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How is the rarity of cards in official preconstructed Commander decks determined? As far as I am aware, the rarity of Magic: The Gathering cards is determined by how many times a given card gets printed, relative to other cards in the same set. I believe the standard distribution is for every 120 cards, you get 1 mythic, 7 rare, 24 uncommon, and 88 common, with cards of a given rarity equally likely to appear. This, in turn, determines how likely you are to pull a given card from a randomized 15-card booster pack. Commander cards aren't sold in booster packs. The only way to obtain them is to buy one of the pre-built Commander decks. These decks have fixed deck lists, so every deck you buy has the same 100 guaranteed cards in it. However, the Commander cards do have different rarities. For example, the Commander 2016 card Army of the Damned is a mythic rare, while Windfall is an uncommon. These two cards both appear in the 2016 deck Entropic Uprising, and no others. In other words, when purchasing Commander decks, you will always get the same number of Army of the Damned as you do Windfall, but they are somehow different rarities. In addition, the distribution of rarities in the deck is off as well. Again, using Entropic Uprising as an example, there are 5 mythic rare, 33 rare, 26 uncommon, 15 common, and 20 land. How are these rarity levels determined if there is no randomness or normal distribution of cards in the set? <Q> You mention that each deck is a singleton deck, so each card is printed exactly as much as each other card within that product. <S> This is true when considering just one deck, but if you look at multiple decks that are part of the same product (e.g. all of the C16 decks), cards at lower rarities are printed in more decks than cards at higher rarities. <S> Common cards can be printed in 4 or 5 of the decks, while mythic rare cards are printed in only one of them. <S> Rarity also has some meaning other than the print run frequency in sealed products. <S> In particular, the Magic Online format Pauper allows only cards that have been printed at common. <S> Similarly, the unofficial format Peasant is similar, but has slightly less restrictive deckbuilding rules and allows some uncommons. <S> So, we can assume that power level plays a role in determining the rarity at which a card should be printed. <S> In addition, Wizards' "New World Order" design philosophy , which has been in effect for several years, dictates that more complex cards should be printed at higher rarity levels. <S> This is a less important consideration in decks of singletons, but it's likely that they continue to follow the same principles for consistency. <A> Both of the examples you mention ( Windfall and Army of the Damned ) were printed in other sets that were released in the booster format before being included in the preconstructed decks. <S> At least these two examples preserve the rarity they were previously printed at (Windfall was uncommon in Urza's Saga and Army of the Damned was Mythic in Innistrad). <S> Here, they are following the same convention they followed with the Duel Decks. <S> For new cards printed in these sets, such as Atraxa, Praetors' Voice , they are presumably given a rarity that would be appropriate in the event these cards are ever reprinted in a booster-pack format set. <S> Granted, this is less likely given they aren't making core sets any more, but there is still MTGO, and some of these cards may make it into the main story line sets. <S> Loxodon Warhammer is a great example in that it has been printed at different rarities in different Commander sets, but was also printed at different rarities in booster pack sets (it was Uncommon in Mirrodin <S> but Rare in 10th Edition). <S> The assumption is that if they do reprint Loxodon Warhammer (such as in the as of yet unannounced Mirrodin 3 block!), it would be as an uncommon. <A> The rarity of a card determines how often it can appear in a booster pack, not the other way around. <S> That is why sometimes reprints of cards get a different rarity, to control their frequency in that block's limited environment, even though they're the exact same, mechanically. <S> Preconstructed decks, as you already noted, can in principle have any distribution of rarities. <S> A precon deck is supposed to make thematic sense. <S> In the case where cards are available only through those precon decks, the rarities don't matter at all, and their rarities can be freely assigned according to the (lack of) complexity of their design.
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A card's rarity, in turn, is determined by the set designers according to the card's design and how often it is supposed to appear in its respective limited environment.
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How can I play Dominion by myself (like solitaire)? Is there any suggested way to modify the rules to play Dominion on your own, like a Dominion Solitaire? It seems possible given that you're mostly just building your own deck and collecting victory points, but I'm not sure how to replicate the scarcity aspect that makes the game competitive and challenging. <Q> Probably the best way to make a bot to play against is to not make it have a deck at all, just every other turn make it take a duchy and on the other turns make it randomly take an attack card and do it's effect (only bother with the effect that effects you for the bot doesn't have a deck) <A> Copied from <S> https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/428919/dominion-solitaire <S> I was bored today <S> so I came up with a sort of "Dominion Solitaire". <S> The way you do it is you set up a standard two player game with you being one player. <S> You simulate the other player's turns in a purely mechanical way, as follows: <S> Purchase a Province or, if unable to do so, purchase the highest valued treasure you can. <S> Apart from the randomness in card drawing, you'll be playing a deterministic opponent. <S> Then see how many points you can beat this "computer" player by. <A> I think one way you could do it is as a strategy test - eg: What's the shortest number of rounds you can reach a pre-determined condition, or highest number of points you can earn in x rounds. <A> On Dominion Online , you can play a one-player game. <S> It allows you to do all sorts of solitaire challenges.
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You should check out the game Ascension, it is a deck building game like dominion, but with a viable built in solitaire variant.
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Card game, off color write-in responses. Ran into this game at a brewery out of state. Can't find it in stores, and internet searches have turned up nothing. It involves a player drawing a card, and the respondents writing an off-color or silly answer on sheets of paper (that come with the game). The player then chooses funniest/most creative amongst the responses. Any help is appreciated! <Q> I submit Balderdash as a possibility. <S> Since the OP doesn't mention what is on the card the player draws, it's hard to say what the game might be. <S> Also Balderdash players aren't directed specifically to be off color, but who isnt ? <A> While it uses dry-erase cards rather than plain paper, this sounds just like Say Anything , although the aim is usually to write the answer which the question-asker will agree with the most (and there's a side-game of everyone "betting" on which of the given answers will be picked) <A> Could also be Wise and Otherwise . <S> Normally, the players agree on which is best or what they think is the most authentic, but we've played it where the reader decides as well. <A> I know it comes with papers to write responses on. <S> One player draws a card and everyone writes a response. <S> Once all the responses are in the player who read the card reads the responses and tries to guess who wrote what, and scores points for guessing people correctly.
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This could be The Game of Things .
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If someone casts an aura on my creature, do I still control the creature? Some spells and abilities let you gain control of a permanent. Most of the time, this means the card will move from your opponent's side to yours. But for Auras or Equipment attached to other cards, the controller changes but it doesn't move. I'm very new to MTG, and read official rules (above) - it says that if someone adds an aura on my creature, this means that I'm no longer controller of that creature. So, for example, someone casts Sleep Paralysis on one of my creatures. After, I want to use Fling . Can I sacrifice my creature tapped by Sleep Paralysis? Or, for example, I want to cast Certain Death on my creature tapped by Sleep Paralysis. Will I get 2 damage, or my opponent? I'm very confused about creature controlling. <Q> Some spells and abilities let you gain control of a permanent Sleep Paralysis does not change control of permanents. <S> Lay Claim is an example of an Aura that changes control of a permanent. <S> It has <S> You control enchanted permanent. <S> This ability transfers control of the enchanted permanent. <S> Most of the time, this means the card will move from your opponent's side to yours. <S> Say you have a creature to which you have a Bone Saw attached, and your opponent attaches Lay Claim to your creature. <S> Your opponent controls the creature, so it moves to their side, and they can attack with it and use its abilities (but you can't). <S> You can't sacrifice it to Fling (but they can), and they would lose life if it's targeted by Certain Death (and you wouldn't). <S> It even gets the +1/+0 from Bone Saw. <S> However, you still control Bone Saw. <S> As an Aura or Equipment, it physically stays with the creature to which is attached. <S> Only you can use its activated ability (say to equip Bone Saw to a creature you still control). <S> But for Auras or Equipment attached to other cards, the controller changes but it doesn't move. <S> Say you have a creature to which you have a Bone Saw attached, and your opponent attaches Lay Claim to Bone Saw (not the creature). <S> You can sacrifice it to Fling, and you would lose life if it's targeted by Certain Death. <S> It even gets the +1/+0 from Bone Saw. <S> However, your opponent controls Bone Saw. <S> As an Aura or Equipment, it physically stays with the creature to which is attached. <S> Only they can use its activated ability (say to equip Bone Saw on one of their own creatures). <A> Sleep Paralysis does not change control of your creature. <S> It just taps it and prevents it from untapping, which certainly does make it a lot less useful, but it's still yours. <S> The kind of thing you have to worry about will explicitly say "control", like the classic Control Magic , which is an aura that reads simply: Enchant creature <S> You control enchanted creature. <S> If your opponent plays that on your creature, then yes, they'd control it. <S> In that case, you wouldn't be able to use Fling with that creature (but they would!), and Certain Death would deal them damage. <A> The only way an aura or equipment can change control of a permanent is if it specifically states "you control enchanted/equipped permanent/creature/land/artifact/enchantment"
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You control the creature, so it stays on your side, and you can attack with it and use its abilities.
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Can Rhonas the Indomitable attack if I pump Voltaic Brawler? I have a Voltaic Brawler (3/2) on board and also a Rhonas the Indomitable .I am going to pump the brawler up with an energy counter to make the brawler a (4/3) and attack with the brawler. Will Rhonas also be able to attack now? <Q> You can't get Rhonas attacking that way, unfortunately. <S> This is because of how we handle declaring attackers: <S> We enter the Declare Attackers step. <S> You choose attackers. <S> They're declared attackers simultaneously. <S> (At this point, Voltaic Brawler can attack, but Rhonas cannot.) <S> The active player receives priority, and in the process of them receiving it, triggered abilities go on the stack, including Voltaic Brawler's. <S> You get the opportunity to choose to pump Voltaic Brawler with +1/+1. <S> At this point, declaring attackers is done. <S> You can't declare new ones. <S> It's too late. <S> This would be different if you used Rhonas's activated ability before combat to get a 5/2 Voltaic Brawler before declaring attackers. <S> (That's exactly what it's there for: to benefit your strategy and help Rhonas attack. <S> Every Amonkhet god has an activated ability that moves you closer to them being able to attack and block.) <A> You will not be able to do that. <S> Voltaic Brawler's ability starts with the word ' <S> Whenever' which means it is a triggered ability that goes on the stack. <S> It will wait to go on the stack until all attacks have been declared and the active player gets priority in the declare attackers step. <S> At this point you can't "go back" to declare more attackers after choosing to pay the cost. <A> The steps of combat are: Beginning of Combat Declare Attackers Declare Blockers Combat Damage <S> End of Combat <S> You only get to attack once, at the very beginning of Declare Attackers. <S> Nobody has priority, so no spells and abilities can be activated. <S> Once you have declared attackers, then Brawler's trigger goes on the stack. <S> Then you can pump it, but the opportunity for Rhonas to attack has passed. <A> In general, Rhonas only cares whether you have a creature whose current power is 4 or greater, taking into account pump effects. <S> In this particular case, pumping Voltaic Brawler by spending energy on its triggered ability will not allow you to attack with Rhonas. <S> By the time the Brawler's ability triggers <S> and you have the opportunity to pay energy, you have already finished declaring attackers. <S> You can't "go back" and also declare Rhonas as an attacker now that you control another creature with power 4 or greater.
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No, you cannot attack with Rhonas in that scenario.
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Dixit: what to do if two players cross the finish at the same time? What do you do if two players cross the finish at the same time? Does anyone have any rules on this? I can't see anything in the instructions. <Q> If two players cross the finish line at the same time, then the player with the most points wins. <S> If they both have the most points the rules don't indicate any tiebreaker, but my suggestion is to just play another round, as it's a casual game and it will allow you to get in another round of fun. <A> According to these rules , The game ends when one of the players has reached 30 points or when a player draws the last card. <S> The player with the most points at the end of the game wins. <S> The player with the most points is the winner. <S> However, if you want a single winner, there's nothing appropriate to use as a tie-breaker, so just play more rounds until there's a clear winner. <A> The game doesn't end when a player crosses the finish line (as uninuitive as it may seem) From the rules on the publisher's website (also available in other languages ): <S> Game end The game ends when the last card from the pack has been drawn. <S> The player who’s the furthest on the scoring track is the winner. <S> Thus if you go past 30 points, you just take another lap. <S> There are no tiebreakers for if there is a tie when the last card has been drawn. <S> Given the casual nature of the game, I'm going to guess that they are co-winners. <S> If having co-winners doesn't work for you, the only real option is to play additional rounds until someone comes out ahead.
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In the event of a tie, it's often the preferred resolution in a casual setting to declare that all the players tied for first are winners.
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Do Go players play to minimize score difference after realizing they cannot win? I would expect that players might opt for a strategy with a higher chance of winning despite having a greater chance of losing by a greater point difference. But after they see that they will lose, do they continue to play their best to score as well as they can? Go appears to be different from e.g. chess, where by contrast the game is typically not played out to checkmate and often ends in forfeit when a player realizes that he cannot win. <Q> In general, if you realize that you can't win, you should resign. <S> It's considered rude to make plays that will only allow you to catch up if your opponent makes a stupid mistake. <S> I don't think Go is different from chess in this way. <S> I would say around half of my games end in resignation. <A> Sadly I do not have a reliable source for this answer, but as far as I know, continuing when clearly behind is not generally considered rude, at least at professional level. <S> One reasoning was that it is good manners to try your best until the end. <S> Of course one would still try to play good moves to minimize the loss, not just play on for the sake of it. <S> This may be somewhat country-specific, too. <S> I also remember a professional game that was lost during counting, i.e. a mistake when filling dame (the order mattered). <S> The comments commended the attention to detail of the eventual winner. <S> Some amateurs, on the other hand, have strong opinions on when a game should be resigned. <S> They may be scarred from bad experiences with players who continued even though the game was over, i.e. dame was filled, but they kept playing all remaining ko threats or even non-threats, dead stones inside the opponents territory, just to avoid passing. <S> This varies a lot for different players, so if you want to be on the safe side, it seems sensible to resign rather sooner than later. <S> In games that are not rated (not tournament), I would resign a lot quicker just to be able to play another game instead, and certainly many people do so. <A> The general answer to this question is no . <S> When a player lying behind does not see a chance to turn the outcome of the game into Eir favour, E resigns. <S> The caveat here is the word general : <S> There are some tournament formats (used, e.g., in the Go-to-innovation tournament in Berlin, Germany ) using a scoring system based on point differences. <S> The Hahn system assign a full point only with a score difference of 40 points or more, each 10 points missing on board make the score 0.1 smaller. <S> Also, in the Korean gambling Go <S> bangneki score differences (in terms of 10 points on the board) were used to measure the amount of money won or lost. <A> There are different player characters out there, some of whom may quickly resign a game of Go, while others will continue playing even after suffering a severe loss. <S> The later is not without reason: Even if some of your stones die, it does not mean they are worthless. <S> The point is, that many dead stones leave tons of good aji to be exploited. <S> Once you realize that, you realize that you still have decent chances of winning games that you would otherwise have wanted to give up. <S> Also, estimating final score is actually quite hard in the early stages of a game of Go. <S> I cannot count the number of times I've been surprised by the final score of a game. <S> Like, I was thinking I would loose, but then a win would be counted, and vice versa. <S> I just had such a game with an opponent who resigned after less than a hundred moves, because he lost a big fight. <S> Nevertheless, when I counted the game by playing it out, it was still him who should have won the game. <S> Thus, if you make a habit of resigning games early, you are not playing to your full strength, you are loosing games that you would have won. <S> Many Go players know this, either explicitly or intuitively, and are slow to resign consequently. <S> The ones who don't know this unfortunately have a hard time realizing their mistake, as they never see how their resigned games would have played out. <A> I would rephrase the question as, "Do Go players play to minimize score difference after realizing they WILL not win?" <S> And the answer to that question is yes. <S> A "cannot" win game is one where a professional player is down by 5-10 points or more with only "endgame" left. <S> In that case, the losing pro will resign because there is no possibility another pro will blow a lead that large in a non-dynamic position. <S> On the other hand, a "will not win" game is when the pro is one or two points behind in an endgame situation. <S> Against another pro, one usually "will not" win such a game. <S> But if each move is worth two points, and the leading pro makes a two point mistake, the gap could be closed. <S> These instances are rare, but not unheard of, especially under time pressure. <S> In those cases, a pro may elect to play the game to the end and try to narrow the gap, knowing he has no legitimate chance to win, but hoping to "get lucky." <S> Source: <S> Appreciating Famous Games
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Go players play for win or loose, not for the difference of score.
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Is there a card similar to Lugia from Fates Collide that targets GXs instead of EXs? I've dabbled in the Pokémon TCG on and off for a few years now - the main reason why I buy packs is not for the cards themselves, but for the collectible pins some of them come with. Recently, I stumbled back into it thanks to TCGO and some old boosters I'd scanned in, and I'm having a lot of fun with a water deck I cobbled together based around Altaria EX , Seaking , and cards that heal such as Rough Seas and Healing Scarf to survive longer and hit harder at the same time. Now, I've been using Lugia because it's good at surviving hits with 120 HP and Pressure and at killing EXs thanks to Intensifying Burn, which does 120 damage against EXs and 60 otherwise. Is there a Pokémon with a move similar to Intensifying Burn that targets GX Pokémon instead of EX Pokémon? The main problem I have with the deck (besides my own lack of skill) is that it stalls against GX Pokémon because I don't have a good way to damage a 200 HP card before it collects enough energy to attack faster than I can heal it away. The knowledge that there's a card out there that can take out GX Pokémon in 2 turns, especially if it only gives up 1 prize card, would be very helpful even if I don't end up trading for it. <Q> A very similar card named Golisopod (9/145) was released in Guardians Rising expansion (released 5th May 2017), later reprinted with the same text as a promo (SM52) in Crimson Invasion Single Pack Blisters . <S> Resolute Claws 80 <S> + <S> If your opponent's Active Pokémon is a Pokémon- GX or a Pokémon- EX , this attack does 70 more damage (before applying Weakness and Resistance) . <S> The card has similar, but better ability than your Lugia <S> (Golisopod takes 30 less damage instead of Lugia's 20 and also <S> Golisopod's Ability works on Bench too). <S> The attack requires , making it hard to use in water deck. <S> The bonus effect of the attack works against both Pokémon- GX and Pokémon- EX , making it the card you are looking for. <S> Both base and bonus damages are higher than Lugia's ones (60+60 vs 80+70). <S> There is currently no other card that makes bonus damage to Pokémon- GX . <A> In addition to Golisopod, which is a commonly played card mostly for its GX but the "baby" is also often seen, you can also consider adding a Choice Band (Guardians Rising 121) . <S> That card is very common and grants you a +30 attach against GX pokémon. <A> Mawile from Celestial Storm , released August 3, 2018 has an attack that deals extra damage to Pokemon-GX: Bite Off 20 <S> + <S> If your opponent’s Active Pokemon is a Pokemon-GX or Pokemon-EX, this attack does 30 more damage (before applying Weakness and Resistance) . <A> The Pokèmon website did come up with a Machamp GX that had an attack very much like Intensifying Burn, except that it was targeted towards evolutionary Pokèmon.
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I did a quick Google search and Wikipedia search on this topic, and I did not find any Pokèmon cards with attacks like Lugia's Intensifying Burn that are targeted towards GXes.
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Can tokens be used for a ritual summon? So this question occurred to me while I was playing a bit of YGOPRO, my opponent had summoned four Ojama tokens to my side of the field which are Light(Level 2, ATK 0, DEF 1000) and states that they cannot be used in a tribute summon. I drew my trusty chaos form which summons blue eyes chaos max which is level 8, which could be all for of the Ojama tokens which were on my side of the field as the resolution cost of chaos form, however I was not allowed to do this, (I won the game anyway). Because I have never heard of the rulings between tokens and ritual summons I thought I would check the wiki pages on this as it could be a good strategy to use in some ritual decks. I check the token monster wiki which highlighted that tokens can be used for tributes unless stated otherwise and that the can be used for fusions, synchro and link summons but not xyz summons (because material doesn't count as being on the field and tokens only exist on the field). This page had no explanation of ritual summons. So I check the card rulings page for tokens which again didn't highlight to use of ritual summons, I then the wiki page for ritual summons which doesn't highlight the use of tokens for the summon. Is this a grey area that not many people are sure of or have I missed something? <Q> Ritual Summons typically require you to tribute monsters whose combined levels are equal to or higher than that of the Ritual Monster's, so Tokens, being monsters with levels, should count. <A> So reading the text i don't think i need to add this, but to be on the completly safe site:If you want to use a ritual Spell to Ritual Summon a Monster you need to have that Ritual Monster in your Hand. <S> If that was the case and no other card in play banned you from summoning the Dragon or activating the spell, it is perfectly fine to use the tokens to ritual summon. <S> The reason you couldn't in my opinin lies in the programm of ygropro. <S> Since you said you controlled 4 Ojama Tokens, i would guess these were summoned with 2 "Ojama Dou" instead of 2 of "Ojama Trio" and 2 other tokens get destroyed on the way?While <S> in the most pro-clients ojama Dou is still in the beta, errors are to expected. <S> If you don't want other players to have the same problems later, you could post the situation to the forum of the corresponding client. <A> Seems that those tokes you say came from a Ojama Trio , reading that card ruling we have that: ... <S> They cannot be Tributed for a Tribute Summon ... <S> Also, reading the description from Chaos Form and your Blue-Eyes Chaos MAX Dragon there seems to be no restriction or condition to the type of monsters required for this Ritual Summon . <S> So, to answer your question: Is this a grey area that not many people are sure of or have I missed something? <S> I think you are correct; you should be able to use those tokens for a Ritual Summon, as it is not a Tribute Summon <S> (for example, I once managed to overcome those pesky tokens by making a Synchro Summon to a BRD to wipe the field). <S> What you may have experienced is an inconsistency or soft bug on the YGOPro, that or some missing feature. <S> Anyways, it is understandable this is confusing and a good thing you researched, but you should not take YGOPro as what should be the rulings, as it may fail in some cases. <A> As already mentioned TOKENs can normally not be used for a tribute summon. <S> The reason for this is that you cannot sent them to they graveyard, because they disappear when leaving the monster zone. <S> So they cannot be used for Special Summons where they have to be sent to the graveyard like Ritual Summon.
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There is no reason you cannot use a token as a tribute for a Ritual Summon.
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If a protection effect "doesn't remove Auras", can auras that are not cast be placed on the permanent? The card Spectra Ward has this ability: Enchanted creature gets +2/+2 and has protection from all colors. This effect doesn't remove Auras. The rulings on the card say that you can't cast more Auras targeting the creature: Although Auras that are already attached to the creature aren’t affected by Spectra Ward, the enchanted creature can’t be the target of further Aura spells that have one or more colors. But what happens if an Aura enters the battlefield some other way (from the effect of Enduring Ideal , for example)? Can that Aura be attached to a creature with Spectra Ward already attached? <Q> Yes, the Aura can still be attached, as long as the ability doing the attaching doesn't target or is from a colorless source. <S> Protection from a quality normally gives protection from DEBT. <S> Damaged : <S> Can't be damaged by a source with the stated quality. <S> Enchanted/Equiped/ <S> Fortified : <S> Can't be Enchanted, Equipped or Fortified by an permanent with the stated quality. <S> Blocked <S> : Can't be blocked by a creature with the stated quality. <S> Targeted <S> : Can't be targeted by a spell with the stated quality or by an ability from a source with the stated quality. <S> Spectra Ward's ability provides a neutered form of Protection. <S> Auras are not prevented from Enchanting the protected permanent by the Protection provided by Spectra Ward . <S> 702.16m <S> Some Auras both give the enchanted creature protection and say “this effect doesn’t remove” either that specific Aura or all Auras. <S> This means that the specified Auras can legally enchant that creature and aren’t put into their owners’ graveyards as a state-based action. <S> If the creature has other instances of protection from the same quality, those instances affect Auras as normal. <S> This means: <S> You can't cast a colored Aura targeting the permanent protected by Spectra Ward . <S> (It's protected from being targeted.) <S> Colored Auras already attached to the permanent won't fall off. <S> (It's not protected from being enchanted.) <S> You can attach a colored Aura <S> the permanent protected by Spectra Ward. <S> For example, Enduring Ideal isn't hindered by Spectra Ward . <S> (The permanent to which the Aura is being attached isn't protected from being enchanted, and the ability doesn't target.) <S> For example, Bruna, Light of Alabaster 's ability will still work even if it's protected by Spectra Ward . <S> (It's not protected from being enchanted, and the ability doesn't target.) <S> However, Aura Finesse would not be able to attach an Aura to a creature protected by Spectra Ward because the creature is protected from being targeted by Aura Finesse. <A> 702.16 <S> m <S> Some Auras both give the enchanted creature protection and say “this effect doesn’t remove” either that specific Aura or all Auras. <S> This means that the specified Auras can legally enchant that creature and aren’t put into their owners’ graveyards as a state-based action. <S> If the creature has other instances of protection from the same quality, those instances affect Auras as normal. <S> And 303.4f <S> If an Aura is entering the battlefield under a player’s control by any means other than by resolving as an Aura spell, and the effect putting it onto the battlefield doesn’t specify the object or player the Aura will enchant, that player chooses what it will enchant as the Aura enters the battlefield. <S> The player must choose a legal object or player according to the Aura’s enchant ability and any other applicable effects. <S> Also, although reminder text is not official rules text, the reminder text on Spectra Ward gives the answer: <S> (It can't be blocked, targeted, or dealt damage by anything that's white, blue, black, red, or green.) <S> Note that it leaves out the "or enchanted" part of the reminder text that would normally encompass what protection means. <S> The only reason you can't cast an aura normally to attach further auras to the enchanted creature is that auras are targeted spells. <A> Seems that you could attach an aura to the creature: <S> 303.4f <S> If an Aura is entering the battlefield under a player’s control by any means other than by resolving as an Aura spell, and the effect putting it onto the battlefield doesn’t specify the object or player the Aura will enchant, that player chooses what it will enchant as the Aura enters the battlefield. <S> The player must choose a legal object or player according to the Aura’s enchant ability and any other applicable effects. <S> Spectra Ward's ability makes it a legal object, I'd say.
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Yes, you can still attach auras to it as long as they aren't being cast normally.
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Publishing a board game with an existing game company I've read the other questions on publishing games and have noticed that a few of them have been closed for being too broad. Hopefully this question will be a bit more specific. OK I have a game in development at the moment. I'm realistic enough to realise it probably isn't the best game in the world and getting it published by a traditional company is going to be an uphill battle. So I came up with an idea about how to get round this problem. Lets say I approach a game company and offer to pay them all the expenses they incur when distributing, marketing, manufacturing and selling my game. That way they wouldn't take a financial hit if the game is an absolute failure and I would be the one who would foot the bill for the failure. In order to encourage them to agree to the deal I would offer them a percentage share in my company which owns the rights to the game. Therefore if it fails they don't lose anything and if it succeeds they would get a percentage of the profits via dividends paid through their shareholding in my company. My question is this. How would one go about talking to game companies and making this offer? As far as I can tell it would be a win win situation. If it fails they haven't lost anything and if it succeeds they get a share of the profits. I am aware that game companies are (and companies in general for that matter) protective of their reputation and brand name so they wouldn't even need to have their company name on the product if they are worried that it will have a negative impact on their brand. I just don't know who the people to talk are in these game companies? I live in the UK so could try and go to some game conferences or similar and see what people say. Are there any direct lines of communication between games companies and small game designers? <Q> That deal doesn't seem very likely. <S> You plan to cover any expenses they may incur during production, marketing, and distribution, but I do not believe you have considered their opportunity cost for taking on the project. <S> Whatever time and resources they are devoting to your game (even if you are footing the bill) could be spent elsewhere on a product with a greater expected return on investment. <S> It sounds like you are looking for the board game equivalent of vanity publishing ( https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vanity_press ), which is usually not a good idea for anyone except the publisher. <S> If you do find a company willing to let you cover all costs, it may not be as good of a deal as you think. <A> You're far better off trying to kickstart your game if you don't think a publisher will go for it. <S> But then you should be asking yourself why don't you think it's good enough? <S> And if it isn't good enough, what can you do to make it good enough. <S> In this day and age there are some fantastic games that have been released and your game needs to compete against those games if you want people to play it. <S> I would suggest learning more about board game design and if this game is not good enough, either fix it so that it is good enough or create a new one that is. <S> Alternatively, you can use a print-on-demand service to print your game for you. <A> You might want to consider the equivalent of a Print on Demand service like Lulu. <S> I've looked at <S> The Game Crafter but have not used their services. <S> You could certainly find a few other options out there with a bit of google searching (such as Print Ninja .)
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There are a number of "create your own board game" services out there which will do a professional job at reasonable cost (if you only want it for yourself).
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Tool to search for cards with similar functionality I'm looking for a tool/website that would aid in deck building, specifically by providing alternatives to a specific card, say Fog . It should respond with traditional data plus suggestions of similar cards like Haze of Pollen or Commencement of Festivities . I've looked on Google's Play Store, and also tried many of the leading websites (TappedOut, ChannelFireball, etc.) While TCGPlayer and Amazon will recommend cards based on other buyers purchases, those suggestions may not be similar in nature to the first card. Gatherer does have comments on many cards, but it's too time consuming to scroll page after page. <Q> MythicSpoiler provides something they call "Thesaurus" (usually used for finding word synonyms ). <S> Although not the site's primary functionality, you can search for specific cards and it will yield you similar cards in nature and functionality, and excluding any other factors, which has its own pitfalls - for example, it wouldn't give you just any other green card, but it might give you a non-green alternative with the same function. <S> The range is limited to three cards at a time, though. <S> Searching for Fog , for example, you will get suggestions for Druid's Deliverance , Moment's Peace , and Moonmist . <S> This is an exclusively manual process, as stated by its creator . <S> You can choose to partake in this process by submitting your own card suggestions. <S> There are attempts to solve this issue procedurally as well, such as this attempt to solve it via NLP <S> (Natural Language Processing). <S> They link to a GitHub repository , but unfortunately there seems to be no existing implementation to try it out yourself quickly. <S> That said, for the multitude of cards available as alternatives to Fog , you're better off doing a specific Gatherer search (or search the database tool of your choice in a similar manner), for example for all green spells with the phrase " <S> Prevent all combat damage that would be dealt this turn" . <S> This is the only process I can think of that will guarantee that you're not missing the card you're looking for, as long as you choose your search parameters sensibly - for example, the above search won't yield Terrifying Presence as a result. <A> https://scryfall.com/search?q=o%3A%22Prevent%22+o%3A%22all%22+o%3A%22damage%22+-o%3Atarget+-o%3Achoice&order=cmc <S> Here, I decided to search for "prevent", "all", "damage", and the filtered out "target" and "choice" because they were giving a lot of spells that prevented damage from one creature, and that's not really what a Fog is. <S> They have a syntax guide on the website that will help you build complex searches like this. <S> the most basic syntax is using o: to search for words in the text box and -o: to exclude terms. <A> MTGAssist.com was built specifically for this. <S> Here's an example for Fog: https://www.mtgassist.com/search.php?similar_to=fog <S> You can even combine it with other search options to find exactly what you're looking for. <S> Hope this helps,Adam <A> Gui. <S> See screenshot below to estimate the quality of search result. <S> See also feature description in application wiki. <S> Wiki to get more information and screenshots <A> Metamox.com is exactly what your looking for. <S> Enter a card name and it will give you every card that functions like or similar to it. <S> I use it when building my decks for strong synergy.
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Your question inspired me to add Search similar cards feature to my program Mtgdb. I use scryfall and search for some of the unique terms, and take out some terms that might lead to false positives.
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If you have more than one face-down development card in Settlers of Catan, do you have to keep them distinguished? For example, if you buy a development card on turn 5, and then another one on turn 8, do you have to keep them distinguished? When you play a card, if it was one you got more recently, it may be a clue that the other card is a victory point, since it hasn't been played. If you played the one you got a while ago, then there is no doubt what it is. In all my games I've played, however, everyone just keeps them out in front of themselves, so it's not too hard to keep track if you pay attention. I am building an AI for the game (to get some insights out of it, as well and possibly determine fairness of certain map configurations), and while this is a minor point, I would rather be technically correct when constructing the rules for the game, since I plan on using some degree of hand information to describe the board state for the AI. <Q> The rules, section 3d, say "Keep your development cards hidden (in your hand) until you play them, so your opponents can't anticipate your play." <S> In games I've played people tend to stack cards in front of themselves rather than completely conceal them. <S> Even so, long as they don't play a card on the turn it was purchased, there is nothing stopping them from stacking/ordering cards in whatever way they choose. <S> So, yes, players can certainly mentally keep track of how many development cards someone may have picked up, there is nothing requiring them to be visible to other players after that point. <A> I would say that knowing how many dev cards are held is an important and known factor. <S> The times at which the player purchased dev cards would also be known - but should not be linked to the specific card. <S> It is an option for the player to shuffle their Dev cards to keep this detail hidden. <S> Therefore the AI could speculate on total time held but not be able to "know" for sure how long each individual dev card has been held for as part of a fair AI build. <A> So you are not required to play it. <S> Which means there is no guarantee that hidden development cards are victory points. <S> For an AI, you can make some educated guesses. <S> At first it is always nice to play safe. <S> So assume the hidden cards are victory cards. <S> If a player has X hidden cards at the start of their turn and Y points (visible) and X+Y is enough to win, you can safely assume that at least not all of the X cards are victory cards, else the player should have revealed them. <S> Note the total number of victory cards in the game. <S> If a major resource of the player is blocked by the robber, and the player did not play a knight, you can assume he has no knights (although you can play with this). <S> You can make simmilar assumptions for the other development cards.
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According to the rules you can play 1 development card during your turn (with an exception to victory points which are revealed when you declare victory) as long as you did not purchase it this turn.
