Continuous effects in 3 easy steps

Continuous effects in 3 easy steps
By David Elden
Continuous effects in 3 easy (?) steps

CR 613.1
The values of an object’s characteristics are
determined by starting with the actual object.
For a card, that means the values of the
characteristics printed on that card. For a
token or a copy of a spell or card, that means
the values of the characteristics defined by the
effect that created it. Then all applicable
continuous effects are applied in a series of
layers in the following order:

CR 613.1 continued
● 613.1a Layer 1: Copy effects are applied. See rule 706,
“Copying Objects.”
● 613.1b Layer 2: Control-changing effects are applied.
● 613.1c Layer 3: Text-changing effects are applied. See
rule 612, “Text-Changing Effects.”
● 613.1d Layer 4: Type-changing effects are applied. These
include effects that change an object’s card type, subtype,
and/or supertype.
● 613.1e Layer 5: Color-changing effects are applied.
● 613.1f Layer 6:Ability-adding and ability-removing effects are
applied.
● 613.1g Layer 7: Power-and/or toughness-changing effects are
applied.

The three C's of judging
Copy
Control
Text
Type
Color
Abilities
P/T
Commander,
Clean
Table
Trash,
Complain
About
Players

Copy → Control
Copy Enchantment's copy effect takes place
in an earlier layer than Control Magic's control-
changing effect. These cards interact exactly
the way you would expect.

Control → Text
The current Oracle text for Volrath's Shapeshifter has
the ability templated as a text-changing effect rather
than a copy effect. Because of this, it looks at the top
card of its controller's graveyard, even when a
continuous effect changes its controller.

Text → Types
The text-changing effect from Artificial
Evolution applies before Hivestone's
type-changing effect, so these cards
interact sensibly.

Types → Color
March of the Machines has a type-changing
effect that makes the artifacts into creatures
before Darkest Hour applies and makes all
creatures black.

Color → Abilities
Thran Lens effectively counters Maze
Behemoth's trample-granting ability by
stripping the colors away one layer before it
takes effect.

Abilities → Power/Toughness
Humble removes the P/T setting ability from
Godhead of Awe before it would apply.

Power/Toughness sublayers (ref CR 613.3)
● Layer 7a: Effects from characteristic-defining abilities that
define power and/or toughness are applied. See rule 604.3.
● Layer 7b: Effects that set power and/or toughness to a
specific number or value are applied.
● Layer 7c: Effects that modify power and/or toughness (but
don’t set power and/or toughness to a specific number or
value) are applied.
● Layer 7d: Power and/or toughness changes from counters are
applied. See rule 121, “Counters.”
● Layer 7e: Effects that switch a creature’s power and
toughness are applied. Such effects take the value of power
and apply it to the creature’s toughness, and take the value of
toughness and apply it to the creature’s power.

P/T sublayers summary
● P/T setting characteristic-defining abilities,
which originate from the creature itself
(Tarmogoyf)
● Non-CDA P/T setting effects (Omnibian)
●
±N/±N effects (Augur Spree)
● Counters that modify P/T (Decree of
Savagery)
● P/T switching effects (Strange Inversion)

P/T sublayers summary
● Tarmogoyf is targeted by a cycled Decree of
Savagery, then by an Omnibian, then
Strangely Inverted, then hit with Augur Spree.
Assuming no other cards are in graveyards,
what is its current P/T?

CR 704.3
● Whenever a player would get priority (see rule
116, “Timing and Priority”), the game checks
for any of the listed conditions for state-based
actions, then performs all applicable state-
based actions simultaneously as a single
event...

CR 613.6
Within a layer or sublayer, determining which
order effects are applied in is usually done
using a timestamp system. An effect with an
earlier timestamp is applied before an effect
with a later timestamp.

CR 613.6 continued
● 613.6a A continuous effect generated by a static ability has the same timestamp as
the object the static ability is on, or the timestamp of the effect that created the
ability, whichever is later.
● 613.6b A continuous effect generated by the resolution of a spell or ability receives
a timestamp at the time it’s created.
● 613.6c An object’s timestamp is the time it entered the zone it’s currently in, unless
it’s an Aura, Equipment, or Fortification that’s attached to another object or player,
or it’s a face-up plane card, phenomenon card, or scheme card.
● 613.6d If an Aura, Equipment, or Fortification becomes attached to an object or
player, the Aura, Equipment, or Fortification receives a new timestamp at that time.
● 613.6e A face-up plane card, phenomenon card, or scheme card receives a
timestamp at the time it’s turned face up.
● 613.6f A face-up vanguard card receives a timestamp at the beginning of the
game.
● 613.6g If two or more objects would receive a timestamp simultaneously, such as
by entering a zone simultaneously or becoming attached simultaneously, the active
player determines their timestamp order at that time.

tl;dr
● An effect's timestamp is generally 'when the
effect started'.
● Active player decides what the order is if two
objects would get a timestamp at the same
time.
● NB: Equipments (and Fortifications) need to
actually move to a new object to receive a new
timestamp; just activating the equip ability
doesn't do it.

