Sheldie Sez:
Obviously, I misread the Reya/Draco question. If Reya is in the graveyard at beginning of upkeep, her ability won't trigger - her ability only triggers if she's in play at beginning of upkeep.

I'm suitably red-faced. I've also directly sent a response to the person who asked the question in the first place.

Sheldon

Q: At a recent tournament, Jimmy stated that the triggered discard ability( formerly upkeep cost) from Solitary Confinement could be met by any discard during upkeep - including cycling a card. I believe that the Solitary Confinement triggered ability creates its own pseudospell - which, when it resolves, the controller chooses either to discard a card or sacrifice the Confinement independent of any other events in upkeep.

Also, discarding a card is part of the cycling cost - and the same cost can not be used to pay for two abilities.

Regards,
Joe Gibbons

A: Joe,

That Jimmy's always getting it wrong.

You're right. You can't use one card to pay for two separate costs. The Confinement will cost you a card, and activating a card's cycling ability with cost you another card (that one specifically).

- Sheldon

Q: Tephraderm is in play along with a Contested Cliffs; I Contested Cliffs, targeting Tephraderm and Exalted Angel. My belief is that both do four to each other - triggering Tephraderm's ability, which then resolves to do four more to Exalted Angel, killing it. Of course, the Angel's controller does receive four life for the original four damage dealt by Exalted Angel.

A: Both are correct. Tephraderm triggers regardless of how the creature damage is dealt to it.

Q: I cast Living Death and a morphing creature is in the graveyard; can I pay three and have it come back into play morphed?

- Mitch

A: No. You can only pay the alternate cost of a creature with Morph when you play it from your hand (rule 502.26). It's not a coming-into-play triggered ability.

- Sheldon

Q: If a Chill is in play, does it have any affect on the cost of morphing a Blistering Firecat? My instinct tells me no, since the card comes into play colorless and morph is not a spell cost.

Thanks again for your time,
Joe

A: Joe,

Your instincts are right. Chill only makes you pay two more for red spells. You've played the (colorless) face-down Firecat for three. Turning it face-up with its Morph ability isn't a spell, so Chill doesn't apply.

- Sheldon

Q: Can you use Maze of Ith on a creature at any point in the combat phase before damage is dealt - or only when attackers are declared?

Thanks for your time!
Ryan Linda

A: Ryan,

You can activate Maze of Ith any time during combat after attackers are declared because its targeting restriction is"attacking creature." A creature becomes an attacking creature when it has been declared as part of a legal attack and all attack costs have been paid, but only if it's controlled by the active player. It remains an attacking creature until it's removed from combat or the combat phase ends, whichever comes first (rule 308.5). Obviously, it would be smart to use the Maze before combat damage resolves.

- Sheldon

Q: If I attack with my Phantom Nishoba and my opponent uses Spike Weaver to"fog" damage, do I gain any life?

A: No. The Phantom Nishoba triggers when it deals damage; since the Weaver's ability has prevented all of it, there's no trigger. Something replaced or prevented is treated as if it never happened - because it didn't.

Q: If I play Grip of Amnesia to counter a spell against a player who has no cards in his graveyard, can he still counter the spell by removing nothing from his graveyard?

Mike Beck
Somerville, NJ

A: Mike,

Yes, he can. He still has a graveyard, even if it has no cards in it. He can choose to remove his empty graveyard from the game to counter the Grip of Amnesia.

- Sheldon

Q: I have a Doubtless One that is currently a 3/3. I attack with the Doubtless One, and my opponent blocks with a 3/3. I put damage on the stack but before the damage resolves, my opponent Solar Blasts it. The damage is still dealt - so do I still gain the three life? Or is that an ability of the creature that is triggered upon damage resolution?

Thanks,
Mike Gurney

A: Mike,

It's a triggered ability. Once damage goes on the stack, it will be dealt as assigned, but the Doubtless One must be in play when the damage resolves in order for its ability to trigger.

Sheldon

Q: If I have Words of War and Grafted Skullcap in play, how much damage can I inflict? And if I have Words of War, then I cast a Browbeat and my opponent lets me draw three cards, can I pay one for each draw and inflict six damage?

A: Four damage with the Skullcap; you can replace two draws during your draw step. And yes, you can do six.

Note that in both cases, the Words of War ability must have resolved before the draws take place. You can't, for example, pay three for the Words of War during resolution of Browbeat; by the time he chooses to draw, it's too late. You must pay the War cost at the same time you play Browbeat.

Sheldon