(Originally published on 2025-12-17; last reviewed on 2025-12-17; last updated on 2025-12-17)
At the start of December (either on the 2nd or the 3rd), Wizards of the Coast (WotC) made an update to Gatherer. That update includes the Magic: The Gathering—FINAL FANTASY holiday release and some miscellaneous 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.
Oracle Changes
Cards which regain their rules text (functional)
As part of the Magic: The Gathering | Marvel’s Spider-Man update and the Magic: The Gathering | Avatar: The Last Airbender update, WotC had removed the entire rules text of four cards.
With this December update, WotC restored those cards’ previous rules text.
This update applies to: Aerathi Berserker, Who // What // When // Where // Why, Strutting Turkey, and SP//dr, Piloted by Peni.
Old Oracle text (example):
New Oracle text (example):
Aerathi Berserker
{2}{R}{R}{R}
Creature – Human Berserker
Rampage 3 (Whenever this creature becomes blocked, it gets +3/+3 until end of turn for each creature blocking it beyond the first.)
2/4
Zinnia, Valley’s Voice (functional)
With this December update, WotC have changed the timing of when the effect of Zinnia’s last ability starts to apply to creature spells.
Previously, the effect simply applied to creature spells, so it started to apply as soon as a spell was put onto the stack at the start of the casting process [CR 611.3a]. The spell’s controller could then choose to pay the offspring cost [CR 601.2b]. Regardless of that choice, the effect continued to grant the offspring ability to that spell and to the permanent the spell would become during resolution for the remainder of the game [CR 400.7b][CR 611.3d].
WotC’s new wording changes the effect from simply granting offspring to a spell to granting it offspring as it is cast. This wording has previously been used on Yidris, Maelstrom Wielder, and its consequences for Zinnia’s ability are exactly the same, specified in rule 601.2i. Namely, the spell gains offspring only just before it becomes cast, at the end of the casting process.
As a result, the spell does not have offspring while its controller decides whether they want to pay any additional costs, nor while they determine and actually pay the spell’s total cost. In other words, Zinnia’s controller cannot pay offspring costs granted by Zinnia anymore.
Once a spell acquires offspring at the end of the casting process, the spell continues to have offspring for the rest of the game, as does the permanent it becomes during resolution. Since the granted offspring cost is impossible to pay, the enters-the-battlefield ability will never trigger.
Old ability text:
Creature spells you cast have offspring {2}. (You may pay an additional {2} as you cast a creature spell. If you do, when that creature enters, create a 1/1 token copy of it.)
New ability text:
Creature spells you cast gain offspring {2} as you cast them. (You may pay an additional {2} as you cast a creature spell. If you do, when that creature enters, create a 1/1 token copy of it.)
Crash Through (nonfunctional)
A typo in Crash Through’s reminder text was corrected.
Old ability text:
Creatures you control gain trample until end of turn. (Each of those creature can deal excess combat damage to the player or planeswalker it’s attacking.)
New ability text:
Creatures you control gain trample until end of turn. (Each of those creatures can deal excess combat damage to the player or planeswalker it’s attacking.)
Gatherer ruling changes (nonfunctional)
Hydroelectric Specimen
WotC removed an incorrect ruling from Hydroelectric Specimen’s Gatherer page. The ruling claimed that a spell with multiple targets is a legal target for Hydroelectric Specimen’s ability, so long as all those targets were the same object.
If a spell has multiple targets but it’s targeting the same creature with all of them (such as Seeds of Strength targeting the same creature three times) you can target that spell with Hydroelectric Specimen’s ability. In that case, you change all of those targets to Hydroelectric Specimen.
Zinnia, Valley’s Voice
WotC corrected a ruling on the Gatherer page of Zinnia, Valley’s Voice. The ruling used to incorrectly describe what happens if Zinnia leaves the battlefield in response to a creature spell it grants offspring to.
The new text is slightly misleading insofar as it calls the unrelated change to the ability’s functionality “minor,” when that change actually makes the ability useless from a practical standpoint (see above).
Old text:
If Zinnia leaves the battlefield after you’ve cast a creature spell and paid its offspring cost but before that spell resolves, the permanent that spell becomes won’t have offspring when it enters. As such, you won’t create a 1/1 token copy of it.
