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Rules Tip of the Day: When a permanent regenerates, it doesn't leave play and then come back. Regeneration replaces the event that would destroy it.
Q: I know it is legal to pay costs for a spell either before or after announcing a spell, but can you pay the costs both before and after announcing, specifically applied to spells with additional costs like Buyback or Entwine? For example, my opponent taps 5GG and shows Tooth and Nail. After laying it down can he then pay 2 more to entwine the spell?
A: That's not correct. You can't pay costs before announcing a spell. You can tap mana and put it in your pool, but the actual payment of costs comes at the last step of announcement. Additionally, you must announce that you're playing Tooth and Nail with Entwine after you put the spell on the stack. You can't wait until it's time to pay the costs to do so. Check out rule 409.1 for more details.
Q: I know that"Locus" is not a creature type, but what happens when I Vivify or Animate Land a Cloudpost? Isn't it a"Land Creature - Locus"?
A: Yes, you're correct that it's a"Land Creature - Locus." It has a land subtype but not a creature subtype. The subtype is still tied to the particular type.
Q: Can Polluted Delta fetch an Underground Sea?
A: Yes, because it's both an Island and a Swamp. Polluted Delta doesn't say you have to get a basic land.
Q: I've got Culling Scales and Darksteel Ingot in play. On my opponent's turn, he plays an Exalted Angel face down. Does the morph creature have a mana cost of 3 or 5? My friend convinced me that I must target my Ingot because the morph creature's mana cost is 5. I was unsure either way so I let it slide. So what's the deal?
A: Your friend was wrong. The face down Exalted Angel has a converted mana cost of 0 (rule 502.26e). Note that a face up Exalted Angel's converted mana cost is 6.
Q: Does Circle of Protection: Red target the souce of damage it's preventing? Can you prevent the damage of a Piledriver if it is equipped with Lightning Greaves?
A: You can prevent the damage. The Circle doesn't target the source, because, as has been mentioned previously on"Ask the Judge," only spells and abilities with the word"target" in them are targeted.
Q: I was wondering if in order for Pack Hunt to work the creature has to be on the field already or if you can just get and three copies of a creature from your deck?
A: Pack Hunt targets a creature in play. If you don't have a valid target, you can't play it. Additionally, there's no zone in Magic called"on the field." It's called"in play."
Q: If I play Bribery and search my opponent's deck and put into play Eater Of Days, will I still skip my next two turns, even though it was not played from my hand?
A: You will skip the turns. Eater of Days triggers no matter how it comes into play. When a triggered ability refers to"you," it means the player that controlled the permanent when the ability triggered (rule 410.2).
Q: I have an Isochron Scepter that has Shrapnel Blast imprinted on it. I'm aware that if I activate the Scepter I will have to pay any aditional cost associated with the spell being cast, if any (because I’m an avid reader of"Ask the Judge!"). Shrapnel Blast says I must also sacrifice an artifact to play it. Can I activate the Scepter and play Shrapnel Blast sacrificing the Scepter to pay the additional cost?
A: Yes, because paying the costs comes after putting the spell on the stack (rule 409.1). Once the spell is on the stack, the only way it can be removed is if it's countered (or once it resolves).
