What happens if you activate a loyalty ability from a creature instead of a planeswalker?

Loyalty is not the same thing that loyalty counters.  Non-planeswalker creatures don't have loyalty, but the can have loyalty counters. So, if a (+) loyalty ability is played, then we add that many loyalty counters to the creature. If a (-) loyalty ability is played, then we remove that many loyalty counters from the creature.

Remember that we can only play activated abilities if we can pay the cost, and loyalty abilities are activated abilities, so we can't play a (-) ability if we don't have enough counters.

  306.5. Loyalty is a characteristic only planeswalkers have.

  306.5a The loyalty of a planeswalker not on the battlefield is equal to the number printed in its lower right corner.

  306.5b A planeswalker is treated as if its text box included, “This permanent enters the battlefield with a number of loyalty counters on
  it equal to its printed loyalty number.” This ability creates a
  replacement effect (see rule 614.1c).

  306.5c The loyalty of a planeswalker on the battlefield is equal to the number of loyalty counters on it.

  306.5d Each planeswalker has a number of loyalty abilities, which are activated abilities with loyalty symbols in their costs. Loyalty
  abilities follow special rules: A player may activate a loyalty
  ability of a permanent he or she controls any time he or she has
  priority and the stack is empty during a main phase of his or her
  turn, but only if none of that permanent’s loyalty abilities have been
  activated that turn. See rule 606, “Loyalty Abilities.”

As we can see, the loyalty of a planeswalker on the battlefield is linked to the number of loyalty counters on it. But nothing stops a non-planeswalker permanent from having loyalty counters or loyalty abilities.

However, as rule 306.5d indicates, all permanents with loyalty abilities, not just planeswalkers, may only use their loyalty abilities at sorcery speed and once per turn.


At first I thought you would only draw one card. But I think the rules have been tweaked on this since I last did dastardly stuff like this…

  109.2. If a spell or ability uses a description of an object that includes a card type or subtype, but doesn't include the word "card," "spell," "source," or "scheme," it means a permanent of that card type or subtype on the battlefield.

Thus the Bludgeon Brawl enchantment only refers to noncreature, non-Equipment cards already on the battlefield. It's a continuous effect. Note it does not affect cards in your hand or spells on the stack. That's why I thought maybe you'd only draw one card.

But here's the relevant rules. Emphasis is mine.

  603.6b Continuous effects that modify characteristics of a permanent do so the moment the permanent is on the battlefield (and not before then). The permanent is never on the battlefield with its unmodified characteristics. Continuous effects don't apply before the permanent is on the battlefield, however (see rule 603.6e).
  Example: If an effect reads "All lands are creatures" and a land card is played, the effect makes the land card into a creature the moment it enters the battlefield, so it would trigger abilities that trigger when a creature enters the battlefield. Conversely, if an effect reads "All creatures lose all abilities" and a creature card with an enters-the-battlefield triggered ability enters the battlefield, that effect will cause it to lose its abilities the moment it enters the battlefield, so the enters-the-battlefield ability won't trigger.

603.6b is confirmed and reframed by 611.3c:

  611.3c Continuous effects that modify characteristics of permanents do so simultaneously with the permanent entering the battlefield. They don't wait until the permanent is on the battlefield and then change it. Because such effects apply as the permanent enters the battlefield, they are applied before determining whether the permanent will cause an ability to trigger when it enters the battlefield.
  Example: A permanent with the static ability "All white creatures get +1/+1" is on the battlefield. A creature spell that would normally create a 1/1 white creature instead creates a 2/2 white creature. The creature doesn't enter the battlefield as 1/1 and then change to 2/2.

Therefore, guess what Johnny? When Ichor Wellspring enters the battlefield, due to the continuous effect of the Bludgeon Brawl, it thinks that it has always been an Equipment and triggers Puresteel Paladin's ability! You get to draw two cards!


Dave Elder has a copy of Chainstore for trade listed at boardgamegeek.

You could try contacting him via GeekMail there.


What happens when one target of Paradoxical Outcome becomes illegal?

A spell only fizzles if all targets become invalid before resolution. The spell will resolve on the remaining targets, and a card drawn for each card actually returned to your hand.

  608.2b If the spell or ability specifies targets, it checks whether the targets are still legal. A target that’s no longer in the zone it was in when it was targeted is illegal. Other changes to the game state may cause a target to no longer be legal; for example, its characteristics may have changed or an effect may have changed the text of the spell. If the source of an ability has left the zone it was in, its last known information is used during this process. If all its targets, for every instance of the word “target,” are now illegal, the spell or ability doesn’t resolve. It’s removed from the stack and, if it’s a spell, put into its owner’s graveyard. Otherwise, the spell or ability will resolve normally. Illegal targets, if any, won’t be affected by parts of a resolving spell’s effect for which they’re illegal. Other parts of the effect for which those targets are not illegal may still affect them. If the spell or ability creates any continuous effects that affect game rules (see rule 613.10), those effects don’t apply to illegal targets. If part of the effect requires information about an illegal target, it fails to determine any such information. Any part of the effect that requires that information won’t happen.


Magic the Gathering - if a madness card gets discarded and you dont want to use madness does it still get exiled

It will get exiled, but then also go to the graveyard after that.

  702.34. Madness

    702.34a Madness is a keyword that represents two abilities. The first is a static ability that functions while the card with madness is in a player’s hand. The second is a triggered ability that functions when the first ability is applied. “Madness [cost]” means “If a player would discard this card, that player discards it, but exiles it instead of putting it into their graveyard” and “When this card is exiled this way, its owner may cast it by paying [cost] rather than paying its mana cost. If that player doesn’t, they put this card into their graveyard.”

The first ability creates a replacement effect that causes the card to be exiled, and this is not optional. The card will get exiled, which will trigger the second ability. But the second ability states that if the player does not cast the card, it goes to the graveyard.


What happens when I target an indestructible card with an "if that would die this turn, exile it instead" effect?

No.

Lethal damage will not cause an indestructible creature to die.

  700.4. The term dies means "is put into a graveyard from the battlefield."

  702.12b A permanent with indestructible can’t be destroyed. Such permanents aren’t destroyed by lethal damage, and they ignore the
  state-based action that checks for lethal damage (see rule 704.5g).

  704.5g If a creature has toughness greater than 0, and the total damage marked on it is greater than or equal to its toughness, that
  creature has been dealt lethal damage and is destroyed. Regeneration
  can replace this event.

However, if another effect causes the indestructible creature to die (for example through sacrificing), Annihilating Fire's effect will cause the card to be exiled.

A ruling on gatherer:

  10/1/2012     A creature dealt damage by Annihilating Fire will be exiled
  no matter why the creature would die. It could be destroyed by another
  spell or ability.


In Axis and Allies, should the UK Build a factory in Australia?

I would also echo the India first, mainly to fortify Asia from Japanese expansion on the mainland (what else is there, some infantry in China?). Australia is isolated and would need to build vulnerable transports to move anything to island hop.

In games that I've played, the second factory has depended on what the enemy has done in the first two turns or so. If Germany makes a hard push for Africa, I look more to build in India. If Japan makes a hard push in Asia and is successful in taking China, South Africa is more my choice. And if by sheer (bad) luck Germany takes over most of northern Africa and Japan is powering through Eastern Asia, then I look at Australia and try to get the US player to help put pressure on Japan's Eastern flank.


Could Axis and Allies be "balanced" by weakening the US just a bit more?

This would be an interesting variation. I'm thinking you would have to remove all 3 IPC from Brazil. The timing of when IPCs are delivered has a huge effect. Early IPCs allow the Germans to build up faster and drive Russia back, put a nice force into Africa quickly, or replace one of their lost fighters that they usually lose 1st turn. Even so, losing 3 IPC/turn from Brazil might not be as much of a factor as 12 IPC early. 3 IPC is only 1 less US infantry. The US threat builds over time, and is mainly in the form of retaking western Africa, threatening Europe, or reinforcing Karelia. All of these sap German resources. By turn 4 when the US had lost 12 IPC from the Brazilian removal, the US forces would already by doing most of the damage they could be doing, and the German lack of 12 IPCs would already be showing in the inability to expand as quickly.

Why not just whack the US first production by 12 IPCs? You could justify it as a late start into the war because of Pearl Harbor and taking time to mobilize its defense industry. (Of course, in reality, the US defense industry was going quite heartily, supplying the Allied forces).


When playing canasta, why would I ever want to discard a wild card rather than adding it to a meld?

The main reason is to freeze the discard pile so that you have more safe choices to discard after that.
Often in Canasta, winning vs losing comes down to who gets to pick up the discard pile. When the discard pile gets big enough, the person who eventually gets to pick it up can score huge amounts of points by melding everything in it.
Discarding a wild card helps prevent this in 2 ways:

It is a guaranteed "safe" discard that cannot be picked up, the same as a black "3".

It freezes the discard pile, which means that cards you discard after that cannot allow your opponent to pick up the discard pile unless they have two matching naturals in their hand. This means that you can generally safely discard cards that they already have melded. Of course your opponent could have 3 of a kind melded and still have two more in their hand, but your odds are better. It can also give you several guaranteed safe discards; for example if your opponent has melded four "6"s, and you are holding three "6"s in your hand, then discarding a wild card allows you to discard those "6"s over the next three turns without any risk of your opponent picking up the discard pile.

Note that this does have the same effect against you as well; so it is better for you if you have more cards in hand than your opponent, or fewer things melded.


Is there a strategy to choosing the card used to construct a wonder phase?

Picking the right card often is an important strategic choice, and I think you've got a decent feel for the main part of that - use a card that you don't want yourself, and that you don't want your opponents getting. In particular, I would tend to look at the next couple of players that the hand will be passed to, and see if I can spot a card that is key to their strategy that I can deny them. Alternatively, if nothing stands out, I'll see if any of the cards I have is a duplicate of one they already have, and bury a different card, thus reducing their options.


