Hello /tg/,
It's been a decade since I have played MTG. So I just recently bought some cards from BFZ and just had some basic questions as I build a deck.
If I block a 5/5 with a Kozileks Channeler 4/4, can I then tap the KC for 2 mana to my pool for an instant? Or does the KC die before I can use the mana?
>pic related
>>43527506
does it say it dies
no it doesn't
so it doesn't
fucker
>>43527506
Does adding mana to your mana pool cause steps and phases to end?
yes you get the mana
>>43527506
Once you have declared all your blockers, your opponent will gain priority to activate any abilities or cast instants. Then you will gain priority to do so, so you may tap him for mana. That mana will empty from your mana pool if you haven't used it by the time we move to combat damage being dealt, so you'll have to spend it to cast an instant *immediately*. But yes, you can tap him for mana.
Thanks. I didnt know if the attacking phase would kill it first. I have not played since Odyssey and only played it for a few weeks. Just trying to get my shit in order to build a deck.
If anyone else is new, post your dumb questions.
>>43527581
>>43527581
Awesome, thank you for the explanation. I do appreciate it.
>>43527506
Yes, you get the mana.
However you need to use it before combat damage is acounted for.
Mana disappears between steps (and phases), so you'll need to use it before the game progresses to combat damage step(s).
Note that progressing steps requires each player's consent.
If you are casting a spell or activating an ability that cares if the channeler (or any other attackers or blocker) are on the battlefield, then count them as such.
If you use the mana to cast a creature with flash (or effect that generates creature tokens), it is too late for them to be declared as blockers.
Like attackers, all blockers must be declared together.
>>43527784
>>43527784
Thank you! I appreciate the help. Im stoked to be playing again, just trying to iron out the wrinkles before I start FMN on the 20th.
Since it's a stupid questions thread anyway, I got one.
When I use Elemental's sacrifice ability does it manifest a card for itself dying? I thought it shouldn't since you sacrifice it as cost before the ability goes on stack but my opponent at last FNM said I should manifest for him as well.
I doubt he's fucking with me because I would benefit from it but I'd like to hear a second opinion.
>>43530025
I am pretty sure that costs happen as the spell or ability they are required for enters the stack so by the time the ability resolves the Elemental is already sacrificed.
How the heck do Pia and Kiran not see any Standard play?
>>43530106
correct, and for that exact reason. By the time the ability is online, whisperwood elemental has been in the grave for a while.
And since I haven't seen one recently I'm going to make this an impromptu Ask A Judge thread. I'm an L1 out of Ohio so if you have questions then ask!
(mana drains from your mana pool as steps and phases end)
>player declares intention to go from main phase to enter combat, and passes priority (when you have priority, you can either take an action or pass priority. You can't do anything when you don't have priority.)
>player enters the enter combat step, and he gets priority.
>if everyone passes priority, he then declares which creatures are attacking who.
>any relevant triggers get put on the stack, and priority is passed around for each one.
>priority gets passed around once after attackers, before moving to blockers
>everyone declares which creature is blocking what. These creatures are now marked as blocked
>relevant triggers happen, then priority is passed around again
>this is when OP can tap for mana and cast a spell, but he can only do it before the damage step
>damage step, damage happens before anyone is given priority. Creatures are still considered in-combat until the second main, which is relevant with some cardsAt least, that's how I'm 99% sure it works. Does that help OP?
>>43530461
it probably looks all like mush, so lemme try and simplify it.
You CAN block a 5/5 with your 4/4 channeler and tap it for mana before damage is dealt.
However, that mana disappears once you move to the combat damage step, so if you want to use it you have to do it while channeler is still alive.
Does that help?
>>43530138
Doesn't fit the meta
>>43527506
>MTG: Stupid Questions
Ahh, perfect. I'm brand new to MTG (Three months). Simple question and I think I already have the answer, I'm just confirming it.
If I use a Fetch Land, can I tap it for colorless mana? Do fetch lands (such as polluted delta) count as both an island and a swamp and I can pay to search for more lands? Or are they "lands" that produce "no mana", therefore not allowing me to tap for more.
So like if I have two islands on the field and I draw a polluted delta, and I play the polluted delta, am I allowed to tap it and now play a card with a CMC of 3? Or do I have to pay the life and find a (third) land so I can pay a CMC 3 card?
I have a feeling that no, I can not tap polluted delta (or any other fetch lands) for colorless / colored mana. If that's the case that's kinda gay, but I just wanted to know. Can't find actual rules stating either way.
>>43535781
the only land in the game, from what I understand, that does more then what it says on its text box are basic lands, with their typing elaborating on that. Every non basic land will tell you exactly what it can do in its text box, and basic lands will tap for their type of mana.
