The cost of Into the Story is determined at the time your opponent casts the spell; thus, if you have seven or more cards in your graveyard at that time, Into the Story costs 3 less to cast this way (C.R. 601.2f). Once this cost is determined, it's locked in and won't change even if you end up having fewer than seven cards in your graveyard after that (C.R. 601.2f). Notably, Into the Story won't be countered just because every graveyard has fewer than seven cards in it.
Note that while a player is casting a spell (such as Into the Story), players don't have priority to cast other spells, including Cling to Dust or spells that would remove cards from the graveyard (C.R. 601.2a-i have no priority window until the spell is cast).
Assuming you own and control Anowon and Anowon has just dealt combat damage to the two players:
Only the players still in the game mill cards.
When a player is dealt enough combat damage to bring their life total to 0 or less, that player loses the game as a state-based action (and thus leaves the game) even before triggered abilities (such as Anowon's) can even go on the stack or get to resolve (C.R. 510.2, 510.3, 117.5, 704.5a, 104.5).
Note that the Commander variant is not synonymous with a multiplayer game; except for Commander drafts, nothing in the rules for the Commander variant under C.R. 903 precludes applying those rules to two-player games (C.R. 903.2, 903.13a).
For your first question: Yes, but in an indirect way. You choose which face (not: side) of the card Jorn, God of Winter to cast with cascade (either the front face Jorn, God of Winter, or the back face Kaldring, the Rimestaff)** (C.R. 711.7, 702.84a). Say you choose the Kaldring face. Then the spell will appear as Kaldring and get to enter the battlefield with that face up, namely the Kaldring face, before Sakashima's Protege itself resolves (C.R. 711.9). Then when Sakashima's Protege resolves, it enters the battlefield as a copy of Kaldring, if you choose (but you can't choose the Jorn face instead) (C.R. 711.4d).
For your second question: No. A modal double-faced permanent "has only the characteristics of the face that's up" (C.R. 711.4d), so that if a Jorn is on the battlefield and you choose that permanent this way, you can't have Clever Impersonator enter as a copy of its other face, namely Kaldring, instead.
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Note that in both cases, if an object (such as Sakashima's Protege or Clever Impersonator) becomes a copy of a modal double-faced permanent (such as Jorn or Kaldring), it becomes a copy of whatever face that permanent shows (there is no choice to copy the other face of that permanent instead) (C.R. 711.4d, 706.2).
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** You can choose the front or back face this way with cascade regardless of the back face's converted mana cost (C.R. 711.7, 702.84a; for a related situation with split cards, see also this thread).
In general, the sacrifice will succeed only if Grafted Wargear and the permanent it was unattached to are controlled by the same player.
When Grafted Wargear becomes unattached from a permanent, the player who controlled Grafted Wargear at that time is the one who's asked to sacrifice that permanent (C.R. 608.2c, 113.8). However, if that player doesn't control that permanent, they can't sacrifice it this way so that there is no effect (C.R. 701.17a, 101.3).
In general, if you control Grafted Wargear and attach Grafted Wargear—
from a creature you control to some other creature, Grafted Wargear's triggered ability will trigger, since it was unattached from a creature, so that you must sacrifice the creature it was unattached to this way when the ability resolves (C.R. 701.3d).
from a creature you don't control to some other creature, Grafted Wargear's triggered ability will trigger, since it was unattached from a creature, but when it resolves, if you don't control the creature it was unattached to this way, you can't sacrifice the creature so nothing happens (C.R. 701.3d, 701.17a, 101.3).
The mechanics article for Kaldheim has much of your answer.
It notes that if a card with foretell (such as Augury Raven) is in your hand, you may exile it face down by paying 2, not its foretell cost. Thus, the card will be in exile (and not, say, on the battlefield face down) for the purposes of effects that care about exiled cards or cards in exile. (Presumably, the action of exiling the card this way is a special action. Exiling the card this way is not the same as casting the card, though, so it doesn't go on the stack first — compare with All Hallow's Eve [C.R. 108.1].) However, casting the card on a later turn after it's exiled this way is the same as casting any other spell except the foretell cost is paid rather than the mana cost; and the resulting spell can be countered like any other spell.
However, the mechanics article describes the foretell ability rather informally. You will have to wait until the comprehensive rules update for Kaldheim for a more rigorous answer.
Assuming Orah and the other Cleric are normally Clerics and are not tokens, you own and control both, and the latter's converted mana cost is greater than 3, this will work in two cases:
If you sacrifice Orah and the other Cleric at once while paying for the same spell or ability (e.g., Dark Supplicant's ability), this will work.
