Q: You answered the following question and I have an additional question to ask in relation to it:

Q: If my opponent Duresses my Circular Logic during his first main phase and then follows it up with a Corrupt in the same phase, can I use the Logic to counter it?

A: Yes. This is high tech. Duress resolves, taking the Logic. You remove it from the game instead. After the Duress finishes resolving, the Logic trigger goes on the stack. It resolves, and the active player gets priority. He plays Corrupt and passes to you. You play the Logic. So long as you don't pass priority after Madness trigger has resolved, you'll have the Logic available.

The question above pertains to the spell cast in the same phase as the Duress. Could I declare that I wish to move to my second main phase before casting the Corrupt? Will the Circular Logic have been removed as a result of moving to the second main phase? Additionally, do I have to go through an attack step (say, with no creatures) before I can move to the second main phase?

Thanks,
Ed

A: Ed,

I love follow-ups. It proves people are reading!

You've discovered the technology for getting around the Logic. You have to declare you're moving to your Combat Phase; your opponent will have to pass to move the game along (unless he wants to play Instants or abilities), so he'll lose the Logic. You can then declare a null attack, which moves you right to your Second Main Phase. Or swing with your Phat Beatz (or somesuch other slang).

Sheldon

Q: Can I use Chimeric Idol's ability if all my lands are tapped? Also, can I use the ability of multiple Idols if I have more than one in play?

A: Yes, you can. The lands are tapped as part of the effect that turns the Idol into a creature, not part of the cost. If they're already all tapped, no big deal.

Q: If I play a Raging Kavu during my opponent's turn, can I attack him with it during his turn because of the instant ability and haste?

A: No. Only the player whose turn it is may declare attackers during the combat (rule 308.1).

Q: Don't all"end of turn" effects happen during the cleanup step? According to your"Ask The Judge" questions on Astral Slide, you completely ignore the changes made after 6th edition. I remember people using Thawing Glaciers twice since it wouldn't return to their hand until"end of turn" - i.e., the next end of turn, since the start of the end of current turn had already happened, it wouldn't go on the stack until the next end of turn.

Then the DCI fixed all of that nonsense with cards like Thawing Glaciers and Waylay with the cleanup step. Are the rules reverting back to the old 6th edition stack for end of turn?

Joel DeAngelo

A: Joel

There are two times during the End Phase where the phrase"...end of turn" is used: One is"At end of turn" and the other is"Until end of turn." Things that trigger at end of turn happen during the End of Turn Step (rule 313). Things that last until end of turn wear off during Cleanup (314.1b). Astral Slide is clearly the former.

If, after the time for"at end of turn" triggers has passed, things that happen at end of turn won't trigger until the next available end of turn Step.

However, a player can't go out of his Main Phase unless the opponent agrees. If you say"End of Turn," I can still say"Wait - during your second Main Phase, I want to cycle such-and-such..." and have the creature come back during that upcoming end of turn.

- Sheldon

Q: Are Astral Slide and Lightning Rift cumulative? If I have two of each out, can I phase two creatures and Shock twice (assuming I can pay the mana costs)?

-Thanks,
Justinosparce

A: Astral Slide isn't cumulative - but if you have two, both will trigger off the same event, because both see it. You can stack them in any order you like. With Lightning Rift, you pay the one (or not) when the triggered ability resolves.

- Sheldon

Q: If I copy a spell with Mirari and the copy goes on the stack, does the copy resolve if I have Arcane Laboratory in play?

A: Arcane Laboratory only prevents you from playing an additional spell. Mirari doesn't play a spell - it has a triggered ability which, when paid for, can put a pseudospell on the stack. This will get you around Arcane Lab.

Q. I have a creature that I have taken control of with Control Magic. I attack with it - and then cast Enchantment Alteration to move the Control Magic to another creature before blockers are declared. Do I still do damage with the originally-controlled creature?

Thanks,
Daniel

A: Daniel,

No. As soon as you lose control of the creatures, it's removed from combat (rule 308.5). Sheldon

Q: Can you activate Astral Slide on a creature more than once during the clean-up step? For example, can you gain twelve life using Teroh's Faithful by cycling three cards in your clean-up stage?

A: No. If you activate Astral Slide during end of turn, the creature won't come back until the next end of turn. The time for EOT triggers has already passed.

Q: What happens if I play a Wrath of God and there are creatures that have been removed by Faceless Butchers that I have in play? Will those creatures be destroyed or will they survive?

A: The creatures removed by Faceless Butcher will come back as part of the Butcher's leaves-play trigger.

Q: If I have an Oversold Cemetery and a Undead Gladiator in my graveyard, can I discard a creature card at the beginning of my upkeep to bring the Gladiator back to my hand, then discard that, and now get four creatures in my graveyard to bring another creature back to my hand?

Thanks for answering,
Jaime Manteigueiro

A: No. You must have 4 creatures in your graveyard at beginning of upkeep for the Cemetery to trigger. If that condition isn't already met, nothing triggers.

Sheldon

Q: How does Future Sight interact with Tainted Pact? If I reveal a card with the Pact, is it on top of my library - or can I see the next card and never fail unless I want to?

