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Published on 10/31/2016

Trick or Treat!

or, Happy Halloween!

By Carsten Haese, James Bennett, Callum Milne, and Nathan Long
This Article from: Moko

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 Information in this article may be out of date due to subsequent Oracle and/or rules changes.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.

Greetings, and welcome back to another issue of Cranial Insertion. If you were here last week, you're probably expecting an article by James. Unfortunately, James had too many real-life responsibilities to deal with, so he asked me to help out, and it's actually quite fitting that a zombie chimpanzee should write the Halloween edition of Cranial Insertion. Of course, as a zombie chimpanzee I don't know much about Magic rules, so I had to pick the brains of some of the Cranial Insertion team members to acquire their powers. Specifically, I picked the brains of Carsten, Nathan, and our French translator Mikaël. Don't worry, I left enough of their brains intact, so they'll be fine. I hope.

If you have questions you'd like one of our team members to answer, please send an email to me at moko@cranialinsertion.com , or tweet short questions to @CranialTweet. One of our authors will get back to you with an answer, and your question might even appear in a future article.

Now, let's see what scary rules questions we have in store for you this week.

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Q: My opponent and I are at 1 life. He controls a Norn's Annex and I control a Raid Bombardment. Can I kill my opponent by attacking with my Wild Cantor if Wild Cantor is my only available source of mana?

A: No, that is not possible. To attack, you first choose the set of creatures you attack with. Here, the Cantor. Then, you calculate the cost to attack with those creatures. The Annex makes it cost , as paying 2 life won't be an option. You then have a window to pay mana in order to pay the cost. It is at this moment that you will have to sacrifice the Cantor to pay. Once the cost is paid, the declared creatures that are still on the battlefield attack. At this point, the Wild Cantor is no longer on the battlefield. The Bombardment won't trigger to kill your opponent.

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Q: The only non-land permanent I control is Padeem, Consul of Innovation. In my upkeep, can I flash Torrential Gearhulk in response to Padeem's trigger to draw a card?

A: No, you can't do that. Padeem's trigger has a so called intervening if clause that appears right after the description of the trigger event ("[When/Whenever/At event], if [conditions], [effect]"). Such a condition is checked both when the ability would trigger and when the ability resolves. If the condition is not met at the time the ability would trigger, the ability doesn't trigger in the first place.

In order to work they way you want, the ability would have to be written as "At the beginning of your upkeep, draw a card if you control the artifact with the highest converted mana cost or tied for the highest converted mana cost," but alas, it's not written that way.

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Q: I play a Marionette Master and announce right away that I choose the +1/+1 counters. My opponent plays Grasp of Darkness in response. Can I choose to have Servo tokens?

A: Yes, you can have tokens. Actually, you even have to get tokens, without any choice. Fabricate give you the opportunity to put +1/+1 counters. If you don't, you get Servos. If your creature is no longer on the battlefield, you cannot put +1/+1 counters on it. In this case, you have to make the other possible choice.

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Q: I play Makeshift Mannequin on a Torrential Gearhulk. Can I target the Mannequin to play it again?

A: Yes, that is possible. Even if Gearhulk's ability triggers when it enters the battlefield, it waits until after the resolution of Makeshift Mannequin to go on the stack. When the trigger goes on the stack, Makeshift Mannequin is in the graveyard, and it is a legal target. You will be able to reanimate a second creature.

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Q: What's the difference between sunburst and converge?

A: Well, let's start with what they have in common. They are both mechanics that count the colors of mana you used to cast a spell, and they use that number to generate an effect of a certain size, and that's where the similarity ends.

Sunburst is a keyword ability, which means that it is a shorthand notation for a chunk of rules text that always does the same thing, namely it puts counters on the permanent that the spell becomes.

Converge is an ability word, which doesn't have any rules meaning in itself at all. It is essentially reminder text that's used to point out a thematic commonality between certain cards in a set or block, and you have to read the rules text of the card to see what the card actually does. Some converge spells put counters, too, but others do things like card drawing or searching your library for a card.

