Rules Tip of the Day: There are several effects that create copies of cards and then allow you to play these copies. Examples include Isochron Scepter, Panoptic Mirror and Eye of the Storm. Playing these copies works like playing any other spell, and playing these copies will cause abilities that trigger when a spell is played to trigger.

Q: My opponent has a Siege-Gang Commander that is removed from the game because it was Championed by a Changeling Berserker. Can I play Riftsweeper to make him shuffle the Siege-Gang Commander into his library?

A: Yes. Riftsweeper's ability can target any card that has been removed from the game, including those that are removed by a Champion ability.

Q: I have Marsh Flitter in play; can I sacrifice more than one Goblin to pump it up beyond 3/3?

A: Marsh Flitter's ability does not give the Marsh Flitter +3/+3 or give it any counters. It sets its power and toughness to 3/3. If no other effects that set or alter the power and toughness have been applied to Marsh Flitter, then activating this ability more than once will not do anything. It will still end up as a 3/3 creature.

Q: I play a spell, and my opponent activates his Faerie Conclave. I figure he needs the creature to pay part of the casting cost of a Familiar's Ruse. Can I Sudden Shock his Conclave and kill it after he animates it, but before he has a chance to announce his Familiar's Ruse?

A: It depends on whose turn it is. After the Faerie Conclave ability resolves, the active player will receive priority. If you are the active player, then you can play Sudden Shock and deal lethal damage to the animated Conclave before it can be returned to its owner's hand. If your opponent is the active player, then he can play Familiar's Ruse and return the Conclave to his hand as an additional cost before you can play Sudden Shock.

Q: If you play Oblivion Ring on a Thoughtweft Trio, and the Ring is destroyed, will the Trio "forget" what card was Championed when it comes back into play?

A: Yes. It will come into play as a new Thoughtweft Trio, with no connection to the one that was previously in play. When it comes into play, its Champion ability will trigger. If a Kithkin controlled by the Trio's controller is not removed from the game when this triggered ability resolves, then the Trio will be sacrificed.

Q: If my opponent has Ironfist Crusher in play, and I have Two-Headed Sliver and two other Slivers in play, can the Crusher block all of the Slivers?

A: No. While Ironfoot Crusher's ability allows it to block more than one creature, its ability does nto make it more than one creature. A single Ironfoot Crusher cannot block a creature that can only be blocked by two or more creatures. However, two Ironfoot Crushers can work together to block all of these Slivers.

Q: Does Dust of Moments affect the time counters on Calciderm?

A: Yes, Dust of Moments does not target anything. It can change the number of time counters on a Calciderm.

Q: With Winds of Change, if I have zero cards in hand, do I shuffle zero cards into my library (thus shuffling my library), or do I ignore the "shuffle"?

A: Yes, you will still have to shuffle your library even though you have not put any cards from your hand into it. In many cases, this will not matter, but it can if anything has been done to order the top or bottom of your library.

Q: Two players in a game have three life each. One of them plays a Lightning Helix, and the other responds with False Cure. Does the first person win, or do they draw?

A: The player that played the Lightning Helix will win. When this Lightning Helix resolves the targeted player will receive three points of damage and Lightning Helix's controller will gain three life. This life gain will cause the delayed triggered ability created by False Cure to trigger. Immediately after the Lightning Helix resolves, state-based effect will be checked. At this point, the player who received damage from the Lightning Helix will lose the game, before the triggered ability from False Cure will even go on the stack.

Q: If Twincast is played targeting a Lightning Storm that has counters on it, will those counters be copied on the new spell?

A: No. The copy will not copy any effects that have been applied to the original spell. The original has counters on it, but in order to get some on the copy made by Twincast, a player will have to activate its ability and discard a land card.

Q: I have a Manabond in play and a Vesuva and a Maze of Ith in my hand. When I active Manabond's ability at end of turn, can the Vesuva come into play as a Maze, or can it only become a copy of a land that's already in play when the ability is triggered?

A: First of all, Vesuva does not have a triggered ability. It has a static ability that generates a replacement effect. This effect is applied as the Vesuva enters play. Triggered abilities use the stack, and this one does not. Anyway, on your question: Maze of Ith and Vesuva will both enter play at the same time. Because of this, you cannot choose to copy the Maze, as it is not in play when you choose what to copy.