Magic the Gathering: Ask a Judge

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AdmiralMemo
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Re: Magic the Gathering: Ask a Judge

Postby AdmiralMemo » 20 Apr 2014, 23:15

Just checking to make sure...

Myr Landshaper is in play. Tap to make my Swamp (or really just about any land, but you'll see why black in a moment) an artifact UEOT. So now it's an artifact land. I cast Phylactery Lich and put the phylactery counter on my artifact Swamp. When the turn ends and the Swamp is no longer an artifact, the counter stays and the Lich stays, right? From what I understand of the Lich's phrasing, it doesn't have to be an artifact that the counter's on. It just has to be a permanent of some type, which the Swamp fulfills, even after it's no longer an artifact.

Just want to make sure I've got that right.
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Re: Magic the Gathering: Ask a Judge

Postby korvys » 20 Apr 2014, 23:55

From the gatherer rulings:
Phylactery Lich's last ability checks whether you control any permanents with phylactery counters on them, not whether you control any artifacts with phylactery counters on them. If an artifact with a phylactery counter on it somehow ceases to be an artifact, Phylactery Lich doesn't care.
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Re: Magic the Gathering: Ask a Judge

Postby AdmiralMemo » 22 Apr 2014, 12:23

LRL chat had a good one:

Can you deal 0 damage to a creature while still targeting it with Conflagrate?

Say I pay 7 mana. Can I target 3 creatures, and have it deal 3, 0, and 0 damage? If so, that works well with Heroic triggers, so I can target my own guys.
Last edited by AdmiralMemo on 22 Apr 2014, 12:30, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Magic the Gathering: Ask a Judge

Postby ElFuzzy » 22 Apr 2014, 12:28

Not a judge, but I feel like you cannot. A ruling on gatherer says if X is 0 there must be zero targets and if X is >= 1 then there must be at least 1 target. Ergo you need to deal at least 1 point of damage to a creature to be able to target it with Conflagrate.
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Re: Magic the Gathering: Ask a Judge

Postby AdmiralMemo » 22 Apr 2014, 12:31

This is why I was asking. I have the right amount of damage, equal to the number of targets. It's just the distribution that's unequal.
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Re: Magic the Gathering: Ask a Judge

Postby jkefka » 22 Apr 2014, 12:41

That is a fascinating edge case. Most cards of the type specify that you can't assign zero, but this one just restricts the maximum number of targets to the value of X while still giving you "divided as you choose."

Not a judge, but I was curious enough that I poked around the comp rules for this one. I am now sure the answer is that you can't assign 0, and here's the relevant rule:

601.2d If the spell requires the player to divide or distribute an effect (such as damage or counters) among one or more targets, the player announces the division. Each of these targets must receive at least one of whatever is being divided.
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Re: Magic the Gathering: Ask a Judge

Postby ElFuzzy » 22 Apr 2014, 13:05

Sweet, I think I was right? Where do you look up rulings? mtg salvtion?
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Re: Magic the Gathering: Ask a Judge

Postby jkefka » 22 Apr 2014, 13:09

ElFuzzy wrote:Sweet, I think I was right? Where do you look up rulings? mtg salvtion?


That wasn't really a ruling. The card-specific rulings you either google or see on Gatherer at the bottom of the page. This one I just went to the comp rules (which you can find via google or on MTG's homepage) and searched "divide" within the document, figuring that it would be the most relevant piece of the text.
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Re: Magic the Gathering: Ask a Judge

Postby SilPho » 22 Apr 2014, 14:31

There are a few sites on the Internet that provide hyper linked and searchable versions of the Comprehensive Rules, and the vast majority of the rules change so rarely or in such subtle ways that even if these sites are not at the latest versions they will still meet your needs easily.

But, if you do want to find the very latest official rules (updated every 3-4 months, if I remember correctly) this is the link you need:

http://www.wizards.com/Magic/TCG/Article.aspx?x=magic/rules
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Re: Magic the Gathering: Ask a Judge

Postby ElFuzzy » 22 Apr 2014, 15:37

Thanks!
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Re: Magic the Gathering: Ask a Judge

Postby korvys » 22 Apr 2014, 17:01

Tabak typically will make a post on the mothership about any changes that happen with each set release. These usually don't have a lot of impact, beyond adding the rules for new mechanics, and updating Mistform Ultimatus (it's now a God).
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Re: Magic the Gathering: Ask a Judge

