701.25a Only permanents represented by double-faced cards can transform. (See rule 711, "Double-Faced Cards.") If a spell or ability instructs a player to transform any permanent that isn't represented by a double-faced card, nothing happens.
701.25b To transform a permanent, turn it over so that its other face is up.
701.25c Although transforming a permanent uses the same physical action as turning a permanent face up or face down, they are different game actions. Abilities that trigger when a permanent is turned face down won't trigger when that permanent transforms, and so on.
Specific Questions
Q: What does transform mean? A: Transforming is how a double-faced card changes from using one face to using the other. To transform a double-faced card, turn it over so the other face is up. (If it's in an opaque sleeve, you may have to take it out of the sleeve to do this.)
Q: Is transforming the same thing as being "turned face down" or "turned face up"? A: No. You might use the same physical action when doing one or the other, but as far as the game is concerned they're completely different things.
And so people say to me, "How do I know if a word is real?" You know, anyone who's read a children's book knows that love makes things real. If you love a word, use it! That makes it real. Being in the dictionary is an artificial distinction; it doesn't make the word any more real than any other word. If you love a word, it becomes real. --Erin McKean, Redefining the Dictionary
702.91a Undying is a triggered ability. "Undying" means "When this permanent is put into a graveyard from the battlefield, if it had no +1/+1 counters on it, return it to the battlefield under its owner's control with a +1/+1 counter on it."
Specific Questions
Q: What does undying do? A: Undying is an ability that allows your creatures to come back to life after dying if they meet certain conditions. When a creature with persist is put into your graveyard from the battlefield, if it had no +1/+1 counters on it, you return it to the battlefield with a +1/+1 counter on it.
Q: When undying returns the card to the battlefield, is it still the same creature? (IE, do the things that were affecting it when it left the battlefield still affect it? If it was a copy of something, is it still a copy? And so on.) A: No. When an object changes zones, it effectively becomes an entirely new object; it isn't the same thing as whatever it used to be. So if you had Giant Growth ed your undying creature before it died, it would no longer have that bonus when it returned. If your creature had counters on it, it will no longer have those counters. If it had been turned into a copy of something, it will no longer be a copy of that thing. If it had gained an ability, say thanks to Undying Evil , it will no longer have that ability.
Basically, your card enters the battlefield as a "fresh" copy of whatever card it is.
Q: My creature has returned to the battlefield thanks to undying. Does it have summoning sickness? A: Yes. Summoning sickness will always apply if you haven't controlled a creature continuously since the beginning of your most recent turn, no matter how the creature came onto the battlefield.
Q: Does my creature trigger things that look for things dying or going to the graveyard? A: Yes. Your creature hits the graveyard, so it will trigger such abilities. What happens after that is usually irrelevant as far as those triggers are concerned.
Q: Can my opponent respond to undying, say by exiling my creature so it can't come back? A: Yes. Undying is a normal triggered ability, and can be responded to just like any other triggered ability. If the card is removed from your graveyard before the undying trigger resolves, the trigger won't do anything.
Q: Multiple creatures with undying have all died at the same time. (Say, thanks to Day of Judgment .) What happens? A: Each creature's undying ability will trigger at the same time. First, the player whose turn it is (the active player) will put all of his creatures' undying triggers onto the stack in whatever order he or she chooses; then, in turn order, each other player does the same. Then, all of those triggers resolve one by one, returning one creature at a time, with chances for players to respond and things to happen in between each resolution, until all the triggers have been dealt with.
Q: My undying creature has some +1/+1 counters on it, and is given enough -1/-1 counters to kill it. (Either by bringing its toughness to 0 or by making the damage already on it lethal.) I know that +1/+1 counters and -1/-1 counters annihilate each other, so does my undying creature come back? A: No. Your creature dies at the same time the counters would be removed, so the game will see that it did indeed have +1/+1 counters on it just before it died, and undying won't return it.
And so people say to me, "How do I know if a word is real?" You know, anyone who's read a children's book knows that love makes things real. If you love a word, use it! That makes it real. Being in the dictionary is an artificial distinction; it doesn't make the word any more real than any other word. If you love a word, it becomes real. --Erin McKean, Redefining the Dictionary
702.92a Miracle is a static ability linked to a triggered ability (see rule 603.10). "Miracle [cost]" means "You may reveal this card from your hand as you draw it if it's the first card you've drawn this turn. When you reveal this card this way, you may cast it by paying [cost] rather than its mana cost."
