Rules Tip of the Day: If a spell or ability would cause a player to discard more cards than are in his or her hand, then that player discards her entire hand.

Q. If I control Bile Urchin and Shirei, Shizo's Caretaker, can I constantly recur the Urchin with Shirei's ability at the end of turn step, or will the Urchin come back at the end of the next turn, kind of like the how Astral Slide works?

A: It can only come back once per turn. If you sacrifice the Urchin during the end of turn step, it will not return to play until the next end of turn step. The optimum thing to do is to sacrifice it during the second main phase of each turn.

Q: I have Sensei Golden-Tail and Genju of the Fields on one of my Plains. If I put a training counter on the animated plains, will it keep Bushido AFTER it un-animates at end of turn? Will it keep it's "samurai in addition to it's other types" for when it re-animates again?

A: Your instincts are correct. This enchanted land will keep the Bushido ability and the counter even after it 'de-animates' at the end of the current turn. If this land is then animated in a later turn it will then also have the creature type of Samurai.

Q: My brother thinks that if he has a creature with Soulshift that he can use its Soulshift ability on itself. I don't think he can because as far as I know the ability would resolve before the creature goes to the graveyard. Who is correct?

A: He is. The Soulshift ability is a triggered ability that uses the stack. When a creature with Soulshift goes to the graveyard this ability goes on the stack and you choose a target Spirit card with an appropriate converted mana cost. At that point the Soulshift card itself that is in the graveyard, so it could be the target of this ability. However, most creatures with Soulshift can only target creatures with a converted mana cost less than themselves. The lone exception is Kodama of the Center Tree, which has a variable Soulshift and under the right conditions can return itself to your hand.

Q: I have Umezawa's Jitte equipping a blocked attacking creature with Trample. I assign lethal damage to the creature, and the remaining damage is assigned to the player. Does the Jitte get two or four charge counters?

A: Just two. This creature will deal all of its combat damage, that assigned to the blocking creature, and to the defending player all at once, so the Jitte's ability will only trigger once.

Q: What happens if I have Ghostly Prison in play and my opponent controls a creature like Battle-Mad Ronin? Is he is required to attack and pay two mana?

A: Your opponent can choose to not attack with his Battle-Mad Ronin. The Ronin's attacking requirement states that it must attack if able. However, your opponent is not forced to pay the two mana due to the Ghostly Prison's ability to allow it to attack. Because of this the Ronin will not be able to attack, and therefore won't be forced to.

Q: If one of my creatures is put in my graveyard from play and then is taken out by my opponent and is placed under their control, could I sacrifice Angelic Renewal to return the creature back to me under my control?

A: No. Angelic Renewal only allows you to sacrifice it and return to play the creature that triggered the Renewal's ability when Angelic Renewal's triggered ability resolves. If this creature card leaves the graveyard before this triggered ability resolves, you will not be able to put it into play under your control with the Renewal's ability.

Q: My opponent Storms up a count of nine and then plays Tendrils of Agony. I respond with False Cure. The False Cure will resolve first and then each time he gains two life he will lose four. If at the start of this we have the same life total, will this end up in a draw or will he win?

A: He will win. This is because False Cure creates delayed triggered abilities that will use the stack. This delayed triggered ability will go on the stack after each individual copy of Tendrils resolves and he gains life. When each of these delayed triggered abilities resolves he will lose four life. Because state-based effects are checked after each item on the stack resolves your life total will go to zero first and you will lose the game before the False Cure triggered ability that would lower his life total to zero even goes on the stack.

Q: If I activate the ability of my Preacher can my opponent choose to have this ability target his Cabal Archon, and then sacrifice it so I get nothing?

A: Yes, when the ability goes on the stack your opponent chooses a creature that he controls to be the target of the ability. He can still respond to this ability by sacrificing the target he chose. If he does, then the Preacher's ability will become countered on resolution.