Spells and ability that target are very different from those that do not. Targeting is a restriction, in that you must be able to choose legal targets of a spell or ability in order to play it. For example, you cannot play just to draw a card, there must be an artifact or enchantment in […]
What ‘Failure to Reveal’ is.
Failure to Reveal is a game play error that applies when a game rule or an effect has instructed a player to reveal some information and it is not revealed at the correct time. In most cases this involves revealing a card to prove that the card has specific characteristics. For example, when resolving ‘s […]
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 […]
What Legends were and are now.
IMPORTANT UPDATE: This article has been updated as of the prerelease of Magic 2014 on July 13; Please refer to the revisions below. When first introduced in the early expansion set Legends, Legend was a creature type. Creatures could gain or have it removed from them if an effect were to change a creatures type. […]
Gideon vs. Combust, which wins?
‘s third ability that costs zero loyalty counters makes Gideon into a 6/6 creature. (It will matter later, but this creature will be white, because Gideon is a white permanent.) When this happens Gideon also has an ability that prevents all damage to it. So in effect you gain a fairly large and tough attacking […]
How Hideaway works.
Hideaway it triggered ability that is paired to an activated ability of the same card. The ability has only appeared on five land cards from Lorwyn, but these few cards have seen plenty of tournament play. When a land with hideaway enters the battlefield, the hideaway ability will trigger. When this trigger resolves, the controller […]
What fizzle means.
Fizzle is an informal term used to describe what happens when a spell or ability is countered on resolution. It is a flavorful and descriptive term, but what it really means depends on who you ask. Some have used the term to apply to individual effects when resolving a spell or ability. Or when a […]
Nested Ghoul’s ability triggers once per source of damage.
Some abilities in Magic care about specific amount of damage and others care about the sources of damage regardless of the amount. Abilities that prevent damage and redirect damage are obvious examples. For example, compare and . Shiledmate’s Blessing prevents a specific amount of damage and Auriok Replica’s ability prevents all damage from a specific […]
Extra Time for Matches
Anytime a judge issues a ruling that lasts more than a minute or two it is policy that the judge should give those players extra time to finish their match. This also applies to the time that players have had to wait for a judge to come to the table. The amount of time given […]