Rules Tip of the Day: When a permanent changes controllers, it does not leave play and then renter play. It will remain in play the entire time; all that happens is that control over this permanent changes.

[The following question was submitted by Mr. John "Sure I'll Sign Your Ichorid" Rizzo, which is why, in keeping with StarCityGames tradition, we have not edited it for readability. -Seamus]

Q: I attempt to end my turn with a freshly-cast, zero-counters Necroplasm in play. My opponent comes with the ol' "end of turn, Scatter the Seeds." Is there a window of opportunity which allows him to keep the tokens, or would Necroplasm lol then rofl @him?

A: Yes, he can play Scatter the Seeds and keep these tokens. In the end of turn step after Necroplasm's end of turn triggered ability has resolved and destroyed all permanents with a converted mana cost of zero, both players will receive priority before the cleanup step begins. Your opponent can play Scatter the Seeds at this time.

Q: I have a question about the interaction of Shell of the Last Kappa and Gifts Ungiven. I was testing against an opponent who cast Gifts, and I "countered" it using Shell's first ability. He argued that this doesn't work, and I ended up letting it resolve for the sake of continuing the game. Was I right? Can I use Shell of the Last Kappa to counter Gifts Ungiven?

A: You were correct, Gifts Ungiven, played by your opponent, does target you and you can use the Shell to remove this Gifts form the stack.

Q: At the end of my turn my opponent puts mana into my pool with Spectral Searchlight. I have a Grifter's Blade in my hand, but I do not control any creatures. Can I play the Blade as an instant to avoid mana burn, without having it come into play attached to a creature?

A: Yes. You can choose to play Grifter's Blade anytime you could play an instant. If you control a creature when this spell resolves then you will attach it to one of them. However you do not need to control one in order to play this spell as an instant.

Q: A friend of mine had a Warrior en-Kor and a Rite of Passage in play. The creature took three damage from combat damage. Before the damage resolved, he targeted the Warrior with its own ability, claiming the creature would be dealt damage one at a time, and therefore getting a counter from the Rite of Passage for each damage. Is this right?

A: That is incorrect. The en-Kor ability does not change when this damage is dealt. All three points of damage will be dealt to this Warrior en-Kor at the same time. This means that it it will go to the graveyard before it gets the +1/+1 counters.

Q: When Agonizing Memories resolves, does the targetted player see the order which the cards get replaced on the library?

A: No, the owner of these cards will not see the order that they are placed on this his library. The library is a hidden zone and a player may not look at cards in it unless an effect specifically states otherwise.

Q: I have Megrim and Hypnotic Specter in play. If my opponent's hand is empty when Hypnotic Spectoer deals damage to him, will he take damage from Megrim?

A: No, this player will not take any damage from Megrim. Megrim's ability triggers when a player actually discards a card. In this example the player damaged by the Specter does not actually discard as he has nothing to discard. Because of this, Megrim's ability will not trigger.

Q: If you put two copies of Paralyze on a creature, does that creature's controller have to pay 8 mana to untap it?

A: No, they only have to pay 4 mana. Paralyze gives the enchanted creature a triggered ability that triggers at the beginning of the enchanted controller's upkeep. If a creature has two copies of Paralyze on it, then the ability given by each will trigger and resolve separately. When the either trigger resolves this player can pay just four man to untap this creature. In fact, he can pay four when the first resolves, tap it somehow, and then pay to untap it again, if he wishes.

Q: My opponent has White Knight and Crusade in play. We agreed that it was essentially a 3/3 with First Strike. I play Humble on the White Knight, which resolves. Is White Knight a 0/1 creature, or a 1/2 creature thanks to the Crusade? I believe that Crusade is only applied once to the creature—before the Humble resolves—not continually, as my opponent claims. We do agree, at least, that it no longer has First Strike.

A: Under the most current version of the comprehensive rules, this White Knight will be a 1/2 creature without First Strike. This is because the effect from the Crusade, is a static ability that does not set the power and toughness of a creature and it therefore applied after Humble's effect is applied. In the past the Knight would have been a 0/1 creature. For more information, see section 418.5 in the Comprehensive Rules.