Rules Tip of the Day: An individual replacement effect will only be applied to a single event once; it will not be applied repeatedly over and over again.
Q: Is the champion ability optional? For example: Player A controls a Grizzly Bear, and plays a Changeling Berserker. In response to the champion trigger, player B discards Big Game Hunter to Putrid Imp and plays it, killing the Berserker Changeling. When the champion leaves-play trigger resolves, nothing will return to play. Will player A then be forced to remove his Bears when the comes-into-play ability finally resolves?
A: The champion ability is optional, and the controller of a champion ability can choose not to champion anything. If he does not, then the champion creature is sacrificed, if possible. In this example, the controller of the Berserker is not able to sacrifice the Berserker, so nothing will happen.
Q: Say I Molten Disaster for eight and Garruk Wildspeaker is on the board with three loyalty counters. Can I assign three damage to the plainswalker and the other five to the player, or does it have to be one or the other?
A: It's just one or the other. When Molten Disaster resolves, you can choose to have all eight damage that would be dealt to the controller of Garruk be dealt to Garruk or to Garruk's controller; you cannot divide it up in any way.
Q: Can I use Smokebraider to power up an elemental that has been enchanted by Dragon Breath or Crown of Flames?
A: No. Both of those Auras have abilities that give the enchanted creature a bonus, but they do not give any abilities to the enchanted creature. Because these abilities are not actual abilities of the Elemental, you cannot use mana from Smokebraider to pay for them.
Q: I have Lys Alana Huntmaster in play. I play an Essence Warden; do I gain a life from the token made by the Huntmaster?
A: No. The Huntmaster's ability triggers when you play an Elf spell. This triggered ability will go on the stack on top of the Essence Warden spell and resolve before the Warden spell does. This means that the token will enter play before the Essence Warden does, so the Warden's ability cannot trigger.
Q: The card Shapesharer is a Changeling that can make Shapeshifters become copies of other creatures. Is it still a Changeling if it copies a Llanowar Elves?
A: No. When the targeted Shapeshifter becomes a copy of another creature, it will only have the creature types of the creature that is copies.
Q: If a Pulmonic Sliver is in play, can I choose to place a resolved Crib Swap that I own on top of my library?
A: No. Pulmonic Sliver's ability only applies to permanents in play with the type Sliver. When card text refers to a permanent type or subtype, it means a permanent in play with that type or subtype unless it also uses the words "source," "card," or "spell."
Q: I was wondering about the Mistmeadow Skulk's protection ability. The reminder text of typical color protection abilities don't say anything about artifact equipment cards not being able to equip, only enchantments. So would I be able to equip a three-cc (or more) artifact equipment card to the Skulk?
A: No; the rules of protection prevent any permanent with a converted mana cost of three or more being attached to Mistmeadow Skulk. This applies to Auras and to artifact equipment.
Q: I was wondering if you could imprint either Elvish Spirit Guide or Simian Spirit Guide onto Chrome Mox and still gain the mana from their abilities.
A: No, as you are not activating their abilities, you are removing them from the game when the imprint triggered ability resolves.
Q: I am untapping five permanents and milling five cards because of Mesmeric Orb. The first card I mill is Gaea's Blessing. How does it work? Can I mill all the cards before Gaea's Blessing triggers?
A: No. Mesmeric Orb's ability triggers each time you individually untap one card. In this example, you have five different Mesmeric Orb abilities on the stack that you deal with one at a time. If you mill a Gaea's Blessing when you resolve the first one, then Gaea's Blessing's ability will go on the stack on top of the other Orb abilities and resolve first. You will end up shuffling your graveyard have into your library before you resolve the other four remaining Mesmeric Orb abilities.
Q: Does taking damage constitute an effect? For example, I have a Sun Droplet and Doubling Season, would Doubling Season double the number of counters on the Sun Droplet when taking damage?
A: Damage itself is not an effect. However, the counters on Sun Droplet are put there by the effect from Sun Droplet's first triggered ability. Doubling Season will double these counters.
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