Magic the Gathering: Ask a Judge

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Re: Magic the Gathering: Ask a Judge

Postby Kapol » 16 Jan 2015, 15:54

Basically, in that case, you can't have your cake and eat it too. If you choose the draw ability, then the game will end in a draw as everyone tries to draw from an empty library at the same time. So there's no way to have the cards in your deck in your hand and still win, unless you draw for exactly the amount left in your deck.

If you mill, most likely you'll win at that point. People can do upkeep shenanigans, and any effects that would make you draw before them would kill you (example: If they cast Ancestral Recall targeting you during their upkeep). But the thing to keep in mind is that you can't actually be milled to death. You have to draw from an empty library to lose.
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Re: Magic the Gathering: Ask a Judge

Postby Aaron9797 » 18 Jan 2015, 11:22

if someone has a noncreature manifest and it dies and has athreos, god of passage dose the return it to your hand ability trigger

if magma spray is cast on a noncreature manifest and dies will that manifest get exiled
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Re: Magic the Gathering: Ask a Judge

Postby phlip » 18 Jan 2015, 12:04

In both cases: yes.

And in general: if you have a noncreature card manifested, and it dies, "when a creature dies" effects will trigger, but "when a creature card goes into your graveyard from anywhere" effects will not, since it was a creature on the battlefield but not in the yard.

Same way that eg animated manlands dying works.
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Re: Magic the Gathering: Ask a Judge

Postby VectorZero » 19 Jan 2015, 00:43

When paying the cost to flashback Dread Return, do all the creatures need to be on the battlefield together? Can I sac 2 narcomoebas then a Bridge from Below token off the narcomoebas?
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Re: Magic the Gathering: Ask a Judge

Postby korvys » 19 Jan 2015, 02:16

Triggers (like Bridge from Below) do not go on the stack, nor resolve, during the casting of a spell (like while paying for Dread Return) so you won't have the zombie.
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Re: Magic the Gathering: Ask a Judge

Postby Utilitarian » 21 Jan 2015, 00:17

Is Ninjitsu an activated ability?
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Re: Magic the Gathering: Ask a Judge

Postby phlip » 21 Jan 2015, 01:04

Yes, it's an activated ability on the card in your hand. "Ninjutsu [cost]" is shorthand for:
[Cost], Reveal this card from your hand, Return an unblocked attacking creature you control to its owner’s hand: Put this card onto the battlefield from your hand tapped and attacking.
(plus a couple of extra rules to say that the ninjutsu'd creature is attacking the same player/planeswalker as the creature you returned)

So, yes, that does mean that if you know your opponent has a Ninjutsu card in their hand (or just in their deck somewhere and you're scared they might draw it) you can name it with Pithing Needle or Phyrexian Revoker to stop them from ninjaing it in (they can still cast it normally, of course).
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Re: Magic the Gathering: Ask a Judge

Postby steric hindrance » 21 Jan 2015, 07:53

So this means that you can Vendilion Clique them in response to take the Ninjitsu creature out of their hand, right?
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Re: Magic the Gathering: Ask a Judge

Postby BaronVonRatsworth » 21 Jan 2015, 09:35

I have a quick question about how Marchesa interacts with morph creatures and manifested cards. If you manifest a land card, give it a +1/+1 counter and then it dies will it return to the battlefield under your control? What if the manifested card is a creature card?

Marchesa, the Black Rose 1UBR
Legendary Creature - Human Wizard
Dethrone (Whenever this creature attacks the player with the most life or tied for the most life, put a +1/+1 counter on it)
Other creatures you control have Dethrone
Whenever a creature you control with a +1/+1 counter on it dies, return that card to the battlefield under your control at the beginning of the next end step
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Re: Magic the Gathering: Ask a Judge

Postby Atifexe » 21 Jan 2015, 10:34

In either case, because they were a creature when they died, and they are still a card in the graveyard, they are returned to the battlefield face up under your control at the beginning of the next end step on the condition that they were a face-down permanent card. If they were an instant or a sorcery, they remain in the graveyard, as instants and sorceries cannot be on the battlefield.
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Re: Magic the Gathering: Ask a Judge

