Rules Tip of the Day: As a spectator at a match, you should not make any comments or interfere at all. If you notice something illegal has occurred, don't stop the game. Call a judge over to correct the situation.
Q: I have Imperial Mask in play and my opponent plays Earwig Squad. Does Earwig Squad target me or just my library? Can he search my library, or does the mask prevent the search?
A: Earwig Squad's ability does target a player, not just a library. Because of this, your opponent cannot use Earwig Squad's ability to remove three cards from your library if you have Shroud.
Q: I have a Taurean Mauler in play, and my opponent suspends a Greater Gargadon. Does the Mauler get a +1/+1 conter on it?
A: No, as the Gargadon was not played. Suspending a card is not the same as playing a spell. Later, when the Gargadon unsuspends, it will be played.
Q: I have a Obsidian Battle-Axe and a Cream of the Crop in play. I play Imperious Perfect. Can I stack it so that the Axe equips and Cream works for four instead of two?
A: Yes. Cream of the Crop's ability looks at the power of the creature that came into play, when the ability resolves. When this Elf Warrior comes into play, you have two triggered abilities to put on the stack. If you put the trigger of the Obsidian Battle-Axe on the stack last, it will resolve first, and cause the Battle-Axe to become attached to the Elf Warrior. Then, when Cream of the Crop's ability resolves, you will be able to look at the top four cards in your library.
Q: If my opponent evokes Reveillark, and I respond to the "sacrifice" trigger of the evoke ability by casting Sudden Spoiling, can he still return the creatures from his graveyard with the other ability of Reveillark?
A: No. This Reveillark will leave play without any abilities, so its leaves-play ability cannot trigger. Your opponent will not be able to put two creature cards from his graveyard with power less than two into play.
Q: If a creature comes into play after you use Mirror Entity's ability, do they still become x/x until end of turn?
A: No. The effect from Mirror Entity's ability only applies to those creatures you control when the ability resolves. Any creatures that come into play under your control later will not be affected.
Q: I have a Protean Hulk in play and a Shriekmaw in my library. When the Protean Hulk is put into the graveyard and I can find creatures, can I find Shriekmaw for its evoke cost?
A: No. You can only put a creature into play via its evoke cost when you play it via its evoke cost. You can not choose to put a creature into play though some other method and have its evoke ability cause you to sacrifice it, or count its evoke cost as its casting cost.
Q: Just a quick question regarding Forced Fruition. If an opponent's spell is countered, it's still counted as played, correct? Will they still have to draw seven?
A: You are correct. A spell is played when it is announced, put on the stack, all necessary choices are made, and it is paid for. Even if it is countered, it was played. Forced Fruition will cause your opponent to draw seven cards even if a spell they played is countered.
Q: Does the text on a Banneret reduce the cost you pay to play it? For example: Ballyrush Banneret costs 1W to play. Do I only have to pay W to play it?
A: No, it does not work like that. The Banneret ability only applies when the Banneret is in play. When you play a spell, it goes on the stack. You will calculate how much this spell costs while it is on the stack. Because of this, the Banneret ability cannot lower its own cost. In the example, given you'd have to pay 1W for Ballyrush Banneret.
Q: I have a question about Soulbright Flamekin. After its ability resolves for the third time, can I take this RRRRRRRR and repeat the process on the same Soulbright Flamekin, or do I have to use this ability on another Soulbright Flamekin? I'm trying to generate a lot of red mana.
A: In order to generate another eight red mana, you need to use the ability of another Soulbright Flamekin in play. The ability of the first Soulbright Flamekin has already resolved three times this turn. Activating it three more times will make the last activation be the sixth time this turn that it has resolved, which does not meet the trigger condition.
Q: My opponent's Protean Hulk goes to the graveyard. He chooses creatures from his library, a Body Double and a one-CC creature. Can I respond by getting rid of the Hulk in the graveyard, so that he cannot target the Hulk with the Body Double?
A: No. Your opponent will find creatures in his library with a total converted mana cost of 6 of less and put them all into play when Protean Hulk's ability resolves. As the Body Double enters play, your opponent will choose a creature to copy. By the time you gain priority to do anything, the Body Double will be in play as a copy of the Hulk. This does not target the Hulk in the graveyard. In order to prevent this from happening, you'd need to remove the Hulk from your opponent's graveyard before the Hulk's leaves-play triggered ability starts to resolve. Keep in mind that this would be before you'd know what creature cards that your opponent was intending to search for.
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