MTG Magic The Gathering Ask A Judge - 「 T H U R S D A Y '

>>53303304
Do you get paid for being a judge?

>>53303316
Kinda sorta!

I don't get any kind of payment directly from WOTC, but I get paid by TOs and PTOs for running events.

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>>53303304
I want to become a judge. I was wondering, after becoming a level 1 judge what is the most efficient way to move up judge tiers?

>>53303462
Well, to get from L1 to L2, you just need to check off all the items on a checklist before you can test.

1) You need to judge at least 6 sanctioned events in the 6 months preceding your exam. They don't have to be any specific kind, just sanctioned- so doing 2 FNMs a month for 3 months would count.

2) You need a Recommendation Review from judging at a Competitive REL event with an L2 or L3 Judge in the previous 12 months. This is most likely going to be something like Floor Judging at a PPTQ; it's to get a feel for Competitive events, and for the L2 or L3 who was 'in charge' to say whether or not they feel you're ready.

3) You need to enter reviews of two different judges into the Judge Center in the 12 months preceding the exam. This is because being able to give useful feedback is a skill an L2 needs to have.

4) You need to write an article, conference report, or tournament report from a multiple-judge event in the 12 preceding months. This is a combination of "self reflection is a necessary skill" and "work outside of events is expected of L2s".

5) You need to get a 70% or better on an L2 Practice Exam in the 12 months preceding the real test. Data showed us that almost all judges who passed an L2P in the leadup to their real exam passed the real thing on the first try, whereas there was a big correlation between 'did not pass a Practice' and 'did not pass the real thing'. Asking you to gauge yourself with a practice exam lets us know if you're READY for the real thing yet, or if you need some more time.

You also used to have to be an L1 in good standing for 12 months before you could test, but I think they may have removed that. If they did, I'd say the 'most efficient' way is to do some store-level events to get your feet under you, and work with an L2 mentor to get ready for Comp REL, then work a PPTQ with them and write a report about it. That'd knock out 3 entire requirements, and give you half of a fourth.

>>53303547
Thank you for the advice!

>>53303623
Happy to help!

I wouldn't focus on rushing things, though. If L2 is your goal, just... judge. Judge things, learn things, talk to other Judges, and you'll get there when you're ready.

Also, getting from L2 to L3 is a hell of a jump.

Can you use the land you get off shefet monitor's cycling trigger to pay for a drake haven activation?

I have Thermo-Alchemist in play. I tap it to ping

I cast Tormenting Voice, discarding a madness card. Thermo-Alchemist will untap because of the Tormenting Voice cast.

Is there a window between discarding the madness card and paying the madness cost where I can ping with the alchemist?

>>53303647
Correct me if I'm wrong but aren't L3 judges expected to work pretty much anywhere in the US or anywhere in the EU or similar scales?

>>53303647
I not to worried about the time, I love the game and I tend to have to act judge at my LGS as is. So it be nice to have the title to go with it

>>53303688
You can. When you cycle the Monitor, you'll have two triggers that triggered from it- the "Search for a basic land" one, and the "Pay 1 for a Drake" one. They're both yours, so you can stack them as you like, meaning you could have Monitor's resolve first, find your basic land, and then have it available to pay for Drake Haven.

>>53303689
Absolutely. You'll cast Voice, putting it on the stack and paying all the costs, which will include the discard, and this triggers Alchemist. It ALSO shunts the Madness card into exile, and triggers Madness. You can put the Thermo-Alchemist "untap me" trigger above the Madness trigger, let that resolve, tap to ping, then cast the Madness card and probably untap the Alchemist again.

That said, you could also just stack it the OTHER way. Cast your Madness spell, untap Alchemist from that, ping with it, then let the ORIGINAL trigger resolve and untap it again.

>>53303704
Not quite. L4s and L5s were expected to travel a lot because they were the only ones allowed to Head Judge big events like GPs and Pro Tours, but a while back they nixed 4 and 5 and rolled those few judges into 3. Now, L3s can apply for an additional certification for Grand Prix Head Judge to be able to do it. "Regular" L3s aren't expected to travel all over, and as I understand it, the Head Judges are contracted directly from Wizards, so it's not like they're paying all their costs directly out of pocket like the Floor Judges are.

