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Pojo's Magic The Gathering
Judge's Corner
Humility and Opalescence,
Revisited
10.31.02
Well, it seems I've screwed up with Opalescence and
Humility. The following came out on the judge list
today, and deals with 2 Opalescences and one Humility,
and what happens if a second Humility is introduced.
---
Q: The following question, I'm having a problem with ...
My gut instinct is that no, you can't kill the opponent.
But I'm getting hung up over the Humility removing all
the abilities of all the enchantments, so that the
triggered abilities from Pandemonium shouldn't be placed
onto the stack, and that they are 1/1 enchantments.
[quote]
#2) I have 2 Opalescence, a Pandemonium, a Humility, 2
Attunements, and 2 Saproling Bursts in the graveyard.
What happens when I play a Replenish? Can I kill my
opponent?
[/quote]
A: You timestamp all the enchantments when they enter
play. The Opalescences and the Humility have Continuous
effects, and they form a dependency loop, so they're
evaluated in timestamp order.
Short answers:
Op-Op-Hum: All creatures and global enchantments are 1/1
blank creatures. (The Op's animate each other and all
the enchantments, and then the Hum wipes away
everything).
Op-Hum-Op: All creatures and global enchantments are 1/1
blank creatures, except the Op timestamped first, which
is just a regular global enchantment.
Hum-Op-Op: All creatures are 1/1 blank. All global
enchantments are creatures with P/T = Converted Mana
Cost. The Humility blanks all the creatures first, then
the Op's animate each other and all the global
enchantments, and sets P/T with a later timestamp. All
the creature-chantments retain their abilities, because
the Humility is evaluated before the enchantments are
animated.
If you choose the last option, you'll be able to kill
your opponent with Pandemonium, the other two options
will remove the abilities of Pandemonium, and it will
never go to the stack.
Q: As a side question... Does having Multiple Humilities
in the above problem allow you to have any non 1/1s at
any instance in time?
A: Introducing a second Humility (which is Replenished
into play with the others) means you place it somewhere
in the timestamp order. Ordering both Humilities before
the Opalescences will let you potentially kill your
opponent with Pandemonium.
Relevant rules are found in CompRules section 418.5
(though it's one of the trickiest parts of the whole
rulebook).
Rune Horvik, DCIJUDGE-L NetRep
---
So since the Humility and Opalescence form a dependency
loop, you have to evaluate them in timestamp order.
Sorry for my previous error.
---
Now, on to the questions…
Q: Here's my question. Could I use Coalition Victory
along with Cromat, or do I have to have a separate
creature out for each color?
-Kevin
A: One Cromat will satisfy all the requirements for
creatures on Coalition Victory. When Coalition Victory
resolves, it asks, "Do you control a red creature? Do
you control a blue creature? Do you control a black
creature? Do you control a white creature? Do you
control a green creature?" One Cromat will allow you to
answer yes to all 5 questions, and so you don't need any
other creature out.
---
Q: I have Future Sight out. The top card (now revealed)
is, let's say... Circular Logic. I have a means of
discard (e.g. Zombie Infestation) could I discard it and
cast it for its madness cost? Can I discard the top card
of my library as though it were in my hand to fuel
something like Zombie Infestation? If I were Duressed,
could my opponent choose the top card of my library? If
the top card of my library was a card with cycling,
could I cycle it?
A: No to all of the above. The only thing you can do
with the card on top of your library (with Future Sight
out) is play it. Play means to cast it if it is a spell,
or put it into play if it is in a land.
---
Q: Finally... if I cast a card draw spell, would I have
to reveal each card I "draw".
-Alex Wong
A: Yes. Any spell that reads "Draw N cards" is played as
if it said, "Draw a card. Draw a card. Draw a card.
(Repeat until you have drawn N cards.)" So each time you
draw one of the N cards, you will reveal the next card
before you draw it.
---
Q: Does Cycling, like that on Death Pulse count as a
black ability?
A: 502.18a Cycling is an activated ability that
functions only while the card with cycling is in a
player's hand. The phrase "Cycling [cost]" means
"[Cost], Discard this card from your hand: Draw a card."
The extra thing you can do on the card is an ability.
Therefore, the ability to give a creature -1/-1 is a
black ability.
---
Q: Example: In response to my cycling Death Pulse and
targeting his Battlefield Medic, my opponent sacrifices
Benevolent Bodyguard, giving the medic Protection from
black. Does this protect the Medic from the -1/-1?
-Ian Sanderson
A: Giving the Medic Pro: Black will cause the ability
from the Death Pulse to be countered. So the Medic will
not get -1/-1.
---
Q: If my friend has a Millstone in play, and I have a
Disenchant in my hand. I am wondering how the timing
works. If my friend activates the Millstone, in response
can I Disenchant it and not have to lose two cards?
-Stephen M.
A: No. Removing the source of an ability does not stop
the ability from happening.
---
Q: Let's say my opponent has 10 1/1 squirrel tokens out.
Can I enchant one with a Crown of Suspicion, then
immediately sacrifice the crown to give all Squirrels
+2/-1 until the end of the turn?
- George
A: No. When the Crown of Suspicion resolves, it makes
the squirrel it's enchanting 2/0. Therefore, the
squirrel it put into the graveyard as a state-based
effect, followed immediately by the Crown, and then you
receive priority.
---
Q: If you play a creature, does it has summoning
sickness until end of turn, or until its controller's
next turn? For example, if my friend plays an Avatar of
Woe, can he destroy one of my creatures during my turn
(the next turn) or does he have to wait until it is his
turn again?
A: A creature has summoning sickness until the next time
its controller's next turn. So he would have to wait
until he had the Avatar since the start of a turn to use
its ability.
