(Originally published on 2026-09-12; last reviewed on 2026-09-12; last updated on 2026-09-12)

With each new set release, Wizards of the Coast 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 my unofficial update bulletin, I list the changes made by the Magic: The Gathering | Marvel Super Heroes update and point out issues I perceive as inelegant, unintuitive, or even faulty. Which gives the bulletin a rather negative outline, even when I factor in the things I point out as laudable.

This shouldn’t be seen as a slight against Wizards of the Coast or their rules team though; we just have different visions for Magic’s rules system. In my mind, the rules system should strive for intuitiveness, consistency, and completeness; and while the system has never truly met these lofty goals, Wizards of the Coast shared this vision for many years.

For a few years now, Wizards of the Coast’s design goal for the rules system is . . . something different. I don’t know what it is; I only know that it isn’t intuitiveness, consistency, or completeness anymore, as evidenced by their rules updates. While this may seem like a dangerous course of action for the game’s long-term success, I trust that Wizards of the Coast don’t undermine their game in this way and I remain content in the knowledge that I simply lack the intelligence and insight to recognize their grand vision.

Until they reveal their plans in an appropriately dramatic fashion, I continue to cling to my old-fashioned goal of an elegant rules system. But complaining is cheap and gets old very fast, so at some point, I started to wonder what the rules might look like had they been written with the three classic goals in mind.

The results of my musings are the Potential Rules Amendments, a counterpoint to the Unofficial Update Bulletins. What I criticize in my bulletins, I reenvision in the amendments. Where the bulletins ask questions, the amendments give an answer.

Each section briefly recounts issues presented in my bulletin, as well as older and somewhat related issues, and what the outcome for those issues should be; I then discuss what the Comprehensive Rules and Oracle would need to consider to achieve the desired outcomes; finally, I present a sample implementation based on that discussion.

Table of contents

• Teamwork
• Heal
• Rules support for Captain America, First Avenger
• Standardized wording surrounding last known information
• Keyword abilities that become less special
• Keyword abilities that become keyword modifiers
• Counting main phases
• Casting multiple objects in one go
• Secret Invasion
• Miscellaneous Oracle texts

Teamwork

In my update bulletin, I identify two issues with the rules for the teamwork keyword ability.

Fixing the issue of several nonstandard wordings in rule 702.194a is straightforward.

The major issue is rule 702.194b’s use of the phrase “cast a spell” for something that is not casting a spell. Taking such a basic and ubiquitous rules term and twisting it completely around is exemplary for Wizards of the Coast’s current approach to rules design: it is unintuitive, inconsistent, and totally unneeded.

If something checks whether an alternative or additional cost has been paid (or more precisely, whether the intention to pay that cost has been declared), the standard template is “if [an object]’s [cost] was paid.” No mention of casting (or “casting”) that object and no mention of who paid that cost. A simple and elegant template that would work perfectly for cards with teamwork: “if this spell’s teamwork cost was paid.”

Some keywords use custom terms to refer to objects for which their respective costs were paid. For example, a “kicked” spell is a spell for which a kicker cost was paid; other such keywords include bargain, gift, and behold. Teamwork also does this, but almost every other phrase would have been better than “was cast using teamwork,” such as:

• “if teamwork was used”
• “if teamwork was performed”
• “if your creatures worked as a team”
• “if your creatures performed teamwork”
• “if this spell was teamworked”

Take whatever phrase you like best or invent your own—it’s bound to be less confusing than the official one.

Proposed amendments

Rule 702.194a uses the standard templates for tapping permanents as a cost, for numeric values exceeding a specific number, and for keywords that represent a single ability.

702.194a Teamwork represents is a static ability that functions while the spell with teamwork is on the stack. “Teamwork N” means “As an additional cost to cast this spell, you may tap any number of untapped creatures you control with total power N or more greater.” Paying a spell’s teamwork cost follows the rules for paying additional costs in rules 601.2b and 601.2f–h.

Selecting the alternative term “if teamwork was used,” rules 702.194b–c become as follows:

702.194b Abilities may refer to a spell cast “using teamwork” or similar. Such phrases refer to whether the player who cast the spell declared the intention to pay the spell’s teamwork cost as they cast that spell. If a spell’s controller declares the intention to pay that spell’s teamwork cost, “teamwork was used” for that spell. See rule 601.2b.

702.194c If part of a spell’s ability has its effect only if teamwork was used to cast it, and that part of the ability includes any targets, the spell’s controller chooses those targets only if teamwork was used to cast for that spell. Otherwise, the spell is cast as if it did not have those targets. See rule 601.2c.

The rules text of cards with teamwork changes accordingly. For example:

HULK SMASH!

Teamwork 4 (As an additional cost to cast this spell, you may tap any number of creatures you control with total power 4 or more.)

Choose one. If this spell was cast using teamwork was used, choose both instead.

* Destroy target noncreature artifact.

* Target creature you control deals damage equal to its power to target creature an opponent controls.

Helicarrier Strike

Teamwork 2 (As an additional cost to cast this spell, you may tap any number of creatures you control with total power 2 or more.)

Helicarrier Strike deals 2 damage to target attacking or blocking creature. If this spell was cast using teamwork was used, it deals 4 damage to that creature instead.

The rules text of Quantum Reduction in particular changes to better match the standard template for pseudo-flash abilities.

