Category Archives: Characteristics

Showstopper only affects creatures you control as it resolves.

Posted on May 24, 2013 by bimmerbot

It’s the end of another week here at the Rules Tips Blog, and we’re going out with a bang! It’s the hope that no heads will explode from adding this extra bit of knowledge about how Showstopper works. This card … Continue reading →

Posted in Characteristics, Resolving spells and abilities | Tagged | Comments Off

Scavenging Jace’s Phantasm with Varolz only gets you 1 counter (but Boneyard Wurm is different).

Posted on May 23, 2013 by bimmerbot

Jace’s PhantasmAs a general rule, abilities of a creature only work when that creature’s on the battlefield, unless the rules text or common sense suggests that it works in another zone. Varolz, the Scar-Striped, for example, has an ability that … Continue reading →

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Duskmantle Seer is extra painful when revealing Fuse cards.

Posted on May 22, 2013 by bimmerbot

Split cards are great; it’s like getting two cards in one! You get two names, two (or three) colors, and two sets of rules text… and when you use the Fuse ability, you can even get both at the same … Continue reading →

Posted in Characteristics, Resolving spells and abilities, Triggered Abilities | Tagged | Comments Off

Plasm Capture vs. X spells

Posted on May 13, 2013 by bimmerbot

Let me tell you a little secret. X, if it’s not on the stack, is treated as 0. While an X spell is ON the stack, X stops being a variable and starts being a number (Note: the quality of … Continue reading →

Posted in Casting / playing a spell or ability, Characteristics, Costs | Tagged | Comments Off

If you copy a creature that’s encoded with a Cipher card, the copy won’t be encoded.

Posted on April 15, 2013 by bimmerbot

It’s only fitting that the new guild keyword that caused the most confusion upon being released was Cipher, the signature mechanic of House Dimir. And because I most definitely am not a Dimir informant secretly reporting to my shadowy superior … Continue reading →

Posted in Characteristics, Copies | Comments Off

Biomass Mutation Tips and Tricks

Posted on February 20, 2013 by tnunez

After a brief break for Tournament Tuesday, we’re back in Simic-Land for another neat card, Biomass Mutation. Mutation is the Simic entrant in the rare X spells cycle from Gatecrash, and it can be devastating. For X mana, plus 2 … Continue reading →

Posted in Casting / playing a spell or ability, Characteristics | Tagged | Comments Off

Wayfaring Temple and Essence Backlash

Posted on January 16, 2013 by bimmerbot

You’re playing your Selesnya token deck, and you have five tokens on the board. Hoping to take advantage, you cast your Wayfaring Temple, hoping to start attacking with a large creature and creating a larger army. However, your opponent doesn’t … Continue reading →

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Rakdos Shred-Freak can’t block Knight of Glory (an explanation of hybrid mana symbols).

Posted on January 10, 2013 by bimmerbot

“Hybrid mana” is incredibly flexible. Each hybrid mana symbol in a card’s cost lets you choose which color of mana you’ll use to pay for each hybrid mana symbol. For example, Rakdos Shred-Freak‘s cost is {B/R}{B/R}, which can be paid … Continue reading →

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Bloodbraid Elf can cascade into Boom/Bust and cast Bust.

Posted on December 14, 2012 by bimmerbot

Cascade and split cards are a fun little combination, both in Modern and in Commander. The reason it can be fun is that when Cascade asks a split card what its CMC is, you get two answers; one for each … Continue reading →

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Rootbound Defenses’ interaction with creatures changing control or entering later.

Posted on December 3, 2012 by bimmerbot

Rootborn Defenses is a nifty common from Return to Ravnica that was made famous when it was (allegedly) accidentally included in a booster pack of Magic 2013. For us, it’s also interesting due to its rules implications! Like many other … Continue reading →

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