Rules Tip of the Day: When calculating the power and toughness of a creature, you start with its "base" or printed power and toughness, and then apply other continuous effects in the following order: a) effects from characteristic-setting abilities, b) all other effects not covered in another sub-layer, c) effects from counters, d) effects from static abilities that do not set power and toughness to a specific number, and finally e) effects that switch power and toughness. Power and toughness setting effects happen in the sixth layer when calculating the characteristics of a permanent, so these sub-layers are often called 6a, 6b, 6c etc.

Q: I play Retether and I have Reality Acid in my graveyard, can I play it on any permanent or does it have to enchant a creature?

A: Retether only returns those Auras to play attached to creatures. You can return Reality Acid to play, but you can only choose to have it attach to a creature.

Q: How does Ovinize affect a Venser's Sliver if Fury Sliver is in play? Does the Venser Sliver become a 0/1 with double strike, or without?

A: This Venser's Sliver will be just a 0/1 without Double Strike, or any other abilities. Both the effect from Fury Sliver's ability that grants Double Strike and Ovinize's effect that removes all of the targeted creature's abilities are applied in the same layer (layer 5). As these two effects are not dependent on each other in any way, they are applied in timestamp order. The Ovinize resolved last, so its effect that removes the abilities of the targeted creature will "win."

Q: Can Fury Charm target a Suspended card or permanent that has less than two time counters on it?

A: Yes. Fury Charm can target any permanent or Suspended card. It does not matter how many time counters are on this card. If there are less than two, Fury Charm will do as much as possible and remove the counters that are there.

Q: I have twenty life, my opponent has ten life, and I use Magus of the Mirror's ability. Would I gain life if I sacrificed Children of Korlis?

A: Yes. It does count as loss of life if your life total goes down when Magus of the Mirror's ability resolves. Because of this, you will "gain back" any life that you lost when the Magus' ability resolved, plus any other life you lost that turn.

Q: I had a question about Ink-Treader Nephilim's triggered ability and Momentary Blink. Will Momentary Blink be copied for only your creatures, or for all creatures on the board?

A: Ink-Treader Nephilim's ability only makes copies of the spell that targets it for each other creature that could be targeted by this spell. Momentary Blink can only target a creature you control, so Ink-Treader's ability will only make copies for your creatures.

Q: I have a Greater Good in play and a Spectral Force enchanted with Moldervine Cloak. If I sacrifice the creature to the Greater Good, does the Moldervine Cloak reach the graveyard in time for one of the eight cards I'll draw on resolution of the GGs ability to be replaced with the Cloak via its Dredge?

A: Yes. When you activate Greater Good's ability and put it on the stack you sacrifice a creature to pay the activation cost. Any enchantments that were on this creature will go to the graveyard immediately after you have played this ability. A Moldervine Cloak that was on the sacrificed creature will be in the graveyard and available for you to Dredge when Greater Good's ability resolves and you draw all those cards. (Also, you won't draw eight cards in this example, you will draw eleven. Greater Good's ability uses the last-known information about the Spectral Force when it was last in play and you sacrificed it. At that time, the Spectral Force's power was eleven and not eight.)

Q: I have a question about Nullstone Gargoyle and Fiery Conclusion. I was under the impression that sacrificing the Gargoyle as the cost of playing the Conclusion would allow it to resolve unimpeded. Am I right? If so, why exactly?

A: Yes, you are correct. Nullstone Gargoyle has a triggered ability that triggers when a spell is played. A spell is not played until the entire announcement has been completed. During the announcement of Fiery Conclusion, you sacrifice the Nullstone Gargolyle when you pay costs. This means that the Gargoyle is not in play when the spell has been played. Because of this, the Gargoyle's ability cannot trigger, and Fiery Conclusion will resolve as usual.

Q: If I have Urzatron in play and a Joiner Adept, can I tap an Urza's Tower for three mana of any color, or will I get only one colored mana of my choice?

A: You can use the Tower's "innate" ability to get 3 colorless mana, or the ability granted by the Adept to generate one mana of any color. These two abilities do not combine and enable you to generate three colored mana.

Q: If an 0/6 Shield Sphere is assigned as a blocker for a creature with a power of five, will the -0/-1 counter go on during or after combat? In other words, will it die?

A: Shield Sphere's ability triggers when it is declared as a blocker. This ability will resolve and it will get the -0/-1 counter before the combat damage step. In this example, when combat damage is dealt the Shield Sphere will receive lethal damage.