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Q: Does Damping Matrix stop players from cycling creature cards like Eternal Dragon or Krosan Tusker? To my understanding, cycling is an activated ability and the cycled card has its characteristics in whatever zone it is in (just as cycling Gempalm Incinerator cannot kill a Foothill Guide).
And just to double-check, is Eternal Dragon's recursion ability blocked by Damping Matrix, since it is an activated ability of a creature card in the graveyard?
A: Damping Matrix does not prevent you from Cycling or recursing it. Damping Matrix only prevents activated abilities of creatures and artifacts.
While it's in your hand or graveyard, Eternal Dragon is a creature card. The characteristics of the Dragon, like in the Gempalm Incinerator example, don't apply.
Q: Can I use Mind Bend on Hibernation?
A: No. Mind Bend can only target a permanent; Hibernation is an Instant.
Q: If I have Chalice of the Void out with two counters on it, will it counter Consume Spirit regardless of how much mana is used for the X in the casting cost? As I understand it, if a spell has X in the casting cost, its"casting cost" may be varied but when checking for"converted mana cost" the X's are read as zeros. Is this correct?
A: No, it won't, and no, that's not correct. While it's on the stack, the value of X in a spell is whatever was paid during announcement. The only Consume Spirit that would be countered by a Chalice with two counters is one where X=0.
Q: If you put a Duplicant in play imprinting an enemy Broodstar when your opponent controls five artifacts and you control four (including the Duplicant) what is the power and toughness of the Duplicant - zero, four, or five?
A: It's 0/0. Duplicant copies the values printed on the Broodstar, but not its abilities.
Q: I was wondering about buyback and Stifle. if I Stifle the buyback of a card like Capsize, can my opponent pay the buyback costs again to get the card back to his hand?
A: Capsize (and its Buyback in particular) are not valid targets for Stifle. Buyback is a static ability that creates the replacement effect of putting the card back in your hand instead of your library (if you pay the cost). It can't be Stifled.
Q: If I cast March of the Machines, how will my artifact lands be affected?
A: Lands have a converted mana cost of zero. March of the Machines applies because they're artifacts as well as lands. They'll be put into the graveyard as a State-Based Effect because their toughness is zero.
Q: I have a Shared Fate and a Future Sight in play. Does the Future Sight still act on my library, thus giving me access to both libraries at once? Or does it affect my opponent's library, as if we had exchanged libraries?
A: Future Sight only applies to your own library. You still play with the top card revealed, and may still play the top card of your own library as if it were in your hand.
Shared Fate doesn't exchange libraries. It creates a replacement effect: instead of drawing from your own library, you reveal a card from your opponent's.
Q: If there are no other artifacts in play and you have an Isochron Scepter with Shrapnel Blast imprinted on it, can you pay two, tap the Scepter, sac it, and deal five damage ?
Something tells me you can't... Because in this case the two mana and tap isn't enough to place the spell on the stack, you must first pay the additional cost of sacrifice - and once the Scepter is sacced, it's no longer around to place any effects on the stack. How does this work timing wise ?
A: The first thing that happens is you announce the ability. Then you choose targets. Then you pay costs. You can activate the Scepter to get a copy of the Shrapnel Blast and then play it, sacrificing the Scepter as part of the cost.
