Example: Saproling Burst has an ability that reads “Remove a fade counter from Saproling Burst: Put a green Saproling creature token into play. It has ‘This creature’s power and toughness are each equal to the number of fade counters on Saproling Burst.’” The ability granted to the token only looks at the Saproling Burst that created the token, not at any other Saproling Burst in play.

202.3. Two cards have the same name if the English versions of their names are identical, regardless of anything else printed on the cards.

203.1. The mana cost of a card is indicated by mana symbols printed on its upper right corner. If a card has no mana symbols printed in its upper right corner, it has no mana cost. Paying an object’s mana cost requires matching the color of any colored mana symbols as well as paying the generic mana indicated in the cost.

203.1a Lands normally have no mana cost. Tokens have no mana cost unless the effect that creates them specifies otherwise. A copy of an object copies that object’s mana cost.

203.2. An object is the color or colors of the mana symbols in its mana cost, regardless of the color of its frame.

203.2a Objects with no colored mana symbols in their mana costs are colorless.

203.2b An object with two or more different colored mana symbols in its mana cost is each of the colors of those mana symbols. Most multicolored cards are printed with a gold frame, but this is not a requirement for a card to be multicolored.

203.2c The five colors are white, blue, black, red, and green. The white mana symbol is represented by {W}, blue by {U}, black by {B}, red by {R}, and green by {G}.

Example: An object with a mana cost of {2}{W} is white, an object with a mana cost of {2} is colorless, and one with a mana cost of {2}{W}{B} is both white and black.

203.2d If a player is asked to choose a color, he or she must choose one of the five colors. “Multicolored” is not a color.

203.2e An object with one or more hybrid mana symbols in its mana cost is each of the colors of that mana symbol, in addition to any other colors the object might be. Most cards with hybrid mana symbols in their mana costs are printed in a two-tone frame. See rule 104.3.

203.3. The converted mana cost of an object is a number equal to the total amount of mana in its mana cost, regardless of color. Some effects ask a player to pay mana equal to an object’s converted mana cost; this cost may be paid with any combination of colored and/or colorless mana, regardless of the colors in the object’s mana cost.

Example: A mana cost of {3}{U}{U} translates to a converted mana cost of 5.

203.3a The converted mana cost of an object with no mana cost is 0.

203.4. Any additional cost listed in an object’s rules text or imposed by an effect isn’t part of the mana cost. (See rule 409, “Playing Spells and Activated Abilities.”) Such costs are paid at the same time as the spell’s other costs.

204.1. The illustration is printed on the upper half of a card and has no game significance. For example, a creature doesn’t have the flying ability unless stated in its rules text, even if it’s depicted as flying.

205.1. The type (and subtype and supertype, if applicable) of a card is printed directly below the illustration. (See rule 212, “Type, Supertype, and Subtype.”)

205.2. Types

205.2a The types are artifact, creature, enchantment, instant, land, and sorcery.

205.2b. Some objects have more than one type (for example, an artifact creature). Such objects satisfy the criteria for any effect that applies to any of their types.

205.3. Subtypes

205.3a A card can have one or more subtypes printed on its type line.

205.3b Subtypes are always single words and are listed after a long dash. Each word after the dash is a separate subtype.

205.3c Subtypes of a [type] object are also called [type] types. For example, creature subtypes are also called creature types. Objects may have multiple subtypes.

Example: “Basic Land – Mountain” means the card is a land with the Mountain subtype. “Creature – Goblin Wizard” means the card is a creature with the subtypes Goblin and Wizard. “Artifact – Equipment” means the card is an artifact with the subtype Equipment.

205.3d Most card types each have their own unique set of possible subtypes. (You can find complete lists of subtypes in the glossary at the end of this document under “Creature Types,” “Land Types,” and so on.) However, instants and sorceries can share subtypes. Collectively, instant and sorcery subtypes are called spell types.

205.3e If an artifact creature card has subtypes printed on its type line, those subtypes are creature types. If an artifact land card has subtypes printed on its type line, those types are land types.

205.4. Supertypes

205.4a A card can also have one or more supertypes. These are printed directly before the card’s types. If an object’s types or subtypes change, any supertypes it has are kept, although they may not be relevant to the new type.

205.4b Any land with the supertype “basic” is a basic land. Any land that doesn’t have this supertype is a nonbasic land.

Example: Note that cards printed in sets prior to the Eighth Edition core set didn’t use the word “basic” to indicate a basic land. Cards from those sets with the following names are basic lands: Forest, Island, Mountain, Plains, Swamp, Snow-Covered Forest, Snow-Covered Island, Snow-Covered Mountain, Snow-Covered Plains, and Snow-Covered Swamp.

205.4c Any permanent with the supertype “legendary” is subject to the state-based effect for legendary permanents, also called the “legend rule” (see rule 420.5e).

205.4d Any permanent with the supertype “world” is subject to the state-based effect for world permanents, also called the “world rule” (see rule 420.5i).

205.4e Any permanent with the supertype “snow” is a snow permanent. Any permanent that doesn’t have this supertype is a nonsnow permanent, regardless of its name.

206.1. The expansion symbol indicates which Magic set a card is from. It’s normally printed below the right edge of the illustration.

206.2. The color of the expansion symbol indicates the rarity of the card within its set. A gold symbol indicates the card is rare. A silver expansion symbol indicates the card is uncommon. A black or white expansion symbol indicates the card is common or is a basic land. A purple expansion symbol signifies a special rarity; to date, only the Time Spiral™ “timeshifted” cards, which were rarer than that set’s rare cards, have had purple expansion symbols. (Prior to the Exodus™ set, all expansion symbols were black, regardless of rarity. Also, prior to the Sixth Edition core set, Magic core sets didn’t have expansion symbols at all.)