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The '''Comprehensive Rules''' are designed to be the end-all, be-all of the Magic rules. In this mighty tome everything from [[Banding]] to the layering of continuous effects is described and explained. As [[Wizards of the Coast]] warns, this is not for the faint of heart. While ''all'' the rules for Magic are in the Comprehensive Rules, they're not meant for everyday use; rather, for specific cases during competitive games. In most ordinary situations, the basic rulebook is sufficient.
  
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The '''Comprehensive Rules''' is designed to be the end-all, be-all documentation of ''[[Magic: The Gathering]]'' rules.
   
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In the Comprehensive Rules, everything from [[banding]] to the layering of [[continuous effect]]s are described and explained. As [[Wizards of the Coast]] warns, it is not for the faint of heart. While ''all'' the rules for ''Magic'' are in the Comprehensive Rules, it's not meant for everyday use; rather, it's reserved for specific cases during competitive games. In most ordinary situations, the [http://media.wizards.com/2014/docs/EN_M15_QckStrtBklt_LR_Crop.pdf basic rulebook] is sufficient.
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When making a reference to a specific rule the clearest way to do it is as follows [CR <rule>]. An example, if someone explains [[Mana|Mana Abilities]] and ends his or her explanation with [CR 406.1], then he makes a reference to rule 406.1 which states:
  
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<blockquote>'''CR 406.1'''
  
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*A mana ability is either (a) an activated ability that could put mana into a player's mana pool when it resolves or (b) a triggered ability that triggers from a mana ability and could produce additional mana. A mana ability can generate other effects at the same time it produces mana.</blockquote>
  
   
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==History==
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The Comprehensive Rules are available from [http://magic.wizards.com/en/gameinfo/gameplay/formats/comprehensiverules Wizards of the Coast] in TXT, PDF, and DOCX formats, and are 209 pages long. They are current as of March 27, 2015.
  
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The ''[[Fourth Edition]]'' card set, released in mid-1995, marked [[Fourth Edition/Rules changes|the first attempt]] to formalize ''Magic'' rules into a coherent system.<ref>{{DailyRef|simple-rules-are-holy-grail-magic-2009-06-01|Simple Rules are the Holy Grail of Magic|Dan Gray|June 1, 2009}}</ref> Major overhauls were executed for ''[[Fifth Edition/Rules changes|Fifth Edition]]'',<ref>[[Tom Wylie]] (October 1996). "Murk Dwellers". ''[[The Duelist]]'', p. 51. ''Leaner and Meaner''.</ref> ''[[Sixth Edition/Rules changes|Classic Sixth Edition]]'',<ref>Bill Rose (January 1999). "[https://www.wizards.com/magic/advanced/6e/6e_letter.asp Letter to the ''Magic'' Player Community]"</ref> and ''[[Magic 2010#Rules changes|Magic 2010]]''.<ref>{{DailyRef|news/magic-2010-rules-changes-2009-06-10|''Magic 2010'' Rules Changes|[[Aaron Forsythe]] and [[Mark L. Gottlieb]]|June 10, 2009}}</ref><ref>{{DailyRef|making-magic/twenty-things-were-going-kill-magic-2013-08-01|Twenty Things That Were Going To Kill ''Magic''|[[Mark Rosewater]]|August 5, 2013}}</ref>
   
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==Referencing the rules==
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Rules are numbered, and many are divided into subrules. Subrules skip the lower-case letters 'l' and 'o', to avoid confusion with the numbers '1' and '0'. So, for example, 704.5k is followed by 704.5m, then 704.5n and 704.5p.
  
  ⚫
When making a reference to a specific rule, the clearest way to do it is as follows [CR <rule>]. As an example, if someone explains [[Mana ability|mana abilities]] and ends their explanation with [CR 605.1], then they make a reference to rule 605.1 which states:
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{{CR|605.1}}
   
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The Comprehensive Rules are available from [http://magic.wizards.com/en/gameinfo/gameplay/formats/comprehensiverules Wizards of the Coast] in TXT, PDF, and DOCX formats, and are 252 pages long as of June 2021.
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{{rules
  
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| text ='''Index of the Comprehensive Rules''' ''(Included for reference)''
  
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*1. '''Game Concepts'''
  
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**100. [[General rules|General]]
  
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**101. The [[Magic Golden Rules]]
  
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**102. [[Player]]s
  
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**103. [[Starting the game|Starting the Game]]
  
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**104. [[Winning and losing|Ending the Game]]
  
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**105. [[Colors (rules)|Colors]]
  
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**106. [[Mana#Comprehensive_Rules|Mana]]
  
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**107. [[Numbers and symbols|Numbers and Symbols]]
  
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**108. [[Card]]s
  
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**109. [[Object]]s
  
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**110. [[Permanent]]s
  
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**111. [[Spell]]s
  
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**112. [[Ability|Abilities]]
  
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**113. [[Emblem]]s
  
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**114. [[Target]]s
  
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**115. [[Special Action]]s
  
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**116. [[Timing and Priority]]
  
