Rules Tip of the Day: The colors of a card are determined by the colored mana in the mana cost in the upper right hand of a card. This also applied to hybrid symbols, where each symbol represents both colors that can be paid. It does not matter if a card has other colored costs associated with it, like kicker, or a multicolored alternate play cost, like the Bringers from Fifth Dawn. The only exceptions are those cards with characteristic-defining abilities that set their color, like the Kobolds from Legends and Transguild Courier from Dissension.

Q: Does Midnight Banshee work on creatures with shroud?

A: Yes, as its ability does not target.

Q: If a Kulrath Knight is in play, and the attacking or defending player uses an instant or ability that adds counters to an attacking creature, does the creature stop attacking?

A: No. Kulrath Knight's ability only prevents creatures with counters controlled by an opponent from being declared as attacking or blocking. A creature that is already attacking or blocking will remain so, even if it later receives counters.

Q: If Blowfly Infestation is in play, and a creature with three -1/-1 counters on it dies, are all three -1/-1 counters moved to another creature, or just one?

A: Technically speaking, no counters are moved. Blowfly Infestation puts a single -1/-1 counter on a targeted creature whenever a creature with any number of -1/-1 counters leaves play. This counter is not really the one that was on the creature that left play; it is a new one, generated by Blowfly Infestation.

Q: In play, I had Benalish Cavalry, Knight of the Holy Nimbus, and Cavalry Master, and all my opponent had was a Dusk Urchin. I attacked with my Benalish Cavalry and Knight of the Holy Nimbus. He blocked one of my Knights with his Dusk Urchin, and said that he could draw three cards, since there were three counters on his creature: one -1/-1 counter for declaring it as a blocker, and two -1/-1 counters from the double flanking of my Knight. I don't think that flanking involves counters. Who is right?

A: You are; the -1/-1 effect from flanking is not represented by a counter. Only effects that specifically refer to using counters use counters. Similarly, Giant Growth does not give a creature three +1/+1 counters or a single +3/+3 counter.

Q: If I have a Drove of Elves with five green permanents, and my opponent plays a Godhead of Awe, will Drove of Elves be 5/5 or 1/1?

A: It will be a 1/1. The effect from Godhead of Awe's ability is applied after the characteristic-defining ability of Drove of Elves.

Q: If you use Fate Transfer to move vanishing counters from a creature with vanishing to a creature without vanishing, does the target creature gain vanishing?

A: No. First of all, there is no such thing as vanishing counters. The vanishing ability, like the suspend ability, uses time counters. These counters are used to keep track of the game state; they do not grant any abilities.

Q: I have a Pyrohemia in play and my opponent has two Treefolk in play and a Timber Protector. If I pay enough red mana to burn all of his creatures, will Timber Protector die first, followed by the Treefolk, or will the Timber Protector be the only creature that dies?

A: All creatures will end up going to the graveyard. The indestructible creatures will be dealt damage, and this damage will stay on them. Later, when the TImber Protector leaves play, these other Treefolk will cease being indestructible and then go to the graveyard. It does not matter that when this lethal damage was initially dealt, these permanents were indestructible.

Q: At the beginning of my upkeep, I have a Chimeric Egg in play with two charge counters on it. I also have two Energy Chambers in play. At my upkeep, can I put one charge counter on Chimeric Egg, make it a creature, and then put a 1/1 counter on it with the other Energy Chamber?

A: No. At the beginning of your upkeep, the abilities of the two Energy Chambers will trigger and go on the stack at the same time. These two abilities target, so you must choose legal targets at this time. AS the Chimeric Egg is not a creature yet, you cannot choose the first mode of Energy Chamber's ability and target the Chimeric Egg.

Q: I have Night Soil in play, and two tokens are put in the graveyard. Can I remove the tokens from the graveyard and make a Saproling token, or do the tokens cease to exist before I can use Night Soil's ability?

A: That does not work for two reasons. First, as you guessed, these token creatures will cease to exist after they go to the graveyard and before anyone can play any spells or abilities. Second, Night Soil has errata so it specifically mentions removing creature cards from your graveyard. Tokens are not cards, even if they are represented by then, so this would not work, even if these tokens did somehow remain in your graveyard.