Rules

Comprehensive Rules

Search and browse the complete Magic: The Gathering rulebook
9 Sections147 chapters
Parts of a Card14 chapters
207. Text Box
5 chapters
207.1
The text box is printed on the lower half of the card
207.2
The text box may also contain italicized text that has no game function.
207.3
Some cards have decorative icons in the background of their text boxes. For example, a guild icon appears in the text box of many cards associated with the guilds of Ravnica, and a faction icon appears in the text box of most Scars of Mirrodin™ block cards. Similarly, many promotional cards include decorative icons. These icons have no effect on game play.
207.4
The chaos symbol appears in the text box of each plane card to the left of a triggered ability that triggers whenever chaos ensues. The symbol itself has no special rules meaning. See rule 901, “Planechase.”
207.5
One card (Cryptic Spires) has a set of symbols below the text box that represent each color and an ability that instructs a player to circle two of those colors as they create their deck. To circle a color, the player circles (or otherwise clearly indicates) that color’s symbol. The mana symbol of each circled color is considered part of that card’s printed rules text (see rule 613.1) and affects that card’s color identity (see rule 903.4).