Postby Utilitarian » 21 Jan 2015, 10:55

Next question:

Does Training Grounds reduce Ninjutusu costs, or not because it's not a creature when the ability is used?
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Re: Magic the Gathering: Ask a Judge

Postby Rootbreaker » 21 Jan 2015, 13:06

Training ground doesn't reduce Ninjitsu costs because you activate Ninjitsu when it's a creature card in your hand (not a creature).
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Re: Magic the Gathering: Ask a Judge

Postby phlip » 21 Jan 2015, 15:53

steric hindrance wrote:So this means that you can Vendilion Clique them in response to take the Ninjitsu creature out of their hand, right?

Yes, yes you can. If you cast Clique in response to the Ninjutsu ability, you'll see both the original unblocked creature and the ninja in their hand (since bouncing the creature is a cost). If you get rid of the ninja, then the Ninjutsu ability will have no effect when it resolves, and they won't have either creature in play.
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Re: Magic the Gathering: Ask a Judge

Postby Aaron9797 » 26 Jan 2015, 08:27

i hard multiple people use the phrase "holding priority" this seams wrong i thought your constantly passing priority between you and your opponents
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Re: Magic the Gathering: Ask a Judge

Postby Jenelmo » 26 Jan 2015, 09:15

You always get priority after taking an action, the default shortcut in the DCI Penalty Guide is to automatically pass priority after you play a spell or ability unless you specify otherwise
.
It is usually only used if you want to do something in response to a spell you cast because if you pass priority and the opponent doesn't have anything to do the spell resolves and it is to late if you for example would like to crack Lion's Eye Diamond in response to casting Ad Nauseam, so you discard your hand and get the mana before Ad Nauseam resolves

Originally quoted by Comp. Rules
408.1c The active player gets priority at the beginning of most phases and steps, after any game actions are dealt with and abilities that trigger at the beginning of that phase or step go on the stack. No player gets priority during the untap step and players usually don’t get priority during the cleanup step (see rule 314.3). The player with priority may play a spell or ability, take a special action, or pass. If he or she plays a spell or ability, or takes a special action, the player again receives priority; otherwise, the next player in turn order receives priority. If all players pass in succession (that is, if all players pass without taking any actions in between passing), the top object on the stack resolves, then the active player receives priority. If the stack is empty when all players pass in succession, the phase or step ends and the next one begins.
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Re: Magic the Gathering: Ask a Judge

Postby AdmiralMemo » 26 Jan 2015, 09:35

I'm not a judge, but I'm looking here at Rule 116.3c:

"If a player has priority when he or she casts a spell, activates an ability, or takes a special action, that player receives priority afterward."

So basically, someone who is "holding priority" is saying they're casting something and they're specifically not passing it to the next player.

This seems to be right, especially in the light of Rule 116.3d:

"If a player has priority and chooses not to take any actions, that player passes. If any mana is in that player's mana pool, he or she announces what mana is there. Then the next player in turn order receives priority."

So, for example, say I have Aggressive Urge and Pit Fight in my hand and both my opponent and I have creatures. I could cast Pit Fight, then before my opponent did anything, I could also cast Aggressive Urge on top of it on the stack.

Here's a video that should help.

Here's an in-depth article on how priority interacts with the Stack.
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Re: Magic the Gathering: Ask a Judge

Postby ElFuzzy » 28 Jan 2015, 07:38

Can you use somberwald sage to bestow a creature? I would think not as they are technically an aura on that stack at that point right?
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Re: Magic the Gathering: Ask a Judge

Postby Aaron9797 » 28 Jan 2015, 08:46

if i have yasova dragonclaw and gain control of goblin rabblemaster is it to late to get the goblin token
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Re: Magic the Gathering: Ask a Judge

Postby AdmiralMemo » 28 Jan 2015, 09:14

ElFuzzy: Not a judge, but I'd say no, since Somberwald Sage is looking for a creature spell, not a creature card.

