But when taking control of an opponents creature, do I actually take their card? I can see this as a possible problem, people taking other people's cards. Just for the fact of handling damage, or possibly forgetting to return it in the commotion of the game. Perhaps there is another way to position the card to show it is still the original owner's card, yet in control of another player? Is there a standard play here?
Another question: When adding counters, etc. is there an easy way to keep track, or is keeping it straight in your head part of the game? It can get confusing, especially with spells that counter multiple creatures stacked on top of single creature spells. Oh this guy says 1/1 but he is actually 3/1 because of this and another 1/1 because of that....easy to forget perhaps how strong someone is and block poorly. But I can also see that as part of the game, hey, you should know, don't let your mind drift...
I am teaching my son the game because he made friends with some players and now wants to play. God only knows how much I have blown on Pokemon, but now it's starting all over again. That's ok though as long as he is having fun.
However I am not so much a player of these types of games, so I am just trying to get him started enough to hold his own before going off into the real world to learn from real players. I try to get as much information about my questions online or this forum, but it seems all I find are vague answers which don't really get into the heart of the question, so I will ask them here. I have already asked a couple of questions on this forum with good help, so I will ask again my newly formed list. If these seem like stupid questions, have mercy I have no clue. Also, I didn't see in the rules that this type of thread was not allowed, so if so, just delete it with my apologies.
1) Artifact lands. Ok, I get it, cards that act as both. Some offer two land types, some have a special "spell" you can trade for, but Seat of the Synod came up and I don't get it. What is the advantage of a card like this? Why not just a basic island? How is this in any way different (except that you can remove it with an "anti-artifact" card)? Did I just answer my own question? If so, this card is worth less than a basic island.
2) I know Flying can defend and be hit, but I don't see a real explanation and I don't understand. If I have creature A with flying and you have creature B with no flying or reach, and we are both 2/2: I attack and you take 2 hit off your dice because you cant defend (Because I am basically doing an air strike over your guy). But when you attack me, and I use my creature to defend, we both do damage and take each other out. How did you get the reach or flying to get up to me to inflict damage? The only way I can explain to my boy is to say "it's like a sneak attack and you didn't get a chance to take off" but then he counters, so how do I do damage back to you then? Can this be ELI5?
3) When you have a spell that says "take control of opponent creature" is that for the life of the creature? No more text given. Do I just physically take that creature and put it in my field?
4) Nissa's Judgement: This question in general to a card like this: So my boy has two of these cards. He has two creatures so he ups each +1/+1. Ok I get it, but the damage part. Since this is not a creature attacking, if the damage I take is not enough to kill me off, on my next turn, I get back to full health, right? So the strategy would be to only play this card right before battle so I take double damage? For example, if I cast a 4/4 creature and the turn passes to my son, he casts this on a 1/1 guy, making him 2/2. The spell does 2/2 damage to me instantly, then he declares an attack with this guy and being 2/2 he can take me out? This is how we played it last night, I let him twice use a guy who was half of my strength take me out in one turn? Hopefully we did it right, but it sure hurt, especially when he pulled this card again later... Tough card.
5) enters tapped. So when a creature or land says it "enters tapped" that basically means you can't use it this turn and have to wait until you have the ability to untap right? So for a creature, how is this different than just summoning sickness? You can't use them first turn anyway...again for this, please ELI5.
Thanks so much for the help. Once I get a better grip on what the terms really mean and how to figure out strategy with them, I can explain the logic to my son. He is picking it up quickly now.
Thanks everyone. It looks like I was about 85% correct in my judgement on the Blighted Gorge, it's just that the way it was written seemed ambiguous. And I read it wrong and thought it meant 4 mountains, when it means 4 of any color and 1 red. Is "colorless" good for "any color"?
My goal is to get my son knowledgeable enough to start his own games, then others can teach him the deeper meanings.
It actually brings up another question, not enough to start a new thread, but I blasted him yesterday easily because draw after draw he didn't get a land. I crushed him turn after turn. By the end I had 5 lands and he had 1. He got lucky and had a Goblin Grenade and made me take some damage, but that was his only attack. It made him ask, could this happen to a world champ? Someone who just tore through a tournament and at the finals, just couldn't draw a land to do anything? How much of the game is luck? Or is there "always another way"?
My son just came back from camp and all the kids are talking about this game. Of course I have heard of it, but Pokemon was his game and now he wants to learn this. So I went out and bought a duel pack and started learning the basics. I get how play is done, but some of these cards are written ambiguously and detailed rules are hard to find.
Is there a place (and I did search this site so if it is here, I apologize) that I can enter a card name and it gives more detailed information on why and when I would use this card? so many little questions, I want to make sure I am teaching my son correctly. I don't need just the text of the card, but details about what it means for real.
For example if a card says X can do 3 damage to a target creature or player, who decides if it is attacking a creature or the player? If the other player has creatures to block with, is the attack forced to attack them (unless they can fly over,etc), or does the wording of the card saying creature "OR" player give the person playing the card a choice? Because if the other player didn't have a creature summoned, of course the attack is against the player.
Also, for example, Tribal Sorcery turns any land card to what that land card is as well as an island...I get that now it can be water and whatever the original card is, but it is not detailed enough to tell me if I can also use that land "stack" as two mana, or if it is still just one mana, but with a choice on which it is..
And the card "Blighted Gorge", man, that one is very confusing. I can add mana, but need to spend 4 mana if I want to "convert" it to an attack of 2?
