If both players control a (“KP1” for active player and “KP2” for non-active player), you must keep track of which cards have been exiled by which Knowledge Pool, since the exiled cards are linked to that specific KP. For example, if I cast a spell from my hand on my turn, KP1 and KP2 will […]
Category: Triggered Abilities
Snapcaster Mage doesn’t give a spell flashback until after its triggered ability resolves.
When your opponent casts a to give something flashback, you get a window of opportunity to do something before that spell can be flashed back. The targeted spell doesn’t immediately have flashback as soon as the Snapcaster hits the field. Once the Snapcaster resolves, its triggered ability goes on the stack and the controller chooses […]
You choose something new to copy when your Phantasmal Image comes back from undying.
When a copy of a creature with the undying ability dies, the undying ability will trigger and return it to play. This is due to the last known information when the card was in play, which is what leaves-the-battlefield abilities (like undying) look for to determine whether they should trigger. When it returns to the […]
You can cast Viridian Corrupter even with no artifacts in play.
When you cast a creature spell, you are never required to choose targets for it, because creature spells never target anything. Some creatures have enters-the-battlefield (“ETB”) abilities that require targets, and you must choose one only when the creature hits the board (even if the only legal target is your own permanent that you’d rather […]
One creature entering play can trigger two Blood Seekers.
A creature entering the battlefield can trigger multiple abilities, as long as they are all looking for a creature entering the battlefield. Say you control two s and your opponent casts . Each Blood Seeker would “see” two creatures enter the battlefield and trigger twice, for a total of four triggers. Those 1/1 Human tokens […]
Undying creatures hit the graveyard before they come back.
When a creature with undying dies, the creature goes to the graveyard, and the undying trigger brings them back into play when the ability resolves. This means that because creatures go to the graveyard, both leaves-the-battlefield abilities and enters-the-battlefield abilities will trigger. For example, if you cast on a before it dies, two abilities trigger […]
What happens if both players control a Huntmaster of the Fells and no spells were cast last turn.
A lot of people have been playing Red/Green aggro decks after their strong showing recently, especially with the power behind . So you’re likely to into a situation where both players have a Huntmaster that’s trying to transform during the same upkeep. How do you handle this? For this, we have a simple rule called […]
Phantasmal Image will be sacrificed even if you counter the spell that targeted it.
The illusion creatures printed in Magic 2012— being the most notable—have a common characteristic. They share a triggered ability that reads: “When [this creature] becomes the target of a spell or ability, sacrifice it.” Once one of these creatures is targeted, its sacrifice ability will trigger and that ability will go on the stack before […]
When an undying creature dies, it returns under its owner’s control.
When a creature with undying dies (without any +1/+1 counters), it returns to the battlefield under its owner’s control, even if it changed controllers before it died. The “owner” of a card is the player who started the game with the card in his or her deck (the legal owner of the physical card is […]