General Rulings - 113

• 113.1 - Some spells and abilities require their controller to choose one or more targets for them. The targets are object(s), player(s), and/or zone(s) the spell or ability will affect. These targets are declared as part of the process of putting the spell or ability on the stack. The targets can't be changed except by another spell or ability that explicitly says it can do so. [CompRules 2009/07/08]
• 113.1a - An instant or sorcery spell is targeted if its spell ability identifies something it will affect by using the phrase "target <-something->," where the "something" is a phrase that describes an object, player, or zone. The target(s) are chosen as the spell is cast; see Rule 601.2c. (If an activated or triggered ability of an instant or sorcery uses the word target, that ability is targeted, but the spell is not.) [CompRules 2009/07/08]
  Example: A sorcery card has the ability "When you cycle this card, target creature gets -1/-1 until end of turn." This triggered ability is targeted, but that doesn't make the card it's on targeted. [CompRules 2009/07/08]
• 113.1b - Aura spells are always targeted. These are the only permanent spells with targets. An Aura's target is specified by its enchant keyword ability (see Rule 702.5, "Enchant"). The target(s) are chosen as the spell is cast; see Rule 601.2c. An Aura permanent doesn't target anything; only the spell is targeted. (An activated or triggered ability of an Aura permanent can also be targeted.) [CompRules 2009/07/08]
• 113.1c - An activated ability is targeted if it identifies something it will affect by using the phrase "target <-something->," where the "something" is a phrase that describes an object, player, or zone. The target(s) are chosen as the ability is activated; see Rule 602.2b. [CompRules 2009/07/08]
• 113.1d - A triggered ability is targeted if it identifies something it will affect by using the phrase "target <-something->," where the "something" is a phrase that describes an object, player, or zone. The target(s) are chosen as the ability is put on the stack; see Rule 603.3d. [CompRules 2009/07/08]
• 113.1e - Some keyword abilities, such as equip and provoke, represent targeted activated or triggered abilities. In those cases, the phrase "target <-something->" appears in the rule for that keyword ability rather than in the ability itself. (The keyword's reminder text will often contain the word "target.") See Rule 702, "Keyword Abilities." [CompRules 2009/07/08]
• 113.2 - Only permanents are legal targets for spells and abilities, unless a spell or ability (a) specifies that it can target an object in another zone or a player, (b) targets an object that can't exist on the battlefield, such as a spell or ability, or (c) targets a zone. [CompRules 2009/10/01]
• 113.3 - The same target can't be chosen multiple times for any one instance of the word "target" on a spell or ability. If the spell or ability uses the word "target" in multiple places, the same object, player, or zone can be chosen once for each instance of the word "target" (as long as it fits the targeting criteria). [CompRules 2009/07/08]
• 113.4 - A spell or ability on the stack is an illegal target for itself. [CompRules 2009/07/08]
• 113.5 - Spells and abilities that can have zero or more targets are targeted only if one or more targets have been chosen for them. [CompRules 2009/07/08]
• 113.6 - Some effects allow a player to change the target of a spell or ability. If so, the target can be changed only to another legal target. If the target can't be changed to another legal target, the original target is unchanged, even if the original target is itself illegal by then. [CompRules 2009/07/08]
• 113.6a - Modal spells and abilities may have different targeting requirements for each mode. An effect that allows a player to change the target of a modal spell or ability doesn't allow that player to change its mode. (See Rule 700.2.) [CompRules 2009/07/08]
• 113.7 - Some objects check what another spell or ability is targeting. Depending on the wording, these may check the current state of the targets, the state of the targets at the time they were selected, or both. [CompRules 2009/07/08]
• 113.7a - An object that looks for a "<-spell or ability-> that targets <-something->" checks the current state of that spell or ability's targets. If an object it targets is still in the zone it's expected to be in or a player it targets is still in the game, that target's current information is used, even if it's not currently legal for that spell or ability. If an object it targets is no longer in the zone it's expected to be in or a player it targets is no longer in the game, that target is ignored; its last known information is not used. [CompRules 2009/07/08]
• 113.7b - An object that looks for a "<-spell or ability-> with a single target" checks the number of times any objects, players, or zones became the target of that spell or ability when it was put on the stack, not the number of its targets that are currently legal. If the same object, player, or zone became a target more than once, each of those instances is counted separately. [CompRules 2009/07/08]
• 113.7c - An object that looks for a "<-spell or ability-> that targets only <-something->" checks the number of different objects or players that became the target of that spell or ability when it was put on the stack (as modified by effects that changed those targets), not the number of those objects or players that are currently legal targets. If that number is one (even if the spell or ability targets that object or player multiple times), the current state of that spell or ability's target is checked as described in Rule 113.7a. [CompRules 2009/07/08]
• 113.9 - Spells and abilities can affect objects and players they don't target. In general, those objects and players aren't chosen until the spell or ability resolves. See Rule 608, "Resolving Spells and Abilities." [CompRules 2009/07/08]
• 113.9a - Just because an object or player is being affected by a spell or ability doesn't make that object or player a target of that spell or ability. Unless that object or player is identified by the word "target" in the text of that spell or ability, or the rule for that keyword ability, it is not a target. [CompRules 2009/07/08]
• 113.9b - In particular, the word "you" in an object's text doesn't indicate a target. [CompRules 2009/07/08]