A two&h;player game is a game that begins with only two players.

A multiplayer game is a game that begins with more than two players. See section 8 (Multiplayer Rules).

Constructed play is a way of playing in which each player creates his own deck ahead of time. In constructed play, each deck has a minimum deck size of 60 cards. A constructed deck may contain any number of basic land cards and no more than four of any card with a particular English name other than basic land cards. For the purposes of deck construction, cards with interchangeable names have the same English name (see rule 2.1.3).

Limited play is a way of playing in which each player gets the same quantity of unopened &Magic; product, such as booster packs, and creates his own deck using only this product and basic land cards. In limited play, each deck has a minimum deck size of 40 cards. A limited deck may contain as many duplicates of a card as are included with the product.

A Commander deck is subject to additional deckbuilding restrictions and requirements. See rule 9.3 (Commander) for details.

The occasional format or casual play variant allows players to use a supplementary deck of nontraditional &Magic; cards (see rule 1.8.2.a). Such a supplementary deck has its own deck construction rules. See rules 7.17 (Attraction Cards), 9.1 (Planechase), and 9.4 (Archenemy).

In constructed play, a sideboard may contain no more than fifteen cards. The four&h;card limit (see rule 1.0.2.a) applies to the combined deck and sideboard.

In limited play involving individual players, all cards in a player&a;s card pool not included in his deck are in that player&a;s sideboard.

In limited play involving the Two&h;Headed Giant multiplayer variant, all cards in a team&a;s card pool but not in either player&a;s deck are in that team&a;s sideboard.

In limited play involving any other multiplayer team variant: Each card in a team&a;s card pool but not in any player&a;s deck is assigned to the sideboard of one of those players. Each player has his own sideboard. Cards may not be transferred between players.

The usual tournament consists of a series of matches. The usual two&h;player match involves playing until one player has won two games. The usual multiplayer match consists of only one game.

A player can use the &Magic; Store & Event Locator at wizards.com/locator to find tournaments in his area.

Adding abilities to objects and removing abilities from objects don&a;t fall under this rule. (See rule 1.13.10.)

If an effect has each player choose a card in a hidden zone, such as his hand or library, those cards may remain face down as they&a;re chosen. However, each player must clearly indicate which face&h;down card he is choosing.

A player knows the choices made by the previous players when making his choice, except as specified in 1.1.4.a.

If a player would make more than one choice at the same time, the player makes the choices in the order specified. If no order is specified, the player chooses the order.

If a choice made by a nonactive player causes the active player, or a different nonactive player earlier in the turn order, to have to make a choice, APNAP order is restarted for all outstanding choices.

If multiple players would make choices or take actions while starting the game, the starting player is considered the active player and each other player is considered a nonactive player.

In a game using the shared team turns option, there is a starting team rather than a starting player.

In an Archenemy game, these methods aren&a;t used to determine who takes the first turn. Rather, the archenemy takes the first turn.

One card (Power Play) states that its controller is the starting player. This effect applies after this determination has happened, and supersedes these methods.

If any players are using sideboards (see rule 1.0.4) or cards being represented by substitute cards (see rule 7.13), those cards are set aside. After this happens, each player&a;s deck is considered his starting deck.

If any player wishes to reveal from outside the game a card that he owns with a companion ability, he may do so. A player may reveal no more than one card this way, and he may do so only if his deck fulfills the condition of that card&a;s companion ability. The revealed card remains outside the game. (See rule 7.2.139 (Companion).)

In a Commander game, each player puts his commander from his deck face up into the command zone. See rule 9.3.6.

In a constructed game, each player playing with sticker sheets reveals all of his sticker sheets and chooses three of them at random. In a limited game, each player chooses up to three sticker sheets from among those in the sealed product he opened and reveals them. In either case, that player has access to only the stickers on the chosen sheets during the game, and those sticker sheets remain revealed. (See rule 1.23 (Stickers).)

In a Conspiracy Draft game, each player puts any number of conspiracy cards from his sideboard into the command zone. See rule 9.5.4.

In a game using one or more supplementary decks of nontraditional cards (see rule 1.0.2.d): Each supplementary deck&a;s owner shuffles it so the cards are in a random order. Each player may then shuffle or cut his opponents&a; supplementary decks.

