(Originally published on 2025-12-17; last reviewed on 2025-12-17; last updated on 2025-12-17)
With each new set release, Wizards of the Coast (WotC) update the Comprehensive Rules (CR) and the Oracle text of any number of cards. These updates include support for new mechanics, error fixes, and improvements to the wording of rules and cards. In the past, WotC regularly published update bulletins which summarized and explained these changes. They stopped this practice in the fall of 2023, and update bulletins now release only sporadically.
In my opinion, this is not a major loss, since there had already been a trend toward simplified bulletins that merely note the introduction of new rules, without commenting on their design, and because fixes for existing errors have become practically nonexistent. As such, a CR diff found on Academy Ruins contains just as much information as I would expect from an official update bulletin these days. The truly interesting parts were the ones that explained why a new rule or a rules change was written the way it was, as they help immensely in understanding the intent behind a rule.
Of course, one can still analyze these updates and draw their own conclusions, with or without an official update bulletin. As a rules enthusiast, I quite enjoy reading through these updates and trying to understand the reasons behind them and what corner cases the new rules cover or don’t cover. If you are also interested in Magic‘s game rules and you miss the old update bulletins, this article may be for you.
Disclaimer: I have no special insight into the inner workings of WotC’s rules team, so any observations are based solely on the published updates and my own knowledge of and experience with Magic’s rules system. While I strive for completeness and correctness, I may have missed some changes; in particular, my process for archiving and comparing Gatherer revisions is still a work in progress. (Then again, WotC often omit minor changes in their own bulletins, so it’s par for the course.)
Comprehensive Rules changes
For this section, I recommend having a CR diff open in another window, such as the one found on Academy Ruins.
Rules support for airbend
The Magic: The Gathering | Avatar: The Last Airbender release introduces the airbend keyword action.
The rules entry for airbend is 701.65. Its definition is in subrule 701.65a. Notably, an instruction to airbend may affect multiple objects at once.
The Magic: The Gathering | Avatar: The Last Airbender card Avatar Aang has a triggered ability which triggers whenever its controller airbends. Subrule 701.65b states that such an ability triggers whenever that player exiles one or more objects while carrying out an instruction to airbend; as in subrule 701.65a, airbending multiple objects at the same time is one instance of airbending, not one per object.
Somewhat unusual, the trigger event is based on one or more objects getting exiled; most of the time, a triggered ability that triggers from a keyword action triggers even if all the actions contained within the keyword action were impossible to perform. The Gatherer rulings for Avatar Aang also use the usual wording, which may cause confusion in the future. At present, this distinction has no practical effect, since all existing cards require the objects to be legal targets or be present in their expected zones in order for an airbend instruction to happen.
Rules support for earthbend
The Magic: The Gathering | Avatar: The Last Airbender release introduces the earthbend keyword action.
The rules entry for earthbend is 701.66 and the definition itself is in subrule 701.66a.
The Magic: The Gathering | Avatar: The Last Airbender card Avatar Aang has a triggered ability which triggers whenever its controller earthbends. Subrule 701.66b states that such an ability triggers whenever that player creates the delayed triggered ability while carrying out an instruction to earthbend.
Somewhat unusual, the trigger event is based on the delayed triggered ability; most of the time, a triggered ability that triggers from a keyword action is worded to trigger even if all the actions contained within the keyword action were impossible to perform.
Rules support for waterbend
The Magic: The Gathering | Avatar: The Last Airbender release introduces the waterbend keyword action.
The rules entry for waterbend is 701.67 and the definition itself is in subrule 701.67a. Subrule 701.67b makes it explicit that paying for a waterbend cost means paying for that waterbend cost, and nothing else. Its example contains a typo.
Example: Spirit Water Revival is a spell that costs {1}{U}{U} and says, in part, “As an additional cost to cast this spell, waterbend {6}.” As you cast it, you may tap up to six artifacts and/or creatures you control to pay the for the {6} in its waterbend cost, but you can’t tap any artifacts or creatures to pay for any part of the {1}{U}{U} mana cost.
The Magic: The Gathering | Avatar: The Last Airbender card Avatar Aang has a triggered ability which triggers whenever its controller waterbends. Subrule 701.67c states that such an ability triggers whenever that player pays a waterbend cost. Notably, paying two waterbend costs at the same time will cause that ability to trigger twice.
Rules support for firebending
The Magic: The Gathering | Avatar: The Last Airbender release introduces the firebending keyword ability.
The rules entry for firebending is 702.189. Its definition in subrule 702.189a is pretty much self-explanatory.
The Magic: The Gathering | Avatar: The Last Airbender card Avatar Aang has a triggered ability which triggers whenever its controller firebends. Subrule 702.189b states that such an ability triggers whenever a firebending ability controlled by that player resolves.
Rules support for partner—[text]
WotC added support for a new variant of the partner keyword ability named partner—[text].
