Date: Thu, 15 Jun 2000 23:59:16 +0100 From: Paul Barclay Subject: [O] NetRep Reply 550 ======================================================================= NetRep Reply number 550 to the Magic: the Gathering List ======================================================================= This reply covers the digests: MTG-L Digest - 10 Jun 2000 to 11 Jun 2000 (#2000-179) MTG-L Digest - 11 Jun 2000 to 12 Jun 2000 (#2000-180) MTG-L Digest - 12 Jun 2000 to 13 Jun 2000 (#2000-181) MTG-L Digest - 13 Jun 2000 to 14 Jun 2000 (#2000-182) Older replies may be found at: http://www.second-hand.demon.co.uk ftp://ftp.magic.asuka.net http://www.yavapaiopen.com http://www.en.magic.asuka.net http://www.wizards.com/dci/judge/judgelistarchive.asp Well, this is my 250th Reply. Quite a big milestone. I'm going to China on Sunday, so replies will be scarce or non-existent until July 7th. SHORT ANSWERS: ======================================================================= ** Verdant Force makes tokens for its controller during each player's upkeep step (yes, you get a token during your upkeep and your opponent's, and your opponent doesn't get any - it's not nicknamed "the best fattie ever printed" for nothing. ** WotC R&D don't listen to card ideas from outside Wizards of the Coast. The do occasionally listen to card ideas from NetReps, but generally only to shut us up when we're shouting at them for trying to make broken cards. The only way to get a card created is to win the Duelist Invitational. ** Different card sets have different copyright text on them. ** Magical Hack will change the colour of mana that the Dual Lands can produce. ** Eureka's current Oracle wording is (still) wrong. I'll shout about it again. ** Copy Artifact copies the mana cost of the copied artifact. This is true for all purposes (Echo, Powder Keg etc.) ** Opalescence will make a Copy Artifact into an X/X creature, where X is the copied artifact's converted mana cost. ** If you copy a Legend, the copy will be the "new" Legend, and will immediately die. ** Flicker removes the old permanent and creates a new permanent. The new one is "new" in every way, just like it just came into play (mainly because... ...it just came into play). ** The rules of Magic don't always follow the rules of Philosophy. There aren't many philosophers in Dominaria - it's hard to philosophise while really weird stuff is happening all around you all the time. ** There has to be someone around to drive the Hollow Warrior. It's not legal to attack things while driving, even in Dominaria. LONG ANSWERS: ======================================================================= [Sean Droms, asking about countering shorts] >I've seen lots of tournament reports about people playing spells (ex. >Mana Short) during the opponent's end step so they can't counter it. This isn't true. It's possible to play a spell during your opponent's "end of turn" step, but it's legal for your opponent to counter the spell, or play other spells or abilities during that step, too. ----- [Pikachu, asking about tapping lands] >Player A wants to cast pouncing jaguars. He taps a forest. >Player B decides that he wants to deny whatever is coming, so he decides to >tap that forest as a fast effect with mind games. This isn't correct play. Player A is the active player, so he gets the first chance to play a spell. This involves putting the spell onto the Stack, and paying for it. So, the first Forest is tapped for mana straight away, and the mana is used up. Now, player B can respond to the Jaguar. He does, by using the Mind Games on another Forest. Player A still wants to play another Jaguar, so he taps the Forest for mana in response to the Mind Games. After the Games and Jaguar both resolve, Player A can play the second Jaguar with the {G} that's left in his mana pool. ----- [Talon, asking about Queens] > Now, player A has the creature 'coffin queen' out and untapped, he/she >taps the queen to take a creature from any graveyard and brings it into play >under the control of the queen. Now player B has 'rubinia soulsinger' out >and untapped and he/she taps rubinia to take control of target >creature...targeting the creature currently under the control of the coffin >queen. There isn't any creature "under the control of the Coffin Queen". The Queen just brought a creature from the graveyard, and is waiting to untap so that it can be removed from the game. If Rubinia untaps, the creature goes back to Player A's control. If the Queen untaps, the creature is removed from the game, regardless of who controls it. ----- [Jeff Jordan, talking about the June Rulings] >> 1) Rule 502.7b of the *Magic* Comprehensive Rules currently states, >> "A permanent with protection can't be targeted by spells or >> abilities that have the stated quality." It should read, "A >> permanent with protection can't be targeted by spells or abilities >> from a source with the stated quality." > >Nit-pick: "...by spells, or by abilities from..." Dave sent the same nitpick in about ten minutes after the rulings were released. You're absolutely