>>43535870
I just read:
>http://www.starcitygames.com/php/news/print.php?Article=3922, which seems to get at the following:
>Play whatever shit you got in your hand
>Blah blah blah time goes on
>Play fetch land
>Fetch land does NOT produce mana
>When you need / want to, tap it and search for a land of your choice
>But the fetch land itself does NOT produce mana
The difference between that and something like Evolving Wilds, is that you do NOT sacrifice Polluted Delta once you're done, however the cost of 1 life is to offset the fact it stays in the battlefield and can be used again the following turn.
Sites like:
>http://company.wizards.com/sitemissing/community
>http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=405104
are either taken down or simply do not provide an answer, which is why I'm struggling so hard to find out exactly how these cards work.
If anyone else thinks this sounds right / wrong, let me know please. Thanks.
>>43535977
The fetches say Tap, pay 1 life, sacrifice.
They are that way because you get to put a basic land to the battlefield untapped, unlike evolving wilds. Also, as they search for (typeA) or (typeB), you aren't limited to just basic lands with them.
Tap, Pay 1 life, Sacrifice Polluted Delta: Search your library for an Island or Swamp card and put it onto the battlefield. Then shuffle your library.
Read
The
Fucking
Card
RTFC will save you a lot of trouble.
>>43530263
>>43530263
legitimate inquiry, what's the difference between levels of being a judge?
Ok seeing as this looks like a dumb question for new players thread of sorts.
If Card A has an effect that says "until end of turn" will that effect outlast an effect that is "at the beginning of the end step", or is the end step technically like after your turn.
For example if I have a Lightening Shrieker (gets buried at beginning of the end step) and after the combat phase I use Turn to frog on it, I get to keep the Lightening Shrieker until my next end step yes?
Sorry if this is a particularly daft question.
>>43530138
It's a 4 cost 2/2 in a format with a 1 cost red 2 damage spell
It requires mana and sacrificing usefull creatures to do average ammounts of damage
It's a fun card but it isn't valuable enough or aggresivly costed enough to make the cut into any deck running lots of red
>>43527506
>I bought some cards from BFZ
Dear god why would you waste money like that?
>>43538138
Opening sealed product is fun, as long as the person is aware they're only gonna wind up with bulk and stuff they're never gonna use then I don't see the problem
>>43538164
There's nothing usable in BFZ.
>>43527517
>>43527540
Toxic cunts like you are why people say mtg has the worst player base. And this is coming from a guy who sells fakes.
>>43538533
Speaking for every format eh.
Bold move Cotton, lets see if it pays off.
>>43538138
>>43538164
>>43538533
>Play casual
>Want to build an Eldrazi deck
>BfZ is released
I made an offering to MaRo this day
>>43537945
You are correct, the "end of turn" occurs after the cleanup step which occurs after the "beginning of the end step" Do note however that Lightning Shrieker's "Sac at the next end step" will trigger every end step, not just once, so if you save it with turn to frog it will still need to be sacced at the end of your opponent's turn.
>>43527506
What is the best format in this game ever
>>43538693
Tiny Leaders :^)
This situation happened.
>Opponent's turn
>Attacks with a 2/2 creature
>Block with a 1/3 death touch creature
>Opponent says my creature dies and his is fine since his has a effect that deal 2 damage to whatever is defending from him
>I say that'd happen after the damage is dealt, still resulting in his creature dying from death touch
>We squabble for a while until we both put each creature in respective graveyards
Who was right in this situation?
>>43538756
As long as none of the creatures have first strike, and the 2 extra damage is dealt on blocking, then both would die.
For an accurate answer you need to post card names though, I'm a little unsure about your 4th line.
>>43538693
There aren't better formats. There are preferences and budgets. People you play with are a big decision factor too. Here is a quick summary of all the formats.
STANDARD:
----------------
Standard is the most played overall. It's supposed to be cheap ( I say " supposed " because right now the prices are absurd ) and use the most recent sets.
Pros:
- Easy to pick up, spells aren't difficult to understand the majority of times.
- A lot of people to play with.
Cons:
- Rotation makes the format a constant investment, as opposed to a one-time investment.
- Lack of variety in strategies due to the restricted pool of cards.
MODERN:
-------------
Modern is a format using all the cards from the 8th to the most recent edition. It also uses a banlist to prevent busted cards to take over the format.
Pros:
- Variety is bigger in term of strategies.
- You have powerful cards, and you also dodge " disgusting cards " that are populating older formats.
- One-time investment. You can pay for a deck and be sure it's always going to be legal except if one of its cards get banned.
Cons:
- It's more expensive than standard, but still affordable if you ask me.
- Risk of loss of value in your cards, since important cards can risk to be reprinted any time soon ( For example, since we are going to Innistrad soon, there is a non-null chance they reprint Snapcaster Mage. )
Overall, I'd say this format is the best in term of playability and money investment.
Cont.
