_Scars of Mirrodin_(TM) Frequently Asked Questions Compiled by Matt Tabak and Mark L. Gottlieb, with contributions from Laurie Cheers, Jeff Jordan, Lee Sharpe, Eli Shiffrin, and Thijs van Ommen Document last modified September 23, 2010 An FAQ is a collection of clarifications and rulings involving the cards in a new _Magic: The Gathering_(R) set. It's intended to make playing with these new cards more fun by clearing up the common misconceptions and confusion inevitably caused by new mechanics and interactions. As future sets are released, updates to the _Magic_(TM) rules may cause some of this information to become outdated. If you can't find the answer you're looking for here, please contact us at. This FAQ has two sections, each of which serves a different purpose. The first section ("General Notes") explains the new mechanics and concepts in the set. The second section ("Card-Specific Notes") contains answers to the most important, most common, and most confusing questions players might ask about cards in the set. Items in the "Card-Specific Notes" section include full card text for your reference. Not all cards in the set are listed. ----- GENERAL NOTES ***Release Information*** The _Scars of Mirrodin_ set contains 249 cards (101 common, 60 uncommon, 53 rare, 15 mythic rare, and 20 basic land). Prerelease events: September 25-26, 2010 Launch Parties: October 1-3, 2010 The _Scars of Mirrodin_ set becomes legal for sanctioned Constructed play on its official release date: Friday, October 1, 2010. -- At that time, the following card sets will be permitted in the Standard format: _Zendikar_(TM), _Worldwake_(TM), _Rise of the Eldrazi_(TM), _Magic 2011_, and _Scars of Mirrodin_. Go to to find an event or store near you. Go to for a complete list of formats and permitted card sets. ----- ***Mirran and Phyrexian Factions*** The native Mirrans and the invading Phyrexians are battling for control of Mirrodin. Each _Scars of Mirrodin_ card (except planeswalkers and basic lands) has an identifying insignia in its text box that shows which of these two factions it belongs to. (The Mirran insignia looks like a segmented ring. The Phyrexian insignia looks like a circle with a slash through it.) Faction insignias have no effect on game play. ***Returning Theme: -1/-1 Counters*** Many cards in the _Scars of Mirrodin_ set put -1/-1 counters on creatures or care about -1/-1 counters in other ways. Infect appears only on cards from the Phyrexian faction. Carnifex Demon 4BBCreature -- Demon6/6FlyingCarnifex Demon enters the battlefield with two -1/-1 counters on it.B, Remove a -1/-1 counter from Carnifex Demon: Put a -1/-1 counter on each other creature. For the most part, -1/-1 counters work a lot like +1/+1 counters. For example, Carnifex Demon enters the battlefield as a 4/4 creature, because it's a 6/6 creature with two -1/-1 counters on it. Working with negative numbers can have some tricky ramifications, though. * A creature with -1/-1 counters on it may have 0 or less toughness. That creature is put into its owner's graveyard as a state-based action. Regeneration can't prevent this. This happens even if the creature is indestructible. * A creature with -1/-1 counters on it may have 0 or less power. If so, it deals no damage in combat. If the effect of a spell or ability would change that creature's power, its actual negative power is used in the calculation. For example, a -2/2 creature that gets +3/+3 will end up as a 1/5 creature. * If an effect of a spell or ability would do something else based on the power of a creature with 0 or less power (such as allows a player to draw that many cards), the effect will use 0 instead. * If a permanent has at least one +1/+1 counter and at least one -1/-1 counter on it, remove as many pairs of +1/+1 and -1/-1 counters from it as you can. This is done as a state-based action. ***Returning Theme: Poison Counters*** Although a small number cards in previous _Magic_ sets have used poison counters, the _Scars of Mirrodin_ set features poison counters as a prominent Phyrexian strategy. Relic Putrescence2BEnchantment -- AuraEnchant artifactWhenever enchanted artifact becomes tapped, its controller gets a poison counter. * Poison counters are the only kind of counters that a player can get. (Usually, counters are put on permanents.) Keep careful track of how many poison counters each player has. You may do so by keeping a running count on paper, by using a die, by having that player accumulate a number of items that represent poison counters (such as the poison counters found in many _Scars of Mirrodin_ booster packs), or by any other clear and mutually agreeable method. * A player who has ten or more poison counters loses the game. This is a state-based action. * No _Scars of Mirrodin_ cards enable a player to lose poison counters. (Only one card in the entire game -- the _Homelands_(TM) card Leeches -- allows this to happen.) Unless you're playing a format in which Leeches is legal, once a player gets a poison counter, he or she will have it for the rest of the game. ***New Keyword Ability: Infect*** Infect is an ability that changes the nature of damage dealt to players and creatures. Only cards from the Phyrexian faction have infect. Blight Mamba 1G Creature –- Snake 1/1 Infect (This creature deals damage to creatures in the form of -1/-1 counters and to players in the form of poison counters.) 1G: Regenerate Blight Mamba The official rules for damage dealt to players and creatures are as follows: 119.3a Damage dealt to a player by a source without infect causes that player to lose that much life. 119.3b Damage dealt to a player by a source with infect causes that player to get that many poison counters. 119.3d Damage dealt to a creature by a source with wither and/or infect causes that many -1/-1 counters to be put on that creature. 119.3e Damage dealt to a creature by a source with neither wither nor infect causes that much damage to be marked on that creature. The official rules for infect are as follows: 702.87. Infect 702.87a Infect is a static ability. 702.87b Damage dealt to a creature by a source with infect isn't marked on that creature. Rather, it causes that many -1/-1 counters to be put on that creature. See rule 119.3. 702.87c Damage dealt to a player by a source with infect doesn't cause that player to lose life. Rather, it causes the player to get that many poison counters. See rule 119.3. 702.87d If a permanent leaves the battlefield before an effect causes it to deal damage, its last known information is used to determine whether it had infect. 702.87e The infect rules function no matter what zone an object with infect deals damage from. 702.87f Multiple instances of infect on the same object are redundant. * Infect's effect applies to any damage, not just combat damage. * The -1/-1 counters remain on the creature indefinitely. They're not removed if the creature regenerates or the turn ends. * Damage from a source with infect is damage in all respects. If the source with infect also has lifelink, damage dealt by that source also causes its controller to gain that much life. Damage from a source with infect can be prevented or redirected. Abilities that trigger on damage being dealt will trigger if a source with infect deals damage, if appropriate. * If damage from a source with infect that would be dealt to a player is prevented, that player doesn't get poison counters. If damage from a source with infect that would be dealt to a creature is prevented, that creature doesn't get -1/-1 counters. * Damage from a source with infect affects planeswalkers normally. ***Returning Ability Word: Imprint*** Though originally printed in the _Mirrodin_ block as a keyword, imprint is now an ability word. It appears in italics at the beginning of abilities, calling attention to permanents that exile other cards and then use the exiled cards' characteristics to define their other abilities. (An ability word has no rules meaning.) Imprint appears only on cards from the Mirran faction. Semblance Anvil 3 Artifact Imprint -- When Semblance Anvil enters the battlefield, you may exile a nonland card from your hand.Spells you cast that share a card type with the exiled card cost 2 less to cast. * Each permanent with an imprint ability also has an ability that refers to the "exiled card(s)." These two abilities are linked. The second ability refers only to cards exiled as a result of the imprint ability, not by any other ability. * A permanent with an imprint ability might not have an exiled card for its linked ability to refer to. This might happen if all cards exiled by the imprint ability have left the exile zone, if you chose not to exile a card with an optional imprint ability, or if the imprint ability failed to exile a card because it was countered, among other reasons. In such a case, the values of the exiled card called for by the linked ability are undefined. That ability has as much of its effect as possible, but may be unable to have any effect at all. * If a permanent with an imprint ability leaves the battlefield and then returns to the battlefield, it is a new object. It has no association with any cards it exiled during its previous existence. ***New Ability Word: Metalcraft*** Metalcraft is an ability word. It appears in italics at the beginning of abilities that improve if you control three or more artifacts. (An ability word has no rules meaning.) Metalcraft appears only on cards from the Mirran faction. Galvanic BlastRInstant Galvanic Blast deals 2 damage to target creature or player.Metalcraft -- Galvanic Blast deals 4 damage to that creature or player instead if you control three or more artifacts. Auriok Sunchaser 1W Creature –- Human Soldier 1/1 Metalcraft -– As long as you control three or more artifacts, Auriok Sunchaser gets +2/+2 and has flying. * Some metalcraft abilities that appear on instants and sorceries use the word "instead." These spells have an upgraded effect if you control three or more artifacts at the time they resolve. For these, you only get the upgraded effect, not both effects. * Metalcraft abilities of instants and sorceries that don't use the word "instead" will provide an additional effect if you control three or more artifacts at the time they resolve. * Some metalcraft abilities are activated abilities of permanents. To activate such an ability, you must control three or more artifacts at the time of the activation. The ability will resolve as normal even if you no longer control three or more artifacts as it resolves. * Some metalcraft abilities are static abilities. These abilities constantly check whether or not you control three or more artifacts to see if the bonus applies. With one exception (see the "Stoic Rebuttal" entry in the Card-Specific Notes section), these abilities function only on the battlefield. * A creature with a static metalcraft ability that increases its toughness, such as Auriok Sunchaser, loses that bonus as soon as its controller controls fewer than three artifacts. If damage marked on that creature is greater than or equal to its toughness after the metalcraft ability stops applying, the creature is destroyed and put into its owner's graveyard as a state-based action. * Triggered metalcraft abilities include an intervening "if" clause. You must control three or more artifacts at the appropriate time in order for these abilities to trigger, otherwise they do nothing. The game will check again as these abilities resolve. If you don't control three or more artifacts at that time, these abilities will do nothing. * Some metalcraft abilities appear on artifacts. Since you already control that artifact, you need to control only two others for the ability to work. ***New Keyword Action: Proliferate*** Proliferate is a keyword action that appears on Phyrexian cards. It allows you to add another counter to each player and/or permanent that already has one. Throne of Geth2Artifact T, Sacrifice an artifact: Proliferate. (You choose any number of permanents and/or players with counters on them, then give each another counter of a kind already there.) The official rules for proliferate are as follows: 701.23. Proliferate 701.23a To proliferate, choose any number of permanents with one or more counters on them, and choose any number of players with one or more counters. For each permanent chosen this way, choose a counter on that permanent, then put another of those counters on it. For each player chosen this way, choose a counter that player has, then he or she gets another of those counters. * You can choose any player that has a counter, including yourself. * You can choose any permanent that has a counter, including ones controlled by opponents. You can't choose cards in any zone other than the battlefield, even if they have counters on them, such as suspended cards or a Lightning Storm on the stack. * You don't have to choose every permanent or player that has a counter, only the ones you want to add another counter to. Since "any number" includes zero, you don't have to choose any permanents at all, and you don't have to choose any players at all. * If a permanent chosen this way has multiple kinds of counters on it, only a single new counter is put on that permanent. * Players can respond to the spell or ability whose effect includes proliferating. Once that spell or ability starts to resolve, however, and its controller chooses which permanents and players will get new counters, it's too late for anyone to respond. ***Emblems and the Command Zone*** An emblem is a new type of object that exists in the command zone. The command zone is a game area reserved for certain specialized objects, such as nontraditional _Magic_ cards (vanguard, plane, and scheme cards). Like all objects in the command zone, emblems aren't permanents and can't be destroyed. Venser, the SojournerPlaneswalker -- Venser3+2: Exile target permanent you own. Return it to the battlefield under your control at the beginning of the next end step.-1: Creatures are unblockable this turn.