<------------------------------------------------------------------------------->
                      
N O T I C E ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !

  This is NOT the FAQ list. This is a compilation of other answers from the 
  Snark (David Howell) and other persons of note, and are more of less official.
  Use at you own risk. 
  
                                         Darrell Budic 
                                         (budic@macc.wisc.edu)
                                         Network Archivist for
                                         Wizards of the Coast, Inc.
<------------------------------------------------------------------------------->


Date: Mon, 24 Jan 94 09:51:15 -0800
From: Beth Moursund <bethmo>
Subject: Rulings you've been waiting for

Remember all those questions that I've given non-answers on, saying that
I'd pass them along to the rules group?  Well, hold onto your hats, we
have concensus on a batch of them.

These are now Official Answers (tm) and supercede any previous answers
or rulings on the topics that you may have heard from various sources.

1) Word of Command gives control only over the initial play
   of the card, not control over all use of the card for the rest of
   the turn.  This means, among others, that
    * you can't have them play a Pestilence and then power it
    * you can't have them play a Nether Shadow and then attack with it
    * you can't have them play Channel and then pump life into it

2) Word of Command: "This spell may not be countered after you have
   looked at opponent's hand."  The "this spell" refers to the Word
   of Command itself, not to the spell you're forcing the opponent
   to cast.  You or your opponent may counterspell the spell that
   is forced.

3) A Clone, Doppelganger, or Copy of an Arabian creature/artifact
   is not an Arabian card.

4) A Clone/Doppleganger of a token creature is a card.  If it is
   unsummoned, it goes back to your hand.  If it is killed, it goes
   to the graveyard.  It is affected by all spells that affect cards.

5) Q: I have two creatures in play.  You hit me with a three-way fireball,
   doing damage to both creatures and to me.  I use the Jade Monolith
   twice to redirect all the damage to myself.  I then use a CoP: Red
   to stop the damage.  Is this one source of damage (since the source
   is the fireball) or three sources (since the fireball was split
   into three)?

   A: It's three sources -- once split, it doesn't recombine.

6) Q: Does the Rock Hydra lose a head INSTEAD of adding a point of damage,
   or IN ADDITION TO it?  I.e. if you don't have any red mana to spend,
   will a Lightning Bolt kill a 6-headed Hydra?

   A: It is "instead of."  When a Hydra takes a point of damage, if it
   has any heads the controller must either spend a point of red mana or
   remove a head.  If it has no heads, add a damage counter.

7) When you cast Copy Artifact, the copy starts in the tapped/untapped
   state as the artifact would start in.  I.e. a copy of Time Vault or
   Nevinyrral's Disk starts tapped, but most artifacts start untapped.

8) A Copy of an artifact is blue.  It is affected by all spells that
   affect enchantments, artifacts, or blue cards.  It may be tapped
   like an artifact; this is an exception to the rule that Enchantments
   are never tapped.

9) Q: You cast Weakness on my Drudge Skeleton; I can regenerate it, it
   dies again, regenerate, it dies again, etc.  Is there any point in this
   cycle where I'm allowed to cast Disenchant on the Weakness and save
   the skeleton?

   A: No.  The skeleton is always on the way to the Graveyard, so I can
   only use damage prevention/redirection and resurrection, not the
   Disenchant.  It could be saved by casting Giant Growth in response to
   the original casting of Weakness, keeping it from being on the way to
   the Graveyard, and then casting the Disenchant.  Once it's on the way
   to the Graveyard, this is no longer allowed.

10) Q: I have 3 Plague Rats.  I cast Berserk on one of them, making it 6/3.
    You cast Lightning Bolt on one of the others, killing it.  Does the
    Berserk rat stay at 6/3 or drop to 4/2?  Berserk reads "Until end
    of turn, target creature's current power doubles..." and some
    players believe that this means even if its base power changes it
    stays at the value that was "current" when Berserk was cast.

    A: This is bogus; the Berserk was misworded.  Berserk applies a x2
    multiplier to the creature's power.  If the base power changes,
    recalculate the power, using all changes in the order that they
    were applied.

11) Simulacrum targets the creature that you're shunting damage
    onto.  You cannot Simulacrum damage onto a creature with Protection
    from Black.

12) Q: I'm being attacked by two creatures.  I block one, and the blocking
    creature takes lethal damage.  Can I Simulacrum the damage I'm
    taking from the other creature onto the one that's dying at the
    same time?

    A: Yes, since the creature hasn't gone to the graveyard yet.

13) Q: A Stone-Throwing Devil is blocked by a 1/1 goblin.  Normally the
    goblin will die and the devil live.  If I use a Samite Healer to
    save the goblin, does it get to kill the devil?

    A: Yes.  This is a change to previous rulings that said there is only
    a single damage-prevention and a single going-to-the-graveyard step.
    Those rulings were part of older attempts to fix damage-dealing, and
    were superceded by the newer rules that disallow Fast Effects other
    than damage-prevention, redirection, and resurrection (and interrupts
    and effects that trigger off those effects).  Creatures killed by
    First Strike actually die (unless prevented) before the rest of
    the damage-dealing phase continues.

    This also means that a Vampire enchanted with Lance who is blocked
    by ten 1/1 creatures will kill four of them, grow to 8/8, take six
    points of damage from the remaining six, and fly happily off into
    the sunset.  Er, moonset.

14) If a creature takes damage from two Trampling creatures, the
    attacker decides which order to apply the damage, unless the
    blocker has the Bands ability.  (This makes a difference if the
    tramplers are different colors and the defender has a CoP for
    one color.)

15) The Sorceress Queen doesn't alter +1 and -1 tokens on a creature
    that she changes to 0/2.  If a creature has two -1 tokens and no
    other tokens or enchantments, it will die.  (Note that this means
    she'll actually make a Hydra tougher.)

16) Fog stops a Desert from doing damage.  Desert does damage "to an
    attacking creature after it deals its damage."  Fog says "creatures
    attack and block as normal, but none deal any damage."  So there's
    no opportunity for the Desert to damage them.

  - Beth Moursund (bethmo@wizards.com)
    GG-L NetRep of WotC

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Sat, 29 Jan 94 18:04:02 -0800
From: Beth Moursund <bethmo>
Subject: Some more official answers

Here are some more official rulings from the rules group.  Read these
carefully -- they overrule some of the statements that are in the FAQ
(Earthbind) or that have been given by Snark and NetReps in the past
(Discard).  These rulings take precedence over any statements by any
of the NetReps.

=======================================================================
Rulings you've been waiting for 1/29/94

1) "Discard" was used on the cards to mean several different things.
   We realize now this was a mistake, and in the future it will only
   be used in the sense of "discard a card from your hand."  When
   using the current cards, please read any cards that speak of
   "discard" from play as "destroy".  Cards that have effect "when
   X is discarded", read "when X is removed."  Yes, creatures can
   regenerate from being "discarded" from play (NOT from your hand!),
   and Living Wall can regenerate from both Shatter and Disenchant.

2) The Guardian Beast should not prevent artifacts from destroying
   themselves.  Actually, all of the artifacts that say "destroys
   self" should be (and will be) changed to "sacrifice self."  Put
   this ruling in the same category as the Rukh Egg: we goofed, we're
   sorry, we strongly recommend that you play with the correction.

3) "Destroys self" is not a targeted effect.  Casting Purelace and
   White Ward on an artifact that destroys itself when used won't
   save it.  (Again, this should actually be "sacrifice self".)

4) The phrase "except that if it leaves play it is removed from
   the game entirely" is not a Special Ability; it's a rule about
   token creatures.  If I Clone a Wasp/Rukh/Bottledjinn, then my
   Clone is Unsummoned, it goes back to my hand.

