AWOL

Game Zone Distinguished Explanation

Speaking of nikachu he is also the reason I asked about this whole awol stuff (except the into a subgame thing, that was genuine curiosity) See he has a “Show” where he tries to evaluate Silver border cards by how good they would be in compedetive. And when awol was up he was like “the absolutely removed from the freaking game forever zone isn’t that different from exile” and he usually doesn’t listen to explanations unless it’s official. So I needed to be able to show the difference officially.

The defining quality of the absolutely removed from the freaking game forever zone is that *nothing* (during the course of the game you are in) returns from it. Sadly, that has become less and less true of exile.

AWOL The Exile Zone Un-Magic / Silver Border / Acorn Un-sets

AWOL Zone Nicknaming

Hello MaRo!
Are you ok with shortening/nicknaming the absolutely-removed-from-the-freaking-game-forever zone to "AWOL zone" ?

I am okay with that.

AWOL Mark Rosewater

AWOL Effect Clarified

Shouldn’t awol technically cause the permanent it hits to become “a card you own outside the game” scince it removes it from the game

No, the whole point of AWOL is that it goes away and can’t come back until the game ends.

AWOL

AWOL in Subgames

If I cast awol in a subgame does and that subgame ends, does the permanent get shuffled into it’s owners library like normal.

Yes.

AWOL The Library

AWOL Card Retrieval

Can we get a card from under awol with ”from outside the game” effects like the wish cards

You cannot.

AWOL

AWOL and Squee

Can we cast squee from under awol

No.

AWOL Squee

New Zones Potential

If/when: a new zone, such as a non-Unset version of the AWOL zone?

If, but it is something we’ve explored in various vision designs.

AWOL If/When

Commander and AWOL

Can you put a commander into the command zone after or during AWOL?

AWOL creates a zone (the absolutely-removed-from-the-freaking-game-forever zone) unique to itself which isn’t a zone Commanders can move from.

AWOL Commander The Command Zone

AWOL in Unsanctioned

Was AWOL reprinted in Unsanctioned solely for the purpose of updating the joke?

It also worked well in the white half-deck.

AWOL Card Printing Humor Reprints White

AWOL Rule Potential

re: AWOL. if current black-border rules support "wishing" (moving a card from outside of the game, into the game), couldn't the rules easily support the opposite (ie, moving a card from in the game, to outside of the game?)

Maybe. : )

AWOL Humor Rules

AWOL Eternal Question

Could AWOL be eternal?

It requires a whole new zone, so questionable. I’m not sure if “exile, but can never, ever return” is templatable.

AWOL Eternal The Exile Zone

Reprinting AWOL in Non-Un Set

How likely is a functional reprint of AWOL in a non-UN set?

Very unlikely.

AWOL Reprints

AWOL Card Update

Regarding the Removed From Game: The AWOL card was updated! Exile zone wasn't around when it was printed. The Unsantioned version has updated text! It has the exile the creature, THEN remove it from the game, THEN move to the absolutely-removed-from-the-freaking-game-forever zone! Applauds to whoever is responsible for taking that extra step on the update!

That would most likely have been Matt Tabak who I worked with on updating cards for Unsanctioned (he did the vast amount of the work).

AWOL Creatures Matt Tabak The Exile Zone

Understanding Removal from Game

Am I correct in understanding that removed from game (RFG) continues to exist in silver-bordered Magic? (e.g. AWOL)

Remove from the game is the same thing as exile.

AWOL The Exile Zone

Un-set Rules and AWOL

Un-set rules question: can Wish and similar cards get removed via AWOL?

It can only affect attacking creatures.

Attacking AWOL Creatures Rules Un-Magic / Silver Border / Acorn Un-sets

On Card's AWOL Status

Does a card sent AWOL during a subgame (say from Shahrazad) get shuffled back into your library when you return to the main game?

Yes. It’s just AWOL for the duration of the (sub)game where it was cast.

AWOL Shahrazad The Library

Exile Zone as Second Graveyard

Given how a number of people in R&D want to use exile as a second sort of graveyard, do you think it's worth it to either find another non-graveyard zone that can be treated as a second graveyard? Seems like you're losing the battle and a new/different zone would redirect things and allow exile to remain permanent.

I made the zone back in 2004 on the card AWOL in the set Unhinged. It’s called the “absolutely-removed-from-the-freaking-game-forever zone”.

AWOL Battles Game Design Redirect The Exile Zone The Graveyard

Reprinting AWOL

Hey Mark, long time lurker, first time asker. If or when: Blackborder functional reprint of AWOL?

That zone doesn’t exist in black border. Sadly.

AWOL Black Border If/When Lurker Question Marks Reprints

Un4 Zone Interaction

Can I get a maybe on some sort of "absolutely-removed-from-the-freaking-game-forever zone" interaction in Un4?

Do you not understand the point of the AWOL zone?

AWOL

Game Zone Mechanics

Does a card in the "absolutely-removed-from-the-freaking-game-forever zone" count as being outside of the game for Spawnshire of Ulamog or cards like that? Or is it outside of 'outside of the game'?

A card removed by AWOL cannot be returned to the game by any spell or effect. Only the start of a new game (yes, Karn counts) can bring it back.

AWOL Mechanics