Abrupt Decay at first looks a lot like the other cards in its cycle, in that it “can’t be countered.” But look closer and you’ll see a difference… those four little words at the end: “…by spells or abilities.” What does this mean?

Well, in most cases, it means nothing. Your opponent still can’t counter your spell by casting Negate, and if Judge’s Familiar is sacrificed in response, you can choose to pay no mana, and the spell will still resolve. However, there is another way a spell can be countered:

When a spell tries to resolve, if all of its targets are illegal, it will be countered by the game rules. This means that if you attempt to Abrupt Decay a Champion of the Parish, and your opponent responds with Faith’s Shield giving the Champion protection from black, your Abrupt Decay will be countered. It doesn’t matter that your opponent used a spell to grant protection, since what’s countering Abrupt Decay is the game rules, not the spell itself. The same would be true if the target gained hexproof or shroud.

Today’s Rules Tip written by
Jen Wong