>>53303725
Yeah, if what you're after is just being the designated Judge at your store, L1 is probably plenty. L1s are basically 'store level'.

>>53303756
are you a l1 or l2? Do you do store level or bigger shits?

>>53304144
I'm L2, and have been for about 2 years now. I don't do a ton of actual judging lately, since my local shop closed down, but when I do it's usually regional-level stuff like PPTQs or Grands Prix.

>>53304162
Is it true that if you lose your judge certification you can never be a judge again?

>>53304534
It is not! The main way most people "lose" their certification is by letting it lapse- basically, failing to do the stuff they need to maintain their certification. If that happens, they can always just recertify, though they'll usually have to start from L1 again.

It's possible to get hit with what we call W2L0. It's very rare- basically, you fuck up enough that your certification is suspended or outright revoked. Even then, you have to do something HEINOUS to not only get decertified, but blacklisted entirely.

Newbie question: How does Necropotence works and why is it so powerful?

>>53304800
So, Necropotence makes you skip your draw step, and will make you exile any cards you discard. In exchange for that, it lets you pay 1 life to exile the top card of your library face-down and put it into your hand at the beginning of your next end step. In effect, you can pay 1 life to pseudo-draw a card later in your turn.

It's powerful because winning with 1 life counts exactly as much as winning with 20. Life, like cards and mana, is a resource, and Necropotence lets you leverage that resource. You can drop it on turn 3 and then just pay 10 life on the spot, then end your turn. You 'draw' 10 cards, and keep the best 7 out of those (plus the hand you had). It lets you dig very deep into your deck, very quickly, which is great for combo decks. It's even stronger in formats like EDH, where you have twice as much life to play with.

>>53304847
Thanks for the explanation!

Does Protection recognize "colorless" such that "Protecton from colorless" works just like protection from colors?

>>53307218
Sure. Protection from Colorless would mean that the thing couldn't be Damaged, Enchanted/Equipped/Fortified, BLocked, or Targeted by any colorless spells, creatures, or abilities from colorless sources.

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What happens if my opponent casts an Ulamog, and as response, I spin Marvel and cast Gideon's Intervention naming Ulamog?

My guess is that since it is already on the stack, the Ulamog gets casted as normal and I only avoid the damage.

Is this correct or does it work as a pseudo counter?

>>53307529
By the time you can respond, his spell has been cast- it's on the stack, and has been paid for. Dropping Intervention in response won't do anything, because it's already been cast. It'll still resolve, it'll still exile permanents, and it'll still mill you when it swings, it just won't be able to damage you.

>>53307529
or, it could be that the Intervention resolves, and it is then when I name the card, much like pithing needle. Therefore, the Ulamog would be casted as normal, and I would THEN name Ulamog, right?

>>53307562
all right, thanks

>>53307563
You don't name the card until it resolves, you're right, but by the time that happens Ulamog is already cast. It'd be like casting a Fog after combat damage already happened- you can't "prevent" an event after it's occurred.

>>53307412
Thanks!

Bit of a newbie question, but what happens when I Warp World into a Clone, Copy Enchantment, Clever Impersenator, etc. What, if anything, do I get to copy?

Similarly, if I Warp World into a Pithing Needle, assuming I am the active player in a 4-player game, when do I get to name a card?

Thanks for all your help!

>>53303304
If someone cast Rise from the Grave and I respond to it with Scarab Feast to exile the target they are trying to revive their revival just fizzles right?

>>53310279
Generally, jack shit. All the non-enchantments enter at the same time, and immediately before that happens the board should be totally clear of permanents. That means that your Clone won't have anything -to- copy, because there's nothing on the battlefield AS it enters. It can't copy things it comes in with. Copy Enchantment could feasibly copy an Enchantment Creature that came down before it, but otherwise is also a whiff.

