Published on 06/28/2021
Summer Time Mail Bag
By Carsten Haese, Nathan Long, Justin Hovdenes, and Andrew Villarrubia.
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 Information in this article may be out of date due to subsequent Oracle and/or rules changes.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.
Backyard barbecue, yes please.
Today is all about answering your questions. Every question today was asked of us over the last 2 weeks on twitter @CranialTweet, or at our email at moko@cranialinsertion.com , or on IRC at IRC MTG Rules.
If you have further questions you would like answered, please use any of the above sources, and we will do our best to get your question answered quickly.
Q: I control Recurring Nightmare and Teferi, Time Raveler. After activating Teferi's +1 loyalty ability, I pass turn. During my opponent's turn can I activate Recurring Nightmare at instant speed?
A: You can not. Teferi's ability only changes when you can cast a Sorcery. His ability has no effect on abilities limited to "sorcery speed".
Q: I have a Rhystic Study and my opponent casts Wipe Away targeting my Rhystic Study. Do I still get the Study trigger?
A: You do. Split Second stops players from casting spells and activating abilities, while a spell with split second is on the stack. Rhystic Study is a trigger and will be put on the stack above Wipe Away. The opponent gets the chance to pay the
to stop you from drawing a card. Then the Wipe Away will bounce your Rhystic Study. Q: During my upkeep I put a land onto the battlefield using my Into the Wilds, can I still play a land for the turn?
A: Yes, you can. Into the Wilds puts a land onto the battlefield (similar to cards like Nature's Lore or Growth Spiral ) but isn't playing a land. Therefore you can still play your normal land drop for the turn.
Q: If I have Mizzix of the Izmagnus and two experience counters, does Mizzix reduce the cost to foretell a card like Behold the Multiverse from my hand to exile? Does Mizzix reduce the cost of casting that card from exile?
A: No to the first question, and yes to the 2nd. Moving a card from your hand to exile with foretell is not casting it, so Mizzix doesn't reduce the cost. However, casting it from exile is, so Mizzix will help reduce the cost when casting it from exile.
Hoping for a colorful summer.
Q: I control both Veyran, Voice of Duality and Jori En, Ruin Diver. If the 2nd spell I cast for the turn is an instant or sorcery, does Veyran help Jori trigger a 2nd time so I can draw 2 cards?
A: Yes, it works just the way you want it to.
Q: If I play a Cavern of Souls while there is a Blood Moon on the battlefield, do I still get to name a creature type for it? If not, if I later destroy the Blood Moon can I name a creature type for the Cavern of Souls played earlier?
A: Sadly your Cavern has no souls. The only time you can ever name the creature type for Cavern is "as it enters the battlefield", and Blood Moon removes this ability by making it a mountain. Even if Blood Moon goes away, there isn't suddenly a new time to name a creature type, you simply have a Cavern that's last ability doesn't do anything useful.
Q: I control a Altar of the Goyf and my Phantasmal Dreadmaw attacks alone. My opponent says I just killed my Dreadmaw with the Altar, is she right?
A: Your opponent is wrong! Altar of the Goyf doesn't target, so the Dreadmaw's ability forcing it to sacrifice itself doesn't trigger.
Q: I control both Ashaya, Soul of the Wild and Horn of Greed. Does each non-token creature I cast draw me a card now?
A: They sadly do not. Although each of your non-token creatures enter the battlefield as a land, that is not the trigger condition Horn of Greed is looking for. It is specifically looking for when you "play" a land. Playing a land is a special action usually limited to once per turn.
Q: Does my opponent's Mycosynth Lattice essentially "turn off" my Jet Medallion?
A: Yep, your black cards are now colorless so no reduction.
Q: My opponent controls Void Mirror. If I activate my Chromatic Orrery to make
and use that mana to cast Phyrexian Obliterator, does the Obliterator get around the Void Mirror?A: No it does not. The obliterator will still get countered. The Void Mirror cares about what actual mana was used to cast the spell, not what it was used "as".
Q: I control a Bolas's Citadel and the top card of my library is Profane Tutor. Can I cast it by paying zero life? Can I suspend it by paying 2 life?
A: You can cast it for zero life, but you can not suspend it. You can only suspend cards from your hand.
