[WotC] Rulings Post, June 2004

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.games.trading-cards.magic.rules (More info?)

I've got this in my Rulings subdirectory with the rest,
http://www.vic.com/~dbd/NFd/new.rulings; it's not -yet- up on the
Rulings Posts pages,
http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=judge/magicrules/rulingserrata , but
it ought to soon be there too.

------
Date: Wed, 9 Jun 2004 09:46:04 -0700
From: "Barclay, Paul" <Paul.Barclay@WIZARDS.COM>
Subject: June RTR for release

Here's the final copy of the June RTR. Have fun!

Paul Barclay
Magic Rules Manager
Wizards of the Coast Research & Development
Tel: (425) 204-7744 Fax: (425) 204-5836

_Magic: The Gathering_(R) Rulings & Errata
A Summary of Recent Rulings
June 2004
Compiled by the _Magic_(R) Rules Team

ERRATA -- ORACLE WORDING CHANGES

* Grafted Wargear

Grafted Wargear had an unintuitive interaction with animated artifacts. To
clarify this interaction, the Rules Team has issued errata to Grafted Wargear.
Now, the Wargear always forces the permanent it became unattached from to be
sacrificed, no matter what type the permanent is. Note that Equipment can equip
only creatures, so this interaction comes up only with animated permanents. Its
new wording is as follows:

Grafted Wargear 3 Artifact -- Equipment
Equipped creature gets +3/+2. / Whenever ~ becomes unattached from a
permanent, sacrifice that permanent. / Equip 0 (*)

* Duplicant

When you have Duplicant, Volrath's Shapeshifter, and Death-Mask Duplicant in
the same deck, weird things can happen. We're not going to go into details, but
it involved multiple imprinted cards giving Duplicant multiple values of power
and toughness. For this reason, the Rules Team has come up with an improved
wording for Duplicant. Its new wording is as follows:

Duplicant 6 Artifact Creature -- Shapeshifter
2/4 Imprint -- When ~ comes into play, you may remove target nontoken creature
from the game. (*) / As long as a creature card is imprinted on ~, ~ has the
power, toughness, and creature types of the last creature card imprinted on
it. It's still a Shapeshifter.
-----

ERRATA -- JAPANESE ONLY

* Mycosynth Golem (Japanese)

The Japanese Mycosynth Golem is missing the word "Artifact" from its type line.

The Oracle text of Mycosynth Golem is:
Mycosynth Golem 11 Artifact Creature -- Golem
4/5 Affinity for artifacts (*) Artifact creature spells you play have affinity
for artifacts. (*)
-----

CARD-SPECIFIC RULINGS

* Doubling Cube

Doubling Cube's ability is a mana ability. All activated abilities that add
mana to players' mana pools are mana abilities.
-----

GENERAL RULINGS

* Additional Land Plays

If an effect allows you to play one or more additional lands in a turn, you can
play the land only if you are normally allowed to play land during that turn.
For example, if you play an entwined Journey of Discovery using Vedalken Orrery
during an opponent's turn, you can't play two lands during that turn.
-----

* Skipping All the Steps of a Phase

If all the steps in a phase would be skipped, that phase never happens. Skip
directly to the next phase. This would happen if a player controlled Stasis,
Eon Hub, and Necropotence.
-----

* Sunburst and Copy Cards

To clarify the interaction between Sculpting Steel and artifacts with sunburst,
the Rules Team has modified the rules for sunburst. If Sculpting Steel copies
an artifact creature with sunburst, the copy will get +1/+1 counters based on
the number of different colors of mana used to pay Sculpting Steel's total
cost. If Sculpting Steel copies a noncreature artifact with sunburst, the copy
will get charge counters based on the number of different colors of mana used
to pay Sculpting Steel's total cost. The new rule is as follows:

502.37 Sunburst

502.37a Sunburst is a static ability that functions as an object is coming into
play from the stack. "Sunburst" means "If this permanent is coming into play
from the stack and is a creature, it comes into play with a +1/+1 counter on it
for each color of mana used to pay its cost. If this permanent is coming into
play from the stack and isn't a creature, it comes into play with a charge
counter on it for each color of mana used to pay its cost."
-----

* Multiplayer Rules

The Rules Team is currently working on a draft of an official Magic multiplayer
rules system. We hope to present the first draft to the rules gurus and the
public for feedback in a couple of months.

We know that there are many ways Magic multiplayer games are played, and our
rules may not exactly match any given set of house rules. Our goal is to
provide a logical, stable rules system that all players can use if they want to
(including on Magic Online).
-----

All trademarks, including character names, are property of Wizards of the
Coast, Inc. in the U.S.A. and other countries. (Copr.)2004 Wizards.
------

David DeLaney
(R)
Official Magic: The Gathering Rules Usenet Network Representative for
Wizards of the Coast, Inc.
--
\/David DeLaney posting from dbd@vic.com "It's not the pot that grows the flower
It's not the clock that slows the hour The definition's plain for anyone to see
Love is all it takes to make a family" - R&P. VISUALIZE HAPPYNET VRbeable<BLINK>
http://www.vic.com/~dbd/ - net.legends FAQ & Magic / I WUV you in all CAPS! --K.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.games.trading-cards.magic.rules (More info?)