>Needle
Everyone would reveal their N cards at once, then put them out at once. This is where you'd name a color for Voice of All, or designate a card for Pithing Needle. By the time you're naming it, you 'know' what everyone else got, so you can pick one of those to blank.

And happy to help! Thank YOU for having questions, or I wouldn't have much to do.

>>53310383
Correct. Rise has exactly one target, and if that target is not legal as the spell begins to resolve, the whole spell is countered by the game's rules and none of its effects happen.

I've asked this question before a long time ago and saved your answer on my phone, but it got wiped and for the life of me, I still have a lot of trouble resolving this issue.

So, anyways, if you don't mind explaining again, how do Knowledge Pool and Possibility Storm interact? Assuming I control both triggers, if my opponent casts a spell from their hand, how should I stack the triggers?

>>53311120
Assuming you control both of those permanents, you'll always be the one stacking the triggers to your liking, no matter who cast the spell.

>OPTION ONE: Pool resolves first
Pool will eat the spell, and let them cast another nonland card currently in the Pool. Then Storm's trigger resolves, and tries to eat the spell; it can't, because the spell is gone. There's no 'if you do' clause here, so it'll just shrug and move onto the "Exile cards from the top of his or her library" bit, wheeling until it hits a card with the same type, and then lets the player cast that for free. So the caster would get a spell off of Pool AND off of Storm.

>OPTION TWO: Storm resolves first
Storm eats the spell and wheels until it hits something that shares a type, then lets the controller cast that for free. Pool's trigger goes to eat the spell that triggered it and fails, because it's no longer on the stack. The "if the player does" clause was not met, so they won't get something out of the pool. They get something from Storm, but nothing from Pool.

So basically, you get to double up your own spells (by pulling from Pool AND your library), while denying anyone else access to the Pool spells, if you so choose. You can also choose to let them get something out of the Pool, if you really want their spell in there for yourself.

>>53303323
How much would a store pay to judge an FNM-tier event?

>>53312300
It varies from store to store. Some places just EMPLOY a Judge in the store itself, so they make their hourly wage while running the event. Some places will just let you play in the event for free in exchange for judging it. Some places compensate "per player"- giving the judge some set amount of compensation per player in the event, so it scales with how many people are there. Some pay a flat amount.

Usually, for FNM level stuff, I'll say "Cover my entry fee and buy me a meal". So grab me a burger and fries when you make your own dinner run, and comp my 5 dollar entry fee, and we're good.

Negotiating pay with the TOs you work with is something we help new judges learn. My Alpha Lesson for that: Never. Work. For free.

My opponent has 3 artifacts, 1 of which is a spellskite. I have a fiery confluence and want to destroy his artifacts. If I target the spellskite with one of the modes of fiery confluence, can my opponent still redirect the other 2 instances of shatter onto his spellskite?

Thank you in advance.

If I have Kazuul on the field and my opponent attacks with three creatures does his ability trigger 3 times?

>>53316211
They can, because your Confluence effectively says "Destroy target artifact, destroy target artifact, destroy target artifact". Since it says 'target' three times, it can target the same artifact more than once, so they can absolutely steal the other 'targets'.

>>53316245
Yes. If it were meant to only trigger once no matter how many they attack with, it'd be something like "Whenever your opponent attacks with one or more creatures" or something.

is magus of the coffers ability mana ability?

>>53316335
it is! An activated ability is a mana ability if it meets all of these criteria:

1) Is NOT a Loyalty ability (sorry Koth)
2) Does NOT target (Sorry, Deathrite Shaman)
3) Could add mana to a mana pool as it resolves

Magus' ability isn't a loyalty ability, doesn't target, and could add mana to a mana pool as it resolves.

Guys if I exile Emrakul from my hand for Forsaken city does my graveyard get shuffled back? Sorry for a noob question.

>>53316358
Just a quick clarification, choosing isn't the same as targeting right? So Spectral Searchlight is still a mana ability?

