View table: RuleData

NOTE: The rules text for what is considered a Move have been updated as of Rulebook 1.6.

What does the "if you do" refer to in the last sentence of Self-Bolstering Automata's ability? For example:

1. If Automata was already exhausted when it was destroyed, does that mean it doesn't get the power counters because I failed to exhaust it?
2. If Automata didn't have any damage on it when it was destroyed, does that mean it doesn't get the power counters because I failed to heal it?//Yes to both. The Self-Bolstering Automata must actually heal, exhaust, AND move in order to gain the +1 Power counters.

Note that this also means the Self-Bolstering Automata must actually be moved to a flank in order to get the +1 Power counters, which it cannot do if it is your only creature in play.

The situations where Self-Bolstering Automata will actually get the counters are a lot rarer than it might seems at first, but this is probably for the best because a nigh-immortal creature is already quite good, even if it doesn't get huge.

NOTE: The card text of Peace Accord was updated in Mass Mutation. This commentary clarifies a rules issue with the original version of the card.

In my opponent's battleline, they have a single creature and they also have the artifact Peace Accord in play. In my battleline, I have a Harland Mindlock and a Mogghunter that I have taken control of using Harland Mindlock's Play ability. If I use the Mogghunter to destroy their creature, and then destroy Harland Mindlock with Mogghunter's Fight ability (deal 2 damage to a flank creature), how will Peace Accord resolve?

I am the player who used Mogghunter, but Mogghunter will change control as soon as Harland Mindlock leaves play, which is before the "After a creature is used to fight" window, according to the timing chart. Does this mean I can destroy Harland Mindlock, then send Mogghunter back to my opponent and make them lose 4 Æmber through Peace Accord?//Since Peace Accord resolves after a creature fights, which is the same timing point at Mogghunter's damage, the active player gets to choose which one to resolve first. So yes, you can choose to trigger Mogghunter's damage first, destroy your own Harland Mindlock, and give Mogghunter back to your opponent before you trigger Peace Accord. This would make your opponent lose the 4 Æmber.

Note from the Arcanists: This question has been edited from the original for clarity.

When Cyber-Clone's Play: ability resolves, does the ability set Cyber-Clone's Power, Armor, Keywords, and Traits to those printed on the purged creature, or does it include bonuses granted by things like Power Counters and other card effects? If Cyber-Clone's Play: ability resolves cloning a Mimic Gel, does Cyber-Clone become a 0 Power creature that is immediately destroyed?//Cyber-Clone only copies the base Power, Armor, Keywords, and Traits of the purged creature, and does not include any bonuses granted from counters or other cards. You are correct that if you purged a Mimic Gel, your Cyber-Clone would be a 0-power creature and be destroyed.

Note: The Quickstart version of the rules included in the Dark Tidings starter set included a rule concerning the Tide card that said, "The tide card is not used during games in which neither deck includes a tide card.". That rule was intentionally not included in the full rulebook.

If I'm playing a Call of the Archons deck against a Worlds Collide deck that has the Anomaly version of Valoocanth, can I raise the tide to prevent Valoocanth from reaping even though neither of us is playing a deck with a Tide card? //Yes, now that the tide is integrated into the rules, you can take chains to raise the tide, turning off your opponent's Valoocanth, even if it is the anomaly version from Worlds Collide and neither of you are playing Dark Tidings decks.

That is one of the rare instances where taking the tide could have a game impact even if neither deck is from Dark Tidings. The other instance is when a player really doesn't want to draw cards and have to cycle through their deck, so they might arbitrarily raise the tide just to gain chains.

At what point in the damage timing chart is the damage dealt to Undagnathus (Evil Twin) doubled? Consider the situation of Undagnathus (Evil Twin) with 2 Armor being attacked by a 5 power creature, for example.//The damage is doubled after damage mitigation (Step 3 of the damage timing chart), resulting in the attacking creature attempting to deal 5 damage, mitigated by 2 armor, then doubled by the ability of Undagnathus (Evil Twin), resulting in 6 damage.

Can I play a creature that can be played as an upgrade (such as Explo-rover) as an upgrade if my opponent sacrificed Lifeward on a previous turn? If I have Matter Maker in play, can I play Explo-rover as an upgrade when Star Alliance is not my active house?//Yes and yes. You can choose to treat cards like Explo-rover as upgrades in all regards while you are playing them, even at the level of play restrictions.

Can Rock-Hurling Giant's ability deal damage to Ardent Hero?//No. Because Rock-Hurling Giant has 6 Power, it cannot deal damage to Ardent Hero from its power or printed abilities. In general, the source of the damage is the card that is dealing the damage. (Damage Bonus icons are an exception to that rule, for example.)

