(Originally published on 2025-05-25; last reviewed on 2025-05-25; last updated on 2025-05-25)
With each new set release, Wizards of the Coast (WotC) updates 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.
Tarkir: Dragonstorm got one of these rare releases, which gives me an opportunity to compare my own thoughts and ideas with WotC’s stance. The bulk of this article will be CR changes and Oracle changes as usual, and near the end, I will look at the official update bulletin and see how I did.
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.1
- Comprehensive Rules changes
- Oracle changes
- Gatherer ruling changes (nonfunctional)
- A look at the official update bulletin
- Conclusion
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 behold
The new keyword action behold is defined in 701.61. It simply means to reveal a card matching the description from one’s hand or to choose a permanent one controls matching the description.
A subrule clarifies that the object needs to match the description only at the time it’s revealed or chosen; later changes to the object don’t cause it to become unbeheld.
Rules support for endure
The new keyword action endure is defined in 701.62. If a permanent endures N, its controller may put N +1/+1 counters on it. If they don’t (or can’t), they create an N/N white Spirit creature token.
A subrule handles cards such as Krumar Initiate or Warden of the Grove, which may cause a permanent to endure 0. In such a case, the controller neither puts counters on it nor do they create a token.
Rules support for harmonize
The new keyword ability harmonize is defined in 702.180. It represents three abilities: the first allows the card’s owner to cast it from their graveyard for the alternative cost, the second reduces the spell’s cost according to the tapped creature’s power, and the third exiles the spell if it would move from the stack to any other zone.
Similar to offering and emerge, a subrule states that the creature is chosen as part of the decision to pay the alternative cost; actually tapping the creature is part of paying the spell’s total cost.
Gameplay-wise, harmonize has elements of flashback and convoke; rules-wise, it’s closer to a mashup of flashback and emerge. As demonstrated by the stitchers and skaab of Innistrad, the creators of such amalgams often lose control over their work, and this seems to have happened with harmonize, too: the first subrule states that all three abilities function on the stack, but the first ability would need to function in the graveyard in order to have its intended effect. As written, the rules for harmonize do not allow cards to be cast from a graveyard.
Rules support for mobilize
The new keyword ability mobilize is defined in 702.181. It’s a triggered ability that creates a number of tokens and sets up a delayed triggered ability to have its controller sacrifice those tokens at the beginning of the next end step.
No subrules, no further notes.
Rules support for omen cards
Omen cards get top-level rule 720; existing rules were renumbered accordingly. The rules for omen cards match those for adventurer cards, with the single exception of what happens with an Omen spell as it resolves.
Rules support for Rot-Curse Rakshasa
For Rot-Curse Rakshasa, decayed was added to the keyword list in subrule 122.1b.
Fix for max speed abilities outside the battlefield
The oversight in the original rules for the keyword ability max speed was corrected. Somewhat. Maybe.
A new subrule states that, if the granted ability states which zones it functions in, the max speed ability functions in those zones. The intent is clear, but I find the implementation bizarre.
For one, the referenced rule, 113.6c, handles abilities that state the zones they don’t function in; the correct rule to reference would be 113.6b.
Beyond that, none of the six cards affected by this issue belong to this group: five of them belong to activated abilities whose activation cost moves the card out of the graveyard, and thus to rule 113.6m, and the sixth one belongs to abilities which allow the card to be cast from the graveyard, and thus to rule 113.6f.
As is, this new subrule seems to aim for a very technical wording, but all the technical parts are incorrect. I had expected a simpler and more generic wording, such as “An ability granted by a max speed ability may function in a zone other than the battlefield or in more than one zone. The max speed ability that grants that ability functions in the same zones” or “A max speed ability functions in all zones that the ability it grants would function in.” Maybe the next CR update will bring a new iteration.2
Fix for saddle
One year after saddle’s debut in Outlaws of Thunder Junction, the missing word “total” was finally added to the definition of this keyword ability.
Copies of impending spells (functional)
Impending’s definition features a couple of unorthodox choices regarding its wording and the resulting functionality. Some of these choices were changed to match the standard wording and behavior of such abilities.
The second ability now uses the standard wording for checking whether the impending cost was paid.
If a spell is cast for its impending cost, a copy of that spell copies the original’s decision to pay the impending cost and thus enters with time counters on it, but it wasn’t cast. Previously, the third and the fourth ability cared about whether the permanent had been cast for its impending cost, so the copy was a creature despite having time counters on it, and the ability to remove those counters never triggered. Now, the two abilities only look for the impending cost having been paid, and the copy behaves identical to the original.
Other eccentricities remain unchanged.
