Does Legendary Count as a Permanent Type in Magic: The Gathering?
The short answer is no. Legendary is not a permanent type. Instead, it’s a supertype that modifies a permanent. The five permanent types in Magic: The Gathering (MTG) are: Creature, Artifact, Enchantment, Land, and Planeswalker. Understanding this distinction is crucial for navigating the complex rules and strategies within the game. Let’s dive deeper into what this means and address some frequently asked questions.
Understanding Permanent Types vs. Supertypes
What is a Permanent Type?
A permanent type defines the fundamental nature of a card on the battlefield. Permanents are cards that remain on the battlefield after being played. This is in contrast to instants and sorceries, which resolve and then go to the graveyard. The permanent type dictates how the card interacts with other cards and abilities. For example, a spell that says “Destroy target artifact” can only target cards with the artifact permanent type.
What is a Supertype?
A supertype is a modifier that adds a characteristic to a permanent but doesn’t define its core nature. The most common supertypes are Legendary and Basic. Supertypes can influence the rules that apply to a card. In the case of Legendary, the “legend rule” is triggered.
The distinction is that the type of card, which is a permanent and belongs to one of the five permanent types, is then modified by the supertype.
The “Legend Rule”
The “legend rule” states that if a player controls two or more legendary permanents with the same name, they must choose one to keep, and the others are put into their owner’s graveyards. This rule ensures that only one unique character or object represented by the legendary card can exist under a player’s control at any given time. For example, if you control “Jhoira, Weatherlight Captain” and cast another “Jhoira, Weatherlight Captain”, you must immediately choose one to keep and send the other to the graveyard.
Impact on Gameplay
The fact that Legendary is a supertype, not a permanent type, affects how you build your deck and play the game. You can’t target something as a “legendary” object if you needed to target a permanent type, but you can target it as a creature if it is also a creature. Knowing how these rules interact allows you to better craft a strategy for playing the game.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. What counts as a permanent in MTG?
Simply put, a permanent is a card or token that resides on the battlefield. This includes creatures, artifacts, enchantments, lands, and planeswalkers. Instants and sorceries are not permanents because they go to the graveyard after they resolve.
2. What counts as a nonland permanent?
Any permanent on the battlefield that is not a land is a nonland permanent. A creature, artifact, enchantment, or planeswalker is a nonland permanent.
3. Does the legend rule count as dying or being sacrificed?
When a legendary permanent is put into the graveyard due to the legend rule, it is considered to have died, but it does not count as being sacrificed or destroyed. This distinction is important because some abilities trigger upon a creature dying, while others trigger upon a creature being sacrificed or destroyed.
4. Does the legend rule apply before ETB (enters the battlefield) triggers?
Yes. The legend rule is checked as a state-based action before any ETB triggers go on the stack. This means that if playing a legendary permanent would cause you to have two legendary permanents with the same name, you must choose which one to keep before any enters-the-battlefield abilities resolve.
5. What is a permanent type again?
A permanent type is a fundamental category of permanents that exist on the battlefield. The five permanent types are creatures, lands, artifacts, enchantments, and planeswalkers. A permanent must have one of these types.
6. Is an artifact a permanent?
Yes, an artifact is a permanent. Artifacts represent magical items, constructs, or devices on the battlefield.
7. Is a sorcery a permanent?
No, a sorcery is not a permanent. Sorceries are spells that are cast during your main phase when the stack is empty and go to the graveyard after they resolve.
8. Are legendary creatures historic?
In Magic: The Gathering, historic is a term that refers to artifacts, legendary permanents, and Sagas. Therefore, legendary creatures are considered historic.
9. Do cards in graveyards count as permanents?
No, cards in the graveyard are not considered permanents. A card becomes a permanent when it enters the battlefield and ceases to be a permanent when it leaves the battlefield for another zone like the graveyard or exile.
10. Does the legend rule apply to planeswalkers?
Yes, the legend rule applies to planeswalkers. However, it applies to planeswalkers with the same subtype, not the same name. For instance, if you control “Jace, the Mind Sculptor” and play “Jace Beleren”, both planeswalkers can exist on the battlefield because they have different subtypes. But if you control “Jace, the Mind Sculptor” and then play another “Jace, the Mind Sculptor,” you’d have to get rid of one of them.
11. Is Legendary a Creature Type?
No, Legendary is a supertype, not a creature type. Creature types include things like Human, Elf, Zombie, etc. Legendary modifies the creature, indicating that it is a unique individual.
12. Is a land a permanent MTG?
Yes, lands are permanents. They stay on the battlefield and provide mana to cast spells and activate abilities.
13. Is a battle a permanent MTG?
Yes, a Battle card is a permanent while it’s on the battlefield. It can be targeted by spells and abilities that target permanents.
14. Is an emblem a permanent MTG?
No, an emblem is not a permanent. It exists in the command zone and is generally unaffected by anything in the game.
15. Is an enchantment saga a permanent?
Yes, an enchantment saga is a permanent. Once it resolves, it stays on the battlefield and its chapter abilities trigger each turn until it is removed from the battlefield.
Conclusion
Understanding the distinction between permanent types and supertypes like Legendary is vital for playing Magic: The Gathering effectively. Legendary is a supertype, not a permanent type, and knowing the rules associated with it, such as the legend rule, allows players to make informed decisions during gameplay and deck construction. Knowing the rules of card types makes the game much easier to understand.
To further your knowledge of game mechanics and design, consider exploring resources such as the Games Learning Society at GamesLearningSociety.org. They provide a wealth of information on the educational aspects of games and game design.