Can I give a creature spell hexproof to prevent it from being countered?

So if I understand correctly:

You're casting a creature spell.
Your opponent has cast Essence Scatter targeting that spell to counter it.
You want to use Dive Down to prevent that creature spell from being countered.

No, you can't do this. For a few reasons:

Hexproof only functions on the battlefield. A creature card on the stack that has hexproof can still be a target of your opponent's spells. (Same for when it's in your graveyard, in exile, etc.)

  702.11b “Hexproof” on a permanent means “This permanent can’t be the target of spells or abilities your opponents control.”

(Anytime it's not on the battlefield, it's not a permanent.)
Dive Down targets a "creature", which refers to only creature permanents on the battlefield. It can't target a spell — things that target creature spells say "creature spell", such as Essence Scatter.

  114.2. Only permanents [ed: cards and tokens on the battlefield] are legal targets for spells and abilities, unless a spell or ability (a) specifies that it can target an object in another zone or a player, (b) targets an object that can’t exist on the battlefield, such as a spell or ability, or (c) targets a zone.

If you want to prevent your creatures from getting countered, you'll need effects that say your spell "can't be countered." For example, Altered Ego and Carnage Tyrant both can't be countered. Meanwhile Surrak Dragonclaw and Prowling Serpopard both grant this ability to other creature spells you cast, whilst also having the ability themselves.


How do you play a solo game of Steve Jackson Games' Car Wars?

In my experience....
Solo play of Car Wars breaks down into 4 discrete activities:

Vehicle Design
movement practice
play of automatic opponent scenarios
playing multiple sides
play of paragraph driven scenarios
TurboFire play

Vehicle Design as Solo Play
For me, this was the number one way to waste time with Car Wars. I designed about 50x more vehicles than I ever used in play. And I used a LOT of vehicles in play.
Movement Practice
My friends and I would often draw an obstacle course on a single sheet of paper - usually letter or legal, sometimes 11x17". And then see how fast we could get a vehicle through. We'd each do this on our own time, and later compare.
I did a lot of this when I first got Boat Wars - the Hovercraft rules needed to be better written. I also did a bunch of this when I first got Truck Stop.
Automated Opponent Scenarios
A few scenarios from Autoduel Quarterly were one vehicle against a prepared course with automated firing rules for the emplaced defenses. (Maniac, in ADQ 1-4, was one of the best.)
Playing Multiple Sides
It was (and still is) a classic wargaming trope to test play games by playing both sides. In a deterministic game, like chess or checkers, it's pointless, but once you add randomization, you can have a very good time playing both sides of a game.
Note that for car wars, this is a prerequisite for solo play of certain modules.
Paragraph Driven Scenarios
There have been several paragraph-driven scenarios released for Car Wars. These are very much in the same mode as the ones for Tunnels and Trolls or The Fantasy Trip; they actually work best when there is a second player, but they work well enough solo, and the intended mode is solo-play.
The best known is Convoy, an SJG product, which was adapted from a GM'd adventure.
Second best, released by Task Force Games, was Hell On Wheels. Far less well known are the two other solo modules from TFG, The Gauntlet and Street Fighter. These three were part of a line called "AutoVentures."
All four of these presume the player will play both sides in the actual combats, but they also specify the general tactics of the encounters.
The 3 from TFG also include an alternate "Quick Combat System" which made them quite playable without setting up the map and counters. (It also works for some of the encounters in Convoy.)
TurboFire
TurboFire was one of two GM-adventures for Car Wars in the AutoVentures line. It lacked a paragraph mode, but included an abstraction for racing. In and of itself, it was not intended for solo-play... but since it abstracted out thousands of choices into a few die-rolls, it allowed race-dueling to become a solo-play opportunity.
In TurboFire, the players are using the TurboFire racing rules to generate a series of encounters, which then get played out per the restrictions within the module. These generally are short battles, given the harsh restrictions in that module's setting. This combination means that it's pretty easy and quick to resolve each one, and one can fairly easily play both sides, since the tactics are obvious.
I've used this mode with Cars, Big Rigs, and Microplanes.


Yes, this is an overlap.  Each ships move is completed in order without regard to what other ships may do in the future.

If the TIE fighter overlaps the X-Wing follow the procedure on page 17 of the rules to resolve the overlap before moving on to the X-Wing's move.

Reminder - the TIE fighter loses his Perform Action step as a penalty for causing the overlap.


Does the Zombie collect compensation even though zero ships are sent to the warp?

My understanding is that the Zombie's power is a replacement effect, meaning their ships never go to the warp. Given this, the official rules state that compensation is taken for each ship that the player loses to the warp when playing a negotiate card:

  If One Player Plays a Negotiate Card and the Other Plays
  an Attack Card: if you played a Negotiate card, your side loses.
  Automatically. Your ships and your allies’ ships go to the Warp.
  However, you now claim Compensation from your belligerent
  opponent. You must take at random, from your opponent’s hand, one
  card for each ship you lost to the Warp (not counting your allies‘ they
  get Warped without Compensation). If your opponent doesn’t have
  enough cards to provide you full Compensation, you take only the
  cards he or she has.

(Sorry - I couldn't find the newer rules in PDF form on the web.)

Since the Zombie's ships never make it to the warp because of the word "instead" in their rules text, they would not collect compensation for the loss. This is verified here at the Cosmic Encounter wiki.


What happens if I lose a match due to time in a single-elimination game, but I have a Platinum Angel on the battlefield?

First a small disclaimer: I'm not a judge. This answer is combined from information I found from Platinum Angel's rulings, comments of MTG judges from the Internet and common sense. For example a head judge of a tournament can turn over this ruling. This IS NOT an official ruling.

You will lose the game. Platinum Angel only prevents you losing from game effects.

Rulings on Platinum Angel:

  1.10.2009

  No game effect can cause you to lose the game or cause any opponent to win the game while you control Platinum Angel. It doesn’t matter whether you have 0 or less life, you’re forced to draw a card while your library is empty, you have ten or more poison counters, you’re dealt combat damage by Phage the Untouchable, your opponent has Mortal Combat with twenty or more creature cards in their graveyard, or so on. You keep playing.

  1.10.2009

  Other circumstances can still cause you to lose the game, however. You will lose a game if you concede, if you’re penalized with a Game Loss or a Match Loss during a sanctioned tournament due to a DCI rules infraction, or if your Magic Online(R) game clock runs out of time.

Normally Platinum Angel would prevent you from losing to state-based actions, but it appears that the "sudden death" SBA is special.

Best explanation I could find to this is in this post: https://apps.magicjudges.org/forum/topic/32928/

  In the single elimination portion of a tournament, what happens if a player would lose to the “sudden death” rule while controlling Exquisite Archangel?

  My understanding is that they would still lose the game, because the sudden death rule is akin to a Game Loss in that it bypasses all the rules from the CR (in the same way that a Platinum Angel cannot protect you from sudden death), but I'd like confirmation.

  Your understanding is correct. As with its predecessors, Exquisite Archangel cannot prevent a player from losing to sudden death rules in a timed single-elimination match.


Does Memory Erosion trigger even if a spell gets countered?

Memory Erosion triggers when an opponent casts a spell, not when they resolve the spell. Memory Erosion's triggered ability will already be on the stack before Player A even has the chance to cast their counterspell.

The stack will look like this:

~TOP~
Counterspell (targeting Dark Banishing)
Memory Erosion triggered ability
Dark Banishing (targeting a creature)
~BOTTOM~

When Counterspell resolves, Dark Banishing will be removed from the stack and placed in its owner's graveyard, as will Counterspell itself, leaving Memory Erosion's triggered ability alone on the stack. Memory Erosion's ability will then resolve once both players pass priority again, and Player B will place the top 2 cards from his library into his graveyard.

Note: Because objects on the stack don't resolve until both players pass priority, Player A could potentially opt to wait for Memory Erosion's trigger to resolve before casting Counterspell. Player A would get to see what two cards are put into the graveyard and based on that extra information, may decide whether countering Dark Banishing is still worthwhile. (For example, Player B might "mill" a card with Flashback that Player A wants to counter even more than Dark Banishing, so he would hold on to his Counterspell.)

In short: Yes, Memory Erosion will still work, even though the triggering spell was countered.


Yes, you can do that. When you copy an object, the name is copied as well:

706.2. When copying an object, the copy acquires the copiable values of the original object’s characteristics and, for an object on the stack, choices made when casting or activating it (mode, targets, the value of X, whether it was kicked, how it will affect multiple targets, and so on). The “copiable values” are the values derived from the text printed on the object (that text being name, mana cost, color indicator, card type, subtype, supertype, rules text, power, toughness, and/or loyalty), as modified by other copy effects, by its face-down status, and by “as . . . enters the battlefield” and “as . . . is turned face up” abilities that set power and toughness (and may also set additional characteristics). Other effects (including type-changing and text-changing effects), status, and counters are not copied.

Tokens are not an exception here.

111.3. The spell or ability that creates a token may define the values of any number of characteristics for the token. This becomes the token’s “text.”
111.4. A spell or ability that creates a token sets both its name and its subtype(s). If the spell or ability doesn’t specify the name of the token, its name is the same as its subtype(s). A “Goblin Scout creature token,” for example, is named “Goblin Scout” and has the creature subtypes Goblin and Scout. Once a token is on the battlefield, changing its name doesn’t change its subtype, and vice versa.

So normally the token would have a name defined by either the effect that created it or the type name, but because it was created as a copy in your case, the name was copied as well.


How do you identify what series a Pokemon card is from?

Each card contains a logo indicating which set it is from.  This image was taken from here.  A list of all the set logos is available here.   I know link only answers are discouraged but there are many of these and can easily be googled.


When a treasure is recovered do you remove those treasure cards from the deck?

No.

  When you capture a treasure, discard cards to the Treasure discard pile and move the
  figurine in front of you.

This is also where encountered Waters Rise! cards are placed.

  Discard the Waters Rise! card to the Treasure discard pile.


Does Morphtronic Cameran defense effect negate trap and spell?

