_Conflux_(TM) Frequently Asked Questions Compiled by Mark L. Gottlieb, with contributions from Laurie Cheers, Jeff Jordan, Lee Sharpe, Eli Shiffrin, and Thijs van Ommen Document last modified December 16, 2008 _Conflux_ Prerelease tournaments: January 31-February 1, 2009. Go toto find a location near you. _Conflux_ official release date: February 6, 2009. Go to < http://ww2.wizards.com/Magic/EventLocator.aspx> to find a store near you. _Conflux_ Launch Parties: February 6-8 and 13-15, 2009. Go to to find a location near you. The _Conflux_ set becomes legal for sanctioned Constructed play on its official release date. -- At that time, the following card sets will be permitted in the Standard format: _Tenth Edition_, _Lorwyn_(TM), _Morningtide_(TM), _Shadowmoor_(TM), _Eventide_(TM), _Shards of Alara_(TM), and _Conflux_. -- At that time, the following card sets will be permitted in the _Shards of Alara_ Block Constructed format: _Shards of Alara_ and _Conflux_. The _Conflux_ set contains 145 cards (60 common, 40 uncommon, 35 rare, 10 mythic rare). 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 questions players might ask about a given card in the set. Items in the "Card-Specific Notes" section include full rules text for your reference. Not all cards in the set are listed. ----- GENERAL NOTES ***Ability Word: Domain*** Domain is an ability word. It appears in italics at the beginning of an ability that counts the number of basic land types among lands you control. (An ability word has no rules meaning.) Domain abilities first appeared in the _Invasion_ block, although the word "domain" didn't appear on those older cards. Drag Down {2}{B} Instant Domain -- Target creature gets -1/-1 until end of turn for each basic land type among lands you control. Matca Rioters {2}{G} Creature -- Human Warrior */* Domain -- Matca Rioters's power and toughness are each equal to the number of basic land types among lands you control. * Each domain ability has a different effect. Read each card carefully. * To determine the number of basic land types among lands you control, look at the lands you have in play and ask yourself whether the subtypes Plains, Island, Swamp, Mountain, and Forest appear within that group. The number of times you say yes (topping out at five) tells you how powerful your domain abilities will be. * How many lands you control of a particular basic land type is irrelevant to a domain ability, as long as that number is greater than zero. As far as domain is concerned, ten Forests is the same as one Forest. * A number of nonbasic lands have basic land types. These include five _Shadowmoor_ nonbasic lands, the _Revised Edition_ "dual lands," and the _Ravnica_ block "dual lands", among others. Domain abilities don't count the number of lands you control -- they count the number of basic land types among lands you control, even if that means checking the same land twice. For example, if you control a Tundra, an Overgrown Tomb, and a Madblind Mountain, you'll have a Plains, Island, Swamp, Mountain, and Forest among the lands you control. Your domain abilities will be maxed out. * A domain ability that appears on an instant, sorcery, or activated ability checks the number of basic land types among lands you control just once, as that part of its effect is applied. This value won't change even if which lands you control changes later in the turn. For example, if you control a Swamp and two Forests at the time Drag Down resolves, the targeted creature will get -2/-2 for the rest of the turn. If you play an Island later in the turn, Drag Down's effect won't change. * A domain ability that appears on a static ability continually checks the number of basic land types among lands you control. If that number changes, the effect of the static ability will change accordingly. For example, if you control a Swamp and two Forests when Matca Rioters comes into play, Matca Rioters will be 2/2. If you play an Island later, Matca Rioters will become 3/3. ----- ***Returning Keyword Ability: Cycling*** ***New Keyword Variant: Basic Landcycling*** If you have a card with "cycling" in your hand, you can pay its cycling cost and discard it to draw a new card. If you have a card with "basic landcycling" in your hand, you can pay its cycling cost and discard it to search your library for a basic land card. Fiery Fall {5}{R} Instant Fiery Fall deals 5 damage to target creature. Basic landcycling {1}{R} ({1}{R}, Discard this card: Search your library for a basic land card, reveal it, and put it into your hand. Then shuffle your library.) The official rules for cycling are as follows: 502.18. Cycling 502.18a Cycling is an activated ability that functions only while the card with cycling is in a player's hand. "Cycling [cost]" means "[Cost], Discard this card: Draw a card." 502.18b Although the cycling ability is playable only if the card is in a player's hand, it continues to exist while the object is in play and in all other zones. Therefore objects with cycling will be affected by effects that depend on objects having one or more activated abilities. 