Published on 11/18/2024
Building Up Our Foundations
By Carsten Haese, Nathan Long, and Justin Hovdenes
This Article from: Nathan Long
Cranial Translation
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Don't think twice about reading this week's article!
And if you're a new player just starting their Magic experience or a long-time veteran, if you have a rules question, feel free to reach out to us. We'll send you an answer back, and we may use your question in the future. If you have a short question, you can reach out to us at @CranialTweet, but if you have a longer question, you can send us an e-mail at moko@cranialinsertion.com .
Q: I attack with a 4/4. My opponent, fearing a pump spell, blocks with four 3/3 creatures. Can I deal 1 damage to each blocker so my postcombat Pyroclasm can kill all of my opponent's 3/3s?
A: Yep, you can do that, and that's one of the changes that came about with the combat rules change in Foundations. You're no longer required to deal lethal damage to one creatures before you can start assigning damage to another creature blocking it, so in this case, your 4/4 can assign 1 damage to each 3/3 so they each take 1 damage, and then you postcombat Pyroclasm will be able to finish off your opponent's 3/3s.
Q: I have a Cat Collector in play. If I cast Fumigate, will Cat Collector still trigger and give me a Cat token?
A: No, it will not trigger. When Fumigate resolves, we destroy all creatures first, then gain the life. Cat Collector isn't on the battlefield when the life is gained, so it will not trigger and you won't get the Cat token.
Q: I cast Joust Through targeting my opponent's attacking Micromancer. In response, my opponent casts Unsummon to return the Micromancer to their hand. Will I still gain 1 life when Joust Through resolves?
A: You will not gain any life. When Joust Through goes to resolve, it sees that its only target is illegal, and the entire spell does nothing. Since your spell didn't resolve, you won't gain any life.
Q: I control Erudite Wizard. After drawing for the turn, I cast Arcane Epiphany and draw three more cards. Since I've drawn a total of four cards this turn, will I get to put two +1/+1 counters on my Eurdite Wizard?
A: You only get to put one counter on the Wizard. Erudite Wizard's ability triggers when you draw your second card each turn, and that can only happen once each turn. You've drawn four cards total this turn, but you can only draw your second card one each turn, so you get a single Erudite Wizard trigger.
Q: Can Inspiration from Beyond return itself to my hand when it resolves?
A: No it cannot. While Inspiration from Beyond is resolving, it's still on the stack, not in the graveyard. Since it hasn't gone to the graveyard yet, it can't be chosen as the instant or sorcery card to return to your hand.
Q: If I cast Confiscate on my opponent's Quakestrider Ceratops, but on my opponent's turn, they cast their own Confiscate on the Ceratops, who controls the creature?
A: Your opponent will. Since their Confiscate became attached to the Ceratops after your Confiscate, their card has a later timestamp and they will control the Ceratops. Your Confiscate is still attached to the creature, and if the opponent's Confiscate goes away, your Confiscate will give you control of it again, but in the meantime, your opponent controls the Ceratops.
Q: If I have a Bloodthirsty Conqueror and a Marauding Blight-Priest in play, is that a combo that can kill my opponent?
A: Yep, it's very reminiscent of the popular Exquisite Blood/Sanguine Bond combo. When you gain life, that'll trigger the Blight-Priest, causing the opponent to lose life. And the opponent losing life causes your Conqueror to trigger, and you'll gain life. Those two will keep triggering each other until all of your opponents are at 0 life and are dead.
It taps to let me draw three cards.
Of course I'm going to play it.
Of course I'm going to play it.
Q: Can I use Micromancer's triggered ability to search for Primal Might?
A: Yes you can. Anywhere but the stack, X is 0, so the mana value of Primal Might in your library is 1. When you cast it, you may be casting it with a larger X, but Micromancer only cares about its mana value in your library, and Primal Might fits the bill for what it can find.
Q: I have a Demonic Pact under my control, and I've chosen the first three modes. I give control of the Pact to my opponent with Harmless Offering. Do the modes reset when they gain control of it, or will they have to choose the final mode during their next upkeep?
A: They'll have to pick the final mode and lose the game. Changing controllers doesn't count as anything entering or leaving the battlefield, so the Pact still remembers what modes you chose when you controlled it. You've chosen the first three modes, so your opponent will be forced to choose the last mode during their upkeep and will lose the game.
Q: Can I use Deathmark to destroy my opponent's Lathril, Blade of the Elves?
A: Sure. Lathril is a black and green creature. Since Lathril is green, it's a legal target for Deathmark. Lathril is also a black creature, but Deathmark doesn't care if it's other colors, just as long as it's green and/or white.
