Published on 11/11/2024
Prelude to Foundations
By Carsten Haese, Nathan Long, and Justin Hovdenes
This Article from: Carsten Haese
Cranial Translation
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Would you like to meet some
Rodents of Unusual Size?
Rodents of Unusual Size?
As always, if you have Magic rules questions for us, you can email your questions to moko@cranialinsertion.com , or tweet short questions to us on X at @CranialTweet if you're still there. One of our authors will send you a reply, and your question might appear in a future article.
And now, without further ado, let's dive into Foundations!
Q: So, I've heard that "damage assignment order" is going away? Is that true?
A: Yup, that's true. Wizards of the Coast has decided that the damage assignment order — facetiously nicknamed the "Conga Line Of Death" when it was introduced way back with Magic 2010 — was rules baggage that didn't come up nearly often enough to keep around, and judging from how rarely we've been asked about it, I'd agree with that assessment. Starting with Foundations, when an attacker is being blocked by multiple blockers, its controller simply divides its combat damage as they choose among the blockers blocking it. Similarly, in the rare case when a blocker can block multiple creatures, its controller divides its damage as they see fit among the attackers it's blocking.
Q: If I control Fractured Realm and a Cat Collector and I gain life for the first time in a turn, do I create two Cat tokens?
A: Sure. Cat Collector's token creation ability doesn't have a restriction on how many times it can trigger. Such restrictions are written "This ability triggers only once each turn", as seen on Academy Wall for example, and Fractured Realm wouldn't cause it to trigger an additional time. Cat Collector on the other hand just has an unusually specific trigger condition, but that doesn't stop Fractured Realm from making it trigger twice when that trigger event — you gain life for the first time in a turn — happens.
Q: I attack with a vanilla 3/3 and my opponent blocks it with a vanilla 3/3. If I deal 3 damage to the blocker with Joust Through, does my opponent take 3 damage?
A: No. Once an attacker has been blocked, it remains blocked even if there is no creature blocking it. In the combat damage step it swings wildly and angrily at the air where the blocker used to be, so it won't get the chance to deal damage to your opponent. If it had trample, it would deal all its combat damage to your opponent, but it doesn't have trample.
Q: If I give Inspiring Paladin double strike with Twinblade Blessing, does it deal first strike damage twice?
A: No. When a creature has double strike, it's irrelevant whether it also has first strike. Having double strike lets it deal combat damage in both the first combat damage step and in the regular combat damage step. Having first strike lets it deal combat damage in the first combat damage step, but it already gets to do that on account of double strike.
Q: I attack with my Eager Trufflesnout and my opponent blocks it with some vanilla 3/3 creature. Before combat damage, I flash Twinblade Blessing onto the Trufflesnout. What happens?
A: Since your Trufflesnout has double strike now, the game inserts a first combat damage step in which just the Trufflesnout deals its combat damage. You have to assign at least 3 damage to the blocker, and you can assign the remaining 1 damage to your opponent because Trufflesnout has trample. You could assign all 4 damage to the blocker, but you probably don't want to. Either way, the blocker gets destroyed in the first combat damage step, so it won't deal any damage to Trufflesnout in the regular combat damage step. Trufflesnout is still blocked, just like in the Joust Through question above, but it has trample, so its 4 damage tramples over to your opponent. Since Trufflesnout dealt damage to a player on two occasions, assuming you assigned that 1 damage to your opponent in the first combat damage step, you'll create two Food tokens.
Come sail away, come sail away
Come sail away with me
Come sail away with me
A: No, that doesn't work. Uncharted Voyage targets a creature without specifying a zone, which means it targets a creature on the battlefield.
Q: Can I cast Bigfin Bouncer if my opponent doesn't control any creatures?
A: Sure, that's no problem. Bigfin Bouncer doesn't target a creature as you cast it. It has an enters ability that triggers when Bigfin Bouncer enters, and you choose a target at that time. If there is no legal target available for the ability, the ability simply is removed from the stack and does nothing, but the Bouncer sticks around on the battlefield to fight for you.
Q: I have six cards in my graveyard and I attack with my Cephalid Inkmage. My opponent blocks it with a Bear Cub. If I cast some instant spell to get a seventh card into my graveyard, does Inkmage go through unblocked?
A: No, that doesn't work. Blocking restrictions are only checked at the moment blockers are declared. At the time your opponent declared the Bear Cub as a blocker, no blocking restriction existed, so the block is legal. Introducing a blocking restriction after that point won't undo the block.
Q: The only nonland permanent I control is Abyssal Harvester, and I use it to make a token of the Gutless Plunderer that was put into my graveyard earlier this turn. If I cast Lunar Insight, how many cards do I draw?