-8: You get an emblem with "Whenever you cast a spell, exile target permanent." The official rules for emblems are as follows: 113. Emblems 113.1. Some effects put emblems into the command zone. An emblem is a marker used to represent an object that has one or more abilities, but no other characteristics. 113.2. An effect that creates an emblem is written "[Player] gets an emblem with [ability]." This means that [player] puts an emblem with [ability] into the command zone. The emblem is both owned and controlled by that player. 113.3. An emblem has no characteristics other than the abilities defined by the effect that created it. In particular, an emblem has no name, no types, no mana cost, no color, and no expansion symbol. 113.4. Abilities of emblems function in the command zone. 113.5. An emblem is neither a card nor a permanent. Emblem isn't a card type. * To date, only three cards have abilities that create emblems. Two are the _Scars of Mirrodin_ planeswalkers Koth of the Hammer and Venser, the Sojourner. The third is the planeswalker Elspeth, Knight-Errant, whose wording was recently updated. * Emblems behave similarly to enchantments: They have an ability that, in a general sense, continually affects the game. The primary difference between them is that emblems aren't permanents and don't exist on the battlefield. Nothing in the game can remove an emblem, simply because no other spell or ability references them. Once you get an emblem, you keep it for the rest of the game. ***Cycle: Spellbombs*** The _Scars of Mirrodin_ set includes a cycle of five Spellbombs, a variation of a cycle originally seen in the _Mirrodin(R)_ set. Horizon Spellbomb 1 Artifact 2, T, Sacrifice Horizon Spellbomb: Search your library for a basic land card, reveal it, and put it into your hand. Then shuffle your library. When Horizon Spellbomb is put into a graveyard from the battlefield, you may pay G. If you do, draw a card. * The second ability triggers when the Spellbomb is put into a graveyard from the battlefield for any reason, not just as a result of sacrificing it to activate its first ability. * You choose whether or not to pay the triggered ability's cost as it resolves. By this time, it's too late for players to respond. You may pay only once and draw only one card. * If you activate the first ability, the second ability will trigger and resolve before the first ability does. For example, if you activate Horizon Spellbomb's first ability, you'll choose whether to pay G and draw a card before you search your library for a basic land card. ***Cycle: Smiths*** The _Scars of Mirrodin_ set includes a cycle of five Smiths, each of which is a creature with an ability that triggers whenever you cast an artifact spell. Lifesmith1GCreature -- Human Artificer2/1Whenever you cast an artifact spell, you may pay 1. If you do, you gain 3 life. * Whenever you cast an artifact spell, the ability of each Smith you control triggers. You can put the abilities on the stack in any order, keeping in mind that the one you put on the stack last will resolve first. All of the abilities will resolve before the artifact spell does. * A Smith's ability will resolve even if the artifact spell that caused it to trigger is countered. * Putting an artifact token onto the battlefield will not cause a Smith's ability to trigger. * Three of the Smiths (Embersmith, Lifesmith, and Myrsmith) require a payment of 1 to get the bonus. You choose whether to pay 1 as the ability resolves. Although players may respond to a Smith's ability, once it begins to resolve and you decide whether to pay, it's too late for players to respond. * As a Smith's ability resolves, you can pay 1 only once and get the bonus only once. ***Cycle: _Scars of Mirrodin_ Tap Lands*** The _Scars of Mirrodin_ set includes a cycle of five lands that produce two colors of mana and enter the battlefield tapped unless you control two or fewer other lands. Blackcleave CliffsLand Blackcleave Cliffs enters the battlefield tapped unless you control two or fewer other lands.T: Add B or R to your mana pool. * If one of these lands is your first, second, or third land, it enters the battlefield untapped. If you control three or more other lands, however, it enters the battlefield tapped. * If one of these lands enters the battlefield at the same time as one or more other lands (due to Scapeshift or Warp World, perhaps), it doesn’t take those lands into consideration when determining how many other lands you control. ***Rules Note: Targeted Spells and Abilities*** Arc Trail1RSorcery Arc Trail deals 2 damage to target creature or player and 1 damage to another target creature or player. * If a spell or ability requires more than one target, like Arc Trail, you must be able to choose that many targets. If you can't, you can't cast the spell or activate the ability. * If a spell or ability has multiple targets, and all targets are illegal by the time it would resolve, the spell or ability is countered. However, if at least one of those targets is still legal, the spell or ability will resolve. It can't perform actions on illegal targets, nor can it make illegal targets perform actions. Twisted Image U Instant Switch target creature's power and toughness until end of turn. Draw a card. * If a spell or ability requires a target, and all targets of the spell or ability are illegal targets by the time the spell or ability resolves, the spell or ability is countered. None of its effects, including the untargeted effects (like Twisted Image's "Draw a card"), will happen. ----- CARD-SPECIFIC NOTES Argent Sphinx2UUCreature -- Sphinx4/3FlyingMetalcraft -- U: Exile Argent Sphinx. Return it to the battlefield under your control at the beginning of the next end step. Activate this ability only if you control three or more artifacts. * If you activate Argent Sphinx's metalcraft ability, Argent Sphinx will return to the battlefield at the beginning of the next end step no matter how many artifacts you control at that time. * If you activate Argent Sphinx's metalcraft ability during a turn's end step, Argent Sphinx will return to the battlefield at the beginning of the following turn's end step. * If you control an Argent Sphinx owned by another player and activate its ability, Argent Sphinx will return to the battlefield under your control at the beginning of the next end step. You'll retain control of it indefinitely. ----- Argentum Armor6Artifact -- EquipmentEquipped creature gets +6/+6.Whenever equipped creature attacks, destroy target permanent.Equip 6 * The second ability triggers and resolves during the declare attackers step. The target permanent will be destroyed before blockers are declared. * You may target any permanent with the triggered ability, not just one controlled by the defending player. If no other player controls a permanent, you must target one of your own. ----- Asceticism3GGEnchantment Creatures you control can't be the targets of spells or abilities your opponents control.1G: Regenerate target creature. * You may target any creature with the regeneration ability, not just one you control. ----- Auriok EdgewrightWW Creature -- Human Soldier2/2Metalcraft -- Auriok Edgewright has double strike as long as you control three or more artifacts. * If Auriok Edgewright has double strike as the combat damage step begins, there will be a second combat damage step. As that second combat damage step begins, if Auriok Edgewright no longer has double strike (perhaps because an artifact creature you controlled was destroyed), Auriok Edgewright will not assign combat damage a second time. ----- Auriok Replica3Artifact Creature -- Cleric2/2W, Sacrifice Auriok Replica: Prevent all damage a source of your choice would deal to you this turn. * You choose a source of damage as the ability resolves. Since the ability doesn't target the source, you could choose a source with protection from artifacts, for example. * If the chosen source would deal damage to you and to other creatures, players, and/or planeswalkers, only the damage that would be dealt to you is prevented. ----- Auriok Sunchaser1WCreature -- Human Soldier1/1Metalcraft -- As long as you control three or more artifacts, Auriok Sunchaser gets +2/+2 and has flying. * For the purposes of blocking (either because Auriok Sunchaser is attacking or because a creature with flying is attacking Auriok Sunchaser's controller), whether Auriok Sunchaser has flying is checked only as the declare blockers step begins. * If Auriok Sunchaser blocks a creature with flying, causing it to lose flying (by destroying an artifact its controller controls, for example) won't change that. ----- Blade-Tribe Berserkers3RCreature -- Human Berserker3/3Metalcraft -- When Blade-Tribe Berserkers enters the battlefield, if you control three or more artifacts, Blade-Tribe Berserkers gets +3/+3 and gains haste until end of turn. * Once the metalcraft ability resolves, Blade-Tribe Berserkers retains its bonuses for the rest of the turn, even if you cease to control three or more artifacts for some reason. ----- Bloodshot Trainee3RCreature -- Goblin Warrior2/3T: Bloodshot Trainee deals 4 damage to target creature. Activate this ability only if Bloodshot Trainee's power is 4 or greater. * Once Bloodshot Trainee's ability is activated, it will resolve as normal even if Bloodshot Trainee's power is less than 4 by the time the ability resolves. ----- Blunt the Assault3GInstant You gain 1 life for each creature on the battlefield. Prevent all combat damage that would be dealt this turn. * You gain 1 life for each creature on the battlefield, not just for each attacking and blocking creature. ----- Bonds of Quicksilver3UEnchantment -- AuraFlash (You may cast this spell any time you could cast an instant.)Enchant creatureEnchanted creature doesn't untap during its controller's untap step. * Bonds of Quicksilver may target and may enchant an untapped creature. ----- Carnifex Demon 4BBCreature -- Demon6/6FlyingCarnifex Demon enters the battlefield with two -1/-1 counters on it.B, Remove a -1/-1 counter from Carnifex Demon: Put a -1/-1 counter on each other creature. * As Carnifex Demon's last ability resolves, you'll put a -1/-1 counter on each creature on the battlefield -- including creatures you control -- except for that Carnifex Demon. ----- Cerebral Eruption2RRSorcery Target opponent reveals the top card of his or her library. Cerebral Eruption deals damage equal to the revealed card's converted mana cost to that player and each creature he or she controls. If a land card is revealed this way, return Cerebral Eruption to its owner's hand. * If the targeted opponent is an illegal target by the time Cerebral Eruption resolves, the spell is countered. No cards will be revealed and no damage will be dealt. * Once the card is revealed, it's too late for players to respond. The targeted opponent can't, for example, see how much damage will be dealt, then cast a damage prevention spell or activate a regeneration ability. All such actions must be done before Cerebral Eruption starts to resolve. * The converted mana cost of the revealed card is determined solely by the mana symbols printed in its upper right corner. The converted mana cost is the total amount of mana in that cost, regardless of color. For example, a card with mana cost 3UU has converted mana cost 5. * If the mana cost of the revealed card includes X, X is considered to be 0. * If the revealed card has no mana symbols in its upper right corner (because it's a land card, for example), its converted mana cost is 0. * If a land card is revealed this way, Cerebral Eruption is returned to its owner's hand from the stack. It finishes resolving, but it isn't put into the graveyard. ----- Chimeric MassXArtifact Chimeric Mass enters the battlefield with X charge counters on it.1: Until end of turn, Chimeric Mass becomes a Construct artifact creature with "This creature's power and toughness are each equal to the number of charge counters on it." * If the number of charge counters on Chimeric Mass changes while it is a creature, its power and toughness will change accordingly. * If you activate Chimeric Mass's last ability while it has no charge counters on it, it will become a 0/0 creature and be put into its owner's graveyard as a state-based action. * Activating the last ability while Chimeric Mass is a creature will override any effects that set its power and/or toughness to another number, but effects that modify power and/or toughness without directly setting them will still apply. * For example, say you activate the last ability of a Chimeric Mass with three charge counters on it. After it resolves, you cast Giant Growth targeting it. It's now 6/6. Then Diminish ("Target creature becomes 1/1 until end of turn") is cast targeting it. Once Diminish resolves, Chimeric Mass would be 4/4. Activating Chimeric Mass's last ability a second time would make it 6/6 again until end of turn. ----- Clone Shell5Artifact Creature -- Shapeshifter2/2Imprint -- When Clone Shell enters the battlefield, look at the top four cards of your library, exile one face down, then put the rest on the bottom of your library in any order.When Clone Shell is put into a graveyard from the battlefield, turn the exiled card face up. If it's a creature card, put it onto the battlefield under your control. * If you have fewer than four cards in your library as Clone Shell's first ability resolves, you'll look at all of them. * As Clone Shell's first ability resolves, you must exile one of the cards you look at, even if none of them is a creature card. * As Clone Shell's second ability resolves, if the exiled card is not a creature card, it simply remains in exile face up. * If you gain control of another player's Clone Shell, you won't be able to look at the face-down exiled card. However, if Clone Shell is put into a graveyard, you will turn that card face up as the ability resolves and, if it's a creature card, you will put it onto the battlefield under your control (even if you don't want to). ----- Contagion