Your permanent is about to enter the battlefield. Simple enough, will you say, you just put it into play? Not so fast. Lots of weird stuff can happen. This article is meant to cover how a permanent enters the battlefield and what you need to know about it.

 

Trigger or replacement?

The first thing we’ll get out of the way, because it’s fairly simple, is how you deal with triggered abilities as opposed to replacement effects. As a reminder, an ability is triggered if it’s written “When [condition]”, “Whenever [condition]”, or “At [moment]”. An ability that triggers when a permanent enters the battlefield will be written “When [object] enters the battlefield, [effect]”.

Triggered abilities of this kind are quite simple to handle: look at the game state just after the permanent enters the battlefield to determine what triggers. For example, if under Humility a Flametongue Kavu enters the battlefield, it’s a 1/1 creature with no abilities, so no ability triggers. Similarly, if in addition to those you controlled a Kavu Lair, it wouldn’t trigger, because just after entering the battlefield, Flametongue Kavu didn’t have power 4 or greater.

This was simple enough. Now, what about replacement effects? This is where all the trickery is hiding.

 

How do I recognize an enters-the-battlefield replacement effect?

Basically, these are any effects that modify how an object enters the battlefield but are not a triggered ability. Most of the time, abilities are templated as such because they couldn’t work as triggered abilities. For example, if Clone’s ability was triggered, it would be in the graveyard by the time the ability is put onto the stack, negating its use. Same goes for Spike Feeder – if its ability to enter the battlefield with 2 +1/+1 counters was triggered, it would be dead before the counters would apply to its toughness.

614.1c Effects that read “[This permanent] enters the battlefield with . . . ,” “As [this permanent] enters the battlefield . . . ,” or “[This permanent] enters the battlefield as . . . ” are replacement effects.

614.1d Continuous effects that read “[This permanent] enters the battlefield . . .” or “[Objects] enter the battlefield . . .” are replacement effects.

 

When are these applied?

Essentially, replacement effects happen “during” the move, but choices for them have to be made beforehand. Why is this? The game doesn’t see any intermediate states. It goes from the moment before the event (entering the battlefield) to the moment after. Anything in-between is not seen by triggered abilities, which care only about the discrete game states, before and after each event. However, for these to work in practice, it is necessary for players to be able to understand what is going on before they occur. So, even though the game does not recognize a distinct time when an object entering the battlefield is not yet on the battlefield but is also no longer in the zone from which it came, we must assess these replacement effects as such.

Example: Yixlid Jailer says “Cards in graveyards lose all abilities.” Scarwood Treefolk says “Scarwood Treefolk enters the battlefield tapped.” A Scarwood Treefolk that’s put onto the battlefield from a graveyard enters the battlefield tapped.

This example, directly from the rules, demonstrates how we do not evaluate continuous effects that would apply to the card in the graveyard as the card is no longer in that zone when it is entering the battlefield.

Example: Imposing Sovereign reads “Creatures your opponents control enter the battlefield tapped.” Your opponent controls two Agent of the Fates. She casts Erebos, God of the Dead. Will Erebos enter the battlefield tapped?

Read on if you want to know!

 

The detailed walkthrough

So far, so good. If this was all there was, things would probably not be so complicated. We just have to get used to telling the difference between triggers and enters-the-battlefield replacements. And, in addition, get used to the idea that as an object enters the battlefield, it is not strictly on the battlefield, but still in the zone from which it came, despite the fact that the game no longer considers effects affecting that object in the previous zone. The object has an “in between” status. But, there’s more:

614.12. Some replacement effects modify how a permanent enters the battlefield. (See rules 614.1c–d.) Such effects may come from the permanent itself if they affect only that permanent (as opposed to a general subset of permanents that includes it). They may also come from other sources. To determine which replacement effects apply and how they apply, check the characteristics of the permanent as it would exist on the battlefield, taking into account replacement effects that have already modified how it enters the battlefield (see rule 616.1), continuous effects generated by the resolution of spells or abilities that changed the permanent’s characteristics on the stack (see rule 400.7a), and continuous effects from the permanent’s own static abilities, but ignoring continuous effects from any other source that would affect it.