5) You cannot cast a Blue Elemental Blast unless it is aimed at a Red
   spell or card.  You cannot change the target once declared, even
   if the spell is interrupted.  The only effect Sleight of Mind can
   have on Blue Elemental Blast is to make the spell fail.

6) The phrase "You lose if this enchantment is destroyed" on Lich
   is an absolute statement.  Casting a Healing Salve or using a
   "lucky charm" after the destruction won't save you.

7) The Vesuvan Doppelganger can only switch forms once per upkeep phase.

8) The old ruling on Earthbind + Flight was incorrect.  You can cast
   Flight on an Earthbound creature to give it the Flying ability again.
   In general, if two Enchantments contradict each other, the most
   recently cast wins.

=======================================================================

  - Beth Moursund (bethmo@wizards.com)
    GG-L NetRep of WotC

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Mon, 7 Feb 94 18:02:54 -0800
From: Beth Moursund <bethmo>
Subject: Official rulings

=====================================================================
Official rulings 2/7/94.  These rulings supercede any previous
rulings or statements by NetReps on the same topics.

 1) Abilites which affect creatures "blocking" or "blocked by" a
    creature are not targeted, and so are not stopped by Protection.
    For example, Green Ward will not save a creature from being
    destroyed by the Thicket Basilisk.

 2) When a card comes from the graveyard back into play (for example,
    by Animate Dead or Resurrection), any features which are normally
    set at summoning time are set as if it was just summoned.  If the
    creature has an X in the casting cost, X is zero.  So:
    * Clockwork Beast comes out fully wound.
    * Clones and Doppelgangers choose a creature in play to copy; if
      there are no creatures in play, the clone/doppel may not be
      brought out.
    * Hydra has zero heads, and dies again immediately unless an
      interrupt or continual effect (like Castle) raises its toughness.
    
 3) You may not use Zero as the activation cost for Aladdin's Lamp.
    (Because "draw zero cards but choose only one to put in your hand"
    is self-contradictory.)

 4) If a creature has taken damage and then goes out of play, all of
    the damage is removed.  This includes creatures targeted by an
    Oubliette.  (For the Oubliette, only damage is removed; counters,
    enchantments, and the effects of interrupts stay there.)

 5) The no-regeneration effect of Disintegrate always affects the
    target of the Disintegrate, regardless of whether the Disintegrate
    does any damage to that creature.  If damage from a Disintegrate
    is redirected, the target of the Disintegrate may not regenerate
    and the target the damage ends up on may regenerate.

 6) The card-taking effect of a Hypnotic Specter's damage is a property
    of the damage.  If the Specter does zero damage, or if the damage
    is prevented or redirected away from the player, the player does
    not lose a card.  If a creature is damaged by the Specter and the
    player redirects the damage to him/herself, then the player does
    lose a card.  If a player discards a card due to the Specter, and
    then later in the turn retroactively redirects the damage (i.e.
    by a Simulacrum), he/she doesn't get the card back.

 7) Oubliette targets the creature it is taking out of play.  In
    general, any card where you make a choice as to what it affects
    targets that choice.  Do not interpret the lack of the word
    "target" in the text of the cards as meaning that the selection
    is not targeting.

 8) If you have two or more living artifacts in play, you may trade in
    one counter from each of them each turn.

 9) If a Pyramids is used to prevent destruction of a land-creature
    (such as from Living Lands), treat it as a non-tapping regeneration.
    Trample damage above the toughness of the land-creature goes through
    to the controlling player.  All damage remaining on the land-creature
    is removed by the use of the Pyramids.  Treat Consecrate Land in the
    same way, except that the non-tapping-regeneration is automatic.

10) Targets (mountains) for Volcanic Eruption must be chosen as part of
    declaring the spell, just as for spells that have only a single
    target.  Magical Hack will not allow you to change those targets.

=====================================================================

  - Beth Moursund
    GG-L NetRep of WotC

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Fri, 18 Mar 94 14:30:07 -0800
From: Beth Moursund <bethmo>
Subject: Official rulings 3/17/94

=====================================================================
Official rulings 3/17/94.  These rulings supercede any previous
rulings or statements by NetReps on the same topics.

1) A creature cannot attack, or use a special ability that has tapping
   as part of the cost, unless you have begun your turn with that card
   in play.  This means that cards that start as artifacts or lands
   and become a creature during your turn can attack if and only if
   the card was in play at the beginning of your turn, regardless of
   when it became a creature.  Such cards may use their non-creature
   abilities normally, even on the turn that they become creatures.
   (This changes previous rulings on Animate Artifact, Living Lands,
   Kormus Bell, and Jade Statue.)

2) Destroying the source of a fast effect does not counter the effect.
   For example, if a Prodigal Sorceror taps to do a point of damage,
   a Red Elemental Blast will destroy the Sorceror but will not stop
   the damage.

3) El-Hajjaj earns you lives for the total amount of damage inflicted,
   regardless of the toughness of his target.  For example, if you
   attack with an El-Hajjaj with Unholy Strength, and he is blocked
   by a 1/1 Goblin, you get 3 life.  If a Samite Healer prevents
   one point of damage to the Goblin, you get 2 life.

4) Any flight-giving effect may be used on an Earthbound creature to
   give it flying again.  In all such cases, the last effect rules.

5) The Conservator can be used for zero, one, or two points of prevention.

6) Under First Edition rules, you can technically sacrifice the same
   creature simultaneously using two different cards.  This will not
   be legal in the Revised Edition, and a lot of groups have a house
   rule against it now.

7) Sacrifice to the Lord of the Pit is mandatory if you have any other
   creatures in play.  Paying the Force of Nature is not mandatory.
   No, you can't tell this from the wording of the cards; we're sorry,
   and it will be written more clearly in a future printing.  In
   general, nothing that requires payment of mana is mandatory unless
   it has wording (like Power Sink) telling you exactly which mana
   sources must be tapped.

===================================================================

  - Beth Moursund
    GG-L NetRep of WotC

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Fri Apr 15 13:43:29 1994
From: <bethmo>
Subject: Official rulings, distribute if you want to

=====================================================================
Official rulings 4/15/94.  These rulings supercede any previous
rulings or statements by NetReps on the same topics.  These
rulings are for the Revised Rules.

0) The Pocket Player's Guide FAQ has a misprint.  The Jade Statue
   CANNOT attack on the turn it comes into play.

1) Sleight of Mind and Magical Hack both operate in the same way:
   they change all occurances of a single word within the text
   box of a card.  They have no effect on the names of cards,
   even when the name is in the text box.  (No "Blue Vice" switch.)

2) Mana drains from your pool at the end of a phase all at once.
   The damage it does can be prevented by anything that can
   prevent damage to a player, but only if you tap new mana to pay
   for this damage-prevention (because the mana that was in your
   pool is already gone).

3) Copy-card rulings consolidation.  We've given various rulings on
   these three cards in the past that are inconsistant with one
   another.  All three of them should work the same.  So, please
   apply these rulings to Clone, Doppelganger, and Copy Artifact:
   * They target the thing they are copying, and cannot be brought
     into play if they have no legal target.
   * Clone and Doppelganger can only copy permanents created by a
     "Summon" or "Artifact Creature" spell, or tokens that inherently
     count as creatures.  Copy Artifact can only copy permanents
     created by an "Artifact" or "Artifact Creature" spell, or tokens
     that inherently count as artifacts.
   * They copy only the base creature/artifact, not any enchantments
     or counters on it, regardless of whether the counters are due
     to natural abilities of the creature/artifact or other spells.
   * They cannot copy an Animated Dead creature.
   * They come into play in the same tapped/untapped orientation
     that their target would when cast.
   * They do not copy the "expansion symbol" on a card.
   * They remain cards, even when copying a token.
   * Doppelganger can only change shape once per turn.
   * When the Doppelganger changes shape, all counters due to its
     abilities as the previous creature are treated as if that
     creature had been destroyed.  Counters on it due to the effects
     of other cards remain.
   * Treat the permanent effects of interrupts and Ashnod's
     Transmogrant as counters for this entire set of rulings.