I may be answering this in a most "catch all" way, but I wanted to make sure how it works was clear to future readers who may misunderstand the card effect in this context.

The card text of Cameran reads:

  Morphtronic" monsters on the field cannot be targeted by effects.

This is a continuous effect Card Rulings: Morphtronic Cameran that prevents all card effects from targeting Morphtronic monsters.

What this means is that it technically does not negate the card effects, it prevents Morphtronic monsters from being selected as targets from card effects that require choosing a card as a target.

Effects from cards like Dark Hole still apply and will destroy all the Morphtronic monsters because Dark Hole's effect does not select targets.

Effects that target will resolve something like so:

If a player chose to play Compulsory Evacuation Device (target one monster to return to the hand CED) when he/she controls one monster and the opponent has a Cameran in defense position and another Morphtronic monster, the player cannot select either of the opponent's monsters as targets, therefore he/she must return his/her own monster back to their hand.

Or in the instance that the player did not have that monster, they cannot activate the card because it does not have a legal target.

When it comes to resolving off of a chain: If a valid target was chosen (CED activated and Cameran was selected) and then it was no longer valid (i.e. a card was chained to CED's activation and the effect changed Cameran's position to defense before CED resolved), then in the resolution of CED nothing happens and CED goes to the graveyard because it is a normal trap card.


What's this round token depicting a knight?

This is a token from Small World: Realms. You can see it listed on page three of the Realms rules (PDF) in the top left. They're listed as: “1 Rusted Throne & 7 Miscellaneous Tokens to use in Scenarios of your own creation”. I'm not sure whether you ought to have multiple or just the one Knight token in Realms.


Volatile Rig blocks Xathrid Necromancer: What happens?

Your zombie will be safe, because you are the active player.

All combat damage is dealt simultaneously. This causes the Rig to trigger, but triggered abilities don't go on the stack until the next time state-based actions are checked. When state-based actions are checked, the Necromancer dies because he has taken lethal damage. This causes the Necromancer trigger to happen. Once state-based actions are done being checked, both the Rig ability and the Necromancer ability are put on the stack. Because you are the active player, your ability is put on the stack first. So the Rig ability will resolve, causing a coin flip. If that coin flip is lost, another triggered ability will be created, and put on the stack at the top. When that coin flip is lost, your zombie hasn't been created yet.

  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, then performs all applicable state-based actions simultaneously as a single event. If any state-based actions are performed as a result of a check, the check is repeated; otherwise all triggered abilities that are waiting to be put on the stack are put on the stack, then the check is repeated. Once no more state-based actions have been performed as the result of a check and no triggered abilities are waiting to be put on the stack, the appropriate player gets priority. This process also occurs during the cleanup step (see rule 514), except that if no state-based actions are performed as the result of the step’s first check and no triggered abilities are waiting to be put on the stack, then no player gets priority and the step ends.

Note that this would be different if it were your opponent's turn instead. In that case, your zombie trigger would go on the stack after the Rig trigger, thus resolving first.

  603.3b If multiple abilities have triggered since the last time a player received priority, each player, in APNAP order, puts triggered abilities he or she controls on the stack in any order he or she chooses.


Weird Problems with Starving Venom Fusion Dragon

You asked two questions, but the real answer why your friend couldn't do that is:

Starving Venom Fusion Dragon explicitly says that it can only target Lvl 5 or higher monsters.

Nor Gardna not your XYZ apply to that, as Gardna is lvl 4 and Cyber Dragon does not have a level (as it is an XYZ monster, it has Rank instead). Although the XYZ is Rank 6, Rank is not the same as Level.

To answer your other questions, only XYZ monsters can have XYZ materials. That means that such effect couldn't have been activated even in this erroneous play scenario.

Now, in YuGiOh some monsters can be set as Spell/Trap cards, such as the Artifact Archetype. However, they specifically indicate that you can set them in such way. Finally, even supposing you copied Gardna's effect and supposing you Starving Venom as Spell/Trap, the effect copied explicitly reads at the end (emphasis mine):

  [...] This card is Set in its Spell & Trap Card Zone during your opponent''s End Phase.

So it is specifying it has to be set in its corresponding Spell/Trap zone. As Starving Venom does not have one it is logical that the effect can't be activated by failing to meet the requirement.

Finally, as mentioned in comments, Starving Venom copy effect ends at the end phase. Thus, it will never reach the opponent's end phase for the setting effect to take place.


Changing the order of phases in Axis & Allies

Regarding the order of play, the game is designed so that you buy your units guessing on what you will need next turn, after the results of all the combats from now until then, including the results of your turn

What if the order of buy units and combat move are exchanged?

So the players would first make the combat moves, then buy their units.

What will it change? As long as you do it before any dice is rolled (resolving any combat) you will still have to buy according to your guess on the results of the battles of your turn, so that aspect will not be changed.
What is the benefit? More insight.  For beginners and for big maps (excessive maps, actually) like 1940, the player has definitely much more insight of what he can loose and he can need after the combat is resolved.

After introducing the game to a few new players, actually just finishing a game right now :), I wanted to share this small detail. It makes life a bit simpler.
In tripleA (computer game similar to this) one of the maps actually implements this modified rule.

[based on kirst's answer below]

I'd include the AA gun's combat move fire after the purchase. First place the aircraft in their destination with a die on each that passed through an AA gun, after buying units, resolve AA fire and after that resolve combat.

A list of the games that use AA fire during combat and non combat move would be useful, I think this rule was abandoned for the mos recent editions


In Robinson Crusoe Castaways Scenario, will the hatchet and snare keep after camp has been moved?

On page 13 of the rules, under Moving the Camp, it states that

  If there are any +1 resource tokens (as an effect of a built Item) ... you can move [them] with the Camp.

The only limit is that you're only allowed to have a single token per "spot," so if you move your camp with +1 food and +1 wood to a place that already has a +1 food token, you lose the extra +1 food token.

So keep the tokens, keep your inventions, and move the tokens with the camp.


Does Epic Experiment let me pull creatures out of the graveyard that were exiled during its casting?

I think it's instructive to go through both of your reasonings, since you're both partially right in a way but came to the wrong conclusion.

  the free spells get put on the stack before the original card resolves

Your friend is actually right here. BUT — don't forget the rules of casting spells. In order to put a spell on the stack (even if free) he must first choose any modes, targets, or additional optional costs for the spell. (See section 601 of the comprehensive rules.) Like he said, Epic Experiment hasn't resolved until after his spells are put on the stack, so it hasn't put the cards that haven't been cast in the graveyard yet and they can't be targeted.

Even the amazing Pull from Eternity can't help him — yes, a creature in exile can be targeted and the spell put on the stack, but Epic Experiment has to finish resolving. When Pull from Eternity resolves, it will no longer find the creature card in the Exile zone and will fizzle.

  I think that the spells will go on the stack at the same time as the creatures go into the graveyard when Epic Experiment resolves.

The spells actually go on the stack as the Epic Experiment is resolving, but the creatures and spells not spells go in the graveyard after the cast spells are put on the stack. Epic Experiment has three linked abilities:

(a) Exile some cards
(b) Cast some of (a)
(c) Then put rest of (a) in graveyard

So the trick is to use spells with graveyard shenanigans that don't target and do their magic when they resolve, or use cards like Gravecrawler or cards with Graveyard keywords like Flashback or the new Scavenge. Remember, the “may cast” means you could choose not to cast Unburial Rights as part of the resolution of Epic Experiment, and cast it for the Flashback cost after.


Arbitrarily large.
It's not that hard to create a combo with a small number of cards that increases a creature's power without bound.
For example:

Pili-Pala
Grand Architect
Ghave, Guru of Spores
Doubling Season

The first two create infinite mana (use Grand Architect to make Pili-Pala blue, tap Pili-Pala for {2} with Grand Architect's ability, pay those {2} and untap Pili-Pala for 1 mana of any color, and repeat). Then you can pay {1} and remove a counter from Ghave to put 2 tokens into play (due to Doubling Season), then pay {1} and sacrifice one of those tokens to put 2 counters on Ghave (due to Doubling Season). The end result is an arbitrarily large number of +1/+1 counters on Ghave and an arbitrarily large number of tokens.
Keep in mind that you don't need infinite time (or even O(n) time) to give a creature arbitrarily large power, using this combo or just about any other. The Magic rules allow players to take shortcuts, as described in rule 719. The specific rule that is relevant here is 719.2a:

At any point in the game, the player with priority may suggest a shortcut by describing a sequence of game choices, for all players, that may be legally taken based on the current game state and the predictable results of the sequence of choices. This sequence may be a non-repetitive series of choices, a loop that repeats a specified number of times, multiple loops, or nested loops, and may even cross multiple turns. It can’t include conditional actions, where the outcome of a game event determines the next action a player takes. The ending point of this sequence must be a place where a player has priority, though it need not be the player proposing the shortcut.

Example: A player controls a creature enchanted by Presence of Gond, which grants the creature the ability “{T}: Put a 1/1 green Elf Warrior creature token onto the battlefield,” and another player controls Intruder Alarm, which reads, in part, “Whenever a creature enters the battlefield, untap all creatures.” When the player has priority, he may suggest “I’ll create a million tokens,” indicating the sequence of activating the creature’s ability, all players passing priority, letting the creature’s ability resolve and put a token onto the battlefield (which causes Intruder Alarm’s ability to trigger), Intruder Alarm’s controller putting that triggered ability on the stack, all players passing priority, Intruder Alarm’s triggered ability resolving, all players passing priority until the player proposing the shortcut has priority, and repeating that sequence 999,999 more times, ending just after the last token-creating ability resolves.

Obviously, the example they use isn't exactly the same, but it means that I could do the same thing with the combo I described by saying "I'll create a million tokens and put a million counters on Ghave"


There's a few reasons to take a bid here.

The bidding has gone 1C-1S-P. This indicates that RHO likely has fewer than 6 HCP. Let's consider a few different scenarios.

