MTG Rulings Summary: Cards (2/22/94)
Stephen D''Angelo
The card-by-card rulings are here. Lots of small changes.
Please check the "General Rulings" if you do not find the answer you are
looking for in here. Ruling REVERSALs are marked as such.
The most recent gg-l digest used was #300.
Many of these rulings are _NOT_ "official". A lot of what is said is "Common
net wisdom" picked out of posts by people I trust of that put out a good
argument. Whenever the ruling was made by an official (such as our former
net contact "Snark", the game designer "Garfield", or other net contacts
"Chris Page" and "bethmo"), I've tried to make a note of that. I don't
claim responsibility for the accuracy of the rulings or for transcription
errors, okay? I'm only human.
There is some overlap with the FAQ.
Let me know if you find any problems/errors/typos/etc in the text below.
I'd like to make it more accurate and complete.
A '+' is used to mark changes since the last released version (02/07/94).
Stephen D'Angelo
sdan...@usagi.eng.sun.com (work address)
dan...@netcom.com (checked less regularly)
----
Rulings on Specific Cards last update 02/22/94
==============================================================================
Ancestral Recall:
When used on a person when it is not their turn, they may keep all the cards
until the end of their next turn when they must discard as normal down to
7 cards (Library of Leng excepted).
Animate Artifact:
Artifact is now an Artifact-Creature and abides by creature rules while
still being an artifact as well.
Cannot be cast on artifact-creatures.
The card says that it destroys zero-cost artifacts. This was meant to
restate the obvious--a zero toughness creature dies, but the card text
did not account for things like Castle which give +2 toughness when
untapped. So, the artifact is not destroyed just because its casting
cost was zero, it is destroyed when its toughness reaches zero. [Snark]
Animated artifact cannot attack until it begins a turn in play as a
creature. [bethmo]
Animate Dead:
Animating a dead Clone gets all the Clone's abilities but it mimics at
-1 power. [Snark]
+ Animating the Clockwork Beast revives it totally wound but at -1 power.
[WotC Rules Team] (this is a REVERSAL)
You can Animate a creature which was discarded from a hand and therefore
was never in play.
Animated creature cannot attack until it begins a turn in play. [bethmo]
Armageddon:
Consecrated Land can avoid this spell.
Aspect of Wolf:
The bonus is recalculated every time the number of Forests you have in play
changes. It is not a one-time bonus. [bethmo]
Balance:
White-Warded creatures cannot avoid this spell's effects. Destruction by
means of Balance is not considered "damage" which can be prevented by
Protection from White. [Snark]
Consecrated Lands can be protected, but the unconsecrated lands must be
removed first. [Snark]
Animated lands are considered both as lands and as creatures. Just remove
whatever you have to in order to achieve "balance". And yes, this
does mean that they get double-counted :-(
The word "discarded" should be read as "destroyed" [WotC Rules Team]
Basalt Monolith:
Untapping this card is an Instant and may be done any time an Instant can
be done. [Snark]
Text simplified between the alpha and beta printings.
Berserk:
Note the creature only dies if it attacks, not if it defends.
The doubling effect of Berserk is constant. If the creature's base power is
changed at any time, recalculate the power of the creature by backing up
and applying all effects that turn over again in the same order they
were originally used. For example: If a 3/3 Plague Rat has Giant Growth
then Berserk cast on it, it is a 12/6 creature. If one of the other two
Plague Rats in play is destroyed, it becomes a 2/2 Plague rat with the
spells reapplied to get a 10/5 creature. [WotC Rules Team]
Birds of Paradise:
Text changed between alpha and beta printings to explicitly say "one mana
of any color" instead of just "one mana".
Black Lotus:
Treat "discarded" as "destroyed" on the card. [WotC Rules Team]
An Animated Lotus cannot benefit from Regeneration because cards which
destroy themselves cannot have that destruction prevented (much like
a sacrifice). [WotC Rules Team]
Blaze of Glory:
The text "controller of target creature may distribute damage among
attackers as desired" is a restatement of the combat rules and does not
override the defender's right to distribute damage if there is a
banding creature in the group. [bethmo]
The effect lasts only until the end of the current turn. All Instant spells
have a duration limited to the current turn (unless otherwise stated
on the card).
+ Does not allow a tapped creature to block, or allow a creature to block
any creatures it would not normally be able to block. [bethmo]
Braingeyser:
When used on a person when it is not their turn, they may keep all the cards
until the end of their next turn when they must discard as normal down to
7 cards (Library of Leng excepted).
Camouflage:
+ Can be cast when you have no creatures in play since it does not say it
needs to be played during an attack. [bethmo]
+ (See the General Rulings section on Special Creatures for notes on face-down
creatures)
Castle:
Note that attackers lose the benefits, so even though the Serra Angel does
not tap when attacking it does not get the benefits during the attack
but if it does not die in the attack, it gets back the benefit afterwards
(since it will no longer be "attacking"). [bethmo]
Tapping a creature removes the +2 toughness from the creature and may kill
it if it has already taken damage.
Celestial Prism:
Can only be used once a turn because it is a Mono Artifact and must be
tapped as part of the use cost. [bethmo]
Channel:
Text changed between alpha and beta printings.
This is not damage, it is loss of life.
The amount of life converted into mana is not a decision as part of the
casting of Channel. [WotC Rules Team]
Chaos Orb:
You can arrange your cards any time before the Orb is put into play, but
not after. [Snark]
"Cards it touches" refers to cards it touches once it stops moving. [Snark]
If the Orb is xxxxlaced, Protection from Color will protect a creature
from being affected by the Orb. [Snark]
You cannot interfere in any physical way with the playing of this card.
[FAQ]
It must flip 360 degrees (that's what "flip entirely" means). [FAQ]
The word "discarded" should be read as "destroyed". Also, a card which
destroys itself cannot have that destruction prevented. [WotC Rules Team]
Chaoslace:
Change lasts until card is removed from play.
