Hello, and welcome to my tri-annual article exploring some of the common rules question from the most recent set. From the early word, Ravnica looks to be a fairly popular set filled with interesting cards, and with every new set comes new questions. This article is designed to cover some of the more popular ones. In addition to this article, I recommend looking at the Ravnica FAQ, and the Comp Rules, both of which are linked to at the Tourney Players page on the Wizard's site. And once again, a reminder: although this may be obvious to most people, not everything is. Remember, you may learn a thing or two from this article also.
General Notes
Convoke
Convoke is a static ability that works when you are announcing the spell. You can tap creatures in order to reduce the cost of the spell. You cannot tap a creature for mana and use it to reduce the cost; it's either one or the other. Likewise, you cannot tap some creatures then play some spell or ability to untap your creatures then tap them again to reduce the cost even more. You can tap creatures that just came into play to convoke.
Dredge
Dredge is a replacement effect that lets you replace drawing a card by instead putting the top X cards (determined by the card with dredge) of your library into your graveyard and putting that card into your hand. You cannot dredge multiple cards off of the same draw, since the draw is replaced. You can replace any draw, not just the one during your draw step.
Hybrid Cards
These are the cards with the split mana in their mana cost. You can pay the split mana by using mana of either color (so, for instance, Boros Recruit could be played using one white mana or one red mana). They count as both colors, even if you only use one color of mana to play them.
Radiance
The radiance spell only targets the original permanent. It does not target any of the other permanents affected by the spell (so being untargetable won't help). If the targeted creature is, say, a Black and Green creature, then all Black and all Green creatures are affected (not just those that are Black/Green).
Transmute
You can only transmute the card if it is in your hand and you could normally play sorcery, which would be during one of your main phases when the stack is empty. You can choose not to find something if you don't want to. You can only transmute it if it is in your hand. You cannot discard it from play.
Card-Specific Notes
Argus Kos, Wojek Veteran
If the creature is both White and Red, it will get both bonuses for a total of +2/+2.
Bloodletter Quill
You can activate the first ability, and then in response activate the second ability. You'll end up drawing 1 card and not losing any life.
Boros Fury-Shield
Assuming you paid the R, the damage will be dealt when the Shield resolves, not when the creature deals combat damage.
Chord of Calling
You can use creatures to lower the cost of X.
Chorus of the Conclave
You can only add the counters if you play the creature. If the creature is being put into play, you cannot use the Chorus' ability to add counters.
Circu, Dimir Lobotomist
The Lobotomist has two triggered abilities: one that triggers when you play a Blue spell and one that triggers when you play a Black spell. If you play a spell that is both Blue and Black, both will trigger and you'll remove two cards. And the Lobotomist's last ability only works while it is in play. If it leaves play, then the cards can be played again.
Compulsive Research
You can choose to discard two lands if you want (or a land and another card).
Concerted Effort
The abilities your creatures have is checked when the ability resolves. So you can let the trigger go on the stack, then play a spell or ability to give one of your creatures a listed ability and they'll be shared among all of your creatures.
Congregation at Dawn
Although you have to reveal the chosen cards, you do not have to tell what order you put them on top of your library.
Dimir Aqueduct (and the other come into play tapped lands)
It's generally a bad idea to play these on the first turn. The ability won't trigger until the land is in play, so it will end up having to bounce itself.
Dimir Doppelganger
When it copies a new creature, coming into play and leave play abilities will not trigger since nothing is leaving or coming into play (the Doppelganger is just changing forms).
Doubling Season
Multiple Doubling Seasons are cumulative. If you have two in play, you'll get four times counters or tokens. This also applies to creatures that come into play with counters, like the Phantom creatures from Judgment.
Drake Familiar
You can bounce an enchantment controlled by your opponent. It does not have to be controlled by you.
Dream Leash
The "You may play Dream Leash only on a tapped permanent" part only applies if you're playing it. If you're putting it into play via some spell or ability, you can enchant any permanent.
"Dual Lands"
These are the set of rare lands that come into play tapped unless you pay 2 life. These are not basic lands, but they do have basic land types. So while something like Sakura-Tribe Elder cannot find them, Wood Elves can.
Eye of the Storm
If the spell that triggered the Storm is countered, that card won't be removed by the Eye, but that spell's controller will still be able to copy all the other removed cards. You do not have to copy every card removed by the Eye. Only cards will trigger the Eye: copies of cards will not trigger it. There's nothing preventing you from playing sorceries. You can even put some instants on the stack first and then some sorceries above it. Any Xs in the cost of the copies will be treated as 0.
