Rules Tip of the Day: A mana ability is either (a) an activated ability that could put mana into a player's mana pool when it resolves or (b) a triggered ability that triggers from a mana ability and could produce additional mana. A mana ability can generate other effects at the same time it produces mana. Spells that put mana into a player's mana pool aren't mana abilities (rules 406.1 and 406.2).

Q: I have two Blinkmoth Nexus in play and a Skullclamp. During my turn, I activate one Nexus to make it a 1/1 artifact creature. I use the second Nexus to pump it up to a 2/2. I equip it with Skullclamp to make it a 3/1 and attack with it. What happens at the end of turn?

A: At End of Turn, nothing happens. During Cleanup, however, all"until end of turn" effects wear off. The Nexus simultaneously loses the +1/+1 and becomes just a land again, and then Skullclamp falls off. By the time State-Based Effects are checked, it's no longer a creature. It will stay in play.

Q: I play Bane of the Living and flip him for 2, killing five of my opponent's creatures. He wants to play Caller of the Claw after the Morph-triggered ability resolves, but I tell him that Bane's ability says all creatures in play get -2/-2 until end of the turn so this would kill any 2/2 that come into play later. He says I'm wrong. What do you say?

A: I say..."Ni!" Actually, I say that your friend is right. Continuous effects of abilities only apply to what was in play when they resolve (rule 418.3b). Caller of the Claw and the Bear tokens will survive just fine.

Q: My opponent has two creatures and I have a Ravenous Baloth in play. On my turn, I play Pulse of the Tangle. Is there an opportunity for me to sacrifice the beast token produced by Pulse of the Tangle to be able to get back Pulse of the Tangle to my hand?

A: No. You decide during resolution of Pulse of the Tangle if you can put it back in your hand or not. You don't get priority to activate the Baloth's ability during resolution.

Q: What can I use for tokens?

A: You can use anything you want for tokens except for the cards you're playing (meaning you can't use sideboard cards), so long as they're easily identifiable and not generally considered offensive. I recommend using something that's at least vaguely rectangular so everyone can tell whether or not it's tapped. Right here at Star City we have some great token cards. http://sales.starcitygames.com/customer/home.php?cat_1

Note that what might be considered inoffensive in, say, Europe, might be considered so in America. The Head Judge is the final arbiter.

Q: What happens if Opalescense is in play and Day of the Dragons comes into play? Is this a loop?

A: Yes, it's an unbound loop. Day of the Dragons comes into play as a 7/7 creature, then its comes-into-play triggered ability goes on the stack. When it resolves, all creatures are removed from the game, including Day of the Dragons. You get an equal amount of 5/5 Dragon tokens. Since Day of the Dragons left play, the leaves-play ability triggers, and you sacrifice the Dragons in play, bringing the removed cards, including Day of the Dragons back. The cycle starts again, so unless a player can to break the loop by winning the game, Stifling one of the triggered abilities, or destroying Opalescence or Day of the Dragons, the game will be a draw (rule 102.6).

Q: I have Phyrexian Plaguelord, Grave Pact, and Solemn Simulacrum in play. My opponent has an active untapped Goblin Sharpshooter in play. I sack the Solemn to the Plaguelord to give the Sharpshooter -1/-1. I am unclear as to how all of the effects resolve and how many times my opponent will get to use his Sharpshooter to shoot me in the eye before it dies.

A: It depends on whose turn it is. You announce activation of the Plaguelord. It goes on the stack. You sacrifice the Simulacrum to pay the cost. Grave Pact, the Simulacrum, and Goblin Sharpshooter all trigger. When multiple abilities trigger of the same event, you stack them in APNAP (active player, non-active player) order.

If it's your turn, you stack Gravepact and Simulacrum (in either order since you control both) first and then Sharpshooter. After all that goes on the stack, your opponent can tap the Sharpshooter to do one to you. Then, after the Sharpshooter's triggered ability resolves, he can activate it again before he has to sacrifice it to the Gravepact (for a total of 2 damage). You resolve the Simulacrum trigger, and then the Plaguelord's ability is countered on resolution due to an invalid target.

If it's your opponent's turn, the Sharpshooter trigger goes on the stack first and then your two. He can tap the Sharpshooter once to deal damage to you, but he'll have to sacrifice it to the Gravepact before he can untap it again.

Q: If I have out Ivory Mask can I still gain life from a card such as Noble Purpose or Words of Worship?

A: Yes, you can. Neither of those abilities is targeted. As is mentioned nearly daily in"Ask the Judge," you'll know a targeted ability by the use of the word"target."

Q: I imprint a Cunning Wish in my Panoptic Mirror. During my next upkeep, I activate the Mirror. Since the Wish tells me that I should"Remove ~this~ from the game" after playing the spell, what should I do? The card is already removed from the game. Should it stay there? The Mirror still works, right ?

A: You try to remove the copy of the Cunning Wish from the game, but you can't because there's no physical card. As soon as the copy leaves the stack, it ceases to exist (rule 420.5j). The original Cunning Wish stays Imprinted and the Mirror still works.

Q: Now suppose that for some reason I want the Cunning Wish back in my hand. I use the Mirror to copy the Imprinted card (the Wish) in order to look for a card in the RFG Zone (the SAME Wish) and put it in my hand. Can I do that? And if I can, would that make the Mirror useless after all (because now there is no card Imprinted)?

A: Yes, you can do that, and you'd have a useless Mirror until you Imprint something else on it.

Q: Will a Shriveling Rot played in life loss mode, trigger on a creature being sacrificed to a Sneak Attack at end of turn?

A: Yes. Shriveling Rot's effect lasts"until end of turn," which is during the Cleanup Step. Sneak Attack instructs you to sacrifice the creature"at end of turn," which happens during the End Step, which happens before Cleanup.