Here we have the rule that trips up some of the best of us. The wording is lengthy and twisty and full of conditions. It is easy to get trapped in one part of this rule and end up at the wrong conclusion if the entirety of it is not understood. Let us spend some time here going through it step-by-step together.

614.12. Some replacement effects modify how a permanent enters the battlefield. (See rules 614.1c–d.) . . .

This part is easy. It just tells us why we are reading this article.

. . . Such effects may come from the permanent itself if they affect only that permanent (as opposed to a general subset of permanents that includes it).

Right away, we already have our first little difficulty. By itself, this part is not so difficult, but having to grasp it in addition to all the rest of the rule can add to our potential confusion. Let us compare Orb of Dreams (“permanents enter the battlefield tapped”) and Scarwood Treefolk (“Scarwood Treefolk enters the battlefield tapped”). Scarwood Treefolk enters the battlefield tapped, but Orb of Dreams will enter the battlefield untapped. Why is that? As a general rule, we only apply replacement effects that exist before the event. Both Scarwood Treefolk and Orb of Dreams create replacement effects, but since they’re not yet on the battlefield as they enter it, their effects effectively don’t exist. This makes sense for Orb of Dreams (it will still get to do its job later), but not for Scarwood Treefolk (the ability doesn’t do anything at any other moment!). That’s why Scarwood Treefolk gets a special exception that makes it work as expected. This exception doesn’t need to cover Orb of Dreams.

. . . They may also come from other sources . . .

Nothing special to say here, but the game wouldn’t work without this.

. . . To determine which replacement effects apply and how they apply, check the characteristics of the permanent as it would exist on the battlefield,  . . .

This is the part where we ignore whatever the permanent was in the previous zone. A Yixlid Jailer will not affect how a permanent arriving from the graveyard enters the battlefield; any abilities it has that might affect how it enters the battlefield are taken into account, even though in the graveyard those abilities didn’t exist. This part of the rule exists mainly because permanents can enter the battlefield from private zones such as hands or libraries (think Tooth and Nail or Natural Order) and the game can’t look in those zones to determine what’s happening.

But, even though it is easy to ignore whatever the permanent was in the previous zone, we can’t ignore what it will be on the battlefield right? After all, the rule specifically reads, “. . . as it would exist on the battlefield, . . .” This is where folks can get tripped up. We can end up doing too much here and end up at the wrong conclusion. Remember that even as we assess how the object would exist on the battlefield, it is not there yet. So, we also have to ignore what it will be when it gets there and any characteristics it might bring with itself. Remember that Erebos we teased earlier? Since it is not yet actually on the battlefield when we do our evaluation, its mana cost is not available for counting when we consider how it would exist on the battlefield. Yes, there are some very specific exceptions and that is what we will find in the rest of the rule:

. . . taking into account replacement effects that have already modified how it enters the battlefield (see rule 616.1) . . .

This is mainly here for Clones. If you Clone a creature that has replacement effects, those should be applied to the clone as well. For example, if you Clone a Scarwood Treefolk, it will enter the battlefield tapped.

It can be a chain as well: let’s say that on the battlefield there’s a Moss Diamond and a Phyrexian Metamorph with a +1/+1 counter not copying anything (maybe it came back with Undying). If you cast Clone, you can have it copy Phyrexian Metamorph which in turn copies the Moss Diamond and enters the battlefield tapped.

One particular thing to keep in mind with Clone replacement effects is that they have to be applied after Gather Specimens-like effects (see below) but before any other kinds of replacement effects:

616.1c If any of the replacement and/or prevention effects would cause an object to become a copy of another object as it enters the battlefield, one of them must be chosen. If not, proceed to rule 616.1d.

So if you cast a Triskelion while you control Essence of the Wild, your Triskelion will enter the battlefield as an Essence of the Wild with no +1/+1 counters, since that replacement effect isn’t around anymore after you apply Essence of the Wild, and you can’t choose it first.

. . . continuous effects generated by the resolution of spells or abilities that changed the permanent’s characteristics on the stack (see rule 400.7a), . . .

This covers spells such as Artificial Evolution. If you control a Bramblewood Paragon and you make your Bear Cub a Warrior on the stack using Artificial Evolution, then it will enter the battlefield with a +1/+1 counter.

. . . and continuous effects from the permanent’s own static abilities, but ignoring continuous effects from any other source that would affect it.

