Section 310

310 Battles

310.1 A player who has priority may cast a battle card from their hand during a main phase of their turn when the stack is empty. Casting a battle as a spell uses the stack. (See rule 601, “Casting Spells.”)

310.2 When a battle spell resolves, its controller puts it onto the battlefield under their control.

310.3 Battle subtypes are always a single word and are listed after a long dash: “Battle — Siege.” Battle subtypes are also called battle types. See rule 205.3q for the complete list of battle types.

310.4 Defense is a characteristic that battles have.

310.4a The defense of a battle card not on the battlefield is equal to the number printed in its lower right corner.

310.4b A battle has the intrinsic ability “This permanent enters with a number of defense counters on it equal to its printed defense number.” This ability creates a replacement effect (see rule 614.1c).

310.4c The defense of a battle on the battlefield is equal to the number of defense counters on it.

310.5 Battles can be attacked. (See rule 508, “Declare Attackers Step.”)

310.6 Damage dealt to a battle results in that many defense counters being removed from it.

310.7 If a Siege battle’s defense is 0 and it isn’t the source of an ability which has triggered but not yet left the stack, it’s put into its owner’s graveyard. (This is a state-based action. See rule 704.)

310.8 If a non-Siege battle’s defense is 0, it’s put into its owner’s graveyard. (This is a state-based action. See rule 704.)

310.9 Each battle has a player designated as its protector.

310.9a As a battle enters the battlefield, its controller chooses a player to be its protector. Which players may be chosen as its protector are determined by its battle type (see rule 310.12). If it has no battle types, only its controller can be its protector.

310.9b A battle’s protector can never attack it. A battle can be attacked by any attacking player for whom its protector is a defending player. Notably, a Siege battle can be attacked by its own controller.

310.9c A battle’s protector may block creatures attacking that battle with creatures they control. Creatures controlled by other players can’t block those attackers.

310.9d If a battle’s protector is a different player than its controller, all rules and effects that refer to the “defending player” relative to a battle that is being attacked refer to that battle’s protector rather than its controller. See rule 508.5.

310.9e If a rule or effect refers to the player who protects a battle, it means the player who is that battle’s protector.

310.9f A battle can have only one protector at a time. A battle’s protector stops being its protector if another player becomes its protector.

310.9g A battle’s protector doesn’t change if it stops being a battle or it becomes a copy of another battle.

310.10 A battle can’t be attached to players or permanents, even if it is also an Aura, Equipment, or Fortification. If a battle is somehow attached to a permanent, it becomes unattached. This is a state-based action (see rule 704).

310.11 If a battle that isn’t being attacked has no player designated as its protector, or its protector is a player who can’t be its protector, its controller chooses an appropriate player to be its protector. If no player can be chosen this way, the battle is put into its owner’s graveyard. This is a state-based action (see rule 704).

310.12 Some battles have the subtype Siege. Sieges are subject to special rules.

310.12a As a Siege enters the battlefield, its controller must choose its protector from among their opponents. Only an opponent of a Siege’s controller can be its protector.

310.12b Sieges have the intrinsic ability “When the last defense counter is removed from this permanent, exile it, then you may cast it transformed without paying its mana cost.”