_Magic_(R) Rulings & Errata A Summary of Recent Rulings August 2001 Compiled by Paul Barclay GENERAL RULES 1) Some cards read, "[action]. If you do, [effect]." If the action is modified by a replacement effect, the "if you do" refers to the modified action created by the replacement effect. EXAMPLE: You control Ophidian and Forbidden Crypt. Ophidian Whenever Ophidian attacks and isn't blocked, you may draw a card. If you do, Ophidian deals no combat damage this turn. Forbidden Crypt If you would draw a card, return a card from your graveyard to your hand instead. If you can't, you lose the game. If a card would be put into your graveyard, remove that card from the game instead. If you choose to draw a card when Ophidian attacks and isn't blocked, it deals no combat damage, even though Forbidden Crypt's effect replaces the card draw with a modified event. 2) Instant and sorcery cards can't come into play. If an instant or sorcery card would come into play for any reason, it remains in its previous zone instead. ERRATA 1) Soul Link's triggered ability has been split into two abilities to clarify what happens when the enchanted creature both deals and is dealt damage in the same event. Soul Link Whenever enchanted creature deals damage, you gain that much life. Whenever enchanted creature is dealt damage, you gain that much life. 2) The creature type of the tokens created by Splintering Wind has changed from Splinter to Sprite to prevent an unintended and strange interaction with the Splinter sorcery. Splintering Wind 2G: Splintering Wind deals 1 damage to target creature. Put a 1/1 green Sprite creature token into play with flying and "Cumulative upkeep G." Whenever a Sprite token leaves play, it deals 1 damage to you and to each creature you control. 3) Mind Twist has been changed from "target opponent" to "target player" to reflect its most recent printing. Mind Twist Target player discards X cards at random from his or her hand. 4) Animate Dead, Dance of the Dead, and Necromancy have been changed to function sensibly should they leave play before their comes-into-play triggers resolve: When Animate Dead comes into play, if it's in play, it becomes an enchant creature. Put target creature card from a graveyard into play under your control enchanted by Animate Dead. Enchanted creature gets -1/-0. When Animate Dead leaves play, destroy enchanted creature. It can't be regenerated. When Dance of the Dead comes into play, if it's in play, it becomes an enchant creature. Put target creature card from a graveyard into play tapped under your control enchanted by Dance of the Dead. Enchanted creature gets +1/+1 and doesn't untap during its controller's untap step. At the beginning of the upkeep of enchanted creature's controller, that player may pay 1B. If he or she does, untap enchanted creature. When Dance of the Dead leaves play, destroy enchanted creature. It can't be regenerated. You may play Necromancy any time you could play an instant. If it was played any time a sorcery couldn't have been played, sacrifice it at end of turn. When Necromancy comes into play, if it's in play, it becomes an enchant creature. Put target creature card from a graveyard into play under your control enchanted by Necromancy. When Necromancy leaves play, destroy enchanted creature. It can't be regenerated. 5) Seeds of Innocence has had its original "bury" functionality restored. Destroy all artifacts. They can't be regenerated. The controller of each artifact destroyed this way gains life equal to its converted mana cost. 6) Because of changes to the draw action of the draw step, Black Vise, The Rack, and Storm World have been changed from draw-step-triggered abilities to upkeep-triggered abilities. Black Vise As Black Vise comes into play, choose an opponent. At the beginning of the chosen player's upkeep, Black Vise deals X damage to that player, where X is the number of cards in his or her hand minus four. The Rack As The Rack comes into play, choose an opponent. At the beginning of the chosen player's upkeep, The Rack deals X damage to that player, where X is the number of cards in his or her hand fewer than three. Storm World At the beginning of each player's upkeep, Storm World deals X damage to that player, where X is the number of cards in his or her hand fewer than four. 7) The Licids have been changed so the activated abilities that end their effects include colons. Also, Transmogrifying Licid has been changed so it doesn't set the enchanted creature's type to artifact creature, but simply adds the artifact type. The corrected Transmogrifying Licid wording and a generalized Licid wording follow: Transmogrifying Licid 1, T: Transmogrifying Licid loses all abilities, becomes an enchant creature enchanting target creature, and gains "Enchanted creature gets +1/+1 and is an artifact that's still a creature" and "1: End the effect that created this ability." [Mana], T: This Licid loses all abilities, becomes an enchant creature enchanting target creature, and gains "[Ability]" and "[Mana]: End the effect that created this ability." 8) Illusionary Mask's wording has been changed to clear up myriad rules problems: X: Put a creature card with converted mana cost X or less from your hand into play face down. If the face-down creature deals or is dealt damage or becomes tapped, turn it face up. Play this ability only any time you could play a sorcery. 9) Also, the _Oracle_(TM) wordings of all cards not legal in the Extended format are currently being updated. There are too many minor changes to these cards' wordings to list in a rules team release, but the changes will be itemized when the update is complete. SPECIFIC CARD RULINGS 1) Abilities that trigger when a spell is played trigger when the spell card is announced. If an ability reads, "Whenever a player plays a blue spell," for example, the ability triggers only if the spell is blue when first announced, not if it becomes blue later in the course of being played. EXAMPLE: You control Crystal Rod when you play Tinker. Crystal Rod Whenever a player plays a blue spell, you may pay 1. If you do, you gain 1 life. Tinker As an additional cost to play Tinker, sacrifice an artifact. Search your library for an artifact card and put that card into play. Then shuffle your library. Crystal Rod's ability triggers when you first announce Tinker, and you can sacrifice the Rod to pay Tinker's additional cost. Later, when the Rod's ability resolves, you can pay 1 to gain 1 life. 2) Card text that defines the value(s) of a creature's power and/or toughness (such as the text on Maro or Yavimaya Kavu) is not an ability. It's simply characteristic-setting text. (C)2001 Wizards of the Coast, Inc.