Partner—[text] was added to the list of partner variants in rule 702.124a. Its definition got inserted as rule 702.124i; subsequent rules got renumbered. The definition is pretty much self-explanatory and comes with a list of recognized [text] phrases.
Effects can refer to specific partner variants or to partner abilities in general. The latter only refer to a specific list of variants though, which is defined in rule 702.124p (after renumbering). Partner—[text] was also added to that list.
Rules support for noncreature cards with partner and partner with [name]
WotC updated the definitions of the partner and partner with [name] abilities in rules 702.124h and (now) 702.124j.
Previously, the abilities’ definitions required both commanders to be creature cards. They now allow any legendary card with the correct ability, such as Rowan Kenrith.
702.2c (functional)
Rule 702.2 covers the deathtouch keyword ability, and subrule 702.2c used to cover the interaction between deathtouch and combat damage assignment. Specifically, any amount of combat damage assigned by a creature with deathtouch counted as lethal damage when checking the legality of a proposed combat damage assignment.
This allowed creatures with deathtouch to partially circumvent damage assignment orders (prior to their removal in the Magic: The Gathering Foundations update), and it also allowed deathtouch to interact favorably with the trample ability. If a blocked creature had both deathtouch and trample, or if a creature with deathtouch and a creature with trample were both blocked by the same creature, the creature with trample could often assign a greater amount of combat damage to the attacked player or permanent.
With the Magic: The Gathering | Avatar: The Last Airbender update, WotC have changed the text of that rule 702.2c. Instead of applying to legality checks of combat damage assignments, the rule now applies to checks for excess damage being dealt.
The first change resulting from this update is that deathtouch no longer interacts with trample. The rules for trample only care about assigned (excess) damage, and not at all about damage dealt [CR 702.19b]. As such, combat damage from an attacking creature with deathtouch will no longer help a blocked creature with trample in assigning more damage to the attacked player or permanent.
The second change resulting from this update is that deathtouch now interacts favorably with triggered abilities which trigger from excess combat damage being dealt (as per rule 120.10). If a creature with deathtouch deals combat damage to a creature, anything above 1 damage counts as excess, as well as all damage dealt by other sources at the same time. Previously, such abilities disregarded deathtouch when determining whether excess damage had been dealt.
This only applies to combat damage from a creature with deathtouch, though. Noncombat damage from any source with deathtouch is treated by those abilities exactly as before. Thus, of the five abilities that trigger from excess damage being dealt, only that of Aegar, the Freezing Flame gets noticeably better.
724.4 (functional)
Rule 724.4 describes the procedure for selecting the new monarch if the current one leaves the game. The first choice is the active player. If there is no active player, the next player in turn order becomes the monarch.
Jared Carthalion, True Heir can cause scenarios in which one or more players cannot become the monarch. Rule 724.4 partially accounted for that by stating that the game continues without a monarch if no player can become the monarch. The rule did not cover scenarios tough where some but not all of the players are unable to become the monarch.
With the Magic: The Gathering | Avatar: The Last Airbender update, WotC updated rule 724.4 to cover scenarios where one or more nonactive players are unable to become the monarch. They did not include a clause for scenarios where the active player is unable to become the monarch.
Changing targets, not example text (nonfunctional)
The card Arc Trail got a slight rewrite of its rules text as part of this update (see below).
Arc Trail and its rules text are used in the example for rule 115.7e. WotC did not update the example’s text to match the new rules text.
Order of operations for ending steps and phases (nonfunctional)
As a step or phase begins, any effect that lasts until that step or phase expires. Then, any ability that triggers at the beginning of that step or phase triggers. Finally, turn-based actions specific to that step or phase are performed.
The same order is used for the end of a step or phase (minus the triggered abilities, which don’t exist for the end of a step or phase). First, any effect that lasts until the end of that step or phase expires. Then, the turn-based action for emptying mana pools is performed.
Previously, rule 500.4 covered the turn-based action, while rule 500.5 covered all kinds of expiring effects. This was not an ideal setup, as it obscured the exact order those things happen in.
With the Magic: The Gathering | Avatar: The Last Airbender update, WotC restructured those rules, which makes their content easier to understand. Now, rule 500.4 covers effects that expire as a step or phase begins, and rule 500.5 covers the end of a step or phase. The latter makes the order of operations explicit, and two sentences about until-end-of-combat effects and until-end-of-turn effects were moved to their own subrules.
Finally, the words “when” and “unused” were replaced with “as” and “unspent” in both rules, as well as in rule 703.4q.
603.1b (nonfunctional)
The Magic: The Gathering | Avatar: The Last Airbender card Avatar Aang has a triggered ability with four different trigger events, and whose effect checks whether all four of those events have occurred.
A new rule 603.1b clarifies that the effect of such a triggered ability only checks whether those events occurred; it does not matter whether each of those events caused the ability to trigger, or whether an instance of the ability resolved for each of those events.
