anteater creature type.
  • New ability word: Lieutenant.
  • New keyword actions: Bolster and Manifest.
  • New keyword ability: Dash.
  • New planeswalker type: Ugin.
  • If you are instructed to pay the mana cost of a card with X generic mana in its cost, X is 0 unless the card is a spell on the stack, in which case X is whatever was chosen for it.
  • Some permanents make you choose between multiple abilities. Each ability is associated with an anchor word. "[Anchor word] — [ability]" means "As long as [anchor word] was chosen as this permanent entered the battlefield, this permanent has [ability]."
  • Double-faced cards can now be cast face down. Face down is not the same as transformed; a face-down double-faced card has the characteristics defined by whatever caused it to be face down and cannot transform. When it is turned face up, its front face is showing. Double-faced cards on the battlefield can't be turned face down.[68]

Khans of Tarkir

  • New creature type: Naga.
  • New ability words: Ferocious and Raid.
  • New keyword abilities: Outlast and Prowess.
  • If an effect says an object "can't gain" an ability, a continuous effect that grants that ability while also having other effects (such as one that grants two different abilities) will still be created and apply those other effects.
  • Effects that set characteristics as a permanent enters the battlefield or is turned face up are not copiable unless those effects set the object's power and/or toughness.[69]

Magic 2015

  • If an effect attempts to put an Aura onto the battlefield attached to something it can't legally enchant, it remains in its current zone.
  • If searching a zone is replaced with searching a portion of that zone, any abilities that trigger on searching that zone still trigger.[70]

Conspiracy

Journey into Nyx

Born of the Gods

  • New ability word: Inspired.
  • New keyword ability: Tribute.
  • New planeswalker type: Kiora.
  • New game value variant: Devotion to [color 1] and [color 2] is equal to the number of mana symbols among the mana costs of permanents that player controls that are [color 1], [color 2], or both colors. Hybrid symbols (e.g. W/U) are only counted once, even if they have both colors.
  • An Aura or Equipment that moves from one object or player to another becomes "unattached from" the first object or player, but never becomes "unattached".
  • Main-game counters on players are considered not to exist during a subgame. Subgame counters cease to exist at the end of the subgame.
  • Schemes are now set in motion one at a time.
  • Casting any commander from the command zone also requires an additional 2 generic mana for each time the casting player has cast that commander this game. Previously, this only applied to your own commander. This was changed because Daxos of Meletis could allow a player to cast a different player's commander from the command zone.[73]

Commander 2013

  • New ability word: Tempting offer.
  • New keyword ability variant: Protection from [player] means protection from each object controlled by that player and each object owned by that player that is not controlled any player.[74]

Theros

  • New keyword ability: Bestow.
  • New keyword action: Monstrosity.
  • New game value: Devotion to [color] is equal to the number of mana symbols of that color among the mana costs of permanents that player controls.
  • New planeswalker type: Xenagos.
  • "Equipped", "fortified", and "enchanted" are all now synonyms for "attached". Permanents with abilities that refer to the "equipped creature", "fortified land", and "enchanted [object or player]" simply refer to the the object or player the permanent is attached to, as long as the object or player is of the correct type.[75]

Magic 2014

  • New keyword ability: Indestructible. (Previously, indestructible was a quality of objects, not an ability; effects would say that an object "is indestructible" rather than "gains indestructible". For example, a creature enchanted with Indestructibility was still indestructible under the effect of Ovinize.)
  • Convoke and Delve are now considered alternative methods for paying mana costs rather than cost reductions, meaning players can no longer tap creatures or exile cards beyond what would actually reduce the cost.
  • "Unblockable" was removed from the game's vocabulary. Cards now say "can't be blocked".
  • Sideboards for constructed play may now contain up to 15 cards. Players are no longer required to exchange cards one-for-one between their sideboard and main deck.
  • Expansion symbol is no longer a characteristic of cards. Cards that previously cared about this have received errata to say "cards originally printed in [set]", and the rules list the names of these cards.
  • You can no longer be required to cast a spell with a mandatory additional cost that includes actions involving cards with a stated quality in a hidden zone if able. For example, if a card says "as an additional cost to cast this card, reveal a creature from your hand", you can choose not to pay the cost, and you will not cast the spell.
  • If an effect would put a non-Aura card onto the battlefield attached to a creature, it enters unattached.
  • The procedure to determine whether a player can play a land was made more precise. Effects that say you may play one or more additional lands increase the number of lands you may play from the default 1, and the game checks this against the number of lands you've played so far this turn.
  • New planeswalker uniqueness rule: If a player controls two or more planeswalkers that share a planeswalker type, that player chooses one and puts the rest into their owners' graveyards. Previously, if more than one planeswalker with a given planeswalker type was on the battlefield, all of them were put into their owners' graveyards.
  • New legend rule: If a player controls two or more legendary permanents that share a name, that player chooses one and puts the rest into their owners' graveyards. Previously, if more than one permanent with a given name was on the battlefield, all of them were put into their owners' graveyards.
  • If an ability refers to the card exiled by an effect, but multiple cards were exiled (because the effect was copied, for example), it refers to all of those cards. If it checks the characteristics of the card, it sums that characteristic for all of them. If it would do something to the card, it does it to all of them.
  • If a effect causes a card to change zone "until" a future point, it immediately creates a second event to move the card back. If the specified event has already occurred when the initial one-shot effect would cause the object to change zones, the object doesn't move.[76]

