Pojo's Magic The Gathering
Judge's Corner

Short column today, since (a) I didn't get many questions that I hadn't answered before, and (b) My column went up on Friday. Such is life. At least I have the usual tournament report to fill it out.

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Q: I have this confusing scenario that involves stacking (confusing for me because I haven't played Magic since Tempest or so). I was playing with myself just a while ago and at one time I had one island, one swamp, and two forests. In my hand was Multani Maro-Sorcerer, an Exhume, and a Tolarian Winds. 

So my question is...can I play the Exhume first THEN cast the Tolarian Winds so as to discard the Multani Maro-Sorcerer so when the Exhume resolves I'll have Multani in the graveyard and be able to bring it to play? 

-Ran F.

A: Exhume
{1}{B}
Sorcery
Each player puts a creature card from his or her graveyard into play.

Since Exhume doesn't target, you don't have to say what creature you're putting into play until Exhume resolves. So, yes, you can do that.

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Q: If I have an en-Kor creature in play, and my opponent kickered Urza's Rages it, and I redirect the damage to a pro-red creature, will the pro red creature live?

-Adam

A: No. Redirected damage retains all its attributes, which in this case includes can't be prevented. Therefore, the pro-red creature will die.

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Q: Hi, I got a question with flashback and threshold both triggers together my opponent have 7 cards in his graveyard, and one of the cards is the Grizzly Fate so he say he will play the flashback, and since he has 7 cards in his graveyard, he will get 4 2/2 bears
but I said he can't, because the spell checkout with 6 cards. Who's right?

-Bahamut O.

A: You are. From the Judgment FAQ:

* If Grizzly Fate is played from the graveyard, the Grizzly Fate card doesn't count toward threshold. Threshold is checked when the spell resolves, so Grizzly Fate will be on the stack, not in the graveyard.

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Q: I have a question. My friend has a deck where he uses Thresher Beast with Lure. Of course, it says on Thresher Beast "when Thresher Beast becomes blocked, defending player sacrifices a land". Lets say I have 3 creatures out. If he were to attack with the Thresher Beast, would I have to sac 3 lands or one if I blocked with all 3 creatures? I think it could be one, because it just says "blocked", not "for each creature blocking it".

-JavaX500

A: You are correct. 

410.9a An ability that reads "Whenever [this creature] blocks" or "Whenever [this creature] becomes blocked" triggers only once each combat for that creature, even if it blocks or is blocked by multiple creatures. An effect that causes the creature to become blocked (if the creature wasn't already blocked) will also trigger such abilities.

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Q: I have a question, that's not really game play related: What does it take to hold a sanctioned tournament?

-oorza

A: The DCI has a page explaining this all in detail. It can be found at http://www.wizards.com/dci/main.asp?x=sanctioning. 

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Tournament Report - FNM - Orange, CA

I just decided to change one Seedtime for one Ray of Revelation in the sideboard, and go with what I had last week:

U/G Madness
Hybrid of Worlds 2002 decks: Cole Swannack, Alex Shvartsman, and Edward Ross

2 Aquamoeba
4 Arrogant Wurm
4 Basking Rootwalla
4 Merfolk Looter
4 Wild Mongrel
3 Wonder
4 Careful Study
4 Circular Logic
2 Deep Analysis
3 Roar of the Wurm
4 Counterspell
7 Forest
10 Island
4 Yavimaya Coast
2 Centaur Garden

Sideboard:
3 Ray of Revelation
3 Seedtime
4 Sylvan Safekeeper
2 Unnatural Selection
3 Rushing River

Round 1 - Cody - Mirror

He has to wait for his friends to show up with some sideboard cards before we start, and they show up in short time, so we get started.

Game 1 - He asks, to play Rock-Paper-Scissors, and I counter with an offer of Arm Wrestling, but we can't agree on anything but a die roll. He wins it, 13-11, and kicks off with a couple Careful Studies, but he only gets Wonders and Wurms in his grave, and no Wallas out. I have a slow start, and get out a Looter. I loot for a bit while he hits me, and I end up stabilizing and winning.

Sideboard: In: 2 Unnatural Selection, 3 Rushing River. Out: 3 Roar of the Wurm, 1 Merfolk Looter, 1 Aquamoeba. I do this because I would otherwise have to find 4 more cards to take out to put Safekeepers in along with keeping the Roars in. I just couldn't do it, so this seemed like the best solution.

Game 2 - He plays first. Some more early Study action for him, and it ends up that we both get an Unnatural Selection down. I chump a Walla late instead of Selecting it to be a legend, and with the Looter action he's had, that about wraps up the game for him.

Sideboard: In: 2 Ray of Revelation. Out: 1 Counterspell, 1 Deep Analysis.

We talk about Intentional Drawing, as this matchup is just stupid. However, his friends (that brought him the sideboard cards) also took an intentional draw, and since the number of players are divisible by 4 (meaning he would have to play one of them next round), he chooses to play it out.

Game 3 - I go first. However, he keeps a hand of control. So I don't have enough offense to punch through before he gets the gas and just goes for my throat. And so I am 0-1.

At the end of game 3 though, I tell him he wins, and I just want to do something for fun. I Logic my Unnatural Selection, giving me threshold, and then he lets me borrow one of his forests so I can pump up his Wurm token with my two Centaur Gardens.

Games: 1-2, Matches: 0-1.