This will likewise work if you sacrifice both creatures at once while the same spell or ability is resolving (e.g., Balance).
In both cases, Orah's triggered ability will trigger at least twice (once for itself and the other Cleric) and the creatures will go to the graveyard before the abilities go on the stack, so that the ability referring to the other Cleric can target Orah this way in time (C.R. 601.2i, 117.3b, 117.5, 603.3d, 601.2c, 603.10a, 603.10, 603.6c, 700.4). See also this thread.
However, this will generally not work for spells and abilities with a cost of sacrificing one creature at a time (such as the abilities of Nantuko Husk, Ashnod's Altar, and Altar of Dementia). This is because in general, once you sacrifice Orah or a Cleric with such a spell or ability, Orah's triggered ability will trigger, but then you will have to put the ability on the stack (and you must target, if possible, a "Cleric card with lesser converted mana cost [in] your graveyard" than the creature just sacrificed, right then and there) before you get priority to cast any more spells or activate any more abilities (C.R. 601.2i, 117.5, 603.3d, 601.2c, 117.1a-b).
In fact you pay 0 to cast Ancient Stone Idol in this case.
Ancient Stone Idol looks at the number of attacking creatures at the time you're casting it (C.R. 601.2f). Thus, if there are ten attacking creatures, Ancient Stone Idol costs 10 less to cast (so that the total cost is 0, not 2) (C.R. 601.2f). Once the cost is figured out, it's locked in and won't change even if the number of attacking creatures changes afterward (C.R. 601.2f).
Note that while you're casting a spell (such as Ancient Stone Idol), players don't have priority to cast other spells, including spells that would remove creatures from the battlefield (C.R. 601.2a-i have no priority window until the spell is cast).
Note that all cards revealed with Balustrade Spy are put into the graveyard at the same time (C.R. 608.2f). If Gaea's Blessing is one of those cards, its last ability will trigger. Then, that ability will go on the stack (C.R. 117.3b, 117.5).
As you cast a modal double-faced card with Kari Zev's Expertise, you choose which face (not: half) to cast, and "[o]nly the face that will be face up on the stack is evaluated to determine if it can be cast" (C.R. 711.7, 711.7a). For this reason, you can cast a face of a modal double-faced card with Kari Zev's Expertise only if that face's converted mana cost is 2 or less (as is the case for the Valki face, but not for the Tibalt face).
Note that Kari Zev's Expertise now says "You may cast a spell ... from your hand..." (C.R. 108.1); it no longer says "You may cast a card ... from your hand...".
So basically yes. These questions are going to come up a lot most likely, so please move and archive this thread in card rulings proper for the future. I'll translate peter's analysis from super-lawyer to semi-understandable tomorrow.
Edit: I believe they can see the card you exiled after the search resolves.
To be clear, even if you control Ashiok, you can have an opponent search their library with Varragoth. If you do and you also control Opposition Agent, both you and your opponent can look at the cards in that library, you choose a card from it, that player exiles that card and shuffles their library, and you may play that card for as long as it remains exiled (and may spend mana as though it were mana of any color to cast it). See also Thrull Surgeon, where the experience is similar except it involves the player's hand, rather than library. Also compare Ashiok with Stranglehold.
Multo beno. I thought these would be the outcomes, but since I'm not an actual judge and this is a fairly deep matter, I wanted to double-check to be very sure.
Edit: if they control Ashiok and I control the other two? I don't mean to be pedantic, but the logic I followed on my own a few hours ago says I can dig from any library that isn't my own in this case. This was actually the most confusing scenario for me.
If an opponent of yours controls Ashiok and you control Varragoth and Opposition Agent:
If you activate Varragoth's activated ability targeting yourself, you can't search your library when it resolves, because of Ashiok; rather, when it resolves, you simply shuffle that library.
If you activate Varragoth's activated ability targeting an opponent, then when it resolves, the targeted player still searches their library (and you control that player while they search it, which means you look at all the cards in the library—in addition to the targeted player—and choose which card to "find" in that library [C.R. 701.19a, 716.4, 716.5]), but the targeted opponent exiles the card found this way, and you may play that card "for as long as [it] remain[s] exiled" (C.R. 109.5). Moreover, the targeted player still shuffles the library, but since the card found became a new object as it moved to exile (C.R. 400.7), that card won't be put on top of the library.