Teamwork 2 (As an additional cost to cast this spell, you may tap any number of creatures you control with total power 2 or more.)

You may cast this spell as though it had flash if it’s cast using teamwork you use teamwork.

Enchant creature

Enchanted creature gets -5/-0 and loses all abilities.

Heal

In my update bulletin, I note that the rules entry for heal doesn’t follow the standard template for damage marked on a permanent. This should be corrected.

701.69a To heal damage already dealt to a permanent, remove that marked the damage from marked on that permanent. If an effect states that damage already dealt to a permanent “is healed,” that permanent’s controller removes all marked damage from marked on that permanent.

Rules support for Captain America, First Avenger

In my update bulletin, I identify an issue with the new rule 601.5. Namely, the rule doesn’t do anything, least of all enable the activation of Captain America, First Avenger’s first ability.

In their official update bulletin, Wizards of the Coast voice the opinion that this rule should support Captain America’s ability but state that the rule’s actual text overrides that opinion. I fully agree with them in this matter: Captain America’s ability should function as one intuitively thinks it does. So, how to accomplish this?

As I discuss in my update bulletin, rule 601.5 allows the player who activates the ability to consider their future choice of what Equipment to unattach; however, it doesn’t allow them to use that choice in any way, so the amount of damage to be divided remains undetermined and no legal division can be announced [CR 107.2] [CR 601.2d].

The information gained from considering the future choices should also be used to determine the amount of damage. Rule 601.4 already does this for modes and additional costs: the normal order as per rule 601.2b is to announce modes, then to announce additional costs. Some spells though allow their controller to choose a different number of modes if they choose a specific additional cost; in those cases, rule 601.4 allows the spell’s controller to consider what additional costs they may announce afterward and to choose modes as if they had already chosen those costs.

I also discuss in my update bulletin how a simple adaptation of rule 601.4 for Captain America’s ability would make that ability much more powerful than intended (and similarly unintuitive). If Captain America was equipped by multiple Equipment with different mana values, the player activating the ability could determine and divide damage based on one Equipment’s mana value, but later unattach an Equipment with a different mana value.

For rule 601.4, considering the future choices and simply acting as though they had been chosen works because both choices occur before the final legality check described in rule 601.2e. If a player chooses additional modes but then declines the additional cost that would enable that choice, the legality check fails and the casting process is aborted.

In the case of Captain America’s ability, however, the second choice occurs after the final legality check. If the player considers the future choice of unattaching the Equipment with the highest mana value and divides damage based on that choice, the legality check succeeds. After that, the player determines the ability’s total cost. That cost includes “unattach an Equipment from Captain America,” with no restriction on the Equipment’s mana value, and this hypothetical version of rule 601.5 wouldn’t add such a restriction to the cost. As such, the player could unattach any Equipment from Captain America, even one with a mana value of 0.

So, the considered choice must also be enforced afterward. Alternatively, the choice could be moved forward to the point where it needs to be considered; the choice is actually made at that point, and everything that relies on that choice can then proceed with clearly defined values. Which is what similar scenarios already do.

Rule 601.2b includes announcing or determining the value of X, but the text of a small number of cards defines X based on a future choice. In those cases, rule 601.2b states that the choice is done as part of determining the value of X, rather than at its normal time. This can be something minor like choosing a target a step earlier, or it could be something that would happen only during resolution, in the case of Caller of the Untamed.

An erratum to Captain America’s rules text could make this part of rule 601.2b apply to it:

Throw . . . – {3}, Unattach an Equipment with mana value X from Captain America: He deals X damage equal to that Equipment’s mana value divided as you choose among one, two, or three targets.

With that text, the cost would involve an X and the ability’s controller would have to determine the value of X as per rule 601.2b. Since that value would depend on the unattached Equipment, the player would have to choose an Equipment as part of that determination. With the value of X determined, dividing that much damage wouldn’t cause any issues.

On the plus side, the erratum would result in shorter rules text. However, this would resolve only the issue with Captain America, while rewriting rule 601.5 future-proofs all cards of this kind. Also, according to Wizards of the Coast, Magic fans have a hard time grasping the concept of the variable X, so adding more X’s to cards might not be the best idea. Then again, Marvel fans should be uniquely positioned to understand anything X; on the other hand, the license agreement with Marvel may forbid Wizards of the Coast from putting X’s on Avengers-themed cards.

All in all, this erratum is not the best solution, so back to choices made earlier.

Keywords like harmonize also use this principle. These keywords involve an alternative or additional cost that reduces the total cost of a spell based on the object used to pay that cost. Here, the choice is needed while determining the total cost but that choice would only be made while actually paying that cost. To solve this issue, the keywords’ rules entries have the spell’s controller choose the permanent while announcing the alternative or additional cost.

If a future choice is needed in the present, making that choice now seems simpler and more elegant than identifying possible results of the choice done in the future, selecting one of those results, and acting in the belief that it will eventually occur. So, that is what a rule supporting Captain America should look like. Rule 601.4 could be streamlined in the same way.

This is also a great opportunity to reorganize those rules. With Captain America, there are now three separate rules that handle different variations of future choices: the sentence buried in 601.2b, rule 601.4, and the new rule 601.5. At three parts, bundling them together under a single rule seems justified.

