Magic the Gathering: Ask a Judge

[chetoos]

I don't believe so, the tokens are not dying. I'm not a judge, however.

[jkefka]

Alright so, this question involves a JtN card but the effect already exists on a previous card so I feel like I can ask this safely.

My opponent has Dictate of Erabos on the battlefield and a bunch of pack rat tokens.

If I overload cyclonic rift, will I have to sac creatures when the tokens leave play?

Not a judge but no. Grave pact and the dictate trigger on when a critter DIES, which is specifically defined as put into a graveyard from play. When you bounce all the rat tokens, they don't actually die. They go to your opponent's hand, but because tokens cannot exist in the hand zone, they simply cease to be without actually dying. So, no grave pact/dictate trigger.

[korvys]

I'm not a judge but... wait, no, actually I am

jkefka has it right. "Dies" is shorthand for "goes to the graveyard from the battlefield". The tokens will go to the players hand, and exist for a brief moment, before State Based Actions whisk them away to the wonderful land of they-don't-exist-anymore. None of that is "Dying" though.

[Lord Hosk]

The New Strive mechanic.

(spell name) (cost)
[pretty picture]
(spell name) costs (X) more to cost for each target beyond the first.
Any number of creatures/targets get (insert thing)

IE:
Blinding Flare R
[dude blinding a minataur with fire]
Blinding Fire Costs R more to cast for each target beyond the first.
Any number of target creatures cant block this turn.

If I am running a White Red Deck and have a DawnBringer Charioteers down. can I pay 4 red mana to target it 4 times giving it 4 +1/+1 counters? Or is there a way that Magic interprets the phrasing to mean it has to be different creatures.

[phlip]

"Any number of target creatures" can't target the same thing twice. You can only target the same thing twice with the same spell/ability if it actually says "target" multiple times, without saying something like "another target creature". Like Common Bond.

Also, even if it did, Heroic is "when you cast a spell that targets me"... if you do target a heroic creature multiple times with the same spell (say, Common Bond), it still only triggers once. Because the trigger event is casting the spell, which is only happening once.

[Lord Hosk]

That is disappointing.

[tamaness]

Talk to RW Heroic about Martial Glory...

[Kapol]

Alright, two questions:

I use that new uncommon that has Constallation, target creature must be blocked this turn to make it so two of my guys have to be blocked. My opponent has one blocker. Does he get to choose which of the two to block?

Daring Thief. I exchange control of an enchantment aura and a bestowed aura. Do they swap or is 'control' just shifted? What if the creature that was bestowed on goes away? And finally, what if I just target my enchantment aura and my opponent's enchantment creature?

[tamaness]

I can answer the Daring Thief one:
You can exchange any two cards that share a card type, I.E. two enchantments (or an enchantment-aura and an enchantment creature!). Control changes, so you can swap your Weight of the Underworld enchanting their fattie for their Courser of Kruphix, and you end up on the good side of the deal.

With Goldenhide Ox, your opponent has the choice of which creature to block. When blocking, you must fulfill as many requirements as possible, while violating no restrictions. If you have two creatures that must be blocked, and they can only block one, they only block one.

[Phosphatide]

For the blocking question, the opponent gets to choose. When two creatures have the same condition that requires fulfillment, it doesn't mean that they absolutely be met. Choosing either creature to block with the only available blocker meets the same goal for the game, as such your opponent has a choice.

This is where the difference between this ability and Tromokratis's ability comes in, as a relevant example.

[Kapol]

I can answer the Daring Thief one:
You can exchange any two cards that share a card type, I.E. two enchantments (or an enchantment-aura and an enchantment creature!). Control changes, so you can swap your Weight of the Underworld enchanting their fattie for their Courser of Kruphix, and you end up on the good side of the deal.

With Goldenhide Ox, your opponent has the choice of which creature to block. When blocking, you must fulfill as many requirements as possible, while violating no restrictions. If you have two creatures that must be blocked, and they can only block one, they only block one.