Circle of Protection: Red:
Artist name corrected between alpha and beta printings.
Clockwork Beast:
+ Animate Dead on the Clockwork Beast revives it totally wound but
at -1 power. [WotC Rules Team] (this is a REVERSAL)
+ Resurrection on the Clockwork Beast revives it totally wound.
[WotC Rules Team] (this is a REVERSAL)
Clone:
Cloning a creature with Animate Dead on it gets you a dead creature. The
Clone dies. [Snark]
Animating a dead Clone gets all the Clone's abilities but it mimics at
-1 power. [Snark]
The Clone of an artifact creature can be Shattered or Disenchanted.
Animated artifacts cannot be cloned. They are creatures only due to the
enchantment. [Snark]
Living lands cannot be cloned. They are creatures only due to the
enchantment.
Can be used to copy a base Doppelganger. You get a Doppelganger which is
always blue, and the Clone is mimicing the same creature the
Doppelganger was until the next upkeep. [bethmo]
If copying a creature which had been modified with Sleight of Mind or
Magical Hack, the modification holds even for the Clone. [Chris Page]
The "normal characteristics" text means that you treat the Clone as
having the exact same text on it as the original card had. This
includes name, casting cost, power/toughness, etc. It does not gain
any enhancements the original creature may have had temporarily through
Instants like Giant Growth or through Enchantments. [bethmo]
The Clone does not get any of the tokens the creature it copies has. Thus,
a Clone of a Scavenging Ghoul does not get tokens, and a Clone of a
6 headed Rock Hydra is a zero headed Rock Hydra (which will most likely
die immediately). [bethmo]
The Clone is the same color as the creature it copies. It is no longer blue
(even if the card looks blue) unless the creature it copied was blue too.
[bethmo]
A Clone of an Arabian Nights creature is not an Arabian Nights card.
[WotC Rules Team]
A Clone of a creature represented by a token is a card which if destroyed
goes to the graveyard and if unsummoned goes to your hand. In other words
the Clone acts as a card and not a token. [WotC Rules Team]
+ A Clone cannot be summoned unless there is some other creature to Clone.
[Card Text] This equally applies to Resurrection and other effects which
bring the Clone into play. [WotC Rules Team]
The decision of what to Clone is part of the casting decisions. [bethmo]
Cockatrice:
In all ways, the Cockatrice is like the Thicket Basilisk. See rulings there.
Consecrate Land:
Prevents direct use of enchantments on the land. Indirect effect by
enchantments such as Conversion, Living Lands, Kormus Bell, and Manaflare
are not prevented and the land can still be targeted by Gaea's Liege,
Cyclopean Tomb, etc. [Snark+bethmo]
+ A living Consecrated Land cannot be destroyed. It is effectively an
unkillable 1/1 creature. [Snark] If it ever takes enough damage to be
killed, it automatically is regenerated and this regeneration does not
cause the land to come back tapped as normal regeneration would.
[WotC Rules Team] This power works similarly for immunity to the
Basilisk ability, Disintegrate, and anything else that would kill it.
[bethmo]
Conservator:
Cannot be used on creatures because it prevents Loss of Life and not
damage. [Card Text]
Can only be used once a turn because it is a Mono Artifact and must be
tapped as part of the use cost. [bethmo]
Control Magic:
Steals ownership of a creature, but enchantments are still "controlled" by
the caster. [Snark]
Note that the controlled creature cannot be tapped or used for an attack
until you begin a turn with the creature in play. [Rulebook]
The work "discarded" should read "until enchantment is removed".
[WotC Rules Team]
Conversion:
Once in play, Mountains produce white mana and this white mana is acceptable
for paying the upkeep cost.
A Mountain is not protected by a Consecrate Land enchantment. [Snark]
The word "discarded" should be read as "destroyed". [WotC Rules Team]
Copy Artifact:
The copy of the artifact is still blue. The card says that the copy is
both an artifact and an enchantment, so it is a blue artifact-enchantment.
It can be tapped like an artifact and is the only exception to the rule
that enchantments are never tapped. [WotC Rules Team]
The copy of the artifact begins in the same orientation (tapped/untapped)
as it would if it were newly cast. [WotC Rules Team]
A copy of an Arabian Nights artifact is not an Arabian Nights card.
[WotC Rules Team]
A copy of an artifact represented by a token is a card which if destroyed
goes to the graveyard and if unsummoned goes to your hand. In other
words, the copy is a card and not a token. [WotC Rules Team]
The decision of what to copy is part of the casting decisions. [bethmo]
Creature Bond:
You do not lose life if Swords to Plowshares is used on the creature.
Swords to Plowshares causes the card to leave the game, _not_ to be
destroyed. [Snark]
Creatures "discarded from play" to the graveyard still cause damage
because "discarded" means the same as "destroyed". This means that
City in a Bottle and other effects which cause discarding do trigger
this spell. [WotC Rules Team]
Cyclopean Tomb:
The lands so changed are not considered "Enchanted" and so Consecrate Land
will not protect them. [Snark]
No casting cost was listed in the alpha printing. This was corrected in the
beta printing to show a cost of 4 colorless mana.
Can be used to change any land (not just basic lands) into a swamp. [bethmo]
Can only be used once a turn because it is a Mono Artifact and must be
tapped as part of the use cost. [bethmo]
+ A changed land is considered to be the new land type in all ways. This is
not just a change of name. It changes the color of mana produced too.
[bethmo]
Darkpact:
If you use some spell or effect (like Natural Selection) which allows you
to peek at cards in the library, you can still use Darkpact.
Deathlace:
Change lasts until card is removed from play.
Death Ward:
Artist name corrected between alpha and beta printings.
Demonic Hordes:
The 'B's on the card were changed to icons between the alpha and beta
printings.
