Last Updated: 2026-10-09
190.3. Control can be Contested through the course of play.
190.3.a. Contested is a temporary status applied to a Battlefield when a Unit controlled by a Player who does not currently Control that Battlefield Moves or otherwise becomes present there.
190.3.a.1. Units moving to or being played to a battlefield apply Contested status if that Battlefield is not already Contested and that Unit's controller does not already control that battlefield.
190.3.a.2. A Unit changing controller while located at a Battlefield will also apply Contested status to that Battlefield if it isn't Contested and if the new controller doesn't control that Battlefield.
190.3.b. Once a Showdown or Combat begins at a Battlefield, it remains Contested until Control is established or re-established.
190.3.b.1. If a player who applied Contested status to a Battlefield controls no Units there and there is no ongoing Showdown or Combat at that Battlefield, then Contested status is removed in the following Cleanup.