Published on 11/16/2020
Commander & Conquer 2
By Carsten Haese, Nathan Long, and Justin Hovdenes
This Article from: Justin Hovdenes
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 Information in this article may be out of date due to subsequent Oracle and/or rules changes.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.
Commander Legends is fully spoiled and its release notes are available for perusing, that can mean only one thing: Questions for cards we can't even buy yet!
This set guarantees double the Legendary commander per pack, so we will guarantee double the questions per Commander Legends card.
If you have any questions about cards form this set or any other set, please send an email to moko@cranialinsertion.com or tweet to @CranialTweet.
Q: In a two player game, I control Teferi's Ageless Insight and cast Explosion of Riches, and my opponent chooses NOT to draw any cards, how much damage will Riches deal this turn?
A: The Riches will draw you two cards, and since you are in a two player game, the opponent will be selected "at random" twice as they are the only available target, and take a total of 10 damage.
Q: In a two player game, if my opponent controls Leyline of Sanctity, can I even cast Explosion of Riches?
A: Yes, you can. Riches doesn't target as its cast, but it creates triggers that do target. If your opponent decides to draw along with you, Riches will trigger twice. Immediately after Riches resolves and is placed in the graveyard (before Priority goes back to you as its your turn) abilities that triggered will attempt to be put on the stack. The triggers from Riches will fail to do this because there is no legal target.
Q: I control Kodama of the East Tree and then cast a Stonecoil Serpent with
of 5. What's the highest mana cost thing I can put onto the battlefield with Kodama?A: Zero. A permanent on the battlefield with
in its mana cost, treats the X as zero.Q: I control Kodama of the East Tree and a Sakashima the Impostor which is copying the Kodama and I have 7 Relentless Rats in my hand. If I cast one of those rats, how many of the others can I put onto the battlefield for free?
A: Short answer? All of them.
When you cast the Rat, it triggers both Kodama and Sakashima to each drop a Rat onto the battlefield for free. Lets assume you let Sakashima's trigger resolves first, when this resolves you put a Rat onto the battlefield. This triggers Kodama again (because the earlier trigger still hasn't resolved). If you let this new Kodama trigger put a Rat on the battlefield, then Sakashima Triggers yet again. This just rinse and repeat until you run out of rats or you choose to not put one on the battlefield.
Q: In a three player game each of my opponents flashes out a Opposition Agent in response to me cracking my Polluted Delta. What the heck happens next?
A: The player who controls the Opposition Agent that resolved most recently gets to control you while you search. When it comes to exiling the land, lets say a Underground Sea is found, you as the owner of the card usually gets to choose which of two competing replacement effect will exile the Sea. But currently you are searching, so you don't make your own game decisions, the opponent who is currently controlling you does. They can choose to let the Sea be exiled by their own Agent, or by 3rd player's Agent. For obvious reasons they will likely choose their own Agent.
Q: In response to my opponent's Demonic Tutor I flash out a Opposition Agent. While controlling them while they search, I find a Panglacial Wurm. Can I cast it? If I can, who pays the mana and who gets it? Does it end up exiled under my Opposition Agent?
A: You can make your opponent cast the Wurm, but only if they have enough mana available, and in the end they get the Wurm. The only way you can get the Wurm "under" your Opposition Agent is if you chose the Wurm to be found by the Demonic Tutor.
Q: Dargo, the Shipwrecker is my commander. At the beginning of my turn I sacrificed him to my opponent's Sheoldred, Whispering One. Does this reduce his cost if I try to cast him from the command zone while still in the same turn?
A: Yes. Assuming this will be the 2nd time you cast him this game and no other cost reduction happens, he will cost
instead of the usual 
.Q: If I sacrifice an artifact creature like Solemn Simulacrum to help cast my Dargo, the Shipwrecker, is his cost reduced by
or 
?A: His cost is only reduced by
. He is only counting the number of permanents sacrificed not the number of (Artifacts sacrificed) + (Creatures sacrificed).
Q: Blim, Comedic Genius is my commander during a multiplayer game and I have generously gifted many cards to an opponent who then dies. What happens to stuff I gave him? I've heard some things get exiled, while some things switch control, can you help me understand the difference?
A: Sure. When a player leaves the game, all control effects that are letting them keep any objects end. In this case, the control effects from Blim end, and you get back all stuff that Blim gave them (and only them). After this if they still control anything they don't own, it gets exiled along with any objects they own. Bribery is an example of how a player gets an object that is under their control, has never had another controller, and they don't own.
To restate, when a player leaves the game, objects they control but don't own do one of the following:
1)Things that are past back and stay in the game, are objects that have had another controller who is still in the game since those objects entered the battlefield.
2)Things that are exiled are those that either never had another controller or there are no previous controllers still in the game since those objects entered the battlefield.