+ May not be tapped until its upkeep is paid at least once. [bethmo] This
is a side effect of beginning a turn in play.
Demonic Tutor:
You do not show the card you pick out to your opponent. [bethmo]
Disenchant:
Regenerating artifacts _can_ regenerate from disenchant. [WotC Rule Team]
This is a REVERSAL of an earlier ruling. The term "discard" is now
treated as meaning "destroy" _not_ "destroy without regeneration".
Disintegrate:
+ If creature is not killed by the Disintegrate but is later in the turn
given enough damage to kill it, it may not regenerate. This is because
the Disintegrate prevents regeneration this turn even if all damage
from the Disintegrate is prevented. [WotC Rules Team]
Can be used to do zero points of damage and call into play the "cannot
regenerate" part if the creature is killed at any time this turn. [Snark]
The "it may not regenerate" ability is applied to the target creature even
if the damage is redirected to another target. The ability is not a
nature of the damage. [bethmo]
Disintegrate prevents regeneration of the target. (official rule) Some
people have misread the card because the English is a bit messed up.
It says that if the creature is killed this turn it cannot regenerate.
Well, regeneration prevents the creature from being killed. You should
replace "is killed" with "receives enough damage to be killed".
As always "a target" means any creature or player.
Disrupting Sceptre:
Forces discard from opponent's hand and not from cards in play.
Can only be used once a turn because it is a Mono Artifact and must be
tapped as part of the use cost. [bethmo]
Can only be used during your turn. [Card Text]
Dragon Whelp:
+ Can spend up to RRR each turn without it dying. [Chris Page]
Drain Life:
You can put as much Black mana as you want into this spell, but you cannot
drain more life than the creature's toughness. The overkill may be
useful though.
The 'B' on the card was changed to an icon between the alpha and beta
printings.
Dwarven Warriors:
Can be tapped at any time to make a creature unblockable. For example,
if you had Orcish Oriflamme in play, you could tap the Dwarves to make
a 2/2 creature unblockable before you declare an attack. Once the
attack is declared, the creature is 3/2 because the the Oriflamme.
[bethmo] Or, you could tap the Dwarves to make themselves unblockable,
then use Instill Energy or Twiddle to untap them and commit them to
an attack.
Can be used after a creature is blocked but has no effect. Once a creature
is blocked, it cannot be unblocked by anything other than False Orders.
[bethmo]
Earthbind:
The two damage is just for this one turn. [Snark]
If Flight is cast on an Earthbound creature, it gains flying again. In
general, if two enchantments contradict each other, the most recently
cast wins. [WotC Rules Team] (This is a rule REVERSAL)
Earthquake:
+ This is not a targeted spell, and so it may be cast when there are no
creatures in play. [bethmo]
Elvish Archers:
The stats for the archers changed from 1/2 in alpha to 2/1 in the beta
printing of the card.
Evil Presense:
+ A changed land is considered to be the new land type in all ways. This is
not just a change of name. It changes the color of mana produced too.
[bethmo]
False Orders:
This spell can be cast after defenders are chosen and effectively changes
a decision made by your opponent as to if and how one creature blocks
or does not block. [Snark]
+ Can only give legal orders to a creature. If your opponent could not make
the choice on his own, False Orders cannot make him do it. [bethmo]
+ You cannot use this spell to make a creature not block a Lured creature.
[bethmo] (REVERSAL of common wisdom)
Farmstead:
Only one life per turn can be gained from this card. [bethmo]
Some people have read the card to say that it can be used multiple times
during a turn because there is no indication that it is a mono action.
Fireball:
If split for multiple targets, multiple targets worth of damage cannot be
assigned to one target. [bethmo]
If the damage to creatures is redirected to the player (via Jade Monolith
or other effect), each split of the fireball is a separate damage source
for purposes of Circle of Protection. [WotC Rules Team]
As always "a target" means any creature or player.
Fog:
Prevents damage during the combat but not other special effects such as
the Thicket Basilisk's kill of any creature that blocks it.
Stops a Desert from doing damage. [WotC Rules Team]
+ Can be played before an attack, or during an attack before damage is dealt.
[bethmo]
Forcefield:
When used, the defender suffers 1 loss of life. This can only be
prevented by effects that prevent the loss of life and not by effects
that prevent damage. [bethmo]
Can not be used to prevent damage caused by a blocked creature with
Trample ability. [bethmo]
Force of Nature:
COP:Green can be used to prevent damage due to not paying upkeep. [Snark]
The 'G's on the card were changed to icons between the first and second
printing.
Fork:
You maintain full control over the copy of the spell regardless of who
cast the original. [Snark]
Yes, this card can be misread with the "just cast" text. Read it as
"being cast". [Snark]
+ For spells like Fireball that allow mana to be used for damage or for
additional targets, the controller of the copy decides how to divide
things up. In other words the copy of a Fireball need not have the
same number of targets as the original. [bethmo]
+ When Forking a sorcery, attempt to resolve spell effects at the same time.
If this cannot be done, resolve them in sequence with the original going
first. [bethmo]
Fungasaur:
Gains +1/+1 every time it is damaged and not killed. This can occur more
than once in a turn.
Regeneration prevents death, so even if it would have died, it took damage
and lived so it gets its +1/+1.
In the next printing it will get one only at the end of a turn. [Snark]
Many people play with this as a house rule.
Gauntlet of Might:
Mountains do not produce two mana when Conversion is in play because all
the Mountains are now Plains instead. [Snark]
Multilands which have Mountain as one of their types produce an extra
red mana when tapped for either color. [bethmo]
+ If a Mountain is tapped using Twiddle or Icy Manipulator while the Gauntlet
is in play, the owner of the Mountain gets one red mana added to her
pool. The Gauntlet says that if the land gets tapped, an additional
red mana gets generated. [bethmo]
Gaea's Liege:
Consider this card to be defending at all times when it is not attacking.
