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Rules Answers › Targeting & Protection

Does Cyclonic Rift's overloaded version hit permanents controlled by the player who cast it?

Short answer
No. When overloaded, Cyclonic Rift returns each nonland permanent 'you don't control,' explicitly excluding the caster's own permanents.

Cyclonic Rift reads, when overloaded: 'Return each nonland permanent you don't control to its owner's hand.' The word 'you' refers to the spell's controller — the player who cast it. Because the overloaded text specifically targets permanents the caster does not control, all permanents the caster does control are entirely unaffected.

This is straightforward text interpretation governed by CR 109.5, which states that 'you' on a spell or ability refers to its controller. There is no ambiguity: the restriction is baked directly into the card's overloaded wording, not into a separate protection effect.

It is worth contrasting this with the non-overloaded version, which targets a single nonland permanent — and in that case the caster could legally target one of their own permanents if they chose to, since that text has no such restriction. The overloaded version simply does not allow that option.

Concrete example: Alice casts Cyclonic Rift with overload. She controls a Llanowar Elves and a Forest; her opponent Bob controls a Serra Angel and an Island. The Elves and Forest stay exactly where they are. Only the Serra Angel and Island are returned to Bob's hand.

Relevant rules: CR 109.5 (controller reference for 'you'), CR 702.2c (overload reminder), and the card's own Oracle text, which is the authoritative source of its effect.

HIGH confidence CR 109.5 CR 702.2c
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