Magic the Gathering: Ask a Judge

[korvys]

correct. Pro-white would make it fall off but Hexproof only prevents it from being targetted

To elaborate on this, Aura spells (Auras while they are on the stack) target, but once in play they do not target the thing they are enchanting.

[Prospero101]

Just a little thing that's nagging at me.

What's the distinction between "each player" and "each opponent?" For example, the text on Gray Merchant of Asphodel says "When Gray Merchant of Asphodel enters the battlefield, each opponent loses X life, where X is your devotion to black. You gain life equal to the life lost this way."

So is my opponent losing life and I'm gaining it, or are we both losing life and I just have a net gain from the second clause?

[Kapol]

Your opponent(s) is the only one losing life. If it said each player, it'd only be you. The text is worded that way because, in multiplayer formats like 2HG or EDH, it hits ALL of your opponents. If it said each player, it would hit you as well.

[SilPho]

In most games "Opponent" just means "everyone that you're trying to kill". But since you own the spell or ability it only refers to your opponents, not any opponent of anyone else. If the other player managed to gain control of that spell or ability somehow then it would now describe their opponents instead, namely you.

[AdmiralMemo]

Elite Arcanist + Strionic Resonator

If I cast the Arcanist, his ability triggers. I can then activate the Resonator to duplicate it. This will exile 2 instants from my hand. However, the question comes from the second ability of the Arcanist: Can I choose which instant to cast, or is it a specific one, or is it both somehow?

[Kapol]

If I use a Whip of Erebos to bring back an Ashen Rider, then sac it through one means or another, do I still get the second ability activation from the 'dying' trigger? Or, more likely, do I miss out since it's exiled right away from the whip?

[korvys]

Kapol: You miss the trigger. For a recent example of this, people were using Pillar of Flame to get rid of Voice of Resurgence, without it triggering.

Memo: That's a good question. I'm going to go read up a bit more.

[Kapol]

Right, I figured for that exact reason.

[korvys]

Interestingly, if it exiles in some other way, like Ghost Council exiling itself, the whip sees it being exiled, and doesn't intervene, and it will come back next turn.

[SilPho]

Elite Arcanist + Strionic Resonator

If I cast the Arcanist, his ability triggers. I can then activate the Resonator to duplicate it. This will exile 2 instants from my hand. However, the question comes from the second ability of the Arcanist: Can I choose which instant to cast, or is it a specific one, or is it both somehow?

It is, in fact, both. The Gather rules for Strionic Resonator mention that "The source of the copy is the same as the source of the original ability", which means it is your Elite Arcanist that is effectively exiling both cards. When you later activate the Arcanist's ability it actually applies its actions to each of the exiled cards (Comp. rules 607.3). This means that all exiled cards are copied and you may cast any number of them without paying their mana costs.

However, because you first need to determine the mana cost of the Arcanist's ability you need to look at all of the cards exiled and add their mana costs together to get the value of X. A bit like adding the costs of split cards together, but this time you actually can cast both (or just one, or neither) because they are separate cards.

If I use a Whip of Erebos to bring back an Ashen Rider, then sac it through one means or another, do I still get the second ability activation from the 'dying' trigger? Or, more likely, do I miss out since it's exiled right away from the whip?

The replacement effect on your Whip of Erebos is going to exile your Ashen Rider instead of letting it go to the graveyard, and since "dies" means "is put into a graveyard from the battlefield" it will not trigger off an exile like this.

Edit: Which is more or less what korvys said

[Kapol]

Interestingly, if it exiles in some other way, like Ghost Council exiling itself, the whip sees it being exiled, and doesn't intervene, and it will come back next turn.

Right. that's why I figure it might work in a B/U/w deck that uses it to bring back Aetherling, Ghost Dad, etc. Another that works well is Giant Adephage, which makes a copy of itself when it hits for damage. But I wanted to be sure that having sac outlets in a reanimator deck that uses it wouldn't be worth my time.

[Lord Hosk]

If I havent played a land on my second turn, when it comes to my second main, can I play the swamp that I drew on my draw step turn one?

[Utilitarian]

Hosk I'm not sure I understand this question entirely, but if I am:


You can play one land on each of your turns in your first x/or your second main. When and how you acquired those lands is irrelevant.

[SilPho]

Unless you were playing first on turn one, in which case the judge will have other questions to ask you

[Utilitarian]

Issues may also arise if you did not have swamps in your decklist.

[Lord Hosk]

If you deal damage with Daxos of Meletis and reveal a land from your opponent and you have not played a land this turn can you play that land?

[Duckay]

Adding on to that, is the wording difference between Daxos of Meletis and a card like Nightveil Specter important? (I know there are a lot of differences between the cards, but I mean specifically about the practical difference between "you may play" and "you may cast".)

[phlip]

Daxos specifically says "you may cast it", which you can only do with spells. Nightveil Specter says "you may play it", which is specifically defined in the rules that to "play a card" is to cast it (if it's a spell) or to play it as a land (if it is one).

[SilPho]

And just for extra confirmation, the Theros FAQ contains this line on Daxos:

* If the exiled card is a land card, you won’t gain any life and you won’t be able to play the land.

[mbooma]

Reaper of the wilds triggered ability "When another creature dies, scry 1" Does this trigger even if the reaper also dies in that instance? and does it trigger once or multiple times for each other creature? Eg combat or a board wipe.

[phlip]

Yes, if Reaper of the Wilds and another creature die simultaneously, it will trigger. And if multiple other creatures die, it'll trigger separately for each one... though be careful, and note that "Scry 1, twice" is a very different thing to "Scry 2".

[mbooma]

yeah thats what i thought. It was just i had a very odd instance when i had 3 reapers on the field and a combat occurred where 5 creatures died.... it caused me to Scry 1 times 15.... i was just confirming this was the correct use of the mechanic.

[phlip]

Yep, that's correct. Unless, of course, the reapers are among the 5 creatures dying, in which case it'd be a bit less than 15, since the reapers don't trigger from themselves dying (though they will trigger for each other dying).

[korvys]

"leaves the battlefield" triggers are quirky like that. They check the state of things just prior to the object leaving, to determine if they trigger.

It's a bit weird, as there is no time that the Reaper (in this case) was both on the battlefield, and other creatures have died already, but it couldn't really work any other way.

[Utilitarian]

is Bloodrush an activated ability of those cards?

If so: can you then disable it with Pithing Needle?