[Snark]
The "change to forest" effect cannot be prevented by Consecrate Land or
Tranquility because it is not an enchantment. [Snark]
This can change any land (not just basic lands) into a Forest. [bethmo]
+ A changed land is considered to be the new land type in all ways. This is
not just a change of name. It changes the color of mana produced too.
[bethmo]
Gloom:
+ The additional 3 mana is colorless. [bethmo]
+ Affects white spells and Circles of Protection (even if the Circles are
xxxxlaced to a different color). It does not affect the costs of any
other white cards once they are in play. [bethmo]
Goblin Balloon Brigade:
Does not grant flying to *all* goblins, just this one card.
Goblin King:
Grants these powers to all cards which say "Summon Goblins" and not
itself. [Snark]
These powers begin once the King is in play and immediately cease if it
leaves play.
Grants these powers to all Goblins owned by any player. [Snark]
Helm of Chatzuk:
Can only be used once a turn because it is a Mono Artifact and must be
tapped as part of the use cost. [bethmo]
The Hive:
The wasps created by the Hive are not "cards", they are tokens. They cannot
be destroyed with Desert Twister or count as life for a Lich. They cannot
be xxxxlaced. [Snark]
They are artifact creatures with a casting cost of zero. [Snark]
Can only be used once a turn because it is a Mono Artifact and must be
tapped as part of the use cost. [bethmo]
Hurricane:
+ This is not a targeted spell, and so it may be cast when there are no
creatures in play. [bethmo]
Hypnotic Spectre:
+ Must do at least 1 point of damage to cause opponent to discard because the
effect is a prperty of the damage. [WotC Rules Team]
+ If damage is redirected to opponent by some spell or effect and is not
prevented, opponent must discard a card as if he were attacked directly.
Equally, if damage is redirected away from the play no card needs to be
discarded. [WotC Rules Team]
+ If a player discards due to the Spectre and later that turn retroactively
redirects the damage (Simulacrum or other effect), the player does not
get the card back. [WotC Rules Team]
Icy Manipulator:
Opponent gets a chance to use the card being Manipulated during the same
instant if he/she so wishes. The "no effect" text can be easily misread.
It means that your tapping has no effect, not that your opponent cannot
respond by using the card to some effect (if that would be a legal action).
The text was changed between the alpha and beta printings.
Can only be used once a turn because it is a Mono Artifact and must be
tapped as part of the use cost. [bethmo]
Illusionary Mask:
Since your opponent cannot see what your creatures are, that person may
end up casting spells which cannot normally be cast on your creature
(for example: Terror on a Black creature). In this case, the spell
just fizzles out with no effect. In other words, it is a legal use of
the spell, but it may fail to do anything. [bethmo]
If the creature is controlled by Control Magic or other means by another
player, it remains face down but the new controller may look at the card.
This card does not affect in any way the original spell casting cost
(amounts or colors). It just allows you to spend X additional mana of
any color to disguise what the real cost was. [Card Text]
If the Mask is destroyed, the creatures still remain face-down until one
of the conditions of turning it over are met. [bethmo]
+ Only usable on summoned creatures, not on artifact creatures or animated
lands. [bethmo]
+ (See the General Rulings section on Special Creatures for notes on face-down
creatures)
Instill Energy:
The creature so instilled cannot be tapped, untapped, and then tapped again
all in the same instant. Each change of state requires a different
instant. [bethmo] (This is a REVERSAL of an earlier ruling)
Any enchantments (or other effects) which are on the creature that would
cause it to not be untapped (or have a cost to be untapped) during untap
phase do not in any way hinder or imply a cost to use the ability to
untap once during the turn. [bethmo]
If cast on a creature the same turn it is summoned, the creature may
attack that turn. [Card Text] It may not be tapped for special abilities
because the card does not say that it can. [bethmo]
Island Sanctuary:
Actually prevents any non-flying or IslandWalk creatures from attacking you
in the beta printing. The alpha printing card just prevents damage from
creatures that are not flying or IslandWalking.
Jade Statue:
It can only be a creature during attack phases (or defense during someone
else's attack phase) and therefore can only have instants and interrupts
cast upon it. Enchantments that cannot be used at that time, and so
no Enchant Creature spells are usable on the Statue.
Paying mana to use it for defense does not tap it.
It can be paid and used for attack the turn in which it is created.
The statue is destroyed at the end of the turn if it attacks when Berserked.
[Snark]
If Animate Artifact is used on it, you get a 4/4 artifact creature which
becomes a 3/6 artifact creature during an attack phase if 2 mana are
spent. While animated, it can have enchantments placed on it. These
enchantments stay if the Animate Artifact is removed and will lay dormant
until the 2 mana are spent to make it a creature again. [bethmo]
It it neither a mono nor a poly artifact. It if effectively a poly artifact
that can only be used once per player's turn (during the attack phase)
and which may become tapped (if you declare it in an attack). [bethmo]
Jayemdae Tome:
Can be used as an instant, which means it can be used to draw a card during
your upkeep phase. This may give you one chance to get a card to prevent
damage caused during upkeep. [Snark]
Can only be used once a turn because it is a Mono Artifact and must be
tapped as part of the use cost. [bethmo]
Juggernaut:
Invisibility can make the Juggernaut unblockable. The "can only be blocked
by walls" of Invisibility does not override the text on the Juggernaut
which says it cannot be blocked by walls. [bethmo]
Jump:
Cannot be used after a blocker is assigned in order to avoid being blocked.
See general rulings section.
Karma:
The text was changed between the alpha and beta printings.
Kormus Bell:
Lands are now Creature-Lands and while being creatures in all senses are
also lands. [Snark]
Wrath of God will destroy them without possibility of regeneration.
Nevinyrral's Disk and Armageddon will destroy them.