Farseek
You can search out the new Dual Lands with this. You can choose to pay the two life if you want, but it will come into play tapped (because of Farseek).
Firemane Angel
At the beginning of your upkeep, if the Angel is in your graveyard and you put the triggered ability on the stack and you respond to that ability by returning the Angel to play, you will not gain any life (since it is not treated as the same Angel that triggered the ability).
Followed Footsteps
If it is played on an opponent's creature, you will get the copies (since you control the Footsteps), not your opponent.
Frenzied Goblin
The Goblin has a triggered ability, not an activated one. You can only make one creature unable to block per attacking Frenzied Goblin, not multiple creatures.
Gleancrawler
Gleancrawler will look back in time and return creatures that died before it came into play.
Golgari Brownscale
The ability triggers no matter how it goes from your graveyard to your hand, not just if you dredge it.
Golgari Guildmage
You cannot return the creature you sacrifice (since targets are chosen before costs are paid).
Hex
You must be able to target six separate creatures with this spell. If there are only five creatures in play, you cannot play it.
Lightning Helix
If the targeted creature or player is illegal when the spell goes to resolve, the entire spell is countered and you don't gain any life.
Master Warcraft
You make all the decisions as to which creatures attack and which creatures block (and how they block). You can choose to make it so your opponent does not block any of your creatures.
Mindless Mass
You control the spell being played from your opponent's hand, so you'll be able to choose targets for it (if it targets), and if it is a permanent, it will come into play under your control.
Necroplasm
Tokens (except those that are copies of a creature) have a converted mana cost of 0. Therefore, if you play the Necroplasm, at the end of your turn, his ability will destroy all token creatures.
Perplex
Players always have a hand, even if it is empty. So you play this and the targeted spell's controller has no cards in their hand, they'll be able to discard their (empty) hand so it won't be countered.
Plague Boiler
If the Boiler's second triggered ability (the one that destroys all nonland permanents) is on the stack and the Boiler leaves play, nothing will be destroyed since you cannot sac the Boiler when the triggered ability resolves.
Privileged Position
If you have two in play, they will end up protecting each other.
Savra, Queen of the Golgari
Savra's abilities will trigger no matter how the creature is sacrificed, whether it's because of something your opponent controls or something you control.
Searing Meditation
The Meditation has a triggered ability that triggers when you gain life. When that trigger resolves, you can choose to pay 2 and deal two damage. You cannot activate it multiple times, and it will only trigger once per life (it doesn't matter if you're gaining 1 or 100 life, it will only trigger once).
Seeds of Strength
Because of the way the targeting rules were changed back when Champions came out, you can target the same creature three times with this.
Shadow of Doubt
This must be played before whatever spell or ability that let them search their library has resolved. If a spell tells you to search multiple zones (including the library), you don't search the library, but you do search any other listed zone (so with Cranial Extraction, you can still remove the named card from their hand and graveyard). If an effect says to shuffle your library only if you searched it, the library will not be shuffled (since it cannot be searched). You can still look at the top X cards of the library, just as long as that spell or ability doesn't use the word search.
Sisters of Stone Death
As long as you use the second ability before damage goes on the stack, the other creature will not deal any damage to the Sisters.
Spectral Searchlight
You can use this on your opponent and if they cannot use that mana before the end of the phase, they will take mana burn.
Stoneshaker Shaman
If the player doesn't control an untapped land when the ability resolves, then they won't sacrifice anything.
Sunforger
You can only play the second ability if the Sunforger is attached to a creature. Any X in the cost of the spell you search for is considered to be 0.
Suppression Field
An activated ability is one that is written as "Cost: effect". A mana ability is an activated or triggered ability that produces mana.
Tolsimir Wolfblood
A Green and White creature will get +2/+2.
Vinelasher Kudzu
The Kudzu's ability triggers no matter how the land comes into play, whether it's because of your normal land drop for the turn or some spell or ability lets you put a land into play.
Vulturous Zombie
The ability triggers no matter how the card goes to their graveyard, whether it's from play or because of a spell resolving. If something like Last Gasp is used on a 3/3 Zombie, it will die before it gets the counter (since state based effects will be checked before the trigger can even go on the stack).
Thank you for your time. Any questions can be directed to the forums.
Nathan Long
DCI Level 2 Judge
n_long at hotmail dot com
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