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Rules AnswersTargeting & Protection

Does a Overloaded Cyclonic Rift affect permanents controlled by the casting player?

Short answer
No. Overloaded Cyclonic Rift only affects permanents controlled by your opponents, not your own permanents.

Cyclonic Rift reads, when overloaded, 'Return each nonland permanent you don't control to its owner's hand.' The key phrase is you don't control, which explicitly excludes any permanents under the casting player's control. Only your opponents' nonland permanents are affected.

Under CR 109.5, 'you' and 'your' in a spell's text refer to the object's controller — in this case, the player who cast Cyclonic Rift. So 'you don't control' means everything controlled by players other than the caster.

The overload mechanic (CR 702.96) replaces the original targeting text with a non-targeted effect that applies to all permanents matching the new description. Even though the spell now affects all matching permanents on the battlefield instead of a single target, it still applies only within the bounds of its revised text — permanents the caster does not control.

Example: You cast Cyclonic Rift with overload. You control a Serra Angel and an Island; your opponent controls a Goblin Guide and an Ornithopter. Only the Goblin Guide and Ornithopter are returned to your opponent's hand. Your Serra Angel and Island remain completely unaffected.

This is one of the reasons Cyclonic Rift is considered so powerful in multiplayer formats — it clears every opponent's board while leaving the caster's own permanents completely intact.

HIGH confidence CR 109.5 CR 702.96
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