With Balance, consider them both as lands and as creatures. Just remove
whatever you have to in order to achieve "balance". And yes, this
does mean that they get double-counted :-(
New lands of this type played out cannot be tapped until they are in play
at the beginning of your turn (as per the creature rules).
Affected by Smoke and Winter Orb. [bethmo]
This does mean lands owned by any and all players.
Consecrate Land does not protect the land from being affected by the
Bell. [bethmo]
A living Consecrated Land cannot be destroyed. It is effectively an
unkillable 1/1 creature. [Snark] It just soaks up damage and will not
die even if damage is greater than toughness. It is also immune to
the Basilisk ability, Disintegrate, and anything else which would kill
it. [bethmo]
An animated land cannot attack until it begins a turn in play as a
creature. [bethmo]
Kudzu:
If the land with Kudzu on it is destroyed by spell (rather than tapping)
Kudzu is discarded. [Snark]
Treat "discarded" as "destroyed" and also note that a card which destroys
itself cannot have that destruction prevented. [WotC Rules Team]
Replace the word "may" with "must" on the card. Kudzu _must_ be moved
to another land when it is activated. [Snark]
Yes, you can move it to any other player's land whenever you get to move
it. [Card text]
+ Leaves play once there are no lands which it can be placed on. Consecrated
lands are protected. [bethmo]
Island Sanctuary:
+ Does not count as an Island for any spell which expects Islands. [bethmo]
Library of Leng:
You cannot discard voluntarily even if you have more than 7 cards [Snark]
If you are forced to discard from your hand you may discard to the top of
your library. This cannot be done with a discard of a card in play.
[bethmo]
Lich:
This can only be played on yourself, not on opponents.
+ You cannot destroy a creature which has lethal damage on it if you take
damage at the same time. [bethmo]
If you have multiple Lich cards in play, you must destroy 1 card for each
life lost for _each_ Lich. Similarly, you draw 1 card for each life
gained for _each_ Lich.
The phrase "You lose if this enchantment is destroyed" is an absolute
statement. Casting a Healing Salve or using a "lucky charm" after the
destruction will not save you. [WotC Rules Team]
Cards destroyed by losing life generate death events and in all ways are
similar to normal destroy actions. [bethmo]
+ Cards are destroyed by the player and not by the Lich. So Protection from
Black has no effect. [bethmo]
+ If you play Simulacrum after destroying some cards, you do not get them
back. [bethmo]
Lifelace:
Change lasts until card is removed from play.
Lifetap:
This card gives one life for each and every Forest tapped. [bethmo]
Some house rules have only one life given for each occurrence of a group
of Forests being tapped.
Since it detects a Forest becoming tapped, it even works if the Forest is
tapped with Twiddle or Icy Manipulator.
Living Artifact:
Tokens go away if the enchantment is removed. [bethmo]
+ If you have two or more in play, you may trade in one token from each.
[WotC Rules Team]
+ You can play it on your opponent's artifacts. The controller of the
enchantment (not the controller of the artifact) uses the Living Artifact
ability. [bethmo]
Living Lands:
Living Lands is identical in effect to the Kormus Bell, so see its entry
for rulings.
Lord of Atlantis:
Does not grant the abilities to itself. [Snark]
These powers begin once the Lord is in play and immediately cease if it
leaves play.
Does grant the abilities to all Merfolk owned by any player. [Snark]
Lord of the Pit:
You cannot sacrifice the Lord of the Pit to itself.
COP:Black can be used to avoid damage from not paying the upkeep. [Snark]
A sacrifice of a creature cannot be prevented by either player. [Page 27]
If you have a creature, you *must* sacrifice it. The "or take 7 damage"
option can only be taken if no creature can be sacrificed. [bethmo]
+ Cannot select a creature with Protection from Black. If all your remaining
creatures have this Protection, you take damage. [bethmo]
Lure:
+ Opponent does not have to power special effects in an attempt to make all
creatures block the Lured creature. For example, you do not need to
power a Goblin Balloon Brigade to block a flying creature with Lure, but
if you do power it, the Brigade must block. [bethmo]
+ If a Lured creature is in a band, only blockers able to block the Lured
creature are affected by the Lure. [bethmo]
Magical Hack:
Alters all occurrences of a land word on the given card. These words must
occur in the text box on the card. Any card without such a word is not
a valid target for this spell. [Snark]
Change lasts until the card so-changed is taken out of play. In a
multiplayer game, this means it persists even after the player who
cast the Magical Hack leaves the game. The card forgets the change if
it goes to the graveyard or is Unsummoned. [Chris Page]
Manabarbs:
Each land tapped acts a new "source" of damage. [bethmo]
Mana Flare:
When used with multilands produces 2 of one color, not one of each.
+ Only produces extra mana when land is tapped for mana, not when tapped by
Twiddle or for some other effect. [bethmo]
Mana Short:
The text was changed between the alpha and beta printings.
Since this is an instant, your opponent may finish the casting of any
instants or interrupts during the instant in which you cast this. [bethmo]
Meekstone:
Note that creatures with power>2 cannot untap once they become tapped,
but since they do not tap when blocking, these creatures are still
useful for defense.
Nettling Imp:
It can nettle a tapped creature. [Snark]
Cannot nettle a creature with Protection from Black. [bethmo]
Cannot nettle any Wall, even an Animated one. [bethmo]
Creature nettled is not destroyed if it simply cannot attack. For example
Sea Serpent cannot attack if opponent has no Islands.
Nevinyrral's Disk:
Creatures can be regenerated although the enchantments on them will still
be destroyed by the Disk. [bethmo]
Orcish Artillery:
COP:Red can be used to avoid damage from the artillery. Makes it a nice
2 point directed attack.
The casting cost changed from 1R in the alpha printing to 1RR in the beta
printing.
