My opponent casts Despise. I have no planeswalkers in my hand, and the only creature is Loxodon Smiter.
My opponent argues that he "may" choose a card for me to discard. I disagree; I say he must choose the Loxodon.
Can someone resolve this please?
You are correct. There is no "may" in Despise's text. Your opponent has to follow the instructions of the spell as much as possible, so he must "choose" the Smiter.
The rules have a loophole for searching a hidden zone for a card with a specific quality, but "choose" is not "search," so the fail-to-find loophole doesn't apply here.
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Please use card tags when you're asking a question about specific cards: [c]Serra Angel[/c] -> Serra Angel.
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My opponent argues that he "may" choose a card for me to discard. I disagree; I say he must choose the Loxodon.
Can someone resolve this please?
Thanks to GR @ Yavin IV Studios for the signature!
When in doubt, call a judge.
Objectivist here. Hit me up to talk philosophy.
You are correct. There is no "may" in Despise's text. Your opponent has to follow the instructions of the spell as much as possible, so he must "choose" the Smiter.
The rules have a loophole for searching a hidden zone for a card with a specific quality, but "choose" is not "search," so the fail-to-find loophole doesn't apply here.
Please use card tags when you're asking a question about specific cards: [c]Serra Angel[/c] -> Serra Angel.