6. Glossary

Ability
"Ability" and "effect" are often confused with one another. An instruction in a card's or permanent's text is an ability. The result of following such an instruction, or of following a spell's instruction, is an effect. A card or permanent may have one or more abilities or no abilities at all. For more information, see section 4, "Spells, Abilities, and Effects." When an effect states that a card or permanent "gains" or "has" an ability, it's granting that card or permanent an ability. If an effect defines a characteristic of a card or permanent ("[card or permanent] is [characteristic]"), it's not granting an ability. For example, an enchant creature might read, "Enchanted creature is red." The enchantment isn't granting an ability of any kind; it's simply
changing the enchanted creature's color to red.

Activated Ability
An activated ability is written as "activation cost: effect." By paying the activation cost, a player may play such an ability whenever he or she has priority. See rule 403, "Activated Abilities."

Activation Cost
The activation cost of an activated ability is everything before the colon in "activation cost: effect." It must be paid to play the ability. For example, the activation cost of an ability that reads "2, T: Gain 1 life" is two mana of any color plus tapping the permanent. See rule 403, "Activated Abilities."

Active Player
The active player is the player whose turn it is. The active player gets priority at the start of each phase or step (except for the untap and cleanup steps), after any spell or ability (except a mana ability) resolves, and after combat damage resolves. Whenever both players are instructed to make choices at the same time, the active player makes all his or her choices first, then the nonactive player.

Additional Cost
Some spells have additional costs listed in their text. These are paid at the same time the player pays the spell's mana cost. See rule 409, "Playing Spells and Activated Abilities."

Alternative Cost
The rules text of some spells reads, "You may [action] rather than pay [this card's] mana cost." These are alternative costs. Other spells and abilities that refer to a spell's mana cost don't consider the alternative cost. If an effect requires paying additional costs to play a spell, it still applies to the alternative cost.

Ante (Obsolete)
Earlier versions of the Magic rules included an ante rule as a way of playing "for keeps." Playing Magic for ante is now considered an optional variation on the game, and it is allowed only where it's not forbidden by law or by other rules. Playing for ante is strictly forbidden under DCI tournament rules. When using the ante rule, each player puts one random card from his or her deck into his or her ante zone at the beginning of the game. At the end of the game, the winner becomes the owner of the cards in each player's ante zone. See rule 217.9, "Ante."

Artifact
Artifact is both a card type and a permanent type. The active player can play artifact spells only during his or her main phase when the stack is empty.

Artifact Creature
This permanent is a combination of artifact and creature, and it's subject to the rules for both. (See rule
214, "Permanent Type.") Some artifact creatures don't have a creature type. Those that do will say "Artifact Creature — [creature type]"; for example, "Artifact Creature — Golem." "Artifact" isn't a creature type.

"As though"
Text that states a player or card may do something "as though" some condition were true applies only to the stated action. For purposes of that action, treat the game exactly as if the stated condition is true. For all other purposes, treat the game normally.n Example: "Giant Spider may block as though it had flying." You may treat the Spider as a creature with flying, but only for the purpose of declaring blockers. This allows Giant Spider to block a creature with flying (and creatures that "can't be blocked except by creatures with flying"), assuming no other blocking restrictions apply. For example, Giant Spider can't
normally block a creature with both flying and shadow. Example: "You may play that card as though it were in your hand." The card may be played by the usual rules. If it's a spell, it's placed on the stack as the first step of playing it (see rule 409, "Playing Spells and Activated Abilities"); if it's a land, it's put directly into play. Because the card isn't actually in your hand, it can't be discarded, removed from the game to pay a cost, cycled, or counted toward the number of cards in your hand. Example: "Walls may attack as though they weren't Walls." As long as this effect is active, Walls are treated exactly like creatures that don't have the Wall creature type. They're still subject to all other rules and effects that determine whether an attack is legal.

Attack
A creature attacks when it is declared as an attacker during the combat phase. (See rule 308, "Declare
Attackers Step.") Playing a spell or ability (even during the combat phase) is never considered to be an
attack.

Attack Alone
A creature is attacking alone when it's the sole creature declared as an attacker in a given combat phase.

Attacked
Some triggered abilities trigger when a player is "attacked." At least one creature must actually be attacking that player for such abilities to trigger. Also, "attacked" means "attacked by one or more creatures," so such abilities can trigger only once each combat phase.

Attacking Creature
A creature becomes an attacking creature when (a) it's declared as part of a legal attack during the combat phase and (b) all attack costs have been paid. It remains an attacking creature until it's removed from combat, it stops being a creature, its controller changes, or the combat phase ends. Attacking creatures don't exist outside of the combat phase. See rule 308, "Declare Attackers Step."

Attacks and Isn't Blocked
An ability that triggers when a creature "attacks and isn't blocked" triggers when the creature becomes an unblocked attacking creature. See rule 309.3.

Banding, Bands with Other
Banding is a static ability that affects the combat phase. "Bands with other" is a specialized version of the ability. See rule 502.10, "Banding," and rule 502.11, "Bands with Other."

Basic Land
There are five basic land types: plains, island, swamp, mountain, and forest. Any land whose name is one of these five types is a basic land. Every basic land has an intrinsic mana ability. (See rule 214.9, "Lands.") Snow-covered lands are still basic lands. For example, Snow-Covered Plains is considered a plains.

Becomes
Some trigger events use the word "becomes." (For example, "becomes tapped" or "becomes blocked.") These trigger only at the time the named event happens—they don't trigger if that state already exists or retrigger if it persists. For example, "becomes tapped" triggers only once, and only when a permanent's status changes from untapped to tapped.

Beginning Phase
The beginning phase is the first phase of the turn. It has three steps: untap, upkeep, and draw. See rule
301, "Beginning Phase."

Block
A creature blocks when it's declared as a blocker during the combat phase. See rule 309, "Declare Blockers Step."

Block Alone
A creature is blocking alone when it's the sole creature declared as a blocker in a given combat phase.

Blocked Creature
An attacking creature becomes a blocked creature when another creature blocks it or an effect causes it to become blocked during the combat phase. It remains a blocked creature until it's removed from combat, it stops being a creature, its controller changes, or the combat phase ends. A blocked creature doesn't become unblocked if the blocking creature is later removed from combat. Blocked creatures don't exist outside of the combat phase. See rule 309, "Declare Blockers Step."

Blocking Creature
A creature becomes a blocking creature when (a) it's declared as part of a legal block during the combat phase and (b) all block costs have been paid. It remains a blocking creature until it's removed from combat, it stops being a creature, its controller changes, or the combat phase ends. Blocking creatures don't exist outside of the combat phase. See rule 309, "Declare Blockers Step."

Bury (Obsolete)
Some older cards were printed with the term "bury," which meant to put a permanent into its owner's
graveyard. In general, cards that were printed with the term "bury" now read "destroy [a permanent]. It can't be regenerated."

Buyback
Buyback is a replacement effect modifying rule 413.2h. When playing an instant or sorcery spell with buyback, the controller of the spell may pay an additional cost specified on the card. If he or she does,
when the spell resolves, the card is put into his or her hand instead of into his or her graveyard. If the card goes to some zone other than its owner's graveyard as it resolves, buyback's effect "loses track" of it, and the card isn't returned to its owner's hand.