502.18c Some cards with cycling have abilities that trigger when they're cycled. "When you cycle [this card]" means "When you discard [this card] to pay a cycling cost." These abilities trigger from the graveyard. 502.18d Typecycling is a variant of the cycling ability. "[Type]cycling [cost]" means "[Cost], Discard this card: Search your library for a [type] card, reveal it, and put it into your hand. Then shuffle your library." This type is usually a subtype (as in "mountaincycling") but can be any card type, subtype, supertype, or combination therein (as in "basic landcycling"). 502.18e Any cards that trigger when a player cycles a card will trigger when a card is discarded to pay a typecycling cost. Any effect that stops players from cycling cards will stop players from playing cards' typecycling abilities. * Unlike the normal cycling ability, basic landcycling doesn't allow you to draw a card. Instead, it lets you search your library for a basic land card. You don't choose the type of basic land card you'll find until you're performing the search. After you choose a basic land card in your library, you reveal it, put it into your hand, then shuffle your library. * Basic landcycling is a form of cycling. Any ability that triggers on a card being cycled also triggers on a card being basic landcycled. Any ability that stops a cycling ability from being played also stops a basic landcycling ability from being played. * Cycling (and, thus, basic landcycling) is an activated ability. Effects that interact with activated abilities (such as Stifle or Rings of Brighthearth) will interact with cycling. Effects that interact with spells (such as Remove Soul or Faerie Tauntings) will not. ----- ***Theme: Color Matters*** Many _Conflux_ cards have abilities that check to see whether you control a permanent of a certain color. There are three different forms these abilities can take. Six of these cards are creatures that have triggered abilities with "intervening 'if' clauses." Rhox Meditant {3}{W} Creature -- Rhino Monk 2/4 When Rhox Meditant comes into play, if you control a green permanent, draw a card. * The six cards with abilities like this are Bloodhall Ooze, Kederekt Parasite, Mirror-Sigil Sergeant, Parasitic Strix, Rhox Meditant, and Sedraxis Alchemist. * The "intervening 'if' clause" means that (1) the ability won't trigger at all unless you control a permanent of the specified color, and (2) the ability will do nothing unless you control a permanent of the specified color at the time it resolves. * If the permanent with this ability has itself become the color that its ability checks for, then it can count itself as the permanent it's looking for. * One of these cards, Bloodhall Ooze, has two of these abilities. One checks for black permanents and the other checks for green permanents. A permanent that's both black and green will allow both abilities to trigger (as will separate black permanents and green permanents, of course). Three of these cards are creatures that have static abilities. Toxic Iguanar {R} Creature -- Lizard 1/1 Toxic Iguanar has deathtouch as long as you control a green permanent. (Whenever it deals damage to a creature, destroy that creature.) * The three cards with abilities like this are Cliffrunner Behemoth, Ember Weaver, and Toxic Iguanar. * These abilities continually check the colors of permanents you control. As long as at least one of them is the specified color, the ability will "work" and grant the permanent the bonus. Otherwise, the permanent won't have the bonus. * If the permanent with this ability has itself become the color that its ability checks for, then it will allow its own ability to work. * One of these cards, Cliffrunner Behemoth, has two of these abilities. One checks for red permanents and the other checks for white permanents. A permanent that's both red and white will allow both abilities to work (as will separate red permanents and white permanents, of course). Two of these cards are instants. Dark Temper {2}{R} Instant