Can an immobile vehicle expend movement points?

Your specific situation seems to be actually quite simple: D8.1 says

  An immobilized vehicle cannot expend a Start MP, leave its current Location nor change its VCA, but may otherwise change its TCA if otherwise able to do so.

What does otherwise able to do so mean, you ask? Well; if, your suspicions aroused by the word also in your own quotation, you check the rest of the paragraph, you will find that "...whenever a vehicle fires a turret-mounted weapon outside its VCA...a turret counter is placed." with no mention of Immobilization. So, despite what you might think, the tank does not change its TCA and then fire: it fires at whatever target it wishes, and then places or moves the turret counter.

More generally: though an immobile vehicle cannot do the things mentioned above (i.e. move), it is still covered by B2.1 " a vehicle may expend up to its full MP allotment during its own MPh". So there is no reason it cannot fire smoke dispensers. load/unload passengers, and spend Delay MPs if it wants to Bounding First Fire.

For reality check purposes, consider that even if the turret rotation works off the engine (some had batteries, and most had hand cranks for emergency), a combat Immobilization result is likely to reflect a broken track or wheel  rather than complete loss of power: the crew have already passed an Immobilization TC, so they think it possible to stay and use the weapons.

Later: Though this answer is correct, I forgot that in ASL it's not the actual rules you have to worry about, but the exceptions to the exceptions (and the ambiguous phrasing). C5.2 says "A Bounding First Firer must always fire within its current CA: it may change that CA only via MP expenditure."  So since the tank did not change its CA as part of the start procedure, it must now spend another Delay MP (or possibly three, to avoid the Limited Aim penalty (cue the argument about whether you had LOS to the gun at the start of the phase, when you saw the hex, but the gun was still Hidden; cf. C5.33, which clearly supports both possibilities)) which accomplishes nothing, but allows it, free as part of the MP expenditure, to change CA and thus fire.  As a limited consolation, the same paragraph says "[The penalty for changing CA] is never applicable to an Attacker firing during his own MPh."


The utilities are decent "fire and forget" properties, which pay for themselves quickly.  Think of them as equivalent to owning two railroads, but paying a bit better because you can't improve them further.  They don't have the same explosive-growth potential of railroads or properties, but they're cheaper.  You're not going to bankrupt anyone with them, but they can be decent money-makers over the course of the game.  They're better in the early game for fast and easy income, but later on they're more valuable simply as squares you can land safely on; everyone has become too rich to care much about such small rents.

A few comparisions:

Number of Utilities:

Cost $150, pays $28 (average roll of 7), pays for itself after ~6 rents.
Cost $300, pays $70 (average roll of 7), pays for itself after ~5 rents.

Number of Railroads:

Cost $200, pays $25, pays for itself after 8 rents.
Cost $400, pays $50, pays for itself after 8 rents.
Cost $600, pays $100, pays for itself after 6 rents.
Cost $800, pays $200, pays for itself after 4 rents.

Owning the light blue properties as a monopoly (much harder to get than just a utility or two!):

0 houses: Cost $320, pays ~13, pays for itself after ~24 rents.
1 house: Cost $470, pays ~$33, pays for itself after ~15 rents.
2 houses: Cost $620, pays ~$93, pays for itself after ~7 rents.
3 houses: Cost $770, pays ~$280, pays for itself after ~4 rents.

Edit: Someone has done a lot more math than I have: http://www.tkcs-collins.com/truman/monopoly/monopoly.shtml.


Does it make sense for a defender to lead a short major when opponents fail to find a fit using Stayman?

If opponents have only 24-25 points the auction would likely have involved acceptance of a game invitation. Instead there was a jump to game by responder without a slam try, each opponent having 4 cards in a different major; opponents rate to have 29 points +- 3. You have 8 points in hand, giving partner 3 points +- 3. The likelihood of being able to set up and run a suit in partner's hand is extremely remote.

However if partner has QTx in diamonds and an entry you might be able to win a race against Declarer in that suit. Lead your fourth best diamond as was actually done at the table. This also gives partner a clear signal as to what to lead back to you when he gets in the (probably) one only time that happens.

On this particular hand I see no reason for method of scoring to matter, but as a matter of good form it should be specified.

It is important to note also that partner is going to be squeezed in both Majors. Clubs are splitting 3-3 for Declarer. Combined with the fact that opponents jumped to game rather than accepting an invitation, at Matchpoints I am going to be happy to get four defensive tricks for Average plus against all those who make an overly aggressive, and desperate, attempt to find unavailable tricks in partners hand. Even sitting patiently for my third defensive trick will often be a good Matchpoint result on this hand.

In short, to answer your specific question: No, it is pointless to search for major suit tricks on this auction. Partner has neither the suit strength nor the entry to make searching for his suit profitable. The only chance to set this hand is a miracle of clashing honours for opponents, and even then you will have to have set up cashing tricks in your hand to collect on the good fortune.

Revisiting this, the biggest problem with a Spade lead are that these three scenarios are most likely:

Partner wins the Spade lead and returns it, setting up his Spade winners. You now have no more entries to partner's tricks, and have lost two tempos for setting up Diamonds.
Partner wins the Spade lead but sees no future in the suit, and makes a random guess as to which minor to return guessing wrong 50% of the time. Either one or two tempos for setting up diamonds have been lost.
Partner has Qxxx or Jxxx unsupported in Spades and you have just guaranteed Declarer four Spade tricks and the contract.

Potentially settable Notrump contracts are a race between Declarer and Defense, and the loss of even a single tempo nearly always guarantees losing that race. It is imperative for the Defense to chase long-suit tricks in the hand with entries. Here, it is very unlikely that Partner can have enough points both to make Spades worth setting up and have an entry making them cashable.

Form of Scoring:

In Rubber (as here) of IMPS one always makes an extreme effort to set the contract, as overtricks are very rarely of import. Lead a diamond.
In Matchpoints, one is looking to not get a bottom on the opening lead. Experience has taught me that leading from jack empty fourth is a nearly guaranteed bottom - but leading from jack empty fifth or longer is often a winning play. The decision is now more complex. It is possible that Partner's Spade trick is dead unless you lead the suit now, so that lead might be right. I am personally an aggressive defender, so would usually lead a Diamond, but would accept a Spade lead from partner as reasonable.


How to handle extra settlements if a player cannot continue playing?

As far as I know, there are no official rules.

There are two issues:

What to do with the units of the leaving player.
What to do with the victory condition.

Units of leaving players

You can remove the units. But this changes the board (it opens possible great positions to other players.) This is an advantage to the first player with settlements nearby. So I recommend that you leave the units.

Victory Conditions

The board is optimized for the number of players (for example 5-6). If you play with less players, the board is to easy. You can solve this by increasing the number of needed victory points. You can use these guidelines":

If the number of players stays within the limit of the board (for example play with 4 players on a board for 3-4, and one leaves), no change.

Else, follow these steps:

Take the surplus player capacity (number of players needed to be within the range of the board) and multiply that with the original number of needed victory points. Call this V1.
count the number of settlements and cities on the board that belonged to the player that left and multiply that by 1.5. Round this down and call that S1.
Subtract S1 from V1 and divide the result by the number of players left, round the result down and call this V2. This is the amount of extra victory points that need to be gained in order to win.

This way, you keep the game challenging and fair.

Example

A game with 5 players on a board for 5-6 players, 13 victory points. One of the players has 5 units on the board and leaves the game.
We now have 4 players on a board for 5-6 players. So V1 = 13 x 1 = 13.
The leaving player has 5 units on the board. So S1 = 1.5 * 5 = 7.
And V2 = (V1 - S1) / 4 = (13 - 7) / 4 = 6 / 4 = 1.

So now each player needs to get 14 (13+1) points to win.

Note, the swap can create an instant win if the leaving player has either the largest knights or the longest road.

Note, because you can only win on your turn, it is possible, that you have enough points, but because the player before you stops, you now need more points to win. If you think this is not fair, you can check victory conditions just before the player leaves. This can cause a tie.


Do Ensnaring Bridge and Tortoise Formation work together?

No, Tortoise Formation has no interaction with Ensnaring Bridge.

Shroud only prevents a creature from being the target of a spell or ability. That is the only thing shroud does. Only spells or abilities that specifically use the word "target" have targets (with a few pseudo-exceptions, chiefly Auras and Equip abilities, for which the word "target" occurs in the official rules but is not usually printed on the card). If a spell or ability does not use the word "target", then shroud has no effect.

Ensnaring Bridge's ability does not use the word "target", so playing Tortoise Formation will not allow your creatures to get around the Bridge's restriction.


Why are stones placed with index and middle finger?

On the one hand (ha, ha), because the game was popularized by Japan, and Japanese culture insists on a proper form (kata) for everything, that is proper form, and that is how you do it. I doubt that this way of holding the stones originated in Japan though.

On the other hand, have you tried placing a stone in the middle of a heated battle with your thumb and index finger? The grip of index/middle finger allows you to release smoothly the bottom finger and press down with the top finger, which gives you better precision and less of a chance to mess up the board position.

Oh, and when you get used to it, you can also make a nice CLACK stone on the board.


Do abilities that say "each player/opponent" target, and can I change who's affected?

No, only things chosen for the word "target" are targets.

One notable exception is Aura enchantments, which are cast targeting the thing you want to enchant even though the word "target" does not appear on them (rule 303.4a).


Is bidding nil while holding the Queen of spade reasonable?

Your proposed hand is an excellent hand to bid nil.  Because literally the only issue is with the Q♠ I'd try for it whenever partner bids does not also bid nil and your team doesn't have a huge lead or is about to win the game.

