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Published on 08/29/2022

Skipping Through All The Time Lines

By Carsten Haese, Nathan Long, and Justin Hovdenes
This Article from: Justin Hovdenes

Cranial Translation
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Time is lost and so am I. I think about where I've been, where I currently am, and maybe just hopefully where I will eventually be. The future and past are too big of a subject for today, so let's stick with the here and now, which in a nutshell is writing an article. We have a handful of questions here in a simple quiz format. As a small aside, you may notice that many judges tend to write questions with many player names starting with A or N. This is done intentionally. If a player's name starts with A, they are the active player, the player whose turn it currently is. If the player's name starts with a N, they are one of the non-active players, a player who is waiting for their next turn.

We are always looking for new material, so if you have a short question, you can send it to our Twitter account at @CranialTweet, and you can send us longer questions to our e-mail at moko@cranialinsertion.com . If you do so, we may use your question in an upcoming article.

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Q: Amy controls a Notion Thief and her opponent Nick has a Consecrated Sphinx. Which of the following best describes what happens the next time Amy tries to draw a card, not during her draw step?

A: The answer is...

A: This creates an infinity combo, causing the game to end in a draw.
B: Consecrated Sphinx can't draw cards from its own trigger being replaced, so Amy will draw one or two cards determined by Nick, and the process ends.
C: Nick may force Amy to draw any number of cards, even to the point of Amy losing the game from drawing from an empty library.
D: This does form a infinite combo, but since both players control part of the combo, each player chooses a number of times to complete the combo (minimum of 1), and the lower number chosen is the amount of cards Amy will draw.
E: The Internet crashes from creating a logic loop and we all return to the Stone Age.

The answer is

C.

Nick has full control of this combo, and it either ends when Nick chooses or when Amy loses the game from drawing from an empty library (whichever comes first).

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Q: Alex's Raging Goblin is currently goaded by Norah's Bloodthirsty Blade and the only other player in the game is Norbert who controls a Ghostly Prison. Which of the following options does Alex have when he moves to his attack step?

A: The answer is...

A: The Goblin must attack Norbert and Alex must pay to do so.
B: The Goblin may attack Norbert but Alex must pay to do so.
C: The Goblin must attack Norah.
D: The Goblin may attack Norah.
E: The Goblin can't attack anyone this turn.
F: Alex can choose for the Goblin to attack no one this turn.
G: The Goblin gets so confused it attacks Alex.

The answer is

B & D

The Raging Goblin still has to attack this turn, but if Alex chooses not to pay for the Ghostly Prison, he must send it after Norah. If Alex chooses to pay for the Ghostly Prison, it must attack Norbert. This may confuse players a little, but with abilities like Ghostly Prison even if your creature must attack if able, you are never forced to pay the cost, even if you have access to the mana needed.

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Q: Amber has 6 cards in hand, currently controls Witherbloom Apprentice, and has a Chain of Smog on the stack aimed at herself, with the intent to copy it 100 times, causing her opponent Nolan to die from Apprentice triggers. Nolan has a Lightning Bolt and the mana to cast it. Which of the following are times Nolan can use the Lightning Bolt to kill the Apprentice?

A: The answer is...

A: Before the original Chain of Smog resolves.
B: After the original Chain of Smog resolves, but before the first copy can resolve.
C: After the first copy can resolve, but before the original Chain of Smog resolves.
D: If Nolan lets the original Chain of Smog resolves, he can't interrupt the process, allowing Amber to make any number of copies to be made.
E: The Internet crashes from creating a logic loop and we all return to the Bronze Age.

The answer is

A or B.

The original Chain of Smog fully resolves before any copy will resolve. The first copy will resolve before the 2nd, and so on and so forth. There is a priority pass between each copy and the original Chain of Smog resolving, so Nolan can kill the Apprentice in between any copy, or before or after the original Chain of Smog.