Cantrip (Informal)
This is a nickname for any spell that has "Draw a card" as part of its effect.

Card
This is specifically a Magic card, and is always considered a card regardless of which zone it's in. Tokens aren't cards. See section 2, "Cards."

Cast (Obsolete)
Some older cards were used the term "cast" to describe the playing of a spell. In general, cards that were printed with the term "cast" now use the term "play."

Caster (Obsolete)
Some older cards used the term "caster" to describe the player who played a spell. In general, cards that were printed with the term "caster" now refer to the spell's "controller."

Casting Cost (Obsolete)
Some older cards used the term "casting cost" to describe the mana cost of a spell. In general, cards that were printed with the term "casting cost" now use the term "mana cost." Cards that used the term "total casting cost" now use the term "converted mana cost."

Characteristics
A card, spell, or permanent's characteristics are name, mana cost, color, type and subtype, expansion
symbol, rules text, power, and toughness. A card, spell, or permanent's characteristics at any given time start with the initial values, then are adjusted by any counters (on a permanent), then by continuous effects. Characteristics don't include any other information, such as whether a permanent is tapped, a spell or permanent's controller, a spell's target, what a local enchantment enchants, and so on.

Cleanup
Cleanup is the second and final step of the end phase. Spells and abilities may be played during this step only if the conditions for any state-based effects exist or if any abilities have triggered. In that case, the step repeats. See rule 314, "Cleanup Step."

Color
The only colors in Magic are white, blue, black, red, and green. A permanent can be one or more of those colors or it can be colorless. "Colorless" isn't a color; neither are "artifact," "land," "brown," etc. A card's initial color is determined by the color(s) of the mana symbols in its mana cost. Spells and abilities may change a permanent's color temporarily or permanently. If an effect gives a permanent a new color, the new color replaces all previous colors the permanent had.

Colorless
A card with no color is colorless. Lands are colorless because they have no mana cost. Artifacts are
colorless because they have no colored mana in their mana costs. A land or artifact can be given a color by an effect.

Colorless mana
The numeral mana symbols, X, and Y can represent colorless mana as well as a generic mana cost.

Combat Damage
Combat damage is dealt during the combat damage step of the combat phase by attacking creatures and blocking creatures. It doesn't include damage dealt by spells and abilities during the combat phase. See rule 310, "Combat Damage Step."

Combat Phase
Combat is the third phase of the turn. The combat phase has five steps: beginning of combat, declare
attackers, declare blockers, combat damage, and end of combat. See rules 306–311.

Comes into Play
A permanent comes into play when the card or token representing it is moved into the in-play zone. A
permanent whose type or controller changes doesn't "come into play." Permanents come into play untapped and under the control of whoever put them into play. Instructions that alter permanents coming into play do so as they come into play. For example, if an instruction causes something to come into play tapped, it isn't put into play untapped and then tapped. The controller-to-be of that permanent makes any choices required by the instruction. When a permanent comes into play, first apply any "as [this card] comes into play" text, then apply any "[this card] comes into play with" text, then apply continuous effects, then check to determine if the current form of the permanent generates any triggered abilities.

Continuous Ability (Obsolete)
In earlier versions of the rules, static abilities were known as "continuous abilities."

Continuous Effect
Continuous effects are usually active as long as the permanent with the associated static ability remains in play. A spell or ability can also create a continuous effect that doesn't depend on a permanent; these last for the specified time. See rule 418, "Continuous Effects."

Continuous Artifact (Obsolete)
Earlier versions of the rules provided support for a "continuous artifact" card type. All continuous artifact cards are now simply artifact cards. Artifacts printed with the continuous artifact card type generally have no activated abilities.

Control, Controller
Every permanent, spell, and ability has a controller. When a permanent comes into play, its controller is whoever put it into play unless the spell or ability that generated the permanent states otherwise. Other effects can later change a permanent's controller. Cards in zones other than in play or the stack have no controller. A spell or activated ability on the stack is controlled by whoever played it. A triggered ability is controlled by the player who controlled its source at the time it triggered.

Converted Mana Cost
The converted mana cost of a card is the total amount of mana in its mana cost, regardless of color. For
example, Air Elemental has a mana cost of 3UU and a converted mana cost of 5. See rule 203, "Mana Cost."

Copy Card
A "copy card" is a card that creates or becomes a "copy" of another spell, permanent, or card. See rule 503, "Copying Spells and Abilities."

Cost
Playing spells and activated abilities requires paying a cost. Most costs are paid in mana, but they may also include paying life, tapping or sacrificing permanents, discarding cards, and so on. It's illegal to pay a cost without having the necessary resources to pay it fully. For example, a player with only 1 life can't pay a cost of 2 life, and a permanent that's already tapped can't be tapped to pay a cost. See rule 203, "Mana Cost," and rule 403, "Activated Abilities."

Counter
Counter has two meanings in the Magic game. 1. To counter a spell or ability is to cancel it, removing it from the stack zone. It doesn't resolve and none of its effects occur. A countered spell is put into its owner's graveyard. 2. A counter is a marker placed on a permanent, either modifying its characteristics or interacting with an ability. A +X/+Y counter on a permanent, where X and Y are numbers, adds X to that
permanent's power and Y to that permanent's toughness. These bonuses are added after permanent-type changing effects and before other power and toughness changing effects. Counters with the same name or description are interchangeable. Counters may also be given to players. For information about poison counters, see rule 102.8.

Counts As (Obsolete)
Some older cards were printed with text stating that the card "counts as" something. As far as the game rules and other cards are concerned the card is that thing. (Newer Magic cards use "is" instead.) This isn't an ability; it applies even when the card's not in play. For example, a card that "counts as a forest" can be retrieved with a spell that searches the library for a forest card, and once in play it may be tapped for green mana and allows forestwalk.

Creature
Creature is both a card type and permanent type. The active player can play creature spells only during his or her main phase when the stack is empty. See rule 214.7, "Creatures."

Cumulative Upkeep
Cumulative upkeep is an upkeep-triggered ability. "Cumulative upkeep [cost]" means "At the beginning of your upkeep, put an age counter on this permanent. You may pay [cost] for each age counter on the permanent. If you don't, sacrifice it." Note that if a permanent has more than one instance of cumulative upkeep, each creates a separate triggered ability at the beginning of upkeep that counts all the age counters on the permanent from both abilities. See rule 502.13, "Cumulative Upkeep."

Cycling
Cycling is an activated ability. "Cycling [cost]" means "[Cost], Discard this card from your hand: Draw a card. Play this ability only if this card is in your hand." See rule 502.18, "Cycling."

