Celebrate Thanksgiving this year with these life-like Treasure tokens. Cranberry sauce not included.
Author: basilisk
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Boat Leak? Rivals of Ixalan Sheet Discovered
ORLANDO, FL — Early this morning, photos of an uncut sheet of Rivals of Ixalan were leaked on imgur.
We contacted the leaker for an exclusive close-up glimpse of some of the new cards, seen below. More to come as this story develops.
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Judge’s Corner #8
Welcome back to our regular series Judge’s Corner, where we answer your Magic: the Gathering rules questions.
Q: I suspect that my opponent is cheating. What should I do?
A: If you think he’s cheating, here is what you should do: 1) identify your feelings; 2) tell him about your feelings; 3) take note of his reaction; 4) try to obtain physical evidence; 5) ask for the respect of honesty; 6) set boundaries for your self-care.
Q: How does the Undying ability on Geralf’s Messenger work?
A: When Geralf’s Messenger dies, if it didn’t already have a +1/+1 counter on it, it returns to the battlefield under its owner’s control and gains a +1/+1 counter. Since Geralf’s Messenger is a zombie, we can assume that it has already died before the card was printed; therefore, it is already on the battlefield with a +1/+1 counter by the time you start the game. The “target opponent loses 2 life” effect won’t apply at this time, since none of the players in the current game were your opponent at the time that Geralf’s Messenger entered the battlefield. Since Dark Ascension was printed five years ago, it is safe to assume that Geralf’s Messenger is untapped by the time the game starts.
Q: I’ve occasionally seen cards that tell me to put “counters” on my cards. What should I use for counters?
A: This depends on the type of counter called for:
+1/+1 counters represent an increase in physical strength. We recommend pomegranate seeds, acorns, or nibs of dark chocolate.
-1/-1 counters are a symbol of weakness; lemon drops, periwinkle shells, or shards of glass are more appropriate.
Poison counters are best represented by dried flowers, a lock of hair, or a lie whispered into a lover’s ear.
Q: My friend targeted my Yavimaya Barbarian and my Raging Goblin with Dead Ringers. I didn’t think either creature would be destroyed but my friend insisted that they were. Are they right?
A: Yes, your friend is correct. As the controller of the Dead Ringers, your friend makes all choices associated with the spell, including which of the two targeted creatures is the “either one” referred to in the card text; since Raging Goblin is not a color that Yavimaya Barbarian isn’t, they both are destroyed.
Q: Can I challenge a judge’s ruling?
A: Yes! To challenge a judge’s ruling you must play a Magic subgame versus their “Judge Deck.” Beware: the higher the level of the judge, the more powerful the spells in their deck!
Submit your questions to @goodgamery on Twitter using #judgescorner.
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Judge’s Corner #7
Welcome back to our regular series Judge’s Corner, where we answer your Magic: the Gathering rules questions.
Q: I cast Mind Rot on my opponent, but they have no cards in hand. What happens?
A: This is covered by Rule 609.3: “If an effect attempts to do something impossible, it does as much as possible.” For your opponent to be able to discard two cards, they must have two cards in hand, so they must first draw two cards, then discard them. If your opponent has fewer than two cards left in their library, they lose the game (see Rule 104.3c).
Q: I was about to attack my opponent for 300 damage, but then rather than allow me to attack he just conceded. This is no fun! What can I do about it?
A: This is an issue that Wizards is aware of and is working to resolve. In the meantime, we have issued an emergency ruling that allows you transfer over the 300 damage you would’ve done to the next game.
Q: I was mana weaving my deck before a match (I always also riffle shuffle it three times, the mana weaving just makes me feel luckier) and my opponent called me a cheater. What should I do when this happens?
A: Call a judge immediately. Players are not allowed to insult their opponents by calling them names: this is an example of Unsporting Conduct – Major.
Q: My opponent has a Dark Confidant on the battlefield. During his upkeep, he reveals an extra card, but forgets to mark his life total down. After I point it out to him during the following turn, he claims it’s too late because it’s a “missed trigger.” My question is: what the heck is that?
A: Missed triggers happen when one or more players forget to precede their game actions with what we call “trigger warnings.” It is the responsibility of each player to maintain the game state, so if you realize a game action will cause a trigger, warn your opponents so that they can choose to stop reading their card before the trigger occurs.
Q: In a multiplayer game, an opponent and I both activate Mindslaver targeting a third player. Who controls that player’s next turn?
A: You both do. Please refer to the Two-Headed Giant rules.
Submit your questions to @goodgamery on Twitter using #judgescorner.
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Gravecrawlers Refuse To Stand For Hymn To Tourach
Controversy is growing this week as more and more zombies are remaining on the ground during the traditional Hymn. We reached out to well known Necromancer and member of the Gatewatch, Liliana Vess:
“I am absolutely disgusted at this behavior. These mindless freaks don’t seem to appreciate all the empires that have fallen because of the Hymn. It is incredibly disrespectful for them to just drag themselves around looking for delicious brains while Hymn To Tourach is on the stack. It was bad enough before when they just refused to block, but this is the last straw. I am strongly considering replacing all of my Gravecrawlers with skeletons or ghosts if this continues.”
Gravecrawler first began his career six years ago. A strong showing as a rookie tapered off when his set rotated out of standard, and he has spent a lot of time on the bench in the last few seasons. Many fans are skeptical of the protest, saying it’s just a stunt for the fading star to try to reclaim the spotlight, however briefly. The prevailing opinion seems to be that Gravecrawler just doesn’t have the numbers to deserve a spot in any competitive decklists.
Gisa Cecani, a ghoulcaller from the plane of Innistrad, had a different view on the matter. “You have to understand, the Hymn doesn’t mean the same thing to Gravecrawlers that it does to us necromancers. Historically, Gravecrawlers have been the victims of discard, very often at the hands of people they thought they could trust. That’s something the average Lord of The Undead has never experienced. And it’s not like the Gravecrawlers are hurting anyone. They still do their job, attacking for two every turn, no matter how many times they get tackled.”
The Hymn To Tourach has a storied history, seeing play in many formats for as long as it has existed. A perennial favorite of Necromancers and Demonologists alike, it has until now demanded a great deal of respect. But recent criticism of randomness in Magic has set off a gravestorm of controversy, and it looks like the Hymn has taken the brunt of the abuse.
At a recent Legacy Grand Prix, an entire playset of Gravecrawlers took to the battlefield during a feature match, and not a single one of them stood for the Hymn. Players seem to be taking the controversy in stride, but fans are outraged, especially Liliana.
“Look. I would totally stop keeping watch over this if I could. But I took an oath. And, for as long as it’s convenient to me personally, I will take that oath seriously.”
Jace Beleren, an associate of Miss Vess; and Vraska the Unseen, another planeswalker familiar with Zombies, were mysteriously unable to be reached for comment.
When we finally tracked down a Gravecrawler and questioned him about his refusal to stand, he only had this to say: “This was never about the Hymn. I don’t have any legs.”
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Just in time for the holidays, Good Gamery remembers all of our favorite Time Spiral cards
Reminiscing about old sets is one of our favorite holiday pastimes. Here are twenty-seven of our favorite cards from the classic expert-level expansion block Time Spiral. We think you’ll be delighted to walk down memory lane with us.