Date: Thu, 24 Aug 2000 21:59:20 +0100 From: Paul Barclay Subject: [O] NetRep Reply 565 ======================================================================= NetRep Reply number 565 to the Magic: the Gathering List ======================================================================= This reply covers the digests from the 13th/14th to the 22nd/23rd of August (numbers 260 to 269): 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 LONG ANSWERS: ======================================================================= [Ed Phillips, asking about the end of the turn] >If I have a 1/1 critter in play, and someone plays Shock on him, and I >respond by giving him Giant Growth. The damage is removed and the Giant Growth wears off at the same time. The creature will survive. >it sounds to me like Windscounter, IMHO, comes back to your hand at the >end of the turn as a penalty, but it seems like it is also meant to >have the "bonus" that he can't be killed by lethal combat damage. No, it's not (it returns at the end of combat, by the way, not the end of turn). It's as vulnerable to combat damage as any other creature, because "at end of combat" abilities trigger after the combat damage step has completely finished. [Greg Janson, asking about older card wordings: Animate Dead] >Since the actual bringing of the creature into play goes on the stack, >I can respond to it by disenchanting the Animate Dead. If I do so, the >creature enters play, but it seems like the enchantment is gone and >will not affect the creature nor destroy it. That's correct. We haven't thought of a good way of correcting this problem yet (adding an "if Animate Dead is in play" makes the wording really stupid), but we don't feel that it's a huge problem. Plus, it actually seems to fit within the theme of the game [Greg Janson, asking about older card wordings: Berserk] >It seems to me that I can play this on a creature after combat damage is on >the stack, but before it resolves, thus destroying the creature but not >letting it deal the additional damage. That's correct. It may well be fixed when we next run through the older cards wordings. [Greg Janson, asking about older card wordings: Illusionary Mask] >So.. I don't have to pay the right colors anymore? This doesn't seem >consistent with the original wording of the card. It's not correct - it needs a better wording. Play it as the intent, not the current Oracle wording. I'll ask. [Kudzu] >....Even if I disenchant it, it comes back? :) We know about this problem. The two abilities should be one big ability. [Greg Janson, asking about older card wordings: Library of Leng] >I believe it's already been mentioned that this should be worded so costs >cannot go to your library. To me it also appears that random discards aren't >handled right. Again, we're aware of the problem. For the Library, play it as intended (If a spell or ability forces you to discard a card, you may put that card the top of your library instead of into your graveyard), not as written - Oracle is _wrong_ with this card's wording. [Greg Janson, asking about older card wordings: Rock Hydra] >Shouldn't this say 'for each damage'? As it is worded now it seems that all >damage is prevented at the expense of a single counter. Yes, it should. Again, play it as if it had this wording. [Greg Janson, asking about older card wordings: Word of Command] >The wording is unclear on this card to me. It says that the player 'plays' >the card, does this mean I can only pick instants? Or can I make them play a >sorcery? creature? a land? even on my turn? Decisions includes both casting >and resolution, correct? Does the player choose the lands to tap or do I? You can make them play anything that they would be able to play if Word of Command were not on the Stack and if they have Priority. This could be a Land, Sorcery, Creature if there are no other spells on the stack and it is their Main phase. You make all decisions about the spell's announcement and resolution. See the rulings in D'Angelo's for more details. They should be followed in preference to other sources. Note that several of them should probably be changed. I'll ask. [Misi, asking about triggered abilities] >can i remove a card from opponent library with a rootwater thief and a >cursed totem in play? Yes - it's a triggered ability, not an activated one. >will an uktabi orangutan destroy the cursed totem? Yes - it's a triggered ability, not an activated one. [Cynthia Myers, asking about Word of Command] >So I could make someone cast Tinker, sacrifice his >Colossus, and put a Phyrexian Processor into play with a >payment of 20 life? Yes, yes, yes, no - they choose how much life to pay, as it's an ability of the Processor. Although, you don't get to look through their deck - you just