Last but not least, I wonder if it’s possible to eliminate rule 601.4 altogether by moving alternative and additional costs before modes in rule 601.2b. Off the top of my head, I don’t recall any card where choosing a specific mode unlocks an alternative or additional cost. The keywords entwine, escalate, spree, and tiered all rely on the current order; rewriting the definitions of the first two should be easy, but the custom costs of the latter two make an elegant rewrite difficult. Maybe rule 601.2b could be rewritten to allow modes, alternative costs, and additional costs in any order. This requires some more thoughts, so I won’t incorporate this into the amendments.

Proposed amendments

Rule 601.2b becomes slightly shorter.

601.2b If the spell is modal, the player announces the mode choice (see rule 700.2). If the player wishes to splice any cards onto the spell (see rule 702.47), they reveal those cards in their hand. If the spell has alternative or additional costs that will be paid as it’s being cast such as buyback or kicker costs (see rules 118.8 and 118.9), the player announces their intentions to pay any or all of those costs (see rule 601.2f). A player can’t apply two alternative methods of casting or two alternative costs to a single spell. If the spell has a variable cost that will be paid as it’s being cast (such as an {X} in its mana cost; see rule 107.3), the player announces the value of that variable. If the value of that variable is defined in the text of the spell by a choice that player would make later in the announcement or resolution of the spell, that player makes that choice at this time instead of that later time. If a cost that will be paid as the spell is being cast includes hybrid mana symbols, the player announces the nonhybrid equivalent cost they intend to pay. If a cost that will be paid as the spell is being cast includes Phyrexian mana symbols, the player announces whether they intend to pay 2 life or a corresponding colored mana cost for each of those symbols. Previously made choices (such as choosing to cast a spell with flashback from a graveyard or choosing to cast a creature with morph face down) may restrict the player’s options when making these choices.

The removed sentence and rules 601.4 and 601.5 become subrules of a new rule 601.4; subsequent rules are renumbered accordingly. (A clean version is found directly below.)

601.4 While casting a spell, some options may be available to a player only if other choices are made that would normally be made later in the casting or resolving of that spell. Similarly, a step may involve a variable whose value is defined by a choice that would normally be made later in the casting or resolving of that spell.

601.4a If the spell has a variable cost and the spell’s controller needs to announce the value of that variable as described in rule 601.2b, the value of that variable is may be defined in the text of the spell by a choice that player would normally make later in the announcement or resolution of the spell, at a later time. In that case, that player makes that choice at this time before announcing the value instead of rather than at that later time.

601.4b While announcing the choices of any modes, alternative costs, and/or additional costs as described in rule 601.2b, some options may be available to a player only if other choices are made that would normally be made later in that rule’s instructions. In that case, the spell’s controller may consider any other choices to be made in that step. If any such choices could allow them to choose a particular mode, alternative cost, or additional cost, they may do so those other choices are made first.

Example: Inscription of Abundance is a modal spell with kicker and the text “Choose one. If this spell was kicked, choose any number instead.” When announcing the chosen modes for While proposing the spell, its controller may choose any number of modes, even though choosing chooses to pay the kicker cost is normally done later in the announcement process before choosing modes.

601.4c While announcing the choices of any targets and/or the division or distribution of any effects as described in rules 601.2c–d, some options may be available to a player only if other choices are made later in spellcasting process that would normally be made at a later time. In that case, the spell’s controller may consider any other choices to be made during that process, including the choice of any objects that may be used to pay costs for that spell those other choices are made before announcing the original choices rather than at that later time.

A clean version for ease of reading:

601.4 While casting a spell, some options may be available to a player only if other choices are made that would normally be made later in the casting or resolving of that spell. Similarly, a step may involve a variable whose value is defined by a choice that would normally be made later in the casting or resolving of that spell.

601.4a If the spell has a variable cost and the spell’s controller needs to announce the value of that variable as described in rule 601.2b, the value may be defined in the text of the spell by a choice that player would normally make at a later time. In that case, that player makes that choice before announcing the value rather than at that later time.

601.4b While announcing the choices of any modes, alternative costs, and/or additional costs as described in rule 601.2b, some options may be available to a player only if other choices are made that would normally be made later in that rule’s instructions. In that case, those other choices are made first.

Example: Inscription of Abundance is a modal spell with kicker and the text “Choose one. If this spell was kicked, choose any number instead.” While proposing the spell, its controller chooses to pay the kicker cost before choosing modes.

601.4c While announcing the choices of any targets and/or the division or distribution of any effects as described in rules 601.2c–d, some options may be available to a player only if other choices are made that would normally be made at a later time. In that case, those other choices are made before announcing the original choices rather than at that later time.

Standardized wording surrounding last known information

With the Magic: The Gathering | Marvel Super Heroes update, rule 608.2b is the only remaining rule that invokes last known information for objects that “have changed zones” rather than for objects that “are no longer in the zone they are expected to be in.” For consistency, this rule should follow suit.

608.2b If the spell or ability specifies targets, it checks whether the targets are still legal. A target that’s no longer in the zone it was in when it was targeted is illegal. Other changes to the game state may cause a target to no longer be legal; for example, its characteristics may have changed or an effect may have changed the text of the spell. If the source of an ability has left the zone it was in is no longer in the zone it’s expected to be in, its last known information is used during this process. If all its targets, for every instance of the word “target,” are now illegal, the spell or ability doesn’t resolve. It’s removed from the stack and, if it’s a spell, put into its owner’s graveyard. Otherwise, the spell or ability will resolve normally. Illegal targets, if any, won’t be affected by parts of a resolving spell’s effect for which they’re illegal. Other parts of the effect for which those targets are not illegal may still affect them. If the spell or ability creates any continuous effects that affect game rules (see rule 613.11), those effects don’t apply to illegal targets. If part of the effect requires information about an illegal target, it fails to determine any such information. Any part of the effect that requires that information won’t happen.