Dark Temper deals 2 damage to target creature. If you control a black permanent, destroy the creature instead. * The two cards with abilities like this are Dark Temper and View from Above. * These instants check the colors of permanents you control as they resolve. If at least one of them is the specified color, the instant will do what it says, either instead of or in addition to its normal effect. ----- ***Returning Mechanics*** Many abilities and mechanics introduced in the _Shards of Alara_ set appear in the _Conflux_ set. For more information about the five shards and their mechanics (the Bant shard's keyword "exalted," the Esper shard's colored artifacts, the Grixis shard's keyword "unearth," the Jund shard's keyword "devour," and the Naya shard's "5 power matters" mechanic), see the _Shards of Alara_ FAQ at . ----- CARD-SPECIFIC NOTES Ancient Ziggurat Land {T}: Add one mana of any color to your mana pool. Spend this mana only to play creature spells. * Mana produced by Ancient Ziggurat can be spent on any part of a creature spell's total cost. This includes additional costs (such as kicker) and alternative costs (such as evoke or Worldheart Phoenix's alternative cost). * Unearth is an activated ability that puts a creature card directly into play. Mana produced by Ancient Ziggurat can't be spent on an unearth cost. ----- Apocalypse Hydra {X}{R}{G} Creature -- Hydra 0/0 Apocalypse Hydra comes into play with X +1/+1 counters on it. If X is 5 or more, it comes into play with an additional X +1/+1 counters on it. {1}{R}, Remove a +1/+1 counter from Apocalypse Hydra: Apocalypse Hydra deals 1 damage to target creature or player. * For example, if X is 4, Apocalypse Hydra comes into play with four +1/+1 counters on it, but if X is 5, it comes into play with ten +1/+1 counters on it. * The first ability checks the number you chose for X, not the amount of mana you actually spent. ----- Aven Trailblazer {2}{W} Creature -- Bird Soldier 2/* Flying Domain -- Aven Trailblazer's toughness is equal to the number of basic land types among lands you control. * Aven Trailblazer's second ability is a "characteristic-defining ability." It applies at all times in all zones. ----- Banefire {X}{R} Sorcery Banefire deals X damage to target creature or player. If X is 5 or more, Banefire can't be countered by spells or abilities and the damage can't be prevented. * Banefire checks the number you chose for X, not the amount of mana you actually spent. * Banefire can be targeted by spells that try to counter it (such as Countersquall) regardless of what the value of X is. If X is 5 or more, those spells will still resolve, but the part of their effect that would counter Banefire won't do anything. Any other effects those spells have will work as normal. * Banefire's ability won't prevent it from being countered by the game rules if its target has become an illegal target. ----- Blood Tyrant {4}{U}{B}{R} Creature -- Vampire 5/5 Flying, trample At the beginning of your upkeep, each player loses 1 life. Put a +1/+1 counter on Blood Tyrant for each 1 life lost this way. Whenever a player loses the game, put five +1/+1 counters on Blood Tyrant. * Blood Tyrant's second ability causes each player to lose 1 life, including you. Blood Tyrant will count each player's life loss, including yours, when determining how many +1/+1 counters it gets. * Blood Tyrant's third ability will trigger no matter how a player loses the game: due to a state-based effect (as a result of having a life total of 0 or less, trying to draw a card from an empty library, or having ten poison counters), a spell or ability that says that player loses the game, a concession, or a game loss awarded by a judge. * In a multiplayer game using the limited range of influence option (such as a Grand Melee game), if a spell or ability says that you win the game, it instead causes all of your opponents within your range of influence to lose the game. This is another way by which Blood Tyrant's third ability can trigger. ----- Charnelhoard Wurm {4}{B}{R}{G} Creature -- Wurm 6/6 Trample Whenever Charnelhoard Wurm deals damage to an opponent, you may return target card from your graveyard to your hand. * If Charnelhoard Wurm is dealt lethal damage at the same time it deals damage to an opponent, Charnelhoard Worm will be in your graveyard by the time you put its ability on the stack. In that case, you can target it with its own ability. ----- Cliffrunner Behemoth {3}{G} Creature -- Rhino Beast 5/3 Cliffrunner Behemoth has haste as long as you control a red