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Can I rebound a spell that exiles itself? There's a handful of cards from the game which also exile themselves as they resolve . For a straightforward example there's Restock : Return two target cards from your graveyard to your hand. Exile Restock. That's fine enough. But what if I have Cast Through Time on the battlefield to give it rebound? Instant and sorcery spells you control have rebound. (Exile the spell as it resolves if you cast it from your hand. At the beginning of your next upkeep, you may cast that card from exile without paying its mana cost.) Will Restock rebound out of exile? There doesn't seem to be a ruling about this on Cast Through Time. The one part I'm confident about is that if it does rebound, it won't rebound a second time -- it'll exile itself again and it won't have been cast from my hand that time. <Q> No, spells that exile themselves will not rebound. <S> This is supported by the definition of Rebound in the comprehensive rules: <S> (emphasis mine) <S> 702.87a <S> Rebound appears on some instants and sorceries. <S> It represents a static ability that functions while the spell is on the stack and may create a delayed triggered ability. <S> “Rebound” means “If this spell was cast from your hand, instead of putting it into your graveyard as it resolves , exile it and, at the beginning of your next upkeep, you may cast this card from exile without paying its mana cost.” <S> Rebound works by putting the card into exile instead of putting it into your graveyard after the spell is finished resolving. <S> A card that exiles itself never goes into the graveyard, so <S> Rebound dosen't have a chance to move it, and give you the chance to cast it for free at your next upkeep. <A> According to several sources (see below), you won't get to cast it again. <S> I'm quoting an explanation very fitting from Cranial Insertion : <S> It won't rebound. <S> Rebound works by replacing the normal process of going to the graveyard after the spell is done resolving with exiling and setting up a delayed trigger. <S> But that never happens with spells that exile themselves, because they do their exiling as part of resolving them. <S> The spell never gets to the point where the game would try to put it into the graveyard, so the rebound never happens. <S> The important thing to understand with both rebound and unearth isn't really where the card is going. <S> What's important is what's putting it there. <S> The rebounded spell doesn't come back because what's putting it in exile is the spell's own exile-it-forever effect. <S> A flickered unearth creature will come back because what's putting it in exile is the flicker's exile-and-bring-it-back effect. <S> In that sense, it appears that the ruling on Cast <S> Through Time quoted in the question doesn't apply to "zone other than exile", but "zone other than the graveyard". <S> Other sources: tappedout.net <S> Matt Tabak's Twitter : <S> "So yes, you can technically give Temporal Trespass rebound, but it won't work." <A> No Ruling from mtg Gamepedia : <S> Cast Through Time will no longer be giving it Rebound when Rebound would trigger, as the card is already exiled.
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If a spell moves itself into another zone as part of its resolution (as Arc Blade, All Suns' Dawn, and Beacon of Unrest do), rebound won't get a chance to apply Moreover, the card exiling itself is part of the resolution, so
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Does devoid make a card's color identity colorless in Commander? Certain Battle for Zendikar Eldrazi cards have: Devoid (This card has no color.) According to a video by Mark Rosewater, that means regardless of the colored mana required to cast the card, the card itself is colorless. So then, just like the example with Extort: even though there are color mana symbols in the reminder text, those do not count towards color identity. Given this, if I have a colorless Commander (e.g. Kozilek, the Great Distortion , Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger , Karn, Silver Golem , etc.), can I include Devoid cards - as they are colorless? I checked various sources and seem to come up with equal support pro and con. The last line of 105.2 reads: An object’s color or colors may also be defined by a color indicator or a characteristic-defining ability. Devoid is such a defining ability... <Q> No, the reason that you cannot use Devoid cards in a Commander deck with a colorless commander is that a card's "color" is not the same thing as it's "color identity". <S> " <S> Devoid changes a cards color. <S> 105.2. <S> ... <S> An object is the color or colors of the mana symbols in its mana cost... <S> Devoid does not affect the card's color identity. <S> 903.4. <S> The Commander variant uses color identity to determine what cards can be in a deck with a certain commander. <S> The color identity of a card is the color or colors of any mana symbols in that card’s mana cost or rules text, plus any colors defined by its characteristic-defining abilities (see rule 604.3) or color indicator (see rule 204). <S> If the rules text for Devoid said "This card's color identity is colorless" then things would be different. <A> No Color identity includes the following: the color or colors of any mana symbols in that card’s mana cost or rules text , plus any colors defined by its characteristic-defining abilities From the Comprehensive Rules (Commander 2017 (August 25, 2017)) <S> While the card text states that the card is colorless it does include colored mana symbols on the card. <S> These colored mana symbols will determine the color identity of the card. <S> The example of Extort you give doesn't apply to this because the mana symbol is part of the remainder text but not the mana cost or rules text of the card. <A> From what I understand, Colour Identity does include anything that uses and displays colours in the game. <S> So for you to be able to have a devoid creature with a colour in its mana cost, it would have to be in your commander's colours. <S> I got this from this article on reddit . <S> Furthermore, I would think it would be counterproductive to have devoid cards in a commander deck that have different colours than your commander. <S> This is because your mana sources would be limited to devoid sources of that mana and artifacts that produce mana of any colour. <S> Even if a devoid creature ignored the colour identity, most sources of mana for that permanent would have that colour identity and would be illegal in the deck.
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Color identity" dictates what cards that can go in your Commander deck, not "color".
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Citadels first game setup for 3 players In Citadels 2016 the rule book has a recommended first game setup. However that setup does not include a 9th rank character. For a first game (with 3 players), should players use Artist or Tax Collector? Or should they use a different preset option? <Q> I've read the Dutch rulebooks of the base game and the expansion. <S> The expansion introduces the ninth character, and it states that in a 3-player game, you only have 8 characters. <S> It's highly recommended to leave out both the Tax Collector and the Artist. <S> Note that, as mentioned in the comments, the original game had only 8 characters. <S> The expansion came with 10 characters in total: replacements for characters 1-8 and two picks for spot 9. <S> So now, you can pick from two characters for each spot in the turn order. <S> However, as mentioned in the rules ( here - and in Dutch - , for completeness sake) <S> 3-player games (and by extension, 2-player games) should e played with only 8 characters. <A> Use the Tax Collector. <S> Artist has fundamental problems - while almost every other character can potentially generate more than action's worth of value a turn (e.g. Architect can draw 2 cards, King can get you the crown counter + extra gold if you have yellow districts), Artist cannot. <S> Artist is only ever worth it if you have a very important purple district you want to defend, but even then it's marginal. <S> Having said that, you can and probably should try the new rules. <S> You have 9 characters. <S> Start with one face-down, then all three players (call them Alice, Bob and Charlie) select one. <S> After Charlie chooses, he shuffles the remainder and sets aside another one face-down. <S> That leaves four cards, one for each player and one more to set aside face-down. <S> This adds an extra element of uncertainty, e.g. Alice no longer knows exactly which two characters Bob and Charlie took first, which is desirable in a game like Citadels which has a large bluffing component. <A> I recently read the rules for the most recent edition, which contains a lot of changes. <S> One of them is to use nine characters in three-person games, as suggested in my original answer (below), which missed the point of the original question. <S> When I have played with a similar setup in three-player games of the old edition (and the Artist was the only available turn 9 character for such a set up), it was almost never taken, except for it's value as a "useless" choice that was less likely to be targeted by the Assassin or Witch. <S> As Steenbergh noted, the official rules [for older editions] says that you should only use eight characters. <S> However, we felt that there was a problem with this, as you would always know which two characters the other players picked between your two turns at choosing. <S> In particular, we felt that this made the assassin and witch (I have only played the old edition, but they seem to be unchanged) too powerful as they could always be guaranteed to mess up someone's turn. <S> To alleviate this somewhat, we used a house rule and added a ninth character and when everyone had chosen their first character, randomly removed one from the pool, without revealing which it was. <S> This added some nice tension back into the game
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As for which of Tax Collector and Artist should be used for the turn 9 character, I do believe the Tax Collector would be the more useful and make for more interesting decisions.
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Does transforming a card trigger an enters the battlefield effect? When a card transforms to its back face, does it trigger an enter the battlefield ability? In most cases (maybe all), when a card is flipped, it's exiled and returned to the battlefield so it triggers. But what would be triggered if card is just flipped? For example, when Chandra, Fire of Kaladesh is flipped to Chandra, Roaring Flame , does it trigger Oath of Chandra second ability? <Q> Transforming a card doesn't cause enter the battlefield effects to trigger. <S> Transforming a card is explained in the comprehensive rules under rule 701.26. <S> More specifically: <S> 701.26a <S> To transform a permanent, turn it over so that its other face is up. <S> Only permanents represented by double-faced cards can transform. <S> (See rule 711, “Double-Faced Cards.”) <S> When transforming a double faced card ( Rule 711 ) it never leaves the battlefield in the first place. <S> The exception to this standard way of transforming are the 5 Planeswalkers from magic Orgins . <S> In order to function properly they have additional rules text on each card that modifies how they transform, for instance Chandra has (emphasis mine): <S> If Chandra has dealt 3 or more damage this turn, exile her <S> , then return her to the battlefield transformed under her owner's control. <S> The Magic Origins Planeswalkers need to leave and Enter the Battlefield in order to get their Loyalty counters, as all Planeswlakers are treated as if they have "This permanent enters the battlefield with a number of loyalty counters on it equal to its printed loyalty number. <S> " in their rules text ( 306.5b ). <S> If they transformed normally they would never receive their loyalty counters and would then die. <S> In your specific example since Chandra <S> the Roaring Flame is being exiled and then returning to the Battlefield transformed, Oath of Chandra 's ability will trigger. <A> Most cards that transform do not exile themselves prior to transforming. <S> Usually the only cards that do have some sort of rules reason for the exile (for the Planeswalkers like Chandra, Roaring Flame for example <S> it is <S> so they get loyalty counters without needing extra text to give them). <S> For a transforming card like Huntmaster of the Fells , where the card does not get exiled prior to transforming they do not leave the battlefield, thus they do not enter the battlefield. <S> But if instead you had the Huntmaster and Warstorm Surge transforming would not trigger Warstorm Surge's ability. <A> From the glossary of the Comprehensive Rules : A nontoken permanent “enters the battlefield” when it’s moved onto the battlefield from another zone. <S> Various other things you can do to a card, including transforming it, flipping it, tapping it, etc, that do not involve changing zones are thus not entering the battlefield, but e.g. Chandra, Fire of Kaladesh is exiled and then returns to the battlefield, so it is entering the battlefield.
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For your specific example Chandra, Roaring Flame will trigger Oath of Chandra because the card is entering the battle field.
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Can I play an instant when my opponent taps their lands to cast an instant? I have a Creature spell and Duress in my hand, I cast the creature spell. My opponent starts tapping lands to cast a counter spell on the stack. Can I interrupt him and cast Duress to make him discard the instant card from his hand? <Q> To answer the titular question: No, you can not play an instant when your opponent taps mana to cast an instant. <S> This when a player is allowed to preform a certain action is a fairly in depth topic, and if you want to learn more about it I would recommend the following sources: In plain English, how does casting spells and using creature abilities work with the stack and priority? <S> Magic's Comprehensive Rules <S> However to summarize, you can not cast an instant "in response" to your opponent tapping their lands because of two reasons: <S> You do not receive priority (and therefore can not act) until after your opponent finishes casting a spell. <S> This is outlined throughout 601.2 <S> (Rules for casting a spell) with the relevant part here (Italicized text mine): <S> 601.2i : <S> Once the steps described in 601.2a–h ( Steps to casting a spell including, paying costs and choosing targets ) are completed, effects that modify the characteristics of the spell as it’s cast are applied, then the spell becomes cast. <S> Any abilities that trigger when a spell is cast or put onto the stack trigger at this time. <S> If the spell’s controller had priority before casting it, he or she gets priority. <S> Mana abilities (such as tapping lands) <S> do not use the stack and can not be responded to. <S> This is outlined here: <S> 605.3b: <S> An activated mana ability doesn’t go on the stack, so it can’t be targeted, countered, or otherwise responded to. <S> Rather, it resolves immediately after it is activated. <S> (See rule 405.6c.) <S> To address the specific example in the body of your question, No you can not cast Duress to force your opponent to discard the counter spell before he finishes casting it. <S> In addition to the reasons above, you can not cast Duress in response to anything as it is a sorcery. <S> Sorceries may only be cast during one of your main phases when the stack is empty <S> ( Comprehensive Rules 307 ). <A> First, Duress is a sorcery, not an instant. <S> Secondly, once an opponent begins to cast a spell <S> , you can't stop that spell until it is out of their hand and on the stack. <S> Third, even if you somehow could cast Duress as an instant, you cast your creature and say as you're casting it "... <S> and I'll hold priority", and cast Duress <S> , they could still cast their counterspell, since your Duress has to resolve before it can remove the card from their hand. <A> No, because tapping a land for mana is a "mana ability", which does not use the stack and cannot be responded to. <S> 605.1. <S> Some activated abilities and some triggered abilities are mana abilities, which are subject to special rules. ... <S> 605.1a <S> An activated ability is a mana ability if it meets all of the following criteria: it doesn’t have a target, it could add mana to a player’s mana pool when it resolves, and it’s not a loyalty ability. <S> (See rule 606, “Loyalty Abilities.”) <S> 605.3b <S> An activated mana ability doesn’t go on the stack, so it can’t be targeted, countered, or otherwise responded to . <S> Rather, it resolves immediately after it is activated. <S> (See rule 405.6c.) <A> Almost all sources of mana are mana abilities and as such can not be responded to. <S> A small number of abilities that generate mana are not "mana abilities" for various reasons, 'though. <S> For example Deathrite Shaman's first ability is not a mana ability, because it requires a target. <S> That means if you opponent used that ability to get some mana, you could respond to that activation with an instant of your own (not with Duress, though, since that's a Sorcery).
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No, you cannot cast Duress in this situation to remove the counter spell.
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Enchantment Auras and returning to hand If my opponent uses a spell with the effect "return all nonland permanents to their owner's hand", does that include enchantments - auras? <Q> Yes. <S> A permanent is a card or token on the battlefield. <S> An Aura attached to a permanent is therefore also a permanent, and will be returned to its owner's hand by that effect. <A> It would be returned to your hand by Coastal Breach , for example. <S> We know that enchantments go to the battlefield when they resolve. <S> 303.2. <S> When an enchantment spell resolves, its controller puts it onto the battlefield under his or her control. <S> And finally, we know that any card on the battlefield is a permanent. <S> 110.1. <S> A permanent is a card or token on the battlefield. <S> [...] <A> Yes, you have to return your enchantments to your hand. <S> They are technically nonland permenants. <S> Section 110.1 of the rules states this.
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Yes, assuming the enchantment is not also a land, it counts as a nonland permanent.
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Monopoly: Do I Collect Rent If I Am In Jail? I am playing Monopoly and I land on the 'Go to jail' space.The player next in line rolls, and lands on Park Place, which I own. He challenges me, and says that he doesn't have to pay rent, because I am in jail.Is this true? <Q> Being in jail only prevents you from moving, and does not prevent you from doing any other action, including collecting rent. <S> The rules state: <S> This is a very popular strategy late in the game, as the less you move, the less likely you are to land on your opponent's properties. <S> In addition, the rules specify that the only times you do not pay rent is when the property is mortgaged or if the property owner does not ask for rent before the next player's turn. <A> Not being able to collect rent is just one of many fairly common house rules . <S> Some house rules disqualify an owner from collecting rent while in jail. <S> This allows reprieve for other players landing on an expensive property with houses or a hotel during the time a player is incarcerated. <S> While this is not an official rule, some people choose to play by this house rule. <A> Being in jail prevents you from moving. <S> It doesn't prevent you from doing anything else. <S> You can buy property (at auction) , trade properties, build houses and hotels, and yes, collect rent. <S> Unless there is a "house rule" against these moves, usually against the last one.
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Even though you are in Jail, you may buy and sell property, buy and sell houses and hotels and collect rents.
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Banishing cards from the graveyard What does it mean to banish a card from the grave yard? I have a card that says to banish a card from the graveyard and I don't know what it means. <Q> There are a lot of zones on the yugioh board. <S> If you look at this playmat (not currently up to date with the newest rules for link summons, but it's fine for this purpose), you can see that there is a "Banished Zone". <S> Now, this is not an official zone in Yugioh, since "banished" used to mean "removed from the game" and cards that are banished are supposed to be in "no particular zone". <S> I will however refer to the place where you put banished cards as the "Banished Zone" for simplicity's sake. <S> Both players may look at their own or the opponent's face-up banished cards at any time. <S> Each player has his own Banished Zone. <S> A card in the Banished Zone can usually not be accessed again, but there are some cards that allow you to get back your banished cards. <S> Cards that interact with banished cards (examples): <S> Kycoo, the Ghost Destroyer Necroface <S> D.D. Warrior Lady <S> Breakthrough Skill Card can be banished from anywhere, be it your field, your hand, your graveyard (your discard pile), or your deck. <S> Cards may be banished facedown if a card tells you to do so. <S> You may not look at your opponent's facedown banished cards, but you may look at your own. <S> For any further information, see the wiki article on this topic: Banish | Yu <S> -Gi-Oh! Wikia <A> "Banish a card from the graveyard" means that you choose a card from the graveyard to banish. <S> The card you have banished is disintegrated through the vortex. <S> The graveyard is a player's discard pile, banish means to remove a card from the game, while vortex means any card with vortex in it's name. <S> See article: Banish on yu-gi-oh wikia. <S> Fandom powered by wikia. <A> Banish, in the older terms, "remove from play", is another place a card can go to besides graveyard, and can only be brought back if a card specifically says so. <S> Also, they are generally banished face-up unless cards that banish says banish face-down, and face-down, neither player can see unless the effects that banished them says otherwise.
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To "banish" a card from anywhere means to put the card from wherever it was before faceup into the "Banished Zone" .
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Does Monopoly Follow Standard Auction Procedures? I am playing a game of Monopoly. One player lands on a property, but chooses not to buy it. I bid first. Another player bids for a higher amount. The rules state that the banker immediately gives the property to the highest bidder. Can I say a higher bid right now even though I've already bidded? There was nothing in the rulebook about it. Thanks! <Q> If you can't bid more than once in an auction, then you would want to go last. <S> But everyone can't do this. <S> So if someone tops your bid, you have the right to top their bid. <S> Until one person runs out of money, or otherwise gives up bidding. <S> Then the bank is supposed to give the property to the highest final bidder. <S> This is in the interest of the seller, because they get the highest possible price. <S> If, however, you are using a "one bid" rule, then it should be a secret bid. <S> Everyone writes down their bid on a piece of paper and exposes it simultaneously, so that no one has an advantage by knowing what others bid and reacting to it. <A> The rules say only "auction it to the highest bidder", which means that your group has to agree on what from of auction to use. <S> The form you are using, where each player has only one bid, suffers from the fact that everybody wants to be the last bidder, and nobody wants to be the first; so there will be a lot of waiting around watching each other. <S> " <S> Only one bid, clockwise starting with the person who landed on the space" is a possibility which advantages the person to the right of the start; "as many bids as you like, each higher than the last" is commoner, giving even more advantage to the richest player. <S> The important thing is that you agree a rule before the game starts. <A> It wouldn't be much of an auction if you only had one chance to bid. <S> While it doesn't say it in the rules the auctions will follow standard auction rules where people bid back and forth until no one is willing to bid higher then the current bid. <S> Once that happens the player with the highest bid wins the property. <S> Note that this can also mean the property goes for less then face value. <S> Also if you are not winning you should remember your last bid as it is possible that the player who won the bid actually can't afford what they bid. <S> auction a usually public sale of goods or property, where people make higher and higher bids (= offers of money) for each item, until there are no higher bids and it is sold for the most money offered:
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The standard auction procedure is to sell to the highest bidder.
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Is there a card that lets you put a card from outside of the game into play? I played a commander game a while ago where one of my 5 opponents cast a card that let him grab a card that was outside of the game (not even in exile) and put it either in his hand or on the battlefield. It was a while back so I am slightly fuzzy in terms of the context in which this was played. I would like to know whether, firstly this card exists that allows you to acquire a card not in your deck and/or in any other zone in the game and place it either in your hand or on the battlefield? I was in disbelief at this play but everyone around me in the game had more experience than me so I assumed it was legit. The second thing I'd like to know is that if this card does exist (or something similar) what is its name(s)? I figured it may be in one of the "unsets" like Unglued or Unhinged or any of the other funky experimental sets Wizards decided to curve-ball into existence... <Q> This is the "Wish" card series that were released in the Judgment extension. <S> For example: Burning Wish . <S> It allows one for example in a tournament to get a card from the sideboard on the first game. <S> The 5 original wishes are: Cunning Wish <S> Burning Wish <S> Death Wish Living Wish Golden Wish <S> Since then, other similar cards where released. <S> This query should give most of them: o:"own from outside the game" . <S> You'll notice Ring of Ma'rûf in the results as well; the wishes are way more common. <S> So this is nothing "funky" like the fun cards in Unglued or Unhinged, and has been tournament-legal (and still is in some formats). <S> However these cards don't work by default in Commander/EDH except with prior agreement, so it sounds like your scenario wasn't how things should happen. <S> See Commander rule 13: Abilities which refer to other cards owned outside the game (Wishes, Spawnsire, Research, Ring of Ma'ruf) do not function in Commander without prior agreement on their scope from the playgroup. <S> This means these cards shouldn't come out as a surprise, because beforehand you have to discuss and agree how they even work. <A> Rule 13 : Abilities which refer to other cards owned outside the game (Wishes, Spawnsire, Research, Ring of Ma'ruf) do not function in Commander without prior agreement on their scope from the playgroup. <S> So while the cards you refer to do exist, and they may be legally played in Commander, they have no effect unless your group establishes a house rule. <S> In sanctioned formats, these spells may only choose cards from your sideboard. <S> A common house rule for Commander is to allow each player to create a sideboard that is only used for these spells (a "wishboard"). <S> The baseline Commander rules do not allow any player to have a sideboard, so such a house rule should be explicitly established beforehand. <A> My bad guys I found this on gatherer: Ring of Ma'rûf <S> Very strange name. <S> Found it by searching for "From outside of the game" in Gatherer <A> There are indeed cards that have the ability to pull cards from outside the game. <A> Mastermind's Acquisition from Rivals of Ixalan (2018) is a recent one, reading: <S> Choose a card you own from outside the game and put it into your hand. <S> The 2018/06/08 rules also mention <S> the outside the game concept at a few points: <S> 108.3b <S> Some spells and abilities allow a player to take cards they own from outside the game and bring them into the game. <S> (See rule 400.10b.) <S> If a card outside that game is involved in a Magic game, its owner is determined as described in rule 108.3. <S> If a card outside that game is in the sideboard of a Magic game (see rule 100.4), its owner is considered to be the player who started the game with it in their sideboard. <S> In all other cases, the owner of a card outside the game is its legal owner. <S> and: <S> 400.10b <S> Some effects bring cards into a game from outside of it. <S> Those cards remain in the game until it ends. <S> Now I wonder about a few cool things that we could do: you are at a game store, your friend has the card you need <S> , you give him a shout midgame, yo dawg, frind says "you are now the legal owner of this card", and you play it create a shared card pool, where everyone owns 1/N of each card, and therefore anyone is a legal owner of every card, and therefore anyone can use any card from the pool <S> can wishes let you get 5x of a card? <S> mentions that in tournaments, outside the game means sideboard <S> , this is mentioned on a separate tournament rules document . <S> Boring :-)
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In sanctioned tournaments, "from outside the game" refers to ones sideboard, but in casual settings players have made house rules that allow you to take any card that is a legal target for the ability from you collection. Examples of this are Burning Wish and Spawnsire of Ulamog .
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Are cloned cards considered as "tokens"? My question relates to 706. Copying Objects, more specifically 706.1 which states: 706.1. : Some objects become or turn another object into a “copy” of a spell, permanent, or card. Some effects create a token that’s a copy of another object. Does this mean that a "copy" is not a "token"? The scenario was that I had an Anointed Procession which states: If an effect would create one or more tokens under your control, it creates twice that many of those tokens instead. Then I cast Clone which states: You may have Clone enter the battlefield as a copy of any creature on the battlefield. So my question is simply, would I only get one copy of that creature? Or 2 because it is a "token"? <Q> Clone has no interaction here with Anointed Procession. <S> Clone does not make tokens, and it is not a token. <S> Tokens are defined in rule 110.5 : <S> Some effects put tokens onto the battlefield. <S> A token is a marker used to represent any permanent that isn’t represented by a card. <S> In your situation, Clone is a card, not a token. <S> In addition, the full text of the rule you mentioned, rule 706.1 <S> is <S> Some objects become or turn another object into a “copy” of a spell, permanent, or card. <S> Some effects create a token that’s a copy of another object. <S> [...] This is describing two different kinds of effects. <S> Clone is the first kind of effect: it becomes a copy of a permanent. <S> Some other effects will explicitly say that the create tokens, or they will create tokens with some specific keyword abilities or actions like Populate or Fabricate. <A> To add to the other answers, copying a permanent does not copy whether or not the target is a token or a card. <S> An effect that produces token copies will always produce tokens even if they are copying cards. <A> You will only get 1 copy of that creature, and that copy will still be represented by the Clone card that you have. <S> Copies and Tokens have nothing to do with each other. <S> A token is a non-card object that is a permanent on the battlefield. <S> It acts like a card most ways, but has a few differences, mostly dealing with what happens when they change zones. <S> 108.2b Tokens aren’t considered cards—even a card-sized game supplement that represents a token isn’t considered a card for rules purposes. <S> 110.5. <S> Some effects put tokens onto the battlefield. <S> A token is a marker used to represent any permanent that isn’t represented by a card. <S> Copying an object deals with what attributes the object has. <S> Clone is a card that happens to be able to change its attributes to match those of another creature. <A> You misinterpret 706.1 (emphasis mine): 706.1. <S> : Some objects become or turn another object into a “copy” of a spell, permanent, or card. <S> Some effects create a token that’s a copy of another object. <S> The wording insists on how a copy is done: by transforming an existing object, or by creating a new object. <S> Now two examples of this difference: <S> A Clone becomes the copy of another creature: that's atransformation of an existing object, nothing is created. <S> A Cackling Counterpart creates a new object (a creature in this case). <S> You use a token to represent that new object. <S> Be also aware that a token, even if represented by a card on the battlefield, is a token and never a card. <S> To make that clear, the wording of cards like Forbidden Ritual was changed. <S> Playing with a token you make with pen and paper or a token card is always equivalent.
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Clone, as a card, will always be a card even if it is copying a token.
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Smite vs creature with trample Scenario is a 10/10 with trample attacks. Defender blocks with a 1/1 and plays smite My understand was that in order for smite to work, the attacker must be blocked. If the attacker is blocked, then isn't damage already assigned? Would the defending player take 9 damage and the 1/1 is destroyed? Or would the destroyed creature not deal any damage? <Q> The attacking creature will die, the blocking creature will survive, and the defending player will not take damage. <S> There is an opportunity after declaring blockers to play spells like Smite to accomplish that. <S> Combat has the following steps: Beginning of Combat Declare Attackers Declare Blockers Combat Damage <S> End of Combat <S> In each step, after taking the relevant turn based actions, such as declaring attackers or blockers, or dealing combat damage, each player gains priority, which is the opportunity to take actions such as casting spells and abilities. <S> This means that the defending player can cast Smite during the declare blockers step, before the combat damage step begins. <S> The important thing, in this particular situation, is that combat damage is both assigned and dealt in the combat damage step, and no players gain priority in between those two actions. <S> This is described in the following rules regarding that step: 510.1. <S> First, the active player announces how each attacking creature assigns its combat damage, then the defending player announces how each blocking creature assigns its combat damage. <S> This turn-based action doesn’t use the stack. <S> [...] 510.2. <S> Second, all combat damage that’s been assigned is dealt simultaneously. <S> This turn-based action doesn’t use the stack. <S> No player has the chance to cast spells or activate abilities between the time combat damage is assigned and the time it’s dealt. <S> 510.3. <S> Third, the active player gets priority. <S> (See rule 116, “Timing and Priority.”) <A> The 10/10 would be destroyed and not deal any damage. <S> The combat phase has multiple steps , and damage isn't assigned as soon as blockers are declared. <S> You work through the combat phase like this: <S> Beginning of Combat step. <S> Declare attackers step. <S> Declare blockers step. <S> Combat damage step. <S> End of combat step. <S> At the end of each step, each player has the opportunity to cast spells and activate abilities before the game reaches the next step. <S> Smite would be used in this sort of sequence: <S> Declare attackers: <S> the 10/10 trampler is declared as an attacker. <S> Declare blockers: <S> the 1/1 is declared as a blocker. <S> Once the defending player receives priority, they cast Smite on the 10/10 trampler. <S> It's destroyed. <S> Combat damage <S> : None is exchanged, since the 1/1 has nothing to deal damage to anymore, and the 10/10 trampler is gone. <S> Note that merely blocking doesn't cause an immediate exchange of damage. <S> Any number of spells can be cast before we move on to the combat damage step, after all attackers and blockers are declared. <S> It's during that stage we'd sometimes use pump abilities like those found on Rhonas the Indomitable or on Creeperhulk so as to maximize what we can do with them. <A> In the scenario you describe, the defending player would take no damage. <S> A creature becomes blocked when a blocker is declared for it or an effect makes it blocked . <S> Once blockers are declared, both players have the opportunity to cast spells or activate abilities before combat damage is dealt. <S> If a blocked creature is destroyed at this point, it will not be present during the combat damage step and will not deal damage.
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If you destroy a creature before the combat damage step, or otherwise remove it from combat, it will not deal combat damage.
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Is Okk able to attack with a 1/1 goblin and a Goblin Piledriver in the first attack phase? Okk is a beefy goblin that can't attack if it's the biggest creature attacking. Okk can't attack unless a creature with greater power also attacks. As the Active player, during the Declare attackers step (508.1), I choose to attack with Okk, a random 1/1 goblin, and Goblin Piledriver . I think that Goblin Piledriver provides me an out, because it is boosted for each other attacking goblin, in this case making it stronger than Okk. Whenever Goblin Piledriver attacks, it gets +2/+0 until end of turn for each other attacking Goblin. If I declare Goblin Piledriver, Okk, and another Goblin attacking, does that satisfy the restriction portion of 508.1c? <Q> You cannot do that. <S> The Declare Attackers step breaks down like this: <S> Declare your attackers. <S> Choose what's attacking, and which player or planeswalkers they're attacking. <S> Make sure you're obeying all restrictions and all requirements. <S> If you are not, the declaration of attackers you've made is illegal. <S> (We rewind and you reconsider what you're declaring.) <S> Other stuff about paying costs, tapping the creatures, etc. <S> The active player gets priority, all triggered abilities go on the stack that were triggered during attack declarations, people get the opportunity to cast spells and activated abilities. <S> (then a whole bunch more stuff) <S> You can read more about how this step functions on the MTG Wiki page for the declare attackers step . <S> You might see the issue there: <S> Goblin Piledriver needs to be at least a 5/2 in step 1 in order for you to be able to declare Okk as an attacker. <S> Goblin Piledriver doesn't become a 5/2 until step 2 where its triggered ability can go on the stack and resolve. <S> This is way past the point we've already made sure our attack declarations are all legal, and we're not allowed to "look ahead" to take this eventuality into account at the time we're assessing that our attack declarations are legal. <S> Therefore in step 1, Goblin Piledriver is still just a 1/2 , and we don't take into account how big it will be after attack declarations. <S> Declaring Okk as an attacker would be a violated restriction and the declaration of attackers would be illegal. <A> Requirements and restrictions are checked when you declare attackers. <S> At this point, piledriver isn't buffed yet. <S> The overall sequence in the Declare Attackers step is: Declare attacks. <S> Okk's restriction is checked at this point. <S> Piledriver's ability goes on the stack. <S> Players have a chance to respond to the trigger. <S> Piledriver's ability resolves. <S> Only now does Piledriver get buffed, too late to be able to attack with Okk. <A> No, you cannot. <S> Okk needs a creature to have greater attack <S> then it when attackers are declared . <S> when that happens the gobline piledriver is but a mere 1/2. <S> It only has a triggered ability that triggers after attackers have been declared. <A> This would not be possible as the triggered ability for Goblin Piledriver requires that the creatures attack first before hand. <S> To declare Okk as an attacker, the Piledriver would have to be of higher power before the declare attackers phase. <S> Okk is not able to attack in that phase and count towards the +2/+0 for Piledriver. <S> This is because at the point of declaring attackers, Okk is not a valid declaration. <S> Thus Piledriver cannot count Okk as an attacker meaning he wont have a higher power.
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You won't be able to attack with Okk.
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Does "Income tax" count as a Curse or Bad Stuff that will remove "Chicken on your head"? If I choose to lose my headgear due to Income Tax, does that qualify as an event that would take the chicken with it? The cards say: Income Tax: Discard one item of your choice. Every other player must now discard an item or items, totaling at least as much value as the item you discarded. If they don't have enough to pay the full tax, they must discard all their items and lose a level. Chicken on your head: -1 to all die rolls. Any Curse or Bad Stuff that removes your Headgear will take the chicken with it. <Q> Yes. <S> The question boils down to: Does "that removes your Headgear" mean "that specifically instructs you to remove your Headgear", or does it mean "that causes you to remove your head gear". <S> Since no cards specifically instructs you to remove your headgear —they instruct you to lose it— I would favour the looser interpretation. <S> This is supported by a an official ruling (in reply to this ). <S> Any Curse or Bad Stuff that removes your Headgear will take the chicken with it. <S> This means that any Curse or Bad Stuff that (a) specifically targets Headgear or (b) has the effect of removing the Headgear you are wearing, whether specifically targeting it or not, will remove the Chicken. <S> Since Income Tax is a Curse that has the effect of removing the Headgear you are wearing (even though it doesn't specifically targeting it), it will remove the Chicken. <A> There's a relevant SJG forum thread with a clear answer from the then-Munchkin line editor*, Andrew Hackard, here : <S> Any Curse or Bad Stuff that removes your Headgear will take the chicken with it. <S> This means that any Curse or Bad Stuff that (a) specifically targets Headgear or (b) has the effect of removing the Headgear you are wearing, whether specifically targeting it or not, will remove the Chicken [...] <S> This IS an official ruling. <S> In it he says that any Curse that " specifically targets headgear " and OR " has the effect of removing it " will take the Chicken . <S> Income Tax doesn't specifically target headgear, so you couldn't lose it on the first arm, but it is lost on the second arm (as is explicitly confirmed later in the linked thread in discussion of the seventh item). <S> * <S> He later left SJG, came back a few years later and became Munchkin Czar (a title of his own devising). <A> However, as Malco pointed out, according to the official Munchkin rules , whoever owns the game has the correct interpretation in the case of a rules dispute. <S> The question arose in comments, however: what if the player has enough to pay the tax, but chooses to include his headgear as part of the payment? <S> To me, the Chicken is a curse of sorts, so getting rid of it shouldn't be that easy. <S> Unless you can't make the tax amount without discarding your headgear, you can't choose to get rid of it. <S> The Chicken only goes with the headgear "if a Curse or Bad Stuff removes it" -- not if you choose to fulfill a requirement by discarding your headgear.
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The way I read the Chicken rule you quoted, if you have to pay Income Tax and wind up naked and losing a level, that takes your headgear, hence removing the Chicken.
