Rules Tip of the Day: Playing a spell and putting a permanent into play are very different things. Playing a spell means announcing that spell, putting it on the stack, making all the necessary choices and paying for it. Effects that allow you to put a card into play do just that, put a card into play. This does not count as playing that card that you put into play.

Q: Does Thief of Hope ability trigger from itself coming into play? I suspect not, but I recently noticed that Soul Warden's text makes a point of saying, "When any other creature comes into play you may gain a life"? It seems that that would be obvious enough not to put on Soul Warden, unless normally you could gain a life from him coming into play if the card just said "gain a life whenever a creature comes into play".

A: No, Thief of Hope will not trigger when it comes into play. That ability triggers when a Spirit or Arcane spell is played, not when one comes into play. When this ability would trigger the Thief spell is on the stack and the ability does not exist. Soul Warden's ability does have to mention that it doesn't trigger on itself coming into play as this ability triggers when a creature comes into play, not when one is played.

Q: If a spell is play with Boseiju, Who Shelters All, and I try to Condescend it what will happen? I'm thinking that the Condescend will resolve and not counter the spell therefore I will Scry. My friend says Condescend will fizzle. Who is right?

A: You are correct. Condescend will still resolve and allow you to scry. Condescend's target is still legal, it just can't be countered (and in Magic there's no such thing as fizzle--Sheldon).

Q: If I equip Horobi, Death's Wail with Shield of Kaldra, which will happen after the two are resolved? The effect of Horobi which destroys Horobi for being the target of an equip "ability" or the effect of the Shield granting it indestructibility and nullifying the destroy effect of Horobi?

A: Because Horobi has a triggered ability that triggers when you play the Equip ability and this triggered ability goes on the stack on top of the Equip ability, the Horobi will be destroyed before it becomes equipped and Indestructible.

Q: I was wondering, since there's that new all Walls have the "Defender" ability, but the creature type wall can attack, how does that effect Aurification?

A: The official Oracle text for Aurification was changed as well. It now reads:

"Whenever a creature deals damage to you, put a gold counter on it. Each creature with a gold counter on it has defender. (Those creatures can't attack.) When Aurification leaves play, remove all gold counters from all creatures."

Q: If I play Reach through Mists and Splice Glacial Ray onto it, can I target a creature with Protection from Red with the Glacial Ray text?

A: Yes. This spell is blue, it does not matter that you have spliced the text from a red card onto it.

Q: If I have Planar Void in play and a player plays Beacon of Immortality, will the Beacon get shuffled back into the library or does it hit the graveyard first, and then get removed from the game?

A: Beacon of Immortality is shuffled into its owner's library as part of its resolution; it never actually goes to the graveyard. Because of this Planar Voids ability will not trigger and will not remove it from the game.

Q: If I target my opponent with Arena, and choose Sengir Vampire as my creature, and my opponent chooses Death Speakers. Would my Vampire still deal its damage, as the Arena supercedes the protection, or would the Death Speakers damage be reduced to zero?

A: The creatures chosen by each player are the sources of the damage not the Arena. If your opponent chose a Death Speakers, then the damage from the Sengir Vampire will be prevented.

Q: My opponent plays Swords to Plowshares on my Rayne, Academy Chancellor. I use Misdirection to re-target his spell onto one of his creatures. Do I still get to draw a card?

A: Yes. Rayne's ability triggered when the Swords was played. This ability will resolve and you will draw a card even if the target of the Swords is changed.

Q: I have Mesmeric Orb in play and it causes me to put Gaea's Blessing into my graveyard. If there are more cards that should be put into the graveyard after the Blessing do I shuffle my graveyard into my library when it hits and then continue the milling by the Orb or can I mill all the cards and then use the Blessing's ability?

A: In the untap step when you untap multiple permanents Mesmeric Orb's ability will trigger once per each permanent you untap. These abilities will resolve in the upkeep step one at a time. If Gaea's Blessing is put in your graveyard from your library then its ability will trigger and go on top of the stack. This ability will then resolve first and shuffle your graveyard into your library before the remaining Mesmeric Orb abilities resolve.

Q: I have a question about Ertai's Meddling. Are the targets or chosen modes selected when the delayed spell was played remain the targets and chosen modalities when the copy is put on the stack? For example, Player A plays a Terror targeting my Craw Wurm. I respond by playing Ertai's Meddling for 2. The next turn I sacrifice my Craw Wurm to Skull Catapult. When Ertai's Meddling resolves, does it continue to target the Craw Wurm and then get countered by having an illegal target? Or does the player get to choose new targets for the copied spell?

A: Yes, the spell targeted by Ertai's Meddling will return to the stack as the same spell, with all the same modes and targets. In the example given the spell will go on the stack targeting the Craw Wurm, but when it goes to resolve it will become countered on resolution.