A quick question on the new Amonkhet cards that require you to place -1/-1 counters on one of your own creatures. Can you put more counters on a creature than it would take to kill the creature? For example, if I have a 1/1 and I play Exemplar of Strength, can I choose to put the three -1/-1 counters on the 1/1?
Exemplar of Strength
Yes, this works. The only targeting restriction on these cards is "target creature you control". A creature with less toughness than the number of counters you are going to place is a legal target provided that you control that creature. Of course, the creature will die if it has 0 or less toughness once the counters are placed on it.
Say I have a 1/1 and an ability says to place two -1/-1 counters on it and assume I control a Nest of Scarabs. Do I get two tokens or one from Nest?
Two. The ability specifies that you get tokens equal to the number of counters placed. That you only need 1 to kill something doesn't matter as 2 or however many are specified will be placed.
You will get two, since they are both placed as a single effect. If instead you had a 1/1 and Kuro, Pitlord you would only be able to get one token.
Kuro Pitlord doesn't put any counters on anything, so you get no tokens with him from the Nest. He just creates a continous effect that reduces power/toughness by -1/-1 for the turn. Only if an effect uses the word "counter" are counters involved.
Yes, this works. The only targeting restriction on these cards is "target creature you control". A creature with less toughness than the number of counters you are going to place is a legal target provided that you control that creature. Of course, the creature will die if it has 0 or less toughness once the counters are placed on it.
Say I have a 1/1 and an ability says to place two -1/-1 counters on it and assume I control a Nest of Scarabs. Do I get two tokens or one from Nest?
Two. The ability specifies that you get tokens equal to the number of counters placed. That you only need 1 to kill something doesn't matter as 2 or however many are specified will be placed.
Kuro Pitlord doesn't put any counters on anything, so you get no tokens with him from the Nest. He just creates a continous effect that reduces power/toughness by -1/-1 for the turn. Only if an effect uses the word "counter" are counters involved.
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