Ask The Judge, 02/09/2004
Q: I have a Vedalken Archmage out, and cast a Spellbook. In response, my opponent Boomerang's the Vedalken. Do I get to draw the card since I did actually cast the spell, or does the spell need to resolve before I can draw my card?
A: You draw the card. The Archmage triggers when you announce the spell, and the trigger will resolve even if the original spell does not.
Q: Does Death-Mask Duplicant gains protection from artifacts and all colors when it imprints Pristine Angel?
A: Imprinting Pristine Angel on Death-Mask Duplicant will give the Duplicant flying, but not any protection abilities. It can't get abilities that rely on a certain condition to be true because the ability that checks if the condition is not active when the condition is in play while the Angel is in the removed from the game zone, it doesn't have the protection ability.
Q: Say I attacked or tapped my Pristine Angel for something. Then, during my main phase, I decided to equip it with something, like Bonesplitter or Lightning Greaves. Then, I play a spell, and the Angel untaps. Once untapped, does the equipment fall off the Angel due to its protection abilities? I don't think it would, because the Equipment ability only targets the creature once, right? Or does equipping work like local enchantments do?
A: Yes, it would fall off as a state-based effect. A creature with Pro Artifacts can't be equipped (rule 420.5k). It works just like local enchantments.
Q: Does Stifle prevent Phyrexian Devourer from being sacrificed? Does the sentence"If Phyrexian Devourer“s power is 7 or greater, sacrifice it." Indicate a triggered ability?
A: Stifle will help against the first instance of the"7 power or greater" clause, because that's a triggered ability (it uses the term"when"). It won't help against the second instance, because it's not a triggered ability, it's part of the resolution of the activated ability. You'd have to Stifle the entire activated ability in order for it to not get sacrificed... but you obviously wouldn't activate it just so you could Stifle it.
Q: Does an equipped phasing creature phase out without Equipment (and therefore requires re-equipping) like a creature that is Flickered or Astral Slided? Or do different rules apply?
A: Different rules apply; just like enchantments, the Equipment phases out with it (rule 502.15i).
Q: Mycosynth Lattice turns all permanents into artifacts. If I played Furnace Dragon, it would remove all artifacts (all permanents) from the game, but would it remove itself from the game or would it be an artifact yet?
A: It would remove itself. Because Mycosynth Lattice has a continuous effect, the Furnace Dragon enters play as an artifact.
Q: Suppose another player plays an Extraplanar Lens and sacrifices an Island. Would my Underground Sea gain the ability as well, since it counts as an Island?
A: No. Extraplanar Lens doesn't match a land type, it matches a land name. Only lands named"Island" will trigger the Lens.
Q: I play the Sengir Autocrat and therefore put three 0/1 serf tokens into play. Then I play Day of the Dragons to remove the Autocrat and the tokens in exchange for the 5/5 dragon tokens. Would this work, since the tokens leave play if the Sengir Autocrat leaves play?
A: Yes, it works, because they all leave play at the same time. Sengir Autocrat triggers, but there are no Serf tokens in play with the trigger resolves.
Q: Can a Powder Keg set to zero kill artifact lands?
A: Yes, because they're artifacts with a Converted Mana Cost of 0.
Q: If I have a creature equipped with the Sword of Kaldra and a Viridian Longbow, then I tap the creature to deal 1 damage to that creature with a toughness greater than 1; is that creature removed from the game?
A: Yes. The ability granted by the Longbow deals damage and then the Sword triggers.
Q: If a Green creature such as a Plated Slagwurm or a Trained Armodon is equipped with a Viridian Longbow and taps to deal 1 damage to a player with no creatures who is using Circle of Protection: Green; can that player pay the 1 mana cost for the COP: Green to prevent that damage?
A: Yes to both. The Longbow grants an ability to the creature, so the damage comes from a Green source. Circles of Protection don't target the source; the player simply chooses one when the ability resolves.
Q: At Prerelease, a judge told me that Tel-Jilad Wolf can only get a maximum of +3/+3. But, I know from various sources, that Ogre Leadfoot destroys all artifact creatures that block it. Both cards are worded exactly the same, why wouldn't the Wolf get a +3/+3 for each artifact creature that blocks it?
A: You're correct. Blockers are declared simultaneously, so each artifact creature blocking it will trigger the Wolf's ability. If it read something like"When ~this~ becomes blocked, it gets +3/+3 until end of turn," then it would only get the bonus once, because it only"becomes blocked" at the end of the Declare Blockers Step (meaning once, so the ability could only trigger once).
