Clasp2Artifact When Contagion Clasp enters the battlefield, put a -1/-1 counter on target creature.4, T: Proliferate. (You choose any number of permanents and/or players with counters on them, then give each another counter of a kind already there.) * Contagion Clasp's first ability is mandatory. If you're the only player who controls a creature, you must target one of them. ----- Contagion Engine6Artifact When Contagion Engine enters the battlefield, put a -1/-1 counter on each creature target player controls.4, T: Proliferate, then proliferate again. (You choose any number of permanents and/or players with counters on them, then give each another counter of a kind already there. Then do it again.) * As Contagion Engine's activated ability resolves, you'll complete an entire proliferate action, then you'll complete a second proliferate action. You may choose different players and/or permanents, or different counters on those permanents, when you proliferate the second time. * Players can't respond between the first and the second proliferate actions. ----- Copperhorn Scout GCreature -- Elf Scout1/1Whenever Copperhorn Scout attacks, untap each other creature you control. * As Copperhorn Scout's ability resolves, you'll untap each other creature you control regardless of whether that creature was attacking. * Untapping an attacking creature doesn't cause it to stop attacking. ----- Corrupted Harvester4BBCreature -- Horror6/3B, Sacrifice a creature: Regenerate Corrupted Harvester. * You may sacrifice Corrupted Harvester to pay for its own regeneration ability. If you do, however, it won't regenerate. It'll just end up in its owner's graveyard as a result of the sacrifice. ----- Culling Dais2Artifact T, Sacrifice a creature: Put a charge counter on Culling Dais.1, Sacrifice Culling Dais: Draw a card for each charge counter on Culling Dais. * As Culling Dais's last ability resolves, its last existence on the battlefield is checked to determine how many charge counters were on it. ----- Darksteel Axe1Artifact -- EquipmentDarksteel Axe is indestructible. (Effects that say "destroy" don't destroy it.)Equipped creature gets +2/+0.Equip 2 * Darksteel Axe itself is indestructible, not the creature it's equipping. * Although Darksteel Axe is indestructible, it can still be put into the graveyard for other reasons. The most likely reason is if it's sacrificed. ----- Darksteel Juggernaut5Artifact Creature -- Juggernaut*/*Darksteel Juggernaut's power and toughness are each equal to the number of artifacts you control.Darksteel Juggernaut is indestructible and attacks each turn if able. * The first ability works in all zones. * Since Darksteel Juggernaut is itself an artifact, its power and toughness will always be at least 1 while it's on the battlefield (unless a spell or ability somehow changes its card type). * Lethal damage and effects that say "destroy" won't cause Darksteel Juggernaut to be put into the graveyard. However, it can be put into the graveyard for a number of other reasons. The most likely reasons are if its toughness is 0 or less or it's sacrificed. * If, during your declare attackers step, Darksteel Juggernaut is tapped, is affected by a spell or ability that says it can't attack, or is affected by "summoning sickness," then it doesn't attack. If there's a cost associated with having Darksteel Juggernaut attack, you aren't forced to pay that cost, so it doesn't have to attack in that case either. * If there are multiple combat phases in a turn, Darksteel Juggernaut must attack only in the first one in which it's able to. ----- Dispense Justice2WInstant Target player sacrifices an attacking creature.Metalcraft -- That player sacrifices two attacking creatures instead if you control three or more artifacts. * The targeted player chooses which attacking creature(s) to sacrifice as Dispense Justice resolves. ----- Dissipation Field2UUEnchantment Whenever a permanent deals damage to you, return it to its owner's hand. * The ability triggers whenever you're dealt any damage (not just combat damage) by any permanent (not just creatures). This includes permanents you control. ----- Dross Hopper1BCreature -- Insect Horror2/1Sacrifice a creature: Dross Hopper gains flying until end of turn. * You may sacrifice Dross Hopper to pay for its own ability. If you do, however, it won't gain flying because it won't be on the battlefield by the time the ability resolves. ----- Echo Circlet2Artifact -- EquipmentEquipped creature can block an additional creature.Equip 1 * Destroying or unequipping the Echo Circlet after blockers have been declared will not undo any blocks made by the equipped creature. * Echo Circlet's effect is cumulative. If it equips a creature that can already block an additional creature, now it can block three creatures. The same is true if two Echo Circlets equip the same creature, for example. ----- Elspeth Tirel3WWPlaneswalker -- Elspeth4[+2]: You gain 1 life for each creature you control.[-2]: Put three 1/1 white Soldier creature tokens onto the battlefield.[-5]: Destroy all other permanents except for lands and tokens. * As Elspeth Tirel's last ability resolves, each permanent that isn't a token, a land, or Elspeth Tirel herself is destroyed. ----- Engulfing Slagwurm5GG Creature -- Wurm7/7Whenever Engulfing Slagwurm blocks or becomes blocked by a creature, destroy that creature. You gain life equal to that creature's toughness. * Engulfing Slagwurm's ability triggers and resolves during the declare blockers step. Creatures destroyed this way will not deal combat damage. * If your Engulfing Slagwurm blocks or becomes blocked by multiple creatures, its ability triggers that many times. Each trigger will be associated with a specific creature. You choose which order to have the abilities resolve. * If Engulfing Slagwurm's ability resolves and the other creature is not destroyed (perhaps because it has already left the battlefield or it regenerates), you'll still gain life equal to that creature's toughness. * As each ability resolves, the amount of life you gain is equal to the appropriate creature's current toughness (if it's somehow still on the battlefield), or its toughness as it last existed on the battlefield (in all other cases). * Even if the ability of an attacking Engulfing Slagwurm destroys each creature blocking it, Engulfing Slagwurm won't deal combat damage to the player or planeswalker it's attacking unless it somehow gains trample. ----- Etched Champion3Artifact Creature -- Soldier2/2Metalcraft -- Etched Champion has protection from all colors as long as you control three or more artifacts. * "Protection from all colors" means protection from white, from blue, from black, from red, and from green. (In other words, it doesn't just mean "protection from objects that have all five colors.") ----- ExsanguinateXBBSorcery Each opponent loses X life. You gain life equal to the life lost this way. * Players can lose more life than they have. For example, say you're playing a multiplayer game in which one of your opponents has 3 life and your other opponent has 10 life. If you cast Exsanguinate with X of 4, your opponents will wind up at -1 life and 6 life, respectively. You'll gain 8 life. ----- Ezuri, Renegade Leader1GGLegendary Creature -- Elf Warrior2/2G: Regenerate another target Elf.2GGG: Elf creatures you control get +3/+3 and gain trample until end of turn. * Ezuri's first ability can't affect itself, but its second ability does. * Only Elf creatures you control when the last ability resolves will get +3/+3 and gain trample until end of turn. Non-Elf creatures that become Elves or Elf creatures that enter the battlefield under your control later in the turn won't get the bonuses. ----- Ezuri's ArchersGCreature -- Elf Archer1/2Reach (This creature can block creatures with flying.)Whenever Ezuri's Archers blocks a creature with flying, Ezuri's Archers gets +3/+0 until end of turn. * If Ezuri's Archers somehow blocks multiple creatures with flying (perhaps because it's equipped by Echo Circlet), its ability triggers that many times. ----- Flameborn Hellion5RCreature -- Hellion5/4HasteFlameborn Hellion attacks each turn if able. * If, during your declare attackers step, Flameborn Hellion is tapped, is affected by a spell or ability that says it can't attack, or is affected by "summoning sickness," then it doesn't attack. If there's a cost associated with having Flameborn Hellion attack, you aren't forced to pay that cost, so it doesn't have to attack in that case either. * If there are multiple combat phases in a turn, Flameborn Hellion must attack only in the first one in which it's able to. ----- Flesh Allergy2BBSorcery As an additional cost to cast Flesh Allergy, sacrifice a creature.Destroy target creature. Its controller loses life equal to the number of creatures put into all graveyards from the battlefield this turn. * Flesh Allergy counts each creature put into a graveyard from the battlefield that turn, including token creatures, the creature sacrificed to cast the spell, and the targeted creature (if it is destroyed). * If the targeted creature is an illegal target by the time Flesh Allergy resolves, the spell is countered. No player will lose life. * If Flesh Allergy resolves but the targeted creature is not destroyed (because it's indestructible or enchanted by an Aura with totem armor, for example), its controller will still lose life. * You can target a creature you control, then sacrifice that creature to pay the additional cost. However, if you do, Flesh Allergy will be countered for having an illegal target. You won't lose any life. ----- Flight Spellbomb1Artifact T, Sacrifice Flight Spellbomb: Target creature gains flying until end of turn.When Flight Spellbomb is put into a graveyard from the battlefield, you may pay U. If you do, draw a card. * For flying to work as an evasion ability, an attacking creature must be granted flying before the declare blockers step begins. Once an attacking creature has become blocked, giving it flying won't change that. ----- Fulgent Distraction2WInstant Choose two target creatures. Tap those creatures, then unattach all Equipment from them. * You must target two creatures as you cast Fulgent Distraction. If you can't (because there's just one creature on the battlefield, perhaps), you can't cast the spell. * Fulgent Distraction can target tapped and/or unequipped creatures. * If one of the targeted creatures is an illegal target by the time Fulgent Distraction resolves, that creature won't become tapped and no Equipment will be unattached from it. The other creature will still be affected. If both of the targeted creatures are illegal targets by the time Fulgent Distraction resolves, the spell is countered. ----- Fume SpitterBCreature -- Horror1/1Sacrifice Fume Spitter: Put a -1/-1 counter on target creature. * You may target Fume Spitter with its own ability. However, if you do, the ability will be countered for having an illegal target. ----- Furnace Celebration1RREnchantment Whenever you sacrifice another permanent, you may pay 2. If you do, Furnace Celebration deals 2 damage to target creature or player. * Furnace Celebration itself doesn't allow you to sacrifice any permanents. Its ability triggers whenever you sacrifice a permanent because some other spell, ability, or cost instructed you to. * You choose the target when the ability triggers. You choose whether or not to pay 2 as the ability resolves. You can't pay 2 more than once for a single sacrificed permanent. * Although players may respond to the ability, once it starts to resolve and you decide to pay 2, it's too late for players to respond. * Sacrificing a Furnace Celebration will cause the abilities of other Furnace Celebrations to trigger, but not its own ability. ----- Genesis Wave XGGGSorcery Reveal the top X cards of your library. You may put any number of permanent cards with converted mana cost X or less from among them onto the battlefield. Then put all cards revealed this way that weren't put onto the battlefield into your graveyard. * If you have fewer than X cards in your library, you reveal all of them. * A permanent card is an artifact, creature, enchantment, land, or planeswalker card. * The converted mana cost of a card in your library is determined solely by the mana symbols printed in its upper right corner. The converted mana cost is the total amount of mana in that cost, regardless of color. For example, a card with mana cost 3UU has converted mana cost 5. * If the mana cost of a card in your library includes X, X is considered to be 0. * If a card in your library has no mana symbols in its upper right corner (because it's a land card, for example), its converted mana cost is 0. Such cards can always be put onto the battlefield with Genesis Wave. * You don't have to put permanent cards revealed this way onto the battlefield if you choose not to, regardless of their converted mana costs. ----- Geth, Lord of the Vault4BBLegendary Creature -- Zombie5/5IntimidateXB: Put target artifact or creature card with converted mana cost X from an opponent's graveyard onto the battlefield under your control tapped. Then that player puts the top X cards of his or her library into his or her graveyard. * The converted mana cost of a card in a graveyard is determined solely by the mana symbols printed in its upper right corner. The converted mana cost is the total amount of mana in that cost, regardless of color. For example, a card with mana cost 3UU has converted mana cost 5. If the mana cost of a card in a graveyard includes X, X is considered to be 0. * The X in Geth's activation cost must be exactly the converted mana cost of the targeted artifact or creature card. You can't pay more than X to put more cards from the opponent's library into his or her graveyard. * If the targeted artifact or creature card leaves the graveyard by the time the ability resolves, the ability is countered. The player won't put any cards into his graveyard. * If the player has fewer than X cards in his or her library, he or she