>>43538693
EDH only playable and enjoyable format
>>43538756
2/2 effect generally happens when creature BECOMES blocked, before damage dealt. So 1/3 takes 2 damage before combat damage. Then it takes 2 more and deathtouch kills the 2/2. All ded
>>43538834
LEGACY:
---------
Legacy is a format that ressembles modern a lot, except you can use all the cards ever printed in the game, with a different banlist from Modern however.
Pros:
- Insanely fun to play. Lot of strategies to suit to all kind of players.
- You get much more knowledge playing Legacy than any format. You understand the power of some concepts.
- Again, one-time investment.
Cons:
- VERY expensive, due to the facts that most of the important cards are on a Reserved List. That means that those cards won't be reprinted unless the Reserved List is abolished.
- Lack of players, which is explained by the huge price investment most decks ask for.
- You need a lot of knowledge of the game to perform nicely in that format. Little mistakes matter more here, since you have less time to correct them.
- Lack of coverage. Legacy is slowly falling into void, since most MTG coverage team decided to ditch legacy for modern, which they consider more valuable.
VINTAGE
--------
Don't bother with Vintage. Trust me.
>>43538865
>insanely fun to play
define fun for me.
>>43538693
the only correct answer is draft
>>43538908
" Fun (disambiguation)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Fun generally refers to recreation or entertainment. "
By that, I mean that you can play strategies that you consider fun, even though opponents don't think that way.
For example, I love to play Imperial Painter, which the aim is to either win with a Painter's Servant and a Grindstone, either to lock your opponent with a blood moon or a Painter naming blue and destroying everything with Red Elemental Blasts. This kind of deck doesn't exist in any more recent format.
That's what I call fun.
>>43538756
>Opponent says my creature dies and his is fine since his has a effect that deal 2 damage to whatever is defending from him
Post the card so we know what the hell you're talking about.
>we both put each creature in respective graveyards
With the minimal details given, this is correct.
>>43538834
>Standard is the most played overall. It's supposed to be cheap
What's the reasoning they have for this?
Wouldn't a constantly rotating meta be overally more expensive in the long run?
>>43538966
>Wouldn't a constantly rotating meta be overally more expensive in the long run?
That is correct. However, you have to consider the entry barrier is way lower than any formats ( except this one, because Jace ). You can be fine with a 200 bucks deck there (even less if you want to go full budget), and change only a few cards to make it viable again post rotation. Also, if you only want to play Standard, people playing modern will be very happy to buy your stuff that has rotated.
In modern, if you want to have a decent deck, the entry barrier is a minimum 500 bucks. Of course, T2 and Rogue decks exist, but in term of Spikin' through victory, this is the hard truth.
It's just a question of mindset, really. Pick your poison, as they say.
>>43538865
>Don't bother with Vintage. Trust me.
Scrub detected.
>>43530138
They saw a bit of fringe play before M15 rotated. Outside of Origins, there isn't really a strong artifact theme in standard. Turns out without Ensoul, artifacts aren't strong enough to be a deck right now.
>>43539012
Sure, explain to everyone why I should bother explaining Vintage, since it's even more unaffordable than Legacy, there are even less players than in Legacy and that most card attrocities are found there.
>>43538566
when you want to learn something that's known by several millions of people and that's been thoroughly documented on thousands of websites, you don't create a whole thread on /tg/; you use google
if being TAUXICK keeps people who don't know how to use google away from the hobby then good
>>43539137
It's a stupid question thread. This thread is for asking the stupidest questions on earth, but they help a lot for some people.
>>43538865
PAUPER:
---------
No rares. No uncommons. No mythics. Commons only. Final Destination.
Pros:
- Least expensive format.
- Pretty fun.
- Non-rotating.
Cons:
- Stagnant as fuck since Delver bent the format over it's knee.
EDH
---------
Typically a multiplayer format. 100 card singleton (1x at most of any non-basic, unless stated otherwise directly on the card itself.), start at 40 life. Choose a legendary creature from your 100 and exile it at the start of the game; this is your Commander. You cannot add mana to your mana pool that are not of you Commander's 'color identity' and you cannot add cards to your deck in the first place that don't identify with the Commander. If you Commander would deal 21 damage or more to a player over the course of a game, the player loses the game.
Pros:
- Easy to find someone to play.
Cons:
- Teaches bad deckbuilding skills (bad format for new players)
- Teaches players to rely on politics (but true of any multiplayer format)
- Games will last +3 hours.
- Official banlist isn't run by WotC, just some guy's houserules he forces on everyone else.
-So many stupid added rules, you aren't even playing Magic anymore.
>>43539079
Because unlike in Legacy, Dredge isn't a joke deck.
>>43539191
Dredge is a fine deck in legacy, what are you on about?
What happens if I'm searching my library because of Rampant Growth and decide to cast Panglacial Wurm, but the only way I have to possibly cast it is by using Selvala, Explorer Returned's mana ability, then I whiff on the ability and generate no mana?
