MTG Magic The Gathering Ask A Judge -「 W E D N E S D A Y W E E K 」

Good morning and welcome back to Ask A Judge!

How do you feel about being the last thread on the last page?

Win some, lose some.

What's the best way to stop an infinite combo?

Depends entirely on what combo! What stops one might not stop another.

Could you please explain the tidehollow sculler / path interaction when you path it as soon as it enters the battlefield such that the card is not returned to the opponent's hand?
In other words, could you illustrate how the stack looks and what causes the opponent to lose their card?
Thanks!

Someone at monday night modern got salty because they lost a game to a girl playing 85-card mardu vampire highlander, and griped to the point of saying, and I quote, "that I lost a game to THAT deck is a testament to how shitty my luck was."

Does this meet the qualifications in your book for a DQ under Unsportsmanlike Conduct - Aggressive Behavior?

Tidehollow sculler has two abilities. The firs triggers when it enters the battlefield, and the second triggers when it leaves the battlefield.

When doing this trick, you first put sculler into play. Its trigger goes on the stack. With that trigger still on the stack, you path it. Stack now looks like this:

>Path
>Sculler ETB trigger

Path then resolves. Sculler left play, so its second triggered ability goes on the stack. Stack is now:

>Sculler LTB ability
>Scullter ETB ability

Resolve the LTB trigger, since there's no card linked to it nothing happens, then resolve the ETB trigger, exiling a card. Since that sculler is no longer in play there will never be another LTB trigger to return it to its owner's hand.

So, unlike the 'newer' worded cards like Banishing Light, Sculler has an ETB and a LTB trigger. IF you can get the LTB trigger to resolve before the ETB, it'll do nothing (Because there is no 'exiled card' to bring back). Then, once the ETB resolves, the card'll be exiled forever because the LTB trigger that's 'supposed' to bring it back already happened and did nothing. So basically cast Sculler, Sculler resolves. ETB trigger on the stack, targeting opponent, respond with Path. Path resolves, exiles Sculler, get your land; LTB trigger is on the stack above ETB. Resolve LTB (do nothing), resolve ETB, done.

It absolutely does not, because it was not behaving in a threatening manner towards other people or their property. It's definitely worthy of USC Minor (assuming Comp REL), and possibly USC Major. At a Regular REL event, it's worthy of a stern "Don't be a dick" talking-to.

Would Altar of the Brood mill one or six cards from the Kobold token ETBs when I cast Prossh?

Neither.

It'd mill seven! Each of the tokens is a permanent entering the battlefield under your control, so you'd have 7 total triggers; one from Prossh, and one from each of his six snacks.

(also, technically, you'd cast Prossh, trigger him, make 6 tokens, they'd mill 1 card 6 times, and then Prossh would resolve and they'd mill 1)

Well I already knew about Prossh milling one, wasnt sure how many I'd get from multiple tokens hitting the field.
Thanks!

If everything in combat has first strike, does the regular damage step get skipped?
I can't think of a reason why it matters anyhow, just a curiosity.

It does not. It still occurs, just... nothing really happens.

Do creatures with double strike have first strike? Or is first damage dealt at the same time

They don't have First Strike (so for example, Archetype of Courage doesn't take it away), per se. Double Strike means they do damage in the First Strike step, and then also in the normal step after it.

So if i have a 2/2 that blocks another 2/2 with double strike my creature dies without dealimg damage to the attacker?

Correct. It'll be dealt 2 damage in the First Strike step and die before the normal damage step.

Why do they make the differentiaton that double strike and first strike are different and that double strike doesnt have first strike but it has a first strike step

Double strike : deals damage at first strike step and normal damage step
First strike : deals damage at first strike step only

Because they ARE different?

First Strike is "I deal damage in the First Strike Damage Step instead of the normal one"

Double Strike is "I deal damage in the First Strike damage step, and then again in the normal step". A 2/2 with First Strike will die to a 4/4 after poking it for 2. A 2/2 with Double Strike will trade with a 4/4.

Makes sense. I just got confused because everything i read said double strike is not first strike. I figured it wasmt the samw but the first strike component is in both

>It absolutely does not, because it was not behaving in a threatening manner towards other people or their property. It's definitely worthy of USC Minor (assuming Comp REL), and possibly USC Major. At a Regular REL event, it's worthy of a stern "Don't be a dick" talking-to.
Well then, that judge fucked up. Because he DQ'd the guy for his "sexual harassment" and manually changed the 2-1 win he got in that match to a 1-2 loss.

Like I said, I can absolutely see an argument for USC Major depending on the situation, and it's a USC Minor all day every day, but Aggressive Behavior requires a threat (or threatening behavior) towards other people or their property.

I think it's just a case of a nerd trying to impress a girl. If you start giving infractions and dqs to sore losers, then you might as well evict half the players off a tournament.

Came up with a reason for it to matter. Giving a creature doublestrike after first strike damage "resolves" would still allow it to deal normal damage.