Remember that your opponents have no particular idea of where the weaknesses in your nil hand are, so they won't necessarily be able to set you up for failure without possibly missing their own bid.  Realistically, the only risk you face is your Left-Hand Opponent holding both overcards.  Then they could play the A♠ and K♠ if you don't use your Q♠.  But that's an unlikely distribution (1/9 chance), especially if your partner bids high.

As for bidding nil with the Q♠ in general, it's certainly worse than a side suit queen, but high bids from your partner will mitigate this weakness.  You need a more perfect suit holding since you can't protect the Q♠ with length because it's the trump suit.  But I don't think that single card makes it too risky to avoid bidding nil outright.


Activated a trap when I wasn't able to do so; how is this handled?

If I played a trap card that I was not allowed to play, do I destroy it or put it back down?

Well, this will depend on the nature of the game you are playing:

If this was an official game/tournament: In this case it will be up to the Judge to determine the course of action to follow. It could be from a simple replay (rewind the actions made), or up to a penalty or game loss.
If this was a fun/friendly game, not official: Then it is up to you and your opponent to decide what to do. If you are able to replay or rewind moves go for it, otherwise discuss what should be done.

... Still, I suggest you be careful in either case, as you are not only revealing your cards to your opponent, but you could end up with a penalty or game loss in a tournament.


How to open with Baratheon at Game of Thrones Board Game?

I have done some research on it on various game boards, and most experienced players recommend not to take Storm's End, and offering to leave it to Martells on the condition that they don't muster units there.

After a moment of thinking, I think it's about right. Storm's End is, after all, just one regular castle. But it basically confines Martells to Dorne, so it encourages betrayal, and since Dornish Sea is rather impregnable early game, it will suffer constant raiding orders from there, reducing its usefulness almost to zero. If Martells try to muster there, you can always raid them from Shipbreaker Bay anyway. Out of your two closest enemies - Martells and Starks, the former are usually not the weaker side, so striking an alliance with them seems like a better option.


How can I improve a Zombie deck to work faster?

You're a newbie that wants to improve on a deck so I won't go into deck building theory or anything like that, I'll just try to be useful and point out a possible approach (which is not the only one, by all means).

You have a nice zombie theme going on. I think you can go for a nice aggro deck with cards from the last couple expansions (Innistrad and Dark Ascension).

First of all, the focus. How do you kill? I'd say zombies are good at swarming. Let's go for overwhelming the opponent with a lot of creatures: Diregraf Ghoul, Gravecrawler are your all stars, so ideally you'd play 4 of each! Highborn Ghoul can be interesting for its evasion, Black Cat is also cheap and provides value when it dies and Geralf's Messenger is nuts although it costs too much black mana (so you just want 2 or 3).

Let's not forget some blue zombies as well! Diregraf Captain is pretty neat because it pumps all the other guys (4 of him as well), Stitched Drake is really powerful and cheap but once again, costs two blue (maybe play only 3)!

About your spells, I think they're all over the place! I'd just focus on getting rid of opposing creatures so that your zombies can hit.

Undying Evil is a neat trick to save one of your guys (plus it plays really well with Black Cat or the Captain). Other than that, you want Tragic Slip, Dead Weight or Victim of Night. If you can get your hands on other expansions I'd say Go For The Throat, Doom Blade and Dismember are all very powerful standard legal removal spells!

Finally, since you're playing blue, maybe some Ponder and Forbidden Alchemy would be good to trim your deck and get the good cards out!


Humble and losing ALL abilities: Does this affect creatures with equipped artifacts?

Short Answer

The creature will be a 1/2.

Long Answer

The Comprehensive Rules define a layer system. When multiple effects need to be applied, the layer system describes the order in which they happen. Humble sets the base power and toughness to 0/1 in layer 7b.

  613.3b Layer 7b: Effects that set power and/or toughness to a specific number or value are applied.

Since the equipment modifies the power and toughness by giving the creature +1/+1, we know that it applies in layer 7c*.

  613.3c Layer 7c: Effects that modify power and/or toughness (but don’t set power and/or toughness to a specific number or value) are applied.

We know that 7b applies before 7c because of rule 613.3.

  613.3. Within layer 7, apply effects in a series of sublayers in the order described [...]

7b comes before 7c. Therefore, the example creature is first set to 0/1, then modified to 1/2.

Trivia

In the Magic 2015 Update Bulletin, the word "base" was added to cards like Humble. This was supposed to make it clear to players that it applies before other effects that might modify power and toughness. Prior to Magic 2015, cards like Humble still worked the same way, but it was less obvious. In other words, it was a nonfunctional change aimed solely at improving clarity.

*The phrase "Equipped creature gets +1/+1" is an ability of the equipment, not an ability granted to the creature. If the equipment said "Equipped creature gains 'This creature gets +1/+1'", then it would actually be applied in Layer 6 instead.


Flavorwise, the idea of riding multiple warhorses definitely falls flat.  However, there is nothing in the rules indicating that only one is allowed at a time.  The power is held somewhat in check due to a single loss of life in battle/combat resulting in losing all of the Warhorses.
While not answering for this specific card, the FAQ indicates that multiple "Add Craft to Strength" effects can be applied to a single battle:

Q2: Can the Monk use his inner belief to add his Craft value to his
Strength during battle and then cast the Psionic Blast Spell to add
his Craft value to his Strength again during the same battle?
A: Yes

To alleviate the flavor concerns, I like the response from this FFG Forum Post:

It seems to me that many people think it's weird because a human being
can only be mounted on one horse at any given time.  While this is
true, who says that the player is mounted during combat?  Sure it
makes the most sense, to have the horse biting and hoofing while its
rider slashes with his or her sword, but there's no reason that a well
trained warhorse couldn't be flanking and opponent with its faithful
companion.  When you consider this, two horses, or three or four or
whatever, are irrelevant.
But this is all superfluous, anyway.


Is there a reason to have both of these rules in the comprehensive rulebook for Magic: the Gathering?

The referenced pair of rules fits as a first class rule in each of the two sections that it appears in. In section 400, it appears right after another rule describing how objects become new objects as a result of zone-change effects. And in section 406, it appears as a rule that is specific to the exile zone. I think it is reasonable to consider neither or both to be the "main instance" of the rule, so it makes sense for each one to not link the other.

In general, I have found that the best way to give feedback about the rules is to contact the rules manager directly on social media. The current rules manager is Eli Shiffrin, and he can be contacted on Twitter under the name @EliShffrn.


It seems to be from the board game 'Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone', according to
this post on reddit:

  I own the US/English version of the game. The dice numbers are 4, 6, 11, 7, 3, 10.

...in particular, this picture:


Can I use old sets of magic cards in an EDH deck

Yes, you can use any cards you could in Vintage (except for the banned list).
See the rules on mtgcommander.net:

Commander is played with vintage legal cards, with some exceptions:

cards are legal as of their set's prerelease

The following is the official banned list for commander games. These cards (and others like them) should not be played without prior agreement from the other players in the game.
...[banned list]...

It'd be pretty silly to have to build 100-card decks with limited colors without being able to use a nice large card pool! And if you look at commander deck lists people have published online, it should be pretty clear that a lot of the really popular cards are old ones. (Not that M12 and M13 are really that old...)


Why does cribbage have 2 pegs for scoring per player?

It is exactly as Wikipedia states, the second peg is used to keep track of the previous score in order to prevent mistakes in scoring. Don't forget that since the score is calculated frequently and there are no marks on the cribbage board indicating place it can be very easy to lose track of where you where starting from.

Wiki

  Visually, cribbage is known for its scoring board—a series of holes ("streets") on which the score is tallied with pegs (also known as "spilikins").[10] Scores can be kept on a piece of paper, but a cribbage board is almost always used, since scoring occurs throughout the game, not just at the conclusion of hands as in most other card games. Points are registered as having been scored by "pegging" along the crib board. Two pegs are used in a leapfrog fashion, so that if a player loses track during the count one peg still marks the previous score. Some boards have a "game counter" with many additional holes for use with a third peg to count the games won by each side.

Note in the full quote it does say in there that the scoring can be done on paper but is frequently not done that way because of how fast the score changes.

As a side note most how to play videos that I have seen use 1 peg to show the current score and the second peg to show the previous score. When they score again they just move the peg in the old score to the new position.

Example Video


What happens if a tribute effect has no valid target?

The Tribute ability and abilities that trigger if the tribute wasn't paid are separate. It is perfectly legitimate for an opponent to not pay a tribute when there is no target for the ability that will trigger afterward. As with any such cases, that ability will then be countered automatically.

Why this is the case is not quite as straightforward, since the rules are a little roundabout about it, but tribute, being a static ability (like unleash) is just something that goes on as the creature enters the battlefield (what makes it feel very different is the delay introduced by the opponent choosing instead of you). The tribute-bound ability will trigger after that, when the creature is on the battlefield, and depending on the opponent's choice. At that point, if it has no target, it will fizzle normally (the same as when you control no other creature and cast Breaching Hippocamp).


Checkers (Draughts) Capture all pieces in 1 move


In contract bridge, what are bonus points for?

When one side has won two games, all points (both above and below the line) are totaled, and the side with more points wins, even if they didn't win the rubber. This is where the bonus points come into play: the points for undertricks, overtricks, slams, rubber, etc. all count toward the final score.

The American Contract Bridge League explains it the same way, which I think can be kind of confusing: they talk about "winning the rubber" and "winning" without making a clear distinction. It may help to think about it simply as playing for points. Getting the rubber bonus is very helpful, but total score is what you want.


Which version of Taboo is the official version?

According to BGG, the original Taboo game was released by Hasbro in 1989.

However, the company acquired the Parker Brothers (or the remains thereof) in 1991, which can explain why there's Parker-Brother-labeled Taboo games. Later Hasbro decided to get rid of Parker Brother mentions in 2013.

So generally speaking, there has only been one version of Taboo at all times, junior and themed versions and the like excluded.

