Rules Tip of the Day: If a creature that damage would be redirected to is not in play when this damage would be dealt, then the damage will not be redirected and dealt as normal.

Q: If I have an equipment on top of my library, can I equip Skill Borrower and have the equipment's attributes? If I can equip Skill Borrower, will she stay equipped after I draw the artifact card?

A: This Skill Borrower will have the equip ability, and you can play this ability, but nothing will happen. Skill Borrower gains the activated abilities of the top card of your library if it is an artifact or a creature, but it does not become a copy of that card. Creatures cannot be attached to other creatures, so when the ability resolves, nothing becomes attached to anything.

Q: With Cruel Ultimatum, when do I choose the creature card to get back from my graveyard?

A: Because you do not target the creature that is returned to your hand, you make this choice when Cruel Ultimatum resolves.

Q: I have a Dominus of Fealty in play, and my upkeep rolls around. I choose an Aura for the Dominus' ability. What happens?

A: You gain control of that Aura, but it will remain attached to whatever it was attached to. In many cases this will not allow you to do much of anything.

Q: Are two counters of the same type unique? For example: I have Sage of Fables with two +1/+1 counters on it. My opponent activates Leech Bonder's ability, trying to move a counter from that Sage of Fables to Leech Bonder. In response, I activate Sage of Fables' ability, removing a +1/+1 counter from it and drawing a card. If the counters are unique, my opponent had to choose which one he wants to move, and than I would remove exactly that counter and Leech Bonder's ability will be countered. If not, I had to remove both counters from my Sage of Fables to counter Leech Bonder's ability.

A: Leech Bonder and other similar abilities do not care about specific counters. When Leech Bonder's ability resolves, the controller of this ability can move a counter from the first targeted creature to another targeted creature as long as there is a counter there. The fact that your Sage had two counters on it when Leech Bonder's ability was played does not matter; all that matters is that there is one counter on it when Leech Bonder's ability resolves.

Q: Player A has five attacking 1/1 creatures, and plays Mirrorweave, targeting a Hellkite Overlord. I respond with a Crib Swap on the Hellkite Overlord. Would all the creatures be 1/1 colorless Shapeshifter creature tokens with changeling?

A: No. This Mirrorweave will be countered on resolution, and all creatures will remain as they are. Crib Swap does not make the targeted creature into a 1/1 creature with changeling; it removes it from the game and puts the 1/1 creature into play. Flavor-wise, this creature may be a substitute, but it is not the same creature that was targeted by Mirrorweave.

Q: Can I tap Tidewater Minion for its ability and target itself to untap itself?

A: Yes, but this doesn't do much of anything unless an effect triggers when a permanent becomes tapped or untapped, as with, for example, Wake Thrasher.

Q: Does the card Stream of Consciousness force a shuffle, even if the player doesn't want to put any cards back into their library?

A: Yes, but just to be clear, the targeted player is not the one that choose which cards to shuffle into their library. When Stream of Consciousness is played, its controller chooses a target player and up to four cards in that player's graveyard. When it resolves, those cards are shuffled into their owner's graveyard; if no cards were targeted, then all this player will do is shuffle.

Q: I have Hibernation Sliver and Victual Sliver in play, and I use Victual Sliver's effect to sacrifice itself to gain four life. Can I use Hibernation Sliver's ability in response to return Victual Sliver to my hand for a cost of two life, keeping my Sliver and gaining two life?

A: No, you sacrifice a Sliver when you activate the Victual Sliver ability. This is a cost of activating that ability. You cannot save a card you've sacrificed by playing another ability.

Q: I just started playing Magic: The Gathering for the first time and was borrowing one of my friend's decks. My friend played Brand, which states, "Gain control of all permanents you own." Since it was his deck I borrowed, does he get everything I have in play?

A: No, you are considered to own a card if it started the game in the deck you are using. The actual legal ownership does not matter.