New text:
Zinnia’s last ability has received updated wording, and its function has changed minorly as a result. If Zinnia leaves the battlefield after you’ve cast a creature spell and paid its offspring cost but before that spell resolves, the permanent that spell becomes will still have offspring when it enters. As such, you’ll still create a 1/1 copy of it.
Garland, Royal Kidnapper
The Gatherer page for the new card Garland, Royal Kidnapper has a misleading ruling. The ruling states that, if a permanent spell which is not represented by a card resolves and becomes a token, that spell’s controller is the owner of the token.
The owner of a token is the player who created that token or, in the case of a resolving copy of a permanent spell that became a token, the player who controlled that spell as it resolved.
This is misleading insofar as it only holds true if that player is also the spell’s owner, since ownership of the spell determines ownership of the token. If a player puts such a spell onto the stack and another player gains control of the spell, the first player remains the owner of the spell and will be the owner of the resulting token.
Since the token is not created, the usual rule for determining a token’s owner does not apply [CR 608.3f][CR 111.2]. Absent such a rule, having the spell’s owner also be the owner of the resulting token matches the idea that the spell “becomes a token,” and it is consistent with “stolen” permanent spells and the default controller of the resulting permanents (see rule 110.2b).
The Destined White Mage
The Gatherer page for the new card The Destined White Mage has two rulings which refer to the wrong ability of that card.
The Destined White Mage’s second ability triggers just once for each life-gaining event, whether it’s 1 life from Al Bhed Salvagers or 3 life from Balamb T-Rexaur.
If a creature you control is dealt lethal damage at the same time that you gain life, it can’t receive a counter from The Destined White Mage’s second ability in time to save it.
Duelist’s Flame
The Gatherer page for the new card Duelist’s Flame has a typo in one of its rulings.
You cast the exiled card while the triggered ability ability is resolving and still on the stack. You can’t wait to cast it later in the turn. Timing restrictions based on the card’s type are ignored.
Tend the Sprigs can’t find shock lands
The Gatherer pages of five cards gained a brand new ruling that mentions a card named Tend the Sprigs.
While no card with that name exists, it is still absurd to think that a card with that name will be printed in the upcoming Lorwyn Eclipsed release just because those five cards have all been revealed as getting a reprint in that same release.
This update applies to the Gatherer pages of: Overgrown Tomb, Temple Garden, Steam Vents, Blood Crypt, and Hallowed Fountain.
New ruling (example):
This land has two basic land types. It’s not basic, so cards such as Tend the Sprigs can’t find it, but it does have the appropriate land types for effects such as that of Kishla Village (from the Tarkir: Dragonstorm release).
New rulings for Lorwyn-related cards
The Gatherer pages of four Lorwyn-related cards gained new rulings.
Given that old cards receive new rulings all the time, the idea that these specific cards will be reprinted as part of the Lorwyn Eclipsed release seems far-fetched.
This update applies to the Gatherer pages of: Mistbind Clique, Wanderwine Prophets, Heat Shimmer, and Goatnap.
New ruling (example):
Goat is a creature type. Keep in mind that creatures with the changeling ability are Goats. (Whether they’re “goated” or not is too subjective for this ruling to address.)
Restored rulings
As part of the Magic: The Gathering | Marvel’s Spider-Man update, WotC had removed all rulings from the Gatherer pages of three cards.
With this December update, WotC restored those pages’ previous rulings.
This update applies to the Gatherer pages of: Aerathi Berserker, Who // What // When // Where // Why, and Strutting Turkey.
As part of the Edge of Eternities update, WotC had removed thousands of rulings from Gatherer pages.
With this December update, WotC restored one ruling shared by five cards’ Gatherer pages.
This update applies to the Gatherer pages of: Overgrown Tomb, Temple Garden, Steam Vents, Blood Crypt, and Hallowed Fountain.
If an effect puts this land onto the battlefield tapped, you may pay 2 life, but it still enters tapped.
“Transforming” becomes “nonmodal”
The Magic: The Gathering | Marvel’s Spider-Man update did not replace the term “transforming double-faced [object]” with “nonmodal double-faced [object].”
This December update does so. All instances of “transforming double-faced [object]” and “transforming token” were replaced with “nonmodal double-faced [object],” “double-faced token,” or “double-faced [object],” as appropriate.
Other changes to the functionality of double-faced objects were not applied to existing rulings. For example, many rulings still state that modal double-faced cards cannot transform or enter transformed.