The main differences over the year are

of course up-to-date cards (asking for current events gets a bit weird, when the game you're playing is ten years old)
a playing board used to track progress
different versions of sound device used to signal an error (some honk-like thing vs a classic buzzer)

There's a version called XXL with additional challenges besides the "classic" taboo cards, like drawing, some kind of puppet-charade and community-rounds.


Are newer editions of Carcasonne compatible with older expansions?

According to the FAQ you linked, the tile backs are compatible. If you want to restrict yourself to the new art style just to make it look pretty, you certainly can, but you'll be limited to any expansions that get (re)printed with the new style in the future. So if you want expansions now, you pretty much have to ignore the art difference.

Among the older expansions, Inns & Cathedrals is the expansion that actually adds the sixth player's basic meeples, so it's the only expansion that will really satisfy that need. True, it doesn't come with an abbot piece, but you can find a placeholder. (You could also omit the abbots entirely when playing with six players; people have been playing just fine without them for a long time!)

Some other expansions are then compatible with Inns & Cathedrals. For example Traders & Builders adds builder tokens and pigs, and they come in all six colors. Plenty of other expansions don't add anything player-specific at all, so they'll be fine as well. (I won't try to list them all right now; you can look at a list.)

All that said, Carcassonne isn't exactly the best six-player game. You can end up with a lot of downtime between your turns unless everyone plays quickly. Each player also doesn't get to play very many tiles, which means they don't place very many meeples, they don't score very many times, and can't be very efficient.

The base game including the river is 84 tiles; if you get say Inns & Cathedrals (18 tiles) and Traders & Builders (24 tiles) you're up to 126, giving each player 21 tiles to play. Even if you play a meeple on every single tile the game will be 1/3 over before you get them all down. If you want to complete your cities, you'll probably be stuck making a lot of small ones. And it feels pretty random; with five other players taking a turn before you get to go again, you have very little control over the things you start to build. Rare tile shapes are basically impossible to get. (Good luck with the four-sided city tiles!)

If you really want to play Carcassonne with six players and still have a serious game, I'd suggest playing with people who are familiar with the game and can play pretty quickly, and buying a lot more extra tiles. That might mean multiple copies of one of the large expansions or even the base game; you'd be buying them for the tiles, not for the extra mechanics.


What is the general name for this particular game mechanic?

This is called first in wins.
See for example this article on game design

First in wins.  Markers placed later are considered to fall behind those placed earlier.  The only way a later player can get ahead is to exceed the previous count. This is generally best if the game has a start player disadvantage.

This is in a broader class of tie-breakers favoring efficiency, which one author categorizes as epsilon tie-breakers:

The efficiency argument and even the game balance factor are a restatement of the epsilon argument addressed above. The game balance point is perhaps a little more subtle, but in essence is the same as the many majority/plurality games which state that the first one in is the default winner of the contest (eg Medieval Merchant, Die Neuen Entdecker, etc): another phrasing of epsilon.

(which I found interesting because of the default formulation of this rule: "first one in", a form of "first in wins")


Can I target my own planeswalker with Angrath?

Yes, Angrath can target a planeswalker.  As you've stated the Oracle text for it's ability reads:

  +2: Angrath, Minotaur Pirate deals 1 damage to target opponent or planeswalker and each creature that player or that planeswalker's
  controller controls.

Since it specifically says you can target a planeswalker, you can do so.  The Oracle text changed with the Dominaria rules changes to remove the planeswalker damage redirect rule.  Basically, you used to be able to target a player and redirect the damage to their planeswalker.  Now Wizard's is explicit about when you can damage planeswalkers.

The ruling you see on the gatherer page is likely a leftover from before the Dominaria rules change (when you would have just targeted the player rather than the planeswalker).  The ruling appears to be trying to clarify that even if your opponent's creatures have hexproof they will still get damaged (since the creature itself is not the target of the ability hexproof doesn't apply).  It should probably be cleaned up to state that the ability targets only the player or planeswalker.

Edit to address the explicit question in the post.

You can target your own planeswalker if you would like.  The Dominaria rules update states:

  Abilities that damage "target opponent" have been changed to "target
  opponent or planeswalker" with the same exception listed above. These
  spells and abilities can target a planeswalker you control.


In Guillotine, do Noble abilities work from the score area?

To answer your first question, the answer is yes. All nobles that have effects that trigger on collection would have their effects happen again.
For your second question I believe that there is typically a 'to the best of your(the cards) ability' with most games. So with Master Spy, he can't move to the end of the line because he is not in the line ... also he had his head cut off, but that's something entirely different.


What does "Gunblade" refer to in Netrunner?

The "gunblade" combo refers to having both a Silencer (the gun) + Dagger (the blade) installed. Dagger is strength 0 killer unless a stealth card provides a credit to boost it (+5 for each credit).  Currently, the only stealth cards available that interact with Dagger are Shaper's Cloak (which uses 1 MU, and whose recurring credit can be used on any Icebreaker), and Criminal's Silencer (which is hardware, but can only be used with Killers - and has high influence to splash at 3 pips).  Silencer is prefered over Cloak due to memory limits, which allows you to have multiple Silencers out to stack the ability while also leaving room for other programs.

With 3 Silencers in  a deck and lots of draw (e.g., via Diesel), the idea is that it should come up fairly consistently, and with all the Shaper tricks for tutoring it should be very easy to find/install Dagger. This is a very efficient combo for breaking most sentries, and can be enhanced by Tinkering/Paintbrush to interact with other types of ICE.  Another trick is to boost the strength of Dagger, either via Dinosaurus or Personal Touches to get it to 6+ strength using only 1 stealth credit.


How do I fix the statistical distribution of using 3 dice to handle Chance and Community cards in Monopoly?

If I understand it correctly, you're looking to generate a uniformly distributed random integer in the range 1-16 using only regular d6s.
You'll need two distinguishable dice; if you don't have distinguishable dice, then roll one die, note the result and then one die again. Call the dice "die A" and "die B".

Map the result of die A as follows: 1-2 => 0, 3-4 => 6, 5-6 => 12
Add die B to the result of step 1 - you now have an integer in the range 1-18.
If your total is 17 or 18, go all the way back to step 1. Do not just re-roll die B until you get a value of 1-4.


If the mission calls for a transport, they use the firefly as the transport. The transport is not expected to be in their pockets, so either they used the transport to get to the job, or they went back to the ship to do the job. You're good if you got a pilot on the job.


Who is the controller of an Aura when the creature it enchants is stolen?

You're still controlling the aura.

  303.4e An Aura’s controller is separate from the enchanted object’s controller or the enchanted player; the two need not be the same. If an Aura enchants an object, changing control of the object doesn’t change control of the Aura, and vice versa. Only the Aura’s controller can activate its abilities. However, if the Aura grants an ability to the enchanted object (with “gains” or “has”), the enchanted object’s controller is the only one who can activate that ability.

However, in this case it doesn't matter. The aura says

  double its controller's life total

"its" refers to the enchanted creature, not the aura itself. So your opponent will get the benefits here.


I'm searching for Ricochet Robots, travel version

Here's the game I think I was thinking of: LUNAR LOCKOUT

http://www.funagain.com/control/product?product_id=010971&reviews_show_all=Y

Here's how one of the reviews describes it:

  This is a great little solitaire game. It's quite similar to Ricochet
  Robot in theme, but there are some important differences. There are no
  walls--not even around the edges. You must get your man to the center
  solely by bouncing him off robots. The goal-spot is always the red
  square in the center. Instead of random board and piece placement, you
  must solve puzzles as provided on cards. If you think these
  differences would make it more simple than Ricochet Robot, then you're
  in for a big surprise. The puzzles, especially at the top levels, are
  tear-your-hair-out difficult. Solutions are thankfully provided on the
  backs of the cards, but that's cheating. The components are very high
  quality. The robots all have their own 'look' beyond being different
  colors. The base of the board slides out nicely, has storage space for
  the robots and cards, and snaps together snugly. My only complaint is
  that I'd like to see an expansion set soon with new puzzles to solve.


Count, count, count; and when you are done counting, count some more. Count your tricks, count your losers, and count your winners; count the opponents' distribution and count your opponents' points and count your opponents tricks. When the cards have all been returned to the board you can start counting the next board. Until you are the best player in the world, and perhaps not even then, you can stop looking for more things to count.

In Notrump contracts you are advised to plan your play from the count of your tricks. Do this as Dummy comes down, as there is no point to a line of play that is not based on an expectation of sufficient tricks.

In suit play you are advised to plan your play from the count of your losers. Do not play from Dummy until you have a line of play for the entire hand that has an expectation of reducing your losers below 7 - (level of bid).

Contrary to the estimable Mr. Au, there is no magic formula for where to ruff or when. Esoteric plays arise from adjusting his rules to suit the need and count of a particular hand. There also is frequently a need to partially draw trumps when one needs to ruff, either for tricks or control. One particularly common scenario is to leave a single boss trump out and then cross ruff, forcing that opposing trump to over ruff a single trump of your own rather than a pair, leaving the other as counter to a loser elsewhere.


Can the road go behind the Treasure Cards

Yes. There is no limit on where you can build.


Using Event Cards to Move off Vine Walls

No, you do not have to roll for units that are removed from a Vine Wall if they do not move. The word move is a keyword in Summoner Wars, and unless the ability or event specifically uses it, the movement would not be considered a move. Note that during the movement phase, units move.

This thread over on the Plaid Hat Games forums reiterates this: "Note that this only applies to 'moving'. Abilities that place a [card] somewhere are not affected by Vine Walls."


Is pretending to want to trade before playing a monopoly card objectionable?

That's not as bad as actually trading all of one of your resources away for other things, and then using "Monopoly" to get it all back. I've seen people play that way before.