Due to the update, I noticed that rules 701.44c and 701.50b use last known information to determine “which object” explored or connived. These statements are a bit paradoxical: if the object is yet to be determined, how can I know what its last known information is? And if I know the object’s last known information, why would I still need to determine that object?

Most likely, these rules want to use the object’s last known information to determine its characteristic values, such as its card types. So, rules 701.44c and 701.50b should say exactly that.

701.44c If a permanent is no longer on the battlefield as an effect instructs it to explore, its last known information is used to determine which the characteristics of the object that explored and who controlled it.

701.50b If a permanent is no longer on the battlefield as an effect instructs it to connive, its last known information is used to determine which the characteristics of the object that connived and who controlled it.

Keyword abilities that become less special

After the Magic: The Gathering | Marvel Super Heroes update, rules 702.22b and 719.3 still refer to select keyword abilities as “special” abilities. For consistency, these rules should follow the rules changed by the update. (Rule 719.3 also features amendments from the keyword abilities that become keyword modifiers section.)

702.22b “Bands with other” is a special form variant of the banding ability. If an effect causes a permanent to lose banding, the permanent loses all “bands with other” abilities as well.

719.3. Case cards have two special keywords abilities that appear before a long dash and represent a triggered ability and an ability that may be static, triggered, or activated. The first is a triggered ability. The second is followed by a static ability, a triggered ability, or an activated ability and modifies that ability.

Relatedly, some rules that define variants of keyword abilities deviate slightly from the standard template. These become aligned with that template.

702.19c Trample over planeswalkers is a variant of the trample ability that modifies the rules for assigning combat damage to planeswalkers. The controller of a creature with trample over planeswalkers assigns that creature’s combat damage as described in rule 702.19b, with one exception. If that creature is attacking a planeswalker, after lethal damage is assigned to all blocking creatures and damage at least equal to the loyalty of the planeswalker the creature is attacking is assigned to that planeswalker, further excess damage may be assigned as the attacking creature’s controller chooses among those blocking creatures, that planeswalker, and that planeswalker’s controller. When checking for assigned damage equal to a planeswalker’s loyalty, take into account damage from other creatures that’s being assigned during the same combat damage step, but not any abilities or effects that might change the amount of damage that’s actually dealt.

702.82c Devour [quality] is a variant of the devour ability. “Devour [quality] N” means “As this object enters, you may sacrifice any number of [quality] permanents. This permanent enters with N +1/+1 counters on it for each permanent sacrificed this way.”

702.119b Emerge from [quality] is a variant of the emerge ability. “Emerge from [quality] [cost]” means “You may cast this spell by paying [cost] and sacrificing a [quality] permanent rather than paying its mana cost” and “If you pay this spell’s emerge cost, its total cost is reduced by an amount of generic mana equal to the sacrificed permanent’s mana value.”

Finally, two glossary entries get de-specialized.

Banding, “Bands with Other”

Banding is a keyword ability that modifies the rules for declaring attackers and assigning combat damage. “Bands with other” is a specialized version variant of the ability. See rule 702.22, “Banding.”

Partner, “Partner—[text],” “Partner with [name]”

A keyword ability that lets two legendary cards be your commander in the Commander variant rather than one. “Partner with [name]” is a specialized version variant of the ability that works even outside of the Commander variant to help two cards reach the battlefield together. See rule 702.124, “Partner,” and rule 903, “Commander.”

Keyword abilities that become keyword modifiers

In my update bulletin, I identify two issues with the keyword abilities that were changed to keyword modifiers.

One issue is that their rules entries use “rules” when they mean activation instructions.

The second issue are similar keywords that have remained keyword abilities, namely forecast and solved. For consistency, those keywords should also become modifiers.

For completion’s sake, a new subrule that properly defines the modified ability as a [keyword] ability should be added to each keyword modifier’s rules entry.

Proposed amendments

In boast’s rules entry, the text of subrule 702.142a gets corrected. Subrule 702.142b properly defines the term “boast ability.” (The current text doesn’t cover cards like Frenzied Raider where “boast ability” appears in a trigger event rather than an effect.)

702.142. Boast

702.142a Boast is a keyword that adds additional rules activation instructions to the activated ability that follows it. “Boast — [Cost]: [Effect]” means “[Cost]: [Effect]. Activate only if this creature attacked this turn and only once each turn.”

702.142b Effects may refer to boast abilities An ability modified by the boast keyword is a boast ability. If an effect refers to a creature boasting, it means its boast ability being activated.

In exhaust’s rules entry, the text of subrule 702.177a gets corrected. A new subrule 702.177b properly defines the term “exhaust ability”; the existing subrule 702.177b is renumbered accordingly.

702.177. Exhaust

702.177a Exhaust is a keyword that adds additional rules activation instructions to the activated ability that follows it. “Exhaust — [Cost]: [Effect]” means “[Cost]: [Effect]. Activate only once.”

702.177b An ability modified by the exhaust keyword is an exhaust ability.

