Effects like the one generated by , or all give a permanent an additional permanent type. It is important to note that these effects only apply while the affected permanent is on the battlefield. Once it leaves play, any of these effects will no longer apply to it. For example, if an Inkmoth Nexus is […]
Category: Characteristics
Animated lands ‘keep’ counters even when they don’t matter.
If a non-creature permanent becomes a creature and gains counters that only apply to creatures, these counters will remain on this permanent even when it is no longer a creature. For example, if an is animated by its own ability and it gets a +1/+1 counter from something like ‘s ability, those +1/+1 counters will […]
Creatures only exist on the battlefield; in every other zone they are creature cards.
Many spells and abilities affect creatures in some way or another. When text on a card refers to creatures, it means creatures on the battlefield. This is because creatures only exist when on the battlefield. When a creature card is in any other zone, it is just that: a creature card. For example, let’s say […]
Destroying Gutter Grime will cause all the tokens it created to go to the graveyard.
has an ability that triggers whenever a nontoken creature you control dies. When this triggered ability resolves, you put a slime counter on Gutter Grime and a token creature into play that has power and toughness determined by the number of slime counters on the Gutter Grime. This power and toughness is continually calculated, as […]
Sturmgeist’s ability does not immediately boost the combat damage it deals.
has three abilities: flying; a characteristic-defining ability that sets its base power and toughness; and a triggered ability that makes you draw a card when it deals combat damage to a player. In the combat damage step, it is important to note that abilities that trigger from combat damage being dealt will go on the […]
What X equals, and how it varies.
When casting a spell with X in the mana cost, X will equal what was chosen when the spell was cast. (Usually this means that this was what was mana paid for as well, but effects that raise or lower costs can alter this.) For example, if you cast a targeting a , in order […]
Phyrexian Metamorph is not a creature if it copies a noncreature artifact.
When an object enters play copying another object, it copies all ‘base’ characteristics. Other than copy effects, effects that are applied to the original are not copied. Also, unless the effect that copies the original says so, the copy will not have any additional types or colors. Which brings up to . As a Phyrexian […]
Lands are colorless.
Unless an effect specifically gives a land a color, lands are colorless. This is true regardless of what colors of mana a land can generate and even if a land has an additional ability that affects creatures or a specific color or if it generates an effect that just ‘seems’ like it should be a […]
Objects cannot be both black and nonblack
It is possible, and quite common, in Magic for an object (card, permanent or spell) to be a single color, multiple colors or colorless. But it is not possible for an object to be both of a quality and not of that quality. For example, can target a non-black creature. A creature that is both […]