Published on 07/02/2007
Enchant Dead Creature
By Eli Shiffrin, Tom Fowler, and Ted Dickinson
This Article from: Tom Fowler
Cranial Translation
[No translations yet]
Note: This article is over two years old. Information in this article may be out of date due to subsequent Oracle and/or rules changes. Proceed with caution.
Happy July, and welcome to another edition of Cranial Insertion. Eli is at PT San Diego this weekend, where I'm sure he's collecting plenty of 2HG questions to use in this column. Those of us who are not in San Diego will be emptying the CI mailbag and covering questions that run the gamut of the Magical landscape, including a card which has changed over the years, hinted at in this article's subtitle.
The CI mailbag is busier than ever! However, we're not raising the rates on our answers, keeping them at only $19.99 per question free! Send us your rules questions to cranial.insertion@gmail.com . We will answer your question, and the odds are very good we'll use it here in the column, allowing you to bask in a tiny bit of internet Magic stardom.
Time to shake the mailbag and see just what falls out!
Q: If I use Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker to copy Academy Rector, will I get to search for an enchantment when the token dies at end of turn?
A: No, you won't. To be able to search for an enchantment, you would need to remove your token Rector from the game after it has gone to the graveyard. The Rector token, however, will cease to exist as a state-based effect long before anything like that can happen.
[cleft]Can somebody tell me what kind of a
world we live in where a man dressed
up like Sam Jackson gets all of my press?[/cleft]Q: Yixlid Jailer is in play, and I have a Dralnu, Lich Lord. If I use Dralnu to give Rewind flashback, can I play it? What if it's Think Twice instead of Rewind?
A: The Jailer removes all abilities from cards in the graveyard. However, if you activate Dralnu after the Jailer has been in play, its ability has a later timestamp, so whatever card you targeted will have flashback this turn. This means you can pay
to flashback your Rewind.In the case of Think Twice, its own flashback ability is removed by the Jailer, but you can use Dralnu's ability on it. If you do, you can flash it back for
instead of . That Dralnu apparently uses all the spare time he has as a lich to hunt for bargains.Q: My opponent has Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir in play, and plays a Skeletal Vampire at the end of my turn. If I somehow manage to kill Teferi in response, does Skeletal Vampire lose flash, meaning it can't be played?
A: It does lose flash when Teferi dies, but it doesn't matter by that point. Flash changes when you can play a spell. Once you've gone thru all the steps of playing it, the fact that it loses flash doesn't change anything – it's been played, it's on the stack, and it will resolve or need to be countered like any other spell.
Q: OK, here's another Teferi situation. I play a random spell and my opponent responds with Remand. If I respond with Teferi, does that "fizzle" his Remand, since he can only play spells whenever he could play sorceries once Teferi is in play?
A: No. Much like in the scenario above, the spell is already on the stack, and will resolve or be countered like any other spell. Dropping Teferi in response to a Remand (or any other instant) does change when your opponent is allowed to play any future instants, but it isn't going to affect any which are already on the stack. Teferi, like Meddling Mage, is not a counterspell.
Q: My opponent resolves a Viridian Zealot. I use a counter from Umezawa's Jitte to give it -1/-1. He sacrifices it in response, targeting the Jitte. Can I use Eight-and-a-Half-Tails to make the Zealot white at this point?
A: Nope. Sacrificing Viridian Zealot is part of the activation cost of its ability, so it's nestled snugly in the graveyard by the time you have a chance to respond to the ability. Since 8.5 Tails can only target spells and permanents, the Zealot in the graveyard is quite immune from his shenanigans.
Q: Is there any way I can use 8.5 Tails to save my Jitte in this situation? Does priority matter?
A: Priority always matters. You can save your Jitte here (at least for the current turn), and while we don't normally get into strategy, I'll tell you how. But first, let's look at the priority in this situation.
Your opponent plays and resolves Viridian Zealot. Barring anything like Vedalken Orrery being in play, that makes your opponent the active player. When the top object on the stack (Zealot) resolves, your opponent has priority. He can activate the Zealot at this point, and you'd be quite unable to respond with 8.5 Tails' ability.
Let's say the Zealot came into play and your opponent passed priority. You then used your 8.5 Tails' ability, targeting the Zealot to make it white. Your opponent responded by sacrificing the Zealot to blow up your Jitte. Your 8.5 Tails' ability will be countered upon resolution, since its target is illegal. Even if you gave your Jitte protection from White, the Zealot was never white, so that won't matter.
Here's what you can do to save your Jitte for this turn: target the Viridian Zealot spell on the stack with 8.5 Tails' ability, making it white. It will come into play as a white permanent, and will remain one until end of turn. If your opponent doesn't realize this and tries to use the Zealot to destroy your Jitte, you can give it pro-White with 8.5 Tails and save it.
