Rules

Comprehensive Rules

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9 Sections147 chapters

Spells, Abilities, and Effects17 chapters

600General 601Casting Spells 602Activating Activated Abilities 603Handling Triggered Abilities 604Handling Static Abilities 605Mana Abilities 606Loyalty Abilities 607Linked Abilities 608Resolving Spells and Abilities 609Effects 610One-Shot Effects 611Continuous Effects 612Text-Changing Effects 613Interaction of Continuous Effects 614Replacement Effects 615Prevention Effects 616Interaction of Replacement and/or Prevention Effects

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Spells, Abilities, and Effects

17 chapters

602. Activating Activated Abilities

5 chapters

602.1

Activated abilities have a cost and an effect

602.2

To activate an ability is to put it onto the stack and pay its costs, so that it will eventually resolve and have its effect. Only an object’s controller (or its owner, if it doesn’t have a controller) can activate its activated ability unless the object specifically says otherwise. Activating an ability follows the steps listed below, in order. If, at any point during the activation of an ability, a player is unable to comply with any of those steps, the activation is illegal; the game returns to the moment before that ability started to be activated (see rule 733, “Handling Illegal Actions”). Announcements and payments can’t be altered after they’ve been made.

602.3

Some abilities specify that one of their controller’s opponents does something the controller would normally do while it’s being activated, such as choose a mode or choose targets. In these cases, the opponent does so when the ability’s controller normally would do so.

602.4

Activating an ability that alters costs won’t affect spells and abilities that are already on the stack.

602.5

A player can’t begin to activate an ability that’s prohibited from being activated.