Rules Tip of the Day: Text changing effects are those that alter specific words on already existing text. Effects that grant or remove abilities are not text changing effects.

Q: What occurs when I have an Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth in play along with my Spectral Force? Are my opponent's lands considered black permanents because they are Swamps, allowing my Force to untap normally?

A: No, that does not work. Lands are inherently colorless. It does not matter if they gain the Swamp subtype; they are not black permanents. Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth and Spectral Force is not a combo.

Q: I have a Bloodbond March in play, and a Body Double and Simic Sky Swallower as the only creatues in the graveyard. I play a Body Double from my hand, choosing the Simic Sky Swallower to copy. What happens? Does the Bloodbond March return the Simic or the Body Double in the graveyard to play?

A: First of all, you don't choose what to copy until the Body Double spell resolves. When you play it, it will be a Body Double spell on the stack. When you play the Body Double spell from your hand, the ability of Bloodbond March will trigger. When this triggered ability resolves, you will return to play any creature cards with the same name as the spell that you just played. This means you return the Body Double to play, not the Simic Sky Swallower. When this card comes into play, you can choose to have it copy the Simic Sky Swallower in your graveyard. Then the initial Body Double spell will resolve and it will come into play. You can then choose to have it copy the same Simic Sky Swallower.

Q: Will Rebuff the Wicked stop spells such as Boom / Bust and Avalanche Riders which are targetting your lands?

A: It can counter the Boom side of Boom / Bust, but not Bust, as Bust does not target anything. It also cannot counter Avalanche Riders. Creature spells do not target. Many of them, like Avalanche Riders, have triggered abilities that do target, but Rebuff the Wicked cannot target abilities.

Q: Assuming I have Haakon, Stromgald Scourge in play and Riftmarked Knight in my graveyard, can I pay 1WW and Suspend the Knight instead of playing it?

A: No. Hakkon's ability allows you to play Knight cards in your graveyard. This means that you can announce them, put then on the stack, and pay for them. You cannot use the activated abilities or perform any special actions associated with these Knight cards.

Q: How does Meddle interact with "choose" cards such as Funeral Charm? Do I get to change the effect chosen as well as the target?

A: Spells and abilities that use the format "choose one -" are modal. When you play a modal spell or ability you choose which mode you are using when the spell is played. (Or when they go on the stack for those few modal triggered abilities.) Effects that change the targets of a spell or ability do not change their modes. If you target a modal spell with Meddle, you will be able to change the target, but not the chosen mode.

Q: Recently I played an opponent who would remove my creature from the game with Vanish into Memory during my declare attackers step. He would draw his cards, and then during his upkeep when my creature was supposed to return to play, he would cast Voidslime, targeting the triggered effect that would cause my creature to return to play. My question is, does this work as he says it does, and why or why not?

A: Yes that does work. Vanish into Memory removes the targeted creature from play when it resolves and creates a delayed triggered ability. This delayed triggered ability will go on the stack at the beginning of Vanish into Memory's controller's next upkeep. This triggered ability can be countered by things like Voidslime. If thes delayed triggered ability is countered then the removed creature will remain removed from the game and this player will not have to discard any cards.

Q: What happens when the card Unearth is used to bring a creature into play with a converted mana cost with X in it? For example: Unearth is used to bring Lightning Serpent from the graveyard into play. Can the X be paid as it enters play or can X not be paid if Unearth is used?

A: "X" will be undefined, as you are not playing this sell. Because of this, you are not given an option of paying anything. In this example, Lightning Serpent will come into play as a 2/1 creature.

Q: If I target Counterspell with Odds of Odds / Ends and I lose the flip, can I then duplicate the Counterspell and use the duplicate to counter the counter?

A: Yes. Regardless of the outcome of the coin flip, you can use the Odds portion of Odds / Ends to counter a counterspell.

Q: Suppose I'm playing a combo deck, and I am facing a bad matchup. If I combo off game 1, could I continuously do it for the rest of the time in the round? I'm playing Second Sunrise, so I can do the combo infinite times without killing. Would that be legal, seeing as how I'm actually performing an action, and not just stalling?

A: No. You must demonstrate that you are advancing the game state in some way, you can't just waste time because you want to. You may be performing an action, but this action has to have a purpose. Performing an action, even if it is legal, just to waste time is stalling.