And a couple of comments and clarifications:

>* Grafted Wargear
>
>Grafted Wargear had an unintuitive interaction with animated artifacts. To
>clarify this interaction, the Rules Team has issued errata to Grafted Wargear.
>Now, the Wargear always forces the permanent it became unattached from to be
>sacrificed, no matter what type the permanent is. Note that Equipment can
>equip only creatures, so this interaction comes up only with animated
>permanents. Its new wording is as follows:
>
>Grafted Wargear 3 Artifact -- Equipment
> Equipped creature gets +3/+2. / Whenever ~ becomes unattached from a
> permanent, sacrifice that permanent. / Equip 0 (*)

Note that this also makes the Wargear _trigger_ whether or not what it's
attached to is still a creature, so it will now trigger if it "falls off"
because what it equips stops being a creature.

>When you have Duplicant, Volrath's Shapeshifter, and Death-Mask Duplicant in
>the same deck, weird things can happen. We're not going to go into details, but
>it involved multiple imprinted cards giving Duplicant multiple values of power
>and toughness.

Not _unhandle-able_, just _weird_. With an extension of the split-card rules
there were actually consistent answers... but the answers were weird enough
to be Non-Intuitive To Players.

>* Doubling Cube
>
>Doubling Cube's ability is a mana ability. All activated abilities that

could

>add mana to players' mana pools are mana abilities.

>GENERAL RULINGS
>
>* Additional Land Plays
>
>If an effect allows you to play one or more additional lands in a turn, you can
>play the land only if you are normally allowed to play land during that turn.
>For example, if you play an entwined Journey of Discovery using Vedalken Orrery
>during an opponent's turn, you can't play two lands during that turn.

In other words: the rules tell you you -can- play lands during your own Main
phase when the stack is empty and you have priority. They don't say anything
about when you could play a land on someone else's turn, so stuff that says
"you can play additional lands" on someone else's turn without specifying
doesn't create any particular opportunity or time to -do- so at.

>* Skipping All the Steps of a Phase
>
>If all the steps in a phase would be skipped, that phase never happens. Skip
>directly to the next phase. This would happen if a player controlled Stasis,
>Eon Hub, and Necropotence.

Thanks to Ingo for bringing this to our attention in combination with 300.1 -
the "each of these take place every turn, even if nothing happens during the
phase" is for phases or steps in which everyone is just passing ... it is
not meant to imply that Beginning phase exists independently of any of its
component steps.

>* Sunburst and Copy Cards
>
>To clarify the interaction between Sculpting Steel and artifacts with sunburst,
>the Rules Team has modified the rules for sunburst. If Sculpting Steel copies
>an artifact creature with sunburst, the copy will get +1/+1 counters based on
>the number of different colors of mana used to pay Sculpting Steel's total
>cost. If Sculpting Steel copies a noncreature artifact with sunburst, the copy
>will get charge counters based on the number of different colors of mana used
>to pay Sculpting Steel's total cost. The new rule is as follows:
>
>502.37 Sunburst
>
>502.37a Sunburst is a static ability that functions as an object is coming into
>play from the stack. "Sunburst" means "If this permanent is coming into play
>from the stack and is a creature, it comes into play with a +1/+1 counter on it
>for each color of mana used to pay its cost. If this permanent is coming into
>play from the stack and isn't a creature, it comes into play with a charge
>counter on it for each color of mana used to pay its cost."

Note that comes-into-play-with is dealt with -before- you apply continuous
effects ... so effects such as March of the Machines, or Titania's Song, or
a hypothetical continuous effect that made all artifact creatures in play
noncreatures, won't change which -kind- of counters Sunburst gives to a card.
March of the Machines can't make a copy of an animated Clearwater Goblet
get +1/+1 counters, in other words - it gets charge counters just as though
it were a 'real' Goblet. (March of the Machines can't make the 'real' Goblet
come into play with +1/+1 counters either, for that matter.)

