Rules Tip of the Day: If a spell or ability would cause a player to discard more cards than are in his or her hand, then that player discards his entire hand.

Q: I control Tamanoa, and I attack my opponent with an animated Opal Acrolyth. Before combat damage is dealt, I use the Actolyth's ability to turn it into an enchantment. Will I gain two life?

A: Yes. When combat damage is dealt, the source of the two points of damage assigned by the Opal Acrolyth will be an enchantment. It does not matter that it was obviously a creature with combat damage was assigned. Because of this, Tamanoa's ability will trigger when this combat damage is dealt.

Q: If Jester's Scepter is played for a second time (after it has been bounced), can I still use cards that were removed from the game when the Scepter came into play the first time?

A: No. When a card leaves play and then later returns to play, it is treated as an entirely new object with no connection to when it was previously in play. You will be able to remove five more cards form the game, but this Scepter in play will only have removed those five cards. The five cards that were previously removed form the game will remain removed from the game face down. However, the effect that removed them from the game will still allow you to look at them.

Q: If a creature has both first strike and double strike (say because of Concerted Effort), and it is in combat with a Tresserhorn Skyknight, does it deal combat damage? I other words, does gaining double strike remove first strike or simply override it?

A: Giving a creature double strike does not remove first strike from the creature. The creature with first strike and double strike will not deal any combat damage. Tresserhorn Skyknight's ability prevents all combat damage that a creature with first strike would deal to it, not just the first strike damage.

Q: It's my opponent's turn. He has Void Maw in play. He casts a spell causing me to sacrifice my Darksteel Colossus. Do I shuffle it into my library, or does he get to remove it from the game?

A: As the controller of this Colossus, it is your choice. You can choose to have it shuffled back into your library or removed from the game by the Void Maw. It does not matter whose turn it is, you always choose the order to apply replacement effects to objects you control.

Q: My opponent plays Demonfire, with X at three, targeting me, and he has no cards in hand. If I play Shining Shoal, discarding Mortify, targeting his Paladin en-Vec and choosing the Demonfire as the source of damage to redirect, will the Paladin en-Vec receive lethal damage?

A: Yes. When your opponent has no cards in hand, the damage from the Demonfire cannot be prevented, but it can be redirected. And because this damage cannot be prevented, the Paladin's protection from red ability will not be able to prevent this damage. So the Paladin will receive three points of damage and go to the graveyard.

Q: My opponent sacrifices his Seal of Fire to deal two points of damage to my Aquastrand Spider. I play Carom and target my Spider and his Rakdos Ickspitter. In response he plays Wrecking Ball and targets my Spider. Will I draw a card, and will the Ickspitter receive any damage?

A: Yes you will draw a card, but the Ickspitter will survive. When Carom goes to resolve, at least one of its targets is still legal, so it will resolve as much as possible. This means that you will draw a card. However when Seal of Fire's ability goes to resolve, it will be countered on resolution, so no damage will be dealt.

Q: I attack with Agrus Kos, Wojek Veteran. The text reads "Whenever Agrus Kos, Wojek Veteran attacks, attacking red creatures get +2/+0 and attacking white creatures get +0/+2 until end of turn." Argus Kos gets +2/+2 and becomes 5/5 until the end of turn. If I play Relentless Assault in my second main phase and attack with Agrus Kos again, will he be become a 7/7?

A: Yes, that is what would happen. The bonus from Agrus Kos' ability lasts until the end of the current turn, so if it triggers a second time, then red and white creatures will get the increase twice.

Q: If I have an Ashnod's Altar and a Sakura Tribe-Elder in play, and sac my Elder to fetch a land, would it trigger the Ashnod's Altar ability and add two colorless mana to my mana pool?

A: No. Ashnod Altar's ability is not a triggered ability; it is an activated ability. In order to get the two mana you have to sacrifice the creature to activate the Altar's ability. You cannot sacrifice a creature to activate some other ability and also get to activate the Altar's ability.