Magic The Gathering Comprehensive Rules Part 17

Characteristic-Setting Ability

Some objects have intrinsic static abilities which state that that object "has" one or more characteristics; "is" one or more particular types, supertypes, subtypes, or colors; or that one or more of its characteristics "is" or "are" a particular value. These abilities are characteristic-setting abilities. See rule 405.2.

Cleanup Step

Cleanup is the second and final step of the end phase. Spells and abilities may be played during this step only if the conditions for any state-based effects exist or if any abilities have triggered. In that case, the step repeats. See rule 314, "Cleanup Step."

Collector Number

Some card sets feature collector numbers. This information is printed in the form [card number]/[total cards in the set], immediately following the legal text. These numbers have no effect on game play. See rule 211, "Collector Number."

Color

The only colors in the Magic game are white, blue, black, red, and green. An object can be one or more of those colors or it can be colorless. "Colorless" isn't a color; neither are "artifact," "land," "brown," "gold," and so on. See rule 203.2.

An object's color is determined by the color(s) of the mana symbols in its mana cost.

Effects may change an object's color. If an effect gives an object a new color, the new color replaces all previous colors the object had.

Colorless

An object with no color is colorless. Lands are colorless because they have no mana cost. Artifacts are colorless because they have no colored mana in their mana costs. Face-down creatures are colorless due to the effects that turn them face down. A colorless object can be given a color by an effect. See rule 203.2.

Colorless mana

Numeral symbols (such as {1}) and variable symbols (such as {X}) can represent colorless mana if they appear in the effect of a spell or ability that reads, "add [mana symbol] to your mana pool," or something similar. See rule 104.3d.

Combat Damage

Combat damage is dealt during the combat damage step of the combat phase by attacking creatures and blocking creatures. It doesn't include damage dealt by spells and abilities during the combat phase. See rule 310, "Combat Damage Step."

Combat Damage Step

The combat damage step is the fourth step of the combat phase. Attacking and blocking creatures deal damage in the combat damage step. A player may play spells and abilities during this step whenever he or she has priority. See rule 310, "Combat Damage Step." If any attacking or blocking creature has first strike (see rule 502.2) or double strike (see rule 502.28), there are two combat damage steps.

Combat Phase

Combat is the third phase of the turn. The combat phase has five steps: beginning of combat, declare attackers, declare blockers, combat damage, and end of combat. See rules 306-311.

Comes into Play

A permanent comes into play when the card or token representing it is moved into the in-play zone. A permanent whose type or controller changes doesn't "come into play."

Permanents come into play untapped and under the control of whoever put them into play.

When a permanent comes into play, first apply any replacement effects, then apply continuous effects, then check to determine if the current form of the permanent generates any triggered abilities.

Example: If an instruction causes something to come into play tapped, it isn't put into play untapped and then tapped.

Concede

A player may concede a game at any time. A player who concedes leaves the game immediately. He or she loses the game. See rule 102.

Constructed

In constructed play, each player needs his or her own deck of at least sixty cards, small items to represent any tokens and counters, and some way to clearly track life totals. A constructed deck can have any number of basic land cards and no more than four of any card with a particular English name other than basic land cards. See rule 100.2.

Continuous Effect

Continuous effects are usually active as long as the permanent with the a.s.sociated static ability remains in play or the object with the a.s.sociated static ability remains in the appropriate zone.

A spell or ability can create a continuous effect that doesn't depend on a permanent. These last as long as the spell or ability specifies. If no duration is specified, a continuous effect lasts the rest of the game. See rule 418, "Continuous Effects."

Continuous Artifact (Obsolete)

Some older cards used the term "continuous artifact" on the card's type line. They were artifacts without activated abilities. Cards that were printed with the term "continuous artifact" now simply use "artifact."

Control, Controller

A permanent's controller is whoever put it into play unless the spell or ability that put the permanent into play states otherwise. Other effects can later change a permanent's controller.

A spell or activated ability on the stack is controlled by whoever played it. A copy of a spell is controlled by the player who put it on the stack. A triggered ability on the stack is controlled by the player who controlled its source at the time it triggered.

Objects in zones other than in play or the stack have no controller. If anything asks for the controller of an object that doesn't have a controller, use its owner instead.

Controlling Another Player's Turn