4) Protection from <color> makes its target effectively invisible
   to spells and effects of that color.  This is why the creature
   cannot be targeted by them, but can be destroyed by non-targeted
   effects.  Balance and Drop of Honey are semi-targeted spells.
   For Balance, ignore white-warded creatures both when counting
   the number of creatures possessed by a player and when choosing
   which creatures to destroy.  For Drop of Honey, ignore green-
   warded creatures in choosing which creature it destroys.
   Protected creatures do count as creatures to keep the Drop of
   Honey and Pestilence in play, even though they can't be hurt
   by them.

5) Siren's Call and Nettling Imp, as written, can affect creatures
   unable to attack due to summoning sickness which were not actually
   summoned -- i.e. artifacts, animated dead, controlled creatures,
   etc.  We recommend that you change them to read "creatures which
   entered their controller's territory this turn."

6) The Rocket Launcher (and any future artifacts that do not have
   tapping as part of their activation cost and don't trigger off an
   event) may be powered for more then one charge at once, just like
   an enchantment or creature ability.  You can pump 8 points of mana
   into a Rocket Launcher to do 4 points of damage to a single target,
   all as one activation, or you can pump 2 points of mana 4 times.
   If you put all 8 in at once, a single use of Circle of Protection
   can stop all the damage, and a Haunting Wind will only do one point
   of damage to you.  (Note, though, that you can't aim at two
   different targets with one activation.)  A Power Artifact reduces
   the cost to one mana per point of damage, regardless of whether
   you're using it in small or large blasts.

7) If you cast a spell and your opponent interrupts it, you have the
   option to interrupt it yourself immediately -- in which case, your
   interrupt is resolved before your opponent's interrupt -- or to
   wait until after your opponent's interrupt is resolved and then
   cast your own.

8) The Revised printing of Disintegrate is missing the sentence
   "Target creature cannot be regenerated for the rest of this turn."
   We strongly recommend that you add this sentence to the card.

9) If an artifact is Animated, then its abilities are usable even
   when it is tapped, because creature abilities are usable even
   when the creature is tapped.

10) If your Creature Bonded Personal Incarnation dies, you choose
    whether to lose half your life and then take six damage, or to
    take six damage and then lose half your life.  If two Personal
    Incarnations die at the same time, you lose half your life and
    then half of what's left.  If you Fork a Shahrazad and lose
    both subgames, you lose half your life and then half of what's
    left.

===================================================================

  - Beth Moursund
    GG-L NetRep of WotC

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Fri, 29 Jul 94 17:13:18 -0700
Subject: [O] Rulings
From: Paul Peterson

        Well, we had a rules group meeting yesterday.  We got some of the
questions answered, but not anywhere near all of them.  We will continue 
to work on them.  The main reason it took so long was that we had to make 
some large scale decisions, but you will see those in the answers below.  
I will continue to post the answers as we rule on them.

1. The solution we recommend for the Basalt Monlith and the Mana Vault, 
and the Tournament rule is that a Basalt Monolith or Mana Vault cannot be 
untapped with mana from a Basalt Monolith or a Mana Vault.  Yes, this 
means you cannot untap a BM with a Mana Vault.

2. Clones, Dopplegangers, and Copy artifact can all get counters for 
creatures that get counters from the text on the card, but only when you 
first cast them.  Tetravus and Triskellion both say "get counters when 
cast."  This means that if you copy a Triskelion with a Doppleganger, you 
only get the counters if you are casting the doppleganger, not if you are 
switching it during upkeep.  This ruling really only applies to Tetravus, 
Triskelion, and the two clockworks, unless you can find another card that 
gets counters when cast.

3. Clones, etc. copy the effects of any Sleights, Laces, Magical Hacks, 
etc.  So if you Hack a Nightmare to be based on islands instead of 
swamps, and then clone it, the clone is based on islands.

4. Clockwork Beast and Avian do not lose counters until after the 
attack.  The Beast deals 7 points of damage during damage dealing.

5. Casting cost is a normal characteristic that gets copied by a clone, 
etc.  If you clone a Lord of the Pit and then cast Sacrifice, you will 
get 7 black mana.

6. You check for player death at the end of each phase.  You can 
therefore use a sorcery to bring your life total above 0 during your own 
main phase only.  This should not be necessary very often, unless your 
opponent is silly enough to lightning bolt you during your main phase, in 
which case he deserves for you to cast a sorcery to save yourself.

7. Name should be considered a "normal characteristic" for purposes of 
cloning, etc.  Clones of Plague Rats affect all other Plague rats in play.

8. The Abomination checks th color of it's blocker/blockee at declaration 
of blocking.

9. Concecrate land will prevent a land from being buried, with one 
exception:  It will not prevent a Legendary Land from being buried if it 
is the second one coming into play.


That's it.  I told you we didn't get through very many.  It took a while 
to hash out some of the clone stuff.

Paul Peterson
Rules Guru

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Tue, 20 Sep 94 21:02:28 -0700
From: Beth Moursund <bethmo>
Subject: [O] Answers from the rules group

1) I Clone or Doppelgang a Firestorm Phoenix.  When my Clone/Doppel is
killed, does it go to the graveyard and then back to my hand, since
it was a Phoenix, or does it forget about being a Phoenix when it
touches the graveyard and not have enough momentum to make it back
up to my hand?

        The Clone or Doppleganger goes back to your hand.

2) Caverns of Despair is in play, and you have a flying creature with
Lure.  I have several flyers and several nonflyers.  Can I declare
my two non-flying blockers first, preventing myself from being able
to block the creature with Lure?

        You have to choose legal blockers first, if available.

3) A few months back, we gave a ruling that the Icy Manipulator cannot
target an already-tapped creature, even though it doesn't say that
it can't.  I was uncomfortable with the ruling but went along with
the majority.  Now I think we've got a case that shows why this is
a bad precedent, so I'd like to request a change in the ruling.
If Phyrexian Gremlins follow that same ruling, then they become
nearly useless against {T}-to-activate artifacts for anyone who
understands the rules.  If I target your untapped artifact with
the Gremlins, you tap it in response; the target is then invalid
at the time the Gremlin's effect resolves, so they "fizzle" and
they won't prevent it from untapping later.

        You cannot target a tapped card with a tapping effect.

4) Attacking with a banded group: Benalish Hero with Regeneration and a
Grizzly Bear. Blocking with Hurloon Minotaur. During fast effects, I
tap Tim to do 1 point of damage to the Hero. The Hero regenerates. Is
the Hero/Bear group considered banded still? Who gets to determine
damage allocation of the 'taur, attacker or defender?

        The Hero and Bear are still banded, but the Hero is no longer a 
valid target for damage allocation.

5) So what's the latest word on how the "lucky charms" work?  (Crystal Rod,
Iron Star, Urza's Chalice, etc.)  How far can they back up to trigger
off a spell...  to the last non-fast effect?  To beginning of phase?
To beginning of turn?  Can they trigger off their own casting, or not?

        You can use the lucky charms at any time before the end of the 
turn. Yes, this means that you can use a charm to get a life at the end 
of the turn for a spell cast during upkeep.

6)  If a first strike creature is affected by Desert, Thicket Basilisk, etc.,
shouldn't the appropriate effect kick in during first strike damage dealing?
All the rules I've seen on this indicate they suffer their effects after
normal damge dealing, but those may have all been before damage dealing got
split for good into the two steps.