>>53318218
yes, choosing is NOT targeting

>>53318082
no

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So my opponent blocks two creatures with pic related, one a 2/2 and the other a 3/3 with trample. Now we get to damage and he assigns 2 to the 2/2. Can I say the 2/2 assigns 2 to his duelists and my 3/3 tramples over for 3?

>>53319339
It isn't a band, treat it as two separate instances of combat. The duelist deals 2 to both, and the 3/3 has to assign lethal just like the 2/2 did.

>>53320346
What? The duelist choose which creature to assign it's 2 damage, it does not deals 2 to both.

>>53319339
You can totally assign 2 damage first then the 3 trample goes through.

>>53303304
If I goto attack with glistener elf, and in response to attackers oppenannt declares a blocker, since he's declared his blocker. Is it too late to dismember to attempt to swing through and hit for infect? Am I pressured into assuming he'll block, so I'm forced to dismember prior to designate blockers step? If I want to hit directly, say, in the case of only one possible defender.

>>53318082
It doesn't. Exile is a whole other zone from your graveyard, and Emmy only triggers when she goes to the graveyard.

>>53318218
Right. The only time something targets without explicitly using the word "TARGET" on the card is if it's baked into the rules for a keyword (like for Equip, or Aura spells)

>>53319339
Yep! At the time you're assigning damage, you can have your 2/2 assign lethal to the blocker, and the 3/3 can go over the Duelist. It'll 'see' the other damage you're assigning from your 2/2, and be able to trample.

>>53320346
That's not remotely correct.

>>53321678
Your opponent can't block "in response". Magic isn't a game of reflexes. After you attack, you'll have priority to cast spells, so you can pre-emptively Dismember their one creature so it can't block. What you CAN'T do is say "Swing with Elf. Blocks?", wait to see what they do, and then say "Well, if you wanna block with that, kill it before you can". You can't try to bait them for info, but they also can't just immediately block before you get a chance to kill a potential blocker.

>>53314161
During low level events like FNM is a judge allowed to make a ruling judgement on a game he himself is playing?

>>53321938
Technically speaking, we kinda HAVE to if we're the only Judge for the event. It used to be that we weren't allowed to play and judge at all, but that got changed a few years back to let us play and judge in lower-stakes things. The logic behind that is, you should be able to trust us. That, and if you abuse your power to cheat, you'll get decertified and suspended so fast your head will spin.

Even then, some shops will have a sort of "standby" judge for things like this- the 'main' judge will handle calls while they play, but they'll ask their standby judge to handle things in their own game as a show of good faith to the players.

My friend was at a pre release event and claims that in the last round, two players agreed a draw so they would both be in the top and get more prizes, and the judge at the event said it was fine. Is he right? Because that sounds like it's collusion.

>>53322073
It's not collusion. Both players agreeing to draw because it's advantageous for them is a very common thing- for example, you'll frequently see the top 4 players in the last round of a PPTQ just agree to draw, since they know they're locked for the Top 8 anyway and would rather spend that hour getting a bite to eat.

What crosses the line is when something is OFFERED or REQUESTED in exchange for a specific match result. "If you draw to me, I'll give you one of my prize packs" is Bribery, and is super not okay. "I'll scoop you into the Top 8 for 50 bucks" is Bribery, and super not okay. "Hey- we're both a lock for Top 8 either way. Wanna just draw and go get tacos?" is fine, because you're not offering anything in exchange for a match result, or offering a match result in exchange for something else.

>>53316358
This got me thinking, is the "could add mana as it resolves" thing checked in the same way as Equinox's "could destroy a land?"

>>53322169
Not quite. Equinox basically asks "hey, if you resolved, would you directly destroy a land?". The check for mana abilities is "Could you reasonably add mana to a mana pool in SOME circumstance?"

For example, Nykthos' second ability is always a mana ability, even if your devotion to all colors is 0. Because it COULD add mana to a mana pool under some conditions- just not these.

>>53322257
Interesting, thanks!

>>53316328
If Spellskite can redirect Confluence, can it also redirect instances of Kommand that don't target it? For instance, Shock your Noble Hierarch and Shatter your Spellskite.

