Rules Tip of the Day: Abilities that trigger at the beginning of a step or phase will only trigger if the permanent with the triggered ability is in play at the very beginning of that step or phase. It does not matter if a permanent with a triggered ability enters play soon after the step or phase has begun.
Q: Can you please explain the interaction between the Dredge mechanic and Sylvan Library?
A: When your draw step begins you will draw your normal card per turn. Then when Sylvan Library's triggered ability resolves you will draw an additional two cards. You can replace any or all of three of these draws by dredging a card from your graveyard. For the second part of Sylvan Library's ability, you will then take two cards that you have drawn this turn and for each card either pay four life or put that card on top of your library. If all of three of these draws have been replaced by Dredging, then you will not have to pay any life or put any cards on top of your library. If only one or two of these draws have been replaced, then you will have to take each card you did actually draw and pay four life or put it on top of your library.
Q: If a card is Flashbacked from the graveyard with Eye of the Storm in play, can Eye of the Storm find the Flashbacked card and still copy it?
A: When the eye of the Storm triggered ability resolves it will remove this Flashbacked spell from the game. The Flashback effect will also attempt to remove this card from the game. Because Eye of the Storm will look for this card in the removed from game zone and it will be there, the effect of Eye of the Storm will still be able to find this flashback card and it will make copies of this card.
Q: How does Doubling Season work with Forgotten Ancient? When you "move" a counter, is that a shorter way of saying "remove and place" a counter? Or does a card have to have 'put a counter' in order to trigger the 'Whenever a counter is placed' ability?
A: The word "place" is not specifically defined in Magic. When the game does not have its own specific definition we have to use the normal English definition. From that standpoint, to move an object includes placing this object in its new location. So moving a counter is roughly equivalent to "putting" or "placing" a counter on a permanent. Because of this, moving +1/+1 counters when Forgotten Ancient's upkeep triggered ability resolves counts as placing counters on these creatures. With Doubling Season in play, you will end up taking one counter off of a Forgotten Ancient and putting two on another creature in play.
Q: If I have Blood Funnel out and I play a land, artifact, or enchantment that can be activated or changed into a creature, do I still have to sacrifice a creature?
A: Blood Funnel's ability triggers when you play any non-creature spell. It does not matter if you play a spell of some other type that can become a creature when in play; Blood Funnel's ability will still trigger and counter this spell if you do not sacrifice a creature when this ability resolves. Blood Funnel will not trigger when you play a land, as playing a land is not playing a spell.
Q: Does sacrificing Savra, Queen of the Golgari to something cause her to trigger herself? Would it make a difference sacrificing her to a cost (Dimir House Guard) rather than an effect (Cruel Edict)? There's no precedent for sacrifice triggers, and I don't know if that counts as a leaves play triggered ability.
A: To sacrifice a permanent is to take it from play and put it into its owners graveyard. Because of this Savra's triggered abilities are leaves play triggered abilities. This means that both of Savra's abilities will trigger if Savra is sacrificed under any circumstances. it does not matter if she is sacrificed to pay a cost or to satisfy an effect.
Q: What constitutes a mana ability? Could I use Faith's Fetters to stop someone from using a Dimir Signet? I know that lands have mana abilities, but when you have to pay mana to activate the ability does that change anything?
A: Mana abilities are those activated abilities that generate mana, or triggered abilities that generate mana and are triggered when another mana ability is used. The ability of Dimir Signet's is a mana ability, as it is an activated ability that generates mana. It does not matter that this ability also has a mana cost in order to activate it. It generates mana, so it is a mana ability.
Q: Do the cards returned to play with Second Sunrise count towards my storm count?
A: No. These are cards are returned to play, none of them have been played. Because of this they do not count as played spell when calculating the Storm count.
Q: Under the "tweaked" rule 418, what changes with the way that Humility interacts with counters? Does it still just override them, so they're present but without effect, or do they now give the creature an actual bonus? Example: Humility is in play. I play Phantom Nishoba, and it comes into play with seven +1/+1 counters. Is it an 8/8 with no abilities, or a 1/1 with seven useless counters on it?
A: With the recent changes in how the interaction of continuous effects are applied to power and toughness, you apply the effects of counters after you apply Humility's effect. This means that Humility no longer negates the effect of counters that raise or lower a creature's power or toughness. In the example given the Phantom Nishoba will be an 8/8 creature with no abilities. (For those rules gurus, Humility's effect is applied in layer 6b and the effect from counters is applied in layer 6c.)
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