puts all cards from his or her library into his or her graveyard. ----- Glimmerpoint Stag2WWCreature -- Elk3/3VigilanceWhen Glimmerpoint Stag enters the battlefield, exile another target permanent. Return that card to the battlefield under its owner's control at the beginning of the next end step. * If a token is exiled this way, it will cease to exist and will not return to the battlefield. * If the exiled card is an Aura, that card's owner chooses what it will enchant as it comes back onto the battlefield. An Aura put onto the battlefield this way doesn't target anything (so it could be attached to a permanent with shroud, for example), but the Aura's enchant ability restricts what it can be attached to. If the Aura can't legally be attached to anything, it remains exiled. * The exiled card will be returned to the battlefield at the beginning of the next end step even if Glimmerpoint Stag is no longer on the battlefield at that time. * If Glimmerpoint Stag somehow enters the battlefield during a turn's end step, the exiled card won't be returned to the battlefield until the beginning of the following turn's end step. ----- GlimmerpostLand -- LocusWhen Glimmerpost enters the battlefield, you gain 1 life for each Locus on the battlefield.T: Add 1 to your mana pool. * As the triggered ability resolves, count each Locus on the battlefield regardless of who controls it. ----- Glint HawkWCreature -- Bird2/2FlyingWhen Glint Hawk enters the battlefield, sacrifice it unless you return an artifact you control to its owner's hand. * You may choose to sacrifice Glint Hawk as its triggered ability resolves even if you control an artifact. * You choose which artifact to return to its owner's hand as the triggered ability resolves. If you control no artifacts at that time, you must sacrifice Glint Hawk. Although players can respond to the ability, once it starts to resolve and you choose an artifact you control to return to its owner’s hand, it's too late for players to respond. ----- Glint Hawk Idol2Artifact Whenever another artifact enters the battlefield under your control, you may have Glint Hawk Idol become a 2/2 Bird artifact creature with flying until end of turn.W: Glint Hawk Idol becomes a 2/2 Bird artifact creature with flying until end of turn. * The creature type "Bird" was inadvertently omitted from each of Glint Hawk Idol's abilities. It has received errata to correct this omission; when either of its abilities resolves, it will become a Bird artifact creature. * If Glint Hawk Idol becomes a creature before you begin a turn with it under your control, it will be affected by "summoning sickness." * If Glint Hawk Idol and another artifact enter the battlefield under your control at the same time, Glint Hawk Idol's first ability will trigger. You may have it become a creature, but since it will be affected by "summoning sickness," it won't be able to attack that turn. * If either of Glint Hawk Idol's two abilities resolve while it's a creature, that ability will override any effects that set its power and/or toughness to another number, but effects that modify power and/or toughness without directly setting them will still apply. * For example, say one of Glint Hawk Idol's abilities has resolved and it's a 2/2 creature. You cast Giant Growth targeting it. It's now 5/5. Then Diminish ("Target creature becomes 1/1 until end of turn") is cast targeting it. Once Diminish resolves, Glint Hawk Idol would be 4/4. Activating Glint Hawk Idol's last ability at this point would make it 5/5 again until end of turn. ----- Goblin GaveleerRCreature -- Goblin Warrior1/1TrampleGoblin Gaveleer gets +2/+0 for each Equipment attached to it. * Goblin Gaveleer's bonus is in addition to whatever bonus the Equipment gives it. -----Golden Urn1Artifact At the beginning of your upkeep, you may put a charge counter on Golden Urn.T, Sacrifice Golden Urn: You gain life equal to the number of charge counters on Golden Urn. * As Golden Urn's last ability resolves, its last existence on the battlefield is checked to determine how many charge counters were on it. ----- Golem Artisan5Artifact Creature -- Golem3/32: Target artifact creature gets +1/+1 until end of turn.2: Target artifact creature gains your choice of flying, trample, or haste until end of turn. * Both of Golem Artisan's abilities may target any artifact creature, including itself. * You don't choose whether the targeted artifact creature gains flying, trample, or haste until Golem Artisan's second ability resolves. ----- Golem Foundry3Artifact Whenever you cast an artifact spell, you may put a charge counter on Golem Foundry.Remove three charge counters from Golem Foundry: Put a 3/3 colorless Golem artifact creature token onto the battlefield. * Whenever you cast an artifact spell, Golem Foundry's first ability triggers and goes on the stack on top of it. It will resolve before the artifact spell does. -----Golem's Heart2Artifact Whenever a player casts an artifact spell, you may gain 1 life. * Unlike Golem Foundry and the Smith cycle, Golem's Heart's ability triggers whenever any player casts an artifact spell, not just when you do. * Whenever a player casts an artifact spell, Golem's Heart's ability triggers and goes on the stack on top of it. It will resolve before the artifact spell does. ----- Grafted Exoskeleton4Artifact -- EquipmentEquipped creature gets +2/+2 and has infect. (It deals damage to creatures in the form of -1/-1 counters and to players in the form of poison counters.)Whenever Grafted Exoskeleton becomes unattached from a permanent, sacrifice that permanent. Equip 2 * In addition to the effect of its equip ability, Grafted Exoskeleton becomes unattached from the creature it's equipping if a spell or ability (such as Fulgent Distraction) causes it to become unattached, if Grafted Exoskeleton leaves the battlefield, if the equipped creature ceases to be a creature, or if Grafted Exoskeleton ceases to be an Equipment. (It also becomes unattached if the equipped creature leaves the battlefield, but the triggered ability won't do anything in that case.) * If Grafted Exoskeleton's last ability triggers, but you don't control the permanent it became unattached from at the time that ability resolves (perhaps because another player has somehow gained control of it), you won't be able to sacrifice it. ----- Grand Architect1UUCreature -- Vedalken Artificer1/3Other blue creatures you control get +1/+1.U: Target artifact creature becomes blue until end of turn.Tap an untapped blue creature you control: Add 2 to your mana pool. Spend this mana only to cast artifact spells or activate abilities of artifacts. * Other blue creatures you control will get +1/+1 whether they are artifacts or not. * Turning an artifact creature blue with the second ability will override any other color(s) the creature previously had. It will still be an artifact. You may target a blue artifact creature with this ability. * Since Grand Architect's last ability doesn't have a tap symbol in its cost, you can tap a blue creature (including Grand Architect itself) that hasn't been under your control since your most recent turn began to pay the cost. ----- Grindclock2Artifact T: Put a charge counter on Grindclock.T: Target player puts the top X cards of his or her library into his or her graveyard, where X is the number of charge counters on Grindclock. * If Grindclock leaves the battlefield before its last ability resolves, its last existence on the battlefield is checked to determine how many charge counters were on it.-----Hand of the Praetors 3BCreature -- Zombie3/2Infect (This creature deals damage to creatures in the form of -1/-1 counters and to players in the form of poison counters.)Other creatures you control with infect get +1/+1.Whenever you cast a creature spell with infect, target player gets a poison counter. * Whenever you cast a creature spell with infect, Hand of the Praetors's last ability triggers and goes on the stack on top of it. It will resolve before the creature spell does. * The last ability triggers only if Hand of the Praetors is already on the battlefield at the time you cast a creature spell with infect. Casting Hand of the Praetors itself will not cause its own last ability to trigger. ----- Heavy Arbalest3Artifact -- EquipmentEquipped creature doesn't untap during its controller's untap step.Equipped creature has "T: This creature deals 2 damage to target creature or player." Equip 4 * The controller of the equipped creature may activate the damage ability, not the controller of Heavy Arbalest (if they somehow wind up being different players). * If the equipped creature's ability is activated, that creature is the source of the damage. It doesn't matter if Heavy Arbalest leaves the battlefield or somehow becomes attached to another creature by that time. * The equipped creature is the source of both the damage ability and the resultant damage, not Heavy Arbalest. For example, you can activate the ability to target and deal damage to a creature with protection from artifacts (assuming the equipped creature isn't an artifact itself, of course). * The creature that doesn't untap during its controller's untap step is the one that Heavy Arbalest is equipped to at that time. If a different creature was tapped to activate the ability granted to it by the Arbalest, but the Arbalest is no longer equipping it, it will untap as normal. ----- Hoard-Smelter Dragon 4RRCreature -- Dragon5/5Flying3R: Destroy target artifact. Hoard-Smelter Dragon gets +X/+0 until end of turn, where X is that artifact's converted mana cost. * If the targeted artifact is an illegal target by the time the activated ability resolves, the ability is countered. Hoard-Smelter Dragon won't get the bonus. * If the activated ability resolves but the targeted artifact isn't destroyed (perhaps because it's indestructible or it regenerates), Hoard-Smelter Dragon will still get the bonus. * If the mana cost of a permanent includes X, that X is considered to be 0. ----- Ichor Rats1BBCreature -- Rat2/1Infect (This creature deals damage to creatures in the form of -1/-1 counters and to players in the form of poison counters.)When Ichor Rats enters the battlefield, each player gets a poison counter. * If Ichor Rats's last ability causes each player to have ten poison counters, the game is a draw. ----- Ichorclaw Myr2Artifact Creature -- Myr1/1Infect (This creature deals damage to creatures in the form of -1/-1 counters and to players in the form of poison counters.)Whenever Ichorclaw Myr becomes blocked, it gets +2/+2 until end of turn. * Whenever Ichorclaw Myr becomes blocked, its last ability triggers just once, no matter how many creatures it became blocked by. It will get just +2/+2. ----- Inexorable Tide3UUEnchantment Whenever you cast a spell, proliferate. (You choose any number of permanents and/or players with counters on them, then give each another counter of a kind already there.) * Whenever you cast a spell, Inexorable Tide's ability triggers and goes on the stack on top of it. It will resolve (and you'll proliferate) before the spell resolves. ----- Infiltration Lens1Artifact -- EquipmentWhenever equipped creature becomes blocked by a creature, you may draw two cards. * If the equipped creature becomes blocked by multiple creatures, Infiltration Lens's ability triggers that many times. ----- Kemba, Kha Regent1WWLegendary Creature -- Cat Cleric2/4At the beginning of your upkeep, put a 2/2 white Cat creature token onto the battlefield for each Equipment attached to Kemba, Kha Regent. * The number of Equipment attached to Kemba is determined as the ability resolves. If Kemba is no longer on the battlefield at that time, its last existence on the battlefield is checked to determine the number of Equipment attached to it. ----- Koth of the Hammer2RRPlaneswalker -- Koth3[+1]: Untap target Mountain. It becomes a 4/4 red Elemental creature until end of turn. It's still a land.[-2]: Add R to your mana pool for each Mountain you control.