.mtgr

Appearance

0024: Links between objects end on zone changes ​

Status: Accepted. Clarifies decision 0002 (item 4). Amended by decision 0034 (cards exiled to pay a permanent spell's cost stay linked to the permanent).

Context ​

Instance IDs last longer than the CR's objects (decision 0002): a card keeps its ID as it moves between zones. The review found that this kept links alive that the rules break. If Ugin's Labyrinth is returned to hand and played again, the file still linked it to the card it exiled, and a parser would still credit it with {C}{C}.

Decision ​

A link between objects (with ID for "exiled with") ends when either object leaves the zone it was in. Keyframes list it only while it holds.

Rules basis ​

Checked against the Comprehensive Rules effective 2026-09-25.

  • 400.7: "An object that moves from one zone to another becomes a new object with no memory of, or relation to, its previous existence."
  • 607.2a: the second linked ability "refers only to cards in the exile zone that were put there as a result of an instruction to exile them in the first ability."

Alternatives rejected ​

  • New IDs on every zone change. Rejected for the reasons in decision 0002: viewers could no longer follow a card.

Consequences ​

  • See examples/more-situations.md (links between objects).