<p><strong>No, your friend's play was not legal. Turn Aside counters spells that target permanents, but a creature spell is still a spell and not a permanent yet.</strong></p>
<p>A spell is (generally) a card on the stack. It remains there until it has resolved or been countered.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>112.1. A spell is a card on the stack. [..]</p>
</blockquote>
<p>A permanent is a card or token on the battlefield.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>110.1. A permanent is a card or token on the battlefield. A permanent remains on the battlefield indefinitely. A card or token becomes a permanent as it enters the battlefield and it stops being a permanent as it’s moved to another zone by an effect or rule.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>A spell is never a permanent, and a permanent is never a spell.</p>
<p><a class="mtg-autocard" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer" href="https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Essence%20Scatter">Essence Scatter</a> targets spells, never permanents. Since <a class="mtg-autocard" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer" href="https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Turn%20Aside">Turn Aside</a> can only target spells that target certain permanents, it can't target Essence Scatter and your friend's play was illegal.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-05-17T13:39:12.957Z
Thank you. Now I know the right answer.
Steve
CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-05-18T07:26:51.780Z
It might be worth noting that a creature card is still a _permanent card_, and a creature spell is a _permanent spell_, though neither is a _permanent_ outside the battlefield.
Matthew Jensen
CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-05-18T07:49:32.667Z
@MatthewJensen technically true but that was only a confusion of terms. It being a creature card has no relevance to the question and would only muddy the waters.
Hackworth
CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-05-17T13:37:12.473Z
2024-05-17T13:37:12.473Z
Hackworth
<p>I have a question, is a creature spell already a permanent?</p>
<p>The situation:</p>
<p>I played against a friend of mine, he played a creature, so I played <a class="mtg-autocard" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer" href="https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Essence%20Scatter">Essence Scatter</a> to counter it. After that he played <a class="mtg-autocard" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer" href="https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Turn%20Aside">Turn Aside</a>, an instant that destroyed a spell, that was against a permanent that he controlled. Is this instant valid or is it against the rules?</p>
<p>I thought it wouldn’t work because the instant that I played, is against a spell not a permanent.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-05-17T13:14:25.047Z
Welcome to the site, do you happen to remember exactly which cards were played here?  The exact wording might matter.
Hackworth
CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-05-17T13:19:41.603Z
Yes ofc, I played [[Essence Scatte]] and he played [[turn aside]].
Steve
CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-05-17T13:26:40.453Z
Thanks, that helped. I'm still not entirely clear on the order of events though. You played Essence Scatter to counter a creature spell, and your friend responded with Turn Aside to counter your Essence Scatter, is that correct? And you want to know whether that Turn Aside was a legal play?
Hackworth
CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-05-17T13:36:59.377Z
Yes correct. I’m not quite sure if a creature spell is already a permanent card. So if the turn aside instant was valid. I counted it, but I would love to know the right answer.
Steve
CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-05-17T15:20:53.313Z
I edited the question to remove references to "permanent card". Turn Aside counters a spell that targets a "permanent you control". It does not use the phrase "permanent card", which has a specific meaning that changes the meaning of the question. "Permanent card" refers to any card with a permanent type, such as creature, artifact, etc, in any zone. On the other hand, as the answer says, "permanent" specifically refers to something on the battlefield.
murgatroid99
<magic-the-gathering>
Is a creature spell already a permanent?
Steve
# Is a creature spell already a permanent?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2024-05-17)

I have a question, is a creature spell already a permanent?

The situation:

I played against a friend of mine, he played a creature, so I played [Essence Scatter](https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Essence%20Scatter) to counter it. After that he played [Turn Aside](https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Turn%20Aside), an instant that destroyed a spell, that was against a permanent that he controlled. Is this instant valid or is it against the rules?

I thought it wouldn’t work because the instant that I played, is against a spell not a permanent.

**Tags:** magic-the-gathering

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Welcome to the site, do you happen to remember exactly which cards were played here?  The exact wording might matter.  
> **username_0**: Yes ofc, I played [[Essence Scatte]] and he played [[turn aside]].  
> **username_1**: Thanks, that helped. I'm still not entirely clear on the order of events though. You played Essence Scatter to counter a creature spell, and your friend responded with Turn Aside to counter your Essence Scatter, is that correct? And you want to know whether that Turn Aside was a legal play?  
> **username_0**: Yes correct. I’m not quite sure if a creature spell is already a permanent card. So if the turn aside instant was valid. I counted it, but I would love to know the right answer.  
> **username_2**: I edited the question to remove references to "permanent card". Turn Aside counters a spell that targets a "permanent you control". It does not use the phrase "permanent card", which has a specific meaning that changes the meaning of the question. "Permanent card" refers to any card with a permanent type, such as creature, artifact, etc, in any zone. On the other hand, as the answer says, "permanent" specifically refers to something on the battlefield.  

---

## 1 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2024-05-17. Score: 9 | Accepted answer

**No, your friend's play was not legal. Turn Aside counters spells that target permanents, but a creature spell is still a spell and not a permanent yet.**

A spell is (generally) a card on the stack. It remains there until it has resolved or been countered.

> 112.1. A spell is a card on the stack. [..]

A permanent is a card or token on the battlefield.

> 110.1. A permanent is a card or token on the battlefield. A permanent remains on the battlefield indefinitely. A card or token becomes a permanent as it enters the battlefield and it stops being a permanent as it’s moved to another zone by an effect or rule.

A spell is never a permanent, and a permanent is never a spell.

[Essence Scatter](https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Essence%20Scatter) targets spells, never permanents. Since [Turn Aside](https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Turn%20Aside) can only target spells that target certain permanents, it can't target Essence Scatter and your friend's play was illegal.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Thank you. Now I know the right answer.  
> **username_3**: It might be worth noting that a creature card is still a _permanent card_, and a creature spell is a _permanent spell_, though neither is a _permanent_ outside the battlefield.  
> **username_1**: @username_3 technically true but that was only a confusion of terms. It being a creature card has no relevance to the question and would only muddy the waters.  

---