Damage
Many spells and abilities deal damage to creatures and/or players. Creatures may also deal combat damage during the combat phase. Damage dealt to a player is subtracted from his or her life total. Damage dealt to a creature stays on the permanent, even if it stops being a creature. A creature with damage greater than or equal to its toughness (and greater than 0) has been dealt lethal damage and is destroyed. (See rule 420, "State-Based Effects.") Damage doesn't alter a creature's toughness. A noncreature permanent isn't affected by damage (but if it becomes a creature again before the damage is removed, the creature may be destroyed). During the cleanup step, all damage is removed from permanents. Costs and effects that read "lose life" or "pay life" don't deal damage, and that loss of life can't be prevented or otherwise altered by damage-prevention effects.

Damage-Prevention Ability
A damage-prevention ability is a static or activated ability that generates a damage-prevention effect. See rule 419.7, "Prevention Effects."

Deck
A player's deck is the collection of cards that player starts the game with. When the game begins, each
player's deck becomes his or her library.

Defending Player
During the combat phase, the active player's opponent is the defending player. (In a multiplayer game, there may be one defending player at a time or there may be more than one, depending on which variant is being played.) Creatures can attack only the defending player; they can't attack other players or creatures. During phases other than combat, there is no defending player.

Delayed Triggered Ability
A delayed triggered ability is created by effects generated when some spells or abilities resolve. See rule 406.2, "Delayed Triggered Abilities."

Destroy
To destroy a permanent is to move it from the in-play zone to its owner's graveyard. Regeneration or other destruction-replacement effects can replace this action. See rule 419, "Replacement and Prevention Effects."

Discard
A player discards a card by putting a card from his or her hand into his or her graveyard. By default, spells and abilities that cause a player to discard a card allow the affected player to choose which card to discard. Some spells and abilities, however, require a random discard or allow another player to choose which card is discarded.

Draw
Draw has two meanings in the Magic game. 1. A player draws a card by putting the top card of his or her library into his or her hand. A spell or ability may move cards from a player's library to that player's hand without the player "drawing" them; this makes a difference for abilities that trigger on drawing cards or that replace card draws. 2. A game ends in a draw if both players lose or win simultaneously.

Draw Step
The draw step is the third step of the beginning phase, with a triggered ability that requires the active
player to draw a card at the beginning of the step. A player may play spells and abilities during this step whenever he or she has priority. See rule 304, "Draw Step."

Dual Land (Informal)
Ten "dual land" cards were printed in early Magic editions; each of these has two basic land types in addition to its inherent land type. For example, Taiga has the land types Taiga, forest, and mountain. Dual land cards have the default abilities of both basic land types and are treated as both by all spells and abilities that specifically refer to those types. However, they are not basic lands. A dual land card doesn't count as two lands while in play—it's just one land with multiple land types. Changing one of the land type words on a dual land also changes which mana ability it has. Thus, if you play a spell or ability that edits Taiga to read, "Taiga is a plains and a forest in addition to its land type," it could then be tapped for white or green mana.

Duel (Obsolete)
In earlier versions of the rules, a game of Magic was known as a "duel." See also Match.

During (Obsolete)
Earlier versions of the rules provided support for "phase abilities," which were written "During [phase], [action]" In general, cards that were printed with phase abilities now have abilities that trigger at the beginning of a step or phase. "During" still appears in current card text, but only in its normal English sense and not as game terminology.

Echo
Echo is an upkeep-triggered ability. "Echo" in a permanent's rules text means "At the beginning of your upkeep, if this permanent came under your control since the beginning of your last upkeep, sacrifice it unless you pay its mana cost." See rule 502.19, "Echo."

Effect
"Ability" and "effect" are often confused with one another. An instruction in a permanent's text is an ability. The result of carrying out such an instruction, or that of a spell, is an effect. See rule 416, "Effects." When a spell or ability resolves, it creates an effect. There are three basic types: one-shot effects, continuous effects, and replacement or prevention effects. Some effects may in turn create delayed triggered abilities that trigger later.

Enchant World
A card printed with the type "Enchant World" is a global enchantment. If two or more enchant worlds are in play, all except for the one that has been an enchant world for the shortest amount of time are put into their owners' graveyards. This is a state-based effect; see rule 420.

Enchantment
Enchantment is both a card type and a permanent type. The active player can play enchantment spells only during his or her main phase when the stack is empty. See rule 214.8, "Enchantments." See also
Global Enchantment, Local Enchantment.

End of Turn
This is the first step of the end phase. See rule 313, "End of Turn Step."

End Phase
The end phase is the fifth and final phase of the turn. It has two steps: end of turn and cleanup. See rule 312, "End Phase."

Evasion Ability
Evasion abilities restrict what creatures can block an attacking creature. These are static abilities that
modify the declare blockers step of the combat phase. See rule 501, "Evasion Abilities."

Event
Anything that happens in a game is an event. Multiple events may take place during the resolution of a
spell or ability. The text of triggered abilities and replacement effects defines the event they're looking for; one "happening" may be treated as a single event by one ability and as multiple events by another. For example, if an attacking creature is blocked by two defending creatures, this is one event for a triggered ability that reads "Whenever [name] becomes blocked" but two events for a triggered ability that reads "Whenever [name] becomes blocked by a creature."

Exchange
A spell or ability may instruct two players to exchange something (for example, life totals or control of two permanents) as part of its resolution. When such a spell or ability resolves, if it can't exchange the chosen things, it has no effect on them. For example, if a spell attempts to exchange control of two target creatures but one of those creatures is destroyed before the spell resolves, the spell does nothing to the other creature. Or if a spell attempts to exchange control of two target creatures but both of those creatures are controlled by the same player, the spell does nothing to the two creatures. When control of two permanents is exchanged, each player simultaneously gains control of the permanent that was controlled by the other player. When life totals are exchanged, each player gains or loses the amount of life necessary to equal the other player's previous life total. Replacement effects may modify these gains and losses, and triggered abilities may trigger on them. Some spells or abilities may instruct a player to exchange cards in two different zones (for example, cards removed from the game and cards in a player's hand). These spells and abilities work the same as other "exchange" spells and abilities, except they can exchange the cards only if all the cards are owned by the same player.

Expansion Symbol
The small icon printed below the right edge of the illustration on a Magic card is the expansion symbol, indicating in which set the card was published. Cards reprinted in the basic set receive its expansion symbol and no longer count as part of their original set. This is important only to spells and abilities that affect cards from a particular expansion. The first five editions of the basic set had no expansion symbol.
The expansion symbols to date are:

Expansions and Editions

Arabian Nights®

Antiquities®

Legends®

The Dark®

Fallen Empires™

Ice Age™

Homelands™

Alliances™

Mirage™

Visions™

Weatherlight™

Tempest™

Stronghold™

Exodus™

Urza's Saga™

Urza's Legacy™

Urza's Destiny™

Classic™ (Sixth Edition)

Mercadian Masques™

Nemesis™

Prophecy™

Invasion™

Planeshift™

Apocalypse™

Seventh Edition™

Odyssey™

Torment™

Starter-Level Sets

Portal™

Portal Second Age™

Portal Three Kingdoms™

Starter™

Promotional Cards

DragonCon

Magic novels

Arena™ league cards

Social-Play Sets

Unglued™

Fading
Fading is a keyword ability that causes permanents to stay in play for a limited time. Cards with fading come into play with a specified number of fade counters on them, as if the card read, "[This card] comes into play with [a number of] fade counters on it." They also have a triggered ability that reads "At the beginning of your upkeep, remove a fade counter from [this card]. If you can't, sacrifice [this card]." See rule 502.20, "Fading."

