Multiplayer Rules First Draft 07-01-04

Multiplayer Rules First Draft 07-01-04

The normal Magic Comprehensive Rules deal with a game between two players. However, here at Wizards, we want to be better able to support multiplayer play. So, we’re going to be upgrading the rulebook so that it can handle multiplayer play. This will allow us to design more cards for multiplayer (because we’ll understand the game better), and answer questions on multiplayer better (because we’ll have clarified rules).

Below is a draft of the rules that will be added. These rules are not considered official at this time (as you’ll quickly see, there are places where they’re not even finished). We hope to have any errors, omissions and unclear points ironed out in time to incorporate these rules into the Comprehensive Rulebook in the Champions of Kamigawa version.

General Changes for Multiplayer

Change 100.1 (general)

100.1. These Magic rules handle any Magic game with two or more players, including one-on-one games, multiplayer games, and team games.

Change 101.1 (shuffling at start of game)

101.1. At the start of a game, each player shuffles his or her own deck so that the cards are in a random order. Each player may then shuffle any of his or her opponents’ decks. The players’ decks become their libraries.

Change 101.5. (play/draw rule)

101.5. Once all players are satisfied with their hands, the starting player takes his or her turn. In a two-player game, the player who plays first skips the draw step (see rule 304, “Draw Step”) of his or her first turn. In a multiplayer game, that player doesn’t skip the draw step of his or her first turn. After the starting player takes his or her turn, the turn sequence continues clockwise (to the left) around the table.

Change Section 102. (Winning and Losing) – changed around completely.

102.1. A game immediately ends when a player wins or when the game is a draw.

102.2. There are several ways to win the game.

102.2a A player wins the game if he or she is still in the game, but all of his or her opponents have lost the game.

102.2b If an effect states that a player wins the game, all of that player’s opponents lose the game.

102.3. There are several ways to lose the game.

102.3a If a player’s life total is 0 or less, he or she loses the game the next time a player would receive priority. (This is a state-based effect. See rule 420.)

102.3b When a player is required to draw more cards than are left in his or her library, he or she draws the remaining cards, and then loses the game the next time a player would receive priority. (This is a state-based effect. See rule 420.)

102.3c If a player has ten or more poison counters, he or she loses the game the next time a player would receive priority. (This is a state-based effect. See rule 420.)

102.3d If a player’s opponent wins the game, the player loses the game.

102.3e If a player would both win and lose simultaneously, he or she loses.

102.4. There are several ways to draw the game.

102.4a If all the players remaining in a game lose simultaneously, the game is a draw.

102.4b If the game somehow enters a “loop,” repeating a sequence of events with no way to stop, the game is a draw. Loops that contain an optional action don’t result in a draw.

102.5. A player can concede the game at any time. A player who concedes a game leaves the game immediately. He or she loses the game.

102.6. If a player loses the game, he or she leaves the game. Likewise, if a player leaves the game, he or she loses the game.

102.6a When a player leaves the game, all objects owned by that player leave the game and any change-of-control effects which give that player control of any objects end. Then, if there are any objects still controlled by that player, those objects leave the game. This is not a state-based effect – it happens as soon as the player leaves the game.

Example: Control Magic

Example: Ray of Command

Example: Verdant Force

Example: Bribery

102.6b If an object owned by a player who is not in the game would be put into any zone of the game, it leaves the game instead. (This includes abilities that would be put onto the stack.)

Example: Putting abilities onto the stack.

102.6c If an object requires a player who is not in the game to make a choice, the controller of the object must choose a new player to make that choice. If the original choice was to be made by an opponent of the controller of the object, the controller must choose another opponent if possible.

102.7. In a team game, a team loses the game if all its members lose. A team wins the game if all of the other teams have lost the game. The game is a draw if all the remaining teams lose at once.

Change Glossary: Control, Controller

A permanent’s controller is whoever put it into play. If the spell or ability that put it into play states that it is put into play under another player’s controls, the control of the permanent is determined by that continuous effect. Other effects can later change a permanent’s controller.

Change 103.4 (APNAP rule)

103.4. If both players would take an action at the same time, the active player (the player whose turn it is) makes and announces any choices required, followed by the nonactive players in clockwise order around the table, then the actions happen simultaneously. This rule is often referred to as the “Active Player, Nonactive Player (APNAP) rule.”

Example: A card reads “Each player sacrifices a creature.” First, the active player chooses a creature he or she controls. Then the nonactive player chooses a creature he or she controls. Then both creatures are sacrificed simultaneously.

Change 200.3 (number of players in the game, defining “opponent”).

200.3. A player is one of the people in the game. A player’s opponents are the other players. The active player is the player whose turn it is. The other players are nonactive players.

Add 200.3a (team games)

200.3a In a team game, a player’s teammates are the other players on his or her team, and the player’s opponents are all the players who aren’t his or her teammates.

Change 300.2 (all players pass in succession), 305.2 (same)

300.2. A phase or step ends when the stack is empty and all players pass in succession. No game events can occur between turns, phases, or steps. Simply having the stack become empty doesn’t cause the phase or step to end; all players have to pass with the stack empty. Because of this, each player always gets a chance to add new things to the stack before the current phase or step ends.