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Is there a way to play The Generals without a referee? I've recently introduced The Generals (a.k.a Game of the Generals) to my girlfriend's brothers. They took to the game pretty quickly and we three end up doing matches with one of us as referee or arbiter to determine who wins a battle. However, when they want to play by themselves, they can't, because no one would arbitrate battles for them whenever their pieces clash. I wanted to know if there is a way to play The Generals without a referee that still keeps the secrecy of the pieces whenever they battle. <Q> The referee's job is fairly simple, so a computer can fill in for them. <S> There was an electronically-assisted version released in the '80s, which did exactly that. <S> You may still be able to find a copy online, but be careful to check the condition — some may have busted electronic components. <S> Wikipedia suggests that there are online clones of the game as well, probably under the name "Salpakan." <S> Stratego is a commonly-available game with a lot of similarities, that simply has players reveal the pieces to each other when they clash. <S> It's also got different special pieces (including, notably, immobile 'mine' tokens). <S> Depending on the particular dynamics of play you enjoy, you may find it a good alternative or a pale imitation. <A> The arbiter could just have the rulebook in-hand for easy reference of what piece beats what, and could be doing something else when pieces aren't clashing, albeit with some difficulty, as pieces clash fairly regularly. <S> Failing that, I've come up with a protocol whenever pieces clash, the players should run through these things to determine who wins: Both players check if their own battling piece could be removed by a Private. <S> If it can, the player/s removes the piece. <S> (this removes spies, tied spies, tied privates, and flags) Check if their piece can be removed by a Sergeant. <S> Check if their piece can be removed by a 2nd Lieutenant... <S> Continue up the ranks until one or both pieces are eliminated. <S> It takes fairly long to resolve one clash, and it slows the game to a crawl <S> but I think it's the only way to play without an arbiter. <S> So always try to get one. <A> Your link doesn't go into to much detail on the rules, but if each unit has a strength, and the highest strength wins, then you could use the following method: get a column the height of the highest possible strength. <S> The attacker puts in a rod the height of its strength, and the defender puts in a rod the height of the highest possible strength minus the defender's strength. <S> If the total height is more than the column, then attacker wins. <S> If it's less, the defender wins. <S> But it would be simpler to just use an app.
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The Generals should always have an arbiter, try asking anyone else in their household if they are interested in arbiting the game (who knows, they might be interested in actually playing some day).
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Can I trade my own resources in exchange for another player's Settlement, City, or Road? In Catan, can I trade my own resources to "take over" another player's Settlement, City, or Road? For example, can I offer 5 Bricks and 3 Ore to another player to have them convert one of their already placed Road pieces from their (e.g. blue) piece to my (e.g. red) piece? i.e. They would no longer have the Road that they had played along the edge of a hex, I would have it instead. <Q> No, you may not trade game pieces. <S> The rules have this on trading: Trade <S> Afterwards you may trade freely (using either or both types of trades below) to gain needed Resource Cards : <S> a) <S> Domestic Trade <S> On your turn, you can trade Resource Cards with any of the other players. <S> You can announce which resources you need and what you are willing to trade for them. <S> The other players can also make their own proposals and counter offers. <S> Important: Players may only trade with the player whose turn it is. <S> The other players may not trade among themselves. <S> b) <S> Maritime Trade <S> If you have a settlement or city on a harbor, you can trade with the bank more favorably: at either a 3:1 ratio or in special harbors (trading the resource type shown) at 2:1. <S> Important: <S> The 4:1 trade is always possible, even if you do not have a settlement on a harbor. <S> It is allowed to trade the resources for a road for some other resources, with this restriction: You are not allowed to trade the same goods. <S> This means you cannot exchange brick for brick, or in this case 4 bricks for a brick and a wood. <S> I believe handing over entire roads, settlements and/or cities worth of resources is tactically a dubious move for your opponents under most circumstances, but it is allowed. <S> You may not trade like resources (e.g., 2 wool for 1 wool). <A> Regarding trading future cards - When you make a trade, both parties must give at least 1 resource card. <S> You are not allowed to give a resource card and not receive one in return. <S> A promise to get one later does not count as "a card", so you cannot do this if the promised card would be the only one traded. <S> However, people are allowed to say whatever they want as part of negotiating a trade. <S> So there is nothing stopping a player from promising something in the future as part of a trade now; <S> but there's 3 important factors: <S> The current trade still must involve both parties getting a card right now. <S> The promised thing must also involve both parties getting a card at the same time. <S> There is nothing in the rules that will force a player to follow through with what he promised. <S> A player can simply go back on his word. <A> You also cannot promise future cards as part of a trade. <S> You can only trade the cards you currently have.
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No, you can only trade in resource card with other players. You can also trade without the other players! During your turn, you can always trade at 4:1 by putting 4 identical Resource Cards back in their stack and taking any 1 Resource Card of your choice for it.
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Forgetting to place a city on the board, or to move the robber. Which fix is acceptable? Last night I played Catan with some friends. There were two situations where we did not pay attention and did not complete our moves properly: A player paid 2 wheat + 3 rock for a city, but forgot to place it on the board. The player realized the mistake after the next player rolled the dice, and asked to upgrade his/her settlement to a city. A player rolled 7, but forgot to move the robber. The next player completed his move. After that another player also rolled the dices and bought 2 development cards with his/her 6 remaining cards. The player who forgot to move the robber realized what happened, so moved the robber to a new location and asked the third player to get back his resources, so that he can steal one of them. Which of these two scenarios are acceptable? <Q> 1) <S> The player paid for the city, they should get the city. <S> Now, if the next die roll would have given them double resources, that's where it'd get a little dicey <S> (see what I did there?). <S> If they have the choice of where to put the city and want to put it where you get double resources, I'd say it'd be reasonable to say they don't get double that time. <S> If they only had one city choice, give them double. <S> If you can divine intent, give them the benefit, otherwise just try to smooth things out. <S> 2) <S> This is a weird miss. <S> You've had 2 turns of production (and potential non-production). <S> At that point, backing up would be a bit of a pain. <S> The easiest fix would be to immediately have the 7 roller move the robber, steal a resource, then proceed. <S> This does not penalize the double-development-card player, since they might not have been able to even buy them if the robber was moved. <S> This restores the resource parity, since the 7 roller didn't get a resource. <A> The mistake was not that of the player but the players. <S> When I play games its not an individuals responsibility to remember to do things. <S> If something is compulsory then all players should be pointing this out. <S> You shouldn't keep quiet to try and get some sort of advantage if thats against the rules. <S> Here is how I would handle this situation. <S> 1) the rules for building a city are <S> When you upgrade a settlement to a city, put the settlement (house) piece back in your supply and replace it with a city piece (church). <S> To clarify this was not an optional decision. <S> The player paid their cards so they must get there city. <S> The player who mistakenly rolled the dice before there turn was at fault. <S> That was the rules haven't been broken by a player not getting what they paid for and they did so without information of what they next dice roll must be. <S> 2) <S> The relevant part of the rules is After discarding occurs, you also steal 1 Resource Card at random from a player who has a settlement or city adjacent to this new hex. <S> Like above this was not optional. <S> You must steal a resource card if one is available. <S> The second player should not have taken there turn and the player should have been reminded to move the robber. <S> I would have him return the two development cards (and shuffle them in) and allow the player to steal from them. <S> I get this is frustrating and the player with the robber <S> may be making there decision based on what happened next but that player should not have taken there turn. <S> as a final point you say "I can say we got in a big fight though." <S> if your getting into fights about boardgames and trying to manipulate rules to win and falling out with your friends over it then maybe this isn't the hobby for you. <A> First, a suggestion to try to minimize future problems. <S> Appoint a "banker," (the most experienced player) to oversee the transactions, exchanging the development pieces for resources in transactions. <S> In theory, everyone should be watching out for these things; in practice, the more experienced player(s) will be doing most of the watching. <S> Regarding the two situations, the first is less serious than the second, because it doesn't directly affect other people. <S> It's relatively easy to exchange someone's "house" for a "church," even retroactively without affecting the rest of the game. <S> You can even give them extra resources for missed turns. <S> The second situation is more serious, because the person that forgot to move the robber had to force another player to "undo" their move, so that the robber could do his thing. <S> This is an onerous but necessary part of the game. <S> The main question to be resolved (by a "house rule") is whether to let the player with the robber steal the other player's card before or after drawing the two cards. <S> These are "knotty" situations that you want to avoid if at all possible.
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Personally I would just have the player build the city and then re-roll the dice.
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How can I put custom symbols on the side of blank foam dice? I have designed a game that requires custom dice. Specifically, I've wanted to create dice approximately 3" in size, for party games. My first round of making dice used styrofoam and paint. After several games, the dice chipped - as to be expected. The second attempt at custom dice used foam dice from Oriental Trading painted over to fit the needs of the game. These, too, had paint coming off. As Oriental Trading and other retailers have proven, however, it is possible to have permanent images affixed to faces of a cube on foam dice. Wood, metal, and other hard surfaces are undesirable as they are too hard for use indoors. What ways are there to create dice that look like those found on Oriental Trading? <Q> Also, a clear top coat might help. <A> If you are ok with sacrificing money for durability, you may want to look into 3D printing services. <S> There are several online printing services available that you may be able to find to print the dice for you with different materials. <S> For instance you could get the dice printed in steel , flexible plastic , or metallic plastic . <S> Shapeways is just the first thing I came upon when googling, there are lots of other options if you want to look for other specific features. <S> Keep in mind that if you do get 3D printed dice they will not be "fair" like actual purpose built dice and may have some biases depending on the printing process. <S> However it seems like the game you are making is fairly causal so that might not actually be that big of an issue for you. <A> If the images or icons you want on the sides of your dice are not complicated, you could etch them into the foam and then paint the resulting valleys. <S> That should make the paint much more durable, as it will be a bit protected from abrasions. <S> Depending on the type of foam, something as simple as a pencil or butter knife might etch well enough, or you might need something sharper. <S> Acetone (nail polish remover) also "burns" away some types of foam. <A> As a prototype, try printing your design on cloth and pinning the cloth to the Styrofoam near the corners. <S> This should allow you to both protect the underlying foam while keeping a clean image on top. <S> Of course if it gets crushed there's nothing you can do, and if it's an adult game, there will be drinking, which means it will get crushed, but you could always have it removable and put on a new piece of foam. <A> Boardgamegeek sells prototyping dice . <S> If you mainly want to control face distribution, that may be what you want. <S> Find a blank sticker sheet and print your designs on it, then place them on the faces of a die.
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If you want to add custom symbols (to these dice or any others, I recommend making stickers that you can attach to the sides of your dice. You may have better luck if you start with a coat of primer that is intended for foam, such as this: http://www.krylon.com/products/craft-foam-primer/
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How can I add a taste of adventure games to my game? I'm designing a card game based on an ancient fairy tale book. So far my game consists of some hero or character cards with 3 attribute: coins, strength and intelligence. And there are quest cards with the same 3 attributes and what you do is to pick character cards and when you reach to a quest card level, make it complete and then you do that card's actions. My game at this time is basically a hand management game and somewhat similar to games like splendor and "Quests of Valeria". But what if I want to add a taste of adventure games to the game with heroes, quests, items, treasures and so on? I still insist on it being a card game without a board. How can I make my game a little bit more adventur"ish"? <Q> This is an interesting scenario. <S> The first idea that sprung to mind would be to have a set of cards that relate to each other specifically. <S> Each card in the set needs a certain criteria to be met to allow you to then search the deck for another card in the set. <S> The harder the "quest" is the more cards there are in the set that you need to complete the adventure. <S> On reflection, this seems more like a lore issue than a mechanical issue. <S> Maybe have "Scenario" cards that explain a certain journey and need choices to be made at certain points (Maybe drawing from two separate decks that accompany the scenario cards?). <S> These choices determine the outcome of the adventure. <S> This is only a brainstorm. <S> I'd like to think I could come up with more ideas. <S> If so I will update the answer. <A> D&D's Lords of Waterdeep board game has a similar mechanic - you draw a quest card, then 'withdraw' coloured blocks which represent quest characters; white for priests, orange for warriors, etc. <S> You collect the blocks and spend them on completing the quests, gaining the rewards from the card. <S> I believe a similar mechanic could be implemented, though of course instead of flat-identity blocks, you have differentiating characters with varieties of attributes. <S> I would say that it would be important to balance the ratio of attribute variety for a start - be sure that there's plenty of average characters, with some rare, and some 'elite'-standard characters, just to bring some excitement into the luck of the draw. <S> Coin-use is an interesting "attribute" to give a character - this could be used as bartering power for your more wiley character. <S> They are able to bribe characters or get discounts for being economy-savvy or some sort of styling. <S> You say you want items and adventure and such - perhaps part of the quest rewards could include items which could be traded for cash your gold hoard <S> (if that's part of your gameplan) or if kept, provide bonuses to your characters individually or as a general positive effect. <A> Eldritch Horror has several types of complex encounters like this , where you usually have a characteristic test (or a decision to make) and then it splits to "pass" and "fail" sections with another test or decision, so there are up to 4 different outcomes with different measures of success. <S> This system feels very "adventury" to me. <S> Another thing that adds to adventurous feeling is uncertainty of outcome. <S> Having deterministic outcome for each pair of quest+character(or set of characters) just adds unexciting extra step here, so you want some kind of randomization for this to work. <S> In Eldritch Horror it is achieved with rolling dice, but if you want to keep it cards only, I think push-your-luck based skill test is a good alternative.
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The wording on the "adventure cards" may be the best place to include your adventuring aspects.
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In the game of Stratego, is it possible to destroy all 40 enemy units? Stratego. Both opponents have 40 units each at the start of the game. My question is, is it real to destroy/kill/capture all forty enemy units during a single game? By "destroy" I mean also passive or mutual destruction, not necessarily an active kill. For example, if the opponent's spy is attacking our general, it is still counted as we have killed him. <Q> As Dennis_E mentioned, it is possible, but I would say it is improbable. <S> To destroy all enemy units, you would have to avoid the flag until the 40th capture. <S> Additionally, one of the enemy's non-stationary pieces must be the 39th piece to be captured, and it must suicide itself on one of your pieces. <S> Otherwise, the game would have ended beforehand as the opponent would have been unable to move any piece during their turn, thus losing before you could destroy all 40 pieces. <S> What makes this improbable is that without assistance from your opponent, you would have to identify all the non-flag stationary pieces and destroy them before destroying the flag while ensuring the opponent maintains an additional non-stationary piece, which they must voluntarily throw at a piece that would destroy it on a turn preceding one where you are able to capture the flag. <S> I really cannot see a human opponent not forfeiting at this point unless they were colluding with you. <A> The end of the match 12.1 A game ends when: one of the flags is captured. <S> at least one of the players has no movable piece anymore. <S> A movable piece is a piece that still has at least one legal move. <S> So if your opponent has a flag and one moveable piece, there are two possibilities. <S> it's your move: capturing either one of those pieces will win you the game. <S> it's his move: <S> losing his last moveable piece also wins you the game. <S> In either case, the position is won for you with at least one opponent piece standing. <A> I question the "improbable" about this. <S> We've had lots of games where all the miners were eliminated, leaving it to the blood kill. <S> (Yes, we know the importance of keeping a miner for the end--dummy flags are dangerous weapons.) <S> If the weaker side has no scouts left this goes down fairly rapidly. <S> If he does, we've seen drawn games due to the minimum number of pieces required to catch a scout (seven on the open board). <A> Possible? <S> Of course. <S> Realistic? <S> That depends on your opponent's level. <S> Computers for example are really bad at Stratego. <S> Against a computer, you can win almost every time by capturing all pieces. <S> Against a decent human player, you should focus on capturing the flag ASAP. <S> But if you are so far ahead that you are in a position to utterly destroy your opponent, your opponent can just concede the game before you get the chance, especially when playing in a tournament setting. <S> I don't think it happens very often.
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According to the official rules of the International Stratego Federation, it is impossible to capture all 40 pieces of your opponent: 12
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Handling multiple "timers" on the board and player mat The game I'm working on might feature a number of "timed" events, such as: a big ability requiring a cooldown before it can be used again a summoned or undead unit decaying over time a bomb timing down until explosion mines and factories generating resources over time (presumably up to a cap) For ease of use, one's timers only tick at the beginning of one's turn, which is also when they get action points. What could be some intuitive mechanisms to model these, preferrably in a unified way, that's not easy to forget or tedious? Bonus points if it blends in with an action point pool of varying size. Edit: I plan on using timers around the 1-10 range, but they could be found in all sorts of areas, as I've said. <Q> Games like Paper Tales or Pixel Tactics (starting from 2nd set) use addition/removal of tokens from game components to track passage of time. <S> Like this: this option works well for cards (or other components you can easily store tokens upon) with relatively small number of simultaneous timers per player (up to 3 in Pixel Tactics and up to 4 in Paper Tales) and small number of ticks. <S> Dice. <S> Pretty much anywhere you would use token counters, you can substitute them with dice. <S> Example: <S> In this case instead ofadding/removing tokens you just increment/decrement a die. <S> Difference here is mostly personal preference, but if you operatebig number of ticks, managing d20 or couple of d6 is much easier andclearer than pile of tokens. <S> Time track. <S> Your purposed solution falls into this category, but usually games like Bestiary of Sigillum <S> move track itself rather than items on it. <S> In game it looks like this (on the right): <S> and this video(russian language) <S> shows how it operates. <S> Basically, each ability has its own token. <S> When ability is used, that token is placed on appropriate number on time track, say, 4. <S> Time track moves one tick each turn and cooldown number for that token changes. <S> When it passes 1, token is returned back and it means that ability is ready for next use. <S> Another game Tavarua uses similar mechanic, but with segmentedlinear track: video example . <S> Both this systems are best for tracking alot of timers simultaneously, since they update all of them with single operation. <S> I remember an example of time track on which objects are moved rather than track itself. <S> Star Wars: <S> Rebellion uses it as production queue <A> Not sure if this is the right way to offer a suggestion I have thought of myself for feedback, but... <S> A time bar Labelled 0-5 or so, various items are put on the time bar, and everything is brought one step down at the beginning of my turn. <S> Normally, most of my action points are just set at "1" when used, to be regained next turn. <S> However... <S> In this case, the player has taken some more complex actions and placed tagged ( #3, #5 ) <S> duplicate time-tokens on the bar. <S> He has summoned a decaying zombie (a duplicate of which is placed on the timebar, the original being on the board), which took two AP and one "ultimate" point to cooldown 3 (thus locking in both ability power and acting power to buy some temporary forces). <S> The zombie being on cooldown 3 means it will die upon reaching 0. <S> The player will also regain the powerful special token upon the spell's cooldown. <S> The player has also dropped a bomb (somewhere on the board. <S> A duplicate is on the timebar) which will explode in 2 turns. <S> This costed him just one action point. <S> Bomb #3 will explode on the board upon its time-token reaching 0. <S> The player has one more AP this turn, which can be used to move, attack or throw another bomb. <S> Edit: I've developed a full engine out of this, and essentially you only need numbered tokens on the bar to represent situations to handle on the board. <A> I would recommend building your own timer out of something like card stock with spinning wheel, something similar to the design below (pardon the MSPaint): <S> The Bottom layer: <S> The base of the Timer, it holds everything else. <S> The Middle Layer: It has four support posts in the corners and a central wheel that can spin freely. <S> The wheel has been subdivided into 8 sections with the number 8-0 printed on, you can subdivide it further if you wish. <S> The Top layer: It has a small notch in the bottom to allow you to easily spin the wheel. <S> It has also been subdivided into 8 sections, each section has a little window cut into it so that you can see the numerals on the wheel beneath. <S> How to use the wheel <S> : Say you want something to happen in three turns, the player would simply place a token or marker on the wheel where the three currently is. <S> At the beginning of each turn simply turn the wheel one mark clockwise, when the marker is next to the number 0, 3 turns have passed and the effect will happen. <S> This has the advantage of letting the player keep track of multiple different cooldowns, without having to move a whole bunch of tokens on a timeline each turn. <A> Building on the timeline answer : <S> If you have a board already, put a timeline around the edges - a strip of squares/hexagons/triangles representing turns. <S> Each box that can hold tokens that indicate that certain events will happen which this turn is reached. <S> (Any actions that occur every n-turns, regardless of game play, can be directly printed on the board.) <S> Another token shows which turn <S> it is now, and is progressed by one each turn, sweeping up the tokens as it goes. <S> When it gets to the end of the board, it can wrap around [which means there is a limit to how far in the future you can plan, but no limit to how long the game can last] <S> This has the benefits of: only requiring one token to move one square, each turn, rather than moving all the tokens. <S> no moving parts that spin and cause tokens to shift. <S> still intuitive.
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There are several ways to implement timers in board games Tokens.
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Returning an attacking creature equipped with Trepanation Blade If my opponent attacks with Trepanation Blade and I use an instant that returns all attacking creatures to their owners hand, will the effect of the blade still play out? The Blade says: Whenever equipped creature attacks, defending player reveals cards from the top of his or her library until he or she reveals a land card. The creature gets +1/+0 until end of turn for each card revealed this way. That player puts the revealed cards into his or her graveyard. <Q> Yes, the ability will do as much as it can when it resolves 609.3. <S> If an effect attempts to do something impossible, it does only as much as possible. <S> Trepanation Blade triggers whenever the equipped creature attacks. <S> The ability is now on the stack, no matter what happens to the creature afterwards. <S> If the creature has left the battlefield by the time TP gets to resolve, boosting its power will be impossible, but TP will still do as much as possible, i.e. the defending player has to reveal cards and put them into his or her graveyard. <A> Trepanation Blade triggers "whenever equipped creature attacks", which means it triggers immediately after attackers have been declared. <S> Whatever happens to the creature after that is irrelevant. <S> Even if the creature dies, is exiled, or returned to your hand, the triggered ability will still resolve unless something else counters it. <A> The ability of trepanation blade goes on the stack as soon as declare attackers happens before you have the opportunity to cast any spells. <S> The only ways to stop this from happening are to: <S> Make the ability illegal, not possible in this case as there is no targeting involved. <S> Counter <S> the ability using cards like Stifle or Void Slime
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As is always the case in magic, removing the source of an ability already on the stack does not stop the ability itself from resolving.
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In Monopoly, what happens if the auction winner cannot pay his/her bid? Let us imagine a situation when we play Monopoly and one of the players refused to buy a property. It was sent to auction. Auction passed succesfully, but the problem is that the winner cannot pay his/her final bid. He/she does not have enough money. And even selling houses and hotels and mortgaging properties does not help. What do the game rules say about this situation, is it possible at all? And must players calculate their total amount of money before an auction is started? Thanks. <Q> That is the definition of Bankrupt. <S> If the player is unable to relieve the bankruptcy, then all their assets go to the Bank, which then auctions off all properties to the remaining players, as per the Official Rules for Bankruptcy. <S> The property originally landed on is part of the Bankruptcy Sale of the Bankrupt player's properties. <S> Capitalism is harsh boys and girls - no second chances in Monopoly. <A> As Forget I was ever here states, this results in the winning bidder being bankrupted to the Bank. <S> As an additional clarification, all funds must be raised before successfully obtaining the new property. <S> So you are NOT entitled to mortgage the new property in order to pay for it. <S> This is based on the definition of Buying Property from the rules which states: Buying Property .... <S> The buyer pays to the Bank the amount of the bid in cash and [then] receives the Title Deed card for that property. <S> .... <A> Tournament judges may be the best referees for situations like this and even they don't agree on a single interpretation of the rules in this case. <S> The only area that has not yet been fully defined in tournament gameplay is what happens if a player makes a winning bid and then can not afford to pay it to the bank. <S> Some interpret it as their bid is cancelled and the property goes to the 2nd highest bidder for the amount they bid. <S> Others enforce it where the winning bidder must pay the amount to the bank, even if it causes them to go bankrupt. <S> Source : <S> Kevin Tostado, Director of "Under the Boardwalk: The MONOPOLY Story." <S> MonopolyDocumentary.com <S> Quora.com Monopoly
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The player who cannot pay has just properly incurred, according to the Rules, a debt to the Bank that cannot be paid.
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Can a spell fizzle because a cost-reducing effect is removed? In this scenario, would my Aerial Responder fizzle because the mana cost is higher than I can pay? I have a Ballyrush Banneret out on the battlefield, which says "Kithkin spells and Soldier spells you play cost {1} less to play." I play Aerial Responder for WW, tapping my only two plains. In response to this, my opponent casts Lightning Bolt on Ballyrush Banneret. We begin to resolve the stack, and first of all, Lightning Bolt kills Ballyrush Banneret. Now Aerial Responder is going to be resolved. Does it still only cost WW, or does it now cost 1WW? Would it fizzle? If instead of only having two plains when I cast Aerial Responder I actually had 3, could I tap the final plains in response to this so that Aerial Responder could be cast? <Q> Among the steps involved in casting a spell are the following: you announce that you're casting the spell <S> you determine what it costs <S> you pay the cost that was previously determined 1 <S> These steps (and a few others) occur immediately back to back; your opponent can't do things between them. <S> The whole process of casting a spell is one "block" of actions that can't be interrupted. <S> Once the "block" finishes, the spell is considered paid for. <S> Period. <S> If the spell's cost were somehow to change later, that doesn't matter; all that matters is that you paid the cost that was required at the time you cast the spell. <S> Even if you find yourself unable to pay the cost of a spell during the casting of the spell (i.e. at the third bullet point), the spell does not fizzle. <S> Instead, you back the game up to before you started casting the spell in the first place (unless you are using Selvala, Explorer Returned , then you call a judge and watch them cry). <S> There are some effects, for example Mana Leak and Frost Titan , which counter a spell unless its caster pays a certain amount of mana (or takes some other action, e.g. Reality Smasher ). <S> It's important to note that these do not change the casting cost of the spell, and even if they did, it wouldn't matter because the spell has already been paid for. <S> What Mana Leak does is create an entirely separate cost, which has to be paid at the time that Mana Leak resolves, long after the spell has been cast. <S> 1 <S> In rare circumstances the action of paying the cost can change what the cost would be, but it doesn't change the amount you actually have to pay. <S> For example, suppose you wanted to cast a Soldier spell costing {1}{B}{B} that said "As an additional cost to cast [this], sacrifice a creature", and you have Ballyrush Banneret in play. <S> You would first determine the cost you need to pay, which is {B}{B} and sacrificing a creature. <S> That gets "locked in" before you start paying it. <S> So you can safely sacrifice Ballyrush Banneret, and it doesn't mean you have to pay any more mana. <A> Casting a spell involves putting it onto the stack and not much else, but one of those things is that you pay the cost to cast that spell. <S> Since you've already payed the cost to cast Aerial Responder before Lightning Bolt can be cast, what it does when it resolves doesn't matter. <S> Your new creature will resolve regardless of whether you're able to produce another mana. <A> Like stated in the other answer your Aerial Responder is already on the stack. <S> The cost was reduced when you cast it fulfilling the requirements for it to be cast. <S> The Lightning bolt would then kill the Ballyrush Banneret but your creature spell will still resolve and hit the battlefield. <S> As for the second question, If you happened to have the 3 lands, this would not matter, what is important is that you have the manna to cast a spell. <S> if the cost of the spell is reduced, after you cast it, nothing can increase the cost of the card directly (there exists cards that counter spells unless the controller pays"X")
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No, a spell can never fizzle because you're unable to pay the cost.
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Why does the dealer in blackjack receive only one face-up card, not two like the players? In Blackjack, at the start of each hand, every player is dealt two cards face up. The dealer receives only one card face up. What is the reason for this difference? Why aren't the dealer's cards dealt the same way as the players' cards? <Q> In Black Jack, you play against the dealer, not the other players, and one of the main mechanics is deciding whether to hit or not. <S> This decision becomes trivial and meaningless if you could know exactly what the dealer has. <S> You hit <S> if you have less than them; stand if you have more than them (if they have 17 or more so that they won’t hit). <S> Hiding one dealer card is necessary to make it so that there’s a non-trivial choice to make. <A> The dealer cards only are relevant if there is at least one player that passed. <S> If all players are busted or had 21, there is no need for a turn for the dealer. <S> Dealing the dealer cards face up influences the play of the players. <S> For example, if the dealer has a 18, no player will pass on 18 or lower. <A> Information known about other players hands is meaningless in blackjack, since it is played against the dealer alone. <S> The players are free to take any action they like with their cards, hit, stand, double, split (when legal) <S> the dealer however must follow a set of rules for their play, and if the dealer had both cards face up <S> then the players would know what the dealer has and would know what the dealer will need to do to follow the rules for the dealer.
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This also helps prevent cheating, since a player can't swap a card dealt face up.
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Would a Necromantic Selection and Angel of Glory’s Rise combo work? I’m trying to kill all of my opponents creatures but still have most of mine stay alive. To that end, most of the creatures in my deck are human. I have a Angel of Glory's Rise on the battlefield, and cast Necromantic Selection to destroy all creatures. I use the second part of Necromantic Selection's effect to return the Angel to the battlefield. Would the Angel enter and then exile itself? Would the rest of its ability still resolve? <Q> If your intention is to: - Play a large assortment of Humans <S> - Play Necromantic Selection to destroy all creatures - Choose to return Angel of Glory's Rise to play, getting all your humans Back. <S> Resulting in having significant board presence, the answer is yes-ish. <S> Since the ability of Angel's of Glory's Rise is one sentence with multiple clauses, the entire effect will resolve. <S> You would exile the angel, and then return all humans from your graveyard to the battlefield. <S> Inefficient, but it would work. <A> Yes, the "second part" of the ability will "go off" and have the effect you desire. <S> The Angel will indeed exile itself, but that doesn't prevent the rest of the ability from resolving. <S> An ability on the stack is not affected by its source ceasing to exist. <S> The ability will resolve or continue to resolve normally. <S> 112.7a <S> Once activated or triggered, an ability exists on the stack independently of its source. <S> Destruction or removal of the source after that time won’t affect the ability. <S> [...] <A> but you are somewhat unclear. <S> Necromantic Selection destroys all creatures then returns Angel of Glory's Rise to the battlefield. <S> Angel of Glory's Rise triggers, exiling itself because it is a zombie then brings back any humans in your graveyard. <S> However if you just want to destroy all your opponent's cards, why not use <S> In Garruk's Wake <S> Two more mana, less of one color, and does not rely on you having specific creatures, or River's Rebuke <S> if it's one opponent, you play blue, you just want to clear their field and don't care where things go. <S> Another common tactic is Mycosynth Lattice and Hurkyl's Recall , eight mana for the two of them mostly colorless and returns one player's entire field to their hand.
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Yes it would work if I understand what you want
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Can I get infinite turns with this combination? I have a Wormfang Manta on battlefield and a Worldgorger Dragon in graveyard. Would targeting the Worldgorger Dragon with Animate Dead create infinite turns, or would the two triggers cancel out? <Q> The crux of the matter is that Wormfang Manta leaves the battlefield, giving you an extra turn, but is then returned to the battlefield, causing you to skip your next turn. <S> Since your next turn is the extra one, it is skipped. <S> Effectively, the two effects cancel one another. <A> To break down the interaction: You control a Wormfang Manta (and have already skipped one turn). <S> You cast Animate Dead targeting your Worldgorger Dragon , animate dead resolves and your Worldgrorger's ETB triggers. <S> Worldgorger's ETB exiles all your permanents, including Animate Dead and Wormfang Manta. <S> Wormfang's and Animate Dead's leave the battlefield effects trigger <S> (you can choose the order they go on the stack, I will choose Wormfang on top of Animate Dead). <S> Wormfang's LTB resolves, you gain an extra turn after this one. <S> You now have +1 turn after this one. <S> Animate Dead's LTB resolves, you sacrifice Worldgorger Dragon. <S> Worldgorger's LTB triggers. <S> Wormfang Manta and Animate Dead enter the battlefield (you choose the order they go on the stack, I will choose Wormfang on top of Animate Dead). <S> You target Worldgorger with Animate Dead. <S> Wormfang Manta's ETB resolves you skip your next turn. <S> The next time you were to take a turn, you will now skip it instead. <S> Animate Dead resolves, you bring Worldgorger back and start the whole thing over again. <S> So you can continuously flicker the Worldgorger with animate dead. <S> Each time Wormfang Manta leaves the battlefield you will get an extra turn, but each time it enters the battlefield you will need to skip your next turn. <S> So effectively you are back where you started again. <S> If you are looking for some infinite turns with Wormfang Manta , perhaps try something with Torpor Orb and something to flicker your Wormfang like Eldrazi Displacer ? <A> You get a bunch of extra turns, but unfortunately you have to skip all of them. <S> Let's walk through the steps to get a clear picture of what happens. <S> I'll refer to "enters the battlefield" and "leaves the battlefield" triggers as ETB and LTB, respectively. <S> Animate Dead resolves. <S> Animate Dead's ETB trigger triggers. <S> Animate Dead's ETB trigger resolves. <S> You return Worldgorger Dragon to the battlefield and attach Animate Dead to it. <S> Worldgorger's ETB trigger triggers. <S> Worldgorger's ETB trigger resolves. <S> You exile Animate Dead and Wormfang. <S> Wormfang's LTB trigger and the delayed trigger set up by Animate Dead both trigger. <S> It doesn't matter how you order the triggers. <S> Resolving Animate Dead first would result in a large number of Wormfang triggers all resolving at the end of the loop, and the route we'll take will have them resolve one at a time. <S> Wormfang's trigger resolves. <S> You get an extra turn after this one. <S> Animate Dead's delayed trigger resolves. <S> You sacrifice Worldgorger. <S> Worldgorger triggers. <S> Worldgorger's trigger resolves. <S> You return Animate Dead and Wormfang to the battlefield. <S> Wormfang's ETB and Animate Dead's ETB triggers both trigger. <S> Again, it doesn't matter how you order the triggers. <S> If we wanted to, we could build up a large pile of Wormfang triggers and resolve them all at the end of the loop. <S> Instead we'll choose to resolve Wormfang's trigger first. <S> Wormfang's ETB trigger resolves. <S> You skip your next turn. <S> Return to step 3. <S> Next, we need to establish that "skip your next turn" is a replacement effect. <S> 614.1b Effects that use the word “skip” are replacement effects. <S> These replacement effects use the word “skip” to indicate what events, steps, phases, or turns will be replaced with nothing. <S> And finally, we need to show what happens if you have a hundred replacement effects waiting to replace the same "next" event. <S> 616.1. <S> If two or more replacement and/or prevention effects are attempting to modify the way an event affects an object or player, the affected object's controller (or its owner if it has no controller) or the affected player chooses one to apply, following the steps listed below. <S> That means replacement effects apply one at a time. <S> Therefore, each time you would take an extra turn, instead one replacement effect applies and you skip the turn. <S> The other replacement effects no longer apply to that particular event, so they continue waiting to replace the next turn.
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No, you will not gain infinite turns with this combo.
