I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say that most of these cards being suggested are banned because of how they can be abused on a competitive level. If you just play in a casual setting, with your friends, why not just allow these cards? Sure, you COULD Gifts for your two combo pieces and two recursion cards. But I'm guessing a lot of people (myself included) that want to play the card aren't going to do that. So, talk with your playgroup and see how they feel about allowing these cards.
Personally, I want Gifts and Balance, but I totally understand why Balance is banned.
Are you playing EDH? Is it during a tournament? If not, congratulations! It's casual.
I don't think any of those things you mentioned are "no discussion here." Inviting a discussion about what's casual vs. what isn't and then declaring that no amount of defense can justify poison/annihilator/whatever is silly.
Personally, I consider all the EDH I play to be casual games, and if you want to play "mean" cards, go for it! It's up to everyone else to stop it. If you're going to play your degenerate, $2000 deck and win on turn 3-4...well, you can show it off once, but don't be a dick about it. That kind of behavior is self-policing in casual formats, I think. I'll just stop playing with you. It's not really any specific set of cards or abilities, it's more of an attitude. My EDH decks are hardly unfair, but if I'm playing a certain group and just crushing them, I'll switch it up next game, or keep my answers in hand and reel it in a little.
So, I guess my point is that I'm fine with you playing Armageddon and winning next turn, but if you're going to cheat a Sundering Titan into play and then Mimic Vat it every turn from 4 onwards...maybe rethink your attitude, or the setting in which you really want to be playing.
How about sideboarding a entire deck, i seen this one kid running 2 decks, the judge's ruling at the local cardshop was his extra cards are his sideboard and he got the extra mana for the decks. Pretty much he had a R/G deck and a WU deck and it was ruled ok since he was using the cards he was given, is this legal? This is the only limited i've ever did so i am kind of ignorant on this.
I do this at prerelease events all the time. Technically, your sideboard is every other card you opened, plus all the lands available to everyone, and you can side in or out as many cards as you want.
Followup question: If I Twincast a Time Stretch on the first turn of overtime, does that mean all five overtime turns are mine, and then the game ends?
If I discard Darksteel Colossus as part of Merfolk Looter's ability, I draw before shuffling. But if I discard it as part of Jace's Archivist's ability, I shuffle first, then draw. Is this correct? Is it different if it were Emrakul?
Edit: Fixed the question because I misread Colossus
His reply was a little hard to follow. He was referring to the life gain trigger on Transcendence. You can respond to that trigger by either lowering your life or donating it and thus not have the 'lose the game' trigger on it trigger.
The lose the game trigger does not have an intervening if clause, it's just a state trigger. Triggers with an 'intervening if clause' check to see if the 'if' condition is true both when they trigger and when they resolve...Trancendenc's lose the game trigger does not do that. Meaning that once it triggers and goes on the stack, decreasing your life in response will not save you.
Ok, I think I get it now. If I have 20 or more life and Transcendence together for any amount of time, I'm getting the death trigger, and it's tough to get rid of. If I give away Transcendence in response to the life gain trigger, and I never had 20 life with it in play initially, I will not get the death trigger, and I will gain the life.
It comes into play, its "counter target spell" trigger is put on the stack, and then when you get priority, state-based effects are checked and it's put into the graveyard for being a 0/0. It doesn't come into play with the counters on it.
So they're both Legend Rule'd to the graveyard?
That interaction works with just Chancellor and Navigator, though. I'm definitely going to have to try that sometime
Knowledge Exploitation for T&N, pay two extra to entwine. Grab Chancellor of the Spires and Palinchron, untap 7 lands, recast T&N with Chancellor, grab two more fatties, then Spelltwine, recasting T&N and Exploitation, grabbing Austere Command out of his deck to blow up artifacts and small creatures.
Edit: Obviously I won, but in retrospect I wish I had done Chancellor, Palinchron, Blightsteel Colossus, Clone, Phyrexian Metamorph, Phantasmal Image, Planar Cleansing.
Wouldn't 3 Hornet Queens coming into play, with Parallel Lives out, result in 24 1/1s?
Personally, I want Gifts and Balance, but I totally understand why Balance is banned.
I don't think any of those things you mentioned are "no discussion here." Inviting a discussion about what's casual vs. what isn't and then declaring that no amount of defense can justify poison/annihilator/whatever is silly.
Personally, I consider all the EDH I play to be casual games, and if you want to play "mean" cards, go for it! It's up to everyone else to stop it. If you're going to play your degenerate, $2000 deck and win on turn 3-4...well, you can show it off once, but don't be a dick about it. That kind of behavior is self-policing in casual formats, I think. I'll just stop playing with you. It's not really any specific set of cards or abilities, it's more of an attitude. My EDH decks are hardly unfair, but if I'm playing a certain group and just crushing them, I'll switch it up next game, or keep my answers in hand and reel it in a little.
So, I guess my point is that I'm fine with you playing Armageddon and winning next turn, but if you're going to cheat a Sundering Titan into play and then Mimic Vat it every turn from 4 onwards...maybe rethink your attitude, or the setting in which you really want to be playing.
I do this at prerelease events all the time. Technically, your sideboard is every other card you opened, plus all the lands available to everyone, and you can side in or out as many cards as you want.
2. What if I use Spitting Image instead of Clone? Does setting it as a target for the spell make a difference?
3. Also, if I cast Spitting Image targeting Clone, do I get a copy of Clone or a copy of whatever Clone is copying?
No. Before you get priority to activate the ability, state-based actions put her in the graveyard for having 0 toughness.
Edit: Fixed the question because I misread Colossus
Ok, I think I get it now. If I have 20 or more life and Transcendence together for any amount of time, I'm getting the death trigger, and it's tough to get rid of. If I give away Transcendence in response to the life gain trigger, and I never had 20 life with it in play initially, I will not get the death trigger, and I will gain the life.
Thanks for the help. What a silly card!