Date: Tue, 2 May 2000 22:09:03 +0100 From: Paul Barclay Subject: [O] NetRep Reply 537 ======================================================================= NetRep Reply number 537 to the Magic: the Gathering List ======================================================================= This reply covers the digests: MTG-L Digest - 25 Apr 2000 to 26 Apr 2000 (#2000-124) MTG-L Digest - 26 Apr 2000 to 27 Apr 2000 (#2000-125) Older replies may be found at: http://www.second-hand.demon.co.uk ftp://ftp.magic.asuka.net http://yavapai.ccgnews.com http://www.en.magic.asuka.net http://www.wizards.com/dci/judge/judgelistarchive.asp SHORT ANSWERS: ======================================================================= ** Blue Ward can be enchanted by a Blue enchantment, such as Confiscate or Feedback. ** When you're replying to messages on the list, PLEASE snip all but the relevant parts of the message. It's really hard to read through the same message five times and still keep track of what's going on. ** Doomsday can't be Deflected, as it's not targeted. Look for the word "TARGET". ** If a token phases out, it evaporates, and never comes back. ** "Mana Burn" is the loss of life you take if you have mana in your mana pool at the end of a phase (the mana drains from your pool, "burning" you and causing you to lose the life). ** Waylay says "Play only during combat". It would be slightly useless if it said "Play only during the declare blockers step". LONG ANSWERS: ======================================================================= [Sean Droms, asking two questions] >1. If the only land you have out is a Reflecting Pool, what kind of mana >does it produce? It doesn't - it can't produce any mana. >2. If you Sneak Attack a Palinchron, do you untap the lands? No. Palinchron has errata to say "...if you played it from your hand..." ----- [David Weinlick, asking about Thrulls] >I have Donated a Conspiracy naming Thrulls to my opponent, and I control >a Thrull Champion. If I tap the TC to take control of an opponent's >thrull, it stops being a thrull. Do I still control it? Yes. The Champion's effect doesn't depend on the card still being a Thrull. The ability just targets a Thrull, so the creature must be a Thrull when the ability is announced and resolves. ----- [Michael Schweikert, asking about Regeneration and Fireball] >If the "Regeneration" card is played on a creature and then that creature is >killed and "Regeneration" is used, what happens to the "Regeneration" card? It stays exactly where it is, because the creature regenerated. >Could someone explain how the "Fireball" card works. I don't follow the >text of the card very well. I do understand that you can pay "x" amount of >mana to pump up the card, but I don't follow how the damage is dealt. Fireball's current wording is: |{X}{Y}{R}: Fireball deals X damage divided evenly, rounded down, among |Y plus one target creatures and/or players. This works the same as the card's actual wording, but is much easier to understand. Choose a value for X and Y, pay the right amount of mana, then divide X by Y+1. Examples: X=5, Y=5: X/(Y+1)=0, so the Fireball does 0 damage to six targets. X=5, Y=2: X/(Y+1)=1, so the Fireball does 1 damage to three targets. X=5, Y=1: X/(Y+1)=2, so the Fireball does 2 damage to two targets. X=4, Y=1: X/(Y+1)=2, so the Fireball does 2 damage to two targets. X=5, Y=0: X/(Y+1)=5, so the Fireball does 5 damage to one target. X=10, Y=1: X/(Y+1)=5, so the Fireball does 5 damage to two targets. >Could someone recommend some good FAQ or Q&A web sites? I am mainly >interested in the specifics of certain cards as opposed to the game play. The best sites to look at are www.crystalkeep.com (but be warned that it can be a bit overwhelming), www.wizards.com/dci/judge (has FAQs for recent sets, the Oracle wordings of all the cards, the Magic Comprehensive rulebook and lots of other stuff). ----- [Kevin Cron, asking about Converted Mana Cost] >With Opalescence in play, do enchantments still have the same converted mana >costs as they would without OP? Yes. Nothing can change the converted mana cost of a card (other than weird copy stuff). >I think that I'm confusing Opalescence's animation with things that animate >other types of permanents. (ie. lands gain CMC of zero) No, a land always has a converted mana cost of zero. ----- [Bob Terrell, asking about Phasing Tokens] >Question on Magic theory to Paul, et al: Why should tokens RFG on phase out? It's how it's been historically in the game - that's what was decided when Phasing was created. >Not going to the