…and knowing is half the battlefield
Infect! Quite the polarizing mechanic in most areas, it was either considered laughably bad or stupidly broken depending on who you were talking to. It’s gained some traction lately with eggs-in-one-basket rush decks, especially in Modern, and it’s possible you might run into a Pod deck running and you want to know how it interacts […]
Alright, it’s time for everyone’s favorite topic: layers! Wait, please, stop, don’t go. We’re only going to be looking at the power and toughness layer, and after reading this, you won’t look so confused after you tried to Turn and Burn your opponent’s creature that’s enchanted by an Unflinching Courage and find out that the […]
In Magic: The Gathering’s judging system, combat-based rules questions are considered especially heinous. On this blog, the dedicated judges who investigate these tricky interactions are members of an elite squad known as the Special Cards Unit. These are their stories. “Captain! I’m so glad you’re here; it’s a bad one.” “What’s the situation, Sergeant?” “Well, […]
Effects that switch the power and toughness of a creature are always applied last. Why? It’s just easier to calculate. For example: Lets start with a 1/4 and switch it power and toughness via its Landfall triggered ability so it is now a 4/1. If at the beginning of the combat step it get +2/+0 […]
One area of player confusion is how multiple abilities that ‘animate’ a permanent interact. A very common interaction that has come up a lot lately deals with ‘ animation ability and the planeswalker second activated ability. In order to get this ball rolling, you must first use Inkmoth Nexus’ ability to turn the Nexus into […]