A: I'm afraid you'll draw just one card. While tokens usually have a mana value of 0, a token that's a copy of something copies its mana cost, so it has the same mana value as the original. Both Abyssal Harvester and Gutless Plunderer have a mana value of 3, so there is only one distinct mana value among the nonland permanents you control.
Q: Can I use Billowing Shriekmass's enter ability to mill cards from my opponent's library?
A: No. The ability instructs you to mill three cards, which means that you put the top three cards of your library into your graveyard. The strategy here is that you want cards in your graveyard because Shriekmass gets bigger once there are at least seven cards in your graveyard. If your plan is to remove cards from your opponent's library for fun and profit, you'd have to use something like Millstone.
Q: If I control Crackling Cyclops and cast Bulk Up on it, does Bulk Up's doubling effect see the +3/+0 bonus from Crackling Cyclops's own ability?
A: It does, so bulking up a Crackling Cyclops is not as useless as it might initially seem. The reason is that when you cast Bulk Up, Crackling Cyclops's ability goes on the stack above Bulk Up, so the ability resolves first. Then Bulk Up resolves and it sees that Crackling Cyclops's power is 3, so it gives the Cyclops another +3/+0.
He works with a skeleton crew,
and his favorite tool is a skeleton key.
and his favorite tool is a skeleton key.
A: Not while Tinybones is dead. The continuous effect that allows you to play the exiled cards doesn't come from the effect that exiled them or from the stash counters that are on them. The effect comes from Tinybones's second ability, which is a static ability, and it is only in effect while Tinybones is on the battlefield. However, if you manage to cast Tinybones again, you gain access to play those cards again even though this new Tinybones is not the same Tinybones that originally exiled the cards. All that matters is that they are cards in exile that you don't own and that have a stash counter on them.
Q: I control Rite of the Dragoncaller and I cast, for example, Boltwave. If my opponent Refutes Boltwave, do I still get a Dragon token?
A: Absolutely. The ability already triggered when you cast Boltwave, and it goes on the stack on top of it. Countering Boltwave doesn't "un-trigger" the ability or otherwise remove it from the stack, so the ability will still resolve and give you a Dragon token.
Q: I control Sower of Chaos and my opponent controls a vanilla 3/3 creature. If I attack with Sower of Chaos, can I use its ability to stop the 3/3 from blocking it?
A: Sure, that works. Attacking with Sower of Chaos taps it, but that doesn't turn off its activated ability or prevent you from activating it, since there is no tap symbol in the cost. As long as you have the necessary mana to pay the cost, there's nothing stopping you from activating the ability.
Q: There are two creature cards in my graveyard and I cast Revenge of the Rats. In response, my opponent flashes in an Ambush Wolf to exile one of those creature cards. How many Rat tokens do I get?
A: Just one now. Revenge of the Rats doesn't lock in the number of creature cards in your graveyard when you cast it. It only determines that number when it resolves. At that time there is only one creature card in your graveyard, so you get one Rat token.
Q: If Soulstone Sanctuary has been turned into a creature and dies, does Valkyrie's Call bring it back?
A: I'm afraid not. Valkyrie's Call only works with non-Angel creatures, and non-Angel doesn't mean "has a creature type other than Angel," it means "does not have the creature type Angel." Since the animated Soulstone Sanctuary has all creature types, including Angel, it's not a non-Angel creature.
Q: If I control Needletooth Pack and a creature token died this turn, does the morbid ability trigger?
A: It certainly does. A creature token is a creature, and even though it ceases to exist shortly after going to the graveyard, that doesn't change the fact that it died.
Q: If I control a Herald of Eternal Dawn and my opponent plays one, too, does the game end in a draw?
A: Not necessarily. While both of you control a Herald of Eternal Dawn, neither you nor your opponent can win or lose the game, but the game continues indefinitely, and one of you could find a way to deal with their opponent's Herald. In the unlikely event that both of you run out of cards in your libraries without finding a way to get rid of either Herald, it would be a good idea to mutually agree to declare the game a draw and start over. Also, if you're in a tournament round with a time limit, the game will end in a draw if the game doesn't end after the five additional turns after time is called.
And speaking of time limits, that's all the time we have for this week. Thanks for reading, and please come back next week for more Magic rules questions and answers.
- Carsten Haese
About the Author:
Carsten Haese is a former Level 2 judge based in Toledo, OH. He is retired from active judging, but he still writes for Cranial Insertion and helps organize an annual charity Magic tournament that benefits the National MS Society.
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