Rules

Comprehensive Rules

Search and browse the complete Magic: The Gathering rulebook

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

Back to all rules

Spells, Abilities, and Effects

17 chapters

606. Loyalty Abilities

5 chapters

606.1

Some activated abilities are loyalty abilities, which are subject to special rules.

606.2

An activated ability with a loyalty symbol in its cost is a loyalty ability. Normally, only planeswalkers have loyalty abilities.

606.3

A player may activate a loyalty ability of a permanent they control any time they have priority and the stack is empty during a main phase of their turn, but only if no player has previously activated a loyalty ability of that permanent that turn.

606.4

The cost to activate a loyalty ability of a permanent is to put on or remove from that permanent a certain number of loyalty counters, as shown by the loyalty symbol in the ability’s cost. This cost may be modified by other effects. 606.5 If the total cost to activate a loyalty ability contains multiple costs to add or remove loyalty counters, those costs are combined into a single cost to add or remove loyalty counters, as appropriate.

606.6

A loyalty ability with a negative loyalty cost, taking into account any additional costs, can’t be activated unless the permanent has at least that many loyalty counters on it.