Rules
Comprehensive Rules
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9 Sections147 chapters
Spells, Abilities, and Effects17 chapters
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600General601Casting Spells602Activating Activated Abilities603Handling Triggered Abilities604Handling Static Abilities605Mana Abilities606Loyalty Abilities607Linked Abilities608Resolving Spells and Abilities609Effects610One-Shot Effects611Continuous Effects612Text-Changing Effects613Interaction of Continuous Effects614Replacement Effects615Prevention Effects616Interaction of Replacement and/or Prevention Effects
604. Handling Static Abilities
604.1
Static abilities do something all the time rather than being activated or triggered. They are written as statements, and they’re simply true.
604.2
Static abilities create continuous effects, some of which are prevention effects or replacement effects. These effects are active as long as the permanent with the ability remains on the battlefield and has the ability, or as long as the object with the ability remains in the appropriate zone, as described in rule 113.6.
604.3
Some static abilities are characteristic-defining abilities
604.4
Many Auras, Equipment, and Fortifications have static abilities that modify the object they’re attached to, but those abilities don’t target that object. If an Aura, Equipment, or Fortification is moved to a different object, the ability stops applying to the original object and starts modifying the new one.
604.5
Some static abilities apply while a spell is on the stack
604.6
Some static abilities apply while a card is in any zone that you could cast or play it from (usually your hand). These are limited to those that read, “You may [cast/play] [this card] . . . ,” “You can’t [cast/play] [this card] . . . ,” and “[Cast/Play] [this card] only . . . .”
604.7
Unlike spells and other kinds of abilities, static abilities can’t use an object’s last known information for purposes of determining how their effects are applied.