Can creatures with summoning sickness block? Are you able to block with a creature that has summoning sickness? My friend always has at least 1 Moaning Wall in his hand and plays it each chance he gets, even when I attack and it has summoning sickness he tells me that creatures with summoning sickness can still block creatures.

Yes, you can block with a creature affected by summoning sickness.

This is the Comprehensive Rule about "summoning sickness"; I emphasized the relevant parts in your case:

  302.6. A creature’s activated ability with the tap symbol or the untap symbol in its activation cost can’t be activated unless the creature has been under its controller’s control continuously since his or her most recent turn began. A creature can’t attack unless it has been under its controller’s control continuously since his or her most recent turn began. This rule is informally called the “summoning sickness” rule.

As you can see, at no point the rule states that you cannot block with a creature affected by "summoning sickness".


Who's first in a battle in Sid Meier's Civilization: The Board Game (from 2010)? There is a unit with 5 strength and 2 wounds. The attacker wants to use the resource ability of mathematics to finish the unit, the defender the healing effect of animal husbandry. Which effect is resolved first? According to the rules, there is no stack, so is it really just the one who cries loudest or fastest?

Cards with Battle abilities can only be played before or after an attack on an enemy front (or starting a new front), not during the battle.

Animal husbandry can therefore only remove wound tokens from units who've survived with some damage.  Likewise, Mathematics can only add wound tokens to units already in fronts.  All these cards are resolved before the next card is played (which will kill any units who've suffered wounds equal to their strength) or also at the 'end of the battle' which in the rules, explicitly checks again for dead/surviving units.

In the case you listed, therefore, a wound token is removed then added or added then removed, then the unit is only 'checked' later after all cards have been resolved.

This means that if you initiate the mathematics, you might put more than a unit's strength in wound markers on an enemy if you want to guard against the use of animal husbandry.

Since this particular case doesn't matter, the more general answer is this, though there is no stack, the rules say that you take turns playing cards (defender first) and also that battle abilities are played immediately before or after playing a card.  This implies that you take turns playing battle abilities, just like cards.  After your opponent plays a card and the attack is resolved, you can ask him or her to explicitly give up control to you to play a card (asking them if they are going to use any battle abilities before you declare your action).  Once you declare, it's too late to use an ability on you, since it's your control now.


Is this box an official MTG product? Who are the featured characters? I got this box years ago from a (then) friend together with their collection of cards (many from 5th edition up to Urza's Saga). It is a flip-top box with a warrior on the top (pictured), the sides feature warriors fighting dragons and other monsters. The back (also pictured) features the Wizard logo and the following text:

  Wizards of the Coast and Magic: The Gathering are registered trademarks of Wizards of the Coasts, Inc.

  Box Illustration by Christopher Moeller. (c)1993-1999 Wizards of the Coast, Inc.

It can hold three cardboard theme-deck boxes (the type you also get in fat packs) side by side.

My questions about this box are:

Has this box been part of an official Magic; the Gathering product?

Is / are the warrior(s) characters featured in Magic?

That is the Battle Royale box. It's a preconstructed theme deck box from November 1999, and it came with four 40-card decks. It came out during the Masques block, between Mercadian Masques (October 1999) and Nemesis (February 2000).

I can't find any indicators of who the box art depicts. It doesn't seem to be a card art reprint — Christopher Moeller is credited for the box art, but it matches none of his Battle Royale cards' art. It doesn't even match the art style used on cards at the time, and it doesn't seem to depict anything from cards in the box. The official product page (from a very old part of the Wizards site) just calls it the "Battle Royale Box Art". Probably Moeller was just told to paint a bunch of fantasy creatures fighting and they put that on the box.

(Thanks to Jefromi for checking through the card art too, and finding Moeller's art.)

How I found this out, for future investigators: I searched Google Images for "mtg 1999 deck box", since that copyright line means it must have come out in 1999. The results showed boxes of this type were either starters or preconstructed theme boxes. "mtg starter box" didn't get me anywhere. I opened the list of MTG sets, and googled "mtg sixth edition preconstructed box", and then "mtg nemesis preconstructed box" (that box looks nemesis-y), and found photos of a box exactly like that one, and one of them was on a MTG Salvation Wiki page.


Does Catan expansion edition have to match base game edition? I have the English fourth edition 2007 base game of Settlers of Catan. Are current editions of the expansion, specifically Catan: Seafarers English edition 2015, compatible with this base set?

When the 5th edition of Catan came out, I remember reading an official source (Catan FAQ) explaining that it would be completely backwards compatible. The only source I can find right now is this one:

  The 5th edition will also be fully backwards compatible to the previous 4th edition and will feature a more cohesive art style throughout all 4th and 5th edition expansions.

It looks a bit odd though, using different editions. So at that time I decided to buy all the old sets while they were still available. It's functionally possible to combine different editions into 1 game, but not aesthetically correct :)


When was the Lord Licorice character added to Candy Land? I recently played a brand new copy of Candy Land with my son and noticed a character named Lord Licorice, who I don't remember from playing the game when I was a child.

The Candy Land Wikipedia article mentions several changes that were made to the game--including character changes--as it was updated through the years, but there's no mention of Lord Licorice.

Am I just completely mis-remembering a canonical character, or was he added some time after the early 1980s?

According to the Candy Land 50th Anniversary Edition Rules:

1985: “The Legend of the Lost Candy Castle” story and characters introduced to game.

I presume, Since Lord Licorice is the antagonist of that story, that he was introduced then.

'They'll never find the hidden King or his Castle,' Lord Licorice says sourly... 'for I have hidden them from sight so that all of Candy Land will be mine!' His heart is as hard as rock candy. Always gloomy, always grim, Lord Licorice lives very much alone, except for the few Bitter Chocolate Bats to keep him company!
'Utter nonsense,' Queen Frostine says of Lord Licorice's evil plan. Peacefully adrift on an Ice Cream Float in an Ice Cream Sea, warm-hearted Frostine thinks the Candy Land Kids will surely find the King. 'And no matter how many times Lord Licorice plots and plans,' she adds, 'Candy Land will sparkle once again.'

EDIT:
I found the History Page on Hasbro's site. It appears that the version labeled "1980s" has Lord Licorice, while the "1970s" version does not. According to the Candy Land wikipedia page, there was a version published in 1978, and another in 1985. I've done some web searches, and "1984 edition" comes up in searches. Perhaps there were different copyright/publishing dates in different countries?
Anyway, I can't find any reference to Lord Licorice on boards for the 1978 or earlier editions…


Who might create the game pieces? I've designed a game which requires 3D geometric pieces. For a prototype, I'd like to see these make from metal, and to look elegant. Who might craft such items? I'm not even sure which profession I might investigate.

A gold smith/jeweler could do your thing from metal and look elegant, but it might be quite expensive.


How accessible are the many German-only expansions for Catan? The website catan.com gives a good overview of the many and varied editions and expansions for Catan available in English. However, it doesn't take long to find a slew of additional material for the game that appears to only be available in German.

Some examples include:

Atlantis: Szenarien & Varianten
Schätze, Drachen & Entdecker
Der Schokoladenmarkt
Historische Szenarien

This is not an exhaustive list. Some of the German-only scenarios do appear to have been reprinted in the English editions of certain expansions but there still seems to be a wealth of German-only material.

Am I right in thinking this material is unavailable in English? If so, is it easy for a non German speaker to learn and use these expansions? What about availability outside of Germany?

Allthough there have been numerous expansions and scenarios that were never published in English, it is still quite possible to acquire these scenarios in the US, along with reliable English translations of the rules. I would recommend starting at BoardGameGeek.com. That site can be a bit of a firehose for newcomers, but if you have a bit of patience, your efforts will pay off.

After creating a free user account at BoardGameGeek, use their game search function to search for the scenarios and expansions that you're interested in. Each expansion/scenario will have its own information page. These information pages are big part of what makes BoardGameGeek.com such a fabulous resource for those of us interested in boardgaming as a hobby.

In addition to basic game information and discussion forums for each game, the game's information page will also have two sections that will be of particular interest to you. First is the "Buy A Copy" section. This is where you can usually find used copies of the game for sale. These copies are generally supplied by individual hobbyists who set their own price and choose where they will and won't ship the game to. While many of the games you are asking about were only available in Europe, it's quite possible that the people who have listed their copies for sale on BoardGameGeek will be willing to ship them overseas.

The second section of interest is the "Files" section. Here you will often find translations for rulebooks of games when they haven't been officially provided by the game publisher in a particular language. A quick search led me to an English translation of the Atlantis expansion this way, as well as an English translation of the Alexander and Cheops historical scenario. I also saw numerous copies of the Alexandar and Cheops scenario for sale by sellers in the US, all of which were asking $25 or less (plus shipping, I assume).

You will need to create an account before you would be able to purchase from any of these sellers, but I suspect you'll find it worth your while.

You pointed out that your list of examples was not exhaustive. I'd like to suggest that you try a game search at BoardGameGeek.com using only the keyword "Catan"; I think you might be surprised at just how much stuff has been made available for that game. Have fun!


How do traits work in Betrayal At House On The Hill? Why are some character traits missing a number and some have repeated numbers?

For example, Father Rheinhardt has two 7s in the Sanity trait but no 6 at all.

Mechanically, "Gain 1 Sanity" means move up 1 position on your Sanity track; this may increase your actual Sanity statistic (how many dice you roll) by 0, 1, or 2 depending on your character and previous position. This allows for greater variety in the characters than would be possible if all the tracks increased 1 point per position. It gives the players varying incentives and can also be used to flesh out the thematic/roleplaying part of the game - for example, one character feels a nervous breakdown coming on (next Sanity decrease -2) and is hiding from the scary ghosts at all costs; another is about to make a para-scientific breakthrough (next Knowledge increase +2) and really wants to confirm a few last facts in the Library. It can also encourage more cooperative interaction between the players, since an item that offers e.g. +2 Sanity will increase players' actual dice rolled by different amounts so may be worth trading to whoever gets the most actual benefit from it.