permanent. Cliffrunner Behemoth has lifelink as long as you control a white permanent. * Whether Cliffrunner Behemoth has haste matters only when attackers are declared. Once it's been declared as an attacker, it doesn't matter if it loses haste. * Whether Cliffrunner Behemoth has lifelink matters only when it deals damage (that is, at the point when its combat damage resolves, or at the point when a spell or ability that causes it to deal damage resolves). For example, if your only white permanent is a creature that receives lethal damage at the same time Cliffrunner Behemoth deals damage, the lifelink ability will still trigger and you'll gain life. ----- Conflux {3}{W}{U}{B}{R}{G} Sorcery Search your library for a white card, a blue card, a black card, a red card, and a green card. Reveal those cards and put them into your hand. Then shuffle your library. * You don't have to find all five cards. * You may find multicolored cards with Conflux. The white card you find, for example, can be any number of colors, as long as white is one of them. What colors it is won't impact what other cards you can find. For example, you may find a white-blue card as the white card and another white-blue card as the blue card. ----- Controlled Instincts {U} Enchantment -- Aura Enchant red or green creature Enchanted creature doesn't untap during its controller's untap step. * Controlled Instincts may target and may enchant an untapped creature. * Controlled Instincts can enchant only a creature that's red or green. If at any time the enchanted creature is neither red nor green, Controlled Instincts is put into its owner's graveyard as a state-based effect. ----- Corrupted Roots {B} Enchantment -- Aura Enchant Forest or Plains Whenever enchanted land becomes tapped, its controller loses 2 life. * Corrupted Roots can enchant only a Forest or a Plains. It checks the enchanted land's subtypes, not its name. If at any time the enchanted land is neither a Forest nor a Plains (due to Unstable Frontier's ability, perhaps), Corrupted Roots is put into its owner's graveyard as a state-based effect. * Corrupted Roots doesn't care why the enchanted land becomes tapped. If that land changes from being untapped to being tapped for any reason, the ability will trigger. ----- Cylian Sunsinger {1}{G} Creature -- Elf Shaman 2/2 {R}{G}{W}: Cylian Sunsinger and each other creature with the same name as it get +3/+3 until end of turn. * When the ability resolves, it gives the +3/+3 bonus to the source of the ability and each other creature that shares a name with that source, even if that source isn't actually named Cylian Sunsinger. This could happen if Skill Borrower gains this ability, or if Cylian Sunsinger's name is changed (due to Mirrorweave, perhaps) before the ability resolves. * If Cylian Sunsinger has left play by the time its ability resolves, its ability will affect each creature whose name is the same as the name Cylian Sunsinger had as it last existed in play. ----- Dark Temper {2}{R} Instant Dark Temper deals 2 damage to target creature. If you control a black permanent, destroy the creature instead. * Dark Temper has a self-replacement effect, which applies before other prevention or replacement effects would. If you control a black permanent as Dark Temper resolves, it doesn't deal damage at all (so damage prevention or redirection effects would have no effect); it simply destroys the targeted creature. ----- Dragonsoul Knight {2}{R} Creature -- Human Knight 2/2 First strike {W}{U}{B}{R}{G}: Until end of turn, Dragonsoul Knight becomes a Dragon, gets +5/+3, and gains flying and trample. * When Dragonsoul Knight's activated ability resolves, Dragonsoul Knight will gain flying and trample in addition to its other abilities. However, becoming a Dragon will make it lose all other creature types. It will no longer be a Human or a Knight. * If Dragonsoul Knight gains flying after blockers have been declared, it won't cause those blocks to change. * You can play Dragonsoul Knight's ability more than once during a turn. The second time it resolves, it will probably have no visible effect other than giving Dragonsoul Knight another +5/+3. ----- Elder Mastery {3}{U}{B}{R} Enchantment -- Aura Enchant creature Enchanted creature gets +3/+3 and has flying. Whenever enchanted creature deals damage to a player, that player discards two cards. * The last ability triggers from any damage dealt by the enchanted creature, not just combat damage. ----- Ember Weaver {2}{G} Creature -- Spider 2/3 Reach (This can block creatures with flying.) As