Simultaneous conniving (functional)
Subrule 701.47d handles scenarios where multiple creatures are instructed to connive at the same time; these creatures connive one at a time. It is possible for one of the creatures to not be on the battlefield anymore as the conniving begins, or to leave the battlefield during an earlier creature’s connive action.
Previously, the conniving could end prematurely, depending on players’ choices, resulting in such a creature not conniving. Now, each creature that was initially instructed to connive gets to do so, even if it’s no longer on the battlefield at that time. This matches subrule 701.47c, which describes the general case of a creature conniving after leaving the battlefield, as well as the general case of creatures being able to perform actions after leaving the battlefield.
Simultaneous exploring (functional)
The keyword action explore got a new subrule matching the aforementioned subrule for connive, except that it ends with an erroneous comma instead of a period.
This subrule overwrites the more general rule 608.2f in scenarios where two or more of the exploring creatures are controlled by a player other than the controller of the spell or ability that causes them to explore, or where control of two or more creatures changes to such a player before these creatures get to explore. Previously, the controller of the spell or ability got to choose which of those creatures explored first; now, the controller of those creatures gets to make that decision.
707.10e (nonfunctional)
This subrule handles effects which copy a spell or ability and specify that the copy targets a given object or player.
For scenarios where the effect happens to refer to multiple objects, it now clarifies that the copy targets only one of those objects. An example featuring Frontline Heroism was added.
715.2a (nonfunctional)
This subrule for adventurer cards received a minor rewrite which clarifies that it applies only to adventurer cards and not to omen cards.
715.2b (nonfunctional)
A grammatical error was fixed.
901.4 (nonfunctional)
A missing space between the rule’s number and its text was added.
Changes to card types, supertypes, and/or subtypes
New spell type: Omen.
Changes to ability words
New ability words: Flurry and renew.
Changes to glossary entries
New glossary entries: Behold, endure (note the mislabeling as a keyword ability and the grammatical issue), harmonize, mobilize, and omen card.
Updated glossary entries: Adventurer card (since omen cards also have a two-part card frame).
Oracle changes
Note: Most of the time, I will list only abilities with changes to their rules text, rather than the complete rules text of a card.
Revisiting reduced card name usage in rules text (nonfunctional)
As part of the Aetherdrift update, the Oracle text of about 13,000 cards was updated to match the templating guidelines for self-references introduced with Magic: The Gathering Foundations. In my analysis of these templating guidelines, I also pointed out some errors and inconsistencies made with that update, and that WotC was planning to fix them with the Tarkir: Dragonstorm update.
This update does indeed include corrections for all fifteen issues I had found in the previous update, and even corrections for four issues I had overlooked.
Grammatical issues corrected: Blue Mana Battery, Dracoplasm, Mindless Automaton, Barrin’s Codex, Callous Oppressor, Viashino Shanktail, Myth Realized, Inquisitor’s Ox, Rampant Rejuvenator, Anrakyr the Traveller, and Canoptek Wraith.
Incorrect wordings corrected: Shinen of Fear’s Chill, Darksteel Axe, Viashino Shanktail, Wasteland Viper, Multani, Yavimaya’s Avatar, Waker of Waves, Lethal Scheme, and Diamond Pick-Axe.
The rest
I am not aware of any announcements of further corrections, so I can only conclude that the remaining ninety or so issues I found are not errors after all. As such, I will reclassify them as “features” or “engagement triggers.”3
Two new cards released in Tarkir: Dragonstorm have such a feature and did not receive errata on release: Zurgo’s Vanguard uses “this creature” for a characteristic-defining ability, and Molten Exhale uses “this spell” for an ability that works both on the stack and in other zones.
On the other side, three cards reprinted in Tarkir: Dragonstorm Commander were printed with their pre-update wording. Their Oracle text was not changed, so the feature exists only on the physical cards. These are: Consuming Aberration, Lord of Extinction, and Haughty Djinn.
Last but not least, Verix Bladewing was reprinted in Tarkir: Dragonstorm Commander with an updated, guideline-compliant wording. The card’s Oracle text was not updated, though, and still features its engagement trigger.
Aptitude for affinity (nonfunctional)
As part of the Aetherdrift update, cards with an ability functionally identical to affinity had that ability replaced with an actual affinity ability.
Three new cards released in Tarkir: Dragonstorm have such an ability but were not printed with affinity and did not receive errata on release. These are: Salt Road Packbeast, Spectral Denial, and Temur Battlecrier.
Mana values are great (nonfunctional)
When comparing two mana values, almost all cards used “greater” to refer to the… well… greater one. For the greatest mana value in a set, cards traditionally used “highest,” but starting with Innistrad: Midnight Hunt Commander, some cards started to use “greatest” instead.