What cards can be used to cheat Eldrazi creatures onto the table? I'm constructing an Eldrazi based deck and I'm thinking about possible ways of getting one onto the table. What I already considered:

Summoning Trap
Polymorph

Do you know any other cards like these?

Edit:
I'm talking about the "big three" Legendary Eldrazi -- Emrakul, the Aeons Torn, Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre, and Kozilek, Butcher of Truth.

I'm assuming you mean the "big three" Legendary Eldrazi -- Emrakul, the Aeons Torn, Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre, and Kozilek, Butcher of Truth. If you want any Eldrazi, like a Pathrazer of Ulamog, you can always use reanimation spells. These three, however, have the persnickety clause:

  When {card name} is put into a graveyard from anywhere, its owner shuffles his or her graveyard into his or her library.

Thus, you have to use instant-speed reanimation, cheat on costs, or hardcast them normally using obscene mana acceleration (which is basically "cheating them out" for most intents and purposes).

The proven competitive decks that do this are:

Legacy "Sneak and Show," using Show and Tell and Sneak Attack.
Modern "Tron" decks, using the power of the UrzaTron (Urza's Mine, Urza's Tower, and Urza's Power-Plant, which produce 7 mana from three lands) to hardcast Eldrazi. Basically you use lots of cards like Sylvan Scrying, Expedition Map, or Gifts Ungiven to set up the Tron, and then go crazy with Eldrazi, Karn Liberated, and Wurmcoil Engine. Some of these decks also run Through the Breach as a backup plan.
Before banning, Modern had "Twelvepost," which used Cloudpost, Glimmerpost, Vesuva, like a faster and more consistent Tron.
Before banning, Modern also had "Hypergenesis," using cascade tricks to set up a super-fast Hypergenesis.
Legacy "Elves" is an occasionally-successful but easy-to-hate deck that chains a ton of mana dorks, usually with Glimpse of Nature, to hardcast Emrakul.
Vintage has "Oath," which uses Oath of Druids (banned in Legacy) to cheat out Eldrazi.
You can take inspiration from a variety of other decks that access huge amounts of mana, such as "High Tide," "Amulet of Vigor," "Enchantress" (via Serra's Sanctum, mainly), and "MUD" (via Metalworker and Cloudpost). Many of these don't actually need a card like Emrakul to win but sometimes play it anyway because it goes "over the top" of many other strategies.

Other approaches I've seen used (ranked in approximate order of jankiness):

Windbrisk Heights and a lot of weenies.
Summoning Trap (works well as Plan B in the Windbrisk Heights deck).
Polymorph and a bunch of token-generating cards like Lingering Souls (which make creatures on the battlefield but aren't creature cards themselves).
Instant-speed reanimation with Goryo's Vengeance or Shallow Grave. The classic reanimator spells like Exhume or Unburial Rites don't work because the big three shuffle themselves back into your library, but you can still use Goryo's Vengeance in response to the trigger.
Fist of Suns in a five-color deck, to make them all cost WUBRG.
Elvish Piper or Quicksilver Amulet.

If you're looking for a top-tier tournament deck, I recommend:

Sneak and Show for Legacy: it was totally the top deck for a while. Main down side is that it was totally the top deck for a while, of course, so many players know how to play against it.
G/R Tron for Modern. Faster and more consistent than the other Tron decks, and pretty cheap to put together, especially if you already own the Eldrazi. The main down side is that it is pretty weak against some of the other combo decks (like Storm) and hyper-aggressive decks.

If you're looking for a deck to play at "casual" tables, my recommendation is a Windbrisk Heights + Summoning Trap deck. It's still very powerful but not as obviously "unfair" as the tournament combo decks — some players vehemently dislike seeing turn-3 Karn every other game — and the aggressive/midrange creatures give you a decent fallback plan even if the whole table is dedicated to hating out your combo.


Beginner Brass Strategies? Inspired by all the great answers to the similar question about Power Grid, I'd love to hear some suggestions for Brass. I picked it up a little over a month ago, and we've only gotten it onto the table once. We pretty much struggled through it (ultimately, only finishing the Canal phase). I now feel like we have a basic grasp of the game mechanics, but basically no clue about strategy.

I know the rules have a whole page devoted to this, but I like bullet points!  ;)

Loans in Brass can be key to a successful game. Loans at the very beginning are very cheap to repay, where as loans later in the game can be very expensive. If you are likely to need a loan at any point during the game (which you almost certainly will), I would advise you to take the loan early.

Some other pieces of advice I would offer.

Try to get some level 2 buildings in place before the end of the canal phase. It will make your position stronger. Choose the buildings that offer the most strategic positioning as the ones to upgrade, if you can.
If you opponents are fighting it out for the Shipyard pieces, try to concentrate on the cotton route. The level 4 cotton buildings give victory points of 12 each when flipped. Two of these give you a better return (for far less manoeuvring) than a single ship.
If the iron or coal demand track has a few spaces empty, consider building immediately, to repopulate the demand track. You will potentially get the tile flipped immediately, and make some money for your troubles.
Don't discount the idea of using two cards to place any industry on any city. Some will see this as a waste of a turn, but it can give you a tactical edge when there are few other options available.


Why would I want to use the activated ability of "Scalding Tarn"? I think I'm missing something here.  I thought that land cards that have two colors at the bottom mean that they can be used as land for either of the colors.

Take for example Scalding Tarn:

It looks like it's already a combo island/mountain card. So why would I want to use the activated ability which states:

  Pay 1 life, Sacrifice Scalding Tarn: Search your library for an Island or Mountain card and put it onto the battlefield. Then shuffle your library

First of all, as the other answers have indicated, Scalding Tarn does not produce any mana, it just lets you search for another land that can. The colors on this card have absolutely nothing to do with its ability. The blue and red are just there as a visual reminder that the ability lets you search for an Island or a Mountain. The card could be orange, or pink, but the ability would still be the same.

So, down to the real question: why is its activated ability useful, especially since you have to pay a life?

Here are a few benefits/uses:

1) Flexibility

That Scalding Tarn in your hand could turn into, for example, Volcanic Island, Plateau, Underground Sea, or just a basic Mountain or Island. You have the flexibility to search for whatever land you may need to cast stuff.

Let's say in your opening hand you have a Scalding Tarn, a Lightning Bolt, and a Spell Snare. Play the Scalding Tarn, then you can wait to "crack" the fetchland until the last second. If your opponent plays a creature, grab a Mountain to cast Lightning Bolt; if they play a 2cmc spell, grab an Island to cast Spell Snare instead. Flexibility!

2) Synergy

Shuffling: Let's say you play a Brainstorm, and don't really like the cards you put back on top (maybe they're all lands that you don't need). Crack Scalding Tarn to shuffle your library! Better to shuffle hoping that you'll get something worth drawing than to sit there for a few turns knowing you'll draw crap that doesn't help you win.

Landfall: Let's say you have a Steppe Lynx in play. Then play your Scalding Tarn, immediately crack it, and grab some land you need. Two lands entered play, so now Steppe Lynx is a 4/5 monster (for this turn) that only cost you 1 mana and 1 life. Totally worth it. Landfall + Fetchlands can give you some bonkers plays.

Graveyard: By cracking the fetch, you put a card in the graveyard, which can benefit things like Grim Lavamancer/Tarmogoyf/Deathrite Shaman

3) Filtering/Thinning

Every time you search your library for a land, you reduce the chance of drawing a land the next time you draw. This is nice later in the game, when lands are typically dead draws.

Statistically, the "thinning" effect of a single fetchland doesn't make a big difference, but multiple copies can. If you play fetchlands and your opponent doesn't, you'll have a slight edge in terms of drawing potential threats (instead of lands), but at the cost of some of your life.

Remember, cards like Necropotence taught us long ago that life is just another resource; using your resources wisely will win you games. That being said, sometimes the life loss associated with fetchlands may not be wise. Some tournament-worthy decks run 6-8 fetchlands, others run 1-2, some run none at all. It depends entirely upon your deck versus the metagame you've chosen to play in.

IMHO, fetchlands are a much better choice when used for flexibility and/or synergy than for just deck thinning alone, but that's just me. You get the deck thinning automatically, but the flexibility/synergy comes with intelligent deck construction.

Anyway, if you don't want those Scalding Tarns, I'll take them. Aside from being good cards for all of the reasons I've just described, those suckers are worth something like $70 each right now!


Does a Monster have to survive an attack to yield Tokyo? King of Tokyo has one of the most poorly written rules.
The rules state:

If a Monster loses its last life({Heart}) it is out of the game.
If you are attacked while in Tokyo and you don't want to be there anymore [...] you can yield to the Monster that attacked (he has to take your place). You still take the damage, however.
If you are eliminated by an attack on Tokyo, the Monster who attacked you automatically takes control of Tokyo.
Yielding Tokyo / Flee: A Monster can leave Tokyo (yield his place) to the Monster who just attacked him. If a card allows a monster to leave tokyo with no damage from an attack, the attacker still occupies Tokyo.
Eliminated: When you have 0{Heart}.

Does a Monster need to survive an attack to yield Tokyo?
This is important for a card like:

(5) Burrowing: Keep; Deal 1 extra damage on Tokyo.
Deal 1 damage when yielding Tokyo to the monster taking it.

Does a Monster eliminated by an attack deal 1 damage to the Monster that attacked them?

When a monster is eliminated while inside Tokyo, they do not yield. Look at the exact phrasing:

  If you are eliminated by an attack on Tokyo, the Monster who attacked
  you automatically takes control of Tokyo.

The rules say "takes control of", not "is yielded," so no yielding happens and the extra damage from Burrowing doesn't occur. Thematically, this makes sense: the monster is dead, and its ability to burrow doesn't help. You aren't yielding to the attacking monster; you're yielding to the sweet embrace of death. (Death takes one damage.)


Where can I find a list of Magic expansions? I always have problems to remember expansions.

I am looking for a cheat sheet list of all Magic expansion with symbol, name, year, border color and translated name (to french).

Where can I find it?

You can find the list of existing products along with their logo, symbol and release date on the Magic's official card archive page.

The page is available in french as well.

