Magic card text uses specific templates to indicate that a particular
  type of effect is intended.  Some of the templates refer to the use
  of particular words, some of the templates are simply idiomatic use
  of English that Magic has adopted.

  The templating has changed over the years, gradually improving to
  eliminate ambiguities and inconsistencies.  The following points
  cover most of the templating found in card texts these days:

  - Activated abilities are written with a cost, a colon and an effect.
  The effect is a one-shot effect, containing instructions to follow.
  The instructions may set up a continuous effect or a delayed triggered
  ability.
  - Triggered abilities are written using the word when, whenever or at.
  They specify either a particular part of a step or phase to trigger at,
  a particular event to trigger on, or a particulat state to trigger on.
  When they resolve, they have a one-shot effect containing instructions
  that may set up a continuous effect or a delayed triggered ability.
  - Anything else, including the one-shot effect on a resolving spell or
  ability, is a static ability.  A static ability may have a one-shot
  effect that is activated by spell resolution, or it may have a
  continuous effect that is always active while it's in play.

  - An instruction can refer to a permanent by its type, by just using
  the type word alone.  This always refers to a permanent of that type,
  not to any other object with that type.  So "creature" on its own
  always means a creature permanent, and so on.

  - A cost can include the tap-symbol.  This stands for tapping the
  permanent the ability is on, and this cost cannot be paid if the
  permanent is a creature that its controller did not continuously
  control since the beginning of his or her most recent turn.  This is
  different to a cost that involves tapping a particular type of
  permanent; a creature that isn't eligible for paying a tap-symbol
  tap cost may still be used to pay a more general tap-cost.

  - An effect may have one instruction that is conditional on choosing
  a particular option previously in the effect.  This used the phrase
  "if you do".  It refers to the choice to perform the action, in case
   a replacement effect intervened.

  - An effect can place a restriction or compulsion on attacking or
  blocking.  The template for these effects applies only to the act
  of declaring a creature as an attacking creature or a blocking
  creature.  It does not refer to other ways for a creature to become
  an attacking or blocking creature.

  - Effects often instruct a player to make a choice of some kind.  The
  only choices available are those that exist within the game.  So, a
  choice of permanent is limited to the permanents that exist at the
  time, a choice of color to one of the five colors, and a choice of
  creature type to an existing creature type on a card.

  - An instruction can refer to the card that it's on by using the
  card's name as a noun.  The instruction refers only to that particular
  instance of the card.  This can get complicated when instructions move
  between cards with copy, gain or grant effects:

    - When one card copies another, the name references refer to the
    card doing the copying.
    - When one card grants new abilities to another, the name references
    the card doing the granting.
    - When one card gains the existing abilities of another, the name
    references the card doing the gaining.

  In some cases, a card will refer to itself using just the first part
  of its name, rather than the whole name - this follows the same pattern:

  Ink-Eyes, Servant of Oni  {4}{B}{B}  Legendary Creature - Rat Ninja  5/4 
/ Ninjutsu {3}{B}{B}
/ Whenever Ink-Eyes, Servant of Oni deals combat damage to a player,
  you may put target creature card from that player's graveyard into
  play under your control.
/ {1}{B}: Regenerate Ink-Eyes.

  Even with all of these guidelines on the templating of Magic cards,
  sometimes the templates are not followed strictly in order to fit
  the text onto the card in all of the languages in which Magic is 
  printed.

Some parts © 2009 Advameg, Inc.