Fast Effect (Obsolete)
In earlier versions of the rules, instants and activated abilities were also known as "fast effects."

First Strike
First strike is a static ability that modifies the rules for the combat phase. Creatures with first strike assign and deal their damage first, then surviving creatures without first strike assign and deal their damage in a separate step. See rule 502.2, "First Strike."

Fizzle (Obsolete)
In earlier versions of the rules, the term "fizzle" was used when a spell or ability was countered as a result of all its targets being missing or illegal when it resolved.

Flanking
Flanking is a triggered ability that triggers during the declare blockers step of the combat phase. The word "flanking" in a creature card's rules text means "Whenever this creature becomes blocked by a creature without flanking, the blocking creature gets -1/-1 until end of turn." See rule 502.3, "Flanking."

Flashback
Flashback is a static ability of some instant and sorcery cards that functions while the card is in its owner's graveyard. The card's owner can play the spell from his or her graveyard by paying its flashback cost. If a spell is played this way, it's removed from the game instead of being put anywhere else any time it would leave the stack. Playing a spell using its flashback ability follows the rules for paying alternative costs in rules 409.1b and 409.1f.

Flavor Text
This is text in italics appearing below the rules text on a card. It provides a mood or gives interesting
background detail for the game world but has no effect on play.

Flying
Flying is an evasion ability. A creature with flying can't be blocked by creatures without flying. A creature with flying can block a creature with or without flying. See rule 502.4, "Flying."

Forestwalk
See Landwalk.

Generic Mana Cost
A generic mana cost is represented by a number in a gray circle. Any color of mana, as well as colorless
mana, may be used to pay a generic mana cost.

Global Enchantment
Global enchantments are a category of enchantments. A global enchantment is labeled "Enchantment" and isn't attached to another permanent while it's in play.

Graveyard
Each player's discard pile is his or her graveyard. Countered spells, destroyed or sacrificed permanents, and discarded cards are put into their owner's graveyard. See rule 217, "Zones."

Hand
The hand is the zone where a player holds cards that haven't been played yet. See rule 217, "Zones."

Haste
Normally a creature can't attack or use activated abilities whose cost includes tapping the creature (that is, the tap symbol) unless it's been controlled by the player continuously since the beginning of that controller's most recent turn. Haste is a static ability that allows a creature to ignore this rule. See rule 502.5, "Haste."

Hidden Information (Obsolete)
In earlier versions of the rules, choices involved in playing spells and abilities were made during announcement, except sacrifices and certain categories of choices involving "hidden information" defined by complex rules. Under current Magic rules, a clearly defined set of choices is made during the announcement of a spell or ability, and all other choices are made when the spell or ability resolves. See rule 409, "Playing Spells and Activated Abilities."

Horsemanship
Horsemanship is an evasion ability. A creature with horsemanship can't be blocked by creatures without horsemanship. A creature with horsemanship can block a creature with or without horsemanship. See rule 502.17, "Horsemanship."

If
A triggered ability may read "When/Whenever/At [trigger], if [condition], [effect]." The ability checks for the stated condition to be true when the trigger event occurs. If it is, the ability triggers and goes on the stack. On resolution, the ability rechecks the condition. If the condition isn't true at either of those times, the ability does nothing. This rule is referred to as the "intervening 'if' clause" rule. Note that the word "if" has only its normal English meaning anywhere else in the text of a card; this rule only applies to an "if" that immediately follows the trigger condition.

In Play
In play is the zone in which permanents exist. When an artifact, creature, or enchantment spell resolves, the card is put into the in-play zone as a permanent. Tokens and lands also exist in this zone. See rule 217, "Zones."

Infinity Rule
There's no such thing as "infinity" in Magic rules. Occasionally the game can get into a state where a set of actions could be repeated forever. The "infinity rule" governs how to break such loops. See rule 421, "Handling 'Infinite' Loops."

Initial Value
The initial values of a permanent's characteristics are printed on the card or in the rules text of the spell or ability that created the token. Effects that change a permanent's type change the initial values for one or more of its characteristics, not the current values. They don't override continuous effects that are changing those characteristics. See rule 214.5.

Instant
Instant is a card type. A player may play instant spells whenever he or she has priority. An instant spell is put into its owner's graveyard as the last step of its resolution. See rule 409, "Playing Spells and Activated Abilities."

Interrupt (Obsolete)
Earlier versions of the rules provided support for the "interrupt" spell type. All interrupt cards are now instant cards. All abilities that were played as interrupts are now played like normal activated abilities (and mana abilities if they produce mana).

Islandwalk
See Landwalk.

Kicker
Kicker is a keyword ability with a cost and an effect. Paying a spell's kicker cost causes the spell to have an additional or alternative effect. See rule 502.21, "Kicker." A kicker cost is an additional cost to play a spell. You declare whether you intend to pay a spell's kicker cost at the same time you would choose the spell's mode (see rule 409.1b), and you actually pay the cost when you pay the rest of the spell's costs (see rule 409.1f). Paying a kicker cost is always optional. A spell's controller chooses targets (see rule 409.1c) for a kicker effect only if he or she declared the intention to pay the kicker cost for that effect. If the spell's controller declared that he or she wouldn't pay a particular kicker cost, he or she doesn't choose the targets for the effect associated with that kicker cost.

Lair
Lair is a land type. Having the type Lair does not make a land a basic land.

Land
Land is both a card type and a permanent type. Lands aren't spells and don't go on the stack; they are
simply put in play from the hand. The active player may play a land once each turn during his or her main phase when he or she has priority and the stack is empty. See rule 214.9, "Lands."

Land Type
A land's type is its card name. For example, a Forest is type "forest" and an Adarkar Wastes is type "Adarkar Wastes." Note that "basic" and "nonbasic" aren't land types.

Landhome (Obsolete)
Earlier versions of the rules provided support for a class of abilities called "landhome." The term itself is generic; a card's rules text usually named a specific type of land, such as "islandhome." This means, "This creature can't attack unless defending player controls an island" and "When you control no islands, sacrifice this creature." Cards that previously had landhome now simply have the two parts of landhome written out without using the keyword.

Landwalk
"Landwalk" is a generic term; a card's rules text usually names a specific type of land, such as "islandwalk."
Landwalk is an evasion ability. A creature with landwalk is unblockable as long as the defending player controls at least one land of the specified type. See rule 502.6, "Landwalk."

Leaves Play
A permanent leaves play when it moves from the in-play zone to any other zone. See rule 410.10c. If a token leaves play, it ceases to exist. This is a state-based effect. If a card leaves play and later returns, it's treated as an entirely new permanent with no "memory" of anything from its former existence. (Phasing is an exception to this; see rule 502.15, "Phasing.")