In power-up’s rules entry, the text of subrule 702.193a gets corrected. A new subrule 702.193b properly defines the term “power-up ability”; the existing subrule 702.193b is renumbered accordingly.

702.193. Power-up

702.193a Power-up is a keyword that adds additional rules activation instructions to the activated ability that follows it. “Power-up — [Cost]: [Effect]” means “[Cost]: [Effect]. If this permanent entered this turn, this ability’s cost is reduced by this permanent’s mana cost. Activate this ability only once.”

702.193b An ability modified by the power-up keyword is a power-up ability.

The forecast keyword becomes a modifier; the modifications move from subrule 702.57b to subrule 702.57a. A new subrule 702.57b properly defines the term “forecast ability”; the existing subrule 702.57b is renumbered accordingly. (A clean version is found below.)

702.57 Forecast

702.57a A forecast ability Forecast is an activated ability a keyword that can be activated only from a player’s hand adds additional activation instructions to the activated ability that follows it. It’s written “Forecast — [Activated ability] [Cost]: [Effect].” means “[Cost]: [Effect]. Activate only during your upkeep and only once each turn.”

702.57b An ability modified by the forecast keyword is a forecast ability.

702.57bc A forecast ability may be activated only during the upkeep step of the card’s owner and only once each turn. The controller of the forecast ability reveals the card with that ability from their hand as the ability is activated. That player plays with that card revealed in their hand until it leaves the player’s hand or until a step or phase that isn’t an upkeep step begins, whichever comes first.

A clean version for ease of reading:

702.57 Forecast

702.57a Forecast is a keyword that adds additional activation instructions to the activated ability that follows it. “Forecast — [Cost]: [Effect]” means “[Cost]: [Effect]. Activate only during your upkeep and only once each turn.”

702.57b An ability modified by the forecast keyword is a forecast ability.

702.57c The controller of the forecast ability reveals the card with that ability from their hand as the ability is activated. That player plays with that card revealed in their hand until it leaves the player’s hand or until a step or phase that isn’t an upkeep step begins, whichever comes first.

The solved keyword becomes a modifier. A new subrule 702.169b properly defines the term “solved ability”; existing subrules are renumbered accordingly. (A clean version is found below. Rule 719.3 also features an amendment from the keyword abilities that become less special section.)

702.169. Solved

702.169a Solved is a keyword ability found on Case cards. See rule 719, “Case Cards.” “Solved” is followed by ability text. Together, they represent a static ability, a triggered ability, or an activated ability.

702.169b An ability modified by the solved keyword is a solved ability.

702.169bc For If followed by a static ability, solved adds additional text to that ability. “Solved — [Ability text Static ability]” means “As long as this Case is solved, [ability text static ability].”

702.169cd For If followed by a triggered ability, solved adds additional instructions to that ability. “Solved — [Ability text Triggered ability]” means “[Ability text Triggered ability]. This ability triggers only if this Case is solved.”

702.169de For If followed by an activated ability, solved adds additional activation instructions to that ability. “Solved — [Ability text Activated ability]” means “[Ability text Activated ability]. Activate only if this Case is solved.”

719.3. Case cards have two special keywords abilities that appear before a long dash and represent a triggered ability and an ability that may be static, triggered, or activated. The first is a triggered ability. The second is followed by a static ability, a triggered ability, or an activated ability and modifies that ability.

A clean version for ease of reading:

702.169. Solved

702.169a Solved is a keyword found on Case cards. See rule 719, “Case Cards.” Solved is followed by a static ability, a triggered ability, or an activated ability.

702.169b An ability modified by the solved keyword is a solved ability.

702.169c If followed by a static ability, solved adds additional text to that ability. “Solved — [Static ability]” means “As long as this Case is solved, [static ability].”

702.169d If followed by a triggered ability, solved adds additional instructions to that ability. “Solved — [Triggered ability]” means “[Triggered ability]. This ability triggers only if this Case is solved.”

702.169e If followed by an activated ability, solved adds additional activation instructions to that ability. “Solved — [Activated ability]” means “[Activated ability]. Activate only if this Case is solved.”

719.3. Case cards have two keywords that appear before a long dash. The first is a triggered ability. The second is followed by a static ability, a triggered ability, or an activated ability and modifies that ability.

Counting main phases

With the Magic: The Gathering | Marvel Super Heroes update, rule 505.1b has no clear referent for “that text” anymore.

Also, this update made me notice that rule 505.1b uses the nonbo of “such as” plus “and so on”: the first phrase means that the listed things are merely examples of a larger set, while the second one includes all other things in that set, meaning the list is complete. Only one phrase should be used. Two other rules also have this issue.

505.1b Phrases such as “first main phase,” or “second main phase,” and so on count the number of main phases that have occurred only in the current turn unless that text the phrase specifies otherwise.

109.3. An object’s characteristics are name, mana cost, color, color indicator, card type, subtype, supertype, rules text, abilities, power, toughness, loyalty, defense, hand modifier, and life modifier. Objects can have some or all of these characteristics. Any other information about an object isn’t a characteristic. For example, characteristics don’t include whether a permanent is tapped, a spell’s target, an object’s owner or controller, or what an Aura enchants, and so on.

800.5. Unless a chosen variant or option prescribes otherwise, seating order is determined by any mutually agreeable method. For example, players could agree to remain where they were before the game began, or roll dice to determine seating order, and so on.