While this page doesn't contains informations about border colors, each products page links to the corresponding card gallery on the Gatherer.


How are new conventions established in Contract Bridge? I was reading an article discussing the nature of cheating in Bridge, and started wondering: If all pre-arranged signals between partners are forbidden, then how do new bidding conventions come into being?

Subject to certain constraints set by the governing authority (the A.C.B.L. in North America) mostly to restrict agreements intended primarily to interfere with opponents bidding, a bridge pair is allowed to make any agreement about the meaning of calls (including bids as well as passes, doubles and redoubles) and cards played as long as they present their system (in written form) to their opponents. During the bidding and play, whoever's turn it is can ask the one opponent what the other opponent meant with a bid or a card played. During the bidding, players must alert or announce certain of their partners calls if it has an (unusual) conventional meaning.

If a certain call is used between partners as having a certain meaning, the pair can be penalised if that call is not in their system description and/or not alerted / properly explained.

Note that all information exchanged between partners MUST be conveyed using the calls and the cards played (in the proper way). The cheats as recently discovered in top Bridge are usually using a different method: coughs, a certain positioning of the bidding cards, etc...

Here is an example of the form provided in North America by the A.C.B.L. for summarizing system agreements:

In extended team play the accompanying system notes for a long-established pair such as Eric Rodwell & Jeff Meckstroth can run to several hundred pages.


Are "Gods" indestructible even when they are not yet creatures? As long as the card Nylea, Keen-Eyed -
(or the parallel red card, or Purphoros, Bronze-Blooded, or Athreos, Shroud-Veiled, or other specular cards, often with the subtype "God") -
is not yet a creature, since his devotion to the indicated color has not yet reached the sufficient value, does he still possess the indestructible ability? I'll explain better.

For example, since it's a card that's also an enchantment, could it be destroyed by a Disenchant as long as it's not a creature; or is the indestructible ability active even when it's not yet a creature?

Yes, the Enchantment Gods are always indestructible, whether or not they are creatures.
When the Gods stop being a creature due to insufficient Devotion, the only things they lose are the creature type, the creature-related subtype (God), and their power and toughness. Abilities of that object are not affected, even if they are abilities that wouldn't make sense on a non-creature, such as Trample. However, Indestructible isn't even a creature-only ability, as there are non-creatures with that ability, such as Darksteel Relic.

208.3. A noncreature permanent has no power or toughness, even if it’s a card with a power and toughness printed on it (such as a Vehicle). [..]
205.1a [..] If an object’s card type is removed, the subtypes correlated with that card type will remain if they are also the subtypes of a card type the object currently has; otherwise, they are also removed for the entire time the object’s card type is removed. [..]


Are tasks and missions considered items? If I draw a task or a mission from a Common Item or Unique Item deck respectively, are they considered "items" when face up? For instance, if I draw the "Join the Winning Team" mission and am later required to discard items, can I discard that?

I ask because the list of locations for me to visit isn't really a "thing" and so I'm not sure how it thematically could fit as an item to discard.

Similarly, if I get an encounter that says someone hands me a Common Item and I get a task, do I keep it since it's not really a thing that they can hand over to me. Is that an item too?

Tasks and missions are considered "items" as per the Dunwich rulebook (Page 5):

  Tasks are a type of item found in the Common Item deck, while Missions are items found in the Unique Item deck.

If you receive an effect that requires you to discard items you can discard a task or mission as part of that, noting in the base rules (page 16):

  Important: When adding up items before discarding them, count all Common Items, Unique Items, and Spells. In addition, the Deputy’s Revolver and the Patrol Wagon both count as items. Allies, Skills, and other cards do not count towards this total

As tasks and missions are explicitly described as items in the Dunwich rules, they do not fall under the Allies, Skills, and other cards

Spells are also not a "thing" but for ease of playing the game it's easier to consider it an item, hence the same application for tasks and missions.

Someone can ask you to complete a task, that's a completely normal thing. It could be something like a person saying "Yea, I know I said I had a thing to give you, but it's at a secure place, so you'll have to..."


Can the "Sacrifice (this card):" activated ability be placed back on the stack? This is a broad question so for simplicity I will use Seal of Fire and Naturalize.

Scenario 1: Common exchange- creating a baseline.

Player A uses Naturalize on Seal of Fire
Player B Sacrifices SoF in response. SoF is highest on the stack and goes off first.
This leaves Naturalize without a valid target.

Scenario 2: Complicated exchange- Is this legal?

Player B Sacrifices SoF.
In response Player A targets it with Naturalize.
SoF is on the stack and it's ability has not resolved. Player B (as above) sacrifices SoF in response to the Naturalize.

Can Seal of Fire be placed back on the stack by re-activating its ability, potentially with a new target?

No, your second example is not possible using the game rules.
Player A cannot target SoF with Naturalize, because it is currently in the graveyard. If they wanted to target the SoF, they need to do so when they had priority. Player A cannot prevent the SoF from being sacrificed for its ability anyway, since the ability exists independently of the source that created it. Seal of Fire says, "Sacrifice Seal of Fire: Seal of Fire deals 2 damage to target creature or player." It is an activate ability whose [Cost] is "Sacrifice Seal of Fire." If Player B paid the cost to activate SoF, it would no longer be on the battlefield by the time the Active Player received priority.

112.3b Activated abilities have a cost and an effect. They are written as “[Cost]: [Effect.] [Activation instructions (if any).]” A player may activate such an ability whenever he or she has priority. Doing so puts it on the stack, where it remains until it’s countered, it resolves, or it otherwise leaves the stack. See rule 602, “Activating Activated Abilities.”
116.1. Unless a spell or ability is instructing a player to take an action, which player can take actions at any given time is determined by a system of priority. The player with priority may cast spells, activate abilities, and take special actions.
112.7a Once activated or triggered, an ability exists on the stack independently of its source. Destruction or removal of the source after that time won’t affect the ability.

It is not possible to sacrifice a permanent twice. After you sacrifice a permanent, it is placed into its owner's graveyard.

701.14a To sacrifice a permanent, its controller moves it from the battlefield directly to its owner’s graveyard. A player can’t sacrifice something that isn’t a permanent, or something that’s a permanent he or she doesn’t control. Sacrificing a permanent doesn’t destroy it, so regeneration or other effects that replace destruction can’t affect this action.


Do cards that say "creatures you control" trigger Heroic? If I have a creature or multiple creatures that have a heroic ability and I activate a sorcery or instant that has an effect to "creatures you control" will this trigger the heroic ability?

No, those effects do not target a creature. The sorcery or instant card must specifically say that it targets a creature to trigger Heroic effects. Enchantment Aura cards also target a creature, although they may not say so explicitly on the card.


Tournament-legal to use a d20 to represent amount of similar tokens on the battlefield? I created a deck that creates lots of tokens (mono-white servos), and I don't want to buy 50+ servo tokens. Is it tournament-legal to put 1 servo token with a d20 or two on top of it to track the amount of servos I create?

You would have to make it clear which of the tokens are tapped and which are not. It is both players responsibility to keep a clear board state. It also has to be apparent what the size of the tokens are (1/1), the color (Colourless in this case) and any abilities that the tokens may have.

When you say 'tournament-legal' I assume you mean competitive REL. At this level of play, BOTH players are required to keep fair and honest board states.

As a general rule of thumb, MTG rules want the best player to win the game, not those who by some happenstance made the better sense of a confused board state.

To come back to the question at hand, get yourself maybe only two servo tokens. One you turn sideways to CLEARLY indicate that these are the tapped tokens and have some that are upright to indicate that those are untapped.

You can use dice to keep track of the numbers or some sort of glass pebble also works well. Make sure to keep track of the numbers and if your opponent asks you a question about the tokens give him/her the correct answer.

If you willingly mislead a player to gain some sort of advantage, not only may there be some sort of reprimand, you will also very much lose the respect of all of your fellow players.


Is solo play meant to use just 3 heroes? While I'll allow for the possibility that I'm just no good at the game, first I need to make sure I'm not just doing something wrong.

Having tried 7-8 times, I have not been able to even come close to winning the first quest in the Core Set as a solo player. Most of my games I'm not able to get a single advancement token on the first stage. Playing as a single player with just three heroes, the numbers seem stacked against me to be able to effectively quest and still attack and defend that round. The enemies pile up, or the threat tracker gets to 50 after a few rounds of holding the monsters back, or I have no choice but to take undefended damage and lose my heroes. I'm all good with having a challenging game, but for a quest with a difficulty level 1, explicitly described as an "introductory scenario," I have to wonder: is this meant to be played one player, with a single set of three heroes? It doesn't seem possible to generate enough willpower, attack strength, or resources. The rulebook doesn't address single player mode at all, so if not, what are the official solo play rules?

Update: Upon further research and playing, I think I can safely attribute most of my failures to an underestimation of the importance of traveling to and exploring locations. While still not a total breeze, it made threat level much more manageable.

You are supposed to play as a single player, i.e. with 3 Heroes one your side and drawing a single card from the encounter deck each turn.

The pre-constructed decks in the game are unfortunately not the best and at the same time, the game is quite hard (even the beginner scenarios). Both combined can lead to your frustrating experience.

Here is a link to a guide for solo players who are new to the game:
https://boardgamegeek.com/blogpost/16397/guide-new-lotrlcg-solo-players
This should help you in getting started and get over the steep learning curve, which this game definitely has.


Do dice finish resolving before yielding Tokyo? When does yielding occur in relation to dice resolution? Simultaneously? After all dice have resolved? After attack dice are resolved?

For example (A for attack die, H for heart):

Alice is outside Tokyo, Bob is inside. It is now Alice's turn.
Alice rolls: 3, 3, 3, A, A, H
? Handle VP and hearts?
Alice attacks Bob
Bob chooses to yield

Now consider the possibility Alice has a single shrink ray token, so she only rolls 5 dice:

Alice is outside Tokyo, Bob is inside. It is now Alice's turn.
Alice rolls: 3, 3, 3, A, H
? Handle VP and hearts?
Alice attacks Bob
Bob chooses to yield

She must choose if the heart is applied to heal for one, or if it will remove the shrink ray token. In this case, order of resolution for the attack/yield and heart matters (more/less information for Alice & Bob, inability to heal in Tokyo). Is there an order to the dice resolution (eg hearts then attacks), or is the yield not declared until after all dice have resolved?

