Ask The Judge, 2/12/2008
Rules Tip of the Day: You can only play spells via their flashback cost when you ccould normally play those spells.
Q: How does Maralen of the Mornsong affect Scroll Rack? Does Scroll Rack still work?
A: Yes, Scroll Rack still works. The effect from Scroll Rack's ability does not make you draw. You will still take the card in your hand, set them aside, put a number of cards from the top of your library equal to the number of cards that were in your hand into your hand, and then put the cards that were set aside on top of your library in any order.
Q: I have Garruk Wildspeaker in play and a Rings of Brighthearth. Can I activate his first ability to untap two target lands, and then activate Rings of Brighthearth to copy the same ability repeated, pumping him endlessly?
A: No. First of all Rings of Brighthearth's ability only triggers when an activated ability is played. It will not trigger when its own ability puts a copy of an activated ability on the stack. So, at most, you'll only get one additional ability on the stack. Also, you add or remove loyalty counters to a planeswalker as the activation cost of the ability. Making a copy of a planeswalker's activated ability will not put additional loyalty counters on it. In this example, you will be able to add one counter to your Garruk and untap up to four lands if you pay two mana when Rings of Brighthearth's ability resolves.
Q: If I use Incandescent Soulstoke's ability to put a champion creature into play and champion the Soulstoke, do I still have to sacrifice the creature at end of turn? I heard that the sac effect is attached to the Soulstoke, and if he is not in play, then the effect does not happen.
A: What you heard is incorrect. Removing the Soulstroke from the game will not prevent the delayed triggered ability that was created when its ability resolved from triggering, going on the stack, or resolving.
Q: If I cast Browbeat or another "punisher spell", and my opponent chooses to take the damage, can I redirect this damage to a planeswalker they control?
A: Yes. Browbeat is a spell you control that is dealing damage to another player. You can choose to have this damage be redirected to a planeswalker they control. It does not matter that this player is choosing to have this damage dealt to them.
Q: If I turn a Vesuvan Shapeshifter face up and copy a Mutavault that is a creature, am I allowed to turn it face down on my upkeep?
A: Yes. This permanent is not a creature, but it will still have the ability to be turned face down. When it does, the copy effect will end, and it will become a vanilla 2/2 creature.
Q: Can I use Coffin Queen to play Nameless Inversion from my graveyard?
A: No, Coffin Queen's ability can only target creature cards. Nameless Inversion has creature subtypes, but it is not a creature card.
Q: I had two Priveleged Positions in play, along with a True Believer and a Platinum Angel. My opponent had a Butcher Orgg and said that he could still divide the damage among my creatures, because it was indirect damage, not targeted. He won the game after he zapped away my creatures. But my creatures were targeted by Orgg for the combat damage. Should I have won that game, or was he right?
A: Your opponent was correct and he won that game legitimately. Combat damage does not target. Butcher Orgg's ability allows it to assign combat damage in an unsual way, but this does not target anything.
Q: With Circle of Affliction, can I gain and deal more damage then was dealt to me? If a White Knight attacks me and the color chosen is white, can I tap four mana to gain four life and make the Knight's controller lose four life, or is it limited to the two damage the was initially done?
A: When Circle of Affliction's ability resolves, you can pay one mana, once. If you do, then the controller of the source that dealt damage to you will lose one life and you will gain one life. You cannot pay more than one mana. Also, it does not matter that this creature dealt two points of damage to you; Circle of Affliction's ability only triggered once. That ability only cares that you were dealt damage by a source of the chosen color. It does not card about the amount of damage that was dealt.
Q: Some Fungus creatures receive counters, and have abilities that remove counters to generate or affect Saproling tokens. With these creatures, do you have to remove the counters when you have the appropriate number, or is it up to the creature's controller when to remove them?
A: Those are activated abilities; you can choose when you want to remove the spore counters and get the effect. It is not something that happens automatically when the creature receives a certain number of spore counters.
Q: If I enchant a Stuffy Doll with Destructive Urge, can I use Stuffy Doll's ability to hit itself for one damage, thus causing damage to my opponent and destroying one of his lands?
A: No. Destructive Urge's ability triggers when the enchanted creature deals combat damage, not any damage.





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