Rules Tip of the Day: All targets of a spell or ability must be legal when the spell or ability is announced. You may not purposely choose an illegal target to get some benefit, like triggering an ability that triggers when targets are chosen.

Q: I have Evershrike in my graveyard, and I spend four mana to return him to play, attaching a Spirit Loop to him. Does my opponent have the chance to respond to the Aura being attached by playing Incinerate on him?

A: No. When that ability resolves, Evershrike is returned to play and you can put an Aura in your hand into play attached to it. Then, after this ability has completely resolved, each player will receive priority to play other spells and abilities. There is not a point in-between when the Evershrike is returned to play and the Aura is put into play that anyone will be able to do anything.

Q: I have a Scarblade Elite in my graveyard, and a Mulldrifer in play with an opponent's Prison Term enchanting it. Can I play Profane Command for 2, kill my own Mulldrifter to get rid of Prison Term, and bring back my Scarblade Elite without it being targeted by Prison Term?

A: Yes. When this Profane Command resolves, the enchanted Mulldrifter will go to the graveyard and the Scarblade Elite will be put into play. When the Elite comes into play, Prison Term's ability will trigger. This does not target. However, before this triggered ability can go on the stack, state-based effects are checked. At this time the Prison Term will go to the graveyard, as it is not legally in play. Technically speaking, the Prison Term ability will then go on the stack and resolve, but the Prison Term will not be returned to play.

Q: I have a Kinsbaile Borderguard with three +1/+1 counters on it and I play a Grief Tyrant. It comes into play as normal, with its four -1/-1 counters. I then play Fate Transfer and declare the Borderguard as the target to move the to from the Grief Tyrant. I believe I will get seven 1/1 Kithkin, because the Borderguard had three +1/+1 counters and four -1/-1 counters on it when it went to the graveyard, since state-based effects would not yet have cancelled out the counters. Is this correct?

A: Yes. Kinsbaille Borderguard's leaves play triggered ability uses the last known information about the Borderguard when it was in play. When the Borderguard was last in play, it had seven counters on it, so this ability will generate seven 1/1 token creatures. This is because the Borderguard's ability counts the number of counters on it, regardless of what kind of counters they are, and it does not matter that the six of these counters cease to exist at the same time that the Borderguard leaves play.

Q: I have Hostility and Pandemonium in play. I play Shock. Does it create a loop of 3/1 creatures that I can stop by choosing not to deal damage with Pandemonium?

A: No. Hostility's ability only replaces what happens when a spell you control would deal damage to a player, not what would happen when an ability you control would deal damage to a player. The Shock will deal two points of damage, and this is replaced by putting two 3/1 creatures into play. These creatures coming into play will trigger Pandemonium's ability, and you will be able to deal damage equal to the power of these creatures, but that is where this combo stops.

Q: May Pillar of the Paruns be used to suspend Ith, High Arcanist?

A: No. Paying a suspend cost and removing a card from the game with time counters is not playing a spell. Ith, High Arcanist is a multi-colored card, but paying its suspend cost is not playing it.

Q: I play Iname, Death Aspect from my hand. I have seven creatures in my graveyard, and I search for eight spirits with soulshift. In what order do the Spirit creatures return to my hand?

A: They won't be returned to your hand at all. Soulshift only triggers when a creature with soulshift in play goes to your graveyard, not when a creature card with soulshift is put into your graveyard from some other zone.

Q: We were having some confusion about creatures that have power or toughness of '*'. The rules say the value is determined by the card, no matter where the card is. If it cannot be determined, it is zero. But on Selfless Exorcist, it says in italics that '*' means '0'. We are wondering whether something like Traproot Kami has any toughness when it is in your hand or library.

A: When Selfless Exorcist was printed, that reminder text was accurate; abilities like that did not apply in non-in-play zones. However, the rules have changed since then, so its reminder text is no longer correct. Keep in mind that in all cases reminder text is there to be helpful and is not necessarily official. This means that Traproot Kami will have a defined toughness when in a library; it works just like it does when in play. It will have a toughness equal to the number of Forests controlled by its owner.

Q: Does Aura Thief's ability only take over control of Auras as its name implies, or also non-Aura enchantments like Megrim, Imperial Mask, or Reverence?

A: When Aura Thief was printed, the enchantment subtype of Aura did not exist. Its name may imply that it only steals Aura enchantments, but its ability affects all enchantments. You will gain control of your opponent's Megrim, Imperial Mask, or any other non-Aura enchantment when Aura Thief goes to the graveyard. Keep in mind that you will gain control of all Aura enchantments too, but they will stay where they are and will not be moved to other permanents.

Q: In the Emperor format (with a 1/1/1 range on everything), can the Emperor Counterspell a spell cast by the opposing general on the Emperor's General?

A: Yes. Range of influence only applies to spells that affect permanents or players, it does not apply to objects on the stack. Even when using Range of Influence, there is only one stack, and any object on the stack can be targeted by spells and abilities controlled by any player.