Timestamps
So if a creature is affected by both of these
effects, whichever one has the later timestamp
'wins' because it is applied later and
overwrites the earlier effect.

Copy
Control
Text
Type
Color
Abilities
P/T

Copy
Control
Text
Type
Color
Abilities
P/T
Opalescence – 4/4 Humility – 1/1

Abilities → Power/Toughness
Humble removes the P/T setting ability from
Godhead of Awe before it would apply.
?

CR 613.5
...If an effect starts to apply in one layer and/or
sublayer, it will continue to be applied to the
same set of objects in each other applicable
layer and/or sublayer, even if the ability
generating the effect is removed during this
process.

Dependencies - CR 613.7a
An effect is said to “depend on” another if (a)
it’s applied in the same layer (and, if
applicable, sublayer) as the other effect (see
rules 613.1 and 613.3); (b) applying the other
would change the text or the existence of the
first effect, what it applies to, or what it does to
any of the things it applies to; and (c) neither
effect is from a characteristic-defining ability or
both effects are from characteristic-defining
abilities. Otherwise, the effect is considered to
be independent of the other effect.

613.7a (paraphrased)
● A continuous effect is dependent on another
if they are both applied in the same layer and
applying the other effect first would
– Change its text or existence
– Change what objects it applies to
or
– Change what it does to those objects.
● Dependent effects are applied directly after
those they depend on, regardless of
timestamps.

Because Control Magic's effect is dependent
on Steal Enchantment's, Control Magic is
applied last, even though it entered the
battlefield before Steal Enchantment.
+ =

CR 613.7b
An effect dependent on one or more other
effects waits to apply until just after all of those
effects have been applied. If multiple
dependent effects would apply simultaneously
in this way, they’re applied in timestamp order
relative to each other. If several dependent
effects form a dependency loop, then this rule
is ignored and the effects in the dependency
loop are applied in timestamp order.

Timestamps decide whether we apply
Conspiracy or Life and Limb first
Copy
Control
Text
Type
Color
Abilities
P/T

Life and Limb first Copy
Control
Text
Type
Color
Abilities
P/T

CR 613.5
If an effect should be applied in different
layers and/or sublayers, the parts of the effect
each apply in their appropriate ones. If an
effect starts to apply in one layer and/or
sublayer, it will continue to be applied to the
same set of objects in each other applicable
layer and/or sublayer, even if the ability
generating the effect is removed during this
process.

What happens if Conspiracy is
applied first? Copy
Control
Text
Type
Color
Abilities
P/T

Conspiracy first Copy
Control
Text
Type
Color
Abilities
P/T

CR 305.6
...A land with a basic land type has the
intrinsic ability “{T}: Add [mana symbol] to your
mana pool,” even if the text box doesn’t
actually contain that text or the object has no
text box. For Plains, [mana symbol] is {W}; for
Islands, {U}; for Swamps, {B}; for Mountains,
{R}; and for Forests, {G}.

Three easy (?) steps
● Parse all the effects into their proper
layers.
● Apply effects with earlier timestamps
before effects with later timestamps.
● Apply dependent effects immediately
after the effects they depend on,
regardless of timestamps.
Copy
Control
Text
Type
Color
Abilities
P/T
T
O
A
D
S

Dependencies
● A continuous effect is dependent on another if they
are both applied in the same layer and applying the
other effect first would
– Change its text or existence
● (Blood Moon + Urborg)
– Change what objects it applies to
● (Conspiracy + Life and Limb
– Change what it does to those objects
● (Steal Enchantment + Control Magic).
● Dependent effects are applied directly after those
they depend on, regardless of timestamps (use
timestamps if there's a dependency loop).

Questions?
● Please be gentle.
Copy
Control
Text
Type
Color
Abilities
P/T
T
O
A
D
S

Phantasmal Image + Clone Copy
Control
Text
Type
Color
Abilities
P/T

Mutavault Copy
Control
Text
Type
Color
Abilities
P/T

Humility + Painter's Servant Copy
Control
Text
Type
Color
Abilities
P/T

Conversion + Blood Moon Copy
Control
Text
Type
Color
Abilities
P/T

Continuous effects in 3 easy steps

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