---
Q: My friend has an Avatar of Woe in play, and he taps
it to kill my creature. I had a Seal of Removal in play,
and in response, I return his Woe to his hand. He claims
that my creature is still dead because the ability
already went onto the stack. I disagree. Who's right?
-Person 51090
A: He is. Removing the source of an ability does not
stop the ability from happening.
---
Q: I play a cleric deck now that Onslaught is out. I
have two Cabal Archons in the deck. Here's my question.
Say I have two Benevolent Bodyguards (or any 1/1 cleric)
out and an Archon. I swing with my 1/1's and my opponent
declares blockers, two of his 1/1's. Can I then tap a
black mana each and sac my attacking clerics to the
Archon's ability and do 4 points of damage to my
opponent? Do I need to do that when he declares that he
will block or later? If I do sac the clerics do they do
any damage to the blockers?
My gut feeling is: Yes I can sac them. I probably need
to do it when he declares his intention to block, not
after I find out what's blocking. And, if I sac them
before they get officially blocked, no damage is done to
the blockers.
I've only been playing two months so I may be wrong.
Thanks for the help.
-DD
A: You can sacrifice the Clerics any time until the
damage has been done to them in the Combat Damage step.
Therefore, the best play would be to let him block, put
damage on the stack, and then sac them. They'll still
deal their damage, since the damage was already on the
stack, and you'll also have your opponent lose 4 life
(and you gain 4 life).
---
Q: I have 3 face down morph creatures in play and one of
them has a Crown of Awe on it. My opponent plays a Shock
on one of the face down creatures (without the Crown on
it) and I sac my Crown of Awe to save it. What happens?
Since face down creatures have no creature type does
that mean that the Crown of Awe doesn't save my
creature?
-Sheldon
A: You are right. Since face down creatures have no
creature type, saccing the Crown won't save the creature
that is being targeted by Shock.
---
Q: A question arose as me and my friend Mike were
playing. I have 6 mountains. He has Opposition in play
and a Vernal Equinox. I try to play a Kamahl, Pit
Fighter, he says he uses a Vernal Equinox to play a
Morphling {he has the mana} then he says he uses
Opposition to tap one of my lands. My first question, is
can he do that?
A: Sure. But the Kamahl is still on the stack, and he's
tapping an already tapped land. You've already spent the
mana from it.
---
Q: Second he says my Pit Fighter goes to the graveyard
and I take 5 mana burn. Does he go to the graveyard and
do I take mana burn?
-Cameron S.
A: No in both instances. You've already paid for Kamahl,
so the mana has already been used. The Kamahl will come
into play (unless he plays a spell that counters it).
---
Clarifications: Mantra #5
Before we start here, let's repeat the Mantra, for
reference…
5. "When assigning trample, look only at the toughness
of the blocking creatures. Assign damage so that they
would have that much damage on them, and then you can
assign the other damage to your opponent." (26
September) (Footnote C)
Footnote C: You can assign the extra damage to the
creatures if you want, or assign all the damage to one
or more creatures (even though the damage being dealt is
greater than the toughness of that creature) and none to
the other creatures. But you have to assign damage as
the mantra says before you can assign trample damage to
your opponent.
---
Q: - The situation is: My opponent attacks with three
7/7 Elemental tokens with trample. I block with a 2/4
Ironfist Crusher enchanted with Sandskin and two 3/3
Daunting Defenders. The Crusher has the ability to block
multiple attackers and Sandskin prevents all damage
dealt to and from enchanted creature. I use the Crusher
as a blocker for all three tokens and each of the
Defenders on two of them.
A: Ironfist Crusher
{4}{W}
Creature -- Soldier
2/4
Ironfist Crusher may block any number of creatures.
Morph {3}{W} (You may play this face down as a 2/2
creature for {3}. Turn it face up any time for its morph
cost.)
Sandskin
{2}{W}
Enchant Creature
Prevent all combat damage that would be dealt to and
dealt by enchanted creature.
---
Q: The question is: How much Trample damage goes through
to me? I say 3 total goes through to me with the Crusher
absorbing 4 per creature blocked (because each creature
looks at his toughness individually without considering
previously assigned damage) and the Defenders absorbing
3 each. He says 11 goes through because the Crusher
absorbs UP TO his toughness of 4 and the Defenders
absorb 3 each. Who is right?
A: He is. Combat damage is assigned simultaneously, and
so he assigns 3 to the Defenders that are blocking, and
then any one of the Elementals assigns 4 to the Crusher.
Then the other 11 can be assigned to you.
502.9b The controller of an attacking creature with
trample first assigns damage to the creature(s) blocking
it. If all those blocking creatures are assigned lethal
damage, any remaining damage is assigned as its
controller chooses among the blocking creatures and the
defending player. _When checking for assigned lethal
damage, take into account damage already on the creature
and damage from other creatures that is to be assigned
at the same time (see rule 502.9f)._…
502.9f When there are several attacking creatures, it's
legal to assign damage from those without trample so as
to maximize the damage of those with trample.
---
Q: Also, a secondary part of my question(s) is: If the
trampling tokens can "see" the damage already assigned
to the enchanted Ironfist Crusher, how can the enchanted
Crusher block X-number (lets say 30) 1/1 squirrel tokens
without trample, and all blocks occur successfully? If
not, why are they not allowed to "see" assigned damage?
-sloantaylor
A: The Crusher can block all the squirrels and the
squirrels can't damage the defending player because they
don't have trample.
502.9a Trample is a static ability that modifies the
rules for assigning an attacking creature's combat
damage.
Normally, blocked creatures can't assign combat damage
to the defending player (310.1c). Trample changes that
rule.
See you Monday.
Bill Guerin
PojoMagicJudge@hotmail.com
DCI Level 2 Judge
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