Rules Tip of the Day: In Magic, 'to respond to something' or the phrase 'in response' means to play a spell and ability after another spell or ability has been put on the stack so the ability you just played will resolve first. (When dealing with communication disagreements this is how most judges would interpret it.) If you intend to play a spell or ability after the first has resolved, you need to make that clear.
Q: My friend is saying that since Mercy Killing has you sacrifice the creature, I can't target his creatures. Is that correct?
A: No, you can target an opponent's creature. Mercy Killing instructs the controller of the targeted creature to sacrifice it, not you.
Q: Does clashing use the stack? For instance, I have Enchanted Evening in play as well as a Ronin Unicorn. My opponent plays Spring Cleaning, targeting my Evening. I know I can sacrifice my Unicorn to destroy my Enchanted Evening and counter his spell, but can I wait until the clash is over to decide if I want to do this?
A: What you want to do does not work. Clash does not use the stack as a separate item; it is an action that is applied when a clash spell or ability resolves. In this example, the clash happens as Spring Cleaning resolves. You cannot respond to just the clash portion of the spell.
Q: I have an Everlasting Torment in play, and my opponent has a Stuffy Doll. I target the Doll with a Shock. Does the Stuffy Doll get to deal the damage to me?
A: Yes. This Stuffy Doll is dealt damage, but in the form of it receiving -1/-1 counters. When it is dealt this wither damage, its ability will trigger, and the chosen player will receive two points of damage when this ability resolves.
Q: Is it possible to avoid damage from Raking Canopy by attacking with ground creatures, and then giving them flying after they've been declared attackers, such as with Wings of Velis Vel or paying the ability cost of Order Of The Golden Cricket?
A: Yes. Raking Camopy's ability triggers when a creature with flying attacks. That ability does not trigger when an attacking creature gains flying.
Q: If I make an Avian Changeling into an enchantment with Enchanted Evening, will a Honden see it as a Shrine?
A: Shrine is an enchantment subtype, not a creature subtype. Making creatures with Changeling into enchantments does not give them any additional subtypes; they still only have all creature subtypes. So no, that does not work.
Q: Does Prison Term eliminate the abilities of Timber Protector?
A: No, Timber Protector has two static abilities. Static abilities are not affected by Prison Term.
Q: Can I use Fate Transfer on a creature with suspend? Would it move all the suspend counters onto another creature?
A: No. Cards that are suspended are in the removed from game zone. They are not permanents. So a suspended creature card is not a creature. It is only a creature after it enters play.
Q: I have a Leaf-Crowned Elder in play and my opponent has a 2/2. During my upkeep, when the kinship trigger resolves, I reveal Nameless Inversion and choose to play it, targeting his 2/2. Is the Nameless Inversion part of the resolution of the Leaf-Crowned Elder's kinship ability, or does my opponent get to respond to the Nameless Inversion?
A: Playing the Nameless Inversion happens when Leaf-Crowned Elder's ability resolves, but this spell will go on the stack and can be responded to. So your opponent can respond to the Nameless Inversion spell.
Q: I have a Bottle Gnomes in play with a counter on it from Makeshift Mannequin. My opponent plays Shock targeting Bottle Gnomes; can I put the Mannequin counter ability on the stack, and respond by gaining 3 life?
A: Yes, the ability given by Makeshift Mannequin to the "reanimated" creature is a triggered ability that uses the stack and can be responded to.
Q: I have a Colfenor's Urn and a face-down Krosan Cloudscraper in play. If the morphed Cloudscraper leaves play, will it be removed by the Urn?
A: No. This creature left play as a 2/2 creature, so Colfenor's Urn's ability will not trigger. That ability looks at the power of the creature when it leaves play.
Q: If my opponent uses Dimir Doppelganger to copy Sutured Ghoul, is its power determined at that time, or is it 0 for not having come into play?
A: This Doppleganger / Ghoul did not come into play, which means that the comes-into-play ability of Sutured Ghoul was not applied. It will be a 0/0 creature and go to the graveyard.
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