Replacement effects are continuous effects that modify or replace other effects or actions as they occur. They can exist as static abilities on permanents or be created by one-shot effects. Replacement effects replace specific events like a permanent entering the battlefield and must be applied in a certain order if multiple effects could apply, with self-replacement effects applying first. Replacement effects only modify the event they specify and don't affect other actions happening simultaneously.

1. Alex Roebuck

2. What are replacement effects?
 A subset of continuous effects.
 Effects that modify another effect or action, or causes the
effect/action to be skipped.
 They can exist as a static ability on a permanent. They
function for as long as that permanent is on the battlefield.
 ...or they can be created by a one-shot effect, which means
they have no visual representation and a pre-defined
duration.

3. Identifying replacement effects
 Instead
 Skip
 “[This permanent] enters
the battlefield with/as...”
 “As [this permanent]
enters the battlefield...”

4. What gets replaced?
 A replacement effect’s text will (usually) indicate what
events it affects.
 If the indicated event would happen, the replacement
effect is applied at the exact time that event should
happen.
 Many events occur as part of a larger string of actions,
such as following the instructions of a spell as you
resolve it. Replacement effects only modify the
indicated event and not other things that should
happen in the same batch of actions.

5. What gets replaced?

6. What gets replaced?

7. What gets replaced?

8. Non-static replacement effects
 Not all replacement effects are static abilities of
permanents.
 Replacement effects can be created by a spell or ability
resolving.
 They might have a pre-defined duration.
 They might last indefinitely, or until they are “used
up.”

9. Non-static replacement effects

10. Multiple replacement effects
 The affected player / the controller of the affected
object decides which replacement effect to apply, with
the following restrictions:
 Self-replacement effects must be applied before any
other replacement effects.
 If a replacement effect would modify under whose
control an object would enter the battlefield, it must
be applied next.
 If a replacement effect would cause an object to
become a copy of another object as it enters the
battlefield, it must be applied next
 Any remaining effect may be chosen.

11. Multiple replacement effects
 Once a replacement effect has been chosen, we apply it to
produce a modified event.
 If any replacement effects could apply to the modified
event, the player chooses one of them using the same
criteria as before.
 This can include replacement effects which weren’t
applicable to the original event, but which are applicable to
the modified event.
 A replacement effect can only apply to each event once – no
replacement effect which has already applied during the
event’s “modification history” can apply a second time.
 The process is repeated until no more replacement effects
could apply.

12. Multiple replacement effects

13. Multiple replacement effects

14. Multiple replacement effects

15. Multiple replacement effects

16. Multiple replacement effects

17. Self-replacement Effects
 Some effects modify
themselves. This means that
both the event that’s going to
be modified and the
replacement effect that
modifies it come from the
same source.
 “Do X. Instead of X, do Y.”

18. Self-replacement Effects
 Why not just start with “Do Y?”
 Self-replacement allows spells
and abilities to function in a
variable or modified way in
certain circumstances.

19. Self-replacement Effects

20. Self-replacement Effects

21. Self-replacement Effects

22. Self-replacement Effects

23. Entering the battlefield
 Some replacement effects modify how a permanent
enters the battlefield, e.g. tapped; face down.
 These replacement effects can come from the object’s
own abilities...
 ...or from other continuous effects.

24. Entering the battlefield
 To determine which effects apply and what they do...
 Use the same criteria as before to apply the effects in the
correct order.
 Check the characteristics of the permanent as it would
exist on the battlefield.
 For each effect, take into account any replacement effects
which have already been applied.
 If the object is a spell, consider any continuous effects that
have changed its characteristics (e.g. Moonlace).
 Factor in the object’s own static abilities as they would
apply to it on the battlefield, but ignore continuous effects
from other sources.

25. Entering the battlefield
 The results of the replacement effects are calculated
immediately before the object moves zones, and
applied as it moves.

26. Entering the battlefield

27. Entering the battlefield

28. Entering the battlefield

29. Entering the battlefield