What is the rule or ruling for failing searches?

[Khahan]

This comes up on MWS quite a bit since I play slaver. I often have my opponent fail to find lands w/ fetches. Despite the reputation and abundance of people who just call names and quit at a dispute, there are a number of quality players who will try to resolve the dispute and play on.

The question just came up in a game and I could not actually find a specific rule or ruling to support me 'failing to find an island.'  This is addressed under the definition of 'search' in the comp rules which is fine with me, but its hard to direct people to look at the comp rules for 'search.' Its much easier to say, 'Comp rules, rule #313.3'  (or whatever rule happens to apply).

From the comp rules defiinitions section:

Search
If you’re required to search a zone not revealed to all players for cards of a given quality, such as type or color, you aren’t required to find some or all of those cards even if they’re present; however, if you do choose to find cards, you must reveal those cards to all players. Even if you don’t find any cards, you are still considered to have searched the zone.
     If you’re simply searching for a quantity of cards, such as “a card” or “three cards,” you must find that many cards (or as many as possible). These cards often aren’t revealed.
Example: If an effect causes you to search a player’s library for all duplicates of a particular card and remove them from the game, you may choose to leave some of them alone, but if an effect causes you to search your library for three cards and it contains at least three, you can’t choose less than three.


But nothing with a specific rule number for easy reference that I could find. Anybody know of a rule # I can refer people to?

Thanks.

[Toad]

It is only mentionned in the Glossary of the Comprehensive Rules.

[parallax]

Unfortunately, many important rules are found only in the glossary, and have no numbered equivalent. However, the glossary is a part of the Comprehensive Rules and everything contained in it is a part of the rules. Simply tell people to look in the glossary of the Comprehensive Rules under "search".

[oneofchaos]

With fetches/mystical tutor you can fail to find.

Demonic Tutor/Vampiric Tutor does require you to actually find a card (assuming there's at least 1 card in library).

[Komatteru]

If a spell or ability dictates that you search a hidden zone (library, sideboard, non-revealed hand) for a card with certain criteria, then you may fail to find a card with that criteria.  If an ordinarily hidden zone becomes unhidden--revealed to both players, then you cannot fail to find.  For instance, a player's hand is ordinarily a hidden zone, but if you play Duress, which requires the player to reveal his hand, you must choose a non-land non-creature card if there is one there.  (This is why cards that force such discards ordinarily receive the "choose" templating.)  In addition, just because a card grants one player the right to look at a zone he ordinarily cannot does not make the zone unhidden.  That is, your opponent is not usually allowed to look in your library, but if he plays Cranial Extraction, he is, and he can choose not to find all copies of the card he named.  Ordinarily, you can't look at your library either, and cards that grant a player the right to look in a library are treated the same under the rules.

[OfficeShredder]

If a spell or ability dictates that you search a hidden zone (library, sideboard, non-revealed hand) for a card with certain criteria, then you may fail to find a card with that criteria.  If an ordinarily hidden zone becomes unhidden--revealed to both players, then you cannot fail to find.  For instance, a player's hand is ordinarily a hidden zone, but if you play Duress, which requires the player to reveal his hand, you must choose a non-land non-creature card if there is one there.  (This is why cards that force such discards ordinarily receive the "choose" templating.)  In addition, just because a card grants one player the right to look at a zone he ordinarily cannot does not make the zone unhidden.  That is, your opponent is not usually allowed to look in your library, but if he plays Cranial Extraction, he is, and he can choose not to find all copies of the card he named.  Ordinarily, you can't look at your library either, and cards that grant a player the right to look in a library are treated the same under the rules.

This just popped an interesting question in my mind.... such cards used to say "Look at target players hand", when they said that instead of "target opponent reveals his or her hand", can you choose to fail to find a card?  Technically, everyone in the game can see the hand, but it isn't actually being revealed

[Komatteru]

This just popped an interesting question in my mind.... such cards used to say "Look at target players hand", when they said that instead of "target opponent reveals his or her hand", can you choose to fail to find a card?  Technically, everyone in the game can see the hand, but it isn't actually being revealed

I'm actually not sure.  However, there's an easy answer: all cards that say "look at target player's hand" and let you choose a card to discard don't call for specific criteria.  All the ones that make you choose a certain type of card are worded with "reveal."  So the answer is that it doesn't matter because cards like that don't exist.   Perhaps they don't use the word "look" any more so that no one has to make the decision whether or not "looking" constitutes a hidden zone becoming unhidden like is the case with "reveal."

You can choose not to take cards from your opponent's hand with Cranial Extraction because it is a search, and the hand is not revealed.

[Dante]

If a spell or ability dictates that you search a hidden zone (library, sideboard, non-revealed hand) for a card with certain criteria, then you may fail to find a card with that criteria.  If an ordinarily hidden zone becomes unhidden--revealed to both players, then you cannot fail to find.  For instance, a player's hand is ordinarily a hidden zone, but if you play Duress, which requires the player to reveal his hand, you must choose a non-land non-creature card if there is one there.  (This is why cards that force such discards ordinarily receive the "choose" templating.)  In addition, just because a card grants one player the right to look at a zone he ordinarily cannot does not make the zone unhidden.  That is, your opponent is not usually allowed to look in your library, but if he plays Cranial Extraction, he is, and he can choose not to find all copies of the card he named.  Ordinarily, you can't look at your library either, and cards that grant a player the right to look in a library are treated the same under the rules.

This just popped an interesting question in my mind.... such cards used to say "Look at target players hand", when they said that instead of "target opponent reveals his or her hand", can you choose to fail to find a card?  Technically, everyone in the game can see the hand, but it isn't actually being revealed

If you have specific card text, it would be MUCH easier to say one way or another, as opposed to generalities...

[Clariax]

Cranial extraction would be an example.  And, because the opponent's hand is not specifically "revealed," it is a hidden zone though both players are actually able to see it, so you may fail to find the named card in their hand even if it is there.

[Komatteru]

I think he's looking to know what would happen if a card, for instance, said

Look at target player's hand.  Choose an instant there. [Do something cool with it].

instead of

Target player reveals her hand.  Choose an instant there.  [Do something cool with it].

Then could you you "fail to find"?

Cranial Extraction explicitly uses the word "search," and we've been over that.

[Clariax]

The "fail to find" rule applies specifically to "searches."

If a card requires you to choose something, you must do so if there's a legal choice available.  This does sometimes get complicated since it may require 3rd party (i.e. judge) intervention to verify there is indeed no legal choice when it's a hidden zone being chosen from.  The 4 nonblack wishes are an example of this.  You must take an appropriate card if there is such a card available.  Won't come up often, but when mindslavering someone, for example, you can't simply play a burning wish and choose not to find any sorceries.

Cauldron dance (wording below) is another example.  If you have a creature card in hand you must put it into play, and if you don't it would likely require a judge to verify that you have no creatures in hand.

Cauldron Dance {4BR} |Instant| Play Cauldron Dance only during combat. / Return target creature card from your graveyard to play. That creature gains haste. Return it to your hand at end of turn. / Put a creature card from your hand into play. That creature gains haste. Put it into your graveyard at end of turn.