Pojo's Magic The Gathering
Judge's Corner

6.13.03 - Shifty Shyft

Q: If I have a Shifting Sky and a Shyft in play, will Shyft always be the color that I chose for Shifting Sky?

A: No. Once Shifting Sky is out, if you change Shyft's color, it will be a later effect, and will override the Shifting Sky.

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Q: I was playing against a friend and chose green for Shifting Sky. Then I played Dream Tides and during my upkeep I made Shyft blue so I could untap it. Does that work?

A: That works just fine.

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Q: What about if I had a Rainbow Crow (with the same Shifting Sky out). Could I make the Rainbow Crow a color other than green, and then untap it using the ability now granted to it by Dream Tides?

-Evan

A: Yes, that works just fine too.

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Q: Some people I know have had difficulty with Call of the Herd and any card that has a triggered ability that triggers when "a creature comes into play". Though you "put" an elephant token into play, that creature is still deemed to have "come into play", correct?

-Traci H.

A: Correct. (By the way, look for your other question below.)

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Q: I have 7 cards in my hand, Can I activate my Library of Alexandria, then use Vampiric Tutor to search for a card and end up drawing the card?

-Bahamut O.
A: That works just fine. The Library only requires you to have seven cards in your hand when you play the "draw a card" ability. It doesn't care what happens afterward.

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Q: My opponent has a Worship on the board and 1 Life with a random (non-black and non-artifact) creature. I attack him with a Phage the Untouchable. Does my opponent still lose the game even though I didn't damage him?

-Matthew H.

A: Actually, you did damage him. Worship just changes what happens to your opponent's life total - it doesn't prevent the damage. So Phage's trigger will happen, and your opponent will lose the game.

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Q: If someone gives protection from red on their creatures in response to me playing Jilt ...?

A: Jilt is blue. It is only blue. It is never red.

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Q: Aven Brigadier give +1/+1 to birds and +1/+1 to soldiers, does this mean that a 1/1 bird soldier become a 3/3?

A: Yes.

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Q: If so, why would the resolution of the draw a card aspect of Ice be contingent on having a legal target for the tapping aspect?

A: Because Ice says "target", and the Brigadier doesn't. If all of the parts of a targeted spell are illegal, the WHOLE SPELL is countered. Including any non-targeted parts. (413.2a)

Also, you have to have a target to play the Ice spell to begin with. (409.1c)

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Q: With Prophetic Bolt, if the target of the damage becomes illegal (protection from red) does the other aspect of the card resolve?

A: No. see above.
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Q: If I cast a Fireball, splitting the damage between two creatures and my opponent, then my opponent gives his creatures protection from red, would my opponent still take the damage directed at him?

A: Yes. Fireball still has a legal target in this instance (the opponent), so it resolves and does as much as it legally can.

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C: The text on most of these cards are different and separate sentences and/or they don't seem to be reliant on all aspects to resolve - there is no "then draw a card" or "if, then" to acknowledge the need for the first aspect to resolve for the second to be effective. How can we tell the difference between cards that need to have all of their aspects resolve to have any of their aspects resolve, from cards that don't?

-Michael O.

A: Very simple. Look for the word "target." if that word is on the spell or ability, then you need to check that at least one of the targets are legal when the spell resolves.

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Clarifications:

From the last column:

>>>Q: I control a Darkest Hour and a Compost. I Smother the opponent's Merfolk Looter. Do I draw a card from Compost?

-Brad

A: Yes.<<<

Q: You started off your column by saying that a creature is only a creature in play and is a creature card elsewhere. Then you said that a Smothered Looter would trigger Compost. If it becomes a creature card when it hits the graveyard, it ceases to be a creature and thus ceases to be black (due to Darkest Hour's effect), right? I don't think it triggers Compost.

-Traci H.

A: For cards in play entering the graveyard, Compost has to look at the card as it was in play. So taking our example here, Compost sees a black Merfolk Looter entering the graveyard. It is black until it gets to the graveyard, then the Darkest Hour no longer applies, and the Looter is blue again.

This is an extension of 410.10d. Since a permanent just left play, we have to look at the color it was while it was in play to determine whether Compost triggers.

If you have Compost and Darkest Hour in play, you will draw a card whenever any of your opponent's creatures go to the graveyard.

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From 22 May:

>>>Q: If you have a tapped Wellwisher in play and it gets provoked, he must be untapped and block the provoker, THEN he can tap again to use his ability....

-T

A: Incorrect. When the provoke ability resolves, if the attacking player chooses to untap the Wellwisher, there is still a space for spells and abilities to be played before blockers are declared. So the owner of the Wellwisher can play the ability before blockers are declared, thus making the Wellwisher unable to block.<<<

Q: So does the damage go through or can a different creature block the provoker?

-Jacob R.

A: A different creature can block. In fact, both the Wellwisher AND a different creature could block anyway (barring a restriction like Krosan Vorine's).

See you Monday.


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