Anyway, is there a site I can search by card, with more of this type of information?
But when taking control of an opponents creature, do I actually take their card? I can see this as a possible problem, people taking other people's cards. Just for the fact of handling damage, or possibly forgetting to return it in the commotion of the game. Perhaps there is another way to position the card to show it is still the original owner's card, yet in control of another player? Is there a standard play here?
Another question: When adding counters, etc. is there an easy way to keep track, or is keeping it straight in your head part of the game? It can get confusing, especially with spells that counter multiple creatures stacked on top of single creature spells. Oh this guy says 1/1 but he is actually 3/1 because of this and another 1/1 because of that....easy to forget perhaps how strong someone is and block poorly. But I can also see that as part of the game, hey, you should know, don't let your mind drift...
I am teaching my son the game because he made friends with some players and now wants to play. God only knows how much I have blown on Pokemon, but now it's starting all over again. That's ok though as long as he is having fun.
However I am not so much a player of these types of games, so I am just trying to get him started enough to hold his own before going off into the real world to learn from real players. I try to get as much information about my questions online or this forum, but it seems all I find are vague answers which don't really get into the heart of the question, so I will ask them here. I have already asked a couple of questions on this forum with good help, so I will ask again my newly formed list. If these seem like stupid questions, have mercy I have no clue. Also, I didn't see in the rules that this type of thread was not allowed, so if so, just delete it with my apologies.
1) Artifact lands. Ok, I get it, cards that act as both. Some offer two land types, some have a special "spell" you can trade for, but Seat of the Synod came up and I don't get it. What is the advantage of a card like this? Why not just a basic island? How is this in any way different (except that you can remove it with an "anti-artifact" card)? Did I just answer my own question? If so, this card is worth less than a basic island.
2) I know Flying can defend and be hit, but I don't see a real explanation and I don't understand. If I have creature A with flying and you have creature B with no flying or reach, and we are both 2/2: I attack and you take 2 hit off your dice because you cant defend (Because I am basically doing an air strike over your guy). But when you attack me, and I use my creature to defend, we both do damage and take each other out. How did you get the reach or flying to get up to me to inflict damage? The only way I can explain to my boy is to say "it's like a sneak attack and you didn't get a chance to take off" but then he counters, so how do I do damage back to you then? Can this be ELI5?
3) When you have a spell that says "take control of opponent creature" is that for the life of the creature? No more text given. Do I just physically take that creature and put it in my field?
4) Nissa's Judgement: This question in general to a card like this: So my boy has two of these cards. He has two creatures so he ups each +1/+1. Ok I get it, but the damage part. Since this is not a creature attacking, if the damage I take is not enough to kill me off, on my next turn, I get back to full health, right? So the strategy would be to only play this card right before battle so I take double damage? For example, if I cast a 4/4 creature and the turn passes to my son, he casts this on a 1/1 guy, making him 2/2. The spell does 2/2 damage to me instantly, then he declares an attack with this guy and being 2/2 he can take me out? This is how we played it last night, I let him twice use a guy who was half of my strength take me out in one turn? Hopefully we did it right, but it sure hurt, especially when he pulled this card again later... Tough card.
5) enters tapped. So when a creature or land says it "enters tapped" that basically means you can't use it this turn and have to wait until you have the ability to untap right? So for a creature, how is this different than just summoning sickness? You can't use them first turn anyway...again for this, please ELI5.
Thanks so much for the help. Once I get a better grip on what the terms really mean and how to figure out strategy with them, I can explain the logic to my son. He is picking it up quickly now.
My goal is to get my son knowledgeable enough to start his own games, then others can teach him the deeper meanings.
It actually brings up another question, not enough to start a new thread, but I blasted him yesterday easily because draw after draw he didn't get a land. I crushed him turn after turn. By the end I had 5 lands and he had 1. He got lucky and had a Goblin Grenade and made me take some damage, but that was his only attack. It made him ask, could this happen to a world champ? Someone who just tore through a tournament and at the finals, just couldn't draw a land to do anything? How much of the game is luck? Or is there "always another way"?
My son just came back from camp and all the kids are talking about this game. Of course I have heard of it, but Pokemon was his game and now he wants to learn this. So I went out and bought a duel pack and started learning the basics. I get how play is done, but some of these cards are written ambiguously and detailed rules are hard to find.
Is there a place (and I did search this site so if it is here, I apologize) that I can enter a card name and it gives more detailed information on why and when I would use this card? so many little questions, I want to make sure I am teaching my son correctly. I don't need just the text of the card, but details about what it means for real.
For example if a card says X can do 3 damage to a target creature or player, who decides if it is attacking a creature or the player? If the other player has creatures to block with, is the attack forced to attack them (unless they can fly over,etc), or does the wording of the card saying creature "OR" player give the person playing the card a choice? Because if the other player didn't have a creature summoned, of course the attack is against the player.
Also, for example, Tribal Sorcery turns any land card to what that land card is as well as an island...I get that now it can be water and whatever the original card is, but it is not detailed enough to tell me if I can also use that land "stack" as two mana, or if it is still just one mana, but with a choice on which it is..
And the card "Blighted Gorge", man, that one is very confusing. I can add mana, but need to spend 4 mana if I want to "convert" it to an attack of 2?
Anyway, is there a site I can search by card, with more of this type of information?
Thanks in advance.