Can You Discard With No Cards in Hand? A Comprehensive Guide
The question of whether you can discard with no cards in hand often arises in various card games, and the answer isn’t always straightforward. In most instances, the concept of discarding implies the existence of something to discard. However, specific rules and nuances in games like Magic: The Gathering (MTG) and various rummy variants can lead to confusion. Let’s delve into this topic to clarify when discarding with an empty hand is possible and when it’s not.
Discarding With an Empty Hand: The Short Answer
The simple answer is: sometimes, yes, and sometimes, no. It depends entirely on the specific rules of the game you’re playing and how “discard” is defined within that context. In games where discarding is tied to a specific action or effect with a cost, an empty hand can often make that action impossible. However, if the act of discarding represents emptying your hand, it can happen even when your hand is already empty.
Magic: The Gathering: A Deeper Look
In Magic: The Gathering, discarding cards is a common game mechanic, often used as a cost for abilities, spells, or other effects. However, the rules around discarding with an empty hand are precise:
Discarding as a Cost
If an ability or spell says “discard a card” or “discard your hand” as part of its cost, you must be able to fulfill that cost to use the ability or cast the spell. If you have no cards in hand when an effect asks you to “discard a card”, you can’t activate that ability. This is because the cost requires you to move a card from your hand to the graveyard. However, If the spell or ability says “Discard your hand”, you can still do it even with no cards. Discarding a hand of zero is still discarding.
Discarding As An Effect
Sometimes, discard isn’t a cost, but an effect of a spell or ability. For instance, a card might say, “Target player discards a card.” If the targeted player has an empty hand, they simply don’t discard anything. This doesn’t prevent the spell from resolving; it just means no card is moved to the graveyard in that instance.
Key Concepts in MTG Discarding
- Discard: In Magic, a card is only considered discarded when it moves from your hand to your graveyard.
- Empty Hand: An empty hand has zero cards, and this can still be the target of “discard your hand” effect.
- Discard as Cost: Costs must be fulfilled to activate an ability or cast a spell.
- Replacement Effects: Some effects can replace a discard with another action, such as “madness” which lets you play a card for a different cost as you discard it. This allows an action like a sacrifice of a Blood Token (which has a discard cost) even without having any cards to actually discard.
- Hand Size Rule: At the end of your turn (during the cleanup step), if you have more than your maximum hand size (usually seven), you must discard down to that limit. Even if you have no cards you are not forced to discard.
Discarding in Rummy and Other Card Games
The rules for discarding with an empty hand vary considerably in different card games. For example, many Rummy variations require discarding at the end of your turn, but some may make exceptions when a player has no more cards to discard:
Rummy Variations
- Standard Discard Requirement: Most versions of Rummy require a player to discard one card at the end of their turn to add to the discard pile.
- Going Out: If a player has “gone out” (played all their cards), a final discard isn’t required in certain variations of rummy.
- Exceptions: There is one exception to the requirement that you discard: If a player has melded all of his cards, he does not need to discard.
- No Discard Rule: In some versions, you may lay down your last remaining cards on your last turn, without discarding.
Discarding in Other Games
- Unmatched: In the game Unmatched, once your deck is exhausted, your characters become “Exhausted”, and you take damage every time you need to draw a card but cannot. Discarding is not required after the deck is exhausted, so empty hands is not a factor for discarding rules.
- Phase 10: In the card game Phase 10, “Skip Cards” can be discarded to cause other players to lose a turn. Discarding a skip card is only limited by the ability to play the card.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. Can you discard 0 cards in MTG?
Yes, in MTG you can discard a hand of zero. Discarding your hand is still discarding even if you have no cards in hand.
2. What happens if you have no cards in your hand when you are asked to discard?
If you are asked to discard a specific number of cards as a cost, you cannot do it. But if you are asked to discard your hand, and your hand has zero cards, then it still occurs and fulfills the requirement.
3. Can you discard your hand if you have no cards in hand in MTG?
Yes, you can discard your hand even if you have no cards in it. You are discarding an empty hand.
4. What happens if a card says, “Target player discards a card,” and they have no cards in hand?
If a card says, “Target player discards a card,” and they have no cards in hand, they simply don’t discard anything. The effect still resolves, but no card is discarded.
5. Can I use a Blood token if I have no cards in my hand?
No, you cannot normally activate a Blood token’s ability without a card to discard, because discarding is part of the activation cost. However, with a replacement effect like madness, you can bypass this limitation.
6. Does discarding a card mean moving it from any zone to the graveyard?
No, in MTG, a card is only considered discarded when it moves from your hand to the graveyard. Movement from any other zone to the graveyard is not considered discard.
7. What is the maximum hand size in MTG?
The maximum hand size in MTG is normally seven cards.
8. What happens if I have more than seven cards at the end of my turn?
If you have more than seven cards at the end of your turn during the cleanup step, you must discard down to seven.
9. Can I discard at any time in MTG?
No, you can’t discard at any time in MTG unless an effect or ability specifically allows it. You are forced to discard at the end of your turn in the cleanup step, to get to your hand size limit.
10. What happens if you run out of cards in your deck in Unmatched?
In Unmatched, if you run out of cards in your deck, you don’t discard. Instead, each time you need to draw a card and cannot, your characters take 2 damage.
11. Do you always have to discard in Rummy 500?
In most variations of Rummy 500, a discard is required at the end of a turn. Some variations consider a turn incomplete without a discard.
12. Can you pick up and discard the same card in rummy?
In standard Rummy variations, if you pick up the top card from the discard pile, you cannot discard that same card during the same turn.
13. Do you have to discard to go out in Rummy?
Not necessarily. If a player has melded all their cards, they might not be required to discard in certain variations of Rummy.
14. Does a token count as a card type in MTG?
No, tokens are not a card type. They are a separate game piece that represents something, but they are not considered to be actual cards.
15. Can you return a token to your hand?
No, you cannot return a token to your hand. When a token is moved to any zone other than the battlefield, it ceases to exist. It does not actually “die”, it is simply destroyed as it leaves play, and will not trigger any bonuses from creatures that die.
Conclusion
Discarding with no cards in hand might seem like a paradox, but it’s a concept that arises in various card games. In MTG, the critical distinction lies in whether discarding is a cost that requires a card to be moved, or a simple effect of an empty hand. Understanding these nuances is crucial for playing the game effectively. And in other games, such as rummy, the rules are determined by the specific version you play. It’s always best to consult the specific rules of the game you are playing to clarify when discarding is possible or required, even with an empty hand.