603.2d and 603.2e (nonfunctional)
Since the release of The Lost Caverns of Ixalan, Tishana’s Tidebinder has highlighted the difference between abilities as a characteristic of objects, and abilities as separate objects.
As is often the case, casual readers of the CR overlooked this subtle but crucial difference; as a result, those readers misunderstood what former rule 603.2e talked about and applied it to scenarios involving Tishana’s Tidebinder, resulting in incorrect outcomes.
With the Magic: The Gathering | Avatar: The Last Airbender update, WotC took steps that alleviate some of the ensuing confusion. Matching the rules team’s presumed new motto of “embrace the complexity,” they did not add anything that would address the root of the confusion, such as a reminder that former rule 603.2e refers to abilities as a characteristic, not as objects.
Instead, WotC removed rule 603.2e and added a slightly rewritten version of its text to rule 603.2d; subsequent rules were renumbered. Rule 603.2d covers effects that cause a triggered ability to trigger additional times from a single event, and the new text version explicitly refers to such effects.
While those effects are the vast majority of scenarios where the content of former rule 603.2e applies, there exists one other card—the Magic: The Gathering | Avatar: The Last Airbender card Firebender Ascension—for which the same holds true, not to speak of any cards which may get printed in future releases.
Thus, my conclusion is that this update helps casual CR readers in correctly resolving the vast majority of scenarios involving this part of the rules; at the same time, the rare scenario where an effect refers to a triggered ability as a characteristic in some other context becomes much harder for them to resolve correctly; and understanding the underlying rules has likewise gotten much harder (if ultimately more rewarding).
Instructional spells (nonfunctional)
A common template for the definition of a keyword action begins with the phrase “Certain spells and abilities instruct [a player or object] to [do something].”
The definitions of the explore action in rule 701.44a and the connive action in rule 701.50a used a shorter version that omits spells. Those definitions got updated to use the longer version instead.
This does not represent a functional change, since the term “ability” can also cover the spell abilities of a spell; the normal phrasing of “spells and abilities” makes the definitions easier to understand though.
The Secret of Bloodbending remains secret (nonfunctional)
Rule 722.2 acknowledges the existence of cards which let a player control another player for shorter durations than a complete turn. It mentions the two previously existing cards that do such a thing.
The Magic: The Gathering | Avatar: The Last Airbender card Secret of Bloodbending lets its controller control another player during their combat phase. For the third card in a group, it is customary to replace the list of individual references with a blanket “Some cards [do something].” WotC neither generalized rule 722.2 in this fashion nor did they add Secret of Bloodbending to the list; instead, they left rule 722.2 unchanged.
903.4a (nonfunctional)
Rule 903.4a states that the color identity of a card is determined before the start of a game. It got an additional sentence which states that in certain situations, the color identity of certain objects is determined by the color identity of the cards representing those objects.
This way of determining an object’s color identity had not been made explicit before, but it was heavily implied when compared to other attributes derived from a physical card, such as the commander designation or being double-faced. For situations and objects not covered by the new sentence, this remains implicit as before.
This is not a functional change: an object’s color identity (including that of a single commander if a player has two) can change during gameplay if other objects merge with it; the color identity of “your commander” however—the only relevant color identity—remains constant throughout a game.
Fewer persons, more players (nonfunctional)
Rules 405.4, 407.4, and 905.2c used the word “person” instead of the customary “player.” Those rules got updated to match the rest of the CR.
Changes to card types, supertypes, and/or subtypes
New creature types: Bison, Kangaroo, Lemur, and Platypus.
Changes to glossary entries
New glossary entries: Airbend, Earthbend, Firebending, and Waterbend.
Note the missing “rule” in the last sentence of earthbend’s entry.
A keyword action that causes a land to become a 0/0 creature with haste in addition to its other types and puts a number of +1/+1 counters on it. When that land dies or is put into exile, return it to the battlefield tapped under your control. See 701.66, “Earthbend.”
Changed glossary entries: Partner.
Legal information
WotC added the following paragraph to the legal information at the end of the CR:
©2025 Viacom International Inc. All Rights Reserved. Nickelodeon, Avatar: The Last Airbender and all related titles, logos and characters are trademarks of Viacom International Inc
Oracle Changes
Note: Most of the time, I will list only the changed parts of a card’s Oracle text, rather than the complete text of the card.
Templating (nonfunctional)
New templating guideline for multi-character legends
The Magic: The Gathering | Avatar: The Last Airbender release introduces a new templating guideline for legendary cards that represent multiple characters. Previously, the rules text of such a card used singular verb forms for itself, even if the card name is plural. For example, Spinneret and Spiderling uses the phrase “Whenever Spinneret and Spiderling deals 4 or more damage.”
Such cards now use the plural form of verbs, matching the card name. This guideline has only been applied to cards newly printed in the Magic: The Gathering | Avatar: The Last Airbender release; the rules text of older cards was not changed.
