608.1.
Each time all players pass in succession, the spell or ability on top of the stack resolves. (See rule
609, «Effects.»)
608.2.
If the object that‘s resolving is an instant spell, a sorcery spell, or an ability, its resolution may
involve several steps. The steps described in rules 608.2a and 608.2b are followed first. The steps
described in rules 608.2c–j are then followed as appropriate, in no specific order. The step described
in rule 608.2k is followed last.
608.2a
If a triggered ability has an intervening «if» clause, it checks whether the clause‘s condition
is true. If it isn‘t, the ability is removed from the stack and does nothing. Otherwise, it continues
to resolve. See rule 603.4.
608.2b
If the spell or ability specifies targets, it checks whether the targets are still legal. A target
that‘s no longer in the zone it was in when it was targeted is illegal. Other changes to the game
state may cause a target to no longer be legal; for example, its characteristics may have changed
or an effect may have changed the text of the spell. If the source of an ability has left the zone it
was in, its last known information is used during this process. The spell or ability is countered if
all its targets, for every instance of the word «target,» are now illegal. If the spell or ability is not
countered, it will resolve normally. However, if any of its targets are illegal, the part of the spell
or ability‘s effect for which it is an illegal target can‘t perform any actions on that target or
make that target perform any actions. The effect may still determine information about illegal
targets, though, and other parts of the effect for which those targets are not illegal may still
affect them.
Example: Sorin?s Thirst is a black instant that reads, “Sorin?s Thirst deals 2 damage to
target creature and you gain 2 life.” If the creature isn?t a legal target during the
resolution of Sorin?s Thirst (say, if the creature has gained protection from black or left
the battlefield), then Sorin?s Thirst is countered. Its controller doesn?t gain any life.
Example: Plague Spores reads, “Destroy target nonblack creature and target land.
They can?t be regenerated.” Suppose the same animated land is chosen both as the
nonblack creature and as the land, and the color of the creature land is changed to black
before Plague Spores resolves. Plagues Spores isn?t countered because the black
creature land is still a legal target for the “target land” part of the spell. The “destroy
target nonblack creature” part of the spell won?t affect that permanent, but the “destroy
target land” part of the spell will still destroy it. It can?t be regenerated.
608.2c
The controller of the spell or ability follows its instructions in the order written. However,
replacement effects may modify these actions. In some cases, later text on the card may modify
the meaning of earlier text (for example, «Destroy target creature. It can‘t be regenerated» or
«Counter target spell. If that spell is countered this way, put it on top of its owner‘s library
instead of into its owner‘s graveyard.») Don‘t just apply effects step by step without thinking in
these cases—read the whole text and apply the rules of English to the text.
608.2d
If an effect of a spell or ability offers any choices other than choices already made as part of
casting the spell, activating the ability, or otherwise putting the spell or ability on the stack, the
player announces these while applying the effect. The player can‘t choose an option that‘s
illegal or impossible, with the exception that having library with no cards in it doesn‘t make
drawing a card an impossible action (see rule 120.3). If an effect divides or distributes
something, such as damage or counters, as a player chooses among any number of untargeted
players and/or objects, the player chooses the amount and division such that at least one player
or object is chosen if able, and each chosen player or object receives at least one of whatever is
being divided. (Note that if an effect divides or distributes something, such as damage or
counters, as a player chooses among some number of target objects and/or players, the amount
and division were determined as the spell or ability was put onto the stack rather than at this
time; see rule 601.2d.)
Example: A spell?s instruction reads, “You may sacrifice a creature. If you don?t, you
lose 4 life.” A player who controls no creatures can?t choose the sacrifice option.
608.2e
Some spells and abilities have multiple steps or actions, denoted by separate sentences or
clauses, that involve multiple players. In these cases, the choices for the first action are made in
APNAP order, and then the first action is processed simultaneously. Then the choices for the
second action are made in APNAP order, and then that action is processed simultaneously, and
so on. See rule 101.4.
608.2f
If an effect gives a player the option to pay mana, he or she may activate mana abilities
before taking that action. If an effect specifically instructs or allows a player to cast a spell
during resolution, he or she does so by putting that spell on top of the stack, then continuing to
cast it by following the steps in rules 601.2a–h, except no player receives priority after it‘s cast.
The currently resolving spell or ability then continues to resolve, which may include casting
other spells this way. No other spells can normally be cast and no other abilities can normally be
activated during resolution.
608.2g
If an effect requires information from the game (such as the number of creatures on the
battlefield), the answer is determined only once, when the effect is applied. If the effect requires
information from a specific object, including the source of the ability itself or a target that‘s
become illegal, the effect uses the current information of that object if it‘s in the public zone it
was expected to be in; if it‘s no longer in that zone, or if the effect has moved it from a public
zone to a hidden zone, the effect uses the object‘s last known information. See rule 112.7a. If an
ability states that an object does something, it‘s the object as it exists—or as it most recently
existed—that does it, not the ability.
608.2h
If an effect refers to certain characteristics, it checks only for the value of the specified
characteristics, regardless of any related ones an object may also have.
Example: An effect that reads “Destroy all black creatures” destroys a white-and-black
creature, but one that reads “Destroy all nonblack creatures” doesn?t.
608.2i
If an ability‘s effect refers to a specific untargeted object that has been previously referred to
by that ability‘s cost or trigger condition, it still affects that object even if the object has changed
characteristics.
Example: Wall of Tears says “Whenever Wall of Tears blocks a creature, return that
creature to its owner?s hand at end of combat.” If Wall of Tears blocks a creature, then
that creature ceases to be a creature before the triggered ability resolves, the permanent
will still be returned to its owner?s hand.
608.2j
If an instant spell, sorcery spell, or ability that can legally resolve leaves the stack once it
starts to resolve, it will continue to resolve fully.
608.2k
As the final part of an instant or sorcery spell‘s resolution, the spell is put into its owner‘s
graveyard. As the final part of an ability‘s resolution, the ability is removed from the stack and
ceases to exist.
608.3.
If the object that‘s resolving is a permanent spell, its resolution involves a single step (unless it‘s
an Aura). The spell card becomes a permanent and is put onto the battlefield under the control of the
spell‘s controller.
608.3a
If the object that‘s resolving is an Aura spell, its resolution involves two steps. First, it
checks whether the target specified by its enchant ability is still legal, as described in rule
608.2b
. (See rule 702.5, «Enchant.») If so, the spell card becomes a permanent and is put onto
the battlefield under the control of the spell‘s controller attached to the object it was targeting.
608.3b
If a permanent spell resolves but its controller can‘t put it onto the battlefield, that player
puts it into its owner‘s graveyard.
Example: Worms of the Earth has the ability “Lands can?t enter the battlefield.” Clone
says “You may have Clone enter the battlefield as a copy of any creature on the
battlefield.” If a player casts Clone and chooses to copy Dryad Arbor (a land creature)
while Worms of the Earth is on the battlefield, Clone can?t enter the battlefield from the
stack. It?s put into its owner?s graveyard.