Legend, Legendary
Legend is a special creature type. Legendary is a supertype that may apply to any type ("Legendary Land," "Legendary Artifact," etc.). If two or more Legends or legendary permanents with the same name are in play, all except the one that has been a Legend or legendary permanent with that name the longest are put into their owners' graveyards. This "Legend rule" is a state-based effect. A Legend that stops being a creature is still legendary, and a legendary permanent that becomes a creature gets the creature type Legend in addition to any other creature type it may have. A Legend that changes creature type to a creature type other than Legend is no longer a Legend and is no longer subject to the Legend rule. A creature that changes creature type to Legend is now a Legend, and is subject to the Legend rule.

Lethal Damage
Lethal damage is an amount of damage greater than 0 and greater than or equal to a creature's toughness. A creature with lethal damage is destroyed. This is a state-based effect.

Library
The library is the zone from which a player draws cards. When a game begins, each player's deck becomes his or her library. See rule 217.2, "Library."

Life, Life Total
Life total is a sort of score. Each player starts the game with 20 life, and a player whose life total drops to 0 or less loses. This is a state-based effect.

LIFO
An acronym for "Last In, First Out," LIFO is the order in which spells and abilities resolve after going on the stack. The last played is resolved first. See rule 413, "Resolving Spells and Abilities."

Local Enchantment
Local enchantments are a category of enchantments. A local enchantment is labeled "Enchant [type]" and is attached to another permanent while in play. See rule 214.8, "Enchantments."

Main Phase
The term "main phase" comprises the first main and second main phases, also called the "precombat" and "postcombat" main phases. Artifact, creature, enchantment, and sorcery spells may be played only by the active player during his or her main phase, and only when the stack is empty. A player may also play one land each turn during his or her main phase.

Mana
Mana is the energy used to play spells and it's usually produced by lands. Mana is created by mana abilities (and sometimes by spells), and it can be used to pay costs immediately or can go into the player's mana pool. Colored mana costs, represented by colored mana symbols, can be paid only with the appropriate
color of mana. Generic mana costs can be paid with any color of, or with colorless, mana. Specialized types of mana can exist. For example, an ability might produce mana that can be used only to play creature spells, or to pay activation costs.

Mana Ability
This is an ability category. A mana ability is either activated or triggered. A mana ability doesn't go on the stack—it resolves immediately. A player may play a mana ability whenever he or she has priority and whenever a rule or effect asks for a mana payment. This is the only type of ability that can be played in the middle of playing or resolving a spell or ability. See rule 406.1, "Mana Abilities."

Mana Burn
When a phase ends, any unused mana remaining in a player's mana pool is lost. The player loses 1 life for each mana lost this way. This is called "mana burn."

Mana Cost
The mana cost of a nonland card is indicated by the mana symbols printed on its upper-right corner. The mana cost of a land card or a token is 0. See rule 203, "Mana Cost."

Mana Pool
When a spell or ability creates mana that's not used immediately to pay a cost, the mana is stored in the mana pool, an imaginary area. From there, it can be used to pay for spells and abilities. The mana pool is cleared at the end of each phase. See also Mana Burn.

Mana Source (Obsolete)
Earlier versions of the rules provided support for the "mana source" spell type. All mana source cards are now instant cards. Abilities that read, "Play this ability as a mana source" are now mana abilities.

Mana Symbol
The mana symbols are W, U, B, R, G, 0, numerals, X, and Y. Each of the colored mana symbols represents one colored mana: W white, U blue, B black, R red, and G green. 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. The symbols X and Y represent unspecified amounts of mana; when playing a spell or activated ability with X or Y in its cost, its controller decides the value of that variable. Numeral symbols, X, and Y can also represent colorless mana if they appear in the effect of a spell or of a mana ability that reads "add [mana symbol] to your mana pool" or something similar. 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.

Match
A match is a series of Magic games and is important only for tournament or league play. A match usually consists of the best two of three games, or sometimes the best three of five. For more information, consult the Magic DCI Floor Rules.

Maximum Hand Size
Each player's maximum hand size is normally seven cards, though effects may modify this. As the first part of the active player's cleanup step, if he or she has too many cards in his or her hand, that player chooses and discards as many cards as needed to reduce his or her hand to its maximum size (but no more than that). See rule 314, "Cleanup Step."

Modal, Mode
A spell is modal if it offers a choice of effects. Its controller must choose the mode as part of playing the
spell. On current cards, modal spells are always written "Choose one — " or "[a specified player] chooses one— ."

Mono Artifact (Obsolete)
Earlier versions of the rules provided support for the "mono artifact" card type. All mono artifact cards are now simply artifact cards. Artifacts printed with the mono artifact card type generally have the tap symbol in their activation cost. If there is none printed, "tap" must be added to the printed cost.

Mountainwalk
See Landwalk.

Move
A spell or ability may instruct a player to "move" a local enchantment or a counter from one permanent to another. If the enchantment or counter no longer exists or the new permanent is no longer in play when the spell or ability resolves, nothing happens. Similarly, an enchantment can't be moved onto a permanent it couldn't enchant; if this kind of move is attempted, the enchantment stays where it was. A moved enchantment stops enchanting the previous permanent and starts enchanting the new one, and it receives a new timestamp. Nothing else about the enchantment changes. The enchantment never left play, so no comes-into-play or leaves-play triggered abilities will trigger. If an ability of the moved enchantment affecting "enchanted [permanent]" was on the stack when the enchantment moved, it will affect the new enchanted permanent when it resolves, not the old one.

Mulligan
A player can "mulligan" by shuffling his or her hand back into his or her library and drawing a new hand with one fewer card before taking the first turn. Any player dissatisfied with his or her starting hand may mulligan as often as he or she wishes, drawing one fewer card each time. See rule 101.5.

Multicolored
A multicolored card has two or more colors. Multicolored cards are printed with gold frames to reinforce this. A multicolored permanent is affected by anything that singles out any of its colors. For example, a
black-and-green creature is destroyed by a spell that reads "Destroy all green creatures." Something that can't affect a particular color won't affect a multicolored permanent with that color, so that same creature can't be targeted by a spell or ability that reads "Destroy target nonblack creature."

Name
The name of a card is printed on its upper-left corner. See rule 202, "Name."

Nonbasic Land
Any land with a name other than Plains, Island, Swamp, Mountain, or Forest is nonbasic. A nonbasic land that is a basic land type has that land's mana ability and is subject to any spells or abilities that act on that land type, but it isn't a basic land.

Number
Magic uses only natural numbers. You may not 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. If a creature's power or toughness, a mana cost, a player's life total, an amount of damage, or an amount of life loss would be less than zero, it's treated as zero for all purposes except adding to or subtracting from that total. Example: A 0/2 creature gets -1/-1 until end of turn. It is now a -1/1 creature, which acts exactly like a 0/1 creature except for things that would change its power further. If it is later given +2/+0, then it becomes a 1/1 creature, not a 2/1 creature.

Obsolete
Terms marked "(Obsolete)" in this glossary were used on older cards or in older editions of the rules. Updated wordings for all cards using these terms are available in the Oracle card reference.

One-Shot Effect
One-shot effects are effects that do something only once and then end. See also Continuous Effects.

