Rules Tip of the Day: When searching for a card in a public zone (typically a graveyard), you must find all appropriate cards. You are not given the option of failing to find a card in a public zone, as you are in a hidden zone such as a player's hand or library.

Q: My opponent declares an Ashcoat Bear as his only attacker. I have no creatures in play. If I play a Whitemane Lion, can I declare it as a blocker before its return-to-hand ability makes me return it to my hand?

A: No, that does not work. Blockers are declared at the very beginning of the declaration of blockers step. Only those creatures that are in play at this points will be able to block. In order for this Whitemane Lion to block, you'd have to play it in the declaration of attackers step. However, when the Lion enters play, its ability will trigger. This triggered ability will resolve before you can advance to the next step. This means that the Lion will not be in play when blockers are declared.

Q: If I use Sunforger's unattach ability to play a Sudden Shock from my deck, what will my opponent be able to do in response?

A: Your opponent can respond to Sunforger's ability, but this will be before he knows what you intend to search for and play. Once you play the Sudden Shock no player will be able to play spells and non-mana abilities.

Q: Can I play Trickbind targeting a Vanishing ability on a creature coming into play to prevent time counters from being placed on it?

A: No. Creatures with Vanishing come into play with the appropriate number of time counters on them. This is not a triggered ability that can be responded to.

Q: Recently, in casual play, I had the opportunity to enchant my opponent's Keldon Marauder with a Temporal Isolation. My worthy opponent, and his friends, insisted that it would still do one damage to me when it left play. I'm not so sure.

A: Your opponent and his friends were correct. Temporal Isolation has a static ability that only prevents damage from the enchanted creature when the Isolation is in play. When the last time counter is removed from the Keldon Marauder, it will be sacrificed, go to the graveyard, and its ability will trigger. However, before this trigger can go on the stack the Temporal Isolation will go to the graveyard, as it is now illegally in play. When this triggered ability does finally resolve, the damage will be dealt, as the Isolation is not in play.

Q: Will a Totem that is a creature until end of turn get around the sacrifice clause on Pyrohemia? Example: All the creatures in play are killed by Pyrohemia; before end of turn I activate a Phyrexian Totem. At the time that Pyrohemia checks to see if there is a creature in play to keep it around, is the Totem still a creature?

A: Yes it is, and you will not have to sacrifice Pyrohemia. The animation effect from the Totem lasts until the end of the current turn, which means that it will end in the cleanup step of the turn. Pyrohemia's ability triggers at the beginning of the end of turn step, which is before the cleanup step. So this Totem will be a creature, and Pyrohemia's ability will not trigger.

Q: I have played nine spells before playing Volcanic Awakening. My opponent and I each have five lands in play. May I decide to not choose new targets for the extra copies, knowing that they will be countered? In other words, could I allow copies of Volcanic Awakening to "fizzle" instead of destroying my own lands?

A: Yes. You can choose to change the target of just some of these Storm copies, you are not required to change the targets of all of them and choose to target lands that you control.

Q: I would like to know what happends if I play Vesuva, and choose my opponent's Lotus Vale. Do I have to sacrifice two lands as Vesuva comes into play?

A: Yes. Vesuva comes into play exactly as Lotus Vale would. In order for this Vesuva to enter play, you will have to sacrifice two untapped lands or put this Vesuva card into your graveyard.

Q: My opponent has a Trespasser il-Vec in play, and on my turn I play Ixidron. He allows my Ixidron to come into play, and he says that in response, he can use the il-Vec ability, discard a Dark Withering, and kill my Ixidron. Does this work?

A: No, it does not. If Ixidron comes into play, the Trespasser will be face down with no abilities. Before it comes into play, Ixidron is a spell on the stack and cannot be targeted by Dark Withering.

Q: If I have Pillar Tombs of Aku and a creature in play, do I have to sacrifice the creature to the Pillar, or can I chose not to and lose five life to destroy the enchent world?

A: Sacrificing a creature is not a choice when Pillar Tomb of Aku's ability resolves—if you control one, you have to sacrifice it. It is only if you are unable to sacrifice a creature that you will lose five life and the Pillar Tomb will be sacrificed.