Magic the Gathering: Ask a Judge

[phlip]

When you cast a fused Beck // Call, the card on the stack has two names, "Beck" and "Call". It doesn't have the name "Beck // Call".

Same way that it three colours: Green, White and Blue. It is does not have the colour "Green // White // Blue". A Prism Ring naming "green" would trigger off Beck or a fused Beck // Call, but would not trigger off Call. And you couldn't cast Prism Ring and name "Green // White // Blue".

[AdmiralMemo]

I've seen conflicting info on whether Naga Vitalist could make Snow mana or not, if you had a snow land. Judge?

[phlip]

The different "types" of mana are WUBRGC. Snow isn't a "type" of mana, rather snow mana costs can only be paid by mana "produced by a snow permanent", which Naga Vitalist is not.

[AdmiralMemo]

Cool. I didn't think it did, but "type" threw me off. So, the only way for it to make Snow mana is if it's hit by Thermal Flux then, I guess.

[AdmiralMemo]

Alright, if you use a Soul Separator on a Clone, Altered Ego, etc....

You get a 0/0 Zombie token that immediately dies, and a 1/1 flying copy of whatever creature you want on the battlefield.

Let me know if I have that right, or if the copy overrides anything of the Separator.

[SixFootTurkey]

I need to double check, but I believe the replacement effect will overwrite everything set by the separator...

Basically you have a 1/1 flying clone with 'as it enters...' - and then you have it enter as a copy of something else. The 'except it's...' does not mean those values become immutable, merely that it doesn't keep the original from the thing it (that particular copy effect) is copying.

[phlip]

I'm not 100% sure, but I agree with SixFootTurkey... the copy effect on the Clone will override the Soul Separator's shenanigans, and it won't be a 1/1, flying, or a spirit (unless the thing you're copying is, of course).

I went looking for confirmation and found this discussion which agrees...

Of course, you can just choose not to copy anything with Clone's ability, it is a "may" after all. Then you can avoid all these rules questions and just effectively have a vanilla 1/1 flier. Whether that's worth your 8 mana and a card is up to you.

[AdmiralMemo]

So, unless I'm REALLY looking for flying or Spirit tribal, it works BETTER than I expected. Woo!

[cuddlyblade]

If I cast Approach of the Second Sun from my hand then remand it and cast it again do I win the game? The card says cast and not successfully cast so I was wondering.

[SixFootTurkey]

Sure do.

Terminology clarification: there is no difference between 'cast' and 'successfully cast' - if you cast it, it's cast, end of story.

The term you're looking for is _resolve_ -- which is when the spell's effects happen. (The first AotSS was cast - but never resolved. The second AotSS was both cast and resolved.)

Compare cast/resolve to a ball being thrown/caught -- poofing the ball out of the air won't undo the fact that it was thrown.

[Aaron9797]

what if i have an eternal of harsh truths and i attack and my opponent cast farm on it do i get to draw a card?

[phlip]

That depends on when they cast Farm.

Eternal of Harsh Truths triggers when it "attacks and isn't blocked" - specifically, that means it triggers during the Declare Blockers step if your opponent declares blocks and chooses not to block the Eternal. So if they cast Farm after blockers are declared, then you'll draw your card. But they also have the option of casting Farm before blockers are declared (during the Declare Attackers step), in which case you won't draw your card, as it's not on the battlefield any more at the point when it would trigger.

[Aaron9797]

if i have acrane adaptation and i name merfolk will the creatures trigger deeproot waters?

[SixFootTurkey]

If you cast a creature spell, it will trigger Deeproot Waters regardless of what printed creature types it has. (If you are not casting the creature - or if it was a noncreature spell or an ability making a copy of something - it will of course not trigger.)

[AdmiralMemo]

As far as I can tell, there are 9 total noncreature spells in MtG that will trigger Deeproot Waters, all from Lorwyn block:

Aquitect's Will
Blades of Velis Vel
Crib Swap
Ego Erasure
Merrow Commerce
Nameless Inversion
Shields of Velis Vel
Summon the School
Wings of Velis Vel

So unless you've got Lorwyn cards legal in whatever format you're playing, you only have to worry about creatures.

[mbooma]

Hi Judge,

I am wondering how the interaction between a rest in peace (or similar effect) works with a processor (think wasteland strangler).

Can I process a card exiled with rest in peace on the field?

[SixFootTurkey]

Yes - it never changes zones, but is a 'new object' for things that care. (E.g., it breaks O-Ring tracking, etc.)

Note, if the card requires 'processing' multiple cards, there must be that many cards in exile; you can't choose the same card multiple times.

[Atifexe]

Judge!

I have a card in play that can interact with creatures in the graveyard (let's say a land). I play a spell that requires me to sacrifice a creature as an additional cost. Can I respond to that spell after paying costs but before the spell resolves by activating my land, targeting the sacrificed creature?

[SixFootTurkey]

It would be easier to respond with specific cards, but I think I get what the core problem is.

After a player casts a spell/activates an ability, they get priority. Since in *most* games players don't actually do anything here, the tournament shortcut is that they are passing priority.

What this means: If you cast a spell, you are passing priority by default. If your opponent also passes, you have both passed in succession, so the spell resolves.

If you wish to act instead of passing priority, you must bypass this default by being explicit - this is known as 'holding priority.' There is no singular way of doing so, but basically anything that doesn't involve waiting for your opponent's reaction will work. Examples: "Cast [spell A], then [spell B] with A on the stack." "Cast [spell] holding priority."

[Atifexe]

Thank you for your response! For my part, I should have been more clear - I has intended to ask whether or not the creature sacrificed as a cost of card A would be a legal target for card B''s ability before card A resolved.

If specific cards help, I cast Altar's Reap, sacrificing Scathe Zombies. Before Altar''s Reap resolves, I want to use Unholy Grotto to put it on top of my library.

[SixFootTurkey]

Yes, you can do that; you must specify you are holding priority, otherwise you'll have to hope they have a response.

[AdmiralMemo]

Many cards return creatures from the graveyard to the battlefield and make them Black Zombies in addition to their other colors and types.

Dread Slaver
Ever After
Grave Betrayal
Grimore of the Dead
Liliana, Death's Majesty
Lim-Dûl the Necromancer (Not Black, but still a Zombie)
Necromantic Selection
Rise from the Grave

My question is about DFCs... If you return a DFC with one of these, I do know that it comes back on the first side. But if it transforms, is it still a Zombie? Is it still Black (except for Lim-Dûl)? Or is it just what it is normally? For example, Rise from the Graves on a Convicted Killer would give you a Red and Black - Human Werewolf Zombie. If opponent doesn't cast a spell, is Branded Howler a Red and Black - Werewolf Zombie? Or just a Red Werewolf?

[SixFootTurkey]

Yes indeed (barring the ones that exile and return rather than transform) - it is the same object. So, just like a Giant Growth effect would still be applied or equipment still attached, the CE from [reanimation card] would still apply. (If it's not a creature, it will still be black, but not be a Zombie, since it needs the creature/tribal type in order to have a creature subtype.)

[cuddlyblade]

What is Akiri, Line-Slinger's power in the graveyard? Is it zero or is it equal to the number of artifacts I control?

[SixFootTurkey]

Zero - the ability only functions on the battlefield.

Characteristic Defining Abilities (CDAs) work in all zones, but this is not one of those. CDAs must (among other things) *set* an attribute of the card, not modify it.