Aaron9797: Not a judge, but I'd say yes, since the trigger goes on the stack and you're paying for the activated ability at the beginning of combat. By the time the effect resolves and you've got the Rabblemaster, it is no longer the beginning of the "Begin Combat" phase, so no trigger would fire for him.
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Re: Magic the Gathering: Ask a Judge

Postby korvys » 28 Jan 2015, 15:24

Well I'm not a judge either... wait, yes I am. Memo is correct on both counts.
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Re: Magic the Gathering: Ask a Judge

Postby Aaron9797 » 28 Jan 2015, 20:44

i made a commander deck and the plain is cast zurgo helmsmasher and equip with assault suit and have my opponents kill each other.
i have some auras like vampiric link that give old lifelink that say "whenever enchanted creature deals damaged, you gain much life" i think even if your opponent controls your creature with at effect you gain the life.
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Re: Magic the Gathering: Ask a Judge

Postby phlip » 28 Jan 2015, 21:07

Correct.

Assault Suit only gives control of the creature to the other players, you still control any auras you've put on it (and you still control Assault Suit itself, which is why the "it can't attack you" clause works).

So for auras like Vampiric Link and Spirit Link, the "you" that gains life is the controller of the aura, ie you, not the controller of the creature, so yes, you'll gain the life.

This is opposed to auras that give lifelink, since they're granting the ability to the creature, so that life will end up going to the controller of the creature.

(Another bonus rules interaction: because Zurgo Helmsmasher is always being passed around to the active player, it's always indestructible. If someone wants to destroy it, they have to do it in response to the Assault Suit trigger in someone's upkeep. Sorcery-speed destruction-type removal or wraths can only ever hit it if you choose not to use Assault Suit on their turn.)
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Re: Magic the Gathering: Ask a Judge

Postby korvys » 28 Jan 2015, 21:13

I'm going to assume that last sentence is a question.

Yes, if the ability is a triggered ability "Whenever enchanted/equipped creature deals damage...", then it will gain you life, as long as it says "you", and you control the enchantment/equipment. You almost always control the enchantment/equipment you cast, even if it's on another player's permanent.

Might I recommend all of the Swords (of Fire and Ice, etc)?
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Re: Magic the Gathering: Ask a Judge

Postby AdmiralMemo » 29 Jan 2015, 09:56

OK, Manifest and X CMC creatures.

I'm going to assume that you get the best and worst out of this interaction. I assume that, yes, you can choose whatever you want for the X in the CMC. So, that's the best. Now, the worst is that because most creatures with X in their mana cost are 0/0 creatures that have X +1/+1 counters put onto them when they ETB, and flipping up a Manifest is not ETB, then they'd get no counters whatsoever. Therefore, unless you have something buffing their toughness, like an aura or an anthem, they'll just die.

Suffice to say, my conclusions are these:

1. For an X CMC creature that has been Manifest, you might as well set X to 0, because the X only affects ETB things, which do not apply in this case.
2. The only ones of those that wouldn't die immediately (without buffing) are Balduvian Hydra (0/1), Frankenstein's Monster (0/1), Grenzo, Dungeon Warden (2/2), Lightning Serpent (2/1), and Hooded Hydra (0/0, but gets 5 +1/+1 counters when turned face up).
3. Out of those, the only ones worth turning face-up would be Grenzo and Hooded Hydra.
4. There may be some edge cases where you might want to flip up some of the others that would normally die, but won't due to buffs, but Point 1 still applies and you should probably still set X to 0.

So Judges... Am I right in all of this? Or am I wrong and X is automatically set to 0 for some reason?
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Re: Magic the Gathering: Ask a Judge

Postby RytelCSF » 29 Jan 2015, 10:39

If my opponent isn't using the Morph/Manifest reminder tokens, is it legal to place them on my opponent's face-down creatures myself to serve as my own reminder and/or prevent my opponent from being sneaky/cheaty about their face-down cards?

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