Casting multiple objects in one go

The Magic: The Gathering | Marvel Super Heroes update introduces a reminder rule numbered 707.12a. That rule states explicitly that a player who may cast a number of copies of objects may cast any number of those copies.

In my update bulletin, I discuss how this outcome follows from rule 608.2f. Since objects can be cast only one at a time, this rule applies and allows the affected player to make an individual decision for each object; this holds true for both cards and copies of objects.

While researching this subject, I noticed that rule 608.2f may impose an order on casting the objects: if the objects aren’t all controlled by the same player (which for these scenarios means being owned by the same player, as per rule 108.4a), the objects must be cast in APNAP order. This affects cards such as Jace, Architect of Thought and Etali, Primal Storm.

I always thought that the cards could be cast in any order (and before the introduction of rule 608.2f, this was arguably the case), so discovering this rules interaction was a nice surprise for me. The actual outcome isn’t intuitive though, so an exception to rule 608.2f seems in order.

My second discovery was that melded permanents and merged permanents have specific rules that override the standard behavior of “may cast any number.” Rules 712.21c for melded permanents and 730.3c for merged permanents state that, if something removes such a permanent from the battlefield and performs an action on the new objects, the same action must be performed on each of the objects.

This affects merged permanents exiled by the ability granted by Etrata, Deadly Fugitive, as well as any melded or merged permanent that becomes a copy of a Siege and has its intrinsic Siege ability resolve. In all those cases, the affected player must choose to cast either all the cards or none of them. (And if one of the former components happens to be a token, casting nothing is the only option.)

While the all-or-nothing approach makes sense for many actions, casting spells doesn’t look like one of them. It doesn’t seem intuitive, and in general, Wizards of the Coast shy away from forcing players to cast spells. As such, another exception would be in order.

Besides making “play any number in any order” the universal approach, this amendment should also standardize the Oracle text of a couple of cards.

Proposed amendments

Since there are three different rules whose functionalities should change in identical ways, I opt for new subrules for the cast and play actions that fully detail the desired behavior; the three rules then refer to these new rules.

The new subrule in cast’s rules entry.

701.5c If an instruction of a resolving spell or ability allows a player to cast multiple objects during that spell or ability’s resolution, that player may choose individually, for each of those objects, whether to cast it. That player may cast those objects in any order.

The new subrule in play’s rules entry; subsequent subrules are renumbered accordingly.

701.18c If an instruction of a resolving spell or ability allows a player to play multiple objects during that spell or ability’s resolution, that player may choose individually, for each of those objects, whether to play it. That player may play those objects in any order.

The three rules whose functionality is changed.

608.2f Some spells and abilities include actions taken on multiple players and/or objects. In most cases, each such action is processed simultaneously. If the action can’t be processed simultaneously, it’s instead processed considering each affected player or object individually. APNAP order is used to make the primary determination of the order of those actions unless they involve playing or casting objects. (See rules 701.5c and 701.18c.) Secondarily, if the action is to be taken on both a player and an object they control or on multiple objects controlled by the same player, the player who controls the resolving spell or ability chooses the relative order of those actions.

712.21c If an effect can find the new object that a melded permanent becomes as it leaves the battlefield, it finds both cards. (See rule 400.7.) If that effect causes actions to be taken upon those cards, the same actions are taken upon each of them unless the action is playing or casting them. (See rules 701.5c and 701.18c.)

730.3c If an effect can find the new object that a merged permanent becomes as it leaves the battlefield, it finds all of those objects. (See rule 400.7.) If that effect causes actions to be taken upon those objects, the same actions are taken upon each of them unless the action is playing or casting them. (See rules 701.5c and 701.18c.)

Next are Oracle text updates for cards that are missing an “any number” or something similar.

Two cards allow a player to cast multiple copies of a card without saying “any number.”

Chandra, Pyromaster

+1: Chandra deals 1 damage to target player or planeswalker and 1 damage to up to one target creature that player or that planeswalker’s controller controls. That creature can’t block this turn.

0: Exile the top card of your library. You may play it this turn.

−7: Exile the top ten cards of your library. Choose an instant or sorcery card exiled this way and copy it three times. You may cast any number of the copies without paying their mana costs.

Mnemonic Deluge

Exile target instant or sorcery card from a graveyard. Copy that card three times. You may cast any number of the copies without paying their mana costs. Exile Mnemonic Deluge.

Four cards allow a player to play or cast a number of objects without saying “any number.”

Jace, Architect of Thought (For space reasons, this might be shortened to “You may cast any number of those cards.”)

+1: Until your next turn, whenever a creature an opponent controls attacks, it gets -1/-0 until end of turn.

−2: Reveal the top three cards of your library. An opponent separates those cards into two piles. Put one pile into your hand and the other on the bottom of your library in any order.

−8: For each player, search that player’s library for a nonland card and exile it, then that player shuffles. You may cast any number of spells from among those cards without paying their mana costs.

Epic Experiment

Exile the top X cards of your library. You may cast any number of instant and sorcery spells with mana value X or less from among them without paying their mana costs. Then put all cards exiled this way that weren’t cast into your graveyard.

Emergent Ultimatum

Search your library for up to three monocolored cards with different names and exile them. An opponent chooses one of those cards. Shuffle that card into your library. You may cast any number of spells from among the other cards without paying their mana costs. Exile Emergent Ultimatum.

Dungeon of the Mad Mage (For space reasons, this might be shortened to “You may play them one or both.”)