Dragon's Maze

  • New keyword ability: Fuse.
  • New planeswalker type: Ral.
  • When instructed to "name a card", you may only name one half of a split card. Previously you were required to name both halves.
  • Abilities that trigger when a card "attacks and isn't blocked" trigger when blockers are declared (even if the declaration is "no blockers").
  • If an effect replaced searching a zone with searching a portion of a zone, that is still considered searching that zone.
  • A creature that gains more than one +1/+1 counter due to evolve still only "evolves" once.[77]

Gatecrash

  • New planeswalker type: Domri.
  • New ability words: Battalion and Bloodrush.
  • New keyword abilities: Cipher, Evolve, and Extort.
  • If an effect allows a player to look at a face-down card in exile, they may continue to look at that card if that effect ends.
  • If an ability refers to an undefined choice, that part of the ability won't do anything.
  • If spending some mana is restricted based on an undefined choice, that mana can't be spent.
  • If a replacement effect that modifies how a permanent enters the battlefield requires a choice, that choice is made before the permanent changes zones.
  • If a spell states that it may be cast only "after [a player's] upkeep step", and the turn has multiple upkeep steps, that spell may be cast any time after the first upkeep step ends.
  • If a continuous effect has parts that modify the characteristics of cards and parts that affect cards without modifying their characteristics, the set of cards affected is determined separately for each part of the effect.
  • If a player leaves the game, abilities from phenomena that they control stay on the stack, and are now controlled by the new planar controller.[78]

Return to Ravnica

  • New planeswalker type: Vraska.
  • New keyword abilities: Overload, Scavenge, and Unleash.
  • New keyword actions: Detain and Populate.
  • If a player would search a zone for cards of an undefined quality, that player may search but can't find any cards.
  • If an ability triggers when an object "transforms into" an object with a specific name, that ability only triggers if the object does not have that name before transforming and then has that name immediately after transforming.
  • When a player leaves the game, spells that player controlled, but didn't own, are now exiled instead of ceasing to exist entirely.[79]

Magic 2013

  • The same object can't be chosen to change zones more than once when applying replacement effects that modify how a single permanent enters the battlefield.[80]

Planechase 2012

  • New planar types: Azgol, Belenon, Ergamon, Fabacin, Innistrad, Kephalai, Kolbahan, Kyneth, Mongseng, New Phyrexia, Regatha, Vryn, and Xerex.
  • New card type: Phenomenon.
    • Each phenomenon card has a triggered ability that triggers when you encounter it. "When you encounter [this phenomenon]" means "When you move this card off a planar deck and turn it face up".
    • If a phenomenon card is face up in the command zone, and it isn't the source of a triggered ability that has triggered but not yet left the stack, the planar controller planeswalks the next time a player would receive priority.
    • No more than two cards in a planar deck can be phenomenon cards. If there is a shared planar deck, it can't contain more phenomenon cards than twice the number of players in the game.[81]

Avacyn Restored

  • New planeswalker types: Tamiyo and Tibalt.
  • New keyword abilities: Miracle and Soulbond.
  • If an effect tries to attach a permanent that isn't an Aura, Equipment, or Fortification to another object, that effect doesn't occur.
  • When a player leaves the game, any ongoing effects that would last until a point during that player's turn will end when their next turn would have begun.[82]

Dark Ascension

  • New ability word: Fateful Hour.
  • New keyword ability: Undying.
  • A clarification was added to explain that gaining 0 life doesn't count as gaining life.
  • If a card is copied and then cast, the copy is cast from the same zone as the card that got copied.
  • If an effect that gives a player control of a permanent ends and control of that object would default to a player who left the game and didn't control that permanent, the permanent is exiled instead.
    • For example, if Bob steals a creature from Chris with Bribery and then Amy takes that creature with Act of Treason and kills Bob with it, when Amy's turn ends, the creature can't return to Bob and is thus exiled.[83]