We usually don't do strategic advice, but if Nolan waits to kill the Apprentice after the first copy resolves and the 2nd copy has been put on the stack, Nolan will only lose 3 life to Apprentice triggers and Amber will be left with no hand. However, no matter when Nolan chooses to kill the Apprentice, when Amber resolves the last Chain of Smog, she can (and probably should) make one last copy aimed at Nolan.

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Q: Alfred casts Spitting Image targeting his Gray Merchant of Asphodel. After the token enters the battlefield, but before its Merchant trigger can resolve, Nancy Murders the original Merchant. Assuming Alfred has no other black permanents, how much life will he steal with the trigger?

A: The answer is...

A: Zero
B: Two
C: Four
D: Nancy goes to jail for first degree murder.

The answer is

B

Token copies of cards do copy the mana cost of what they copy (so long as it had a mana cost), so the Spitting Image token contributes two to Alfred's devotion to black. Grey Merchant's trigger checks for devotion only on resolution, not when it was originally put on the stack. So although Alfred's devotion to black was four when it triggered, it only matters what the devotion is when the trigger resolves, which is two.

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Q: Natalie blocks Anthony's Colossal Dreadmaw with a Darksteel Gargoyle that has 2 damage marked on it from a Shock cast earlier in the turn. Which of the following are damage results that can happen?

A: The answer is...

A: Natalie takes 5 damage, the Gargoyle takes 1.
B: Natalie takes 0 damage, the Gargoyle takes 6.
C: Natalie takes 3 damage, the Gargoyle takes 3.
D: Natalie takes 6 damage, the Gargoyle takes 0.
E: The Internet crashes from creating a logic loop and we all return to the Jurassic Age.

The answer is

A, B, & C

A creature with trample must assign lethal damage to each creature blocking it before it can assign any damage to the defending player. Therefore, answer D won't work.

The attacker can account for damage already assigned to the blocker (or being assigned simultaneously if it's blocking more than one creature). This is why answer A works.

The trample creature will count the damage it's assigning as lethal even if in the end the blocker won't die (say the creature will regenerate or it's indestructible). This helps with answers A or C.

The attacking player can choose to "over damage" a creature if they want to. They don't have to maximize the trample damage to the opponent. So Natalie can choose to do either answer B or C if she wants to.

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Q: Adam casts Capsize from his graveyard using Lier, Disciple of the Drowned's ability. He chooses to pay Capsize's buyback cost. Which of the following are true?

A: The answer is...

A: When Capsize resolves it will go to Adam's hand.
B: When Capsize resolves it will go to Adam's graveyard.
C: When Capsize resolves it will go to exile.
D: This is an illegal play, you can't pay for both buyback and flashback on the same spell.
E: The Internet crashes from creating a logic loop and we all return to the Pirate Age.

The answer is

C.

You can pay for both buyback and flashback because flashback is an alternative cost and buyback is an additional cost. When buyback attempts to put the card into Adam's hand, flashback sees it's about to go somewhere other then exile, so the card gets exiled.

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Q: Ashley casts Cursed Mirror choosing to copy Nathan's Merieke Ri Berit. She then taps the Cursed Merieke to steal Nathan's Bear Cub. Which of the following are true or will happen?

A: The answer is...

A: During the cleanup step, Cursed Merieke will stop being Merieke, the Bear will return to Nathan's control and then the Bear gets destroyed.
B: During Ashley's next untap step, the Cursed Mirror untaps, the Bear will return to Nathan's control and then the Bear gets destroyed.
C: During the cleanup step, Cursed Merieke will stop being Merieke, the Bear will return to Nathan's control and the Bear lives.
D: During Ashley's next untap step, the Cursed Mirror untaps, and the Bear gets destroyed.
E: Ashley permanently gains control of the Bear, independent of what happens to the Cursed Mirror.
F: The Internet crashes from creating a logic loop and we all return to the Eocene Epoch.

The answer is

D.

