MTG Rules Database — Magic: The Gathering Rules Compendium
Search 3,000+ official Magic: The Gathering comprehensive rules by keyword, rule number, or mechanic name. Browse rule chapters, read the glossary, and look up card oracle text.
Rule Chapters
Sample Rules
- 100.1 These Magic rules apply to any Magic game with two or more players, including tw…
- 100.1a A two-player game is a game that begins with only two players.
- 100.1b A multiplayer game is a game that begins with more than two players. See section…
- 200.1 The parts of a card are name, mana cost, illustration, color indicator, type lin…
- 200.2 Some parts of a card are also characteristics of the object that has them. See r…
- 200.3 Some objects that aren’t cards (tokens, copies of cards, and copies of spells) h…
- 300.1 The card types are artifact, battle, conspiracy, creature, dungeon, enchantment,…
- 300.2 Some objects have more than one card type (for example, an artifact creature). S…
- 300.2a An object that’s both a land and another card type (for example, an artifact lan…
- 400.1 A zone is a place where objects can be during a game. There are normally seven z…
- 400.2 Public zones are zones in which all players can see the cards’ faces, except for…
- 400.3 If an object would go to any library, graveyard, or hand other than its owner’s,…
- 500.1 A turn consists of five phases, in this order: beginning, precombat main, combat…
- 500.2 A phase or step in which players receive priority ends when the stack is empty a…
- 500.3 A step in which no players receive priority ends when all specified actions that…
- 601.1 Previously, the action of casting a spell, or casting a card as a spell, was ref…
- 601.1a Some effects still refer to “playing” a card. “Playing a card” means playing tha…
- 601.2 To cast a spell is to take it from where it is (usually the hand), put it on the…
- 700.1 Anything that happens in a game is an event. Multiple events may take place duri…
- 700.2 A spell or ability is modal if it has two or more options in a bulleted list pre…
- 700.2a The controller of a modal spell or activated ability chooses the mode(s) as part…
- 800.1 A multiplayer game is a game that begins with more than two players. This sectio…
- 800.2 These rules consist of a series of options that can be added to a multiplayer ga…
- 800.3 Many multiplayer Magic tournaments have additional rules not included here, incl…
- 900.1 This section contains additional optional rules that can be used for certain cas…
- 900.2 The casual variants detailed here use supplemental zones, rules, cards, and othe…
- 901.1 In the Planechase variant, plane cards and phenomenon cards add additional abili…
About the Rules Database
This database contains the official Magic: The Gathering Comprehensive Rules as published by Wizards of the Coast. Rules are updated with each major set release.