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Action selection in a hidden movement game that may require more information to be complete I want to have simultaneous action selection, but the action selected may need some additional information, like the space on the board that it is of relevance to, additional equipment that you choose to use or have to use, etc. How can I have all players select their cards without giving away that they selected a certain type that would require additional cards or information, or even how many additional cards are needed? I want to prevent the players from being able to alter their selected action in any way by/after getting additional information.Feel free to replace "card" with any other token. <Q> Some also give you duds that you can place instead of something useful, to bluff about what you're doing. <S> For example, Shogun lets each player pick an action for each province they have. <S> Each action can only be picked once. <S> What they do is give the player a card for each province they own, and they put their province face-down below the icon for the desired action. <S> When you want to expand this mechanic so that you can select additional options, you could for example slide additional cards under that action, then give each player a few blank cards that they can use to bluff about where they are taking serious actions. <S> Alternatively, if the players take one action at a time, it's easy enough to just give them a screen. <S> They put all the stuff that is used in the action on one side, and everything else on the other. <S> That lets them completely hide what they are doing from everyone. <S> Some games also do the same thing, except they use a bag. <S> This works really well with tokens; you put all the tokens you want to use in the bag and the rest you keep behind your screen. <S> Or you can use a dial for selecting amounts (used by many games). <A> Take a look at Waving Hands , found in a comment on the RPG SE. <S> Two (or more?) <S> players are dueling wizards, using hand motions to weave spells and/or stab each other. <S> Each turn, each player writes down on a piece of paper their moves for the turn, then they reveal their actions and everything happens simultaneously. <S> It might be as simple as having pen and paper on hand, or erasable writing space on cards, to write down the target of whatever item you're using. <S> It's not simultaneous, but you might be able to find some more ideas from looking at Escape From the Aliens in Outer Space . <A> One more good example of simultaneous selection with additional information is the combat system in Scythe . <S> Players use a numbered, cardboard wheel to indicate their base combat level, and can (optionally) include one or more cards to increase their combat number. <S> Players have no way of knowing if you are playing cards, or how many, as they are blocked from view by the cardboard wheel.
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Most games that let you select a variable number of something in secret, will either give you small tokens that you hold in your hand, or by giving you a screen to hide items behind.
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Does anyone recognize this monster family board game? I am gonna drive myself nuts because I can not remember the name of a board game from my childhood. It would have been between 1993–1999. The box was shaped like a creepy castle or house and there was a laughing skull piece (like it's eyes glowed and it had this evil laugh). All your player pieces were tiny brightly colored skulls and the family of the house was all these monsters (granny mummy, Lord Skull?, a little girl vampire, I think a cousin or uncle was a werewolf) I think there was a rubber spider too. You had to go through the house (which may have been the box) and there was a goop soup monster. It Actually came with a book explaining how the soup monster was made. It had the same humor of The Addams Family or The Munsters but was like a niche or indy game. <Q> The box was shaped like a creepy castle or house and there was alaughing skull piece <S> and you had to go through the house (which mayhave been the box) <S> From the publisher's description: Includes light-activated laughing skull and <S> all your player pieces were tiny brightly colored skulls <S> I think there was a rubber spider too… From the publisher's description: <S> Includes ... <S> two rubber creatures <S> It would have been between 1993-1999 <S> The game was published in 1995 Actually came with a book From the publisher's description: as kids read Creepy Towers <S> And from the BoardGameGeek entry (linked above) <S> Within Creepy Towers there is a board game, short story <A> Maybe Which Witch? <S> / <S> Ghost Castle / Haunted House ? <S> The player pieces aren't skulls but it does have a glowing skull that rolled down some stairs and knocked your piece over. <S> And it has a set of cards with characters on them. <A> The game is called " Creepy Towers ".
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The game is called Creepy Towers .
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How does a freeze/stop pile work in Canasta? I played Canasta many years ago in my teens - so memory may have faded somewhat - but O would like to refresh and try playing more. On revisiting the rules, I am confused by the Freeze Pile / Stop Card as described by Scarne (the rules by which we used to play). The 'Frozen pile' is created by either a wild card (Joker/Deuces) OR a RED three being placed on the discard. The 'Stop card' is either by a wild card OR a BLACK three A Red three 'freezes' the pile, and a black three 'stops' the next player picking up the discard - but how do you know if a pile is stopped or frozen when a WILD CARD (J's/2's) is used? I have looked everywhere for explanation of this ruling, but nowhere can I find a reference to a 'stopped' card, only to the 'Frozen' pile. Has this 'stop card' part of the game now changed and is it no longer used? A wild card on the discard surely 'freezes' it and takes precedence over being a 'stop'card. Does this mean that it is ONLY a BLACK three which 'stops' the discard for just the next player? Hope this makes sense! Never seemed to be a problem years ago, but now I can find no reference to a 'stop card' and Scarne's version seems unclear - I am not sure which way to play this. Update Thanks Joe & Gendolkari, I am aware of all the points you make on the rules. I though my question was straightforward, so to clarify I will quote Scarne on the points concerned! “frozen pile - discard becomes frozen whenever it contains a wild (J’s & 2’s) OR A RED THREE (contrary to a comment above). Discard may only be taken up when player holds two natural cards ....etc” “Stop card. When the upcard is a WILD card (J’s & 2’s) OR A BLACK THREE. It is a stop card; the next player cannot take the discard pile......etc” Why is Scarne implying that a card which is known as a freeze card (J’s & 2’s) when added to the discard, can somehow become ‘just’ a stop card? I don’t think I am ‘overthinking it’ given Scarnes unclear explanation! So I will go with J’s, 2’s AND red 3’s s freezing the pile - but only BLACK 3’s as being a stop card. Technically, I guess, if you deal with the red 3 in just one hand - pick-up and discard into the discard pile, you are actually disclosing you have one! Yes, not something you want to do willingly - but there may be times when nothing else will do! <Q> I think you are over complicating what a "stop" card is. <S> When looking at the rules to draw a card from the discard you will note that you have to include it on a meld on the table. <S> Also it should be noted that the only time you can play a black 3 to the table in the meld is when you are going out so normally if a black 3 is on the top of the draw pile it is impossible for the next person to draw a card. <S> Also with red three's they should never be in your hand as when you draw them they are immediately placed on the table and a replacement card is drawn. <S> If a red 3 is the first card flipped over to start the discard pile at the start of the game it will be frozen just as if a wild card was flipped over. <A> I am not familiar with the term “stop card”, but it seems to be used here to simply mean “a safe discard” as in a card that cannot allow your opponent to pick up the discard pile no matter what. <S> Wild cards are also safe discards, but they have the added effect of freezing the discard pile. <S> In order to mark that the pile is you place the wild card sideways, so that it sticks out even when other cards are placed on top of it. <S> A black 3 does not have any lasting effect on the discard pile; it only is something that cannot be picked up while it is on top, so it is discarded normally and covered up / hidden after that. <S> A red 3 can never be discarded, because if you ever draw one you must meld and replace it immediately. <S> However, if the starting card of the deck happens to be a red 3, then it starts sideways and marks a frozen discard pile. <S> So in terms of what that makes wilds, they are BOTH “stop cards” AND cards that freeze the pile. <S> The 2 terms are not mutually exclusive. <S> A stop card is simply one that can’t be picked up; it hasn’t no direct relationship to freezing. <S> I think it’s much simpler to not think of “stop cards” as any special thing. <S> Any card that is safe to discard can be a stop card. <S> This includes black 3s, wilds, or any card at all if the pile is frozen and you know your opponent can’t have 2 more in their hand (because the rest are melded or in your hand). <A> When I have played Canasta we always put a card that freezes the pile in the discard turned sideways. <S> This way the card is sticking out the side to remind you that the pile is frozen. <S> In contrast a stop card is played the same direction as the other cards as the stop is only in affect when it is the top card of the pile. <S> When a stop card is on the top of the discard pile the pile cannot be picked up for any reason. <S> In the rules you are reading the WILD cards can be used to freeze the pile, or as a stop on the top of the pile. <S> I would differentiate them by turning the wild if it is to freeze the pile.
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As for your overall question the only state that matters for the draw pile is if it is frozen from a wild card being discarded and that can be noted by discarding the wild card perpendicular to the other cards there is a visual that it has been frozen.
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Why was Monster Reborn brought back? Monster Reborn has been placed back on the limited list: Target 1 monster in either player's Graveyard; Special Summon it. Why has such a powerful card been placed back on the limited list? I'm not complaining because it is nice to be able to play it once again. But at the same time it is very easy to abuse. Especially since it's effect let's you snatch a monster from either player's graveyard for free. I mean imagine if someone used a card like Borreload Dragon and lost it. You could use Monster Reborn to take it from their graveyard. So basically, like I said, I'm not complaining, but why would they limit such a powerful card? <Q> Why has such a powerful card been placed back on the limited list? <S> The ways of Konami are not always crystal clear, but consider the following scenario: Bringing Monster Reborn back will bring balance to the current format . <S> How could that be? <S> Well, this card would empower those decks that were starting to get outdated (many of them, actually), due to the notable power difference new cards, like Links and Pendulum, are having in the current format. <S> Monster Reborn was a Staple Card back then in all decks, as it greatly supports basically any card archetype. <S> With it, those decks can now take an opponent's powerful Link monster like Borreload to even the match up, giving them better competitive level and encouraging players of those decks to become more active players. <S> Also, as older decks had "slower" dynamics (usually taking more time to summon a big monster) this will bring them up to speed so they perform better on today's games. <S> Now, one may say "but modern decks could also use Monster Reborn, thus giving them further advantage, so how come there is balance?" . <S> It is true that more recent decks could also include Monster Reborn into their build, but realistically speaking it may not be worth it . <S> Many, if not all, modern Archetypes have their own cards that can easily bring back monsters from the GY. <S> Many of them also have "searcher" cards, that can quickly help to build combos and fetch those other cards that bring back monsters. <S> This means that including a copy of Monster Reborn "just because" may not help those decks, and could even impair them; it could be a dead draw in cases where a card of their own Archetype was needed. <S> In terms of probability this also means that you now have fewer chances of pulling your Ace card ( 1/41 , when before it was 1/40 ), and even fewer considering dead draws not giving you your "searcher" cards. <S> In other words, modern decks already have several alternatives for Monster Reborn, whereas older ones have not . <S> This could benefit the game in general, bringing more variety and balance to the format. <A> In addition to DarkCygnus' answer: Monster reborn was powerful in a time when most decks contained mostly cards that had a high single-card-value. <S> Cards that were using other cards were often the most difficult to play because the probability of getting all required cards on the hand were so low. <S> Fusion monsters that required two exact other monsters needed these monsters and Polymerisation, before the time of fusion monster substitution and Polymerisation searchers like King of the Swamp , even if you had all required three cards three times in your deck, the drawing probability in your first turn (6 out of 40) was about 4,2%. <S> So with many high single-card-valued cards in each players deck, Monster Reborn could return a stand-alone powerful monster, even from your enemy, and there were almost no cards to prevent this in a meaningful way. <S> When you returned a Blue Eyes from the graveyard after your enemy has used his Mirror Force and/or Dark Hole, in the time before Sakuretsu Armor this was almost a guarantied win. <S> In addition the only other card to get a powerful dead monster from your enemy was Autonomous Action Unit , which appeared only shortly before the chaos decks rose. <S> Nowadays, there are many archetype specific cards which can return your monster, many many special summons (it is getting ridiculous) and a lot of cards that can counter these summons. <S> Also the archetype monster's design of your enemy may just make them useless to you to summon to your side, except maybe to pose some muscle. <S> So, as DarkCygnus explained, it increased the playability of older decks. <S> But I dare to say, not by much. <A> It is not that powerful. <S> It is a one-for-one, and mostly the part of the card that allows you to summon your opponent's monster is irrelevant due to most likely contrasting your deck's focus. <S> Also, in order to summon an extra deck monster, it has to have been properly summoned in the first place.
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Monster reborn could be "just" what some older decks needed to lift their game .
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Can a space marine chapter consist of marines from other chapters? I'm new to warhammer so I wanted to know if I could run a custom space marine chapter and then use soldiers from other factions For example could I run a space marines chapter that included soldiers from the grey knight or space wolves faction? <Q> Yes. <S> The requirement is that your army all share a keyword, for space marines that could be simply Adeptus Astartes, but you could go further than that to use any Imperal troop or vehicle. <S> You cannot mix beyond that, no adding Eldar to your imperial force, they do not share any keywords. <S> There are downsides to this. <S> As more chapter specific codices are released, you could find some of the choices only really benefit your say Space Wolves, but not your Ultramarines. <S> You could have options that only benefit your Adeptus Astartes, but not your Imperial Guard. <A> Yes and no. <S> Fluff wise - not really. <S> A Space Marine Chapter is a stand-alone organisation of singular allegiance and, generally, singular iconography, that more or less follows the structure described in the codex Astartes. <S> There are several notable chapters who deviate somewhat: <S> The Dark Angels largely follow the codex with the exception of the first and second companies, known as the Deathwing and Ravenwing. <S> The deathwing are a company made up entirely of terminators, while the ravenwing are traditionally bikes, speeders and the likes. <S> The Space Wolves know of the codex astartes as something that other space marines talk about, and that's about it. <S> The Black Templars are spread out over the galaxy crusading and no one knows just how many there are, <S> except it's well over the nominal figure of 1000 marines dictated by the codex. <S> As to whether or not marines from different chapters have made another one, the answer is kind of, yes. <S> Two notable examples are given in the fluff. <S> The most famous is the Last Wall protocol of the Imperial Fists and their successors. <S> Basically the fists were utterly destroyed and were rebuilt from space marines from their successor chapters (black Templars, crimson fists, exorxiators etc) and has happened a couple of times. <S> The other is the Blood Angels. <S> They've also been decimated before and have rebuilt using space marines and neophytes from their successor chapters. <S> That said, it's not uncommon in the fluff for multiple forces to fight alongside each other. <S> Armageddon had hundreds of space marine chapters and every facet of the imperial war machine barring the newly released custodes present <A> Yes and no. <S> There are records of armies being "built" from other chapters such as The Deathwatch. <S> The only problem is that as the rest say, you lose a lot of special rules and you have to try and make your army's different components work together, which can be tough.
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On the tabletop, you can play an army consisting of several different factions as long as they have a common keyword (eg Imperial) but you will lose some of the specialised detachment rules (as explained in the relevant codex(.
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Do I play a hero's ability every time I draw it? When I buy a hero and put it into my discard deck, then shuffle it and draw it in my hand in a later round, do I always have to / get to play the hero's ability? For example, each time I draw Seer of the Forked Path, do I get to draw an additional card from my deck? <Q> In Ascension you only ever use a hero's ability when you play the card. <S> So in your case when you draw the Seer of the Forked Path nothing happens. <S> However on your turn if you play that card you will draw an additional card and get the choice of banishing a card in the center row. <S> The fact that the ability only happens when you chose to play the card is important because there are times when you do not want to activate a hero's ability because it has a drawback that you don't want to encounter. <S> If you look at the rules <S> it describes what every area of the card does and for the area where the ability is <S> it says: What the hero does when you play it <S> It should be noted that constructs unlike heroes stay in play and the effect happens every turn (though some of the abilities you have to chose to activate). <S> As a side note cards with the ability to draw other cards are generally pretty powerful and are good ones to look to acquire. <A> Every turn consists of playing whatever cards from your hand that you want. <S> So if it is in your hand, you can choose to play it. <A> You seem to believe this effect happens when you acquire the hero, and are asking if it happens when you play it. <S> It's the other way around, a hero's effect triggers when it is played, not when it is acquired. <S> Monster effects are triggered when you defeat the monster, they happen once and the monster goes to the void. <S> Hero effects are triggered when the hero is played. <S> Very few hero abilities happen when you acquire them, for example Rally occurs when you acquire a hero. <S> Constructs specify when their effects trigger, usually once per round, or when you play specific faction cards (like another mechana construct).
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There is no limit to how many cards you can play; and you never have to play a card if you don't want to.
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Can the Collapsed Room land you in the Mystic Elevator? During a play-through this weekend, we stumbled on the odd happenstance of the Collapsed Room falling into the Mystic Elevator when drawn from the pile. Is there any rules related to this situation that would somehow invalidate this? I'm of the opinion that it would be fine and you could magically fall through the floor up into the roof where the elevator could currently be placed. <Q> From my copy of the rulebook: If an effect of another tile or card leads to the Mystic Elevator (such as the Collapsed Room or Secret Passage), the token placed by that effect stays on the Mystic Elevator tile even if it moves. <S> Emphasis mine. <S> It doesn't explicitly say that the token remains functional, but that clearly seems to be the intent. <S> I've also been able to find a reference to an FAQ clarification that says much the same thing, although I have been unable to find the FAQ itself. <S> Mystic Elevator -- If the Collapsed Room, Secret Passage, Secret Stairs, or Revolving Wall lead to the Mystic Elevator, does the counter stay there even when the elevator moves? <S> Yes. <S> It's Mystic, after all. <A> There are no special rules regarding the Mystic Elevator as a newly discovered room. <S> If the issue is that thematically, an elevator isn't something you should be able to fall into from above; remember that the elevator doesn't really work thematically at all... <S> it is treated like a room as opposed to a tunnel between multiple rooms. <S> So don't think of the elevator as an elevator at all. <S> Think of it as a regular room that happens to teleport around. <A> Betrayal at House on the Hill is kind of notorious for the rules not quite covering every situation clearly. <S> I think a strict reading of the rules says that you can fall in, and it gets marked as "beneath" the Collapsed Room so you can fall in later too, simply because there are no special rules for this situation. <S> That said, there are several non-game-breaking options for if/how you can fall into the elevator, and I think you can honestly just pick what you think is the most fun <S> : Allow falling into it, and place it somewhere <S> it can actually connect. <S> (Pretend you fell in, then the elevator activated and moved.) <S> Allow falling into it, and if there's not already a basement, find an actual basement tile to connect it to. <S> Allow falling into it, but if it can't connect, the player has to actually activate and move the elevator to get out. <S> Ignore all this and find a "real" basement room. <S> And then you have options for what happens after the elevator moves, and someone falls through the Collapsed Room again: <S> They still somehow end up in the elevator, even if it means falling up. <S> They draw a new basement tile, and that one is under the Collapsed Room now. <S> (This is consistent with how the elevator works with doors: if you go through a door and the elevator is there, then it moves away, then someone goes through that same door later, they find a new room to put there, they don't magically end up in the elevator.) <S> The two first options are the strict rule reading mentioned above. <S> But it could also be more fun and flavorful to pick a different option, like 2 or 3 for the first choice (either connect to a new basement tile, or have to move the elevator) and 2 for the second (find a new room to put beneath once the elevator moves). <S> Given the frequent vagueness of the rules, and the fact that none of this is really going to break the game, I'd say go with whatever suits you.
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So yes, Mystic Elevator is just like any other room and can be discovered from the Collapsed Room (or any other rooms that require you to draw new rooms).
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Split Second or Can not Be Countered Is split second just another way of saying “this card can’t be countered”? To me, it has no other qualities? Once this card is removed from the stack opponents are then free to cast spells. So I’m guessing we just treat this as a can’t be countered spell despite its fancy naming convention or can it do more than what I’m perceiving? <Q> Split Second has uses other than making a spell uncounterable. <S> As a simple example, say you cast Sudden Shock ; targeting a creature with only 2 toughness. <S> If not for Split Second, your opponent could save the creature by casting a spell any spell that does any of the following: <S> Increases the creature’s <S> toughness Gives the creature Hexproof <S> Gives the creature protection from your spell <S> Regenerates the creature <S> Prevents the damage <S> Several ways he could save his creature. <S> But due to Split Second, he can’t respond at all; and the creature will almost certainly die. <S> Similarly if you cast Sudden Shock targeting your opponent who has 2 life. <S> He can’t cast anything that will increase his own life. <S> There are all sorts of ways other than countering a spell that you might want to respond to a spell. <S> Split Second prevents all of them. <S> While Split Second is generally more powerful than “cannot be countered” due to the reasons stated; in some cases “cannot be countered” will work better, such as if there’s a triggered ability that counters spells, such as the emblem from Jace, Unraveler of Secrets . <A> No, split second refers to how a spell can be responded to. <S> For instance, Krosan Grip has split second, but with a successful Counterbalance flip, can be countered. <S> From the comprehensive rules 702.60. <S> Split Second <S> 702.60a Split second is a static ability that functions only while the spell with split second is on the stack. <S> “Split second” means “As long as this spell is on the stack, players can’t cast other spells or activate abilities that aren’t mana abilities.” <S> 702.60b Players may activate mana abilities and take special actions while a spell with split second is on the stack. <S> Triggered abilities trigger and are put on the stack as normal while a spell with split second is on the stack. <A> @Gendolkari's answer is a great answer for why "Split Second" is more powerful than "Can't be countered". <S> I'd like to add a supplement for all of the reasons why it is weaker. <S> Here's how to counter a split second spell: <S> Triggered abilities that counter spells, such as the emblem from Jace, Unraveler of Secrets , Erayo's Essence , Chalice of the Void , Kira, Great Glass-Spinner , Counterbalance , Chancellor of the Annex , or Decree of Silence . <S> Triggered abilities that give you other triggered abilities that let let you counter spells, such as <S> Hunting Grounds or Lurking Predators <S> putting a Mystic Snake or a Draining Whelk onto the battlefield. <S> Unmorphing a creature (which is a special action that is allowed while a split second card is on the stack) that counters the spell, such as Voidmage Apprentice , Stratus Dancer , or Silumgar Spell-Eater
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Split second doesn't itself make the spell uncounterable, it just prevents the majority of ways the spell would be countered from happening (casting a counterspell, etc.)
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Would an enchantment placed on an opponent still take effect if they played Aegis of the Gods afterwards? So, as I was rebuilding a vampire deck, I came across some curses and remembered a friend got Aegis of the Gods . I understand Aegis of the Gods would stop me from playing the curse on them, but if I played the curse first would Aegis stop my curse effect from taking place, if it was played on a different turn after I played the curse? <Q> Yes, enchantments already cast and resolved still continue to take effect. <S> There isn't much about Curses in the Rulebook, because they operate identical to Aura's, but it doesn't take away that it is its own subtype. <S> Rulings clarify that: 17-10-2013 A Curse spell targets the player it will enchant like any other Aura spell, and a Curse stays on the battlefield like any other Aura. <S> If the enchanted player gains protection from the Curse’s color (or any other characteristic the Curse has), the Curse will be put into its owner’s graveyard. <S> In the Comprehensive Rules <S> it states: 303.4. <S> Some enchantments have the subtype “Aura.” <S> An Aura enters the battlefield attached to an object or player. <S> What an Aura can be attached to is defined by its enchant keyword ability <S> (see rule 702.5, “Enchant”). <S> Other effects can limit what a permanent can be enchanted by. <S> So Curses like Aura's target an object or player depending on what it says on the card. <S> Aegis of the Gods grants the player Hexproof. <S> 702.11c <S> “Hexproof” on a player means “You can’t be the target of spells or abilities your opponents control.” <S> So while Aegis of the Gods is on the battlefield you can't target that creatures controller. <S> But what about all the curses you already cast and resolved before Aegis of the Gods entered the battlefied? <S> Hexproof doesn't dispel or disenchant any enchantments. <S> It just prevents an object or player from being targeted while hexproof is in play. <A> Aegis of the Gods only grants the player Hexproof, and having Hexproof means only that you cannot be the target of spells or abilities that your opponents control. <S> You can still be affected by anything that doesn’t target you. <S> As you already noted, an Aura is a targeted spell, so you would not be able to target your opponent with a new Aura spell. <S> Note also that if you find a way to put your Curse Auras onto the battlefield without casting them, then you can attach them to your opponent even if they have Hexproof. <A> Yes the aura cursing the player would still work on them. <S> Just like a creature gaining shroud or hexproof after an aura is placed on them keeps the aura, players also keep any auras placed on them while they were still targetable, unless they can gain hexproof while the aura is still on the stack (Flashing out Aegis of the Gods with say Vedalken Orrery ). <S> This is also why Witchbane Orb specifically removes curses when it comes out, if having hexproof made curses fall off, it would only need to give hexproof, the rest would happen automatically. <S> This is different from protection, A creature that gets say Protection from White causes all white auras to fall off (some auras specifically ignore this like Pledge of Loyalty or Spectra Ward ). <S> There is really only one card I can think of that would do this for a player, Runed Halo , which would give you protection from the specific card you name, name the curse and it falls off.
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Yes, the enchantment would still continue to take effect.
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What is a land creature? Halimar Tidecaller in card text it says Land creatures you control have flying. Does this mean any creature without flying or does it mean a land which is also a creature <Q> A permanent which is both a land and a creature. <S> Let's together find out what they exactly mean with 'land creatures'. <S> In the Comprehensive Rules we find the following regarding multiple card type: <S> 205.2b <S> Some objects have more than one card type (for example, an artifact creature). <S> Such objects satisfy the criteria for any effect that applies to any of their card types. <S> Meaning that in this example the object benefit from being an artifact as well as a creature. <S> But on the flip side.. <S> 300.2. <S> Some objects have more than one card type (for example, an artifact creature). <S> Such objects combine the aspects of each of those card types, and are subject to spells and abilities that affect either or all of those card types <S> So they are also approachable by all the types the card currently has. <S> But we want to know what cards are being affected by Halimar Tidecaller static ability ("Land creatures you control have flying."). <S> Does that mean all lands or all creatures or all lands that are also creatures? <S> It says on the card ' Land creatures <S> you control' which indicate that any object that satisfy that criteria is affected. <S> So not just lands or not just creatures, but only 'land creatures'. <A> Although neither previous answer is wrong, I feel that the first sentence in both is a little misleading. <S> My version: <S> It is a permanent which is both a land and a creature. <S> The distinction is that it's not more true to say "it is a land which is also a creature" than it is to say "it is a creature which is also a land". <S> The simplest example is the card Dryad Arbor . <S> This is a card that has both the type "land" and the type "creature", which means that it has all the properties of both. <S> As others have pointed out, other common ways to have an object be both a land and a creature is the Awaken mechanic and "man lands" that can become creatures. <S> A regular creature can also become a land creature, through things such as Life and Limb . <A> It means lands which are also creatures. <S> Halimar Tidecaller is from the Battle for Zendikar block. <S> Both the original Zendikar block, and the newer Battle for Zendikar block, have a sort of low-scale theme for land creatures, having many spells and effects which turn lands into land creatures . <S> Pointed examples include the "manlands" and the Awaken mechanic . <S> Halimar Tidecaller is describing permanents you control with the "land" and "creature" qualities, just like Paragon of Gathering Mists <S> is describing permanents you control with the "blue" and "creature" qualities. <S> If they meant creatures without flying they would have used the "creatures without flying" phrase . <S> You might notice Halimar Tidecaller also gives you back a "card with awaken". <S> That's referencing the Awaken mechanic. <S> Halimar Tidecaller is made mainly for decks that care about using that mechanic, and want to re-use spells that have it. <A> Halimar Tidecaller was printed in the same set as cards with the ability awaken , for example Ruinous Path . <S> These cards had an alternate cost that would do the main effect and also awaken one of your lands as a creature, that land would still be a land, making it into a land creature. <S> This is not the first time there have been cards that were both land and creature, <S> Dryad Arbor is probably the most notable example, being the only card that was printed as both, but many cards like Mutavault are lands which have an ability to temporarily turn them into creatures. <S> There are also some enchantments that do this, such as the 6 Genju cards of Kamigawa Genju of the Realm and the 5 Zendikon of Zendikar Wind Zendikon . <S> Life and Limb combines saprolings and forests, making them all land creatures. <S> Finally there are planeswalkers that make lands into creatures like Koth of the Hammer .
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The short answer is it is an object on the battlefield that is both a land and a creature at the same time.
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With Life and Limb do my forest's suffer from summoning sickness So from what I understand Life and Limb makes your forests into creature. So are you're forests then affected by summoning sickness, and therefore you are unable to be tapped for mana the turn you play them? If so is there a reasonable to animate you're opponents land like this to set them back? <Q> They'll have summoning Sickness . <S> So if your opponent is also in Green, you will set them back if all they have are forests to play. <S> They'll have summoning Sickness. <A> Yes, land creatures will have summoning sickness. <S> Every one of your creatures that you didn't control all the time since your most recent turn began have summoning sickness, even if they weren't creatures all the time. <S> Since a land's mana ability requires tapping, that ability can't be used in that case. <S> 302.6. <S> A creature’s activated ability with the tap symbol or the untap symbol in its activation cost can’t be activated unless the creature has been under its controller’s control continuously since his or her most recent turn began. <S> A creature can’t attack unless it has been under its controller’s control continuously since his or her most recent turn began. <S> This rule is informally called the “summoning sickness” rule. <S> Also note the ruling on Gatherer, which explicitely answers your question: <S> Forests that enter the battlefield while Life and Limb is on the battlefield will enter the battlefield as creatures. <S> They’ll have summoning sickness. <A> If so is there a reasonable to animate you're opponents land like this to set them back? <S> Not one that animates lands. <S> Animating lands is a weird effect, because it makes your lands combat relevant, but also vulnerable to interference. <S> Any mass animation of your opponent's lands allows you to turn a mass creature destruction spell into a one-sided land destruction spell, and that's powerful. <S> Really powerful. <S> Which is not to say that it doesn't exist. <S> Jolrael, Empress of Beasts will temporarily animate all the lands belonging to one player. <S> But it's ridiculously expensive if all you want to do is give a single land creature summoning sickness (especially as it gives your opponent an army while you do it). <S> If you do want to slow down your opponent's land drops, I recommend one of the cards which force lands to enter the battlefield tapped . <S> (+ Orb of Dreams , which didn't fit in that list because it affects all permanents.)
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From the Gatherer Rulings page: Forests that enter the battlefield while Life and Limb is on the battlefield will enter the battlefield as creatures.
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How does the Innistrad "no spells / two or more spells cast last turn" transform trigger work? On some of the two sided cards the cards ability says "At the beginning of each upkeep, if no spells were cast last turn transform (card name)". Mayor of Avabruck Does " turn " refers to the opponents last turn, or the opponents turn before the other player? I have a entire deck that has these cards but it don't understand it. <Q> If it's your upkeep, the last turn is the turn that has most recently concluded (usually your opponents). <S> If it's your opponent upkeep, the last turn is usually yours. <S> What is a turn? <S> 500.1. <S> A turn consists of five phases, in this order: beginning, precombat main, combat, postcombat main, and ending. <S> Each of these phases takes place every turn, even if nothing happens during the phase. <S> The beginning, combat, and ending phases are further broken down into steps, which proceed in order. <S> So a turn contains all the phases. <S> But when is the upkeep? <S> 501.1. <S> The beginning phase consists of three steps, in this order: untap, upkeep, and draw. <S> It is in the beginning phase. <S> The whole turn before this point is the turn of the previous player. <S> 603.2e <S> If a triggered ability’s trigger condition is met, but the object with that triggered ability is at no time visible to all players, the ability does not trigger. <S> That whole turn will be checked to see if the condition has been met to so it can trigger. <A> A "turn" is one player's go. <S> i.e. from the start of one player's upkeep step until just before the start of the next player's upkeep step. <S> Note that this triggers during EACH upkeep, so in your upkeep it will trigger if there were no spells during your opponent's turn and during your opponent's upkeep it will trigger if there were no spells during your turn. <A> Since this triggers at each upkeep and doesn't specify what player has to cast the spells, it not only looks if your opponent cast a spell before your turn but generally if any player cast a spell during the turn before that upkeep. <S> Doesn't have to be an opponent (e.g. multiplayer). <S> Take Huntmaster of the Fells , who has a nice effect on both sides. <S> You are in full control over when he transforms and when not. <S> Want him to transform on your opponents upkeep? <S> Simply cast nothing on your turn. <S> Want him to transform back on your turn? <S> Make sure at least two spells are cast by any one player on your opponent's turn. <S> These can even be your own spells or a mix of yours and your opponent's. <S> A creature spell and a counterspell against that creature already count as two spells and will transform the Huntmaster back. <S> After some testing in Magic Online it seems this is not correct and the card text does indeed say a player, so one player has to cast at least two spells. <S> Of course a clever opponent can just cast an instant during your turn to prevent him transforming the first time. <S> It is best to not cast anything yourself when your opponent is tapped out to make sure the transform will happen. <A> it was then or is now, <S> the transform ability checks on every player's upkeep, werewolves can actually transform back and forth every single turn. <S> It's more clear how it works in multiplayer games, when it's not just your turn <S> then your opponent's turn. <S> Lets look at an example: <S> It's your turn and <S> you are playing one werewolf threat, since you don't want the rest to transform, say Huntmaster of the Fells , the blue player doesn't want you to do that, so they counter your spell. <S> So far no single player has played two spells so your werewolves won't go back to human yet, but the blue player who's turn is next wants them to be human again and weaker, so he casts Brainstorm before your turn ends. <S> At the start of the blue player's turn your werewolves all transform since a player cast two spells, but this is a blue player, and he has nothing but counters and land from the cards left in his hand, so he casts nothing, and no one else casts anything, he ends his turn and the next player's turn begins. <S> Because no one cast anything, all your werewolves transform again back to wolf side, this player plays a spell and the blue player counters it. <S> Next it's your turn again, two spells were cast <S> but since each player only cast one, your werewolves stay wolves and you get to bring their wolf side strength into combat on this turn.
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It means the last actual turn, no matter who's turn
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How is an Uno stalemate handled? I had this scenario today where I played not to win but to just accumulate all the cards. The other player (just the two of us) was playing to win. You can argue this is unsportsmanlike however I was curious to see the outcome! I countered all their moves to the point there was no more cards left to pick up. The rules say to reshuffle the discard pile and use it as a new pickup pile. So we reshuffled and I continued to pick up cards without playing (except sporadically to force my opponent to pick up new cards or change the colour). We repeated this until I held all the cards except two, which were held by my opponent. I deduced the colour they held (yellow and red), and the card on discard was blue (and I decided to pick up, so that final discard card became my pick up card). At that point there are no more cards to pick up. There's nothing that I can see in the rules to specify what happens in this situation. So, how should it be handled? Is this a stalemate/tie? Is it decided by who has the fewest cards left? etc. Has anyone been so foolish to try this approach before? <Q> According to the UNO rules , drawing without playing is a legal move: RENEGING <S> You may choose not to play a playable card from your hand. <S> If so, you must draw a card from the DRAW pile. <S> If playable, that card can be played, but you may not play a card from your hand after the draw. <S> However, the intent of this rule is more likely to allow a player to strategically hang on to a card (for instance saving a wild card for later) than for someone to hold onto all the cards. <S> A few possible options for a house rule for when this happens: If a player can't play and can't draw, their turn is skipped and the next player goes <S> The game is a draw <S> If you're including the scoring rule, the game ends, and you each score points for the cards in your opponents hands <A> I think you are missing something important or playing by a house rule variant. <S> When you draw a card, either because you can't or don't want to play, you can only draw 1 card per turn. <S> When you consider how many cards there are in a deck, 112, I would find it highly unlikely that you can prevent the other player from going out in the time it takes you to draw the entire deck. <S> Not sure how you can be countering all the moves when your action each turn will generally consist of drawing a card and not playing now. <S> Rules Cards in deck 108 cards as follows: <S> 19 Blue Cards - 0 to 9 19 Green Cards - 0 to 9 19 Red Cards - 0 to 9 19 Yellow Cards - <S> 0 to 9 <S> 8 Draw Two cards - 2 each in Blue, Green, Red and Yellow <S> 8 <S> Reverse Cards - 2 each in Blue, Green, Red and Yellow <S> 8 <S> Skip Cards - 2 each in Blue, Green, Red and Yellow 4 Wild Cards <S> 4 Wild Draw 4 cards <S> When you can't play a card <S> If the player doesn't have anything to match, he must pick a card from the DRAW pile. <S> If he can play what is drawn, great. <S> Otherwise play moves to the next person. <S> When you don't want to play a card <S> A player may choose not to play a playable card from his hand. <S> If so, the player must draw a card from the DRAW pile. <S> If playable, that card can be played, but the player may not play a card from his hand after the draw. <A> Suppose you did deplete the deck before an opponent could play out. <S> Now if no one can play, what happens? <S> I'd argue that one of three situations occurs: A) <S> The game is drawn. <S> Note that if you're losing, this is unlikely to be an effective strategy because your opponent will have a lot of time to play every card he/ <S> she has before you can acheive this goal, and there are only so many cards that can prevent this. <S> B) <S> If one cannot play or must draw, they forfeit their turn instead of drawing. <S> This is not an official rule, however most domino games use this idea to prolong games, and if implemented, could solve the issue completely, since someone will be able to play at any given time, and then there's another card in the deck to draw. <S> If every player decided to not play cards and instead forfeit the turn, obviously the game would draw by agreement. <S> C) <S> Maybe another deck could be brought into play, and continue with another set of cards added in. <S> Again, not an official ruling, but it does indefinitely solve the problem. <S> (If it somehow, against all odds, occurs with the two decks, bring in more) <S> So most likely, the game will be drawn. <S> This would have to be a draw by agreement, or a forfeiture, since the rules don't address this situation.
