This thread is for the discussion of my latest article, Cranial Insertion: Deep Analysis. We would be grateful if you would let us know what you think, but please keep your comments on topic.
Meh, missed the one about sanctionable formats (stupid Modern) and misread the one about tournament penalties. Embarrassing.
The answer to the cleanup step question is just flat out wrong. (I knew I remembered the reminder text on Time Stop correctly!)
B and D happen simultaneously for reasons lost to the mists of time. After that, the active player discards down to seven.
CR 514.1 (enforcing the maximum hand size rule) happens before CR 514.2 (returning a Giant Growthed Grizzly Bears with 3 damage on it to its default state).
In the Adamaro question, Dreamspoiler Witches not triggering is also a valid answer, no?
Meh, missed the one about sanctionable formats (stupid Modern)
Likewise. Evil trick question is evil!
But I don't mind about that so much, because I got one of the actual rules questions (partly) wrong too:
The Cleanup step one. As well as missing the simultaneity aspect I had the discard come first. Now, perversely, I want to make a deck which makes this matter as often as possible!
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(I'm on on this site much anymore. If you want to get in touch it's probably best to email me: dom@heffalumps.org)
Forum Awards: Best Writer 2005, Best Limited Strategist 2005-2012
5CB PotM - June 2005, November 2005, February 2006, April 2008, May 2008, Feb 2009
MTGSalvation Articles: 1-20, plus guest appearance on MTGCast #86!
<Limited Clan>
In the Adamaro question, Dreamspoiler Witches not triggering is also a valid answer, no?
No.
603.5. Some triggered abilities' effects are optional (they contain "may," as in "At the beginning of your upkeep, you may draw a card"). These abilities go on the stack when they trigger, regardless of whether their controller intends to exercise the ability's option or not. The choice is made when the ability resolves.
Because of this, it would probably be a better choice to target Adamaro and give it -1/-1, even though it's only going to matter if your opponent tries to 'counter' Swat by giving it +1/+1 somehow. However, if, for example, there were no other creatures on the battlefield besides your own Dreamspoiler Witches, then each time you cast a spell, you would be required to target them. You wouldn't decide whether or not to make them smaller until your triggered ability resolved.
Dreamspoiler Witches triggers "Whenever you cast a spell during an opponent's turn." Last I checked, casting Swat during your own turn is a legal play.
I never, ever hope to encounter the Adamaro situation without a high level judge near. Nobody will believe it actually works like that.
Any judge certified more than half a year ago should do, as should most of the newly certified L1 judges. If you're at a competitive event, there is usually an L2 around, and they'd never have passed their test without knowing how the magic pills work
The wrong question got wronged by accident while cleaning up the order of the answers; derp. It is fixed.
The question with one answer that might not come up; skipping over that thing that might not happen is also an acceptable answer, though knowing where to put it if it DOES happen is also important!
"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.
War's Toll creates a requirement – "they all go in if able" – while Silent Arbiter creates a restriction – "only one." You must meet every restriction while maximizing the number of requirements, and that number is zero. No other creatures are able to attack, so they don't. You meet the same number of requirements whether you attack with one guy or none, so either is okay. Attacking with all breaks the restriction, so no.
Really? The way I see it, attacking with one creature obeys one requirement and attacking with none obeys one requirement for each creature you control.
Dreamspoiler Witches triggers "Whenever you cast a spell during an opponent's turn." Last I checked, casting Swat during your own turn is a legal play.
I apologize for being so blunt with my answer then, but it's not like this is a trick question. I believe the situation and wording of the question would lead most of us to derive that the person asking it meant they wanted to do this during their opponent's turn. I suppose you could twist it around without an explanation and not explain your reasoning until someone disagrees.
For example, I could say a valid answer is that the whole situation is illegal and can't happen as described.
Adamaro, First to Desire's power and toughness are each equal to the number of cards in the hand of the opponent with the most cards in hand. Last I checked, this could be a free-for-all game with a third player that has three or more cards in hand.
So I'm "twisting it around without an explanation" if I don't assume facts that are not in evidence?
For example, in the problem involving True Conviction, my initial response was "None of these are true, because I can construct a scenario given the premises laid out in the question where all of these are false." (Humility having the newer timestamp.) This is acknowledged in the answer the article gives.
In the situation with Adamaro
I'm going to assume it's a two-player game because that is the default, just like the default is that a player's maximum hand size is seven, none of the permaments in play have had their characteristics changed by a spell or ability that resolved previously, etc. However, there is no default assumption for whose turn Swat is cast on, so an answer in which Dreamspoiler Witches does not trigger is as equally valid as an answer in which it does trigger. It's not like it would have been hard to make it unambiguous (a simple phrase like "Adamaro is attacking" or "in response to [insert name of sorcery]" would have sufficed). Especially considering that the answer choices include J, H, and 3, assuming that any question in a Cranial Insertion quiz is "not a trick question" is asking too much.
So I'm "twisting it around without an explanation" if I don't assume facts that are not in evidence?
Yes. If you're not assuming facts that are not in evidence and don't bother explaining the facts you used when you go to ask your own question, then you're either trying to be tricky or your question was rhetorical because you should already know the answer. Obviously your Dreamspoiler Witches won't trigger during your own turn - that's impossible. You misunderstanding the 'may' clause of a triggered ability, though? I don't know you, so I feel like that's entirely possible and something worth being questioned. That's exactly what you made it seem like, so that's just how I responded. However, whenever you come back and justify your answer by changing the assumed situation around, it just makes it seem like you realized you were wrong and tried to play it off as you meaning something else.
