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Divine Smite

Card Name

Divine Smite

Mana Cost

1

Type

Instant

Rarity

Uncommon

rules Text

Target creature or planeswalker an opponent controls phases out. If that permanent is black, exile it instead. (If it phases out, treat it and anything attached to it as though they don't exist until its controller's next turn.)

Flavor Text

"When darkness closes in around us, my blade will light our path."

Legal Formats

Commander, Explorer, Historic, Legacy, Modern, Pioneer, Vintage

Not Legal Formats

Alchemy, Brawl, Pauper, Standard

Rulings

(7/23/2021)
Phased out permanents are treated as though they don't exist. They can't be the target of spells or abilities, their static abilities have no effect on the game, their triggered abilities can't trigger, they can't attack or block, and so on.
(7/23/2021)
As a creature is phased out, Auras and Equipment attached to it also phase out at the same time. Those Auras and Equipment will phase in at the same time that creature does, and they'll phase in still attached to that creature.
(7/23/2021)
Permanents phase back in during their controller's untap step, immediately before that player untaps their permanents. Creatures that phase in this way are able to attack and pay a cost of during that turn. If a permanent had counters on it when it phased out, it will have those counters when it phases back in.
(7/23/2021)
An attacking or blocking creature that phases out is removed from combat.
(7/23/2021)
Phasing out doesn't cause any "leaves the battlefield" abilities to trigger. Similarly, phasing in won't cause any "enters the battlefield" abilities to trigger.
(7/23/2021)
Any continuous effects with a "for as long as" duration, such as that of Mind Flayer, ignore phased-out objects. If ignoring those objects causes the effect's conditions to no longer be met, the duration will expire.
(7/23/2021)
Choices made for permanents as they entered the battlefield are remembered when they phase in.
(7/23/2021)
If an opponent gains control of your nonblack creature, you phase it out with Divine Smite, and the duration of the control-change effect expires before it phases back in, your creature phases in under your control as that opponent's next untap step begins. If they leave the game before their next untap step, it phases in as the next untap step begins after their turn would have begun.