Does the "belongs to house" in this card's effect mean that it is in addition to the printed house or does the effect replace it?//Based on the clarification provided by FFG for Orator Hissaro, by default these type of effects replace a card’s house unless they specify “in addition to its own house.”

How do Universal Recycle Bin and Spangler Box interact? If you archive a creature that was purged by Spangler Box, then play it, then it gets destroyed, and then somehow destroy Spangler Box, does the creature go back into play?//When a card purged by Spangler Box is moved to your archives, Spangler Box loses memory of having purged that card. If Spangler Box is later destroyed, the purged card will remain in whatever zone it is currently in.

How does Creed of Nurture work when it is used to copy the ability of a creature with Self-referential text in its ability?//Any Self-referential text now refers to the creature gaining the text. For example, if you use Creed of Nurture to give Shorty's ability to Ghosthawk, Ghosthawk gains a Reap: ability that says "Enrage Ghosthawk".

I attack my Opponent's Culf the Quiet with a Niffle Ape, ignoring the Elusive and dealing 3 damage and destroying the Niffle Ape. If I attack Culf the Quiet again with another creature, will Elusive prevent damage for that second fight or no?//Elusive will not prevent damage for the first fight. Since it is no longer the first time the creature is in a fight, Elusive is turned off.

I have 4 Æmber in my pool and my opponent has 6. If I play Crassosaurus (WC 217), do I HAVE to capture 10 total Æmber onto Crassosaurus, or can I choose not to capture from myself and let Crassosaurus get purged?//Do as much as you can. In this case, if there is 10 or more Æmber total in all players’ pools when you play Crassosaurus, you must capture 10 Æmber onto Crassosaurus.

I have a creature that has the card Biomatrix Backup (CoTA 208) attached. It's my opponent’s turn and they use one of their creatures to attack and destroy my creature. What happens?//Since it is your opponent’s turn and they are the active player, they will get to make all decisions for all cards. In this case Biomatx Backup has the word “may”, meaning that the effect is optional. Thus if your creature is destroyed with the upgrade on it during your opponent’s turn, your opponent will decide whether the card is put into your archives or not.

I have a creature that is upgraded with an Armageddon Cloak in my battleline. In my opponent's battleline there are two Harbingers of Doom. If I destroy one of the Harbingers, resolving its Destroyed: ability, can the replacement effect of Armageddon Cloak's ability protect my creature from both waves of destruction?//Yes, since both of the effects happen simultaneously, the active player can choose the order of how the effects resolve. You could resolve the Destroyed: ability of the first Harbinger, tagging all of your creatures for destruction. Then the second Harbinger's Destroyed: ability would resolve, but your creature can't be tagged for destruction a second time. Then resolve the Armageddon Cloak, removing the tag for destruction and replacing it with the destruction of the Armageddon Cloak.

I have a Mars creature in my battleline. My opponent chooses house Dis and plays a Collar of Subordination on my creature, then finishes their turn. On my turn, I play Hypnobeam to take my creature back. However, since Collar of Subordination is a Constant ability versus the Play: ability of Hypnobeam, how do these two control effects resolve?//Hypnobeam’s Play: effect sets up a lasting effect, which is also a constant ability for its duration. When two constant abilities would both take control over a card, the most recent constant ability takes precedence. So, in this case you will retain control of your creature despite Collar of Subordination, until that creature leaves play or your opponent plays another effect to take control of it.

I have a Duskwitch and Mars Ambassador in play. If I reap with Mars Ambassador, and play a Mars creature (coming in ready because of Duskwitch), can I use the Mars creature as a part of the Ambassador's ability?//No. The “play or use” text on Mars Ambassador means you have to choose to either play or use that card, not both.

I have chosen Dis as my active house for the turn. I play Exhume and choose to play a Helper Bot from my Discard Pile. If the next card I play is a card from house Dis, does that use up the Helper Bot's ability, or am I still allowed to play a future card from my 3rd house?//Helper Bot grants you permission to play one non-Logos card at any point on your turn. The first time you play a non-Logos card, that permission is used up. So, in this case you could play a card from your 3rd house with Helper Bot’s ability only if you do so before you play any more Dis cards.

I have chosen house Logos to be my active house this turn and start off by playing Library Access (CoTA 115), I then play Wild Wormhole (CoTA 125). In what order do I resolve this combination of effects?//When you play a Wild Wormhole after playing a Library Access the following happens in this order:

1. You gain 1 Æmber from Wild Wormhole’s Æmber bonus.
2. You draw a card from Library Access’s effect.
3. You resolve Wild Wormhole’s effect and play the top card of your deck.
4. You gain Æmber from any Æmber bonus on the played card.
5. You draw a card from Library Access’s effect.
6. You resolve any play effects on the card played from the top of your deck.