Especially considering that the answer choices include J, H, and 3, assuming that any question in a Cranial Insertion quiz is "not a trick question" is asking too much.
The questions come from the readers, though. They should have no idea that their question is even going to be in a quiz; they're usually just looking for an answer. Why would they have any reason to throw in a card that they meant to be entirely irrelevant? (It's odd because the card doesn't seem to fit into the situation anyway. It actually does seem like the question was changed. Perhaps the reader wanted to know if the trigger from the Dreamspoiler Witches was fast enough to let Swat kill Adamaro, but after the article was made into a quiz, they didn't bother removing them?)
Yes, the question was rhetorical. It had nothing to do with DW's trigger being a "may." I was expecting a "but, alternatively..." along the lines of the Humility question's explanation, and was a little disappointed when I didn't get one.
I always assume that CI questions are edited for readability and clarity. My mistake for failing to consider that the ambiguity in Swat's timing was merely preserved from the original question.
My mistake for failing to consider that the ambiguity in Swat's timing was merely preserved from the original question.
It's no big deal, dude. I was just trying to help cause I thought you were questioning the 'may' clause. As I said, I really don't know why the Dreamspoiler Witches were left in the question even if it was meant to be your opponent's turn. I guess it was just to test people's knowledge of the order things happen in?
I am having a hard time understanding this one, if dryad arbor isn''t a spell and flash says you can cast this spell.. and you don't "cast" lands how can the Dryad Arbor make use of his new-found Flash ability. I am not arguing that it gains flash just that since it isn't a spell it can't really make use of it. any CR?
I am not arguing that it gains flash just that since it isn't a spell it can't really make use of it. any CR?
The reminder text on Teferi is not a good way to make assessments of how the rules actually function. Especially when you view the CR entry for flash...
702.8a Flash is a static ability that functions in any zone from which you could play the card it’s on. “Flash” means “You may play this card any time you could cast an instant.”
Since flash changes the permission for playing the card, which means either casting a spell or playing a land, it changes the permission for when you could play Dryad Arbor...
To play a card is to play that card as a land or cast that card as a spell, whichever is appropriate.
The only thing that you couldn't do in such a situation, is to play Dryad Arbor in another player's turn (since the rules are prohibitive on that point).
CR 514.1 (enforcing the maximum hand size rule) happens before CR 514.2 (returning a Giant Growthed Grizzly Bears with 3 damage on it to its default state).
Avatar by Numotflame96 of Maelstrom Graphics
Sig banner thanks to DarkNightCavalier of Heroes of the Plane Studios!
Likewise. Evil trick question is evil!
But I don't mind about that so much, because I got one of the actual rules questions (partly) wrong too:
(I'm on on this site much anymore. If you want to get in touch it's probably best to email me: dom@heffalumps.org)
Forum Awards: Best Writer 2005, Best Limited Strategist 2005-2012
5CB PotM - June 2005, November 2005, February 2006, April 2008, May 2008, Feb 2009
MTGSalvation Articles: 1-20, plus guest appearance on MTGCast #86!
<Limited Clan>
No.
Because of this, it would probably be a better choice to target Adamaro and give it -1/-1, even though it's only going to matter if your opponent tries to 'counter' Swat by giving it +1/+1 somehow. However, if, for example, there were no other creatures on the battlefield besides your own Dreamspoiler Witches, then each time you cast a spell, you would be required to target them. You wouldn't decide whether or not to make them smaller until your triggered ability resolved.
That's good, since it does.
Avatar by Numotflame96 of Maelstrom Graphics
Sig banner thanks to DarkNightCavalier of Heroes of the Plane Studios!
Any judge certified more than half a year ago should do, as should most of the newly certified L1 judges. If you're at a competitive event, there is usually an L2 around, and they'd never have passed their test without knowing how the magic pills work
The question with one answer that might not come up; skipping over that thing that might not happen is also an acceptable answer, though knowing where to put it if it DOES happen is also important!
"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.
I apologize for being so blunt with my answer then, but it's not like this is a trick question. I believe the situation and wording of the question would lead most of us to derive that the person asking it meant they wanted to do this during their opponent's turn. I suppose you could twist it around without an explanation and not explain your reasoning until someone disagrees.
For example, I could say a valid answer is that the whole situation is illegal and can't happen as described.
In the situation with Adamaro
Avatar by Numotflame96 of Maelstrom Graphics
Sig banner thanks to DarkNightCavalier of Heroes of the Plane Studios!
I always assume that CI questions are edited for readability and clarity. My mistake for failing to consider that the ambiguity in Swat's timing was merely preserved from the original question.
Avatar by Numotflame96 of Maelstrom Graphics
Sig banner thanks to DarkNightCavalier of Heroes of the Plane Studios!
Flash (You may cast this spell any time you could cast an instant.)
(Dryad Arbor isn't a spell, it's affected by summoning sickness, and it has "{T}: Add {G} to your mana pool.")
... "Catch!"....
... "Catch!"....
The reminder text on Teferi is not a good way to make assessments of how the rules actually function. Especially when you view the CR entry for flash...
702.8a Flash is a static ability that functions in any zone from which you could play the card it’s on. “Flash” means “You may play this card any time you could cast an instant.”
Since flash changes the permission for playing the card, which means either casting a spell or playing a land, it changes the permission for when you could play Dryad Arbor...
To play a card is to play that card as a land or cast that card as a spell, whichever is appropriate.
The only thing that you couldn't do in such a situation, is to play Dryad Arbor in another player's turn (since the rules are prohibitive on that point).