Opponent
The word "opponent" in a spell or ability's rules text always refers to the opponent of the player controlling the spell or ability. In a team game, only members of the opposing team are opponents; teammates aren't opponents. In a free-for-all, all other players are a player's opponents.

Owner
The owner of a card is the player who started the game with that card in his or her deck. (Legal ownership is irrelevant to the game rules.) The owner of a token is the controller of the spell or ability that created it.
A spell or ability can change a permanent's controller but never its owner. A card is always put into its owner's library, hand, or graveyard, regardless of who controlled the card in its previous zone.

Pass
To pass is to decline to play a spell or ability. When a player passes, his or her opponent receives priority. If both players pass in succession, the spell, ability, or combat damage on top of the stack resolves. If the stack is empty, the phase or step ends.

Pay
Playing most spells and activated abilities requires paying costs. Paying mana is done by removing the indicated amount of mana from the player's mana pool. Any time a player is asked to pay mana, mana abilities may be played. Paying life subtracts the indicated amount of life from the player's life total. A player can't pay a nonzero mana cost greater than the amount of mana in his or her mana pool or a life cost greater than his or her life total. Costs of zero can always be paid. To pay any other cost, the player carries out the instructions specified in the card's rules text. It's illegal to attempt paying a cost when unable to successfully follow the instructions. For example, a player can't pay a cost that requires tapping a creature if that creature is already tapped. Each payment applies to only one spell or ability. For example, a player can't sacrifice just one creature to play the activated abilities of two permanents that require sacrificing a creature as a cost. Also, the resolution of a spell or ability doesn't pay another spell or ability's cost, even if part of its effect is doing the same thing the other cost asks for.

Permanent
A permanent is any card or token in the in-play zone. See rule 214, "Permanent Type."

Permanently (Obsolete)
Certain older cards were printed with the term "permanently" to indicate effects with no expiration. In
general, cards that were printed with the term "permanently" now instead use reminder text to indicate that the effect lasts past the end of the turn. Example: An ability that originally had the text "Gain control of target creature permanently" would now have the following text: "Gain control of target creature. (This effect doesn't end at end of turn.)" This effect grants control of the permanent until something else changes the controller or it leaves play. It doesn't make the permanent immune to other control effects.

Phase
Each turn is divided into five phases: beginning, first main, combat, second main, and end. See section 3, "Turn Structure."

Phase Ability (Obsolete)
Earlier versions of the rules provided support for "phase abilities," which were written "During [phase], . . . ." In general, cards that were printed with phase abilities now have abilities that trigger at the beginning of a step or phase.

Phased-Out
The phased-out zone is a special zone for permanents with phasing that are temporarily out of play. See rule 502.15, "Phasing."

Phasing
Phasing is a static ability that causes a permanent to leave play and later return, without losing its "memory." See rule 502.15, "Phasing."

Plainswalk
See Landwalk.

Play
The act of playing a spell, land, or ability involves announcing the action and taking the necessary steps to complete it. Playing a spell or activated ability requires paying any costs and choosing any required modes
and/or targets. See rule 409, "Playing Spells and Activated Abilities." Playing a land simply requires choosing a land card from the hand and putting it into play. Playing a mana ability requires paying any costs, then immediately resolving the ability. See rule 411, "Playing Mana Abilities." Triggered abilities and static abilities aren't played—they happen automatically.

Play/Draw
At the start of a game, one player gets to choose the order of play. Whoever plays first skips his or her
first draw step. This is referred to as the play/draw rule. See rule 101, "Starting the Game."

Poly Artifact (Obsolete)
Earlier versions of the rules provided support for the "poly artifact" card type. All poly artifact cards are now artifact cards. Artifacts printed with the poly artifact card type generally have an activated ability that doesn't require tapping the artifact as part of the activation cost.

Postcombat
The second main phase in each turn is called the postcombat main phase. If an effect causes a turn to
have an extra combat phase and another main phase, the additional one is also a postcombat main phase.

Power
The number before the slash printed on the lower-right corner of a creature card is the creature's power. A creature's current power is the initial value (the printed number), modified by any counters that adjust power and then by any continuous effects. Creatures that attack or block assign combat damage equal to their power. See rule 310, "Combat Damage Step." A few creature cards have power represented by * instead of a number. This signifies that the creature has a static ability that sets its power according to some stated condition. If a spell or ability attempts to read the power when the creature card isn't in play, the * is equal to 0.

Precombat
The first main phase in each turn is called the precombat main phase.

Prevention
Effects that prevent something from happening replace it with "do nothing." (See rule 419, "Replacement and Prevention Effects.") A prevention effect must be active before the event it's intended to prevent.
Effects that prevent a specific amount of damage act as "shields" and stay active until that amount of damage has been prevented or the turn ends. The damage doesn't have to be dealt by a single source or all at once. Effects that prevent all damage from a specific source apply to the next damage dealt by that source, regardless of the amount. These effects expire when the turn ends.

Priority
The player who has the option to play a spell or ability at any given time has priority. Each time a spell, an ability (other than a mana ability), or combat damage resolves, and at the beginning of most phases or steps, the active player receives priority. After a player plays a spell, ability, or land, he or she again receives priority. When a player passes, his or her opponent receives priority. (If both players pass in succession, the spell, ability, or combat damage on top of the stack resolves or, if the stack is empty, the phase or step ends.) Each time a player would get priority, all applicable state-based effects resolve first as a single event (see rule 420). Then, if any new state-based effects have been generated, they resolve as a single event. This process repeats until no more applicable state-based effects are generated. Then triggered abilities are added to the stack (see rule 410). These steps repeat in order until no further state-based effects or triggered abilities are generated.

Protection
Protection is a static ability. A permanent with protection from [quality] can't be targeted by [quality]
spells, targeted by abilities from a [quality] source, or enchanted by [quality] enchantments. Such enchantments enchanting the permanent with protection will be put into their owners' graveyards as a
state-based effect. If a creature with protection attacks, it can't be blocked by [quality] creatures. In
addition, all damage dealt to it from [quality] sources is prevented. See rule 502.7, "Protection."

Pseudospell
A pseudospell is an activated or triggered ability that goes on the stack like a spell. See rule 217.6b.

Rampage
Rampage is a triggered ability. "Rampage X" means "When this creature becomes blocked by two or more creatures, it gets +X/+X until end of turn for each creature blocking it beyond the first." See rule 502.12, "Rampage."

Redirect (Obsolete)
Some older cards were printed with the term "redirect" to describe the act of dealing damage to a different player or creature than originally specified by a spell, ability, or combat-damage assignment, without changing the source or type of damage. In general, cards that were printed with the term "redirect" now have abilities that generate replacement effects which modify where the damage will be dealt. "Redirect" is still used informally to describe what these replacement effects do.

Regenerate
Regeneration is a destruction-replacement effect. "Regenerate [permanent]" means "The next time
[permanent] would be destroyed this turn, instead remove all damage from it, tap it, and (if it's in combat) remove it from combat." Because it's a replacement effect, it must be active before the attempted destruction event. Note that if destruction is caused by lethal damage, any abilities that trigger from that damage being dealt still trigger even if the permanent regenerates.

