Q: If my opponent has a Paladin en-Vec enchanted with Pariah, can I cast Flaring Pain, then target my opponent with Grim Lavamancer's ability to kill the Paladin? I would think so because even though it has protection from red, I'm not targeting it and the damage can't be prevented. I'm assuming I could do the same if I just cast Pyroclasm or Starstorm?

A: Yes, that's right. Once Flaring Pain has resolved, the"prevent damage" part of Protection doesn't work for the rest of the turn.

Q: If I have Wirewood Hivemaster in play, and then I play Ambush Commander, did the lands in play counts as elf that comes into play or not?

A: No, it doesn't trigger the Hivemaster, because the lands are already in play. Changing a permanent's type doesn't trigger comes-into-play abilities.

Q: Can I regenerate a creature just to tap it, like to use a Boneknitter's ability to remove a creature from combat and save it from a Wing Shards?

A: No. A creature is only tapped when the Regeneration shield is used, not when it's activated.

Q: I have a Tribal Golem and a Mistform creature in play. I attack with the Golem, and my opponent blocks with, say, another 4/4 creature. After blockers are declared, I turn my Mistform into a soldier to give the Golem first strike. After first strike damage is on the stack, I make my Mistform a beast to have the Golem lose first strike and gain trample. Damage resolves, killing the blocker. Does the still-blocked-and-trampling-but-no-longer-first-striking Golem now do four damage to my opponent?

A: No. When First Strike damage goes on the stack, you have to assign it; because you don't have Trample at that point, you assign it all to the blocker. Giving the creature Trample after the fact doesn't do anything. A creature that loses First Strike won't deal damage during the normal combat damage step (rule 502.2c).

Q: I played a Mogg Maniac; my friend played a Guilty Conscience on it. If it deals damage, would that be an infinite damage loop, or would it die?

A: The Maniac will be put in the graveyard after it takes enough damage to destroy it. It can't loop because there will come a point where the Mogg is no longer in play and its ability can't trigger.

Q: If I have a Tetravus in play and I play Standardize during my upkeep, naming Tetravite, can I sacrifice my opponent's creatures (now tetravites) to make my Tetravus bigger? Or for some reason can you only sacrifice the Tetravite tokens?

A: No. You can only sacrifice a permanent that you control (Glossary,"Sacrifice").

That being said, Tetravus doesn't involve sacrificing anything. It removes Tetravites from the game, and you can only removed Tetratives that were created by that particular Tetravus. The good news is that any +1/+1 counter that makes its way onto Tetravus can end up as a Tetravite.

Q: A Blurred Mongoose is the only creature in play. When I play Topple, is this creature removed from the game? I think that Topple targets only if there are two or more creatures that are tied for the greatest power.

A: Topple always targets, and it targets the creature with the greatest power. If the creature with the greatest power is untargetable, you can't play Topple because it doesn't have a legal target.

Q: I have a Zur's Weirding in play, and landcycle Eternal Dragon to find a plains. My opponent pays two life through the Weirding to make me discard the plains. I said he wasn't allowed to do that because I wasn't drawing a card, I was searching. He said he could because I was still cycling to draw a card. Who's correct?

A: You are. Landcycling is not card drawing, although normal Cycling is. Landcycling is a search. Your opponent can't pay the life to stop you from getting the card.

Q: I was sitting here building an all 8th Edition deck on paper, and reached this question in my thought process: can Story Circle choose"colorless" as a"color" to allow its owner to prevent damage from artifacts and artifact creatures?

A: Colorless is not a color and not a valid choice for Story Circle.

Q: A situation arose in a recent game that made my friend and I scratch our heads. My friend had enchanted a black creature with Extra Arms. Now, the text on Extra Arms states that"Whenever enchanted creature attacks, it deals 2 damage to target creature or player." My friend and I started talking about whether a non-red creature enchanted with Extra Arms can deal the two damage to a Silver Knight or any other creature with Protection from Red. The creature itself isn't red and Extra Arms states that the enchanted creature deals two damage when it attacks... So we wonder. Can Extra Arms kill a Silver Knight?