>>53323051
Yes, for the same reason. Kocakola's Command with those modes COULD target the same thing twice, if that thing was an Artifact Creature. So Spellskite can steal the Shock aimed elsewhere onto itself.

>>53323076
Remind me, what happens when a skite tries to redirect a 'target player' to itself like k-command's discard mode?

>>53323308
The same thing that happens when you cast Mind Rot on a hellbent opponent. It tries to perform that instruction, literally cannot, shrugs, and moves on. The ability still resolves, it just does fuck-all.

That's why I dislike Spellskite a lot, as a Judge. Because I'll get players asking "Hey Judge, can I activate Spellskite targeting Thoughtseize?" and the only answer I'm ALLOWED to give you is "Yes".

>>53322092
But "Hey- we're both a lock for Top 8 either way. Wanna just draw and go get tacos? Lunch is on me." would constitute bribery, due to the implication of "I'll buy you food if you draw to me."?

>>53324979
Right. If that stopped at "Wanna just draw and go get tacos?", we're 100% fine.

>>53325050
On a related topic, what's the acceptability of making wagers during or at an event?
Say, A suggests to B "We're going to lunch after this, yeah? Loser buys the tacos, deal?", is that something a Judge cares about?

>>53326063
Technically, yeah. Any kind of 'betting' on the tournament is something we have to come down on with an iron fist, even if it's something as stupid as that. That's something we can't get out of, because if we don't enforce it like a MOTHERFUCKER, legal problems happen.

What, if anything, do you think could be done to make Dark Ritual less confusing to new players and avoid the misunderstanding of "It makes three swamps"?

>>53329038
I'm not sure anything can be done beyond putting reminder text on it.

>>53326159
What about "let's grab lunch after this, winner gets to pick where"?

>>53330775
Eh, that's probably fine. I might step in and advise them to avoid saying things like that just to be safe, though.

>>53330801
Galestrike needs the creature to stay tapped when it resolves right?
Like if you cycle the blue Vizier to untap the creature, the Galestrike fizzles due to illegal target?

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Is your name a homestuck reference?

>>53330952
The target is "target tapped creature". It needs to be tapped when you cast Galestrike, and again as Galestrike resolves. It can become untapped inbetween, so long as it's tapped again as Galestrike resolves.

If someone untapped Galestrike's target in response to Galestrike, it would fizzle and none of its effects would happen- including drawing a card.

>>53331040
Started as one, yeah. I stopped reading it years ago, though.

Both me and my opponent have 2 life and a stalking vengeance on the battlefield, it is my combat phase I assign a 2/2 attacker and he assigns a 2/2 blocker. We trade 2/2's and now whose trigger goes off first killing the other, or does it result in a draw?

>>53331763
Your trigger will go onto the stack first, because you are the Active Player. Then your opponent, the Non-Active Player, will put their trigger onto the stack. Theirs will resolve first, kill you, and end the game as soon as SBAs are checked. Your trigger never even begins to resolve.

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I cast Burning Inquiry with Flameblade Adept on the field. What is it's p/t after resolution?

>>53331895
4/2. It'll see that you discarded 3 cards, and trigger 3 times.

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>>53331895
assuming no other discarding or cycling this turn, it will be a 4/2 as it has seen three instances of 'discard a card' from Inquiry. remember that Adept says whenever you not whenever a player

>>53331964
Excellent.

If I'm reading the rules right, you can't use Devoted Druid's untap ability with Melira on your field because an effect says you CAN'T put -1/-1 counters on your creatures, preventing you from paying the cost, whereas Vizier of Remedies replacement effect obviates the cost, but doesn't actually prevent you from activating the ability, as no effect says you can't place the counter and thus pay the cost.

Is that correct?

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If there is an ulamog in the field and I cast clone targeting it. Can I destroy a permanent with my ulamog clone?