Thanks,
Mattias

A: Future Sight means never having to fail with Tainted Pact. During the resolution of the Pact, you'll remove a card that's already revealed, thereby revealing the next card. The Future Sight is always"on," so the top card of your library is always revealed.

- Sheldon

Q: I have Future Sight in play and cast Brainstorm. Will the fourth card of my library be revealed while I am resolving the Brainstorm?

Thanks,
Steve Fox

A: Steve,

The Future Sight is always"on," so the top card of your library is always revealed. Every time you draw a card, reveal the next one (Onslaught FAQ)... Even if you're putting stuff back later.

- Sheldon

Q: If I Astral Slide a Blistering Firecat after the damage goes on the stack, the cat will return at end of turn and I won't have to sacrifice it, because the end of turn rigger will have passed. Is that correct?

A: That's correct to a point. It'll come back at end of turn, and the time for end of turn triggers has passed. You will have to sacrifice the cat at the next end of turn, however - most likely your opponent's (unless you're taking an additional turn).

Q: While reading about a game played at States this weekend, I read:

"I still had card advantage and should have won the game with time, but he accelerated the process by forgetting to sacrifice to the Braids before drawing a card. We both knew the ruling and proceeded to game 3."

What ruling was being spoken of here?

Thanks,
Shaun

P.S.: Depending on what the ruling they were speaking of is, in round 7 my opponent did the exact same thing - and when I called for a judge, he gave the player a warning. Is that all the player is supposed to get? If not, can I appeal my loss to that player to the DCI?

A: It was the ruling at GP Cleveland for the player controlling the Braids to get a game loss - but by the letter of the law, it's a Procedural Error-Major, which warrants a Warning. Nonetheless, the Judge must make a situational decision. Without further evidence, I'd say the judge made the right ruling.

Even so, the only appeal process is to the Head Judge. Use it if you're unsure. After the round or tournament is over, there's nothing the DCI can do for you.

Q: I have an Exploration in play and have made one land drop (specifying that drop was an 'additional' drop through the Exploration), then I bounce the Exploration, then replay the Exploration. Can I now make one or two more land drops? Your wisdom would be greatly appreciated.

Kind regards,
Mark

A: Mark,

First of all, thanks for first using the Virtual Judge. That rocks! You can. Since you were good enough to specify, and the"new" Exploration doesn't know anything about the"old" one, it gives you permission to drop the additional land.

- Sheldon

Q: If you have no Islands in play, what happens to Psychic Vortex? Does it get buried, or does the condition just fizzle?

A: Psychic Vortex only goes away if you decline to pay the Cumulative Upkeep. The triggered ability at end of turn isn't conditional at all: It simply instructs you do to two things. If you can't do the first, then you still do the second. The triggered ability doesn't have targets, so it can't be countered on resolution due to rule 413.2a.

Q: If I cast Firecat Blitz for ten, when the tokens get removed from game, can I untap and use my Goblin Sharpshooter ten times? I'm unsure if the tokens hit the graveyard before being removed.

Thanks,
Keith

Keith

Q: Yes, and they do. Tokens go to the graveyard just before ceasing to exist (as a State-Based Effect) and will set off leaves-play triggers (rule 216.3).

Sheldon

Q: The Visions version of Longbow Archer is printed as type Archer, but in 7th it is printed as type Soldier. If I use my Visions black-border Longbow Archer in a Standard tournament where 7th is legal but Visions is not, which type is it?

A: You play all cards by their current English Oracle wording. Longbow Archer is a Soldier.

Q: I have a question about the interaction between Engineered Plague and cards such as Divine Sacrament. The situation is this: I have Engineered Plague in play, naming"Nomad." My opponent then plays a Divine Sacrament (no Threshold) and puts down a Weathered Wayfarer.

I know there are two continuous effects at work that are both trying to modify the Wayfarer's P/T - but in what order are they applied? Does the Nomad come in as a 1/1, 0/0, 2/2 or something else? And would it make a difference if the Sacrament had been in play first, then the Plague, before the Wayfarer came in?

Thanks for your help!

Steve

A: Steve,

Continuous effects apply to permanents as they come into play (rule 418.2). There's no dependency between the Sacrament and the Plague, so they would be applied in timestamp order... But that's not significant, because they both are applied before the Nomad comes into play. It's simple math; it gets +1/+1 from the Sacrament and -1/-1 from the Plague. It comes in as 1/1.

- Sheldon

Q: Player A targeted his opponent's creature with Sparksmith's ability, but Player B made the creature untargetable, yet Player A (a level 2 judge) claimed that he still took damage from his Sparksmith's ability. I was under the impression the Sparksmith's ability would be countered upon resolution due to the opponent's creature being untargetable when the ability resolves. The only way I could imagine the SparkSmith dealing damage to it's controller is if the"you" portion of it's ability counts as a secondary target.

Could you fill me in?

Thanks,
CookieMonster

A: Player A was wrong. The Sparksmith's ability will indeed be countered upon resolution since its only target is invalid. No part of its ability's text will occur.

- Sheldon