{"id":466,"date":"2016-10-13T08:25:41","date_gmt":"2016-10-13T08:25:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.magicjudges.org\/playerexperience\/?p=466"},"modified":"2016-10-14T07:32:08","modified_gmt":"2016-10-14T07:32:08","slug":"card-of-the-month-spell-queller","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.magicjudges.org\/playerexperience\/2016\/10\/13\/card-of-the-month-spell-queller\/","title":{"rendered":"Card of the month – Spell Queller"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

\"Written<\/a>

Written by Saverio Adamo
\nLevel 2, Italy<\/p><\/div>It appears in Eldritch Moon, a spirit that immediately attracted the attention of players and rules experts. A 2\/3 with Flying and Flash that brings to the battlefield an exceptional ability: to exile spells.<\/p>\n

Let’s analyze Spell Queller<\/a>\u2019s triggered abilities:<\/span><\/p>\n

When Spell Queller enters the battlefield, exile target spell with converted mana cost 4 or less.<\/b><\/p>\n

When Spell Queller leaves the battlefield, the exiled card’s owner may cast that card without paying its mana cost.<\/b><\/p>\n

We can imagine immediately that the two abilities of Spell Queller are harbingers of many interesting interactions. Let’s examine the most peculiars.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Countering the Uncounterable<\/b><\/p>\n

The spirit\u2019s enter the battlefield ability <\/span>exiles <\/span><\/i>spells. This makes it able to interact with those spells that \u201ccan\u2019t be countered\u201d. A spell that can\u2019t be countered, however, can be exiled. Thus, Spell Queller, will be able to exile spells like Supreme Verdict<\/a>, Abrupt Decay<\/a> or Thrun, the Last Troll<\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n

Past in Queller<\/b><\/p>\n

Spell Queller\u2019s ability exiles spells with converted mana cost 4 or less. The converted mana cost of an object is a number equal to the total amount of mana in its mana cost, regardless of color.<\/span><\/p>\n

For example, we can legally target a Past in Flames<\/a> casted for its Flashback cost: the alternative casting cost, in this case Flashback, doesn’t change the converted mana cost of an object. But what happens to the \u201cFlashbacked\u201d Past in Flames<\/a> if we try to exile it with the spirit\u2019s ability?<\/span><\/p>\n

A spell casted for its Flashback cost goes to exile, instead of any other zone, when it leaves the stack. This replacement effect, however, does not interfere with Spell Queller\u2019s ability that will move the object right in exile. Once the spirit will leave the battlefield, and its second triggered ability will try to resolve, the Past in Flames<\/a> may be launched.<\/span><\/p>\n

X= Queller<\/b><\/p>\n

The converted mana cost of a spell with X in its cost is treated as the number chosen for it while the object is on the stack. If, for example, our opponent casts a Mind Twist<\/a> with X=3, the converted mana cost will be 4. The spirit will be able to easily banish the upcoming headache.<\/span><\/p>\n

When the spirit\u2019s \u201cleave the battlefield\u201d ability will allow our opponent to cast Mind Twist<\/a> without paying its mana cost, the only legal choice for X will be 0… definitely better than an aspirin.<\/span><\/p>\n

Oblivion Queller<\/b><\/p>\n

Can a spirit handle forever the Wrath of God<\/a>? Well, yes. Let’s say we respond to a spell with my Spell Queller. In response to its first triggered ability, retaining priority, we bounce the spirit with Unsubstantiate<\/a>. When the spell resolves, Spell Queller\u2019s \u201cleave the battlefield\u201d ability will go on the stack and will resolve before its ETB ability, doing nothing useful. When the first ability will resolve, the spell will be exiled forever.<\/span><\/p>\n

If this reminds you an analogous interaction possible with Oblivion Ring<\/a> and similar abilities, you have a good memory.<\/span><\/p>\n

In this regard we had a Summer Hit: Spell Queller<\/a> + Eldrazi Displacer<\/a>. Let\u2019s see in detail what changes in this scenario:<\/span><\/p>\n

