You are right. While Reflecting Pool doesn't consider costs (such as removing a counter from a Vivid Land), it does consider replacement effects such as the one on Gemstone Caverns' ability, marked by the word "instead". If Gemstone Caverns can't produce any color, a Reflecting Pool controlled by the same player can't either without some other land.
Each of the three draws is replaced by the Sages' effect, one at a time. Then, if the Sphinx wasn't kicked, you discard 3 cards. The discarding is not dependant on the fact that you actually drew 3 cards or not.
Sanguine Bond's triggered ability has you choose a target player; I have no idea why you would choose your partner as the target, but you can (you can even target yourself). Your team would gain one life, then lose one life as Sanguine Bond's ability resolves.
Sorry, I assumed Sanguine Bond said "target player". I should RTFC.
Still, you have to target one opponent, and your partner in 2HG is NOT an opponent, so you can't choose him. You must target one of the two opposing "heads", and their team loses 1 life.
Sorry, I assumed the Warden and Bond were controlled by the same player. I should RTFQ.
Yes. A creature has "summoning sickness" (it can't attack and its activated abilities with the tap symbol in their cost can't be activated) if its controller didn't continuously controlled it since the beginning of his current or most recent turn.
Similar to lands that can animate themselves until end of turn and that get +1/+1 or -1/-1 counters, you'd end up with an unanimated Howling Mine with a -1/-1 counter on it. That counter has no effect until the Mine becomes a creature again.
Similar to the Valakut question you just asked, each Sanguine Bond would trigger and go on the stack separately, and each would make target opponent lose 2 life. You can target the same opponent twice for a total of 4 life, or two different opponents in multiplayer.
Nice article, if a bit lacking in new tech (that's hard to come by these days anyway, no biggie, still entertaining at the very least to read about your point of view).
I'm just glad to see a new writer on MTGS for competitive constructed after Chris Jobin left SCG. I look forward to your future work! Welcome. Where's your MTGS writer tag ?
If I understand the Persist mechanic correctly, the Epochrasite comes back into play from the graveyard with a -1/-1 counter on board. It also enters with 3 +1/+1 counters for coming into play from the graveyard, effectively making the creature a 3/3 (rather than what would have been a 4/4).
However, because it received a -1/-1 counter due to the Persist mechanic, it should be an illegal target from that point forward for the Cauldron of Souls... at least I think.
What am I missing?
First, you're missing the fact that there is a rule that makes -1/-1 and +1/+1 counters annihilate each other. An epochrasite that enters the battlefield via Persist has one of its three +1/+1 counters cancelled out by the -1/-1 counter, and ends up with only two +1/+1 counters.
Second, having a -1/-1 counter doesn’t make a creature an illegal target for Cauldron of Souls’ ability. It will fail to persist if it ends up in the graveyard unless it loses that counter, but nothing forbids you to give it the Persist ability.
The Nissa's Chosen don't go back to the library, because that happens only if they would be put in a graveyard from the battlefield, as written on the card. There are no state-based actions involded here.
thanks for the fast replies guys, i think i lost games agreeing that ajani still gains life because it's an "and" clause and the life gain is still valid even if there is no damage dealt.
and also, what if i Path to Exile the target of his Helix ability, same answer right? no life gain?
A target that isn't there anymore is an illegal target, so yes, same answer.
A) Yes. Gaining or losing loyalty counters is a cost. If the ability was activated, the cost was paid, regardless of if the abilty successfully resolves.
B-1) No. If the ability's target is made illegal with it on the stack, it's gonna be countered on resolution, and have no effect. No life gained.
B-2) You can't redirect damage from sources your opponent controls to a planeswalker he or she also controls. The damage Harm's Way redirects is from the same source, only done elsewhere. Ajani can never damage himself.
C) When a planeswalker spell resolves and the planeswalker enters the battlefield, the active player gains priority. If the active player is the player who cast the planeswalker (it usually is the case since planeswalkers can normally only be cast during your main phase) and the stack is empty, he can activate one of the loyalty abilities before an other player can cast anything. It's possible to respond to the ability, but by then, the loyalty cost is paid.