If partner has only 8 HCP, LHO has an extremely strong hand. You would like to force LHO to take a second bid at 2NT or above, rather than at the one level. 2SX is likely to be fairly lucrative -- you will most likely take 5-7 tricks in trumps alone (partner won't open on 8 HCP missing both top spade honors, and your 9 card fit suggests multiple ruffs are possible), while opponents likely have a game, which they will find if you allow the inexpensive 2-level call.
If partner has 12-14 HCP and balanced shape, 2S is likely to make and nobody is likely to take another bid; if you pass 1S you'll likely allow opponents to find a making 1NT or 3C, or even a making 4H if opponents have a good fit and LHO is allowed to make a 2H call (even worse, partner may double a making 4H if you don't warn that their spade honors likely aren't cashing).
If partner has 15-16 HCP and 6-3-2-2 shape you may find yourselves in a making 4S, but only if you speak up now.

You don't give much detail about your hand, but with a known 9+-card fit and weak values you should consider Tom Au's suggestion of making a 3S call with a hand that suggests it will be the right thing to do. A singleton or a void with few HCPs suggests this, especially if the shortness is in clubs. A hand that is likely to take fewer than 2 tricks on defense should also consider 3S.


The copy of the spell from the ETB effect of Dualcaster Mage will not be countered by Dovescape.  You are correct in saying that copies of spells are not cast, and thus do not trigger Dovescape.  This is also correct in the case of using Ral, Storm Conduit's -2 ability.

Spark Double and Clever Impersonator will work as well.  These cards are creature spells on the stack and would not trigger Dovescape.

From the rulings on Clever Impersonator

  You choose which nonland permanent Clever Impersonator will copy, if any, as it enters the battlefield. This doesn’t target that nonland permanent.

Once it enters the battlefield copying a Planeswalker, it's already been cast and resolved.  It's too late to counter it.

To see, step by step, how it would work, here's how the interaction would play out.

Player A casts Clever Impersonator.
Dovescape does not see a non-creature spell cast, and thus doesn't trigger.
Both players pass, and Clever Impersonator resolves.
At this time, Player A choses the Planeswalker to have Clever Impersonator copy, and it enters the battlefield as a Planeswalker.  Dovescape doesn't trigger because a spell wasn't cast.

With regards to other ways to get around Dovescape, there aren't a whole lot of options.

There are ways to make noncreature spells be uncounterable.

These cards would get around Dovescape, as they all say "This spell can't be countered."
Veil of Summer and Determined can prevent spells from being countered for the rest of the turn if you can get them through Dovescape (see below).  Similarly Overmaster prevents the next spell from being countered, if you can get it through Dovescape.
Taigam, Ojutai Master is a creature that prevents instants and sorceries from being countered (and dragons, but that doesn't matter for Dovescape)
Thryx, the Sudden Storm is a creature that prevents spells with converted mana cost 5 or more from being countered
Boseiju, Who Shelters All is a land that makes instants and sorceries uncounterable with it's mana ability
Destiny Spinner is a creature that makes Enchantment spells uncounterable

Dovescape's ability is a triggered ability.  There are cards that exist that allow you to counter triggered abilities, but with the exception of one in particular, are all non-creature spells that would also get countered by Dovescape. Nimble Obstructionist is the one exception, as cycling a card is not casting a spell, and it's triggered ability from cycling can counter Dovescape's effect
The keyword ability Storm creates copies of itself for each time a spell had been previously cast.  The Dovescape ability will counter the original spell, but not any of the copies.


Why is 20 the starting life total for Magic the Gathering? How would the game be different if this number was changed?

I like shuuja and thesunneversets' answers very much.

There's a theory of Magic that says every matchup is two roles: "beatdown" and "control". The thinking is that, regardless of your actual deck types, one deck's going to have a stronger endgame (putting it in the "control" role), so the other deck has to hurry up and win the game before it's too late (putting it in the "beatdown" role). Raising the life total would naturally make it harder for any deck in the "beatdown" role that wins on damage, however obliquely.

Any deck can conceivably end up in the beatdown role, so don't think that this lets slow decks off the hook entirely. The most obvious disadvantage is to fast aggro decks, because they're more or less playing the beatdown role in every match, and their win condition is, almost universally, dealing 20 damage to the opponent (a few are poison-based instead). Modern-day sets are often balanced under the assumption that a Red-Deck-Wins-style deck should be reasonably competitive but not dominating; this means that the deck's creatures should be able to reliably kill a "goldfish" in around 4 turns (at which point an opponent can drop Day of Judgment to reset the field).

The ability of archetypes like Zoo, Red Deck Wins, and Tempered Steel to deliver fast beatdown sets the pace for the whole environment: other decks play low-cost disruption because not doing so means you get blown out by aggro before you actually get to do your thing. Remove that pressure and you create room for much slower decks. Commander is a great example. With 40 life, you can safely focus on playing high-cost powerful cards and devote your first few turns to hand-sculpting and mana ramp. Mid-priced cards -- strong three-drops and four-drops -- are still very important, but you're likely to see many decks that don't play anything but ramp cards and cheap removal in their low slots. It's possible to build a successful aggro-style Commander deck, but you have to either heavily disrupt the other players' early build-up (so that your dudes have enough time to finish them off while their decks are still in stage 1) or play combo-style elements (e.g. Heartless Hidetsugu) to seal the deal.

In regular 20-life Magic, Skittles is a control finisher. In 40-life EDH, he's an aggro general. That's how much life totals matter!

Similarly, imagine a 10-life game. You go first, play a Goblin Guide, swing for 2. Before I even play my first land I've lost 20% of my life total and I'm facing a four-turn clock. Do you have two Lightning Bolts in your hand? Goblin Grenade and Gut Shot? Fling and Mutagenic Growth? Practically any two or three fast cards will be enough to make me scoop my one land and go home. I have to have some very strong plays on turn 1 (or on your turn 2) in order to even see my own turn 2. What must my deck look like, then, if I'm playing combo and control?

So, in effect, futzing with starting life not only affects the pacing of the game and the relative strength of different decks but also completely changes the window of what's viable in a competitive deck.


Can a noncreature artifact be destroyed by reducing toughness?

The Gods from Theros aren't creatures sometimes.

208.3. A noncreature permanent has no power or toughness, even if it’s a card with a power and toughness printed on it (such as a Vehicle).
208.3a If an effect would be created that affects the power and/or toughness of a noncreature permanent, that effect is created even though it doesn’t do anything unless that permanent becomes a creature.

Thus, they have no power and toughness that can be reduced to below 0.


2-player Lord of the Rings game from the early 2000s

Sounds like  Lord of the Rings: The Confrontation


Banishing Spell Cards from the graveyard

Due that I'm not familiar with the type of Deck you have I'll add various card suggestions:

Unfortunately, I couldn't find other card than Frost Blast Of The Monarchs that could be useful for your Deck and matches with your requirements.

Another options could be:

Option 1: Pseudo Space

  Once per turn, you can remove from play 1 Field Spell Card in your Graveyard to have this card be treated as that card, and gain the same effects until the End Phase.

Strategy:

Use "Terraforming".

Option 2: Shuffle Reborn

  If you control no monsters: Target 1 monster in your Graveyard; Special Summon it, but its effects are negated, also banish it during the End Phase. You can banish this card from your Graveyard, then target 1 card you control; shuffle it into the Deck, then draw 1 card, also during the End Phase of this turn, banish 1 card from your hand. You can only use this effect of "Shuffle Reborn" once per turn.

Strategy:

Don't set monsters on the field in the turn you use this card.
Have (al least) 1 monster card in the Graveyard.
Have (al least) 1 card in your hand for banish.

Notes:

All previous cards can be used once per turn, but if you use these cards together, you can get the results that you desired.
You can still use Chaosrider Gustaph o Spell Striker and other cards that allows you get back your summoned monsters to your hand like Spirit monster cards.

If you're interested, you can check this link from Yu-Gi-Oh! Wikia that lists all cards that banishes from your graveyard.

You can play with the query for get more concise results.


What caused "Liliana of the Veil" to double its price during a single week?

Magic cards rise in price when the pro players start analysing the new sets and proposing that certain cards will be key players in the new Standard.  I believe Liliana has attracted a lot of favourable press, and has appeared in some successful "Solar Flare" decklists at big events lately: of course people are going to jump on that bandwagon, in case she turns out to the be the next big tournament all-star Planeswalker.

Having said that, a cautionary word from channelfireball's Traderous Instinct column:

  Liliana of the Veil

  Over the past few days, Lilly has started making an end run toward
  Jace, the Mind Sculptor prices.

  She’s out of stock both here and at Star City, and if you want her on
  eBay you’re going to have to spend at least $55.

  If I had one for trade at the moment, I would be asking for around $70
  worth of stuff in return.

  While many people immediately point to Jace as the obvious comp for
  Liliana, a better comparison is Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas. That card
  debuted around $45 retail, and had fallen to around $30-$35 by the
  first weekend it was tournament legal. The deck performed well, and
  the card gained $25-$30 in value overnight.

  Yeah, people REALLY don’t want to miss “the next Jace.”

  Just like Tezzeret, though, Liliana is REALLY narrow. She is currently
  seeing Standard play, and I don’t expect that to change, but she
  doesn’t draw cards, bounce creatures, lock your opponent out of the
  game, and then win the game like Jace does.

  The thing is, though, Magic players like to have fun – even tournament
  players. And for many Spikes, fun is roughly equivalent to playing the
  most wonky, slow, toolsy control deck that it’s possible to crush the
  opposition with.

  Much like mono black control, people REALLY want Solar Flare style
  decks to be good. So when two show up in the top 16 at an open, game
  on!

  Even if Solar Flare is tier-1, there’s no way Liliana holds a $60+
  price tag for long. She’s only there because she’s a planeswalker and
  we still haven’t really figure out how to value those yet, five years
  after their inception. I recommend that you sell on Liliana right now
  and buy back in when the hype has died down somewhat.


What is the best first development to purchase in Roll Through the Ages?

@invisiblejon -
The Late Bronze Age was developed months after the game as sold in the box. I added some additional developments for those gamers looking for something meatier. (The publisher didn't water anything down.)

