[Technical difficulties are preventing me from autolinking the cards in today's ATJ. This will be corrected as soon as possible. -Seamus]

Rules Tip of the Day: When damage is redirected by an effect, the source of the damage is unchanged. This means that if the damage from an attacking red creature is redirected from one player to another, the player receiving the damage will still receive combat damage from a red creature.

Q: If I use Evershrike's ablity, can a player respond by removing it form the game with cards like Cremate?

A: Yes. When Evershirke's activated ability is used, it is still in the graveyard. It does not leave the graveyard until the ability resolves and it is put into play. This ability can be responded to, and your opponent can remove Evershrike from the game to keep it from returning to play.

Q: If you cast Snakeform on a Figure of Destiny that has been activated at least once, and the Snake token survives until the end of the turn, will the Figure regain its form at the status it was at (a 8/8 Kithkin Warrior Spirit Avatar, for instance) or will it return to its original form at the end of the turn?

A: The effect from Snakeform does not permanently remove the effect from Figure of Destiny's abilities. While Snakeform's effect is being applied, the effect from Figure of Destiny's abilities will be overwritten, but that will end when the turn does. So when Snakeform's effect ends, the Figure will go back to being what it was before Snakeform resolved.

Q: If I have a Spitemare in play and my opponent deals wither damage to it with Puncture Blast, does the Spitemare's ability trigger?

A: Yes, it is dealt three points of damage, it does not matter that it is dealt in the form of -1/-1 counters.

Q: Can Talara's Battalion come into play if the player played a green spell and it was countered in the same turn?

A: Yes. Spells that are countered were still played. You can play Talara's Battalion if you played a green spell that was countered.

Q: My roommate and I were playing Magic the other day, and he was playing the Seismic Swans combo deck. He had Seismic Assault in play, and played Swans of Bryn Argoll with one Dakmor Salvage in hand. He discarded the Salvage to the Assault, targeting the Swans. He drew one card, and then milled two to get it back. The first one of the cards he milled from his library was Gaea's Blessing. What happens to the discarded Salvage? Does he get to put the second card from his library into the graveyard, get back his Salvage, and start over, or does the Salvage get shuffled back as well, interrupting the combo?

A: The Dakmor Salvage will go to your opponent's hand. Returning the dredge card happens when you replace the draw by dredging. So it will happen as part of the action that ends up milling the Gaea's Blessing. Gaea's Blessing's ability triggers when it goes from a library to a graveyard. This ability will go on the stack and then resolve after the the dredge card has been returned to its owner's hand.

Q: When I play both Maralen of the Mornsong and Runed Halo, naming Maralen of the Mornsong, will I be able to search my deck without taking three damage?

A: No. Protection from a source means that it cannot deal damage to you. However Maralen's ability causes loss of life, not damage. You will still lose three life when Maralen's triggered ability resolves.

Q: I have Academy Researchers enchanted with Fool's Demise. I sacrifice the Academy Researchers to Altar of Dementia. Can I return the Researchers to play, and put Fool's Demise from my hand back into play attached to him, allowing me to repeat this process indefinitely? Is the result the same if it's an Iridescent Drake enchanted with False Demise?

A: What you wnat to do with the Academy Researchers does work. To get the result you want, have the Fool's Demise ability that returns Fool's Demise to your hand put on the stack last, so it resolves first. This way, it will be in your hand when Academy Researcher's comes-into-play triggered ability resolves. This combination also works with Iridescent Drake, but you'd want to reverse the order that Fool's Demise's abilities go on the stack. In this instance, you'd want the Drake to come into play first, so it can put the Demise in your graveyard into play attached to the Drake when its comes-into-play triggered ability resolves.

Q: Can I Mind Bend a mana symbol on a permanent? For example, can I Mind Bend my Tolarian Academy to add black to my mana pool for each artifact I control?

A: No. Mind Bend can only change color words and basic land types in the text of a permanent; mana symbols are not color words or basic land types.

Q: I have a Serra Avatar in play, along with Remembrance. When my Avatar is destroyed, does it trigger Remembrance's ability? And if so, can I go fetch the same Serra that died?

A: No. Serra Avatar's ability keeps it from going to your graveyard; it will end up being shuffled into your library instead. Because of this, Remembrance's ability will not trigger.