Underhanded, yes. Illegal, no. The problem with playing this way is that it can really poison the friendly feel of the game. I had a player who used this tactic, as well as other aggressive ones like extorting good trades from people by threatening them with the robber. When someone plays like that regularly, the best way to deal with it is for others to gang up on them, which then leads to arguments about people being out to get them, and grudges held between games. It wound up being so bad that I stopped playing Settlers if this other player was going to be there.

As far as just using trade offers to find out what people have, that's not nearly so bad. Heck, you don't even need to do that; you can keep track of what resources everyone has. The only way someone might get resources that you don't know about are with the robber, but that leaves the same set of resources on the table, just in a different person's hand. So, you shouldn't even have to do this; just keep better track of what resources people earn and what they spend. If you can't remember, just try and think back for what the last few numbers rolled were, and what the last few things they built; you should be able to work out pretty well what they have a lot of.

If you offer trades to people, and then just grab the resources with "Monopoly" instead, they'll think that's cheap and feel burned; you've gotten their hopes up for a trade, and then dashed them by stealing resources. If you just keep track of what resources they have, and then seem to "magically" guess the right ones, they'll be disappointed that they lost the resources, but impressed that you managed to get so lucky with your "guess." How would you rather people feel about you?


What is meant by "built" regarding the Vineyard card?

You get 1 coin per brown card that already exists, including brown cards built by your neighbors in the same round. Note that brown resources built into player boards do not count for this.

You do not get any coins for brown cards built in future rounds. All Age cards that provide coins provide them immediately.


How long before I can move on to a different phase?

How long you wait doesn't matter[1].

  I decided after a minute or so to play as creature so i had one to block. I then said shortly after probably 3-5 seconds i will attack with my inspired creature.

Let's assume you retained priority after casting your creature[2].

At this point, you're still in your main phase -- the stack isn't even empty -- but you can still say "I attack with my inspired creature" as you did.

What you are doing is proposing a shortcut consist of: Both remaining players passing priority until the Declare Attackers Step, then declaring your inspired creature as an attacker.

He can accept your shortcut in whole, or he can interrupt it at any point. In this case, he let you pass priority, then he cast a Counter spell. What he did is perfectly legitimate.

  Now as i understand when i move on to attacking phase he can't then play an instant to counter me casting my creature spell as that phase has passed (correct me if i am wrong).

Once the creature spell resolved, it's too late to counter it. But nothing in what you said indicates this has happened. You can ask "Resolve?" to make this happen[3].

Exception: Playing unduly slow can result in penalties.
By the rules, you regain priority after casting a spell if you cast it when you had priority. However, in tournaments, this rule is modified. You are assumed to have passed priority after casting a spell unless you have explicitly retained it.

If you hadn't retained priority, you wouldn't be able to do anything, including proposing a shortcut. Your statement that you were attacking would have been completely meaningless.
If you are in a tournament and you didn't explicitly retain priority, he has priority and he must do something. Usually, saying "pass" or "ok". This moves the game forward, allowing the spell to resolve. Asking "resolve?" would remind him of this.

If you are outside of a tournament or if you explicitly retained priority, saying "Resolve?" proposes the following shortcut: All players pass priority until the spell resolves.


Since you control the source of both triggered abilities, you choose the order they are put on the stack (and then they resolve in reverse order). If your opponent also has abilities triggering at the same time, he will do the same. The active player (the player whose turn it is) puts their triggers on the stack first, followed by the triggers of all of the other players in turn order. (Thus, the active player's triggers resolve last.)

This applies to any situation where multiple triggers would be placed on the stack at the same time.

It's important to know where the trigger is actually coming from. For example, you can control Pendrell Mists, but on your opponent's upkeep the triggers that are put on the stack are actually coming from his creatures, not your enchantment, because Pendrell Mists is granting an ability to the creatures, rather than having a trigger itself.


What are the random/luck factors in Puerto Rico?

The first random thing that happens in Puerto Rico is turn order.  This can be offset by having players bid on seats.

If you are playing with the expansion, then the buildings available are randomized. This can also help to prevent the game from being solvable.

There are the plantation tiles as described in the question.

Finally, if you are playing with more than 1 other person, player actions are, in a way, a randomization.  Some moves become better if your opponents act perfectly logically, others are better if your opponents make mistakes, and you can't know what they will do.  This is unlike chess (or a 2 player Puerto Rico game) where your opponent making a mistake cannot be a detriment to your game.

Overall, Puerto Rico is a very low luck game with all randomization being "input randomization".  This means that all random factors are chosen early in player decision, and by the time a player acts, they will know the result of at least that action.


How does Blood Sun interact with Cavern of Souls?

If Blood Sun was on the battlefield already when Cavern of Souls entered, then the third ability will produce mana that can't be spent on anything. Otherwise, the third ability will function as normal.

As of the 2017 Ixalan rules update*, Blood Moon's ability will stop Cavern of Souls' first ability from working as it enters the battlefield:

  614.12. Some replacement effects modify how a permanent enters the battlefield. (See rules 614.1c–d.) Such effects may come from the permanent itself if they affect only that permanent (as opposed to a general subset of permanents that includes it). They may also come from other sources. To determine which replacement effects apply and how they apply, check the characteristics of the permanent as it would exist on the battlefield, taking into account replacement effects that have already modified how it enters the battlefield (see rule 616.1), continuous effects from the permanent’s own static abilities that would apply to it once it’s on the battlefield, and continuous effects that already exist and would apply to the permanent.

If you never choose a creature type, then this affects Cavern of Souls third ability because it is linked to the first ability:

  Linked Abilities

    607.1. An object may have two abilities printed on it such that one of them causes actions to be taken or objects or players to be affected and the other one directly refers to those actions, objects, or players. If so, these two abilities are linked: the second refers only to actions that were taken or objects or players that were affected by the first, and not by any other ability.

    607.2. There are different kinds of linked abilities.

      607.2d If an object has an ability printed on it that causes a player to “choose a [value]” and an ability printed on it that refers to “the chosen [value],” “the last chosen [value],” or similar, those abilities are linked. The second ability refers only to a choice made as a result of the first ability.

When you produce mana with the third ability, the list of things it can be spent on is {creature spells of the chosen type}. That list happens to be empty, as you never chose a type, so there's nothing you can spend it on.

However, if Blood Sun only entered the battlefield after Cavern of Souls had; then it would not affect the third ability. Even though the Enters the Battlefield ability would be gone now, the creature type was already chosen; that choice is still "a choice made as a result of the first ability".

*Previous to the rules update, Blood Sun's ability wouldn't have effected Cavern of Souls until after it entered the battlefield, when the choice would have already been made.


In my experience, having six dice available is a powerful threat that your opponents should never ignore. Attempting to take and hold the Burroughs Desert, with its access to the cheap relic ship, will probably not be worth the cost under any circumstances unless your opponents are allowing you to get away with murder. Either judicious use of colony-moving artifacts (making the region a tie) or the Inderdiction Field should shut down the Burroughs Desert. Consider it a threat to make your opponents spend resources, not an opportunity in itself.

By contrast, the Holographic Decoy is a lot easier to steal successfully. It's wonderful to have, but you need to know if it's likely to be stolen right away. If there's another player at the table who will steal it just to have it... don't waste your own resources. Otherwise, take it if there's nothing you need more right now (maybe a low 1-2-3 with no way to steal resources you can use) and especially if you might be able to use its best power--to hold ore from turn to turn without it being stolen--in the next turn or two.

If you do grab the Holographic Decoy, try to get ore in the same turn if possible. It's less attractive to steal the Decoy if the next player will then have access to all your ore for cheap.


When do I need to choose a target for "Enters the battlefield" triggers?

You have to choose targets as the ability goes on the stack:

  114.1. Some spells and abilities require their controller to choose one or more targets for them. ... These targets are
  declared as part of the process of putting the spell or ability on the stack.

Only spells and abilities use the stack - there is no point at which the stack contains the trigger event "Herald just entered the battlefield". Instead, when a triggered ability's trigger condition is met, the ability itself is put on the stack (and any targets must be chosen) the next time a player would receive priority. Thus you do not get priority between the time Herald enters the battlefield and the time the ETB ability goes on the stack, so you cannot have Herald crew Sky Skiff in time to make Sky Skiff a legal target.


Will my Dead of Winter game be abandoned if I buy Dead of Winter: The long night?

Things that are (mostly) duplicated in TLN: Colony and location boards (Colony board has different art, location boards are thicker), player boards, set of dice and tokens (TLN has two-sided tokens for barricades and helpless survivors because there are now different versions of those). Regular zombie standies have different art.

TLN also has all starting items and location decks, but their compositions are different - location decks have new items and some basic items have alternative uses there.

Other content: optional modules, characters, crises, crossroards, missions, objectives etc. are unique.

One point worth noting: there are rumors about new expansion Warring Colonies that allegedly uses content from both stand-alone boxes to create a new team vs team game mode.


When a land becomes a creature (or any other permanent type) but is still a land, it retains all subtypes associated with being a land it may have had previously, such as "Mountain" or "Plains". If the rider that says "It is still a land" were not there, it would lose those types. The main reason this is significant is that each of the land types comes with the ability to tap for the appropriate colour of mana, so if you lose the subtype "Mountain", for example, you can no longer tap for red mana.

Example 1: Suppose you turn a basic mountain into a plant creature, and it is still a land, as in your original question. Its type-line now reads: Basic Land Creature - Mountain Plant. It can still tap for red mana, because it is still a mountain.

Example 2: Suppose you turn the basic mountain into a plant creature, but this time it is not still a land (I'm not sure if there are any cards that work like this, but it is possible). The type-line now reads: Creature - Plant. It has no activated abilities, as tapping to add red mana is something associated with being a mountain, and this creature is no longer a mountain.

Example 3: Suppose you turn a nonbasic land with the ability "T: Add C to your mana pool" (that is, you can tap it for colourless mana) into a plant creature, but this time, it is not still a land. You end up with the type-line: Creature - Plant, but it still has the tap ability to add colourless mana.