long as you control a red permanent, Ember Weaver gets +1/+0 and has first strike. * Whether Ember Weaver has first strike matters only at the point that the normal combat damage step would begin, and only if there hasn't already been a first-strike combat damage step that turn. If any of your creatures has first strike at that point, a first-strike combat damage step is created. -- If Ember Weaver has first strike at that point, it will assign and deal combat damage during that step (even if it loses first strike before that damage is dealt) and it won't deal combat damage during the normal combat damage step. -- If Ember Weaver doesn't have first strike at that point, it will assign and deal its combat damage during the normal combat damage step (even if it gains first strike before then). ----- Esperzoa {2}{U} Artifact Creature -- Jellyfish 4/3 Flying At the beginning of your upkeep, return an artifact you control to its owner's hand. * When Esperzoa's ability resolves, if you control no other artifacts, you'll have to return Esperzoa itself. ----- Exotic Orchard Land {T}: Add to your mana pool one mana of any color that a land an opponent controls could produce. * The colors of mana are white, blue, black, red, and green. Exotic Orchard can't be tapped for colorless mana, even if a land an opponent controls could produce colorless mana. * Exotic Orchard checks the effects of all mana-producing abilities of lands your opponents control, but it doesn't check their costs. For example, Vivid Crag has the ability "{T}, Remove a charge counter from Vivid Crag: Add one mana of any color to your mana pool." If an opponent controls Vivid Crag and you control Exotic Orchard, you can tap Exotic Orchard for any color of mana. It doesn't matter whether Vivid Crag has a charge counter on it, and it doesn't matter whether it's untapped. * When determining what colors of mana your opponents' lands could produce, Exotic Orchard takes into account any applicable replacement effects that would apply to those lands' mana abilities (such as Contamination's effect, for example). If there are more than one, consider them in any possible order. * Exotic Orchard doesn't care about any restrictions or riders your opponents' lands (such as Ancient Ziggurat or Hall of the Bandit Lord) put on the mana they produce. It just cares about colors of mana. * Lands that produce mana based only on what other lands "could produce" won't help each other unless some other land allows one of them to actually produce some type of mana. For example, if you control an Exotic Orchard and your opponent controls an Exotic Orchard and a Reflecting Pool, none of those lands would produce mana if their mana abilities were played. On the other hand, if you control a Forest and an Exotic Orchard, and your opponent controls an Exotic Orchard and a Reflecting Pool, then each of those lands can be tapped to produce {G}. Your opponent's Exotic Orchard can produce {G} because you control a Forest. Your Exotic Orchard and your opponent's Reflecting Pool can each produce {G} because your opponent's Exotic Orchard can produce {G}. ----- Exploding Borders {2}{R}{G} Sorcery Domain -- Search your library for a basic land card, put that card into play tapped, then shuffle your library. Exploding Borders deals X damage to target player, where X is the number of basic land types among lands you control. * You do what the spell says in order, so you'll put a new basic land card into play before you determine the value of X. * Exploding Borders will still deal damage even if you don't put a land card into play. * Exploding Borders has only one target: the player. If that player becomes an illegal target by the time Exploding Borders would resolve, the entire spell is countered. You won't get to search for a basic land card. ----- Extractor Demon {4}{B}{B} Creature -- Demon 5/5 Flying Whenever another creature leaves play, you may have target player put the top two cards of his or her library into his or her graveyard. Unearth {2}{B} ({2}{B}: Return this card from your graveyard to play. It gains haste. Remove it from the game at end of turn or if it would leave play. Unearth only as a sorcery.) * If Extractor Demon and another creature leave play at the same time, Extractor Demon's triggered ability will trigger. * You can target any player with Extractor Demon's triggered ability. The target doesn't have to be the controller of the creature that left play. ----- Fleshformer {2}{B} Creature -- Human Wizard 2/2 {W}{U}{B}{R}{G}: Fleshformer gets +2/+2 and gains