To set aside a card is to remove it from the game; however, the effect will specify some condition that allows the set-aside card to return to the game. See also Removed from the Game.
Shadow
Shadow is an evasion ability. Attacking creatures with shadow can"t be blocked by creatures without shadow, and attacking creatures without shadow can"t be blocked by creatures with shadow. See rule 502.8, "Shadow."
Shared Life Total
The Two-Headed Giant multiplayer variant uses a shared life total. Each two-player team"s life total starts at 40, and the team loses if its life total reaches 0. Damage, loss of life, and gaining life happens to each player individually. The result is applied to the team"s shared life total. If an effect needs to know the value of any individual player"s life total, that effect uses the team"s life total divided by the number of players on the team (rounded up) instead. See rule 606, "Two-Headed Giant Variant."
Shield
Replacement and prevention effects act like "shields" around whatever they"re affecting. See rule 419, "Replacement and Prevention Effects."
Shuffle
To shuffle a deck, library, or pile is to make the order of that deck, library, or pile random. After a player shuffles a deck, library, or pile he or she owns, each opponent has the option to shuffle or cut that pile. See rule 101.1.
Skip
To skip an event, step, phase, or turn is to proceed past it as though it didn"t exist. Skipping an event, step, phase, or turn is a replacement effect. "Skip [something]" is the same as "Instead of doing [something], do nothing." See rule 300.9 and rule 419.6e.
Once a step, phase, or turn has started, it can no longer be skipped-any skip effects will wait until the next occurrence.
Anything scheduled for a skipped step, phase, or turn won"t happen. Anything scheduled for the "next" occurrence of something waits for the first occurrence that isn"t skipped. If two effects each cause a player to skip his or her next occurrence, that player must skip the next two; one effect will be satisfied in skipping the first occurrence, while the other will remain until another occurrence can be skipped. See rule 419.6f.
Snow
Snow is a supertype. When a card refers to a "snow permanent," it means a permanent with the snow supertype. When a card refers to a "snow Forest," it means a Forest with the snow supertype, and so on. Some older cards were printed with the term "snow-covered" in their rules text. Except for card names, all instances of "snow-covered" are now "snow." See rule 205.4e.
Snow Landwalk
Snow landwalk is a special form of landwalk. A creature with snow landwalk is unblockable as long as the defending player controls at least one snow land of the specified subtype. See rule 502.6, "Landwalk," and rule 205.4e.
Snow Mana
The snow mana symbol {S} represents a cost that can be paid with one mana produced by a snow permanent. This is a generic mana cost that can be paid with any color or, or colorless, mana. Effects that reduce the amount of generic mana you pay don"t affect {S} costs.
Snow-Covered (Obsolete)
Some older cards were printed with the term "snow-covered" in their rules text. Except for card names, all instances of "snow-covered" are now "snow."
Sorcery
Sorcery is a type. The active player may play sorceries during his or her main phase when the stack is empty. A sorcery spell is put into its owner"s graveyard as part of its resolution. See rule 212.7, "Sorceries."
Sorcery Type
Sorcery subtypes are always a single word and are listed after a long dash: "Sorcery Arcane." Sorcery subtypes are also called sorcery types. A sorcery subtype that"s also an instant subtype is also called a spell type.
The list of sorcery types, updated through the Time Spiral set, is as follows: Arcane.
Soulshift
Soulshift is a triggered ability. "Soulshift N" means "When this permanent is put into a graveyard from play, you may return target Spirit card with converted mana cost N or less from your graveyard to your hand."
Source of an Ability
The source of an ability is the object that generated it. See rule 402, "Abilities," and rule 200.7.
Source of Damage
The source of damage is the object that dealt it. If an effect requires a player to choose a source of damage, he or she may choose a permanent, a spell on the stack (including one that creates a permanent), or any object referred to by an object on the stack (including a creature that a.s.signed combat damage on the stack, even if the creature is no longer in play or is no longer a creature). A source doesn"t need to be capable of dealing damage to be a legal choice. See rule 419.8, "Sources of Damage."
Special Action
Special actions don"t use the stack. The special actions are playing a land, turning a face-down creature face up, ending continuous effects or stopping delayed triggered abilities, ignoring continuous effects, and removing a card with suspend in your hand from the game. See rule 408.1i and rule 408.2, "Actions That Don"t Use the Stack."
Spell