Orcish Oriflamme:
The casting cost changed from 1R in the alpha printing to 3R in the beta
printing.
Paralyze:
Note that enchantment is permanent. It does not leave once it is paid.
This is a common mistake.
As a new rule, Paralyze costs should be paid during Upkeep not Untap. [Snark]
+ Because Paralyze is paid during upkeep, the creature does avoid restrictions
on the untap phase such as Smoke, and can untap when Stasis is in effect,
or untap around the Meekstone. [bethmo]
+ As with all upkeep costs, this can only be used once per turn.
It is not mandatory that you pay the mana cost. It is optional, but must
be paid in order to untap.
If two Paralyzes are on a creature, 8 mana must be spent to untap it. [Snark]
Personal Incarnation:
Loss of life is not the same as damage and therefore cannot be prevented
with a Circle of Protection nor reversed with Reverse Damage. [Snark]
You do not lose life if Swords to Plowshares is used on it. [Snark]
If the Incarnation has Creature Bond on it, when it dies, the controller
of the Incarnation decides whether to lose the Creature Bond damage before
or after the Incarnation's loss of life. [bethmo]
Pestilence:
It is legal to power it up with X for an X mana single damage or for X
sequential attacks of 1 damage because it says "B:Effect". [bethmo]
Each usage is considered a new "damage effect". As above, a usage may
be 1 or more points of damage. [bethmo]
It goes away at the end of the turn if no creatures are in play, even if
a new creature (such as a Rukh) comes into existence at the end of turn
also. [Snark]
The word "discarded" should be read as "destroyed". [WotC Rules Team]
Phantasmal Forces:
The 'U' was changed to an icon between the alpha and beta printings.
Phantasmal Terrain:
Only the basic land types can be declared. Multilands are not basic types
nor are the Arabian Nights lands. However, multilands and Arabian Nights
land cards are valid targets for the spell. [bethmo]
+ A changed land is considered to be the new land type in all ways. This is
not just a change of name. It changes the color of mana produced too.
[bethmo]
Plague Rats:
"Rats in play" means rats in play by any and all players.
Power Sink:
Only lands and mana pool must be expended. Artifacts and other mana sources
need not be used to counter this spell. [bethmo]
Power Surge:
Does damage during upkeep, but damage amount depends on number of untapped
lands at the start of your turn. [Snark]
Is considered one source of red damage. [bethmo]
Prodigal Sorcerer:
As always "a target" includes any creature or player.
Psychic Venom:
+ Whenever the land is tapped for any reason (including by Twiddle or Icy
Manipulator), damage is done. [bethmo]
Purelace:
Change lasts until card is removed from play.
Raging River:
Two Raging Rivers result in one extra long river. No more splits. [Snark]
+ This is not a targeted spell. [bethmo]
+ Opponent chooses which side of the river each creature is on before you
even choose what creatures you are attacking with. [bethmo]
Raise Dead:
You must show the card you bring out of the graveyard to your opponent.
[bethmo] (also see General Rulings)
You can Raise Dead a creature which was discarded from your hand and was
therefore never in play.
Red Elemental Blast:
The card was changed from an Instant in the alpha printing to an Interrupt
in the beta printing.
Regrowth:
You must show the card you bring out of the graveyard to your opponent.
[bethmo] (also see General Rulings)
You can Regrow a card which was discarded from your hand and was therefore
never in play.
Resurrection:
Resurrected creatures cannot be tapped to attack or to use a special
effect on the turn in which they come into play. In many ways it is
like the creature has been summoned but with zero applied to any 'X'
cost and with all possible earned "counters" set to zero.
The Serra Angel cannot attack on the turn in which it is Resurrected because
there is a rule that a creature cannot attack until it begins a turn in
play on your side. [Rulebook]
You can Resurrect a creature which was discarded from your hand and was
therefore never in play.
Rock Hydra:
+ When it dies it "forgets" how many heads it had, so Resurrection, Animate
Dead and other cards which pull out of the graveyard result in a 0/0
creature. This creature will only live if its toughness is
increased by something like Castle. [WotC Rules Team]
The Rock Hydra loses tokens _instead_ of taking damage until it runs out
of tokens. Then damage is applied normally. Another way to think of this
is that by losing tokens, damage is absorbed. By spending R to prevent
a token from being lost, the damage is also prevented. Do _not_ lose
tokens and accumulate damage. [WotC Rules Team]
Since the Hydra loses heads due to damage before accumulating damage points,
instants like Giant Growth are not totally useful with a Rock Hydra. A
Hydra with 4 heads and a Giant Growth is 7/7, but after taking 4 damage
(without paying the mana to keep the heads) it will lose all of its heads
and die once the Giant Growth wears off. [bethmo]
Regeneration does not make much sense with the Hydra. It loses a head each
time it dies until it reaches 0/0. Regenerating the creature results
in a creature with exactly as many +1/+1 tokens as it had when it died.
If it died due to taking damage, it will have no tokens, hence it will
be 0/0 and will only live if its toughness is increased by something like
Castle. If, however, it dies by say Blue Elemental Blast, it could
indeed regenerate and keep its tokens. [Chris Page]
The 'R's were changed to icons between the alpha and beta printings.
Rod of Ruin:
Can only be used once a turn because it is a Mono Artifact and must be
tapped as part of the use cost. [bethmo]
Royal Assassin:
You can kill your own creatures. [bethmo]
+ If used to stab a tapped creature, and at the same time the creature is
untapped, the creature still dies. The creature has to be tapped in
order for the Assassin to target it, but once it's been targetet, the
tapped/untapped state makes no difference. [bethmo]
Sacrifice:
+ Cannot be used on a creature with lethal damage, but can be used before
the creature receives the damage. [bethmo]
+ Sacrificing an animated artifact gives the casting cost of the artifact.
[bethmo]
+ Sacrificing an animated land gives no mana since casting cost was zero.
