Rules Tip of the Day: Abilities that trigger at the beginning of a step or phase will only trigger if the permanent with the triggered ability is in play at the very beginning of that step or phase. It does not matter if a permanent with a triggered ability enters play soon after the step or phase has begun.

Q: How does resolving multiple copies of Dragonstorm work with Aven Mindslicer in play? Does a player shuffle the entire library after each search of the top four cards?

A: Yes, this player will shuffle his or her entire library. When a single copy of Dragonstorm resolves, its controller will look at the top four cards of his library for a Dragon card. If there is one there, the player can put it into play. The player will then then shuffle his library. This means that the top four cards of this player's library will be different when the next copy of Dragonstorm resolves. It is a common, acceptable shortcut to resolve multiple copies of Dragonstorm and wait to shuffle until all have resolved. However, with Aven Mindslicer in play, this shortcut should not be used.

Q: My opponent has a Lightning Axe from my graveyard enchanted with Spellweaver Volute. He plays a sorcery from his hand using all but one of his available mana. The sorcery was the last card in his hand. What happens to the enchanted Lightning Axe?

A: Nothing. When Spellweaver Volute's ability resolves, a copy of Lightning Axe will be made. Spellweaver Volute's ability does not put this copy of the spell on the stack. To play this copy, its controller will have to pay an additional 5 mana or discard a card. As this player cannot do either, he will not be able to play the copy. And because this copy is not played, the Lightning Axe will remain in the graveyard and Spellweaver Volute will remain attached to it.

Q: I have a face-down Gathan Raiders. My opponent plays Sudden Death, targeting my Morph. In response, I may unmorph my creature by discarding a card; I choose to discard Fiery Temper. Will the Madness trigger on my Fiery Temper stack? Or does it simply "fizzle" with a Split Second spell on the stack?

A: If you discard this card and choose to remove it from the game, then the Madness ability will trigger and go on the stack. Normally it is when this triggered ability resolves that you can pay the Madness cost and play this card. However, as there is a Split Second spell on the stack, you are prohibited from playing spells or non-mana abilities. This includes playing spells via an alternate method like Madness. So the Madness triggered ability will not "fizzle", it will resolve. But when it does, you will not be able to do anything.

Q: If I have Bridge From Below in my graveyard. I play Damnation killing off two of my oponent's creatures, and two of my own. What happens? Would I have to remove Bridge from the game? Would I get two 2/2 tokens in play? Both?

A: Both things will happen, if you handle it right.. When Damnation resolves, each of Bridge from Below's two abilities will trigger twice. As the controller of these abilities, you can choose the order that they all go on the stack and, therefore, resolve. If you put the triggers from your opponent's creatures on the stack first, followed by the triggers from your creatures, the Zombie token triggers will resolve first, giving you the outcome you want. In the end you will have to remove Bridge from Below from the game and you will get two 2/2 Zombie tokens. The triggered ability of Bridge from Below that causes you to remove it from the game will resolve twice, but when the second of these abilities resolves, nothing will happen.

Q: How does Spellweaver Volute interact with split cards in a graveyard? I assume you enchant the entire card, but when the Volute triggers, do you play a "copy of the... card" and therefore get both halves, or do you play a "copy of the... card" and then choose which half to copy?

A: Whenever you play a split card, or a copy of a split card, you choose one half of that card and play it. A split card imprinted on Isochron Scepter works similarly. So if Fire / Ice in a graveyard is enchanted by Spellweaver Volute and you play a sorcery, the Volute's ability will make a copy of this card. Then, as you play it, you can choose Fire or Ice, but not both.

Q: If Celestial Ancient is in play, and I play Doubling Season, do each of my creatures get two counters instead of one?

A: No. Celestial Ancient's ability triggers when you play an enchantment spell, not when one comes into play. In this example, the Ancient's triggered ability will go on the stack on top of Doubling Season, and it will resolve before Doubling Season does. As Doubling Season is not in play when this happens, the number of counters placed on creatures you control will not be doubled.

Q: I play Darksteel Colossus and then my opponent plays Phthisis on it. Will it still do damage, even though it cannot destroy the creature?

A: Yes. When a spell or ability resolves, it does as much as possible. Even if one portion of a spells effect is impossible to carry out, the remainder will. (This is assuming it resolves; spells that are countered on resolution do not resolve at all.) When Phthisis resolves, you will receive damage, even though the targeted creature is not destroyed. Bad news for you.

Q: My opponent has an Arcbound Crusher with 20 +1/+1 counters on it. I have a Darksteel Reactor on my side with zero counters on it. I cast Dismantle on his Arcbound Crusher. He sacrifices it to Claws of Gix. Does Dismantle still create 20 counters to go on the Darksteel Reactor?

A: No. Dismantle is countered on resolution in this example, as its target is not in play when it attempts to resolve. No part of its effect will be applied to the game.