[-5]: You get an emblem with "Mountains you control have 'T: This land deals 1 damage to target creature or player.'" * Koth's first ability can target any Mountain, including an untapped Mountain and/or a Mountain another player controls. * If Koth's first ability animates a Mountain that came under your control that turn, it will have "summoning sickness" and be unable to attack. It will also be unable to be tapped to activate an ability with the T symbol in its cost, such as the Mountain's mana ability or the ability granted to it by Koth's emblem. * Loyalty abilities can't be mana abilities. Koth's second ability uses the stack and can be countered or otherwise responded to. Like all loyalty abilities, it can be activated only once per turn, during your main phase, when the stack is empty, and only if no other loyalty abilities of this permanent have been activated this turn. * Koth's emblem grants an activated ability to each Mountain you control at any given time for the rest of the game. It will continuously check which permanents you control are Mountains to determine what has the ability. For example, a Mountain that comes under your control later in the game will have the ability, while a Mountain you controlled at the time the emblem was created, but that later came under the control of another player, will no longer have the ability. * You retain the emblem even after Koth leaves the battlefield. * See the "Emblems" entry in the General Notes section for more information on emblems. ----- Kuldotha Forgemaster5Artifact Creature -- Construct3/5T, Sacrifice three artifacts: Search your library for an artifact card and put it onto the battlefield. Then shuffle your library. * Kuldotha Forgemaster can be one of the three artifacts you sacrifice to activate the ability. ----- Kuldotha Phoenix2RRRCreature -- Phoenix4/4Flying, hasteMetalcraft -- 4: Return Kuldotha Phoenix from your graveyard to the battlefield. Activate this ability only during your upkeep and only if you control three or more artifacts. * You can activate Kuldotha Phoenix's ability only if it's in your graveyard. ----- Leonin Arbiter1WCreature -- Cat Cleric2/2Players can't search libraries. Any player may pay 2 for that player to ignore this effect until end of turn. * If an effect says "You may search your library . . . If you do, shuffle your library," and you haven't paid 2, you can't choose to search, so you won't shuffle. * If an effect says "Search your library . . . Then shuffle your library," and you haven't paid 2, the search effect fails, but you will still have to shuffle. * Since players who haven't paid 2 can't search, they won't be able to find any cards in a library. The effect applies to all players and all libraries. If a spell or ability's effect has other parts that don't depend on searching for or finding cards, they will still work normally. * Effects that tell a player to reveal cards from a library or look at cards from the top of a library will still work. Only effects that use the word "search" will fail unless a player pays 2. * Paying 2 to ignore Leonin Arbiter's effect is a special action. Any player may take this special action any time he or she has priority. It doesn't use the stack and can't be responded to. * Paying 2 doesn't let a player pick up a library and search it -- it just allows him or her to ignore Leonin Arbiter's effect that turn. That player can search a library only if another spell or ability instructs him or her to do so. * If a player pays 2, that enables only him or her to ignore Leonin Arbiter's effect that turn. Each other player is still affected by it. * A player who has paid 2 may search any library when instructed to do so that turn, not just his or her own library. * Once a player has paid 2, he or she may search libraries that turn as many times as he or she is instructed to do so. * If there are multiple Leonin Arbiters on the battlefield, a player must pay 2 for each one before being able to search libraries that turn. ----- Liege of the Tangle6GGCreature -- Elemental8/8TrampleWhenever Liege of the Tangle deals combat damage to a player, you may choose any number of target lands you control and put an awakening counter on each of them. Each of those lands is an 8/8 green Elemental creature for as long as it has an awakening counter on it. They're still lands. * You may choose to target zero lands. * Whether a targeted land remains an 8/8 green Elemental creature depends only on whether it has an awakening counter on it, not on whether Liege of the Tangle is still on the battlefield. * If all awakening counters on a land are moved to a land without an awakening counter on it (perhaps by using Fate Transfer), the animation effect doesn't follow them. The first land is no longer an 8/8 green Elemental creature because it no longer has an awakening counter on it. The second land isn't an 8/8 green Elemental creature because Liege of the Tangle didn't target it. ----- Liquimetal Coating2Artifact T: Target permanent becomes an artifact in addition to its other types until end of turn. * You may target any permanent with the ability, including an artifact. * Becoming an artifact doesn't change what color(s) a permanent is. -----Livewire Lash2Artifact -- EquipmentEquipped creature gets +2/+0 and has "Whenever this creature becomes the target of a spell, this creature deals 2 damage to target creature or player."Equip 2 * When the equipped creature becomes the target of a spell, the ability granted to it by Livewire Lash will trigger and go on the stack on top of it. It will resolve before the spell does. * The equipped creature is the source of both the triggered ability and the resultant damage, not Livewire Lash. For example, you can target and deal damage to a creature with protection from artifacts (assuming the equipped creature isn't an artifact itself, of course). ----- Lumengrid Drake3UCreature -- Drake2/2FlyingMetalcraft -- When Lumengrid Drake enters the battlefield, if you control three or more artifacts, return target creature to its owner's hand. * The triggered ability is mandatory. If you control three or more artifacts as Lumengrid Drake enters the battlefield, you must target a creature. If there are no other creatures on the battlefield, you must target Lumengrid Drake itself. As the ability resolves, if you control three or more artifacts, you must return the targeted creature to its owner's hand. ----- Melt Terrain2RRSorcery Destroy target land. Melt Terrain deals 2 damage to that land's controller. * If the targeted land is an illegal target by the time Melt Terrain resolves, the spell will be countered. No damage will be dealt. ----- Memoricide3BSorcery Name a nonland card. Search target player's graveyard, hand, and library for any number of cards with that name and exile them. Then that player shuffles his or her library. * Because you're searching for "any number" of cards with the chosen name, you can opt to find all of them, none of them, or any number in between. That means you may leave any cards with that name in that target's graveyard, hand, and/or library. ----- Mimic Vat3Artifact Imprint -- Whenever a nontoken creature is put into a graveyard from the battlefield, you may exile that card. If you do, return each other card exiled with Mimic Vat to its owner's graveyard.3, T: Put a token onto the battlefield that's a copy of the exiled card. It gains haste. Exile it at the beginning of the next end step. * The imprint ability will trigger whenever a nontoken creature is put into any graveyard from the battlefield, not just your graveyard. * Exiling the card as the first ability resolves is optional. If you choose not to exile it, or you can't exile it because the card has somehow left the graveyard before the ability resolves, the ability simply doesn't do anything as it resolves. Any card currently exiled by Mimic Vat remains exiled. * If multiple nontoken creatures are put into their owners' graveyards from the battlefield at the same time, the imprint ability will trigger that many times. You put the triggered abilities on the stack in any order, so you'll determine in which order they resolve. However, since exiling those cards is optional, and choosing to exile a card this way causes the previously exiled cards to return to their owners' graveyards, the order generally doesn't matter: You'll wind up with at most one of those cards exiled, and the rest will be in the appropriate graveyards. * You may exile a noncreature card with Mimic Vat's first ability. For example, if a nontoken artifact that's become a creature is put into a graveyard from the battlefield, Mimic Vat's first ability triggers and you may exile that card. * The token created by the second ability will be a copy of whatever card is exiled with Mimic Vat at the time the ability resolves. This might not be the same card that was exiled with Mimic Vat at the time the ability was activated. It also might not be a creature card. * If the token is a copy of a noncreature card, it will still have haste, though that won't matter unless that token somehow becomes a creature. * You may activate the second ability even if no card has been exiled with Mimic Vat. If no card has been exiled with Mimic Vat by the time the ability resolves, no token will be created. * If the exiled card has X in its mana cost (such as Protean Hydra), X is considered to be 0. * Any enters-the-battlefield abilities of the exiled card will trigger when the token is put onto the battlefield. Any "as [this permanent] enters the battlefield" or "[this permanent] enters the battlefield with" abilities of the exiled card will also work. * The token is exiled at the beginning of the next end step regardless of who controls it at that time, whether the exiled card is still exiled at that time, or whether Mimic Vat is still on the battlefield at that time. * If Mimic Vat's second ability is activated during a turn's end step, the token will be exiled at the beginning of the following turn's end step. * If the token isn't exiled when the delayed triggered ability resolves (due to Stifle, perhaps), it remains on the battlefield indefinitely. It continues to have haste. ----- Mindslaver6Legendary Artifact 4, T, Sacrifice Mindslaver: You control target player during that player's next turn. (You see all cards that player could see and make all decisions for the player.) * Although the template for Mindslaver has changed since its original printing in the _Mirrodin_ set, the functionality of this card has not. * Mindslaver's effect applies during the next turn that the targeted player actually takes. You control that player for the entire turn; the effect doesn't end until the beginning of the following turn. * The player who is being controlled is still the active player. * While controlling another player, you can see all cards that player can see. This includes cards in that player's hand, cards in his or her teammates' hands in certain multiplayer formats, face-down cards that player controls, and any cards in any other zone an effect allows him or her to look at. * You don't control any of the affected player's permanents, spells, or abilities. * While controlling another player, you also continue to make your own choices and decisions. * While controlling another player, you make all choices and decisions that player is allowed to make or told to make. For example: ** You choose which land that player plays (if any). ** You choose which spells that player casts (if any), and make all decisions as those spells are cast and as they resolve. This includes choosing targets, modes, and any other decisions called for. For example, you choose the value of X for that player's Earthquake, the target for that player's Lightning Bolt, what mana that player spends to cast Day of Judgment, and which card that player gets with Diabolic Tutor. ** In much the same way, you choose which abilities that player activates (if any), and make all decisions as those abilities are activated and as they resolve. For example, you can have that player sacrifice his or her creatures to activate Bloodthrone Vampire's ability. ** You make all decisions for that player's triggered abilities, including what they target and any decisions made when they resolve. ** You choose which creatures controlled by that player attack, who or what they attack, and how they assign their combat damage. ** You make any choices and decisions that player would make for any other reason. For example, you could cast Fact or Fiction, choose that player to divide the revealed cards into piles, and thus divide those cards into piles yourself. * You can use only the affected player's resources (cards, mana, and so on) to pay costs for that player; you can't use your own. For example, if you have that player cast a spell that requires a creature to be sacrificed as an additional cost, you must choose a creature controlled by that player to be sacrificed. Similarly, you can use the affected player's resources only to pay that player's costs; you can't spend them on your costs. * You can't make any illegal decisions or illegal choices -- you can't do anything that player couldn't do. You can't make choices or decisions for that player that aren't called for by the game rules or by any cards, permanents, spells, abilities, and so on. If an effect causes another player to make decisions that the affected player would normally make (such as Master Warcraft does), that effect takes precedence. (In other words, if the affected player wouldn't make a decision, you wouldn't make that decision on his or her behalf.) You also can't make any choices or decisions for the player that would be called for by the tournament rules (such as whether to take an intentional draw or whether to call a judge). * You can't make the affected player concede. That player may concede at any time, even when you're controlling him or her. * Controlling a player's turn won't let you look at that player's sideboard under any circumstances. During a tournament, if you have that player cast a card such as Glittering Wish that lets that player choose a card with certain characteristics from outside the game, no card can be chosen. * If the affected player skips his or her next turn, Mindslaver's ability will wait to take effect. You'll control the affected player during the next turn he or she actually takes. * Multiple player-controlling effects that affect the same player overwrite each other. The last one to be created is the one that works. * You could gain control of yourself with Mindslaver's ability, but unless you do so to overwrite someone else's player-controlling effect, this doesn't do anything. * In multiplayer games using the shared team turns option, you control the affected player's entire team during that team's next turn. ----- Molder Beast4GCreature -- Beast5/3TrampleWhenever an artifact is put into a graveyard from the battlefield, Molder Beast gets +2/+0 until end of turn. * If Molder Beast and an artifact creature are both involved in combat during the same combat damage step, and that artifact creature is destroyed due to lethal combat damage, Molder Beast's triggered ability will trigger -- but it will get the bonus too late to affect that combat. ----- Molten Psyche 1RRSorcery Each player shuffles the cards from his or her hand into his or her library, then draws that many cards.Metalcraft -- If you control three or more artifacts, Molten Psyche deals damage to each opponent equal to the number of cards that player has drawn this turn. * If a player doesn't have any cards in his or her hand, the player will still shuffle his or her library. * The metalcraft effect counts all cards each opponent drew for any reason during that turn, not just the cards those opponents drew due to Molten Psyche's first effect. ----- Myr Battlesphere7Artifact Creature -- Myr Construct4/7When Myr Battlesphere enters the battlefield, put four 1/1 colorless Myr artifact creature tokens onto the battlefield.Whenever Myr Battlesphere attacks, you may tap X untapped Myr you