+ Sacrifice does not give any mana for the enchantments on the creature.
[bethmo]
Scavenging Ghouls:
They gather tokens at the end of the turn so they cannot gather tokens for
dead creatures until that point. Note that they still get to claim
tokens even if summoned after the creatures died. [bethmo]
Since "discarded from play" has been changed to mean "destroyed" for most
cards, the Ghouls can gather tokens from "discarded" creatures.
The Ghouls do not gain for cards "removed from play"
Sedge Troll:
The artist name was corrected between the alpha and beta printings.
Sengir Vampire:
+ Gets tokens when creatures go to the graveyard. If it dies at the same
time as a creature it killed, it does not get the token. If it regenerates
or otherwise lives past the creature being killed, it gets the token.
[bethmo]
Serra Angel:
Although not tapped to attack, it must follow the rule all creatures do
that it cannot attack in the same turn in which it comes into play.
Shatter:
Regenerating artifacts can regenerate from this because this is a simple
"destroy" which is the same as being killed. [Snark]
Simulacrum:
All damage retains its color when you assign it to a creature. [Snark]
You cannot Simulacrum damage to a creature with Protection from Black because
this is a black spell and cannot target such a creature. [WotC Rules Team]
You can Simulacrum damage due to an unblocked or trampling creature to
another creature involved in the attack, even if that creature has
already taken fatal damage, because creatures are not removed until after
damage prevention is allowed. [WotC Rules Team] (Note that this only
works during the damage prevention step... once combat is over the
creature is removed.)
You cannot Simulacrum Loss of Life to a creature, just damage. [Card Text]
+ Simulacrum does not grant regeneration ability to the target creature, it
just allows any existing regeneration ability to be used. [bethmo]
Siren's Call:
Kills creatures even if they were tapped before card was played. [Snark]
Creatures can regenerate if they die due to not attacking.
Only creatures in play when the spell is cast are affected. This means that
the Jade Statue and any creatures which come into play after this spell
is cast are not affected. [bethmo]
Sleight of Mind:
Alters all occurrences of the color word on the given card. These words must
occur in the text box on the card. Any card without such a word is not
a valid target for this spell. [Snark]
Change lasts until the card so-changed is taken out of play. In a
multiplayer game, this means it persists even after the player who
cast the Sleight of Mind leaves the game. The card forgets the change
if it goes to the graveyard or is Unsummoned. [Chris Page]
This spell can be used to change the "flavor text" (the italicized text)
on the card. This has no game effect but uses up the spell. [bethmo]
If the name of the Black Vise is changed in the text of the card, this does
not affect the operation of the Vise at all. Just because the card now
says "Blue Vise does ..." does not prevent it from working.
Smoke:
Lands animated by Living Lands or Kormus Bell are affected by this spell.
Soul Net:
Can catch discard or destroy events on creatures. [bethmo]
+ Works for Disintegrate but not for Swords to Plowshares. [bethmo]
Steal Artifact:
Can steal artifact creatures. [bethmo]
The work "discarded" should read "until enchantment is removed".
[WotC Rules Team]
Swords to Plowshares:
The creature does not die and therefore cannot be regenerated or drive any
effect which is triggered by a creature dying. The creature just leaves
the game.
+ The owner of the creature may decide to "pump up" the creature before it
leaves in order to get more life out of the deal because the total power
of the creature (including enchantments and such) is counted.
Thicket Basilisk:
If a group (or banded group) is used to block a Basilisk (or a group banded
with a Basilisk), all of the non-wall defenders are killed via the
Basilisk's power. [Garfield]
Creatures can regenerate from the Basilisks's power.
If the Basilisk is killed before damage dealing but after blocking or being
assigned blockers, the blockers still die. [bethmo]
Fog does not prevent the Basilisk's power from working (see Fog).
+ Protection from Green does not prevent the Basilisk's power because it is not
a targeted effect. [WotC Rules Team]
An attacking Animated Wall which is blocked by a Basilisk dies since only
blocking walls are protected from the Basilisk's power. [bethmo]
Thoughtlace:
Change lasts until card is removed from play.
Time Vault:
Can use Twiddle to untap without skipping a turn. [Snark] Instill Energy
works similarly once the Vault is Animated with Animate Artifact. [bethmo]
The card says to "skip a turn to untap it". You must skip a turn. On your
following turn, it untaps during your untap phase.
If you have multiple Time Vaults, you must skip a turn for each one you
wish to untap, not one turn to untap them all. [bethmo] See the
general rulings section also.
Tranquility:
The word "discarded" should be read as "destroyed". [WotC Rules Team]
Tropical Island:
Artist name corrected between alpha and beta printings.
Twiddle:
Can be used to untap the Time Vault without skipping a turn [Snark]
Tapping a continuous artifact deactivates it. [rulebook]
Tapping a poly artifact makes it unusable.
Opponent gets a chance to use the card being Twiddled during the same
instant if he/she so wishes. The "no effect" text can be easily misread.
It means that your tapping has no effect, not that your opponent cannot
respond by using the card to some effect (if that would be a legal action).
Note that any enchantments on the card will still generate effect when
the card is tapped.
The "no effect is generated by the target card" text was added to the beta
printing.
Unsummon:
This can be used all the way up to the damage dealing phase of an attack,
but cannot be used after that if the creature was killed. [Snark]
Unsummoning an Animate Dead creature pulls it into the owner's hand. [Snark]
If this causes an opponent to go over 7 cards when it is not their turn they
need not discard until the end of their turn.
An Unsummoned creature forgets its entire previous life.
Unsummoning a token creature just removes it from the game. [bethmo]
The word "discarded" should be read as "destroyed". [WotC Rules Team]
The text was changed between the alpha and beta printings.
