Enters the battlefield

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Enters the Battlefield
Mechanic
Introduced Portal
Last used Evergreen
Scryfall Search
fulloracle:"enter(s|ing)? the battlefield"

Enters, or Enters the battlefield, refers to putting a permanent onto the battlefield, or to an ability which is triggered when a permanent is put onto the battlefield. It is commonly abbreviated ETB.

History

"Enters the Battlefield" was originally phrased as "Comes into play" (abbreviated as CIP)

"Enters-the-battlefield" abilities were introduced as a mechanic designed by Bill Rose for Portal. The design team liked it so much that they included it on one card of each color in Visions.[1] Popular cards with "enters-the-battlefield" effects were Nekrataal and Man-o'-War.[2] "Enters-the-battlefield" abilities which damage or kill a creature or destroy a permanent were colloquially known as 187 effects.

"Enters the battlefield" replaced the term "comes into play" when Magic 2010 rules changes went into effect.[3]

"Enters the battlefield" is not a keyword, but R&D talked about keywording it multiple times.[4] The word "arrives" was considered as an alternative.[5]

Starting with Bloomburrow in 2024, the phrase "Enters the battlefield" is shortened to "Enters" (and this will be applied retroactively in Oracle).[6] Entering will be connected specifically with the battlefield, so cards can’t, for example, “enter the graveyard”. R&D will occasionally write out “enters the battlefield” where they think it is needed for clarity in a template. Note that Sagas already used the "enters" template earlier in their reminder text. Meanwhile, “Leaves the battlefield” is *not* being shortened to “leaves” as R&D have used leave as a means to talk about cards leaving the graveyard, so it created ambiguity they didn’t want.[7]

Rules

From the glossary of the Comprehensive Rules (June 7, 2024—Modern Horizons 3)

Enters the Battlefield
A nontoken permanent “enters the battlefield” when it’s moved onto the battlefield from another zone. A token “enters the battlefield” when it’s created. See rules 403.3, 603.6a, 603.6d, and 614.12.

From the Comprehensive Rules (June 7, 2024—Modern Horizons 3)

  • 603.6a Enters-the-battlefield abilities trigger when a permanent enters the battlefield. These are written, “When [this object] enters the battlefield, . . . “ or “Whenever a [type] enters the battlefield, . . .” Each time an event puts one or more permanents onto the battlefield, all permanents on the battlefield (including the newcomers) are checked for any enters-the-battlefield triggers that match the event.

References