control. If you do, Myr Battlesphere gets +X/+0 until end of turn and deals X damage to defending player. * You choose the value for X as the last ability resolves. You can't choose a value for X that's greater than the number of untapped Myr you control. * You can tap any untapped Myr you control as the last ability resolves, not just the Myr tokens you put onto the battlefield with the first ability. This includes Myr that haven't been under your control since your most recent turn began. * The defending player referred to by the last ability is the player attacked by Myr Battlesphere or the controller of the planeswalker attacked by Myr Battlesphere. For the purposes of this ability, that player remains the defending player even if Myr Battlesphere or that planeswalker is removed from combat before the ability resolves. * As the last ability resolves, you can tap untapped Myr you control even if Myr Battlesphere is no longer on the battlefield by then. If that has happened, Myr Battlesphere won't be able to get the +X/+0 bonus, but it will still deal X damage to the defending player. ----- Myr Propagator3Artifact Creature -- Myr1/13, T: Put a token that's a copy of Myr Propagator onto the battlefield. * Normally, when a token is created by this ability, it will simply be a Myr Propagator, so it'll also have the token-creating ability. (See below for weird exceptions.) * Here's the detailed version of what happens. As the token is created, it checks the printed values of the Myr Propagator it's copying -- or, if the Myr Propagator whose ability was activated was itself a token, the original characteristics of that token as stated by the effect that put it onto the battlefield -- as well as any copy effects that have been applied to it. It won't copy counters on the Myr Propagator, nor will it copy other effects that have changed Myr Propagator's power, toughness, types, color, or so on. * If Myr Propagator has left the battlefield by the time its ability resolves, you'll still put a token onto the battlefield. That token has the copiable values of the characteristics of Myr Propagator as it last existed on the battlefield. * Here are the weird exceptions promised above. If any copy effects have affected the Myr Propagator whose ability was activated, they're taken into account when the token is created. For example: ** If Myr Propagator's ability is activated, then Myr Propagator temporarily becomes a copy of another creature before its ability resolves (due to Cytoshape, perhaps), the token will be a copy of whatever creature the Myr Propagator is currently a copy of. After the turn ends, the Cytoshaped Myr Propagator reverts back to what it was, but the token will stay as it is. ** If the copy ability of a creature (such as Cemetery Puca, perhaps) makes it become a copy of Myr Propagator and gain another ability, the token created by this creature's ability will be a Myr Propagator with that additional ability. ----- Myr Reservoir3Artifact T: Add 2 to your mana pool. Spend this mana only to cast Myr spells or activate abilities of Myr.3, T: Return target Myr card from your graveyard to your hand. * You can use the mana produced by Myr Reservoir's first ability to pay an alternative cost or additional cost incurred while casting a Myr spell. It's not limited to just that spell's mana cost. * The mana can't be spent to activate activated abilities of Myr sources that aren't on the battlefield. * A card, spell, or permanent is a Myr only if it has the subtype Myr, regardless of its name. For example, Myr Reservoir itself is not a Myr. ----- Necrotic Ooze2BBCreature -- Ooze4/3As long as Necrotic Ooze is on the battlefield, it has all activated abilities of all creature cards in all graveyards. * Necrotic Ooze gains only activated abilities. It doesn't gain keyword abilities (unless those keyword abilities are activated), triggered abilities, or static abilities. * Activated abilities contain a colon. They're generally written "[Cost]: [Effect]." Some keywords are activated abilities; they have colons in their reminder text. * If an activated ability of a card in a graveyard references the card it's printed on by name, treat Necrotic Ooze's version of that ability as though it referenced Necrotic Ooze by name instead. For example, if Cudgel Troll (which says "G: Regenerate Cudgel Troll") is in a graveyard, Necrotic Ooze has the ability "G: Regenerate Necrotic Ooze." ----- Neurok Replica3Artifact Creature -- Wizard1/41U, Sacrifice Neurok Replica: Return target creature to its owner's hand. * You may target Neurok Replica with its own ability. However, if you do, the ability will be countered for having an illegal target. ----- Nihil Spellbomb1Artifact T, Sacrifice Nihil Spellbomb: Exile all cards from target player's graveyard.When Nihil Spellbomb is put into a graveyard from the battlefield, you may pay B. If you do, draw a card. * You may activate Nihil Spellbomb's first ability targeting any player, even one whose graveyard has no cards in it. ---- Nim Deathmantle2Artifact -- EquipmentEquipped creature gets +2/+2, has intimidate, and is a black Zombie.Whenever a nontoken creature is put into your graveyard from the battlefield, you may pay 4. If you do, return that card to the battlefield and attach Nim Deathmantle to it. Equip 4 * Once Nim Deathmantle returns a card from your graveyard to the battlefield, it will remain on the battlefield indefinitely, even if Nim Deathmantle becomes unattached from it. * Nim Deathmantle's color-changing and type-changing effects override the equipped creature's previous colors and creature types. After Nim Deathmantle becomes equipped to a creature, that creature will bea black Zombie, not any other colors or creature types. * Nim Deathmantle causes the equipped creature to be a black Zombie even if it didn't return that creature to the battlefield from the graveyard. * Once Nim Deathmantle becomes unattached from a creature, its color-changing and type-changing effects stop affecting that creature. The creature will no longer be black and will no longer be a Zombie (unless its printed characteristics or some other effects still cause it to be black and/or a Zombie, of course). This is true even if Nim Deathmantle returned that creature to the battlefield from the graveyard. * You choose whether to pay 4 as Nim Deathmantle's second ability resolves. Although players may respond to this ability, once it begins to resolve and you decide whether to pay, it's too late for players to respond. * If the nontoken creature that caused Nim Deathmantle's second ability to trigger is somehow removed from your graveyard before that ability resolves, you may still pay 4 as it resolves. Even if you do, however, no card will be returned to the battlefield. * Nim Deathmantle's second ability may return a card it can't equip to the battlefield. For example, if a nontoken artifact that's become a creature is put into your graveyard from the battlefield, Nim Deathmantle's second ability triggers. If you pay 4 as it resolves, you'll return that card to the battlefield. However, Nim Deathmantle can't equip it, so Nim Deathmantle remains attached to whatever it was already equipping (or, if it was unattached, it remains so). The same is true if a nontoken creature with protection from artifacts is put into your graveyard from the battlefield, for example. * If multiple nontoken creatures are put into your graveyard from the battlefield at the same time, Nim Deathmantle's second ability triggers that many times. You put the triggered abilities on the stack in any order, so you'll determine in which order they resolve. If you pay 4 more than once, each card you paid 4 for will end up on the battlefield under your control, and Nim Deathmantle will end up attached to the last card that returned to the battlefield this way that it could equip. ----- Ogre Geargrabber4RRCreature -- Ogre Warrior4/4Whenever Ogre Geargrabber attacks, gain control of target Equipment an opponent controls until end of turn. Attach it to Ogre Geargrabber. When you lose control of that Equipment, unattach it. * If the targeted Equipment can't be attached to Ogre Geargrabber for some reason, you'll still gain control of it until end of turn. * Any ability of the targeted Equipment that triggers "whenever equipped creature attacks" won't trigger. That's because Ogre Geargrabber is already attacking at the time that Equipment becomes attached to it. * The delayed triggered ability ("When you lose control of that Equipment, unattach it") triggers the next time you lose control of the Equipment for any reason, not just when Ogre Geargrabber's control-changing effect ends. The Equipment will become unattached from whatever creature it happens to be attached to at that time. It doesn't matter if Ogre Geargrabber is still on the battlefield at this time. * Ogre Geargrabber's control-changing effect ends during the cleanup step, at the same time that damage marked on permanents is removed. If you still controlled the Equipment at that time, this causes the delayed triggered ability to trigger. It goes on the stack and players can respond (which normally doesn't happen during the cleanup step), then, once that cleanup step ends, another one begins. ----- Oxidda Scrapmelter3RCreature -- Beast3/3When Oxidda Scrapmelter enters the battlefield, destroy target artifact. * This ability is mandatory. If you're the only player who controls any artifacts, you must target one of them. ----- Painful Quandary3BBEnchantment Whenever an opponent casts a spell, that player loses 5 life unless he or she discards a card. * Whenever an opponent casts a spell, Painful Quandary's ability triggers and goes on the stack on top of it. It will resolve before the spell does. ----- Platinum Emperion8Artifact Creature -- Golem8/8Your life total can't change. (You can't gain or lose life. You can't pay any amount of life except 0.) * The ability doesn't prevent damage. Rather, it changes the results of that damage. For example, if a creature with lifelink deals damage to you, you won't lose any life, but its controller will still gain that much life. Similarly, if a creature you control with lifelink deals damage to another player, that player will lose life but you won't gain any life. Notably, if a creature with infect deals damage to you, you'll get that many poison counters. * Abilities that trigger whenever damage is dealt to you will still trigger because that damage is still dealt, even though your life total doesn't change as a result. * Spells and abilities that would normally cause you to gain or lose life still resolve, but the life-gain or life-loss part simply has no effect. * You can't pay a cost that includes the payment of any amount of life other than 0 life. * If a cost would include causing you to gain life (like the alternative cost of an opponent's Invigorate does), that cost can't be paid. * Effects that would replace having you gain life with some other effect won't be able to be applied because it's impossible for you to gain life. The same is true for events that would replace having you lose life with some other effect. * Effects that replace an event with having you gain life (like Words of Worship's effect does) or having you lose life will end up replacing the event with nothing. * If an effect says to set your life total to a certain number that's different than your current life total, that part of the effect won't do anything. * If an effect would cause you to exchange life totals with another player, the exchange won't happen. Neither player's life total changes. * The ability won't preclude you from losing the game. It just precludes your life total from changing. ----- Precursor Golem5Artifact Creature -- Golem3/3When Precursor Golem enters the battlefield, put two 3/3 colorless Golem artifact creature tokens onto the battlefield.Whenever a player casts an instant or sorcery spell that targets only a single Golem, that player copies that spell for each other Golem that spell could target. Each copy targets a different one of those Golems. * The second ability triggers whenever a player casts an instant or sorcery spell that targets only one Golem. That Golem can be Precursor Golem itself, one of the Golem tokens it created, or any other Golem. It doesn't matter who controls the Golem. * If an instant or sorcery spell has multiple targets, but it's targeting the same Golem with all of them (such as Agony Warp targeting the same Golem twice), Precursor Golem's last ability will trigger. * Any Golem that couldn't be targeted by the original spell (due to shroud, protection abilities, targeting restrictions, or any other reason) is just ignored by Precursor Golem's second ability. * The controller of the spell that caused Precursor Golem's second ability to trigger also controls all the copies. That player chooses the order the copies are put onto the stack. The original spell will be on the stack beneath those copies and will resolve last. * The copies that Precursor Golem's second ability creates are created on the stack, so they're not "cast." Abilities that trigger when a player casts a spell (like Precursor Golem's second ability itself) won't trigger. * If the spell that's copied is modal (that is, it says "Choose one --" or the like), the copies will have the same mode. Their controller can't choose a different one. * If the spell that's copied has an X whose value was determined as it was cast (like Fireball does), the copies have the same value of X. * The controller of a copy can't choose to pay any additional costs for the copy. However, effects based on any additional costs that were paid for the original spell are copied as though those same costs were paid for the copy too. ----- Prototype Portal4Artifact Imprint -- When Prototype Portal enters the battlefield, you may exile an artifact card from your hand.X, T: Put a token that's a copy of the exiled card onto the battlefield. X is the converted mana cost of that card. * If Prototype Portal has left the