It is my opinion that the dice indicate what happens to you at your current location. A heart dice would indicate that you healed, if your location permits it.

This is partially supported by the fact that one must take all damage rolled even if one cedes Tokyo. You should similarly be able to use all hearts even if you are forced to take Tokyo. There's absolutely no mention or implication of any other possibility.

Everyone I've played with has naturally come to the same understanding. You could view podcasts of people playing KoT, but I'm sure they've come to the same conclusion.

  She must choose if the heart is applied to heal for one, or if it will remove the shrink ray token. In this case, order of resolution for the attack/yield and heart matters

No, it doesn't. According to the FAQ on BoardGameGeek, removing a bad counter counts as healing and is thus equally forbidden in Tokyo, so the order does not affect the choice.


What are the different rarities of tokens in Magic: The Gathering? Anyone who has opened a decent amount of MTG boosters will notice that they get much more of some tokens than of others. I understand that this comes from varying needs for them, because far fewer people are going to need a planeswalker emblem than need a spirit token, but are there different rarities for tokens like there are for regular cards? Or does each token in a set have its own unique frequency of occurring?

I couldn't find an official answer, but I can make an educated guess based on how cards are produced in general.

Cards are printed in big sheets and then cut out and randomized. These sheets are grouped by rarity. You print sheets based on the desired ratio of rarities in the final product, e.g. 1 rare sheet per 10 common sheets if the two sheets are of equal size.

Sometimes, more than one copy of a cards is on each sheet. For instance, early sets, particularly the small sets which tried to simulate three rarity levels with only two print sheets, had multiple copies of some cards -- this is why Camel is listed as "Common 5" in some collector guides, or why Knights of Thorn is an "Uncommon 1" (functionally a rare for The Dark). For a more modern example, consider mythic rares: mythics don't get their own sheet; instead the rares sheet has two copies of every vanilla rare and one of each mythic.

This is undoubtably how the ads and tokens sheet is arranged as well: all of the ad and token cards are printed on one sheet, but there are multiple copies of the "common" tokens and few copies of the "rare" ones. For example, a whole sheet of around a hundred M13 ads and tokens might contain twenty goblins and only one Liliana emblem. The exact mix of cards is likely to vary from set to set, but you can get a good idea of the rarity of "rare" tokens if you know the overall sheet size.


Can one dragon's destruction bring back all of my Keepers of the Shrine? If there are 3 copies of Keeper of the Shrine in the graveyard and a dragon is destroyed, can you summon all three back and get 3 dragons if normal? Or can you only use one a turn?

CDClarke is correct in his answer; you cannot do that what you propose.

To enhance on the reason why it is once again important to note that specific part:

  You can only use this effect of "Keeper of the Shrine" once per turn.

One thing that this specifies is that only this effect has restrictions; you can use the "This card can be treated as 2 Tributes for..." part as many times as you want/can.

Another relevant thing to notice is that this quote references to the card in general. This means that the restriction applies to any Keeper of the Shrine you have.

You could do what you propose if the card text said instead "You can only use this effect of this card once per turn." Card texts that you see contain such phrasing or similar refer to that specific copy of your card, restricting it from being repeatedly used (however it does not restrict other copies).

It is important to note those two different situations to effectively tell apart from a restriction that applies to a copy from that that applies to the card in general.


In bridge, are there some 13 point hands that should not be opened? Suppose you have: (s) Jx (h)KQxx (d) KJxx (c) Kxx.

That's 13 points, by the usual count. But I can think of at least two things wrong with it.

First, there are no aces, meaning that the hand has fewer "quick tricks" than the usual 13-pointer. Second, the Jack of spades is "stranded," meaning that might not be worth a full point because it can be picked off by the opponents. And, of course, there is no five card suit, meaning that you need 13, not 12 to open.

Do the above negatives detract from your hand? Or must it be opened since you have 13?

Sure the JS is a fairly pointless HCP, but the spade shortness is worth something in a trump game.

It's the kind of hand that should definitely be opened, but only at the 1 level.  The point of opening the hand is to let partner know you've got something, at which point you're looking for a 4-4 heart fit.

So in my opinion the hand should be opened, a heart response from partner should be supported, and a 'pass' is the probable response to all non-forcing circumstances.  The biggest danger I can see in this hand is falling into the "use NT as an exit if nothing else works" trap instead of following the "when there's no fit, quit" rule.

Advertise what you've got, and let partner decide if there's any game here.

Well, that's how I read the hand at least.

Additional:

Now to carry on to the more general question, could there possibly be a hand that technically should be opened, but in fact really shouldn't be?  Sure there is, but it's important to note that it's all dependent on the situation, and not the hand.  The main point of opening a "weak opener" is to let your partner know that you've got the points; it follows that the time to NOT open it is when partner doesn't care.

When does partner not care what you've got?  When they don't have a hand good enough to do anything about it.  When can you know that's the case? When the situation makes it obvious!  For example, when you're in 4th seat and LHO and RHO have both bid.  LHO obviously has 13+, RHO has 6+, you've got 13, your partner can't have much to talk about; there just aren't enough points in the deck.  When the situation tells you something like that, then you know it's time to sit in the weeds and help the opponents dig themselves into a nice deep hole.

In general, yes, you should open a 13 point hand.  Because your partner might really want to know.  But there will be situations (not hands, situations!) where you shouldn't bid.

Like all good rules in bridge, you have to know when the rule doesn't apply.


Clarification of a Pandemic rule involving the Medic The rules of the French edition of Pandemic are a little unclear about the following game situation. Once a cure for a disease (let's say blue) has been found, at any point the Medic is in an infected city, what happens?

  (a) the city is instantaneously cleaned, or
  (b) the whole disease is wiped from the board?

The literal wording of the French rules may be construed to mean (b), but after only one game like this, it seemed to make the game so easy to win that we felt it was obvious it had to be (a) instead.

I hadn't thought about it before, but the English rules could probably have been written a bit more precisely as well. However, your final interpretation is correct, i.e. cubes are only removed from the city the Medic is in.

From page 5 of the rules:

  if the Medic at any time ﬁnds herself in a city that contains cubes of a disease that has been cured, she may immediately remove all of those cubes.

"Those cubes" would refer only to the cubes in the city she is in.


What does "reveal" mean in this context? I just got the Legendary: Big Trouble in Little China deck-building game. They recommend using this Mastermind, Six-Shooter, for your first play through, but I cant figure out what "reveal" means in this situation...

For the Master Strike text on this Mastermind card:

Does that text mean I need to "reveal" one of those two types of Heroes from my hand, my discard pile, the Hero Deck, or somewhere else? I'm relatively new to the Legendary series, so maybe this is spelled out somewhere else, but not in the BTLC instructions. I just want to know I'm playing correctly.

I'd guess it meant to "reveal but not use" one of those Heroes from your hand, then discard it for later; this seems to make the only sense, as you'd be wasting a character for a few turns, or taking a Strike. Any other way, and it sounds like you're adding a Hero to your hand/deck, and that doesn't sound very much like a Master Strike effect.

From the Legendary: Marvel core rule book on page 17 (emphasis mine):

  “Reveal a card” just means show the other players that you have it. You don’t play or discard the card you revealed. When you have the opportunity to “reveal a card”, you can reveal a card from your hand or you can reveal a card in front of you that you have already played this turn.

Unfortunately, this doesn't appear to be explicitly stated in the rules for Big Trouble in Little China, but they same rules likely apply.

In the context of this card, you will (almost always) end up revealing a card from your hand. The reveal happens as part of the Master Strike for Six Shooter, which most likely happens at the beginning of a player's turn when the top card of the villain deck is revealed. In some other Legendary versions it's possible to reveal the top card of the villain deck in the middle of a player's turn, but I haven't played this enough to know whether that's possible in the Big Trouble in Little China version.


Are there quadruplet cards in Magic the Gathering? I was browsing around Gatherer the other day, and found that there are multiple examples of cards with identical wording.

For instance Final Fortune, Last Chance, Warrior Oath all have identical wording / color / costs / type.

Similarly, Ambition Cost, and Ancient Craving are twins.

So, I have found a triplet above, is there a quadruplet?  Quintplet cards with identical wording?

The phrase you're looking for is "functional reprint" - they're not literally reprinted cards, but they're functionally the same.

There's a list of them on MTG Salvation. You can just skim through the table and look for cards with lots of reprints. Generally cards like that are pretty boring, for example vanilla creatures. Simpler cards tend to make sense in more sets, and the renaming happens when the old name doesn't fit thematically with the set they want to print it in.

Some of the most-reprinted cards:

Grizzly Bears (1G, 2/2): Barbary Apes, Balduvian Bears, Bear Cub, Forest Bear, Cylian Elf, Runeclaw Bear (except not all of those are bears)
Hill Giant (2R, 3/3): Tor Giant, Ogre Warrior, Barbarian Horde, Wild Jhovall, Canyon Minotaur, Lagac Lizard, Russet Wolves (except most of those aren't giants)

(There are plenty more creatures that have been functionally reprinted a few times; some even have exciting abilities like flying or mountainwalk!)

And I think the most-reprinted noncreature spell (though I didn't go through the list too carefully yet) is Remove Soul (1U, "Counter target creature spell"): False Summoning, Preemptive Strike, and Essence Scatter. (Note that Preemptive Strike is from Portal Three Kingdoms and thus the wording on the physical card is really really awkward, but the oracle text is the same.)


Does the Ticket to Ride Africa version use tunneling? Does Ticket to Ride: The Heart of Africa use tunneling? Ticket to Ride: Europe does, but the original Ticket to Ride does not.

No, it does not.

You can find the complete rules here. It does not make any mention of tunneling as part of claiming routes.

Here is a picture of the map; you can see that no routes look like the tunnels from Europe.