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Q: I've heard that Curtain of Light can cause Blighted Agent to be blocked even though Blighted Agent can't be blocked. If "can't" effects always take precedence, how is this possible?

A: It's possible because Curtain of Light isn't actually doing anything that Blighted Agent's ability prevents, even though it may look that way at first glance. Blighted Agent's ability says that it's not possible to declare a blocker blocking it, but it uses slightly fewer words than that. Note that it does not say that Blighted Agent can't become or be a blocked creature. In other words, the word "blocked" in the ability "Blighted Agent can't be blocked" is not an adjective; it is the passive tense of the verb "to block."

Curtain of Light performs a sleight of grammar and causes the target creature to become a blocked creature without actually blocking it, so it deftly sneaks past Blighted Agent's blocking restriction.

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Q: I have a Giant Spider in play, and my opponent casts Magmatic Chasm and attacks me with a Wind Drake. Can I block with my Giant Spider?

A: No you cannot. The Chasm says creatures without flying cannot block this turn. While the Spider is allowed to block an attacking creature with flying, the Spider still does not have flying, so it won't be able to block at all that turn.

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Q: I control Aegis of the Gods. My opponent controls a Guttersnipe and casts Obsessive Search. Will I take damage from Guttersnipe's trigger?

A: Yes you will. Just because you're being affected by a spell or ability doesn't mean you're being targeted by it. Guttersnipe's ability does not target, so even though you have hexproof, you will still be affected by the trigger and you'll still take two damage.

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Q: My opponent controls a Circle of Flame. I attack them with my 1/1. Will my 1/1 get to deal combat damage before it dies from the Flame's trigger?

A: Nope, your 1/1 dies well before it can deal damage. The Flame's trigger will go on the stack and will resolve during the declare attackers step. But in order to deal damage, the creature has to be in combat when the combat damage step begins. The 1/1 will take 1 damage during the declare attackers step, and it will die well before it can deal damage to the opponent.

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Q: My opponent attacks me with a Myr Battlesphere. In response to the Battlesphere's triggered ability, I gain control of it with Spinal Embrace. If they tap Myr when the trigger resolves, will I still take damage?

A: Yep, you're still going to take damage from the trigger. When the Battlesphere changes controllers, it's removed from combat. However, that doesn't do anything to the triggered ability that's already on the stack. Even though the Battlesphere is no longer attacking, the trigger will still know what player it was attacking when it was declared as an attacker. If your opponent chooses to tap Myr, you will still take damage from the trigger.

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Q: I cast Gonti, Lord of Luxury and exile my opponent's Radiant Flames. Can I tap three Swamps for black mana, then use that mana as mana of other colors to get the full effect from the converge spell?

A: No you may not. While you can use mana as though it were mana of any type to cast the exiled spell, converge can see through those kind of tricks and will check to see what the mana's actual colors were when you cast it. You used three black mana to cast the Flames (even if you treated it as though it were mana of another color when you cast it), so the Flames will only deal one damage to each creature when it resolves, not three damage.

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Q: I control Marchesa, the Black Rose (long will she reign) and a 1/1 Servo token with a +1/+1 counter on it. My Servo dies. Will my Servo token return to the battlefield at the of the turn?

A: No it will not. The token will go to the graveyard, and since it had a +1/+1 counter on it, Marchesa's (long will she reign) ability will trigger. However, before that trigger can even go on the stack, state-based actions are checked and the game sees a token that's no longer on the battlefield, so the token ceases to exist. Since the token no longer exists, it will not return to the battlefield at the end of turn.

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Q: If I enchant a crewed vehicle with Imprisoned in the Moon, what happens at the end of the turn when the animation effect wears off?

A: Very little happens. As you said, the animation effect wears off, and that's it. Imprisoned in the Moon is still attached to the vehicle, and its effect turns the vehicle into a land. As a land, it's legal to be enchanted with Imprisoned in the Moon, so the Aura stays on the vehicle indefinitely.

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Q: My opponent casts Silence during my main phase. Can I still cast spells before it resolves?

A: Sure! Silence does nothing until it resolves. As long as it hasn't resolved yet, you'll still be able to cast spells. Just note that you'll only be able to respond to Silence by casting instants or cards with flash. Since there's a spell on the stack, you can't cast permanent spells without flash or sorceries.

