Underworld Connections doesn't actually have any activated abilities, so naming that card with Pithing Needle won't do anything good. Instead, name the land that Underworld Connections is enchanting, because that's what gains the activated ability!
Category: Static Abilities
How “Protection from a chosen player” works
Protection from a player? What does that even mean?? We explain that for you because of the new unique card True-Name Nemesis!
Brave the Elements, Gods Willing, and Auras
Back when Zendikar block was still in standard, was one of my favorite cards. We may have that back, but we also have , which grants protection to just one of your creatures, but that creature needn’t be white (plus you get to Scry 1). Now, we’re also in a Standard heavy with Auras and […]
Bestow and Cost Modification
All right, the dust from Theros has more or less settled, and everyone’s got a pretty good feel for the mechanics. But there are some nitpicky things that might not come up often, that you’re unsure how to handle. For example, when does a spell cast for its Bestow cost ‘count’ as the appropriate kind […]
Firedrinker Satyr and Whip of Erebos (lifelink) play well together.
Get the most value out of you Firedrinker Satyr by giving it lifelink! Any damage it deals to anything (including you!) causes you to gain that much life, negating any possible drawback.
Taking control of creatures with Ethereal Armor attached.
When you take control of a creature, you don't get control of the things that are attached to it. This makes a big difference in the case of certain things like Ethereal Armor.
Devotion and Counterspells
By far the biggest chunk of questions I’ve gotten from my players and my threads the past week are all about the last mechanic we’re covering this week (sorry, Scry): Devotion. Devotion is more or less a reworking of Chroma, an ability word from back in Lorwyn block. Put simply, “Devotion to COLOR” is measured […]
Two Syphon Slivers are the same as one.
There are some keyword abilities that are useful in multiples. Generally speaking, it’s the triggered abilities (like Exalted or Flanking) that make sense to have more than one. Static abilities that modify power/toughness (like or ) also make cumulative sense. However, there are also many abilities that are useless when duplicated. Things like Trample, First […]
M14 Rules Changes! Making “indestructible” an ability
In the post-Magic 2014 world, “indestructible” is now a keyworded ability! Instead of cards having the wording “Darksteel Ingot is indestructible”, the Ingot now simply has the ability “indestructible.” The indestructible ability does the exact same thing that “this permanent is indestructible” used to: a permanent with indestructible can’t be destroyed by lethal damage or […]