Aang, Master of Elements
By default, legendary cards use a shortened form of their name for self-references. Aang, Master of Elements uses its full card name and doesn’t match one of the exceptions to the general rule, so it deviates from templating guidelines.
At the beginning of each upkeep, you may transform Aang, Master of Elements. If you do, you gain 4 life, draw four cards, put four +1/+1 counters on him, and he deals 4 damage to each opponent.
Dragonfly Swarm
An ability that works in all game zones, such as a characteristic-defining ability, uses the card name for self-references. Dragonfly Swarm deviates from that templating guideline by using “this creature” instead.
This creature’s power is equal to the number of noncreature, nonland cards in your graveyard.
Hei Bai, Spirit of Balance
Legendary creature cards in Universes Beyond sets use gendered pronouns. Hei Bai, Spirit of Balance uses “it” as a self-reference; according to my research, the card should use a male pronoun.
When Hei Bai leaves the battlefield, put its counters on target creature you control.
Fire Nation Warship
The triggered ability of Fire Nation Warship uses the term “dies.” This is the first time that “dies” is used to refer exclusively to a Vehicle.
When this Vehicle dies, create a Clue token. (It’s an artifact with “{2}, Sacrifice this token: Draw a card.”)
Harbinger of Tides
Abilities such as Harbinger of Tides’s first ability use “this spell” for self-references. Harbinger of Tides deviated from that templating guideline by using “this card,” but its rules text had not been updated as part of the Aetherdrift update.
With the Magic: The Gathering | Avatar: The Last Airbender update, the self-reference was changed; it now matches the templating guideline.
Old ability text:
You may cast this card as though it had flash if you pay {2} more to cast it.
New ability text:
You may cast this spell as though it had flash if you pay {2} more to cast it.
Magic: The Gathering | Avatar: The Last Airbender errata
Cards which lose their subtypes (functional)
WotC issued a large number of pre-release errata which change subtypes to (as yet undefined) card types. These errata affect all cards newly printed in the Magic: The Gathering | Avatar: The Last Airbender release, as well as all reprint versions that are part of the release.
The errata replace the em dash on the type line with a hyphen-minus. Since the CR define subtypes as appearing after a long dash [CR 205.3b], removing the em dash automatically moves the former subtypes into the card-type part of the type line.
As a result, each card printed with the creature card type and the Human, Warrior, and Ally subtypes now has the creature card type, three undefined card types named “human,” “warrior,” and “ally,” and no subtypes. Other cards and reprint versions are affected accordingly.
Extra text: sacrifice [this permanent] and draw a card (functional)
WotC issued pre-release errata which add additional instructions to the abilities of two cards. Those instructions are for the controller to sacrifice the permanent and to draw a card.
The affected cards are: Callous Inspector and Fire Nation Raider.
Printed rules text (example):
Raid — When this creature enters, if you attacked this turn, create a Clue token. (It’s an artifact with {2}, Sacrifice this token: Draw a card.”)
Oracle rules text (example):
Raid – When this creature enters, if you attacked this turn, create a Clue token. (It’s an artifact with {2}, Sacrifice this token: Draw a card.”)
Leaves from the Vine (functional)
WotC issued a pre-release erratum which adds additional instructions to Leaves from the Vine’s first chapter ability. After creating the Food token, the controller is instructed to sacrifice Leaves from the Vine and to gain 3 life.
Printed ability text:
I — Mill three cards, then create a Food token. (It’s an artifact with “{2}, {T}, Sacrifice this token: You gain 3 life.”)
Oracle ability text:
I – Mill three cards, then create a Food token. (It’s an artifact with “{2}, {T}, Sacrifice this token: You gain 3 life.”)
Extra text: this mana lasts until end of combat (nonfunctional)
WotC issued pre-release errata which add an additional effect to four triggered abilities. Two of those abilities are firebending abilities, for which the effect redundantly keeps the produced mana from being lost before the end of the combat phase. For the other two abilities, the effect likewise states that some unspecified mana lasts until end of combat; however, those abilities don’t produce any mana.
The affected cards are: Firebending Student, Vindictive Warden, Cruel Administrator, and Iroh, Dragon of the West.
Printed ability text (example):
Firebending X, where X is this creature’s power. (Whenever this creature attacks, add X {R}. This mana lasts until end of combat.)
Oracle ability text (example):
Firebending X, where X is this creature’s power. (Whenever this creature attacks, add X {R}. This mana lasts until end of combat.)
Currency Converter (functional)
With the Magic: The Gathering | Avatar: The Last Airbender update, WotC changed the wording of the first instruction of Currency Converter’s third ability to the default wording for such actions.
This is a functional change: previously, if a player chose a card they did not own while being affected by a replacement effect such as that of Gaea’s Will, the replacement effect did apply to the chosen card. Now, that replacement effect won’t apply to the chosen card.