        All of these cards should be treated as doing there effect during 
damage dealing. (not 100% yet)

7) When All Hallow's Eve is used to return creatures from the graveyard
   to play, does each creature get just one chance to return to play
   (and if it can't at that time, it doesn't come out at all) or does
   it get to try again later in the sequence?
   Specific example:  No creatures in play, Clone in my opponent's
   graveyard along with various other creatures.  I control the All
   Hallow's Eve enchantment.  Can I pick the Clone first and have
   it stay dead since it cannot be legally put into play until there's
   a creature for it to copy?
   
        Each creature gets one chance to come back.  If you pick the 
Clone first, it stays dead.

8)  So what's up with False Orders?  Should we really be telling people
to play it by the 1st edition definition of "defending"?  

        In the caseof False Orders, "defending" is all untapped creatures 
on the defending players side.

9)  The ruling that you can't target a Consecrated Land with an enchantment
strikes me as inconsistent with the ruling that you can target such a
land with a destruction effect such as Stone Rain.  The text of CL just
says that the land can't be destroyed or further enchanted...  it doesn't
say it can't be targetted by such effects.  If we allow Stone Rain to
target a Consecrated land, then it seems to me we have to allow enchantments
to target them, even though the enchantments are guaranteed to fizzle.

        You cannot target the Consecrated land with a any effect which 
would destroy it.

10)  Should an Oasis (or Island of Wak-Wak, or something similar) really
be tapped if a Power Sink can't be paid for?  After all, PS just says
"all available mana from lands ... must be paid", and the Oasis doesn't
provide mana, so it seems like it shouldn't be tapped.  On the other hand,
if we say that it isn't, what happens if Wild Growth is placed on the
Oasis?  Now tapping the land would produce mana, so shouldn't it have
to be tapped to pay for the Power Sink?

        Lands that cannot be tapped for mana normally are not tapped by 
Power Sink.  Oh, and putting a revised Wild Gowth on an Oasis would be 
odd, because you could never get the mana, but a non-revised Wild Growth 
will still produce a mana.

11)  About Arboria:  If my Nether Shadow reenters play during upkeep, does
that count as putting the card into play for purposes of Arboria?

        If the Nether Shadow enters play during your upkeep, it will 
invalidate Arboria's protection.

12)  Does a Disintegrated creature go through the graveyard before being 
removed
from play?  By the card text it does (since "to die" means "to enter the
graveyard from play"), but this reverses a bunch of old rulings...

        Disintegrated creatures do not go to the graveyard first.

13)  If a creature with Puppet Master hits the graveyard, how much time 
do I
have to pay the UUU to get the enchantment back?  Seems to me this should
just be ruled as an "death event" like Soul Net, so can only be used during
the damage prevention step in which the creature dies, just to keep
everything tidy.

        You need to pay the cost immediately as a death event.

14)  So how exactly does Fork work?  It seems to me that Fork is basically
another copy card (like Clone), so should parallel the rulings on how
Clone works.  

        The Fork will copy Hacks and Sleights, just as a Clone.

15)  If I Word of Command someone to cast a spell, can people respond
to the new spell with fast effects and such?  Seems to me that they shouldn't
be able to (WoC is creating a very specific exception to the rule that spells
can't be cast while stuff is resolving), but as usual with WoC, it's unclear.
Similar question about when the commanded spell is resolved:  immediately,
or as a separate batch once the current batch is done resolving?

        Treat the commanded spell as the beginning of a new batch of 
spells occuring right after the batch that contains the Word of Command.  
No spells are allowed between the two batches.  The commanded spell may 
be responded to as normal, resolving in the second batch.

16)  The ruling on Conversion vs. the mountain half of a multiland is that
the mountain half becomes a plains and produces white mana.  But the ruling
is that if I Hack the "mountain" to say "plains", it still produces red
mana.  Why is this?  Shouldn't the two cases parallel each other?

        The Hack does not change the mana symbol.  Conversion 
specifically says that it should be treated as a basic plain, which 
produces white mana, just as Evil Presence makes a mountain product black 
mana and be counted as a swamp.  If you Hack the mountain to plains on a 
multiland you can Flashfire it, though.

17)  If I Disintegrate a Firestorm Phoenix, where does the Phoenix go?

        It leaves the game, just like any other creature.

18)  What is the deal with the Akron Legionnaires?  Does each given
Legionnaire prevent any non-artifact creature but himself from attacking
(problematic if you've got multiple Legionnaires out), or should they have
errata to just say "except legionnaries"?

        All Legionnaires can attack.

19)  Does Fastbond allow me to put lands down during my opponent's turn?
It does say just "each turn", not "each of your turns".

        You can only put down extra lands during your main phase, and not 
during your attack.

20)  It tap five lands and a mox to summon a Mahamoti Djinn.  My opponent
says "wait" and Rusts the Mox's effect.  What happens?
 
        This technically works, but if the Mox was tapped first then you 
would back up to the point that the Mox was tapped, untapping all of the 
lands involved, resolve the Rust, and then decide whether to tap any of 
the lands.  If they tap everything at once, assume the Mox was first.  If 
the Mox was obviously the last tapped or tapped seperately, then rusting 
it will stop the casting, leaving a bunch of mana to spend.
        
21) Can an Instill Energy enchantment be used to untap more then once
   per turn if you move it from one creature to another in between
   uses?

        Yes.  Enchantment alteration say to treat it as though it had 
just been cast on the target, so you can use it again.

22) Opponent has Cursed Rack in play.  I have five cards.  In my discard
   phase, I choose to discard Psychic Purge.  Does my opponent lose
   5 life?
  
        Yes.  A permanent under your opponent's control caused  you to 
discard a card and you chose the Purge, so he takes the damage.

23) I have an Animated Dead Drudge Skeleton.  My opponent disenchants
   the Animate Dead, which causes the Skeleton to go to the graveyard.
   Can I regenerate it, bringing it back to life?

        No.  It is a dead creature just like the other creature in the 
graveyard when the Animate Dead is disenchented.  You cannot regenerate a 
creature in the graveyard.

24) Do "brought into play" and "put into play" include a card that
   "returns to play" from a Tawnos Coffin/Oubliette?  Specifically:
   * if a Wood Elemental is coffined, do you need to sacrifice new
     forests to keep it from dying when it comes back?
   * if a Mold Demon is coffined, do you need to sacrifice new
     swamps to keep it from being buried when it comes back?
   * if Hazezon Tamar is coffined, do you get a whole new set of
     Sand Warriors when he comes back?
   * if Stangg is coffined, do you get a new Twin when he comes back?
   * if Rasputin is coffined, do you refresh his counters back up to
     seven when he comes back?

        The answer to all of these is "No."  The creatures in the Coffin, 
etc. are not _really_ "out of play,"  as such.  They are in a sort of 
suspended animation.  You don't need to refresh them, when they leave the 
Coffin, etc.

25) Tawnos Coffin and Oubliette both state that the creature "returns
   to play tapped."  Is the creature was not tapped before being placed
   in the coffin/oubliette, is it tapped while out of play or while in
   play?  This matters if the creature had a Spirit Shackle cast on it.

        It taps when it returns to play, and so the Shackle affects it, 
unless it went into the  Coffin or Oubliette tapped.
 
26) Is removing the counters from a Mana Battery part of the cost of
   using it, like a sacrifice, or is it an effect?  I.e. if I tap a
   Battery for 5 mana, and my opponent casts Rust, are the counters
   still used up?

        Removing counters is part of the cost, so Rusting it will cause 
the counters to be lost.

27) If I use a Sylvan Library to draw two extra cards, may I replace
   just one card, or must I replace either zero or two?

        You can choose to replace only one card and lose four life.

28) If I have two Sylvan Libraries in play, may I draw four cards and
   then decide what to put back, or do I draw two, replace two, draw
   the same two I just replaced and replace two again?