702.92b If a player chooses to reveal a card using its miracle ability, he or she plays with that card revealed until that card leaves his or her hand, that ability resolves, or that ability otherwise leaves the stack.
Specific Questions
Q: What does miracle do? A: Miracle is an ability that allows you to cast your spell for a different (greatly reduced) cost when you first draw it, provided that it's the first card you drew this turn. Reveal the card as you draw it, and you get to cast it for its miracle cost.
Q: Do I have to reveal and cast the miracle card if I don't want to? A: No; if you don't want to cast it right now, you don't have to. Just finish putting it into your hand like you would any other drawn card.
Q: Can I wait and cast the card for its miracle cost later? A: No. You either reveal it right as you draw it and cast it as soon as the miracle trigger resolves, or you don't get to cast it for its miracle cost at all. You cannot wait to reveal it, and you cannot wait to cast it once you've revealed it. It's now or not at all--if you want to wait, you're going to have to pay its normal cost.
Q: Can I cast any card I draw for its miracle cost? A: No. In order for you to use the miracle ability, the card you're drawing needs to be the first card you've drawn during the current turn. If you've already drawn other cards before the miracle, it's not the first card you've drawn this turn, so you can't cast it for its miracle cost.
Q: If I draw a miracle card during my opponent's turn, can I cast it? What if it's a sorcery? A: It doesn't matter whose turn it is or whether the card is an instant or a sorcery. If it's the first card you've drawn during the current turn, you can reveal it and cast it for its miracle cost.
Q: What happens if I accidentally mix the miracle card in with the other cards in my hand before I reveal it? A: Too bad for you--you don't get a miracle. It's very important to reveal the card before it gets mixed in with the other cards in your hand; if you don't do that, then it's too late. This is so your opponent can be sure that the card you're casting is indeed the one you just drew and not some other card that was already in your hand.
Q: Can my opponent respond and do something before I can cast the miracle card? A: Yes. Miracle works using a triggered ability, and that triggered ability can be responded to just like any other normal triggered ability. It's when that trigger resolves that you get to cast your miracle card--if your opponent responds to the trigger, his spell or ability will resolve before you get to cast your miracle.
Q: What happens if the miracle card leaves my hand before the miracle trigger resolves? A: Then too bad--you can't cast it. When the triggered ability resolves, you won't be able to cast the card because it's no longer in your hand. No miracle for you.
Q: I cast something like Blue Sun's Zenith to draw multiple cards at once. What if one of them's a miracle? A: When you're drawing multiple cards, you do so sequentially, one after the other. Only the first one will be eligible for casting as a miracle. (And then only if you haven't already drawn any cards this turn.)
If that first card is a miracle (and you haven't drawn other cards this turn), you may reveal it as you draw it--before you draw any more cards. Then you keep drawing cards and finish resolving the spell or ability. Once the spell or ability has resolved completely, the miracle triggered ability goes onto the stack; when it resolves, you'll be able to cast your miracle.
Q: I use a card like Merfolk Looter while my hand is empty, and draw a miracle. Can I cast it before it gets discarded? A: No. You need to finish resolving the ability before the miracle trigger goes onto the stack, and by that time, the miracle card has already been discarded and is in the graveyard. No miracle for you.
And so people say to me, "How do I know if a word is real?" You know, anyone who's read a children's book knows that love makes things real. If you love a word, use it! That makes it real. Being in the dictionary is an artificial distinction; it doesn't make the word any more real than any other word. If you love a word, it becomes real. --Erin McKean, Redefining the Dictionary
702.93a. Soulbond is a keyword that represents two triggered abilities. "Soulbond" means "When this creature enters the battlefield, if you control both this creature and another creature and both are unpaired, you may pair this creature with another unpaired creature you control for as long as both remain creatures on the battlefield under your control" and "Whenever another creature enters the battlefield under your control, if you control both that creature and this one and both are unpaired, you may pair that creature with this creature for as long as both remain creatures on the battlefield under your control."
702.93b A creature becomes "paired" with another as the result of a soulbond ability. Abilities may refer to a paired creature, the creature another creature is paired with, or whether a creature is paired. An "unpaired" creature is one that is not paired.
702.93c When the soulbond ability resolves, if either object that would be paired is no longer a creature, no longer on the battlefield, or no longer under the control of the player who controls the soulbond ability, neither object becomes paired.