>>43539352
>what happens if i want to cast a spell but don't enough mana?
That's basically what you're asking. Try and figure it out.
>>43539178
you sound pretty buttblasted about EDH
>>43539471
Just trying to be objective about it.
Seeing as this is the stupid questions thread, I wanted to ask- what is the best budget deck to get into Modern? I figured I'd use proxies for the more expensive cards and actually get them when I get the necessary dough (mostly just playing with friends), but I'm unsure what to invest in. I'm not really interested in something like stompy, I was thinking Utron or Living End because they seemed fun to play
>>43530263
>I'm an L1 out of Ohio
Oh? Where at? I'm C-Bus based, an ex-L1.
>>43539505
Modern is shit. Don't play it.
>>43539485
well then you're fucking wrong. EDH has such wildly varying levels of play that almost are your "objective" facts are wrong.
>- Teaches bad deckbuilding skills (bad format for new players)
Nothing about the format teaches bad deckbuilding, what do you even mean by that?
>- Teaches players to rely on politics (but true of any multiplayer format)
There is nothing wrong with playing politics, it' a part of multiplayer and it has no impact on 1v1
>- Games will last +3 hours.
Games last an hours tops unless your playing with scrublords
>- Official banlist isn't run by WotC, just some guy's houserules he forces on everyone else.
your only correct statement
>-So many stupid added rules, you aren't even playing Magic anymore.
literally stop liking what I don't like
>>43539553
>Modern is shit.
Let me guess: Legacy player.
>>43539560
>EDH doesn't teach bad deckbuilding
Sheldon please fuck off.
How many casual decks have you seen that are just long lists of 1x's?
>>43539593
Are you seriously implying that following the deckbuilding rules of singleton makes people think it's ok to include oneofs is regular decks?
Do you seriously not assume the oneofs are there because casual players don't own more than one copy?
>>43539701
In the age of of the internet, that's not an acceptable excuse.
>>43537676
Mostly the level of commitment you're willing to put in. A Level 1 judge will usually only work FNM in his home shop and maybe on the floor if a GP happens in his backyard (for me it'd be Cincinnati). An L2 will usually go around the state and run Grand Prix Trials, PPTQ's, and the like. A Level 3 judge would be expected to be regional - being from Ohio I'd probably get called anywhere from chicago to philly, or from detroit to nashville. A level 3 would be the head judge at Regional PTQs and things like Star City Opens and TCG Players events.
Level 4 and 5 Judges are so few that any pro-level event that happens in their hemisphere is fair game. They are HJ at Pro Tours, Grand Prix events, and the like.
>>43539528
Highland County, it's the middle of nowhere but I've got a job so eh.
>>43537945
>>43538652
Not quite. You're thinking about activating things with "sac me at the next end step" during the CURRENT TURN's end step - at which point it'll trigger because that's the next one. If a card with "sacrifice at the beginning of the next end step" and it loses that ability when it would trigger, that's it.
Alrigthty, a couple of questions from a beginner who plays with his gf only so far and I bet we do a fuckton of mistakes which I want to eliminate before we move to FNM.
>Deathtouch 1/4 creature fights double strike 5/5 creature, an instant is casted regeneratring 1/4 deathtouch creature; min that double strike is granted by enchantment creature
>A spell says "prevent any damage dont to a creature this turn", does it save it from "destroy" effects?
>Do I tap my blocking creatures just the moment I declare their blocks or after the combat dmg phase is over?
Thank you, been waiting for a thread like this.
>>43539865
>first question
there's a huge difference depending what you mean by "fights". If it's because of a spell that causes two creatures to fight (the keyword) then the 5/5 will die and the 1/4 won't. if they're in combat against each other (either attacking, one blocking) then both survive - the 1/4 will take damage in the first combat step, regenerate, and be removed from combat because regeneration does that.
>second question
destroy effects don't deal damage, so damage-prevention won't do anything.
>third question
blocking creatures don't tap to block. they can't block if they're tapped, but nothing about announcing blockers forces them to tap.
>>43539946
Thank you so much. In the 1st situation it was a standard combat, 5/5 DS attacking, me declaring block with the 1/4 Deathtouch. I fucked up, I assumed the second dmg round happens and that both creatures die.
>>43540078
you're half-right. The first-strike damage step happens, the 5/5 hitting the blocker causing it to regenerate. the normal damage step DOES happen, but the attacker doesn't have anything to deal damage to (because again, regeneration removed the creature from combat!) so it just twiddles its thumbs idly - because it WAS blocked even if the creature blocking it isn't doing much at the moment.
That's something else to remember - as long as a legal blocker is declared, the attacking creature is blocked and won't deal combat damage (unless it has trample and enough power to trample over past the blocker(s) of course)