battlefield by the time its second ability resolves, you'll still put a token onto the battlefield that's a copy of the exiled card. On the other hand, if Prototype Portal is still on the battlefield at this time but there is no exiled card (because, perhaps, Riftsweeper's ability caused the exiled card to be put into its owner's library), no token is created. * You don't choose the value of X. Rather, the value of X is defined by the activated ability. * If the exiled card has X in its mana cost (such as Chalice of the Void), that X is considered to be 0. The X in Prototype Portal's activation cost takes this into account, though it may be greater than 0 if the exiled card has other mana symbols in its mana cost (such as Riptide Replicator). * You may not activate the second ability if no card has been exiled with Prototype Portal. In that case, the value of X is undefined and can't be paid. * Any enters-the-battlefield abilities of the exiled card will trigger when the token is put onto the battlefield. Any "as [this permanent] enters the battlefield" or "[this permanent] enters the battlefield with" abilities of the exiled card will also work. ----- Psychic Miasma1BSorcery Target player discards a card. If a land card is discarded this way, return Psychic Miasma to its owner's hand. * If a land card is discarded this way, Psychic Miasma is returned to its owner's hand from the stack. It finishes resolving, but it isn't put into the graveyard. ---- Quicksilver Gargantuan5UUCreature -- Shapeshifter7/7You may have Quicksilver Gargantuan enter the battlefield as a copy of any creature on the battlefield, except it's still 7/7. * Except for its power and toughness, Quicksilver Gargantuan copies exactly what was printed on the original creature and nothing more (unless that creature is copying something else or is a token; see below). It doesn't copy whether that creature is tapped or untapped, whether it has any counters on it or Auras attached to it, or any non-copy effects that have changed its power, toughness, types, color, or so on. * If the chosen creature has X in its mana cost (such as Protean Hydra), X is considered to be zero. * If the chosen creature is copying something else (for example, if the chosen creature is a Clone), then your Quicksilver Gargantuan enters the battlefield as whatever the chosen creature copied, except for its power and toughness. * If the chosen creature is a token, your Quicksilver Gargantuan copies the original characteristics of that token as stated by the effect that put the token onto the battlefield, except for its power and toughness. Your Quicksilver Gargantuan is not a token. * If the chosen creature has a characteristic-defining ability that sets its power and/or toughness, that ability will overwrite Quicksilver Gargantuan's printed power of 7 and/or its printed toughness of 7. For example, if Quicksilver Gargantuan copies a Nightmare, its power and toughness will each be equal to the number of Swamps you control. * If Quicksilver Gargantuan is not a creature (for example, if it entered the battlefield as a copy of an animated land), it will not have the characteristics of power or toughness at all, so it won't be 7/7. If it later becomes a creature, its power and toughness will be determined by the effect that causes it to become a creature; again, it won't be 7/7. * Any enters-the-battlefield abilities of the copied creature will trigger when Quicksilver Gargantuan enters the battlefield. Any "as [this creature] enters the battlefield" or "[this creature] enters the battlefield with" abilities of the chosen creature will also work. * If Quicksilver Gargantuan somehow enters the battlefield at the same time as another creature (due to Mass Polymorph or Liliana Vess's third ability, for example), Quicksilver Gargantuan can't become a copy of that creature. You may only choose a creature that's already on the battlefield. * You can choose not to copy anything. In that case, Quicksilver Gargantuan simply enters the battlefield as a 7/7 creature. ----- Ratchet Bomb2Artifact T: Put a charge counter on Ratchet Bomb.T, Sacrifice Ratchet Bomb: Destroy each nonland permanent with converted mana cost equal to the number of charge counters on Ratchet Bomb. * As Ratchet Bomb's last ability resolves, its last existence on the battlefield is checked to determine how many charge counters were on it. * Ratchet Bomb's second ability destroys only those nonland permanents whose converted mana cost is exactly equal to the number of charge counters on Ratchet Bomb. It doesn't matter who controls them. * If Ratchet Bomb's second ability is activated while it has no charge counters on it, it will destroy each nonland permanent with converted mana cost 0. * The converted mana cost of a permanent is determined solely by the mana symbols printed in its upper right corner, unless it's copying something else (see below). The converted mana cost is the total amount of mana in that cost, regardless of color. For example, a card with mana cost 3UU has converted mana cost 5. * If a permanent is copying something else, its converted mana cost is the converted mana cost of whatever it's copying. * In all cases, ignore any alternative costs or additional costs (such as kicker) paid when the permanent was cast. * If the mana cost of a permanent includes X, X is considered to be 0. * If a nonland permanent has no mana symbols in its upper right corner (because it's a token that's not copying something else, for example), its converted mana cost is 0. ----- Razor Hippogriff3WWCreature -- Hippogriff3/3FlyingWhen Razor Hippogriff enters the battlefield, return target artifact card from your graveyard to your hand. You gain life equal to that card's converted mana cost. * If the artifact card in your graveyard is an illegal target by the time the ability resolves, the ability will be countered. You won't gain any life. * If the mana cost of the targeted card includes X, X is considered to be 0. ----- Relic Putrescence2BEnchantment -- AuraEnchant artifactWhenever enchanted artifact becomes tapped, its controller gets a poison counter. * Relic Putrescence may target and may enchant an artifact that's already tapped. It won't do anything until the enchanted artifact changes from being untapped to being tapped. * When the enchanted artifact becomes tapped, Relic Putrescence's ability triggers. The player who gets the poison counter is the player who, at the time the ability resolves, controls the artifact that became tapped. If that artifact is no longer on the battlefield, its last existence on the battlefield is checked to determine its controller. It doesn't matter whether Relic Putrescence is still on the battlefield as the ability resolves, what artifact it's enchanting at that time, who controlled the artifact at the time it became tapped, or who tapped it. * If the enchanted artifact is tapped as a cost to activate a mana ability, the mana ability resolves immediately, then Relic Putrescence's ability goes on the stack. * If the enchanted artifact is tapped as a cost to activate an ability that's not a mana ability, Relic Putrescence's ability will go on the stack on top of that activated ability and resolve first. ----- Rust Tick3Artifact Creature -- Insect1/3You may choose not to untap Rust Tick during your untap step.1, T: Tap target artifact. It doesn't untap during its controller's untap step for as long as Rust Tick remains tapped. * You may target a tapped artifact with Rust Tick's activated ability. * If the affected artifact is untapped by some other spell or ability, Rust Tick's effect will not end. If you keep Rust Tick tapped, and that artifact becomes tapped again, Rust Tick will continue to prevent it from being untapped during its controller's untap step. * Rust Tick doesn't track the artifact's controller. If the affected artifact changes controllers, Rust Tick will prevent it from being untapped during its new controller's untap step. * If Rust Tick untaps or leaves the battlefield, its effect will end. This has no immediate visible effect on the affected artifact. (It doesn't untap immediately, for example.) The artifact will just untap as normal during its controller's next untap step. * If you control both Rust Tick and the affected artifact, that artifact won't untap during the untap step in which you choose to untap Rust Tick. (It will untap during your next one.) ----- Rusted Relic4Artifact Metalcraft -- Rusted Relic is a 5/5 Golem artifact creature as long as you control three or more artifacts. * If Rusted Relic stops being a creature during combat (because you lose control of one or more artifacts, perhaps), it is removed from combat and will not deal or be dealt combat damage. Creatures it was blocking remain blocked. It won't re-enter that combat, even if you wind up controlling three or more artifacts again during that combat phase. * Whether Rusted Relic has "summoning sickness" is based on how long you have continuously controlled it, not on how long it has continuously been a creature. ----- Scrapdiver Serpent5UUCreature -- Serpent5/5Scrapdiver Serpent is unblockable as long as defending player controls an artifact. * Whether Scrapdiver Serpent is unblockable is relevant only as the declare blockers step begins. If the defending player gains control of an artifact after Scrapdiver Serpent has become blocked, the Serpent will remain blocked. ----- Seize the Initiative W Instant Target creature gets +1/+1 and gains first strike until end of turn. * A creature that gains first strike after other creatures with first strike or double strike deal combat damage in the first combat damage step will still deal damage in the second combat damage step. ----- Semblance Anvil3Artifact Imprint -- When Semblance Anvil enters the battlefield, you may exile a nonland card from your hand.Spells you cast that share a card type with the exiled card cost 2 less to cast. * Artifact, creature, enchantment, instant, planeswalker, sorcery, and tribal are card types. * Spells you cast that share multiple card types with the exiled card still cost just 2 less to cast. They don't get a greater cost reduction. * Semblance Anvil takes the total cost to cast a spell into account, not just its mana cost. This includes additional costs (such as kicker) and alternative costs (such as evoke). It also includes cost increases from other sources (such as Lodestone Golem's ability). * Semblance Anvil won't affect the part of a spell's cost represented by colored mana symbols. For example, a spell that normally costs 1U to cast would cost U if it shared a card type with the exiled card. * Semblance Anvil can reduce the amount you pay for a spell's cost that includes X. For example, Blaze is a sorcery that costs XR. If the card exiled with Semblance Anvil is a sorcery, and you want to cast Blaze with X equal to 5, you'll have to pay only 3R. This is true even if the ability states that X must be paid with a certain color of mana (as Drain Life does). * Semblance Anvil's cost reduction effect is mandatory. ----- Shape Anew3USorcery The controller of target artifact sacrifices it, then reveals cards from the top of his or her library until he or she reveals an artifact card. That player puts that card onto the battlefield, then shuffles all other cards revealed this way into his or her library. * If the targeted artifact is an illegal target by the time Shape Anew resolves, the spell is countered. Nothing else happens. * If the first card the player reveals is an artifact card, he or she will still have to shuffle his or her library even though no other cards were revealed this way. * If there are no artifact cards in the player's library, all the cards in that library are revealed, then the library is shuffled. (The targeted artifact remains sacrificed.) * If the targeted artifact's controller can't sacrifice it (due to Tajuru Preserver, perhaps), the other effects of the spell will still happen. ----- Skinrender2BBCreature -- Zombie3/3When Skinrender enters the battlefield, put three -1/-1 counters on target creature. * This ability is mandatory. If there are no other creatures on the battlefield, you must target Skinrender itself. ----- Snapsail Glider3Artifact Creature -- Construct2/2Metalcraft -- Snapsail Glider has flying as long as you control three or more artifacts. * For the purposes of combat, whether Snapsail Glider has flying is relevant only as the declare blockers step begins. If an attacking Snapsail Glider without flying becomes blocked, gaining control of enough artifacts to cause it to have flying won't change that. Similarly, if a Snapsail Glider with flying blocks another creature with flying, losing control of enough artifacts to cause the Glider to lose flying won't change that. -----Soul Parry1WInstant Prevent all damage one or two target creatures would deal this turn. * Soul Parry prevents all damage the targeted creatures would deal this turn, not just combat damage. ----- Spikeshot ElderRCreature -- Goblin Shaman1/11RR: Spikeshot Elder deals damage equal to its power to target creature or player. * How much damage Spikeshot Elder deals as a result of its ability is determined by its power as that ability resolves. If Spikeshot Elder is no longer on the battlefield at that time, its last existence on the battlefield is checked to determine its power. ----- Steady Progress 2UInstant Proliferate. (You choose any number of permanents and/or players with counters on them, then give each another counter of a kind already there.)Draw a card. * This spell has no targets. You can cast it even if there are no players or permanents with counters on them. If you do, you'll simply draw a card as it resolves. ----- Steel Hellkite6Artifact Creature -- Dragon5/5Flying2: Steel Hellkite gets +1/+0 until end of turn.X: Destroy each nonland permanent with converted mana cost X whose controller was dealt combat damage by Steel Hellkite this turn. Activate this ability only once each turn. * Steel Hellkite's last ability destroys only nonland