In a Two&h;Headed Giant game, each team&a;s starting life total is 30.

In a Vanguard game, each player&a;s starting life total is 20 plus or minus the life modifier of his vanguard card.

In a Commander game, each player&a;s starting life total is 40.

In a two&h;player Brawl game, each player&a;s starting life total is 25. In a multiplayer Brawl game, each player&a;s starting life total is 30.

In an Archenemy game, the archenemy&a;s starting life total is 40.

In a Vanguard game, each player&a;s starting hand size is seven plus or minus the hand modifier of his vanguard card.

If an effect allows a player to perform an action “any time [that player] could mulligan”, the player may perform that action at a time he would declare whether he will take a mulligan. This need not be in the first round of mulligans. Other players may have already made their mulligan declarations by the time the player has the option to perform this action. If the player performs the action, he then declares whether he will take a mulligan.

In a multiplayer game and in any Brawl game, the first mulligan a player takes doesn&a;t count toward the number of cards that player will put on the bottom of his library or toward the number of mulligans that player may take. Subsequent mulligans are counted toward these numbers as normal.

In a multiplayer game using the shared team turns option: First each player on the starting team declares whether that player will take a mulligan, then the players on each other team in turn order do the same. Teammates may consult while making their decisions. Then all mulligans are taken at the same time. A player may take a mulligan even after a teammate has decided to keep his opening hand.

If a card allows a player to begin the game with that card on the battlefield, the player taking this action puts that card onto the battlefield.

If a card allows a player to reveal it from their opening hand: The player taking this action does so. The card remains revealed until the first turn begins. Each card may be revealed this way only once.

In a multiplayer game using the shared team turns option: First, each player on the starting team, in whatever order that team likes, may take such actions. Teammates may consult while making their decisions. Then each player on each other team in turn order does the same.

In a two&h;player game, the player who plays first skips the draw step (see rule 5.4 (Draw Step) of his first turn.

In a Two&h;Headed Giant game, the team that plays first skips the draw step of its first turn.

In all other multiplayer games, no player skips the draw step of his first turn.

A player still in the game wins the game if that player&a;s opponents have all left the game. This happens immediately and overrides all effects that would preclude that player from winning the game.

The occasional effect states that a player wins the game.

In a multiplayer game between teams, a team with at least one player still in the game wins the game if all other teams have left the game. Each player on the winning team wins the game, even if one or more of those players had previously lost that game.

In an Emperor game, a team wins the game if its emperor wins the game. (See rule 8.9.5.)

A player can concede the game at any time. A player who concedes leaves the game immediately. That player loses the game.

If a player&a;s life total is 0 or less, that player loses the game the next time a player would receive priority. (This is a state&h;based action. See rule 7.4.)

If a player is required to draw more cards than are left in his library, he draws the remaining cards and then loses the game the next time a player would receive priority. (This is a state&h;based action. See rule 7.4.)

If a player has ten or more poison counters, that player loses the game the next time a player would receive priority. (This is a state&h;based action. See rule 7.4.)

The occasional effect states that a player loses the game.

If a player would both win and lose the game simultaneously, that player loses the game.

In a multiplayer game between teams, a team loses the game if all players on that team have lost the game.

In a multiplayer game using the limited range of influence option (see rule 8.1), an effect that states that a player wins the game instead causes all of that player&a;s opponents within the player&a;s range of influence to lose the game. This may not cause the game to end.

In an Emperor game, a team loses the game if its emperor loses the game. (See rule 8.9.5.)

In a Commander game, a player who&a;s been dealt 21 or more combat damage by the same commander over the course of the game loses the game. (This is a state&h;based action. See rule 7.4. See also rule 9.3.10.)

In a tournament, a player may lose the game as a result of a penalty given by a judge. See rule 1.0.6.

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

If a game that&a;s not using the limited range of influence option (including a two&h;player game) somehow enters a “loop” of mandatory actions, repeating a sequence of events with no way to stop, the game is a draw. Loops that contain an optional action don&a;t result in a draw.

The occasional effect states that the game is a draw.