Dave
--
\/David DeLaney posting from dbd@vic.com "It's not the pot that grows the flower
It's not the clock that slows the hour The definition's plain for anyone to see
Love is all it takes to make a family" - R&P. VISUALIZE HAPPYNET VRbeable<BLINK>
http://www.vic.com/~dbd/ - net.legends FAQ & Magic / I WUV you in all CAPS! --K.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.games.trading-cards.magic.rules (More info?)

dbd@gatekeeper.vic.com (David DeLaney) wrote in message news:<slrnccfs2a.6tf.dbd@gatekeeper.vic.com>...
> And a couple of comments and clarifications:
>

[snipped]

> >GENERAL RULINGS
> >
> >* Additional Land Plays
> >
> >If an effect allows you to play one or more additional lands in a turn, you can
> >play the land only if you are normally allowed to play land during that turn.
> >For example, if you play an entwined Journey of Discovery using Vedalken Orrery
> >during an opponent's turn, you can't play two lands during that turn.
>
> In other words: the rules tell you you -can- play lands during your own Main
> phase when the stack is empty and you have priority. They don't say anything
> about when you could play a land on someone else's turn, so stuff that says
> "you can play additional lands" on someone else's turn without specifying
> doesn't create any particular opportunity or time to -do- so at.
>
Another thing to point out is that if you play Journey of Discovery
with Entwine as an Instant During Your Own Turn (with Vedalken
Orrery), you must wait until the main phase and the stack is empty to
play your two additional lands.

In other words, if you play it during the beginning phase, you have to
wait until the main phase to play your additional lands. If you play
it in response to one of opponent's spells or abilities, you must wait
for the stack to empty before you play your lands. And if you play it
during the End Phase, you don't get to play your lands period.

[This may give your opponent the opportunity to use discard effects on
you. I think there are one or two discard effects that are allowed
during the opponents turn...]

Is all this correct, Dave? If not, please let me know.

[It would have been easier if you could put the lands into play]

 

[Tim]

Archived from groups: rec.games.trading-cards.magic.rules (More info?)

> * Multiplayer Rules
>
> The Rules Team is currently working on a draft of an official Magic
multiplayer
> rules system. We hope to present the first draft to the rules gurus and
the
> public for feedback in a couple of months.
>
> We know that there are many ways Magic multiplayer games are played, and
our
> rules may not exactly match any given set of house rules. Our goal is to
> provide a logical, stable rules system that all players can use if they
want to
> (including on Magic Online).

Are there group rules already in the public domain? Anyone use / play them
and reccomend them?

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.games.trading-cards.magic.rules (More info?)

"Tim" <XX@nah.com> writes:
> David DeLaney writes:
>> * Multiplayer Rules
>>
>> The Rules Team is currently working on a draft of an official Magic
>> multiplayer rules system. We hope to present the first draft to the
>> rules gurus and the public for feedback in a couple of months.
>>
>> We know that there are many ways Magic multiplayer games are
>> played, and our rules may not exactly match any given set of house
>> rules. Our goal is to provide a logical, stable rules system that
>> all players can use if they want to (including on Magic Online).
>
> Are there group rules already in the public domain? Anyone use /
> play them and reccomend them?

Well, Magic Online describes its multiplayer formats at
http://mtgodownloads.wizards.com/mtgo/webhelp/multiplayer_formats.htm

And the closest thing to official rules is at
http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=magic/rules/multiplayer

Beyond those (and even with those), it's all house rules. Anthony
Alongi wrote about some things to consider when making your house
rules at http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=mtgcom/daily/aa48
(including the you-thought-it-was-simple-but-it-isn't question "What
happens when people die?").

--
Peter C.
"I'll be in my locker shortly."
-- wschudy

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.games.trading-cards.magic.rules (More info?)

Daniel Testa <dancle16@yahoo.com> wrote:
>> In other words: the rules tell you you -can- play lands during your own Main
>> phase when the stack is empty and you have priority. They don't say anything
>> about when you could play a land on someone else's turn, so stuff that says
>> "you can play additional lands" on someone else's turn without specifying
>> doesn't create any particular opportunity or time to -do- so at.
>>
>Another thing to point out is that if you play Journey of Discovery
>with Entwine as an Instant During Your Own Turn (with Vedalken
>Orrery), you must wait until the main phase and the stack is empty to
>play your two additional lands.
>
>In other words, if you play it during the beginning phase, you have to
>wait until the main phase to play your additional lands. If you play
>it in response to one of opponent's spells or abilities, you must wait
>for the stack to empty before you play your lands. And if you play it
>during the End Phase, you don't get to play your lands period.

Yes; these in fact also all apply, with Vedalken Orrery out. Same for Summer
Bloom, of course.

>[This may give your opponent the opportunity to use discard effects on
>you. I think there are one or two discard effects that are allowed
>during the opponents turn...]

Well, with the Orrery out there are suddenly a whole heaping helping of
discard Sorcery spells that are usable on opponent's turn...

Dave
--
\/David DeLaney posting from dbd@vic.com "It's not the pot that grows the flower
It's not the clock that slows the hour The definition's plain for anyone to see
Love is all it takes to make a family" - R&P. VISUALIZE HAPPYNET VRbeable<BLINK>
http://www.vic.com/~dbd/ - net.legends FAQ & Magic / I WUV you in all CAPS! --K.