806.1
Two-Headed Giant games are played with two teams of two players each.
Historical Rules · Effective 23 April 2010
Section 806: Two-Headed Giant Variant
Read Section 806 continuously, or open any rule on its dedicated page.
Chapter 8 · Multiplayer Rules
Section 806
806. Two-Headed Giant Variant
40 rules
806.2
No multiplayer options are used in Two-Headed Giant games.
806.3
Each team sits together on one side of the table. Each team decides the order in which its players sit. The player seated on the right within each team is the primary player, and the player seated on the left is the secondary player.
806.3a
If the two players on a team can't agree on a choice, such as which creatures attack or what order triggered abilities are put on the stack, the primary player makes that choice.
806.4
The Two-Headed Giant variant has two unique features.
806.5
With the exception of life total, a team's resources (cards in hand, mana, and so on) are not shared in the Two-Headed Giant variant. Teammates may review each other's hands and discuss strategies at any time. Teammates can't manipulate each other's cards or permanents.
806.6
The Two-Headed Giant variant slightly modifies some of the rules used when starting the game.
806.6a
A player who is dissatisfied with his or her initial hand may mulligan. First, each player on the starting team declares whether or not he or she will take a mulligan. Then the players on each other team in turn order do the same. Teammates may consult during this process, but a player can't see the result of his or her teammate's mulligan before deciding whether to take a mulligan at the same time. A player may take a mulligan even after his or her teammate has decided to keep his or her opening hand. Once each player has made a declaration, all players who decided to take mulligans do so at the same time. To take a mulligan, a player shuffles his or her hand back into his or her library, then draws a new hand. In a multiplayer game, the first time a player takes a mulligan, his or her new hand is seven cards; each subsequent mulligan that player takes results in a hand of one fewer cards than the last. If a player kept his or her hand of cards, those cards become the player's opening hand, and that player may not take any further mulligans. This process is then repeated until no player takes a mulligan. (Note that if a player's hand size reaches zero cards, that player must keep that hand.)
806.6b
The team who plays first skips the draw step of its first turn.
806.7
Timing of Team Turns
806.7a
Teams have priority, not individual players.
806.7b
The Active Player, Nonactive Player order rule (see rule 101.4) is modified for Two-Headed Giant play. The team whose turn it is is the active team. The other team is the nonactive team. If both teams would make choices and/or take actions at the same time, first the active team makes any choices required, then the nonactive team makes any choices required. If each player would make choices and/or take actions at the same time, first each player on the active team makes any choices required in whatever order they like, then the players on the nonactive team do the same. Once all choices have been made, the actions happen simultaneously.
806.7c
A player may cast a spell, activate an ability, or take a special action when his or her team has priority. Each player on a team draws a card during that team's draw step. Each player on a team may play a land during each of that team's turns.
806.7d
If multiple triggered abilities have triggered since the last time a team received priority, the members of the active team put all triggered abilities either of them controls on the stack in any order they choose, then the members of the nonactive team do the same.
806.7e
If a team has priority and neither player on that team wishes to do anything, that team passes. If both teams pass in succession (that is, if both teams pass without any player taking any actions in between passing), the top object on the stack resolves, then the active team receives priority. If the stack is empty when both teams pass in succession, the phase or step ends and the next one begins.
806.7f
If an effect gives a player an extra turn or adds a phase or step to that player's turn, that player's team takes the extra turn, phase, or step. If an effect causes a player to skip a step, phase, or turn, that player's team does so. If a single effect causes both players on the same team to add or skip the same step, phase, or turn, that team adds or skips only that step, phase, or turn. If an effect causes a player to control another player's turn, the controller of that effect controls the affected player's team's turn.
806.7g
If an effect instructs more than one player to draw cards in a Two-Headed Giant game, first the primary player on the active team performs all of his or her draws, then the secondary player on that team performs all of his or her draws, then the nonactive team does the same.
806.7h
Any ability that refers to the "active player" refers to one specific active player, not to both of the active players. The ability's controller chooses which one the ability refers to at the time its effect is applied.
806.8
The Two-Headed Giant variant uses different combat rules than other multiplayer variants.
806.8a
Each team's creatures attack the other team as a group. During the combat phase, the active team is the attacking team and each player on the active team is an attacking player. Likewise, the nonactive team is the defending team and each player on the nonactive team is a defending player.
806.8b
Any one-shot effect that refers to the "defending player" refers to one specific defending player, not to both of the defending players. The controller of the effect chooses which one the spell or ability refers to at the time the effect is applied. The same is true for any one-shot effect that refers to the "attacking player." Any characteristic-defining ability that refers to the "defending player" refers to one specific defending player, not to both of the defending players. The controller of the object with the characteristic-defining ability chooses which one the ability refers to at the time the nonactive players become defending players. All other cases in which the "defending player" is referred to actually refer to both defending players. If the reference involves a positive comparison (such as asking whether the defending player controls an Island) or a relative comparison (such as asking whether you control more creatures than the defending player), it gets only one answer. This answer is "yes" if either defending player in the comparison would return a "yes" answer if compared individually. If the reference involves a negative comparison (such as asking whether the defending player controls no black permanents), it also gets only one answer. This answer is "yes" if performing the analogous positive comparison would return a "no" answer. The same is true for all other cases that refer to the "attacking player."