Old ability text:
{T}: Put a card exiled with this artifact into your graveyard. If it’s a land card, create a Treasure token. If it’s a nonland card, create a 2/2 black Rogue creature token.
New ability text:
{T}: Put a card exiled with this artifact into its owner’s graveyard. If it’s a land card, create a Treasure token. If it’s a nonland card, create a 2/2 black Rogue creature token.
Feast of the Victorious Dead (functional)
With the Magic: The Gathering | Avatar: The Last Airbender update, WotC changed the wording of Feast of the Victorious Dead’s ability to the default wording for such effects.
This is a functional change: previously, at least one creature had to receive +1/+1 counters; now, putting +1/+1 counters on creatures is entirely optional.
Old rules text:
At the beginning of your end step, if one or more creatures died this turn, you gain that much life and distribute that many +1/+1 counters among creatures you control.
New rules text:
At the beginning of your end step, if one or more creatures died this turn, you gain that much life and distribute that many +1/+1 counters among any number of creatures you control.
SP//dr, Piloted by Peni (functional)
For the fourth set in a row, WotC saw the need to completely remove a card’s rules text. This time, the candidate was SP//dr, Piloted by Peni.
Old Oracle text:
SP//dr, Piloted by Peni
{3}{W}{U}
Legendary Artifact Creature – Spider Hero
Vigilance
When SP//dr enters, put a +1/+1 counter on target creature.
Whenever a modified creature you control deals combat damage to a player, draw a card. (Equipment, Auras you control, and counters are modifications.)
4/4
New Oracle text:
You draw N cards and you lose N life (nonfunctional)
Historically, most cards which let a player draw some number of cards in exchange for an equivalent amount of life used the wording “You draw N cards and you lose N life.” Since the Edge of Eternities release, the slightly shorter wording of “You draw N cards and lose N life” has become the norm.
With the Magic: The Gathering | Avatar: The Last Airbender update, four older cards had their wording updated to the new template.
This update applies to: Night’s Whisper, Painful Truths, Vraska, Betrayal’s Sting, and Glissa Sunslayer.
Old ability text (example):
You draw two cards and you lose 2 life.
New ability text (example):
You draw two cards and lose 2 life.
Bloom Tender (nonfunctional)
Bloom Tender’s mana ability got a brand new ability word named vivid.
Given that WotC hand out unique ability words two or three times per set, that Bloom Tender was not released in the original Lowyn/Shadowmoor block, that color matters is not a theme associated with the Shadowmoor block, and that Shadowmoor won’t be part of the upcoming set Lorwyn Eclipsed, the idea that Lorwyn Eclipsed will feature a reprint of Bloom Tender and a vivid mechanic that cares about the number of colors among a player’s permanents seems absurd to me. Just a random ability word for a seventeen-year-old card.
Old rules text:
{T}: For each color among permanents you control, add one mana of that color.
New rules text:
Vivid – {T}: For each color among permanents you control, add one mana of that color.
Arc Trail (nonfunctional)
The description of Arc Trail‘s second target was rewritten to match the standard wording for such effects. The two remaining cards which use “another target” in this way, Magma Burst and Comet Storm, were not updated.
Old rules text:
Arc Trail deals 2 damage to any target and 1 damage to another target.
New rules text:
Arc Trail deals 2 damage to any target and 1 damage to any other target.
Blossoming Defense (nonfunctional)
Blossoming Defense got reminder text for the hexproof keyword ability.
Old rules text:
Target creature you control gets +2/+2 and gains hexproof until end of turn.
New rules text:
Target creature you control gets +2/+2 and gains hexproof until end of turn. (It can’t be the target of spells or abilities your opponents control.)
Ninja (nonfunctional)
With the Magic: The Gathering | Avatar: The Last Airbender update, WotC corrected a typo in Ninja‘s rules text they had introduced in the Aetherdrift update.
Old ability text:
You may activate this card augment ability any time you could cast an instant.
New ability text:
You may activate this card’s augment ability any time you could cast an instant.
Shorikai, Genesis Engine (nonfunctional)
The Edge of Eternities update made any legendary Vehicle card eligible as a commander; as a result, Shorikai’s ability became redundant. With the Magic: The Gathering | Avatar: The Last Airbender update, WotC removed that ability.
Old Oracle text:
Shorikai, Genesis Engine
{2}{W}{U}
Legendary Artifact – Vehicle
{1}, {T}: Draw two cards, then discard a card. Create a 1/1 colorless Pilot creature token with “This token crews Vehicles as though its power were 2 greater.”
Crew 8 (Tap any number of creatures you control with total power 8 or more: This Vehicle becomes an artifact creature until end of turn.)
Shorikai, Genesis Engine can be your commander.
