Rules Tip of the Day: The declaration of attacking creature and declaration of blocking creatures does not use the stack. While you can play spell and abilities after these game actions have taken place, you cannot respond to these declarations in the normal Magic sense.

Q: I have Kokusho, the Evening Star in play, and I play Profane Command for six; can I kill my Kokusho, then bring it back to play with my Profane Command?

A: No, for two reasons. All targets for the modes chosen when you play Profane Command are chosen when you play the spell. In this situation, you can target the Kokusho in play with the ability to give it -6/-6, but this card is not in your graveyard, so you cannot choose to target it as the creature to return to play. Also, when resolving Profane Command, you perform the actions in the order written. This means that you will return the targeted creature card in your graveyard to play before you give a creature -X/-X.

Q: I have any of the following in play: Magus of the Disk, Oblivion Stone, Nevinyrral's Disk, or any other item that destroys everything except for land. Can these items destroy a planeswalker?

A: Magus of the Disk and Nevinyrral's Disk cannot, Oblivion Stone can. This is because the first two specifically list the permanent types that they destroy, and planeswalker is not one of them. Oblivion Stone destroys all nonland permanents; planeswalkers are nonland permanents, so they will be destroyed by that effect.

Q: My opponent has Forced Fruition in play. I have six cards in my library and a Primal Command in my hand. If I play the Primal Command, will I be able to shuffle my graveyard into my library before I have to draw seven cards because of the Forced Fruition?

A: No. Forced Fruition's ability triggers when you play a spell. This triggered ability will go on the stack on top of the Primal Command spell that you play and it will resolve first. You will attempt to draw seven cards and lose the game before the Primal Command resolves.

Q: My opponent attacks with a pair of Kithkin Greathearts (with no Giants to be seen). Is there any point that I can cast Blades of Velis Vel on then, making them first-striking Giants, so that I can avoid taking damage? My intent is to do it between the first strike damage assignment and normal combat damage assignment, but I'm not sure if the timing works.

A: No, that does not work. Giving a creature in combat first strike after first strike combat damage has been assigned does not prevent this creature from assigning and dealing damage in the normal combat damage step.

Q: I have Pandemonium in play and I play Hostility. When Hostility comes into play, will I get six 3/1 tokens? And when these tokens come into play, will they each cause me to get three more tokens? Can I keep repeating this to get as many 3/1 tokens as I want?

A: No. Hostility's ability replaces what happens when a spell deals damage to an opponent, not when a triggered ability does. You will not get any token creatures in this example.

Q: I've noticed that the official text for older cars has been changed so they have the keyword abilities that were introduced in Future Sight. For example, Calciderm has shroud and Giant Spider has reach. Why, then, does Phage the Untouchable not have Deathtouch instead of her second ability?

A: Phage's ability only triggers when it deals combat damage; the Deathtouch ability triggers whenever a creature deals any damage, not just combat damage. There is no 100% equivalent between Phage's ability and Deathtouch.

Q: If I have Rayne, Academy Chancellor, my opponent plays Terror to kill her, and I respond with Alexi's Cloak to protect her. Do I draw one or two cards?

A: One or two, depending on when you play Alexi's Cloak When your opponent plays the Terror, Rayne's ability will trigger. If you play Alexi's Cloak at this time, then when Rayne's triggered ability resolves, you will draw two cards. This is because Rayne's ability checks to see if Rayne is enchanted when her ability resolves. If you wait for Rayne's ability to resolve and then play Alexi's Cloak, then you will only have drawn one card.

Q: If I use Flash to bring in Body Snatcher, can I sacrifice it to Flash by not paying the needed mana before it's own ability takes effect and it gets removed from the game?

A: Yes, If you do not pay the the mana cost of the card you put into play minus two, then you sacrifice this creature as Flash resolves. Body Snatcher's triggered ability does not have you sacrifice it until its comes-into-play triggered ability resolves. In this situation you will have to sacrifice the Body Snatcher before its triggered ability even goes on the stack if you do not pay BB.

Q: If I have Darksteel Brute and Drop of Honey in play, and there are no other creatures in play, is there a way to perpetually power the Brute each turn so that the Drop never goes to the graveyard?

A: No. Drop of Honey has two triggered abilities: one that triggers at the beginning of your upkeep and the other that triggers when there are no creatures in play. This second triggered ability will trigger as soon as there are no creatures in play. You can respond to this trigger by animating the Brute, but that will not change anything. This triggered ability does not have the 'intervening if' clause, and Drop of Honey will be sacrificed when this trigger resolves, even if there are creatures in play at that point.