        You resolve each one in turn, so you will be drawing the same 
cards, over and over.

29) Is sacrificing the Triassic Egg to hatch a creature part of the
   "{3}{T}: Put one counter..." effect, or is it a separate cost/effect?

        It is part of the effect, so you can sacrifice the Egg at the 
same time that you place the second counter.

30) If a Doppelganger copies a Kobold, what color is the result?  The
   Doppelganger copies all characteristics except color.  But the card
   text is part of the characteristics, and that says it's red.  If the
   Doppelkobold is still blue, can you still Sleight of Mind it to
   change the color the way you can a normal Kobold?  If the Doppelkobold
   is red, then does it stay red when it copies a different creature,
   since it doesn't copy the color?

        It is blue.  After much consideration, we have decided that the 
text on the Kobold is _so_ explainitory in nature, that you cannot 
Sleight or copy it.  You may lace Kobolds as normal, of course.

31) End phase: I'm debating exactly how this phase was handled.  I was 
thinking it workedmore or less as follows:

1.  Damage heals, fast effects wear off, "at end of turn" effects happen.
2.  Damage prevention for all of the above, if called for.

So suppose a Scavenging Ghoul is thrown by a Stone Giant, and blocked by
a Mesa Pegasus.  In step 1, it would pick up a counter for the Pegasus which
died earlier, and would have that counter available to regenerate in step 2.

        You can chose to do the end of turn effects in any order you 
wish, just as in upkeep.  You can choose to get the counter from the 
Pegasus death and then use it to save the ghoul.

32) Old man of the Sea and Aladdin
Do their effects work like enchantments, i.e., do they wear off if the target
comes invalid?  For example, if Aladdin steals an Assembly Worker, does the
Worker go back to the old controller at end of turn?  I think we decided that
no, they don't wear off, and (for example) you hang onto the Mishra's 
Factory.
Does this sound right?  The basic idea is that fast effects don't wear off
just because their target becomes invalid (Piety doesn't wear off after the
attack phase, Giant Growth doesn't wear off if you put a Green Ward on
something, and so on).

        The Old man of the Sea and Aladdin wear off if their target 
becomes invalid.

33) Is the loss of life associated with Greed part of the cost?  The card 
isn't
phrased as such, but making the loss part of the resolution, rather than
a cost, leaves it open to all kinds of abuses (Lich, Mirror Universe, etc.).
It seems like this should work like Channel, i.e., you can't use Greed if
you don't have the life points to lose.

        The loss of life is not part of the cost.  You can reduce 
yourself to less than 0 life with it.

34) For the past few months we've been saying that only creatures which say
Summon Something on thing are summoned, and that artifact creatures are
merely created, or something.  Yet on page 62, on artifact creature:
"thus they may not attack or use any ability whose cost includes the
\tap symbol on the turn they are _summoned_..."  Is the rulebook incorrectly
attempting to summarive the summoning sickness rules, or do we have 
another case of what happens to be written in the rulebook overriding how 
the game is actually supposed to be played, or what?

        Artifacts creatures are not considered to be summoned, so Remove 
Soul, for instance, will not work on them. 

35) Is the Brine Hag's power an inverse side effect?  For example, if you
redirect a Hypnotic Spectre's damage away from yourself, you don't lose
the card, and vice versa, because that's a side effect.  If a creature's
damage is redirected to the Brine Hag (say, with Simulacrum) does that
creature become 0/2 if she goes to the gravyeard that turn?  I can
see this going either way, really.

        The Brine Hag is effective against redirected damage.  The 
Specter becomes 0/2.

36) Suppose I want to put a land down during Eureka, but Ankh of Mishra is
out.  Do I go through damage prevention during the Eureka, or only after the
Eureka has resolved?  (I am assuming that the damage won't be delayed until
end of batch, just like Dingus Egg damage will kick in immediately when
a Strip Mine resolves, rather than waiting until end of batch.)

        Wait until the end of the batch in this case.  Eureka says no 
effects may be played until after the Eureka resolves.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: 30 Sep 1994 09:56:52 GMT
From: warewolf@dominia.wizards.com (Paul W. Peterson)
Subject: MTG Rulings

1) Suppose my Doppelganger is a Tim, and pokes my opponent.  I then switch
its form to The Fallen; does it now damage my opponent every upkeep, since
it poked him as a Tim?  I suppose the question is:  If a Doppelganger damages
something, is that just recorded on the "form" half, or on the "doppel" half?
That is, does the information carry over from form to form?  Not really sure
how this one should go...

        It is recorded on the "form" and is lost if it switches, just like counters.
 So the Doppelganger must do damage as a Fallen, and remain a Fallen.

2) Can gain-a-life effects such as Soul Net and Crystal Rod be powered up
a whole bunch of times (assuming they have multiple things to trigger
off of), or must they be powered up sequentially?  For example, suppose
6 creatures die, and I have Soul Net out, but my opponent has Powerleech
in play.  Can I power up the Soul Net all-at-once (so my opponent only
gets 1 life from the Powerleech), or must I power it up 6 different times?

        It must be powered up sequentially, as with other artifacts.

3) Drop of Honey doesn't really seem to be an upkeep cost, but rather an
upkeep effect.  Therefore I should be able to respond to it by sacrificing
its
would-be target.  If I can sacrifice the creature, and do so, does the
controller of the Drop have to pick another creature to scrag, or has it
been satisfactorily "dealt with"?

        It is not dealt with until the creature is in the graveyard.

4)  Since Drop of Honey is targetted, I could respond by making the target
invalid, right? For example, if a Dragon Whelp is the lowest power creature
in play, and I respond to the Drop of Honey by pumping up the Whelp (thereby
making it the highest power creature in play), does the Drop have to be
retargetted, or has it been "dealt with"?

        The Drop would have to be retargeted until it is dealt with.

5) Do counters fall off in the Safe Haven?  And would the
"treat as just summoned" mean that creatures like Triskelion will refresh
their counters when they come back in, and that a Rock Hydra will always
come out with 0 head (regardless of what happens to counters in general)?

        All creatures come out of the haven as though they were newly summoned. 
They lose counters when they enter the Haven, but get them when they emerge.

6) Can I -lace a land as it's being played?  If not, why not?

        Yes.  It says that it can be played on any "card" being played.
        
7) Is Cocoon considered to be like Triskelion, i.e., it gets three counters
when cast/resolved?  If yes, then this would mean that if it gets moved
via Enchantment Alteration, it will get three more counters after moving
(since it's treated as having been cast), right?

        This is correct.  It gets more counters when moved.

8) Since Dance of Many is supposed to use all the copy cards ruling for
Clones,
it cannot copy something revived via Animate Dead, even though it says it
copies a "target summon card", right?  Or does a special case need to be
made for Dance of Many vs. Animate Dead?

        Since Dance of Many copies a "target Summon card," and not a creature, it
can copy animated creatures, and won't get the -1.

9) If one forks a Detonate, is it possible to target an artifact with a
casting
cost other than the original X?  Seems to me the tentative answer is that it
couldn't legally target such an artifact, but this doesn't seem to have
a final answer.  If you *can* target an artifact with a casting cost <> X,
then how much damage would be done?  X, or the artifact's casting cost

        You must copy the X and so you must choose an artifact of the same casting
cost.

10) Manabarbs and Wild Growth care whether the land produces mana, but Power
Surge does not...  Is this distinction deliberate?

        Yes.

11) When the Liege goes into the Oubliette, all of the lands it had
converted revert to their old terrain type (card text).  But do they become
forests again when he comes out of the Oubliette?

        No.  The lands do not remember that they were forests.

12) Do these have the same errata as Disintegrate, that is, will a creature
killed via Runesword damage simply leave the game rather than going to the
graveyard?