Who are "Johnny", "Timmy", and "Spike" and what do they do?

The terms Johnny, Timmy, and Spike refer to the three player Archetypes that were outlined by Magic Card Designer (among other things) Mark Rosewater in a blog post, and later revised on the Magic the Gathering website. They are used to categorize players based on what their motivations to playing the game are, what types of cards they enjoy, and what encourages them to keep playing.

The archetypes are defined as follows:

Johnny/Jenny:

Johnny is often described as the combo player; he wants to carefully craft a plan and then execute it. Johnny players tend to gravitate towards niche cards with unique effects. Sometimes Johnnies will center decks around cards that others consider unplayable just to prove that it can be done. Johnnies are looking for a way to express themselves and their creativity, even if they don't win every time.

  The common bond to all the Johnnies is that they are on a mission to show the world something about themselves. What they're showing varies tremendously, but at the core of each Johnny is a similar motivation: “Look at me, world! Look at me!” - Mark Rosewater

Timmy/Tammy:

Timmy is described as the power player. If he wins, he wants to win big just barely scraping by doesn't interest him. Timmy players tend to gravitate to big cards with big effects: anything that will help them dominate their opponents. Though he wants to win big, he doesn't really care about having a finely-tuned and efficient deck; he just wants to have fun. If Timmy only wins a few of his games, but in those games he absolutely destroys his opponent, he can go home satisfied.

  Timmy plays with cards that make him happy; cards that create cool moments; cards that make him laugh; cards that allow him to hang with his friends; cards that cause him to have fun. Winning and losing isn't even really the point (although winning is fun – Timmy gets that). For Timmy, the entire reason to play is having a good time. - Mark Rosewater

Spike:

Spike is often described as the tournament player. Spike is in it to win it, and will play the best deck he can find. Spike players often look for any opportunity they can to improve their chances of winning and are considered the most competitive archetype. They are attracted to the most efficient cards and decks. They will often research what decks are currently powerful or performing well and either play them as is or analyze and tune them until they are perfect. Spikes want to win and to prove how good a player they are.

  Spike plays to win. Spike enjoys winning. To accomplish this, Spike will play whatever the best deck is. Spike will copy decks off the Internet. Spike will borrow other players’ decks. To Spike, the thrill of Magic is the Adrenalin rush of competition. Spike enjoys the stimulation of outplaying the opponent and the glory of victory. - Mark Rosewater

One thing to keep in mind is that players do not necessarily fit cleanly into one category. Often times you will have mixes, such as Johnny/Spike players who are innovating new decks to be seen on the pro-tours, or more casual Timmy/Johnny players who try to brew convoluted commander decks to play with friends. The Timmy/Johnny/Spike trio is not the end-all solution for categorizing cards and players, but it is useful shorthand for sorting or describing things.

Sources:
MTG Official Blog- Mark Rosewater, TIMMY, JOHNNY, AND SPIKE
MTG Official Blog- Mark Rosewater, TIMMY, JOHNNY, AND SPIKE REVISITED
GDC Talk- Mark Rosewater, Magic: the Gathering: Twenty Years, Twenty Lessons Learned


If a chariot dies, does the character die also?

In the character mounts section, the rules say:

  A chariot mount follows all the rules for ridden monsters, save for the fact that a chariot does not need to take a monster Reaction test if the character is slain. (pg 105)

As such, if the Corpse Cart were to die, the Necromancer in question would proceed on foot, as he would have if he were on a Ridden Monster which died.


King of Tokyo Complete Destruction card question

You only ever tally/score/use your roll when you're done rolling.  Typically, this is after the third roll.

Thus, Total Destruction only cares about what dice are up at the end of your third roll, so you score the 9 in your scenario.


Responding to partner's double in Party Bridge

The analysis at bottom was based on an incorrect reading of Opener's first call, as being 1S rather than the current 1C. This doesn't actually change the response structure much, but it does make a big difference in the understanding of what is going on. Before, Opponents were in a confirmed Spade fit and headed to either a nine or ten contract in that suit, with the slight chance of doubling your side for a modest penalty. That's no longer the case, but there are two possibilities.

LHO has made a Strong Jump Shift into 2S

Ouch! Opponents are very likely to get a good score on this hand. The goal is to entice them to try for their slam, while making as few bids as possible on your side, as uninformatively as possible. Then hope they go down one in their slam, or pass on it when it might have made. Be prepared to lose a telephone number if opponents double, but hope that number, but that that number (800, 1100 or 1400) is less than their slam might have been (920 not vulnerable, 1430 vulnerable).

To do this:

Bid a five card Minor suit if you have one;
Bid a four card Heart suit if you have it;
Bid a four card minor if you have shortness in any other suit;
Pass - informing partner you have no preference on the escape suit.

LHO has made a Weak Jump Shift into 2S.

This call typically shows 5-9 HCP with a decent 6 card suit containing most of the points. Opener's Redouble suggests they have about 22 points to your side's 18, give or take. The goal is to quickly find a three-level fit where you might get out for down 1 doubled.

To wit:

Bid a five card Minor suit if you have one;
Bid a four card Heart suit if you have it;
Bid a four card minor if you have shortness in any other suit;
Pass - informing partner you have no preference on the escape suit.

Notice - both bidding structures are the same. Opener's Redouble has removed the burden of a forced call from you, by ensuring Partner another call. Thus you suggest an escape suit only if you have a distinct preference.

Also, in all cases Opener's Redouble is suggesting that their side collect a penalty; but at the cost just noted. It likely suggests a doubleton Spade holding. This means you are not showing values with any call, but just distributional preference.

To finish, a little follow up:

Pass any and all bids by partner, whether you bid or passed.
Pass any and all future Doubles Partner might venture. If it is a Double of a slam reached by Opponents assume it is lead directing and act accordingly.
If Partner Redoubles a Double of your suit it is SOS, asking you to choose between the other two suits not being Spades. Making a Takeout Double with a two suiter hand is an abominable call - but somehow partners occasionally decide to do it anyways
If Partner Redoubles his own suit, he is either brilliant or a dunce. In either case Pass and keep out of his way - it's all on him.

And finally, if you end up as Declarer, expect bad breaks and protect against them if you can. For this much action on the hand I expect two or three singletons and voids to show up around the table.

The general agreement, across a wide variety of systems, is that this Redouble will not be left in by your side because Opener has shown a better than minimum hand, probably 16+. (If Opponent's agreement is different, then the following may not apply.)

In consequence, knowing that Partner has asked you to assume a three-suiter, you should make a minimal call in any suit other than Spades precisely when you have a preference. Generally this would mean showing:

a four card Heart suit;
a five card minor suit; or
a four card minor suit with shortness (singleton or doubleton) in either the other minor or in Hearts.

If you fail to make a bid you have assured him that you have none of the hands above, and he will then make a final call for your side based on that knowledge.

The goal in this auction is to quickly find a fit good enough that the opponents are not sure of a set - and so re-enter the auction with a bid rather than a double. It's Poker Time. Keep a straight face; don't agonize over your call; don't give away any tells; and of course don't react to whatever Partner chooses to do.


Can I declare Brood Sliver's tokens as attackers?

No, you can't attack with those Sliver tokens the same turn you get them. In your combat phase, the following steps happen:

You declare what creatures are attacking.
Your opponents declare what creatures are blocking.
Combat damage is dealt.

Brood Sliver's ability triggers when a Sliver deals combat damage, so it is only in the Combat Damage Step that you get the tokens. At this point you have already finished dealing damage, so there's no chance to attack with the new tokens.


"Well" building special function clarification

No, you do not draw an extra card.

The rules say the following under the Producer role:

  If a player has no empty production buildings, he produces no goods in this round.

Consequently it's established that the production of a good is dependent on the availability of a building to do so. If you only have one production building free then you can only produce at most one good, and so you do not qualify for the Well bonus.

In answer to the edited part of the question:

The correct interpretation of the rule is rule 1 - i.e. the goods must be new.

I think your misunderstanding is shown by the following statement "I'm currently producing two goods in total". This is not correct - you have produced one good already, and in the current phase you are producing one new good.

Note that to produce two goods in a single Producer phase you must either be the Producer, or have an Aquaduct built.


Replace 2 & 3 with:

"Deal out the entire deck, giving an equal number of cards to each player and setting aside any remaining cards"


Does Prophet of Kruphix apply to Planeswalker abilities that create creatures?

No, there's no overlap here at all, for two reasons.

Elspeth doesn't involve casting creature cards. What goes on there has nothing to do with the process of casting creature cards.
Even if it did, you don't have anything that lets you use Planeswalker loyalty abilities on other peoples' turns.

Casting a creature card is the process you go through to put Prophet of Kruphix on the battlefield in the first place:

You take it from your hand.
You pay its costs.
The spell goes on the stack. (It's a creature spell, because the card has the creature type.)

That's the casting part. Hopefully, it doesn't get countered. When the spell resolves, the creature lands on the battlefield.

Sometimes it's a little different: a card with Flashback (Ancient Grudge) can be cast from your graveyard rather than your hand. A card with Cipher (Paranoid Delusions) has a free copy cast of it sometimes. But the process is still the same: the creature, or the spell, goes on the stack.

Elspeth's ability isn't the same thing. It's a loyalty ability and it's that ability that goes on the stack. When it resolves, it puts some creature tokens on the battlefield. The ability is used, but a spell isn't cast. Also, the tokens may get represented by physical cards, but they're still tokens and don't count as cards.


Ambiguous mission objectives and scenarios

Overlapping Objectives: You may only complete one mission per turn, even if you have achieved the objectives on multiple mission cards, and only on the turn which you achieved the objective. On page 17, under Completing a Mission (emphasis mine).