I have the card Pitlord (CoTA 093) in play and my opponent plays the card Restringuntus (CoTA 094) and chooses house Dis. What happens when I go to declare my house on my next turn?//On your next turn during the choose a house step of your turn you will be in a position where you must choose house Dis because of the Pitlord, but also cannot choose house Dis because of the Restringuntus. In this case no house is a legal option to be your active house and you must declare no house as your Active house.

I have the The Pale Star (MM 049), Chonkers (MM 396), and Dark Æmber Vault (MM 001) in play. Chonkers has 1 printed power, one +1 power counter, and +2 power from the Dark Æmber Vault. If I sacrifice The Pale Star, how much power will Chonkers have? If I attack with Chonkers and it gains another +1 power counter this turn, how much power will it have then?//1 Power in both cases. Restrictive (“cannot”) effects overrule permissive (“may”) effects, and The Pale Star is essentially saying “creatures cannot have power other than 1 and armor other than 0”, So Chonkers will still only have 1 power this turn, despite any other counters or card effects that would usually increase its power, even if those counters are added after The Pale Star’s ability has triggered.

I have three cards in my battleline; Captain Val Jericho in the Center of the Battleline with Com. Officer Kirby as a neighbor. On my turn, I reap with Com. Officer Kirby, granting me a play allowance of a non-Star Alliance action, artifact, or upgrade for the rest of the turn. Captain Val Jericho is also granting a play allowance of a card that is not of the active house. If I play a Shadows action, does this use up both allowances?//This follows the same precedent as playing two Phase Shifts, which gives you two play allowances and only uses one on the first non-Logos card you play.

Playing a Shadows action in this case will only use up one of your two play allowances, leaving you one more to use. You can choose whether to use Com. Officer Kirby's or Captain Val Jericho's play allowance first, leaving the other open (with the caveat that Captain Val has to be in the center of your battleline when you use her play allowance).

I have Dexus in my battleline. In my opponent's battleline, they have two creatures of the same house. On their turn, they play Code Monkey, resulting in both of the creatures going to their archive and leaving Code Monkey alone in their battleline (and hence on both flanks). Will Dexus' ability resolve here?//No. Dexus’ ability will not be triggered by creatures that do not enter the battlefield on their opponent’s right flank, even if Play: effects cause that creature to be on the flank after they resolve.

I have Fangtooth Cavern in play. In my battleline, I have Jargogle with Ghosthawk underneath. As my turn ends, Jargogle is destroyed, and I play Ghosthawk. Would the neighbors of Ghosthawk be able to reap, even though it is outside Step 3? Or would Ghosthawk still deploy, but I would be unable to reap because I can only use cards in Step 3?//While creatures normally wouldn’t be able to reap outside of Step 3, because of the golden rule (card text overrides rules text), Ghosthawk’s ability will allow you to reap with its neighbors if you choose to.

I have Gebuk in my battleline. On my opponent's turn, Gebuk is destroyed. Gebuk's Destroyed: ability is resolved and I discard Spartasaur, a creature. Are "After Gebuk Leaves Play" and "After a friendly Creature is destroyed" in the same window of the Timing Chart? If so, does Spartasaur's ability resolve when Gebuk leaves play or can the Active player order it so that Spartasaur's ability will not resolve?//When Gebuk is tagged for destruction, your opponent resolves its ability. Assuming they discarded a creature, Gebuk’s ability then sets up a lasting effect where that discarded creature will be put into play immediately after Gebuk actually leaves play. This is a strangely timed card effect that happens during the game step that puts Gebuk into your discard pile and does not wait until the “After a creature is destroyed” timing point where Spartasaur’s ability will trigger. So Gebuk’s replacement will be put into play first, and then, assuming it is not a dinosaur, Spartasaur’s ability will destroy that replacement along with all other non-dinosaurs.

I have Sacro-Bot and Auto-Encoder in play. If I reap with Sacro-Bot, its Reap: ability causes me to discard a card from hand, which allows me to resolve Auto-Encoder. Does the resolution of Auto-Encoder's ability happen at the same time as the "If you do", from Sacro-Bot (meaning the active player can choose the order to resolve them) or does Auto-Encoder have to resolve first?//Auto-Encoder has to resolve immediately after you discard a card, so when you reap with Auto-Encoder, you discard, then archive, then draw. These effects are not simultaneous, so the active player can not change their order.