8/8
New Oracle text:
Shorikai, Genesis Engine
{2}{W}{U}
Legendary Artifact – Vehicle
{1}, {T}: Draw two cards, then discard a card. Create a 1/1 colorless Pilot creature token with “This token crews Vehicles as though its power were 2 greater.”
Crew 8 (Tap any number of creatures you control with total power 8 or more: This Vehicle becomes an artifact creature until end of turn.)
8/8
Salt Road Packbeast (nonfunctional)
Salt Road Packbeast is one of three cards released in Tarkir: Dragonstorm that have an affinity-like ability. With the Magic: The Gathering | Avatar: The Last Airbender update, WotC updated Salt Road Packbeast’s Oracle text to use affinity for creatures.
Old ability text:
This spell costs {1} less to cast for each creature you control.
New ability text:
Affinity for creatures (This spell costs {1} less to cast for each creature you control.)
Reminder text for controlling another player (nonfunctional)
The reminder text for controlling another player used by cards released before 2025 was updated to match the reminder text used by newer cards.
This update applies to: Mindslaver and Worst Fears.
Old ability text (example):
{4}, {T}, Sacrifice Mindslaver: You control target player during that player’s next turn. (You see all cards that player could see and make all decisions for the player.)
New ability text (example):
{4}, {T}, Sacrifice Mindslaver: You control target player during that player’s next turn. (You see all cards that player could see and make all decisions for them.)
Indestructible reminder text (nonfunctional)
Some cards originally released in a set featuring -1/-1 counters have a longer version of the indestructible reminder text. That version addresses creatures with toughness 0 or less and still used the phrase “put into its owner’s graveyard.” That phrase was shortened to “dies.”
This update applies to: Shield of the Oversoul, Withstand Death, Darksteel Myr, Darksteel Sentinel, Seraph of the Suns, Pitiless Vizier, Accursed Horde, and Without Weakness.
Old ability text (example):
Target creature gains indestructible until end of turn. (Damage and effects that say “destroy” don’t destroy it. If its toughness is 0 or less, it’s still put into its owner’s graveyard.)
New ability text (example):
Target creature gains indestructible until end of turn. (Damage and effects that say “destroy” don’t destroy it. If its toughness is 0 or less, it still dies.)
Gatherer ruling changes (nonfunctional)
Triumph of Saint Katherine
WotC added an incorrect ruling to Triumph of Saint Katherine’s Gatherer page. The ruling claims that the leaves-the-battlefield ability will be controlled by Triumph of Saint Katherine’s owner if the creature dies while under the control of a player other than its owner.
This is incorrect: in such a case, the ability will not trigger at all, so there is nothing for the owner to control. Since that ability is a leaves-the-battlefield ability, the game state immediately before Triumph of Saint Katherine dies is evaluated to determine whether the ability triggers [CR 603.10a]. At that point, Triumph of Saint Katherine is controlled by the other player, so the trigger event is considered from that player’s perspective. Triumph of Saint Katherine is not put into that player’s graveyard, so its ability does not trigger.
Triumph of Saint Katherine received errata in 2023, updating its second ability to handle cases where Triumph of Saint Katherine is put into its owner’s graveyard while controlled by a player other than its owner. In such a case, its owner will control the triggered ability; that player will be the one to exile Triumph of Saint Katherine and the top six cards of their library (and so on) when the triggered ability resolves.
Pain for All
One ruling on Pain for All’s Gatherer page is misleading. It used to state that, if the enchanted creature leaves the battlefield in response to Pain for All’s enters-the-battlefield ability, the creature’s last known information is used.
This is misleading insofar as it only holds true if the creature leaves the battlefield simultaneously with Pain for All, or if Pain for All leaves the battlefield first, followed by the creature. In the far more common scenario where the creature leaves first, followed by Pain for All, the latter did not enchant a creature when it left the battlefield, so Pain for All’s last known information does not contain an enchanted creature and there is no object that can be instructed to deal damage.
WotC rewrote that ruling so that it is misleading in the opposite way: the ruling now claims that no damage is dealt if the creature leaves the battlefield. While this is true in more cases than the previous version, the ruling still doesn’t apply in all scenarios and it still does not explain what scenarios it applies to.
What makes this pitfall easier to detect though is that WotC added a glaring typo.
Old text:
If the enchanted creature leaves the battlefield before Pain for All’s second ability resolves, use its power as it last existed on the battlefield to determine how much damage is dealt.
New text:
If the enchanted creature leaves the battlefield before Pain for All’s second ability resolves, no damge will be dealt.
Mirror Mockery
WotC corrected a ruling on Mirror Mockery’s Gatherer page. The ruling used to incorrectly describe what happens if Mirror Mockery becomes attached to a different permanent in response to its triggered ability.
Old text:
If Mirror Mockery is no longer on the battlefield as its triggered ability resolves, its ability makes a copy of the creature it was enchanting when it left the battlefield. If it left the battlefield because it was no longer enchanting a legal creature, it makes a copy of the creature it was most recently enchanting before it left the battlefield.