These wordings were standardized to always use “greater” and “greatest.”
This update applies to: Juxtapose, Tariff, Psychic Battle, Reward the Faithful, Dispersal Shield, Rush of Knowledge, Cabal Conditioning, Torrent of Fire, Accelerated Mutation, Timesifter, Favor of the Mighty, Oaken Brawler, Pollen Lullaby, Sentry Oak, Springjack Knight, Broken Ambitions, Captivating Glance, Paperfin Rascal, Ringskipper, Scattering Stroke, Whirlpool Whelm, Bog Hoodlums, Hoarder’s Greed, Weed Strangle, Adder-Staff Boggart, Lash Out, Fistful of Force, Gilt-Leaf Ambush, Nath’s Elite, Spring Cleaning, Woodland Guidance, Redeem the Lost, Research the Deep, Pulling Teeth, Revive the Fallen, Fire Juggler, Release the Ants, Titan’s Revenge, Recross the Paths, Scythe Specter, Heretic’s Punishment, Muzzio, Visionary Architect, Ugin’s Insight, Padeem, Consul of Innovation, One with the Machine, Discovery // Dispersal, Lukka, Coppercoat Outcast, Death’s Oasis, Soul Shatter, In Search of Greatness, Tasha’s Hideous Laughter, Riveteers Charm, Dodgy Jalopy, Monstrous War-Leech, Tetsuo, Imperial Champion, Glint Raker, Traverse Eternity, Marvo, Deep Operative, and Cait, Cage Brawler.
Old text (example):
Each player sacrifices the creature they control with the highest mana value unless they pay that creature’s mana cost. If two or more creatures a player controls are tied for highest, that player chooses one.
New text (example):
Each player sacrifices the creature they control with the greatest mana value unless they pay that creature’s mana cost. If two or more creatures a player controls are tied for greatest, that player chooses one.
Gix’s Command (nonfunctional)
Similar to the previous section, the fourth mode referred to creatures with the “highest” power; this was updated to the standard “greatest.”
Old text:
• Each opponent sacrifices a creature with the highest power among creatures they control.
New text:
• Each opponent sacrifices a creature with the greatest power among creatures they control.
Pia Nalaar, Chief Mechanic (nonfunctional)
The second ability referred to the energy counters “spent”; this was updated to the standard “paid.”
Old text:
At the beginning of your end step, you may pay one or more {E}. If you do, create an X/X colorless Vehicle artifact token named Nalaar Aetherjet with flying and crew 2, where X is the amount of {E} spent this way.
New text:
At the beginning of your end step, you may pay one or more {E}. If you do, create an X/X colorless Vehicle artifact token named Nalaar Aetherjet with flying and crew 2, where X is the amount of {E} paid this way.
Clash reminder text (nonfunctional)
The reminder text for the keyword action clash got an update to bring it in line with the templating guideline for putting cards on the top or bottom of a library, which had been introduced with Magic: The Gathering Foundations.
This update applies to: Oaken Brawler, Pollen Lullaby, Sentry Oak, Springjack Knight, Broken Ambitions, Captivating Glance, Paperfin Rascal, Ringskipper, Scattering Stroke, Whirlpool Whelm, Bog Hoodlums, Hoarder’s Greed, Weed Strangle, Adder-Staff Boggart, Lash Out, Fistful of Force, Gilt-Leaf Ambush, Nath’s Elite, Spring Cleaning, Woodland Guidance, Redeem the Lost, Research the Deep, Pulling Teeth, Revive the Fallen, Fire Juggler, Release the Ants, Titan’s Revenge, Recross the Paths, and Marvo, Deep Operative.
Old text (example):
When this creature enters, clash with an opponent. If you win, put a +1/+1 counter on this creature. (Each clashing player reveals the top card of their library, then puts that card on the top or bottom. A player wins if their card had a higher mana value.)
New text (example):
When this creature enters, clash with an opponent. If you win, put a +1/+1 counter on this creature. (Each clashing player reveals the top card of their library, then puts that card on their choice of the top or bottom. A player wins if their card had a greater mana value.)
Changeling reminder text (nonfunctional)
Two cards which create creature tokens with changeling used a nonstandard reminder text for that ability; the text was updated to the standard template.
This update applies to: Birthing Boughs and Black Market Connections.
Old text (example):
{4}, {T}: Create a 2/2 colorless Shapeshifter creature token with changeling. (It has every creature type.)
New text (example):
{4}, {T}: Create a 2/2 colorless Shapeshifter creature token with changeling. (It is every creature type.)