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Q: How does Mask of the Mimic work?

A: Ok, so this card is a little weird, especially if you're looking at the printed text and not the Gatherer text, so let's walk through an example.

Let's say you have a Squire and a Krosan Colossus in play, and you decided that you really want a second copy of the Colossus, so you cast Mask of the Mimic. As the target for the Mask, you choose Krosan Colossus. As part of the cost of casting the Mask, you have to sacrifice a creature (it's not something that happens when the spell resolves, like how the card as printed reads: that's just how those kind of effects were worded way back then), so you sacrifice the Squire. When the Mask resolves, you search your library for a card named "Krosan Colossus" and put it onto the battlefield. Ta-da! You turned your puny Squire into the giant Krosan Colossus!

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Q: I'm in a four player game, and I have an Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger in play, with a Blade of Selves attached to it. If I attack with Ulamog, will I exile 20 cards from all of my opponent's libraries?

A: No you will not. Blade of Selves puts the tokens onto the battlefield attacking. However, Ulamog's ability triggers when it's declared as an attacker, not put onto the battlefield attacking. And unfortunately, since Ulamog is legendary, two of your three Ulamogs will die due to the legendary rule. The opponent you attacked with the original Ulamog will exile the top 20 cards of their library, while your other two opponents will not exile anything.

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Q: I have a Cowl Prowler in play, with my opponent's Captured by the Consulate attached to it. If I want to cast Appetite for the Unnatural, will it have to target my Prowler?

A: No it will not. The target is only changed to the enchanted creature if that spell could target the enchanted creature. Since Cowl Prowler is not an artifact or an enchantment, the target will not be changed to the Prowler and will remain targeting whatever you initially targeted with the Appetite (hopefully, that annoying Captured by the Consulate).

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Q: My opponent controls a Nightfall Predator, and they activate its ability, targeting my Trained Armodon. In response, I kill the Predator with Lightning Blast. Will my Armodon still die?

A: Nope, it will survive. In order for the fight to happen, both creatures need to be on the battlefield when the ability resolves. Your Armodon is still in play and ready for a fight, but the Predator is nowhere to be seen (there's just a big scorch mark where it was once standing). Since the Predator is no longer in play, the fight doesn't happen, and the Armodon survives.

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Q: I have a Syndicate Trafficker in play, along with a clue token. If I sacrifice the clue token to activate the Trafficker's ability, do I get to draw a card too?

A: Sadly, you do not. Drawing a card is an activated ability of the clue token, and you only draw a card if you sacrifice the clue to activate the ability, not if you sacrifice it for any other reason. If you sacrifice the clue token to activate the Trafficker's ability, the Trafficker will get the counter and will be indestructible for the turn, but you won't draw a card from the clue.

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Q: My opponent just threw up all over my cards. Now what?

A: First off, your opponent seems to be in need of medical attention, so your opponent will probably have to drop from the tournament to take care of that.

Then, you will have to do your best to undo any damage that has been done to your cards. If any cards have been rendered unplayable, the head judge of the tournament can issue proxies that you can use for the remainder of the tournament. You can't use those proxies in other tournaments, though, so you'll have to find replacement cards if you want to play your deck in future tournaments. Whether your opponent is financially liable for helping you acquire those replacement cards is a question you'd have to ask a lawyer who is knowledgeable about your local laws.

Finally, if your opponent suddenly got better and didn't drop from the tournament, the judge will issue a time extension for the time that was lost to cleaning up the mess and issuing any necessary proxies. If your opponent did drop, you won the match by default and you won't need a time extension.

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Speaking of time limits, that's all the time we have for now. Thanks for reading, and I hope you'll be back next week for more treats.

- Moko

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About the Author:
Moko was born in Tanzania, and died in a tragic accident involving a catapult while being transported from Eli Shiffrin to Thijs van Ommen between the first two Cranial Insertion articles. Subsequently zombified, he helps sort their mail and occasionally answers questions. His pastimes include bananas and brains. Mmm brains.

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