...and I like Irrigation as a first purchase too!


Each card only gives a bonus of one gem. Prestige points are purely points.

For example, on page 3 of the rulebook, there is an example of a player gaining 4 prestige points and a single blue bonus from a development card.


What strong draft decks exist for Innistrad-Innistrad-Dark Ascension draft?

Loosely speaking, I think strong Dark Ascension Limited (i.e. the official format, DKA-INN-INN) decks fit into one of three strategies corresponding to the three stages of play (which I have given these semi-descriptive labels):

"Aggro": Try to win before your opponent can really get rolling.
"Midrange": Build up a crushing advantage with powerful two-for-ones.
"Control": Hope to take over the game by making your opponent's stuff irrelevant, usually with a big bomb.

Decks that don't do at least one of these -- such as a deck full of mid-sized creatures but no way to actually turn them into card advantage -- tend to be at a disadvantage. Note that there's a lot of overlap here, probably much more so than in Constructed decks. You really can't classify most cards as belonging to just one strategy. Instead, the goal here is to view the card differently, and prioritize it accordingly, based on your particular gameplan; and to adjust your gameplan and later picks based on your cards. Darkthicket Wolf is a primo aggro card and a good midrange card, for instance; your "Human Sacrifice" deck may turn into a more controlling deck if pick up a really good late-game bomb.

I've never drafted with the pros and I don't play MTGO (where you can draft til you pass out from exhaustion), so I can't speak for the subtleties of "tier 1" vs. "tier 2", but I can list what I've found effective. Names in quotes below are those that are widely used, to my knowledge; I've made the other ones up based on whatever described a deck acceptably. Colors are suggestions rather than set in stone; each archetype has good cards in some of the other colors.

Aggro

These are decks that aim to win with an explosive start. Drafting them involves careful attention to your mana curve.

I think the top-tier decks in this category are:

White-weenie-style (W/G): Attack fast with dudes; keep attacking with lots of dudes. "White weenie" is a proven strategy in any format where white has strong low-cost aggressive creatures. Thalia, Champion of the Parish, and Cloistered Youth definitely fit the bill, as do Darkthicket Wolf and Hamlet Captain. Basically this deck depends on its low curve to win with speed. In addition to the usual pillars of efficient creatures and a bit of removal, these decks can benefit greatly from Travel Preparations. I think it's good to have at least one of Faith's Shield, Spare from Evil, or Feeling of Dread in the deck -- a card you can use to either push through damage or stop an opponent's attack while creating an opening for a decisive counter-blow. Be careful with CC cards like Loyal Cathar and Strangleroot Geist, since it's not always easy to actually cast these on turn 2.
Red-Deck-Wins-style (R/B): Attack fast with dudes; sacrifice board position to push your dudes through if needed; use burn to finish the job. The big difference from white weenie here is burn, with the standout card being Brimstone Volley. Evasion is usually part of the game plan: cards like Vampire Interloper, Crossway Vampire, Wild Hunger, and Feral Ridgewolf.

Midrange

These are decks that build up card advantage Jund-style. Dark Ascension has been good for this style of deck, with many of its premier cards having some component of built-in card advantage: Huntmaster of the Fells, Strangleroot Geist, Lingering Souls.

Some examples of good decks are:

"Human Sacrifice" (W/B): Trade your value-added weenies for your opponent's strongest creatures to build an advantageous position on the field. The "ideal" version of this deck starts with Skirsdaag Flayers; you feed them cards like Doomed Traveler, Loyal Cathar, and Elder Cathar. This deck also benefits from Human-token-makers like Gather the Townsfolk, and death-trigger cards like Wakedancer and Thraben Militia. Easy access to expendable dudes also makes cards like Demonmail Hauberk and Falkenrath Torturer better than they are in other decks. I like the Hauberk in particular because it's a good "escape plan" if you've picked up the relevant white cards but black has dried up: you can turn your deck into a pretty solid W/R or W/G morbid deck with potential for really crushing attacks.
Morbid two-for-one (G/B): Pressure your opponent with mid-sized creatures; when your trade, use morbid and undying two-for-ones to come out ahead. There are two morbid Grey Ogres I absolutely love in Dark Ascension Limited: Wakedancer and Ulvenwald Bear. Both of these are easy-to-pick up cards with a lot of mid-game power. A mixture of these guys, undying beaters (basically all the Strangleroot Geists you can grab), and quality combat tricks allows you to build up card advantage and superior board position; Victim of Night and Tragic Slip are also very desirable to help answer your opponent's biggest threats. Outside of rare bombs like Vorapede, the ideal big creature for this deck is Galvanic Juggernaut. Try to avoid the bad undying creatures -- 2/2 can't-block four-drops and 3/2 flying six-drops are not what you need to win the game. And don't just focus on morbid and undying: any source of incremental advantage is great; good rares for this plan are cards like Mayor of Avabruck or Gutter Grime, for instance.
"Werewolves" (R/G): Play dudes that become better than your opponent's dudes. Werewolves are a lot better with the additional cards from Dark Ascension. The key card here actually isn't Huntmaster: he doesn't really care about the creature types or colors of the rest of your deck; it's Immerwolf. The werewolves plan has always been to punish an opponent's slow development with a crushing tide of big creatures. Immerwolf and Moonmist make it much easier to consistently ride that plan to victory. As with all decks, don't get hung up on creature types; any card that fits the gameplan will work fine for this deck. Also, be choosy! Not all the werewolves are good.

Control

These are decks that want to waste time until they can play something that trumps your stuff, like a big Spider Spawning or a Reaper from the Abyss. Basically my standard for determining whether a deck is "control"-y in Limited is "Will this deck ever want to cast Think Twice?" Control gains some defensive power in Dark Ascension with the addition of quality defenders like Headless Skaab and Nephalia Seakite, but it loses a lot due to pack dilution. In particular, the "Mill Yourself" decks -- like Burning Vengeance or Spiders -- are weaker in Dark Ascension because their key cards are less likely to show up now that you're drafting from 2 Innistrad boosters instead of 3.

So far, I think the most consistently draftable deck in this category is actually a rather boring one:

Flyers (U/W): Clog up the ground, beat your opponent to death with evasive guys. I'm calling this a control deck for Limited purposes because it's really hoping to make most of an opponent's creatures irrelevant with some huge defenders and tricky plays, then grind out a win with evasion. Cards like Nephalia Seakite and Dungeon Geists are representative of your gameplan: they're basically flyers that double as removal. A big advantage of drafting this archetype is that you can often late-pick "big backside" cards for your defense.


Mahjong board formation and drawing rules

In theory yes, you can play with a single pile. The reason people setup the wall this way (aside from historical reasons) is because the layout suits the nature of the game. You typically play on a square table and tiles are fairly large so stacking them in a single tower would be pretty dangerous. Also, after setting up the wall, players draw their hands from the wall which is done in sets of 4 tiles at a time going around the table. The layout makes it easy to draw the tiles, while also encouraging the social aspect of the game.


Ko only prevents a player from making a move that would have the effect of returning the board to the position that it was in just before his opponent's last move only. So the only thing you ever need to keep track of is what the board was like just before your opponent made his last move; you cannot move such that it would recreate that position.

All the further description in the wiki is explaining what a player will do if the move they want to make it prevented by ko. They make a move somewhere else on the board that forces black to respond to it; thus freeing them to make the play that they couldn't have played the previous turn due to ko.


How balanced are the character powers in Colt Express?

If one compare the base power, we can easily conclude that Ghost and Doc got the easiest to use powers, since it works no matter what. Belle has an interesting power that needs someone close, Cheyenne Django and Tuco changes how a basic card is played. Cheyenne is, statistically, the one with the "hardest" to use power, since it only works for one card in her deck AND only for a type of loot.

Belle's power is usually considered powerful, because it makes her hardest to hit, on average, with a lot of players. On 3-4 players game, her power is harder to use, but this power can save you and punish your opponents, paving your way for success.

Ghost's power is psychological warfare at it's finest. It works for every round, it hides the first card of each round... On a game where you try to predict opponent's move, it's horrible to face. The power doesn't help you "win" by itself, with bad hands it can also do nothing, but the bluffing abilities of this power is incredible - if you can pick your character and dislike mind games, pick him, facing him is not for the fait of hearts.

Doc's power is bland. You draw one more card. Every turn. That's boring, but practical. You'll more often than not get the card you need and not be too crippled by bullet but that's it. Your opponents won't see you play differently, because you won't. You have no specific strength, no trick, it's just the cards and their stated effect. Surprisingly effective, he's never a bad choice and id perhaps the easiest character to play.

All in all, I think Ghost is the best, but depends on your group and how well you can bluff. With very large groups, I tend to go for Belle, because her power is much easier to trigger and well, it helps. Doc is the one I pick if I know people won't buy bluffs and are prone to mass shootings.

With one of the expansion pack, there is a chinese kung fu girl available which can move horizontally and vertically on the same move (well it's a bit more complex actually). She's VERY good because of this, her movements are hard to predict, and a skilled player always get where he wants, faster than anyone else. If expansions pack are included I'd vote for her.


Do board game publishers design games 'in house', or do they merely publish games by external designers?

There's publishers who only have in-house staff, there's ones who farm projects out to freelancers, and there's ones who buy games off designers.

Some companies only use one of these models. Some companies use two or all three of these models.

E.g.,

Buying Games from Designers: Richard Garfield went to Wizards of the Coast to try and sell them a complete game he'd made called Robo Rally.
Freelancing: Wizards of the Coast said they were looking for a card game people could play between events at conventions, and if he could come up with one they liked they would buy Robo Rally as well. He came up with Magic: The Gathering.
In-house staff: Richard Garfield was eventually hired by Wizards of the Coast and later came up with Netrunner while employed by them.

So there's one person, who has designed games published by one company, under all three models.


Can I play 2 sets of 2 cards each one of the same color to avoid a Deal Breaker?

No. With four of the same color, you'd have a set of 3 and one extra.
From the compiled FAQ on BGG:

If you have more properties of one color than is needed to make a complete property set, you must form as many complete sets as possible, and group the remaining properties of that color together.