I have Scrivener Favian (MM 155) and an Amphora Captura (MM 215) in play. Can I use Amphora Captura's replacement effect to resolve a bonus icon as a capture, and then use Scrivener Favian's replacement effect to resolve that as a steal?//Yes. Both of these replacement effects would happen simultaneously, so you, as the active player, get to choose their order. You may choose to first treat the bonus icon as capture and then to treat that capture as steal.

I play the card Library Access (CoTA 115). Is the card immediately put in the discard pile? Or does it remain in play as long as the effect is active?//Action cards are immediately put into the discard pile after their effects resolve. In the case of an Action card that has a lasting effect like Library Access, once the effect is established by resolving the card, the card is immediately put into the discard pile and does not remain in play.

I play Sneklifter and take control of a Spangler Box that is under the control of my opponent, making it a house Shadows artifact while under my control. I use Spangler Box, returning control to my opponent and Spangler Box's house to Logos. On a later turn, my opponent uses Spangler Box again and it returns to my control. Will Spangler Box's house return to Shadows due to the lasting effect provided by Sneklifter, or has something caused that effect to expire?//Sneklifter’s lasting effect does not specify an ending for its duration, so it will last for the rest of the game or until that artifact leaves play. So yes, if your opponent takes control of Spangler Box, and then you take control of it again, Sneklifter’s lasting effect will make Spangler Box belong to house Shadows again.

I use Overlord Greking to fight my opponent's Hexpion. Hexpion is destroyed, but its Destroyed: ability archives it. Can Overlord Greking pull it out of my opponent's archive to put it into play?//No. Overlord Greking will only put creatures into play from your opponent's discard pile. If an effect sends the destroyed creature to its owner's hand, deck, archives, or purged pile, that creature will evade Overlord Greking's ability.

I deploy Code Monkey between two creatures of the same house, but both are warded. The wards are removed (so they don't go to my archives), but do I still get 2 Æmber?//Yes, you still get the Æmber from Code Monkey, even if its neighbors lose wards instead of getting archived. In this case, the if text only checks whether they are the same house, and not whether they are successfully archived.

I've taken control of my opponent's Dark Harbinger. On my turn, I play Mimicry to copy a Shadows card from my opponent's discard pile. Does Dark Harbinger's ability resolve?//No. Mimicry was played as a copy of the Shadows action in your discard pile, so you have technically played a Shadows action, not an Untamed one.

If I attack a creature that has both Hazardous and Elusive, and the Hazardous destroys my creature that was attacking, has Elusive been turned off, or is it still in effect for a future attack?//Elusive has been turned off. Because you engaged in a fight the Elusive keyword has been resolved and cannot be resolved a second time.

If I attack a Hazardous 3 creature with Reassembling Automaton, will the combat still happen?//Yes. Combat will still happen. Reassembling Automaton's Destroyed: ability is a replacement effect. If Reassembling Automaton is not the only creature you have in play, the Hazardous 3 will resolve Reassembling Automaton's Destroyed: ability. It never leaves play or becomes a new object; Reassembling Automaton is moved to a flank position, where it will then complete its attack against the target.

If I destroy Jargogle with a board wipe such as Unlocked Gateway and it plays a creature, is that creature then destroyed by the Unlocked Gateway as well?//No. According to the rules for Destroyed, the Unlocked Gateway has already tagged the cards that were in play when it was played for destruction, and will not continue to tag new cards that are played. The creature under Jargogle will be played, and then the cards that were tagged for destruction will finish resolving the destruction event.

If I have a stunned Deipno Spymaster, can I use it and remove the stun on any turn, or only on a turn in which I declare Shadows as my Active house?//No. You cannot use the text ability of a creature while that creature is stunned. Thus, in order to use the Omni effect, the stun must first be cleared. You can only use the Deipno Spymaster to remove its stun on a turn when you have declared Shadows as your active house.

If I have a Bumpsy with a Way of the Bear attached, and fight a Bulleteye, which is destroyed by the assault 2, can I then activate The Warchest to gain an Æmber? How about a Firespitter that destroys a creature with it's 1 damage Before Fight ability?//Because the creature was not destroyed with fight damage, it is not considered to have been destroyed in a fight, and doesn't count for Æmber generated with The Warchest.

If I have a Mack the Knife with two damage on it, can I use Mack the Knife's Action ability to destroy it, and still gain 1 Æmber?//Yes. Because the damage and the Æmber gain are part of the same effect, that effect is a lasting effect until either that creature survives and you don't gain the Æmber, or that creature goes into its owner's discard pile and you do gain the Æmber.