fear until end of turn. Target creature gets -2/-2 until end of turn. Play this ability only during your turn. * Fleshformer's ability has only one target: the creature. If that creature becomes an illegal target by the time Fleshformer's ability would resolve, the entire ability is countered. Fleshformer won't get +2/+2 and won't gain fear. * Fleshformer can target itself with its ability. The result is that Fleshformer gains fear, since the +2/+2 and -2/-2 parts of the effect will balance each other out. (Fleshformer's power and toughness will each momentarily go up by 2, in case anything cares about that.) ----- Goblin Razerunners {2}{R}{R} Creature -- Goblin Warrior 3/4 {1}{R}, Sacrifice a land: Put a +1/+1 counter on Goblin Razerunners. At the end of your turn, you may have Goblin Razerunners deal damage equal to the number of +1/+1 counters on it to target player. * You don't count how many +1/+1 counters are on Goblin Razerunners until its triggered ability resolves. * If Goblin Razerunners leaves play after its ability triggers but before it resolves, the amount of damage it deals is equal to the number of +1/+1 counters that were on it as it last existed in play. ----- Grixis Illusionist {U} Creature -- Human Wizard 1/1 {T}: Target land you control becomes the basic land type of your choice until end of turn. * You choose a basic land type as the ability resolves. * The affected land loses its existing land types and any abilities printed on it. It becomes the chosen basic land type and now has the ability to tap to add one mana of the appropriate color to your mana pool. Grixis Illusionist's ability doesn't change the affected land's name or whether it's legendary or basic. ----- Gwafa Hazid, Profiteer {1}{W}{U} Legendary Creature -- Human Rogue 2/2 {W}{U}, {T}: Put a bribery counter on target creature you don't control. Its controller draws a card. Creatures with bribery counters on them can't attack or block. * If Gwafa Hazid leaves play, any bribery counters will remain where they are. However, without a Gwafa Hazid in play, creatures with bribery counters on them can attack and block as normal. If another Gwafa Hazid comes into play, its ability will affect all creatures with bribery counters on them, including the ones that received counters from a different Gwafa Hazid. * Creatures with bribery counters on them can't be declared as attackers or blockers. However, if a bribery counter is put on a creature that's already been declared as an attacker or blocker, that creature will continue to attack or block that combat. ----- Hellkite Hatchling {2}{R}{G} Creature -- Dragon 2/2 Devour 1 (As this comes into play, you may sacrifice any number of creatures. This creature comes into play with that many +1/+1 counters on it.) Hellkite Hatchling has flying and trample if it devoured a creature. * Hellkite Hatchling has flying and trample if at least one creature was sacrificed as a result of the Hatchling's devour ability as it came into play. It retains those abilities even if its +1/+1 counters are somehow removed. * If another creature becomes a copy of Hellkite Hatchling (due to Mirrorweave, for example), the second ability checks to see whether that creature -- not the original Hellkite Hatchling -- devoured a creature as it came into play. ----- Ignite Disorder {1}{R} Instant Ignite Disorder deals 3 damage divided as you choose among any number of target white and/or blue creatures. * The number of targets must be at least 1 and at most 3. * You divide the damage as you play Ignite Disorder, not as it resolves. Each target must be assigned at least 1 damage. ----- Jhessian Balmgiver {1}{W}{U} Creature -- Human Cleric 1/1 {T}: Prevent the next 1 damage that would be dealt to target creature or player this turn. {T}: Target creature is unblockable this turn. * If a creature becomes unblockable after blockers have been declared, it won't cause those blocks to change. ----- Knight of the Reliquary {1}{G}{W} Creature -- Human Knight 2/2 Knight of the Reliquary gets +1/+1 for each land card in your graveyard. {T}, Sacrifice a Forest or Plains: Search your library for a land card, put it into play, then shuffle your library. * The activated ability's cost checks the land's subtype, not its name. You can sacrifice a nonbasic land this way as long as it has the subtype Forest or Plains. * Sacrificing a Forest or Plains is part of the cost of Knight of the Reliquary's activated ability. Assuming that sacrificing the land puts it into your graveyard, Knight of the Reliquary's first ability will