Rules Tip of the Day: Mana abilities do not use the stack. Keep in mind that this means an ability that generates mana, and does not mean one that requires mana as a cost.
Q: I was playing in a draft yesterday and I played a Captivating Glance on my opponent's creature. At the end of my turn, we clashed and I won. On his turn, he played a Wispmare, destroying my Glance, and claimed that he would get his creature back, and I disagreed. His argument is that Captivating Glances functions like Control Magic, and that the control effect is a static ability that ends if the Aura leaves play. My argument is that the triggered ability creates a control effect that doesn't depend on the Aura being in play. Who is right?
A: You are correct. When Captivating Glance's triggered ability resolves, control of the enchanted creature may change, depending on who wins the clash. This continuous change of control effect is not due to a static ability, so it is not contingent on Captivating Glance remaining in play.
Q: I play Tidings. Can I then play Wild Ricochet, targeting it? I know that there are no targets to change, but it does say may on the card. Barring that answer, will I be able to copy the spell?
A: Yes, another copy of Tidings will be out on the stack. You can target a non-targeted spell with Wild Ricochet.
Q: I have Saffi Eriksdotter in play, and I play a Shriekmaw with its Evoke cost. Is there a point at which I get priority while the Shriekmaw is in play, before I sacrifice it to Evoke, that I can sacrifice Saffi to bring it back?
A: Yes, that works. When you play Shriekmaw via its Evoke cost, the Shriekmaw will enter play and both its comes-into-play triggered ability and the Evoke triggered ability will go on the stack in whatever order you want. If you activate Saffi's ability any time before the Evoke trigger resolves, then the Shriekmaw will end up being sacrificed and will return to play. When it does, its comes-into-play ability will trigger again.
Q: I have Ancient Amphitheater in my hand, along with an Avian Changeling. Can I reveal the Changeling as I play the Amphitheater?
A: Yes. Cards with Changeling have all creature types in all zones. This Avian Changeling is a Giant (and every other kind of creature) when it is in your library, hand, graveyard, removed from game zone, and when in play.
Q: If Culling Sun is played, and it destroys all creatures with mana cost 3 or less, does this kill all token creatures in play as well?
A: Most token creatures have no mana cost, so it is as though it is zero. The exceptions are token creatures that are copies of other objects. These tokens will have the same converted mana cost as the original. So a Culling Sun will destroy most token creatures.
Q: How does Temporal Aperture work with spells with no casting cost, such as Ancestral Vision? I know you cannot Suspend a card using Temporal Aperture (at least I think you can't). I am wondering because technically you cannot cast a spell with no casting cost.
A: It's not that you can't play spells with no mana costs; you can still play them. You just can't pay a non-existent cost. You can play these spells as long as an effect allows you to play them without paying their mana cost. Temporal Aperture's effect does allow you to play the revealed card without paying its mana cost, so you can play a card with no mana cost.
Q: Skyship Weatherlight does not say to reveal the artifact or creature cards found before removing them from the game. Is revealing the cards to your opponents implied/required or not?
A: These cards will be removed from the game face up. Unless specified, effects that remove cards from the game will do so face up for all players to see. Only those effects that remove cards from the game face down cannot be seen by all players. Some effects remove cards face down and allow certain players to see them.
Q: Can the controller of Defensive Formation have all of an opponent's attacking creatures become blocked by just one creature?
A: No. Defensive Formation just changes who assigns the damage from attacking creatures, it does not change what blocks can or cannot be made.
Q: Can I Death Wish for a Bronze Tablet and then use it? I know Bronze Tablet says remove it before the game if not playing for Ante but this isn't before the game, it is during the game.
A: Bronze Tablet is not legal in any sanctioned format, so this is only something you have to worry about for casual play. WIth regards to the rules, this is possible. You can use the Death Wish to search for Bronze Tablet, as it is a card you own that is outside of the game. However, doing so and then using it may not make your play group very happy. In short, it's legal, but it is not recommended without prior agreements.
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