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**117. [[Cost]]s
  
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**118. [[Life]]
  
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**119. [[Damage]]
  
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**120. [[Drawing a Card]]
  
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**121. [[Counter (marker)|Counter]]s
  
   
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Rules are numbered, and many are divided into subrules. Subrules skip the lower-case letters "l" and "o", to avoid confusion with the numbers "1" and "0". So, for example, 704.5k is followed by 704.5m, then 704.5n, and 704.5p.
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*2. '''Parts of a Card'''
  
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**200. [[General (parts of a card)|General]]
  
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**201. [[Name]]
  
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**202. [[Mana#Mana_Cost_and_Color|Mana Cost and Color]]
  
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**203. [[Illustration]]
  
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**204. [[Color indicator|Color Indicator]]
  
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**205. [[Type line|Type Line]]
  
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**206. [[Expansion symbol|Expansion Symbol]]
  
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**207. [[Text box|Text Box]]
  
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**208. [[Power/Toughness]]
  
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**209. [[Loyalty]]
  
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**210. [[Hand Modifier]]
  
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**211. [[Life Modifier]]
  
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**212. [[Information below the text box|Information Below the Text Box]]
  
   
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==Current version==
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*3. '''Card Types'''
  
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{{CR|toc=true|lookup=}}
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**300. [[General (Card Types)|General]]
  
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**301. [[Artifact]]s
  
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**302. [[Creature]]s
  
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**303. [[Enchantment]]s
  
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**304. [[Instant]]s
  
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**305. [[Land]]s
  
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**306. [[Planeswalker]]s
  
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**307. [[Sorcery|Sorceries]]
  
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**308. [[Tribal]]s
  
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**309. [[Plane]]s
  
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**310. [[Phenomenon|Phenomena]]
  
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**311. [[Vanguard#Comprehensive_rules|Vanguards]]
  
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**312. [[Scheme]]s
  
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**313. [[Conspiracy (card type)|Conspiracies]]
  
   
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The Comprehensive Rules ends with a [[glossary]] of terms used in the document and on cards throughout the game.
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*4. '''Zones'''
  
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**400. [[General (Zones)|General]]
  
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**401. [[Library]]
  
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**402. [[Hand]]
  
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**403. [[Battlefield]]
  
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**404. [[Graveyard]]
  
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**405. [[Stack]]
  
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**406. [[Exile]]
  
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**407. [[Ante]]
  
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**408. [[Command zone|Command]]
  
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*5. '''Turn Structure'''
  
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**500. [[Turn structure|General]]
  
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**501. [[Beginning Phase]]
  
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**502. [[Untap Step]]
  
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**503. [[Upkeep Step]]
  
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**504. [[Draw Step]]
  
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**505. [[Main Phase]]
  
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**506. [[Combat Phase]]
  
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**507. [[Beginning of Combat Step]]
  
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**508. [[Declare Attackers Step]]
  
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**509. [[Declare Blockers Step]]
  
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**510. [[Combat Damage Step]]
  
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**511. [[End of Combat Step]]
  
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**512. [[End Phase|Ending Phase]]
  
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**513. [[End of turn step|End Step]]
  
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**514. [[Cleanup step|Cleanup Step]]
  
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*6. '''Spells, Abilities, and Effects'''
  
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**600. [[General (Effects)|General]]
  
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**601. [[Casting Spells]]
  
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**602. [[Activated ability|Activating Activated Abilities]]
  
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**603. [[Triggered ability|Handling Triggered Abilities]]
  
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**604. [[Static ability|Handling Static Abilities]]
  
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**605. [[Mana Abilities]]
  
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**606. [[Loyalty Ability|Loyalty Abilities]]
  
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**607. [[Linked Abilities|Linked Abilities]]
  
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**608. [[Resolving Spells and Abilities]]
  
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**609. [[Effect]]s
  
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**610. [[One-Shot Effects]]
  
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**611. [[Continuous effects|Continuous Effects]]
  
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**612. [[Text-Changing Effect]]s
  
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**613. [[Interaction of Continuous Effects]]
  
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**614. [[Replacement Effect]]s
  
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**615. [[Prevention Effect]]s
  
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**616. [[Interaction of Replacement and/or Prevention Effects]]
  
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*7. '''Additional Rules'''
  
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**700. [[General (Additional)|General]]
  
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**701. [[Keyword actions|Keyword Actions]]
  
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**702. [[Keyword|Keyword Abilities]]
  
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**703. [[Turn-Based Action]]s
  
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**704. [[State-based actions|State-Based Action]]s
  
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**705. [[Flipping a coin|Flipping a Coin]]
  
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**706. [[Copying objects|Copying Objects]]
  
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**707. [[Face-Down Spells and Permanents]]
  
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**708. [[Split cards|Split Cards]]
  
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**709. [[Flip cards|Flip Cards]]
  
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**710. [[Level up|Leveler Card]]s
  
