Rules Tip of the Day: Effects that lower the cost of a spell lower the total cost. Included in the total cost of a spell are the base mana cost, the variable cost of X and additional costs like kicker, splice and replicate.

Q: When a conspire cost is paid, a copy of the spell with conspire goes on the stack. Can you pay that copy's conspire cost and make another copy?

A: No, you can only pay the conspire cost when you play a spell with conspire, not when a copy of a spell with conspire goes on the stack.

Q: My opponent has a Stonehewer Giant in play with Whispersilk Cloak attached to it. Can he use the Giant's ability to attach another equipment to it?

A: Yes. Stonehewer Giant's ability does not target anything, including the creature that you attach the searched-for equipment to.

Q: My opponent has a morphed Akroma, Angel of Fury and I play Sower of Temptation targeting the face-down creature. When I have control of the Angel, I unmorph it. Since Akroma has protection from blue, does my opponent gain back control of Akroma since Sower is blue?

A: No. Once Sower of Temptation's comes-into-play triggered ability resolves, the effect created by this ability will continue to be applied until the Sower leaves play. Giving the 'stolen' creature protection from blue after this ability has resolved will not change things. You will continue to keep control of Akroma.

Q: If I play Phyrexian Dreadnought and then, while the triggered ability is on the stack, play Vision Charm, making Phyrexian Dreadnought phase out, what would happen with the triggered ability?

A: It will still resolve, and you will have to sacrifice creatures with a combined power of 12 or greater if you have them, or at least sacrifice as much as possible. The fact that the Dreadnought is not in play does not matter, other than the fact that you will not, and cannot, sacrifice the Dreadnought, even if you cannot sacrifice enough creatures.

Q: I just got the Delaying Shield and Soul Echo combo, and I was wondering how it worked exactly?

A: When damage would be dealt to you, you can choose whether to have Soul Echo's ability prevent the damage or Delaying Shield's ability to do so. If you choose to have damage to you prevented by Delaying Shield, then Soul Echo will not lose any echo counters on it. This means that it will not leave play unless some other effect causes it to leave play. And because it keeps you from losing if your life total is zero or below, it does not matter how much life you end up losing when Delaying Shield's upkeep triggered ability resolves.

Q: I have a Wild Pair in play. I play a Plaxcaster Frogling. Can I go search for a Fungal Behemoth, which is a */*, or is the */* defined?

A: The */* is defined. But it is defined as the number of +1/+1 counters on creatures you control. Assuming that the only creature you control with +1/+1 counters on it is the Frogling, then the power and toughness of the Behemoth will be 3/3, and you will be able to search for it.

Q: If I play a Control Magic on a tapped creature, can I untap the creature, or does it remain tapped?

A: You will untap the creature, but only in your untap step or if you find some other effect to untap it. When this creature becomes enchanted by Control Magic, it does not become untapped.

Q: I have a Willbender in play face-down and all the other creatures in play are black or artifacts. My opponent plays Terror on the face-down Willbender. Is it possible to change the target of Terror to another creature, even if all other target are illegal, just to keep Willbender alive?

A: No. Just as when you play a spell or ability, you must choose legal targets, when you alter the target of a spell or ability, you must choose legal targets. If there are no other legal targets, then the ability will not do anything.

Q: There's a big argument with my friends concerning Sylvan Library. I have a Sylvan Library in play and five cards left in my deck. I decide to use the ability of the Library to draw two extra cards. In response, my opponent plays a Vision Charm and mills four cards off my deck. I have one last card left on my library. What happens ? Do I lose the game because I decided to draw two extra cards, or do I only draw the last card left on my library, without losing the game?

A: What you have described cannot happen. When Sylvan Library's upkeep triggered ability resolves, you can draw two cards. If you choose to do so, then you draw them; no one can respond to this choice by playing spells and abilities. Your opponent will not gain priority to play Vision Charm until after you have completely resolved Sylvan Library's ability. Your opponent can choose to play Vision Charm before Sylvan Library's ability resolves, but if he does, then you can choose to not draw these extra cards. Or he can play Vision Charm after the Sylvan Library has resolved, in which case it will be too late to affect your draws or ability to make them.