Only objects that are creatures when Infinite Reflection's triggered ability resolves (or that enter afterwards) become copies of the enchanted creature. As I mentioned in the last post, a land becoming a creature is not entering the battlefield; it's just changing its characteristics to be a creature.
And if the lands are already creatures somehow and become copies of Argothian Elder from Infinite Reflection, they will no longer be lands. "It's still a land" doesn't actually convey the land type, it just modifies the type-changing effect so that the land type is not overwritten. Once you apply the copy effect, there is no land type, and "it's still a land" becomes meaningless. So you can't go infinite this way.
Tokens that leave the battlefield can't return, and cease to exist as a state-based action if they're in any zone other than the battlefield. So you're correct.
The other creatures that were already on the battlefield have an undefined choice, so they won't have protection from anybody. That is a choice that can only be made as a creature enters the battlefield.
Lands that become creatures aren't entering the battlefield, so they won't be affected by Infinite Reflection unless they are already animated when Infinite Reflection's triggered ability from entering the battlefield resolves. In that case, they'll be become a copy of True-Name with an undefined choice (so no protection), but will also be whatever the animation effect made them until the animation effect ends (e.g., if it was Inkmoth Nexus, it would be a blue 1/1 flying infect artifact blinkmoth creature named True-Name Nemesis until end of turn). Then they'll just be normal True-Name Nemesises (Nemises?) with no protection from that point forward.
Yes. A player must meet as many requirements as possible without violating any restrictions. Since declaring both creatures as attackers meets a requirement but doesn't violate any restrictions, that's the only legal attack.
A judge will require a substantial change in the game state for a loop to continue (e.g., player gets closer to dying or winning; something dies; etc.). Irrelevantly changing the power/toughness of two creatures doesn't advance the game in any meaningful way, so the active player will indeed have to make a different choice.
As far as codification of this, that's virtually impossible to do in reasonably concise language, so you just have to use some common sense. Does the loop progress the game? No? Then stop it.
is there a way I can stack the upkeep triggers of these two cards so that Emeria the sky ruins keeps Nodes from killing itself?
the situation is on the upkeep I have 1 creature left under my control, and both triggers go off. if I stack Emeria first and Nodes on top of that, will Node's second ability always trigger and resolve before Emeria's can be stacked and resolved?
even if I wasn't using emeria sky ruin, but say I flashed in a creature with flash after Node's first ability resolved, would that flashed in creature be able to stop Node's second ability from killing Nodes?
Since you control both, you can stack the upkeep triggers so Emeria resolves first (putting it on top of the stack). Then when Porphyry Nodes trigger resolves, that creature will be included among the possible creatures to be destroyed, and there is never a moment when there are no creatures on the battlefield.
For the second scenario, Porphyry Nodes will trigger from the game state of "no creatures", and even if you get another creature onto the battlefield before that trigger resolves, it won't help. The trigger is not an "intervening if" clause ability, so once it triggers, it's going to resolve no matter what (unless the ability is countered somehow). This same problem exists if you try to sacrifice the only creature before returning a creature with Emeria.
No, the ability will trigger the moment combat damage is dealt, and that trigger will go on the stack under your control as soon as you would get priority. Giving away the creature after that won't give away the triggered ability. You'll be the one doubling your life total.
Even if there was some way to change control of the creature after damage but before the trigger goes on the stack, the controller of a trigger is the player who controlled the source of that ability at the moment it triggered (not at the moment it goes on the stack).
By this logic, if I put mantle on your creature, MY life total would double since I control the trigger. Yes, I control the trigger, but it's the controller of the creature whose life total doubles, as determined on resolution of the ability.
Ah, sorry, I didn't read the card (famous last words). Yes, the trigger will check who the creature's controller is as it resolves, so you can respond to the trigger by giving away the creature to make the opponent double his or her life total.
However, the trigger is still controlled by you, and Rain of Gore's ability says "If a spell or ability would cause its controller to gain life, that player loses that much life instead." Since the Celestial Mantle trigger is not controlled by the player gaining life, Rain of Gore's replacement effect doesn't apply to it, and that player will just thank you for doubling his or her life total and giving him your creature.
No, the ability will trigger the moment combat damage is dealt, and that trigger will go on the stack under your control as soon as you would get priority. Giving away the creature after that won't give away the triggered ability. You'll be the one doubling your life total. **EDIT: This particular triggered ability is looking for "that creature's controller" to make that player gain life, so the opponent will actually be the one to gain life in this situation.**
Even if there was some way to change control of the creature after damage but before the trigger goes on the stack, the controller of a trigger is the player who controlled the source of that ability at the moment it triggered (not at the moment it goes on the stack).
Each copy of the activated ability has the same source (Ashling), so the third ability to resolve in a turn would do what it says to do (remove the counters, damage everything).
706.10b A copy of an ability has the same source as the original ability. If the ability refers to its source by name, the copy refers to that same object and not to any other object with the same name. The copy is considered to be the same ability by effects that count how many times that ability has resolved during the turn.
On a similar note, when I play Read the Bones with a Courser of Kruphix on the field and put the top card on the bottom but keep the second on top during the scry 2 part, is the card face up on top of the library before I draw the 2 cards?
i.e. Top card of the Library is a Voyaging Satyr, I have Courser on the field, and Read the Bones in my hand. I play Read the Bones, the top two cards that I scry are the Satyr and Reaper of the Wilds. I choose to put the Satyr on bottom and the Reaper on top. Is the Reaper put on the library face up and then I draw two? Or may I put on top of the library face down and draw two before revealing the top card of the Library due to the effect of the Courser?