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**711. [[Double-faced cards|Double-Faced Card]]s
  
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**712. [[Controlling another player|Controlling Another Player]]
  
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**713. [[Ending the turn|Ending the Turn]]
  
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**714. [[Restarting the Game]]
  
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**715. [[Subgame]]s
  
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**716. [[Shortcut|Taking Shortcuts]]
  
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**717. [[Handling Illegal Actions]]
  
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*8. '''Multiplayer Rules'''
  
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**800. [[General (Multiplayer)|General]]
  
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**801. [[Limited Range|Limited Range of Influence Option]]
  
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**802. [[Attack Multiple Players|Attack Multiple Players Option]]
  
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**803. [[Attack Left or Right|Attack Left and Attack Right Options]]
  
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**804. [[Deploy Creatures|Deploy Creatures Option]]
  
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**805. [[Shared Turns|Shared Team Turns Option]]
  
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**806. [[Free-for-All|Free-for-All Variant]]
  
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**807. [[Grand Melee|Grand Melee Variant]]
  
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**808. [[Team vs. Team|Team vs. Team Variant]]
  
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**809. [[Emperor|Emperor Variant]]
  
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**810. [[Two-Headed Giant|Two-Headed Giant Variant]]
  
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**811. [[Alternating Teams|Alternating Teams Variant]]
  
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*9. '''Casual Variants'''
  
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**900. [[Casual Variants|General]]
  
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**901. [[Planechase (variant)|Planechase]]
  
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**902. [[Vanguard]]
  
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**903. [[Commander (format)|Commander]]
  
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**904. [[Archenemy]]
  
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**905. [[Conspiracy (format)|Conspiracy Draft]]
  
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}}
  
   
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==References==
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The Comprehensive Rules ends with a [[Glossary]] of terms used in the document and on Magic cards throughout the game.
  
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{{Reflist}}
   
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{{CR Navbox||}}
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[[Category:Magic rules]]
  

Revision as of 10:26, 19 July 2021

Comprehensive Rules
 
Changes
 

The Comprehensive Rules is designed to be the end-all, be-all documentation of Magic: The Gathering rules.

In the Comprehensive Rules, everything from banding to the layering of continuous effects are described and explained. As Wizards of the Coast warns, it is not for the faint of heart. While all the rules for Magic are in the Comprehensive Rules, it's not meant for everyday use; rather, it's reserved for specific cases during competitive games. In most ordinary situations, the basic rulebook is sufficient.

History

The Fourth Edition card set, released in mid-1995, marked the first attempt to formalize Magic rules into a coherent system.[1] Major overhauls were executed for Fifth Edition,[2] Classic Sixth Edition,[3] and Magic 2010.[4][5]

Referencing the rules

When making a reference to a specific rule, the clearest way to do it is as follows [CR <rule>]. As an example, if someone explains mana abilities and ends their explanation with [CR 605.1], then they make a reference to rule 605.1 which states:

From the Comprehensive Rules (April 12, 2024—Outlaws of Thunder Junction)

  • 605.1. Some activated abilities and some triggered abilities are mana abilities, which are subject to special rules. Only abilities that meet either of the following two sets of criteria are mana abilities, regardless of what other effects they may generate or what timing restrictions (such as “Activate only as an instant”) they may have.
    • 605.1a An activated ability is a mana ability if it meets all of the following criteria: it doesn’t require a target (see rule 115.6), it could add mana to a player’s mana pool when it resolves, and it’s not a loyalty ability. (See rule 606, “Loyalty Abilities.”)
    • 605.1b A triggered ability is a mana ability if it meets all of the following criteria: it doesn’t require a target (see rule 115.6), it triggers from the activation or resolution of an activated mana ability (see rule 605.1a) or from mana being added to a player’s mana pool, and it could add mana to a player’s mana pool when it resolves.

The Comprehensive Rules are available from Wizards of the Coast in TXT, PDF, and DOCX formats, and are 252 pages long as of June 2021.

Rules are numbered, and many are divided into subrules. Subrules skip the lower-case letters "l" and "o", to avoid confusion with the numbers "1" and "0". So, for example, 704.5k is followed by 704.5m, then 704.5n, and 704.5p.

Current version

From the Comprehensive Rules (April 12, 2024—Outlaws of Thunder Junction)

The Comprehensive Rules ends with a glossary of terms used in the document and on cards throughout the game.

References

  1. ↑ Dan Gray (June 1, 2009). "Simple Rules are the Holy Grail of Magic". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  2. ↑ Tom Wylie (October 1996). "Murk Dwellers". The Duelist, p. 51. Leaner and Meaner.
  3. ↑ Bill Rose (January 1999). "Letter to the Magic Player Community"
  4. ↑ Aaron Forsythe and Mark L. Gottlieb (June 10, 2009). "Magic 2010 Rules Changes". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  5. ↑ Mark Rosewater (August 5, 2013). "Twenty Things That Were Going To Kill Magic". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
Comprehensive Rules
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