608 Resolving Spells and Abilities
Rules by topic
What happens when a spell or ability actually does its thing. It reaches the top of the stack, every player passes, and 608 walks through every step of resolving it.
The resolution sequence (simplified)
- Check that any required targets are still legal. If all of them are illegal, the spell or ability doesn't resolve: it's removed from the stack, and a spell goes to its owner's graveyard (608.2b). If only some are illegal, it resolves, and the parts of the effect aimed at the illegal targets don't happen to them.
- Follow the instructions in the order written (608.2c). Replacement effects can modify those actions as they happen.
- Finish: an instant or sorcery goes to its owner's graveyard as the last part of resolving, a permanent spell enters the battlefield, and an ability ceases to exist (608.2n, 608.3a).
"Doesn't resolve" is not "countered"
A spell whose targets have all become illegal isn't countered; it just doesn't resolve. If a Lightning Bolt targets an opponent's creature and that creature gains hexproof in response, the Bolt finds its only target illegal on resolution and does nothing. The difference matters for a spell that "can't be countered": it still does nothing when all of its targets are illegal.
Why this matters
Understanding 608 explains:
- Why hexproof gained in response to Lightning Bolt stops the Bolt.
- Why an ability still resolves after its source is gone: once on the stack, an ability exists independently of its source (113.7a).
- Why "all targets illegal" does nothing but "some targets illegal" produces a partial effect.