New reminder text (nonfunctional)
Two cards reprinted in Tarkir: Dragonstorm Commander got reminder text for the keyword action mill.
This update applies to: Hedron Crab and Skull Prophet.
Old text (example):
Landfall — Whenever a land you control enters, target player mills three cards.
New text (example):
Landfall — Whenever a land you control enters, target player mills three cards. (They put the top three cards of their library into their graveyard.)
Gatherer ruling changes (nonfunctional)
Hushbringer
A ruling regarding leaves-the-graveyard abilities was removed.
Old ruling:
An ability that triggers on a card leaving a zone (such as that of Syr Konrad, the Grim) won’t trigger if that card is leaving its previous zone because it’s entering the battlefield as a creature.
New ruling:
—
Prisoner’s Dilemma
The rulings for Prisoner’s Dilemma stated that the players voted for silence or snitch; this has been incorrect since the card’s release in Murders at Karlov Manor Commander. The generic rulings for voting were removed and the remaining one now refers to choices made instead of votes cast.
Old ruling:
To secretly vote, each player writes down their chosen option without showing it to anyone else. Each player then keeps their vote secret until all players simultaneously reveal their votes.
Before secret votes are revealed, players may announce how they intend to vote, but they can’t reveal what they actually wrote down until all votes are simultaneously revealed. Players can lie about how they intend to vote before the votes are revealed.
Abilities that trigger “whenever players finish voting” trigger once all players have voted or once all secret votes are revealed, but they won’t go on the stack until the current spell or ability finishes resolving.
Each player must vote for one of the available options. They can’t abstain.
Votes are cast during the resolution of Prisoner’s Dilemma, so any responses to Prisoner’s Dilemma must be made without knowing the outcome of the vote. Have fun iterating!
New ruling:
Choices are made during the resolution of Prisoner’s Dilemma, so any responses to Prisoner’s Dilemma must be made without knowing the outcome of those choices. Have fun iterating!
Spawnbed Protector
The rulings for Spawnbed Protector stated that the triggered ability had to always target a card; this has been incorrect since the card’s release in Modern Horizons 3 Commander. The incorrect ruling was removed and the remaining one was expanded to address the possibility of not choosing a target.
Old ruling:
If there are no Eldrazi creature cards in your graveyard at the beginning of your end step, Spawnbed Protector’s ability won’t do anything. You won’t have time to put one or more Eldrazi creature cards in your graveyard once your end step begins.
If the target Eldrazi creature card is illegal as Spawnbed Protector’s ability tries to resolve, it won’t resolve and none of its effects will happen. You won’t create Eldrazi Scion tokens.
New ruling:
You do not have to choose a target for Spawnbed Protector’s ability, and if you don’t, you will still create Eldrazi Scion tokens. If you do choose a target but the target Eldrazi creature card is illegal as Spawnbed Protector’s ability tries to resolve, it won’t resolve and none of its effects will happen. You won’t create Eldrazi Scion tokens.
Anything can be modified
The rulings for modified permanents contained an entry stating that only creatures could count as modified; this has been incorrect since the Magic: The Gathering Foundations update and has not been the intended outcome since Modern Horizons 3. That ruling was removed.
This update applies to: Guardians of Oboro, Lethal Exploit, Unforgiving One, Flame Discharge, Goro-Goro, Disciple of Ryusei, Kami’s Flare, Thundering Raiju, Upriser Renegade, Heir of the Ancient Fang, Remnant of the Rising Star, Kodama of the West Tree, Orochi Merge-Keeper, Invigorating Hot Spring, Towashi Guide-Bot, Walking Skyscraper, Chishiro, the Shattered Blade, Akki Battle Squad, Kami of Celebration, One with the Kami, Silkguard, Envoy of the Ancestors, Guardian of the Forgotten, Pearl-Ear, Imperial Advisor, Lethal Throwdown, Lion Umbra, Signature Slam, Temperamental Oozewagg, Arna Kennerüd, Skycaptain, Expanding Ooze, Golden-Tail Trainer, Obstinate Gargoyle, and Ondu Knotmaster.
Old ruling:
Only creatures can be modified. If a modified creature stops being a creature, it is no longer considered modified.
New ruling:
—
Chatzuk, Mighty Guitarist (playtest)
One ruling still referred to the damage assignment order which had been removed with the Magic: The Gathering Foundations update. That reference was removed.
Old ruling:
If a creature in combat has banding, its controller assigns damage for creatures blocking or blocked by it. That player can ignore the damage assignment order when making this assignment.
New ruling:
If a creature in combat has banding, its controller assigns damage for creatures blocking or blocked by it.