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Given that the goal of the game is to get rid of your cards, in the normal manner of play this is a scenario that should never happen, so the rules do not cover this case.
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Does Hallowed Burial search all libraries for creature cards and put them on the bottom too? Looks like most things I've read just assume it's only from the battlefield but the wording says all creatures. Does "all creatures" always only refer to active creatures because they're not creatures until in play, just creature cards? <Q> So it will not affect creature cards anywhere else. <S> 109.2. <S> If a spell or ability uses a description of an object that includes a card type or subtype, but doesn’t include the word “card,” “spell,” “source,” or “scheme,” it means a permanent of that card type or subtype on the battlefield. <S> And 609.2. <S> Effects apply only to permanents unless the instruction’s text states otherwise or they clearly can apply only to objects in one or more other zones. <S> In order to refer to objects in other zones; an effect would specifically use the word “card” and specify the zone. <S> See Birthing Pod for an example. <A> You are exactly right, a creature card is a 'card.' <S> A creature card being played, after mana has been paid and any other costs is a spell being cast. <S> A creature spell on the stack, before it resolves, is not a creature yet. <S> A player who has priority may cast a creature card from his or her hand during a main phase of his or her turn when the stack is empty. <S> Casting a creature as a spell uses the stack. <S> (See rule 601, “Casting Spells.”) <S> 302.2. <S> Once it resolves, it is a permanent. <S> A 'creature' permanent. <S> 110.4. <S> There are five permanent types: artifact, creature, enchantment, land, and planeswalker. <S> Instant and sorcery cards can’t enter the battlefield and thus can’t be permanents. <S> Some tribal cards can enter the battlefield and some can’t, depending on their other card types. <S> See section 3, “Card Types.” <S> Once the spell resolves, ie everyone passed priority and let it resolve, it is now a 'creature' on the battlefield. <S> These are the 'Creatures' that Hallowed Burial refers to. <A> Other answers have touched on this, but I think it needs to be more explicit: cards with the word "creature" on them are creature cards. <S> They are not creatures. <S> When they are cast, they summon a creature to the battlefield. <S> The creature card is then used to represent the creature. <S> Cards and rules are sometimes loose about referring to a card and the entity it represents interchangeably, but there are never any creatures in the graveyard, only creature cards. <S> You can see this in the wording of cards that bring things out of the graveyard, <S> e.g. Agadeem Occultist "Put target creature card from an opponent's graveyard onto the battlefield under your control if its converted mana cost is less than or equal to the number of Allies you control" [emphasis added]
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“Creatures” (and “creature”) specifically means a creature permanent on the battlefield.
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Can a countered creature be regenerated? After a creature is countered by a spell such as Counterspell can it regenerate. I was trying to counter my friend's Mortivore , but he said it could regenerate from that. So I need help trying to figure if he is lying or not. <Q> No, a creature cannot use Regenerate to avoid being countered. <S> When your friend casts Mortivore, it goes on the Stack as a Spell . <S> It is not a Creature until the spell resolves and leaves the stack. <S> Counterspell uses the Counter keyword action, which removes a spell from the stack. <S> This means the spell never resolves and does not have any effect. <S> In the case of a creature spell, the effect is to put a creature on the battlefield; if it is countered, the creature is never created. <S> The abilities on a creature card (including regeneration) cannot be used until the card has finished being cast and become a creature on the battlefield <S> *. <S> Therefore, Regenerate cannot be used while Mortivore is on the stack. <S> Since Counterspell gets rid of Mortivore while it is still on the stack, your friend cannot use Mortivore's regeneration ability to avoid your Counterspell. <S> Note: Even if you could use a regeneration ability from the stack, it still wouldn't apply here. <S> Regeneration only applies when a permanent would be Destroyed , which is different than being countered. <S> * <S> Except in certain exceptional cases, none of which apply here. <A> There's no possible interaction between Counterspell and regeneration. <S> You can't use Counterspell on a creature (a creature card or token on the battlefield), only on a creature spell (a creature card or copy thereof on the stack). <S> Yet Mortivore 's activated ability can only be activated when it's a permanent, not a spell. <S> This is the case for most activated abilities. <S> One can only activate an abilities of object in other zones if they are in the only zone in which it makes sense to activate the ability. <S> (e.g. Cycling on cards such as Akroma's Blessing can only be activated from one's hand since only cards in hand can be discarded.) <S> In fact, regeneration can only be given to permanents (cards or tokens on the battlefield), not spells (cards or copies thereof on the stack). <S> 109.2. <S> If a spell or ability uses a description of an object that includes a card type or subtype, but doesn’t include the word “card,” “spell,” “source,” or “scheme,” it means a permanent of that card type or subtype on the battlefield. <S> 110.1. <S> A permanent is a card or token on the battlefield. <S> [...] 112.6. <S> Abilities of an instant or sorcery spell usually function only while that object is on the stack. <S> Abilities of all other objects usually function only while that object is on the battlefield. <S> The exceptions are as follows: <S> [No exceptions apply to Mortivore's activated ability.] <A> As a general rule, unless an ability only makes sense when applied in another zone (e.g. "return this card from graveyard to hand" clearly must work in the graveyard and "cannot be countered" must function on the stack) then that ability only applies while the card is a permanent on the battlefield. <S> Regenerate is one such ability. <S> Countering a creature spell prevents it from entering the battlefield, so it never had an opportunity to be regenerated. <S> Furthermore, Regenerate prevents the destruction of a permanent, but countering a spell doesn't destroy it. <S> So even if you could use regenerate while it was on the stack the ability wouldn't do anything. <A> Regenerate means "The next time this creature would be destroyed this turn, instead tap it, remove all damage done to it, and if it is in combat, remove it from combat. <S> " Countering does not destroy, partially because "destroy", like many words in magic, is a word with a very precise meaning and countering <S> doesn't say that it destroys, and partially because a spell is not on the battlefield, and destroy is exclusively relevant to things on the battlefield. <S> So regeneration is not applicable, the same way you can counter a creature with indestructible.
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You cannot regenerate a countered creature.
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What are some examples of non-creature permanents? We are new to the game, I have been skipping over tokens for a few weeks here trying to get to know the game a little at a time. But I have finally starting diving in to the token aspect. I understand the creature tokens and how they work. But I found a card that say something about destroy non-creature permanent. What is a non-creature permanent? I am assuming it is like a non-creature token. What would be some examples of that? <Q> A permanent is anything on the battlefield (a.k.a. "in play"), CR 110 whether represented by a card or a token. <S> For example, Icy Manipulator , when on the battlefield, would be a noncreature permanent. <S> A land like a Forest , when on the battlefield, would also be a noncreature permanent. <S> Treasure tokens, if you've seen those, would also be noncreature permanents. <S> More precisely, permanents can have any of five types: land, creature, artifact, enchantment, and planeswalker. <S> CR 110.4 <S> A single permanent usually has one of these types, but it can have more than one (for example, Juggernaut ), and some permanents can even gain or lose types due to things happening in the game <S> (for example, vehicles like Fleetwheel Cruiser ). <S> The only thing that matters for deciding whether something is a "noncreature permanent" is, at the moment you need to make the decision, whether it is a permanent and whether it has the type "creature". <S> If it has other types as well, that doesn't matter. <S> If it became a creature in the past or is going to stop being a creature in the future, that doesn't matter for deciding whether it's a noncreature permanent right now. <S> Note that cards which represent permanents when they're on the battlefield <S> do not represent permanents while they're in your hand, in the graveyard, in your library, or anywhere else other than the battlefield. <S> CR 110.1 <S> Anywhere else, they're just cards. <S> (There's a rarely used term, "permanent card", which means a card that isn't on the battlefield but would be a permanent if it were.) <A> I suggest your first touchstone should be the Basic Rules , which is a PDF linked to from MTG's rules page in case you ever need to google it up. <S> The PDF begins talking about permanents and types on page 5. <S> Permanents are cards on the battlefield. <S> They may be lands, enchantments, artifacts, planeswalkers, or creatures. <S> They may also be tokens representing one of those things, such as the gold tokens found in Ixalan, which are artifact tokens. <S> They're called "permanents" because they stick around, at least until they get removed by a spell like that — unlike instants and sorceries, which normally just do their thing then go to the graveyard. <S> A card's only a permanent whilst it's on the battlefield. <S> This means a card in a library, hand, graveyard, or in exile isn't considered a permanent. <S> Nor is a spell that's still being cast — it's just a spell card on the stack at that point, not a permanent. <S> A card that wants a "noncreature permanent" target can target a permanent that is any of those types, as long as the card is not also a creature. <S> For example, For example, Gilded Sentinel is an Artifact Creature. <S> "Noncreature" means the spell is looking for a permanent that does not have the quality of being a Creature, and since Gilded Sentinel is a Creature (among its other types) it cannot be a target of that spell. <A> Non-creature permanents are objects on the battlefield that aren't creatures, which given the existing card types means they're artifacts, enchantments, lands, and/or planeswalkers. <S> If a permanent has multiple types including creature, for example an artifact creature, it's not a non-creature permanent. <S> Tokens aren't related here. <S> This is just about card types. <S> A creature token isn't a non-creature permanent, and an artifact token is a non-creature permanent.
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A noncreature permanent is any permanent that is not a creature.
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Where does mana come from? So I am reading the rulebook of magic the gathering. I haven't played it but I am curious about the game. In the rule book, I didn't see how much mana you start off with. For example Naga Vitalist . If you have one forest land card on the field can you summon her? My understanding was that you had to have 2 land cards on the field since she requires two mana. Do you start off with a certain number and type of mana in your mana pool? How much mana does a land produce and how is that determined? <Q> 305.6. <S> The basic land types are Plains, Island, Swamp, Mountain, and Forest. <S> [...] <S> A land with a basic land type has the intrinsic ability “{T}: Add [mana symbol],” even if the text box doesn’t actually contain that text or the object has no text box. <S> For Plains, [mana symbol] is {W}; for Islands, {U}; for Swamps, {B}; for Mountains, {R}; and for Forests, {G}. <S> [...] <S> This means that every Forest has an ability that produces one green mana at the cost of tapping the Forest. <S> I say "green mana" instead of just "mana" because mana comes in each of the five colors, and it can also be colorless. <S> Naga Vitalist 's mana cost consists of 1 green mana and 1 generic mana. <S> The generic mana cost can be met by paying mana of any color or colorless mana. <S> So, to be able to cast Naga Vitalist, you will need to produce this much mana (e.g. by using the intrinsic abilities of two Forest). <S> "Mana pool" refers to the mana you have produced but not yet used. <S> It empties at the end of each step and phase, so you can't carry mana you produce on in turn into the next (for example). <S> You can read more about it here . <S> In the rule book I didn't see how much mana you start off with. <S> You will need to play lands first. <S> My understanding was that you had to have 2 land cards on the field since she requires two mana. <S> Basically, yes, though they need to be untapped. <S> Do you start off with a certain number and type of mana in your mana pool? <S> No. <S> In fact, it's constantly being emptied. <S> Mana basically need to be produced immediately when needed. <S> How much mana does a land produce and how is that determined? <S> Each basic land produces one colored mana (white for Plains, blue for Islands, green for Forest, red for Mountains, black for Swamps) by tapping it. <S> For example, Naga Vitalist 's ability produces mana. <A> No, you don't start with any mana at all. <S> The way you get mana is by casting spells or activating abilities which make mana for you. <S> By far the most common way of making mana is by tapping a land. <S> For example, a Forest (on the battlefield, not in your hand or library or anywhere else) has an ability that says {T}: Add {G} to your mana pool. <S> Here "{T}" stands for "tap this permanent" and "{G}" stands for one green mana. <S> It's a little confusing because most Forest cards don't have this ability written on them, but if you look at an old Forest <S> you'll see it written out explicitly. <S> With newer lands, though, you just have to remember that any land which has the subtype "Forest" ( check on the type line in the middle of the card ) has that ability, even if it doesn't say so on the card. <S> The same goes for other basic land types, but with other colors: Mountain (red), <S> Island (blue), Plains (white), Swamp (black), and Wastes (colorless). <S> There are many other lands, and most of them have their own mana-producing abilities, but they will typically say so on the card itself. <S> Many other permanents that are not lands can also produce mana. <S> Naga Vitalist itself is one example, although you do have to get her on to the battlefield first, and for that, as you noticed, you will need two mana, one green and one which can be any color. <S> The most common way to do this is by having two lands in play, but if you find some way to make two mana (one being green) without having two lands, that's a perfectly fine way to pay Naga Vitalist's cost. <A> Though it is no longer printed on the cards, all lands with a basic land type have the ability to tap for one mana, determined by the type for that land. <S> So Island s tap for 1 blue, Swamp s tap for 1 black. <S> Nonbasic lands don't always tap for mana, but most do, and those that do either have a basic land type, like Breeding Pool , which gives them the abilities of that basic type, or say how they make mana, like Simic Guildgate . <S> Your mana pool is empty at the start of each step and phase of each turn, unless an effect stops it from emptying, like Omnath, Locus of Mana , or gives you mana, like Frontier Siege , at the start of a step or phase of the turn. <S> And there are other ways to make mana, besides using lands. <S> Birds of Paradise is one of the more famous examples of a creature that taps for mana, there are also artifacts that tap for mana, like Sol Ring , rituals that cost mana to cast but give you more back <S> Dark Ritual and a few cards that create mana in other ways like Channel and Elvish Spirit Guide .
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Mana is an abstract resource produced by abilities and spell [1] , though most commonly by the intrinsic activated abilities of basic lands (e.g. Forest ). You do not start with any mana, or even any means to obtain mana.
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Why do some people use fetchlands in mono-colored decks? This is a list of a competitive deck that uses fetchlands in a mono-colored deck: Goblin 8 Whackers . I don't see the reason someone might build something like this, aside from a slight bluffing that you might be using another color aside from your main one. Is there an advantage to losing one life and fetching a mountain? Maybe to shuffle your deck? <Q> One reason is that it thins your deck. <S> It is generally known that smaller decks work better than larger decks , which is why almost everyone uses the smallest legal size of 60 in constructed. <S> Cards that draw you cards when you play them <S> (cantrips such as Gitaxian Probe ) turn your 60 card deck into an effectively 59 card deck. <S> Fetchlands do the same thing. <S> After using a fetchland, you have removed a card from your library. <S> Note that unlike "draw a card", searching for a land specifically removes a land from your library. <S> This means that you are more likely to draw a non-land card after you have used a Fetchland. <S> So it effectively changes the land to non-land ratio of your deck slightly. <S> So the deck in the example has 19 lands. <S> If they were all Mountains, then after you play your first mountain (pretending you had 0 cards in hand or anywhere else), you would have a 18 out of 59 chance that the top card of your library is another Mountain. <S> If instead you play a Bloodstained Mire first, and use it, then after that you have a 17 out of 58 chance that the top card of your deck is a Mountain. <S> More chance of drawing non-lands instead. <S> In that particular deck, the loss of life is not very relevant; that type of deck is hoping to win the game before the opponent can deal 16 or so damage to you. <S> So having 20 life instead of 16 isn't going to save you. <S> In a different type of deck, they might use Evolving Wilds or Terramorphic Expanse instead. <S> They have the same deck-thinning effect, but instead of losing life, you would lose tempo because the fetched lands enter play tapped. <A> In addition to the excellent answer already posted, there are times that a deck wants to have multiple lands enter the battlefield. <S> This particular deck does not benefit from this, but there are others that do. <S> Any deck with the 'Landfall' mechanic will want to have the ability to drop lands, and instant speed is a big plus, for example to activate Lotus Cobra 's ability. <S> In a different Red Deck, a player might use Searing Blaze , which also benefits from Landfall. <S> Granted, Lotus Cobra is usually seen in multi-color decks, but the concept of Landfall is there. <A> A third reason, not mentioned by either of the other answers, is to have a way to shuffle your deck for a very low cost. <S> This is most commonly seen in Legacy, where cards like Ponder and Brainstorm are powerful selection effects, but might leave undesirable cards on top of the deck; shuffling replaces those cards with (hopefully) better draws. <S> Modern doesn't have either of those cards, but there are still occasional effects that allow a player to see the top of their deck such as Mishra's Bauble and Courser of Kruphix and the timing of fetchland use when those effects are available is certainly something to think about. <S> That said, this is probably not the case for an 8-whack deck, nor do I know of any particular mono-color modern deck that runs fetchlands specifically for that purpose. <S> If there was one I would expect it to be mono-blue to take advantage of Jace, the Mind Sculptor 's effective Brainstorm, though I haven't done an exhaustive search of all cards which would benefit from free shuffling. <A> A fourth reason is cards that benefit from having lands in the graveyard, such as Tarmogoyf , Barbarian Ring , Crucible of Worlds or Splendid Reclamation <A> The minimum deck size in Magic the Gathering is 60 cards for constructed formats, each fetch land you play effectively lowers that minimum deck size by 1 card, since you will be using that land to pull another land out of your deck right into play as if you had played it instead, at the cost of one life. <S> This means also that you have less land left in the deck, once you're at your right number of lands for a deck, drawing more lands <S> means you haven't drawn anything to use the mana those lands make, slowing you down. <S> A third reason is in specific decks, though they are not usually mono colored, landfall. <S> The landfall mechanic triggers whenever a land enters the battlefield under your control, using a fetch land means that effect will trigger twice, once when you play the fetch land and once when the land it fetched comes into play, allowing you to double up on some of the effects.
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Landfall decks used fetch lands to make more use out of cards like Lotus Cobra or Steppe Lynx in a single turn.
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Do the rules 720.3 and 720.5 contradict each other? Considering the problems in answering this question , I feel like there is a contradiction between rules 720.3 and 720.5: 720.3. Sometimes a loop can be fragmented, meaning that each player involved in the loop performs an independent action that results in the same game state being reached multiple times. If that happens, the active player (or, if the active player is not involved in the loop, the first player in turn order who is involved) must then make a different game choice so the loop does not continue. 720.5. No player can be forced to perform an action that would end a loop other than actions called for by objects involved in the loop. Assume the same scenario as in the original question, Lethal Vapors and Solemnity are on the battlefield, and an undying or persist creature enters the battlefield. Assume further that the active player has only 2 possible game choices, those choices being "passing priority" and "activate Lethal Vapor's active ability". Note that "passing priority" is a game choice: 720.1. When playing a game, players typically make use of mutually understood shortcuts rather than explicitly identifying each game choice (either taking an action or passing priority ) a player makes. Now, if all players keep passing when they receive priority between Lethal Vapor triggers, the game enters a loop and a draw. However, 720.3 clearly says that in this case, the active player must make a different choice, i.e. other than passing priority. The only remaining choice is activating Lethal Vapor's ability. That, however, might violate 720.5, because the game rules force the active player to end the loop. So my question is, is there a possible contradiction between 720.3 and 720.5? Related question, in case Lethal Vapor counts as an object involved in the loop: Assume there is a Pithing Needle naming Lethal Vapors, and the active player also controls Seal of Cleansing . The only legal game choice remaining would be to activate Seal of Cleansing. Does the player have to do that, and if not, is the game a draw? <Q> 720.5 is an explanation of how to follow 720.3 in some cases. <S> For example, if Lethal Vapors said "destroy it or sacrifice another permanent", then the creature's owner would have to sacrifice something else to end the loop. <S> That's the kind of choice that is called for by 720.5. <S> In your example, neither player can be forced to activate Lethal Vapors . <S> This is according to 720.5. <S> The activated ability on Lethal Vapors is not called for by any object involved in the loop. <S> Either player however, would be able to choose to activate Lethal Vapors to end the sequence. <S> Thus you have a situation which is legally allowed to end in a draw if both players agree, but either player could skip their next turn to keep the game going. <S> The key here is that 720.5 doesn't try to include "abilities of anything involved in the loop" in the scope. <S> It just means when the mechanism of the loop inherently includes a way out - a player can't endlessly choose the other option to force a draw. <A> There is no contradiction here because rule 720.3 does not apply to this situation. " <S> Pass priority" is not a game action on the same level as activating an ability or casting a spell. <S> It is inaction and it is the default choice. <S> The loop that you describe does not involve players taking actions, but rather players passively allowing game events to play out. <S> So, no player is required to activate Lethal Vapors' ability, and the game is a draw unless a player chooses to take that action. <S> This has been confirmed by a ruling from the Level 3 judge who runs the Ask a Magic Judge tumblr blog . <S> I asked this question and got the quoted answer <S> I would like to get a clarification on the infinite loop rules. <S> Say the battlefield includes a Solemnity and a Lethal Vapors, and a player casts a Young Wolf, which has Undying. <S> That creature will keep dying and returning in a loop because it never gets a counter. <S> Does that cause the game to end in a draw? <S> Is any player required to activate Lethal Vapors' other ability or take some other action to break the loop? <S> No, they’re not required to do so. <S> The game will end in a draw if no one chooses to destroy the Lethal Vapors. <A> There's no contradiction. <S> CR 720.3 prevents a loop of voluntary actions. <S> CR 720.5 allows a loop of mandatory actions. <S> Only one of them applies to a given loop. <S> That means that unless someone breaks it, the game ends in a draw. <S> [CR 720.4, 104.4b, 104.4f] <S> But it also means that noone is forced to break it even if they could. <S> [CR 720.5] <A> An example of a fragmented loop would be if there were 3 Oblivion Ring <S> s (owned by 2 or more players) <S> that are each entering the battlefield and exiling each other in a triangle. <S> An example of an action that could break the loop, as prescribed by rule 720.3, would be if there was a legal target for Oblivion Ring besides another Oblivion Ring. <S> In this case, rule 720.3 would force the active player to exile the other legal target, even if it strategically not desired. <S> Example: In a multiplayer game, Player 1 controls an Oblivion Ring that has exiled Player 2's Oblivion Ring. <S> Player 2 casts an Oblivion Ring, hoping to take down some other strategic target. <S> With Oblivion Ring on the stack, Player 3 responds by bouncing the strategic target with an Unsummon . <S> Now when the Oblivion Ring resolves, it must either target player 3's Abyssal Persecutor or Player 1's Oblivion Ring. <S> Neither Player 1 nor Player 2 want to exile the Abyssal Persecutor, because they are both at 0 life. <S> They want to juggle Oblivion Rings forever, but Rule 720.3 obligates Player 2 to break the loop by exiling something besides an Oblivion Ring. <S> Therefore, Player 2 is forced to exile Abyssal Persecutor, thus killing both Player 1 and Player 2. <S> An example of an application of Rule 720.5 is that if the active player has a Ray of Revelation in their graveyard, they are not obligated to flash it back in order to break the Oblivion Ring loop, because the Ray of Revelation is not an object that is involved in the loop.
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There's no contradiction. The loop you are describing isn't a fragmented loop; it's a loop of mandatory actions.
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Does mana stay in your mana pool after the land has been destroyed If I tap a bunch of land and then it gets destroyed after I tapped it, does the mana stay in my mana pool? <Q> Yes, it will stay in your mana pool until the end of the current step or phase. <S> There are effects that empty your mana pool, but they specifically say so, such as Mana Short . <S> 106.4. <S> When an effect produces mana, that mana goes into a player’s mana pool. <S> From there, it can be used to pay costs immediately, or it can stay in the player’s mana pool. <S> Each player’s mana pool empties at the end of each step and phase. <A> Yes. <S> Once mana has been added to your mana pool it will remain there until the end of each step unless you choose to spend it to pay a cost. <A> The land is tapped for mana and that mana is available until the end of the current phase or step. <S> For example, the Combat phase has several steps. <S> The combat phase is the third phase in a turn, and has five steps in this >order: Beginning of Combat Step Declare Attackers <S> Step <S> etc... <S> Mana tapped, then the land being destroyed sounds unlikely to happen all in a single phase or step, as land destruction is often sorcery speed. <S> You would have to be tapping on opponent's turn, or they have instant speed destruction, but <S> yes, the mana stays until end of the step, within the phase. <A> I can go into a really long, technical explanation of how/why but <S> the short answer is yes.
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Yes, the Mana stays in your mana pool until the end of the step/phase the lands are tapped in.
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Does drawing a card in the draw phase use the stack, and related Laboratory Maniac shenanigans Situations we had tonight: Opponent has a Laboratory Maniac and an Abundance on the battle field. I hold a terror in my hand with enough mana in untapped lands to cast it. S1) Opponent moves to draw phase and has zero cards in library. Opponent chooses to draw a card. Can I kill his maniac and win the game? S2) Opponent has a Staff of Nin and 0 cards in library at beginning of upkeep. He chooses to draw a card (as opposed to reveal), do I have a chance to respond with my terror? Or can I not respond? Is it possible for me to beat my opponent in these situations with a well timed Terror? <Q> I wrote the question, and in the course of writing the question, I figured out the answer. <S> So, here's my stab at the answer. <S> S1) <S> Drawing during the Draw Phase does not use the stack, so you cannot win in this situation. <S> You must kill the Maniac before the draw phase, but with no maniac on the table, Abundance will keep them from losing the game. <S> This is covered in rule 504: <S> Draw Step <S> 504.1. <S> First, the active player draws a card. <S> S2) <S> Abundance is a replacement effect, so the decision about whether or not to use the abundance is made at the time of the draw. <S> Thus, if you kill the Maniac at anytime before Nin's draw occurs, your opponent can just chose to use abundance, to avoid losing the game. <A> It is not possible for use Terror to win here. <S> As long as your opponent has Abundance in play, they cannot be forced to lose the game due to drawing from an empty library. <S> The key is that the choice to search instead of drawing is part of Abundance's replacement of the draw. <S> This means that you do not have any opportunity to take game actions between them deciding to draw (or search) <S> and them actually drawing (or searching for) <S> a card (i.e. you do not receive priority). <S> It doesn't much matter what else in going on in the game, as long as Abundance is in play. <S> While not strictly relevant to this point, part of this ruling for Abundance is insightful here: ... <S> Since Abundance’s effect has you put a card into your hand instead of drawing a card, you’ll never be forced to draw a card with an empty library . <S> In the first situation you described, the best you can do is to not lose the game by using Terror on the Laboratory maniac. <S> In the second situation, your opponent should always win the game; they can win off their draw step, so they can hold off on using Staff of Nin until you cast Terror and then respond with the Staff and win before Terror resolves. <S> Edit:I'm completely wrong about the second situation, totally forgot the text on Staff of Nin. <S> Staff's draw is triggered, so is, in this situation, essentially no different from drawing during the draw step. <S> I was confusing Staff with something with an activated draw ability, like Jayemdae Tome. <S> (I can't believe I forgot how Staff of Nin works <S> , that's one of of my best favourite cards) <A> In that situation, Terror will not help you prevent the opponent from winning. <S> As you noted in your own answer, drawing a card during the draw step does not use the stack and thus cannot be responded to: 504 Draw Step 504.1. <S> First, the active player draws a card. <S> This turn-based action doesn’t use the stack. <S> Laboratory Maniac's ability creates a replacement effect. <S> If you cant respond to the replaced event (card draw), you also can't respond to the replaced event (game win for your opponent), because the replacement effect happens exactly when the original effect would have happened. <S> Even if Lab Maniac's ability was a triggered ability (which is purely hypothetical because in that case it wouldn't work as intended, the controller of Lab Maniac would lose before winning the game), Terror still wouldn't help you because the Maniac's ability would already be on the stack and resolve eventually. <S> Your only chance to prevent the loss is to have Terror resolve before your opponent draws from an empty library. <S> The Upkeep step happens before the Draw step, so that is the last opportunity to kill the Lab Maniac with spells or abilities. <S> As for Scenario 2, if the card draw is the result of Staff of Nin or any other spell or ability that uses the stack, you can react normally with Terror and prevent the Maniac's replacement effect by destroying him before the draw could even be replaced. <S> Again, if a replacement effect happens, it happens at exactly the time when the original effect would. <S> If the original effect never happens, then neither does the replacement: <S> 614.7. <S> If a replacement effect would replace an event, but that event never happens, the replacement effect simply doesn’t do anything.
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This turn-based action doesn’t use the stack.
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Can you sacrifice a creature to pay the cost of its ability? Whisper, Blood Liturgist has the ability to sacrifice 2 creatures, and then return something from the graveyard. Since abilities stay on the stack even if the permanent is removed, can you sacrifice this card and another to activate the ability? <Q> Yes. <S> The only implicit limit to Sacrifice is that the object being sacrificed must be permanent you control. <S> Since you control the Whisper, Blood Liturgist with the ability you are activating, and since it's a creature, it can be sacrificed. <S> A ruling confirms this: Whisper can be one of the creatures sacrificed to activate its ability. <S> The ability will continue to exist on the stack after Whisper's demise, and will go on to resolve. <S> If anything needs information about the source of the ability (e.g. if the target of the ability gains Protection), last known information will be used. <S> Note that the creature you sacrifice will be sacrificed as part of paying the cost. <S> This happens after the target is chosen, so they won't be in the graveyard when the target is chosen. <S> Therefore, they can't be selected as the target. <S> Neither sacrificed creature can be the target of Whisper’s ability. <S> 701.16a <S> To sacrifice a permanent, its controller moves it from the battlefield directly to its owner’s graveyard. <S> A player can’t sacrifice something that isn’t a permanent, or something that’s <S> a permanent they don’t control. <S> Sacrificing a permanent doesn’t destroy it, so regeneration or other effects that replace destruction can’t affect this action. <S> 112.7a <S> Once activated or triggered, an ability exists on the stack independently of its source. <S> Destruction or removal of the source after that time won’t affect the ability. <S> Note that some abilities cause a source to do something (for example, “Prodigal Pyromancer deals 1 damage to target creature or player”) rather than the ability doing anything directly. <S> In these cases, any activated or triggered ability that references information about the source because the effect needs to be divided checks that information when the ability is put onto the stack. <S> Otherwise, it will check that information when it resolves. <S> In both instances, if the source is no longer in the zone it’s expected to be in at that time, its last known information is used. <S> The source can still perform the action even though it no longer exists. <A> Magic cards usually mean exactly what they say, nothing more and nothing less. <S> If the card doesn't specify "sacrifice two other creatures", then it is capable of sacrificing itself. <S> We trust in the designers of MTG to explicitly put such restrictions where power level or flavor requires it, so if it's not there, it's not there. <A> Note that targets are chosen before costs are paid, so even if you sacrifice Whisper, it can not also be the target of the ability (not that you'd want it to) because it is not in the graveyard yet when you are choosing targets.
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Yes, Whisper can be one of the two creatures you sacrifice, and the ability will still resolve normally even though its source has died.
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Interaction between Nivmagus Elemental and Rune Snag Recently the following situation popped up in a casual game and it was a bit confusing. I was wondering if someone here could help out. Player T has 4 mana open and plays a 2 mana spell in his main phase Player G has a Nivmagus Elemental out and plays a Rune Snag to counter T's 2 mana spell; Player G has no Rune Snags in his graveyard T decides to pay the 2 mana required to not have his spell countered. At this point G exiles his rune snag using Nivmagus Elemental to obtain two +1/+1 counters It seemed to me that this cannot happen, since either Rune Snag resolves and T pays two mana, or Nivmagus Elemental eats Rune Snag and T does not need to pay 2 mana since it never resolves. Does player T need to pay two additional mana to play his spell even if Nivmagus Elemental eats it? <Q> You are correct, Player T should not have had to pay 2 mana. <S> Player G has 2 options: 1) <S> Let Rune Snag resolve, in which case Player T needs to pay 2 mana (or have their spell countered), but Nivmagus Elemental won't do anything, as Rune Snag will no longer be a valid target for the ability. <S> 2) Activate Nivmagus Elemental's ability while Rune Snag is on the stack, exiling Rune Snag. <S> Player T will not have to pay 2 mana, because Rune Snag will never resolve. <S> Note that option 1 will happen by default if player G does not specify otherwise. <S> Player G has the right to respond to their own spell: <S> 116.3c <S> If a player has priority when they cast a spell, activate an ability, or take a special action, that player receives priority afterward. <S> However, they must specifically state that they wish to retain priority: (From the tournament rules ): <S> Whenever a player adds an object to the stack, they are assumed to be passing priority unless they explicitly announce that they intend to retain it. <S> So if player G casts Rune Snag without saying anything, player T can simply say "ok" or "resolves" or <S> "I'll pay the mana", and it will be too late for player G to use Ninmagus. <S> This rule matters especially for Ninmagus in general; the player will always need to declare that they wish to retain priority if they want to ensure that they can use it. <A> You are correct that this situation cannot play out as described. <S> Any time that a spell or ability asks a player to pay mana as part of its effects, that player has an opportunity to activate mana abilities while the spell is resolving, immediately before making the payment. <S> So, in this situation, if player T taps lands and says something like "I pay for Rune Snag", the default assumption is that Rune Snag is resolving. <S> At that point, it is too late for player G to activate Nivmagus Elemental's abilities. <S> There is a partial exception to this. <S> If player G says "In response to Rune Snag" when activating the mana abilities, or casts a spell like Dark Ritual , or activates a mana ability that can only be activated at instant speed, like on Lion's Eye Diamond , then they are taking those actions before Rune Snag resolves, so that gives player G an opportunity to activate Nivmagus Elemental's ability and exile the Rune Snag. <S> If player G does that, player T does not need to pay any mana for Rune Snag. <A> When any spell or ability, or in this case the cost of an ability, interacts with or targets a spell, it can only interact with or target a spell on the stack. <S> Cards, or non card objects like tokens, aren't considered spells anywhere else by the game. <S> This means that once the spell has resolved (causing player G to pay 2 mana or let the snag counter their spell) it is off the stack and can't be interacted with or targeted by anything that targets spells. <S> This is the same way you can't Remove Soul / Essence Scatter <S> a creature that has already entered the battlefield <S> , it's no longer on the stack, so it's no longer a spell. <S> Cards like Mystical Tutor <S> which search the library search for an instant or sorcery card, because the card is not yet a spell. <S> In your specific case Nivmagus Elemental interacts with an instant or sorcery spell you control by exiling it to activate its ability. <S> If you allow the spell to resolve, and allow the opponent to pay for the Rune Snag <S> the spell has left the stack and is no longer a spell you control for Nivmagus to exile, it's already in the graveyard.