Reminder Text
Reminder text appears after a keyword ability printed on a card or on cards that might otherwise be
commonly misunderstood. Reminder text is italicized and in parentheses. This text provides a summary of the game rule but isn't itself considered rules text.

Removed from Combat
An attacking or blocking creature that is removed from combat stops being an attacking or blocking
creature and can no longer assign combat damage or have combat damage assigned to it. Any combat
damage that's already on the stack assigned to or by the creature will still resolve normally.

Removed from the Game
A card removed from the game is out of play and can't be affected by spells or abilities. However, the spell or ability that removed the card may specify a way for it to return. Some cards use the expression "set aside" for situations in which a card removed from the game can return to play. See rule 217.7, "Removed from the Game."

Replacement Effect
A replacement effect is a type of continuous effect that "watches" for a specified event and replaces it
with a different one. See rule 419, "Replacement and Prevention Effects."

Resolve
When a spell or ability on top of the stack resolves, its controller carries out the instructions printed on the card, in the order written. When combat damage resolves, it's dealt as previously assigned to the fullest extent possible. See rule 413, "Resolving Spells and Abilities."

Respond, Response (Informal)
A player can choose to play an instant spell or activated ability when something else is already on the stack, rather than waiting for the earlier spell or ability to resolve first. The spell or ability is said to be
played "in response to" the earlier spell or ability.

Reveal
To reveal a card is to show that card to all players. This is a one-shot effect; after all players have seen
the card, it's returned to its former state.

Sacrifice
To sacrifice a permanent, its controller moves it from the in-play zone directly to its owner's graveyard. If an effect instructs a player to sacrifice a permanent that he or she doesn't control, nothing happens. Sacrificing a permanent doesn't destroy it, so regeneration or other effects that replace destruction can't affect it.

Search
If you're required to search a zone not revealed to all players for cards matching some criteria, you aren't required to find those cards even if they're present. Even if you don't find any cards, you are still considered to have searched the zone. If you're simply searching for "any card," however, you must find a card (if possible). If you're required to search for a specific number of cards, you must choose that many cards (or as many as possible.) For example, if an effect causes you to search a player's library for all duplicates of a particular card and remove them from the game, you may choose to leave some of them alone, but if an effect causes you to search your library for three cards and it contains at least three, you can't choose less than three.

Separating Cards into Piles
If a player is asked to separate a group of cards into two or more piles, the cards do not leave the zone
they're currently in. If cards in a graveyard are split into piles, the order of the graveyard must be
maintained as much as possible.

Set Aside
To set aside a card is to remove it from the game; however, the effect will specify some condition that
allows the set-aside card to return to the game. See also Removed from the Game.

Shadow
Shadow is an evasion ability. Attacking creatures with shadow can't be blocked by creatures without
shadow, and attacking creatures without shadow can't be blocked by creatures with shadow. See rule
502.8, "Shadow."

Skip
To skip a step, phase, or turn is to proceed past it as though it didn't exist. Skipping is a replacement effect. "Skip [something]" is the same as "Instead of doing [something], do nothing." Once a step, phase, or turn has started, it can no longer be skipped—any skip effects will wait until the next occurrence.
Anything scheduled for a skipped step, phase, or turn won't happen. Anything scheduled for the "next" occurrence of something waits for the first occurrence that isn't skipped. If two effects each cause a player to skip his or her next occurrence, that player must skip the next two; one effect will be satisfied in skipping the first occurrence, while the other will remain until another occurrence can be skipped

Snow-Covered
Snow-covered is an ability that doesn't do anything in its own right; it's simply a keyword that other cards look for. When a card refers to a "snow-covered land," it means a land with the snow-covered ability. When a card refers to a "snow-covered forest," it means a forest with the snow-covered ability, and so on. See rule 502.14, "Snow-Covered."

Snow-Covered Landwalk
Snow-covered landwalk is a special form of landwalk. A creature with snow-covered landwalk is unblockable as long as the defending player controls at least one land of the specified type that has the
snow-covered ability. See rule 502.6, "Landwalk."

Sorcery
Sorcery is a card type. The active player can play sorcery spells only during his or her main phase when the stack is empty. A sorcery spell is put into its owner's graveyard as part of its resolution. See rule 408.1d.

Source
The source of an ability or of damage is the card or token that generated it. If an effect requires a player
to choose a source, he or she may choose either a permanent or a spell on the stack (including one that
creates a permanent) or any card or permanent referred to by a spell or pseudospell on the stack. The effect will apply in the way specified to the damage dealt by that spell or by that permanent (in combat or by one of its abilities). A source doesn't need to be capable of dealing damage to be a legal choice.

Spell
A nonland card becomes a spell when it's played and remains a spell until it's countered or it resolves.
Nonland cards can also be referred to as "spell cards." See rule 213, "Spell Type."

Split Cards
Split cards have two card faces on a single card. The back of a split card is the normal, full-size Magic card back. Split cards have two sets of characteristics: two names, two mana costs, and so on. They always have both sets, except when they're on the stack. When you play a split card, you announce which side of the card you're playing. While it's on the stack, the other side of the card is ignored
completely. Split cards have two mana costs with different colors of mana in them. That means they are
multicolored cards, except while they're on the stack. If an effect tells you to name a card, you must name all of a split card's names. Effects that ask for a split card's characteristic get both answers. Effects that ask if a split card's characteristic matches a given value get only one answer. This answer is "yes" if either side of the split card matches the given value. See rule 505, "Split Cards."

Stack
A spell or ability goes on top of the stack when it's played or triggered. Combat-damage assignments also go on top of the stack as though they were a single pseudospell. Whenever both players pass in succession, the spell, ability, or combat damage on top of the stack resolves and the active player
receives priority again. See rule 217.6, "Stack," and rule 408.1, "Timing, Priority, and the Stack."

State-Based Effects
State-based effects continually "watch" the game for a particular state. Whenever a player would receive priority, state-based effects are checked and applied. See rule 420, "State-Based Effects."

State Triggers
State triggers are triggered abilities that watch for a game state rather than an event and trigger as soon
as the game state matches the condition. Once a state trigger has triggered, it won't trigger again until
the pseudospell it created has resolved or been countered. See rule 410.11.

Static Ability
Static abilities do something all the time rather than being played at specific times. Static abilities create
continuous effects, which are active as long as the permanent with the ability remains in play and has the ability. A spell or ability can also create a continuous effect that doesn't depend on a permanent; these may last a specified length of time or for the rest of the game. See rule 412, "Handling Static Abilities."

Step
Some phases of the turn are further subdivided into steps. See section 3, "Turn Structure."

Successfully Cast (Obsolete)
Earlier versions of the rules provided support for "successfully cast" as a step in the announcement and resolution of a spell or ability. In general, any ability that's written as triggering when a spell is "successfully cast" should be read as triggering when the spell is played.

Summon (Obsolete)
Older creature cards were printed with the type "Summon [creature subtype]." All "Summon [creature
subtype]" cards should be read as "Creature — [creature subtype]."