  Completing a Mission

  You may claim a completed mission once you have achieved what it says on the card. But you cannot claim more than one mission on a turn.

Update: You may only complete missions if you achieve the objectives that turn. There are 3 examples of when mission cards can be claimed.

1) Play at the Start of your Turn: before Reinforcements.

2) Play after you gain Reinforcements: show when you receive reinforcements (either during the reinforcement step, or at any time you have 5+ cards in hand)

3) Play at the end of your Turn: after drawing a territory card (if applicable).

I imagine it would be a nightmare if you would be required to remember all a players action since the beginning of the game as proof that you did/didn't complete some mission objective. The rulebook doesn't state clearly that you have to complete the mission objectives on the turn that you claim the card, but years of Risk history would indicate that this is the correct interpretation. This would further be clearer if the "Control X continents/territory cards" all had (play at the Start of your Turn) since you cannot change the number of continents/territories you control until your combat step, the "Conquer X continents/territory cards" all had (play at the End of your Turn) after your combat step, and all "Gain X+ reinforcements" cards with (play after you gain reinforcements) since that is when you gain reinforcements. The alternative, of counting all your actions since the beginning of the game, would make it easy to complete many of the missions +3 troops per turn allows you claim 18+ troops on turn 6, conquer X+ territories cards would require a pen & paper to keep track of, etc.

As for the differentiating factor for the Mission Cards, they are sorted by the type printed on their card backs (page 17), General, Major, Colonel, Captain. I would surmise that they there are differing levels of difficult in completing these goals, but the rulebook doesn't say.

Sparse Reinforcements: You may only use an opponents territory cards to gain further reinforcements during a turn, if you have 5+ territory cards in hand. The rules specifically state the steps in your turn on page 7. You will note that Combat happens after Reinforcements. You can only gain a players territory cards from eliminating them during Combat, so it is too late in your current turn to purchase reinforcements during your normal Step 1. The only exception to this is on page 12, under Eliminating Another Player: that says, "if your new hand of Territory cards is now 5 or more, you must stop immediately turn in a set in for bonus reinforcements. Since you may play the mission card after gaining reinforcements, you can play it during this bonus reinforcement step. You probably can also count any reinforcements you have gained since the start of this turn (during Step 1), and any troops you gain during this bonus step towards fulfilling this requirement.

  Step 1: Receive and Place Reinforcements (always)

  Step 2: Combat (if you like)

  Step 3: Fortify your Position (if you like)

  Step 4: Collect a Territory Card (if you have conquered at least one territory)

Eliminated Players: Yes, any number of territories is twice as many as zero.

I agree with this statement. An eliminated player clearly has zero territories, and zero times any number is zero (2 x 0 = 0). Therefore, any number of territories (including 0) would be having twice as many territories as any 1 enemy.

0 - 0 or more
1 - 2 or more
2 - 4 or more
...


How do "Maro" effects work when you cast your last card to pump them?

Yes, the creature would die.

When you cast a spell, you move it from your hand to the stack, and other players get the chance to react to that spell. State-based actions would cause the creature to die.

Rules references:

  Casting Spells

  601.2. To cast a spell is to take it from where it is (usually the hand), put it on the stack, and pay its costs, so that it will eventually resolve and have its effect.

That means the card goes from your hand to the stack and will no longer count toward Maro's ability. But even though it's 0/0 at this point, it's not quite dead yet.

  601.2h Once the steps described in 601.2a–g are completed, the spell becomes cast. Any abilities that trigger when a spell is cast or put onto the stack trigger at this time. If the spell’s controller had priority before casting it, he or she gets priority.

Every time, whenever a player gets priority, state-based actions are checked first:

  State-Based Actions

  704.3. Whenever a player would get priority (see rule 116, “Timing and Priority”), the game checks for any of the listed conditions for state-based actions [..]

  704.5. The state-based actions are as follows:

  704.5f If a creature has toughness 0 or less, it’s put into its owner’s graveyard. Regeneration can’t replace this event.

If the spell you cast was your last card in hand, and Maro goes to zero toughness, it will die as soon as you finish casting that spell. By the time it can resolve, Maro is already moved from the battlefield to the graveyard.

Note that there are certain spells that require you to discard cards, then draw one or more, such as Windfall or Wheel of Fortune. Those cases are different. During the resolution of such spells, you temporarily go to zero hand cards as well, and Maro goes to 0/0 temporarily, but state-based actions are not checked during resolution, and Maro will not be destroyed because of such a spell:

  704.4. Unlike triggered abilities, state-based actions pay no attention to what happens during the resolution of a spell or ability.


From the rulings in Gatherer:

  A planeswalker that becomes a creature due to Sarkhan’s first loyalty ability can’t attack unless you’ve controlled it continuously since your turn began.

Once it is a creature; it follows the summoning sickness rules just like any other creature.


Playing duplicate bridge against players from some event

There was formerly a product called Doop (which as far as I can tell is no longer printed) that used a similar idea. They would provide hand records from old regional tournaments along with the scores produced for those hands. It would operate like so:

Each player is given a deck of cards and the list of hands for their seat (so e.g. North gets a list of the North hands). At hand 1, each player makes the first hand for their direction out of their deck of cards. The hand is played (duplicate style, with each player keeping their own cards after playing them), and the score recorded. Then hand 2 is played, etc. At the end of play, compare the recorded scores with those recorded for the earlier tournament and record the match point score.

You have some choices with regard to movement. If you have exactly four players, you might choose to play with the same partner throughout. You might also rotate players so that each player plays a set number of hands with each other player.

You can find hand records and scores for tournaments in a number of places. For example, you can find results from recent Allendale, NJ sectional tournaments at http://www.bridge-njba.org/, or from a regional played in New York City in December 2013 at http://gnyba.org/PILOT/wordpress/?p=2596.


Masters of Venice - On Delivering Guild Orders

There's an errata posted on BoardGameGeek that corrects the rules about delivering Guild Orders, and an updated set of rules (from the publisher's site, also available on BGG) which includes the correction. According to the errata and the new rules with the errata included, you do indeed count the second order as a new order, and thus get more VPs than the first gave you.

  • On page 8 under Guild Hall replace the last
  paragraph with the one below:

  IMPORTANT! – If you have just delivered a Guild
  Order, then picked a new Guild Order and happen
  to have the Resources with you to fill it, you may
  turn them in immediately. Adjust prices and Orders,
  and collect VP’s, as described above.

This is also confirmed by the designer in a thread on BoardGameGeek:

  Brian has it correct, the guild orders are placed in front of you to track how many you have completed. The value of the delivery increases for each you deliver. Hence, 3 for the first card delivered, 4 for the second, 5 for the third and 6 thereafter. Let's say you deliver two at the same time, and they happen to be your 2nd and 3rd cards delivered, you would thus receive 9 on that delivery of two cards.

I do not have the original rules before the correction, so I don't know what it said; in particular, in the updated version, I see nothing about "you do not get to deliver the order," so I'm assuming that's something that the updated paragraph has replaced.


The rules can be tricky to find stuff in, but it's there:  page 11, under the heading Determine Which Die You're Using, second paragraph:

  [Y]ou may play only 1 card or use only 1 power that changes the skill you are going to use.

So yes, you're playing correctly.


If I were to "cheat" a card into play, would Kurgadon activate?

Reading the gatherer wording for older cards can make the analysis easier.

Didgeridoo:

  {3}: You may put a Minotaur permanent card from your hand onto the battlefield.

Kurgadon

  Whenever you cast a creature spell with converted mana cost 6 or greater, put three +1/+1 counters on Kurgadon.

So you are correct, clearly the Didgeridoo does not cast a creature spell, so the Kurgadon's ability will not trigger.


Singing and Dancing Sword - Companion, Weapon, or Upgrade?

It's a separate piece of equipment that does not use a slot, meaning you still have two hands free for whatever you want to do with them. The card does not depend on you having another weapon in any way.

The concept it represents is a weapon that can just kind of float next to you and attack stuff for you without needing you to swing it ("dancing swords" from D&D and various stories).


What happens when all players land on licorice in Candy Land?

In games in general, if all players skip a turn, that is the equivalent as doing nothing.  You fast forward through all skipped turns, and the game picks up as if none of those players had skipped a turn.  The reason for this is that the turn still happens in a metaphysical sense, but ends as soon as it begins.
In this case, it goes like this:

Your wife ends her turn.  Turns remaining to be skipped: son 1, wife 1.
It is your son's turn: that turn is skipped.  Turns remaining to be skipped: son 0, wife 1.
It is your wife's turn: that turn is skipped.  Turns remaining to be skipped: son 0, wife 0.
It is your son's turn.

Note that in games where players can miss multiple turns consecutively (this is likely not relevant to Candyland), you can only shortcut through the least number of pending skipped turns by any player.  So if you have two players in a game, and player A would skip 3 turns and player B would skip 2 turns, this is the same as Player A skipping 1 turn.


How much damage does Acolyte of the Inferno's ability deal?

No, it does exactly what it says: it deals two damage. This ability will trigger in the declare blockers step, when your opponent declares a blocker for the Acolyte.

If the creature isn't already dead from that two damage, then in the combat damage step, it will also deal damage equal to its power to the blocking creature. (Of course, if the blocking creature has first strike, it would kill Acolyte of the Inferno before it got to deal its combat damage.) So in some cases the total damage dealt will be two plus its power, but it can also easily be just two damage.

A creature's power is the amount of damage it'll deal when it deals combat damage, to your opponent or a blocking creature when you've attacked, or to your opponent's attacking creature when you've blocked. Any abilities like this are completely independent of the creature's power.

Beyond that, if a card cares about a creature's power, it'll explicitly say so. For example, Tail Slash:

  Target creature you control deals damage equal to its power to target creature you don't control.

There's also the "fight" mechanic, for example on Savage Punch; when two creatures fight, each deals damage equal to its power to the other creature.