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The decision of whether or not to pay 2 mana happens as part of Rune Snag resolving.
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Does the ability from Sorcerer's Wand deal combat damage? If I were to equip Virtus the Veiled with Sorcerer's Wand and used the Sorcerers Wand's ability, would that be considered combat damage allowing Virtus's ability to trigger? <Q> Sorcerer's Wand does not allow the triggering of Virtus the Veil's ability From the Comprehensive Rules Glossary: <S> See rule 510, “Combat Damage Step.” <S> Damage from spells or abilities such as the ability granted by Sorcerer's Wand is not combat damage because it is not a consequence of combat. <A> Combat damage is damage that is dealt as a result of combat. <S> Any other damage from spells or abilities is not combat damage. <A> Sorcer's Wand does not deal combat damage, so no. <S> Combat damage is a very specific type of damage that's dealt by creatures in the Combat Damage step. <S> Virtus only triggers on combat damage, which isn't happening here.
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The ability that Sorcerer's Wand grants deals damage directly, so it is not combat damage and will not trigger Virtus the Veiled's triggered ability. Combat Damage Damage dealt during the combat damage step by attacking creatures and blocking creatures as a consequence of combat.
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In Magic: The Gathering, can I include a card in my deck that I can't play based on my land setup? I have a plan to build a deck that can get Progenitus on to the battlefield on turn 3 (it's an ongoing joke between my friends and I on who could get Progenitus out quickest with the cards we currently have), but I'm unsure about whether or not I would be allowed Progenitus in my deck at all. My plan is based on a red/green deck, but obviously Progenitus needs all 5 colours to cast. Within the rules, can I include him anyway? I assume I can, as there are ways of getting him out without casting him, and including cards you don't have the colours for seems more like a stupid move rather than a rule breaking one, but I'm unable to find anything specific about whether or not you have the right colours to include a card in your deck or not. <Q> The Magic Tournament Rules for constructed tournaments don't have such restrictions: Deck Construction Restrictions . <S> One example is Commander , where you would need a Commander of all colors (or make Progenitus your Commander). <A> Yes, you can include 4 copies of Progenitus into any deck. <S> Generally, you can include up to 4 copies of any card into any deck. <S> There are restrictions to deck building, but the color of a card or what mana is required to cast it, compared to what colors of mana your lands can produce, is not one of those restrictions. <S> The only commonly played format where card color matters for deck construction is Commander, where you can't include cards outside of your commander's color identity. <S> Restrictions to deck building include: <S> You can include any number of basic lands (basic Plains, Islands, Swamps, Mountains, Forests, Wastes) in your deck in any constructed format. <S> You can include any number of other cards in your deck if they say so on the card (e.g. Relentless Rats ) <S> Set formats that are composed of sets in which a card has not been printed, for example Standard. <S> Formats in which a card is banned (zero copies allowed) or restricted (1 copy allowed), or that have a general restriction (e.g. Highlander, Commander) Commander format, where you can only cards that match your commander's color identity. <S> Unless your commander is Progenitus or also has all 5 colors as its identity, you couldn't include Progenitus in commander. <A> In addition to the other answers here, Reanimator decks specifically make use of cards that they can't cast. <S> The way these decks work is to get big creatures with useful abilities into the graveyard, using cards like Buried Alive , Entomb or Putrid Imp then bring them back onto the field faster than you could have cast them normally with cards like Reanimate , Animate Dead , Exhume and Living Death . <S> Many of these decks run only black mana source, since all the spells that make it run are black, but they make use of creatures in all 5 colors. <S> There are other effects that are less common but can make use of off color creatures, things like Elvish Piper , Quicksilver Amulet , Sneak Attack or Show and Tell all put creatures from the hand into play without needing to cast them, Master Transmuter can do the same for artifacts that have colored costs outside the colors you are playing. <S> This is not the case for Commander/EDH or rare formats like Star, where your colors in your deck are specifically restricted. <S> In Commander/EDH mana symbols on the cards in your deck must appear on your commander, meaning for a 5 color card to be in your deck your commander must also have a 5 color identity. <S> Star decks are restricted to being all a single color, and each differnt from the colored played by the other players (forming the mtg enemy colored star), though this format is very rarely played. <A> Actually, the answer to the question is yes, even for Commander. <S> You may include the card in your deck regardless of whether or not, as posed in your question your land setup has the ability to cast the card, so long as your Commander has all the necessary colors. <S> For example, you could use Sliver Overlord or Horde of Notions as your Commander to make all five colors legal, and then build the deck as you described, putting only red and green mana sources in the deck. <S> Commander in no way requires you to put mana support for all the colors of your Commander in the deck, it just forbids putting any cards in that aren't in the Commander's color identity.
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If you are playing a typical constructed game, there is nothing that stops you from putting Progenitus in your deck even if you don't have anything that will give you the mana required to cast it. On the other hand, there are formats which won't allow you to put Progenitus in your deck, unless specific conditions are met.
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When to lead a spade? In the game of Spades, after spades are broken, you can lead a trick with a spade. In which situations leading with a spade is wise? I thought about three situations: Have high cards in side suits but some opponent is void in that suit. After the spades are out those high cards are sure takes again. Long suit in spades. By playing spades you can remove all other spades in the round, then from your ~4th spade you are the only player with spades and each spade is a take. Only have spades I wonder if some one have other situations where leading spades is the best move <Q> In a nice spades strategy guide (written by Buckey) the situations to lead spades are the following: <S> Your partner has their bid or you can cover their bid. <S> You know your partner bid high spades. <S> Either one or both of your opponents are void in any non-spade suit you could lead. <S> If you're trying to slough and have nothing better to slough in. <S> One way you can set your opponent is if you are <S> two suited (spades being one of thesuits.) <S> You can run spades and make your other suit good. <S> (be very careful that you donot set yourself by setting your partners bid in the process). <S> If your partner first led spades and is going for a set. <S> When trying to set a nil. <A> If you have high spade cards--such as the king or queen--but not the top spades, you might lead a mid or low spade to attempt to pull out the higher spades in an attempt to make your high cards sure winners. <A> From another nice guide by Tyler Wong: You should lead trump if: You don't have a good non-trump lead (maybe your RHO is out of the suits you hold). <S> You want to run out trump. <S> Running out trump can be a good tactic if you suspect your opponents are shorter and/or have worse trump than you and your partner (perhaps they both have trumped earlier in the round). <S> By running out trump, you turn the round into a battle of non-trump high cards, so be sure that you have high non-trump, or that your opponents are out of the suits you own. <S> You can run out trump a couple of ways: Start from the top and lead down. <S> This is effective if you have a few boss trump, or are very long in spades (six or more).You lead low trump, your partner plays as high as possible (if partner's highest spade is higher than your LHO's spade). <S> If your partner gets the lead back, she leads low, and you play high. <S> This will work even if your opponents have higher trump than you, as long as you end up with the last trump and can lead suits in which your opponents are weak or void. <S> Take this hand:♠ <S> AQJ954 ♥ <S> QJT97 ♣9 <S> ♦5 <S> Without the big trump power, you would count none of your hearts as tricks. <S> But in this hand, if you draw out the ♥A and ♥K then run out trump, the rest of your hearts will be boss and will be worth two to four tricks. <S> Once you suspect your opponents are out of spades, stop leading them. <A> The book Master Spades by Steve Fleishman dedicate a full chapter for when leading spades is the right move. <S> It stats that the refusal to lead spades when appropriate is by far the weakest aspect of most players' game. <S> In general it is beneficial to lead spades as soon as possible if your side has more spades than the opponents. <S> Next it describes a list of situations of when to lead spades: <S> 5 or more spades <S> bid + <S> partner's bid is at least 8 <S> Partner's bid is at least 6 Partner leads low Spade: <S> if you can, win the trick and re-lead spades <S> When you want to cut down opponents ruffs <S> When you only have spades
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Not leading spades might just give youropponents a chance to set you by trumping with lower spades.
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Does protection from a specific color help against an ability that cost a different color to activate? Player A has a Zacama, Primal Calamity , and player B has a creature with protection from green, such as Vodalian Zombie . Player A uses Zacama's red ability deal 3 to that creature, is he able to do that? Its a red ability, but Zacama has green in it?. <Q> Player A cannot target the creature with Zacama's ability. <S> It doesn't matter what the ability costs; abilities themselves do not have colors. <S> What matters for protection is what the source of the ability is, and the source of the ability here is Zacama, Primal Calamity. <S> Because Zacama, Primal Calamity costs Red, Green, and White to cast, it is a Red creature, a Green creature, and a White creature. <S> So Player B's creature has protection from Zacama, which includes all of Zacama's abilities. <A> Specifically with regard to targeting: 702.16b. <S> A permanent or player with protection can't be targeted by spells with the stated quality and can't be targeted by abilities from a source with the stated quality. <S> So what defines a source? <S> Glad you asked. <S> 112.7. <S> The source of an ability is the object that generated it. <S> The source of an activated ability on the stack is the object whose ability was activated. <S> The source of a triggered ability (other than a delayed triggered ability) on the stack, or one that has triggered and is waiting to be put on the stack, is the object whose ability triggered. <S> To determine the source of a delayed triggered ability, see rules 603.7d <S> –f. <S> Since Zacama, Primal Calamity 's is green (and red and white), anything with protection from green (or red or white) can't be targeted by Zacama's ability or dealt damage by Zacama. <S> So you could never even target the creature. <S> And even if there was some way to pull that off (there isn't by the way), it wouldn't take any damage anyway. <A> 702.16b. <S> A permanent or player with protection can't be targeted by spells with the stated quality and can't be targeted by abilities from a source with the stated quality <S> This means that, even though the ability is cast using a different colour (abilities don't have colours anyway), the source of this ability contains a quality that is protected against. <S> The card is incapable of targeting it in anyway, at all.
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First, protection from green means that that permanent can't be targeted, enchanted, dealt damage by (it is prevented) or blocked by anything that is green (see rule 702.16).
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If ants are better than spiders, why are there more? I recently picked up the game, and have been thinking about it (since I haven't had someone to play it with yet). In chess, the pawn is the weakest piece and also the most numerous at 8. The rooks, are much more powerful, but you only have 2, and queen is unique. So why in Hive are you given 3 ants (infinite slide... almost free choice) and 2 spiders (exactly 3 slides)?It seems that ant/spider roles should be reversed. I know they're different games, and I haven't tried Hive enough to draw conclusions, but I was wondering if anyone who's more experienced had any insight on the flow of the game. I know i could use house rules and just switch their roles, but would that make the game too slow/difficult to complete? It seems as if spiders would be throw away early pieces, with the ants doing a lot of the mid-late game work? <Q> The way Hive is played is that a lot of pieces end up trapped by the 'one hive' rule. <S> Ants are very good at this. <S> Once your ants are trapped, it's hard to win. <S> Spiders are weaker pieces and get sacrificed easily. <S> With too few powerful pieces, it would be hard to keep the game interesting. <S> The boardgamegeek faq adds: Aren't spiders just weak ants? <S> A spider is indeed strictly weaker than an ant. <S> Some people are bothered by this and propose many variants to "fix" the "problem". <S> Others are not bothered by it, and say "A rook or bishop is strictly weaker than a queen in chess, too." <S> Learning to use your spiders correctly can give you an advantage, especially in a circumstance where you might have just used a soldier ant. <S> If used correctly, you'll usually only use them once, and they'll give you the pinning power you need early on, without wasting your soldier ant pieces for when you'll really need them in the late game. <A> Although I'm not a really experienced Hive player, I assume it's <S> due spiders movement is limited and the game would be far more stalled if 3 spiders were in play and with Ants. <S> When most of the pieces are on the board and the position is somewhat stalled with only 1-2 pieces able to move for each player feels like having more options of mobility benefits unlocking other pieces for movement, unlike with the spider that would mean slower movements and harder to place in spots where you free other pieces. <A> Another way to phrase this would be: why doesn't the game have 5 ants? <S> And when playtesting the game what might have happened? <S> 5 ants: the game would be all about ants, and ants are already op4 ants: probably still ant dominated3 ants: <S> maybe ok <S> but now there are less pieces and you need enough pieces to make the decision when and where to play them meaningful.2 ants <S> : probably wasn't enough? <S> (maybe games dragged on or were too short with only 2 ants?) <S> Solution... <S> Spiders! <S> Weak ants, that count as pieces, are almost fodder, but can still be used to great effect in many scenarios. <S> This is pure speculation based on how I might approach such designing balance in a situation like this.
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While more limited, Spiders are useful in many circumstances, particularly in the early phase while the hive is small.
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Sheriff of Nottingham - Is the sheriff allowed to take your bribe and still search your bag? I was playing in a game where I had offered a bribe on my merchant bag. The sheriff, in turn, chose to take my bribe and still search my bag anyway. Is this type of play allowed? <Q> No. <S> The sheriff can either take the bribe or search the bag, not both. <S> From the rules , in Phase 4 (Inspection): When the Sheriff has made a decision about a Merchant Bag, he has two choices: <S> Accept whatever final bribe was offered (if any) and hand the bag back to its owner; or Reject any bribe that may have been offered and unsnap the Merchant Bag, revealing the cards inside. <A> Rules <S> Once the Sheriff has made a choice it cannot be changed. <S> As soon as you unsnap a Merchant Bag or hand it back, it’s too late to change your mind! <S> After the Sheriff hears your offer (and after any negotiation required to settle the issue), the Sheriff must either allow you to pass (accepting any bribe that may have been offered), and hand you your Merchant Bag, or inspect the bag (refusing any bribe that may have been offered). <S> Normally, all deals you make must be honored! <S> However, there are a couple of exceptions: <S> • <S> Promises of future favors, which take place after the current inspection phase, are not binding! <S> • <S> A merchant might offer the sheriff a bribe, which includes Goods in his merchant bag. <S> Of course, he might be lying about the contents of his bag. <S> If he is allowed to pass, when he reveals the Goods in his bag, he need only pay the sheriff the Goods he promised which actually exist! <S> If he promised Goods to the sheriff, which are not in his bag, he does not have to pay those. <S> As a side note in the group I played with bribes where frequently offered to open bags as well. <A> No, it is not allowed. <S> Only promises of future action are non-binding. <S> See the same question on Boardgamegeek .
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No, once the bribe is taken is it a binding contract.
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Do I draw a card when I resolve an enchantment with Eidolon of Blossoms, Opalescence, and Torpor Orb in play? I control the following permanents: Eidolon of Blossoms Whenever Eidolon of Blossoms or another enchantment enters the battlefield under your control, draw a card. Opalescence Each other non-Aura enchantment is a creature in addition to its other types and has base power and base toughness each equal to its converted mana cost. Torpor Orb Creatures entering the battlefield don't cause abilities to trigger. Summary: Eidolon of Blossoms triggers a card draw when an enchantment enters play. Opalescence makes enchantments into creatures . Torpor Orb prevents creatures from triggering enter-the-battlefield effects. So when I cast my next enchantment (that will be creature due to Opalescence), does it trigger the draw from Eidolon of Blossoms? I anticipate the answer is no, but I wanted to confirm my suspicions. <Q> Eidolon of Blossoms will not trigger due to rule 603.6b. <S> 603.6b <S> Continuous effects that modify characteristics of a permanent do <S> so the moment the permanent is on the battlefield (and not before then). <S> The permanent is never on the battlefield with its unmodified characteristics. <S> Continuous effects don’t apply before the permanent is on the battlefield, however (see rule 603.6d). <S> Example: If an effect reads “All lands are creatures” and a land card is played, the effect makes the land card into a creature the moment it enters the battlefield, so it would trigger abilities that trigger when a creature enters the battlefield. <S> Conversely, if an effect reads “All creatures lose all abilities” and a creature card with an enters-thebattlefield triggered ability enters the battlefield, that effect will cause it to lose its abilities the moment it enters the battlefield, so the enters-the-battlefield ability won’t trigger. <S> Let's use Armistice as an example of a non-aura enchantment that would be affected by Opalescence. <S> You cast and resolve Armistice. <S> According to the rule, Armistice is never on the battlefield without being affected by the continuous effect from Opalescence. <S> Therefore, the Armistice enters as a creature. <S> Torpor Orb prevents creatures from triggering abilities, so nothing triggers. <A> No, you will not draw a card. <S> With Opalescence on the battlefield, every other non-Aura enchantment enters the battlefield as a creature in addition to as an enchantment. <S> Normally they would trigger Eidolon, but Torpor Orb prevents that. <S> Logically, you couldn't have Eidolon trigger on a permanent but not have it prevented by Torpor Orb <S> , they trigger on/prevent the same condition. <S> Either both have their effect, or neither. <A> Opalescence makes enchantments into creatures. <S> Actually, Opalescence makes other non-Aura enchantments into creatures. <S> That means that Auras and Opalescence itself are not affected by its effects, so the Eidolon's ability will resolve normally if you've either cast Opalescence or an Aura enchantment. <S> For other kinds of enchantments, however, Opalescence will have them become a creature as soon as they enter the battlefield, and Torpor Orb's ability will prevent the Eidolon's from triggering. <A> Non-aura enchantments won't trigger the Eidolon. <S> Other answers have focused on Opalescence and how its state-based effect interacts with enters-the-battlefield triggers, but there's another aspect of your question that might be a source of confusion: Torpor Orb specifically refers to creatures , but non-aura enchantments would still also be enchantments , which is what the Eidolon's ability checks for. <S> It's kind of plausible to interpret this distinction in favor of the Eidolon triggering, but it's not correct. <S> I haven't been able to find anything in the comprehensive rules that explicitly addresses this, but there's a card ruling on Torpor Orb that clears up some doubt: <S> The trigger event doesn’t have to specify “creatures” entering the battlefield. <S> For example, Amulet of Vigor says “Whenever a permanent enters the battlefield tapped and under your control, untap it.” <S> If a creature enters the battlefield tapped and under your control, Amulet of Vigor would not trigger. <S> If a land (that isn’t also a creature) enters the battlefield tapped and under your control, Amulet of Vigor would trigger. <S> (See Gatherer ) <S> Essentially, Torpor Orb's effect is about a class of events - i.e. a permanent whose types include creature ETBing - rather than a class of abilities - i.e. those that trigger in response to permanents whose types include creature ETBing.
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Whether you draw a card or not will depend on the enchantment being cast.
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Help me identify this old tile stacking game A game from the 60's. Stacking plastic tiles 1-20, six of each. Can't remember how to play but stacking was definitely involved. <Q> My grandma has this game! <S> I wanted to buy my own! <S> You turn them all over and put them into piles of 10. <S> Separate the piles according to the amount of players. <S> Each player takes it in turns to flip over their top tile on the pile on the right hand side. <S> The aim is to build up six piles from 1 to 20 in the middle. <S> If you turn over a tile and someone has a tile a number higher or lower (e.g. you flip over a 17 and someone else has a 16 or 18) <S> you pass your tile over to put on their tile. <S> The first player to get rid of all their tiles wins. <A> The game you're searching is probably "Up and Down Donkey" (page 8 in the PDF ) <S> It was used in math classes, and got sold commercially one time. <S> Several rules existed to play with these tiles ;) <A>
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This is called Topps Tiles, great game and can’t find anything on the internet about it.
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Thaumatic Compass / Spires of Orazca VS creatures with vigilance Am I still able to target attacking creatures with Spires of Orazca 's ability if they are not tapped (if they have Vigilance for example)? <Q> Yes, since the description of the target is only "target attacking creature an opponent controls", with no mention of it being tapped. <S> Then when the ability resolves it simply does not untap the creature if it is not tapped, as specified in the rules for effects : 609.3. <S> If an effect attempts to do something impossible, it does only as much as possible. <A> Yes, you can. <S> Whenever you have to select a target for a spell or ability, the target has to be legal when you select it and when that spell or ability resolves. " <S> Target attacking creature" means that the targeted object has to be a creature permanent, and it must be currently attacking. <S> No other properties matter. <S> To untap the targeted creature and to remove it from combat are effects of that ability. <S> If you target an attacking creature that is untapped, for example because it has vigilance, then the Spire's ability does as much as possible when it resolves. <S> You can't untap the targeted creature because it's already untapped, but you can remove it from combat, and that's what happens. <A> Yes. <S> Because of the way it was worded, any attacking opponent creature meets the requirement, regardless of it's tapped or untapped status. <S> In general the only time tapped or untapped status of a card matters for abilities is when changing that status is part of the cost, not the effect. <S> You couldn't attempt to use Gilder Bairn 's untap ability while he is already untapped because it is part of the cost, and that cost needs to be paid in full, but if it had been part of the effect, that portion of the effect would just not happen and the rest would, as seen in the comprehensive rules: <S> 609.3 <S> If an effect attempts to do something impossible, it does only as much as possible. <S> The reason Maze of Ith type effects untap is to effectively undo the declaration as an attacker, or as much of it as possible since any effects that go along with declaring the attacker [such as battlecry or legion] would still hit stack, and leave the opponent in the same position as they would have been had they not attacked with that creature, now it is able to tap for abilities or be used as a blocker against your attacks.
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The conditions for targeting with Spires of Orazca are "target attacking creature an opponent controls" if you could not use spires on a vigilant creature the condition would have to be "target tapped and attacking creature an opponent controls".
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Are there any time limit per move in Ticket To Ride? Is there a time limit for each person to make their move? My wife (a scientist) is very analytical, always strategising (which is why she beats me most times) but she can take upwards of 4 minutes to make a single move (deciding what cards to take or what or where to build) and it drives me nuts! Is there any rule or etiquette that says people should be quicker about their moves, say 60 seconds or less? <Q> There is no time limit for each turn and etiquette for turn length depends on the group that you are playing in. <S> The best suggestion that I can make for you is to remind your wife that she can start planning her next turn while others are playing. <S> While things will change based on other players move not every action they take is going to impact her choice. <S> But one thing to remember that based on the game the actions of the previous player can drastically change what you are planning to do and games can last 1-2+ hours <S> so this is not a quick game. <A> In the online version of the game, one can set an amount of time per player. <S> Even 7 minutes per player ( total , for the entire game including time spent choosing tickets) is sufficient for experienced players, and 15 minutes per player is quite comfortable. <S> The whole game shouldn't take longer than that. <S> If it does, and if it's not pleasant for you, maybe Interpersonal Skills Stack Exchange is the place for you to visit. <A> Have you considered a chess clock? <S> (Multiplayer clocks/apps exist if you play more than 2 player). <S> Each player gets a fixed amount of time they are allowed to use per game. <S> You can penalise them points for each minute they go over, so they have to evaluate using that extra time against the potential points swing. <S> Your wife may find this to be a fun extra rule in the game, however it could also ruin the game for her. <S> But you could try... <A> As others have noted, there is no rule regarding turn times. <S> (Some people believe that, when the box says "60-90 minutes", that this is one of the rules of the game; but this is not an actual rule.) <S> Etiquette says that you should make the game fun for other players as well as yourself, and making your opponents sit there for several minutes while you debate the pros and cons of five different cards is not "making the game fun" for them. <S> This being your wife makes it a difficult situation. <S> There are people that I simply will not play games with any more. <S> Other times, I will break out my iPhone and play a game (yes, a game) of Gin Rummy or Cribbage while I'm waiting for my turn. <S> You need to find a polite way to express to your wife that, when the "whose turn it is" counter is 75%-25%, <S> this stops being a fun endeavor for you. <S> And I wish you the best of luck in figuring out how to do that. :)
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There's no time limits in the rules.
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Lifelink attacking a planeswalker A player told me that attacking a planeswalker with a creature with lifelink doesn't provide lifegain. It sounds strange to me since damage are dealt by the creature (whatever to who, what). This player was a judge but since he was also my oponent, I query about this point of rule... <Q> You will gain life by attacking a planeswalker with a creature that has lifelink. <S> The definition of lifelink in rule 702.15b says this: <S> Damage dealt by a source with lifelink causes that source’s controller, or its owner if it has no controller, to gain that much life (in addition to any other results that damage causes). <S> See rule 119.3. <A> Lifelink is defined as follows: <S> 702.15b Damage dealt by a source with lifelink causes that source’s controller, or its owner if it has no controller, to gain that much life (in addition to any other results that damage causes). <S> See rule 119.3. <S> Attacking a Planeswalker deals damage to it. <S> 510.1. <S> First, the active player announces how each attacking creature assigns its combat damage, [...]. <S> A player assigns a creature’s combat damage according to the following rules: 510.1a Each attacking creature and each blocking creature assigns combat damage equal to its power. <S> [...] <S> 510.1b <S> An unblocked creature assigns its combat damage to the player or planeswalker it’s attacking. <S> [...] <S> 510.1c-e [...] 510.2. <S> Second, all combat damage that’s been assigned is dealt simultaneously. <S> [...] Whatever additional effects the dealing of damage may have (loss of life, gain of poison counters, loss of loyalty counters, gain of marked damage, gain of -1/-1 counters, etc) are irrelevant. <S> You will gain life. <A> Both the other answers quote a rule which tells you to look at 119.3, but fails to take a look at that rule. <S> Rule 119.3 details what actually happens when damage is dealt. <S> For instance, 119.3c says Damage dealt to a planeswalker causes that many loyalty counters to be removed from that planeswalker. <S> And 119.3f says Damage dealt by a source with lifelink causes that source’s controller to gain that much life, in addition to the damage’s other results. <S> In other words, a planeswalker losing loyalty counters from receiving damage, and a damage source with lifelink giving its controller life are both equally fundamental to how damage works in MTG. <S> The rules do not say they exclude one another (119.3f even specifies " in addition to the damage’s other results ") <S> so both things will happen.
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More generally, any damage source with lifelink will cause you to gain life if it deals damage to anything.
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How does Words of Waste interact with Varina, Lich Queen? How does Words of Waste interact with Varina, Lich Queen ? Because you have to draw and discard that many cards. so if you draw 3 and discard 3, can you only use 1 mana for Words of Waste, since the Varina's ability has to complete? or can you draw cards. pay 1 for each card. then discard. <Q> You will be able to replace each draw with Words of Waste, however you will still discard the full amount. <S> Additionally, you will have to activate Words before Varina's ability resolves as it creates a replacement effect From the Gatherer Rulings for Varina: <S> The number of cards you discard and the amount of life you gain are both equal to the number of Zombies you attack with, even if you draw a different number of cards somehow emphasis mine <A> Words of Waste lets you replace any number of cards that Varina would have you draw with with making your opponents discard cards. <S> If you end up needing to discard more cards than you have in your hand, you simply discard your whole hand. <S> If you activate it more than once, it replaces that many card draws. <S> So, to use it with Varina, you have to activate it before Varina's ability resolves. <S> If you attack with 3 zombies, you can activate the ability 3 times, then when Varina's ability resolves, each opponent has to discard 3 cards, then you have to discard 3 cards and you gain 3 life. <A> You may stack any number of Words of Waste replacement effects ahead of time. <S> From the Gatherer Rulings on Words of Waste <S> If multiple Words have been used prior to drawing a card, then you can choose which one to apply (and use up) each time you draw a card. <S> The ruling is meant to clarify how the replacement effects of multiple different Words enchantments interact with each other, but it also makes it clear that you can have multiple Words of Wastes effects stacked up, and each draw will "use up" one of the effects until they are all gone. <A> You have to pay the mana and activate and resolve the Words' ability before any card drawing happens, which is to say before Varina's triggered ability resolves. <S> You can activate the Words three times, though, which would replace all the draws. <S> Note that this doesn't affect the number of cards you discard or the amount of life you gain. <S> Specifically, the Gatherer rulings on Varina says The number of cards you discard and the amount of life you gain are both equal to the number of Zombies you attack with, even if you draw a different number of cards somehow.
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Words of Waste's ability creates a replacement effect that replaces the next time you would draw a card.
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Can I play Yu-Gi-Oh! with only level 5 or higher cards? I only have level 5 or higher cards. I am not sure if I can build a deck and play with only such cards. Is it possible or recommended thing to do? <Q> Is it possible or recommended thing to do? <S> Possible <S> yes. <S> If that means a preference for lvl. <S> 5 or higher monsters <S> Recommended ... <S> perhaps not. <S> Why? <S> Because by only having lvl. <S> 5 or higher monsters the only way to summon them would be by Special Summon or by Tribute Summon ... as you have no lvl. <S> 4 or lower monsters <S> that you can Normal Summon without tribute, Tribute summoning your lvl 5 <S> + monsters would be near impossible . <S> You would have to rely on strategies revolving cards like Cost Down or Ancient Rules to be able to summon your lvl. <S> 5+ monsters without having to tribute... <S> but that may not be the most efficient strategy to follow (of course, there could be an efficient strategy, but not easy to find). <S> However , there is an alternative that involves the use of house-rules : <S> Specify the combat rules to be similar to the ones used on <S> Duelist Kingdom Tournament as seen on the Anime. <S> You can select only the ones you prefer, but the one that would solve your query would be, emphasis mine: <S> Players could Summon monsters of any Level, without offering Tribute . <S> This meant monsters such as "Dark Magician" and "Blue-Eyes White Dragon" could be Summoned immediately. <S> Of course, this would not be valid on official games or tournaments, but surely can work out if you are up to consider house rules. <A> You could, but I probable wouldn't reccomend it. <S> You would need to depend on cards to special summon your cards, or normal summon without tributing. <S> If you're serious about this, here are some cards you might want to get: Valhalla, Hall of the Fallen. <S> If you control no monsters, you can special summon one Fairy monster from your hand (once per turn) <S> This card would only be useful if you use fairy cards. <S> Phantom Knights Traps. <S> Most traps in the "Phantom Knights" Archtype have a similar effect like "While your opponent declares a direct attack while this card is in your GY: Special Summon this . . . <S> (An example would be "The Phantom Knights of Shadow Veil". <S> You could then use these cards for summoning from the extra deck. <S> Polymerization. <S> You can Fusion Summon with cards in your hand, which can be useful, but you can only have 3 copies of one card. <S> Destiny HERO - Malicious. <S> You can banish this card from your GY: <S> Special Summon one <S> "Destiny HERO - Malicious from your deck. <S> This is useful, but it's semi-limited. <S> Clock Tower Prison. <S> This card can prevent you from taking battle damage, after you have 4 Clock Counters on this card, which you get during your opponent's standby phase or using "Eternal Dread". <S> It's second effect, special summoning Destiny HERO - Dreadmaster when destroyed is not useful, unless you actually have it. <S> Teeraforming would be good to get this card. <S> Pendulumn Cards. <S> You can pendulmn summon with them, without needing tributes to pendulumn summon higher monsters. <A> Of course you can play with them, as long as you have a way to get them on the board. <S> Traditionally, you tribute a monster already on the board to get out a 5 or 6 star monster. <S> Some cards let you special summon cards from your hand or graveyard, for example Alector . <S> As long as you have a way to get your cards out, you're good to go.
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You can build your deck with the kind of cards you want. it's ok, as long as you respect the current banlist and card limits.
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How does Pithing Needle work with abilities on the stack? If I get Pithing Needle onto the battlefield in response (giving it flash or getting it out at instant speed) to an activated ability being activated, and chose the thing that's activated ability is being activated, what happens? Example: Enemy activates Teferi, Hero of Dominaria 's ability. I cast Whir of Invention in response. The stack starts to resolve, and my Whir of Invention grabs me my Pithing Needle . I name Teferi, Hero of Dominaria with my needle. What happens? <Q> Pithing Needle only prevents future activations of the chosen permanent's abilities once it's on the battlefield. <S> It has no effect on the chosen permanent for previous activations of its abilities, even if an ability of that permanent is currently on the stack. <S> Pithing Needle's static ability creates a continuous effect. <S> It is in effect as soon as and as long as the Needle is on the battlefield, but not before. <S> 611.3. <S> A continuous effect may be generated by the static ability of an object. <S> 611.3b <S> The effect applies at all times that the permanent generating it is on the battlefield or the object generating <S> it is in the appropriate zone. <S> Pithing Needle prevents the activation of a permanent's ability. <S> The act of activating an ability is a process that, once finished, can't be prevented retroactively. <S> Activated abilities can be countered by certain cards, just like spells, but Pithing Needle does not counter abilities. <S> Activating Activated Abilities 602.2. <S> To activate an ability is to put it onto the stack and pay its costs, so that it will eventually resolve and have its effect. <S> [..] This is the rule specifically describing the Needle's effect. <S> However, by the time your opponent has activated the ability, the ability was not prohibited from being activated. <S> 602.5. <S> A player can’t begin to activate an ability that’s prohibited from being activated. <A> The Pithing Needle does nothing. <S> 602.2. <S> To activate an ability is to put it onto the stack and pay its costs, so that it will eventually resolve and have its effect. <S> Only an object’s controller (or its owner, if it doesn’t have a controller) can activate its activated ability unless the object specifically says otherwise. <S> Activating an ability follows the steps listed below, in order. <S> If, at any point during the activation of an ability, a player is unable to comply with any of those steps, the activation is illegal; the game returns to the moment before that ability started to be activated (see rule 721, “Handling Illegal Actions”). <S> Announcements and payments can’t be altered after they’ve been made. <S> Once an ability is on the stack it has already been activated. <S> Effects that would prevent the player from activating that ability no longer matter. <S> The ability on the stack will resolve as normal. <A> If someone is acting while the ability is on the stack, it's already been activated. <S> It would stop Lightning Storm 's second ability from being activated, though, because it's the spell that's on the stack, not the ability.
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Pithing Needle only stops abilities from being activated.
