Now that Overwhelming Splendor had been spoiled, can we get a guide to layers, like you did with DFCs and color identity? Like Humility, I foresee a lot of confused players, myself included.
This card right here is a might bit confusing, innit? Or it can be, potentially.
This is because of the order in which continuous effects are applied to permanents. This order is known as layers.
(The best comprehensive write-up on layers is still “Order of Operations” written by Eli Shiffrin when he was still with my friends at Cranial Insertion and before he went to work at Wizards and become the new Magic Rules Manager. I won’t be covering the absolute basics, so please read this article if you don’t know what layers are.)
Overwhelming Splendor removes all abilities from creatures in layer 6 (abilities) and sets base P/T in layer 7b (P/T setting). This means that any abilities of creatures that would happen in earlier layers still have their effects. Let’s look at this step by step:
Layer 1: Copy Effects
This is where Clone-style effects happen. A creature affected by both Overwhelming Splendor and a copy effect will still be a copy of whatever it was copying and not what it’s printed as.
Layer 2: Control-Changing Effects
This layer is where you determine who controls a permanent. If you control a creature because of Lay Claim and you’re enchanted by Overwhelming Splendor, you’ll still control it.
Layer 3: Text-Changing Effects
This layer doesn’t see a lot of action these days, but it’s where effects that change text go. These kinds of effects happen rarely, with Overload being the most recent example. Usually, they’ve been used on cards like Mind Bend to change color or type words.
Layer 4: Type-Changing Effects
This layer is where effects that add/remove/change types, supertypes, and subtypes are applied. Even though you’re enchanted by Overwhelming Splendor, your Metallic Mimic will still be the chosen creature type in addition to its other types.
Layer 5: Color-Changing Effects
This layer is where effects that add/remove/change a permanent’s color are applied. Even though you’re enchanted with Overwhelming Splendor, your Devoid creatures are still colorless and your Painter’s Servant is still making everything the chosen color.
Layer 6: Ability Adding & Removing
We’ve finally gotten to a layer where Overwhelming Splendor does something. Overwhelming Splendor’s ability removes all abilities of creatures you control, even ones that have already applied in earlier layers. (Note that if part of an effect that was first applied in an earlier layer applies now or in a later layer, the rest of its effects will still happen even though the ability is lost here.)
Overwhelming Splendor doesn’t remove abilities that your creatures try to gain once it’s on the battlefield. The effect granting the ability happened more recently and so it’s applied on top of Overwhelming Splendor’s effect. (e.g. Mightly Leap will give a creature flying until end of turn)
Layer 7: Power and Toughness
Layer 7 is divided into five sublayers. Overwhelming Splendor’s effect applies here in 7b.
Layer 7a: Characteristic-Defining Abilities
This is where effects that determine a creature’s power and/or toughness in all zones happen. These effects are usually indicated by a * in the P/T box. e.g. Tarmogoyf’s ability. These effects are overwritten by Overwhelming Splendor’s effect in the next sublayer.
Layer 7b: Power/Toughness Setting
This is where Overwhelming Splendor’s effect applies, as well as other effects that set a creature’s power and/or toughness to a specific value. Effects in this layer that happen after Overwhelming Splendor entered the battlefield will override its effects.
Layer 7c: Power/Toughness Changing
This is where any permanent or temporary effects that increase or decrease power and/or toughness happen as long as they don’t set it to a specific value or use counters. These effects all apply after Overwhelming Splendor’s effect has been applied.
Layer 7d: Power/Toughness Counters
This is where any counters that affect power and/or toughness are applied. These effects all apply after Overwhelming Splendor’s effect has been applied.
Layer 7e: Power/Toughness Switching
This is where effects that exchange a creature’s power and toughness are applied. These effects all apply after Overwhelming Splendor’s effect has been applied.
And that’s it...