        Runesword is slightly different.  Due to the wording on the card, the
creature will douch the graveyard, before leaving play.

13) If I use Safe Haven on a creature revived via Animate Dead, the
creature goes into the Safe Haven and the Animate Dead goes to the graveyard
(as would any other enchantments on the creature).  So what happens when it
comes back out; does it stay in play, or does it remember that it was only
in play due to Animate Dead, and thus go right back to the graveyard?  I
think
the former would be true, but...

        It will stay in play.  Treat it as though it was just summoned.

14) What happens if a Lich is Boomeranged, or otherwise removed from play
without being sent to the graveyard?  Does its controller automatically lose?
Given the Cyclopean Tomb answer I suspect the answer to this will be "yes",
but I've been waiting on this one for a long time (like, since Antiquities).

        You will lose if the Lich leaves play for any reason.

15) Does this edit the casting cost, or does it just pay for some of
the casting cost (like Mana Matrix)?  We've/I've been saying that it just
pays for the casting cost, but only like MM, the Calendar's text does
kind of imply that the casting cost is actually edited, thus it would only
cost 1U to Spell Blast something cast via Stone Calendar.

        It just pays for some of the casting cost.

16) Just realized that The Abyss asks the same questions that Drop of Honey
does...  1.  Can I point the Abyss at a creature and then sacrifice it
to Life Chisel or whatever, and if so, will I have to point the Abyss
at another creature?  2.  What happens if the creature I point it at somehow
becomes invalid (say, a Black Ward is Altered onto it)?

        If a legal target is available, then you must place it in the graveyard.

17) The current ruling seems to be that if you can't pay for a Power Sink,
you'd have to tap the Workshop and draw the mana from it even though it
can't be used to pay for the Power Sink.  The more I stare at the card
text, though, the more I wonder about this; it seems to me that since
the Workshop's mana can't be used to pay for the Sink, it shouldn't be
considered "available", and thus one shouldn't be forced to tap it during
the Power Sink.

        You only have to tap the Workshop to pay for Power Sink if you are casting
an artifact.

18) Forking a Fireball.

(Note:  This is a change)  If you Fork a Fireball that is targeted at several
sources, you must target your Fork at the same number of sources.  This comes
from the fact that the Fork copies the extra mana that is used to split the
Fireball, but that mana is not part of X.  There for the mana for the split
cannot be reassigned into damage dealing, and must be used to split the
Fireball.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Wed, 12 Oct 1994 15:43:23 -0700 (PDT)
From: Paul Peterson <warewolf@fungusaur.wizards.com>
Subject: Magic Rules group rulings


Here are the newest rulings from the rules group. 

1) I have a Tetravus with counters on it. My opponent has an untapped
Coffin. It's my upkeep. If I declare that I'm moving counters off the
Tetravus, can my opponent Coffin the Tetravus before the counters get
off?

        Yes.  You can respond to the removal of tokens by Coffining the 
Tetravus.  Removing each token counts as a fast effect and can be 
responded to.  Note that if you remove one token at a time, they cannot 
get more than one token with the Tetravus when they Coffin it.

2) According to the Ghoul's text, it only regenerates from lethal damage,
not from destroy effects such as Cleanse.  People tend to assume that
we really meant that it could regenerate from destroy effects as well,
but we need a final ruling on whether it really does mean "lethal damage
only", or if it needs errata to cover all methods of destruction.

        The Ghoul can only regenerate from lethal damage.  The card is 
clear as written.

3) So what happens if both players have a tapped Eater of the Dead, and both
want to eat the only available creature card?

        Who's ever turn it is can use the effect first, based on the 
timing rules.

4) All "at end of turn" effects happen before "until end of turn" effects 
wear
off, correct?  So if the Factory had been made an Assembly Worker, the
Pestilence would have to check for creatures before the Worker deanimated,
and would have to stay in play?  

        This is correct.  Until the end of the Turn effects do not wear 
off until after creatures are healed, so that a Giant growth will not 
wear off before healing.  At end of turn effects occur before creatures heal.
        
5) Is adding a counter to an artifact such as the Voodoo Doll an "upkeep 
cost"?  That is, can I use a Voodoo Doll before adding a counter to it, 
thus tapping
it and avoiding the counter?  

        Treat adding a counter to the Voodoo Doll (and the Armageddon 
Clock) as an "upkeep cost."  You cannot use their abilities before 
placing the counter on them.

6) Suppose I choose to discard rather than taking damage for Mind Bomb.  
Can I make use of Library of Leng, and would Psychic Purge be triggered?

        You can use the Library of Leng and Psycic Purge would be 
triggered, as a spell cast by your opponent is causing the discard.

7) Which wins in Runesword versus Firestorm Pheonix?

        We have decided that the Pheonix will go back to your hand.

8) There is a Howling Mine in play.  Field of Dreams is out.  I have
a Millstone.  How fast does my opponent draw the card granted
by the Mine?  If we say that draw effects act as instants, as
upkeep effects do, then I could respond to their use of the Mine
by using the Millstone to get rid of their top card if I decided
I didn't like it.  So...  does the draw act as an instant,
or an interrupt?

        The draw acts as an instant.  You can respond to it with the Millstone.

9) Is it the controller of the land who pays the WW to gain life from 
Farmstead, or the controller of the enchantment?

        The controller of the enchantment pays the WW, but the controller 
of the land gains the life.

10) Is the answer to "can I counter spell with Equinox" locked in when the
spell is announced, or can it change over the course of the casting?
For example, I have Living Lands and Castle in play, and no tapped lands.
My opponent casts a 1-point Earthquake.  This will not kill any of my lands
unless I tap one and bring it out of the Castle.  If I do tap one, does
this now license the use of Equinox, or am I stuck because Equinox was
ineligible at the time the Earthquake was announced?

In this particular case you can use the Equinox because when they cast 
the Earthquake, you can interrupt the casting to tap a land for mana.  
Now there is a legitimate reason to use Equinox and it is still an 
appropriate time to use it, as the spell can still be countered.

11) Do you choose the order that creatures come out of the Safe Haven?

        Yes you do.  If you choose a Clone as the first creature and 
there are no other creatures in play, the Clone will die.

12) Does Guardian Beast protect artifacts from Dust to Dust?

        No.  It will not protect an artifact from removal from the game.

13) Lich has errata to the effect that the cards you get rid of instead
of taking damage are sacrificed, so can't be regenerated or whatnot, right?

        Treat the cards lost as being sacrificed.

14) Can Soul Net be used until the end of the turn?

        No.  Soul Net can only be used during the death effects phase of 
damage resolution.

15) Did we ever decide what happens when the queen/drones get -laced or 
otherwise change color?  Do the drones automatically acquire the color of 
the queen, or do they change color independently?  If a drone's color 
changes and it gets reabsorbed, will it keep that color change if split 
off again?

        The counters are cleared of memory when they split or rejoin the 
"queen."  The are colorless after they split, no matter what the queens 
color is, and they do not affect the queen's color when they rejoin.

16) Suppose my opponent takes control of my Tetravus and splits off some 
drones. I then reestablish control of the queen.  Can I recombine the 
drones my opponent controls, or does a player have to control both the 
queen and a
drone to recombine that drone?

        You can rejoin all counters, even those controlled by your 
opponent.  The card seems fairly clear on this issue.

17) Shouldn't the Tetravus only be able to do a split/recombine once per
upkeep?  An old ruling by Beth says you can keep doing it, but from the
wording, I think you should only be able to do it once (see Doppelganger,
Shapeshifter, etc).  Assuming I can do it only once, could I do both
splitting and recombining during the same upkeep?

