So I have a friend who played MTG for a long time. I am confused with both answers. One is simple and makes sense, the other one is very complicated.
He said that Negate card's description means what it says on the card; It is simple and can counter everything else but it can't counter creature spells.
However the Chat says it works like this,
I put Negate on the stack right after opponent puts any card in stack to avoid it from being successfully turn into “creature”, and creature would be everything but land. Noncreature means "it's not a creature" A "spell" is something that is in the process of being cast, while it is on the stack. A card in your hand, or on the battlefield, or anywhere but the stack, is not a "spell", so Cancel cannot target it.
The first answer is essentially correct. Negate does the same thing as Cancel does, with a targeting restriction. A spell is a card that's been cast; countering a spell means it's put directly into its owner's graveyard (usually, unless otherwise instructed) and it has no effect. Cancel can do this to a creature spell while Negate cannot.
What is your question? I seem to be lost trying to find what the point of confusion is here. Are you saying the "chat" said Negate could counter a Savannah Lions because it is not a creature yet? If so, that is technically true (it isn't a creature yet) but it is a creature spell. And Negate can't counter a creature spell.
Your friend is correct - Negate can counter anything on the stack that isn't a creature spell. The other statement is partially correct - a spell is something that has been cast and is on the stack. It's either a permanent (enchantment, planeswalker, creature, artifact) or not (instant, sorcery) after it resolves and leaves the stack.
Negate cannot target creature spells (anything that says "Creature" on the type line). It can target anything else.
I want to know what "Chat" you're referring to too. That explanation is a mess...
I would not give credence to it because it's worded very poorly, if any of it is correct at all. I checked Cancel twice to make sure I was reading it like Counterspell.
@rigeld2
I think you meant Negate. Cancel does not discriminate against Creature Spells. The same confusion appears in the "Chat" quote.
There are several similar terms in use by Magic cards:
Creature: A creature permanent on the battlefield
Creature card: An object represented by an actual Magic card which would be a creature on the battlefield
Creature spell: A creature card that is currently on the stack
There are equivalent terms for all card types (although lands are never spells, and neither instants nor sorceries can be permanents).
Negate can target any spell on the stack that isn't a creature spell. (Note that activated and triggered abilities which are not mana abilities also go on the stack, and Negate can't target them either.)
So I have a friend who played MTG for a long time. I am confused with both answers. One is simple and makes sense, the other one is very complicated.
He said that Negate card's description means what it says on the card; It is simple and can counter everything else but it can't counter creature spells.
However the Chat says it works like this,
I put Negate on the stack right after opponent puts any card in stack to avoid it from being successfully turn into “creature”, and creature would be everything but land. Noncreature means "it's not a creature" A "spell" is something that is in the process of being cast, while it is on the stack. A card in your hand, or on the battlefield, or anywhere but the stack, is not a "spell", so Cancel cannot target it.
I̟̥͍̠ͅn̩͉̣͍̬͚ͅ ̬̬͖t̯̹̞̺͖͓̯̤h̘͍̬e͙̯͈̖̼̮ ̭̬f̺̲̲̪i͙͉̟̩̰r̪̝͚͈̝̥͍̝̲s̼̻͇̘̳͔ͅt̲̺̳̗̜̪̙ ̳̺̥̻͚̗ͅm̜̜̟̰͈͓͎͇o̝̖̮̝͇m̯̻̞̼̫̗͓̤e̩̯̬̮̩n͎̱̪̲̹͖t͇̖s̰̮ͅ,̤̲͙̻̭̻̯̹̰ ̖t̫̙̺̯͖͚̯ͅh͙̯̦̳̗̰̟e͖̪͉̼̯ ̪͕g̞̣͔a̗̦t̬̬͓͙̫̖̭̻e̩̻̯ ̜̖̦̖̤̭͙̬t̞̹̥̪͎͉ͅo͕͚͍͇̲͇͓̺ ̭̬͙͈̣̻t͈͍͙͓̫̖͙̩h̪̬̖̙e̗͈ ̗̬̟̞̺̤͉̯ͅa̦̯͚̙̜̮f͉͙̲̣̞̼t̪̤̞̣͚e̲͉̳̥r͇̪̙͚͓l̥̞̞͎̹̯̹ͅi͓̬f̮̥̬̞͈ͅe͎ ̟̩̤̳̠̯̩̯o̮̘̲p̟͚̣̞͉͓e͍̩̣n͔̼͕͚̜e̬̱d̼̘͎̖̹͍̮̠,͖̺̭̱̮ ̣̲͖̬̪̭̥a̪͚n̟̲̝̤̤̞̗d̘̱̗͇̮͕̳͕͔ ͖̞͉͎t̹̙͎h̰̱͉̗e̪̞̱̝̹̩ͅ ̠̱̩̭̦p̯̙e͓o̳͚̰̯̺̱̰͔̘p̬͎̱̣̼̩͇l̗̟̖͚̠e̱͉͔̱̦̬̟̙ ̖͚̪͔̼̦w̺̖̤̱e͖̗̻̦͓̖̘̜r̭̥e͔̹̫̱͕̦̰͕ ̗͔̠p̠̗͍͍̱̳̠r̰͔͎̰o͉̥͓̰͚̥s̟͚̹̱͔̣t͉̙̳̖͖̪̮r̥̘̥͙̹a͉̟̫̟̳̠̟̭t͈̜̰͈͎e̞̣̭̲̬ ͚̗̯̟͙i͍͖̰̘̦͖͉ṇ̮̻̯̦̲̩͍ ̦̮͚̫̤t͉͖̫͕ͅͅh͙̮̻̘̣̮̼e͕̺ ͙l͕̠͎̰̥i̲͓͉̲g̫̳̟͈͇̖h̠̦̖t͓̯͎̗ ̳̪̘̟̙̩̦o̫̲f̙͔̰̙̠ ̹̪̗͇̯t͖̼̼͉͖̬h̹͇̩e͚̖̺̤͉̹͕̪ ͚͓̭̝̺G͎̗̯̩o̫̯̮̟̮̳̘d̜̲͙̠-̩̳̯̲̗̜P̹̘̥͉̝h͍͈̗̖̝ͅa͍̗̮̼̗r̜̖͇̙̺a̭̺͔̞̳͈o̪̣͓̯̬͙̯̰̗h̖̦͈̥̯͔.͇̣̙̝
Your friend is correct - Negate can counter anything on the stack that isn't a creature spell. The other statement is partially correct - a spell is something that has been cast and is on the stack. It's either a permanent (enchantment, planeswalker, creature, artifact) or not (instant, sorcery) after it resolves and leaves the stack.
Negate cannot target creature spells (anything that says "Creature" on the type line). It can target anything else.
I would not give credence to it because it's worded very poorly, if any of it is correct at all. I checked Cancel twice to make sure I was reading it like Counterspell.
@rigeld2
I think you meant Negate. Cancel does not discriminate against Creature Spells. The same confusion appears in the "Chat" quote.
Oops. Too many things on my mind. Fixed.
Negate can target any spell on the stack that isn't a creature spell. (Note that activated and triggered abilities which are not mana abilities also go on the stack, and Negate can't target them either.)
Two Score, Minus Two or: A Stargate Tail
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