Was playing with my group last night and encountered the age-old question (which you have honestly probably answered many times before but I can't locate on the forums) of: can I use Mind Over Matter to tap a creature that has protection blue, such as one equipped with Sword of Body and Mind?
The debate is: The creature has protection from blue but is mind over matter directly influencing that card like a twiddle would? Or is it giving the player the ability to tap or untap permanent by discarding a card and thus mind over matter isn't directly targeting?
A creature with Protection from Blue cannot be the target of Mind Over Matter's ability.
The debate is: The creature has protection from blue but is mind over matter directly influencing that card like a twiddle would? Or is it giving the player the ability to tap or untap permanent by discarding a card and thus mind over matter isn't directly targeting?
That's not something the rules care about. There's no debate about "who is actually doing the tapping, the card or the player". The rules don't go there.
Mind Over Matter is blue.
Mind Over Matter is the source of the activated ability.
Mind Over Matter's ability requires a target.
A permanent with protection from blue can't be chosen as the target of an ability from a blue source.
702.16b. A permanent or player with protection can't be targeted by spells with the stated quality and can't be targeted by abilities from a source with the stated quality.
113.7. The source of an ability is the object that generated it. The source of an activated ability on the stack is the object whose ability was activated. The source of a triggered ability (other than a delayed triggered ability) on the stack, or one that has triggered and is waiting to be put on the stack, is the object whose ability triggered. To determine the source of a delayed triggered ability, see rules 603.7d-f.
109.1. An object is an ability on the stack, a card, a copy of a card, a token, a spell, a permanent, or an emblem.
Was playing with my group last night and encountered the age-old question (which you have honestly probably answered many times before but I can't locate on the forums) of: can I use Mind Over Matter to tap a creature that has protection blue, such as one equipped with Sword of Body and Mind?
The debate is: The creature has protection from blue but is mind over matter directly influencing that card like a twiddle would? Or is it giving the player the ability to tap or untap permanent by discarding a card and thus mind over matter isn't directly targeting?
Thanks in advance for your help!
That's not something the rules care about. There's no debate about "who is actually doing the tapping, the card or the player". The rules don't go there.
Mind Over Matter is blue.
Mind Over Matter is the source of the activated ability.
Mind Over Matter's ability requires a target.
A permanent with protection from blue can't be chosen as the target of an ability from a blue source.
702.16b. A permanent or player with protection can't be targeted by spells with the stated quality and can't be targeted by abilities from a source with the stated quality.
113.7. The source of an ability is the object that generated it. The source of an activated ability on the stack is the object whose ability was activated. The source of a triggered ability (other than a delayed triggered ability) on the stack, or one that has triggered and is waiting to be put on the stack, is the object whose ability triggered. To determine the source of a delayed triggered ability, see rules 603.7d-f.
109.1. An object is an ability on the stack, a card, a copy of a card, a token, a spell, a permanent, or an emblem.