Published on 07/07/2008
Fireworks Elemental
By Eli Shiffrin, Tom Fowler, and Diane Colley
This Article from: Tom Fowler
Cranial Translation
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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 Information in this article may be out of date due to subsequent Oracle and/or rules changes.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.
On Friday, we in America celebrated our country's 232nd year of global domination. Muahahaha! birthday. In a true moment of clarity, I decided to start writing this column after consuming generous amounts of hamburgers, hot dogs, chicken, and adult beverages. I ask you, loyal readers: what better time is there to write a column that relies on your memory and general mental acuity? The good thing is, even if I wrote an answer like "purple monkey dishwasher!" to an easy question, it would get fixed in editing, so you'd never know.
Eventide Prereleases are this weekend. You can find one in your area by going here. We'll be featuring Eventide questions for at least two weeks after the Prerelease. This week, though, it's all questions about cards already in print. Send us your questions, Eventide and otherwise, to cranial.insertion@gmail.com .
Let's get rid of these old, lingering questions.
"I would rather that my spark should
burn out in a brilliant blaze than it
should be stifled by dry-rot."
burn out in a brilliant blaze than it
should be stifled by dry-rot."
spells. I know that you pay the colored mana next to the X but how do you count the X? My examples are Blaze, Invoke the Firemind, Overrule, and Brightflame. Is it + the coloured mana = 1 or is it added together? What is the value of X?A: Magic is such a cool game that we let YOU pick the value of
. As part of playing an X spell, you declare a value for . When it comes time to pay for the spell, you need to have the total amount of mana available (or be able to pay the alternate cost, a la Sickening Shoal). So if you wanted to Blaze your opponent for 6, the cost would be 6R.If you have two X's, then you pay for each one. Conflagrate with X=3, costs 3+3+R, or 6R.
Quote:
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X If a spell or activated ability has a cost with an " " in it, the value of X must be announced as part of playing the spell or ability. (See rule 409, "Playing Spells and Activated Abilities.") While the spell or ability is on the stack, the in its mana cost equals the amount announced as part of playing the spell or ability. If a card in any other zone has in its mana cost, the amount is treated as 0. If you're playing a spell that has in its mana cost and an effect lets you play it without paying any cost that includes X, the only legal choice for X is 0. This does not apply to effects that only reduce a cost, even if they reduce it to zero. See rule 409, "Playing Spells and Activated Abilities." |
Q: I have a Ballynock Cohort and a Safehold Elite. My opponent plays Pyroclasm. Does my Cohort live?
A: Briefly. It lives long enough to think, "Hey, that other guy died. This probably isn't good for AUUUGH THE BURNING!" Once the Safehold Elite dies, the +1/+1 bonus the Cohort enjoys disappears. At that point, it's a 2/2 with 2 damage on it, so it will die also.
Q: If I have Marrow-Gnawer and Ravenous Rats in play, and I activate Gnawer's ability, would I get two rats (the number when I tapped), or one rat, for the one that remains after the cost is paid? This keeps happening at our casual table.
A: You will get one. Marrow-Gnawer, despite being a rat, is very good at counting. Especially when small numbers are involved. Marrow-Gnawer counts the number of rats you control when the ability resolves. Since it's just one (ol' Gnawer himself), you'll only get one rat out of the deal.
Q: If I copy an entwined spell like Tooth and Nail, can it be Twincasted to include the entwine ability?
A: It can. In fact, it must. When you copy a spell, you also copy additional costs, like kicker and entwine.
Quote:
| 503.10. To copy a spell or activated ability means to put a copy of it onto the stack; a copy of a spell or ability isn't "played." A copy of a spell or ability copies both the characteristics of the spell or ability and all decisions made when it was played, including modes, targets, the value of X, and additional or alternative costs. (See rule 409, "Playing Spells and Activated Abilities.") Choices that are normally made on resolution are not copied. |
When you copy an entwined Tooth and Nail, the only thing you can get out of it is another entwined Tooth and Nail.
The stand-in for Clone's nude scenes.
A: You get to decide. Body Double enters play as an exact copy of Clone, meaning you get to make the "as ~ comes into play" choice for Clone. Unless the Double-Clone is the only creature in play, you shouldn't wind up with a 0/0 very often.
Note that neither Clone nor Body Double target the object they're copying.
Q: If I have a Morselhoarder with no -1/-1 counters on it enchanted with Runes of the Deus, and I attack into my opponent's Oversoul of Dusk, how much do I get to trample over for?
A: In reality, any number from 0 to 6. I'll presume, though, that you want to maximize the trample damage you assign to your opponent. That's also the default in the player communication policy.
Your 8/6 trampling, double-striking 'Hoarder smashes into the Oversoul. You have to assign lethal damage to the Oversoul, which is 5, allowing you to assign 3 to your opponent. That's first strike damage. When normal damage comes around, you do the same thing—first strike damage dealt to the Oversoul was prevented, so lethal damage is still 5. Oversoul hits back at your 'Hoarder for 5. In the end, you've hit your opponent for 6 damage.
Q: If I play River's Grasp with no
, do I still have to declare a target player for the black portion of the card? If so, does the spell still attempt to resolve normally if the targeted creature has been moved/protected/etc?A: You have to target one player with River's Grasp, even if you aren't going to spend any
on it. You may or may not target a creature, even if you aren't going to spend any 
. If you target a player and a creature while spending no , and the creature gains shroud or protection in response, River's Grasp will still resolve since one target is legal. It won't do anything, though, since the creature is now an illegal target and will thus be unaffected."What 'get out of jail free' card?"