If I have a Senator Shrix in play with 1 Æmber on it and my opponent plays Bumpsy, can I lose the Æmber off of Senator Shrix instead of from my pool?//No. Senator Shrix's ability only refers to spending Æmber. Æmber is only spent when forging keys; if your Æmber would be lost, stolen, or captured, you cannot use Æmber on Senator Shrix.

If I play a Rad Penny with a damage bonus icon and a draw bonus icon on it while no other creatures in play, will the damage bonus icon resolve and deal damage destroying Rad Penny before her draw bonus icon resolves?//Once a card has been played, all bonus icons must resolve, even if the card with the bonus icons leaves play.

If I play a Unlocked Gateway and have Jargogle in play with a Wild Wormhole under it. Does Jargogle's Destroyed: ability allow me to play Wild Wormhole? What if Wild Wormhole causes a creature to be played from my deck, does it survive the Unlocked Gateway?//Yes, Jargogle’s Destroyed: ability will fully resolve before Omega causes the step to end, allowing you to play the card underneath of Jargogle, and even allowing you to play another card via Wild Wormhole. If you play a creature this way, it will survive, as all creatures were already tagged for destruction by Unlocked Gateway.

If I play Exterminate! Exterminate! does the active player choose Mars creatures one by one and for each chosen creature destroy a lower power creature and remove it from the board before proceeding to remaining Mars creatures, or do we have to choose all creatures and destroy them at once? If the latter is the case, can more than one of my Mars creatures point to the same lower power creature?//You make all choices first, and then the chosen creatures are simultaneously tagged for destruction. You may not choose the same creature for destruction multiple times, so each Mars creature will have to point to a different lower power creature.

If I play Exhume on an Explo-rover that is in my discard pile, can I play Explo-rover as an upgrade?//Yes, you can choose to play Explo-rover as a creature or an upgrade. Exhume creates a play restriction that tells you what cards may be chosen, but it does not specify how that card has to enter play.

If I play Horseman of War on a Sanctum turn, does that mean that I can no longer Reap with Sanctum creatures that turn, since Horseman of War says that my creatures can only fight? If so, is that true even if there are no enemy creatures to fight?//Because Horseman of War says you can only fight, it means that you cannot reap at all for the remainder of the turn, even if your opponent has no creatures remaining. This is an edge case that works differently from most Fight effects, just because of its stronger wording.

If I play Rad Penny with a damage bonus icon while no other creatures in play, will the damage bonus icon resolve (destroying Rad Penny) before Rad Penny's Play: ability allows me to steal one Æmber?//Yes. With no other creatures in play, a damage bonus icon on Rad Penny will destroy her before her Play: effect would resolve.

If I play United Action, even if I play no cards from another house, am I still unable to use creatures this turn? Or by choosing not to use the "may" portion (and everything that follows) would I still be allowed to use creatures this turn?//The “may” in United Action is allowing you to play cards from other houses, it does not extend to the last sentence. So whether you play cards from another house or not, you cannot use cards for the rest of the turn.

If I played Wild Bounty and a card with an Æmber, Damage, and Capture bonus icons, should it be Æmber, Damage, Capture, Æmber, Damage, Capture or Æmber, Æmber, Damage, Damage, Capture, Capture?//When resolving bonus icons “an additional time”, do the additional time immediately after resolving that icon. So, in this case, the second order is correct (Æmber, Æmber, Damage, Damage, Capture, Capture).

If my opponent has a maverick Pitlord in a deck that does not contain House Dis and I play a Flame-Wreathed on one of opponent's creatures while Pitlord is out, does my opponent now control a Dis card and is forced to choose house Dis?//No, Flame-Wreathed itself is still under your control, even if it's attached to an opponent's creature.

If my opponent has a Gargantodon, and I have no creatures in play and I play an event that says steal Æmber, what happens?//Gargantodon replaces "Steal Æmber" with "Capture Æmber". Therefore, if you have no creatures in play that can capture Æmber, nothing happens because captured Æmber has no place to go.

If there are creatures with Æmber on them in play, and also creatures without Æmber in play, can I play Mug on a creature that doesn't have Æmber on it? For example just to deal the damage to it?//Yes, you may choose any creature you wish for Mug's effect. If they have no Æmber on them, you only deal the damage.

If you use Animator to turn an artifact into a creature, and Æmber or other counters are placed on that creature, all of those will remain. Ward explicitly protects creatures from being damaged, destroyed, or removed from play, so it will not protect artifacts from destruction. Wards, Damage, and +1 Power Counters can all become relevant again if the artifact becomes a creature again later in the game.

Note: This ruling has been updated to reflect the most recent rules update.

If Orator Hissaro is played, do the exalted creatures also belong to their usual house? What happens if one has Academy Training?//The exalted creatures lose their usual house while they are house Saurian. By default these type of effects replace a card’s house unless they specify “in addition to its own house.” If that creature had Academy Training, Orator Hissaro's ability will also override that to make them Saurian for the remainder of the turn, and then they will return to being house Logos.

In a previous turn, I played a Key Hammer to unforge my opponent's first key, leaving them with zero keys currently forged. On my current turn, I play Furtive Investors, do I get to gain an Æmber for the key they had forged but I unforged?//No, you do not gain Æmber for previously forged, but now unforged keys. To avoid memory issues, these type of effects refer to the number of keys your opponent has forged currently, not the amount they have forged total.

In Crucible Cast 17, it was clarified that if there were multiple cards under Jargogle, the active player could choose which one to play or archive. Since those cards are face down, is the Active Player allowed to look at those cards before making their choice?//When Jargogle is destroyed with multiple cards under it, if the active player is the controller of Jargogle, they can look at the cards beneath Jargogle and choose which one to play. If the active player is not the controller of Jargogle, they choose one of the cards under Jargogle at random and put it in its owner’s archives, then all other cards under Jargogle go to their owner’s discard pile(s).

In my battle line I have The Archivist. If I play Mind Over Matter, does The Archivist's ability resolve and go into my archives face up, or is "Put into archives" a different effect from "Archive"? Also, what happens when The Archivist is put into its non-owner's archive by another card effect such as Sample Collection? Is the Archivist being face-up in the Archives a requirement for its ability to resolve?//“Put into your archives” is technically different from “archive” in the same way that “put into play” is technically different from “play.” If a card effect puts The Archivist into either player’s archives, it will go there face down like any other card, and its abilities will not be active.

In my battleline I have Tantadlin (AoA 333) in play, as well as Creed of Nurture (WC 386). If I sacrifice Creed of Nurture and reveal Terrordactyl (WC 211), when I use Tantadlin to fight, will it do 2 damage (as Tantadlin says), 4 damage (as Terrordactyl says), or 6 damage (combining the damage of both Tantadlin and Terrordactyl)?//If two restrictions apply to the same card, follow the more restrictive of the two. So in this case, your Tantadlin would still only deal 2 damage when fighting (although it will also gain Terrordactyl’s Before Fight: ability, which deals 4 damage to each of the attacked creature’s neighbors).

In my battleline, I have Drecker next to another creature. My opponent attacks Drecker's neighbor with Macis Asp. Does the Poison from Macis Asp also apply to the Damage dealt to Drecker?//Yes. Macis Asp's power is still the source of the damage being dealt, which means that Poison also applies to that damage.

In my battleline, I have Reassembling Automaton and another creature. I play Bouncing Deathquark, targeting my Automaton and an enemy creature. Reassembling Automaton's Destroyed: ability resolves and the replacement effect means it is not destroyed. Can I repeat the effect of Bouncing Deathquark and destroy my Automaton again even if is not destroyed?//Yes, because Bouncing Deathquark has no "if you do" in it, it does not require that the first friendly creature is actually destroyed. Bouncing Deathquark's effect can be repeated as long as you have a friendly creature in play where the effect can be applied.For example, you could keep choosing your Reassembling Automaton to repeat the effect multiple times.

In my opponent's battleline, they have 3 creatures, with Shadow Self (with 6 damage) in the middle. I sacrifice Special Delivery, and choose to do the damage to the left flank creature. Shadow Self's ability means the damage is dealt to Shadow Self instead, meaning Shadow Self is Destroyed. Is the Shadow Self purged due to Special Delivery's ability?//No, Shadow Self is not purged. You must choose a creature for Special Delivery, and the “that creature” in the text refers only to the chosen creature.

In my opponent's battleline, they have Bulwark next to Shadow Self. In my battleline I have Gluttony. If I use Gluttony to fight Bulwark, how much damage does Shadow Self end up with? When Gluttony deals 6 damage, 2 of it is absorbed by Bulwark's armor, and then 4 gets redirected to Shadow Self, but does that damage go back through the dealing damage steps (resulting in 2 damage dealt to Shadow Self), or does Shadow Self's replacement effect replace the damage dealing in step 4 of the Damage Timing Chart meaning Shadow Self's armor from Bulwark is not applied (resulting in 4 damage dealt to Shadow Self)?//Shadow Self will take 4 damage in this example. Your first interpretation is correct: 2 of the damage is prevented by Bulwark’s armor, and once the remaining 4 damage is redirected to Shadow Self, the window for armor to prevent damage is already past and Shadow Self takes the remaining 4 damage.

