Chances are, if you’re reading this, one too many Emrakuls have been beating your face in. (I know mine has been squashed in! Holiday Cube is still fun though!). Most people when playing , put their chosen card face down, and flip them up at the same time. While this is acceptable, today I’m going […]
You can’t respond to Tombstalker’s Delve ability
Delve is an ability that was (so far) only printed in Future Sight, and as such most players aren’t very familiar with it. Here’s the relevant rules text for “Delve”: “As an additional cost to cast this spell, you may exile any number of cards from your graveyard. Each card exiled this way reduces the […]
You can respond to Stoneforge, Aether Vial or Miracle with Vendilion Clique
One of the strengths of is its versatility: you can surprise block an unsuspecting creature, cycle away a card in your hand, or take a peek at what your opponent is up to. Indeed, because it has flash, you can even cast it in response to an opponent’s activated or triggered ability. This is good […]
Craterhoof Behemoth’s ability checks how many creatures you control as it resolves.
, like Santa Claus, just loves handing out presents to all the good little boy and girl…creatures (though in Hoofie’s case, the presents are in the form of plusses and trample). But how many presents does each creature get? Unlike a spell, the value of X isn’t locked in when a triggered ability goes onto […]
Rancor goes to the graveyard before it returns to your hand.
Normally I frown on re-gifting, but in the case of , I’m inclined to make an exception. This Christmassy colored ball of ire loves to bounce around from one creature to another. But wait, you ask, isn’t the holiday season supposed to be about peace on earth and goodwill? Well, as resilient as Rancor is, […]
Nightshade Peddler and Izzet Staticaster – Which one do you kill in response?
It’s been a rough day for the Zombies. Although you were able to field an early board presence, your opponent’s combination of paired with has been mercilessly gunning down your creatures. Left with only a pair of , you send them in on the attack, and your opponent, as expected, taps the Staticaster to kill […]
Shortcut directly to X-mas! (about the X-spell shortcut)
If you’ve ever played Magic Online, sooner or later you’re going to experience the frustration of clicking too rapidly through an X spell, like , and ending up casting it for X=0. Luckily, in the real world we’re a little more forgiving. If you cast an X spell without announcing the value for X, the […]
Serpent’s Gift doesn’t do much if the creature has zero power.
(Sorry for the break in our regularly scheduled programming, as a certain holiday seemed to interfere). ‘Twas the day before Christmas, and here in the US of A, shoppers were scrambling through the malls to find last-minute gifts for their loved ones. But if you’ve taken time out of your frenzied shopping to read the […]
Triumph of Ferocity’s “if” is not intervening, but it still checks at resolution.
RAWR! Looking at exhibit A, , it has one and only one responsibility: to trigger on your upkeep. Now, this triggered ability will trigger on each of your upkeeps no matter what the situation: if the board’s empty, if your opponent controls a creature bigger than yours, or if your opponent has a billion creatures […]