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When should Beginners finish a Game of Go? I was reading the answers to this question , about who has won a game of Go and came across the two following statements. You pass at the end of the game when you do not think you can increase your score (explained below), and stop when both of you pass one after the other. And You needed to finish the game... As a beginner at go, I think an implicit part of the other question that has possibly been missed is "How do I learn when the game is over". Logically, assuming both players are beginners it is possible that they both think they cannot increase their score and the game is over; where as a more experienced player, such as those answering the question, disagrees. Is there a suggested method of learning or teaching when the end of the game has been reached? For example continuing to play until only a "few" spaces are unclaimed? <Q> Under Chinese scoring (AKA area scoring), you can (and with new players should) play until each player has no move they can make. <S> There is no downside under Chinese scoring for a player to play stones into untenable positions, nor is there downside for a player to defend a position inefficiently (so long as they don't fill in their eyes). <S> As a result, a new player should try to attack any area they think they can <S> and you should attack them on any area you can, even if those areas are too small to build a live group. <S> This will help them get a more concrete sense of why certain groups are alive or dead, understand what territory can or cannot be viably contested, and learn how defend their own groups from attack without losing their eyes. <S> For these reasons, I actually recommend Chinese scoring for new players. <S> In addition, I believe it's easier for new players to understand. <S> Japanese scoring requires players to understand the concept of territory, which is much easier once a player has played several games. <S> The overall strategy and techniques of Go are not substantially affected by which scoring system you use (it mostly matters in terms of endgame play), so learning to play under Chinese scoring should not be an impediment to later learning Japanese scoring. <S> See <S> What are the difference between Chinese and Japanese rules in Go? <S> for more information. <A> There are two logical places when to stop (with Japanese or European rules in mind): <S> When there are only dame points to fill When all dame points are filled <S> The score does not change between these two stages, there are just zero-point moves in between. <S> I think 2 is easier to see and teach in the beginning, while in practical play passes occur when 1 is reached. <S> Even beginners should never fill their own territory with unnecessary more additional stones, those moves are diminishing the score by one point. <A> This seems like a much harder problem than it actually is. <S> The key is the undecided territory. <S> You know that you loose points when you play into your own territory (Japanese rules). <S> You also loose points when you play into your opponents territory without requiring an answer. <S> Consequently, virtually all moves go into undecided territory. <S> Once the undecided territory is gone, both opponents will pass to avoid loosing points. <S> It is perfectly possible that beginners see some territory as still undecided when a pro would see it finished, and vice-versa. <S> That's not a problem. <S> For both it's just a part of getting better to realize "oh, I don't need to answer that move anymore, I can save that point", or "nah <S> , if I play there, my opponent may not even answer it anymore, I can save that point". <S> My experience is, that the place where the undecided territory is gone is very easily recognizable after playing just a few games. <S> And it will definitely change as players progress. <S> The greater uncertainty for beginners is to agree on which groups are alive and dead. <S> Especially, when seki is involved. <S> I guess, the question of when to finish is much more pressing when a strong player and a newbie play together. <S> In such a setting, the newbie will frequently play end game moves that just loose them points. <S> Simply because the newbie still sees some territory as undecided while the stronger player already knows to whom that territory belongs. <S> In such games, the newbie will learn to avoid playing moves that their opponent ignores, and thereby which territory is indeed still undecided, and which is not. <S> In any case, it's not a big problem when players disagree about when to pass. <S> It'll just turn into a learning experience for either player when they do.
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As long as one player thinks there is undecided territory, they keep playing.
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Is it ever advantageous to pretend to be the "hidden" team if you are on the majority team? According to this BoardGameGeek post , it is never advantageous for a “good” character to pretend to be part of the “bad” team in a social deduction game. every. single. time. you explain these kinds of games, you need to hammer the point home that it makes absolutely no sense to pretend you're a spy/fasist/werewolf/whatever when you're in fact a villager/good guy/liberal. Talking specifically about The Resistance and The Resistance: Avalon (since they are more or less the same game), the "hidden" Loyalists are expected to pretend to be Resistance members and the "hidden" Evil characters are expected to pretend to be Good characters, respectively. Is it ever advantageous to pretend to be on the a Resistance member and pretending to be a Loyalist, or being a Good person and pretending to be Evil? Or is this person correct: it is never worthwhile? <Q> Specific games can differ, but generally in games like these the "bad team" all know the members of the bad team. <S> Neither of those will help you. <S> You're harming your allies' ability to make accurate judgments while not affecting your enemies, and you're making our so that no one will listen to you. <A> As has already been pointed out in most of these types of games the bad side already knows who is on their team so the only people you will fool is the people on your team. <S> However a key point that was not mentioned in a lot of these games it is also against the for a good player to do to much for the evil side. <S> For example in the resistance series of games the key thing a player can do is to vote to succeed or fail a mission. <S> Good players only have the option to vote for success while bad players can vote for either. <S> If at any point a good player does vote for failure the good team instantly losses the game. <S> Now that being said the key thing to remember about the evil team knowing who all the evil players are is that they can easily setup a situation where a good player pretending to play evil can end up making one or more evil players look good which will easily help evil win. <S> As note to that there are cases where I have been playing those games on the evil side and made a mistake to out myself as evil and <S> when that happens I have been able to turn that to my advantage by focusing my attention on a good player who looked evil and working to make them look even more evil which ends up making some evil players look good. <A> Talking specifically about The Resistance and The Resistance: Avalon, is it ever advantageous to pretend to be on the bad team if you are on the good team? <S> Yes, in fact the whole point of the game is that the evil Resistance has the Loyalists so outnumbered that the Loyalists have to pretend to be part of the Resistance. <S> In the standard game, one would to work had to contrive a situation in which it is beneficial to a Resistance member to pretend to be a Loyalist. <S> For instance, if you think the Loyalists have forgotten who the other Loyalists are, or you'e worried that one of the Resistance will try a "let's intentionally send Loyalists on a mission to expose them" strategy. <S> With standard assumptions about other players, it does not make sense for the Resistance to pretend to be Loyalists. <S> In Avalon, it's more complicated, as both teams lack complete knowledge about who is on their team. <S> This makes situations where it's advantageous for Merlin's team to pretend to be on Mordred's slightly less contrived, but still unlikely.
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Therefore pretending to be a bad guy only decieves your allies, and convinces everyone that you are their enemy.
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How it is physically possible to play ONUW with 10 players? We were playing with only 6, and we found it is virtually impossible to reach for cards across the table without making a lot of telltale noise. I opted for crowding in and keeping my arm raised on my elbow so that I could reach any card just by lowering it. How can 10 people gather around the cards and take their actions without most of the table knowing? What do you do? <Q> We run into the same issues; generally playing with 7-8 people. <S> There are a few techniques we use to help: <S> Players don't keep their own cards immediately in front of them; they keep somewhere in between their own seat and the center of the table. <S> Close enough that it's clear <S> whose is whose. <S> I try to start the night phase already leaning forward, so that if I don't make noise leaning forward if I need to later. <S> Even with doing these things, taking actions that involve other players' cards such as seer, troublemaker, or robber, are generally just restricted to choosing a player that is seated close to you. <S> As a seer, I would never attempt to look at the card of a player sitting across the table from me. <A> There are two ways I can see going about this. <S> Change <S> the order players go in to be based on seating order (this is how one night resistance works) so that everyone goes in a set order. <S> Also as part of this have everyone get up and walk around the table that way you can't tell what someone does based on getting up or not. <S> When doing the night phase have everyone stand up and move away from the table this way when people are called to do their step they can move to the table and do their action in a less delectable manner. <S> Note #1 will mess with balance <S> at times do it the order of actions changing based on how the deal lands but as long as everyone plays the roles of how they where at the start of the night it is possible it won't mess with balance to much. <S> This is how One Night Resistance handle roles and they have similar actions to the ones in this game. <A> Note that one does not need to use a ten-seater table to play ONUW with ten people. <S> There is only need for enough space to fit the centre board plus the cards of each player in a ring. <S> A table or desk with dimensions of a metre each way is more than sufficient. <S> The players' seats are pushed out away from the table when conducting the night phase. <S> Each player then has space to move forward, perform their actions, and lean back again. <S> It can be more helpful to stand during the night phase if capable; the table can be put closer to those that require seating throughout. <S> This has served for groups up to twelve, including relative newcomers and casual players, and could reasonably extend to groups of 15-16 without much more difficulty. <A> I have played one night werewolf with 10 people on many occasions. <S> Here the three things we have done that made it work well. <S> Note that tips 1 and 2 are useful even at lower player numbers. <S> Have everyone stand before the night phase. <S> This way, players can reach all of the cards without moving substantially and/or making noise with their chair. <S> Move all the cards towards the middle before the night phase. <S> The cards should be in a fairly tight ring around the middle three cards (though not so tight that you can't tell whose card is whose). <S> If you don't do this, players usually can't reach the cards of players across from them, and so will only look at or manipulate cards of people near them. <S> Don't use a table that seats 10. <S> If you're using a table that can comfortably fit 10 chairs, your table is too big. <S> Your ideal table is one that comfortably fits six. <S> If you have an adjustable table, take a leaf out of the table or fold in the wings to make it smaller. <S> The other option is to play on the floor if you have a large carpeted area. <A> Use a referee for large games. <S> Then you can just point at the cards and the referee (standing) can move around the room a lot and reach in to the table without actually showing anything during the phases so that people don't know which cards were shown or to whom.
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The key here is that you don't actually need all that much play space, and players don't interact with the pieces during the day, so can have their chairs a bit back from the table to fit (since they are standing during the night phase). If you are playing on the floor, have everyone get up on their knees. If you so wish, and are resourced enough, markers can be taped or stuck to the table to indicate which card belongs to which seat, to avoid unnecessary confusion over what is moved where or who may look at which cards.
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If I cast a spell with X in its mana cost "without paying its mana cost" what is the value of X? I want to use Omnispell Adept 's ability 2U, Tap: You may cast an instant or sorcery card from your hand without paying its mana cost. to cast Entrancing Melody . Its effect reads Gain control of target creature with converted mana cost X. What is X for the effect on that card? <Q> The value of X is chosen when the spell is cast. <S> But the only legal choice for X is zero in this case. <S> 107.3b <S> If a player is casting a spell that has an {X} in its mana cost, the value of X isn’t defined by the text of that spell, and an effect lets that player cast that spell while paying neither its mana cost nor an alternative cost that includes X <S> , then the only legal choice for X is 0. <S> This doesn’t apply to effects that only reduce a cost, even if they reduce it to zero. <S> See rule 601, “Casting Spells.” <S> This is confirmed by a ruling on Omnispell Adept . <A> Unfortunately for you, X=0. <S> The Comprehensive Rules state: <S> 107.3b <S> If a player is casting a spell that has an {X} in its mana cost, the value of X isn’t defined by the text of that spell, and an effect lets that player cast that spell while paying neither its mana cost nor an alternative cost that includes X <S> , then the only legal choice for X is 0. <S> This doesn’t apply to effects that only reduce a cost, even if they reduce it to zero. <S> See rule 601, “Casting Spells.” <S> This is also mentioned in the Rulings under the card in Gatherer: <S> If a spell has {X} in its mana cost, you must choose 0 as the value of X when casting it without paying its mana cost. <A> I just found the rules clarification on Omnispell Adapts : <S> If a spell has {X} in its mana cost, you must choose 0 as the value of X when casting it without paying its mana cost. <S> In that case, Omnispell Adapt can only cast Entrancing Melody for X=0, which makes the effect on both cards quite useless. <S> Except on targets like Endless One , because its cost is X=0, when targeted by Entrancing Melody...
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If a spell has {X} in its mana cost, you must choose 0 as the value of X when casting it without paying its mana cost.
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Catan setup order different than playing order When I get with my friends to play Catan (normal Settlers or Catan), we first roll the dice to decide who is going to put the settlement first. The one that got the highest number goes first, the second highest number goes second and so on. When everyone finished their first settlements the order goes backward, which means the one with the smallest number puts the second settlement first and so on until the one with the highest number. But at this point, everybody is already seated so we are not going to change seats to have the same order as we established our settlements, so what we do is, the one with the highest rolled number goes first and then the game continues to the right of that player. I have 2 questions: Are we playing correctly according to the rules? If not (and this is a house rule), how does this procedure affect the game? <Q> I think you have got how you work out start player wrong. <S> You said "the second highest number goes second and so on." <S> The rules do not state this. <S> Looking at rules here <S> it says :- Each player rolls both dice. <S> The player who rolls highest is thestarting player and begins. <S> The starting player places a settlementon an open intersection of his choice. <S> He places a road adjacent tothis settlement. <S> The other players then follow clockwise. <S> Everyoneplaces 1 settlement and 1 adjoining road. <S> So whoever rolls highest is the start player. <S> All other dice rolls are irrelevant. <S> As an example for you imagine for players sat clockwise around a table <S> A, B, C and D. <S> A rolls 11, B rolls 2 <S> , C rolls 8 and D rolls 4. <S> Player A rolled highest and placed the first settlement. <S> Player B is next clockwise and places next. <S> The fact Player B rolled the lowest number is irrelevant as the dice roll was for start player and not the turn order. <S> The player C, the D. Then D <S> again and back anticlockwise, C, B and finally A. Settlers of Catan is not a game where the turn order changed during the game (such as say Caylus or Power Grid). <S> So you only need to randomly select a start player. <S> You do not need to randomly select the whole player order. <S> In my mind the point of selecting starting locations ABCDDCBA is to try and minimise disadvantage for selecting before other players by letter the player placing last get first pick of second settlement location. <S> If they placed them ABCDABCD <S> then player D would be at a huge disadvantage. <A> Part 1 You are not playing correctly according to the rules. <S> Only the highest roller matters. <S> Part 2 <S> Implementing this as a house rule would have a minimal effect on the game. <S> The important thing about the setup is that you go in the reverse order for the second settlement, which you are still doing. <S> This house rule doesn't change who goes first. <S> So, the largest possible difference is that the person who goes last in setup can go second in the game. <S> Going last for setup can be very strong. <S> In my experience, there are typically only 5 or 6 decent settlement spots on a random board (this is just anecdotal; I don't have hard data). <S> Thus, the person who goes last has the advantage of getting decent spots for both starting settlements. <S> The person who goes last in setup has the additional advantage of getting to coordinate their starting settlements with no intervening action by other players. <S> Thus, they can take two spots that work well together, either in having a 2:1 port and solid production of the resources of that port, or having a solid diversity of resources and/or numbers. <S> We also need to analyze what going second vs fourth in the main game means in terms of advantage. <S> Given each person gets resources from everyone's rolls, the only thing that really matters is when people have opportunity to build. <S> This is much harder to analyze. <S> Where this matters the most is if two players are fighting for a road spot right out of setup. <S> In my opinion, that the person who went last in setup also goes last in play <S> is by design, as it gives every other player a chance to challenge one of their double settlements on road placement. <S> If the player who went last in setup went second in the main game, it would, in my opinion, only strengthen their advantage in setup. <S> In conclusion, I think this house rule can give a slight advantage to the player who goes last in setup. <S> I believe this player is already at an advantage, but if that's not true in your experience, you may want to use this rule. <S> I don't see any other interesting consequences of this change. <A> If I understand your question correctly you are asking if using a different order to place settlements then turn order would affect the game any. <S> I agree with the first answer that you are playing wrong according to the rules. <S> On the second question, it would could affect the placement of roads and settlements because if I place in the 4th position but play 2nd <S> I might be able to set it up to cut off the road from another player first settlement. <S> This would make that player either have to use the second settlement to claim that location or not have a chance of claiming that route without using there second placement. <S> So in conclusion I would start playing by the normal rules since they are actually very balance in how they do setup.
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You are supposed to go in order (followed by reverse order) of seating for setup, not dice rolls.
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Can I discard a ticket if it can't be completed? In Ticket To Ride, what happens if I have a ticket that can’t be completed because other players have already used that route? Is there a way to trade it in or drop it? Or am I just stuck with it? <Q> There is no way to get rid of a destination card once you already have it. <S> Destination cards count as negative points against your score if you do not complete them for a reason (think of it thematically - you are playing as a company who has taken on a contract to connect two specific cities by train, and if your company doesn't finish the contract there are penalties), and this is part of the consideration you have to make when drawing 3 and keeping 2 or 3 at the start of the game, or drawing 3 and keeping 1, 2 or 3 later in the game. <S> You have to strategically choose which one(s <S> ) you have drawn that you think are possible to complete, taking into account how likely it is for other player's actions to block you. <S> Sometimes you may be able to build around a more direct route that has been blocked by other players (especially in early- to mid-game, but less likely during the end of the game), and sometimes it is even worth your while to not take the most direct route, especially where 2 or more of your destination cards include nearby locations. <A> Once you have accepted a route card, you are stuck with it. <S> This is a big part of why the game does not force you to keep every route you draw, you are able to discard some of those new ones as drawn that you do not think you will be able to complete. <S> Just because your opponents have blocked the route you intended to use to connect your destinations does not mean you can't complete the route. <S> The game rewards longer routes anyways, and you can complete even the shorter route cards by going all he way around the country and back again. <S> This only works if there is enough of the game left to allow such connections to be made. <S> One strategy I see played often is to try for a single, long route that has alternate options to get there and accept new route cards you can easily branch off your main route to complete. <A> Keeping 3 (instead of 2) at the start of the game is riskier because of this (more upside and more downside), as is drawing additional destination cards mid-game. <S> Note that almost all destinations have multiple routes to them. <S> If the route you were planning to use is taken, you can usually take a longer route to get there. <S> If there is a particular route that is critical to your strategy, claim it as soon as possible. <S> Collecting train cards for a while lets you claim better routes, but comes with the risk that other people will take those routes before you can; this is one of the big tradeoffs you have to make in the game. <S> Also, try not to give away what cities you are trying to connect (such as by building out from both of them and meeting in the middle) to make it harder for other players to intentionally block you.
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You cannot get rid of destination cards once you have kept them.
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ticket to ride new york - do I have to pick destination cards? I just claimed my final route and now have 2 cars left, so everyone gets one last turn, including me. Must I pick new destination cards on my final turn and then lose those points in the final tally? Or more to the point, must you pick new destination cards when you have fulfilled all your routes, no matter what turn you are on? <Q> You have three options available to you: <S> You could claim a route. <S> Remember, routes are worth points, and nothing prevents someone from claiming routes once their destination tickets have been completed. <S> You could pick new destination ticket cards. <S> You might get lucky and get one or more that's already completed! <S> If you don't think you're winning, this can be very effective. <S> If you're unable or unwilling to take the above actions, you can effectively "pass" by drawing more transportation cards. <S> While I used the terminology of New York in this answer, this answer applies to all of the following: <S> Ticket to Ride Ticket to Ride: <S> Asia Ticket to Ride: Europe (You also have the option to build a train station.) <S> Ticket to Ride <S> : Germany Ticket to Ride: India Ticket to Ride: New York Ticket to Ride: Nordic Countries Ticket to Ride: Pennsylvania Ticket to Ride: Switzerland Ticket to Ride: United Kingdom <S> (You still have the option of buying a technology card before your normal action.) <S> I have no experience with the other Ticket to Ride titles. <A> No, you do not have to claim new destination cards. <S> There are other options available, such as claiming routes to block others or pick up the points. <S> Deliberately aiming to complete the minimum destinations early and claim routes arbitrarily to block the opponents can even be a viable strategy depending on what you first pick up at the start of the game. <A> Starting with the youngest player and proceeding in clockwise order, players take turns until the game ends. <S> On your turn, you must do one (and only one) of the following three actions: draw Transportation cards, claim a Route, or draw Destination Ticket cards. <S> https://ncdn0.daysofwonder.com/tickettoride/en/img/tt_ny_en_rules_2018.pdf <S> There's nothing there about having to claim new Destination Tickets. <S> Destination Tickets are purely a matter of end-of-game scoring; they have no direct effect on the game state during play. <S> You don't reveal what Destination Tickets you have until the end of the game, so other players have no idea whether you've completed them or not (although skilled players will be able to make deductions from your play). <S> So if there were a rule saying you have to draw new Destination Tickets once you've fulfilled your current ones, it would rely on players being honest (and observant; if you're focused on other things, you could not notice that you've completed all your Destination Tickets, especially if it's a circuitous route). <S> Moreover, it would punish players for finishing their Destination Tickets, and finishing Destination Tickets is a major part of the game. <S> Game makers tend to try to avoid rules that punish players for achieving the goal of the game, reward dishonest players, or result in players that are not paying attention looking like they deliberately broke the rules.
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You are never required to obtain additional destination tickets cards, even if you've completed the ones you have.
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What happens when a creature gains the Riot keyword ability twice? This new keyword ability from the Gruul guild in Ravnica Allegiance is bugging me. If I play a creature with Riot, like Rampaging Rendhorn , and I have Rhythm of the Wild in play, it has two instances of Riot. Do I have to choose to put a +1/+1 counter on the creature AND Haste or may I choose 2 instances of the same choice? Like two +1/+1 counters or Haste twice? <Q> You can make any of those combinations of those two choices. <S> Riot is an ability that creates a replacement effect that modifies how a creature enters the battlefield. <S> As the creature enters the battlefield, you apply each instance of Riot and make your choice of haste or a +1/+1 counter. <S> Those choices are independent, and there is nothing wrong with a creature having two +1/+1 counters or two instances of haste. <S> A ruling on the card Rhythm of the Wild confirms this: If a creature enters the battlefield with two instances of riot, you may choose to have it get two +1/+1 counters, one +1/+1 counter and haste, or two instances of haste. <S> Multiple instances of haste on the same creature are redundant, but we’re not going to tell the Gruul how to live their lives. <S> To clarify the last sentence, haste does not work any differently if you have more than one instance of it, and rule 112.10b says "Effects that remove an ability remove all instances of it." <S> So, if you choose to give the creature haste twice, it's no different than giving it haste once. <A> Multiple instances of riot are cumulative and independent of each other. <S> The creature enters with any combination of +1/+1 counters and/or instances of haste. <S> From the wording, riot creates a replacement effect that modifies how the permanent it's on enters the battlefield: <S> 614.1c <S> Effects that read “ <S> [This permanent] enters the battlefield with . <S> . <S> . <S> ,” “As [this permanent] enters the battlefield . <S> . <S> . ,” <S> or “[This permanent] enters the battlefield as . . . <S> “ are replacement effects. <S> Multiple replacement effects can be chained on the same original event, as long as the event that results after each step can itself be replaced. <S> Riot works on the creature entering the battlefield, and after it's applied, it's still entering the battlefield, therefore any number of instances of riot can apply to the same creature entering the battlefield: 616.2. <S> A replacement or prevention effect can become applicable to an event as the result of another replacement or prevention effect that modifies the event. <S> Example: One effect reads “If you would gain life, draw that many cards instead,” and another reads “If you would draw a card, return a card from your graveyard to your hand instead.” <S> Both effects combine (regardless of the order they came into existence): Instead of gaining 1 life, the player puts a card from their graveyard into their hand. <S> Since each replacement effect is handled separately, for each instance of riot you make a separate, independent choice. <S> Multiple instances of haste are generally redundant, but it's a possible choice, and might make sense in corner cases when you want the creature to enter with less power/toughness than possible. <A> The two instances of riot will be independent of each other, you will make the choice for each instance of Riot, either to give haste or add a +1/+1 counter. <S> Giving haste twice is possible but the second instance of haste will be redundant so you will likely put at least 1 +1/+1 counter on the creature, if you choose to though you can have 2 +1/+1 counters or have the creature have haste, haste. <S> I can think of a few reasons to avoid putting any counters, though they will be edge cases: Mikaeus, the Unhallowed - If your creature would be haste and undying, you could very well want that first swing to not have the counter on it, either the opponent takes the hit or the creature comes back into play from Undying, now after combat, and you can put the 2 +1/+1 counters on then, for a total of +3/+3. <S> Kulrath Knight <S> - If your opponent has this in play, counters on your creature are a bad idea in general, not being able to attack or block with anything that has a counter of any kind on it makes it hard to win, particularly in the Gruul colors which are usually about getting big things out fast and having them hit hard. <S> UPDATE <S> There has been a ruling attached to Rhythm of the Wild dated 1/25/2019(release date): <S> Multiple instances of haste on the same creature are redundant, but we’re not going to tell the Gruul how to live their lives. <A> The correct answer is that we don't know yet. <S> The Comprehensive Rules haven't been updated, since the new set isn't released yet. <S> The rules do say <S> 112.2c ... <S> This may or may not produce more effects than a single instance <S> ; refer to the specific ability for more information. <S> Some abilities explicitly specify they're redundant, which is obvious for e.g. flying and shroud. <S> On the other hand, an ability like lifelink that could theoretically work twice like lifelink (you'd gain 2 life for each damage dealt) doesn't, because the rules say it doesn't: 702.15f <S> Multiple instances of lifelink on the same object are redundant. <S> On the other hand, a lesser known (and more riot-like ability) like amplify is non-redundant: <S> 702.37a Amplify is a static ability. <S> “Amplify N” means “As this object enters the battlefield, reveal any number of cards from your hand that share a creature type with it. <S> This permanent enters the battlefield with N +1/+1 counters on it for each card revealed this way. <S> You can’t reveal this card or any other cards that are entering the battlefield at the same time as this card.” <S> 702.37b <S> If a creature has multiple instances of amplify, each one works separately. <S> I agree with murgatroid99 that it will likely be cumulative, if so, you can make an different choice for each instance of riot.
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If an object has multiple instances of the same ability, each instance functions independently. If a creature enters the battlefield with two instances of riot, you may choose to have it get two +1/+1 counters, one +1/+1 counter and haste, or two instances of haste.
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Euchre partner leads with trump - why? This happened during a play online. Why does my partner lead with a trump when I call name suit? I rely on my partner to take a trick but he leads with a trump, drawing mine, and leaves me short. <Q> Your partner should ALWAYS lead trump to your call in third chair. <S> The failure of so many online players to do this reflects a lack of understanding of the game. <S> If you called it with the Right, then their low trump effectively gives the maker the lead and control of the hand. <S> If you called without the Right, then your partner is helping flush the top trump cards out of your opponents' hands. <S> If your partner leads high trump then he's helpfully showing you where it is <S> so you know your cards are boss. <S> *IF YOU CALL TRUMP IN THIRD CHAIR <S> THEN YOU SHOULD BE LEADING IT, and you should probably be leading it in every other chair too. <S> So many hands are misplayed for failure to do this, so many times you get euchred when you could have dropped both of your opponents' bauers on trick one with a small Trump lead. <S> For more, read this column by the respected Natty Bumppo. <A> I can see two clear situations where a trump lead appeals: Holding a stiff Ace or Bower; or Holding length (3 or more) <S> I would lead my smallest. <S> The first case should allow the partnership to play the remaining 4 tricks more effectively, with partner possibly still on lead to develop a possible side trick in his own hand. <S> The second case is one where any opposing high trumps are likely to crash either together, or under any high trump in your hand. <S> It also reduces the possibility of any defensive ruffing trick. <S> In any other situation I would be attacking a side suit where I might develop a trick. <S> I'm going to expand on the above a bit: <S> Any Maker's partner leading a small trump at trick 1 because they don't now what else to do might e better off playing <S> Go Fish . <S> Maker needs to have an understanding of what the lead might mean in order to make a sensible play. <S> The above scheme signals, respectively, to Maker : <S> Play low - I hope knowing the location of this card is valuable to you. <S> Play high <S> - We possess a lot of trumps. <A> From here : It is common knowledge that third seat is one of the weakest positions to make a successful call. <S> It typically requires having two or more sure tricks in the maker's hand. <S> The thing seldom talked about is the partner's role in accomplishing the task. <S> One of the essential requirements for a third seat call is the maker's ability to control trump. <S> To do so, the maker is looking for a trump lead from their partner. <S> Many inexperienced players will lead an ace, or other off-suit while saving their trump for later in the hand. <S> By ordering the dealer, one has to realize they are putting an extra trump in the dealer's hand. <S> This gives them the opportunity to discard and create a void. <S> There is a high probability this void will be in the suit led. <S> A trump lead by first gives the maker the best chance of making a point. <S> Not leading trump tells the maker that their partner they have none. <S> When a player names trump from the third seat, you have to assume they know what they are doing. <S> They have a plan. <S> Most times this includes a way to control trump. <S> It is up to the partner to help with the plan, not try to create his own 'better' plan. <A> You must make the assumption your partner made trumps because he holds the higher trumps in his hand, and that you and your partner together have a majority of the trumps. <S> So, you lead trumps to take advantage of this. <S> If your partner has the right, that's good because you remove trumps from your opponents' hands, and get the trick. <S> Now it's more likely an ace will take a trick. <S> If your partner has the left and not the right <S> (and you do not have the right), this is also good because the right is going to take a trick anywhere in the play, so get it out early so that your partner and you can play low trumps. <S> I don't how many times I've been relieved to see my partner lead a trump, and an opponent plays the right. <S> I now know where it is, I know that opponent highly likely does not have any more trumps, and my higher trumps are now good. <S> If you have the right, it is also good to lead it to show your partner that you have it. <S> It is also good to lead the left if you have it because either your partner will have the right with other trumps since he made <S> so he uses a lower trump, and now knows his left is worth one trick and <S> it flushes out the right from an opponent, leaving the higher trumps in your partners hand good. <S> The only time it can be bad to lead a trump is when your partner called trumps with both bowers and no other trump. <S> That can get your partner in trouble because there are 5 other trumps out there, making aces useless. <S> If you happen to have, say three trumps, then it is safe to lead one of them when your partner calls on both bowers. <S> BOTTOM LINE: <A> I commonly pick trump with a mediocre hand and count on my partner for at least one win. <S> This is typically better than passing and then having my mediocre hand become nothing. <S> I occasionally get euchred doing that, but not that often. <S> This more aggressive approach tends to provide more wins than picking trump only with a strong hand. <S> Having said that, I hate when my partner leads a trump Card and takes one of my only 2 trump cards with theirs, which has many timeS lead to being euchred.
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The vast majority of the time is better to lead a trump when your partner has ordered it up.
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Can you give an example why the active player wants to have priority in Beginning of Combat first? I've read this article published on blogs.magicjudges.org explaining the combat shortcut which is about (contrary to the normal proceeding) the Not Active Player (NAP) receiving priority prior to the Active Player (AP) in the Beginning of Combat step (BoC). This is also stated in the Magic Tournament Rules : If the active player passes priority with an empty stack during their first main phase, the non-activeplayer is assumed to be acting in beginning of combat unless they are affecting whether a beginning of combat ability triggers.Then, after those actions resolve or no actions took place, the active player receives priority at the beginning of combat. Beginning of combat triggered abilities (even ones that target) may be announced at this time. At the end of the article the author mentions that normally this is not a problem since most of the time the AP does not want to act first anyway. However, one scenario in which the AP wants to be the first one to receive priorioty in the BoC step is mentioned: AP Acting First in Combat The new structure makes it look like the active player can’t be the first person to act in the beginning of combat step. That’s not true, but it does reflect the fact that the active player needing to act first is unlikely. The only scenario I’m aware of is holding a split second spell while your opponent is floating mana, which is not something that’s going to come up every day! In that situation, the protocol is the same as ever – you ask your opponent if they want to do something with that mana in the main phase. If they do, you’re still in main phase, since they used mana they couldn’t use in beginning of combat, nullifying the default. Otherwise, there is a way to do it, but it does give the opponent some information. While in your main phase, simply say “I do this thing in Beginning of Combat”. Done! Of course, the non-active player has the ability to interrupt and do something in your main phase. That’s not really any different than it was under the previous shortcut. However, I can't reconstruct an example for such a scenario from the information given in these two paragraphs. The following information is given as stated in the paragraphs: NAP has mana floating in the first main phase AP has a split second spell Question : Can you give an example for this scenario in which in order to reach his or hear goal, AP needs to be the first one to to receive priority in BoC to then cast the split second spell? To illustrate the difficulties I have with this, here is an example which doesn't work: AP is in his main phase, controls a Grizzly Bears enchanted with a Rancor . He has a Sudden Spoiling in his hand and enough mana to cast it. NAP has 2 life, controls an Endbringer and has one mana floating. AP wants to have priority in BoC to then cast Sudden Spoiling . He does not want to cast Sudden Spoiling in the main phase because NAP has floating mana he or she can use to respond. If everything goes well, AP then can attack with his bear (4/2, trample) and win the game (NAP now has a 0/2 creature). This example doesn't work because of several aspects: Why does AP need to have priority in BoC to cast Sudden Spoiling before NAP receives priority? Why does AP not let NAP have priority first in BoC, NAP then passes priority, then AP uses his priority to cast Sudden Spoiling ? Why doesn't AP cast Sudden Spoiling in his main phase? Sure, NAP has mana floating, but he can't use it to activate Endbringer 's cant-attack-ability in response anyway because Sudden Spoiling has split second. <Q> I think the two different pieces here are in some sense independent. <S> Holding up mana here isn't necessarily about responding to the split second spell; it's more generally about having more options for actions to take, perhaps after the spell resolves. <S> If you force the mana to empty from their mana pool, you cut off those options. <S> So, here is a scenario in which it matters that you specifically act first during the beginning of combat step: <S> The active player has some mana available and Extirpate in hand, and two attackers with at least two toughness each. <S> The non-active player has one floating red mana, two islands, <S> Electrolyze in hand, and Feeling of Dread in their graveyard. <S> The non-active player is better off casting Feeling of Dread, but they don't want to cast it during their main phase because then the active player could follow up with another creature, possibly with haste. <S> If the active player plays Extirpate during their main phase, the non-active player can use their floating mana to cast Electrolyze. <S> If the active player waits until the non-active player acts in the beginning of combat step, the Feeling of Dread is no longer in the graveyard for the Extirpate to target. <S> They get the best result if they act first in the beginning of combat step. <A> It's contrived, but.... <S> You have an Electrostatic Field on the battlefield. <S> Maybe even you and your opponent both do, and you are both at one life. <S> You also have an Anointed Deacon on the battlefield (or any permanent with a "beginning of combat" triggered ability). <S> You and your opponent both have a Trickbind in hand. <S> Whoever gets priority first can cast Trickbind, which will trigger Electrostatic Field's triggered ability. <S> That will resolve before Trickbind, winning the game for the player who cast Trickbind. <S> Whichever player gets priority first in the beginning of combat step wins the game. <S> No floating mana involved. <S> *You no one can cast Trickbind during the main phase because there is no ability on the stack to target. <A> An extremely contrived situation would justify "I need to cast this Split Second card in the Beginning of Combat step rather than the Main Phase as the Active Player, specifically because the opponent has mana floating. <S> Here is the board state: Your opponent has 2 life, controls 3 Island , Rampaging Ferocidon , and one facedown Morph card, and has no cards in hand and one mana floating (any color). <S> You are at 1 life, control 2 untapped Mountain , Goblin Rabblemaster , and have Sudden Shock in hand. <S> In this situation, as the active player, the correct play is to pass priority in your Main Phase, then cast Sudden Shock in the Beginning of Combat step. <S> The reason is that your opponent's facedown card could be Voidmage Apprentice , which could be turned faceup to counter your Sudden Shock because Morph is a special action which does not use the stack, and doesn't count as either a spell or ability as discussed here . <S> In the Beginning of Combat step, Goblin Rabblemaster triggers to create a Goblin token, which would kill you because of Rampaging Ferocidon, so you can't wait to cast Sudden Shock any later and must cast it in the Beginning of Combat step to win the game, otherwise you lose.
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The opponent's floating mana makes you want to act in the beginning of combat step instead of the main phase, and holding a split second spell makes you want to act first in the beginning of combat step instead of waiting for your opponent to act.
