Rules Tip of the Day: Loss of life is different from damage. Damage can be prevented, loss of life cannot. Effects that are applied or trigger when damage is dealt will not be applied when there is loss of life.

Q: If I have an animated Blinkmoth Nexus, and use Kiki-Jiki to put a copy into play can I target a land my opponent controls, as it shares a type with the Nexus?

A: No, because Kiki-Jiki's ability will put an unanimated non-creature Blinkmoth Nexus into play. This is because when a copy if made it copies the card and not any of the effects that are applied to that card. Because of this the token copy will not trigger Confusion in the Ranks when it comes into play.

Q: When using Thoughtbind, when a spell has an x in the casting cost (like Death Cloud) is the x considered zero no mater how big the Death Cloud is?

A: When on the stack the value of X in a spell's cost is equal to whatever was chosen and paid. A Death Cloud with a value of X equal to anything greater than one will not be able to be countered by Thoughtbind.

Q: Out of curiosity, what would happen if you bounce a token created by Tatsumasa, the Dragon's Fang?

A: The token ceases to exist and Tatsumasa, the Dragon's Fang will remain removed from the game.

Q: Long-Forgotten Gohei and Splice: the reduction is for both the casting cost of spells and splice ability? Or only for one of them?

A: Long Forgotten Gohei's effect lowers the total cost to play a spell, it does not reduce the cost of the "base" spell and the spliced on text. If you play a Glacial Ray and splice on another Glacial Ray, it would normally cost 2RR but with Long Forgotten Gohei in play it will cost 1RR, as the Gohei only lowered the total cost by one.

Q: In play I have, 8 Land, Uyo, Silent Prophet and Azusa, Lost but Seeking

Can I play a Fireball where X is six and target only my opponent. then use Uyo's ability to make a copy of this Fireball, play two lands from my hand due to Azusa's ability and then use this to generate mana to make another copy of the Fireball with Uyo's ability?

My questions are: Is the copy of the Fireball spell deal the same damage each time? Can I return tapped land to my hand? Is the third Fireball still playable after I play the two land from my hand?

A: Short Answers; yes, yes and no.

Longer Answers; The copy of the original Fireball will each have the same value of X and it will deal a total of five points of damage.

Yes, you can return a tapped land to your hand when playing Uyo's ability.

No, you cannot make a third copy in this example. Azusa's ability does allow you to play two additional lands in a turn but it does not change when you can play these lands. You can only play lands during a main phase when the stack is empty. At this point, the Fireball and Uyo's ability are on the stack so you can't play lands.

Q: If I control a Mycosynth Lattice and an Aura of Silence, what happens when my opponent plays any spell or plays a land? Do they have to pay two for everything?

A: That does not work. Mycosynth Lattice only makes permanents in play into artifacts, it does not make spells into artifact spells. It does make them colorless, but that does not mean they are artifact spells so your opponent will not have to pay an additional two mana.

Q: I've a rules question concerning Defense of the Heart. Assume it's the beginning of my upkeep and my opponent has two creatures. Can I stack the ability of the Defense and then tapping Forbidden Orchard for one mana so my opponent will have three creatures on the resolution of the Defense of the Heart trigger? Or will the ability of the Defense only trigger when my opponent has already three creatures at the beginning of my upkeep?

A: No that does not work. Defense of the Heart's current Oracle text makes it so its ability will only trigger if your opponent has three or more creature at the very beginning of your upkeep step. In order to get the result you want you need to use Forbidden Orchard's ability during the end of turn step of your opponent's turn.

Q: My question is if a spell with converted mana cost of two is played and I have a Chalice of the Void with two charge counters on it, can I use a Power Conduit to take a counter off the Chalice and put in on another artifact in response to the triggered ability so the spell won't become countered?

A: Unfortunately no, the spell will still become countered. Once Chalice of the Void's ability triggers it does not recheck the number of counters on the Chalice or the converted mana cost of the spell that triggered the Chalice's ability.

Q: If I have a Corpse Dance in my graveyard, and I play Yawgmoth's Will, can I play the Corpse Dance with the buyback and have it come back to my hand?

A: Yes, it will go back to your hand. Buyback creates a replacement effect that will put the Corpse Dance back into your hand so Yawgmoth's Will effect will never be able to affect it.

Q: Can Doomsday resolve if you have no library and less than five cards in your graveyard?

A: Yes. Doomsday does not target, so it can't be countered on resolution. When it resolves if you have five of less cards in those two zones then you do as much as possible and take the cards that are there and put them on top of your library.