Rules Tip of the Day: You can't sacrifice a permanent just because you want to. You have to have a spell or ability to sacrifice it to.

Q: I control Darksteel Colossus and my opponent controls Molder Slug. During my upkeep, with the Slug's ability on the stack, my opponent play Carbonize targeting my Colossus. Will I get to choose which replacement effect works or will the Colossus be removed from the game?

A: When two replacement effects attempt to modify the same event, the controller of the affected permanent chooses which one applies. It's up to you.

Q: Mycosynth Lattice is in play. Would a player be immune to Persecute?

A: Yes. The Lattice makes cards in all zones colorless. Colorless isn't a color, so it's not a valid choice with Persecute.

Q: Are you allowed to look at your opponent's hand when the game is over? Say they didn't play anything the first game, and you would like to know what deck they are playing to sideboard properly against.

A: No, you cannot. Their hand is hidden information.

Q: If you play Alter Reality does it mean you can change an artifact into a creature and since it's originally not an artifact creature it becomes a 0/0? Would it be dead?

A: No. In addition to not being a creature type (as has been previously mentioned once or twice on"Ask the Judge") ,"Artifact" is also not a color word. The only color words in Magic are white, blue, black, red, and green.

Q: I am attacking with Grimclaw Bats. I declare my attackers, and my opponent declares no blockers. I pump my bats once then pass priority because I want this to resolve and have my Bats be a 2/2 before pumping them up again. My opponent said since I passed priority and he didn't do anything we had moved to damage and I couldn't now pump my bats higher to have them do more damage. I don't think he's right.

A: Your opponent is incorrect. The only time the game moves forward is if both players pass in succession on an EMPTY stack. That's obviously not the case here since you passed with an activation of the Bats on the stack. You're playing it the smartest way. Pump, let it resolve; pump, let it resolve, and so forth.

Q: How does Ill-Gotten Gains interact with Planar Void? Are the discarded cards removed instantly or do I get three cards back, as it all happens during the resolution of the Gains?

A: You can get the cards back because although Planar Void triggers when the cards are discarded, the trigger doesn't go on the stack until after the resolution of Ill-Gotten Gains is complete. By that time, those cards could be back in players' hands.

Q: My opponent plays a spell. I play Ertai's Meddling with 3 counters on it. When the counters are all taken off, is there a chance for me to counter it or does it have to resolve?

A: There's a chance for you to counter it. The Oracle wording of Ertai's Meddling has changed. When the last counter is removed, you put a copy of the original spell on the stack. That spell can be targeted.

Q: What happens if I play Ertai's Meddling on a face-down creature spell?

A: If Ertai's Meddling is used to copy a spell being played face down due to Morph, the spell will create a face up, 2/2, colorless, and nameless creature with no text. Ertai's Meddling copies only the original spell and not the entire card the spell represented.