702.93d A creature can be paired with only one other creature.
702.93e A paired creature becomes unpaired if any of the following occur: another player gains control of it or the creature it's paired with; it or the creature it's paired with stops being a creature; or it or the creature it's paired with leaves the battlefield.
Specific Questions
Q: What does soulbond do? A: Soulbond allows you to "pair" your soulbond creature with another creature you control, which will grant both creatures some sort of benefit. The nature of that benefit depends on the cards in question--some soulbonders grant abilities, some grant bonuses to power and toughness, and so on.
Q: What does it mean for two creatures to be paired? A: It means that for the purposes of abilities that ask whether or not they're paired, they are. It does pretty much nothing more than that--the two creatures are still completely independent of each other in every way.
Q: When can I pair my soulbond creature with another creature? A: When either one of them enters the battlefield.
If you already control any unpaired creatures and a soulbond creature enters the battlefield under your control, you can pair the soulbonder with any of those unpaired creatures. Or, if you already control a soulbond creature and another creature enters the battlefield under your control, you can pair the soulbonder with the new creature. (In order for this to happen, neither the soulbonder nor the other creature can be paired already.)
(This answer is skimming over some details for the sake of brevity and clarity.)
Q: How can two creatures be "un-paired"? A: A pairing is broken immediately if both creatures don't remain on the battlefield under your control. If one of them leaves the battlefield or if another player gains control of one of them, the pairing is permanently broken; neither creature is paired any more.
If nothing happens to break the pairing, the creatures will remain paired permanently.
Q: I paired two of my creatures together, but now I want to pair one of them with something else. Can I do that? A: Only if you find some way to break the existing pairing first. You can't choose to break an existing pairing just because you want to; there needs to be a reason for it to break--either one of the creatures must leave the battlefield or you must lose control of one of them.
And so people say to me, "How do I know if a word is real?" You know, anyone who's read a children's book knows that love makes things real. If you love a word, use it! That makes it real. Being in the dictionary is an artificial distinction; it doesn't make the word any more real than any other word. If you love a word, it becomes real. --Erin McKean, Redefining the Dictionary
701.26a Certain spells and abilities can detain a permanent. Until the next turn of the controller of that spell or ability, that permanent can't attack or block and its activated abilities can't be activated.
Specific Questions
Q: What does detaining something do? A: If you detain a permanent, then until the beginning of your next turn, that permanent can't attack or block (if it's a creature), and its activated abilities can't be activated.
Q: What abilities does detain stop? A: Detain stops the permanent's activated abilities from being used. Activated abilities are always written with a colon in the form "{Cost}: {Effect}" Other abilities of the permanent, including triggered abilities and static abilities, aren't hindered by detain and will still function.
Q: Can I detain something to stop it if it's already attacking or blocking or to counter its ability? A: No. If a permanent is already attacking or blocking, detaining it won't remove it from combat, and detaining a permanent won't counter or otherwise stop an ability that has already been activated.
Q: In a multiplayer game, an opponent detains one of my permanents, then leaves the game. Is my permanent detained indefinitely? A: No; your permanent will remain detained only until that player's next turn would have begun.
And so people say to me, "How do I know if a word is real?" You know, anyone who's read a children's book knows that love makes things real. If you love a word, use it! That makes it real. Being in the dictionary is an artificial distinction; it doesn't make the word any more real than any other word. If you love a word, it becomes real. --Erin McKean, Redefining the Dictionary
Q: Does populating target the token I copy? A: No; populating doesn't target anything. You only choose what to copy when you follow the instruction to populate.
Q: I copy a token that has counters or Auras, or Equipment on it. Are those effects also copied? A: No. The only things that copy effects will copy are what's "written" on the thing they're copying (in this case, the base characteristics of the token as laid out by whatever created it) and other copy effects. Other effects like counters, Auras, and Equipment, are not copied.
Q: What happens if I populate when I don't control a creature token? A: If you don't control any creature tokens when instructed to populate, populating does nothing.
And so people say to me, "How do I know if a word is real?" You know, anyone who's read a children's book knows that love makes things real. If you love a word, use it! That makes it real. Being in the dictionary is an artificial distinction; it doesn't make the word any more real than any other word. If you love a word, it becomes real. --Erin McKean, Redefining the Dictionary
702.94a Overload is a keyword that represents two static abilities: one that functions from any zone in which the spell with overload can be cast and another that functions while the card is on the stack. Overload [cost] means "You may choose to pay [cost] rather than pay this spell's mana cost" and "If you chose to pay this spell's overload cost, change its text by replacing all instances of the word 'target' with the word 'each.'" Using the overload ability follows the rules for paying alternative costs in rules 601.2b and 601.2e-g.