In a multiplayer game between teams, the game is a draw if all remaining teams lose simultaneously.

In a multiplayer game using the limited range of influence option, the effect of a spell or ability that states that the game is a draw causes the game to be a draw for that spell or ability&a;s controller and all players within his range of influence. Only those players leave the game. The game continues for all other players.

In a multiplayer game using the limited range of influence option, if the game somehow enters a “loop” of mandatory actions, repeating a sequence of events with no way to stop, the game is a draw for each player who controls an object that&a;s involved in that loop, as well as for each player within the range of influence of any of those players. Only those players leave the game. The game continues for all other players.

In a multiplayer game between teams, the game is a draw for a team if the game is a draw for all remaining players on that team.

In the Emperor variant, the game is a draw for a team if the game is a draw for its emperor. (See rule 8.9.5.)

In a tournament, all players in the game may agree to an intentional draw. See rule 1.0.6.

A monocolored object is exactly one of the five colors.

A multicolored object is two or more of the five colors.

A colorless object has no color.

There are five colors of mana: white, blue, black, red, and green.

There are six types of mana: white, blue, black, red, green, and colorless.

If any mana remains in a player&a;s mana pool after mana is spent to pay a cost, that player announces what mana is still there.

If a player passes priority (see rule 1.17) while there is mana in his mana pool, that player announces what mana is there.

The occasional replacement effect increases the amount of mana produced by a spell or ability. In such a case, any restrictions or additional effects created by the spell or ability will apply to all mana produced. If the spell or ability creates a delayed triggered ability that triggers when the mana is spent, a separate delayed triggered ability is created for each mana produced. If the spell or ability creates a continuous effect or replacement effect if the mana is spent, a separate effect is created once for each mana produced.

An ability that triggers whenever a permanent “is tapped for mana”, or is tapped for mana of a specified type, triggers whenever such a mana ability resolves and produces mana or the specified type of mana.

A replacement effect that applies if a permanent “is tapped for mana”, or is tapped for mana of a specific type and/or amount, modifies the mana&h;production event while such an ability is resolving and producing mana or the specified type and/or amount of mana.

You can&a;t choose a fractional number, deal fractional damage, gain fractional life, and so on. If a spell or ability could generate a fractional number, the spell or ability will tell you whether to round up or down.

Most of the time, the &Magic; game uses only positive numbers and zero. You can&a;t choose a negative number, deal negative damage, gain negative life, and so on. However, it&a;s possible for a game value, such as a creature&a;s power, to be less than zero. If a calculation or comparison needs to use a negative value, it does so. If a calculation that would determine the result of an effect yields a negative number, zero is used instead, unless that effect doubles or sets to a specific value a player&a;s life total or the power and/or toughness of a creature or creature card.

If a rule or ability instructs a player to choose “any number”, that player may choose any positive number or zero.

If a spell or activated ability has a mana cost, alternative cost, additional cost, and/or activation cost with an {X}, [−X], or X in it, and the value of X isn&a;t defined by the text of that spell or ability, the controller of that spell or ability chooses and announces the value of X as part of casting the spell or activating the ability. (See rule 6.1 (Casting Spells).) While a spell is on the stack, any X in its mana cost or in any alternative cost or additional cost it has equals the announced value. While an activated ability is on the stack, any X in its activation cost equals the announced value.

If a player is casting a spell that has an {X} in its mana cost, the value of X isn&a;t defined by the text of that spell, and an effect lets that player cast that spell while paying neither its mana cost nor an alternative cost that includes X, then the only legal choice for X is 0. This doesn&a;t apply to effects that only reduce a cost, even if they reduce it to zero. See rule 6.1 (Casting Spells).

If a spell or activated ability has an {X}, [−X], or X in its cost and/or its text, and the value of X is defined by the text of that spell or ability, then that&a;s the value of X while that spell or ability is on the stack. The controller of that spell or ability doesn&a;t get to choose the value. Note that the value of X may change while that spell or ability is on the stack.

If a cost associated with a special action, such as a suspend cost or a morph cost, has an {X} or an X in it, the value of X is chosen by the player taking the special action immediately before they pay that cost.