This is the least well-known part. It covers the fact that Scarwood Treefolk enters the battlefield tapped (that’s not the hard part). Effects like Orb of Dreams seem to fall into this bucket, but have been excluded above, so that it doesn’t affect itself. The most important aspect here is that we ignore any other effects that would affect the new permanent. If your opponent controls an Imposing Sovereign and you control a March of the Machines and cast a Sol Ring, it will enter the battlefield untapped. This gets ever more counter-intuitive when the effect affects the card both before and after it enters the battlefield, but not during. If you control Conspiracy naming “Warrior” and Bramblewood Paragon, it won’t help your Bear Cub get any +1/+1 counters: we don’t look at what it was in the previous zone (see Yixlid Jailer interactions above), we don’t look at what it is going to be on the battlefield (see Humility interactions above), but between the two, where Conspiracy doesn’t count.

Note that continuous effects from its own abilities don’t have to be replacement effects to affect how it enters the battlefield. For example, if you control three artifacts and your opponent controls an Imposing Sovereign, your Rusted Relic will enter the battlefield tapped. It can also be a text-copying ability: if the top card of your graveyard is a Scarwood Treefolk, your Volrath’s Shapeshifter will enter the battlefield tapped.

Now, let us look at one more example. You are playing on the plane of Jund which reads, “Whenever a player casts a black, red, or green creature spell, it gains devour 5.” Your opponent controls Imposing Sovereign. You control 3 Nylea’s Disciple. Now you cast Nylea, God of the Hunt. When Nylea goes to resolve, you devour two of your Disciples. What happens?

Your Nylea, God of the Hunt will enter the battlefield tapped with 10 +1/+1 counters and be a Legendary Enchantment but not a Creature. This happens because replacement effects, so long as they do not chain or preclude each other, all happen simultaneously with the event they affect. In this case, we evaluate Nylea as she would exist on the battlefield at the moment the enters-the-battlefield replacement effects would apply. We see that you have sufficient devotion to green in this moment for her to be a creature so Imposing Sovereign would apply causing her to enter the battlefield tapped. At the same time, the Jund trigger allows you to sacrifice any number of creatures for Devour. Both of these replacements happen at the same time and do not preclude each other. Once the dust has cleared, however, and Nylea is on the battlefield, your devotion to green is no longer sufficient and her type-changing ability applies.

614.12a If a replacement effect that modifies how a permanent enters the battlefield requires a choice, that choice is made before the permanent enters the battlefield.

This covers an important aspect of simultaneous entering the battlefield: you make choices based on the game state before the zone change. For example, if you put Clone and Woodfall Primus onto the battlefield with Tooth and Nail, you can’t have the Clone copy the Primus, since when you make the choice the creature cards are still in your hand. This can enable nice tricks as well: if you bring back Mulldrifter and Body Double from the graveyard with Reveillark, you can have Body Double copy that Mulldrifter!

614.13. An effect that modifies how a permanent enters the battlefield may cause other objects to change zones.

614.13a When applying an effect that modifies how a permanent enters the battlefield, you can’t make a choice that would cause that permanent to go to a different zone and not enter the battlefield.

Example: Sutured Ghoul says, in part, “As Sutured Ghoul enters the battlefield, exile any number of creature cards from your graveyard.” If Sutured Ghoul enters the battlefield from your graveyard, you can’t choose to exile Sutured Ghoul itself.

614.13b The same object can’t be chosen to change zones more than once when applying replacement effects that modify how a single permanent enters the battlefield.

Example: Jund (a plane card) says, “Whenever a player casts a black, red, or green creature spell, it gains devour 5.” A player controls Runeclaw Bear and casts Thunder-Thrash Elder, a red creature spell with devour 3. As Thunder-Thrash Elder enters the battlefield, its controller can choose to sacrifice Runeclaw Bear when applying the devour 3 effect or when applying the devour 5 effect, but not both. Thunder-Thrash Elder will enter the battlefield with zero, three, or five +1/+1 counters, depending on this choice.

Those are pretty much self-explanatory with the given examples.

 

Who chooses?

One particular effect changes the player under whose control a permanent enters the battlefield. It’s Gather Specimens. If there’s other replacement effects to apply, how does it work? Say Apple plays against Nutmeg. Nutmeg Gather Specimens in response to Apple’s creature that has Devour. What happens?

