Chalice of Life has an ability that causes it to transform if your life total is at least ten points higher than your starting life total when it resolves. In most games of magic, your starting life total is 20, which means that it can transform if you have at least 30 life. It is not a triggered ability, however, so simply having 30 life will not cause it to transform. It will only transform if you activate it and have at least 30 life as the ability resolves.

For example, if you are at 28 life and attack with Markov Patrician, lifelink damage will put you at 31 life, but Chalice of life will not transform until the next time you resolve its ability and end up at (or above) 30. Note that when you activate the ability, you gain the life before the Chalice checks for your life total to be at 30 or higher, so if you activate the Chalice when you have 29 life, first you gain 1 life and go to 30, then the Chalice will transform.

Don’t forget, of course, that this number changes to 40 in Two-Headed Giant formats and 50 in Commander.

Today’s Rules Tip written by
Jess Dunks, Level 2 judge from Fairfield, CA