MTG Magic The Gathering Ask A Judge - Monday Morning Blues Edition

Good morning boys and girls! Weekend thread died while I was sleeping, so here's a new thread to start your Monday morning off right!

Bump. Slow morning.

What is the current ruling on the German Wald? Can I use it in a deck that runs green but not white?

Most every judge I know would just flat out ban it from use. Technically speaking, it's a Forest- it is named Forest, so that's what it is. However, I have seen maybe one or two people in my entire career who consider this to be an interesting novelty to put into a mono-green deck. Every other person has wanted to use it to confuse their opponent, which is why I would say "Just go get normal Forests from the store's draft box".

;_;
I just wanted a cool basic for my one-of Forest in legacy lands

Yeah, I wouldn't risk it. It is neat, but because so many shitheads used it to trick people (because from across the table they're going to assume it's a Plains, not a Forest), it got ruined for everyone.

What I'd suggest is either getting something really pimp (foil Unhinged/Unglued, Judge Foil forest, Guru forest) or just dig through all the arts, find one you really like, and get that in foil. Or have one altered up.

Is "Creature dies" equivalent to "is sent to the graveyard", or do they happen in a succession of sorts ?

Equivalent. It's just a formatting shorthand used to save space on the card's rules text and be 'thematic'. "Dies" is literally shorthand for "is put into a graveyard from the battlefield", and only applies to creatures, but it means the exact same thing.

Let's say my opponent is at 3 life and I want to be a massive dick, so when he casts Brainstorming in his upkeep I sacrifice Academy Rector and get my Sylvan Library, then I use Zedruu the Greathearted to donate my Library in an attempt to make him use it. He does and I call a judge, how would that situation be handled?

Sylvan Library's draw is a may ability. I fail to see what requires calling a judge

>and he chooses to use it
The tricky thing is that he's drawn 3 cards this turn by that time (since he Brainstormed in the upkeep), but those cards are already mingled with his hand.

So, the way I'd handle it (assuming you do this after he's Brainstormed, so the cards he drew aren't distinguishable from the rest of his hand) is this: If he's wanting to use Library, then he needs to keep the card he draws in his draw step, and the two cards he draws from Library, 100% distinct from the other cards in his hand until he has finished resolving Library's trigger.

Alternately, to quote a higher level judge than me, "Sylvan Library is not a real card."

Not to be a dick gA but I'm confused now. Library triggers on draw step so if it's donated to you during the upkeep in response to Brainstorm don't you just finish resolving brainstorm then choose if you want to draw off Library once you move to draw phase?

If it were in RESPONSE to Brainstorm, then it'd just be "You better keep those Brainstorm draws separate from your hand up until you finish using Library."

The smart move is not to donate it in response to Brainstorm, but to donate it after Brainstorm resolves, so that they only have the 3 cards drawn in their draw step to choose from. In response to Brainstorm, I can draw those 3, put 2 cards from my hand (other than those) on top, then draw one of them for my turn, draw the other (plus one more card) for Library, and then pick any 2 of the 5 cards I have drawn this turn to pay 4 life or put back.

If i flickerwisp someone else's permanent, is it my job to remember the trigger? Always assumed it was.

Time Stop acts like it has Split Second, correct?

You are correct. Though your trigger involves someone else's stuff, it's still YOUR trigger, which makes it your responsibility to remember it. If you forget it and your opponent does not, they do have the option of forcing the trigger onto the stack if it's caught quickly enough, but the actual burden of remembering it does not fall on them, but on you.

Also, "forgetting" the return trigger is a good way to get DQed.

...no? It uses the stack and can be responded to, just like any normal spell. It doesn't just instantly resolve and end the turn.

Let's say I cast Life's legacy, can an opponent cast unsummon in reaction to return the creature to my hand before Life's legacy resolves?

They cannot. Sacrificing the creature is a cost to cast the spell, so by the time they have priority to respond to your spell, you've already paid all the costs (including sacrificing it).

In your personal experience, what has been the longest time a player has kept an evolving wilds on the field? My personal account has the longest time at 8 turns in a 1v1.

I've seen one linger on the field for an entire game starting on turn 3, but that's because he had played a Prismatic Omen on turn 2.