>>53335102
Nope, you casted a clone, not an ulamog

>>53321893
>Right. The only time something targets without explicitly using the word "TARGET" on the card is if it's baked into the rules for a keyword (like for Equip, or Aura spells)
I know that it's a different case if you the aura ETBs without being cast, a trick which lets you pacify bogles via bound in silence with rebels, but i'm curious as to WHY? Is the targeting inherent to auras only done while being cast, and if so, what lets you slap that on whatever without targeting?

>>53335102
No because ulamog triggers on cast, and you're casting a clone not an ulamog.

If it were an ETB trigger it'd work, but this example no.

>>53335344
Mostly because an aura that enters the battlefield and then enchants something would be swept away by SBA's before the "enchant this thing" could happen. So instead it just instantly comes in glommed onto something. Being able to enchant a shroud/hexproof creature is an unintended side effect, but one wizards has deemed acceptable because of how many other headaches it avoids.

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What am I supposed to do when a judge is wrong/lying possibly to help his friend during a FNM?
I'm fairly new to magic and I went to a card shop the other week and it was fairly obvious there were some cliques between the players there.
I was playing against another newer player using one of his friend's (the store's only judge) decks. He played a planeswalker (can't remember which) and I used Cast Out on it. He told me I wasn't allowed to do that because "planeswalkers aren't permanents, they are players."
Even I knew that was a load of bullshit but I didn't have my phone to google it, so I called over the judge to have him explain, but the judge sided with his friend. I tried explaining the situation to the store owner, but he told me he doesn't know magic since its primarily a sports card shop. And whatever the judge said goes.

Sorry for the long story, but what the actual fuck am I supposed to do? Besides never visiting that card shop again obviously.
Is there some way to report him to whoever is in charge of making people judges? Because this almost killed my interest in magic altogether.

>>53335409
>literally the reason cast out was printed
>cunts say it cant target walkers
either they were fucking with you hard or were genuine fuckers

>>53335409
If you'll never visit the store anymore, i'm sure there's a report store/judge website somewhere. Wait till gA replied, he knows better.

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can a swerve change the target of the cast trigger of an artisan of kozilek?

>>53335809
No. Artisan's effect is a triggered ability, not a spell.

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Hi gA!
Another weird scenario that came to my mind. Let's say I play Crypt Rats and I float 12 black mana.
If I pay 12, and my enemy stifles the ability or uses a CoP:black, I guess I'm screwed.

Can I pay 1, give my opponent the priority and then get it back and pay 1 more before the resolution (and the rats' death), and repeat this 10 other times? My thinking would be that a stifle effect would only counter 1 of the 12 activations, or that a CoP would have to activated 12 times.

Do I have the priority thing right here? Am I right about the number of CoP activations?

Extra question: let's say my opponent lets one activation of the rats resolve, and only then decides to use CoP, once the rats are dead. Can he? is the "black source of [his] choice" the rats or the stacked ability? cry

>>53335409
If he was a real judge, there's an anonymous feedback form you can use to report shit like that. I'm sure gA will drop the link (I don't have it in hand) when he sees the thread. If he's not an actual judge then there's not much you can do other than don't go back.

>>53338027
You are correct, you can pay one black mana to crypt rats, hold priority, pay another black mana, hold, and do that so you have 12 instances of "do 1 damage" on the stack instead of one instance of "do 12 damage". You retain priority until you pass it, so you can put them all on before he can respond in any way and he'll need to pay CoP for each copy of the ability.

Once the first rats activation resolves and kills the crypt rats, I believe your opponent can CoP the rest - The activated ability is colorless yes, but it came from a black source (since it's no longer on the battlefield we use LKI) and he can block those as well if he pays for them.

>>53338027
One minor nitpick I just caught. You get priority back immediately after each activation, it doesn't default go to your opponent. So if you ever pass prio and he passes back, the most recent crypt rats activation will resolve (and kill the rats so you can't activate it any more)

That's why I said you have to put all 12 activations on the stack FIRST, then he can respond to each one as it's about to resolve.

>>53338693
>>53338661
OK, I get it. thanks!