Some creatures even have abilities built in that do things like this, for example Spikeshot Elder. But again, everything like this explicitly mentions the creature's power.


Yes, this is fine.

Remand will counter Grapshot and move it to its owner's hand. Then, when it comes time for Negate to resolve, it will be countered by the rules instead (for not having any legal targets).

It's worth noting that Negate is particularly ineffective against Grapeshot as it will not stop the copies from being made even if it counters the original spell.


In Settlers of Catan, if you have unrevealed victory point cards that would make you win, are you forced to declare victory?

You have won the game as soon as your have 10 points on your turn, there is no requirement to "declare" victory. So no, you cannot keep playing extra rounds. From the official FAQ:

  Victory Conditions - May I continue scoring points after having reached the number of victory points required for a win?

    This could make sense in a private tournament where the scores from several games are added up. For individual games and official tournaments, the following applies: You have won as soon as you have reached the required number of victory points on your turn – and then the game is over.

http://www.catan.com/faq/4613-victory-conditions-may-i-continue-scoring-points-after-having-reached-number-victory-points

and:

  Victory Conditions - What if someone has reached the required number of victory points for a win but is unaware of it? Did this player win anyway?

    Yes. The game ends as soon as a player has reached the required number of victory points on his turn. If he’s unaware of it, you should tell him, because you can’t take an already gained victory away from him.

http://www.catan.com/faq/4616-victory-conditions-what-if-someone-has-reached-required-number-victory-points-for-win

Note that you have the point from VP development cards as soon as you buy the card. You don't "play" the development card to get the points; you already have those points.


In the game of sequence: A sequence of more than 5 coins

You don't have to declare which row of five is the sequence, as any row of five is protected by the rule:

You cannot remove a marker chip that
is already part of a completed SEQUENCE. Once a SEQUENCE is achieved by a player or a team, it cannot
be broken.

Where a Sequence is defined as:

A Sequence is a connected series of five of the same color marker chip in a straight line, either up and
down, across or diagonally on the playing surface.

Together, these rules prevent any connected series of five chips from being broken.
As mentioned in my comment, any series less than 9 is only valid as one sequence for scoring. A series of 9 can count as two sequences overlapping by one coin.
Rule Source


That is a good try for Black, because it is a "net" play. But it doesn't quite work.

White descends, one spot right of the "marked stone. Black "fills" below. White cuts to the southeast, atariing two Black stones, Black escapes. White cuts again south of the marked stone, atariing one Black stone, Black escapes.

White's next move to the left is an atari on the marked stone, and the following move connects to the White stones to the left, while trapping five Black stones.


Are "Diagonal" Attacks More Deadly in Diplomacy?

It's definitely the case that fighting a two-front war is more than twice as hard as fighting on one front.  Besides the obvious reason, that you need twice as many units, there's the support-cut effect too.  Most empires, especially early, aren't 3 provinces wide, so even an unsupported attack on one side can strip a unit on the other side of the support it needed to hold.

One place this is borne out is in the aggregate results of Russia.  Russia has the highest solo rate of any power, and the second highest elimination rate.  If Russia can't turn their initial two-front (North and South) exposure into a one-front war, they're done for in a blink.


Difference between unit and target unit?

The difference is actually pretty similar to the difference in Magic: The Gathering.  When the word Target is present, the effect must point directly at the unit, and will trigger abilities that look for the unit to be targeted. Blood transfer, however, is worded this way to prevent abuses of similiar effects.

Assume there's a unit that you control that says 'when this card is targeted, do x".  Blood transfer would let you do X on demand, which could cause things to spiral out of control.


Are enchantments and artifacts considered spells?

Since you asked for some citations from the official rules:

  111.1. A spell is a card on the stack. As the first step of being cast (see
  rule 601, “Casting Spells”), the card
  becomes a spell and is moved to the
  top of the stack from the zone it was
  in, which is usually its owner’s hand.
  (See rule 405, “Stack.”) A spell
  remains on the stack as a spell until
  it resolves (see rule 608, “Resolving
  Spells and Abilities”), is countered
  (see rule 701.5), or otherwise leaves
  the stack. For more information, see
  section 6, “Spells, Abilities, and
  Effects.”

So basically, pretty much every card in Magic is a "spell" - or rather, becomes one, during the transitional period from being a card in your hand to  being a permanent on the battlefield.  But wait!  Why isn't a land a spell, in that case?  Well, because it has special rules making it an exceptional case:

  305.1. A player who has priority may play a land card from his or her hand
  during a main phase of his or her turn
  when the stack is empty. Playing a
  land is a special action; it doesn’t
  use the stack (see rule 115). Rather,
  the player simply puts the land onto
  the battlefield. Since the land
  doesn’t go on the stack, it is never a
  spell, and players can’t respond to it
  with instants or activated abilities.

The Magic rules are pretty arcane at the best of times (appropriately enough), but I hope that clarifies things for you!

EDIT: Actually, it occurs to me that even more clarification may be necessary.  Enchantments and artifacts aren't spells when they're in play: they're permanents.  They aren't spells when they're in their hand, they're enchantment cards and artifact cards.  But they are spells while on the stack (i.e. in the process of being cast).  I'm sure you already know that "counter target spell" means "stop something on the stack from resolving and becoming a permanent, and send the card to the graveyard instead", but it wasn't 100% explicit from your question!  So, just in case there's any doubt at all, Cancel can stop an artifact or enchantment card from coming into play, but it can't send it to the graveyard from play, or anything wacky like that...


Is there a site to solve tsumego online?

GoProblems

http://www.goproblems.com/

The traditional problem site. Has many user contributed problems. Personally I'm not too fond of it, since the problems often vary in style getting me out of the problem solving flow.


Possible to add a single build with changed value onto a preexisting build?

I have always played that this is allowed. However, there are rule variations that might not allow it. You'll have to agree on what rules you want to play with and use those going forward.

As an example, take a look at the rules found at pagat.com - I think this is where you pulled your rule excerpt from. Rule 5 (Adding to a Build) says there are two ways to add to a build. The second one is this:

  You may add to any build, single or multiple, by playing a card from your hand which, either alone or combined with other cards on the table which are not yet in builds, matches the existing capture number of the build, provided that you hold a card which can capture the combined build.

Here it says you can add to a build by utilizing a card in your hand and cards on the table that are not yet in builds. Under this rule, your dad's move would not be allowed.

However, further down, under "Variations", the same page lists this variation:

  Some players treat a single build exactly like a single card of the same value, for the purpose of capturing it or extending the build. For example, if there is a build of 6 (5+A) on the table and a loose 4, a player who holds a 10 can capture the 6-build and the 4, and a player who holds two 10's can combine one 10 from hand with the 6-build and the 4 to make a multiple 10-build.

This would allow your dad to make his move, since the 3 build that you've made would act just like a single-card 3. He could then add his 4 to it to make 7 and then a double 7 with his previous build.

There are many sites out there with Casino rules on them, many with similar small (but important!) variations. Casino does not have as set rules as something like, for example, Bridge. Since it's a family game, you should take a look at the rule variations that exist and decide on what variations you wish to use.


Miniature wise what is the size comparison between a centurion and a crisis battlesuit?

They are fairly similar in height, however several factors make it hard to give a single canonical answer.

First off there are several versions of Crisis Suit (CS from here on)... If we ignore "specialty" CS such as Commander/Coldstar/etc there are still two different versions. Add to that the fact that CS come w/ a flying stand and are fairly dynamically poseable which can change the height fairly drastically.


My copy of Forgotten Circles is still in shrink so hopefully this answer is valid based on my understanding of rules and what I would check.

   On the map of scenario what colour is the border around the fountain?  If it green then it is an obstacle and any Cragheart abilities that affect them will after the fountain.
 [Rules page 14] explain that anything with a green border is an obstacle.  If that scenario which I've not seen doesn't say the fountain is special then I'd assume it can be thrown or destroyed as per abilities.  Even if that makes little thematic sense! 1


How do I beat U/R control with Affinity?

The answer really is to go fast. I say this as a long time UR player in Modern. By go fast, I mean you want to pressure your opponent's life total and build big creatures.

It looks like you have Master of Etherium in the main. That's a great card for you because it can often push your creatures out of Pyroclasm or Anger of the Gods range. UR decks are typically Snap/Bolt decks. They rely heavily on damage based removal, so if you can bump your creatures out of that range (~ 3-4 toughness), you'll be doing the most good. Etched Champion has protection from just about any removal UR has, aside from countering it. If you can land an Etched Champion you are in very good position.

Holding double black up to re-equip Cranial Plating at instead speed may be difficult, but it's a great way to get around targeted removal during the combat phase. They shoot your equipped Vault Skirge? Re-equip it onto your Ornithopter.

If you want to play around counterspells, be aware of what the opponent has already played that game (and round) and take note of their open mana. They have one blue open and haven't played Spell Snare all game? Don't play your 2-drop. You can also try waiting to play multiple spells per turn. Counterspells will typically cost more mana to play than your creatures will, so even if a creature or two of yours gets countered save your best for last to get it on the board.

Lastly, most blue decks (and UR especially) tend to board out counterspells against fast decks like affinity. They often bring things in like Shatterstorm, so don't over-commit to the board. Be weary of sweepers as well.

You are always the beatdown in this matchup, UR doesn't have Splinter Twin anymore, so as long as you can keep dropping threats you will likely come out on top.


Would Restore the Peace affect a hexproof creature?

Yes.

Hexproof means that the creature with Hexproof cannot be the target of spells or abilities an opponent controls. Restore the Peace does not target creatures, it's a global effect, so Hexproof does not offer any protection in this case.


Has anyone heard of a game called connect 5

I found this game today at a house garage sale, called "Challenging Tricky 5 In A Row Game", which looks like what you're asking about: