Rules Tip of the Day: Triggered abilities of permanents only trigger when the permanent with the triggered ability is in play when the trigger condition is met.

Q: When Celestial Kirin is in play and I cast a one-mana White spirit, does the spirit I just cast also get destroyed along with all other one casting cost permanents?

A: No. Celestial Kirin's ability triggers when you play a spirit or arcane spell. This triggered ability will go on top of the spell that triggered it, and it will resolve before this spell resolves. Because of this the Spirit that you played will not be in play and therefore not be destroyed by the Kirin's triggered ability.

Q: Does Erayo counter Epic spells if he's flipped? I read somewhere that it does not, but the Saviors FAQ says that the copies of Epic spell can be countered.

A: A copy of a spell can be countered, however Erayo's ability only triggers when your opponent plays a spell, not when a copy of a spell is put on the stack. (Erayo's as printed does not have a triggered ability, but that card received errata before the set was released. The flipped ability now reads, "Whenever an opponent plays a spell for the first time in a turn, counter that spell.") Because of this the copies of a spell put on the stack are not countered by the ability of Erayo's Essence.

Q: My friend and I are having a hard time with Twincast.  I was wondering if you could make infinite copies for a storm spell such as Brain Freeze with 2 Twincast spells. Can I do this: Play any instant or sorcery spell. Then play Twincast #1 targeting that spell. Play Twincast #2 targeting Twincast #1. Twincast #2 resolves and puts a copy on the stack of Twincast #1, which targets Twincast #1. Repeat for an infinite storm count.

A: No that does not work. The Storm ability counts the number of spells played in a turn, not the number of copies of spells put on the stack in a turn. In this example the Storm count will be three.

Q: If I play Terashi's Grasp targeting a Darksteel Colossus, the Colossus is not destroyed, but do I still get the life?

A: You are correct. Even though Terashi's Grasp cannot destroy Darksteel Colossus, you will gain eleven life. This is because the life gain is not contingent on the targeted enchantment or artifact being destroyed.

Q: If I have a Soilshaper in play, can I play Strength of Cedars and target a land I control? It is not a valid target when I put the spell on the stack, but it will be before it resolves.

A: No, in order to play a spell you must choose legal targets when you play it. It does not matter that the target would be legal when the spell resolves, you can't even finish the announcement of the Strength of Cedars in this example, as it is an illegal action.

Q: If my opponent has a Troll Asectic equipped with Sword of Fire and Ice and I cast Unforge, targeting the Sword, does the Troll actually receive any damage? I know Unforge doesn't target the creature that carries the Sword, but is the two damage dealt after the Sword is destroyed or will the Troll have protection from red at that point?

A: The two damage dealt by Unforge is dealt after the targeted equipment is destroyed. Because of this, the equipped creature will not have Protection from Red when the damage is dealt, so this damage will not be prevented.

Q: Does Pernicious Deed target creatures? Because it says "destroy each" instead of  "destroy all"?

A: The words "each" or "all" do not denote targeting. Pernicious Deed does not target anything, so its effect will destroy a creature with an appropriate protection ability or one that can not be targeted.

Q: I have a deck that relies heavily on Kismet. I played a friend recently who used a deck where most cards come directly from the graveyard. I was wondering if he were to use Zombify to bring a creature into play, while I have Kismet in play, would it come into play tapped? I tried to look it up online, and some said "Creatures, Lands, and Artifacts your opponents control come into play tapped", and others said "Creatures, Lands, and Artifacts your opponents play come into play tapped". When it says "your opponent plays" I think that means that it only applies if the card is played from the hand.

A: The official Oracle text for Kismet states that, "Artifacts, creatures, and lands your opponents control come into play tapped." This means that all of those specified permanents controlled by your opponent will come into play tapped, including those that come into play from a graveyard.