correct. >Questions: is it necessary for the color to go on the stack anymore? Yes, for a couple of cards (the Informers, Suq-Ata Firewalker and Raiding Party). I'll check to see if these cards can be fixed. >> 3) Rule 409.1b of the *Magic* Comprehensive Rules describes the >> choices a player must make after adding a spell or ability to the >> stack. >How about dropping the buyback phrase, and saying "..any variables in >the mana cost, in the activation cost, or any optional parts of the >cost to play the spell or ability." You technically didn't include the >"X" in Soothsaying's *activation* cost, and there could someday be >other optional costs like Buyback. Good suggestion. This may be slipped in as stealth errata to the rulebook, as it doesn't functionally change anything. >+++++ >Wouldn't it be better "... unless you tap an untapped creature you >control other than Hollow Warrior?" You also ruled out all other >blockers (and attackers). That was intentional on the part of R&D. >> 4) Mercenary Informer and Rebel Informer both work very strangely >> with Conspiracy and other such effects. To make them work how the >> vast majority of players think they should, ... > >How about Brutal Suppression? With Conspiracy, does it still affect >non-token creature abilities played from *any* zone? Brutal Suppression will hopefully be fixed as soon as possible. It wasn't possible to fix it in time, because nobody spotted it. ----- [Yao-ban Chan, asking about Informers] >This is weird. I seem to have a Rebel Informer, but with the Mercenary >Informer flavor text. Is this a typo or something? The flavour texts are all correct (or, possibly, all wrong - it's possible to justify either text on either card, which is part of the point). ----- [David Bowler, asking about Misdirection] >I am wondering if misdirection can make a spell target something that is not >a legal target of the original spell. >Example: A disenchant is cast at my rising waters... Can I misdirect the >disenchant to a non-artifact creature and thus have it fizzle? Or does the >misdirection have to choose an enchantment/artifact? No. You have to choose a legal target whenever you need to choose a target. ----- [Matt Farney, asking a hopeful question] >Use the following example as the most clear example: >City of Nice Fluffy Cushions >. Land. Tap for 1 mana of any color and gain 1 life. > >Attempt to cast Avatar of Hope (at 3 life) via alternate casting cost. >Using the City of Nice Fluffy Cushions to produce mana will invalidate >the alternate casting cost. Can you cast it with the only two land >available being 2 Cities of Nice Fluffy Cushions. Yes. You decide whether you're paying the full cost or the reduced cost before you start paying anything. So, you'll pay {W}{W} in this case, as long as you tap the tow Cities during the announcement of the spell, rather than before. (Names of cards have been changed to protect victims of comedy) ----- [William Hall, talking funny about Icy Prison] >If I play Icy Prison, and I have a Bronze Calendar (Unglued Card) out, do I >pay 3 mana every turn to keep it in play, or just 2 mana??? You have to pay 3 mana in a silly voice to keep it. ----- [Talon, asking more timing questions] > Just for the record, what actions(if any) can be taken during the untap >phase and the upkeep phase??? Nothing can be done in the untap step (other than mandatory actions such as untapping). Lots of things can be done in the upkeep step - everything except Sorceries etc. > For instance can player A with the 'Relic >Barrier' (T to tap target artifact) use the barrier on player B who has a >'Sol Ring'(T to add 2 colorless mana) during player B's upkeep >phase??? Correct. >...and if so that mana produced during that phase if not used will >be 'dumped' at the end of the phase correct??? Correct. The end of the phase is the end of the Draw Step, though, not the end of the Upkeep Step (steps are not the same as Phases). > And player B will have the >option of using this mana but if he/she doesn't this mana will not produce >mana burn correct??? No. If player B draws mana from the Sol Ring, then he'll take mana burn if he doesn't spend it. > Also can player A use instants during player B's untap >and/or upkeep phase??? Yes, of course. ----- [Bjarke Hammersholt Roune, asking about goldfish-testing] >(this is a follow up on my E-mail about an automated goldfish-testing >utility) >(I hope this is not considered off topic) The general discussion isn't at all off-topic. The long lines of computer output are definitely both off-topic and annoying. Please don't post these again. ----- [Pri Hermanwan, asking about Celestial Dawn] >In the comp. rules said that ability or spell only affect the cards in >play. But Celestial Dawn text said "Nonland card you aren't in play are >white....". Yes. This overrules the game rules - this ability only affects things that aren't in play. >Is this mean that all your cards you own (in hands, library, stack, and >graveyard zone) are all white? That's correct. 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 -