Can tokens be converted to different symbols? Can tokens be changed to different symbols using the arrow power, or can only rolled dice be altered?

Symbols are used to purchase cards wherever they come from (Dice or Cards on your CV).
As you can only use each symbol once per turn, the symbols from your cards are materialized using tokens which are just a convenient way to remember that you already planned to use the symbol from one of your cards and to avoid that you use it twice...

The Arrows are explained on page 7 of the rulesbook and nothing mentions the source of the symbol there:

A symbol is a symbol is a symbol ;-)
And you can swap them wherever they come from...


Where can I find the story of Magic the Gathering? I have been playing MTG for a few months now and was told that there is a story behind each set of cards.  I have several small bits of the story that came with the decks, but I would like to read the full story and see if I can construct my themed decks to match how they would be in the story. Where can I learn more about the back-story to these cards?

I don't read them myself, but every year Wizards of the Coast releases novels which are a companion to the latest Magic sets/block.  If you want the complete "story behind the game", this is probably the best path to go down.

Here's a useful link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Magic:_The_Gathering_novels

The Magic Daily site also has quite a fun column called "Savor the Flavor" which contains essays on the latest sets from a storytelling and flavour perspective - you can't get a full picture of what's going on from reading it, I don't think, but it may appeal to someone who is interested in the ongoing story aspect of Magic, not just the mechanics of the game:

http://www.wizards.com/magic/magazine/Archive.aspx?tag=SavortheFlavor&description=Taste%20the%20Magic


Anger of the Gods vs Manifest creatures Will Anger of the Gods exile a manifested creature regardless if it's an actual creature card?

Yes, a face-down creature will be exiled instead of going to the graveyard, even if it would not be a creature card if it were face up.

For the purpose of Anger of the Gods' ability, all that matters is that the permanent was a creature when it took the damage. To be specific, when Anger of the Gods resolves, it deals damage to each creature (possibly modified by replacement and prevention effects), and then creates a replacement effect for each creature it dealt damage to. Rule 608.2i says

  If an ability's effect refers to a specific untargeted object that has been previously referred to by that ability's cost or trigger condition, it still affects that object even if the object has changed characteristics.

In this case, the "specific untargeted object" is "a creature dealt damage this way." So, for the rest of the turn, Anger of the Gods replaces death with exile for each permanent that was a creature when Anger of the Gods dealt the damage.

In the situation from the question, play proceeds as follows (assuming for simplicity that the manifested creature is the only creature):

Anger of the Gods resolves and deals 3 damage to the face-down creature. It then creates a replacement effect: if that object would die this turn, exile it instead.
State-based actions are checked. The face-down creature has lethal damage marked on it, so it dies. Anger of the Gods' replacement effect applies, so it is exiled instead.

This would still be true if it had a greater toughness and died later in the turn to other damage, or was destroyed by a Murder, or even if it got enchanted by Song of the Dryads and then died to a Strip Mine.


Mission Risk - ambiguous missions I've had arguments on the interpretation of 2 different missions in the last week. To me the interpretation is pretty obvious but I do want to verify. I'm hoping you guys can help :)

  Mission: Conquer one territory on 5 different continents. Play at the end of your turn.

Now to me I interpret this as, in one turn, you need to attack and win in 5 different continents. My opponent argued that he already owned Africa so he only needed to do so in 4 different continents. His argument was that if he owned 3 different continents, would that stop him from completing the mission? I said yes. Who's right?

  Mission: Control 3 different continents. Play at the end of your turn.

I interpret this as owning 3 different continents at the end of your turn. So at the beginning of my turn if I don't own any of them, and at the end of my turn I own 3, I've fulfilled my mission. My opponent was arguing that control means you have to hold it for a turn (which is usually true) but since specifically said to play at the end of your turn, I think doing this all in one turn is fine. I also think in a game of mission risk holding on to three different continents for a whole turn is almost impossible.

Rule book: http://www.hasbro.com/common/instruct/Risk_2003.pdf
The 5 Territories Mission
There are three possible interpretations:

The player needs to have conquered all of the territories this turn.  This has the problem that a player who controls two or more continents cannot fulfill this mission.  I believe the rules do not support this interpretation.

The player can have conquered the territories at any point in the past and that's it.  This has the problem that a player who has fulfilled this condition at any point can claim this mission at any later point.  This has tenuous rules support.

The player can have conquered the territories at any point, but must still control them to claim the mission.  I believe this is the correct reading, but my argument for this over option 2 is weak.

This mission does not specify that the conquering all needs to be done in a turn.  It simply means you have to have conquered a territory on each of five continents at some point already.  It does seems like a bit much bookkeeping to me, but that's how the rules and cards read.
Here are the relevant rules:

Page 12: You win the invasion when you defeat the last defending unit from a territory.  You have now conquered this territory.   Take the units used to win the battle and move them from the battleground into the territory you have invaded.
Page 17: You may claim a mission once you have achieved what it says on the card.  But you cannot claim more than one mission a turn.

At the very minimum, we can conclude that you can claim a mission even if didn't take all of the actions required to complete it this turn.  This must be true, or else the mission "Control Europe - play at the start of your turn" would be impossible (as this is a mission where you need to have taken the actions to bring you to the state where you controlled Europe on a previous turn).
Given this mission does not specify whether the conquering needs to have happened this turn, then the conquering certainly could have happened in the past.  This rules out interpretation 1.
The question then is whether your status of having conquered a territory is an indelible event in history (interpretation 2), or if it's tied to the current game state (interpretation 3).
I prefer interpretation 3, so I'm going to try to create a rules justification for it, but I admit that this is a bit of a stretch.  The justification for this is a nuanced reading of the term conquer.  The rules for conquer require you to move units into the territory, so I argue that if you no longer have units in the territory, you lose your status as its conqueror.  If this is true, this mission says "conquer" and not "control" to prevent players from being credited with territories they claimed during initial setup (which are "claimed" and not "conquered").

The Continents Mission

Page 8: If you control every territory within a continent, you control that continent.

and

Page 7: territories you control [are] the territories with your units in them

Note that this is a deviation from classic risk which has the following:

To control a continent, you must occupy all of its territories at the start of your turn

In the rules supplied with mission risk, you may conquer the continents that turn and still have that count towards the mission.  In fact, it should be obvious from the fact that you claim that mission at the end of your turn that you can have conquered the third continent on the same turn.


Can I resolve this effect that has been destroyed, banished, or sent to the deck? Scenario 1:
I activate "XYZ Effect". My opponent activates Mystical Space Typhoon. XYZ Effect is destroyed. Does XYZ Effect resolve?
Scenario 2:
I activate "XYZ Effect". My opponent activates Cosmic Cyclone. XYZ Effect is banished after he pays 1000LP. Is "XYZ Effect" resolved?
Scenario 3:
I activate "XYZ Effect" My opponent activates a card that returns my card to the deck. Is "XYZ Effect"  activated?

Does XYZ Effect resolve?

In all scenarios you mention XYZ Effect resolves

Why? Because neither MST, Cosmic Cyclone, or that card that returns to deck have the ability to negate effects; they "just" destroy the card, but never negated its activation and thus it resolves.

This situation is similar to one answer I gave recently. The only cases where a card like MST or similar (that just destroys) can prevent a spell/trap card effect from activating is if that spell/trap card has a continuous effect.

For example, if your opponent activates Fire Formation - Tenki and you cast MST on it your opponent will not be able to search for a beast-warrior. This is because cards with continuous effects must remain face-up on the field to resolve their effects.


If Rhonas's power is less than 4 but you control a creature with power 4 or greater, can he attack or block? I was playing a game of standard where the other player had Rhonas the Indomitable on the board, and I enchanted it with Illusory Wrappings, but he controlled a Honored Hydra. Can Rhonas still attack or block? Because the way I read the card it states another creature, which means according to me that it is also dependent on Rhonas's power.

Yes, Rhonas can attack and block regardless of its own power.

You're asking if

  Rhonas the Indomitable can't attack or block unless you control another creature with power 4 or greater.

means

  Rhonas the Indomitable can't attack or block unless you control at least two creatures with power 4 or greater, and Rhonas the Indomitable is one of them.

or

  Rhonas the Indomitable can't attack or block unless you control a creature with power 4 or greater that's not Rhonas the Indomitable.

It's the latter. The point of that wording is to prevent Rhonas turning on its own power. You don't check if Rhonas actually meets the criteria. Quite the opposite, you only look at the other objects in the game.

In Magic, the phrase "another thing" always means "a thing other than this player or object". In this scenario, the phrase means "a creature with power 4 or greater, other than Rhonas the Indomitable".

They control another creature with power 4 or greater (a creature with power 4 or greater that's not Rhonas), so they can attack and block with Rhonas.


What happens when you put a +1/+1 counter on a planeswalker? Some commander decks have Planeswalker commanders.  What happens when you put a +1/+1 counter on one of them, such as with Opal Palace?

Non-creature permanents can have +1/+1 counters on them, they just don't do anything until the permanent becomes a creature. Say you have a man land. If you animate it, then add +1/+1 counters to it, they stay on it even when it stops being a creature.

Also, cards like Earthen Arms can put counters on any permanent. Its gatherer says:

  Any permanent can have a +1/+1 counter put on it. Those counters won’t have any effect unless that permanent is or becomes a creature.


Heliod, Sun-crowned combo with Walking Ballista I've recently picked up the Heliod Collected Company deck and I'm not sure how the opponent can interact with the combo. Obviously counter spells will prevent me from playing the cards and hand disruption can take the cards before I play them. But if the situation is that I've got Conclave Mentor and Heliod, Sun-Crowned on the battlefield and turn 4 I have four mana and a Walking Ballista in hand, can a kill spell stop me comboing off? (I play Walking Ballista for 1 with 2 mana, add a counter with Conclave Mentor, give Walking Ballista life link from Heliod for 2 mana, ping opponent for 1, add two more counters on Walking Ballista and continue until the opponents life is zero).

