Published on 12/26/2022
A Look Back At 2022
By Carsten Haese, Nathan Long, and Justin Hovdenes
This Article from: Nathan Long
Cranial Translation
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Alright, everyone jump into your
handy time machine.
handy time machine.
Hiya everyone, and welcome back to Cranial Insertion! It's our last article of 2022, so I thought this would be a good chance to look back at the year in Magic and answer some questions featuring new (or reprinted) cards in 2022. So everyone get ready to look back at the recent past and what was printed in Magic in 2022!
But as we look back, we're still here to answer your questions, whether it's about a card from 2022 or from further in Magic's past. We may even use your question in a 2023 (or beyond) article. If you have a short question, you can send it to our Twitter account at @CranialTweet, and if you have a longer question, you can send it to our e-mail at moko@cranialinsertion.com .
Q: I control Auntie Blyte, Bad Influence and a Horobi, Death's Wail. Can I activate Auntie's Blyte's ability by removing zero counters just to target and destroy an opponent's creature?
A: Yep, you can do that. You're not forced to remove any counters from Aunite Blyte's ability when you activate the ability. Normally, that would mean you wouldn't deal any damage to the target, but with Horobi in play, targeting a creature with the ability means the creature will be destroyed by Horobi's trigger, since it was still targeted by Auntie Blyte's ability.
Q: I have Prowl, Pursuit Vehicle in play. How many counters will Prowl end up with if I cast Captain's Call?
A: It ends up with three +1/+1 counters on it. After the first two triggers have resolved, Prowl will convert into Prowl, Stoic Strategist, but it's still the same object, even after it converts. The third trigger from the Pursuit Vehicle will still resolve and will still give Prowl a third +1/+1 counter, even though its name is different when that trigger resolves.
Q: If I attack with an Iron-Craw Crusher, can it target itself with its attack trigger?
A: Yes, the Crusher can target itself. The trigger requires a target attacking creature, so even if the Crusher attacks alone, it will be able to target itself with its attack trigger.
Q: I activate the ability of Magar of the Magic Strings, exiling a Cruel Ultimatum from my graveyard. Then I cast Clone and copy the token created by Magar. Will I get to cast a copy of Cruel Ultimatum when I deal combat damage with my Clone copy?
A: Nope, you don't get to cast a copy. The noted name is not part of the token's copiable characteristics. While you're free to Clone the token made by Magar, the noted name won't be copied, so dealing combat damage with the Clone means you won't get a chance to cast a copy of Cruel Ultimatum.
Q: I control a Nightmare Shepherd and a bunch of 2/2 creatures. My opponent casts Blight Grenade targeting the Shepherd. Will the Shepherd trigger for the 2/2s that die to the Grenade?
A: No, you won't get any triggers. The Shepherd is going to die before any of your 2/2s die. The Shepherd will die while the Grenade is resolving, but the 2/2s won't die until after the Grenade is done resolving and state-based actions are checked. Since the Shepherd dies before the 2/2s die, it can't trigger for them and you won't create any token copies of them.
Q: Can I sacrifice Braids, Arisen Nightmare to its own trigger?
A: Sure, you can do that. Braids doesn't say you have to sacrifice another permanent, so you can choose to sacrifice Braids itself for its own trigger. If you do, the rest of the trigger resolves like normal - your opponent will have to sacrifice a creature, and if they don't, they'll lose 2 life and you'll draw a card.
Is there an echo in the time stream?
Q: I control Stangg, Echo Warrior equipped with a Batterbone. If I attack with Stangg, what happens?
A: When Stangg's trigger resolves, you'll create a Stangg Twin token, plus a Batterbone copy that will attach itself to the Twin token. However, the Batterbone token did enter the battlefield, which means that its living weapon ability will trigger. When that trigger resolves, you'll create a Germ token and move the Batterbone token from the Stangg Twin token to the Germ token. That token won't be attacking, and the Batterbone token will be sacrificed at the end of combat (along with the Stangg Twin token).
Q: I control Stangg, Echo Warrior that's enchanted with an Ordeal of Nylea. I attack with Stangg and get his token and a token copy of the Ordeal. When I sacrifice the tokens at the end of combat, do I get to search for lands?
A: You do! The last ability of the Ordeal triggers any time you sacrifice the Ordeal, not just if it's sacrificed to the Ordeal's own trigger. At the end of combat, when you sacrifice the Stangg Twin token and the Ordeal token, since you sacrificed the Ordeal token, its ability will trigger and you'll be able to search for two lands.
Q: I have Parallel Lives and Stangg, Echo Warrior in play with an Equipment attached to it. When I attack with Stangg, how many tokens do I get?
A: When Stangg's trigger resolves, you would create one Stangg Twin token, but because of the Lives, instead of creating one token, you make two tokens. Then you create two copies of the Equipment that's attached to the original Stangg. Stangg's trigger would try to attach each Equipment to both of the Stangg tokens, but since you can't have one Equipment attached to multiple creatures, for each Equipment you choose one of the two Twin tokens to attach the Equipment to. But you'll want to attach both Equipment to the same token, since right after the attack trigger is done resolving, we check state-based actions and you'll have to get rid of one of the Stangg Twin tokens since they're legendary.