How many times can Proxima Cenatauri Scholars use its owner benefit?

The answer is Option A: you may make one placement or removal (not both) per turn. Your suggestion of spending 6 fuel to score an agenda is quite creative, and almost certainly not anticipated by the designers – there's normally no benefit at all for moving a single field generator multiple times (except, I suppose, to destroy the Relic Ship with the Isolation Field).

I do not have any specific rules text to back me up, but the Alien Frontiers rules are intended to be as straightforward as possible and allow useful, but not crazy, interactions. There are a handful of weird combinations that were not prohibited by the rules, but were disallowed in later errata. Here's a few examples:

Ain't no rule that says you can't use the Plasma Cannon's discard power to destroy a player's fourth ship while they have one ship sitting on the Terraforming Station (and thus they'll be down to two ships on their turn).
Ain't no rule that says the ships on the Raider's Outpost matter if you remove one with a Plasma Cannon.
Ain't no rule that says you can't discard the Plasma Cannon to destroy a player's third ship when they also own the Relic Ship. (Have you noticed that the Plasma Cannon has the most weird interactions?)

The point is, you get full points for creativity, but you're stretching the spirit of the rules pretty badly and that's exactly the kind of thing that gets errata'd in Alien Frontiers. The creators run an Errata thread over on BoardGameGeek, if you'd like to ask them directly: http://boardgamegeek.com/thread/572710/rule-book-errata/page/2

(My logical fallacy is: Appeal To Authority. I've played Alien Frontiers with Randall Bart, the designer of the Alien Frontiers: Outer Belt expansion and early playtester of Alien Frontiers.)


Here's an official ruling from Sheldon Mennery, who is the authoritative source for Commander rulings:

  [O] Elbrus is not playable as a General, and its color identity is Black.


How works exactly the bonus tile that gives you '+1 river shipping'

The tile simply gives you 1 more shipping value than you have from your shipping track for that round. So if you haven't upgraded your shipping at all, so you have 0 shipping, then for that round, you can dig and build in places that you can reach with 1 shipping. It does NOT advance your shipping track.


Why is Trade Secrets banned in EDH or Commander?

Commander/EDH is a community-moderated format. Its banned list is not managed by Wizards of the Coast or the DCI. Official announcements from the EDH Rules Committee an be found on mtgcommander.net.

In this case, the April 2013 banned list announcement explains (emphasis added):

  Trade Secrets is much like Limited Resources in that has some issues in a multiplayer environment. It isn't a problem when one player draws four cards and another draws eight. Trade Secrets is a problem when both players decide to draw 80 cards and effectively turn a four-player game into a two-player game. It just doesn't add enough to the format to justify the games that it single-handedly ruins.

Duel Commander, also known as "French" 1-on-1 EDH, has a separate rules committee and banned list. You can find their official postings on duelcommander.com. Trade Secrets isn't banned in Duel Commander, since it's not a problem outside multiplayer formats.


What is the converted mana cost of a spell with {X} when cast with the Miracle mechanic?

The CMC is 9.
The XX in the mana cost and the X in the alternative cost are related. In your example, you chose X = 3, so the Converted Mana Cost (CMC) becomes 3+3+3 = 9. You only pay 3WW, but spells asking for the CMC of a spell, permanent, or card don't care about what you actually pay/have paid, they only care about what's printed in the upper right corner (usually) of a card.

How to calculate the CMC:

202.1. A card’s mana cost is indicated by mana symbols near the top of the card. (See rule 107.4.) On most cards, these symbols are printed in the upper right corner. Some cards from the Future Sight set have alternate frames in which the mana symbols appear to the left of the illustration.
202.3. The converted mana cost of an object is a number equal to the total amount of mana in its mana cost, regardless of color.
202.3b When calculating the converted mana cost of an object with {X} in its mana cost, X is treated as 0 while the object is not on the stack, and X is treated as the number chosen for it while the object is on the stack.

Spells don't care about alternative costs:

117.9c. An alternative cost doesn't change a spell's mana cost, only what its controller has to pay to cast it. Spells and abilities that ask for that spell's mana cost still see the original value.

The X in the alternative costs is the same X as those in the mana costs:

107.3g All instances of X on an object have the same value at any given time.


Do you replace tokens moved to the Trade Route mat?

You do not replace the coin tokens. So with Colonies in the game, and no other extra victory cards, yes, four is the maximum number of coins on the mat. Remember that there potentially are other victory cards among the kingdom cards in the game, though, depending on what expansions you're playing with - like Gardens from the base game, and many others.

Why? Because the card doesn't say to. If you're ever having trouble with Dominion rules, just read the card carefully, and do exactly what it says in the order it says.


No. The exiled card has ceased to be in exile, so the activated ability will be unable to find it when it resolves. Misthollow Griffin isn't even required for this question, sinceMimic Vat itself is constantly exiling creatures, and then returning those cards to their owners graveyard. You can no longer make copies of cards that were returned to their owners graveyards, neither can you copy Misthollow Griffin if it changes zones.

Mimic Vat contains linked abilities. The first triggered ability exiles cards when they die (technically, these do not have to be creature cards, they only need to be creatures when they die). The second activated ability returns a token copy of the card to the battlefield until the beginning of the next end step. There are some unusual corner cases where it is important to know which ability was responsible for exiling a particular card, if some card gains multiple exile abilities, since only the abilities that are linked are able to refer to the cards exiled in that way. (Note: The CR give an interesting example with Quicksilver Elemental, Arc-Slogger, and Sisters of Stone Death that I won't review here)

  607.2a If an object has an activated or triggered ability printed on it that instructs a player to exile one or more cards and an ability printed on it that refers either to “the exiled cards” or to cards “exiled with [this object],” these abilities are linked. The second ability refers only to cards in the exile zone that were put there as a result of an instruction to exile them in the first ability.

  406.5. An object may have one ability printed on it that causes one or more cards to be exiled, and another ability that refers either to “the exiled cards” or to cards “exiled with [this object].” These abilities are linked: the second refers only to cards that have been exiled due to the first. See rule 607, “Linked Abilities.”

So, what happens if the card is no longer in exile (or is exiled again by some other effect)? It becomes a new object, with no relation to it's precious existence. What this means is that Mimic Vat cannot find the card that was exiled, and therefore cannot copy it.

  400.7. An object that moves from one zone to another becomes a new object with no memory of, or relation to, its previous existence. There are seven exceptions to this rule: ... (seven exceptions removed for brevity, none apply)

  406.6. If an object in the exile zone becomes exiled, it doesn’t change zones, but it becomes a new object that has just been exiled.


Can I use Plaxcaster Frogling to temporarily shut off Species Gorger's ability?

Species Gorger's triggered ability does not target. Abilities that target use the word "target". As such, it does not interact with Plaxcaster Frogling's activated ability or any other shroud effects.

In addition, because the triggered ability does not target, you make the choice of which creature to return while the ability is resolving (which means the choice can't be responded to in any way).


How does this Example Endgame work in Scrabble? Playing Out Scenario

Playing OTIC blocks both OW and WAG.  OTIC starting at H3 will put the 'C' on H6, blocking the opponent from playing W on I6.


What does the comma mean in a card effect's cost?

It's a single cost and you pay both parts. From the Comprehensive Rules:

602.1 Activated abilities have a cost and an effect. They are written as “[Cost]: [Effect.] [Activation instructions (if any).]”
602.1a The activation cost is everything before the colon (:). An ability’s activation cost must be paid by the player who is activating it.
Example: The activation cost of an ability that reads “{2}, {T}: You gain 1 life” is two mana of any type plus tapping the permanent that has the ability.


Sounds like Olympia 2000

players use simultaneously played cards to compete in ancient Olympic events, such as long-jump, discus, or archery. The cards have a picture of the athlete as well as a rating for his skills in each of the different events. Often times, an athlete will be very good at one event and be very poor in others, while some athletes are simply too inept for words, and still others are god-like. The key to the game is using your cards wisely, because although the best athlete gets the prize for the current event, the worst athlete gets to pick the up-coming event.


Combat super crisis cards during final jump in the Pegasus expansion

No. From the rulebook (pg. 15):

  During the Prepare for Jump step of every subsequent New Caprica Crisis Card, when an evacuation icon appears, the current player takes one civilian ship from the top of the Prepared Civilian Ships stack and moves it to any space area with a viper launch icon.

There's no mention that it can happen any other way.

To be honest, I'm surprised that there is even a combat set-up card in the New Caprica Crisis deck that would have a civilian ship on it, although I don't have it in front of me to check. Can you show an example of the card you mean?

I wonder if you've switched back to the regular Crisis deck after Galactica returns? You should be continuing to use the New Caprica Crisis deck. Additionally, just some extra info from pg. 16:

  During the New Caprica phase, ignore any effect that would place, destroy, or move ships in any space area around Galactica or centurions on the Boarding Party track, until the Galactica returns to orbit (see page 17).


Carcassonne: The River II playable/worth it without River I?

The River II does not require the River I in any way. I don't believe there is any official way to play with both of them together. IMHO The River I is a poor expansion by itself, in my play experience with it whoever goes first plays a farmer and whole shoreline on both sides of the river is one big connected farm giving that player a strong advantage. The River II fixes this issue by having roads and a city that cross the river, as well as one lake abutting a city, giving strong potential for multiple farms. All-in-all, River II is a good replacement for River I.

I've adopted some house rules that someone on here (maybe @Aramis?) suggested in a comment for using both River I and II: make river of random length by starting with a spring and not separating out the lakes and other spring tiles. The river is not allowed to have 2 springs without lakes, but keeps going until someone draws a lake to end it. This would produce very short rivers with just one expansion, but would work equally well with 2 copies of River II as with I and II.


Can you play a rent card and then a double the rent card?