Postby AdmiralMemo » 22 Apr 2014, 17:38

Mistform Ultimatus and all Changelings, too.
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Re: Magic the Gathering: Ask a Judge

Postby tamaness » 23 Apr 2014, 01:20

yawgatog is a good online rules lookup. it's also kept up to date. I just wish yawgatog would do the the MTR and IPG, too.
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Re: Magic the Gathering: Ask a Judge

Postby korvys » 23 Apr 2014, 02:26

What timing! I was just talking about Matt Tabak's post, and here it is: http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/A ... Ffaq%2Fjou
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Re: Magic the Gathering: Ask a Judge

Postby tamaness » 23 Apr 2014, 03:24

too bad it didn't go up in time for this week's Judgecast to go over the new rules.
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Re: Magic the Gathering: Ask a Judge

Postby SomeCallMeTim » 23 Apr 2014, 15:48

So this came up today between a match between a friend and I, and I'm pretty sure I know the end result but I'm a little fuzzy on how it works rules-wise. I'm playing black devotion and he's mono-blue. I have an Erebos out,and my devotion is above 5 so he's a creature. If my opponent domesticates my Erebos, obviously himself having less than five black devotion, will Erebos stop being a creature as a state based action at the end of his turn (resulting in Domestication falling off), or immediately after he steals it? Or am I completely off base and he still gets a 5/7 even though he doesn't have the devotion?

Apologies if this or something similar has been asked before, I'm dedicated but I'm not reading back like 10 pages >.>
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Re: Magic the Gathering: Ask a Judge

Postby chetoos » 23 Apr 2014, 15:50

His black devotion is less than five, so as soon as he takes Erebos, it becomes not a creature, so you get it back immediately. I'm not a judge, though, so if an actual judge has an answer, defer to them.
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Re: Magic the Gathering: Ask a Judge

Postby phlip » 23 Apr 2014, 16:13

Yeah. When Domestication resolves, Erebos will change from being a creature under your control, to a non-creature under your opponent's control, because of the static ability that checks devotion. Next time state-based actions are checked, it will see an aura enchanting an illegal target (since Domestication has "Enchant creature") so it'll be put into its owner's graveyard, and you'll get Erebos back (and it'll turn back into a creature again).

Erebos does actually briefly change controllers in the whole process, so it'll be summoning-sick again once it's back on your side, but that likely won't matter, as your opponent is presumably casting Domestication in their own turn (unless they have some way to give it Flash)...
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Re: Magic the Gathering: Ask a Judge

Postby korvys » 23 Apr 2014, 16:16

Domestication is an Enchant Creature. As soon as he controls Erebos, he will no longer be a creature due to a lack of devotion (the Gods are fickle like that). State Based Actions will cause Domestication to fall off (so he does control him very, very briefly, but won't have any time to do anything with him), and you will get him back immediately, where his devoted followers will make him a creature again.
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Re: Magic the Gathering: Ask a Judge

Postby SomeCallMeTim » 23 Apr 2014, 16:23

Thanks! Like I said, figured it worked that way, just wanted to know the nitty gritty steps.
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Re: Magic the Gathering: Ask a Judge

Postby Firbozz » 24 Apr 2014, 07:20

New set question: I have a Deserter's Quarters, and have tapped down one creature with it. Since the card says "It doesn't untap during its controller's untap step for as long as Deserter's Quarters remains tapped," can I untap it on my turn, re-activate it, and keep two creatures tapped down? Or does the "for as long as" mean that the new instance of being tapped won't connect to the creature originally targeted?
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Re: Magic the Gathering: Ask a Judge

Postby tamaness » 24 Apr 2014, 09:48

"for as long as" sets up a duration. The original creature will untap on its controller's next untap step.
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Re: Magic the Gathering: Ask a Judge

Postby Robert Merlow » 25 Apr 2014, 14:23

I have a question about Hidden Strings and heroic. With Hidden Strings wording, can you target a heroic creature twice with it as a single spell and result in 2 heroic triggers?
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Re: Magic the Gathering: Ask a Judge

Postby Kapol » 25 Apr 2014, 14:25

No. In Hidden Strings case, you can't target the same thing. But even if you could, a spell can only trigger heroic once.
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Re: Magic the Gathering: Ask a Judge

Postby AdmiralMemo » 25 Apr 2014, 17:27

So you'd only get 1 Heroic out of Common Bond targeting the same guy, then?
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