Sure, they can:

kill either Conclave Mentor or Heliod, Sun-Crowned as soon as you play Walking Ballista (i.e. put it on the stack, before it resolves and enters the battlefield)
kill Heliod or the Ballista in response to you activating Heliod's last ability (if they kill Heliod, the Ballista will gain lifelink, but it won't get more counters)
kill the Ballista after you activate its last ability for the first time; you can activate its ability again in response to that, but after paying the cost of the ability it won't have any +1/+1 counters on it and will die from state based effects, unless you have an anthem-like effect in play. In that case, you would be able to activate the Ballista's ability an arbitrary number of times before the kill spell resolves.


Does Phoebe, Head of S.N.E.A.K.'s ability used by a copy make the copy retain the rules text beyond end of turn? We're playing an Unstable draft. A player cranks a Duplication Device, targeting one of his tokens and copying a Phoebe, Head of S.N.E.A.K. Once the ability resolves, he activates the token's ability targeting the original Pheobe. We're wondering whether the token still has Pheobe's rules text after the end step (after Duplication Device's effect ends).

Follow-up: if Phoebe has her text box stolen in this fashion, would targeting her with Duplication Device on a later turn result in the other target getting her card text, or not since her text box was stolen?

The effect created by Phoebe's ability will affect the object permanently (i.e. until the object ceases to exist by leaving the battlefield).

  611.2a A continuous effect generated by the resolution of a spell or ability lasts as long as stated by the spell or ability creating it (such as “until end of turn”). If no duration is stated, it lasts until the end of the game.

Copying an object whose text was "stolen" will still copy its original text.

  706.2. When copying an object, the copy acquires the copiable values of the original object’s characteristics and, for an object on the stack, choices made when casting or activating it (mode, targets, the value of X, whether it was kicked, how it will affect multiple targets, and so on). The “copiable values” are the values derived from the text printed on the object (that text being name, mana cost, color indicator, card type, subtype, supertype, rules text, power, toughness, and/or loyalty), as modified by other copy effects, by its face-down status, and by “as . . . enters the battlefield” and “as . . . is turned face up” abilities that set power and toughness (and may also set additional characteristics). Other effects (including type-changing and text-changing effects), status, and counters are not copied.

(Emphasis mine)


Can you play your numbers in Backgammon in a way to block one of them? First of all I apologize if my question is hard to understand, I'm not familiar with Backgammon glossary.

Let's say you rolled 3 and 6. In a certain situation the only way to play both 3 and 6 is to play them from one of your checkers from which you have to play 3 then 6 (6 is initially blocked). Now my question is are you allowed to play 3 from another checker into a position where you can't play 6 from any position anymore? And if there's a rule regarding this, can you please tell me what is it called?

A basic rule of backgammon is that you must play in a way that maximises the use of your pips.

If you have a board that can use both 3 and 6, you must choose such move over any move that only uses 3 or only uses 6.

If you have a board that allows the use of 3 or 6 but not both, you must choose a move that uses only 6 over any move that uses only 3.


Are there online tools to solve card-based puzzles? There are "chess board editor" sites, which you can use to solve chess puzzles. Input chess position and move the pieces trying different combinations of moves. For example: http://www.caissa.com/chess-tools/pgn-editor.php

Is there the same thing for puzzles, which are based on card games? That means a tool, which would be more or less equivalent to physical card deck.
I need for Preferans, but may be Bridge-site or any other tricks-based game will be fine too.

Tabletop Simulator gives you a sandbox board game world, so you could use it to solve card puzzles. However, it is not free.

For a free version you can try using this website. It doesn't have the best user experience, but it does the trick.


One vs Many board games My group and I enjoy Role-playing games.  However we can't always get the same number of people together week after week in order to finish one campaign.  What would be great is a boardgame that we could finish in one evening that has one person (The GM) against everyone else (4-6 other people).

Is this a recognized style of game?  What would it be called and how could I identify such games?

One vs. Many is a fairly recent term concerning boardgames.  There aren't any dedicated lists on Boardgamegeek that I was able to find.  However, there is a tag by that name that you can use to find games.
Also, see the list of One Vs. Many games in a GeekList devoted to Cooperative games.
Cooperative Games
Cooperative games are also a type of game you may wish to consider.  It has become very popular in recent years.  Instead of contesting with each other, the players work together to beat "the game".  In many ways, the game system acts as the GM against the players.  The above list is very thorough if you want to see some examples.
Traitor Mechanic
Another related term to look for is boardgames with a Traitor mechanic. A game with a traitor is cooperative except for usually one traitor who works against everyone else.  However the identity of the traitor is not usually initially known.  These sorts of games can be a lot of fun if your group enjoys playing mental tricks on each other.  A geeklist, of games with a hidden traitor mechanic can be helpful in locating those.


Giving cards away in Catan I’m playing Catan and my brother-in-law has 9 points with the longest road. I was sitting at 7 points and another player had a pretty long road with only 5 points.

So I gave that other player brick and wood so they could take the longest road. I ended up winning the game, and that was probably the only way I could have won.

Would that be illegal if I didn’t accept anything for the brick and wood? Would it be illegal if I accepted one sheep for say, two brick and two wood? I only did the trades on my turn.

Permitted:

One can trade a number of cards for a different number of cards.⇒ You could accept a sheep.

Forbidden:

One can't trade for nothing.⇒ You can't accept nothing.
One can't trade for resources of the same type as those being traded away.⇒ You can't accept any amount of brick or lumber.

The following are the rules concerning Domestic Trades:

On your turn, you may trade resources with the other players (after rolling for resource production). You and the other players negotiate the terms of your trades—such as which cards will be exchanged. You may trade as many times as you can, using single or multiple cards, but you may not give away cards (i.e., “trade” 0 cards for 1 or more cards).
Important: While it is your turn you must be a part of all trades, the other players may not trade amongst themselves.
Example: It is Pete’s turn. He needs one brick to build a road. He has 2 lumber and 3 ore. Pete asks aloud, “Who will give me 1 brick for 1 ore?” Beth answers, “If you give me 3 ore, I’ll give you a brick.” Cooper interjects, “I’ll give you 1 brick if you give me 1 lumber and 1 ore.” Pete accepts Cooper's offer and trades a lumber and an ore for a brick. Note Beth may not trade with Cooper, since it is Pete’s turn.

The following are the rules concerning Trades:

After you roll for resource production, you may trade with other players (domestic trade) or with the bank (maritime trade). If you decide not to trade during your turn, no one can trade. You may trade with another player between your turns, but only if it is his turn and he elects to trade with you. You cannot trade with the bank during another player’s turn. You may not give away cards. You may trade as long as you have Resource Cards. You may not trade Development Cards. You may not trade like resources (e.g., 2 wool for 1 wool).

Emphasis in both quotes is mine.


Do you know any good miniature wargame that is fairly easy to learn and play? I have various miniatures (sci-fi and fantasy one), some grounds (tree, hills, barricades) and many many dices. I host regularly every week in a Barcelona bar a boardgame meeting with new people to boardgames and from various language and nationality. I have many new enthusiasts, but few experts in gaming.

I am looking something to propose for the occasional gamer, and at the same time, a miniature wargame that is fairly easy to learn and have fun to play.

What is a bad suggestion: Dungeon & Dragons, any of Warhammer series, historical reconstruction of fights

What is a good suggestion: A own made auto generated labyrinth game (I have plenty of tiles), a game with a 15 minutes creating character and quick battles, a game that can play several people at the same time.

Can you please help me with some suggestions?

We used to play Necromunda years ago--I'm not sure if it's still around. Like Warhammer it is/was a Games Workshop game, but I think it could suit your purposes. It came with enough "terrain" in the box to support a game. It would be well suited to a multi-player game (think of an urban gang-fight free-for-all). Only a few miniatures were needed so that barrier is low and a quick gang could be set up quickly by new players while the seasoned set up the terrain.


Interaction between Leyline of Anticipation and Teferi, Time Raveler With the reprint of LeyLine of Anticipation in Core Set 2020, the interaction with Teferi, Time Raveler came to mind and I couldn't figure out what is right.

If I have the Leyline and my opponent has Teferi, may I cast spells during my opponent's turn?

Leyline of Anticipation won't help you; you will only be able to cast spells on your turn, in your main phases, when the stack is empty.

  307.5. If a spell, ability, or effect states that a player can do something only “any time they could cast a sorcery,” it means only that the player must have priority, it must be during the main phase of their turn, and the stack must be empty. The player doesn’t need to have a sorcery they could cast. Effects that would preclude that player from casting a spell or casting a sorcery don’t affect the player’s capability to perform that action (unless the action is actually casting a spell or casting a sorcery).

So "any time they could cast a sorcery" does not mean literally "is it possible to cast a sorcery under the current game conditions". Instead, it means "could they cast a sorcery under the default rules of the game".

Being able to cast spells as though they had flash doesn't help here, because flash simply means "You may play this card any time you could cast an instant." Due to Teferi's ability, your opponent's turn is not a time that you could cast an instant.

Unlike the rule that defines "any time you could cast a sorcery", there is no similar rule for flash that defines "any time you could cast an instant" as "any time you have priority". So instead, "any time you could cast an instant" is interpreted in the more literal sense; being determined by whether or not the current game state would allow you to cast an instant.

This is confirmed by a ruling on Teferi, Time Raveler:

  If an effect allows opponents to cast spells any time they could cast an instant (for example, if your opponent also controls a Teferi, Time Raveler and activates his +1 loyalty ability), the restriction of Teferi’s first ability takes precedence over that permission.


"Analog" version of Kung-Fu Chess? Kung-Fu Chess is a real-time chess variant without turns where players may freely move their pieces, subject to a delay period of a few seconds after a move during which a piece cannot be moved again. The current online version of Kung-Fu Chess is Judo Chess.
Is there an "analog" version of Kung-Fu Chess which can be played on a standard chess board (i.e., not on a computer)? Is this even feasible or would it be impossible to implement?

At first this seemed very infeasible to me.

You would need a 3 second timer for every piece.
You need a way to prevent simultaneous claims of single board spaces.

