Magic: The Gathering Comprehensive Rules

to apply to damage from the permanent that spell becomes.

217.1d If an object would move from one zone to another, first determine what event is moving the object. Then apply any appropriate replacement effects to that event. If an effect or rule tries to do two or more contradictory or mutually exclusive things to a particular object, that object’s controller-or its owner if it has no controller-chooses what the effect does to the object. Then the event moves the object.

217.1e An object is outside the game if it’s in the removed-from-the-game zone, or if it isn’t in any of the game’s zones. All other objects are inside the game. Outside the game is not a zone.

217.2. Library

217.2a When a game begins, each player’s deck becomes his or her library.

217.2b Each library must be kept in a single face-down pile. Players can’t look at or change the order of cards in a library.

217.2c Any player may count the number of cards remaining in any player’s library at any time.

217.2d If an effect puts two or more cards on the top or bottom of a library at the same time, the owner of those cards may arrange them in any order. That library’s owner doesn’t reveal the order in which the cards go into his or her library.

217.2e Some effects tell a player to play with the top card of his or her library revealed. If the top card of the player’s library changes while a spell or ability is being played, the new top card won’t be revealed until the spell or ability becomes played (see rule 409.1i).

217.2f If a spell or ability causes a card to be drawn while another spell or ability is being played, the drawn card is kept face down until that spell or ability becomes played (see rule 409.1i).

217.3. Hand

217.3a The hand is where a player holds cards that have been drawn but not yet played. At the beginning of the game, each player draws a hand of seven cards. (See rule 101, “Starting the Game.”)

217.3b Each player has a maximum hand size, which is normally seven cards. A player may have any number of cards in his or her hand, but as part of his or her cleanup step, the player must discard excess cards down to the maximum hand size.

217.3c A player may arrange his or her hand in any convenient fashion and look at it as much as he or she wishes. A player can’t look at the cards in another player’s hand but may count those cards at any time.

217.4. Graveyard

217.4a A graveyard is a discard pile. Any object that’s countered, discarded, destroyed, or sacrificed is put on top of its owner’s graveyard, as is any instant or sorcery spell that’s finished resolving. Each player’s graveyard starts out empty.

217.4b Each graveyard is kept in a single face-up pile. A player can examine the cards in any graveyard at any time but can’t change their order.

217.4c If an effect or rule puts two or more cards into the same graveyard at the same time, the owner of those cards may arrange them in any order.

217.5. In Play

217.5a Most of the area between the players represents the in-play zone. The in-play zone starts out empty. Permanents a player controls (other than Auras attached to another player’s permanents) are kept in front of him or her in the in-play zone.

217.5b A spell or ability affects and checks only the in-play zone unless it specifically mentions a player or another zone. Permanents exist only in the in-play zone.

217.5c Whenever a permanent enters the in-play zone, it’s considered a brand-new permanent and has no relationship to any previous permanent represented by the same object. This is also true for any objects entering any zone (see rule 217.1c).

217.5d An object not in the in-play zone isn’t “in play” and isn’t considered tapped or untapped. Objects that aren’t either in play or on the stack aren’t controlled by any player.

217.6. Stack

217.6a When a spell is played, the physical card is put on the stack. When an ability is played, it goes on top of the stack without any card associated with it. (See rule 409.1, “Playing Spells and Activated Abilities.”)

217.6b The stack keeps track of the order that spells and/or abilities were added to it. Each time an object is put on the stack, it’s put on top of all objects already there. (See rule 408, “Timing of Spells and Abilities.”)

217.6c Each spell has all the characteristics of the card associated with it. Each activated or triggered ability that’s on the stack has the text of the ability that created it and no other characteristics. The controller of a spell is the person who played the spell. The controller of an activated ability is the player who played the ability. The controller of a triggered ability is the player who controlled the ability’s source when it triggered.

217.6d When all players pass in succession, the top (last-added) spell or ability on the stack resolves. If the stack is empty when all players pass, the current step or phase ends and the next begins.

217.6e Combat damage also uses the stack, in the same way as other objects that use the stack.

217.7. Removed from the Game

217.7a Effects can remove objects from the game. Some effects may provide a way for a card to return to a zone and use the term “set aside.” Cards that are set aside this way are still removed from the game, even though that removal may be temporary. Objects that aren’t cards can’t be returned in any way.

217.7b Cards in the removed-from-the-game zone are kept face up and may be examined by any player at any time. Cards “removed from the game face down” can’t be examined by any player except when instructions allow it.

217.7c Cards that might return to play should be kept in separate piles to keep track of their respective