Magic: The Gathering Comprehensive Rules

order written, or in the order he or she chooses if the choices aren’t ordered.

104. Numbers and Symbols

104.1. The Magic game uses only natural numbers. You can’t choose a fractional number, deal fractional damage, and so on. When a spell or ability could generate a fractional number, the spell or ability will tell you whether to round up or down.

104.2. If a creature’s power or toughness, a mana cost, a player’s life total, or an amount of damage would be less than 0, it’s treated as 0 for all purposes except changing that total. If anything needs to use a number that can’t be determined, it uses 0 instead.

Example: If a 3/3 creature gets -5/-0, it deals 0 damage in combat. But to raise its power back to 1, you’d have to give it +3/+0 (3 minus 5 plus 3 is 1).

Example: If you control no permanents, the “highest converted mana cost among permanents you control” can’t be determined, so 0 is used instead.

104.3. The mana symbols are {W}, {U}, {B}, {R}, {G}, {X}, {Y}, and {Z}; the numerals {0}, {1}, {2}, {3}, {4}, and so on; the hybrid symbols {W/U}, {W/B}, {U/B}, {U/R}, {B/R}, {B/G}, {R/G}, {R/W}, {G/W}, and {G/U}; and the snow symbol {S}.

104.3a Each of the colored mana symbols represents one colored mana: {W} is white, {U} blue, {B} black, {R} red, and {G} green.

104.3b Numeral symbols (such as {1}) are generic mana costs and represent an amount of mana that can be paid with any color of, or colorless, mana.

104.3c The symbols {X}, {Y}, and {Z} represent unspecified amounts of mana; when playing a spell or activated ability with {X}, {Y}, or {Z} in its cost, its controller decides the value of that variable.

104.3d Numeral symbols (such as {1}) and variable symbols (such as {X}) can also represent colorless mana if they appear in the effect of a spell or ability that reads “add [mana symbol] to your mana pool” or something similar.

104.3e The symbol {0} represents zero mana and is used as a placeholder when a spell or activated ability costs nothing to play. A spell or ability whose cost is {0} must still be played the same way as one with a cost greater than zero; it won’t play itself automatically.

104.3f Each of the hybrid mana symbols represents a cost that can be paid with one of two colors: {W/U} in a cost can be paid with either white or blue mana, {W/B} white or black, {U/B} blue or black, {U/R} blue or red, {B/R} black or red, {B/G} black or green, {R/G} red or green, {R/W} red or white, {G/W} green or white, and {G/U} green or blue.

Example: {G/W}{G/W} can be paid by spending {G}{G}, {G}{W}, or {W} {W}.

104.3g If an effect would add one mana represented by a hybrid mana symbol to a player’s mana pool, that player chooses either of that symbol’s colors and adds one mana of that color to his or her mana pool.

104.3h The snow mana symbol {S} represents a cost that can be paid with one mana produced by a snow permanent. This is a generic mana cost that can be paid with any color of, or colorless, mana. Effects that reduce the amount of generic mana you pay don’t affect {S} costs.

104.4. The tap symbol is {T}. The tap symbol in an activation cost means “Tap this permanent.” A permanent that’s already tapped can’t be tapped again to pay the cost. Creatures that haven’t been under a player’s control continuously since the beginning of his or her most recent turn can’t use any ability with the tap symbol in the cost. See rule 212.3d.

104.5. A tombstone icon appears to the left of the name of many Odyssey™ block cards with abilities that are relevant in a player’s graveyard. The purpose of the icon is to make those cards stand out when they’re in a graveyard. This icon has no effect on game play.

2. Parts of the Game

200. General

200.1. When a rule or text on a card refers to a “card,” it means a Magic card with a Magic card front and the Magic card back. Tokens aren’t considered cards- even a card that represents a token isn’t considered a card for rules purposes.

200.1a A card’s owner is the player who started the game with it in his or her deck or, for cards that didn’t start the game in a player’s deck, the player who brought the card into the game.

200.2. Use the Oracle™ card reference when determining a card’s wording. A card’s Oracle text can be found using the Gatherer card database at http://gatherer.wizards.com.

200.3. 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.

200.3a In a multiplayer game between teams, a player’s teammates are the other players on his or her team, and the player’s opponents are all players not on his or her team.

200.4. A token is a marker used to represent any permanent that isn’t represented by a card. (See rule 216, “Tokens.”)

200.4a A token’s owner is the player who controlled the spell or ability that put it into play. A token’s controller is the player who put it into play.