If you activate Varragoth's activated ability targeting a teammate of yours, then when it resolves, the targeted player still searches their library, shuffles it, and puts the card found (if any) on top of it.
In this case, the token will cease to exist, it's not put on the bottom of its owner's library, and you won't create a Zombie token just because the token ceased to exist.
A token can go to the graveyard like other permanents, and ceases to exist soon afterward (before any triggered abilities can go on the stack, let alone get to resolve) (C.R. 111.6, 603.3, 117.5, 704.5d). Even so, however, a token is not a "car[d]" for the purposes of Tormod, the Desecrator (C.R. 111.6), so its first ability won't trigger when a token in a graveyard ceases to exist. See also this thread.
That answers a lot of questions, and I really appreciate it. What about the most probable scenario however, when I control all three and target an opponent?
If you control Ashiok, Varragoth, and Opposition Agent:
If you activate Varragoth's activated ability targeting yourself or a teammate of yours, then when it resolves, the targeted player still searches their library, shuffles it, and puts the card found (if any) on top of it.
If you activate Varragoth's activated ability targeting an opponent, then when it resolves, the targeted player still searches their library (and you control that player while they search it, which means that you look at all the cards in the library—in addition to the targeted player—and choose which card to "find" in that library [C.R. 701.19a, 716.4, 716.5]), but they exile the card found this way, and you may play that card "for as long as [it] remain[s] exiled" (C.R. 109.5). Moreover, the targeted player still shuffles their library, but since the card found became a new object as it moved to exile (C.R. 400.7), that card won't be put on top of the library.
Note that Ashiok's first ability doesn't apply here, since you control both Ashiok and Varragoth's activated ability; thus the scenario is no different than if Ashiok weren't on the battlefield.
If you control Ashiok and Opposition Agent together and an opponent of yours controls Varragoth:
If the opponent activates Varragoth's activated ability targeting themselves, that player can't search their library when it resolves, because of Ashiok; rather, when it resolves, that player simply shuffles that library. In general, if something is impossible, it can't be replaced (C.R. 614.7, 101.2, 101.3; see also C.R. 614.17c). See also this thread.
If the opponent activates Varragoth's activated ability targeting you or a teammate of yours, then when it resolves, the targeted player still searches their library, shuffles it, and puts the card found (if any) on top of it.
If the opponent activates Varragoth's activated ability targeting another opponent of yours, then when it resolves, the targeted player still searches their library (and you control that player while they search it, which means that you look at all the cards in the library—in addition to the targeted player—and choose which card to "find" in that library [C.R. 701.19a, 716.4, 716.5]), but they exile the card found this way, and you may play that card "for as long as [it] remain[s] exiled" (C.R. 109.5). Moreover, the targeted player still shuffles their library, but since the card found became a new object as it moved to exile (C.R. 400.7), that card won't be put on top of the library.
If you control Ashiok and an opponent of yours controls Varragoth and Opposition Agent:
If the opponent activates Varragoth's activated ability targeting themselves, that player can't search their library when it resolves, because of Ashiok; rather, when it resolves, that player simply shuffles that library.
If the opponent activates Varragoth's activated ability targeting you or a teammate of yours, then when it resolves, the targeted player still searches their library (and the opponent in question controls you or the teammate while you search it, which means the opponent looks at all the cards in the library—in addition to the targeted player—and chooses which card to "find" in that library [C.R. 701.19a, 716.4, 716.5]), but you or the teammate exiles the card found this way, and the opponent may play that card "for as long as [it] remain[s] exiled" (C.R. 109.5). Moreover, you or the teammate still shuffles the library, but since the card found became a new object as it moved to exile (C.R. 400.7), that card won't be put on top of the library.
If the opponent activates Varragoth's activated ability targeting another opponent of yours, then when it resolves, the targeted player still searches their library, shuffles it, and puts the card found (if any) on top of it.
If you control Ashiok and Varragoth and an opponent of yours controls Opposition Agent:
If you activate Varragoth's activated ability targeting an opponent, then when it resolves, the opponent still searches their library, shuffles it, and puts the card found (if any) on top of it. (Recall that Ashiok's first ability affects only spells and abilities controlled by your opponents).
If you activate Varragoth's activated ability targeting you or a teammate of yours, then when it resolves, the targeted player still searches their library, shuffles it, and puts the card found (if any) on top of it.