Q: When I cast and resolve Guided Passage, does my opponent have to give me three cards, or can they "fail to find" a creature card?
A: If one exists, they must give it to you. Guided Passage isn't a search. You reveal your library, and then your opponent has to choose three cards that match the criteria to put into your hand. Since this isn't a search, if one of those cards exists in your library, they have to choose to put it into your hand. This might be handy if you only have one creature card in your library - your opponent must give it to you (as well as a land card and a noncreature, nonland card).
Q: It's my turn, and my opponent just cast Forbidden Alchemy during my end step. In response, I activate Aether Vial and put Dragonlord Dromoka onto the battlefield. What happens to my opponent's spell?
A: Nothing. Their spell has already been cast. While you're free to activate the Vial's ability in response to their spell and put Dromoka onto the battlefield, that won't do anything to their spell that's already on the stack. They won't be able to cast another spell during your turn once Dromka enters the battlefield, but their Alchemy has already been cast and will resolve just fine.
Q: I control Legion Loyalty and a Kaalia of the Vast. If I attack with Kaalia, will I be able to put an Angel, Demon, or Dragon onto the battlefield attacking for each of my myriad copies as well?
A: No, you will not. The myriad copies are put onto the battlefield attacking. They are not declared as attackers, so Kaalia's attack trigger will not trigger for the copies. You get one trigger from the original Kaalia attacking, but you don't get any triggers from the token Kaalias being put onto the battlefield attacking.
Q: I'm playing Commander, and I have my commander Halsin, Emerald Archdruid and its chosen background Cloakwood Hermit in play. Can I use the equip commander ability of Commander's Plate to attach the Plate to Cloakwood Hermit?
A: No you cannot. Even though the Hermit is one of your chosen commanders, the equip ability can still only target a creature. Even a variant like "equip commander" can only target a commander creature you control. Unless you make the Hermit into a creature, you won't be able to attach the Plate to it.
Yes, Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty was
released this year.
released this year.
Q: I control a Baba Lysaga, Night Witch, a 2/2 creature enchanted with Journey to Eternity, and a land. If I activate Baba Lysaga's ability, sacrificing the Journey, the creature the Journey is attached to, and the land, will the Journey return to the battlefield?
A: Yep, its ability will trigger. Even though the Journey is being sacrificed at the same time as the creature, it will see the enchanted creature dying at the same time as itself. So the Journey will trigger and the Journey will return transformed, along with the creature it was attached to.
Q: Is Glittermonger's ability a mana ability?
A: Nope. A mana ability has to generate mana. While Glittermonger's ability will generate Treasures that you can then sacrifice to generate mana, Glittermonger itself is not generating any mana, so it's a normal activated ability, not an activated mana ability.
Q: I cast my second spell of the turn - Ledger Shredder. Will it trigger off of itself being cast?
A: No, it won't trigger in this case. Ledger Shredder has to be on the battlefield when you cast your second spell for its ability to trigger. If you want the Shredder to trigger the turn you play it, it needs to be your first spell of the turn. Once it resolves, you can cast your second spell and get the Shredder's trigger.
Q: I cast Shield Broker, and I gain control of an opponent's creature and put a shield counter on it. But then my opponent removes Shield Broker. What happens to the creature I stole?
A: Nothing yet. You control the creature for as long as it has a shield counter on it, not for as long as you control Shield Broker. The Broker leaving the battlefield won't affect the stolen creature - your opponent needs to get rid of the shield counter on the creature to get their creature back.
Q: If I attack with Norika Yamazaki, the Poet and target an Urza's Saga in my graveyard, will I be able to play it after combat?
A: You cannot play it. Norika tells you to "cast" the target enchantment card. Since Urza's Saga is an enchantment land, it's a valid target for the trigger, but since a land can only be played, not cast, you won't be able to play it post-combat with Norika's trigger. It doesn't matter that it's also an enchantment, something that's a land and another type can only be played, not cast.
Q: I control a Legion's Landing and Isshin, Two Heavens as One. If I attack with three creatures, does the Landing transform into Adanto, the First Fort, then back into the Landing?
A: Nope, it transforms into Adanto and stays there. While the Landing's ability will trigger twice because of Isshin, if a transforming double-faced card has transformed since the trigger was put on the stack, it won't transform a second time. The first Landing trigger to resolve will cause the Landing to transform into Adanto, but when the second trigger goes to resolve, since the card has transformed since the trigger was put on the stack, it won't transform a second time and it won't transform back into the Landing.
Q: I have Dhalsim, Pliable Pacifist in my graveyard. If I cast Kathril, Aspect Warper, will I be able to put a hexproof counter on a creature I control?
A: No you cannot. Dhalsim doesn't have hexproof. It has an ability that can give it hexproof under the right conditions, but that ability only works if it's on the battlefield, not in the graveyard. Since Dhalsim doesn't have hexproof in the graveyard, Kathril's ability won't count it and won't distribute a hexproof counter because of Dhalsim.
That's it for this year. We'll see you again next year!
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