Deathrite Shaman is making a splash in Modern lately, and sees some play in Standard due to it helping to slow down reanimator-type strategies, as well as giving some Zombie decks an extra way to bleed their opponent for the last few points of mana. One of the reasons that it sees a good deal of play in Modern’s Jund decks is that it can be used as a mana dork in that format, due to the abundance of fetchlands present in the format, especially in the Jund deck itself. However, Shaman’s ability to make mana is less useful in Standard because there’s not as many ways to get lands into the graveyard, and you MUST have lands in the graveyard to make mana. Deathrite Shaman’s first ability is actually not a mana ability; a mana ability is defined by the rules as an ability that has no targets, is not a loyalty ability, and could add mana to a mana pool when it resolves. Shaman’s ability targets, meaning that the ability is NOT a mana ability; it uses the stack, and it can be responded to. So even if you do have a Ghost Quarter or an Evolving Wilds or a milled/discarded land in your graveyard to make mana with, your opponent can legally respond with a Cremate or by cracking his Tormod’s Crypt to stop you, and your Shaman’s ability will fizzle due to no legal targets.

 

Today’s rules tip written by Trevor Nunez