Target

A target is a recipient of the effects of a spell or ability chosen by its controller. A spell can require a player to target a creature, for instance. The text mentioning the target will usually say what sort of thing may be targeted. Objects and players can be targets.
Specific rules apply when a spell has one or more targets. Learning these rules is one of the earliest tasks for players who have learned the card types and basic flow of the game, and seek to improve their expertise with more complex mechanics.
==Key ideas==
All concepts below apply to targeted abilities exactly the same as with spells, but are phrased for spells for the sake of brevity.
Targeting is always signified by the word "target" or a keyword defined to use targets. If a targeted keyword ability (such as enchant, equip, awaken, mentor, or many others) is not used, the word target will always appear in the rules text itself. Targeted keywords often have "target" in their reminder text, but not always. Inversely, a card does not target a creature just because it damages or destroys one or more of them, does not target a thing just because it allows a player to choose a thing, and does not target a player just by referring to "you" or "your opponent" - unless it or its keywords use the word "target"!
Spells requiring targets may only be played if valid targets can be chosen. For instance, a spell that says "target black creature" can only be played if there is a black creature to play it on. But, a spell that says it affects a creature "if it is black" can be played even if there is no black creature that part of the effect would simply do nothing.
Targets must be chosen as the spell is being cast, unlike many other choices which are made when a spell resolves. Opponents may therefore respond to the spell with knowledge of the intended targets before it actually has any effect. Targets may not be changed after seeing these responses. 
A targeted spell will not resolve if its targets are invalid. If all targets are invalid, no part of the spell has any effect, even if some parts of the spell would've affected something other than the targets. Such spells are simply removed from the stack without resolving. This is informally known as fizzling, and was formerly called being "countered by game rules". A spell with one or more valid targets remaining will still resolve, but any of its effects that relate to the invalid targets will not happen.
Targeting for activated abilities is done at the time of activation, just like spell targeting is done at the time of casting. Triggered ability targeting is done when the ability goes on the stack, except that if there are no valid targets, the ability is removed from the stack immediately.
==Related mechanics==
Hexproof, Protection, and the discontinued Shroud are static abilities that directly prohibit certain kinds of targeting.
Causing spells or abilities to fizzle by making their targets invalid is a preventative response tactic similar to countering. Ways to cause this include:
* Removing a target from the zone it was in when it was first targeted. This causes the spell or ability to "lose track" of the target, even if it returns to the original zone. Bouncing, flickering, sacrificing, or returning a card from a graveyard all cause this.
* Phasing does not change zones, but similarly "hides" the target from a spell.
* Granting one of the aforementioned prohibited-target abilities, like Hexproof, to objects that have already been targeted makes them invalid targets.
* An effect that changes an object's type, color, power/toughness, or other qualities may cause it to violate the restrictions of the spell or ability, making it an invalid target. 
Certain triggered abilities have conditions based on something being targeted in a specific way, leading to a wide variety of effects. For example, <c>Zada, Hedron Grinder</c> has a positive interaction with certain spells targeting it, the Ward ability attempts to counter such spells, <c>Wild Defiance</c> can operate both aggressively or defensively when other objects are targeted, and creatures with the Illusion ability react poorly to being targeted.
Most effects that copy a spell allow the controller to choose new targets for the copy, or change the targets automatically.
Perhaps the rarest targeting-related abilities are those that change another spell's target, such as <c>Shunt</c>. Spell redirection is primary in both blue and red. Fewer than forty cards have text in this effect space.Try this Scryfall regex search: o:/( |^)(change(?! the text| ~'s base| the base)|choose.*new).*target(?!s? for (the|that|their)(additional)? cop)/ As of December 30, 2021, there were 37 results with only 1 false positive, Twinning Staff (the two separate copy effects are hard to filter out).
==Common misconceptions==
Due to the specific timings and requirements involved with targeting, there are few points beginners may misunderstand, but are important in understanding cards or tactics.
A target must still be declared for effects that say they "may" do something to a target. Targets are chosen when a spell or ability is played, but the choice of whether to perform an optional action is made upon resolution. Therefore, the controller must still choose a target even if they plan to choose not to take the optional action. The spell or ability cannot be used at all if there is no available target. In contrast, spells and abilities with "up to X targets" can be played with no targets. The phrasing "up to one target" has become increasingly common instead of the "may" phrasing.
Some spells or abilities that mention targets can be played untargeted. The two ways this usually happens are:
* When its text specifies "up to" a certain number of targets. Its controller can choose 0 targets at the time it is played, making it an untargeted spell or ability. Any of its effects not relating to targets will still happen normally. This is common on planeswalker abilities which add loyalty since it allows the ability to be used for the gain in loyalty even if there are no suitable targets for the rest of its effects.
* When it is a modal spell or ability. Its controller chooses the mode at the time of casting, and if the chosen mode has no targets, it is treated as a completely untargeted spell or ability.
The same target can be chosen for multiple instances of the word "target", but not for a single instance of the word phrased with a quantity. For example, <c>Bounty of Might</c> uses the word "target" three separate times, so it allows the same creature to be targeted for each of the three abilities; or different creatures for all three; or two the same and one different. However, <c>Swelter</c> says "two target creatures" and therefore must have two separate valid targets; it cannot deal all 4 damage to one creature.
Damage is not targeted, and damaging is not targeting. Spells and abilities that deal damage may or may not be targeted, but the damage itself is never targeted, simply applied. Non-targeted spells may still deal damage, un-targetable objects may still receive damage, and objects immune to damage or destruction may still be targeted. Damage has many of its own rules about valid recipients of damage, effects that interact with damage, and so on, which are different from targeting rules.
==History==
Targeting has been a fundamental game concept since Alpha edition. The concept was actually created during development of the protection ability due to its complexity - the designers needed a way to define what it meant for a spell or creature to "affect" another beyond damage and combat. 
==Rules==
===Any target===
===Spell redirection===
== References ==