Innistrad

  • Introduced color indicators and double-faced cards.
    • Cards with no mana costs or mana costs of 0 mana that previously had abilities defining their colors received errata to use color indicators instead.
  • New ability word: Morbid.
  • New keyword actions: Fight and Transform.
  • New creature type: Werewolf.
  • New enchantment type: Curse.
  • An object can't gain a subtype unless it has an associated card type.
  • Replacement effects that cause an object to enter as a copy of another object must be applied before other replacement effects that apply to an object entering the battlefield (but still after effects that affect under whose control it enters).[84]

Magic 2012

  • New planar type: Kinshala. (Introduced in Planechase, but not included in the comprehensive rules until this update.)
  • The "Planar Magic" format has been renamed to Planechase.
  • When a player leaves the game, spells they gained control of but don't own (such as with Commandeer) are returned to their previous controller rather than ceasing to exist.[85]

Commander (2011)

  • New ability word: Join forces.
  • New kayword ability: Hexproof.
  • New game term: Dies.
    • At this point, the rules note that the term will not appear on any cards until a future date.
    • This rule was added preemptively as Duels of the Planeswalkers 2012, which launched between this rules update and the next one, used the terminology.
  • In a two-headed giant game, an effect that prevents a player from getting poison counters also prevents that player's teammates from getting poison counters.
  • A sentence was added to the description of the commander format acknowledging the format's fan-made origin and directing players to the Commander Rules Committee's website.
  • In a commander game, a player who is allowed to look at a card that was just exiled face down must do so, and must return that card to the command zone if it is a commander.[86]