        Each counter can be either split off or recombined once per 
upkeep.  You can split off a counter and recombine the other two, if you 
wish.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: aahz@hal.COM (Tom Wylie)
Subject: NEW:  Design Team Rulings for Magic, 11/16/94
Date: 16 Nov 1994

1) Serendib Djinn:  we ruled that just the attempt to destroy a land
satisfied him.  Now that we can sacrifice things other than creatures,
he really should take a sacrifice, not a destroy.

        Still treat it as destroy.  The attempt will satisfy him, so 
Consecrated lands get around his upkeep.

2) Singing Tree:  we ruled that it expires at the end of the attack phase.
Now that we've clarified all fast effects as expiring at the end of
the turn unless otherwise specific, the Singing Tree should probably
be changed to the same ruling as the Island of Wak-Wak:  subtract the
creature's power at the time the Tree resolves from its power for the
remainder of the turn.

        Singing Tree's effect lasts until the end of the turn.

3) On my turn I had a Scathe Zombies and Llanowar Elf that were targeted
by Nettling Imps, couldn't attack for some reason, and were going to be
destroyed at end of turn.  I cast a Reincarnation on the Elves.  At end
of turn, I choose to kill the Elves first; then bring back a Zombie Master
from the grave.  Since the Zombie Master is instantly in play, the Scathe
Zombies can now regenerate from their scheduled destruction.  I'm still
hoping to see this sequence ruled legal.

        Creatures that die at the end of the turn, go to the graveyard at 
the same time.  However, you can resolve this as one of the effects at 
end of turn.

/*
**  Note that this is a reversal of a previous ruling.
*/

4) Assume that I lose all of a land type during the first step of Balance,
and therefore one of my creature's toughness drops to 0 (say, I have a
Nightmare out and lose all my swamps).  Given the current timing rules
does the creature die right then, or would it wait until after creatures
had been counted up and balanced (so I could balance the "dead" creature
out if necessary)?

        You do not check for the creature deaths until the end of the 
resolution, so the Nightmare is a legitimate target for balancing.

5) "Whenever anyone loses a land..." means that the land must be
destroyed, right?  So Flash Flood wouldn't trigger Dingus Egg?

        This is incorrect.  Flash Flood will cause you to "lose a land," 
and activate the Dingus Egg.

6) If I cast Animate Dead on something which is already in play, or alter
an Animate Dead to something which is already Animated, shouldn't that
give control of the creature to the controller of the new/second
Animate Dead?

        You will gain control of the creature.

7) Can I steal an Instilled creature and then attack with it immediately?

        Yes.  Instill Energy effectively removes "summoning sickness" 
with regards to attacking.

8) Suppose a creature is affected by two Siren's Calls, or is Called and
Nettled, or whatever.  Assume that it can't attack that turn.  Does it
have to regenerate multiple times at end of turn, one for each
nettling effect?

        No.  It only has to regenerate once.

9) Can the caster of a spell can let a batch of interrupts resolve, then 
use another interrupt of their own?

        No.  All interrupts of the same spell must be declared before any 
are resolved.

10) Is the addition of a counter due to UM an upkeep effect of the 
enchantment, or one that it adds to the creature?  

        It is an upkeep effect of the enchantment.  The creature can be 
used before the last counter is placed.

11) If an enchantment's upkeep is dealt with, and the enchantment is then
moved to something else during upkeep, the upkeep isn't dealt with
again, correct?

        You will treat it as though it has just been cast and 
it will forget that it's upkeep has been dealt with.  Thus it gets
another counter.

12) If Delif's Cube is used on a creature after it has been declared as 
an attacker, can its effect still happen?

        Yes.

13) Suppose I have some tapped Bottomless Vaults out while Winter Orb is in
play and untapped.  If I choose to untap some other land as the one that
the Winter Orb allows, will the Vaults still gain their counters?

        Yes.  You could have chosen to untap the Bottomless Vault, but 
chose not to so it gets a counter.  If Stasis had been in play, then you 
would not have had a choice and it would not get a counter.

14)  If I have two Old Men, each hanging onto something and Smoke is out, 
can I choose to let both of them go even though only one Old Man can untap?

        No.  Creatures are only released if the Old Man untaps.

15) If a counter from Ashnod's Transmogrant is added to an animated land 
(or whatever) which then stops being a creature, does the counter 
continue to give artifactness to the ex-creature?

        No.  AT adds a counter that turns the creature into an artifact 
creature.  This is not exactly the same as granting artifact nature.

16) Suppose my Doppelganger starts the turn as a revised Fungusaur, takes
damage, and switches to another form.  What happens to the counter it 
will get at the end of the round?

        It will not get the counter.  Fungusaur says, "At the end of any 
turn in which the Fungusaur..."  It will not be a Fungusaur at the end of 
the turn, when it would check.

17) Are the lucky charms legal during damage prevention?

        Yes.  You can use them during damage prevention.

18) Can I Copy Artifact a Clone of an artifact creature?

        Yes.  The Clone of an artifact creature is considered inherently 
an artifact.

19) Suppose a blue/something legend is in play.  I cast a second copy of 
that legend, then interrupt the casting to REB the original.  Can the 
second one come into play safely?

        Yes.  The Legend will only check for the presence of a second one 
when it resolves.

19) Suppose the creature deanimates with a Life Matrix counter on it.  I 
know it will keep the LM counter, but will it be able to take advantage 
of it?

        No.  Life Matrix says that you remove the counter to regenerate 
the "creature."  If it is not a creature, you cannot use the counter to 
regenerate it.


20) Does the Camel prevent itself from being targeted by the desert?

        Yes.  It is considered to be in the band itself, even if it is 
the only creature attacking.

21) Can I use a Ring of Renewal if my hand is empty?

        No.  Discarding a card should be considered a cost of using the
ability.

22) Can Reflecting Mirror be used against Eye for an Eye?

        No.  Eye for an Eye targets the creature or spell, and deals 
damage to the controller.  The controller is not the target.

23)  If a duplicate Legend comes into play and is therefore buried, does 
a damage prevention step start?

        Yes.  It is therefore possible to use interrupt speed effects at 
this time.

24) If I power up the Orcish Captain multiple times, do I flip a coin 
Multiple times, or do I just flip one coin for the entire batch?

        Flip a coin for each time the Captain is activated.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Thu, 15 Dec 94 11:54:25 -0800
From: Tom Wylie <aahz@wizards.com>
Subject: design team rulings 12/14/94

<ERRATTA> Nevinyrral's Disk should be have a tap symbol.  In the original
version it was a mono artifact, and at some point in the revision it lost its
tapping cost.  Future versions will have a tap symbol.  Additionally, it is
not a sacrifice.  It is destroyed as part of its effect, and can be prevented
from going to the graveyard.

1) If I have six creatures out and my opponent fires off a Catapult for 6, I
can respond to that by activating a Mishra's Factory, and the Catapult will do
6/7 = 0 damage to everything, not 6/6 = 1?

        This is correct.  You calculate the damage done at resolution.

2) Is the discard for Mindstab Thrull random, or does the defending player
choose which three cards to get rid of?

        The defending player gets to choose which cards to discard.

3) If an enchantment's upkeep is dealt with, and the enchantment is then moved
to something else (with Enchantment Alteration) during upkeep, do you need to
deal with its upkeep again?

        Yes.  Treat it as though it was just cast and must therefore have its
upkeep dealt with again.  (Note:  My previous answer to this question was
confusing, and so I hope this answer clarifies things.)

4) If I lose a Sea Serpent or whatever due to running out of islands, does a
full damage prevention step ensue?  If so, what happens if I Hack the Serpent
during that step to say "plains" or whatever will let it live... does it still
get buried, or does the Hack save it?

        A full damage prevention step does occur, however this will not save
the Serpent.  The Serpent is buried as soon as there are no islands, and
Hacking it after the fact will not retroactively prevent this occurence.  If
this had been a Nightmare that was dying from a lack of swamps, then Hacking
it would save it.

