The game will check to see if a creature has died that turn when resolves. This is because this specific morbid ability is a static ability that generates a replacement effect. This replacement effect is applied as Brimstone Volley resolves. (You can tell this is a replacement effect as it uses the word ‘instead’.) It […]
Category: Resolving spells and abilities
With Curse of Oblivion, the enchanted player chooses which cards to exile.
is one of a cycle of new cards in Innistrad that enchants a player. This curse causes the enchanted player to exile two cards from their graveyard at the beginning of each of their upkeep steps. The choice of which cards in this players’s graveyard to exile is made by the enchanted player. It does […]
How Tree of Redemption Works.
is a new card in Innistrad with the unique ability to exchange its toughness for your life total.Here’s how the process works: When Tree of Redemption’s activated ability resolves, your life total will become equal to the Tree’s total toughness (taking into account all effects that are currently modifying it). You will gain or lose […]
Abattoir Ghoul’s ability uses last known information.
‘s ability causes the controller of the Ghoul to gain life equal to the toughness of a creature that went to the graveyard if the Ghoul dealt damage to it that turn. Because the creature that you are looking at to determine the amount of life gained is no longer in play, the game will […]
Timely Reinforcements determines what it does when it resolves.
can give its controller six life, put three 1/1 soldier tokens into play or both of those effects depending on what the game looks like when it resolves. If the controller of Timely Reinforcements has a life total that is less than any opponent in the game, then this player will gain six life. If […]
When an object changes controller it does not untap unless the effect that causes this change in control specifically says to untap it.
There are plenty of ways to ‘steal’ permanents in Magic. When a permanent does change controllers it is the same object that was previously in play. If it is a creature it will not be able to attack the turn it is ‘stolen’ unless it has haste or the effects that causes it to change […]
Chandra’s Outrage only has one target.
Spells and abilities are countered on resolution if all of their targets are illegal when they attempt to resolve. If a spell has multiple targets and at least one of them is legal when it goes to resolve, the spell will resolve and do as much as possible. However sometimes spells seem like they have […]
When choosing ‘up to’ a specific number you can choose zero.
Some cards have a variable effect and allow you to choose ‘up to’ a specific number of targets or objects. Sometimes you search your library for cards when an ability resolves, like with . In instances like that you choose the number to search for when the ability resolves. Other times you choose ‘up to’ […]
Removing the source of an ability does not counter the ability.
A common misconception for beginner players is that you can counter or stop an activated ability from resolving if you destroy or removed the source of the activated ability. This is not correct. Once an ability has been activated or triggered, it is on the stack and independent of the source that generated it. For […]