Yes, mostly. You double the amount collected in that one rent payment. Usually this is the same as collecting the rent a second time, but note that "Just Say No" would cancel the whole thing, not just the second payment, so it may be slightly different than you're thinking:

  Play immediately after a standard Rent card to double the amount of rent collected. Can also be banked as money. Bank value: 1M. (NOTE: Playing this card along with a Rent card counts as two of your three possible card plays for your turn, per Hasbro).

  Playing a Just Say No card cancels both the Rent card and the Double the Rent card, per Hasbro.

Quoted from https://monopoly.fandom.com/wiki/Monopoly_Deal#The_Cards_In_Detail


What happens if a transform trigger is copied?

If multiple transform abilities are on the stack for the same object, it will simply transform back and forth on each resolved trigger.

This one is pretty straightforward. It's the same object, and a transform simply flips the switch, no matter which side is currently on top, because Transform is not specific to either side.

The only ruling on Bloodline Keeper fully applies here.


Is castling still done in the openings in modern chess?

It's normally a very good idea to castle early, but 'as soon as possible' is not really a correct rule. It depends on a number of factors, including your choice of opening, and your opponent's response.

Leaving your king in the middle of the board is a bad idea. Your pieces can be pinned, you're much more vulnerable, and your rooks can become isolated, trapped on the sidelines. One exception to this rule sometimes arises if you have exchanged queens. Once this happens it is considerably harder to mount a successful direct mid-game assault on the king, and it may sometimes be reasonable in this situation to treat the king as an additional fighting piece, rather than as a delicate thing to hide away on the sidelines and protect at all costs.

There are a couple of rare openings where not castling is a valid strategy, but they are unusual. Castling does not occur, or occurs very late, in some variations of the French Defense. See for example Kramnik-Anand, 2008. Similar things can happen in the Sicilian Taimanov and the Hedgehog Defense. Sometimes giving up castling is a valid line for white, as happens for example in some variations of the King's Gambit Accepted such as the King's Bishop's Gambit, where Black checks on h4, and white plays Kf1.


Can the same player bid for Relics twice?

Does not appear so.

The Acquire Relic rule (Looting Royalty pg 17, base rules), specifically say that players who chooses the Acquire action must spend 5 shards (-1 per previous other acquiring player). With no leeway on additional spending, this is a set amount.

You also can not "bid" a second time after everyone else has bid, as it stats
"Once all players have made a choice (Acquire, Exchange, Pass) ..."... move into the drawing portion of Acquiring.

  The first player then looks at the cards drawn, chooses a single relic to keep, and passes the remaining cards to the next player who spent Token Shards...

I agree that this is not as clear as it could be, and sometimes your relic choices just aren't worth losing that many shards. But the rules as written do say the that you many only spend an exact number of shards, and only acquire a single relic.

I am uncertain if any of the expansions change this rule, but I will update this answer if I find out.

Edit: The updated 2019 base rules on this are unchanged from the original.

Edit2: Just follow up, none of the expansions adjust this for the base game.


Identical creatures entering the battlefield

Nope, nothing weird like that happens. When a card's rules text uses that card's name, it's referring to just that specific object, not anything else that happens to have the same name. Think of it as shorthand for "this particular Sin Collector", if you like. Here's the relevant comp rule:

  201.4. Text that refers to the object it's on by name means just that particular object and not any other objects with that name, regardless of any name changes caused by game effects.

If a card is really referring to other cards with that name, it will use a phrase like "a card named X" or "all cards named X". This isn't necessary too often, but for example, Avarax says:

  When Avarax enters the battlefield, you may search your library for a card named Avarax, reveal it, and put it into your hand. If you do, shuffle your library.

The first "Avarax" there is the card referring to itself; "card named Avarax" is of course another one.


Wow, I was just looking at this game again the other day, too funny.

While I haven't played in a few years, I do remember our group has used one (or both) of he following rules to make things play longer:

Increase by 50% or 100% (depending on how long you want the game to play) the amount of loot necessary to win the game.
Require that in addition to collecting enough loot, you must have collected at least one piece of treasure from each floor, or from a specified number of floors.


Mutual Identification mechanics in a deduction game

Hmmm... the best I can come up with would be need 4 types of tokens: 2 that everybody has in front of them to tell whether they are a spy or not, and 2 that are in the center of the table and tell whether each of the spies found his target.

Everybody has two tokens (blue for spy, red for not spy) with the same background. Before the night phase, they place the fitting token in front of them (face down, ofc). Spy A awakes, looks at one of the tokens of another player. If that player was the other spy, he flips over the "spy B found" token in the center of the table. Then spy B wakes up and does the same.

There are some drawbacks:
-) you might be able to see whether tokens were moved. You can handle that the same way one night werewolf does.

-) people need to sit very closely, so it does not work for larger groups.

If you want larger groups you will need smartphone support or a solution that includes the spies walking around, which will very likely be very obvious.

Ps: what keeps the spies from just being very obvious about being the spies during daytime? ;)


From the English Bridge Union Blue Book (Rules and Ethics):

  Unless it is announceable (
  see 4
  D
  , 4
  E, 4
  F
  and 4
  G
  ), a pass
  or bid must be alerted if
  it
  :
  (a)
  is not natural; or
  (b)
  is natural but has a potentially unexpected meaning

('Natural' has a long paragraph of definition; a natural pass is
"A pass
which does not unexpectedly convey values or specify suit holdings.")

So yes, if your bid (including pass or double) is conventional it must be alerted.


That's correct, the cards in your hand were not "in play", which is the old name for the battlefield. The current official text of Second Sunrise follows the modern wording:

  Each player returns to the battlefield all artifact, creature, enchantment, and land cards in his or her graveyard that were put there from the battlefield this turn.

The cards from your hand were not put into the graveyard from the battlefield.


What counts as a coastline in Catan Seafarers?

"Coastline" is used three times in the rules. The following is the first instance:

  Roads and ships may not be built along the same coastline.

The very next sentence explains what this means.

  There can only be one ship OR one road along any given coastal hex side

As such, the rules define "coastline" as "coastal hex side". And for any given coastal hex side, you can't use both a ship and and road.

The following are the other two instances:

  If your shipping route reaches a coastline, you can then build a new settlement on that coast

  [You] may elect to place either or both of their starting settlements on the coastline. If you do so, you have the option of placing a ship, instead of a road, adjacent to that settlement.

Since settlements can't be placed on hex sides, this is obviously a different usage of the term. The standard English definition applies here: The coast or coastline is the line that separates water from land.


Will my Pelakka Wurm still deal trample damage vs Deathtouch?

All combat damage happens at the same time.

Your son assigns the damage with the Eldrazi. You assign the damage with Pelakka Wurm. If Wurm's power is higher then Eldrazi's toughness you'll be able to assign the surplus to your son.

Then all damage is dealt at the same time. Your wurm dies, as Eldrazi had deathtouch. But the Wurm also does it's damage to the Eldrazi and, possibly, your son.

If Eldrazi had First Stike - that would be a different story.


What happens if a double-faced card that is copying a different double-faced card that is part of a melded creature tries to meld?

Hanweir Battlements and Chandra are exiled permanently. The Metamorphic Alteration goes to the graveyard.
As you already noted, only meld cards can meld. You can exile Chandra and the Battlements with Battlement's ability, but those two cards cannot return melded.

701.36b Only two cards belonging to the same meld pair can be melded. Tokens, cards that aren’t meld cards, or meld cards that don’t form a meld pair can’t be melded.
701.36c If an effect instructs a player to meld cards that can’t be melded, they stay in their current zone.

Note that 701.36b calls for meld cards, not meld objects. Being able to meld is a property of the card, not of the object represented by it.


How can I reduce the planar die "whiff factor" with house rules?

This is inspired by the action-choosing mechanism from Speculation.

Start of game setup:

Get six objects that can represent planeswalk/chaos/nothing: colored marbles, Scrabble tiles, popsicle sticks with symbols drawn on them, etc.
Place the objects in an opaque bag.

When the player wants to "roll":

The player pays the cost for rolling and chooses an item from the bag without looking.
If a Nothing item is removed, set it aside on the table.
If a Planeswalk or Chaos item is removed, perform that action and return all the items to the bag.

This reduces the likelihood of whiffing over time.

Normal 4/6 chance on the first roll.
3/5 chance after the first whiff.
2/4 chance after the second whiff.
1/3 chance after the third whiff.
No chance of whiffing after four whiffs.

This seems to well satisfy criteria 1, 3, and 4. Admittedly, it's not much faster than regular rolling, if you discount the fact that on average you'll get a favorable result faster than if you had used a die.


Yes, this does mean that Ronan cannot use Pico's ability himself.

How is this balanced? Pico's ability grants something that, while it sounds minor, is actually very significant: several free actions.

In a typical Descent map, there will be around 6-10 search tokens, meaning that to collect all of the tokens the heroes will collectively need to spend 6-10 actions during the course of the game. These actions are not used for other purposes, such as Attacking to remove enemies, Moving to progress through the map, or even Resting to recover temporary resources like Fatigue. The cost of gaining the gold and effects associated with those search cards is the opportunity of doing something else.

By giving any other hero the ability to complete Search action for free this is recovering those 6-10 actions for the players, allowing them to be used for clearing monsters faster or recovering Fatigue or Wounds. Combine that with the fact that Ronan himself is a Scout archetype who can take the Treasure Hunter class, and you now have a single character that nearly eliminates the opportunity cost of searching for the entire party.

So to balance out that powerful ability, FFG decided to limit Pico's power to only apply to other party members, making Ronan a Party Support character that compliments other characters rather than standing out exclusively on his own.


Zombies/Robots, Can you combine they're coming to get you and zapbot?

No, only one Zapbot can come from the discard pile.

While the text is unclear, AEG has issued an official ruling on BoardGameGeek, here.

  It only lets you play a single minion that way, not whenever you play a minion.

That is, you can make one minion play each turn on the base with "They're Coming to Get You" from the discard pile.

However, playing a Zapbot from your discard still triggers its ability, which would allow you to play additional minions from your hand.


What happens if I can't make a legal move?