In my opponent's battleline, Master of the Grey (MM 169) is in play. If I play a card like Ensign El-Samra (MM 340), Reclaimed by Nature (MM 374), or Ultra Gravitron (MM 125), does the constant ability of Master of the Grey prevent the bonus icons from resolving or is the "as if you had played it" enough to get around Master of the Grey's ability to stop it?//The constant ability of Master of the Grey will prevent you from resolving bonus icons with Ensign El-Samra, Reclaimed by Nature, or Ultra Gravitron.

In my battleline I have Sci. Officer Qincan and Techivore Pulpate in play. My opponent has Sacrificial Altar, a Dis artifact, in play. At the start of my opponent's turn, when they choose a house and choose Dis, does the active player resolve these in the order of their choosing, or does only the ability of Technivore Pulpate resolve? In other words, is Sci. Officer Qincan's timing window the same as that of Techivore Pulpate, or is it more specific?//The timing window on Sci Officer Quincan's ability and Techivore Pulpate's ability should be the same, so it will be the Active Player's choice which to resolve first.

It's the first turn of the game and I am going first. I choose house Logos to be the active house and play the card Phase Shift (CoTA 117). Does this allow me to play another card this turn even though the First Turn Rule (see page 5) is in effect?//Playing Phase Shift will not allow you to play any more cards from your hand this turn, since the First Turn Rule cannot be modified by card effects.

My opponent had a Shadow Self with a Phoenix Heart and a Witch of the Eye. I attack and destroy the shadow self. Will Witch of the Eye survive due to Shadow Self taking the Phoenix Heart damage or does Shadow Self return to hand before damage from Phoenix Heart is dealt?//Card text should always be resolved in the order it is written, so in this case the Phoenix Heart effect would return Shadow Self to your opponent's hand before the 3 damage is dealt to all creatures. So Witch of the Eye will also be destroyed.

There are two exceptions to this rule:

1. Replacement Effects that override another effect on the card.
2. When an ability does multiple instances of damage, all damage will occur simultaneously.

My opponent has 14 Æmber in their pool and I have 0 in mine. At the start of my turn I select Shadows as the active house and play the card Bait and Switch (CoTA 267). How many times does Bait and Switch trigger?//In this situation, Bait and Switch’s effect will be triggered 7 times. Each time the effect is triggered it will check if your opponent still has more Æmber than you, and if they do it will trigger again. So after the first time the effect triggers you will have 1 Æmber and your opponent will have 13, the second time you will have 2 Æmber and your opponent will have 12, then 3 and 11, 4 and 10, 5 and 9, 6 and 8, then finally 7 and 7. Once both players have the same amount of Æmber when the effect checks if your opponent has more Æmber than you the effect will see

that your opponent does not and the card effect will not trigger again.

Note: Repeating an effect does not interact with the Rule Of Six, as the Rule of Six only applies to playing or using cards, not triggering their effect multiple times.

My opponent has 5 æmber in their pool, Senator Shrix (WC 193) with 5 æmber on it, and a Keyfrog (MM 369). Their key cost is 6. If I destroy their Keyfrog, do they forge a key? If so, where does the æmber come from?//Yes, they forge a key. Forging is not optional if a player has enough æmber to forge, including æmber on cards like Senator Shrix that may be spent as if it were in their pool. As the active player, you make all necessary decisions unless otherwise specified, so you choose how much of the æmber they will spend from their pool and how much of it they will spend from Senator Shrix.

My opponent has an Autocannon in play and I play Duskwitch. Does the Autocannon kill the Duskwitch? If so, does the Omega keyword effect still apply?//Yes, Autocannon will destroy Duskwitch, and yes, the Omega keyword will still apply. Playing Duskwitch causes Omega to trigger, and that ability will finish resolving even if the creature is destroyed immediately upon entering play.

My opponent has [REDACTED] in play. I play Sneklifter and take control of [REDACTED]. Normally, if I take control of a card that is not of a house listed on my identity card (Logos in this case), I can declare that card's house as my active house. As Sneklifter would make [REDACTED] be considered Shadows, does that mean I couldn't declare Logos as my active house?//You won't be able to choose Logos in this situation since the card now belongs to house Shadows.

