Part 29 (1/2)

Some older cards used the term ”poly artifact” on the card's type line. They were artifacts that had activated abilities that don't include the tap symbol. Cards that were printed with the term ”poly artifact” now simply use ”artifact.”

Postcombat

The second main phase in each turn is called the postcombat main phase. If an effect causes a turn to have an extra combat phase and another main phase, the additional one is also a postcombat main phase. See rule 305, ”Main Phase.”

Power

The number before the slash printed on the lower right corner of a creature card is its power. See rule 208, ”Power/Toughness.”

Creatures that attack or block a.s.sign combat damage equal to their power. See rule 310, ”Combat Damage Step.”

Some creature cards have power represented by * instead of a number. The object has a characteristic-setting ability that sets its power according to some stated condition. The * is 0 while the object isn't in play.

A noncreature permanent has no power, even if it's a card with a power printed on it (such as a Licid that's become an Aura).

Precombat

The first main phase in each turn is called the precombat main phase. See rule 305, ”Main Phase.”

Prevention Effect

Effects that prevent something from happening replace it with ”do nothing.” (See rule 419, ”Replacement and Prevention Effects.”) A prevention effect must be active before the event it's intended to prevent.

Effects that prevent a specific amount of damage act as ”s.h.i.+elds” and stay active until that amount of damage has been prevented or the turn ends. The damage doesn't have to be dealt by a single source or all at once.

Effects that prevent the next damage from a specific source apply the next time that source would deal damage, regardless of the amount. These effects expire when the turn ends. See rule 419.8, ”Sources of Damage.”

Priority

The player who has the option to play a spell or ability at any given time has priority. See rule 408, ”Timing of Spells and Abilities.”

Each time a spell, an ability (other than a mana ability), or combat damage resolves, and at the beginning of most phases and steps, the active player receives priority. If a player has priority when he or she plays a spell, ability, or land, or takes a special action, he or she receives priority afterward. When a player pa.s.ses in a two-player game, his or her opponent receives priority.

If all players pa.s.s in succession, the spell, ability, or combat damage on top of the stack resolves or, if the stack is empty, the phase or step ends.

Each time a player would get priority, all applicable state-based effects resolve first as a single event (see rule 420). Then, if any new state-based effects have been generated, they resolve as a single event. This process repeats until no more applicable state-based effects are generated. Then triggered abilities are added to the stack (see rule 410). These steps repeat in order until no further state-based effects or triggered abilities are generated.

In the Two-Headed Giant multiplayer variant, teams rather than individual players have priority. See rule 606, ”Two-Headed Giant Variant.”

Protection