Summoning Sickness (Obsolete)
In earlier versions of the rules, the term "summoning sickness" was used to describe a creature's inability to attack or to use activated abilities which include the tap symbol when it has come under a player's control since the beginning of that player's most recent turn. See also Haste.

Swampwalk
See Landwalk.

Tap
To tap a permanent is to turn it sideways. The tap symbol (T in these rules) 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.

Target
Whenever the word target appears in the rules text of a spell or ability, the controller of the spell or ability chooses something that matches whatever follows that word. This may be as simple as "target land" or as complex as "target tapped creature an opponent controls." The choice of a spell or ability's targets is made when the spell or ability is played. A spell or pseudospell on the stack can't target itself.

Text Box
The text box is printed below the illustration on a Magic card and contains rules, reminder text, and flavor text.

Threshold
Threshold is a static ability. A card with threshold has the text after "Threshold —" if its controller has
seven or more cards in his or her graveyard. Otherwise, the text after "Threshold —" is treated as though it did not appear on the card. An instant or sorcery card with threshold has the threshold text only if the card is on the stack. An artifact, creature, enchantment, or land card with threshold, or any permanent with threshold, has the threshold text only if the card or permanent is in play.

Tie
If an effect could result in a tie, the text of the spell or ability that created the effect will specify what to
do in the event of a tie. The Magic game has no default for ties.

Timestamp Order
A permanent's timestamp is the time it came into play, with two exceptions: (1) If two or more permanents enter play simultaneously, the active player determines their timestamp order at the time they come into play, but a local enchantment must be timestamped after what it enchants; (2) Whenever a local enchantment becomes attached to a permanent, the enchantment receives a new timestamp. Continuous effects generated by static abilities have the same timestamp as the permanent that generated them. Continuous effects generated by the resolution of a spell or ability receive a timestamp when the spell or ability creating them resolves.

Token
A token is an object in play representing a noncard permanent created by a spell or ability. Tokens can be tapped and untapped just like cards, though an alternative to rotation might be needed to distinguish their status. See rule 216, "Tokens."

Tombstone Icon
Starting with the Odyssey set, a tombstone icon appears to the left of the name of any card with an ability that's 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.

Total Casting Cost (Obsolete)
Some older cards were printed with the term "total casting cost" to describe the converted mana cost of a spell. In general, cards that were printed with the term "total casting cost" now use the term "converted mana cost."

Toughness
The number after the slash printed on the lower-right corner of a creature card is the creature's toughness. A creature's current toughness is the initial value (the printed number), modified by any counters that adjust toughness and then by any continuous effects. A creature that's been dealt damage greater than or equal to its toughness (and greater than 0) has lethal damage and will be destroyed the next time any player would receive priority. This is a state-based effect. A few creature cards have toughness represented by * instead of a number. This signifies that the creature has a static ability that sets its toughness according to some stated condition. If a spell or ability attempts to read the toughness when the creature card isn't in play, the * is equal to 0.

Trample
Trample is a static ability modifying the combat damage step of the combat phase. It lets an attacking
creature "trample over" blocking creatures and assign part of its combat damage to the defending player. See rule 502.9, "Trample."

Trigger, Triggered Ability
A triggered ability begins with the word "when," "whenever," or "at." Whenever the trigger event occurs, the ability goes on top of the stack the next time a player would receive priority. See rule 404, "Triggered Abilities."

Type
The word type by itself is ambiguous—it may mean the basic type of a card, spell, and so on, or the
subtype of a creature, enchantment, or land. See rules 212–215. A card's type (and subtype, if applicable) is printed directly below the illustration on the card. The spell type for a nonland card is the same as its card type, even if its rules text states it can be played "as" some other type (that is, following the timing rules for playing that other type). The permanent type for a card in play is the same as its card type. Tokens have no card or spell type but do have a permanent type. When a spell or ability changes a permanent's type, the new type replaces all previous types. If the spell or ability is adding a type, it will say so. A creature's type is printed after the word "creature" below the illustration on the card or defined
by the spell or ability that created a token. A creature may have multiple types. A noncreature card that's changed into a creature by a spell or ability has no creature type unless the spell or ability gives it one. A land's type is the same as its name. A local enchantment's type is printed after the word "Enchant" on the card's type line. Categories of cards, such as basic land or local enchantment, aren't types or subtypes and can't be named when a type must be chosen. The "type" of mana includes both its color and any restrictions placed upon it (for example, mana that can be used only to play artifact spells).

Unblockable
If an attacking creature "is unblockable," no creature can legally block it. Spells or abilities may still cause it to become blocked.

Unblocked Creature
An attacking creature becomes an unblocked creature during the declare blockers step of the combat phase if no creature blocks it. It remains an unblocked creature until a spell or ability causes it to become blocked, it's removed from combat, it stops being a creature, its controller changes, or the combat phase ends. Unblocked creatures don't exist outside of the combat phase or before the declare blockers step. See rule 309, "Declare Blockers Step."

Unless
Some cards use the phrase "[Do something] unless you [do something else]." This means the same thing as "You may [do something else]. If you don't, [do something]."

Untap
1. To untap a tapped card, rotate it back to the upright position. See also Tap. 2. Untap is the first step of the beginning phase of the turn. All permanents controlled by the active player normally untap at this time. See rule 302, "Untap Step."

Upkeep
Upkeep is the second step of the beginning phase of the turn. Some cards have abilities that trigger at the beginning of the upkeep step; such an ability is called an "upkeep cost" or an "upkeep effect." An upkeep cost is usually written in the form "At the beginning of your upkeep, you may [pay cost]. If you don't, sacrifice [this card]." See rule 303, "Upkeep Step."

Vanguard Card
The Vanguard™ supplements consist of oversized cards that modify the game. A Vanguard card is selected before the game begins, adjusting a player's starting and maximum hand size and starting life total. Any abilities printed on a Vanguard card are played exactly like those of an in-play Magic card; however, these abilities have no color, and damage from them isn't damage from a permanent of any type or a source of any color. A Vanguard card isn't a Magic card, so it can't be affected by spells or abilities.

Wall
A Wall is a type of creature that can't be declared as an attacker. In all other respects, a Wall is the same as any other creature.

X
If a cost has an "X" in it, the value of X must be announced as part of playing the spell or ability. (See rule
409, "Playing Spells and Abilities.") While the spell or ability is on the stack, the X in its mana cost equals that amount of generic mana. If a card in any other zone has X in its mana cost, the amount is treated as 0. In other cases, X will be defined by the text of a spell or ability. If X isn't defined, the controller of the spell or ability chooses the value of X. All Xs on a card have the same value.

Y, Z
See X.

Yield Priority (Obsolete)
In earlier versions of the rules, the term "yield priority" was used instead of "pass."

You, Your
The words "you" and "your" in on a card or permanent refer to the spell or ability's controller. For static abilities, this is the current controller of the card or permanent (or the card's owner if it isn't in play). For activated abilities, this is the player who played the ability For triggered abilities, this is the controller of the card when the ability triggered (or the card's owner if it wasn't in play).

Zone
A zone is any place that Magic cards can be during a game. See rule 217, "Zones."