immediately give it an additional +1/+1 when that cost is paid because there'll be a new land card in your graveyard. Paying a cost can't be responded to (with Shock, for example). * Knight of the Reliquary's activated ability lets you find any land card, not just a basic land card. ----- Maelstrom Archangel {W}{U}{B}{R}{G} Creature -- Angel 5/5 Flying Whenever Maelstrom Archangel deals combat damage to a player, you may play a nonland card from your hand without paying its mana cost. * If you want to play a card this way, you play it as part of the resolution of Maelstrom Angel's triggered ability. Timing restrictions based on the card's type (such as creature or sorcery) are ignored. Other play restrictions are not (such as "Play [this card] only before attackers are declared"). * If you play a card this way, you're playing it as a spell. It can be countered. * If you play a card with X in its cost this way, X must be 0. * If you play a card "without paying its mana cost," you can't pay any alternative costs, such as evoke or the alternative cost provided by the morph ability. However, you can pay optional additional costs, such as conspire, and you must still pay mandatory additional costs, such as the one on Goldmeadow Stalwart. ----- Magister Sphinx {4}{W}{U}{B} Artifact Creature -- Sphinx 5/5 Flying When Magister Sphinx comes into play, target player's life total becomes 10. * This ability is not optional. * For a player's life total to become 10, what actually happens is that the player gains or loses the appropriate amount of life. For example, if the targeted player's life total is 4 when this ability resolves, it will cause that player to gain 6 life; alternately, if the targeted player's life total is 17 when this ability resolves, it will cause that player to lose 7 life. Other cards that interact with life gain or life loss will interact with this effect accordingly. * In a Two-Headed Giant game, this ability causes the targeted player's share of his or her team's life total (which is considered to be that team's life total divided by two, rounded up) to become 10. That team's life total is adjusted by the amount of life that player gains or loses as a result of this. For example, if that team's life total is 15, the targeted player's share of the life total would go from 8 to 10, and that team's life total would end up at 17. ----- Malfegor {2}{B}{B}{R}{R} Legendary Creature -- Demon Dragon 6/6 Flying When Malfegor comes into play, discard your hand. Each opponent sacrifices a creature for each card discarded this way. * This ability is not optional. You must discard your entire hand no matter how many creatures your opponents control. * After you discard your hand and the number of creatures each opponent must sacrifice has been determined, each opponent in turn order, starting with the player whose turn it is if that player is your opponent, chooses which creatures he or she will sacrifice, then all the chosen creatures are all sacrificed at the same time. ----- Mark of Asylum {1}{W} Enchantment Prevent all noncombat damage that would be dealt to creatures you control. * "Noncombat damage" is damage dealt as the result of a spell or ability. (In unusual cases involving a card like Words of War, noncombat damage can also be dealt as the result of a game action.) ----- Martial Coup {X}{W}{W} Sorcery Put X 1/1 white Soldier creature tokens into play. If X is 5 or more, destroy all other creatures. * Martial Coup checks the number you chose for X, not the amount of mana you actually spent. * You do what the spell says in order. If X is 5 or more, you'll put the Soldier tokens into play, then you'll destroy all other creatures. * No one can play spells or abilities between the time the Soldier tokens are put into play and the time all other creatures are destroyed. For example, you can't sacrifice one of those Soldier tokens to regenerate a Skeletal Kathari. ----- Master Transmuter {3}{U} Artifact Creature -- Human Artificer 1/2 {U}, {T}, Return an artifact you control to its owner's hand: You may put an artifact card from your hand into play. * Returning an artifact you control to its owner's hand is part of the cost of Master Transmuter's activated ability. Paying a cost can't be responded to (with Naturalize, for example). * Since Master Transmuter is an artifact, you may return Master Transmuter itself to your hand. If you do, the rest of the ability will still work normally. * The artifact card you put into play when the ability resolves may be the same card that you returned to your