>>53334452
Correct. Melira says you can't put counters on your stuff, so you can't pay the cost. Vizier just turns "Put a counter" into "put no counters", so you can pay the cost- it just turns into something else as you're paying it.

>>53335102
Clone doesn't target anything. And also no- you didn't cast an Ulamog, you cast a Clone. Clone won't be an Ulamog until it's entering the battlefield, which is well after a "When you cast" trigger would happen.

>>53335344
Because the rules for Auras say they only target when cast. If you're just throwing one directly onto the field without using the stack, it just enters attached to something it can legally be attached to.

>>53335809
It cannot. Artisan, the SPELL, does not target anything. Artisan's TRIGGER targets things, and Swerve can only target spells

.>>53338027
You can't give your opponent priority and then activate it again 'before resolution'. Once you pass priority to your opponent and they pass back, the ability resolves. What you want to do is say "Activate Crypt Rat, hold priority, activate it again, repeat until I've activated it 12 times". That'll give you 12 activations for 1 damage each (rather than 1 activation for 12), so a single Stifle would only stop 1 damage, as would a single COP activation.

>extra bit
If you activate it and pass priority, and your opponent passes back, the ability resolves. Everything takes 1 damage, including the Rat, and they do not have a chance to activate COP, because the ability is resolving. They'd have to use COP when you first pass priority to them.

>>53338693
Slighter nitpick: you don't actually get priority back by default. That's how it is in the CR, but the MTR says the opposite- after adding an object to the stack, a player is assumed to be passing priority unless they explicitly retain it.

>>53335409
So, technically if a Judge gives you a ruling you disagree with, you can ask to appeal. This is primarily for multi-judge events, because the Appeal means that you'd like to get a ruling from the Head Judge (who might overturn the Flood Judge's ruling), but it's worth asking even if there's one judge, so you can explain why you think their ruling is incorrect. If they stand firm, there's not much you can do right then- the Head Judge's word is law. All you can do is finish out the game and then go ask to talk to them (politely!) afterwards about why you think they were wrong (or I suppose, another day, if you didn't have your phone to look things up). Judges are human- we make mistakes. Sometimes those mistakes cost players a game.

If you think the Judge is grossly mistaken, but not malicious, it's worth talking to them about it, or talking to the owner and saying that the Judge is making incorrect rulings that are disrupting games. If you think the Judge knows better and is intentionally giving incorrect rulings to help their friends, you need to talk to the owner and tell them that, because that could cause the owner to lose their sanctioning. If this is an actual certified Judge (IE, an L1+ judge in the program, rather than 'the local rules guy who judges events'), you should also contact your region's Regional Coordinator to file a complaint, and/or give feedback via the Judge Feedback Form so it gets passed up along the chain that this judge is doing scummy shit.

>>53339999
I am fairly certain he is a certified judge. I'm not sure if its worth complaining about now since it happened like 2 weeks ago and I doubt anyone besides me remembers. (Didn't know these threads existed until last night) I'll definitely talk to both him and the owner if I go back there and see that shit happening again. Though I'd really rather just go to a different card shop.

I didn't really like the guy to begin with so its entirely possible I'm just thinking the worst of him, but the whole situation seemed kinda sketchy.

Thanks for the advice though
Also nice digits

Is there a situation where rule 400.3 applied?

400.3: If an object would go to any library, graveyard, or hand other than its owner's, it goes to its owner's corresponding zone.

Hi gA, if I control Baral, Chief of Compliance, and cast Open into Wonder, does the 'sorcery spells you cost cost one less' mean I can pay for one of the X cost with that? Or can reductions not contribute towards X costs?

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How do Phantom creatures work with something like Glorious Anthem?

Do they just become 'normal' creatures when they have no counters?

>>53343236
If you have an anthem on the field and it has no counters, it would be a 3/1. Without the anthem it would be dead

>>53343268
What if I can't remove the counters anymore (because they're all gone)? Does it just never die so long as it has the external buff?

>>53343325
Not from damage at least

>10/4/2004: The damage prevention ability works even if it has no counters, as long as some effect keeps its toughness above zero.