This update applies to the Gatherer pages of: Nevermore, Agadeem, the Undercrypt, Halvar, God of Battle, Enduring Angel, Baithook Angler, Moonveil Regent, Olag, Ludevic’s Hubris, Azusa’s Many Journeys, Boon of Boseiju, Hidetsugu Consumes All, Norn’s Inquisitor, Corruption of Towashi, Invasion of Alara, Omarthis, Ghostfire Initiate, Ugin’s Mastery, Ojer Taq, Deepest Foundation, Ojer Pakpatiq, Deepest Epoch, Aclazotz, Deepest Betrayal, Ojer Axonil, Deepest Might, Ojer Kaslem, Deepest Growth, March of the Canonized, Altar of the Wretched, Tetzin, Gnome Champion, Ajani, Nacatl Pariah, Age-Graced Chapel, Summon: Bahamut, Bahamut, Warden of Light, The Legend of Yangchen, The Legend of Kuruk, The Legend of Roku, and The Legend of Kyoshi.
Replacing “all colors” with “each color”
Protection and hexproof abilities use the phrase “from each color” rather than “from all colors.”
The rulings of some Gatherer pages still used “all colors” in this context. With this December update, those rulings were updated to use “each color.”
This update applies to the Gatherer pages of: Iridescent Angel, Favor of the Mighty (only one of two rulings was updated), and Commander’s Plate.
Old text (example):
This card has Protection from Black, from Blue, from Red, from White, and from Green. This is the definition of “All Colors”. This means it is possible to use an effect that removes one color of protection, such as just black, on this card.
New text (example):
“Protection from each color” is shorthand for protection from white, from blue, from black, from red, and from green. Colorless is not a color.
One ruling was added to Breaker of Creation’s Gatherer page.
“Hexproof from each color” is shorthand for hexproof from white, from blue, from black, from red, and from green. Colorless is not a color.
One ruling was removed from Etched Champion’s Gatherer page.
“Protection from all colors” means protection from white, from blue, from black, from red, and from green. (In other words, it doesn’t just mean “protection from objects that have all five colors.”)
Changeling
One standard ruling for the changeling ability got slightly expanded.
This update applies to the Gatherer pages of: Bloodline Pretender, Barkform Harvester, and Three Tree Mascot.
Old text:
If an effect causes a creature with changeling to become a new creature type, it will be only that new creature type. It will still have changeling; the effect making it all creature types will simply be overwritten.
New text:
If an effect causes a creature with changeling to become a new creature type, it will be only that new creature type (unless the effect says “in addition” or similar). It will still have changeling; the effect making it all creature types will simply be overwritten.
Fastbond
The two rulings on Fastbond’s Gatherer page got merged into one.
Old rulings:
You take damage when you play a land using the “play a land” action. Such an action can be your regular “play a land”, one enabled by Fastbond, or ones enabled through other effects.
You do not take damage when you “put a land onto the battlefield” through the effect of a spell or ability.
New ruling:
Fastbond’s second ability will trigger whenever you play a land (using the special action of playing a land) as long as that land wasn’t the first land you played this turn. Lands that enter under your control due to effects other than taking the special action of playing a land won’t cause Fastbond’s last ability to trigger.
Skulking Ghost
A card name used in one of Skulking Ghost’s rulings got corrected.
Old text:
If the spell that targets Skulking Ghost has no other targets, it won’t resolve (because it no longer has a legal target after Gossamer Phantasm has been sacrificed).
New text:
If the spell that targets Skulking Ghost has no other targets, it won’t resolve (because it no longer has a legal target after Skulking Ghost has been sacrificed).
Crash Through
Duplicate rulings were removed from Crash Through’s Gatherer page.
Bahamut, Warden of Light
A redundant ruling was removed from Bahamut, Warden of Light’s Gatherer page.
A transforming double-faced card enters the battlefield with its front face up by default, unless a spell or ability instructs you to put it onto the battlefield transformed or you cast it transformed, in which case it enters with its back face up.
Avatar Aang
One ruling was added to Avatar Aang’s Gatherer page.
Avatar Aang’s last ability looks at the whole turn when determining whether or not Avatar Aang should transform, not just actions you’ve taken since he entered or came under your control. For example, say you airbend, waterbend, and earthbend, then play Avatar Aang. If you firebend later in the turn, then when Avatar Aang’s ability resolves, he’ll transform since you’ve done all four this turn.