Phasing
Phasing is a mechanic where permanents may phase out, causing them to be treated as if they don’t exist until they automatically phase back in on their next untap step. This can be a protective action, or a means to temporarily disable an opponent’s permanents. Phasing is primary in blue and secondary in white.[3][4][5] Unlike similar concepts like flickering, a phased-out permanent remains the same object, and so retains counters, attachments, and choices made during the “life” of the object.
Phasing is also the name of the closely related keyword ability that puts a permanent in a repeating cycle of phasing out and in every two turns. This form of the ability functioned mainly as a drawback and has not been printed since Weatherlight in 1997 (aside from in Un-sets).
From the Comprehensive Rules (November 8, 2024—Edge of Eternities)
- 702.26. Phasing
- 702.26a Phasing is a static ability that modifies the rules of the untap step. During each player’s untap step, before the active player untaps permanents, all phased-in permanents with phasing that player controls “phase out.” Simultaneously, all phased-out permanents that had phased out under that player’s control “phase in.”
- 702.26b If a permanent phases out, its status changes to “phased out.” Except for rules and effects that specifically mention phased-out permanents, a phased-out permanent is treated as though it does not exist. It can’t affect or be affected by anything else in the game. A permanent that phases out is removed from combat. (See rule 506.4.)
Example: You control three creatures, one of which is phased out. You cast a spell that says “Draw a card for each creature you control.” You draw two cards.
Example: You control a phased-out creature. You cast a spell that says “Destroy all creatures.” The phased-out creature is not destroyed.
- 702.26c If a permanent phases in, its status changes to “phased in.” The game once again treats it as though it exists.
- 702.26d The phasing event doesn’t actually cause a permanent to change zones or control, even though it’s treated as though it’s not on the battlefield and not under its controller’s control while it’s phased out. Zone-change triggers don’t trigger when a permanent phases in or out. Tokens continue to exist on the battlefield while phased out. Counters and stickers remain on a permanent while it’s phased out. Effects that check a phased-in permanent’s history won’t treat the phasing event as having caused the permanent to leave or enter the battlefield or its controller’s control.
- 702.26e If a continuous effect generated by the resolution of a spell or ability modifies the characteristics or changes the controller of any objects, a phased-out permanent won’t be included in the set of affected objects. This includes continuous effects that reference the permanent specifically, unless they also specifically refer to the permanent as phased out.
- 702.26f Continuous effects that affect a phased-out permanent may expire while that permanent is phased out. If so, they will no longer affect that permanent once it’s phased in. In particular, effects with “for as long as” durations that track that permanent (see rule 611.2b) end when that permanent phases out because they can no longer see it.
- 702.26g When a permanent phases out, any Auras, Equipment, or Fortifications attached to that permanent phase out at the same time. This alternate way of phasing out is known as phasing out “indirectly.” An Aura, Equipment, or Fortification that phased out indirectly won’t phase in by itself, but instead phases in along with the permanent it’s attached to.
- 702.26h If an object would simultaneously phase out directly and indirectly, it just phases out indirectly.
- 702.26i An Aura, Equipment, or Fortification that phased out directly will phase in attached to the object or player it was attached to when it phased out, if that object is still in the same zone or that player is still in the game. If not, that Aura, Equipment, or Fortification phases in unattached. State-based actions apply as appropriate. (See rules 704.5m and 704.5n.)
- 702.26j Abilities that trigger when a permanent becomes attached or unattached from an object or player don’t trigger when that permanent phases in or out.
- 702.26k Phased-out permanents owned by a player who leaves the game also leave the game. This doesn’t trigger zone-change triggers. See rule 800.4.
- 702.26m If an effect causes a player to skip their untap step, the phasing event simply doesn’t occur that turn.
- 702.26n In a multiplayer game, game rules may cause a phased-out permanent to leave the game or to be exiled once a player leaves the game. (See rules 800.4a and 800.4c.) If a phased-out permanent phased out under the control of a player who has left the game, that permanent phases in during the next untap step after that player’s next turn would have begun.
- 702.26p Multiple instances of phasing on the same permanent are redundant.
History
Phasing was created by the Mirage design team with an eye toward Sealed Deck play. It created variability on the battlefield, which decreased the likelihood of a single player having an overwhelming creature advantage on a given turn, and complicated the tactics of board wipes. It also allowed designers to create large creatures at a lower cost since they’d be present only half the time.[7]
Phasing inspired the design of the Flicker ability.[8] R&D didn’t consider Phasing a well-understood mechanic. Nonetheless, it was used to clean up a few Oracle wordings,[9] although some of these were later reverted, typically using the exile zone instead.[10]
For a long time, the only tournament–legal cards with phasing had been printed during Mirage block.[11] Its only reappearance was as an example of an outdated mechanic in Unhinged‘s Old Fogey.
Thirteen years later, and just over twenty years after its last printing on a non-acorn card, “phase out” made a surprise return as an one-off on Commander 2017‘s Teferi’s Protection.[11][12] This featured a new reminder text: (When permanents are phased out, they’re treated as if they don’t exist. They phase in before you untap during your untap step.) As of Commander 2017, tokens that phase out phase back in the same as nontoken permanents, instead of ceasing to exist as a state-based action.[13]
In 2020, R&D was considering giving “phase out” deciduous status as a keyword action, because it allows for different design space than flickering, e.g Auras and Equipment don’t “fall off” of and “enters the battlefield” and “leaves the battlefield” effects don’t work.[14][15] They are not interested in the permanent keyword phasing where an object continually phases in and out every turn.[16] Two Teferi cards in Core Set 2021 made use of the technology (Teferi, Master of Time and Teferi, Timeless Voyager) These featured the following reminder text (Treat it and anything attached to it as though they don’t exist until its controller’s next turn). It also made the return of Oubliette in Double Masters possible.
By 2021, the deciduous status of phasing was confirmed with Adventures in the Forgotten Realms.[17] “Phase out”, in contrast to the original phasing ability, is primary in white.
Phase Out in practice
Phasing is an evasive ability to protect your creatures or permanents.
Cards like Teferi’s Protection being able to protect your board state and being able to survive a combo or deadly attack.