A: Yixlid Jailer is not the better choice as far as Darksteel Colossus is concerned. The Colossus has a pre-emptive "get out of jail free" card (more like a "never go to jail in the first place" card) in the form of its replacement effect. It's never in the graveyard, so Yixlid Jailer will never be able to affect it. Dread, on the other hand, has an ability that triggers from the graveyard, so Yixlid Jailer will happily remove it.
Q: I rather liked the tombstone marker on cards with flashback. In recent sets, there have been a lot of cards that do things while they're in the graveyard. With that in mind, is it OK to mark cards in your graveyard in some way if they have abilities like this? Perhaps they're kept turned sideways in the graveyard pile, have counters or dots placed on them, or have had their title bar highlighted.
A: The tombstone icon was really meant for use only in Odyssey block. Unfortunately, some players thought it had a special rules meaning, instead of being just a reminder. Also, players tended not to like the look of the tombstone icon on the cards. I wouldn't expect to see it again, even if another set is printed with a lot of "graveyard matters" cards.
Turning relevant cards sideways is OK, as long as you keep your graveyard a single pile and don't change the order. Counters are OK but messy enough that they should be avoided. Marking the cards can potentially get you in trouble for Outside Notes, and that could be a Very Bad Thing. The best thing to do would be to turn the important cards sideways if you need a way to remember them or spot them easily.
Bonus: Also, you can put more ranks into your Spot skill so you can find the cards more easily. The DC is probably only about 10.
Bonus #2: Since sucky 4th Edition is the current D&D, never mind that last piece of advice.
Q: Mirrorweave targets a face-down Birchlore Rangers and a face-down Akroma, Angel of Fury is also in play. Can the Akroma, Angel of Fury be turned face-up for one green mana?
A: The face-down characteristics of Birchlore Rangers are what will be copied by Mirrorweave. One of the exceptions to the "you copy what's printed on the card" rule is the characteristics of face-down permanents. If you manage to turn Red Akroma face up, the result won't be very spectacular.
Quote:
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503.2. When copying an object, the copy acquires the copiable values of the original object's characteristics (name, mana cost, color, card type, supertype, subtype, expansion symbol, rules text, power, toughness, loyalty) 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). The "copiable values" are the values that are printed on the object, as modified by other copy effects, by "as ... comes into play" and "as ... is turned face up" abilities that set characteristics, and by abilities that caused the object to be face down. Other effects (including type-changing and text-changing effects), status, and counters are not copied. |
Q: Do the effects of instants and sorceries happen before, after or at the same time as when the card is put into the graveyard? For example: A 1/2 Tarmogoyf gets targeted by Nameless Inversion and there is a sorcery in a graveyard, does the Tarmogoyf die or does it become a 6/1?
A: The last step of an instant or sorcery resolving is putting it into the graveyard. After the spell has resolved and the card is in the graveyard, then state-based effects are checked. This means Tarmogoyf will count tribal and instant among the card types it uses for its P/T. It'll be a 3/4, and after Nameless Inversion is applied, a 6/1.
Quote:
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212.5b When an instant spell resolves, the actions stated in its rules text are followed. Then it's put into its owner's graveyard. |
Rule 212.7b says the same thing about sorcery spells.
Ack, Dredge flashback!
A: You can't respond to the act of putting it into play. However, the ability that puts it into play is a triggered ability, and you can respond to that while it's still on the stack.
Abilities that put something into play are usually either triggered (Narcomoeba) or activated (Elvish Piper), and you can always respond to those abilities. Spells sometimes do the same thing (Tooth and Nail), and you can respond to that spell like any other. Once the spell or ability resolves and some object is being put into play, though, it's too late to respond.
Q: I was wondering, what happens if I enchant Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind with Ophidian Eye? Is it a draw? Do I deck myself? Or do I actually win?
A: Ophidian Eye has a "you may" clause, so at some point, you can choose not to draw the card. This means the game doesn't end in a draw (that only happens when the loop contains all mandatory actions), and since you can choose not to draw the card, you shouldn't deck yourself. Wow, that's a lot of uses of "draw" right there. Maybe I can find another one and draw this answer out even longer. Yay, I did! But now, I guess we should draw back to the matter at hand. Basically, the combo lets you ping your opponent for damage = the cards in your library. This is normally enough to win most games.
Q: Do triggered abilities appear on the stack at the same time state-based effects are applied?
A: No, but they follow closely behind. First, you check for state-based effects, repeat as necessary until there are no more SBEs, and then triggered abilities go onto the stack.
Q: If a player controls two permanents that both trigger during a single event on an opponent's turn, who decides in what order the abilities are placed on the stack?
Specifically, can a player who controls both Maralen of the Mornsong and Anvil of Bogardan have an opponent resolve Maralen of the Mornsong first and then discard a card with Anvil of Bogardan?
A: DIABOLICAL~! Unlike many other proposed diabolical schemes, this one actually works.
Quote:
| 410.3. If multiple abilities have triggered since the last time a player received priority, each player, in APNAP order, puts triggered abilities he or she controls on the stack in any order he or she chooses. |
Each player chooses the order for the triggered abilities s/he controls. In this case, you could make your opponent resolve Maralen's ability for what would be their normal card draw, then discard a card for Anvil of Bogardan.
Q: What happens if I play Peppersmoke on my only Faerie? Presume it's a 1/1.
A: Then you give your only Faerie, a 1/1, -1/-1 until end of turn. I guess the real question here is, "do I still draw a card?" And the answer is ...
Spoiler:
That's all we have for this week. Next week, we start with the Eventide questions, with many taken from Prerelease floors. I'll be at the Prerelease in College Park, MD, Eli will be on-hand in sunny Arizona, and Diane will be in the Motor City. Look for us if you're attending those Prereleases. I'm sure we'll have some questions from those to contribute.
-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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