The rules cover this on page 13 and 25 when covering Dracula's movement rules

Crossing His Own Trail

  Dracula may only move to a location if its
  card is available to him. Thus, he cannot normally
  move back into a location while its card
  remains in his Trail or Catacombs. The only
  exception to this rule is when he uses his
  Double Back Power card (see “Dracula’s
  Powers,” page 20). In the unlikely event that
  Dracula maneuvers himself into a position
  where he has no legal move, he is punished as
  though he were caught cheating (see
  “Cheating,” on page 25) and then takes his
  turn as normal (assuming he didn’t lose the
  game).

Cheating

  Hopefully, the Dracula player will never cheat
  on purpose. But if he makes a move and later
  finds out that he accidentally moved along a
  rail route or made a similarly illegal move, it’s
  important to undo the damage and get the
  game underway again. However, Dracula also
  needs to suffer a penalty to make up for the
  Hunters’ lost time. We suggest the following
  penalty for a Dracula player who catches himself
  (or is caught) cheating. Although it may
  seem severe, the hope is that the Dracula player
  will quickly learn to be more careful in the
  future.

  • Dracula immediately clears his Trail down
  to one card and reveals his current location.
  • Additionally, Dracula loses Blood as
  though he had just suffered a “Killed”
  result in combat. However, if this would
  reduce him to 0 Blood, it only reduces
  him to 1 Blood instead.


Assuming you're talking about the "Pegging" phase of each hand of cribbage, and assuming that the cards you types in order were played in that order, here is the order of events.

Pegging Phase Answer

You lead with a 2. Currently, the count is at 2 and no point are scored.

Your son plays a 5. The count moves to 7 (2+5=7). No points are scored.

You play a 3. The count is at 10. No points are scored.

Your son plays a 2. The count is at 12. No points are scored.

You play a 4. The count is at 16. The last four cards played were a 4, a 2, 3 and a 5. That is a consecutive run of 4. You get four points.

Your son plays a 3. The count is at 19. The last three cards played were a 3, a 4 and a 2. That is a consecutive run of 3 cards. Your son gets three points.

You play a 5. The count is at 21. The last four cards played were a 5, a 3, a 4 and a 2. That is a consecutive run of 4 cards. You get four more points.

Your son finally plays an A. The count moved to 22. The last five cards player were a A, a 5, a 3, a 4, and a 2. That is a run of 5 cards. Your son scores 5 points for the run, and an additional 1 point for last card played.

Note these special scoring rules:

A player scores two points in the pegging phase when they play a pair. So if Player A plays a 4, and player B plays a 4 to bring the count to 8, Player B receives 2 points for playing a pair. Like all scoring in the Pegging Phase, the played cards must happen sequentially to count.

A player scores 6 points for playing triplets, and 12 points for four-of-a-kind. Again, these must happen sequentially. So Player A plays a 4, B plays a 4 to bring the count to 8 and scores 2 points, A plays another 4 to bring the count to 12 and scores 6 points, and B plays the last four to bring the count to 16 and scores 12 points.

Similarly, a sequential run scores points equal to the number of cards in the run.

Someone scores two points in the pegging phase when they play a card that makes the count equal 15 or 31. The count can never exceed 31.

There are special rules concerning what happens if a player cannot play a card without making the count exceed 31. For now, just know that the player who last played a card without going over 31 receives 1 point, called a "go" and then continues to play until they also can no longer play cards without exceeding 31.

Scoring Phase Answer

If you're talking about the scoring phase, wherein both players count up the number of points in their hand, your son still has not scored 40 points. We would need to know the cut card to determine how many points he did score, but at the moment, 5,2,3,A scores three points- for the run of A,2,3. If all four cards were also all of the same suit, they would score 4 additional points, bringing the hand's total up to 7 points.


What is the name of the little humanoid figure used as player token or resource in some Euro games?

After some searching, the Meeple term was prominent on lot of online resources (filenames, sites and boardgame spare parts sellers). Searching for "Meeple Origin", this definition was found and helped me to track the origin of the name and what games are using this piece.
At HappyMeeple.com:

Origin of the Meeple word
A meeple is a little wooden character representing the player in many
modern board games.
Over time, the meeple has become the symbol of modern board games.
According to Wiktionary, the origin of the term “Meeple” is the
following:
“Coined in November of 2000 by Alison Hansel during a game of Carcassonne when she fused "my" and "people" to describe the wooden
figures each player uses in that game.

Searching for Meeple Games we have the following list:

BoardGameGeek - Games featuring "The Meeple"

Interesting Stuff:

First board game to use 'Meeples' - This is an interesting topic and it goes beyond of what i have posted about Europa 1945-2030 at the question.
Poll: What exactly is a meeple? - And this thread is a discussion about what could be actually considered a meeple inside all existing variants of these figures.


How does Words of Waste interact with Varina, Lich Queen?

You will be able to replace each draw with Words of Waste, however you will still discard the full amount. Additionally, you will have to activate Words before Varina's ability resolves as it creates a replacement effect

From the Gatherer Rulings for Varina:

  The number of cards you discard and the amount of life you gain are both equal to the number of Zombies you attack with, even if you draw a different number of cards somehow

emphasis mine


Re-rolling secured red/yellow dice in Elder Sign?

Yes.

The latest copy of the rules is actually much clearer than the version that came in my set. Here's the quote, with the same emphasis as the rulebook, but parenthetical bits removed:

  When a die is secured on a Spell card, it remains there until any
  player chooses to use it to complete a task, removes it from the spell
  to roll it, or until another
  effect locks that die. For spells that
  secure multiple dice, the player may remove dice from it one at a time
  or all at once.


How do I resolve inconsistencies between the rules committee Commander rules and the comprehensive rules?

How to Resolve Inconsistencies
First, try to determine whether there are actually any inconsitancies. For example, the mtgcommander.net forums have their very own thread discussing the matter of Devoid specifically. The most concise explanation seems to be the one from Carthain:

(...) Colour Identity is the culmination of colours + colours of mana symbols on the card. It's a purely additive situation, you can't "lose" or "undo" adding a colour to a card's colour identity.
Devoid says that a card is colourless. It it's a characteristic defining ability that sets a colour (colourless is not a colour); it's not any of the mana symbols that define a colour; it's not a colour indicator on the card; Therefore, it doesn't have any impact on the colour identity of the card.

Sheldon Menery writes:

Color and color identity are two different (but related) things. Colorless-ness is not part of either.

Therefore, Blisterpod is colorless and has a green color identity, according to both sets of rules.
This being only a single case, it raises the question whether one set of rules does generally take precedence over the other, and which one does. So...
Which Rules are the "Official" Rules?
In an effort to solve this question better than with a guess, I decided to take the time and write something up that explains the historical events as well as their implications as best as I'm able to. Because there's no set-in-stone answer to be found anywhere, I encourage you to read through all of it, even though I have my own conclusion all the way on the bottom.
The EDH Era
Without going too much into historical matters here, this article will tell you a whole lot about the history of the format. In any case, the format has existed under the name EDH long before WotC took it up as Commander, and dragonhighlander.net (now mtgcommander.net) is the original web page where the rules were first made available online in order to reach a greater audience.
This doesn't really help answering the question directly, however it disproves the first paragraph in CyberClaw's answer, which states that mtgcommander.net is meant merely as a "short quick explanation without any kind of deep rule (or care on their wording)."
The Commander Era
WotC eventually incorporated the format into their franchise by announcing the first Commander set along with the name change from EDH to Commander, and the respective WotC announcement mentions several important factors to the question at hand:

(...) we recognize the importance of keeping the format as player-run, even after we produce products that officially endorse it. To that end, we worked closely with Sheldon Menery and the rest of the EDH Rules Committee (we're lucky to have one of them, Scott Larabee, in house) to make sure our product adhered to their rules and stayed true to their spirit.

And further down in the article (emphasis theirs):

And finally ...
Wizards of the Coast and the DCI are not "taking over" the format! We will not be managing the rules or the banned list of the Commander format, instead leaving it in the capable hands of Sheldon Menery and his rules team. They deserve all the credit for this format's popularity and we don't want to mess with a good thing!

Conclusion & Implications
WotC still considers the Commander Rules Commitee as the maintainers of the rules, as evidenced rather clearly in the aforementioned sources directly from WotC. I haven't been able to find any evidence disputing what was said in those articles, or a change of mind at a later point in time.
The Commander Rules Commitee is in charge of maintaining the rules and the ban list and therefore the technically official source for rules, while WotC is incorporating those rules into the CR in a way suiting the style of the rest of the document, and likely being more precise as a result of that, making the CR the source probably best suited to resolve rule questions.
They aren't meant to be functionally different though, and if there were differences, they would likely be mistakes and the Commander Rules Commitee rules would have to take precedence (which has happened before, as acknowledged in an announcement about former rule 903.4 about color identity).
Knowing all of the above, keep in mind that Commander is a social format - in the end, what your player group wants to play should decide which cards you're allowed to include in your deck, whether it's a Blisterpod in an otherwise colorless deck, or a Spell Counter (just maybe keep some alternative cards around, should you meet a group who does not like the idea).
This means that ultimately, your playgroup is the final authority on each and every rule.


What do dusk and dawn count as in Fury of Dracula 3rd ed?

First, what edition are you talking about? If I'm assuming third correctly, then:

  If combat is at dusk or night, Dracula resolves the “at night” effects of his combat cards.

thus dusk = night; dawn = day for combat effects.


Not enough cards for both players when casting Wheel of Fortune

Here are the relevant Comprehensive Rules:

  104.3c If a player is required to draw more cards than are left in his or her library, he or she draws the remaining cards, and then loses the game the next time a player would receive priority. (This is a state-based action. See rule 704.)

Nothing happens until a player would get priority, so the order in which the players drew the cards doesn't matter.

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

All the SBAs are performed simultaneously.

  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, then performs all applicable state-based actions simultaneously as a single event. [...]

All the players would lose simultaneously if it were not for the following exception:

  104.4a If all the players remaining in a game lose simultaneously, the game is a draw

In both cases, the game ends in a draw. Because the rules pay no attention to what's happening during the spell's resolution, having more cards doesn't protect you in this case. As soon as state-based actions are checked (i.e. after the spell resolves) you both lose the game at the same time and it's therefore a draw.