If more than one player controls Opposition Agent, then the second ability of more than one of them may come in conflict. If so, then roughly speaking the "last" such Opposition Agent to have entered the battlefield "wins", due to the timestamp order rules (C.R. 613.11). For example, if you're searching your library while two opponents of yours control Opposition Agent, then in general the opponent who controlled the Opposition Agent that entered the battlefield last will control you while you're searching the library (C.R. 613.7).
Note that this answer doesn't depend on whether the Commander variant is played, and the Commander variant is not synonymous with a multiplayer game; except for Commander drafts, nothing in the rules for that variant (under C.R. 903) explicitly precludes applying those rules to two-player games (C.R. 903.2).
The only kinds of counters that a state-based action can remove are +1/+1 and -1/-1 counters, and then only in pairs (C.R. 704.5q). No other kinds of counters are removed this way even if their net change in power and toughness is 0 (review C.R. 704). For example, a creature with a +2/+2 counter and two -1/-1 counters, and no other counters, on it will not have any of those counters removed. (Nonetheless, for a long time the only kinds of power-/toughness-changing counters that have been employed by new Magic cards have been +1/+1 and -1/-1.)
The cost of Into the Story is determined at the time your opponent casts the spell; thus, if you have seven or more cards in your graveyard at that time, Into the Story costs 3 less to cast this way (C.R. 601.2f). Once this cost is determined, it's locked in and won't change even if you end up having fewer than seven cards in your graveyard after that (C.R. 601.2f). Notably, Into the Story won't be countered just because every graveyard has fewer than seven cards in it.
Note that while a player is casting a spell (such as Into the Story), players don't have priority to cast other spells, including Cling to Dust or spells that would remove cards from the graveyard (C.R. 601.2a-i have no priority window until the spell is cast).
See also this thread and this thread.
Only the players still in the game mill cards.
When a player is dealt enough combat damage to bring their life total to 0 or less, that player loses the game as a state-based action (and thus leaves the game) even before triggered abilities (such as Anowon's) can even go on the stack or get to resolve (C.R. 510.2, 510.3, 117.5, 704.5a, 104.5).
Note that the Commander variant is not synonymous with a multiplayer game; except for Commander drafts, nothing in the rules for the Commander variant under C.R. 903 precludes applying those rules to two-player games (C.R. 903.2, 903.13a).
For your second question: No. A modal double-faced permanent "has only the characteristics of the face that's up" (C.R. 711.4d), so that if a Jorn is on the battlefield and you choose that permanent this way, you can't have Clever Impersonator enter as a copy of its other face, namely Kaldring, instead.
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Note that in both cases, if an object (such as Sakashima's Protege or Clever Impersonator) becomes a copy of a modal double-faced permanent (such as Jorn or Kaldring), it becomes a copy of whatever face that permanent shows (there is no choice to copy the other face of that permanent instead) (C.R. 711.4d, 706.2).
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** You can choose the front or back face this way with cascade regardless of the back face's converted mana cost (C.R. 711.7, 702.84a; for a related situation with split cards, see also this thread).
When Grafted Wargear becomes unattached from a permanent, the player who controlled Grafted Wargear at that time is the one who's asked to sacrifice that permanent (C.R. 608.2c, 113.8). However, if that player doesn't control that permanent, they can't sacrifice it this way so that there is no effect (C.R. 701.17a, 101.3).
In general, if you control Grafted Wargear and attach Grafted Wargear—
See also this thread.
It notes that if a card with foretell (such as Augury Raven) is in your hand, you may exile it face down by paying 2, not its foretell cost. Thus, the card will be in exile (and not, say, on the battlefield face down) for the purposes of effects that care about exiled cards or cards in exile. (Presumably, the action of exiling the card this way is a special action. Exiling the card this way is not the same as casting the card, though, so it doesn't go on the stack first — compare with All Hallow's Eve [C.R. 108.1].) However, casting the card on a later turn after it's exiled this way is the same as casting any other spell except the foretell cost is paid rather than the mana cost; and the resulting spell can be countered like any other spell.
However, the mechanics article describes the foretell ability rather informally. You will have to wait until the comprehensive rules update for Kaldheim for a more rigorous answer.
Assuming Orah and the other Cleric are normally Clerics and are not tokens, you own and control both, and the latter's converted mana cost is greater than 3, this will work in two cases:
- If you sacrifice Orah and the other Cleric at once while paying for the same spell or ability (e.g., Dark Supplicant's ability), this will work.
- This will likewise work if you sacrifice both creatures at once while the same spell or ability is resolving (e.g., Balance).