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Use Mana twice for the same spell by untapping? If your commander has an ability to untap card and you use it for untapping Mana, can you use it to pay for 6 Mana while there is only five in your pool.it was Estrid, the Masked untapping an enchanted land. <Q> Yes, you can tap a land for mana again in the same turn if it becomes untapped. <S> When you can tap a land for mana, it always has some variation of "{T}: Add ..." as its ability, where {T} is the tap symbol. <S> That is an activated ability. <S> Activated abilities always follow the "cost: effect" pattern. <S> Generally, you can activate an activated ability as often as you want, as long as you can pay its cost every time. <S> When you tap a land for mana, the mana it produces goes into the "mana pool", a temporary storage for your mana. <S> Then, when you untap that land, you can pay the cost of its mana-generating ability again (i.e. tapping the land), and you will get another mana. <S> That means <S> , if you have 5 lands, tap them for mana, and untap one of the lands, you can tap that land again to get 6 mana total. <S> 602.1. <S> Activated abilities have a cost and an effect. <S> They are written as “[Cost]: [Effect.] <S> [Activation instructions (if any).]” <S> 602.1a <S> The activation cost is everything before the colon (:). <S> An ability’s activation cost must be paid by the player who is activating it. <S> 106.4. <S> When an effect instructs a player to add mana, that mana goes into a player’s mana pool. <S> From there, it can be used to pay costs immediately, or it can stay in the player’s mana pool as unspent mana. <S> Each player’s mana pool empties at the end of each step and phase, and the player is said to lose this mana. <S> [..] <A> First we need to clarify what lands and mana are, because you're getting these mixed up. <S> The land cards you lay out in front of you are merely Lands. <S> They are not mana or your mana pool. <S> Lands are tapped to acquire mana, which then acts as a currency to pay for spells, as you'd be familiar with. <S> The “mana pool” does not actually physically exist anywhere on the table, it's purely conceptual as a way to think about your mana. <S> (note) <S> This means when you tap a Forest you get {G} (one green mana), and you spend that {G} to cast a spell. <S> Other cards such as Llanowar Elves can also give you mana, although they are not lands. <S> Some cards such as Cascading Cataracts can give you more than one mana. <S> In fact this is why cards like Arbor Elf or Blossom Dryad exist: they let you untap a land so that you can tap it again for more mana. <S> If you had five basic lands (let's say 2 plains, 2 islands, 1 forest) <S> you can tap each of them for mana. <S> Then, yes, you can use Estrid's ability to untap the one that's enchanted, and tap that again for one more mana. <S> You would then have six mana. <S> Note: The “mana pool” concept no longer gets referenced on new cards, as of Dominaria. <S> Cards printed in and after that set only reference adding mana, but without referring to a mana pool when they do so. <A> YES, you can. <S> A land really has the implicit text "Tap: Add [land_specific mana] to your mana pool". <S> So, the cost to activate this mana-producing ability is to TAP the land. <S> Other mana sources require tapping (for example, Llanowar Elves, or Mox artifacts), others require sacrificing (for example, the "Black Lotus" from the alpha/beta edition), and so on. <S> As long as you can meet the cost, you may activate the ability. <S> So, if you activate your lands to add the mana to your pool, THEN activate the loyalty ability from the planeswalker to untap all the enchanted permanents you control, and some of these enchanted permanents happen to be lands, sure, you can tap them again to add their mana to your pool once more. <S> However, you need to keep in mind that you may only activate a Planeswalker's Loyalty ability as a Sorcery (and only ONE such ability par turn and per planeswalker. <S> Also, if the number on the ability is positive, you gain that much loyalty on that planeswalker, but if the number is negative, you need to have enough loyalty on the planeswalker to "pay" for the ability.) <S> This means that you CANNOT use the planeswalker's loyalty ability WHILE casting your spell, and getting the mana. <S> That's not a mana-providing ability, it cannot be played as a fast effect, only as a sorcery. <S> You need to do so BEFORE you cast your spell.
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You can absolutely untap a land and then tap it again to obtain more mana.
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What cards can I cast from exile with Dream Pillager? Dream Pillager , after damaging an opponent, allows you to exile that many cards from the top of your library and cast any until end of turn that were exiled this way. Does this mean I may cast ANY card that has EVER been exiled this way since the beginning of the game? <Q> You can only cast cards that were exiled by Dream Pillager this turn, and only until the end of the turn. <S> Dream Pillager 's original printed text says exiled this way , referring to the cards exiled by that ability. <S> Its wording was updated with Core 2019 to the following, emphasis added: <S> Whenever Dream Pillager deals combat damage to a player, exile that many cards from the top of your library. <S> Until end of turn, you may cast nonland cards from among those exiled cards. <S> In making this change they were trying to make it extra clear <S> you only get to cast that bunch of cards just exiled, only this turn. <A> Compared it to the -X ability on Ashiok, this lets you cast anything castable that was exiled this way this turn until the end of turn, but you have to pay the right amount of mana and correct colours <S> (there are cards that will allow you to pay any mana as the mana for it like Ghonti) <A> It says "Until end of turn, you may cast nonland cards from among those exiled cards." <S> This is implying that you can only cast the nonland cards that you exiled during that turn.
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No, you can't cast any card at all that's in exile that way.
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Can I pay a "when this attacks, you may pay energy" cost multiple times? So say I have an Aetherstream Leopard and I have 10 energy counters to spend, when I attack with it can I spend all 10 energy counters to give it a +20/+0?And same thing with an Aether Swooper , spend 10 energy counters when attacking to create 5 servos? <Q> What you have there are examples of triggered abilities . <S> They say "Whenever [this card] attacks, ..." and this means that the moment you declare them as attackers, the ability triggers once and only once, and it's put on the stack. <S> When the ability resolves you follow the text of the ability: you either pay the mentioned energy cost or you don't. <S> You don't have the option of paying it several times in a single trigger because the ability doesn't say you do. <S> And it doesn't trigger multiple times because "Whenever [this card] attacks, ..." is specifically a simplification of "When you declare [this creature] as an attacker, ...". <S> You would have been able to pay an arbitrary amount of energy if either of the following had been the case: <S> If the ability were an activated ability. <S> Activated abilities look like "Cost: Effect". <S> So if the swooper had had "[2 energy symbols]: Create a 1/1 artifact servo token", you could've created an army at any time, provided you had enough energy. <S> If the triggered ability had explicitly let you pay as much energy as you wanted. <S> If the leopard had had "Whenever Aetherborn Leopard attacks, pay any amount of [energy symbol]. <S> Aetherborn Leopard gets +2/+0 for each [energy symbol] spent this way" you could've pumped it to be as large as you wanted, provided you had enough energy. <A> No. <S> The instructions you must follow when the ability resolves only give you to option of paying {E} or nothing at all. <S> In the unlikely event that the ability triggers twice in the same turn (or if the triggered ability is somehow copied), you are given the option to make the payment again. <S> If you do, it will get +2/+0, and that would stack with the bonus from earlier instances of the ability. <A> In the examples you asked about, no, these are triggered abilities that trigger once the creature is declared as an attacker during your combat step. <S> Either you pay the energy to get the effect, or you don't. <S> That being said, if you use a card to untap the creature and gain an additional combat during the turn ( Aggravated Assault for example), this will allow you to declare the creature as an attacker again under the new combat within the same turn and trigger the ability again. <S> Assuming you pay the energy for the leopard's triggered ability each combat in a single turn, the leopard would grow in power each combat as the affect lasts till end of turn. <S> However, there are energy abilities that are activated abilities. <S> Aethersquall Ancient , Aethertide Whale , Aetherwind Basker , <S> Architect of the Untamed and Bristling Hydra are just a few that have "Pay {cost}:" where the cost is an activated ability that must be paid by energy and can be activated any number of times in a single turn so long as you can pay the cost. <S> So the Aetherwind Basker could get +10/+10 until end of turn if you had 10 energy. <A> Think about it this way (above answers are correct anyway). <S> When you attack with it, you fulfill its condition of "when it attacks". <S> at which point the card asks you "would you like to pay [E]? <S> " to which you answer "I would like to pay [EEEEEE]" the card would decline as the questions is "would you like to pay [E]? <S> " asked once. <S> It is a yes or no question, not an open question. <S> You pay [E] <S> , it resolves the ability of you paying [E] and you move on with your life. <S> A different example is Longtusk Cub where the wording is completely different. <S> Look at both <S> and you see why you can do so in one and not the other. <A> If you do, it gets +2/+0 until end of turn. <S> " triggers when Aetherstream Leopard is declared as attacking, resolves and can't be used again until the leopard is declared as attacking again. <S> If you get a second combat step on your turn, generally through abilities on some red cards (like Aggravated Assault ) you can activate it again when the Leopard attacks again, and since the ability is until end of turn the second attack will still have the benefit from the first attack's boost. <S> If they wanted you to be able to pay more into it, they could have written the trigger like this: <S> Whenever Aetherstream Leopard attacks, you may pay any amount of {E}. <S> If you do, it gets +2/+0 until end of turn for each {E} spent this way. <S> This is closest to the original ability, being still triggered, but lets you decide how much energy to spend all at once, when the trigger resolves, letting you pump all ten energy you have into the trigger. <S> They could have also changed it from a triggered ability into an activated ability, but kept restrictions on when it can be used, like this: {E}: <S> Aetherstream Leopard gets +2/+0 until end of turn. <S> Use this ability only before blockers are declared and only while Aetherstream Leopard is attacking. <S> This makes it an activated ability with restricted timing, when it's attacking, and only before your opponent declares blockers (so no post block tricks), which is slightly later timing wise but as close as possible to the trigger, but allows you to repeat the process as long as you can afford the energy.
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No, abilities written as "When/Whenever X you may Y" are triggered abilities, and they can only be used when that trigger is met, in this case, "Whenever Aetherstream Leopard attacks, you may pay {E}.
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Can I use two different cards with the same name in Commander? I have two cards with the same name but different art and the card descriptions on the bottom. The card in question is Forsaken Sanctuary . It's a white/black land and I'm not sure if I can use both of them, it is the first time I've ran in to this. <Q> No, card art or any other piece of information printed on a card doesn't matter. <S> For card identity, the only factor is the English name being equal or not. <S> There are several reasons why cards with the same name can look different in print. <S> They can be translated into another language. <S> They can have alternate art in the same set (e.g. Hymn to Tourach ). <S> They can be reprinted in a different set, potentially with new art and/or general card style. <S> Cards from different sets can have different printed characteristics, such as differently worded abilities, or different types (see THE GRAND CREATURE TYPE UPDATE ) due to changes in the rules or general wording conventions. <S> Very early cards can even have misprints, such as Blue Hurricane . <S> However, ultimately the only factor in deciding whether or not two cards are identical is their English name; on a related note, the official characteristics of a card can be found on the Oracle website 108.1. <S> Use the Oracle card reference when determining a card’s wording. <S> A card’s Oracle text can be found using the Gatherer card database at Gatherer.Wizards.com. <S> 201.2. <S> 903.5b <S> Other than basic lands, each card in a Commander deck must have a different English name. <A> The limitation on deck construction is by card name, not art or edition. <S> So you can't run two cards named Forsaken Sanctuary . <S> You can, however, run other cards that do the same thing but have different names. <S> Forsaken Sanctuary has a lot of equivalent cards under different names, most of which are strictly better, such as: Concealed Courtyard Isolated Chapel Orzhov Guildgate Scoured Barrens Shambling Vent Temple of Silence Godless Shrine Scrubland <A> 108.1. <S> Use the Oracle card reference when determining a card’s wording. <S> A card’s Oracle text can be found using the Gatherer card database at Gatherer.Wizards.com. <S> 201.2. <S> A card’s name is always considered to be the English version of its name, regardless of printed language. <S> 201.2a <S> Two objects have the same name if their names are identical. <S> Art doesn't matter - you can have two completely different cards altered (painted) to look exactly the same, yet as the name is different, they are different cards. <S> (altering is quite common in commander decks) <S> The text below, possibly rules text or flavor text can be different on different editions. <S> As we travel through Ravnica in the current set, we can have reprints of cards that were printed back in Theros block. <S> As Theros was heavily God-related plane, you would have mentions to Gods in the flavor text, as opposed to Ravnica which is more about societal guilds. <S> That is one of the reasons for the differences, yet they are the same card.
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A card’s name is always considered to be the English version of its name, regardless of printed language.
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Why/how was Ajani's Pridemate ability made mandatory? I just viewed this question where Ajani's Pridemate was mentioned. I noticed a small but significant difference; on all printings, including the recent Core 2019 set, its card text says Whenever you gain life, you may put a +1/+1 counter on Ajani's Pridemate. Yet its official Gatherer card text omits the "you may" part: Whenever you gain life, put a +1/+1 counter on Ajani's Pridemate. Why/how was this done? I can remember some rule changes happening soon after the card was released (e.g. Walking Atlas which became an artifact creature) but not on a card which was already in play for 8 years; Ajani's Pridemate made its first appearance in 2011. <Q> The ability was originally optional, and it was made mandatory with the release of Ravnica Allegiance. <S> The Ravnica Allegiance Oracle changes update bulletin <S> explains the reasoning behind both the original choice and the errata. <S> The full explanation is quoted below: Ajani's Pridemate was originally printed under a tournament policy where missing any trigger, no matter how beneficial, always resulted in a Warning. <S> Multiple Warnings would upgrade into a Game Loss. <S> To avoid the problem, many cards with strictly beneficial triggers had those triggers made optional—it doesn't count as "missing" a trigger if it's a "may," you just chose not to do the thing. <S> Then trigger policy changed. <S> Nowadays, missing beneficial triggers doesn't get you a penalty, you just don't get the benefit <S> (there's some nuance to this, but I'm leaving it simple here). <S> We've left the cards that received "may" under the old policy alone under the general Oracle policy of minimizing functional changes, so Ajani's Pridemate was printed in Core Set 2019 with its "may." <S> Ajani's Pridemate has since become heavily played in a popular Standard deck, and that deck's inclusion in the upcoming Challenger Deck series became the place to print the card with errata to remove the option, making the card look and read better on paper and improving the life of digital Magic players everywhere. <S> There isn't an Oracle update scheduled for small supplementary products like Challenger Decks, and given the options of adding one or changing the card early, digital was the deciding factor and we're releasing the card's updated wording a little early. <A> It is a bit complicated but Wizards actually released a short article about the changes. <S> ORACLE CHANGES: <S> AJANI'S PRIDE-MAY-TE (FUNCTIONAL) <S> To summarize it is a combination of a couple of reasons: #1 Due to changes to the way missing Beneficial Triggers are handled in tournament settings, a major reason for including the "May" doesn't exist anymore. <S> Previously if there was a mandatory trigger both players would be responsible for remembering the trigger and if a mandatory trigger was missed it would require judge action to repair the gamestate. <S> Since the change, that is no longer the case. <S> Nowadays if a "Beneficial" (gain life, creature gets bigger etc.) <S> trigger is missed, too bad for the player that missed it. <S> #2 <S> Ajani's Pridemate is a popular card in the online Magic Arena game. <S> It is also included in the "Tutorial" decks that are provided for free to players when they first get the game. <S> This means that not only is the creature encountered fairly frequently Online, but it is also featured in most players first impression of the game (and for some non-paper players maybe even their first experience with magic). <S> Normally this wouldn't be that bad but <S> the "May" trigger is quite obnoxious for pridemate in digital as each trigger requires player input, so something like swinging with a board of lifelinkers may require the player to click accept 20 times per combat. <S> It can slow down the game quite heavily. <S> Removing the "May" allows the triggers to auto-resolve with no player interaction (something that is not possible with "may" triggers currently). <S> #3 <S> It makes the card read slightly better in digital (and paper when it is re-printed). <A> The how is that it will be printed with the now wording in Challenger Deck coming out in 2019 and an announcement on official magic website ( https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/news/ravnica-allegiance-oracle-changes-2019-01-22 ) <S> The why boils down to (digital) user experience issues vs tournament policy. <S> In the past, during the tournaments with higher REL (rules enforcement levels) one could receive a game or match loss for missing any trigger, even a purely beneficial one, if it wasn't optional. <S> These rules caused the creators to make many beneficial triggers optional. <S> While working good for tournament rules, it caused some annoyance for digital players - especially Arena ones as at the time of writing one cannot automate the response to the trigger (which is possible in MTGO). <S> Since then the tournament rules were updated to allow for lesser penalties for missed beneficial triggers (i.e. opponent choosing if the trigger happens). <S> Given that magic R&D team decided to errata the Pridemate to make it more convenient for digital players.
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The short answer is that changes in tournament policy, increased popularity of digital Magic implementations, and renewed popularity of the card made the errata desirable and worthwhile.
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Can I ask for Wastes like basic lands in Limited? My question is about limited tournaments like draft or sealed . Can I ask for Wastes for my decks like basic lands? <Q> No, you cannot. <S> From the MTG Tournament Rules : 7.2 Card Use in Limited Tournaments Players may add an unlimited number of cards named Plains, Island, Swamp, Mountain, or Forest to their deck and sideboard. <S> They may not add additional snow basic land cards <S> (e.g. Snow-Covered Forest, etc) or Wastes basic land cards , even in formats in which they are legal. <A> You cannot. <S> In the sets where they were available, you had to draft them from the packs . <S> For Sealed Deck, that means you have to open a Wastes in order to play with it. <S> In Booster Draft, you have to draft Wastes. <S> Figuring out exactly how to pay those {C} costs will be a priority in this set. <S> (But don't worry—Wastes isn't the only way.) <S> You can't just add as many Wastes as you want while building your deck like you can with the other basic lands. <S> From the official tournament rules section on drafting: Only cards from the expansions of the boosters opened (and only cards opened or drafted in that player’s pool) <S> may be used in a player’s deck. <S> The following are exceptions to this rule: Players may add an unlimited number of cards named Plains, Island, Swamp, Mountain, or Forest to their deck and sideboard. <S> They may not add additional snow basic land cards (e.g. Snow-Covered Forest, etc) or Wastes basic land cards, even in formats in which they are legal. <A> The link you posted to Wastes on Gatherer has the answer you seek: <S> In Limited events (including Sealed Deck and Booster Draft), Wastes must be in your card pool to be included in your deck. <S> You can’t add Wastes to your card pool in the same way that you can add other basic lands.
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In Limited events, you can play Wastes only if it's in your card pool.
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Void Winnower against Sunforger Does the use of Sunforger 's unattach ability negate the ability of Void Winnower and let me use spells with an even converted mana cost? <Q> No you can not cast CMC 0, 2 or 4 spells with Sunforger while your opponent controls a Void Winnower . <S> Sunforger's ability gives your CMC 4 or less spells an alternate cost , but it doesn't actually change their CMC. <S> 117.9 : Some spells have alternative costs. <S> An alternative cost is a cost listed in a spell's text, or applied to it from another effect, that its controller may pay rather than paying the spell's mana cost. <S> Alternative costs are usually phrased, "You may [action] rather than pay [this object's] mana cost," or "You may cast [this object] without paying its mana cost." <S> Note that some alternative costs are listed in keywords; see rule 702. <S> 117.9c <S> : An alternative cost doesn't change a spell's mana cost, only what its controller has to pay to cast it. <S> Spells and abilities that ask for that spell's mana cost still see the original value. <S> So even though you aren't actually paying for the spell, Void Winnower's ability still sees it as an even Mana Cost and prevents you from casting it. <S> Interesting side note brought up by @ikegami in the comments: <S> Even though you can't actually cast the spells, you can still attempt to use Sunforger's ability, so if you will be able to pay RW, unattach Sunforger, look through your library, then shuffle it. <S> Might be useful if you need to shuffle your library for some reason (ie. <S> you control an Experimental Frenzy and have a land stuck on top). <A> Why Sunforger can't cast cards with even converted mana cost <S> The reason is from the Magic Golden Rules: 101.2. <S> When a rule or effect allows or directs something to happen, and another effect states that it can't happen, the "can't" effect takes precedence. <S> Sunforger tells you to cast it. <S> Void winnower says you can't cast it. <S> Rule 101.2 means Void Winnower's ability takes precedence. <S> Why Sunforger can still cast cards with odd converted mana cost <S> So can you cast anything with Sunforger while Void Winnower is on the battlefield? <S> At first glance, it seems like Void Winnower would prevent you from using Sunforger at all because it prevents casting cards with converted mana cost 0 and Sunforger makes the spells cost 0. <S> However, this is not the case. <S> Sunforger creates an alternative mana cost, which doesn't change the converted mana cost of the card, so you can still use Sunforger cast cards with converted mana cost 1 or 3 while Void Winnower is on the battlefield. <S> The relevant rules are: 117.9c: <S> An alternative cost doesn't change a spell's mana cost, only what its controller has to pay to cast it. <S> Spells and abilities that ask for that spell's mana cost still see the original value. <S> 202.3. <S> The converted mana cost of an object is a number equal to the total amount of mana in its mana cost, regardless of color. <A> No it will not. <S> Sunforger's unattach ability reads: <S> Unattach Sunforger: Search your library for a red or white instant card with converted mana <S> cost 4 or less and cast that card without paying its mana cost. <S> Then shuffle your library. <S> As you can see by the wording on the ability you would be casting the spell, whether you pay the mana cost or not, it will still be a spell with converted mana cost 4 (or 2). <S> You can still use it but only for spells with cmc 1 and 3.
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Void Winnower prevents you from casting cards with even mana cost via Sunforger.
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Under which controller does a stolen permanent come into play after being exiled? Here's what I did on MTG Arena: Opponent exiles my The Immortal Sun with Hostage Taker , then plays it.On my turn, I cast Ixalan's Binding targeting Immortal Sun, and then Demystify my own Ixalan's Binding. The Immortal Sun then entered the battlefield under my control. Question 1: I thought it might work, that's why I tried it, but I don't understand why it worked. I read the rulings of Ixalan's Binding, and couldn't find something that could explain why it returned from exile under its owner's control, and not under the last controller's control. Can anyone explain the rulings behind this? Question 2: Would flickering a stolen permanent work the same? <Q> Immortal Sun enters the battlefield under your control because Ixalan's Binding creates a special one-shot effect that has its own rules treatment. <S> When flickering an object as a regular one-shot effect, its subsequent controller depends on the card used to flicker; both "you", the controller of the effect, and "the permanent's owner" are possible, and are always specified by the card. <S> Some one-shot effects cause an object to change zones “until” a specified event occurs. <S> A second one-shot effect is created immediately after the specified event. <S> This second one-shot effect returns the object to its previous zone. <S> 610.3b <S> An object returned to the battlefield this way returns under its owner’s control unless otherwise specified. <S> For Flicker effects, it depends on the specific card/effect that does the flickering, both variants are possible: you, or the owner, who may or may not be you <A> When a card enters the battlefield from exile, it is put under it's owner's control unless an effect says otherwise. <S> When a card leaves the battlefield and returns, it is treated as a new object, the control changing effects on that card were on the old object, and cards enter the battlefield under their owner's control. <S> Since you are the owner of Immoral Sun, it comes into play under your control when it returns from exile. <S> This is stated by the comprehensive rules here: 400.7 <S> An object that moves from one zone to another becomes a new object with no memory of, or relation to, its previous existence. <S> There are nine exceptions to this rule: <S> The card has no memory of the control your opponent had, but it's owner is a characteristic of the card, something it never loses, so it returns to its owner. <S> Flickering would work the same for most flicker abilities, other than those that specify who's controller the card comes into play, like Ghostly Flicker or Cloudshift which say to return the cards to the battlefield under the caster's control. <S> This was at one point used to make temporary control effects more permanent, since the card entering as a new object would no longer have the "until end of turn" control effect from cards like Act of Treason . <A> The relevant rule here is this one: 400.7. <S> An object that moves from one zone to another becomes a new object with no memory of, or relation to, its previous existence. <S> There are nine exceptions to this rule: <S> [none of which apply] <S> So when your Immortal Sun get's exiled and comes back, it doesn't "remember" that it was ever controlled by your opponent. <S> And when something comes back into the game and doesn't have a controller, it's owner gains control of it. <S> Flicker and Cloudshift and the like will specify under whose control the permanant returns, so they are a little bit different. <A> Question 2: <S> Yes, when a permanent is exiled and then returned to the battlefield (flicker) it is a new permanent, not the same permanent (as per the rules) and will therefore enter under its owner's control Question 1: from ixalan's binding card: exile target nonland permanent an opponent controls until Ixalan's Binding leaves the battlefield. <S> So first of all simply put, when you demystify ixalan's binding this part would resolve, so the Immortal Sun would return to the battlefield. <S> I get the question might be why it comes back to you and not your opponent <S> so... <S> Rule 108.3 states that the owner of a card in the game is the player who started the game with it in his or her deck. <S> The card would return to its owners control... <S> it couldn't come back to its "controller" control because at that moment there was none. <S> You own Immortal Sun, your opponent casts it and gains control of the card, but not ownership, you exile and now the card is not controller by anyone anymore (after the trigger resolves, before it resolves it is under their control or else <S> ixalan's binding wouldn't be able to target it) after it returns from exile it is now a new permanent that must enter under its owners control as there was no controller, it then becomes a permanent when it actually enters the battlefield and you become the controller. <S> Hope that sort of makes sense.
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Ixalan's Binding doesn't specify under whose control the permanent returns to the battlefield, so by default it's the owner of the exiled permanent, namely you: 610.3.
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Energy Chamber and Armageddon Clock Can Energy Chamber be used with Armageddon Clock ? I.e. are the counters on Armageddon Clock "charge counters"? <Q> No, putting counters on Armageddon Clock with Energy Chamber will not allow you to deal damage with Armageddon Clock. <S> Energy Chamber's ability places "Charge Counters" onto Artifacts, whereas Armageddon Clock's ability instructs you to deal damage equal to the number of "Doom Counters" on it. <S> While you can combine counters with the same name, counters of different names are not interchangeable. <S> 121.1. <S> A counter is a marker placed on an object or player that modifies its characteristics and/or interacts with a rule, ability, or effect. <S> Counters are not objects and have no characteristics. <S> Notably, a counter is not a token, and a token is not a counter. <A> However, here are some cards that will: Doubling Season <S> Clockspinning (provided the clock has at least one doom counter) <S> Gilder <S> Bairn (provided the clock has at least one doom counter) <S> Vorel of the Hull Clade (provided the clock has at least one doom counter) Anything with Proliferate (provided the clock <S> has at least one doom counter) <S> Eye Of Doom (can add a doom counter every time it enters the battlefield; just don't activate it's ability unless the clock has no counters) <S> Imminent Doom + <S> Opalescence <S> + March of the Machines + Fate Transfer <S> (okay, this one is a bit impractical) <S> Giant Fan and Everythingamajig (not legal in most formats) <A> No. <S> Energy Chamber refers to "charge counters"; Armageddon Clock works with "doom counters". <S> On some forms of the card, like the autolinked one, you can't see that since it just referred to "counters". <S> Later printings, such as the Fourth Edition one , do indicate the difference. <S> As always, the Gatherer will tell you the current Oracle ("official") <S> text: <S> At the beginning of your upkeep, put a doom counter on Armageddon Clock. <S> At the beginning of your draw step, Armageddon Clock deals damage equal to the number of doom counters on it to each player. <S> {4}: Remove a doom counter from Armageddon Clock. <S> Any player may activate this ability but only during any upkeep step. <S> Of course, you can put a charge counter on Armageddon Clock with Energy Chamber; it just won't have the effect you probably want it to have.
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As mentioned in the other answers, Armageddon Clock's abilities refer to doom counters, not charge counters, so Energy Chamber won't help with it. Counters with the same name or description are interchangeable.
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Do we still track damage on indestructible creatures? So if lethal damage can't kill an indestructible creature, what do we do about the damage itself? Is it acknowledged? Say you have an effect that doesnt let a creature block if it has taken damage this turn, can that creature with indestructible block? <Q> Creatures with indestructible can take damage like normal, and will still be counted as having that damage for anything that cares about that. <S> The full definition of Indestructible is: 702.12. <S> Indestructible 702.12a Indestructible is a static ability. <S> 702.12b <S> A permanent with indestructible can't be destroyed. <S> Such permanents aren't destroyed by lethal damage, and they ignore the state-based action that checks for lethal damage (see rule 704.5g). <S> It does not prevent damage, so it takes damage like normal. <A> Absolutely. <S> Indestructible does not prevent damage, it prevents damage from causing a creature to be destroyed. <S> That damage needs to be done for lifelink to happen, and in the case of wither or infect, still will kill an indestructible creature due to loss of toughness. <S> The damage is dealt, and once dealt it is handled like all other damage, with the exception that otherwise lethal damage can't destroy the creature. <S> Consider cards like Bonds of Mortality or <S> Burn from Within , cards that remove indestructible. <S> You could activate Bonds of Mortality or cast Burn from Within after the creature has already been dealt lethal damage, causing it to lose indestructible and die. <S> Burn from Within as written would be useless if damage was untracked due to indestructible, since the damage done by the spell would not be counted, and the second half of the ability checks if the creature was dealt damage by the first half. <A> Yes.
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If an indestructible creature takes "lethal" damage (under the normal definition of "lethal") and then loses Indestructible at a later point in the turn, it will still be destroyed.
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Can I play multiple Idols one at a time and receive the effects each time? We just played Dominion Nocturne and had the Idol victory card in play for the first time. As you see it has an effect that depends on the number of Idols you have in play. From the Dominion Strategy Wiki on Gameplay under Buy phase I read that: At the beginning of the buy phase, the player may play any number of Treasure cards from their hand, in any order, to their play area. Does this mean that at the start of my buy phase, if I have multiple Idols on my hand, I can play them one at a time and first receive a Boon, then deal a Curse to the other players, then receive another Boon, deal a Curse, etc. for as many Idols I have on my hand? <Q> Yes, you play them one at a time, and therefore you get the alternating boon and curse effect. <S> Note that this mandatory, not merely an option <S> : You always play (and resolve) <S> your treasures one at a time. <S> Usually order doesn't matter, so players tend to gloss over that protocol in practice. <S> But the order is always there. <A> While some players will short cut and play everything at once, technically cards are always played one at a time, resolved, then the next card is played. <S> For most treasures there's not much difference, like the basic ones which only provide coin, or ones that also directly gain cards when played, like Treasure Trove , but for treasures like Idol , <S> Bank and Fortune the order that they are played matters. <A> Yes, at the start of the buy phase you may play as many treasures as you feel like, provided you have them in your hand. <S> Note that this is after you have finished your action phase <S> so if you end up drawing action cards those are wasted.
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Not only can you, but you MUST play them one at a time and receive the effects each time.
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Absorbing damage with Planeswalker If my opponent attacks my planeswalker (who has 1 loyalty counter) with two creatures (power 1 and 3 respectively), can I absorb the attack of the creature with power 3 with my planeswalker and only take one damage to my health? Or do I treat it like the creature has trample and take three damage to my health? <Q> Neither. <S> Treat your planeswalker as if they are a separate player, one that you can use your creatures to block for. <S> If there is trample damage when your block, that damage goes to your planeswalker, not you. <S> If you don't block (or do block <S> and there's trample) and that damage is more than enough to kill your planeswalker, then your planeswalker dies, and no damage is dealt to you. <S> Damage never tramples over onto you from an attack at your planeswalker. <S> From the comprehensive rules (emphasis mine): 510.1b <S> An unblocked creature assigns its combat damage to the player or planeswalker <S> it's attacking. <S> If it isn't currently attacking anything (if, for example, it was attacking a planeswalker that has left the battlefield), it assigns no combat damage. <A> It doesn't matter whether they deal lethal damage to the planeswalker and/or have trample or not. <S> In this particular scenario, the creatures will deal 4 damage to the planeswalker, but 0 to you. <S> 510.1b <S> An unblocked creature assigns its combat damage to the player or planeswalker <S> it's attacking. <S> 702.19b <S> The controller of an attacking creature with trample first assigns damage to the creature(s) blocking it. <S> Once all those blocking creatures are assigned lethal damage, any remaining damage is assigned as its controller chooses among those blocking creatures and the player or planeswalker the creature is attacking. <A> At the point the attackers are declared your opponent must declare whether the creatures are attacking you or the planeswalker. <S> If they decide to attack the planeswalker with 1/1 creature and you with the 3/3 creature then you will take damage. <S> If they are both attacking the planeswalker, then the planeswalker will take 4 damage, remove 4 loyalty counters from it. <S> As it reaches 0 loyalty counters the SBE will check for this and move it to the graveyard. <S> Just imagine your opponent attacked a player on the other table. <S> Even if they had trample that damage wouldn't go to you. <S> Planeswalkers had been treated in rules as separate players for years (even though recent changes have changed this slightly) the overall rule still applies.
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Creatures attacking your planeswalker, not you as a player, will only damage said planeswalker (or any blocking creatures).
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Planeswalkers and Summoning Sickness When I play a planeswalker, I know there is no summoning sickness. So, does that mean that I can increment or decrement its loyalty counter and use its abilities right after I play it since there is no summoning sickness? <Q> A planeswalker can use it's loyalty abilities the turn it enters the battlefield. <S> The rules on "summoning sickness" only apply to creatures: 302.6. <S> A creature's activated ability with the tap symbol or the untap symbol in its activation cost can't be activated unless the creature has been under its controller's control continuously since their most recent turn began. <S> A creature can't attack unless it has been under its controller's control continuously since their most recent turn began. <S> This rule is informally called the "summoning sickness" rule. <S> The only restrictions on loyalty abilities are that they are sorcery speed and you haven't used a loyalty ability on that planeswalker <S> already this turn: <S> 306.5d <S> Each planeswalker has a number of loyalty abilities, which are activated abilities with loyalty symbols in their costs. <S> Loyalty abilities follow special rules: A player may activate a loyalty ability of a permanent they control any time they have priority and <S> the stack is empty during a main phase of their turn, but only if none of that permanent's loyalty abilities have been activated that turn. <S> See rule 606, "Loyalty Abilities." <S> Note, however, that if a planeswalker becomes a creature the turn it entered the battlefield (such as from abilities on Gideon Jura , Gideon, Ally of Zendikar , Gideon, Champion of Justice , etc. <S> or from some combination like Mycosynth Lattice + March of the Machines ), it then becomes subject to summoning sickness, as it is now a creature that you did not control continuously since the start of your most recent turn. <S> For example, this means you cannot attack with an animated Gideon planeswalker that you cast this turn. <A> A couple of examples for this:you play Mutavault, activate it <S> the first turn it comes out <S> , you can now not tap for mana nor attack with it because of summoning sickness. <S> Artifact gets animated by Tezzeret or tezzeret's touch, it can't attack nor tap due to summoning sickness. <S> One of the <S> (I know this is petty) <S> things players sometimes miss (this is more common to happen in magic online) is to play a land cast koth, activate koth's ability that allows you to untap a mountain and make it a 5/5 creature until end of turn. <S> If they target the land they played that turn, it will have summoning sickness. <S> 302.6. <S> A creature's activated ability with the tap symbol or the untap symbol in its activation cost can't be activated unless the creature has been under its controller's control continuously since their most recent turn began. <A> Summoning sickness is only ever a thing for creatures. <S> And it only affects their ability to do two things: Attack <S> Play activated abilities with the tap symbol <S> A planeswalker is (usually) not a creature. <S> And even if it is, a loyalty ability does not use the tap symbol. <S> So you can use it immediately (assuming it's your turn, during a main phase, the stack is empty, and you haven't already activated a loyalty ability from that permanent this turn).
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All permanents have "summoning sickness" however summoning sickness only prevents you from attacking or using tap abilities on creatures.
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