216.1. Some effects put token creatures into play. A token is controlled by whomever put it into play and owned by the controller of the spell or ability that created it. The spell or ability may define any number of characteristics for the token. A token doesn’t have any characteristics not defined by the spell or ability that created it. The spell or ability that creates the token sets both its name and its creature type. If the spell or ability doesn’t specify the name of the token, its name is the same as its creature type(s). A “Goblin Scout creature token,” for example, is named “Goblin Scout” and has the creature subtypes Goblin and Scout. Once a token is in play, changing its name doesn’t change its creature type, and vice versa.
216.2. A token is subject to anything that affects permanents in general or that affects the token’s type or subtype. A token isn’t a card (even if represented by cards from other games or Unglued™ cards).
216.3. A token in a zone other than the in-play zone ceases to exist. This is a state-based effect. (Note that a token changing zones sets off triggered abilities before the token ceases to exist.) Once a token has left play, it can’t be returned to play by any means.
217.1. A zone is a place where objects can be during a game. There are normally six zones: library, hand, graveyard, in play, stack, and removed from the game. Some older cards also use the ante and phased-out zones. Each player has his or her own library, hand, and graveyard. The other zones are shared by all players.
217.1a If an object would go to any library, graveyard, or hand other than its owner’s, it goes to the corresponding zone of its owner’s instead. If an instant or sorcery card would come into play, it remains in its previous zone instead.
217.1b The order of objects in a library, in a graveyard, or on the stack can’t be changed except when effects or rules allow it. Objects in other zones can be arranged however their owners wish, although who controls those objects, whether they’re tapped or flipped, and what enchants or equips them must remain clear to all players.
217.1c An object that moves from one zone to another is treated as a new object. Effects connected with its previous location will no longer affect it. There are three exceptions to this rule: (1) Effects that change the characteristics of an artifact, creature, or enchantment spell on the stack will continue to apply to the permanent that spell creates. (2) Abilities that trigger when an object moves from one zone to another (for example, “When Rancor is put into a graveyard from play”) can find the object in the zone it moved to when the ability triggered. (3) Prevention effects that apply to damage from an artifact, creature, or enchantment spell on the stack will continue to apply to damage from the permanent that spell becomes.
217.1d If an object would move from one zone to another, first determine what event is moving the object. Then apply any appropriate replacement effects to that event. If an effect or rule tries to do two or more contradictory or mutually exclusive things to a particular object, that object’s controller-or its owner if it has no controller-chooses what the effect does to the object. Then the event moves the object.
217.1e An object is outside the game if it’s in the removed-from-the-game zone, or if it isn’t in any of the game’s zones. All other objects are inside the game. Outside the game is not a zone.
217.2. Library
217.2a When a game begins, each player’s deck becomes his or her library.
217.2b Each library must be kept in a single face-down pile. Players can’t look at or change the order of cards in a library.
217.2c Any player may count the number of cards remaining in any player’s library at any time.
217.2d If an effect puts two or more cards on the top or bottom of a library at the same time, the owner of those cards may arrange them in any order. That library’s owner doesn’t reveal the order in which the cards go into his or her library.
217.2e Some effects tell a player to play with the top card of his or her library revealed. If the top card of the player’s library changes while a spell or ability is being played, the new top card won’t be revealed until the spell or ability becomes played (see rule 409.1i).
217.2f If a spell or ability causes a card to be drawn while another spell or ability is being played, the drawn card is kept face down until that spell or ability becomes played (see rule 409.1i).
217.3. Hand
217.3a The hand is where a player holds cards that have been drawn but not yet played. At the beginning of the game, each player draws a hand of seven cards. (See rule 101, “Starting the Game.”)
217.3b Each player has a maximum hand size, which is normally seven cards. A player may have any number of cards in his or her hand, but as part of his or her cleanup step, the player must discard excess cards down to the maximum hand size.
217.3c A player may arrange his or her hand in any convenient fashion and look at it as much as he or she wishes. A player can’t look at the cards in another player’s hand but may count those cards at any time.
217.4. Graveyard
217.4a A graveyard is a discard pile. Any object that’s countered, discarded, destroyed, or sacrificed is put on top of its owner’s graveyard, as is any instant or sorcery spell that’s finished resolving. Each player’s graveyard starts out empty.
217.4b Each graveyard is kept in a single face-up pile. A player can examine the cards in any graveyard at any time but can’t change their order.
217.4c If an effect or rule puts two or more cards into the same graveyard at the same time, the owner of those cards may arrange them in any order.
217.5. In Play
217.5a Most of the area between the players represents the in-play zone. The in-play zone starts out empty. Permanents a player controls (other than Auras attached to another player’s permanents) are kept in front of him or her in the in-play zone.
217.5b A spell or ability affects and checks only the in-play zone unless it specifically mentions a player or another zone. Permanents exist only in the in-play zone.
217.5c Whenever a permanent enters the in-play zone, it’s considered a brand-new permanent and has no relationship to any previous permanent represented by the same object. This is also true for any objects entering any zone (see rule 217.1c).