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Doing Zero Damage Q: This came up a while back in a discussion with a friend of mine. If I have a Crypt Rats in play, can I pay 0 black mana to deal 0 damage 50 times (or whatever) to kill all Phantom creatures (sans enchantments) in play? -Bernard Ng A: No. If something is dealt 0 damage, it is not damage, and will not trigger anything that triggers off damage. 419.5. …If a source would deal 0 damage, it does not deal damage at all. That means abilities that trigger on damage being dealt won't trigger. It also means that replacement effects that increase damage dealt have no event to replace when 0 damage is dealt, so they have no effect…. --- Q: If a creature has protection from a color, all damage dealt to that creature from a source of that color is prevented. So if you play a Flaring Pain in response to an Earthquake, can you then kill creatures with protection from red? -Erik van de Kamp A: Yes. Since the damage can't be prevented, the creature with protection from red will take the damage and die. (This assumes damage>=toughness, of course.) --- Q: Can I counter a card being played from the graveyard? A: Yes. No matter how the spell is played from the graveyard (Flashback, Yawgmoth's Will, etc.), you can still counter it. --- Q: If I have out 2 Phyrexian Arenas, at the beginning of my upkeep, do I lose two life and draw 2 cards, or just 1 life and card? A: Lose 2 life and draw 2 cards. Each Arena is handled separately. --- Q: Same question goes for cards like Howling Mine, if
I have 2 out in play, and -Dustin A: You'll draw 2 extra cards. (BTW - Donate isn't legal in type 2.) --- Q: I was playing on M:TGO with a new Rolling Stones deck. I had a Jungle Barrier out, which of course is a wall, and we all know that "(walls can't attack)". I'm playing a white-green player, so I wish for a Coalition Flag. This converts my Wall into a Flagbearer, which can then attack. Is this correct? A: Coalition Flag So yes, if you put a Coalition Flag on a Wall, it can attack. 214.4. When a permanent's type or subtype changes, the new type(s) replaces any existing type(s). This changes only the permanent type-the card type doesn't change. Counters, effects, and damage affecting the permanent remain with it, even if they are meaningless to the new type. --- Q: If the Coalition Flag's card text somewhere stated "(This still counts as a wall)" as some of the walls do, would, if the flag actually does allow walls to attack, nullify the flagbearer-attack-allowance conversion? D.A. Nissenfeld A: Well, it wouldn't be worded like that, but yes, if the Flag stated something like, "Enchanted creature is a Flagbearer in addition to any other types it may have," then, the Flag would not allow the Wall to attack, since it would still be a wall. --- Q: I have a question about Darkest Hour and Light of Day. If both Darkest Hour and Light of Day are in play, and I have a Wild Mongrel out in play as well, can I discard a card and change the colour of the Mongrel so that it can attack? A: Yes. Once you play the Mongrel's ability, it has a later timestamp than the Darkest Hour, so your Mongrel will be the color you choose until end of turn. --- Q: If a token dies, does it goes into the graveyard first, then remove from the game, or does it remove from the game right away? -new2on A: It goes to the graveyard first, but then is immediately removed from the game. This means that something that triggers off of a creature going to the graveyard (like Soul Net) will trigger off of the token creature going to the graveyard, but it can't be used to satisfy any other cards' costs, since it is removed from the game before you get priority back. 216.3. A token in a zone other than the in-play zone ceases to exist. This is a state-based effect. (Note that a token changing zones will set off triggered abilities before the token ceases to exist.) Once a token has left play, it can't be returned to play by any means. --- Q: So this means I can't sacrifice a token to Braids, and then use that token to bring back my Ichorid? A: Correct. The token will be removed from the game long before you can use it as Ichorid food. (Besides, tokens are not cards, and Ichorid requires you to remove a black creature card.) --- Correction: C: Doesn't pro-color also prevent the creature from
being targeted by abilities? I think 4 should be
"That creature can't be target by spells or
abilities of that color." For instance, a
Flametongue (triggered) can't kill a Mystic Crusader,
and a Tradewind Rider (activated) can't target a