A: Yes it can. Extra Arms grants an ability to the creature, so the creature is the source of the damage. In this case, the source of the damage is black, so the Silver Knight is a legal target.

Q: Is it possible to redirect the Somnophore's ability back onto itself using a Willbender?

A: No. Somnophore's ability only works on a creature that the damaged player controls. When you change the target of an ability, you must still choose a legal target.

Q: Mind Bend can only change the"color wording" of a permanent - and therefore would be unable to change the landwalk provided by Filth when it's in a graveyard, right?

A: That's right, because the Filth isn't a permanent. Permanents only exist in the in-play zone.

Q: A 2/2 Heedless One with trample attacks and I block it with Festering Goblin. Will it deal one damage to me before I can destroy it?

A: Yes. Damage goes on the stack, and your opponent assigns one to the Goblin and one to you. The Goblin's triggered ability doesn't happen until after the damage has been dealt.

Q: Okay, I understand the Bladewing the Risen/Patriarch's Bidding combo. My questions are just about two Bladewings/Pandemonium combo.

I have two Bladewings in the graveyard and a Pandemonium in play. Then I cast Animate Dead on one of the Bladewings in the graveyard. Next, when it comes into play, can I then call the other Bladewing with the Bladewing's ability. Now, this is where I want to know can you create a loop (dealing damage with the Pandemonium).

I have been told by a veteran that I can, but he was not sure. He said that when I use the Bladewing's ability to call the other Bladewing from the graveyard. When the second Bladewing comes into play, stack everything. In other words, first on the stack is the deal damage with the Pandemonium, second on the stack would be the"Legends" check, third on the stack would be using the Bladewing's ability and choosing the same one that just died from the"Legends" check.

(Top of stack)
Bladewing's ability (choose himself)
"Legends" check
Pandemonium damage
(Bottom of stack)

Basically, I would be using the same dragon that goes back and forth to the graveyard to"create" the loop.

A: Yes, that's right. The reason this works is that although the second Bladewing's ability triggers when it comes into play, it's already back in the graveyard before it goes on the stack, so you can choose it as the target of its own ability.

Q: How does Ice Cauldron interact with morph creatures? Can I put three mana into the Ice Cauldron and use that mana to bring the card into play morphed?

Q: Yes, you can. Morph is a static ability that functions in any zone from which you could play the card it's on by paying three rather than paying its mana cost (rule 502.26a). Ice Cauldron isn't paying the cost for you like Mind's Desire does; it's just storing up mana.

Q: I have a Smokestack in play with two counters on it. I also have a Treachery in play, enchanting one of my opponent's creatures. Can I sacrifice both the Treachery and the creature it enchants to Smokestack in the same turn?

A: Yes, you can sacrifice both. The sacrifice is simultaneous, not sequential.

Q: I have a Sneak Attack in play, with a Dragon Mage and Worldgorger Dragon in my hand. I summon a Dragon Mage with Sneak Attack and have it attack. After my attack phase is over, I use Sneak Attack to put Worldgorger Dragon into play.

Here's where I get confused. All my permanents are removed except for the Worldgorger Dragon... So do I have to sacrifice the Worldgorger Dragon at the end of my turn? Also, if the Worldgorger Dragon goes to the graveyard later, when the Dragon Mage returns to play, do I have to sacrifice it at the end of my turn?

A: First, you'll have to discard the Worldgorger when the Dragon Mage deals damage unless you put the Dragon Mage's triggered ability on the stack and then Sneak Attack the Worldgorger into play.

You'll still have to sacrifice the Dragon at end of turn because that's part of the ability created by the resolution of Sneak Attack. It doesn't matter if the Sneak Attack is in play or not. You won't have to sacrifice the Dragon Mage because once it leaves play and returns, it has no memory of its former existence. It's treated as a completely different card, so the Sneak Attack's ability loses track of it.

Q: If I have a Helm of Awakening in play and my opponent has a Sphere of Resistance in play, I assume they cancel each other out? What happens if I play Mind's Desire?

A: They cancel each other out, as you say. Their effects are cumulative, so you won't have to pay anything extra for your"free" Mind's Desire spells.