Rules Tip of the Day: Suspending a card is a special action. Special actions do not use the stack, cannot be responded to, and cannot be countered.

Q: If both Furnace of Rath and Pyromancer's Swath are in play, which triggered ability goes first? If I Shock my opponent, what's the total damage? Is it (2+2) x 2 = 8 points of damage, or (2x2) + 2 = 6 points of damage?

A: First of all, neither of these card have triggered abilities. They both have static abilities that are applied when they are in play and that generate replacement effects. When a sorcery or instant you control would deal damage, both of these abilities will be applied. As they cannot be applied at the same time, the affected player or controller of the affected permanent will choose the order in which to apply them. So it is up to your opponent whether he receives six or eight points of damage.

Q: I have a question about Nacatl War-Pride. If I use Relentless Assault during my second main phase and attack with the tokens, will they trigger and produce more tokens, giving me an overwhelming number of Cats to crush my adversary?

A: Not unless you can give these token creatures haste. The triggered ability of Nacatl War-Pride puts token creatures into play tapped and attacking. They do not need haste normally, as they are not declared as attackers; they enter play attacking. Relentless Assault untaps them and gives you an additional combat phase, but in order to declare these token creatures as attackers, you'd need to give them Haste.

Q: I read a ruling that if a Maelstorm Djinn is turned face-up and then, later, is turned face-down, it will still have Vanishing. And that if it is somehow later turned face-up again it will gain more counters but now have Vanishing twice. First of all, why is this? And second, will this also be the case if a Vesuvan Shapeshifter is turned face-up and copies the Djinn?

A: When a Maelstrom Djinn is turned face-up, it gains Vanishing due to a continuous effect generated by the resolution of its Morph triggered ability. This effect will continue to be applied to the Djinn regardless of what its characteristics are. And as a Vesuvan Shapeshifter will copy and trigger any Morph triggers of the permanent it copies, it will copy the Djinn's Morph triggered ability. So this Shapeshifter will gain Vanishing, and it will keep this ability, even when it is turned face-down.

Q: Can other Slivers prevent damage to another Sliver? If I have three Slivers, one being a Lymph Sliver, could I prevent three damage?

A: Lymph Sliver has a static ability that that gives all Slivers Absorb. The Absorb ability is not an activated ability that you can use to prevent specific damage, it is a static ability that creates a prevention effect. This ability will prevent just one point of damage to a Sliver each time a source would damage it. In this example, only one point of damage to each Sliver will be prevented; you cannot prevent three points of damage to a single Sliver.

Q: If I am playing Momentary Blink via Flashback, does it still receive the mana cost reduction from Stormscape Familiar, or is it considered a blue spell because of the Flashback cost?

A: Yes, it will cost one less. It does not matter that the Flashback cost of Momentary Blink required blue mana, Momentary Blink is still a white spell. Because of this, the cost reduction ability of your Stormscape Familiar will be applied.

Q: Can I cast a creature with Morph with Chord of Calling, then put it into play without revealing it to my opponent? For example, at the end of my opponent's turn I play Chord of Calling, search for Brine Elemental, and put it into play face-down.

A: No that does not work. When Chord of Calling resolves you search for a creature and put it into play. You are not playing this creature; you cannot pay 3 to use the alternate play cost; so it will not come into play face-down.

Q: I have a Circu, Dimir Lobotomist in play and my opponent has a Belbe's Portal with Angel as creature type. If I remove an Akroma, Angel of Wrath with Circu's ability, can he still play Akroma with the Belbe's Portal ability?

A: Yes, he can. Belbe's Portal's ability puts a creature into play; you do not play the creature. Circu's ability prevents players from playing copies of the removed cards; it does not prevent these cards from entering play via other means.

Q: I have both a Kusari-Gama and a Shuriken attached to one of my Ninjas. If another one of my creatures attacks and gets blocked, can I unattach Shuriken to deal damage to the blocker, triggering Kusari-Gama?

A: No. Shuirken deals damage to the targeted creature, the creature that was equipped does not. Because of this, the ability of Kusari-Gama will not trigger.

Q: I play Pinpoint Avalanche on my friend's Mire Boa. Pinpoint Avalanche does damage that cannot be prevented, and would deal lethal damage to Mire Boa. My friend wants to regenerate Mire Boa, but would regenerate actually save his Boa from my spell?

A: Yes. When a creature regenerates it has all damage removed from it. This does not count as preventing damage. So he can regenerate a creature that has had damage dealt to it by Pinpoint Avalanche.