Andrew casts Collected Company<\/a>. Nicole responds with Spell Queller<\/a>, it resolves. With the triggered ability still on the stack (that targets Collected Company<\/a>), Nicole exiles the spirit with Displacer\u2019s activated ability.<\/span><\/p>\n

During the resolution of Displacer\u2019s ability, both the abilities of Spell Queller<\/a> will trigger. Nicole will choose the order they\u2019ll go on the stack. Even if we first let resolve the ability that lets our opponent cast the spell (as from previous scenario), we will still have a new ability that will try again to exile the Collected Company<\/a>, seen that Spell Queller\u2019s ETB ability isn\u2019t optional and CoCo is the only legal target in this scenario. Not the best way to tap our creatures and use our mana.<\/span><\/p>\n

Restoration Queller<\/b><\/p>\n

We control the spirit that exiled an opponent\u2019s spell with its first ability. We play Restoration Angel<\/a> and target Spell Queller<\/a> with its ability. <\/span><\/p>\n

Can we exile again the already exiled spell? <\/span><\/p>\n

Unfortunately, we can\u2019t do it. <\/span><\/p>\n

Once the angel\u2019s ability resolves, both Spell Queller\u2019s abilities will go on the stack in the order we prefer. Even if we choose to resolve for first its \u201cleaves the battlefield\u201d triggered ability, the exiled spell will not be a legal target for its \u201centers the battlefield\u201d one, because ability\u2019s targets have to be chosen as soon as abilities goes on the stack, and not when they resolve. <\/span><\/p>\n

Additional Queller<\/b><\/p>\n

During the resolution of Spell Queller\u2019s second ability, we can cast the exiled card without paying its mana cost. This prevents us from paying for the spell with alternative costs, but we can still choose to pay any additional cost. For example: we can pay the additional cost of a\u00a0Borrowed Grace<\/a> in order to use both of its modes. Sometimes, additional costs aren\u2019t optional, like in the case of Bone Splinters<\/a>, even if we don\u2019t have to pay for its mana cost we\u2019ll still have to sacrifice a creature. Is to be noted that additional costs do not change a spell\u2019s converted mana cost. A Kicked Burst Lightning<\/a> is still a legal target for Spell Queller\u2019s ability: Even if we’ve spent 5 mana to cast it, its converted mana cost will still be 1. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As we have said, only a single alternative cost is allowed. If we try to play a Den Protector<\/a> that has been exiled with the spirit\u2019s ability, we will not be able to cast it with Megamorph, but only as a humble warrior.<\/span><\/p>\n

Credits<\/h3>\n

\"Fabio<\/a>

Fabio Pierucci<\/strong>
\nTranslator<\/p><\/div>\u00a0

\"Lino<\/a>

Lino Guttuso<\/strong>
\nTranslator review<\/p><\/div>\u00a0

\"Aruna<\/a>

Aruna Prem Bianzino<\/strong>
\nEditor<\/p><\/div><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Saverio explains us how to deal with one of the most played cards of recent times: the Spell Queller!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":278,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[24],"tags":[25,32,45],"language":[38],"class_list":["post-466","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-card-of-the-month","tag-cotm","tag-imj-magazine","tag-spell-queller","language-en"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.magicjudges.org\/playerexperience\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/466","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.magicjudges.org\/playerexperience\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.magicjudges.org\/playerexperience\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.magicjudges.org\/playerexperience\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/278"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.magicjudges.org\/playerexperience\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=466"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.magicjudges.org\/playerexperience\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/466\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":472,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.magicjudges.org\/playerexperience\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/466\/revisions\/472"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.magicjudges.org\/playerexperience\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=466"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.magicjudges.org\/playerexperience\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=466"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.magicjudges.org\/playerexperience\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=466"},{"taxonomy":"language","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.magicjudges.org\/playerexperience\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/language?post=466"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}