have to name artifacts until you name one they have (judge required in sanctioned events) >And if he has any artifacts in his library, >then I have to keep naming them until I get one that he has. >But if he has more than one type of artifact, he can fail to >find the one I want him to play and make me keep naming them >until I say the one he wants, right? No. If you name one that is in his library, it goes into play. No "failure to find" here (unless _you_ want to "fail to find"). [Ed Phillips, asking about Defiant Vanguard] >If I Withdraw Defiant Vanguard after damage is assigned, >does his ability still destroy all the creatures he blocked. Yes. It triggers when blocking is declared, so it will kill the creature it blocked even if it leaves play before combat damage is assigned. [Jacek Malinowski, asking about Betrayal] >>You only draw a card for the Betrayal once, the time it becomes tapped >>(i.e. the time it goes from being untapped to being tapped.) Betrayal >>doesn't trigger if it's already tapped and you try to tap it. > >Would it make a difference if Betrayal said: "Whenever enchanted creature >*is* tapped" ? (I think so, but..) This is "some bad wording". This wording would be a state-triggered ability, so it would trigger again every time it resolved. That would be bad, as you'd be (a) dead from drawing too many cards (b) in a infinite unstoppable loop and in a draw (c) killing your opponent with some hideous convoluted combo. [Kid Fix, asking about attacking enchantments] >Player B has a Powder Keg with four counters on it. >Player A declares 2 Opalesence and 2 Parallax Wave as attackers. >Player B responds by Sacrificing the Powder Keg. >Player A responds to the Keg by using fading counters from Wave 1 to remove >Wave 2 and Opalesence 1 from the game. >Is Opalesence 2 (the one that never left play) still a legal attacker? No. It stopped being a creature at some point, and was removed from combat at that point. [Kid Fix, asking two questions] >1) If the only two creatures in play are a Blastoderm and a Silt >Crawler (both at original P/T) can a Topple be played? And if so, how >does it resolve? You can't play the Topple, as the Blastoderm has the highest Power, and it can't be Topple's target. The Topple simply sits in your hand and mocks you. >2) In play are a Cowardice, a Rhystic Deluge and a Morphling (and as >many sources of U as are needed). If I target the Morphling with the >ability of the Rhystic Deluge, and the Morphling's controller pays U to >prevent it being targetted in response, will the effect of the >Cowardice still return it to its owners hand? Yes. The Cowardice triggers as soon as the Morphling is announced as the target of the Deluge's ability. He might be Superman, but he's a still a complete scaredy-cat. [Kevin Cron, asking about Mana Web] >I control a Mana Web (MW) >My opponent, PAT, controls 4 swamps and is in his/her main phase. >PAT has priority and taps 3 swamps to add BBB to his/her mana pool. >My question: I know that mana abilities do not use the stack, but does the >MW triggered ability (to tap the 4th swamp) wait to go on the stack until >*after* PAT puts a spell/effect on the stack or until PAT passes priority? Depends how Pat decides to play it. If he/she decides to announce a spell, then tap for mana to pay for the spell, then the Mana Web ability goes on the Stack on top of the spell. If he/she decides to tap for mana first, then the Web's ability is put onto the Stack, and then resolves, before Pat has a chance to play the spell. >I guess the fundamental question is: for the purpose of abilities that >trigger off of a mana ability (that aren't mana abilities themeselves) does >the state of the game after a mana ability resolves constitute a "player >receiving priority" for rules such as: Only if that Mana Ability wasn't played during the announcement of another spell or ability. [Jeff Stager, asking about Shield Dancer vs Trample] >I have a Shield Dancer and three plains in play. >My opponent has a 7/2 Trample creature in play. >My opponent attacks and I block with Shield Dancer. I then activate >the Shield Dancers ability. What happens? You take 4 damage, the Trampler takes 4 damage (1 from the Dancer, 3 from itself). [Ole Kofoed Hansen, asking about Sorceress Queen] >How does the ability of Sorceress Queen (T: target creature >other than ~this~ is 0/2 until end of turn.) interact with stuff like: >Bad Moon (Enchantment: Black creatures get +1/+1) >Giant Growth (Instant: Taget creature gets +3/+3 until end of turn) >I would think it was simply in timestamp order, but I just >want to be sure. You're correct. It's timestamp order. Paul. - ------------------------------------------------------------------- - - 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 -