>>53341929
I'd advise that you talk to him and find out if it was an honest mistake, or if you really do suspect that it was something shady. Even if you plan on never going back, it needs to be reported- that's not the kind of behavior we want to permit.

>>53342774
There are, but I can't think of it off-hand. I'd have to look it up, because I know it was recently discussed in my regional Slack.

>>53342942
Yep! X is not "what you pay", X is "What you say". You declare the value of X, and sub that in everywhere there -was- an X. So say you want X=4. That means you plug "4" in for the X in both places, so the cost is 4UU and it targets 4 target creatures. When you go to toal up costs, it starts at 4UU, but Baral makes it 1 cheaper, so now it costs 3UU.

>>53343236
Even better- the prevention isn't contingent on removing a counter. If you use an Anthem to keep them alive, any time damage tries to hit them, it'll be prevented. The effect will also TRY to remove a counter and fail, since it has none, but that's like casting Doom Blade on a Darksteel Myr- it's legal, it just doesn't DO anything.

>>53341929
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSccIfjzcQ8Q_CuxKYjpuznesTQ46g5n5lhGSmp5FWe_hPy3CA/viewform

That's the Judge Feedback Form. You can use that to report what happened (even if you decide not to talk to the Judge, you can just put what happened and say you're not sure if it was a mistake, or the Judge lying for their friend- either way it needs to be addressed). It'll go to the appropriate people and you can stay wholly anonymous.

https://blogs.magicjudges.org/contact/contact-a-regional-coordinator/

That's the form to contact your area's Regional Coordinator, a Level 3 Judge in charge of coordinating all the goings-on in the region. If they've got a rogue judge breaking rules, they'll want to know about it.

How do the expertise spells work with SBA and the stack?

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How would the interaction between "vizier of remedies" and "nest of scarabs" interact when a single, double, or triple -1/-1 counter is applied?

>>53349040
whose Vizier and whose Nest?

>>53349171
example, I have both vizier and nest on the field, and lets say I play a "baleful ammit" applying the -1/-1 to itself, vizier removes that one counter on the stack, but does it still count as applying a -1/-1 and creating a 1/1 insect token?

>>53349676
you put no counter so you wont get any insect token.

If I attack with my copperhorn scout and other creatures, do the other creatures end up tapped after combat or do they get untapped? More generally, when do creatures tap because they are attacking, and when does copperhorn scout's ability activate?

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Can I cast this for its surge cost on my opponent turn if I counter some of his stuff? Or I'm bound to only Suge it on my turn due to the fact it's a sorcery?

>>53350000
checked

>>53352736
I'm pretty sure it only changes the cost and doesn't change the moment in which you can cast it.
You just have to counter your opponents' instants during your turn.

>>53353150
Ok, thanks.

>>53349676
>vizier of remedies
Vizier's ability is a replacement effect, so no token is put at all. If it were "everytime you put -1/-1 counters on a creature, remove one of those counters" then you'd put and then remove the counter and get a scarab. But that phrasing may also kill a creature with toughness 1 in that short time in which it has the counter.

>double, or triple -1/-1 counter
Same goes for multiple counters, if a creature requires that you put X counters somewhere, you actually put X-1 of them, and would get only X-1 insect tokens.
at least that's what I understand, I'm not a judge[\spoiler]

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I have a question surronding Horobi's ability

Let us say I use Cauldron of Souls with Horobi out, will Horobi then blow up creatures permanently or do they come back with a -1/-1 counter on them?

Also another question if someone decides to target a creature with an exile effect like Swords while Horobi is out. Will that creature just blow and go the yard or exile?

>>53354402
Horobi's trigger will be on top of whatever the target spell/ability and resolve first.
1. no persist
2. destroyed, no exile, no lifegain

>>53354605
Thank you

>>53350627
1. untapped
2. You decide attackers and tap them (unless they have vigilance) at the beginning of declare attack phase. Every whenever creature attacks trigger are then put onto the stack afterwards.