This week's cranial insertion includes the following example:
Q: What if I Twincast a Tooth and Nail and then Twincast the Twincast and change the copy’s target to the first Twincast? Can that repeat forever?
A: Closer, but no cigar. Since there is another spell for your second Twincast to target, you will eventually have to target it to end the loop. Look at the stack:
Twincast B (targeting Twincast A)
Twincast A (targeting Tooth)
Tooth
---------------------------
What if you cast a counterspell targetting the tooth after the last twincast?
Then the stack would be:
Counterspell (targetting tooth)
Twincast B (targeting Twincast A)
Twincast A (targeting Tooth)
Tooth
And once the counterspell resolved, you'd just have:
Twincast B (targeting Twincast A)
Twincast A (targeting Tooth)
Twincast B resolves, and creates a copy of Twincast A. This copy includes the original target - the Tooth & Nail. You can change the copy to target Twincast A again, but even if you counter the Tooth and Nail, you’ll eventually have to choose to not change the target of the copy (it defaults to the no-longer-existent Tooth).
Because the counterspell removes the Tooth and Nail from the stack it is no longer a spell, and because the other Twincast has not resolved and isn't a Tooth and Nail yet, you have to choose Twincast as the spell to copy and you have no other choice but to copy the twincast, because if you have legal targets you must choose one.
Incorrect. The card text says "You may" change the target of the spell you're Twincasting. You're not required to change the target, even if the spell's original target is illegal.
The fact remains that making this an infinite loop requires you to make a choice, thereby making the loop NOT consist of mandatory actions, and therefore not able to end the game in a draw.
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Twincast 2 resolves, and makes a copy Twincast 3. Twincast 3 copies Twincast 1, which targets Twincast 2. If you don't change the target, it fizzles because Twincast 2 no longer exists on the stack. If you do, repeat until you choose not to change the target.
Really, we thought this one out. There is no way to break the game with two Twincasts. I tried.
"Sufficiently advanced experience is indistinguishable from clairvoyance." -Carsten
"Ah those eyes, those horrible creepy eyes!" -Chaosof99
DCI Level 3 Judge & TO "I do not consider myself a hero. I know only what the Vec teach:
justice must always be served and corruption must always be opposed."
Go read! I am one of the three authors of Cranial Insertion.
But seriously, if you can't remember "Woapalanne", just call me Eli.
Hmm... yes. Use three Twincasts, a Misdirect, and a counterspell. If you get Twincast2 looking at Twincast1, and Twincast1 looking at Twincast2 and then Twincast3 on Twincast1, it could copy Twincast2 over and over and over, but it could also target Twincast2 which would look at Twincast1. You could copy Twincast2 and repeat, or copy Twincast1 and go back to the beginning.
Twincast3 and all of its copies would copy either Twincast1 or Twincast2, and either copy would just loop back and forth.
"Sufficiently advanced experience is indistinguishable from clairvoyance." -Carsten
"Ah those eyes, those horrible creepy eyes!" -Chaosof99
DCI Level 3 Judge & TO "I do not consider myself a hero. I know only what the Vec teach:
justice must always be served and corruption must always be opposed."
Go read! I am one of the three authors of Cranial Insertion.
But seriously, if you can't remember "Woapalanne", just call me Eli.
Loot: Yup, you're right. That reason right there says that there can never be an infinite Twincast loop unless you can make a spell untargetable. All of these Twincast loops ARE hurting the brains.
Rat: If you form an infinite loop, not an unbounded loop, the game crashes and ends in a draw. It's sometimes considered a viable strategy to prevent a loss.
"Sufficiently advanced experience is indistinguishable from clairvoyance." -Carsten
"Ah those eyes, those horrible creepy eyes!" -Chaosof99
DCI Level 3 Judge & TO "I do not consider myself a hero. I know only what the Vec teach:
justice must always be served and corruption must always be opposed."
Go read! I am one of the three authors of Cranial Insertion.
But seriously, if you can't remember "Woapalanne", just call me Eli.
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Q: What if I Twincast a Tooth and Nail and then Twincast the Twincast and change the copy’s target to the first Twincast? Can that repeat forever?
A: Closer, but no cigar. Since there is another spell for your second Twincast to target, you will eventually have to target it to end the loop. Look at the stack:
Twincast B (targeting Twincast A)
Twincast A (targeting Tooth)
Tooth
---------------------------
What if you cast a counterspell targetting the tooth after the last twincast?
Then the stack would be:
Counterspell (targetting tooth)
Twincast B (targeting Twincast A)
Twincast A (targeting Tooth)
Tooth
And once the counterspell resolved, you'd just have:
Twincast B (targeting Twincast A)
Twincast A (targeting Tooth)
Won't this go infinite?
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Since the loop would consist of at least one optional action, it cannot be used to end the game in a draw.
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Enter here and steal just one,
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The fact remains that making this an infinite loop requires you to make a choice, thereby making the loop NOT consist of mandatory actions, and therefore not able to end the game in a draw.
Twincast 2 resolves, and makes a copy Twincast 3. Twincast 3 copies Twincast 1, which targets Twincast 2. If you don't change the target, it fizzles because Twincast 2 no longer exists on the stack. If you do, repeat until you choose not to change the target.
Really, we thought this one out. There is no way to break the game with two Twincasts. I tried.
"Sufficiently advanced experience is indistinguishable from clairvoyance." -Carsten
"Ah those eyes, those horrible creepy eyes!" -Chaosof99
DCI Level 3 Judge & TO
"I do not consider myself a hero. I know only what the Vec teach:
justice must always be served and corruption must always be opposed."
Go read! I am one of the three authors of Cranial Insertion.
But seriously, if you can't remember "Woapalanne", just call me Eli.
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Hmm... yes. Use three Twincasts, a Misdirect, and a counterspell. If you get Twincast2 looking at Twincast1, and Twincast1 looking at Twincast2 and then Twincast3 on Twincast1, it could copy Twincast2 over and over and over, but it could also target Twincast2 which would look at Twincast1. You could copy Twincast2 and repeat, or copy Twincast1 and go back to the beginning.
Twincast3 and all of its copies would copy either Twincast1 or Twincast2, and either copy would just loop back and forth.
"Sufficiently advanced experience is indistinguishable from clairvoyance." -Carsten
"Ah those eyes, those horrible creepy eyes!" -Chaosof99
DCI Level 3 Judge & TO
"I do not consider myself a hero. I know only what the Vec teach:
justice must always be served and corruption must always be opposed."
Go read! I am one of the three authors of Cranial Insertion.
But seriously, if you can't remember "Woapalanne", just call me Eli.
To this treasury filled with things of fame
Enter here and steal just one,
And Cursed will be all of your name!
Rat: If you form an infinite loop, not an unbounded loop, the game crashes and ends in a draw. It's sometimes considered a viable strategy to prevent a loss.
"Sufficiently advanced experience is indistinguishable from clairvoyance." -Carsten
"Ah those eyes, those horrible creepy eyes!" -Chaosof99
DCI Level 3 Judge & TO
"I do not consider myself a hero. I know only what the Vec teach:
justice must always be served and corruption must always be opposed."
Go read! I am one of the three authors of Cranial Insertion.
But seriously, if you can't remember "Woapalanne", just call me Eli.