Rules Tip of the Day: Combat damage is the damage dealt by attacking and blocking creatures in the combat damage step that is equal to their power. Other spells and abilities may deal damage in the combat phase, but that does not make it combat damage.

Q: If I Cytoshape a Keiga, the Tide Star into a Grizzly Bears, and then the "Grizzly Dragon" dies, will it trigger the Dragon's ability?

A: No, this Keiga left play as a copy of the Grizzly Bears, so it will not have an ability to trigger.

Q: If I play Rakdos Augermage's ability, and my opponent picks a Guerrilla Tactics for me to discard, does the Tactics trigger, letting me bean my opponent for four?

A: No, Guerilla Tactics ability will not trigger in this example. That ability triggers when an spell or ability controlled by an opponent causes you to discard. You control the Rakdos Augermage's ability in this example; it does not matter that your opponent can choose which card you discard.

Q: If I have Grand Arbiter Agustin IV in play, and I cast Train of Thought, can I Replicate for one blue mana?

A: No. The ability of Grand Arbiter Agustin IV only lowers the total cost of playing a blue spell by one mana. It does not affect the Replicate cost. Normally to play Train of Thought and Replicate it three times, you would have to pay 4UUUU. With the Grand Arbiter in play, you would lower this cost by just one mana, and pay 3UUUU.

Q: My opponent has Plague Beetle and Benalish Hero in play. I control a Swamp and I have a Grizzly Bears. He attacks with his two creatures banded together. If I have a Cytoshape in my hand, and play it, targeting the Benalish Hero after blockers are declared, but before damage goes on the stack, what exactly happens? And how would this situation change if I instead played it before blockers were declared but after attackers were?

A: Regardless of when you play Cytoshape, these two creatures will still be banded together for the remainder of the combat phase. Removing Banding from one or more attacking creatures after an attacking band has been formed will not cause this band to break up. However, as neither of these creatures has Banding when combat damage is assigned, you will get to choose how to assign combat damage from any creatures blocking this band.

Q: As I understand it, you can imprint Research / Development on an Isochron Scepter, but if you reveal R&D with Dark Confidant, you'll lose seven life. Why is this?

A: Split cards have two sets of characteristics. When the game needs to know a certain characteristic of a split card, two answers will be given. What this means depends on how the effect that asks about the mana cost is worded. If an effects asks what the mana cost of a card is, it will get both answers and use both numbers. Dark Confidant's ability is like this. When the Research / Development is revealed, it will get the answer of "two and five." So you'll lose two life and five life, for a total of seven life.

Other effects try to see if the characteristics of a card matches a chosen number, color, or quality. In these cases, the effect will check to see if either of the two answers given match. With regards to Isochron Scepter, all that matters is that at least once of the two answers given matches. When you go to imprint a card, the game checks to see that this card has a converted mana cost of two or less. Research / Development has a converted mana cost of two and five, so yes, this is a card with a converted mana cost of two or less. It does not matter that it has another converted mana cost.

Q: I am working on a deck idea and was wondering if I can use Power Conduit's ability to remove the Soot counters on my Smokestack before my upkeep, so I can lock out my opponent, but not have to sac permanents myself. Is this possible?

A: Yes, that works. However, you don't have to remove the counters from the Smokestack before your upkeep; you can remove them after Smokestack's ability has triggered and before this triggered ability resolves. In fact, you can remove the Soot counters from the Smokestack and put charge counters on that same Smokestack or on the Power Conduit itself. These counters won't mean anything while on those two artifacts, but it does allow you to pull off this combo without having another permanent in play.