Vesuvan Doppelganger:
Can only switch creatures once per upkeep phase. [WotC Rules Team]
+ If switches away from a creature, any upkeep costs on that creature need
not be paid. If switching to a creature, the upkeep costs must be paid
immediately (if the creature has any). [bethmo]
Copying a creature with Animate Dead on it gets you a dead creature. The
Doppelganger dies.
Animating a dead Doppelganger gets all the Doppelganger's abilities but
it mimics at -1 power.
Animated artifacts cannot be copied. They are creatures only due to the
enchantment.
Living lands cannot be copied. They are creatures only due to the
enchantment.
The Doppelganger of an artifact creature can be Shattered or Disenchanted.
The "normal characteristics" text means that you treat the Doppelganger as
having the exact same text on it as the original card had. This
includes name, casting cost, power/toughness, etc. It does not gain
any enhancements the original creature may have had temporarily through
Instants like Giant Growth or through Enchantments. [bethmo]
The Doppelganger does not get any of the tokens the creature it copies has.
Thus, a copy of a Scavenging Ghoul does not get tokens, and a copy of a
6 headed Rock Hydra is a zero headed Rock Hydra (which will most likely
die immediately). [bethmo]
Whenever it changes creatures, it "resets" and loses any tokens or other
gains it made as the creature it was originally copying.
If copying a creature which had been modified with Sleight of Mind or
Magical Hack, the modification holds even for the Doppelganger.
[Chris Page]
+ A Doppelganger cannot be summoned unless there is some other creature to
copy. [Card Text] This equally applies to Resurrection and other
effects which bring the Doppelganger into play. [WotC Rules Team]
Cannot play the Doppelganger if there are no creatures in play. [Card Text]
A Doppelganger of a Clone is just a copy of the creature the Clone copied.
A Doppelganger of an Arabian Nights creature is not an Arabian Nights card.
[WotC Rules Team]
A Doppelganger of a creature represented by a token is a card which if
destroyed goes to the graveyard and if unsummoned goes to your hand.
In other words, it follows the rules of cards and not of token creatures.
[WotC Rules Team]
When the Doppelganger switches creatures, the creature it used to be is
considered to have left play. This means that if it was a Gaea's Liege
that converted lands, revert to their old form, and that if it was
Aladdin that stolen artifacts return to the owner as normal. [bethmo]
When switching creatures, it loses any tokens acquired as the previous
creature.
The decision of what to copy is part of the casting decisions. [bethmo]
Veteran Bodyguard:
If a creature is blocked but Trample damage is still done to a player, this
damage cannot be redirected to the Bodyguard because the Bodyguard only
takes damage from unblocked creatures. [bethmo]
If a creature which does Trample damage is not blocked, the damage is taken
by the Bodyguard and the damage loses its Trample nature. [Snark]
Cannot be used against spell or other non-creature attack damage. Note
that the Prodigal Sorcerer and other creatures have non-attack ways
to deliver damage.
Redirected damage retains its color. [Snark]
If two (or more) Veteran Bodyguards are in play (for the same player),
each of the bodyguards takes all of the unblocked damage. [Snark]
Volcanic Eruption:
You can power this spell up for more mana than there are Mountains than your
opponent has in play. If you do so, the additional destruction must be
taken from your own Mountains. You cannot do more damage than there are
Mountains available. [bethmo]
Can be used with X equal to zero if no Mountains are in play. [bethmo]
+ You must pick which Mountains are targeted when the spell is cast.
[WotC Rules Team]
+ Magical Hack will not allow you to change the targets or invalidate the
spell after targets are chosen. [WotC Rules Team]
White Ward:
In the 1st printing rules (alpha and beta parts) the rules say that damage
done by a protected creature cannot be prevented by spells/effects of a
color protected against by the Ward. Hence, White-Warded creatures cannot
be blocked by a Circle of Protection or Guardian Angel or Healing Salve
from doing damage. Snark has said that this is an error and will be
corrected in the next edition. The part about damage not being
preventable will be removed and so in general most people do *not* play
with this curious capability of the White Ward.
Wild Growth:
Land provides 1 green mana no matter how it is tapped. This includes tapping
for mana, tapping to attack (with a Living Land), or Twiddle. [bethmo]
Winter Orb:
Lands animated by Living Lands or Kormus Bell are affected by this spell.
Word of Command:
The caster of Word of Command controls *all* aspects of the spell he/she has
the opponent cast, including the amount of mana and target of the spell.
Note that if the spell just enables something, you cannot power it in
addition to casting it. For example, you cannot cast Pestilence then
tap additional mana to power the card, or summon a Nether Shadow and
declare an attack with it. Spells with an X casting cost have X decided
by the player. As a big REVERSAL to a previous ruling, with Channel,
the amount of many converted is _not_ a decision in the casting of the
spell. [WotC rules team]
Since casting this spell is an action, you opponent gets a chance to cast
interrupts and instants in response to your spell. Once the current
instant it resolved, then you can look at your opponent's hand.
You *must* order your opponent to cast a spell if it is possible to do so.
The spell is considered as being cast by your opponent and not by you.
[Snark]
You opponent cannot counter the Word of Command once he lets you look at his
hand, but he can attempt to counter the spell you force him to cast.
[WotC rules team]
+ Only land and mana pool are available to the caster. Other sources of mana
are not allowed. You do get yo choose which lands get tapped. [bethmo]
Wrath of God:
White-Warded creatures cannot avoid this spell's effects. Destruction by
means of Wrath of God is not considered "damage" which can be prevented by
Protection from White. [Snark]
Zombie Master:
Does not grant the abilities to itself. [Snark]
These powers begin once the Master is in play and immediately cease if it
leaves play.
Does grant ability to all Zombies owned by every player. [Snark]
md...@vnet.ibm.com
>Newsgroups: rec.games.deckmaster,rec.games.board
AAAAARRRRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!
What's the point in making a new newsgroup if they're gonna crosspost
to r.g.b anyway?