Quote from CR 408.1c:
| If all players pass in succession (that is, if all players pass without taking any actions in between passing), the top object on the stack resolves, then the active player receives priority. |
Quote from CR 213.5:
| If an effect changes any characteristics of a spell that becomes a permanent, the effect continues to apply to the permanent when the spell resolves. |
Q: If I play Disintegrate for 12, and then use Reiterate to copy it, is the copy also for 12, or is the X treated as 0?
A: The X will be 12. When you copy a spell, the value of X is known, and the choice you made for it will be copied.
Rule 503.2 says, in part:
Quote:
| 503.2. When copying an object, the copy acquires the copiable values of the original object's characteristics (name, mana cost, color, type, supertype, subtype, expansion symbol, rules text, power, and toughness) and, for an object on the stack, choices made when playing it (mode, targets, the value of X, whether a kicker cost was paid, how it will affect multiple targets, and so on). |
Q: I know that face-down creatures have no abilities. Sudden Spoiling removes all abilities from creatures. If face-down creatures already had no abilities, why does Sudden Spoiling prevent me from turning one face-up?
A: Because face-up or face-down is just the object's status. Sudden Spoiling will remove all abilities, including morph. Look at this rule:
Quote:
| 502.26d Any time you could play an instant, you may turn a face-down permanent you control face up. To do this, show all players what the permanent's morph cost will be when the effect ends, pay that cost, then turn the permanent face up. The morph effect on it ends, and it regains its normal characteristics. |
You can't "show all players what the permanent's morph cost will be when the effect ends" because the morph ability will have been removed by Sudden Spoiling. Because of this, you can't turn the creature face-up.
Q: Can I still look at a face-down creature I control if Sudden Spoiling has been played?
A: Yes. The rules of the game allow you to look at your own face-down permanents. The morph ability being removed until end of turn doesn't have any effect on that.
Q: Are face-down creatures affected by Leyline of Singularity?
A: They happily ignore it in their spider-like pods. Because face-down creatures have no name, they can't share a name with any other permanent in play. Thus, even though each face-down creature is a legendary creature with Leyline of Singularity in play, they don't have the same name because they have no name. The Leyline will have no effect on them.
Q: I have Steam Vines enchanting my opponent's Terramorphic Expanse. He sacrifices the Expanse to search for a basic land. What happens? Is the Expanse destroyed before he can sacrifice it?
A: Sacrificing the Expanse is part of the cost of its ability (as is tapping it). This means playing the ability will trigger Steam Vines, but the Expanse will be in the graveyard long before Steam Vines' triggered ability can resolve. Steam Vines' ability goes onto the stack on top of the Expanse's ability. However, it won't be in play when its ability resolves, since state-based effects will see it loitering in the in-play zone and banish it to the graveyard. When Steam Vines' ability resolves, it will do as much as it can; in this case, that will be dealing 1 damage to your opponent. Because Steam Vines is already in the graveyard, its ability will not cause it to become attached to another land.
Yes, we have an article subtitle!
A: This is an answer that's changed over the years, both because Animate Dead has undergone several ruling revisions (look at the older versions in the autocard window, and compare to the current Oracle wording), and because of the creation and tweaking of the aura rules.
The Blinked creature will not be destroyed when it comes back into play. This is the sequence of events:
Momentary Blink removes the creature from the game, then returns it to play. This all happens during the resolution of Momentary Blink, so state-based effects can't check until the Blink has finished resolving. Once the creature comes back into play, it's considered an entirely new object, so the auras that were attached to it will be sent to the graveyard as state-based effects. Thus, Animate Dead will "fall off" the creature and go to the graveyard, triggering its ability. However, because the creature is considered a new object, Animate Dead does not recognize it as the "enchanted creature," so it will not be destroyed.
Q: Instead of Blinking the creature, let's say I move Animate Dead onto another creature using a flipped Kitsune Mystic. Does the previously enchanted creature remain in play? Does anything special happen to Animate Dead?
A: The creature you originally reanimated with Animate Dead will remain in play. Nothing specifies that it goes to the graveyard, and there's nothing illegal about it being in play. Also, Animate Dead isn't leaving play, so there's no triggered ability trying to destroy it. Because Animate Dead becomes an aura with enchant creature, Autumn-Tail can move it to another creature just like any other enchant creature aura. Nothing special will happen. Note that the creature Animate Dead ends up enchanting will get -1/-0.
Q: Can I play promo cards in tournaments? Specifically, I mean the textless promos and the FNM cards.
A: Yes, they are legal for play in any Constructed format in which that card is legal. The caveat I will offer here is that FNM cards are often legal in Extended but not in Standard, so you can't play your FNM promo Goblin Legionnaire in your Standard Boros deck, no matter how saucy you think it would be. The promo Goblin Legionnaire would, of course, be perfectly fine to play in Extended and older formats where that card is legal.
Bonus: I should also mention the usual caveat about foils: it's easier for them to become marked than normal cards, so be careful. If the only foils in your deck are four very important cards, the judges will have some questions for you.