Ah. Prismatic omen, possibly one of the best green enchantments for Tri-quad-penta- colored decks, yet the price tag kills me.

That actually brings up an interesting question. My opponent has an urborg tomb of yawgmoth in play, and I cast painful truths, tapping bloodstained mire, sacred foundry, and snow-covered mountain. Opponent argues that I only get 1 card and 1 life since I didn't specify what colors I was using - and since bloodstained mire can only make black mana I must have made BBB for it.

Is he right?

Nope. A forest/mountain/plains can choose to tap for either a White, a red, or a black mana. That legendary land says "Swamps in ADDITION to their other types" not "All lands become swamps".

If I use Splinter Twin on my Phyrexian Metamorph and I put a token into play that is a copy of the Metamorph and making that Token a copy of my Chaos Orb, disregarding the legality of Chaos Orb, what is the maximum size I can make that Token? Can I name the Table as my Token?

Usually you HAVE to use a token card sized object, usually if you're not playing hyper-competetive you are probably going to use a card in your discard or exile.

His main thing is that the Mire must have been used for black, since that's the only color it can make, and was wondering what the "default" on the other two is, since one of them can make R or B, and the other can make R, B, or W. Basically, that Painful Truths can be cast with anywhere between one and three colors, but without them verbally confirming which colors were

He is not. If you don't say what colors you're using, there's not an assumption here- your opponent is just going to ask "How many colors did you use for that?" and you will have to answer him honestly. You can't "hide" what colors you're using, but neither is there a default.

First, I'm wondering how the hell you have a Metamorph that's not a copy of something on the battlefield.

Second, assuming you manage that, there's no 'rules' on Chaos Orb because it's not legal in any sanctioned format, so my Judge powers do not necessarily extend to it. For the sake of rationality, I would say that your token would need to be the same dimensions as a normal Magic card though.

Okay, so as a judge the correct play would be to ask me what colors I'm using and from where?

The 'from where' doesn't terribly matter. I'd just ask you "What colors did you use to cast that?", probably do a quick check to make sure that's legal, and then carry on.

Point is, you can't really "bluff" the colors since your opponent can ask you what colors you're using (and I can make you answer), so just make it easier on everyone by saying "Truths for 3".

Yeah March of the Machines and Splinter Twin might be a better choice then Pyrexian Metamorph.

Truths for 3 is what I intended, and it's what the judge let me have after checking how the mire was tapped for mana (my opponent had urborg on top of his basic swamps so he missed it at first.)

I really like this shop. Draws good crowds, singles prices are fair, the only downside is booster packs are super overpriced.

I was just wondering...
>Cast Snapcaster Mage from my hand
>Have a Pyromancer's Goggles on my battlefield
>Tap it
>Cast Lightning Bolt from my graveyard using the R provided by PG
Will I then get a copy of said Lightning Bolt?

Why wouldn't you? You are casting a red instant or sorcery. Goggles doesn't specify that the spell needs to be cast from your hand.

can Stonybrook Banneret reduce the extra cost of Harbinger of the Tides when its cast with Flash?

Dumb question, if you have a doubling season and a source with wither deals damage to a creature you control, does it double? Or is that not considered "an effect"?

I was just unsure if it would work with the flashback effect.

question about spell/effect order and resolution, say i have a Zada, Hedron Grinder, four werewolves (doesn't really matter which) and a Silverfur Partisan, now i cast Might of the Masses on Zada, do i get the wolf tokens first, THEN get the Might of the Masses effect, or the effect then the wolves, and if i get the wolves first, do they count towards the Might of the Masses effect?

Yes.

The silverfur partisan' effect triggers as soon as it is targeted by an instant or sorcery. As far as my understanding goes the order of resolution would be:
>Silverfur partisan triggers and you get a token
>Spell resolves and counts the wolf token in the # of creatures you control
Not a judge, but that's how I would call it.

The Mights will be on the stack triggering Silverfur, giving you 5 2/2 wolves. Then the Mights will resolve counting your new wolves.
End result : a huge Zada, 4 huge werewolves, a huge Silverfur, and 5 2/2 wolves.

awesome, thanks for the help.