Q: I control a Driver of the Dead and a Diregraf Ghoul. I attack with both creatures, and both are blocked and die. Can I return the Ghoul to the battlefield with the Driver's triggered ability?
A: You can! After combat damage is dealt and both creatures die, we put the Driver's trigger on the stack. Diregraf Ghoul is in the graveyard at that point, so it's a legal target for the trigger and you can return the Ghoul that just died to the battlefield.
Q: I control a Doubling Season and a Nine-Lives Familiar with five revival counters on it. If my Familiar dies, what happens when it returns?
A: Your Cat has found an infinite lives cheat code. When the Familiar returns at the end of turn, since it had five counters on it when it died, it would return with four counters. But Doubling Season will apply to the Familiar entering with counters on it, so instead of returning with four counters, it returns with eight counters instead. As long as the Season remains in play and the Familiar dies with three or more revival counters on it, it will keep returning with more revival counters than it had previously.
Q: I attack with a Giant Cindermaw and my opponent blocks with Sun-Blessed Healer. Will my opponent gain any life?
A: Nope, your Cindermaw will prevent them from gaining life. The Cindermaw and Healer both deal damage to each other during the combat damage step. The Healer has lifelink, but the Cindermaw is still in play when it's dealing damage, so the Cindermaw will prevent your opponent from gaining life. The Cindermaw dies shortly after damage is dealt, but it's around long enough to prevent your opponent from gaining life with the Healer.
Likely going to be the most played card over
the next five years.
the next five years.
Q: I have a Heroes' Bane in play with four +1/+1 counters on it. If I cast Ordeal of Nylea, since the Bane already has four +1/+1 counters on it, will I immediately sacrifice the Ordeal?
A: No, you need to attack first. The Ordeal only checks the number of counters on the creature when its first trigger resolves after the creature attacks. You don't sacrifice it immediately if the creature already has three or more +1/+1 counters on it when the Ordeal enters.
Q: My opponent has a Dryad Militant in play. If I cast Stab targeting the Militant, does Stab end up in exile or in my graveyard?
A: It ends up in exile. When Stab resolves, the Militant gets -2/-2 and becomes a 0/-1, but it's not dead yet - it won't die until state-based actions are checked once Stab is done resolving. Since the Militant is still on the battlefield when Stab would go to the graveyard, the Militant will apply to it and Stab will end up exiled, not in your graveyard.
Q: Can I activate the first activated ability of Kellan, Planar Trailblazer to give it multiple instances of the triggered ability?
A: You can activate it multiple times, but that won't give it multiple instances of the trigger without help. When Kellan's first activated ability resolves, if he's a Scout, he stops being a Scout and becomes a Human Faerie Detective and gains the triggered ability. If you activate the ability and he's not a Scout, he won't gain the triggered ability.
The only way to make it work would be to use some effect to make him a Scout again (like Unnatural Selection), then activating the ability, which would then give him another instance of the triggered ability.
Q: I activate the +1 ability of Chandra, Flameshaper and make a copy of my Humble Defector. If I activate its ability and give it to my opponent, will it still be sacrificed at the end of turn?
A: Yes, it'll still be sacrificed. Unlike similar effects, which would make you try to sacrifice it, Chandra's ability gives the triggered ability to the creature. The difference means that the player who controls the Defector as the end step begins controls the sacrifice trigger, not you, so even though you don't control it at the end of turn, your opponent will have to sacrifice the token Defector.
Q: I have a Mild-Mannered Librarian. I activate its ability to make it into a Werewolf and draw a card, but my opponent responds by Murdering it. Do I still get to draw a card?
A: Yep, you still get to draw. The ability does not target the Librarian, so the Librarian not being on the battlefield when the ability resolves won't counter the ability. If the Librarian isn't on the battlefield when the ability resolves, nothing else will happen, but you do still get to draw the card.
Q: I attack with Elenda, Saint of Dusk. My opponent casts Aetherize. Do I still have to return Elenda to my hand, or does hexproof from instants save it?
A: It's still returned to your hand. Aetherize does not target anything. You can tell because it doesn't use the word 'target' and it's not an Aura spell on the stack. Since Aetherize is not targeting Elenda, having hexproof from instants will not protect it, and it will still be returned to your hand.
Q: Earlier in the turn, I attacked with a creature, and it traded with an opponent's creature in combat. If I cast Wardens of the Cycle in my second main phase, will its ability trigger at the end of turn?
A: Yep, it will trigger. The Wardens don't need to be on the battlefield when the creature died in order for its morbid ability to trigger. As long as a creature died that turn, the ability will trigger during the end step, whether or not the Wardens were around to see that creature die.
I hope we gave you a good Foundation to get started on this new set. We'll see you again next week!
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