Due to the wording, Equilibrium shouldn't even be able to target Gilded Drake because it's not even in play yet. Equilibrium triggers when you cast a creature spell, not when a creature enters the battlefield.
If you're refering to Kahedron and H1jack's answers, they are indeed wrong. Lordatog is right, however, and he's basically saying the same thing as you. The point he added is that you can use Equilibrium later, with a different creature spell than the Drake, to return the Drake to your hand from your opponent's side of the battlefield.
No, it doesn't. The word "destroy" describes a one-shot, duration-less effect, that either succeeds, fails because of indestructibility or gets replaced by something (like regeneration) as it happens.
Lethal damage causes destruction as a state-based action, and that state-based action will kick in if a creature that was insdestructible earlier in the turn but isn't anymore has lethal damage marked on it. But an effect of a spell or ability that says "destroy" tries to destroy the permanent(s) only once during the resolution of said spell or ability. With an effect that destroys multiple permanents at the same time, if some of the affected permanents are indestructible at that time, those don't get destroyed even if what gives them their indestructibility does.
26. In 2HG, if anything asks for a player's life total, the number used is half of that player's team life total, rounded up. Note that you'll need to recalculate that number if you team's life total changes, since the p/t of the Avatar token Ajani Goldmane creates is dynamic.
No, loss of life cannot be applied to planeswalkers. The very rule you quoted (and the absence of one other such rule for life loss) is quite clear about that. Loss of life from an effect is not noncombat damage.
Each of the three draws is replaced by the Sages' effect, one at a time. Then, if the Sphinx wasn't kicked, you discard 3 cards. The discarding is not dependant on the fact that you actually drew 3 cards or not.
Soul Warden
Sanguine Bond's triggered ability has you choose a target player; I have no idea why you would choose your partner as the target, but you can (you can even target yourself). Your team would gain one life, then lose one life as Sanguine Bond's ability resolves.
Sorry, I assumed Sanguine Bond said "target player". I should RTFC.
Still, you have to target one opponent, and your partner in 2HG is NOT an opponent, so you can't choose him. You must target one of the two opposing "heads", and their team loses 1 life.
Sorry, I assumed the Warden and Bond were controlled by the same player. I should RTFQ.
I'm just glad to see a new writer on MTGS for competitive constructed after Chris Jobin left SCG. I look forward to your future work! Welcome. Where's your MTGS writer tag ?
First, you're missing the fact that there is a rule that makes -1/-1 and +1/+1 counters annihilate each other. An epochrasite that enters the battlefield via Persist has one of its three +1/+1 counters cancelled out by the -1/-1 counter, and ends up with only two +1/+1 counters.
Second, having a -1/-1 counter doesn’t make a creature an illegal target for Cauldron of Souls’ ability. It will fail to persist if it ends up in the graveyard unless it loses that counter, but nothing forbids you to give it the Persist ability.
A target that isn't there anymore is an illegal target, so yes, same answer.
B-1) No. If the ability's target is made illegal with it on the stack, it's gonna be countered on resolution, and have no effect. No life gained.
B-2) You can't redirect damage from sources your opponent controls to a planeswalker he or she also controls. The damage Harm's Way redirects is from the same source, only done elsewhere. Ajani can never damage himself.
C) When a planeswalker spell resolves and the planeswalker enters the battlefield, the active player gains priority. If the active player is the player who cast the planeswalker (it usually is the case since planeswalkers can normally only be cast during your main phase) and the stack is empty, he can activate one of the loyalty abilities before an other player can cast anything. It's possible to respond to the ability, but by then, the loyalty cost is paid.
If you're refering to Kahedron and H1jack's answers, they are indeed wrong. Lordatog is right, however, and he's basically saying the same thing as you. The point he added is that you can use Equilibrium later, with a different creature spell than the Drake, to return the Drake to your hand from your opponent's side of the battlefield.
Lethal damage causes destruction as a state-based action, and that state-based action will kick in if a creature that was insdestructible earlier in the turn but isn't anymore has lethal damage marked on it. But an effect of a spell or ability that says "destroy" tries to destroy the permanent(s) only once during the resolution of said spell or ability. With an effect that destroys multiple permanents at the same time, if some of the affected permanents are indestructible at that time, those don't get destroyed even if what gives them their indestructibility does.