5) When Homarids' "can't target" ability is activated, does this cause
enchantments on them to be destroyed, since they're now an illegal target? 

        No.  The Homarid's ability only applies to spells and effects, and an
enchantment in play is neither.

6) If a Rainbow Value is activated and then covered by a Blood Moon or what
have you, will still wander at end of turn?  I think that it should, just as a
Berserked attacker would be destroyed at end of turn even if it stopped being
a creature before then, but am not 100% sure on that.

        The Rainbow Vale says "Rainbow Vale passes..." If it is not a Rainbow
Vale (which it isn't if Blood Moon is in play) it will not be passed.

6) By a strict reading of Raiding party, I can tap *anyone's* white creatures
to stop a plains from being destroyed, specifically creatures I don't control.

        <ERRATTA> This is a mistake.  You can only tap white creatures that you
control.

7) Are the white creatures tapped as a damage prevention effect during the
step in which the plains would go to the graveyard, or during the
resolution of the Raiding Party's effect?

        You tap the creatures during resolution.

8) Does tapping Bottomless Vault act as an interrupt, or as an instant?

        All of these lands are tapped for mana as interrupts.

9) When does Merseine go away?

        Merseine does not make itself go away.  If the last counter is removed,
it sits there.  You could disenchant it....

10) Is Ferrel's Mantle cumulative with other similar effects?

        Yes.  You may choose to use the Mantle with the Zealot, for example,
and gain both benefits.  However, the Mantle itself is not cumulative.

11) Can you get free mana from a Bottomless Vault if Manaflare is in play?

        Yes.  If you tap a "land battery" for 0 mana, the mana flare will
produce 1 mana.

12) Suppose a Rainbow Vale is out when Living Plane is brought into play.  At
some point, the Vale gets stolen with an Old Man of the Sea (or whatever). If
the Vale is then tapped for mana, does it change controller at end of turn?

        Yes.  It will wander to the opponent, exactly as a Ghazban Ogre would.

13) Can the Vodalian War Machine allow itself to attack in spite of "summoning
sickness", or is it like Wall of Wonder in that
it's only allowing itself to attack in spite of being a wall?

        It cannot override "summoning sickness".  It can only attack if it
began the turn in play under your control.

14) What exactly is the definition of "When you lose a land?"  When a land you
control leaves play?  If a land gets stolen, would that trigger the Dingus
Egg?  Specifically, does Rainbow Vale + Dingus Egg mean 2 points of damage
whenever the Vale changes sides?

        <Reversal> Dingus Egg will only trigger on a land going to the
graveyard.

15) When making someone cast a spell via Word of Command, can I force them to
sacrifice a Dwarven Ruins or whatever?

        Yes.  You make all decisions and can draw mana from their lands.

16) Suppose I have a few Bayous out.  The Thelonite Druid has been used, and
then a Khormus Bell is cast.  The swamps would be converted to 2/3 by the
Druid, and then down to 1/1 by the Bell, right?

        Correct.  The last effect will apply.

17) What happens if Camoflage is cast after blockers have been declared?

        Nothing.

18) What happens if a legend is face-down (Illusionary Mask), and another copy
of that legend is brought into play?  Is the second legend immediately buried,
or does it not notice the original?

        The second Legend is immediately buried.  The person with the face down
Legend must inform the other player of this fact.

19)  Will Timetwister be pulled back into the graveyard when it resolves if
something else removes it from play prior to resolution?

        No.  If it is removed from the graveyard (Tormod's Crypt, Feldon's
Cane) before resolution, it will not jump back to the graveyard.

20) If I cast a spell which requires I sacrifice a land upon resolution
(Mold Demon, Mana Vortex, etc) can I use Equinox to counter that
summoning?  

        Yes.

21) Suppose I say I'm about to attack, and my opponent uses a bunch of fast
effects.  Can I now decide to put off the attack long enough to cast a sorcery
or something, or am I stuck with attacking?

        Yes, you can still cast sorceries or whatever.  This also applies to
declaration of the end of any phase.  If your opponent uses fast effects, you
can back up to cast a legitimate spell.

22) Does Ebony Horse retoractively un-attacks the creature?
Would a nettled creature still die, would Erg Raiders damage their
controller, etc?

        It un-attacks the creature.  Nettled creatures die, etc.

23) It can be argued that because Tourach's Gate says "If there are no time
counters on Tourach's Gate, bury it", and it always enters play with no
counters, then it's always destroyed as soon as it enters play.  

        The "during upkeep" clause is supposed to apply to the time you check
for no counters, as well.

24) What was the final decision on Rocket Launcher?  Does it sacrifice itself,
or can it be saved by regeneration, Guardian Beast, etc?

        It does not sacrifice itself.  It can regenerate if animated, etc.

25) Suppose I cast the Farrel's Mantle on an opponent's creature; who decides
whether the Mantle is used, and if so, what gets targetted?  

        The creature's controller decides all of these.  Also the creature may
deal damage and use Farrel's Mantle, if its controller is not the Mantle's
controller.  This is because it says "it deals no damage to opponent this
turn", with "opponent" being the opponent of the Mantle's controller, not
the opponent of the creature.

26) Hand of Justice: "tap: Tap three target white creatures you control to
destroy any target creature." Assuming they are tapped as the cost, can they
be tapped in spite of summoning sickness?

        Yes.  Summoning sickness does not prevent another card from tapping a
creature.

27) If I use Camouflage, my token creatures would be turned "face down", and
my opponent would know which of my creatures were tokens and which were cards,
but not which token creature was which, correct?

        No.  Your opponent will not know which creatures are token creatures
and which are not.  You could be using extra cards as token creatures, after
all.

28) Is Farrel's Mantel's ability used as an instant between blockers and
damage dealing?

        Yes.  This also applies to Mindstab Thrull, etc.

29) Old Man of the Sea and Preacher stay tapped for their effect, and thus may
choose not to untap as normal.  If what they had stolen disappears, can they
still choose to remain tapped?

        Yes.  This ability is independant of whether they currently control a
creature.

30) Suppose a land of mine gets animated and then stuck into a Safe Haven or
Oubliette or what have you.  Later, that land would be sent back into play,
but by that time my opponent has Land Equilibrium out, and less land than I
do.  What happens?

        For Land Equilibrium, you put the new land into play first, and then
sacrifice a land, which can be the one you just played.  Note that there would
not be time to tap it for mana before it entered the graveyard.

31) Suppose a band of creatures A and B attack.  Would-be blocker Y can only
block A, and would-be blocker Z can only block B.  Can they each make that
blocking decisions, and thereby each block the band, and therefore the Goblin
War Drums are satisfied?

        Y and Z each have to be able to block A (or each to block B) to
satisfy the War Drums.

32) Blaze of Glory is used on a creature while Goblin War Drums is out.  It
cannot block a given attacker unless something else also blocks that attacker,
correct?

        This is correct.

33) Is the form picked as the Primal Clay is announced, or as it enters play?

        You pick the form when it is anounced.

34) If a play a storage land when Blood Moon is out, does the land still
enters play tapped?

        Yes.  It is a tapped mountain.

35) Is the a specific rule about Mind Twist being targeted a general rule abut
"opponent" effects?  Specific example:  Can I reflect a Drain Power?

        Yes.  Most effects that say "opponent" are targeted.

36) Frequently a card describes "Instead of drawing a card..." effects (such
as Aladdin's Lamp and Ring of Ma'Ruf) Is this "spending a draw to do
something"?

        Yes.  If something prevents that effect, you lose the draw you were
going to take.

37) Who has to distribute damage first, the attacker or the defender?

        The attacker must distribute damage first.