So normally, when you attack, there’s no question which player you’re attacking. However, when there are multiple legal choices for who to attack, it gets a little more involved. You still only get one combat phase and one of each of the steps in that phase. So when you move to combat, each other player […]
You have the right to appeal (but the Head Judge’s ruling is final).
So you may have heard about an “appeal” but aren’t quite sure what that means. It’s pretty simple, and it’s your right as a player in a sanctioned tournament. If you receive a ruling from any judge other than the head judge, it is perfectly acceptable to ask for an appeal to the head judge. […]
Vedalken Shackles only checks power vs. islands on activation and resolution (not any time after that).
is one of the key board control cards in Mono Blue Faeries (as of the time of this writing) … but how does it work? First, when you activate it, you have to choose a target, and that target can’t have power greater than the number of Islands you control at that time. Then your […]
What happens between two spells or abilities on the stack resolving.
Magic is a game of playing spells and abilities, interacting with them, and dealing with the results of them. How does this all work, and what happens during this process? When played, spells and abilities go into a zone called the stack until they resolve. At this point, each player can respond to that spell […]
You have to name a color when you add “one mana of any color” to your mana pool.
If something instructs you to add ‘one mana of any color’ to your mana pool, you have exactly five options: the five colors of magic. You can pick White, Blue, Black, Red, or Green, and you must name a color when you add ‘one mana of any color’ to your mana pool. You cannot add […]
What judges do for you and your events.
Ask any long-time judge what a judge can do for you or your event, and you’re likely to get an earful! As this is a blog, and we like to keep it readable, let’s cover some simple ABC’s of how a judge can help. Let’s start with the perspective of a store owner or tournament […]
How the ‘Commander tax’ works in EDH/Commander.
Once more, I get the Commander question, and I’m fine with that. Commander is a popular format with Judges, largely because of the fact that it doesn’t rotate, and that the decks can be personalized a good deal. Many judges will haul a deck or five with them to a tournament, knowing that there’s likely […]
How Trinisphere works with Phyrexian Mana.
Whenever I’m asked about cost reductions/increases, especially in the flurry of questions about it thanks to a newly spoiled card from the Izzet vs. Golgari decks, a joke I like to use is ʺApply increases, then reductions, then .ʺ Trinisphere is really the only card that does what it does, and it seems to be […]
All about Captivating Vampire.
I see a fair number of questions about this card, so I thought it couldn’t hurt to simply answer them all in one place! If the Vampire dies, do I lose the creatures I took control of with him? No. The effect doesn’t state a duration (e.g., “as long as you control Captivating Vampire”), so […]