permanents whose converted mana cost is exactly equal to X, and only those controlled by players who have been dealt combat damage by Steel Hellkite this turn. * It doesn't matter who controlled those permanents at the time Steel Hellkite dealt combat damage, or if those permanents were even on the battlefield at that time. * You may activate the last ability even if Steel Hellkite hasn't dealt combat damage to any players that turn. If you do, the ability won't do anything. * If Steel Hellkite's third ability is activated with X equal to 0, it will destroy each nonland permanent with converted mana cost 0 the appropriate players control. * The converted mana cost of a permanent is determined solely by the mana symbols printed in its upper right corner, unless it's copying something else (see below). The converted mana cost is the total amount of mana in that cost, regardless of color. For example, a card with mana cost 3UU has converted mana cost 5. * If a permanent is copying something else, its converted mana cost is the converted mana cost of whatever it's copying. * In all cases, ignore any alternative costs or additional costs (such as kicker) paid when the permanent was cast. * If the mana cost of a permanent includes X, X is considered to be 0. * If a nonland permanent has no mana symbols in its upper right corner (because it's a token that's not copying of something else, for example), its converted mana cost is 0. ----- Stoic Rebuttal1UUInstant Metalcraft -- Stoic Rebuttal costs 1 less to cast if you control three or more artifacts.Counter target spell. * Stoic Rebuttal's metalcraft ability functions while Stoic Rebuttal is on the stack. * For the purpose of determining whether the cost reduction applies, the number of artifacts you control is checked as you cast Stoic Rebuttal, before your last chance to activate mana abilities to pay for it. For example, if you control three artifacts, you could determine that Stoic Rebuttal costs UU to cast, then sacrifice one of those artifacts to activate a mana ability. ----- Strata Scythe3Artifact -- EquipmentImprint -- When Strata Scythe enters the battlefield, search your library for a land card, exile it, then shuffle your library.Equipped creature gets +1/+1 for each land on the battlefield with the same name as the exiled card.Equip 3 * The bonus counts all lands on the battlefield with the same name as the exiled card, not just lands you control.-----Sunblast Angel4WWCreature -- Angel4/5FlyingWhen Sunblast Angel enters the battlefield, destroy all tapped creatures. * The second ability destroys each creature that's tapped at the time it resolves, including creatures you control. If Sunblast Angel has become tapped by the time its ability resolves, it will be destroyed too. ----- Sunspear Shikari1WCreature -- Cat Soldier2/2As long as Sunspear Shikari is equipped, it has first strike and lifelink. * If all Equipment attached to Sunspear Shikari somehow becomes unequipped after it deals combat damage in the first combat damage step, it won't assign combat damage in the second combat damage step. ----- Sword of Body and Mind3Artifact -- EquipmentEquipped creature gets +2/+2 and has protection from green and from blue.Whenever equipped creature deals combat damage to a player, you put a 2/2 green Wolf creature token onto the battlefield and that player puts the top ten cards of his or her library into his or her graveyard.Equip 2 * If there are fewer than ten cards in that player's library, that player puts all the cards from his or her library into his or her graveyard. ----- Sylvok Lifestaff1Artifact -- EquipmentEquipped creature gets +1/+0.Whenever equipped creature is put into a graveyard, you gain 3 life.Equip 1 * If Sylvok Lifestaff and the equipped creature are put into their owners' graveyards at the same time (due to Planar Cleansing, perhaps), the triggered ability will still trigger. You'll gain 3 life. ----- Sylvok Replica3Artifact Creature -- Shaman1/3G, Sacrifice Sylvok Replica: Destroy target artifact or enchantment. * You may target Sylvok Replica with its own ability. However, if you do, the ability will be countered for having an illegal target. ----- Tangle Angler3GCreature -- Horror1/5Infect (This creature deals damage to creatures in the form of -1/-1 counters and to players in the form of poison counters.)G: Target creature blocks Tangle Angler this turn if able. * You may activate Tangle Angler's second ability multiple times in a turn to force multiple creatures to block it. * Activating Tangle Angler's second ability doesn't force you to attack with Tangle Angler that turn. If it doesn't attack, the targeted creature is free to block whichever creature its controller chooses, or block no creatures at all. * If you attack with Tangle Angler but a creature you targeted with its activated ability isn't able to block it (for example, because an effect has granted Tangle Angler intimidate and the other creature is white), the other creature is free to block whichever creature its controller chooses, or block no creatures at all. * Tapped creatures, creatures that can't block as the result of an effect, creatures with unpaid costs to block (such as those from War Cadence), and creatures that aren't controlled by the defending player are exempt from effects that would require them to block. Such creatures can be targeted by Tangle Angler's activated ability, but the requirement to block does nothing. ----- Tel-Jilad Defiance1GInstant Target creature gains protection from artifacts until end of turn.Draw a card. * "Protection from artifacts" means the following: -- The affected creature can't be blocked by artifact creatures. -- The affected creature can't be equipped. If any Equipment are attached to it, they become unattached. The affected creature also can't be enchanted by Auras that have somehow become artifacts in addition to enchantments. -- The affected creature can't be targeted by abilities from artifact sources. -- All damage that would be dealt to the affected creature by artifact sources is prevented. ----- Tel-Jilad Fallen2GGCreature -- Elf Warrior3/1Protection from artifactsInfect (This creature deals damage to creatures in the form of -1/-1 counters and to players in the form of poison counters.) * "Protection from artifacts" means the following: -- Tel-Jilad Fallen can't be blocked by artifact creatures. -- Tel-Jilad Fallen can't be equipped. It also can't be enchanted by Auras that have somehow become artifacts in addition to enchantments. -- Tel-Jilad Fallen can't be targeted by abilities from artifact sources. -- All damage that would be dealt to Tel-Jilad Fallen by artifact sources is prevented. -----Throne of Geth2Artifact T, Sacrifice an artifact: Proliferate. (You choose any number of permanents and/or players with counters on them, then give each another counter of a kind already there.) * You may sacrifice Throne of Geth to activate its ability. ----- Trinket Mage2UCreature -- Human Wizard2/2When Trinket Mage enters the battlefield, you may search your library for an artifact card with converted mana cost 1 or less, reveal that card, and put it into your hand. If you do, shuffle your library. * If the mana cost of a card in your library includes X, X is considered to be 0. ----- Tunnel Ignus1RCreature -- Elemental2/1Whenever a land enters the battlefield under an opponent's control, if that player had another land enter the battlefield under his or her control this turn, Tunnel Ignus deals 3 damage to that player. * Whenever a land enters the battlefield under an opponent's control, this ability triggers only if another land had already entered the battlefield under that opponent's control this turn. It doesn't matter if that other land is still on the battlefield, is still under that player's control, or is still a land. * If multiple lands enter the battlefield under an opponent's control at the same time, Tunnel Ignus's ability triggers that many times, even if no other lands had entered the battlefield under that player's control earlier in the turn. That's because each ability takes into consideration the other land(s) that entered the battlefield at the same time as the one that caused it to trigger. ----- Turn AsideUInstant Counter target spell that targets a permanent you control. * Turn Aside can target a spell that has multiple targets, as long as at least one of those targets is a permanent you control. ----- Turn to Slag3RRSorcery Turn to Slag deals 5 damage to target creature. Destroy all Equipment attached to that creature. * You may target any creature, not just one with Equipment attached to it. The targeted creature will still be dealt damage even if no Equipment is attached to it. * If the targeted creature is an illegal target by the time Turn to Slag resolves, the spell is countered. No Equipment is destroyed. ----- Twisted ImageUInstant Switch target creature's power and toughness until end of turn.Draw a card. * Effects that switch a creature's power and toughness are applied after every other effect that modifies that creature's power and toughness, no matter when they started to take effect. For example, if Twisted Image resolves targeting a 1/5 creature, then that creature gets +2/+0 until end of turn, it will be 5/3 that turn. ----- Vault SkywardUInstant Target creature gains flying until end of turn. Untap it. * Vault Skyward can target any creature, including one that already has flying or is already untapped. * For flying to work as an evasion ability, Vault Skyward must be cast before the declare blockers step begins. Once a creature has become blocked, giving it flying won't change that. ----- Venser, the Sojourner3WUPlaneswalker -- Venser3[+2]: Exile target permanent you own. Return it to the battlefield under your control at the beginning of the next end step.[-1]: Creatures are unblockable this turn.[-8]: You get an emblem with "Whenever you cast a spell, exile target permanent." * The first ability can target any permanent you own, including those another player controls. * If the first ability exiles a token, that token will cease to exist. It won't return to the battlefield. * A permanent exiled by the first ability will return to the battlefield under your control at the beginning of the next end step even if you no longer control Venser at that time. * Venser's second ability doesn't lock in what it applies to. That's because the effect states a true thing about creatures, but doesn't actually change the characteristics of those creatures. As a result, all creatures are unblockable that turn, including creatures you don't control, creatures that weren't on the battlefield at the time the ability resolved, and creatures that have lost all abilities. * Venser's last ability creates an emblem with a triggered ability. The emblem is the source of the triggered ability. Because emblems are colorless, you can target permanents with protection from white or from blue, for example, with the triggered ability. * Whenever you cast a spell, the emblem's ability triggers and goes on the stack on top of it. It will resolve before the spell does. * If you control more than one such emblem, each one's ability will trigger separately whenever you cast a spell. * You retain the emblem even after Venser leaves the battlefield. * See the "Emblems" entry in the General Notes section for more information on emblems. ----- Venser's Journal5Artifact You have no maximum hand size.At the beginning of your upkeep, you gain 1 life for each card in your hand. * If multiple effects modify your hand size, apply them in timestamp order. For example, if you put Null Profusion (an enchantment that says your maximum hand size is two) onto the battlefield and then put Venser's Journal onto the battlefield, you'll have no maximum hand size. However, if those permanents enter the battlefield in the opposite order, your maximum hand size would be two. ----- Vigil for the Lost3WEnchantment Whenever a creature you control is put into a graveyard from the battlefield, you may pay X. If you do, you gain X life. * As the ability resolves, you choose a value for X and decide whether to pay X. If you do decide to pay X, it's too late for any player to respond since the ability is already in the midst of resolving. ----- Viridian Revel1GGEnchantment Whenever an artifact is put into an opponent's graveyard from the battlefield, you may draw a card. * It doesn't matter who controlled the artifact while it was on the battlefield, only whose graveyard it was put into. ----- Volition Reins 3UUUEnchantment -- AuraEnchant permanentWhen Volition Reins enters the battlefield, if enchanted permanent is tapped, untap it.You control enchanted permanent. * Volition Reins may target and may enchant an untapped permanent. * If the enchanted permanent is untapped as Volition Reins enters the battlefield, the triggered ability won't trigger at all. * Gaining control of a permanent doesn't cause you gain control of any Auras or Equipment attached to it. ----- Wing PunctureGInstant Target creature you control deals damage equal to its power to target creature with flying. * If either target has become illegal by the time Wing Puncture resolves, the spell will still resolve but have no effect. If the first target is illegal, it can't perform any actions, so it can't deal damage. If the second target is illegal, there's nothing for the first target to deal damage to. If both targets have become illegal, the spell will be countered. ----- Wurmcoil Engine6Artifact Creature -- Wurm6/6Deathtouch, lifelinkWhen Wurmcoil Engine is put into a graveyard from the battlefield, put a 3/3 colorless Wurm artifact creature token with deathtouch and a 3/3 colorless Wurm artifact creature token with lifelink onto the battlefield. * The two creature tokens enter the battlefield at the same time. * It must be clear to all players which token has deathtouch and which token has lifelink. ----- All trademarks are property of Wizards of the Coast LLC in the U.S.A. and other countries. (c)2010 Wizards.