Once more, I get the Commander question, and I’m fine with that. Commander is a popular format with Judges, largely because of the fact that it doesn’t rotate, and that the decks can be personalized a good deal. Many judges will haul a deck or five with them to a tournament, knowing that there’s likely […]
Author: bimmerbot
How Trinisphere works with Phyrexian Mana.
Whenever I’m asked about cost reductions/increases, especially in the flurry of questions about it thanks to a newly spoiled card from the Izzet vs. Golgari decks, a joke I like to use is ʺApply increases, then reductions, then .ʺ Trinisphere is really the only card that does what it does, and it seems to be […]
All about Captivating Vampire.
I see a fair number of questions about this card, so I thought it couldn’t hurt to simply answer them all in one place! If the Vampire dies, do I lose the creatures I took control of with him? No. The effect doesn’t state a duration (e.g., “as long as you control Captivating Vampire”), so […]
Torpor Orb doesn’t stop Clone effects or other ʺas this entersʺ abilities.
As Scars of Mirrodin’s time in Standard is coming to a close, it seems fitting to give a final hurrah to one of the most confusing cards in the block: ! This confusion can be attributed mostly to the difficulty people have in understanding the difference between triggered and static abilities, but once you know […]
How taking an extra turn works during the ‘extra turns’ at the end of a timed round.
ʺPlayers, that is TIME in the round! Active player, please finish your turn; then play five additional turns.ʺ Prepare to hear that announcement several times throughout the day of a tournament. Normally, you and your opponent will alternate turns, so player A will take turns one, three, and five, while player B will take turns […]
Multiplayer Monday: What happens when a player leaves the game.
Today, we’re covering what happens when a player leaves the game when the game consists of only individual players (not teams). This comes up most frequently in EDH/Commander and any other casual game with a bunch of players in a free-for-all. What happens when Susie is eliminated in the middle of the game, or even […]
Triggered abilities: The difference between “graveyard from the battlefield” and “graveyard from anywhere.”
Now you may be wondering why it is that you shuffle into your graveyard if you mill it, but you don’t get to draw a card if you mill your . It’s pretty simple; they’re a different breed of trigger. Simulacrum has a ‘graveyard from the battlefield’ trigger, meaning it only works if it goes […]
You control a trigger if you controlled its source when it triggered.
Does this work or not: You make the call! Active Player: “?” Non-Active Player: “Sure. After it resolves, I cast on my . I take your slime and use the trigger to destroy your !” Spells and abilities begin their time on the stack controlled by the player who puts them there, and triggered abilties […]
Triggers can trigger at any time, but wait to go on the stack until a player would get priority.
I cast while you control . What happens? After a creature spell resolves, a player receives priority. But it’s not as simple as that. Before priority can be received, first the game has to check for state-based actions (SBAs) – things like creatures with lethal damage dying, or +1/+1 and -1/-1 counters canceling each other […]