If a spell or ability refers to the {X} or X in the mana cost, alternative cost, additional cost, or activation cost of another object, any X in that spell or ability&a;s text uses the value of X chosen or defined for the other object.

Sometimes X appears in the text of a spell or ability but not in a mana cost, alternative cost, additional cost, or activation cost. If the value of X isn&a;t defined, the controller of the spell or ability chooses the value of X at the appropriate time (either as it&a;s put on the stack or as it resolves).

If a card in any zone other than the stack has an {X} in its mana cost, the value of {X} is treated as 0, even if the value of X is defined somewhere within its text.

If an effect instructs a player to pay an object&a;s mana cost that includes {X}, the value of X is treated as 0 unless the object is a spell on the stack. In that case, the value of X is the value chosen or determined for it as the spell was cast.

Normally, all instances of X on an object have the same value at any given time.

If an object gains an ability, the value of X within that ability is the value defined by that ability, or 0 if that ability doesn&a;t define a value of X. This is an exception to rule 1.7.3.i. This may occur with ability-adding effects, text-changing effects, or copy effects.

If an object&a;s activated ability has an {X}, [−X], or X in its activation cost, the value of X for that ability is independent of any other values of X chosen for that object or for other instances of abilities of that object. This is an exception to rule 1.7.3.i.

If an object&a;s enters-the-battlefield triggered ability or replacement effect refers to X, and the spell that became that object as it resolved had a value of X chosen for any of its costs, the value of X for that ability is the same as the value of X for that spell, although the value of X for that permanent is 0. This is an exception to rule 1.7.3.i.

If a delayed triggered ability created by a resolving spell or ability refers to X, X is not defined in the text of that triggered ability, and the spell or ability that created it had a value of X chosen for any of its costs, the value of X for the triggered ability is the same as the value of X for the spell of ability that created it.

Sometimes an object uses the letter Y in addition to the letter X. Y follows the same rules as X.

There are five primary colored mana symbols: {W} is white, {U} blue, {B} black, {R} red, and {G} green. These symbols are used to represent colored mana, and also to represent colored mana in costs. Colored mana in costs can be paid only with the appropriate color of mana. See rule 2.2 (Mana Cost and Color).

Numerical symbols (such as {1}) and variable symbols (such as {X}) represent generic mana in costs. Generic mana in costs can be paid with any type of mana. For more information about {X}, see rule 1.7.3.

The colorless mana symbol {C} is used to represent one colorless mana, and also to represent a cost that can be paid only with one colorless mana.

The symbol {0} represents zero mana and is used as a placeholder for a cost that can be paid with no resources. (See rule 1.18.5.)

A hybrid mana symbol is also a colored mana symbol, even if one of its components is colorless. Each one represents a cost that can be paid in one of two ways, as represented by the two halves of the symbol. A hybrid mana symbol is all of its component colors.

Phyrexian mana symbols are colored mana symbols: {W/F} is white, {U/F} is blue, {B/F} is black, {R/F} is red, and {G/F} is green. A Phyrexian mana symbol represents a cost that can be paid either with one mana of its color or by paying 2 life. There are also ten hybrid Phyrexian mana symbols. A hybrid Phyrexian mana symbol represents a cost that can be paid with one mana of either of its component colors or by paying 2 life. A hybrid Phyrexian mana symbol is both of its component colors.

In rules text, the Phyrexian symbol {F} with no colored background means any of the fifteen Phyrexian mana symbols.

When used in a cost, the snow mana symbol {S} represents a cost that can be paid with one mana of any type produced by a snow source (see rule 1.6.3). Effects that reduce the amount of generic mana you pay don&a;t affect {S} costs. The {S} symbol can also be used to refer to mana of any type produced by a snow source spent to pay a cost. Snow is neither a color nor a type of mana.

“{LEVEL N1–N2} [Abilities] [P/T]” means “As long as this creature has at least N1 level counters on it, but no more than N2 level counters on it, it has base power and toughness [P/T] and has [abilities].”.

“{LEVEL N3+} [Abilities] [P/T]” means “As long as this creature has N3 or more level counters on it, it has base power and toughness [P/T] and has [abilities].”.