How are mines triggered in Captain Sonar?

You must STOP in order to trigger a mine, and the Engine Room can't have a breakdown for the MINE + TORPEDO system.

This thread over on BGG relays information from the designers. In order to detonate a mine, the Engineer needs weapon systems online:

  And to detonate a mine you also need to have ALL the red "lights" clear in the Engine room

The last line also clarifies that a STOP needs to occur during detonation:

  With these answers, I think a good way to describe the rules is that each team is only allowed 1 STOP (either system activation or mine detonation) between movements.


What happens if your only pawn can't move as many spaces as required?

While you can move backwards from Start to just outside the safety zone, you can't move forward past the safety zone without going toward Home. Since a 12 is too much to land you in Home, and you can't move forward past Start, you must forfeit your turn.


Mechanic for secret actions in a card game

I'll illustrate with a five-player example.  It is player A's turn.  Based on my reading, I am assuming the following things.  Are these assumptions correct?

Players B, C, D and E each play a card face down and give it to player A.
All cards are played simultaneously.
Player A does not know which player played which card.
Some cards may cause player A to lose resources to another player.

If the above are true, use the following arrangement and turn workflow.

Setup / components

Each player has a screen behind which they can keep their resources available for easy access, but hidden from others.
The game board will contain a number of spaces for playing cards face down. These places will be labeled with numbers.
Resources are the same size and shape, even for different denominations.
A number of opaque bags (with drawstrings for easy and quiet opening and closing) are available

Turn flow

Player A looks away from the board.
Players B, C, D, and E, each plays a card on one of the available spots on the board.
Once all cards are played, the player to A's left tells A that they have finished.
A looks back at the board.  A takes 1 card, reads it, and fills a bag with the required resources from behind his screen.  If the card does not cause a resource transfer, player A places a 0-resource token in the bag.  A replaces the bag where the card was.
A repeats the above step for each card.
A looks away from the board.
Each player takes the bag from the spot where they placed their card, and claims the resources from it.
Once all cards are played, the player to A's left tells A that they have finished.


“Repeat this process” infinite loop rulings

No, you can't guarantee a win with Grist like that. Either the process stops after a finite number of steps, or you make the game a draw.
The specific example you gave does not work because Vigor shuffles back as a triggered ability. As long as a spell or ability "repeats this process", it's still resolving, and while it's resolving, no player gets priority and no triggered abilities enter the stack or resolve; they wait until the current item has finished resolving. So if your library consists of only Vigor, Grist's +1 will create a token, mill the Vigor, repeat once to create another token, and then stop resolving because there were no more cards to mill on the second pass. Then Vigor's ability enters the stack and resolves, shuffling it back.

117.2a Triggered abilities can trigger at any time, including while a spell is being cast, an ability is being activated, or a spell or ability is resolving. (See rule 603, “Handling Triggered Abilities.”) However, nothing actually happens at the time an ability triggers. Each time a player would receive priority, each ability that has triggered but hasn’t yet been put on the stack is put on the stack. See rule 117.5.

117.3b The active player receives priority after a spell or ability (other than a mana ability) resolves.

If you use a creature that shuffles back as a replacement effect, such as Darksteel Colossus, you can indeed make Grist's +1 go infinite, because replacement effects don't use the stack and happen immediately. However, in that case, again, the triggers from your win condition won't enter the stack or resolve. More importantly, there is no way to stop Grist from repeating the process, and the game is a draw as per the shortcut rules.

722.4. If a loop contains only mandatory actions, the game is a draw. (See rules 104.4b and 104.4f.)

I can't think of an example off the top which card(s) might do that, but even if you could make both the re-shuffle and the damage-dealing a replacement effect, it would still be a draw. That's because players die to damage only when state-based actions are checked, which again happens only whenever a player would get priority.

704.3. Whenever a player would get priority (see rule 117, “Timing and Priority”), the game checks for any of the listed conditions for state-based actions, then performs all applicable state-based actions simultaneously as a single event. [..]

The only ways to guarantee the win with Grist's +1 would be either to stack enough creatures on top of your library and get enough damage triggers, or to find a win condition in a replacement effect, and the latter are quite rare. Most win conditions require state-based actions, or a spell/ability to resolve, neither of which can happen while you are going into an infinite loop, as discussed. The only ones I can think of that are even theoretically possible are Jace, Wielder of Mysteries and Laboratory Maniac.


What happens when Fate Cards become Expendable in Ivory Edition?

my understanding of it is that the holding cell isn't a Kolat card.  It creates a Kolat Battle.  The only cards currently which are Kolat are:

Oboro, the Liar
Yasuki Jire
Yasuki Makoto
Yoritomo Yusuke


Which Game of Thrones LCG house/expansions best reflect a play style similar to 'blue' decks in MTG?

So I've been playing the game now for almost a year. Have gotten to the finals in a store championship and won some private tournaments amongst my meta (about 6-8 players) :)

To answer my own question,  it would be the lannisters due to the sheer amount of kneeling effects that they have. Martell would be a close second in terms of annoying events and the general 'negative play experience' it gives to your opponents via icon stripping and challenge denial


How does a Loyal Cathar react to Undying Evil?

It would come back as Loyal Cathar with a +1/+1 counter on it.

Undying Evil's triggered ability returns Loyal Cathar to the battlefield upon dying, Loyal Cathar's triggered ability sets up a delayed triggered ability that returns the card "at the beginning of the next end step".

Loyal Cathar's normal return-to-battlefield trigger won't find the card in the graveyard when it resolves, so will fail to do anything.

  603.7c A delayed triggered ability that refers to a particular object still affects it even if the object changes characteristics. However, if that object is no longer in the zone it’s expected to be in at the time the delayed triggered ability resolves, the ability won’t affect it. (Note that if that object left that zone and then returned, it’s a new object and thus won’t be affected. See rule 400.7.)


Are you able to take control of another player's Commander?

Yes, you can take control of someone else's commander. The rule about returning the commander to the Command Zone reads (emphasis mine):

  903.9. If a commander would be exiled from anywhere or put into its owner’s hand, graveyard, or library from anywhere, its owner may put it into the command zone instead. This replacement effect may apply more than once to the same event. This is an exception to rule 614.5.

Since stealing a creature with, say, Threads of Disloyalty or Act of Aggression doesn't put it into any of the zones described in the rule quoted above (in fact, as ikegami pointed out, it doesn't change the object's zone at all), then the rule doesn't apply.

Also, the rule about commander damage reads (emphasis mine):

  704.5u In a Commander game, a player that’s been dealt 21 or more combat damage by the same commander over the course of the game loses the game. See rule 903, “Commander.”

The clearly says that the damage must be dealt by the same commander, not necessarily yours, so yes, you win the game if you deal 21 damage with a stolen commander.

And to clarify something, mtgcommander.net is the source of what is commonly known as "the French list" for EDH, which is mainly a different banlist, specifically for 1 vs 1 play. As far as I'm aware, the actual rules are the same for Wizards and mtgcommander.net, though I'm not 100% sure about that.


I'd guess it to be a tic-tac-toe variant in which you can (re)move pieces. Players play normally with seven pegs, but three in a row or some other pattern allow you to capture an opponent's piece which goes into the hole.  Player with most pegs on board wins.

Couldn't find anything exactly like this at BGG.
https://www.boardgamegeek.com/geeklist/16886/games-played-3x3-grid


Yes. The damage is still damage, and any triggered abilities based on damage will trigger. The only thing different is the effects of the damage, since you gain poison counters instead of losing life.


Is the number of cards in my opponent's library public knowledge in Magic: The Gathering?

Yes. From the comprehensive rules:

  401.3. Any player may count the number of cards remaining in any player's library at any time.


Mechanic, playstyle, or even particular deck, to counter multiplayer wipe/control deck

A few general ideas:

The weakness of counterspell-heavy decks is dealing with all the important threats efficiently, and not tapping out prematurely. This is particularly tricky to pull off in multi-player, since controlling more than one player is much more work. On the receiving end, it might feel to you like he has a counterspell for everything, but that simply can't be the case. If the player to your left plays a couple of spells and gets countered, that makes it much more likely that you will be able to drop something safely into play.

One big limitation of creature removal is that it generally only works on creatures. An extreme way to screw with a powerful creature-controlling deck is to not field any creatures! Try direct damage, artifacts or enchantments instead. All of those kill spells become ineffective against your deck, and the resulting hand of dead cards can be crippling for your opponent.

An intermediate approach is to pick creatures that are exceptionally hard to kill. Your choices are many, and depend on the kind of spells your opponent uses most. Against powerful sorceries like Wrath of God, you could consider creatures that revert to some other type at end of turn (e.g. Mishra's Factory, Genju of the Realm), or ways to generate endless hordes of cheap tokens (Assemble the Legion, Kjeldoran Outpost), or just bounce with unbelievable annoyance (Blinking Spirit). Against direct removal, protection or regeneration can be extremely annoying. Or just pick creatures that either like going to the graveyard (Demigod of Revenge), or can easily come back (e.g. Ashen Ghoul, Pyre Zombie, any of the Phoenixes).

Another approach is to accept that your stuff is going to end up in the graveyard, and use that to your advantage. Returning creatures from the graveyard can be very efficient, or you can use a large graveyard to power effects like Threshold, or to give you access to spells that can be cast from the graveyard (e.g. anything with Flashback).  Or make filling the graveyard your win condition (Mortal Combat, Nefarious Lich).

A more aggresive idea is land destruction/mana control. You probably won't win your multi-player game, but you could easily make it impossible for this particular opponent to win. In a similar vein, you could go for counterspell/control yourself, and shutdown his nastiest spells to let the other players do their thing.

A final tactic is to make yourself an unappealing target. Don't be a threat, sit there and protect yourself, while building towards some late game win condition (Door to Nothingness, Test of Endurance).

Above all, stay positive, and be creative! You have many, many pleasant options for ruining your opponent's game.