Merieke's tap ability exists independent of whether the permanent it came from is still a Merieke. So when Cursed Mirror stops being Merieke, it will hold on to the Bear Cub.

Merieke's tap ability destroys the creature she stole if she becomes untapped or if Ashley loses control of Merieke (or the permanent it is now). In the case of losing control (such as leaves the battlefield or gets stolen herself), first the stolen creature returns to the last person to control it and then gets destroyed. If Merieke (or the permanent it is now) untaps, it gets destroyed under Ashley's control.

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Q: Alexi attacks with Ilharg, the Raze-Boar. When Ilharg's trigger resolves, which of the following creatures could Alexi put onto the battlefield attacking and still benefit from their attack related ability?

A: The answer is...

A: Archangel of Tithes
B: Chieftain en-Dal
C: Blade Historian
D: Varragoth, Bloodsky Sire
E: The Internet crashes from creating a logic loop and we all return to the . . . . hmmm, what's a good joke, to the Neo-Babylonian Empire!

The answer is

A & C.

A creature put onto the battlefield attacking was never part of the declare attackers step. It did not, in the past, attack.

So there are two main groups of abilities that care about this distinction, one that miss out on working, and the other that still gets to function.

Group "we miss out" has one of two fairly easy to notice wordings. The first wording, and most common, is "whenever this creature attacks", "whenever you attack", or "whenever a creature attacks". These abilities only trigger if a creature went from not attacking to attacking during the declare attackers step. The second wording asks "if this creature attacked this turn". The most common example of this is Boast. It looks back to earlier in the turn to see if this creature went from not attacking to attacking during the declare attackers step.

The Group "we still function", mostly cares about creatures with the status of attacking. Archangel of Tithes & Blade Historian both are looking if creatures are currently attacking, so they don't care whether or not the creatures actually attacked.

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Q: Nina has a Dryad Arbor enchanted with Equinox. Alison has Wrath of God and Anger of the Gods in hand and could cast either. Which of the following is true?

A: The answer is...

A: Dryad Arbor can tap to counter Wrath of God.
B: Dryad Arbor can tap to counter Anger of the Gods.
C: Dryad Arbor can't tap to counter Wrath of God
D: Dryad Arbor can't tap to counter Anger of the Gods.
E: The Internet crashes from creating a logic loop and we all return to Ancient Greece.

The answer is

A & D.

Wrath of God would destroy Dryad Arbor, so Equinox's ability can be used to counter it.

Anger of the Gods doesn't destroy creatures. It deals damage to them and then a state based action destroys the creatures. So Equinox's ability can't be used to counter Anger of the Gods.

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Q: Niels controls both General's Enforcer and Aryel, Knight of Windgrace. Aaron has Blasphemous Act and Damnation in hand and could cast either. Which of the following is true?

A: The answer is...

A: Casting Blasphemous Act would eventually put both Humans into the graveyard.
B: Casting Damnation would eventually put both Humans into the graveyard.
C: Casting Blasphemous Act would eventually only put General's Enforcer into the graveyard.
D: Casting Damnation would eventually only put General's Enforcer into the graveyard.
E: Aaron should be given a Warning for Unsporting Conduct - Minor (Blasphemy and Damning).

The answer is

A & D.

Damnation attempts to destroy both creatures simultaneously and only one time. This permits the Enforcer to save Aryel, while the Enforcer dies.

Blasphemous Act never tries to destroy any creatures. It deals a large amount of damage to each creature, and then state based actions will attempt to destroy each creature with too much damage marked on it a bunch of times before the turn ends. In this case, the first time state based actions are checked, Enforcer dies and Aryel lives. Because the first check did something, state based actions are checked again, and the second time state based actions are checked, Enforcer isn't around to save Aryel and she will die.

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Life is a journey, time is a river, the door is ajar.

Until next time,

- Justin Hovdenes AKA Hovey
Level 2 Magic Judge
Rapid City, SD

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