Rules Tip of the Day: Always make an effort to bring your DCI number to a tournament. While it is possible to looks up players' numbers on site, it allows staff to enter players more quickly and get the event started earlier if most people are prepared and bring their numbers. If you have not played in a sanctioned DCI tournament before, you can get a DCI number when registering at your first event.

Q: If I cast an Elemental spell and my opponent responds with Rune Snag, can I use the ability of Smokebraider to pay the additional mana required?

A: No. The mana that you spend when Rune Snag resolves in order to keep the targeted spell from being countered is not part of the cost of playing the targeted spell. It is also, obviously, not an activated ability, so you cannot use mana from a Smokebraider to pay this cost as Rune Snag resolves.

Q: I have one card remaining in my library and I cast Ponder. Do I die?

A: No. You only draw one card when Ponder resolves. When the first part of Ponder's effect is applied, you rearrange the top three cards of your library, and then have the option of shuffling your library. You do not draw any of the cards you look at and rearrange. Then you draw just one card. Because of this, the state-based effect that causes you to lose when you are instructed to draw but do not will not cause you to lose.

Q: If I play Inner-Flame Acolyte for its evoke cost, can I apply the +2/+0 and haste to itself and attack with it before it is sacrificed?

A: No. When you play a creature spell via its Evoke cost, a trigger goes on the stack when this creature enters play. When this trigger resolves, you sacrifice this creature. Once this trigger goes on the stack, you cannot advance to the next step or phase before resolving the trigger. This means that this creature will not be in play when the combat phase begins.

Q: My opponent has a Distorting Lens and a creature with protection from black in play. I use a Moonglove Extract to try to damage the creature. Can my opponent prevent the damage by using the Lens to turn the Extract black, or is it too late, because the Extract has been sacrificed and cannot be targeted by the Lens?

A: Once the Moonglove Extract ability has been activated it is too late for your opponent to use Distorting Lens on it. This is because, as you pointed out, the Extract is sacrificed as a cost to play its ability, is not in play any longer, and therefore cannot be targeted.

Q: I have a Mirari in play; can I use it to copy an Epic sorcery?

A: Yes, but only the one you originally played. If you do, then you will get two copies of this spell at the beginning of each of your following upkeep steps. However, the copies in subsequent turns are not played, they are put on the stack without being played. Because of this, Mirari's ability will not trigger when they go on the stack.

Q: With Geth's Grimoire and Memory Jar, do I get to keep the extra drawn cards with my original hand when the effect of the Jar is over, or do the cards get tossed with the Memory Jar cards?

A: You'll not only keep them, but you won't draw any until after the hand given to each player by Memory Jar is discarded. When Memory Jar's ability resolves, each player will remove their current hand from the game and draw seven new cards. At the end of the turn, all players will discard their current hands and return the ones that were removed from the game. Geth's Grimoire will trigger once for each card that is discarded by an opponent in this way, and you'll end up drawing cards equal to the cards discarded by your opponents. You will then keep these cards, unless you have more than seven in hand, in which case you will discard down to your maximum hand size in your next cleanup step.

Q: I have a Quicksilver Elemental and Dominating Licid in play. I use the Quicksilver Elemental's ability to gain the Dominating Licid's ability and use this ability to gain control of an opponent's creature. What happens at the end of the turn?

A: Nothing; this Elemental will still be a Licid and will stay attached to this 'stolen' creature. Losing the Licid's activated ability does not mean that the effect that was generated when you activated this ability ends.

Q: I was wondering about the use of Penance in an Enduring Ideal deck, not only to protect against the red and black sources, but but also to allow me to put cards from my hand back into my deck. Is a source needed for activating Penance?

A: No. When Penance's ability resolves, you must choose a black or red source if there is one, but there does not have to be one in the first place for you to activate the ability.

Q: If I have five artifacts in play, including Mycosynth Lattice and Legacy Weapon, can I tap Tolarian Academy and spend the five mana it produces as five different colors for Legacy Weapon?

A: Yes. The Lattice allows you to spend the five mana from Tolarian Academy's ability as though it were mana of any color. This means that you can choose to have each one be spent as mana of another color.