Game Zones

This document provides an overview of game zones in Magic: The Gathering. For the detailed implementation in Rummage, please see Zones Implementation.

Overview

Magic: The Gathering divides the game into distinct areas called zones. Each zone has specific rules governing how cards can enter, leave, and interact while in that zone.

Standard Game Zones

The standard game includes the following zones:

Library

  • The player's deck of cards
  • Cards are face-down and in a random order
  • Players draw from the top of their library
  • Running out of cards in the library can cause a player to lose the game

Hand

  • Cards held by a player
  • Normally hidden from opponents
  • Maximum hand size (usually seven) is enforced during the cleanup step
  • Cards in hand can be cast or played according to their type and timing restrictions

Battlefield

  • Permanents (lands, creatures, artifacts, enchantments, planeswalkers) exist on the battlefield
  • Cards on the battlefield are typically face-up (exceptions exist for morphed/manifested cards)
  • Cards on the battlefield can tap, untap, attack, block, and be affected by other cards
  • Positioning on the battlefield can matter for certain cards and effects

Graveyard

  • Discard pile for destroyed, sacrificed, or discarded cards
  • Cards are face-up and can be examined by any player
  • Order of cards in the graveyard matters for some effects
  • Some abilities allow cards to be played or returned from the graveyard

Stack

  • Holds spells and abilities that have been cast or activated but haven't resolved yet
  • Operates as a last-in, first-out (LIFO) data structure
  • Spells and abilities resolve one at a time from top to bottom
  • Players can respond to objects on the stack by adding more spells or abilities

Exile

  • Cards removed from the game
  • Cards are typically face-up unless specified otherwise
  • Generally, cards in exile cannot interact with the game
  • Some cards can return cards from exile or interact with exiled cards

Command

  • Special zone for format-specific cards or game elements
  • In Commander, this zone holds commander cards
  • In other formats, it may hold emblems, planes, schemes, etc.
  • Cards in the command zone have special rules for how they can be cast or used

Zone Transitions

Cards can move between zones according to specific rules:

  1. Casting a Spell: Card moves from hand to the stack
  2. Spell Resolution: Card moves from stack to battlefield (permanents) or graveyard (instants/sorceries)
  3. Destroying/Sacrificing: Permanent moves from battlefield to graveyard
  4. Drawing: Card moves from library to hand
  5. Discarding: Card moves from hand to graveyard
  6. Exiling: Card moves from any zone to exile

Zone Change Rules

When a card changes zones:

  • It becomes a new object with no memory of its previous existence
  • Counters, attachments, and continuous effects that previously affected it no longer apply
  • Exceptions exist for abilities that specifically track the object across zone changes

Format-Specific Zone Rules

Different formats may modify zone rules:

  • Commander: The command zone holds commander cards, which can be cast from there
  • Planechase: The planar deck and active plane exist in the command zone
  • Archenemy: Scheme cards reside in the command zone

For more information about zones in Rummage, see: