Magic the Gathering: Ask a Judge

[korvys]

How does it work if I wave into multiple Eternal Witnesses, some permanents, and say some non-permanents that I want?

Permanents with "Enters the battlefield" triggers will have their triggers put on the stack after Genesis Wave has resolved. For Eternal Witness, any cards put into the graveyard by Genesis Wave (Such as non-permanent cards, or cards with converted mana cost more than X) will be valid targets, as well as Genesis Wave itself.

How does it work if I get things like Utopia Sprawl and Abundant Growth, do I get to play them on lands I get as I put them into the battlefield?

All permanents are put into play at the same time. Aura's put into play with Genesis Wave must be put on a permanent that was a valid target before you put them in play, so you can't put Utopia Sprawl on a land you got at the same time.

Do I get to sequence how things enter or do they enter in the order I reveal?

All permanents enter the battlefield at the same time, but you can choose the order of any triggers that result from them are put on the stack.

[AdmiralMemo]

Not a judge, but here's the best I can come up with.

Witnesses: You put the Witnesses and the permanents onto the field and the non-permanents in the graveyard. Then, all the Witness ETB triggers go on the stack (in whatever order you want, choosing which cards in the graveyard you want for each one). Then, when you resolve the Witness triggers, you put the cards from the graveyard into your hand.

Land Auras: I believe you target which lands you want to enchant that are already on the battlefield and enchant them.

Sequencing: If you cast Genesis Wave, everything goes onto the battlefield at the same time so it sees everything else entering, if that matters. All triggers will trigger at the same time, and then you get to put them on the stack in whatever order you want.

Edit: And it looks like a judge already page-sniped me, but it's good that what I said is valid.

[chetoos]

Given the suspension field trick talked about previously, is it possible to chain the suspension field exile, allowing for infinite ETB triggers, for things such as Warstorm Surge or Cathar's Crusade?

[SixFootTurkey]

Assuming you have some way of making them a valid target (creature and 3+ toughness), yes you can chain suspension fields. It's also important to note that you need to be able to break the cycle or the game will end in a draw.

[korvys]

It's also important to note that you need to be able to break the cycle or the game will end in a draw.

Suspension field is a "may" ability, you can break it any time you like.

[RadioshackRaider]

How does Orcish Cannonade and such + Soulfire Grand Master work? Do you gain the 3 life it would do to you as well as the life you would for the other lot of damage?

[korvys]

You would gain 5 life, and take 3 damage, simultaneously (so you wouldn't die if you were on 3 or less).

[RadioshackRaider]

Follow up question: How do Pyroclasm and SGM work?

[Tinfish]

Now here's a thing I noticed on MTGO, and I'm wondering if it's working correctly;

When I have a creature with Throwing Knife equipped and I attack with it, I'm prompted to put the ability on the stack, target something with it, and then (after the tedious back-and-forth of passing priority) I get to decide whether or not to sacrifice the Knife or not. Which seems like the wrong way around ... but now I'm thinking about the 4/1 ice elemental from FRF, the one that dies if it gets targeted by a spell or effect. Does this mean that I could kill it without sacrificing the Knife, if the situation arose?

[phlip]

Follow up question: How do Pyroclasm and SGM work?

Pyroclasm has lifelink, and deals 2 damage to each creature... so (if none of that damage is prevented) you'll be gaining 2 life for each creature on the battlefield.

When I have a creature with Throwing Knife equipped and I attack with it, I'm prompted to put the ability on the stack, target something with it, and then (after the tedious back-and-forth of passing priority) I get to decide whether or not to sacrifice the Knife or not. Which seems like the wrong way around ... but now I'm thinking about the 4/1 ice elemental from FRF, the one that dies if it gets targeted by a spell or effect. Does this mean that I could kill it without sacrificing the Knife, if the situation arose?

Correct. You choose the target when it goes on the stack, but you choose if you want to do the ability or not when it resolves... which means you can (in fact, have to) target something even if you don't want to use the ability.

You can kill things with the "illusion" ability without sacrificing your knife... indeed the knife's ability will be countered on resolution due to illegal target (since the creature would have already been sacrificed) so you won't even have the option of sacrificing the knife.

[chetoos]

Question: If I have willbreaker out, and my opponent animates Gideon and I target it, do I take control of it forever, or just as long as it's a creature?

[Asthanius]

The fact that it's a creature is not a qualifier for controlling it, just for gaining control of it.

[steric hindrance]

The fact that it's a creature is not a qualifier for controlling it, just for gaining control of it.

I'd like to add an analogy: if you had targeted an animated Gideon with Banisher Priest's ability (which says "exile target creature for as long as you control Banisher Priest"), it'd be clear that Gideon would remain exiled for as long as Banisher Priest's duration-based ability was in effect. In the same way, you should still have control over it with Willbreaker as long as you control it and not as long as Gideon remains a creature.

[chetoos]

Sorry about asking this, but I was wondering about card interactions, specifically between willbreaker and roil elemental. So, you get landfall from the roil elemental and target a creature, which you then gain control of from willbreaker. Since the roil elemental resolves last, obviously, does just the roil elemental have to leave before you lose it, or do both have to leave before you lose it?

[Asthanius]

You now control the creature due to both effects, so I believe that both creatures would have to leave before you lose control of it.

It's similar to how if you have a Willbreaker and cast Act of Treason, you'll gain control of the targeted creature as long as you control Willbreaker because it's still in effect.

[phlip]

Yes. Both abilities resolve (Roil Elemental doesn't care if you're targeting your own creature, it's just "target creature") so there are now two effects that say you control the creature. They apply in order, but since they're both trying to give control to the same player, it doesn't really matter. Both effects would have to end to have the creature go back to its previous controller.

[AdmiralMemo]

If I use Ashiok's -X ability to put out a Gray Merchant, that Gray Merchant becomes a Nightmare in addition. If I cast Dack's Duplicate, and target the copy ability on the Gray Merchant, does the copy become a Zombie Nightmare as well or just a Zombie? I thought it'd be a Zombie Nightmare, but MtGO has it as just a Zombie.

[phlip]

Just a Zombie. The effect making it a Nightmare is just another continuous effect, no different to a Giant Growth or anything else that isn't copied. The fact that the effect comes from the same ability that put the creature onto the battlefield in the first place doesn't matter.

The only time an effect that looks like this is when it is another copy effect, including copy effects that alter the thing it's copying. So if you copy a Clone, you get a copy of whatever the Clone is copying; and if you copy a Phantasmal Image, your copy is also an Illusion with the target-sacrifice ability, because the effect that made the Image an Illusion with that ability is itself a copy effect. But Ashiok's -X isn't a copy effect.

[Kapol]

In competitive REL events, how do you decide who gets the choice? Is it a dice roll? Or is it something more specific. I've been studying up for GP Detroit, and it mentions that the playoff gives the choice to the team higher in rankings. Want to make sure that's not what to plan for normally.

[steric hindrance]

You randomly decide in the Swiss and go by higher seed after the cut to top 8 or top 4 (in the case of team events.)

[Kapol]

Alright, thank you. So a die roll will work than. I just wanted to make sure I didn't get a warning for doing something stupid, as I've never actually been to a competitive REL event.

[phlip]

As long as it's random and fair, the judges aren't going to get involved. But a die roll (typically either 2d6 or d20) is the norm... anything else is probably going to be a challenge to convince your opponent to do.

[ElFuzzy]

JUDGE! If I have Sphinx's Tutelage on the field. Then I resolve Fascination where X = 4 and choose the draw mode. When does my opponent mill his 8 cards? After drawing his 4, or is it a case of I draw 1, them opponent draws 1 and mills 2 repeat?

[steric hindrance]

After he draws his cards. Essentially, you need to finish resolving Fascination before the mill triggers can start doing so. (The triggers are placed on the stack during the resolution of the spell, but don't begin to resolve until Fascination is finished resolving.)

[korvys]

Also, he doesn't mill 8 cards, he mills 2 cards at a time, more if the colours match, 4 times. It's probably not important, but worth noting.