New text:
If Mirror Mockery is no longer on the battlefield as its triggered ability resolves, its ability makes a copy of the creature it was enchanting at the time its ability triggered.
Thrasta, Tempest’s Roar
WotC corrected a ruling on the Gatherer page of Thrasta, Tempest’s Roar. The ruling used to incorrectly describe how lethal damage for a planeswalker creature is determined.
Old text:
In some rare, strange cases, a planeswalker that is also a creature may block Thrasta while Thrasta is attacking that same planeswalker. (I did say strange.) Assuming no other creatures are blocking Thrasta and the blocking creature has no damage marked on it, Thrasta’s controller must assign at least as much damage to that creature planeswalker equal to its toughness or the number of loyalty counters it has, whichever is greater.
New text:
In some rare, strange cases, a planeswalker that is also a creature may block Thrasta while Thrasta is attacking that same planeswalker. (I did say strange.) Assuming no other creatures are blocking Thrasta and the blocking creature has no damage marked on it, Thrasta’s controller must assign at least as much damage to that creature planeswalker equal to its toughness or the number of loyalty counters it has, whichever is less.
Adventurer cards and cast-from-the-graveyard abilities
Some cards have a static ability whose effect grants an ability to instant and sorcery cards in graveyards. The Gatherer pages of two such cards received a new ruling that clarifies how those effects interact with adventurer cards and other cards with alternative sets of characteristics.
This update applies to the Gatherer pages of: Wrenn and Six and Lier, Disciple of the Drowned.
New text (example):
The emblem you get from Wrenn and Six’s last ability allows you to cast adventurer cards in your graveyard as Adventures and omen cards in your graveyard as Omens using the retrace it grants. This is because the alternative characteristics of those cards are considered when determining whether or not those spells can legally be cast. Note that only the Adventure or Omen can be cast this way. For example, if you have the emblem from Wrenn and Six’s last ability and you have Bonecrusher Giant in your graveyard, you can cast Stomp with retrace, but not Bonecrusher Giant.
Clone
The wording of five of Clone’s rulings got updated and the order of rulings was changed.
Old text:
Clone copies exactly what was printed on the original creature and nothing more (unless that creature is copying something else or is a token; see below). It doesn’t copy whether that creature is tapped or untapped, whether it has any counters on it or Auras attached to it, or any non-copy effects that have changed its power, toughness, types, color, or so on.
If the chosen creature has {X} in its mana cost (such as Protean Hydra), X is considered to be zero.
If the chosen creature is a token, Clone copies the original characteristics of that token as stated by the effect that put it onto the battlefield. Clone is not a token.
If the chosen creature is copying something else (for example, if the chosen creature is another Clone), then your Clone enters as whatever the chosen creature copied.
Any “enters” abilities of the copied creature will trigger when Clone enters the battlefield. Any “as [this creature] enters” or “[this creature] enters with” abilities of the chosen creature will also work.
New text:
Clone copies exactly what was printed on the original creature and nothing else (unless that creature is copying something else or is a token; see below). It doesn’t copy whether that creature is tapped or untapped, whether it has any counters on it or Auras and Equipment attached to it, or any non-copy effects that have changed its power, toughness, types, color, or so on.
If the copied creature has {X} in its mana cost, X is considered to be 0.
If the copied creature is a token, Clone copies the original characteristics of that token as stated by the effect that created the token.
If the copied creature is copying something else (for example, if the copied creature is an Evil Twin), then Clone enters as whatever that creature copied.
Any enters abilities of the copied creature will trigger when Clone enters. Any “as [this creature] enters” or “[this creature] enters with” abilities of the chosen creature will also work.
Mystic Remora
A ruling was added to Mystic Remora’s Gatherer page.
Cumulative upkeep is a triggered ability that imposes an increasing cost on a permanent. “Cumulative upkeep [cost]” means “At the beginning of your upkeep, if this permanent is on the battlefield, put an age counter on this permanent. Then you may pay [cost] for each age counter on it. If you don’t, sacrifice it.”
Scout’s Warning
Three rulings were removed from the Gatherer page of Scout’s Warning.
Scout’s Warning works just like Quicken, except for creatures instead of sorceries.
Scout’s Warning affects only the next creature card cast that turn, even if that creature already had flash.
Scout’s Warning allows you to cast a noncreature card with morph (such as Lumithread Field) face down as though it had flash. It won’t affect that card if you cast it face up.
Training Grounds
A ruling was added to Training Grounds’s Gatherer page.
Training Grounds reduces the generic mana in waterbend costs for activated abilities. It will not reduce waterbend costs that are additional costs for casting spells.
Elemental Bond
The wording of one of Elemental Bond’s rulings got updated.