305.2. The main phase has no steps, so a main phase ends when all players pass in succession while the stack is empty. (See rule 300.2)

Change 306.3 (defending player)

306.3. During the combat phase, the active player is attacking and is the attacking player. As the combat phase starts, the active player chooses one opponent. The chosen opponent is being attacked and is the defending player.

Change 307.1 (beginning of combat step)

307.1. As the beginning of combat step begins, the active player chooses a player to attack. That player becomes the any abilities that trigger at the beginning of combat go on the stack. (See rule 410, “Handling Triggered Abilities.”) Then the active player gets priority and players may play spells and abilities.

Change 408.1c (gaining priority after passing)

408.1c The active player gets priority at the beginning of most phases and steps, after any game actions are dealt with and abilities that trigger at the beginning of that phase or step go on the stack. No player gets priority during the untap step and players usually don’t get priority during the cleanup step (see rule 314.3). The player with priority may play a spell or ability, take a special action, or pass. If he or she plays a spell or ability, or takes a special action, the player again receives priority; otherwise, the next player clockwise around the table receives priority. If all players pass in succession (that is, if all players pass without taking any actions in between passing), the top object on the stack resolves, then the active player receives priority. If the stack is empty when all players pass in succession, the phase or step ends and the next one begins.

Change 409.2 (other players doing stuff while playing spells/abilities – need to determine an order)

409.2. Some spells and abilities specify that one of their controller’s opponents does something the controller would normally do while it’s being played, such as choose a mode, choose targets, or choose how the spell or ability will affect its targets. In these cases, the opponent does so when the spell or ability’s controller normally would do so. If the spell or ability instructs the controller and another player to do something at the same time as it’s being played, the spell’s controller goes first, then the other player. This is an exception to rule 103.4.

Change 410.3 (putting triggered abilities on the stack)

410.3. If multiple abilities have triggered since the last time a player received priority, the abilities controlled by the active player go on the stack first, in any order he or she chooses, then, clockwise around the table, those controlled by each other player go on the stack in any order that player chooses. Then players once again check for and resolve state-based effects until none are generated, then abilities that triggered during this process go on the stack. This process repeats until no new state-based effects are generated and no abilities trigger. Then the appropriate player gets priority.

Change 413.1 (passing in succession)

413.1. Each time all players pass in succession, the object (a spell, an ability, or combat damage) on top of the stack resolves. (See rule 416, “Effects.”)

Change 413.2d (choices at the same time – isn’t this just 103.4 written out again?)

413.2d If an effect requires one or more players to make choices or take actions at the same time, the active player makes and announces his or her choices first, and then the nonactive players do so in order (knowing all previous players’ choices). Then the actions take place simultaneously. See rule 103.4. If a player must make more than one choice at a time, he or she makes the choices in the order written, or in the order he or she chooses if the choices aren’t ordered. Then the actions are processed simultaneously.

Some spells and abilities have multiple steps or actions, denoted by separate sentences or clauses. In these cases, the active player makes any choices required for the first action, then the nonactive players make any choices required for that action in order, then the first action is processed simultaneously. Then the active player makes any choices required for the second action, then the nonactive players make any choices required for that action in order, then that action is processed simultaneously, and so on.

Example: Stronghold Gambit reads, in part, “Each player chooses a card in his or her hand. Then each player reveals his or her chosen card.” First the active player chooses a card, then the nonactive player does so. Each player reveals the cards simultaneously.

Change 419.9a (choices at the same time for replacements)

419.9a If two or more replacement or prevention effects are attempting to modify the way an event affects an object or player, the affected object’s controller (or its owner if it has no controller) or the affected player chooses one to apply. Then the other effect applies if it is still appropriate. If one or more of the applicable replacement effects is a self-replacement effect (see rule 419.6d), that effect is applied before any other replacement effects. If two or more players have to make these choices at the same time, follow the “Active Player, Nonactive Player rule” (see rule 103.4).

Example: Two cards are in play. One is an enchantment that reads “If a card would be put into a graveyard, instead remove it from the game,” and the other is a creature that reads “If [this creature] would be put into a graveyard from play, instead shuffle it into its owner’s library.” The controller of the creature that would be destroyed decides which replacement to apply first; the other does nothing.

Add 420.5m (new state-based effect)

420.5m If an object in the game is owned by a player who is not in the game, that object leaves the game.

Change 421.3 (loops involving both players)

This section is not yet modified.

Change 421.5 (loops involving both players)

This section is not yet modified.

Section 6: Multiplayer Optional Rules

600 General Options

600.1 Most multiplayer games are played using only the rules in sections 1 through 5 of this rulebook. This section contains additional optional rules which can be used for some kinds of multiplayer play.

601 Spell Range

601.1 Spell range is the maximum distance from a player that the player can affect. Spell range covers spells, abilities, effects, damage, attacking, and making choices.

601.1a A player is within another player’s spell range if that player is within that many seats of the other player. An object is within a player’s spell range if it is controlled by that player, or another player within that many seats of that player.

601.1b The players that are within each player’s spell range are set at the beginning of each turn. If a player leaves the game, the group of players who are in the spell range of players around the player who left the game will not change until the beginning of the next turn.

Example: In a game with a spell range of 1, Billy is sat to the right of Alison, and Clarissa is sat to the right of Billy. Clarissa is not in Alison’s spell range. If Billy leaves the game, he leaves the game, and Clarissa will enter Alison’s spell range at the start of the next turn.