Rules glossary
↑ Section 603. Handling Triggered Abilities
603.2 Whenever a game event or game state matches a triggered ability’s trigger event, that ability automatically triggers. The ability doesn’t do anything at this point.
- 603.2a Because they aren’t cast or activated, triggered abilities can trigger even when it isn’t legal to cast spells and activate abilities. Effects that preclude abilities from being activated don’t affect them.
- 603.2b When a phase or step begins, all abilities that trigger “at the beginning of” that phase or step trigger.
- 603.2c An ability triggers only once each time its trigger event occurs. However, it can trigger repeatedly if one event contains multiple occurrences. Example: A permanent has an ability whose trigger condition reads, “Whenever a land is put into a graveyard from the battlefield, . . . .” If someone casts a spell that destroys all lands, the ability will trigger once for each land put into the graveyard during the spell’s resolution.
- 603.2d An ability may state that a triggered ability triggers additional times. In this case, rather than simply determining that such an ability has triggered, determine how many times it should trigger, then that ability triggers that many times. An effect that states that an ability triggers additional times doesn’t invoke itself repeatedly and doesn’t apply to other effects that affect how many times an ability triggers. An effect that states a triggered ability of an object triggers additional times refers only to triggered abilities that object has, not to any delayed or reflexive triggered abilities (see rule 603.7 and rule 603.12) that may be created by abilities the object has. (refs: 603.7, 603.12)
- 603.2e Some trigger events use the word “becomes” (for example, “becomes attached” or “becomes blocked”). These trigger only at the time the named event happens—they don’t trigger if that state already exists or retrigger if it persists. An ability that triggers when a permanent “becomes tapped” or “becomes untapped” doesn’t trigger if the permanent enters the battlefield in that state. Example: An ability that triggers when a permanent “becomes tapped” triggers only when the status of a permanent that’s already on the battlefield changes from untapped to tapped.
- 603.2f If a triggered ability’s trigger condition is met, but the object with that triggered ability is at no time visible to all players, the ability does not trigger.
- 603.2g An ability triggers only if its trigger event actually occurs. An event that’s prevented or replaced won’t trigger anything. Example: An ability that triggers on damage being dealt won’t trigger if all the damage is prevented.
- 603.2h A triggered ability may have an instruction followed by “Do this only once each turn.” This ability triggers only if its source’s controller has not yet taken the indicated action that turn.