Rules Tip of the Day: Banding Part 2, Mutual Assistance - Banding allows you to group creatures together when they attack, often called attacking in a band. In order to form an attacking band all creatures in the band except for one must have the banding ability. If you opponent wants to block any creature in the band he must block the entire band. For example I could attack you with a Benalish Hero and a Grizzly Bears as a band. In order to block either of them you would block the band. Creatures in a band do not share abilities. In other words if I form an attacking band of a Benalish Hero and an Aven Cloudchaser, you could block the entire band with one non-flying creature.

Q: There are 5 cards in the Kamigawa set that share a common name and play effect, the Zubera cycle. They all trigger on Zubera hitting the graveyard. My question is this - when four Floating Dream Zubera (blue) hit the graveyard from combat damage, do I draw 10 cards or 4? What if two blue and two black?

A: Neither. You will draw 16 cards. All 4 of these Zubera will go to the graveyard at the same time and all 4 triggers will go on the stack at the same time. When each resolves there will have been 4 Zubera that have gone to the graveyard previously in the turn so you will draw 4 cards for each ability.

Or if 2 Floating-Dream Zubera and 2 Ashen-Skin Zubera controlled by you go to the graveyard at the same time you will draw 8 and your opponent will discard 8.

Q: If I have 2 Yosei, the Morning Star put into graveyard from play, would my opponent skip 2 untap step or just 1?

A: If you have two Yosei, the Morning Star in play at the same time, both will go to the graveyard due to the new (and in my opinion improved) Legend rule. If you target the same player with the triggered abilities of both of these Yosei then he will skip his next two untap step.

Q: If I have two Dripping-Tongue Zubera in play and I play a spell like Devouring Greed or Devouring Rage, sacrificing the two green Zubera, can I sacrifice the four 1/1 spirit tokens created by the Zubera to the Devouring?

A: No. The abilities of the Zubera's are triggered abilities that use the stack. If you do sacrifice two Dripping-Tongue Zubera when you play one of the Champions Devouring spells these abilities will trigger at this point. However they will not go on the stack until after the announcement of this spell is done and they won't resolve and put spirit tokens in to play until later.

Q: On turn two I play Nezumi Graverobber, there are no cards in any graveyard, is he flipped? Or must I pay 1B to flip it? If so, can pay 1B with no cards in my opponent's graveyard?

A: In order for Nezumi Graverobber to flip you must play and resolve it's activated ability. In order for it's ability to be played you must be able to target a card in your opponent's graveyard. You can not just pay 1B and get a 4/2.

Q: If (by some miracle) I could get Kenzo the Hardhearted in play Equipped with Oathkeeper, Takeno's Daisho and he was killed somehow (other than being removed from the game), when the Oathkeeper's ability triggers Kenzo returns in the flipped Legendary form and not as Bushi Tenderfoot all over again?

A: Oathkeeper, Takeno's Daisho's first triggered ability will not return that card to play at all. When the equipped creature goes to the graveyard the ability will trigger and go on the stack. When this ability resolves if that card has the subtype of Samurai then it is returned to play, it does not mater what the subtype of that permanent was when it left play.

Even if it did return this card to play, it would be returned to play un-flipped. This is because when a card goes from one zone to another it is treated as a new permanent.

Q: Can I play Teferi's Response when I have priority in order to just draw the cards (even if there is no spell on the stack to be countered)?

A: No. In order to play the ability you must be able to target a spell or ability that targets a land you control.

Q: Let's say an active player plays Dark Ritual and intends to play a Sorcery or a Creature Spell with the mana once it resolves. Once the Dark Ritual resolves, does the inactive player have the opportunity to get priority to play Time Stop before the active player can play his Sorcery or a Creature spell, thus forcing the active player to take mana burn from the Dark Ritual mana?

A: No. As this player is the active player he will gain priority immediately after the Dark Ritual resolves. At this point he can spend the mana from this Dark Ritual before you can play Time Stop.

Q: I have a question about Booby Trap. When can you Stifle the Booby Trap effect? Does a player that draws a card see that card and can then Stifle or does he has to Stifle before?

A: You will see the chosen drawn / revealed card and still get the opportunity to counter the Booby Trap triggered ability. The Booby Trap's ability triggers when the named card is revealed by the chosen player. This ability does use the stack and can be countered by Stifle. There is no ability to Stifle if the chosen card has not been revealed. Keep in mind that if this ability is Stifled then the Booby Trap will not be sacrificed.

Q: My opponent plays Laquatus's Champion, and I stifle the comes into play ability. When that creature leaves play, do I gain 6 life, or not?

A: You will gain 6 life. Laquatus's Champion's leaves play ability refers to the person who was targeted by its coming into play ability. It does not matter that this coming into play ability was countered. It still had a target, which was you, so you will gain 6 life when the leaves play triggered ability resolves.

Q: I have Darksteel Colossus in play along with Proteus Staff, and no other creatures in my library. My opponent successfully resolves Duplicant, and targets my Colossus. In response, I tap my Proteus Staff, putting my Colossus on the bottom of my library, and start revealing cards. When I reach the bottom of my library, I reveal the same Colossus, and put it into play. What I want to know, is that for the purposes of targeting, is it the"same" Colossus, and therefore removed from the game by the Duplicant, or is it a"different" Colossus, and therefore the Duplicant's ability fizzles?

A: When a permanent leaves play and then later returns it is a new permanent. This Colossus in play may be represented by the same card but it is a new permanent and it is not targeted by the Duplicant's coming into play ability. The Duplicant's coming into play ability will then be countered on resolution when it goes to resolve--or it would, if you could play it that way. Unfortunately, you can only activate Proteus Staff's ability when you can play a Sorcery.