Amzu, Swarm’s Hunger
A typo in the ruling was corrected.
Old ruling:
If multiple cards leave your graveyard at the same time, Amzu, Swarm’s Hunger ability will trigger only once.
New ruling:
If multiple cards leave your graveyard at the same time, Amzu, Swarm’s Hunger’s ability will trigger only once.
Repeated rulings
Three cards reprinted as part of the Tarkir: Dragonstorm release got new rulings identical to their existing ones (in the case of Genesis Ultimatum, the new rulings are slightly expanded). Effectively, these cards’ rulings were duplicated.
This update applies to: Twin Bolt, Genesis Ultimatum, and Inspired Ultimatum.
In a similar vein, Shiko, Paragon of the Way has two nigh identical rulings for cards with an {X} in their mana cost, and Kotis, the Fangkeeper got a ruling for such cards that is completely irrelevant to Kotis’s abilities.
A look at the official update bulletin
To avoid spoilers, I did not read WotC’s official bulletin before writing the preceding sections. With my own analysis of the update complete, I will now have a look and list whatever catches my eye.
These are the rules for Omen cards […]
The word “omen” should be lowercase.
You can also tap a creature you control to reduce the harmonize cost by an amount of generic mana equal to that creature’s power.
“Harmonize cost” should be “total cost.”
Hakbal of the Surging Soul blazed a trail for effects that instruct multiple permanents to explore at the same time. Hakbal was so far ahead of his time that the rule defining how this works didn’t exist until now.
I could have sworn that rule 608.2f existed prior to the Tarkir: Dragonstorm update, and my older versions of the CR back me up on that point. Fortunately, the bulletin provides an answer in the opening paragraph of the CR changes section: in case of discrepancies, the rules take precedence, so the quoted text seems to simply be in error.
This rule was updated to clarify cases where an object being instructed to connive as part of a simultaneous instruction to multiple permanents is no longer on the battlefield when that instruction is performed.
I wouldn’t use the word “clarify” when talking about a functional change, so this word choice seems peculiar.
We’ve unified the language between the different abilities represented by impending to clarify that if a spell’s impending cost was paid, copies of that spell (like ones created by the last ability of Lithoform Engine, for example) should function just like the original […]
Again, this peculiar use of “clarify” when talking about a functional change.
This rule clarifies how max speed abilities that grant abilities that function in zones other than the battlefield work.
Third time is the charm. This section also confirms the intent of the new subrule, but does not address the reasons behind the implementation.
New Ability Words
- Renew
Flurry does not appear on the list of new ability words. It probably knows what it did.
In addition to the following rules text updates, we also made a few changes to reminder text as well as some lingering things to hammer out after the large-scale changes made with Aetherdrift to apply new Magic: The Gathering Foundations templating across the Oracle text of cards.
No hint that remaining issues will be addressed in future updates, so my reclassification as “features” seems correct.
None of them are so interesting as to mention here.
Thank you for giving my bulletins a purpose.
This is a non-functional change.
Why the italics? Do people actually think that exchanging “highest” for “greatest” constitutes a functional change, so stressing the “non-functional” part becomes that important? And if that’s the case, why not mention this for all the changes, since they are all just as obviously nonfunctional?
The original text of Mardu Siegebreaker‘s last ability was written in a way that could lead to confusion about the delayed triggered ability it creates. The new text removes that confusion by adding the word “next” and bringing the ability in line with other similar abilities.
I did not notice this before; seems like I need to add “detect release-day errata” to my to-do list.
The fix for saddle wasn’t mentioned, which makes me wonder about the criteria for including changes in the bulletin. It can’t be the impact of the rules change, since less impactful things like the changes to connive and explore got included. It also can’t be the complexity of the change, since the fix for max speed got included. Maybe it’s just random.
Another thing that wasn’t mentioned are the handful of Gatherer rulings which got corrected. On the one hand, Gatherer rulings play no role whatsoever in the game rules or in tournament policy, so I understand it if WotC doesn’t see the need to mention them in the update bulletin, which is targeted toward rules-oriented people; on the other hand, people (even rules-oriented ones) mistake Gatherer rulings for genuine rules all the time, so this would have been an excellent opportunity to remind them not to blindly believe everything they read.
Conclusion
All in all, this update was way less stressful than the Aetherdrift update, which took me about a month to process and write. Also, the number of corrections may indicate a new trend toward developing the CR more, which have not seen much activity in recent times. Last but not least, WotC published an update bulletin which did not disappoint.
I plan to put out another update bulletin, which will form a pair with the March 2025 one, in the next few days. The one after that will most likely be Magic: The Gathering—FINAL FANTASY.