Rules Tip of the Day: Changing a creature's power after combat damage has been assigned won't make it deal more damage. Damage is still dealt as assigned. Changing its toughness might help it survive.

Q: What happens if I block a 6/6 creature with a 3/3 creature and play Test of Faith on my creature? Do I kill the 6/6 creature?

A: No, but your creature will live. Combat damage is dealt as assigned. Changing your creature's power after damage is assigned won't make it deal more damage. You only assigned 3 to the 6/6 creature (and 6 to the 3/3). Then when damage goes to resolve, because of Test of Faith, you'll prevent 3 of the damage to the 3/3 and put 3 counters on it at the same time. When combat damage resolves, you'll have a 6/6 creature with 3 damage on it.

Q: Does Mirari work with Panoptic Mirror and other cards like it?

A: Yes. With Panoptic Mirror or Isochron Scepter, you copy the card and then play the spell. Mirari triggers when you play an Instant or Sorcery spell (not when you play a card), so it will trigger on the spell you copied.

Q: My opponent attacks with a Tel-Jilad Wolf equipped with Scythe of the Wretched, and I block with Tel-Jilad Outrider. When my Outrider goes to the graveyard, what happens with the Scythe? Does the Outrider go to his side with the Scythe attached and then it falls off due to Protection from Artifacts?

A: No. The Outrider will return to play, then the Scythe will try to attach itself to the Outrider, but won't be able to because of the Protection (rule 502.7d). It will stay attached to the Wolf.

Q: If I play Sculpting Steel and copy Leveler or Eater of Days, do the comes-into-play abilities still trigger?

A: Yes. Copy cards copy all the abilities from whatever you're copying. During resolution of the Sculpting Steel spell, you choose what to copy. It comes into play at whatever that is, and any coming-into-play abilities will trigger. It doesn't come into play as Sculpting Steel and then change.

Q: I have Goblin Welder in play with some other artifacts. I have Mox Diamond in graveyard. Could I tap the welder and sacrifice an artifact to put Mox Diamond into play without having to discard a land card?

A: Yes, you can. Sacrificing the land is an additional cost to play the Mox Diamond. It's not a comes-into-play triggered ability.

Q: Why does an Entwined Grab the Reins on a Broodstar (if I had no artifacts) kill the Broodstar before the second part of Grab the Reins resolves? How does this differ from a situation where I play Wheel of Fortune and have a creature whose toughness is determined by the number of cards in hand survive?

A: An Entwined Grab the Reins *doesn't* kill Broodstar before you can sacrifice it. Of course, if you have no artifacts, it's not going to deal any damage. It's exactly the same as the Wheel of Fortune scenario. You don't check State-Based Effects during the resolution of a spell. Continuous Effects, like that which figures the power and toughness of Broodstar, will always apply and constantly recalculate based on the game state.

Q: I have Shock Troops equipped with Scythe of the Wretched. I sacrifice the Shock Troops to kill my opponent's creature. Does that creature then come into play on my side?

A: No. When the Shock Troops' ability resolves dealing the damage, Scythe of the Wretched is no longer attached to it; the Scythe fell off as a State-Based Effect after you were finished announcing the Shock Troops' ability. The Scythe's ability can't trigger.

Q: Player 1 activates Mindslaver to take Player 2's next turn. Priority then passes to Player 2 who plays Meditate. If worded and/or timed right can Player 2's Meditate make the Mindslaver's effect fizzle? I am thinking Mindslaver targets the next turn, Meditate targets the same turn removing the target, fizzling the Mindslaver.

A: That's not correct. Mindslaver doesn't target a turn, nor does Meditate. Player 1 will control the next turn Player 2 takes, whether or not it's his regularly scheduled one. And there's no such thing as fizzle in Magic.