I control a . Then I target it with 4 s and 4 s. Then I put a +1/+1 counter on it and turn it blue somehow. You know, for good measure. Now I use ’s ability (don’t ask me how I cast 8 spells and still had another card to discard along with the […]
Guild Feud and triggered abilities.
Ashley controls two s. At the beginning of her upkeep, they both trigger. As the first trigger resolves, Nicky reveals and Ashley reveals . How do the triggers resolve? Two important things to remember about triggers: Abilities may trigger during the resolution of a spell or ability, but are not put on the stack until […]
A Hellion Crucible can only put a counter on itself, not any other Hellion Crucible.
You are playing a game of standard and control two s, each with a counter. Can you use Hellion Crucible A to put a counter on Hellion Crucible B, so you can sacrifice Crucible B to make the 4/4 creature that turn? I’m afraid you can’t do that. When a Magic card states the name […]
Spelltwine needs two targets for you to cast it, but only one to resolve.
is a great card that gives a player the ability to cast two other instants or sorceries without having to pay for them. However, here’s the thing – in order to cast Spelltwine, you have to have an instant or sorcery in your graveyard to exile AND there has to be an instant or sorcery […]
You can’t do anything in the untap step (other than untapping).
In Magic, the turn is broken down in to many steps and phases, which give players the opportunity to cast spells or activate abilities at different points in the turn. They are, in order: Beginning Phase: Untap* Upkeep Draw Main Phase (often referred to as 1st Main or Pre-combat Main) Combat Phase: Beginning of Combat […]
Tournament Tuesday: An explanation of how “name a card” works.
Many cards in Magic ask you to “Name a card” as part of their effect, such as , , and . Whatever you pick has to be an actual Magic card legal in the format; calling “Pikachu” isn’t a legal choice, and neither is calling in Standard. Double-faced cards are a bit unusual. You’re restricted […]
Keyrunes Tips and Tricks
Reader suggestion time! Sort of. We got a submission from our Suggest a Rules Tip box about Keyrunes, and some of the tricky things about them. For example: You can throw down a Keyrune on turn 3 and immediately tap it for mana, just like you could a land, or another mana rock. As most […]
Deathrite Shaman Won’t Make Mana Without a Target
is making a splash in Modern lately, and sees some play in Standard due to it helping to slow down reanimator-type strategies, as well as giving some Zombie decks an extra way to bleed their opponent for the last few points of mana. One of the reasons that it sees a good deal of play […]
Angel of Serenity “may” exile the targets if it’s killed before the trigger resolves.
has a somewhat unique ability, in that sometimes you target things that you wouldn’t mind being exiled forever at the same time that you target something you’d rather get back in your hand. So what happens if the Angel enters and you choose targets, but the Angel is ed before the ability resolves? The Angel’s […]