Yawning Portal – You gain 1 life. (Leads to: Dungeon Level)

Dungeon Level – Scry 1. (Leads to: Goblin Bazaar, Twisted Caverns)

Goblin Bazaar – Create a Treasure token. (Leads to: Lost Level)

Twisted Caverns – Target creature can’t attack until your next turn. (Leads to: Lost Level)

Lost Level – Scry 2. (Leads to: Runestone Caverns, Muiral’s Graveyard)

Runestone Caverns – Exile the top two cards of your library. You may play any number of them. (Leads to: Deep Mines)

Muiral’s Graveyard – Create two 1/1 black Skeleton creature tokens. (Leads to: Deep Mines)

Deep Mines – Scry 3. (Leads to: Mad Wizard’s Lair)

Mad Wizard’s Lair – Draw three cards and reveal them. You may cast one of them without paying its mana cost.

Two cards allow a player to play lands and cast spells from among a number of objects without saying “any number.” This requires a slightly bigger rewrite than the other cards, but still nothing complicated.

Brilliant Ultimatum (This brings the Oracle text closer to the printed text, which should bring joy to rules entity Eric.)

Exile the top five cards of your library. An opponent separates those cards into two piles. You may play lands and cast spells any number of cards from one of those piles. If you cast a spell this way, you cast it without paying its mana cost their mana costs.

Gix, Yawgmoth Praetor

Whenever a creature deals combat damage to one of your opponents, its controller may pay 1 life. If they do, they draw a card.

{4}{B}{B}{B}, Discard X cards: Exile the top X cards of target opponent’s library. You may play lands and cast spells from among any number of cards exiled this way without paying their mana costs.

Finally, two cards allow a player to play two or more additional lands without saying “up to.”

Azusa, Lost but Seeking

You may play up to two additional lands on each of your turns.

Nahiri’s Lithoforming

Sacrifice X lands. For each land sacrificed this way, draw a card. You may play up to X additional lands this turn. Lands you control enter tapped this turn.

Secret Invasion

In my update bulletin, I discuss an incorrect ruling on Secret Invasion’s Gatherer page. Namely, the ruling proclaims that the copy effect isn’t created if Secret Invasion leaves the battlefield before its enters-the-battlefield ability resolves. This is as far from the actual outcome as possible: not only is the copy effect created, it lasts for the rest of the game.

This is due to Secret Invasion’s use of an “until” duration. Usually, such effects have a “for as long as” duration which is governed by rule 611.2b: essentially, the game state has to match the specified condition for the effect to be created, and it has to continually match that condition for the effect to last. “Until” durations (other than “until end of turn”) don’t follow special rules, so the effect is always created and lasts until the specified event occurs; if that event happens to be impossible, the effect lasts until the end of the game.

While this outcome is immediately clear from the Comprehensive Rules, it’s not intuitive and it’s inconsistent with the vast majority of cards, so an erratum for Secret Invasion’s Oracle text seems like a good choice. And for once, the erratum is as easy as one might think from reading this text: replace the “until” duration with a “for as long as” duration, and all the benefits of rule 611.2b apply.

Enchant creature you control

When this Aura enters, exile up to one target creature other than enchanted creature until this Aura leaves the battlefield. Enchanted creature becomes a copy of that creature until for as long as this Aura leaves remains on the battlefield.

Enchanted creature has ward {2}.

Of course, there exist a handful of other cards that have the same issue, so why not standardize their functionality and align them with people’s intuition?

Gaea’s Liege

As long as Gaea’s Liege isn’t attacking, its power and toughness are each equal to the number of Forests you control. As long as Gaea’s Liege is attacking, its power and toughness are each equal to the number of Forests defending player controls.

{T}: Target land becomes a Forest until for as long as this creature leaves remains on the battlefield.

Graceful Antelope

Plainswalk (This creature can’t be blocked as long as defending player controls a Plains.)

Whenever this creature deals combat damage to a player, you may have target land become a Plains until for as long as this creature leaves remains on the battlefield.

Sly Spy (c)

Whenever this creature deals combat damage to a player, that player loses a finger until for as long as this creature leaves remains on the battlefield. (The finger is chosen by its owner and can’t roll dice or touch cards.)

Killer Cosplay

Whenever this Equipment becomes attached to a creature, choose a creature card name with an identical mana cost. That creature becomes a copy of the card with the chosen name until for as long as this Equipment becomes unattached from remains attached to it.

Equip {3}

Miscellaneous Oracle texts

The following issues don’t appear in my update bulletin because they don’t feel “big enough” for true issues; let’s call them “personal issues.”

Ms. Marvel, Kamala Khan

If a creature gains an ability that sets its base power and/or toughness, the standard template doesn’t use the word “base.” (See Svogthos, the Restless Tomb, Chimeric Mass, Myth Realized, and Druid Class.) Ms. Marvel, Kamala Khan doesn’t match that template.

Vigilance, reach

You have no maximum hand size.

Embiggen Fist – Whenever you cast a spell that targets a creature you control, draw a card. Until end of turn, Ms. Marvel gains “Ms. Marvel’s base power is equal to the number of cards in your hand.”

“When you pay this cost one or more times”

Hawkeye, Master Marksman introduces a shorter trigger event for reflexive triggered abilities that trigger when a player pays a cost one or more times. The six existing cards that feature such reflexive triggered abilities could benefit from shorter rules text.