806.8c
As the declare attackers step begins, the active team declares attackers. If an effect of an object controlled by a defending player prohibits a creature from attacking him or her, that creature can't attack the defending team. The active team has one combined attack, and that set of attacking creatures must be legal as a whole. See rule 508.1. Example: One player in a Two-Headed Giant game controls Teferi's Moat, which says "As Teferi's Moat comes into play, choose a color." and "Creatures of the chosen color without flying can't attack you." Creatures of the chosen color without flying can't attack that player's team.
806.8d
As the declare blockers step begins, the defending team declares blockers. Creatures controlled by the defending players can block any attacking creatures. The defending team has one combined block, and that set of blocking creatures must be legal as a whole. See rule 509.1. Example: If an attacking creature has forestwalk and either player on the defending team controls a Forest, the creature can't be blocked.
806.8e
Once blockers have been declared, for each attacking creature that's become blocked by multiple creatures, the active team announces the damage assignment order among the blocking creatures. Then, for each creature that's blocking multiple creatures, the defending team announces the damage assignment order among the attacking creatures.
806.8f
As the combat damage step begins, the active team announces how each attacking creature will assign its combat damage. If an attacking creature would assign combat damage to the defending team, the active team chooses only one of the defending players for that creature to assign its combat damage to. Then the defending team announces how each blocking creature will assign its combat damage. See rule 510.1.
806.9
The Two-Headed Giant variant uses the normal rules for winning or losing the game (see rule 104), with the following additions and specifications.
806.9a
Players win and lose the game only as a team, not as individuals. If either player on a team loses the game, the team loses the game. If either player on a team wins the game, the entire team wins the game. If an effect would prevent a player from winning the game, that player's team can't win the game. If an effect would prevent a player from losing the game, that player's team can't lose the game. Example: In a Two-Headed Giant game, a player controls Transcendence, which reads, in part, "You don't lose the game for having 0 or less life." If that player's team's life total is 0 or less, that team doesn't lose the game. Example: In a Two-Headed Giant game, a player attempts to draw a card while there are no cards in that player's library. That player loses the game, so that player's entire team loses the game. Example: In a Two-Headed Giant game, a player controls Platinum Angel, which reads, "You can't lose the game and your opponents can't win the game." Neither that player nor his or her teammate can lose the game while Platinum Angel is on the battlefield, and neither player on the opposing team can win the game.
806.9b
If a player concedes, his or her team leaves the game immediately. That team loses the game.
806.9c
If a team's life total is 0 or less, the team loses the game. (This is a state-based action. See rule 704.)
806.10
Damage, loss of life, and gaining life happen to each player individually. The result is applied to the team's shared life total. Example: In a Two-Headed Giant game, a player casts Flame Rift, which reads, "Flame Rift deals 4 damage to each player." Each team is dealt a total of 8 damage.
806.10a
If a cost or effect needs to know the value of an individual player's life total, that cost or effect uses the team's life total instead. Example: In a Two-Headed Giant game, a player on a team that has 17 life is targeted by Beacon of Immortality, which reads, in part, "Double target player's life total." That player gains 17 life, so the team winds up at 34 life. Example: In a Two-Headed Giant game, a player controls Test of Endurance, an enchantment that reads, "At the beginning of your upkeep, if you have 50 or more life, you win the game." At the beginning of that player's upkeep, the player's team wins the game if his or her team's life total is 50 or more. Example: In a Two-Headed Giant game, a player on a team that has 11 life controls Lurking Evil, an enchantment that reads, "Pay half your life, rounded up: Lurking Evil becomes a 4/4 Horror creature with flying." To activate the ability, that player must pay 6 life. The team winds up at 5 life.
806.10b
If a cost or effect allows both members of a team to pay life simultaneously, the total amount of life they pay may not exceed their team's life total. (Players can always pay 0 life.)
806.10c
If an effect sets a single player's life total to a specific number, the player gains or loses the necessary amount of life to end up with the new total. The team's life total is adjusted by the amount of life that player gained or lost. Example: In a Two-Headed Giant game, a player on a team that has 25 life is targeted by an ability that reads, "Target player's life total becomes 10." That player's life total is considered to be 25, so that player loses 15 life. The team winds up at 10 life.
806.10d
If an effect would set the life total of each player on a team to a number, that team chooses one of its members. On that team, only that player is affected. Example: In a Two-Headed Giant game, one team has 7 life and the other team has 13 life. A player casts Repay in Kind, which reads, "Each player's life total becomes the lowest life total among all players." Each team chooses one if its members to be affected. The result is that the chosen player on the team that has 13 life loses 6 life, so that team's life total winds up at 7.
806.10e
A player can't exchange life totals with his or her teammate. If an effect would cause that to occur, the exchange won't happen.
806.10f
If an effect instructs a player to redistribute any number of players' life totals, that player may not affect more than one member of each team this way.
806.10g
If an effect says that a player can't gain life, no player on that player's team can gain life.
806.11
The Two-Headed Giant variant can also be played with equally sized teams of more than two players. Each team's starting life total is equal to 15 times the number of players on the team. (These variants are unofficially called Three-Headed Giant, Four-Headed Giant, and so on.)