702.94b If a player chooses to pay the overload cost of a spell, that spell won't require any targets. It may affect objects that couldn't be chosen as legal targets if the spell were cast without its overload cost being paid.
702.94c Overload's second ability creates a text-changing effect. See rule 612, "Text-Changing Effects."
Specific Questions
Q: What does overload do? A: When you're casting a spell with overload, you can choose to pay its overload cost rather than its normal mana cost. If you do, any instances of the word "target" in its text are replaced with the word "each". So, for example, a spell like Vandalblast would go from destroying "target artifact you don't control" to destroying "each artifact you don't control", which is much more powerful.
Q: Does overloading a spell change its mana cost or converted mana cost? A: No; the actual mana cost (and converted mana cost) of the spell doesn't change, just what you have to pay to cast it.
Q: If I'm casting an overload spell "without paying its mana cost", can I overload it? A: No. You overload a spell by paying its overload cost instead of its mana cost--if you're never given the chance to pay the mana cost, you never get the opportunity to pay the overload cost instead.
And so people say to me, "How do I know if a word is real?" You know, anyone who's read a children's book knows that love makes things real. If you love a word, use it! That makes it real. Being in the dictionary is an artificial distinction; it doesn't make the word any more real than any other word. If you love a word, it becomes real. --Erin McKean, Redefining the Dictionary
702.95a Scavenge is an activated ability that functions only while the card with scavenge is in a graveyard. "Scavenge [cost]" means "[Cost], Exile this card from your graveyard: Put a number of +1/+1 counters equal to the power of the card you exiled on target creature. Activate this ability only any time you could cast a sorcery."
Specific Questions
Q: What does scavenge do? A: If a creature card with scavenge is in your graveyard, any time you could cast a sorcery you may pay its scavenge cost and exile it. If you do, you put a number of +1/+1 counters on a target creature equal to the exiled creature card's power.
Q: What kind of ability is scavenge? A: Scavenge is an activated ability of the card in your graveyard. This means that it can be stopped with cards like Pithing Needle .
Q: My opponent scavenges a card from his graveyard. Can I exile it to stop the ability? A: No, because the card is already exiled. Exiling the card is one of the costs of activating the ability in the first place; if your opponent has activated the ability, the card is already exiled.
And so people say to me, "How do I know if a word is real?" You know, anyone who's read a children's book knows that love makes things real. If you love a word, use it! That makes it real. Being in the dictionary is an artificial distinction; it doesn't make the word any more real than any other word. If you love a word, it becomes real. --Erin McKean, Redefining the Dictionary
702.96a Unleash is a keyword that represents two static abilities. "Unleash" means "You may have this permanent enter the battlefield with an additional +1/+1 counter on it" and "This permanent can't block as long as it has a +1/+1 counter on it."
Specific Questions
Q: What does unleash mean? A: Unleash allows you to choose to have the creature it's on enter the battlefield with an extra +1/+1 counter on it. But be careful if you do, because a creature with unleash that has a +1/+1 counter on it can't block.
Q: Can I do something after a creature with unleash enters the battlefield, but before it gets a counter? A: No. The creature enters the battlefield with the counter already on it. There's no time when it's on the battlefield but doesn't have the counter yet.
Q: Will any +1/+1 counter stop an unleash creature from blocking, or just the one from unleash? A: A creature with unleash can't block if it has any +1/+1 counters on it at all; it doesn't matter where those counters came from.
Q: When do I decide whether or not to unleash a creature? A: As it's entering the battlefield. This means that there's no chance for anyone to do anything in between you making the decision to unleash your creature and it actually entering the battlefield--by the time they know whether or not it will be unleashed, it's too late. (This doesn't mean you can jump the gun to stop them from doing anything, though--Magic's not a game of reflexes.)
And so people say to me, "How do I know if a word is real?" You know, anyone who's read a children's book knows that love makes things real. If you love a word, use it! That makes it real. Being in the dictionary is an artificial distinction; it doesn't make the word any more real than any other word. If you love a word, it becomes real. --Erin McKean, Redefining the Dictionary
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