Q: If I ultimate Nissa, who Shakes the World with a Yavimaya, Cradle of Growth on the battlefield, can I grab ever land out of my library even if its not normally a forest?
A: You can not. Yavimaya only effects lands on the battlefield. Lands in your hand, library, graveyard, and exile don't benefit.
Q: My opponent controls Omen Machine and I control Abundance. Can I still replace my draw with Abundance?
A: You can not. Omen Machine make a rule change, player can't draw cards. So you can't replace a draw you can't do.
I can protect you from Wizards and Warlocks,
that blazing sun is your responsibility.
that blazing sun is your responsibility.
Q: My opponent has a Walking Ballista with 11 +1/+1 counters on it. I'm currently at 10 life. My opponent then says, "My Ballista throws 10 damage at your head", can I redirect all 10 damage with Deflecting Swat?
A: No, you can not. Each 1 damage is a separate activated ability, and Deflecting Swat can only redirect one ability or spell per casting.
Q: I control a Wolfir Silverheart which is paired with my Bear Cub. If the Bear Cub becomes phased out by Reality Ripple, are the two creatures still paired? When the Bear Cub phases back in, do they re-pair?
A: For a pairing to be functioning, both parts of the pairing must be creatures on the battlefield that you control. As soon as one stops being a creature, or stops being controlled by you, or stops existing (aka phased out), the pairing ends. When the Bear phases back in, it didn't enter the battlefield, so this won't trigger Wolfir's soulbond ability, nor will it "remember" that they used to be paired.
Q: My opponent Sarah casts Assassin's Trophy to destroy a creature I control. I respond with Radiant Performer to copy the Trophy a whole bunch. Did I just destroy each permanent I control or that Sarah controls?
A: So its complicated. You will make a copy of Assassin's Trophy for each permanent controlled by an opponent of Sarah. However, because you will control these copies, each copy going after one of your permanents will fail to resolve for having an illegal target.
Essentially, in a two player game, nothing happens, no extra permanents are destroyed.
However, in a multiplayer game, each permanent controlled by a player who is both your opponent and Sarah's opponent will be destroyed, followed by a lot of land searches.
Q: I control both Galazeth Prismari and Leyline Tyrant. If I tap a treasure token to make
using the ability it gained from Galazeth during my first main phase, will it still be there during my 2nd main phase? Will it still be limited to casting an Instant and Sorcery?A: Yes, and also yes. Leyline Tyrant keeps unused
mana from disappearing at end of phases and steps. Mana kept this way keeps any restrictions it has.Q: If I cast Conqueror's Pledge can I use those fresh tokens to help cast Conclave Tribunal?
A: Yes, you can. These tokens can't attack or use tap abilities this turn, since they just entered the battlefield, but convoke just cares that they are untapped.
Q: I've been told lands are colorless, so I'm wondering if I can play The World Tree in any commander deck, or only in any commander decks with green, or only in five color decks?
A: You are correct that lands are almost always colorless. But in commander its not just about what color a card is, but also its color identity. Color Identity includes having mana symbols in its text box. The World Tree has
for its first activated ability and has all 5 colors for its last ability. The World Tree can only be put in a commander deck with all 5 colors. Q: I attack my opponent with my Etrata, the Silencer who is wielding a Sword of Hearth and Home. She goes unblocked and deals combat damage to my opponent. My opponent currently has many white creature but no creatures exiled with hit counters on them, can I use the Sword trigger to prevent Etrata from being shuffled into my library?
A: You can! You want to put Etrata's trigger on the stack first, then place the Sword's Trigger on top of that targeting Etrata. When the Sword's resolves she will be "blinked" and be a new object (plus the sword will fall off). When Etrata's trigger resolves it will still attempt to exile a creature the defending player controls, then will try to exile Etrata, however it won't recognize the one you have as the original and fail to exile her.
So for the very small price of dropping her sword, you still get to exile a creature the opponent controls, and don't have to shuffle Etrata back into your library.
For those of you in U.S. have a great 4th of July, and for everyone else have a great weekend.
- Justin Hovdenes AKA Hovey
Level 2 Magic Judge
Rapid City, SD
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