Q: If Bound in Silence is the only card in any graveyard, does it give Tarmogoyf +1/+1 or +2/+2?
A: It might only be one card, but it has two card types (tribal and enchantment), so Bound in Silence will power up everyone's favorite Llurghoyf twice. If it's the only card in a graveyard, Tarmogoyf will be a 2/3.
Q: I attack with Scalpelexis and remove the top four cards of my opponent's library from the game. Two of the cards are the same, but one is foreign. Is it still considered to have the same name?
A: Yes. If it's the same card, then it has the same name, regardless of translation, different meaning in a different language, etc. This is why the DCI goes by full English language card names. If you're in a country that does not use English as a first language, feel free to substitute something else. The key point is that same card = same name.
Bonus: In some languages, there may be multiple cards which, due to translating errors or linguistic limitations, accidentally have the same name. I hear German is rather famous for this.
Q: Can I play Academy Researchers and put a Daybreak Coronet in my hand into play attached to the Researchers?
A: Only if they suddenly acquired another aura before that could happen. Daybreak Coronet has a restriction in that it can only enchant a creature that has another aura attached to it. This means you can't use the Researchers' CIP ability to put a Coronet into play attached to the Researchers. Daybreak Coronet will fail to move from your hand if you try to do this. Here's the relevant rule:
Quote:
| 212.4j If an Aura is coming into play by any means other than by being played and the effect putting it into play doesn't specify the object or player the Aura will enchant, the player putting it into play chooses what it will enchant as the Aura comes into play. The player must choose a legal object or player according to the Aura's enchant ability and any other applicable effects. If the player can't make a legal choice, the Aura remains in its current zone, unless that zone is the stack. In that case, the Aura is put into its owner's graveyard instead of coming into play. |
Q: I have Platinum Angel in play and my opponent plays Coalition Victory. Does anything happen?
A: Short of your opponent spending a lot of mana to do absolutely nothing of consequence, no. Platinum Angel specifies that your opponent's can't win the game, so Coalition Victory isn't going to do anything here.
Q: My opponent and I both have Platinum Angels in play. I'm at -3 and he is at -6. If I Hurricane for 4, killing both Angels, is the game a draw, or do I win for having a higher life total?
A: The game will be a draw. Hurricane deals 4 damage to all players and flying creatures. When state-based effects come around to deal with broken things, they'll see two lethally-damaged creatures and two players at zero (or less) life. The Angels, with their dying breaths, beg SBEs for mercy and spare both players' lives. However, another squad of SBEs come around right after the other one and still see two players who should be dead. The result is that both of you lose the game at the same time, making it a draw. One of you being "more dead" than the other doesn't matter.
"Crucible of Worlds questions, lawyer
commercials, and Rosie O'Donnell."
"Name three things you can't avoid seeing."
commercials, and Rosie O'Donnell."
"Name three things you can't avoid seeing."
A: Yes, you do. Stomping Ground, like all of the Ravnica Block dual lands, has a replacement effect that modifies the event that puts it into play. The replacement effect looks at the object as it would exist in play, not as it exists in its current zone (where it has no abilities because of Yixlid Jailer). This is covered by a new addition to the Comprehensive Rules:
Quote:
| 419.6i Some replacement effects modify how a permanent would be put into play. (See rules 419.1b-c.) Such effects check only the copiable characteristics of that permanent as it would exist in play. Continuous effects that affected its characteristics in its previous zone or that will affect its characteristics once it's in play are not taken into account. |
Bonus: If you Reanimate a Scarwood Treefolk while Yixlid Jailer is in play, it still comes into play tapped. While it lacks that ability in the graveyard, the Treefolk dons its Carnac hat and sees what it would look like in play. It is struck by the premonition that it comes into play tapped, and that's exactly what happens.
Q: Does Angelic Chorus trigger if I put a creature into play by some means other than playing it?
A: Yes. The Chorus doesn't specify how the creature gets into play; it just cares when a creature comes into play under your control.
Q: So if I gain control of one of my opponent's creatures, will that trigger Angelic Chorus?
A: No. The creature isn't coming into play in this case; it's just changing controllers. The creature must actually come into play, meaning enter the in-play zone from another zone of play, for Angelic Chorus to trigger.
That's all we have for this week. Eli will be around next week, and I'm sure he'll be bringing some questions from San Diego with him. Also, remember that Worldwide Magic Game Day is 14 July, celebrating the release of 10th Edition. Go here to read more about it and find a store near you that's hosting the festivities, and keep reading CI to see more questions and answers about the cards in 10th Edition!
~Tom Fowler
About the Author:
Tom is a Level 2 judge who frequently works in the MD, DC, and PA areas. He is also an active player, and has written articles from both perspectives. Tom has judged numerous Pro Tours, but would like to make it there as a player at least once.
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