graveyard or hand makes sense (which is where things usually >go when they leave play), but do tokens need to be different from other >permanents in how they interact with phasing? It's an interesting question. I think that it's worth asking the Rules Team if they want to consider changing this rule (I doubt that they will, but you never know). Phasing works differently than other zones for all permanents other than Tokens. ----- [Steve Lord, asking about Tokens] >If you put a token on top of your library (with something like Time Ebb) >you would expect it to dissolve, right? > >[If you answer 'no' to the first, you're inviting problems with "I draw >the top ... umm, it's not a card technically, but it's close ..." and if >you answer 'no' to the second then you run into problems with "Okay, >discard a card." "Can I discard this token?" "Umm..."] It's possible to draw a card while a token is on top of your library. Make an Echo Chamber copy of a Serra Avatar. Play Castle. Play Lich. Play Renounce, sacrificing the Avatar when it resolves. Shuffle the token Avatar into your library. Then, draw the cards from the Renounce. Luckily, the rules for "drawing" state that you "take the top card in your library, and put it into your hand". So, the token simply stays where it is until it's removed from the game. ----- [Gabriel Moris, asking about triggered abilities] >I have a question about upkeep costs. At the beggining of you upkeep, all >the abilities such as echo, masticore's upkeep, fading, etc. trigger, I >mean, do they go to the stack and I can play any instant or ability. For >example, can I shoot with a Masticore before discarding a card, can I bounce >a permanent with fading but 0 counters? That's correct. You can play Instants in response to the Masticore's triggered ability, and bounce or sacrifice a permanent with Fading. ----- [Michael Kastberg, talking about Diminishing Returns] >It was an attempt to make a fixed version of Time Twister. And, unlike Time Spiral, it was a successful attempt (it's playable in weenie decks). ----- [Robert Freeman, asking about the Laccoliths] >For added clarity, when do you target the creature with a laccolith's >ability? During Resolution or when it triggers? You always choose the target for the Laccolith's ability when the ability is put onto the Stack. You choose whether the ability will deal damage when the ability resolves. >When several things come into play at the same time (replenish), do they >come into play simultaneously, or one at a time? Simultaneously (def: "At the same time). >Ex. Opalesence, treachery, Angelic Chorus being replenished? >Can you treachery your opponent's enchantments? Not unless there is an Opalescence already in play. You have to choose what to enchant before the cards come into play. >Will the Angelic Chorus trigger on the enchantement-creatures coming into >play? Yes. The ability triggers after things come into play. ----- [Karl Burlingame, asking about combat damage] >Player A) Declares his attack phase....Attacking creatures are ... Pouncing >Jaguar 2/2 and River Boa 2/1. > >Player B) Declares blockers.... Wizard Mentor 2/2 for the Jaguar and a >Thornwind Faeries 1/1 for the Boa. >After Damage has been assigned by attacker and defender, (before damage is >dealt) Defender Activates Wizard Mentor ability and returns both blocking >creatures to his had. >My conclusion is: >Damage is then dealt using last known attributes of blocking creatures and, >both attacking creatures take lethal damage and go to the graveyard. Correct (but the _amount_ of damage has already been decided - the last known characteristics don't matter in this situation). Of course, it's likely that the Boa shouldn't have been blocked by a blue deck, as it's likely that it would have Islands in play. And, it should probably be able to Regenerate anyway. >Player A) announces attack, taps a Pouncing Jaguar to attack. >Player B) responds by casting lightning bolt assigning damage to Jaguar. >Lighting bolt resolves, creature dies. >My conclusion: No combat damage from Jaguar. That's correct. You played the Bolt before combat damage was put onto the Stack. ----- [Karl Burlingame, asking about Diminishing Returns] >Could a person deflect Diminishing returns? No. Diminishing Returns isn't targeted. Paul. - -------------------------------------------------NEW-PHONE-NUMBER-- - - Paul Barclay -- paul@second-hand.demon.co.uk -- Phone: 07939 081819 - - DCI Level 3 judge ---- http://www.second-hand.demon.co.uk/index.htm - - Official MTG-L Network Representative for Wizards of the Coast, Inc -