Rules Tip of the Day: Unless there is a restriction on the ability, there is noting to prevent you from blocking with a creature and then using its activated ability. This includes activated abilities that have the tap symbol as a cost.

Q: I play Memory Plunder and play Brilliant Ultimatum from my opponent's graveyard. My opponent separates the piles, and I play another Memory Plunder from the pile I choose. Can I then play Brilliant Ultimatum from my opponent's graveyard again?

A: No. You play the card in the chosen pile as Brilliant Ultimatum is resolving. In this example, when you play the Memory Plunder that is in the chosen pile of cards, the Brilliant Ultimatum is still a spell on the stack, not a card in your opponent's graveyard.

Q: I want to know what will happen if Kitchen Finks or another creature with persist is damaged by Magma Spray?

A: It will be removed from the game and remain there. The persist ability can only return a creature from the graveyard, not the removed from game zone.

Q: My opponent plays Agony Warp, targeting a single creature I control with both of Agony Warp's effects. Can I play Swerve to make Agony Warp target a creature my opponent controls?

A: No. Agony Warp only targets a single creature in this situation, but it is still a spell with two targets. Because of this, Swerve cannot target it.

Q: I have an 8/8 Figure of Destiny, and my opponent plays a Sower of Temptation and targets the Figure. Can I make it back into a 2/2?

A: Yes, you can respond to Sower of Temptation's comes-into-play ability by activating Figure of Destiny's ability and lowering its power and toughness.

Q: If I control an Oath of Druids and my opponent has a creature, can I respond to the triggered ability of Oath of Druids and cast Brainstorm to put Empyrial Archangel on the top of my library?

A: Yes, that works. Oath of Druid's ability uses the stack and can be responded to.

Q: How does a hellbent Anthem of Rakdos interact with creatures with trample, like Reckless Wurm? If I attack with Reckless Wurm and there are no cards in my hand, Reckless Wurm gets +2/+0, so it becomes a 6/4 until the end of turn. If a creature blocks Reckless Wurm, does the damage dealt to the blocking creature double from six to twelve due to the Anthem of Rakdos? If the blocking creature has eight toughness, then out of the twelve damage dealt to the blocking creature, four of that damage would be dealt to my oppponent, correct?

A: This Wurm will still only be able to assign a total of six points of damage in combat. You will still have to assign what would normally be lethal damage to the blocking creature before you can assign any to the defending player. Then, when this damage is dealt, it will be doubled. In the example given, you would have to assign all six points of damage to the blocking creature. Then when damage is dealt, the creature will receive twelve points of damage. The defending player will not recive any damage.

Q: I've heard two explanations for how the interaction between Kaervek's Purge and Personal Incarnation works, each contrary to the other. If an Incarnation gets Purged, is the life lost before Purge deals damage?

A: No. When Kaervek's Purge resolves, it destroys the targeted creature and deals damage to its controller equal to the power of this creature. Then, after Kaervek's Purge resolves, the leaves-play triggered ability of Personal Incarnation will go on the stack. When this ability resolves, this player will lose one half of their remaining life. So this players life total will end up being (X-6)/2, rounded down, where X is his starting life total, and not (X/2)-6.

Q: Here is a situation from a recent Friday Night Magic. Player A has to attack with all of his creatures to win the game. Player A taps one of player B's creatures with Ballynock Trapper, then plays Safewright Quest. Player A searches his library for a land, puts the land into his hand, shuffles his deck, and presents the deck for player B to cut. Player B cuts the deck, and player A goes to untap the Trapper. Player B points out that it is a may ability, and since player A has already resolved the spell, it is too late to untap the Trapper. Player A asks if player B is serious, and player B says yes. How should a judge rule here?

A: Depending on the how this played out, I would most likely allow A to untap his Trapper. This situation falls under a section of the Penalty Guide known as out-of-order sequencing. Under a strict technical reading of the Comprehensive Rules, the Trapper ability resolves first, and as this ability is optional, the fact that it was not done at the proper time means that the choice to untap it was not taken advantage of. However, the goal is not to make Magic, especially at lower level tournaments, about doing everything 100% correctly. It is a game, and we do not want to penalize players for not performing all actions perfectly. This is where the out-of-order sequencing comes into play. At Regular and Competitive REL events (FNM is Regular), players are allowed some latitude with regards to performing actions in the proper order. This means that a player can resolve a spell and then the ability that triggered when the spell was played out of order as long as it is clear that this player either did not just forget about the trigger or is trying to gain an advantage.