CR / RELEASE 2026-07-24
Rule 371.2
If the Replacement Effect says a player “may” apply the Replacement Effect, the player has the choice of whether or not to apply it.
Rule hierarchy
Direct children
371.2.aWhen an event the Replacement Effect could apply to occurs, the player who controls the Replacement Effect may choose to apply it to the event.371.2.bIf they do not, it has not been applied this turn. Example: Zilean, Time mage reads “Once each turn, if you would play a token unit while I'm at a battlefield, you may play that token and an additional copy of it instead.” When his controller plays a token, they can choose not to apply the replacement effect to that event. If they do, they can choose to apply it to a later event of a token being played.