Can Two Players Have the Same Legendary Creature?
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Yes, absolutely! Two different players can each control a legendary creature with the same name in Magic: The Gathering. While this might seem counterintuitive given the famous “legend rule”, that rule only applies to what a single player can control. The crucial point is that the legend rule only affects a single player’s permanents. Each player is considered separately, and their board states are not tied together in this regard. This means Player A can have a Gisela, the Broken Blade while Player B also controls their own Gisela, the Broken Blade simultaneously, and neither needs to sacrifice any cards. It’s a common misconception, especially for newer players, that all of the same-named legendary creatures on the battlefield are immediately problematic, but that simply isn’t true; each player is subject to their own legend rule, independent of the others. Let’s delve further into this nuanced rule and clarify some common points of confusion.
Understanding the Legend Rule
What Exactly Is the Legend Rule?
The legend rule is a fundamental aspect of Magic: The Gathering that dictates a player cannot control more than one legendary permanent with the same name at any given time. This applies to all legendary permanents—creatures, artifacts, enchantments, lands, and even Planeswalkers (with some caveats, explained below). The rule’s primary function is to prevent the game from becoming too chaotic or imbalanced. If a player ends up controlling a second legendary permanent with the same name, they must immediately choose one to keep, and the other(s) are sent to their owner’s graveyard. This is considered a “state-based action”, which happens before any other actions take place.
How the Legend Rule Works in Practice
To illustrate, if you cast a second copy of Rhonas the Indomitable while already controlling one, you will immediately have to choose which one to sacrifice to your graveyard before anything else occurs. This occurs immediately, so the second copy’s “enters the battlefield” (ETB) trigger (if it had one) would never make it to the stack. This applies to cloned versions of legendary creatures, as well as other methods to control duplicates of legendary permanents. It is important to remember that this rule only affects a single player’s side of the field, meaning a second player can play their own identical card without conflict.
The Legend Rule and Other Players
The key takeaway is that each player’s permanents are separate entities in the context of the legend rule. Player A’s board does not affect Player B’s and vice versa. Therefore, Player A is governed only by their legend rule, and Player B is governed only by their legend rule. The rule specifically prevents multiple copies from the same player being on the board at once. This makes many strategies possible, especially when playing multiplayer formats like Commander, where multiple players using the same legendary creature is a perfectly normal occurrence.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. Can I copy a legendary creature?
Yes, you can. Cards like Clone, Spark Double, and Sakashima the Impostor allow you to create copies of legendary creatures. However, if you copy a legendary creature that you already control, the legend rule will apply to you, and you will need to sacrifice one of the copies.
2. What happens if I clone a legendary creature I control?
If you copy a legendary creature you control, immediately after the copied permanent enters the battlefield as a copy, you will control two legendary permanents with the same name. You will then have to choose one to keep and sacrifice the other, due to the legend rule. This is a state-based action, and occurs before any ETB triggers make it to the stack.
3. Can a player control multiple legendary creatures if they have different names?
Absolutely. The legend rule only restricts players from having multiple legendary permanents with the same name. You can control many different legendary creatures as long as each one has a unique name.
4. Are all Planeswalkers legendary?
Yes, all planeswalkers have the supertype “legendary” and are thus subject to the legend rule. You cannot control two Planeswalkers with the same name. However, you can control multiple Planeswalkers with different names, even if they share the same subtype (for example, two different “Jace” Planeswalkers.)
5. Does the legend rule apply to lands?
Yes, the legend rule applies to all legendary permanents, including lands. You cannot have two legendary lands with the same name under your control.
6. What happens if I mutate onto a legendary creature?
If you mutate on top of a legendary creature, it will still be subject to the legend rule. If it’s still a creature with the same name after mutation, you cannot have another copy of it without the legend rule coming into effect.
7. Does the legend rule apply if I steal my opponent’s legendary creature?
No. Since it is under your control, you are subject to the legend rule regarding that creature, but the legend rule does not come into effect on the opponent’s side of the field. The original owner is still free to play another copy of the same card.
8. Does Mirror Gallery remove the legend rule?
Yes, Mirror Gallery removes the legend rule as long as it is on the battlefield. This allows you to control multiple legendary permanents with the same name.
9. Can two players both use the same legendary creature as a Commander?
Yes. Commanders are designated individually, meaning both players may have Gisela, the Broken Blade as their commander in a Commander (EDH) game without issue.
10. Can I have more than one legendary creature in my deck?
Yes, there is no limit to the number of legendary creatures you can have in your deck. The deckbuilding restriction is usually specific to the format played. In most formats, like Commander, you can only have one copy of each legendary card other than basic lands.
11. Can Spark Double copy a legendary creature and not be legendary?
Yes. Spark Double specifically states that it is not legendary if it copies a legendary permanent and that this exception is also copiable, allowing for strategies involving multiple non-legendary copies of powerful legendary cards.
12. Can I have two of the same planeswalkers with different subtypes?
You can control planeswalkers that have the same name and same subtype, so long as their full name is not the same. This rule has existed since the introduction of Planeswalkers, not the legend rule, to clarify.
13. If a mutated creature dies, where do the components go?
If a mutated creature dies, all of its component cards go to their owner’s graveyard. This is important as it ensures triggers like “when a creature you control dies” only fire once even if a mutated stack dies.
14. Does the legend rule happen on the stack?
No, the legend rule is a state-based action, it does not use the stack. It happens immediately before any triggers.
15. Can a turned creature with legendary actions still take their legendary actions?
Yes, as written, a turned creature can still take its legendary actions because the turned effect does not remove its abilities, including its legendary actions. This is an interpretation of the rules of Magic: The Gathering with cross-references to Dungeons and Dragons.
In conclusion, while the legend rule can initially be confusing, the important takeaway is that it only applies to individual players, not the entire board. Multiple players can, therefore, absolutely control the same legendary creature, leading to interesting and sometimes chaotic games of Magic: The Gathering. This also provides further depth to deck building and strategy within the game.