Alright, what about bestowed creature when it dies? Does it go to your side or your opponent's? (I figure I know these already, but I want to be sure.)

[tamaness]

bestowaways that fall off are controlled as a creature by the player who controls the aura.

[Duckay]

Quick question.

I use Daring Thief to trade something of mine for my opponent's Heliod's Emissary, which is presently bestowed on one of his creatures. Heliod's Emissary reads as follows:

Whenever Heliod's Emissary or enchanted creature attacks, tap target creature an opponent controls.

If he attacks with the enchanted creature, who controls the triggered ability and gets to tap something down?

[Phosphatide]

This is one of those instances where the ability is still part of Heliod's Emissary and was never granted to the creature, so the controller of the Emissary is the one who controls the triggered ability. Which would be you.

[Duckay]

I thought as much, but I wasn't certain.

[Asthanius]

I have two Marauding Maulhorns out, let's call them A and B, and A is enchanted with Errantry. Does A attack and B doesn't, or does B attack and A doesn't?

[Kapol]

I'm not even close to sure on this, but I'm going to take a stab at it. Waiting for an official judge ruling would likely be wise though.

I'd say that A would not be able to attack. Both have to attack 'if able.' There's no effect holding B back, meaning that he must be declared as an attacker. This means that A cannot be declared as an attacker due to Errantry's effect. A and B tried to be declared as attackers, but A is then an illegal attacker and not allowed to be one.

[ElFuzzy]

B attacks and A is never allowed to because Marauding Maulhorn B physically has to attack if able, which it will. MM A is rendered unable because the enchantment locks it down. I may have worded that poorly but I believe I'm right.

[tamaness]

If they're your only two creatures, I believe that you'd attack with either one, but not both, as you can only satisfy one requirement each time without violating restrictions.

[phlip]

madAldric is right. You have two requirements (each creature must attack if able) and one restriction (A can only attack alone). You can't satisfy everything, so you must satisfy as many requirements as possible while satisfying all restrictions. Attacking with either Maulhorn alone satisfies one requirement and the restriction, which is the best you can do... so you can attack with your choice of either (but you must attack with one of them).

[CaptainEnder7]

So let's say I have something out granting me the player Hexproof (like Aegis of the Gods from upcoming Journey Into Nyx) and a planeswalker. Can my opponent cast a direct damage spell targeting the planeswalker if it doesn't specifically mention targeting planeswalkers? As I understand it, you have to target the player and then redirect to the planeswalker, so does the hexproof stop that?

[Lurkon]

So let's say I have something out granting me the player Hexproof (like Aegis of the Gods from upcoming Journey Into Nyx) and a planeswalker. Can my opponent cast a direct damage spell targeting the planeswalker if it doesn't specifically mention targeting planeswalkers? As I understand it, you have to target the player and then redirect to the planeswalker, so does the hexproof stop that?

The way you understand it it correct. If it only says "target player", you can't redirect the damage to the planeswalker.

[ElFuzzy]

That's how I understand it. You may redirect damage targeting a live player to a planeswalker if you want. Ergo I'd guess making you hexproof stops Ajani from getting lightning striked, but not fated confligrated. Not a judge though

[tamaness]

Correct on both accounts. Noncombat damage can be redirected to a planeswalker the affected player controls, as long as he or she doesn't also control the source of the damage. It doesn't require a spell to target. If a spell targets the walker directly, then the redirection effect doesn't apply.

[Phosphatide]

Actually I think spell/ability damage to a planeswalker must be redirected from the player, unless the spell/ability itself just says straight up "target planeswalker" instead. To "target a planeswalker" with a spell like Lightning Bolt for example really means you're using a shortcut to say "I cast Lightning Bolt targeting you but I intend to redirect it to the planeswalker during resolution" and you are locked to that decision as a result of that choice unless an opponent responds, meaning you can't decide during resolution to change your mind and redirect it back to the player (from the Magic Tournament Rules document, section 4.2).

As such, if a player has hexproof or shroud then so does the planeswalker (sort of) unless your spell/ability doesn't care about trying to target the player.