616.1b If any of the replacement and/or prevention effects would modify under whose control an object would enter the battlefield, one of them must be chosen. If not, proceed to rule 616.1c.

Gather Specimens‘ replacement effect is applied first, so Nutmeg is now the would be controller of the Devour creature, and he gets to sacrifice creatures and have it enter the battlefield with extra +1/+1 counters.

 

Wait, but who chooses first?

Things gets all sorts of crazy when multiple permanents enter the battlefield at the same time. One widely played card that does this is Show and Tell. As you all know, the choice of cards is simultaneous; both players choose a card secretly (for example by putting it aside face-down), then all are put onto the battlefield at the same time. But what if there replacement effects waiting for these permanents? Not too difficult if it’s only “enters the battlefield tapped” effects, but what if there’s choices involved?

First of all, the game needs to know what permanents enter the battlefield to be able to process replacement effects. We’re still before the permanents enter the battlefield, so they’re still conceptually in the players’ hands. The very first thing that’s done is revealing all permanent cards. Now that the game knows what’s going on, we can start making choices. As you may have heard before, when multiple events requiring choices happen at the same time, choices are made in the “Active Player, Nonactive Player” order (or APNAP for short). In our case, it means that first the active player makes any choices knowing what the other player is putting onto the battlefield; then the nonactive player makes choices; then permanents enter the battlefield at the same time. If Apple is putting a Runed Halo onto the battlefield with her Show and Tell, she’ll know what Nutmeg is putting and can name it!

Remember also that choices are made based on the current game state. If you choose a Clone on Show and Tell, even though you can see what creature your opponent might be putting onto the battlefield, you can’t copy it, since you have to choose a creature that’s already on the battlefield.

Another funny interaction due to the sequencing of events: suppose you control an Imposing Sovereign and cast Show and Tell. You choose Mycoloth, a creature with Devour. If you choose to Devour your Imposing Sovereign, does your opponent’s creature enter the battlefield tapped? It does! As first you’re making the choice and basically working out how everything is going to unfold, and only then carrying out the actions, the Imposing Sovereign is still there when your opponent determines what replacement effects affect their creature.

 

Now everything at once

Remember Erebos from the start of this article? We’ve determined that you don’t take into account what the would-be permanent looks like in the previous zone, that you don’t look at how it looks on the battlefield, but that you only look at it in a void, applying only select continuous effects. We’ve also seen that any choices are made first, and then carried out. So we can now solve various scenarios related to Erebos:

1) Nutmeg controls Imposing Sovereign, Apple controls two Agent of the Fates. Apple’s Erebos enters the battlefield untapped.

Even though it’s a creature on the stack and will be on the battlefield, we look at it in a void as it enters the battlefield. At that point, it’s not on the battlefield yet, so we can’t count its own black mana symbol in its devotion. As a result, Apple’s devotion is 4 at the moment when we evaluate whether Erebos is a creature for the purposes of Imposing Sovereign; in the end it’s not affected.

2) Same but Apple controls three Agent of the Fates. Apple’s Erebos enters the battlefield tapped.

This time Apple has 6 devotion to black mana when we look at whether Erebos is a creature or not. It is affected by Imposing Sovereign.

3) Same (three Agent of the Fates) but it’s also a game of Planechase and the current plane is Jund, giving Apple’s Erebos Devour 5. Apple chooses to Devour two Agent of the Fates. Apple’s Erebos will enter the battlefield tapped.

In this case, two replacement effects compete for replacing how Erebos enters the battlefield. Even if Apple chooses to apply Devour first, at this point we only choose what’s going to happen, so the three Agents are still on the battlefield. Then Imposing Sovereign’s replacement effect is applied, making Erebos enter the battlefield tapped. Finally, the two Agents hit the graveyard and Erebos is on the battlefield, tapped, as a non-creature with 10 +1/+1 counters on it.

 

Conclusion

We hope you’ve enjoyed this journey in the limbo that’s just before the battlefield, and maybe learned something along the way. These interactions are far from being intuitive and have given trouble to many rules experts. This guide should enable you to solve most situations related to entering the battlefield replacement effects, and if not, we’d love to hear about it!