I'm now trying to think how I would sideboard differently. I would swap the 3 Seedtime for 3 Krosan Reclamation, as the Reclamations would have been good in my next match too. Then,

Between Games 1 and 2: In: 2 Unnatural Selection, 4 Sylvan Safekeeper, 3 Krosan Reclamation. Out: 2 Deep Analysis, 4 Counterspell, 2 Aquamoeba, 1 Merfolk Looter. I probably need to be the aggro deck, so the bounce was sub-optimal in my opinion. If you put in the Rushing Rivers, I don't think you would be wrong.

Between Games 2 and 3: Probably nothing. I was too worried about the Unnatural Selection. Again, if I take the aggro position, it shouldn't matter.

If you were to take the control position, I don't think you would be wrong. Cody is a better player than I am, though, so I think I would tend to more go for the throat.

Anyway, talking about Cody's friends, …

Round 2 - David Loerke - Red Zone 2K2

He was one of the people that drew in round 1, so I am playing up.

Game 1 - He wins the die roll, 10-3, and plays. His creatures come out just as fast as mine do, and once he drops Glory in his grave and has board position, it is all but over, so I scoop.

Sideboard: In: 2 Unnatural Selection. Out: 2 Counterspell. (Again, I'll describe how I would have done it differently shortly.)

Game 2 - I choose to play. I don't like my first hand, as I feel it is suboptimal. I then promptly draw 6 cards with no land. I keep the hand of 5. He mulligans twice also. I don't get any creature damage through, as all I have marked down for him is pain from the City of Brass. I think he made a turn 2 Call token and turn 3 Phantom Centaur. 

Games: 1-4, Matches: 0-2.

If I had the Reclamations, I would have sideboarded thusly:

In: 3 Krosan Reclamation, 2 Unnatural Selection. Out: 4 Merfolk Looter, 1 Roar of the Wurm. The Looters are just too late to do anything in this matchup, as I need cards that will let me take control early.

Round 3 - Darcee - RUG Fat Stuff

I write her name as "Darcy," and she reaches for my pen to correct it.

Game 1 - I win the roll, 18-3, and take a mulligan before the game gets going. We are both as bored as we can be, and I get my goldfish draw. Turn 2 Aquamoeba, turn 3 and 4 madness out an Arrogant Wurm, turn 5 kill. As it says on my score sheet, "Yawn."

Sideboard: Nothing. I am tired as all get out, and don't even bother. 

As we are playing, a guy on another table asks me, "Hey, isn't that the deck you won with last week?" I answer affirmitavely, and he comments, "That's just the way Magic goes sometimes, I guess." Indeed.

Game 2 - She chooses to draw first. This game is somewhat close, as she hits me with a Skizzik and Jade Leech in one turn. (She cast the Skizzik after combat, but I turned it sideways and took 5 anyway.) Then, in the last turn, I had to activate her Deed for 1 to give her one more chance to live, as she didn't see it. (I was coming in for exactly lethal damage, and I had a Walla attacking. She only had a Llanowar Elf open for mana, so she couldn't pop the Deed for more.) I lay down a Wild Mongrel as a blocker, and she doesn't have removal, so I take the match.

Games: 3-4, Matches: 1-2

I go to get a Jamba Juice, and then come back to report, as Jon (the guy who runs it) is on break.

Round 4 - Jeff Dollarhide - R/G

Game 1 - I win the roll, 20-7, and mulligan once before playing first. We come to an early ground stall, as I need to Loot for one of my Wonders. I find the Wonder, and 2 swings with a Roar token and an Arrogant Wurm end it.

Sideboard: Nothing. He just wants to get this over with, and I really have nothing against his deck.

Game 2 - I draw all blue spells and no Islands, so he runs me over quickly.

Game 3 - I Careful Study out 2 Wallas first turn. This game just turns into a slugfest, as he takes the 2 Wallas (18), then I take a Mongrel (pumped by Anger) and Walla (16). He takes the Wallas (one pumped) and an Aquamoeba (switched) (11) since they fly (Wonder), I take the Mongrel and Walla (11). I swing with one Walla and the Aquamoeba, and madness out a Wurm to switch the power and toughness of Aquamoeba (7). This proves to be crucial, as he flashes back a Roar token, and after confirming he is one short of killing me if he discards his hand, I block the Walla since he is tapped out (3). This allows me to swing with Aquamoeba, Walla, and Wurm for the kill, so he scoops.

Games: 5-4, Matches: 2-2

Round 5 - Josue - Hunting Grounds

He flips over the Hunting Grounds as we are shuffling up, and so I know my strategy. I have to lay a couple of creatures if he gets a Hunting Grounds early, and then not cast anything once he reaches threshold.

Game 1 - He wins the roll, 6-2, and plays first. He Careful Studies twice and Mental Notes, but he gets stuck on 2 Islands. I just go Walla, Aquamoeba, and start swinging with both of them. He discards a Riftstone Portal soon before he dies.

Sideboard: I don't remember, as I didn't write it down, and my deck is in its original configuration. This probably means I didn't sideboard anything.

Game 2 - He gets out a couple of Hapless Researchers early, and hits me for a couple. I attempt a couple of early Mongrels, which he counters. I then get through a Mongrel and Aquamoeba, and madness out a Walla and Arrogant Wurm, and it quickly goes downhill from there for him. He only had Islands again this game, and didn't see the Portal.

Games: 7-4, Matches: 3-2.

I tell Jon not to pick me for the random, as I leave just as soon as I finish round 5, as I am dead tired and need to get home. I even forget my foil Forbid that I am due from last week. Oh well…

Until Thursday …

-Bill Guerin
PojoMagicJudge@hotmail.com 
DCI Level 2 Judge