Rules Tip of the Day An effect that tells you to 'untap target creature,' does not have to target a tapped creature. The word 'untap' in this example is an instruction to untap the targeted creature, it is not a targeting restriction. If it were a targeting restriction it would read 'untap target tapped creature.'

Q: My opponent attacks with a 7/7 trampler. I block with a 4/4. He plays Overblaze. Will I take 6 damage or 10?

A: At most you will take 6 damage. Overblaze doubles the amount of damage the targeted source deals when the damage is dealt, it does not change how combat damage is assigned. When assigning damage from this attacking creature with Trample, its controller must assign what would normally be lethal damage to all blocking creatures. He can then assign the remainder to you, the defending player. It does not matter that this damage will be doubled, he will still have to assign at least four points of damage to this blocking creature and can assign up to three to you. Then when combat damage resolves the four points of damage assigned to the blocking creature will be doubled to eight, and the three assigned to you will be doubled to six.

Q: At the end of my turn, if my Shirei, Shizo's Caretaker is still in play, a land that went to my graveyard from play as a 1/1 creature due to Living Plane does not come back into play, does it? It says "creature card" on Shirei, which makes me suspect.

A: This land card will still be returned to play. Rule 404.4c says: 'A delayed triggered ability that refers to a particular object still affects it even if the object changes characteristics.' When Shirei's ability says to return that creature card, it means that you return to play that card regardless of card type it is. This happens because that triggered ability that returns that card to play is a delayed triggered ability.

Q: If my opponent attacks me with a creature and he controls Nature's Will, can I use Desert to do a point of damage or will the Nature's Will tap it so I can't use the Desert?

A: Nature's Will's ability triggers when combat damage is dealt. And because Desert's ability to deal a point of damage can only be used in the end of combat step Nature’s Will’s triggered ability will trigger and resolve before Desert’s ability can be used.

Q: If I pay Ire of Kaminari targeting my opponent and Splice Dampen Thought targeting myself, do the additional cards put in my graveyard by the Spliced Dampen Thought count toward the Ire's damage potential?

A: No. When you splice text onto a spell, you carry out the text of the 'base' Arcane spell first and then the splice text. In this example, you will deal damage to the targeted creature or player equal to the number of arcane spells in your graveyard first, and then put four cards from your library into your graveyard.

Q: A judge recently told me that I cannot pay the Kicker cost of a token copy of Skizzik created by Soul Foundry. Isn't this the same thing as Orim’s Chant on Isochron Scepter?

A: The judge was correct, and no it's not. The difference between these two situations is that Isochron Scepter creates a copy of a card that the controller of this ability then plays. Soul Foundry puts a token creature into play. This creature is put into play without being played. As you can only pay Kicker costs when you play the Kicker spell, you will not be able to pay the Kicker costs of a creature put into play by Soul Foundry.

Q: I have Blastoderm in play and play Horned Kavu. Can I return the Blastoderm to my hand when horned Kavu comes into play?

A: Yes, the Horned Kavu's 'gating' ability does not target.

Q: How does Library of Leng work with random discard? Specifically, does my opponent get to see the cards that go on top of my deck? If I control a Library, and get hit with Hymn To Tourach, do I have to reveal the random card? I'm assuming (I could be wrong) that I get to look at it before I make the choice of where the card goes, but does my opponent?

A: You do get to look at the card that is randomly chosen before you decide if you want to put it on top of your library or discard it as normal to your graveyard. If you do decide to put it on top of your library then your opponent will not know what it is as you did not have to reveal it.

Q: What happens if you play Shahrazad 50 times all at once by a combo and end up having both players deck themselves. Would it be a draw? And if its a draw, does it still trigger the halving of their life totals?

A: First of all if you somehow play Shaharazad 50 times then you will have 50 different copies of this spell on the stack in the main game and you will end up playing subgames one after the other. Each time one of these subgames ends, you will take all cards from that subgame and shuffle them back together to become your library back in the main game. This in and of itself won't cause any player to be unable to draw an opening hand in any of the subgames.

However, if you start a subgame and neither player can draw a full starting hand of seven cards then both players will lose, that subgame will be a draw and both players will lose half of their life in the main game. This is because much like a certain bet between Ned Flanders and Homer Simpson, Shaharazad affects all players who fail to win the subgame. However, you only lose half of your life and do not have to mow the lawn in your wife’s best Sunday dress.