Category Archives: Casting / playing a spell or ability

Killing Wave is shut down by Sigarda, Host of Herons (but not by Angel of Jubilation).

Posted on May 17, 2012 by bimmerbot

Sigarda, Host of Herons and Angel of Jubilation have abilities that at first glance look similar. However, they are actually quite different! When your opponent’s Killing Wave resolves, it gives each player a choice to make for each creature that … Continue reading →

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You can’t play a land after you reveal a Miracle card but before you cast it.

Posted on May 9, 2012 by bimmerbot

There seem to be a lot of questions about the new miracle mechanic lately. To repeat, here is how it works: When you draw the first card in a turn, if it has miracle, you may reveal it. When you … Continue reading →

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Why Knowledge Pool + Curse of Exhaustion locks your opponent out of casting spells from the hand.

Posted on April 25, 2012 by bimmerbot

As part of combo week, I’ve chosen to explain my personal favorite combo in standard: the Curse of Exhaustion + Knowledge Pool lock. First, let’s take a look at what these two cards do before we explain how the combo … Continue reading →

Posted in Abilities, Casting / playing a spell or ability, Continuous Effects, Static Abilities, Triggered Abilities | Tagged , | Comments Off

Targets are checked for legality twice: upon casting and upon resolution.

Posted on April 18, 2012 by bimmerbot

When you cast a spell that requires a target, you have to be able to choose a legal target or you can’t cast it at all. However, that spell must still have a legal target when it resolves, or it … Continue reading →

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How you handle two Knowledge Pools.

Posted on April 2, 2012 by bimmerbot

If both players control a Knowledge Pool (“KP1″ for active player and “KP2″ for non-active player), you must keep track of which cards have been exiled by which Knowledge Pool, since the exiled cards are linked to that specific KP. … Continue reading →

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The extra mana you pay because of Thalia, Guardian of Thraben doesn’t count for anything else.

Posted on March 30, 2012 by bimmerbot

Simple enough: Does Thalia, Guardian of Thraben increase the converted mana cost (“CMC”) of your spells because she makes them cost more? Easy answer: No! CMC -never- changes. The sum of all the symbols in the top right corner of … Continue reading →

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Snapcaster Mage doesn’t give a spell flashback until after its triggered ability resolves.

Posted on March 29, 2012 by bimmerbot

When your opponent casts a Snapcaster Mage to give something flashback, you get a window of opportunity to do something before that spell can be flashed back. The targeted spell doesn’t immediately have flashback as soon as the Snapcaster hits … Continue reading →

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You can cast Viridian Corrupter even with no artifacts in play.

Posted on March 22, 2012 by bimmerbot

When you cast a creature spell, you are never required to choose targets for it, because creature spells never target anything. Some creatures have enters-the-battlefield (“ETB”) abilities that require targets, and you must choose one only when the creature hits … Continue reading →

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Havengul Lich doesn’t let you cast creatures when you normally couldn’t.

Posted on March 14, 2012 by bimmerbot

Dark Ascension added two new cards that allow you to do some odd things having to do with casting spells. One allows you to cast creatures from an unusual zone, and one lets you cast a spell at an unusual … Continue reading →

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If you cast a spell illegally, the game rewinds to just before you started casting it.

Posted on March 6, 2012 by bimmerbot

The process of casting a spell consists of a series of steps that need to be followed in order. If at any point during this process a player is unable to perform one of these actions, the whole casting process … Continue reading →

Posted in Casting / playing a spell or ability, Tournament Rules | Comments Off