If an effect changes the text of a spell (splice into arcane for example or those older spells that change a color word), and then another spell copies it, the copy also has the change, right?

Sure. You cast a red instant with it, so the trigger fires. If Goggles was supposed to only work on cards cast from your hand, it would say so.

Yes! First you take the base or alternate cost you're paying, then you add in any cost increases, then you subtract any cost reducers. The discount from Banneret comes AFTER the increase for Flash, so it works.

Hey, no harm in double checking.

You cast Might, which triggers Zada. Zada's trigger resolves and makes a Might for your four Werewolves, and Partisan. Partisan triggers five times (one for itself, one for each of the other four), and you end up with another five Wolves after all those resolve. Then, the copies of Might resolve, giving each of your not-Zada creatures +10/+10, then the original gives Zada +10/+10. The Wolf tokens won't get any bonuses though.

Yes and no. Most of it is "no"- for text and color changing things, that won't be copied because those are a later layer than Copy effects. Copy effects look at the un-fucked-with card in layer 1 (but can be modified by other copy effects). Splice IS copied, because Splice is weird.

Thanks!

Also of note: the "no" mostly just applies to text and color changing things for spells. Whether or not an alternate cost was paid, whether or not a spell had ADDITIONAL costs paid, the value of X- all of those things are copiable. If I cast a kicked Rite of Replication and you copy it, your copy is kicked. If I cast an overloaded Cyclonic Rift and you copy it, your copy is overloaded, etc.

Post-lunch bump.

Related to kicked Rite of Replication, say I target my Conduit of Ruin with one. Is it an acceptable shortcut to only search for one creature, shuffle my library, and put it on top?

>When you cast Conduit of Ruin
Probably don't search your library at all, chief.

But let's say it was a Faerie Harbinger, and you only really wanted one Faerie. Since you're searching a hidden zone for a card of a defined quality, you can "fail to find" even if your deck contains things that fall into that category. If your deck was literally nothing but Forests, you can cast a Rampant Growth and go "Oh shit, fail to find!" if you want.

And one more bump. Leaving the office in about 15 minutes, home in about 45.

Is there a difference between damage and loss of life?

Yes. Damage causes loss of life. Loss of life is not damage. Ergo, damage prevention won't stop "lose X life" effects.

Hurpaderp I fucked that up super hard. I should probably learn to read.

So traffic was a thing that happened. Home now though!

There absolutely is. Damage to a player USUALLY causes loss of life, but they aren't the same thing. Damage can be prevented or redirected, but loss of life is pretty much unpreventable.

Read The Friendly Card happens to everyone, even Judges.

Why does Cascade resolve on cards like Living end but snap caster can't allow you to cast living end from your yard for 0 through flash back?

Living End and friends do not have a mana cost. Rather than having a cost of 0, they have a cost of {Null}. You can't pay a cost that doesn't exist, so they have suspend.

Suspend works because when you remove the last counter, you cast the spell without paying the mana cost. You're paying the ALTERNATE cost of "Free", which dodges the whole "null mana cost" thing. Ditto for Cascade- you're using the alternate cost of "free".

Snapcaster Mage gives them Flashback, which is ALSO an alternate cost. The problem is, it gives them a Flashback cost equal to their mana cost, so they now have "Flashback {Null}", and you can't pay that cost.

Are there any keywords or ways to cast the [null] suspends for free instantly, besides cascade? I want to make a deck that focuses around discard and draw triggers, and the best way for those seem to be the wheel of fate.

Basically you need to be using an alternate cost that isn't in any way based on the actual cost. Putting them on something like Panoptic Mirror would work to cast them repeatedly, but outside of cascade or using Clockspinning, I can't think of any reliable ways to cast them on demand.

Dream Halls is the best I can do

Can I use Goblin Dark Dwellers or Isicron cepter?

Yes on the Dank Dwellers, no on the Scepter because although the spells have CMC 2 or less, none of them are instants

Yes to Dark Dwellers because of the "without paying the mana cost" alternate cost.

No because of Scepter, because they aren't instants. It'll work with Panoptic Mirror though.

A while back, someone "leaked" the rares and mythics in EMA here.
I found it and checked it against the real reveal.
HA