“Can’t be countered…” You get a little tingly feeling inside when you cast a spell with such a phrase. It’s as if you had your old security blanket when you were 3, 6, … or in some cases, 12 years old. But like your security blanket, this phrase doesn’t mean that the spell will always […]
Author: bimmerbot
Nightveil Specter lets you play the exiled card(s), but not for free.
Unlike an explosive card such as , which exiles a bunch of cards then lets you cast them right away for free, Nightveil Specter prefers to play a slower, more gradual game. When you exile a card with the Specter, you can play it… but only at a time you could normally play it from […]
Aurelia’s Fury vs. miracles (and suspend cards!).
Every good army needs a good leader, and luckily, the Boros Legion has Aurelia, whose Fury certainly lives up to the tradition of red Mythic Rares with X in their cost being a huge blowout for the opponent. In addition to nuking creatures, has a unique effect if it deals damage to an opponent; that […]
Master Biomancer and Evolve.
Welcome to the lab, initiates. I am Gulistan, , and today we will learn about replacement effects. Observe as I invoke the summoning spell for a basic . How many counters does it enter the battlefield with? If you were paying attention last week, this should be a no-brainer. Cloudfin Raptor normally enters with zero […]
How to fill out a match slip.
A Match Result Slip is that piece of paper with names and lines on it, which some judge or other tournament personnel will drop on your table (usually within the first 5 minutes of the round). At very small events, they may not be used at all. But if you ever go to a Competitive […]
Protection from creatures prevents targeting with Bloodrush.
To quickly remind yourself of what protection does, just think of the Orzhov guild’s favorite word: DEBT. D stands for dealing damage; E stands for enchanting/equipping; B stands for blocking; and T stands for targeting. While you might be most familiar with protection from a color, protection can also encompass a wide variety of other […]
Geist of Saint Traft and Battalion is NOT a combo.
IMPORTANT UPDATE: This article has been updated as of the prerelease of Magic 2014 on July 13; Please refer to the revisions below. This was briefly explained in the Battalion mechanic blog entry last week, but it’s still a common question, so I’m making it as a bonus entry all to itself! All the triggered […]
Prime Speaker Zegana checks its power when the trigger resolves.
checks its power when the trigger resolves, so you can use effects (or your opponent can use effects like ) to alter how many card are drawn! “But Eddie!” you ask, “why is it that evolve doesn’t work that way? Trevor last week on this blog says so!”. Very true, attentive readers! That’s because evolve […]
The Gatecrash Guildmage cycle: Part 2
Duskmantle Guildmage’s 1st ability functions the same as Vizkopa Guildmage’s 2nd ability, as far as multiple activations are concerned. Since they set up a delayed trigger, each will resolve individually. Do note that it says Card, so once again, tokens won’t work, and it says from anywhere, not just the library or battlefield. Get inventive! […]