The top card of the library doesn't change while you're scrying, as you're just looking at the top two cards. After you decide where to put each of the cards you're looking at, the top card of the library will be revealed again. If you put both scryed cards on bottom, you'll see the third card, which you're about to draw. When you get to the "draw 2 cards" instruction, you'll reveal whatever the current top card is, draw it, reveal the next top card, draw it, then reveal the new top card of the library.
Applying that to your scenario, you'll reveal Reaper of the Wilds, draw it, reveal the next unknown card, draw it, then reveal the top card.
No the cost wouldn't be reduced (it would remain 3GG), because by the time you determine total costs for the spell, you've already chosen to make the spell an aura. Cloud Key naming enchantment would work either way to reduce the cost of Boon Satyr, though.
if X>=Y, you will discard your hand and mill X-Y cards
if Y>X, you will discard X cards
This isn't right. If Y (cards in hand) is greater than 0, you'll *discard one, draw one,* *discard one, draw one,* etc. until you've done that X times. Then you'll put one card from hand on top of library.
If Y (cards in hand) is 0, you'll just mill X cards.
A single Chains will never make you "discard your hand" unless you only have 1 card in your hand. You're basically "reverse looting" for each draw, and you can choose a different card to discard each time.
The change from "at end of turn" to "at the beginning of the next end step" was only for clarity and to reduce confusion with "until end of turn" effects. It was not a functional change.
You can play a land at any time during one of your main phases, as long as the stack is empty and you haven't played a land already (or haven't played as many as you're allowed to play in the case of additional land drop permissions). So yes, you can play a creature, attack, then play a land in your second main phase if you wanted to.
And if the lands are already creatures somehow and become copies of Argothian Elder from Infinite Reflection, they will no longer be lands. "It's still a land" doesn't actually convey the land type, it just modifies the type-changing effect so that the land type is not overwritten. Once you apply the copy effect, there is no land type, and "it's still a land" becomes meaningless. So you can't go infinite this way.
The other creatures that were already on the battlefield have an undefined choice, so they won't have protection from anybody. That is a choice that can only be made as a creature enters the battlefield.
Lands that become creatures aren't entering the battlefield, so they won't be affected by Infinite Reflection unless they are already animated when Infinite Reflection's triggered ability from entering the battlefield resolves. In that case, they'll be become a copy of True-Name with an undefined choice (so no protection), but will also be whatever the animation effect made them until the animation effect ends (e.g., if it was Inkmoth Nexus, it would be a blue 1/1 flying infect artifact blinkmoth creature named True-Name Nemesis until end of turn). Then they'll just be normal True-Name Nemesises (Nemises?) with no protection from that point forward.
As far as codification of this, that's virtually impossible to do in reasonably concise language, so you just have to use some common sense. Does the loop progress the game? No? Then stop it.
Since you control both, you can stack the upkeep triggers so Emeria resolves first (putting it on top of the stack). Then when Porphyry Nodes trigger resolves, that creature will be included among the possible creatures to be destroyed, and there is never a moment when there are no creatures on the battlefield.
For the second scenario, Porphyry Nodes will trigger from the game state of "no creatures", and even if you get another creature onto the battlefield before that trigger resolves, it won't help. The trigger is not an "intervening if" clause ability, so once it triggers, it's going to resolve no matter what (unless the ability is countered somehow). This same problem exists if you try to sacrifice the only creature before returning a creature with Emeria.
Ah, sorry, I didn't read the card (famous last words). Yes, the trigger will check who the creature's controller is as it resolves, so you can respond to the trigger by giving away the creature to make the opponent double his or her life total.
However, the trigger is still controlled by you, and Rain of Gore's ability says "If a spell or ability would cause its controller to gain life, that player loses that much life instead." Since the Celestial Mantle trigger is not controlled by the player gaining life, Rain of Gore's replacement effect doesn't apply to it, and that player will just thank you for doubling his or her life total and giving him your creature.
You'll be the one doubling your life total.**EDIT: This particular triggered ability is looking for "that creature's controller" to make that player gain life, so the opponent will actually be the one to gain life in this situation.**Even if there was some way to change control of the creature after damage but before the trigger goes on the stack, the controller of a trigger is the player who controlled the source of that ability at the moment it triggered (not at the moment it goes on the stack).
TOP
Pharika's Cure
Heroic trigger that wants to put a +1/+1 counter on Hero
Alpha Authority
BOTTOM
So working from there, this is the outcome:
Pharika's Cure resolves first, then Hero is a 2/2 with 2 damage and it dies.
Heroic trigger resolves doing nothing.
Alpha Authority is countered.
The top card of the library doesn't change while you're scrying, as you're just looking at the top two cards. After you decide where to put each of the cards you're looking at, the top card of the library will be revealed again. If you put both scryed cards on bottom, you'll see the third card, which you're about to draw. When you get to the "draw 2 cards" instruction, you'll reveal whatever the current top card is, draw it, reveal the next top card, draw it, then reveal the new top card of the library.
Applying that to your scenario, you'll reveal Reaper of the Wilds, draw it, reveal the next unknown card, draw it, then reveal the top card.
This isn't right. If Y (cards in hand) is greater than 0, you'll *discard one, draw one,* *discard one, draw one,* etc. until you've done that X times. Then you'll put one card from hand on top of library.
If Y (cards in hand) is 0, you'll just mill X cards.
A single Chains will never make you "discard your hand" unless you only have 1 card in your hand. You're basically "reverse looting" for each draw, and you can choose a different card to discard each time.