References

  1. ↑ a b Wizards of the Coast (September 30, 2024). "On the Future of Commander". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  2. ↑ Eric Levine (Jul 21, 2025). "Edge of Eternities Release Notes". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  3. ↑ Eric Levine (May 30, 2025). "Magic: The Gathering®—FINAL FANTASY™ Release Notes". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  4. ↑ Jess Dunks and Eric Levine (March 27, 2025). "Tarkir: Dragonstorm Release Notes". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  5. ↑ Jess Dunks (January 31, 2025). "Aetherdrift Release Notes". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  6. ↑ Jess Dunks and Eric Levine (November 14, 2024). "Magic: The Gathering Foundations Update Bulletin". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  7. ↑ Eric Levine. "Duskmourn: House of Horror Release Notes". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  8. ↑ Eric Levine and Eliana Rabinowitz (July 19, 2024). "Bloomburrow Release Notes". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  9. ↑ Eric Levine (May 31, 2024). "Modern Horizons 3 Release Notes". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  10. ↑ Jess Dunks (May 9, 2024). "Outlaws of Thunder Junction Update Bulletin". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  11. ↑ Eric Levine (February 27, 2024). "Magic: The Gathering® – Fallout® Release Notes". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  12. ↑ Eric Levine (January 26, 2024). "Murders at Karlov Manor Release Notes". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  13. ↑ Jess Dunks and Eric Levine (November 3, 2023). "The Lost Caverns of Ixalan Release Notes". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  14. ↑ Jess Dunks (October 9, 2023). "Magic: The Gathering® – Doctor Who™ Release Notes". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  15. ↑ Eliana Rabinowitz and Eric Levine (August 3, 2023). "Commander Masters Update Bulletin". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  16. ↑ Eric Levine (August 24, 2023). "Wilds of Eldraine Release Notes". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  17. ↑ Eric Levine (September 26, 2023). "The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth™ Release Notes". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  18. ↑ Eliana Rabinowitz and Jess Dunks. "March of the Machine Update Bulletin". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  19. ↑ Eliana Rabinowitz (February 8, 2023). "Phyrexia: All Will Be One Comprehensive Rules Changes". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  20. ↑ Eliana Rabinowitz (November 8, 2022). "Comprehensive Rules Changes". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  21. ↑ Jess Dunks (October 18, 2022). "Comprehensive Rules Changes". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  22. ↑ Jess Dunks (September 2, 2022). "Comprehensive Rules Changes". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  23. ↑ Jess Dunks (June 1, 2022). "Comprehensive Rules Changes". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on July 5, 2022.
  24. ↑ Jess Dunks (April 20, 2022). "Comprehensive Rules Changes". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on September 9, 2022.
  25. ↑ Jess Dunks (February 9, 2022). "Comprehensive Rules Changes". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  26. ↑ Jess Dunks (November 10, 2021). "Comprehensive Rules Changes". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on September 27, 2022.
  27. ↑ Jess Dunks (September 15, 2021). "Comprehensive Rules Changes". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on October 24, 2021.
  28. ↑ Jess Dunks (July 15, 2021). "Comprehensive Rules Changes". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on January 21, 2022.
  29. ↑ Jess Dunks (June 18, 2021). "Comprehensive Rules changes". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on August 21, 2022.
  30. ↑ Jess Dunks (April 20, 2021). "Comprehensive Rules Changes". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on January 28, 2022.
  31. ↑ Ian Duke (February 15, 2021). "February 15, 2021, Banned and Restricted Announcement". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  32. ↑ Matt Tabak (February 2, 2021). "Comprehensive Rules Changes". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on August 15, 2022.
  33. ↑ Eli Shiffrin (November 6, 2020). "Commander Legends Release Notes". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  34. ↑ Matt Tabak (September 22, 2020). "Comprehensive Rules Changes". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on September 18, 2022.
  35. ↑ Eli Shiffrin (July 31, 2020). "Double Masters Release Notes". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on August 15, 2020.
  36. ↑ Eli Shiffrin (June 23, 2020). "Comprehensive Rules Changes". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on August 15, 2022.
  37. ↑ Ian Duke (June 1, 2020). "June 1, 2020, Banned and Restricted Announcement". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  38. ↑ Eli Shiffrin (April 10, 2020). "Comprehensive Rules Changes". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on October 8, 2022.
  39. ↑ Eli Shiffrin (January 10, 2020). "Oracle Changes". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on October 28, 2022.
  40. ↑ Eli Shiffrin (January 10, 2020). "Comprehensive Rules Changes". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on October 26, 2021.
  41. ↑ Eli Shiffrin (September 17, 2019). "Comprehensive Rules Changes". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  42. ↑ Wizards of the Coast (August 9, 2019). "Commander (2019 Edition) Release Notes". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  43. ↑ Eli Shiffrin (July 3, 2019). "Core Set 2020 Comprehensive Rules Changes". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on January 28, 2022.
  44. ↑ Eli Shiffrin (April 25, 2019). "War of the Spark Comprehensive Rules Changes". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on October 31, 2022.
  45. ↑ Eli Shiffrin (January 22, 2019). "Ravnica Allegiance Comprehensive Rules Changes". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on May 21, 2022.
  46. ↑ Eli Shiffrin (September 28, 2018). "Guilds of Ravnica Oracle Changes". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on August 10, 2022.
  47. ↑ Eli Shiffrin (September 28, 2018). "Guilds of Ravnica Comprehensive Rules Changes". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on August 15, 2022.
  48. ↑ Eli Shiffrin (July 6, 2018). "Core set 2019 Comprehensive Rules Changes". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on October 6, 2022.
  49. ↑ Wizards of the Coast (June 1, 2018). "Battlebond Release Notes". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on May 23, 2022.
  50. ↑ Eli Shiffrin (April 13, 2018). "Dominaria Comprehensive Rules Changes". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on October 5, 2022.
  51. ↑ Eli Shiffrin (January 11, 2018). "Rivals of Ixalan Comprehensive Rules Changes". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on August 7, 2022.
  52. ↑ Mark Rosewater (December 6, 2017). "Unstable FAQAWASLFAQPAFTIDAWABIAJTBT". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
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  61. ↑ Matt Tabak (July 28, 2016). "Eldritch Moon Update Bulletin—Comprehensive Rules Changes". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on January 22, 2022.
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  64. ↑ Wizards of the Coast (November 11, 2015). "COMMANDER (2015 Edition) Release Notes". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on December 1, 2012.
  65. ↑ Matt Tabak (October 9, 2015). "Battle for Zendikar Update Bulletin—Comprehensive Rules Changes". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on May 21, 2022.
  66. ↑ Matt Tabak (July 16, 2015). "Magic Origins Update Bulletin—Comprehensive Rules Changes". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on December 5, 2021.
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  83. ↑ Matt Tabak (January 25, 2012). "Dark Ascension Update Bulletin". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on January 25, 2022.
  84. ↑ Matt Tabak (September 22, 2011). "September 2011 Update Bulletin". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on January 25, 2022.
  85. ↑ Matt Tabak (July 7, 2011). "July 2011 Update Bulletin". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on January 25, 2022.
  86. ↑ Matt Tabak (June 10, 2011). "June 2011 Update Bulletin". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on January 25, 2022.
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