Rules Tip of the Day: Tapping a blocking creature will not remove it from combat, make the attacking creature unblocked, or cause the blocking creature to not deal combat damage.

Q: If I have Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir in play, and I have a Morph creature in hand, can I play the Morph creature at instant speed face down?

A: Yes. Morph and Flash do not step on each other in a way that prohibits you from taking advantage of both of these abilities. So with Teferi in play, you can play a face-down creature whenever you could play an instant.

Q: How do the new Suspend-only spells (Ancestral Vision, etc.) interact with Djinn Illuminatus? Can they be Replicated? What about copying them with Izzet Guildmage or Mirari?

A: The first method, with Djinn Illuminatus, does not work, as you cannot pay a non-existent cost, even a non-existent Replicate cost. Howeveer, you can make a copy of these spells with other abilities like those of Izzet Guildmage and Mirari, as you are using an effect to make a copy of the spell.

Q: I have two Nether Traitors in play and a Nekrataal and my opponent casts Wrath of God. Since I determine the order my cards go to the graveyard, can I send the two Traitors to the graveyard first, followed by the Nekrataal, which would then allow me to activate each Traitor's triggered ability to come back into play for a black mana?

A: No, that does not work. While it is true that you get to determine the order that cards end up in your graveyard, when Wrath of God resolves, all three of your creatures will go there at the same time. This means that these two triggered abilities will not trigger. Abilities that trigger on permanents leaving play must exist just prior to the event that triggers them. Since Nether Traitor's ability only functions while it is in the graveyard, it must be in the 'yard before the event that destroys the other creature.

Q: I have a Feldon's Cane in play. I tap it and remove it from the game, and in response, I play Pull from Eternity on the Cane to put it into my graveyard. Does the Cane get shuffled back into my library?

A: Yes. You remove Feldon's Cane from the game as part of the activation cost of its ability, so it is removed from the game right away. You can respond to this ability by playing Pull from Eternity and targeting Feldon's Cane.

Q: I have removed one of my creatures from the game with a Safe Haven, and the Safe Haven is subsequently destroyed by a land destruction spell. If I cast Crucible of Worlds and play the Safe Haven from my graveyard, will I be able to retrieve my previously removed creatures upon my next upkeep?

A: No. When a permanent leaves one zone and then later returns to that zone, it is treated as a new permanent. This Safe Haven that is now in play is a new and different one from the one that removed creatures from the game earlier.

Q: Can I Misdirect a spell to its original target, to increase the Storm count?

A: No. Misdirection tells you to change the target of a spell with a single target, so you must change this target if you can. If the original target is the only legal target for this targeted spell, then Misdirect will resolve and fail to do anything. But once again, if you can change the target, you must.

Q: Simic Initiate is my only creature in play. If I cast Ulasht, the Hate Seed, can I use the Initiate's Graft ability to give Ulasht two +1/+1 counters?

A: Sort of. Ulasht comes into play with counters equal to the number of red, green, and red/green creatures you control. So when it comes into play it will count the Simic Initiate you control and give it a counter. Then after Ulasht enters play, the Graft ability of the Initiate will go on the stack. When this triggered ability resolves, you can choose to move the +1/+1 counter from the Initiate to Ulasht.

Q: If I target my Surveilling Sprite with a Polymorph, do I draw the card before or after revealing cards from my library?

A: You will reveal cards from the top of your library first. This is because Surveilling Sprite has a triggered ability that will not go on the stack until after Polymorph has completely resolved.

Q: How long is a DCI number usable? The reason I'm asking is that I've been out of Magic for 3-4 years. I had a high ranking, but I'm afraid I'll lose it. How long does it take before the DCI removes a DCI number? If it has been four years since my last tournament, can I still use it?

A: The DCI number you received all those years ago is still valid. If you go to a tournament now, you can use that number when registering. You may not have played in a while, but you will still have the ratings points you earned before. However, after a certain period of time where you do not play in sanctioned events, the DCI will remove your name from the list of rankings. Once again, this does not affect your rating, but you won't be listed in comparison to other Magic players in your area and the world until you start playing again.