Rules Tip of the Day: [By long-standing tradition here, editor's birthdays are an opportunity for you to see what columns look like before they get mangled by the staff. I am thirty years old today; I have run my normal processing script and hijacked the RTotD space here for this message. Other than that, this is as-submitted, warts and all. Enjoy! -Seamus]

Q: I Evoke Reveillark to a creature-free board and have Body Double and Mulldrifter in my graveyard. I target both with the Reveillark goes-to-graveyard trigger. When it resolves, both are put into play. Can I choose to make the Body Double a copy of the Mulldrifter? If so, why?

A: Yes, that works. Cards have to be in one zone or another, there are never in-between zones. You choose a card to copy as Body Double enters play. In order to do this you must choose a creature card before it enters play. Before these cards enter play they are in the graveyard. As you make this choice you can choose the Mulldrifter that is about to enter play at the same time as the Body Double as they are both in the graveyard at that point.

Q: I have a question about Leaf-Crowned Elder. What happens when I top deck another Leaf-Crowned Elder, decide to show it and play for free? Would I get chance to use its ability instantly on this upkeep or I'll have to wait till next one?

A: You'll have to wait. Abilities that trigger when an upkeep step being only trigger if the permanent with the ability is in play at the very start of the upkeep step. Because this second Leaf-Crowned Elder was not in play when your upkeep began, its ability will not trigger this turn. YOu will have to wait until your next upkeep step to take advantage of that ability.

Q: Is it possible to champion another tribal card, but not a creature? More specifically can I champion a Bitterblossom with a Mistbind Clique?

A: Yes, that does work. When a Champion ability resolves you must remove a permanent with the specified type or creature subtype from the game. Some Champion abilities, like Mistbind Clique's only care that a permanent with appropriate creature subtype is removed. In these instances it does not have to be a creature.

Q: I have a question regarding a recent three player game. I had a Weirding Shaman and a festering goblin and Grave Pact in play. The second player had a random elf creature in play, and the third player had Subterranean Shambler in play. The second player tries to play another elf creature, in response I sacrifice the festering goblin to the weirding shaman. No problems. Now the area of arguement is whether or not the Shambler will kill the tokens when it leaves play. Do they die?

A: No, they will not be in play when the Shambler's triggered ability resolves. Here's how it all works. When you activate the ability of your Weirding Shaman, the triggered ability of both the Grave Pact and your Festering Goblin will go on the stack on top of that. When the Grave Pact trigger resolves, the player that controls the Subterranean Shambler will have to sacrifice it. This will cause its leaves-play-triggered ability to go to the stack. This ability will resolve before the Weirding Shaman ability resolves, so the token creatures that it puts into play will not be in play yet and not receive damage.

Q: If I use Sigil Tracer to copy an opponent's spell that have epic(example enduring ideal), can I still play spell for the rest of the game?

A: Yes, in fact you will not be able to play any other spells for the rest of the game as you will be under the epic effect for the remainder of the game.

Q: My opponent has Zur the Enchanter, enchanted with Diplomatic Immunity and Empyrial Armor. His previously fetched Oblivion Ring has Empyrial Armor underneath it, which I Willbendered to protect my Tradewind. He has no other creatures on the board. If I Tradwind the Oblivion Ring back to his hand, can he enchant Zur or does he have to enchant a creature of his choosing because of Diplomatic Immunity?

A: He can choose to enchant Zur with this Empyrial Armor that returns to play. This is because when an aura enchantment is put into play without being played, it does not target. Permanents that cannot be targeted can have an aura that is put into play in this manner attached to it.

Q: If opponent has 5 slivers out, one of them being Fury Sliver which gives other slivers double strikes. I have Blood Knight which has first strike with +2/+2 counters blocking fury sliver. My question is, after Fury Sliver died from my Blood Knight, does rest of the slivers still go into 2nd phase of attack phase?

A: No. When you get to the normal combat damage step, only those creatures in combat that a) did not assign combat damage in the first strike combat damage step or b) those with double strike will assign combat damage at this point. Because the Fury Sliver left play after first strike combat damage resolved, these other attacking slivers do not have First STrike any longer and will not assign or deal any addition combat damage.

Q: If I've tapped my Paradise for mana in my turn. My opponent then destroys it in his/her turn (Wasteland, Stone Rain, Sinkhole whatever.) Will I be able (due to the delayed effect) to return it from my graveyard to my hand or is the effect "terminated" once it goes to the graveyard?

A: No. The effect that is created by Undiscovered Paradise that returns it to your hand will only 'look' to see if the land is in play. If the Undiscovered Paradise has left play or is in any other zone, it will not be returned to your hand.