Magic: The Gathering Comprehensive Rules

415.7c The word “you” in an object’s text isn’t a target.

416. Effects

416.1. When a spell or ability resolves, it may create one or more one-shot or continuous effects. Static abilities may create one or more continuous effects. Some effects are replacement effects or prevention effects. State-based effects are not created by spells or abilities; they are generated by specific rules of the game.

416.2. Effects apply only to permanents unless the instruction’s text states otherwise or they clearly can apply only to objects in one or more other zones.

Example: An effect that changes all lands into creatures won’t alter land cards in players’ graveyards. But an effect that says spells cost more to play will apply only to spells on the stack, since a spell is always on the stack while you are playing it.

416.3. If an effect attempts to do something impossible, it does only as much as possible.

Example: If a player is holding only one card, an effect that reads “Discard two cards” causes him or her to discard only that card. If an effect moves cards out of the library (as opposed to drawing), it moves as many as possible.

417. One-Shot Effects

417.1. A one-shot effect does something just once and doesn’t have a duration. Examples include damage dealing, destruction of permanents, and moving objects between zones.

417.2. Some one-shot effects instruct a player to do something later in the game (usually at a specific time) rather than when they resolve. This kind of effect actually creates a new ability that waits to be triggered. (See rule 404.4.)

418. Continuous Effects

418.1. A continuous effect modifies characteristics of objects or modifies the rules of the game for a fixed or indefinite period. A continuous effect may be generated by the resolution of a spell or ability or by a static ability of an object.

418.2. Continuous effects that modify characteristics of permanents do so simultaneously with the permanent coming into play. They don’t wait until the permanent is in play and then change it. Because such effects apply as the permanent comes into play, apply them before determining whether the permanent will cause an ability to trigger when it comes into play.

418.3. Continuous Effects from Spells or Abilities

418.3a A continuous effect generated by the resolution of a spell or ability lasts as long as stated by the spell or ability creating it (such as “until end of turn”). If no duration is stated, it lasts until the end of the game.

418.3b Continuous effects from spells, activated abilities, and triggered abilities that modify the characteristics or change the controller of one or more objects don’t affect objects that weren’t affected when the continuous effect began. Note that these work differently than continuous effects from static abilities. Continuous effects that don’t modify characteristics or change the controller of objects modify the rules of the game, so they can affect objects that weren’t affected when the continuous effect began.

Example: An effect that reads “All white creatures get +1/+1 until end of turn” gives the bonus to all permanents that are white creatures when the spell or ability resolves-even if they change color later- and doesn’t affect those that come into play or turn white afterward.

Example: An effect that reads “Prevent all damage creatures would deal this turn” doesn’t modify any object’s characteristics, so it’s modifying the rules of the game. That means the effect will apply even to damage from creatures that weren’t in play when the continuous effect began. It also affects damage from permanents that become creatures later in the turn.

418.3c If a resolving spell or ability that creates a continuous effect contains a variable, the value of that variable is determined only once, on resolution. See rule 413.2f.

418.3d Some effects from activated or triggered abilities have durations worded “as long as . . . .” If the “as long as” duration ends between the end of playing the activated ability or putting the triggered ability onto the stack and the moment when the effect would first be applied, the effect does nothing. It doesn’t start and immediately stop again, and it doesn’t last forever.

Example: Endoskeleton is an artifact with an activated ability that reads “{2}, {T}: Target creature gets +0/+3 as long as Endoskeleton remains tapped.” If you play this ability and then Endoskeleton becomes untapped before the ability resolves, it does nothing, because its duration-remaining tapped-was over before the effect began.

418.4. Continuous Effects from Static Abilities

418.4a A continuous effect generated by a static ability isn’t “locked in”; it applies at any given moment to whatever its text indicates.

418.4b The effect applies at all times that the permanent generating it is in play or the object generating it is in the appropriate zone.

Example: A permanent with the static ability “All white creatures get +1/+1” generates an effect that continuously gives +1/+1 to each white creature in play. If a creature becomes white, it gets this bonus; a creature that stops being white loses it. A creature spell that would normally create a 1/1 white creature instead creates a 2/2 white creature. The creature doesn’t come into play as 1/1 and then change to 2/2.