Magic: The Gathering Comprehensive Rules

Example: Akki Lavarunner is a nonlegendary creature that flips into a legendary creature named Tok-Tok, Volcano Born. An effect that says “search for library for a legendary card” can’t find this flip card. An effect that says “legendary creatures get +2/+2” doesn’t affect Akki Lavarunner, but it does affect Tok- Tok.

508.3. If you control a flip permanent, you must ensure that it’s clear at all times whether the permanent is flipped or not, both when it’s untapped and when it’s tapped. Common methods for distinguishing between flipped and unflipped permanents include using coins or dice to mark flipped objects.

508.4. Flipping a permanent is a one-way process. Once a permanent is flipped, it’s impossible for it to become unflipped. However, if a flipped permanent leaves play, it retains no memory of its status.

509. Ending the Turn

509.1. One card (Time Stop) ends the turn when it resolves. When an effect ends the turn, follow these steps in order, as they differ from the normal process for resolving spells and abilities (see rule 413, “Resolving Spells and Abilities”).

509.1a Remove every object on the stack from the game. Remove all attacking and blocking creatures, if any, from combat. All objects not in play or on the stack that aren’t represented by cards will cease to exist the next time state-based effects are checked (see rule 420, “State-Based Effects).

509.1b Check state-based effects. No player gets priority, and no triggered abilities are put onto the stack.

509.1c The current phase and/or step ends. The game skips straight to the cleanup step. Skip any phases or steps between this phase or step and the cleanup step.

509.2. No player gets priority during this process, so triggered abilities are not put onto the stack. If any triggered abilities have triggered between the spell or ability resolving and the cleanup step ending, there’s a chance to play spells and abilities in the cleanup step. Then there will be another cleanup step before the turn finally ends (see rule 314.3).

509.3. Even though the turn ends, “at end of turn” triggered abilities don’t trigger because the end of turn step is skipped.

510. Status

510.1. A permanent’s “status” is its physical state. There are three status categories, each of which has two possible values: tapped/untapped, flipped/unflipped, and face up/face down. Each permanent always has one of these values for each of these categories.

510.2. Status is not a characteristic, though it may affect a permanent’s characteristics.

510.3. Permanents come into play untapped, unflipped, and face up unless a spell or ability says otherwise.

510.4. A permanent retains its status until a spell, ability, or game action changes it, even if that status is not relevant to it.

Example: Dimir Doppelganger says “{1}{U}{B}: Remove target creature card in a graveyard from the game. Dimir Doppelganger becomes a copy of that card and gains this ability.” It becomes a copy of Jushi Apprentice, a flip card. Through use of Jushi Apprentice’s ability, this creature flips, making it a copy of Tomoya the Revealer with the Dimir Doppelganger ability. If this permanent then becomes a copy of Grizzly Bears, it will retain its flipped status even though that has no relevance to Grizzly Bears. If its copy ability is activated again, this time targeting a Nezumi Shortfang card (another flip card), this permanent’s flipped status means it will have the characteristics of Stabwhisker the Odious (the flipped version of Nezumi Shortfang) with the Dimir Doppelganger ability.

510.5. Only permanents have status. Cards not in play do not. Although a card in the removed-from-the- game zone may be face down, this has no correlation to the face-down status of a permanent.

510.6. A permanent that phases out remembers its status, as well as other information about the permanent (such as who controls it or whether it has any counters on it). It will phase in with the same status it had when it phased out. If it was face down when it phased out, it will stay face down in the phased-out zone.

511. Flipping a Coin

511.1. To flip a coin for an object that cares whether a player wins or loses the flip, the affected player flips the coin and calls “heads” or “tails.” If the call matches the result, that player wins the flip. Otherwise, the player loses the flip. Only the player who flips the coin wins or loses the flip; no other players are involved.

511.2. To flip a coin for an object that cares whether the coin comes up heads or tails, each affected player flips a coin without making a call. No player wins or loses this kind of flip.

511.3. If the coin that’s being flipped doesn’t have an obvious “heads” or “tails,” designate one side to be “heads,” and the other side to be “tails.” Other methods of randomization may be substituted for flipping a coin as long as there are two possible outcomes of equal likelihood and all players agree to the substitution. For example, the player may roll an even-sided die and call “odds” or “evens,” or roll an even-sided die and designate that “odds” means “heads” and “evens” means “tails.”

6. Multiplayer Rules

600. General

600.1. A multiplayer game is a game that begins with more than two players. This section contains additional optional rules that can be used for multiplayer play.

600.2. These rules consist of a series of options that can be added to a multiplayer game and a number of variant styles of multiplayer play. A single game may use multiple options but only one variant.

600.3. Many multiplayer Magic tournaments have additional rules not included here, including rules for deck construction. See the most current Magic: The Gathering DCI Floor