Old text:
The creature must have power 3 or greater as it enters the battlefield, or Elemental Bond’s ability won’t trigger. Static abilities that raise (or lower) a creature’s power are taken into account. However, you can’t have a creature with power 2 or less enter the battlefield and try to raise its power with a spell, an activated ability, or a triggered ability.
New text:
The creature must have power 3 or greater as it enters, or Elemental Bond’s ability won’t trigger. Static abilities that raise (or lower) a creature’s power are taken into account. However, you can’t have a creature with power 2 or less enter and try to raise its power with a spell, an activated ability, or a triggered ability.
Brought Back
The wording of one of Brought Back’s rulings got updated.
Old text:
If you return an Aura this way, you choose what the Aura will enchant just before it enters the battlefield, but you can’t choose any permanent cards that will enter the battlefield at the same time as that Aura. An Aura returning to the battlefield this way doesn’t target the player or permanent it will enchant, so permanents or players with hexproof may be chosen; however, the chosen recipient must be able to legally be enchanted by the Aura, so a player or permanent with protection from one of the Aura’s qualities can’t be chosen this way. If there’s nothing legal for the Aura to enchant, it stays in the graveyard.
New text:
If you return an Aura this way, you choose what the Aura will enchant just before it enters, but you can’t choose any permanent cards that will enter at the same time as that Aura. An Aura returning to the battlefield this way doesn’t target the player or permanent it will enchant, so permanents or players with hexproof may be chosen; however, the chosen recipient must be able to legally be enchanted by the Aura, so a player or permanent with protection from one of the Aura’s qualities can’t be chosen this way. If there’s nothing legal for the Aura to enchant, it stays in the graveyard.
Epic Downfall
A duplicate ruling was added to Epic Downfall’s Gatherer page.
If a creature on the battlefield has {X} in its mana cost, X is considered to be 0.
The Great Henge
Three rulings were added to The Great Henge’s Gatherer page. They are standard rulings for effects that reduce a spell’s cost.
To determine the total cost of a spell, start with the mana cost or alternative cost you’re paying, add any cost increases, then apply any cost reductions. The mana value of the spell remains unchanged, no matter what the total cost to cast it was.
The cost reduction ability reduces only the generic mana in The Great Henge’s cost. The colored mana must still be paid.
Once you announce that you’re casting a spell, no player may take actions until the spell has been paid for. Notably, opponents can’t try to change by how much The Great Henge’s cost is reduced.
Heartless Act
Two duplicate rulings were added to Heartless Act’s Gatherer page.
If you choose the second mode for Heartless Act, you choose which counters to remove from the creature, no matter who controls the creature. You may choose counters of different kinds.
If you choose the first mode and the creature gains a counter in response, you can’t remove counters from it instead; the spell just doesn’t resolve. Similarly, if you choose the second mode and the creature loses its counters in response, you can’t destroy it instead.
Obscura Confluence
Six rulings were added to Obscura Confluence’s Gatherer page. The first three belong to the standard rulings for Confluence cards. The final two had previously been part of that page until they got removed as part of the Edge of Eternities update.
No matter which combination of modes you choose, you always follow the instructions in the order they are written.
No player can cast spells or activate abilities in between the modes of a resolving spell. Any abilities that trigger won’t be put onto the stack until Obscura Confluence is done resolving.
If Obscura Confluence is copied, the effect that creates the copy will usually allow you to choose new targets, but you can’t choose new modes.
If all of the targets become illegal before Obscura Confluence resolves, the spell won’t resolve. If at least one target is still legal, the spell will resolve but will have no effect on any illegal targets.
Once an ability that causes a creature to connive begins to resolve, no player may take any other actions until it’s done. Notably, opponents can’t try to remove the conniving creature after you discard a nonland card but before it receives a counter.
If no card is discarded, most likely because that player’s hand is empty and an effect says they can’t draw cards, the conniving creature does not receive a +1/+1 counter.
Xu-Ifit, Osteoharmonist
The wording of one of Xu-Ifit, Osteoharmonist’s rulings got slightly expanded.
Old text:
If a permanent returned to the battlefield by Xu-Ifit’s ability has an ability that triggers “when” it enters, it will lose that ability before it can trigger. If it has an ability that causes it to enter tapped, it will lose that ability before it can apply. The same is also true of any other abilities that modify how it enters the battlefield, such as abilities that would cause it to enter with some number of counters, or apply “as” it enters, such as Famished Worldsire’s devour land ability.
New text:
If a permanent returned to the battlefield by Xu-Ifit’s ability has an ability that triggers “when” it enters, it will lose that ability before it can trigger. If it has an ability that causes it to enter tapped, it will lose that ability before it can apply. The same is also true of any other abilities that modify how it enters the battlefield, such as abilities that would cause it to enter with some number of counters, or apply “as” it enters, such as Famished Worldsire’s devour land ability or Clone’s ability that causes it to enter as a copy of a creature on the battlefield.