Rules Tip of the Day: When combat damage goes on the stack, the active player announces how he will assign damage from the attacking creatures he controls then the defending player announces how he will assign damage from the defending creatures he controls. This damage will go on the stack as a single object and resolve all at once.

Q: Can Patron of the Orochi untap itself to its own ability? As a corollary to this, can you create infinite green mana by the Patron's ability assuming you have forests in play?

A: Yes, it will untap itself. And no it is not really a combo for unlimited mana as you can only use the Patron's untap ability once per turn.

Q: I have Horobi, Death’s Wail in play due to my fact that my opponent played Iwamori of the Open Fist. I want to play Reach Through Mists and Splice on Horobi’s Whisper and target my opponent’s Iwamor in order to have it be destroyed by Horobi, Death’s Wail’s triggered ability. Is this possible?

A: Yes. The line of text on Horobi’s Whipser that states ‘If you control a Swamp, destroy target nonblack creature,’ is not a restriction on when you can play Horobi’s Whisper or Splice it onto another arcane spell. That phrase is just part of the Whisper's effect and the targeted creature will not be destroyed if you don’t control a Swamp when this spell resolves. However, you don’t really care about that, as this targeted creature will be destroyed by Horobi’s ability before this spell resolves.

Q: Grip of Chaos is in play and someone plays a spell with a single target. If this spell targets a Glasskite (and it’s the first spell to target it) is it countered even if the target it changed? How about if a Glasskite is the creatuee that is randomly targeted when the targeted is reselected, is it countered then?

A: The Glasskite ability will counter this spell even if the Glasskite is not the target of the when the Glasskite ability resolves. When Grip of Chaos changes the target of a spell it will trigger abilities that trigger when targets are chosen. In both situations the Glasskite ability will counter this spell or ability if it is the first thing to target the Glasskite that turn.

Q: If you put Squelch on Isochron Scepter, is the Scepter's ability a legal target for Squelch? So, could you always pay 2 and tap the Scepter to play the Squelch to counter the Scepter ability and draw a card?

A: While you can imprint Squelch on the Scepter, and you can play the copy created by the Scepter's ability and target the Scepter's ability, you won't draw a card. This is because by the time the copy Squelch resolves the Isochron Scepter's ability will have completely resolved and left the stack. This means that the Squelch target will not be legal and the Squelch will become countered on resolution.

Q: Can I stop the Storm spells generated by Tendrils of Agony by removing the original Tendrils with Shell of the Last Kappa in response on the Storm trigger of Tendrils?

A: No, removing the original spell and card from the stack does not prevent the Storm triggered ability from resolving or the storm copies from being created and resolving.

Q: Can Sculpting Steel's ability be Stifled?

A: No it cannot. Sculpting Steel's ability that has it become a copy of a chosen artifact in play it a static ability that modifies how the Sculpting Steel comes in to play. It is not an activated or triggered ability.

Q: I activate Æther Vial with 3 counters on it. My opponent bounces the Vial in response. Does the effect look for the number of counters on Æther Vial upon resolution, or does the effect go on the stack that allows a 3 mana cost creature to be put into play?

A: The effect checks the number of counters on the Vial when the ability resolves. If the Vial is not in play then the game will use last known information about the Vial when it was last in play. You will still be able to put a creature with the converted mana cost of three into play even though the Vial is not in play anymore, as when it was last in play it had threes counter on it.

Q: If I play Copy Artifact and copied Lightning Greaves then equipped the Copy Artifact / Lightning Greaves onto Rayne, Academy Chancellor would I be able to draw two cards due to Rayne’s ability?

A: No, because Rayne only triggers when it (or another permanent you control) is targeted by an opponent, not by you. That aside, Copy Artifact remains an enchantment, but that does not mean that Rayne is enchanted. An object is only enchanted if a local enchantment is attached to it. In this example the Copy Artifact is a still a global enchantment and not a local one. Even though there is an enchantment attached to Rayne, you will only draw a single card when a spell or ability an opponent controls targets a permanent you control.