My opponent played Earthbind on one of my creatures last turn. The rules for Sacrifice say I discard a creature from play. Would this satisfy the discard requirement for Earthbind? Do I specifically have to discard a card from my hand to use that creature, or does another effect that creates a discard (i.e. Sound the Horns) allow me to use the creature?//By default, "discard a card" means discarding a card from your hand. Therefore Earthbind's condition is not met by discarding a card from play (like a sacrifice effect) or discarding a card from the top of your deck (like Sound the Horns). The condition would be met, however, by an effect like Yurk's that has you discard from your hand.

My opponent played Shadow of Dis on their last turn. I have a Bad Penny that has been upgraded with Duskrunner. If I reap with Bad Penny, do I get to use the additional Reap: ability provided by Duskrunner?//Shadow of Dis does not blank text on upgrades, and so will not affect upgrades like Collar of Subordination or Containment Field. If the upgrade reads “This creature gets” or “this creature gains”, however, that text technically gets applied to the creature itself, and therefore that text WILL be blanked by Shadow of Dis. So in the case of Duskrunner, you do not steal when you use that creature to reap.

My opponent plays Shadow of Dis (AoA 103). I have a Duskwitch (AoA 320) in my hand. May I play Duskwitch, then play other cards afterwards?//Yes, you can continue to play, use, and discard cards after playing Duskwitch. Omega is an effect that occurs after a card is played. By that point, Duskwitch is in play and under the effect of Shadow of Dis, meaning it no longer has the Omega ability in play.

My opponent put a Scowly Caper on each side of a Dextre in my battle line. At the end of my turn, if I have no other creatures in my battle line, will I destroy both one of the Scowly Capers and Dextre, or does Dextre get tagged for destruction by both Scowly Capers?//Dextre and one of the Scowly Capers will be destroyed. When the first Scowly Caper you choose to resolve destroys Dextre, Dextre’s Destroyed: ability will immediately remove it from play, causing the Scowly Capers to become neighbors, and then the second Scowly Caper destroys the first.

My opponent's battleline consists solely of 3 Gubs. If I play Throwing Stars, dealing 1 damage to each Gub, how much Æmber do I gain?//You would gain 2 Æmber. The two Gubs on the flanks have one power, so they are destroyed by the one damage from the Throwing Stars and you gain 1 Æmber from each of them. The non-flank Gub has 5 power, so it is not destroyed by Throwing Stars, as it is not destroyed "this way".

Q: My opponent has Duskwitch in play. I play Cyber-Clone, and purge the Duskwitch. Does the Omega keyword from Duskwitch resolve ending my turn, or has the time for Omega to resolve already passed?//Cyber-Clone has already entered play by the time its Play: effect resolves, so the Omega keyword that it gains will not trigger, and your turn will not end.

What happens if a creature is Warded after being tagged for destruction, but before leaving play?//Once a creature has been tagged for destruction, it's too late for the creature to be saved by a Ward. While a Ward can prevent a creature from being tagged for destruction, it will not prevent an already-tagged creature from leaving play.

What happens if I play a card that allows me to use an opponent's artifact (such as Remote Access or Poltergeist) and use its ability to use my opponent's Auto-Legionary (while it was still an artifact)?//The Auto-Legionary will exhaust and try to move to your battleline, but when it cannot it will stay right where it is--an exhausted artifact under your opponent's control.

What happens if I use Replicator to trigger the reap effect of an opponent’s Sanctum Guardian?//Sanctum Guardian’s reap effect will do nothing. The effect would attempt to swap Sanctum Guardian into your battleline, but a creature is only allowed to be in its controller’s battleline. Since the effect does not also change control of Sanctum Guardian, it fails to resolve.

When an effect allows you to move a creature in the battleline are you required to move it to a different location?//If the effect says you can move the creature anywhere in the battleline, you may move the creature anywhere in the battleline, including where the creature is currently. If an effect says you must move the creature to a flank and the creature is already on a flank, then the creature can remain where it is or move to the opposite flank.

When is Smite's 2 damage dealt? If the fight due to Smite would destroy a Duma the Martyr Does Duma heal the neighbors before or after the 2 damage is dealt to them?//Each sentence is resolved one at a time, so Duma will completely resolve and heal the neighbors before the 2 damage from Smite is dealt to them.

When playing Relentless Assault, do I choose the three creatures I am going to ready and fight immediately after playing the card, or can I resolve the first ready and fight with one creature then decide if I want to continue?//Because Relentless Assault specifically instructs you to resolve the fights one at a time, you resolve the first fight before you must decide whether or not do the second fight, and you resolve the second before you must decide whether or not to do the third.

When resolving the Play: ability of Dysania, should "Your opponent discards each of their archived cards." be interpreted as "Your opponent discards each card in their archives" or "Your opponent discards each card they own that is in an archive"??//The card should be read as "Your opponent discards each card in their archives".