First are the five Adversaries: Intrepid Adversary, Spectral Adversary, Tainted Adversary, Bloodthirsty Adversary, and Primal Adversary. Primal Adversary’s new text is seen below.

Trample

When this creature enters, you may pay {1}{G} any number of times. When you pay this cost one or more times do, put that many +1/+1 counters on this creature, then up to that many target lands you control become 3/3 Wolf creatures with haste that are still lands.

Second is Tranquil Frillback.

When this creature enters, you may pay {G} up to three times. When you pay this cost one or more times do, choose up to that many –

* Destroy target artifact or enchantment.

* Exile target player’s graveyard.

* You gain 4 life.

Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur

If the effect of a resolving spell or ability sets a creature’s base power and toughness to a predefined size, the standard template is “[that creature] has base power and toughness X/Y”; “become” is used only in combination with a type-changing effect (“becomes a Hero with base power and toughness 1/1”) or for an optional effect (“you may have this creature’s base power and toughness become 1/1”).

The effect of Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur’s first ability doesn’t belong to those exceptions, so the standard template should be used.

Whenever you draw your second card each turn, until end of turn, Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur‘s have base power and toughness become 6/6 and they gain trample.

Whenever an artifact you control enters, draw a card. This ability triggers only once each turn.

Cosmic Crucible

The effect of Cosmic Crucible’s second ability consists of two optional instructions, and that ability also has the instruction “Do this only once each turn.” Does this mean “copy only once each turn” or does this mean “copy and choose only once each turn” (but “copy without choose” is unlimited)?

I think that Spider-Verse’s text does a better job in that regard and Cosmic Crucible’s text should be changed accordingly.

At the beginning of your first main phase, add four mana in any combination of colors.

Whenever you cast a noncreature spell, you may copy it. You If you do, you may choose new targets for the copy. Do this only once each turn. (A copy of a permanent spell becomes a token.)

Doombot Harbinger

Doombot Harbinger’s dies triggered ability uses two different self-references in one sentence, which doesn’t read great.

“This card” accurately describes the object and provides a hint that a token copy of Doombot Harbinger can’t be exiled; still, the standard template for such abilities is “when this creature dies, [you may] exile it.” (See Paramecia Coloniex for a recent example.)

Apart from Doombot Harbinger, the list of cards that deviate from this template consists of Mimic Vat, Princess Yue, Fang, Roku’s Companion, and Michelangelo, On the Scene. Apart from Mimic Vat, whose use of “that card” is defendable given the follow-up instructions, those cards are less than a year old, so this may be a new trend. Princess Yue and Fang have an intervening “if” but there are plenty of counterexamples, and Michelangelo has no excuse at all.

Doombot Harbinger’s new text:

Flying

When this creature enters, you may mill four cards. (You may put the top four cards of your library into your graveyard.)

When this creature dies, you may exile this card it. When you do, return target creature card from your graveyard to your hand.

Princess Yue’s new text:

When Princess Yue dies, if she was a nonland creature, return this card her to the battlefield tapped under your control. She’s a land named Moon. She gains “{T}: Add {C}.” (She’s still legendary.)

{T}: Scry 2.

Fang, Roku’s Companion’s new text:

Flying

Whenever Fang attacks, another target legendary creature you control gets +X/+0 until end of turn, where X is Fang’s power.

When Fang dies, if he wasn’t a Spirit, return this card him to the battlefield under your control. He’s a Spirit in addition to his other types.

Michelangelo, On the Scene’s new text:

Trample (This creature can deal excess combat damage to the player it’s attacking.)

Michelangelo enters with a +1/+1 counter on him for each land you control.

When Michelangelo dies, return this card him to your hand.

Hulk’s Thunderclap

If a spell has an additional cost of beholding an object, the standard template for checking whether that cost was paid is “if a [something] was beheld.” (See Hyperion’s Atomic Vision from this release.) Hulk’s Thunderclap uses “if this spell’s additional cost was paid” instead.

The only prior card that uses that wording is Celestial Reunion. There it seems justified, since that cost consists of two parts: choosing a creature type and beholding two creature objects of that type. In the case of Hulk’s Thunderclap, the additional cost is just beholding a Gamma creature.

Both cards also require the beheld objects to have the creature card type. Again, Celestial Reunion justifies this with the connected cost of choosing a creature type and the resulting requirements for its text. In the case of Hulk’s Thunderclap, there is no apparent reason why it uses “Gamma creature” instead of “Gamma.”

(Maybe “gamma” isn’t the species of Hulk et al. and more of a modifier for the actual species. (Which one though?) In that case, “gamma” would be more of an adjective and the phrase “behold a gamma” would be incomplete. Unfortunately, Wizards of the Coast do next to nothing to help Magic fans learn about unfamiliar Universes Beyond IPs; as a result, this riddle must remain unanswered, since the rich Marvel lore woven into this release is clearly not meant for me.)

Changing “behold a Gamma creature” to “behold a Gamma” would be a functional change, but the check for the paid cost can be standardized without a problem.

As an additional cost to cast this spell, you may behold a Gamma creature. (You may choose a Gamma creature you control or reveal a Gamma creature card from your hand.)

Target creature you control deals damage equal to its power to another target creature. If this spell’s additional cost was paid a Gamma creature was beheld, destroy target noncreature artifact or noncreature enchantment.