Scragnoth, right? -Nick Halgren A: You are correct. I just happened to copy that from an earlier column (March 18), and I didn't bother to make sure it was correct, since no one wrote in to correct me at that time. --- Tournament Report - FNM - Orange, CA Well, I went planning to run my R/B deck today, and to work on a U/G deck for next week. But I got there so early, I played a game for fun, handing my friend my Tog deck and playing the R/B deck against it. Needless to say, I got smashed, so I decide to audible to Dave Humpherys OBC deck, that I happen to have built and on me. 2002 Worlds (OBC): U/G Threshold 4 Basking Rootwalla Sideboard: I ask me friend Shawn to borrow a Bearscape to put in place of the Forest that was originally in the sideboard, and he obliges. The tournament ends up starting 45 minutes late. It was filled up at 5:30, and we didn't start until 6:45. They said it was because a new guy was running it, but DCI Reporter is intuitive enough that you wouldn't have to have 45 extra minutes to learn it. Oh well, let's go to round 1 … Round 1 - Scott Gossett - Star Spangled Slaughter He notes this is his second sanctioned tournament ever. Game 1 - I roll 15, he rolls 9, and I choose to play. I drop an Island turn 1, and Mental Note at the end of the turn. The Mental Note turns over a Centaur Garden and a Forest. I don't see another green mana until turn 5 or so. By that time, he's played an Opposition. I can bounce his stuff a couple of times, but the tempo loss is just too great. Sideboard: Originally I was just going to leave the deck the way it is, but then I realized he could be boarding in a CoP: Green or 4, so I go: +1 Upheaval, -1 Wonder. Game 2 - I play first. Even though he mulligans once, it's his turn to be mana screwed. Even with a Merfolk Looter, he was stuck on 2 land for 4 or so turns. That's all this deck needs. He is able to get off a Hibernation late, but I just replay my guys and win. Game 3 - He plays first. I get some early beatdown in, but after I Study a Roar into the grave, he Morningtides. Frown. He then takes control. On the last turn before he kills me, he puts down Meddling Mage and starts to name Roar of the Wurm. I point out how I have to have a way of discarding it and a fifth land to cast it. (I only have a Nimble Mongoose and 4 lands on the board, one card in hand [a land], and one card in my graveyard.) I then fan out the removed from game cards (from Morningtide), and since there are 1 Careful Study and 2 Mental Notes there, he comes up with the better call of Careful Study. Guess what the next 2 cards in my library were? Games: 1-2, Matches: 0-1. I also take the time to point out that he should generally use his Merfolk Looters during my turn, not his. He's thankful for the play help, and offers to split the prize should he go all the way. He ends up winning the next round before taking the loss in round 3. Round 2 - Kevin Rhodes - Bad Domain Game 1 - We tie with a roll of 5 before I beat him on the roll, 7-4, and choose to play. I start out in a typical good way for this deck: turn 1 Study a Walla into play, and turn 2 Standstill when he doesn't play anything. He breaks the lock, and I draw some cards. He doesn't have much pressure at all, since his first play is a turn 4 Wandering Giant (after Harrowing turn 3), which I Burst back to his hand for a turn. Sideboard: Are you kidding? Game 2 - He plays first, but gets no non-land permanents this game, as I drop turn 1 Walla, turn 2 Mongrel, turn 3 pitch Wonder to Mongrel and cast Mongoose, and serve turns 4 and 5. His life total goes 19-15-9-0. Games: 3-2, Matches: 1-1 Round 3 - Jeff Dollarhide - Homemade R/G He has been working on his deck for a few months now, and keeps tweaking it every week. Game 1 - He wins the roll 11-5, and chooses to play. He then takes 2 mulligans. Although the game was played, it is safe to say the game ended there, as I finish him in short order. He does put up some opposition, but I am simply quicker. Sideboard: Nothing. I considered bringing in Envelops for his land destruction (he plays 4x Stone Rain and 4x Pillage main), but decide against it, as I only really need 2 lands to do my thing. Before we start the next game, the people next to us remark on what a fast game we played. They haven't even started game 1 yet. =\. Game 2 - He chooses to play. He again gets mana screwed, as he can only put out a Basking Rootwalla in his first 3 turns. I try to Aether Burst it back to his hand (to set up a Standstill), but it turns out that that Aether Burst was really a Twiddle, as he has 8 cards in hand after it goes back. I then attack the next turn, and he bites on blocking one of the Nimble Mongooses I attack with, and I drop the Standstill. He breaks it, and I win shortly thereafter. Games: 5-2, Matches: 2-1 Jeff ends up dropping and going home, as it is late, since we didn't get started on time. My friend Shawn beats Kevin, 1-0, as they go to time. Round 4 - Joseph - Mono-Green Game 1 - He wins the roll, 14-13, and chooses to play. He gets one land the whole game, and I go turn 1, Study 2 Wallas into play, turn 2 Standstill, and just ride the Wallas to victory. Sideboard: In: 2 Krosan Reclamation. Out: 1 Mental Note, 1 Wonder. I do this because I see him discarding Roar of the Wurms when he can't play land. Game 2 - He plays first. He gets 2 land this time, and is able to put up a little more opposition, but I end up dropping 2 Standstills this game, and the card advantage is too much. His life goes 19-16-13-0. Games: 7-2, Matches: 3-1. I look around at the people playing, and I don't like any of the possible matchups, so I drop at this point. Joseph asks why I didn't let him have the win, and I mention the rating. I probably ended up getting anywhere from 1-3 points tonight, so I've still got work to do for my goal. See you Thursday. -Bill Guerin
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