In both cases, Orah's triggered ability will trigger at least twice (once for itself and the other Cleric) and the creatures will go to the graveyard before the abilities go on the stack, so that the ability referring to the other Cleric can target Orah this way in time (C.R. 601.2i, 117.3b, 117.5, 603.3d, 601.2c, 603.10a, 603.10, 603.6c, 700.4). See also this thread.However, this will generally not work for spells and abilities with a cost of sacrificing one creature at a time (such as the abilities of Nantuko Husk, Ashnod's Altar, and Altar of Dementia). This is because in general, once you sacrifice Orah or a Cleric with such a spell or ability, Orah's triggered ability will trigger, but then you will have to put the ability on the stack (and you must target, if possible, a "Cleric card with lesser converted mana cost [in] your graveyard" than the creature just sacrificed, right then and there) before you get priority to cast any more spells or activate any more abilities (C.R. 601.2i, 117.5, 603.3d, 601.2c, 117.1a-b).
Ancient Stone Idol looks at the number of attacking creatures at the time you're casting it (C.R. 601.2f). Thus, if there are ten attacking creatures, Ancient Stone Idol costs 10 less to cast (so that the total cost is 0, not 2) (C.R. 601.2f). Once the cost is figured out, it's locked in and won't change even if the number of attacking creatures changes afterward (C.R. 601.2f).
Note that while you're casting a spell (such as Ancient Stone Idol), players don't have priority to cast other spells, including spells that would remove creatures from the battlefield (C.R. 601.2a-i have no priority window until the spell is cast).
Note that all cards revealed with Balustrade Spy are put into the graveyard at the same time (C.R. 608.2f). If Gaea's Blessing is one of those cards, its last ability will trigger. Then, that ability will go on the stack (C.R. 117.3b, 117.5).
As you cast a modal double-faced card with Kari Zev's Expertise, you choose which face (not: half) to cast, and "[o]nly the face that will be face up on the stack is evaluated to determine if it can be cast" (C.R. 711.7, 711.7a). For this reason, you can cast a face of a modal double-faced card with Kari Zev's Expertise only if that face's converted mana cost is 2 or less (as is the case for the Valki face, but not for the Tibalt face).
Note that Kari Zev's Expertise now says "You may cast a spell ... from your hand..." (C.R. 108.1); it no longer says "You may cast a card ... from your hand...".
See also this thread and this thread.
A token can go to the graveyard like other permanents, and ceases to exist soon afterward (before any triggered abilities can go on the stack, let alone get to resolve) (C.R. 111.6, 603.3, 117.5, 704.5d). Even so, however, a token is not a "car[d]" for the purposes of Tormod, the Desecrator (C.R. 111.6), so its first ability won't trigger when a token in a graveyard ceases to exist. See also this thread.
- If you activate Varragoth's activated ability targeting yourself or a teammate of yours, then when it resolves, the targeted player still searches their library, shuffles it, and puts the card found (if any) on top of it.
- If you activate Varragoth's activated ability targeting an opponent, then when it resolves, the targeted player still searches their library (and you control that player while they search it, which means that you look at all the cards in the library—in addition to the targeted player—and choose which card to "find" in that library [C.R. 701.19a, 716.4, 716.5]), but they exile the card found this way, and you may play that card "for as long as [it] remain[s] exiled" (C.R. 109.5). Moreover, the targeted player still shuffles their library, but since the card found became a new object as it moved to exile (C.R. 400.7), that card won't be put on top of the library.
Note that Ashiok's first ability doesn't apply here, since you control both Ashiok and Varragoth's activated ability; thus the scenario is no different than if Ashiok weren't on the battlefield.If you control Ashiok and an opponent of yours controls Varragoth and Opposition Agent:
If you control Ashiok and Varragoth and an opponent of yours controls Opposition Agent:
If more than one player controls Opposition Agent, then the second ability of more than one of them may come in conflict. If so, then roughly speaking the "last" such Opposition Agent to have entered the battlefield "wins", due to the timestamp order rules (C.R. 613.11). For example, if you're searching your library while two opponents of yours control Opposition Agent, then in general the opponent who controlled the Opposition Agent that entered the battlefield last will control you while you're searching the library (C.R. 613.7).
Note that this answer doesn't depend on whether the Commander variant is played, and the Commander variant is not synonymous with a multiplayer game; except for Commander drafts, nothing in the rules for that variant (under C.R. 903) explicitly precludes applying those rules to two-player games (C.R. 903.2).