Q: My Blim, Comedic Genius just dealt combat damage to an opponent. I chose to give them Bronze Bombshell. Does the Bombshell blow up before or after they lose life and discard cards to Blim's ability?
A: The Bombshell won't blow up until after the opponent has lost X life and discarded X cards, and the Bombshell will count towards that X for your opponent. Only after Blim's triggered ability fully resolves does Bronze Bombshell's trigger get put on the stack.
Q: My opponent control's Ardenn, Intrepid Archaeologist, a whole variety of equipment, and a Bear Cub. At the beginning of combat on his turn, he has targeted his Cub with Ardenn's ability. Once he chooses which equipment to move, can I Shock the Cub dead before the equipment moves?
A: No. The opponent doesn't decide which equipment will move when the ability goes on the stack. These decisions are made as the ability resolves. However, once the ability has targeted the Cub even though you don't know what he plans to move, if you just kill it, then nothing will move, and Ardenn's ability will be wasted this turn.
Q: I control Ardenn, Intrepid Archaeologist and Grafted Wargear. Can I use Ardenn's trigger to attach my Wargear to my opponent's creature, then pay the
equip cost to move the Wargear to one of my creatures to kill their creature? A: Unfortunately, no. You can move the Wargear to an opponent's creature using Ardenn. If you do, and the Wargear was already attached to a creature you control, then it dies. The problem comes when you use the equip ability to move the Wargear away from the opponent's creature. Grafted Wargear makes Grafted Wargear's controller sacrifice the creature, but you can't sacrifice a creature you don't control.
Q: I control Imoti, Celebrant of Bounty and cast The Immortal Sun. My opponent responds by Negateing the Sun. Do I still get to cascade?
A: Yes, you do. It's not enough for your opponent to counter the original spell to stop you from cascading. They either need two counter spells (one for original spell, and one for the spell you cascade into), or they need a counter spell for the original spell and a Stifle like card for the cascade trigger, or a spell that can counter both the spell and the trigger at the same time like Sublime Epiphany, or a spell that can counter multiple spells (after the cascade trigger has resolved while both spells are on the stack) such as Swift Silence.
Q: I control Imoti, Celebrant of Bounty and cast Goremand. My only creature is Imoti, so I sacrifice it to pay Goremand's additional cost. Do I still cascade?
A: No, you do not. When casting a spell, you pay all costs before it is considered cast. By this point Imoti will no longer be on the battlefield to give Goremand cascade.
Q: Jeska, Thrice Reborn is one of my commanders. If she is the first spell I cast in a game, does she start with 1 loyalty or does she die immediately because she doesn't count herself?
A: She will have 1 loyalty, she does count the current casting towards her starting loyalty. However, if she is not your commander, you will need to be careful to cast one of your commanders before you cast her.
Q: I use Jeska, Thrice Reborn's "zero" loyalty ability targeting my Torbran, Thane of Red Fell. Torbran attacks and goes unblocked this turn, how much damage does he deal?
A: Your opponent chooses, either 8 damage or 12 damage. This is because your opponent is the affected player, they choose which of these 2 replacement effects is applied first, and then since its still damage then the other replacement effect still gets applied.
2 combat damage +2 (Torbran)= 4, than 4 x3 (Jeska)= 12
or
2 combat damage x3 (Jeska)= 6, than 6 +2 (Torbran)= 8
Q: I control Krark, the Thumbless and cast Banefire for 10 damage. I lose Krark's coin flip, do I still deal 10 damage since Banefire can't be countered?
A: Unfortunately (or fortunately for your opponent) Krark doesn't counter a spell when you lose the flip, he merely returns the spell to its owner's hand. So you will deal no damage with that Banefire.
Q: I control Krark, the Thumbless and cast Piracy Charm choosing to make the opponent discard the only card in their hand. If I win Krark's coin flip, can I have the copy of Piracy Charm kill a 1/1 creature?
A: No, you can not. When you copy a spell, you copy the modes chosen and can't re-select them.
As a note, if you copy a card and then cast the copy, you do chose modes because your not copying a spell on the stack. An example would be Piracy Charm under Isochron Scepter.
Q: My commander Liesa, Shroud of Dusk has died only once so far this game. This turn I'm trying to pay
to cast her from the command zone. My opponent says I have to 2 pay life and her normal cost, is this true?A: Yes, that is true. Liesa's first ability essentially replaces her commander tax with a life payment tax. It is not optional.
Q: I control Liesa, Shroud of Dusk and Student of Ojutai. I am currently at 2 life. If I cast a sorcery, do I survive or kill myself?
A: Depends. You get to choose the order these two triggers get put on the stack, if you have the Student's trigger resolve first, you live, but if you let Lieasa's trigger resolve first you lose the game.
Well that is plenty enough commander goodness for me. See you all next week.
-Hovey
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