Rules Tip of the Day: Prior to the release of the 6th Edition rules set, it used to be that a permanent could not use any of its activated abilities until after any "phase costs" were paid. This primarily limited permanents from using activated abilities until after any associated upkeep costs were paid. That is no longer true, and you can use an activated ability of a permanent in the upkeep step before any of its relevant upkeep costs are paid.

Q: Wild Pair is in play and I play Viscid Lemures. Can I use Viscid Lemures's ability to reduce its total power/toughness to 6 before Wild Pair checks and allows me to search our a creature with a matching power/toughness total?

A: Yes. Wild Pair's ability checks the power and toughness of the creature that triggered its ability when the ability resolves. You can change the power or toughness of this creature after it comes into play, but before the ability resolves, in order to change what creature you are able to search your deck for.

Q: Because each land in play is a Swamp, can you tap Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth to add black mana to your mana pool?

A: Yes. Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth will make itself a Swamp, and it will have the ability to tap for one black mana.

Q: If I have a Wall of Shards in play and a Kavu Predator, will the Kavu get a +1/+1 for each age counter on the Wall every turn, or just a single +1/+1 counter every turn?

A: Kavu Predator gets a +1/+1 counter for each point of life that your opponent gains, not just one counter each time your opponent gains life. So the Predator will end up getting +1/+1 counters equal to the number of age counters on the Wall of Shards each turn.

Q: I play Conflagrate, dealing one damage to each of my opponent's three 1/1 creatures and two points of damage to him. My opponent plays Honorable Passage targeting himself. Do his creatures still receive damage? And how much damage will I take?

A: Honorable Passage only prevents that damage from a single source that would be dealt to the targeted creature or player. It does not prevent any damage that this source would do to other creatures or players. If the source is red, then Honorable Passage will deal damage to the controller of the source equal to the amount of prevented damage only. In this example, the 1/1 creatures will receive damage and you will be dealt two points of damage.

Q: If I use Angel's Grace, but I am reduced to zero or less life due to "loss of life" instead of "damage", can I use another Angel's Grace the next turn to prevent from losing the game?

A: No. In the cleanup step of the current turn, the effect from Angel's Grace that keeps you from losing the game will end. Immediately after it ends, state-based effects will be checked, and you will lose the game at this point. The game will not last into the next turn.

Q: If I have Phyrexian Etchings in play, do I discard before I draw, or will I draw the extra cards and then have to discard them?

A: Phyrexian Etching's ability triggers at the beginning of your end-of-turn step. This is before you discard down to your maximum hand size in the cleanup step. So you will draw before you have to discard.

Q: A player controls a Clone (copying Adarkar Valkyrie) and Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker. He uses Kiki-Jiki's ability, targeting the Clone. When the token Clone comes into play, can the token Clone choose another creature to copy, or will it necessarily be a copy of a copy of Adarkar Valkyrie?

A: Copy effects do copy other copy effects. So when Kiki-Jiki's ability resolves a copy of an Adarkar Valkyrie will be put into play, and not a copy of a Clone.

Q: If I have a Krark-Clan Shaman and a Damping Matrix in play, can I pay the activation cost of Krark-Clan Shaman, sacrificing Damping Matrix, in order to deal one damage to each non-flying creature?

A: No. Damping Matrix ability prevents you from even beginning to play activated abilities of artifacts and creatures.

Q: A player controls Callous Oppressor (with Wizard as the named creature type) and a face-down Vesuvan Shapeshifter. He turns Vesuvan Shapeshifter face up and chooses to copy Callous Oppressor. Does the Vesuvan Shapeshifter have no named creature type in this case (i.e., can gain control of any targetable creature)?

A: When this Shapeshifter / Callous Oppressor came into play, a creature type was not chosen. Because there is no chosen creature type associated with this Shapeshifter / Oppressor its controller can use its ability to gain control of a creature of any type.