Rules Tip of the Day: Many people refer to triggered abilities as being 'activated' when their trigger condition is met. This is not technically correct. While the end result is somewhat similar—the ability goes on the stack—it does not mean that it is an activated ability.

Q: Can a Lion's Eye Diamond be cracked in response to a Split Second spell? I think it can, because it's still a mana ability, but you can't actually play instants during that time.

A: Yes, you can still use the ability of Lion's Eye Diamond when there is a Split Second spell on the stack. As you pointed out, LED's ability is a mana ability, and Split Second does not prohibit the use of mana abilities. Lion's Eye Diamond's ability has a restriction that you can only use that ability when you could play a instant, but that does not matter. You may not be able to play an actual instant when a Split Second spell is on the stack, but that is because you are prohibited from playing spells.

Q: If you use Scion of the Ur-Dragon's ability and select Bogardan Hellkite, could you use Bogardan Hellkite's ability and deal five damage to whatever?

A: No, this permanent does not come into play; it is already in play. The Scion of the Ur-Dragon becomes a copy of a Borgarden Hellkite, but this does not mean that its comes-into-play ability will trigger.

Q: If one player keeps controlling the other player's turn via Mindslaver and Academy Ruins, is there any type of rule that can "force" the opponent to concede, or do we have to play all turns?

A: You have to play the game out. Demonstrating that your opponent cannot win is not the same as winning. It may take a while, but you can't force a player to concede.

Q: I have a Bloodthirsted Scab-Clan Mauler in play. I cast Might of Old Krosa on it during the main phase to make him a 7/7 with trample, and give him double strike using Psychotic Fury. My opponent has a Paladin en-Vec and a Circle of Protection: Red with one mana open. The opponent blocks the Scab-Clan with Paladin en-Vec. During the first strike damage step, I assign two damage to the Paladin en-Vec, and five to the player. In response, the player uses Circle of Protection: Red to prevent the damage. During the second combat damage step, can the Paladin en-Vec again absorb two damage, as it is still in play due to its Protection from Red ability?

A: Yes. In the first strike combat damage step the damage that was assigned to the Paladin was prevented. So when assigning damage in the normal combat damage step you must again assign what would be lethal damage to the Paladin in order to assign any damage to the defending player. So, at most, you'll be able to deal five points of damage to the defending player in this example.

Q: If I have Psychic Possession in play, and I put down Island Sanctuary, is it possible for me to use the Island Sanctuary at all?

A: No. You can only take advantage of Island Sanctuary's effect if you choose to not draw a card in your in your draw step. However because of Psychic Possession, you skip your entire draw step. This means that you are not given the opportunity to skip a draw in this step, so Island Sanctuary basically does nothing.

Q: If Misdirection is played on a spell with a single target for which there is more than one legal target in play, does Misdirections controler have to chose a different target, or can he decide to change the target to the spell's original target? Here's the situation that came up: My opponent plays Ancestral Recall, to which I respond by playing my own Ancestral Recall (each of us targetting ourselves). At this point, my opponent plays Misdirection, targeting my Ancestral Recall. I then use my own Misdirection to change the target of his Misdirection to his Ancestral Recall. As Misdirection says "Change the target of target spell with a single target", does that mean he has to change the target for a new target, or can he decide to "change" it to be still targeting himself?

A: Misdirection states that you change the target of the target spell; this is not optional. When your opponent's Misdirection resolves, he must choose to have his Ancestral Recall now target you. He cannot choose to have this spell keep its original target.

Q: My opponent activates a Mindslaver to control my next turn. I respond by using Chronosavant's ability to return it to play and skip my next turn. I then skip my next turn. When I do finally get a turn, and he insists he still controls this turn, but I think he's wrong, since the turn he would have controlled never happened. Is this similar to the Final Fortune ruling, where you don't lose the game if you skip that turn? Who's right?

A: Your opponent is correct. Final Fortune is a bit different—it specifically states that you lose the game at the end of the extra turn. Mindslaver allows your opponent to gain control of your next turn, regardless of when it happens.

Q: We have found (through several sources) a player who stole a complete deck from another player (cards worth over $250) at a local tournament. If we cannot convince the player to return the cards, can we ask the DCI to ban the player from other tournaments?

A: You can always ask, but the DCI will not do anything in situations like these. This is really a matter for local law enforcement and your tournament organizer, not DCI officials. While judges obviously do not support theft, this is something that is outside our authority. While at a tournament, a judge may step in and try to help figure out what has happened and perhaps DQ a player, but there is not much that can be done outside an event. Keep in mind that an individual store or tournament organizer can disallow an individual from participating in his or her events.