As has been covered before, a spell or ability is countered on resolution if all of its targets are illegal when the spell tries to resolve. When a spell or ability is countered on resolution, no part of it will resolve. For example, if the target of a is removed from the battlefield before it […]
Category: Resolving spells and abilities
Failing to find.
When instructed to search a non-public zone (hand or library) players can ‘fail to find’ what they are looking for if the card that is being searched for has a specific characteristic. This most often applies when searching through a library. For example, when a player resolves ‘s enters the battlefield ability he can choose […]
Effects that apply to permanents only affect those in play when the effect is applied.
Many spells and abilities generate continuous effects that apply to permanents in the battlefield. Effects like these only apply to those permanents that were in play when the spell or ability resolved and the continuous effect was generated. For example, only affects those creatures controlled by when Turn the Tide resolves. If a creature were […]
Hellkite Igniter’s ability counts artifacts when it resolves.
‘s activated ability gives Hellkite Igniter +x/+0, where X is equal to the number of artifacts you control. Spells and abilities that ‘look’ at the game to get information do so when the spell or ability resolves. In this situation Hellkite Igniter’s ability needs to know how many artifacts are controlled by the controller of […]
How to perform simultaneous actions.
Sometimes when a spell or ability resolves more than one player is instructed to perform an action at the same time. When that happens choices of what to do are taken in APNAP order. This means that the active player chooses what he or she will do, then the nonactive player makes his or her […]
What and how to choose a source of damage.
Some effects have you choose a source of damage, often with a specific quality. The choice of a source is made when the spell or ability telling you to choose a source is resolving. For example, if you sacrifice a to activate its ability, you will choose a red source when this ability resolves. A […]
You do not reveal order when resolving Frantic Salvage.
allows you to put any number of target artifact cards from your graveyard on top of your library. When you resolve this spell and move those card you do not have to reveal the order that these artifact cards are put on your library. This is true even if an effect causes you to play […]
Spin Engine refers to itself only.
When the text on a card refers to the card itself by name, it means that card or permanent only unless the text specifies that it is referencing other cards. For example, the activated ability of will only prevent the targeted creature from blocking that particular Spin Engine. If you have two or more Spin […]
Phyrexian Rebirth does not count creatures that are not destroyed.
When resolves all creatures are destroyed and then a token creature with put into play with power and toughness equal to the number of creatures that were destroyed is put into play. It is important to note that this may not equal the number of creatures that were in play when Phyrexian Rebirth started to […]