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 time.

The first one is Havengul Lich, which has an activated ability that lets you cast a target creature card from any graveyard this turn by paying its mana cost (plus some other nifty effects if the creature had any activated abilities). This follows the normal timing restrictions of casting a creature spell, because the ability doesn’t tell you to cast it right now—it simply sets up a special permission to cast it from an unusual place for a specified duration (“this turn”).

The other new card, Counterlash, is an instant that counters a spell and then lets you cast a spell that shares a type with that spell without paying its mana cost. This ignores timing restrictions (unlike like our friendly Lich), because we are casting the spell during the resolution of a spell or ability, at a time when you wouldn’t even normally have priority. This means you must be ignoring timing restrictions, otherwise the card’s ability would be meaningless.

Today’s Rules Tip written by
Peter Golightly, Level 1 Judge from Austin, TX