After giving it some thought, I came up with a possible implementation. You would need a board with a socket for each square. When a piece is inserted into this socket, it is held in place by the socket for 3 seconds. Each piece would then need an indicator so you can see whether or not it can be moved (based on the status of the socket) and a button to remove it within the 3 second timeframe in case it's been captured.

Two people simultaneously using both hands to move 32 pieces on a 50x50cm chess board still seems like a bad idea. The board would have to be a bit bigger than a normal chess board, with more distance between the pieces. This will mitigate the problem but for the most part this will have to be "part of the game".


What game is this? 8x8 wooden grid with 2 sets of 9 marbles Anyone got any idea what this game is? A wooden board consisting of 8x8 grids of holes and 2 sets of 9 marbles (blue and green, all marbles in a set appear to be the same).

The label says ‘Oriental Chess’ by Lagoon Games but it’s not oriental chess from what I have found.

Oriental Chess by Lagoon Games

It looks like it is an old game no longer in production.
Here's a couple of pictures of the rules.


In Arkham Horror, where do flying monsters in location areas go when no investigator is near? The rulebook says

  If the flying monster is in a street area with no investigators and there are no investigators in a connected street area, it moves to the Sky.

Does this imply if it is in a location area with no investigators in sight, such as when a gate opens, it goes to the sky? Is there a supporting reference for this?

Flying monsters can be in one of three places when the action to move them may occur:

Location
Streets
Sky

If it is in a location or the streets, the monster moves to a connected street location if there is an investigator there. If there is no investigator, it goes to the sky

If it is in the sky, it moves to any street location which contains an investigator. If there are no investigators in any street locations, it does not move. When there are multiple investigators, it goes to the investigator with the lowest current sneak value. If there is still a tie, the first player decides where it goes.

The below is a quote from version 1.7 of the FAQ. The latest version (2.0) can be found here (it's approx. 25mb PDF.):

  Flying monsters only move when their symbol comes up in the Mythos Phase, just like other monsters.
  Flying monsters will not leave a space that already contains an investigator.
  When a flying monster in a street area or location moves, it will either move to an adjacent street space that has an investigator in
  it, or failing that, move to the Sky.
  When a flying monster in the Sky moves, it will move to any street space on the board with an investigator in it. If there’s more than
  one investigator to choose from, the monster moves into the space of
  the investigator with the lowest Sneak value. If the investigators’
  Sneak values are the same, the first player chooses which investigator
  the monster moves toward, as usual. If there are no investigators in a
  street space, the monster remains in the Sky.


How to play Ticket to Ride with children? I know that "Ticket to Ride: First Journey" exists but since I have a base game already (Ticket to Ride: Europe) I was wondering whether it could be streamlined for 5y-old children.

I played with my 5y old daughter using the Ticket to Ride: Europe base game and the following house rules. (We played twice; each game taking 20-30min.)

The first player to complete 4 tickets wins!
(We don't use the score track)

Game setup

Deal four train cards to each player
Everybody play cards face up
Remove all destination cards higher than 8 points from the destination pile
Deal one destination card to each player

House rules

On your turn you either draw two cards or lay down a track.
When you draw you can always draw two cards (ignore the restriction on the locomotive card)
You do only one destination card at a time. Once you complete one, you immediately draw another one.
Ferries and tunnels are normal routes
Double routes are always available

Suggestions

Use markers to identify the two cities in the destination card. We used the train station from the Europe base game. It also helps a lot to plan with them the shortest route beforehand. (Even it they end up doing it differently later on.)

I also found useful to make them aware they should try to collect sets that they will need later on, but it's equally important to not bore them too much with game mechanics and let them work these out by themselves.

Overall I felt that it worked pretty well. She understood the rules quickly and enjoyed playing.


Surveil and Blood Operative If you surveil a Blood Operative into your graveyard can you immediately use its triggered ability to return it to your hand?

  Whenever you surveil, if Blood Operative is in your graveyard, you may pay 3 life. If you do, return Blood Operative to your hand.

I heard that it would "see" the surveil and trigger even though it wasn't in the graveyard until the actual resolution of surveil but I'd like to confirm that and understand what the relevant rule is.

Yes, Blood Operative's ability will trigger if you put it into your graveyard as the result of a surveil action. The L3 judge who runs the Ask a Magic Judge tumblr blog explains it better than I can:

  Triggered abilities that look for a specific action to happen trigger after that thing has happened. (They can’t trigger before since it hasn’t happened yet.) Normally, the thing that’s happening is relatively instantaneous, such as entering the battlefield or dying, but this also holds true for events that take more time, such as scrying or surveiling. This means that triggers like Blood Operative’s that trigger when you surveil won’t trigger until the surveil action is complete, but more importantly the game won’t check to see which cards that have relevant triggers will trigger until after the event as well.

The specific rule they are referring to is 603.10:

  Normally, objects that exist immediately after an event are checked to see if the event matched any trigger conditions, and continuous effects that exist at that time are used to determine what the trigger conditions are and what the objects involved in the event look like. However, some triggered abilities are exceptions to this rule... [none of those exceptions apply]


Passing the Lv.1 Judge Exam I have Lv.1 Judge exam test 2 month later and I'm start to prepare now

I found I have to read and study Comprehensive Rules, IPG, MTR.

and I will try some test question on Judge center too

I found it's too much to read..should I read all those document carefully?

What else should I check? Thank you.

It is important to study effectively for the L1 exam. Remember that the L1 exam is just the first step into the judge program and isn't intended to be too gruelling.

The IPG isn't part of the L1 test at all. The L1 test only uses the JAR (Judging at Regualar REL) for it's questions where the players have done something wrong.

When studying the CR (Comprehensive Rules) focus on just the following topics:

Parts of the turn and the things that happen in each of them
How spells and abilities are played
How they resolve
How the layers interact
What Two-Headed Giant is (really just read the 2HG FAQ).

A couple of quick skims of the MTR are likely to be enough for the few questions that might be based on it. There will be a few things in there that might surprise you, those are the bits to remember.

Most usefully log onto the Judge Center (judge.wizards.com) and do some practice tests. Easy Practice tests are a good gauge of how hard the L1 test is and the fully explained answers will help you understand what you didn't understand.

The other thing that must be done is you need to judge a few events, preferably with the Level 2 judge that will be testing you. Judging a couple of events is required before you can be certified as a Level 1 judge. Remember you don't need to be certified to judge events.


The belt in Munchkin Quest Is the belt in Munchkin Quest the hand, or is it a pile of cards face up on the table? Which cards counts to your hand?

From the rules, p16:

  Your Belt

  If an Item is not worn and does not require Hands, then it is carried
  “on your belt.” Typical belt items are one-shots, mostly Scrolls and
  Potions. You may have any number of Items on your belt.


What exactly does it mean to "cast" a spell? For example, Door of Destinies reads "Whenever you cast a spell of the chosen type-" what triggers this effect?

If I have Door of Destinies out and play Akroan Crusader, I know that would count, as would playing a equip card on it, also activating Akroan's ability.

But say that equipment card has " {R}: equipped creature gains +1/+1 until end of turn" does that activate Akroan's ability? Also, does the activation of his spell (and equip spell) trigger door of Destinies?

Casting a spell means taking it from where it is, which is usually the hand (but abilities like Flashback or cards like Isochron Scepter can change that), and put it on the stack so that it can resolve and have some effect. This process also involves (among other things) choosing modes for a modal spell, choosing targets for spells that target, and paying the cost of the spell (after taking into account and alternative or additional costs).

For you example, as Door of Destinies enters the battlefield you choose a creature type (I will assume that Human was picked, though it would also work if Soldier were chosen). Then when you cast the Akroan Crusader since it is a Human it will trigger the Door's ability.

In order to equip a card onto a creature you must activate its equip ability, this is not a spell — it is an ability and will not trigger the Crusader's ability. Similarly the "{R}: equipped create gets +/1+1 until end of turn" is also an ability and also will not trigger the Crusaders ability.

  601.2. To cast a spell is to take it from where it is (usually the hand), put it on the stack, and pay its costs, so that it will eventually resolve and have its effect. Casting a spell includes proposal of the spell (rules 601.2a–d) and determination and payment of costs (rules 601.2f–h). To cast a spell, a player follows the steps listed below, in order. A player must be legally allowed to cast the spell to begin this process (see rule 601.3), ignoring any effect that would prohibit that spell from being cast based on information determined during that spell’s proposal. (Such effects are considered during the check detailed in rule 601.2e.) If, at any point during the casting of a spell, a player is unable to comply with any of the steps listed below, the casting of the spell is illegal; the game returns to the moment before the casting of that spell was proposed (see rule 720, “Handling Illegal Actions”).


Can Gideon, Champion of Justice be exiled the moment he becomes a creature with his 0 ability? Here is Gideon, Champion of Justice. After using his +0 ability to become a creature, can he be removed with something like Final Reward?

Yes, while Gideon is a creature, you can target him with anything that targets creatures.

After Gideon's second ability has been activated; he is both a planeswalker and a creature. This means that he can be targeted by anything that targets either one of those.

  300.2. Some objects have more than one card type (for example, an artifact creature). Such objects combine the aspects of each of those card types, and are subject to spells and abilities that affect either or all of those card types.

At the time that you cast Final Reward, all that matters is that he is a creature, and so he is a legal target. When Final Reward resolves, he is also still a creature and still a legal target, so he will be exiled. There's nothing in the game that cares at that time that his being a creature is only temporary.

At the end of the turn, nothing will happen because the "until end of turn" was on a creature/planeswalker that no longer exists.


Aura Mutation vs. indestructible enchantments If the target is indestructible, does Aura Mutation still resolve and give you the tokens, or is an indestructible enchantment an illegal target?

The spell still resolves and gives you tokens; being indestructible means nothing more than

  702.12b A permanent with indestructible can’t be destroyed. Such permanents aren’t destroyed by lethal damage, and they ignore the state-based action that checks for lethal damage (see rule 704.5g).

(source: Comprehensive Rules)

This is different from being an illegal target because of protection from white, shroud or hexproof.


Can abilities target themselves? I am new to the game sorry for the rookie question. Can abilities (both activated and triggered) target themselves?

No, abilities cannot target themselves. This is specified by rule 114.4:

  A spell or ability on the stack is an illegal target for itself.


Are these decks going to be playable? I am thinking about getting into magic. I want to play in the standard format. The decks I want to play are either mono black devotion or mono blue devotion. My question is with the rotations how long will these decks be playable? I don't want to spend the money and then have a deck I can't play.

Devotion came out in the Theros block so any card with "Devotion to" will be in standard until about fall 2015 when the Theros block cards will no longer be playable in standard.

Some of the cards you will be getting for these decks will have been printed in the Return to Ravnica block (Pack rat, Nightveil Specter) and you will only be able to play these in standard till fall 2014 (whenever the set after M15 comes out).

Without knowing what cards will come out in the fall 2014 set, these decks may either still be around, dominate all the tournaments or just drop off the radar once the cards from Return to Ravnica block drop out of standard. Standard is always about investing into new cards every year.

The cards you do buy can be used for either Modern or for trading off for newer cards so investment is never fully lost, you just may never get what you paid (but my guess is the Gods will still have value after standard since they can also be used for commander)


Does Consult The Prisoner move jump track again, after an auto-jump? Here's the scenario:

The fleet is one away from
auto-jumping, i.e. at the -1 location
on the jump track
Consult The Prisoner is drawn during
the Crisis step
Current Player chooses to attempt the
skill check
Humans pass the skill check
The jump track is advanced to
auto-jump (from passing the check)
The jump is resolved

What happens next? Do we still resolve the Activate Cylon Ships (there are none) and Prepare For Jump steps? I see no reason not to, but it just seemed a little odd. So the fleet moves to the second spot on the jump track, right?

Yes.  The situation is a little strange, but it's clear that the card is intended to increase the jump track twice on a passed check, and the rules for resolving cards are clear.


Using a Joker with two tiles from my rack and one from the board I don't quite know the lingo, so apologies for that:

The Joker was on the board in place of a black 2 - I replaced it with a black 2, and I know that I have to use it with 2 tiles from my hand to make a meld. I have a red 5 and a red 8. There is a red 7 elsewhere on the board. So I did red 5-J-7-8.

Technically, two of those tiles came from my hand. However, I was only able to make the meld with the red 7 on the table. My mom said it was against the rules, that you needed to be able to use the two tiles in your hand with the Joker to make a complete set.

My red 5 and red 8 alone couldn't make a complete set with the joker...but technically I did use the Joker in a new set with 2 tiles from my rack. So which of us is right?

My rules state:

  The tile used to replace a joker must come from a player's rack and not from the table. A joker that has been replaced must be used in the player's same turn with 2 or more tiles from his rack to make a new set.

So, playing with my set of the rules, no, the example above would not be legal. The new set would need to stand alone. Adding that '7' midstream would not be part of the 'two or more tiles from his rack to make a new set.'


What's the name of the board game about sailing between islands? I recently played a board game but forgot the name of it.  Can someone please tell me the title?

You compete with other players to travel to other islands.
During your turn, you can place boats in beach spots.
When all the available beach slots are filled, you and the other players on that specific beach travel in a direction out from that beach.
If there's nothing immediately adjacent to your beach, you flip a mystery tile to determine if it's another island or sea.
If it's sea, there's a point cost system for the route you're on requiring a minimum number of different player colors.
You collect points at the end of the game based on how many islands you're on (each island has a different point).
I think the game title starts with a "T".

Tongiaki, perhaps?  Description and image à la BoardGameGeek:

  This game uses a unique tile design never seen in any other game (hexes with wavy edges), and is easy to explain and easy to enjoy. Players all begin on the island of Tonga, and immediate overcrowding forces players to search out other islands to populate. For each expedition that leaves, a new tile is placed, revealing either an island, or a "water path" that may or may not have a number from 2-4, indicating that many different players (not number of boats) must make up that expedition for it to survive the voyage (draw and place an additional tile). In this way, the game encourages both cooperative and competitive play at the same time.


Can I steal a permanent indefinitely with Frenzied Fugue? Frenzied Fugue says this:

  Enchantment — Aura

  Enchant permanent

  When Frenzied Fugue enters the battlefield or at the beginning of your
  upkeep, gain control of enchanted permanent until end of turn. Untap
  that permanent. It gains haste until end of turn.

If I enchant a permanent controled by my opponent, then make the Frenzied Fugue leave the battlefield (by sacrificing it, destroying, etc.), do I lose the control of the permanent at the end of the turn?

The "until end of turn" effect lasts until the end of the turn, regardless of whether or not Frenzied Fugue remains on the battlefield.

  611.2a A continuous effect generated by the resolution of a spell or ability lasts as long as stated by the spell or ability creating it (such as “until end of turn”). If no duration is stated, it lasts until the end of the game.

If the effect read "[...] until end of turn or until Frenzied Fugue leaves the battlefield.", then you would lose control as soon as Frenzied Fugue left the battlefield.


Negative power & Chandra's Pyreling Scenario:
I control Cavalcade of Calamity, three Tin Street Dodgers and Chandra's Pyreling enchanted with So Tiny. I have two cards in my graveyard. So now, my Chandra's Pyreling is -1/3. If I get it right, when I attack with all these creatures, Cavalcade's ability triggers four times, and in the result of that Chandra's Pyreling becomes 3/3 creature with double strike until the end of turn. Am I right?

You are correct. From the complete rules:

107.1b Most of the time, the Magic game uses only positive numbers and zero. You can’t choose a negative number, deal negative damage, gain negative life, and so on. However, it’s possible for a game value, such as a creature’s power, to be less than zero. If a calculation or comparison needs to use a negative value, it does so. If a calculation that would determine the result of an effect yields a negative number, zero is used instead, unless that effect doubles or sets to a specific value a player’s life total or a creature’s power and/or toughness.
Example: If a 3/4 creature gets -5/-0, it’s a -2/4 creature. It doesn’t assign damage in combat. Its total power and toughness is 2. Giving it +3/+0 would raise its power to 1.

So a negative power value is NOT treated as zero unless it's going to have a direct effect on the game like dealing damage. All other times (including your example), normal math is used, so 1 (initial power) minus 2 (so tiny) plus 4 ones (triggers) is 3.


How will Gadwick remember the actual amount of X mana spent? The text for Gadwick the Wizened (from Throne of Eldraine) says:

Gadwick, the Wizened XUUU
Legendary Creature - Human Wizard
When Gadwick, the Wizened enters the battlefield, draw X cards.
Whenever you cast a blue spell, tap target nonland permanent an opponent controls.

My understanding (largely based on others comments) was that the card won't remember the cost of X when it enters the battlefield?
So how will Gadwick know what the X was, when it was cast?

Under current rules, the card would not work as intended with the current wording.

As the card Venarian Gold shows, it is, in principle, possible to refer to a self-chosen value of X for an enters-the-battlefield ability. However, as you might tell, it's quite an awkward wording and, if it got a functional reprint, would probably be handled more elegantly with a replacement effect ("As Venarian Gold enters the battlefield, [..]").

In any case, Gadwick, the Wizened's wording is different, makes no reference to "X as you cast [it]", and would not work under current rules. 107.3 and its subsections do not provide a definition of the value of a self-chosen X on an object outside the stack, because no currently released card would need it.

We have to expect a rules update for Gadwick, and, if they even remember the card, a change in Venarian Gold's oracle text.

Update from Eli Shiffrin, the Magic rules manager:

  Now Gadwick, the Wizened gets a new 107.3k rule to clarify that its triggered ability looks at the value X that comes from the spell it was, not the permanent it is.


In Tzolk'in, can you be at negative points? On the second turn of the game, I angered the Gods when I needed to beg for food. I wasn't up on any of the temple tracks, so moving backwards is supposed to give me negative points. At this point, I was still at zero victory points. Can my total VP drop below zero?

Yes.  This is explicitly stated on page 13 of the rules.

  "On each temple, you score the number of victory points indicated by your current step only. Note that if you are on the bottom step, you will lose vic- tory points. Victory points can go negative."

However it appears from your question you are scoring the -1 when you move onto that space.  This is incorrect as you only score points on the temples during the mid game and endgame food days.


Can I tap a creature with summoning sickness to pay "tap an untapped creature you control" costs? I have a Chosen of Markov on the battlefield and I played a vampire earlier this turn. Can I tap both to transform Chosen of Markov even though I just played the vampire?

Extra Example: I play Battle Screech to put two 1/1 white bird tokens into play. Can I now tap a both of them and another creature I control to pay Battle Screech's flashback cost of tapping three white creatures?

Obviously these creatures couldn't use any tap abilities until my next turn, but since the tapping is coming from a different source, I figured the situation might be different.

Yes, you can. Relevant rule:

  302.6. A creature’s activated ability with the tap symbol or the untap symbol in its activation cost can’t be activated unless the creature has been under its controller’s control continuously since his or her most recent turn began. A creature can’t attack unless it has been under its controller’s control continuously since his or her most recent turn began. This rule is informally called the “summoning sickness” rule.

This is the tap symbol:

The only limit that summoning sickness imposes is about the tap symbol . "Tap an untapped Vampire you control" is not the tap symbol.

It has nothing to do with being from another source. Heritage Druid could tap herself the turn she comes out.


Can I cast a "counter" on a spell that cannot be countered? If there is a spell in the stack that can't be countered, can I still play a counter spell on it? and if so, will it resolve?

For example, let's say that the opponent plays Emrakul, the Aeons Torn, can I play  Remand on it? and would I draw a card?

Yes, you can, the same way you can "try" to destroy indestructible permanents. It is still a legal target, the countering effect just doesn't happen.

See the gatherer rulings for Emrakul:

  Emrakul can be targeted by spells that try to counter it (such as Lay Bare). Those spells will resolve, but the part of their effect that would counter Emrakul won’t do anything. Any other effects those spells have will work as normal.

As a spell or ability resolves, as long as all targets are valid (so it isn't itself countered), it will try to do as much of its effects as it can. Drawing a card isn't conditioned on the countering being successful, so as long as Remand resolves, you get to draw a card.