hand when you paid the cost. If so, it returns to play as a new object with no relation to its previous existence. ----- Matca Rioters {2}{G} Creature -- Human Warrior */* Domain -- Matca Rioters's power and toughness are each equal to the number of basic land types among lands you control. * Matca Rioter's ability is a "characteristic-defining ability." It applies at all times in all zones. ----- Meglonoth {3}{R}{G}{W} Creature -- Beast 6/6 Vigilance, trample Whenever Meglonoth blocks a creature, Meglonoth deals damage to that creature's controller equal to Meglonoth's power. * You don't check Meglonoth's power until its triggered ability resolves. * If Meglonoth leaves play after its ability triggers but before it resolves, the amount of damage it deals is equal to its power as it last existed in play. * If Meglonoth somehow blocks more than one creature, its ability will trigger once for each creature it blocks. ----- Mirror-Sigil Sergeant {5}{W} Creature -- Rhino Soldier 4/4 Trample At the beginning of your upkeep, if you control a blue permanent, you may put a token into play that's a copy of Mirror-Sigil Sergeant. * Normally, when a token is created by this ability, it will simply be a Mirror-Sigil Sergeant, so it'll also have the token-creating ability. (See below for weird exceptions.) At the beginning of your next upkeep, if you still control the original Sergeant, the token copy, and a blue permanent, you'll get two more token copies; the turn after that you'll get four; then eight; and so on. * Here's the detailed version of what happens. As the token is created, it checks the printed values of the Mirror-Sigil Sergeant it's copying -- or, if the Mirror-Sigil Sergeant whose ability triggered was itself a token, the original characteristics of that token as stated by the effect that put it into play -- as well as any copy effects that have been applied to it. It won't copy counters on the Mirror-Sigil Sergeant, nor will it copy other effects that have changed Mirror-Sigil Sergeant's power, toughness, types, color, or so on. * If Mirror-Sigil Sergeant has left play by the time its triggered ability resolves, you'll still put a token into play. That token has the copiable values of the characteristics of Mirror-Sigil Sergeant as it last existed in play. * Here are the weird exceptions promised above. If any copy effects have affected the Mirror-Sigil Sergeant whose ability triggered, they're taken into account when the token is created. For example: -- If Mirror-Sigil Sergeant's ability triggers, then Mirror-Sigil Sergeant temporarily becomes a copy of another creature before its ability resolves (due to Mirrorweave, perhaps), the token will be a copy of whatever creature the Mirror-Sigil Sergeant is currently a copy of. After the turn ends, the Mirrorweaved Mirror-Sigil Sergeant 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 Mirror-Sigil Sergeant and gain another ability, the token created by this creature at the beginning of your upkeep will be a Mirror- Sigil Sergeant with that additional ability. ----- Molten Frame {1}{R} Instant Destroy target artifact creature. Cycling {2} ({2}, Discard this card: Draw a card.) * Any permanent that's both an artifact and a creature is a legal target for Molten Frame. ----- Nacatl Hunt-Pride {5}{W} Creature -- Cat Warrior 5/4 Vigilance {R}, {T}: Target creature can't block this turn. {G}, {T}: Target creature blocks this turn if able. * If either ability is played after blockers have been declared, it won't cause those blocks to change. * If you attack with Nacatl Hunt-Pride, you get the chance to play one of its abilities before blockers are declared. ----- Nacatl Savage {1}{G} Creature -- Cat Warrior 2/1 Protection from artifacts * "Protection from artifacts" means the following: -- Nacatl Savage can't be blocked by artifact creatures. -- Nacatl Savage can't be equipped. It also can't be enchanted by Auras that have somehow become artifacts in addition to enchantments. -- Nacatl Savage can't be targeted by abilities from artifact sources. -- All damage that would be dealt to Nacatl Savage by artifact sources is prevented. ----- Nicol Bolas, Planeswalker {4}{U}{B}{B}{R} Planeswalker -- Bolas 5 [+3]: Destroy target noncreature permanent. [-2]: Gain control of target creature. [-9]: Nicol Bolas, Planeswalker deals 7 damage to target player. That player discards seven cards, then sacrifices seven permanents. * The control-change effect has no duration. It will last until the game ends or the affected creature leaves play. It may be superseded by a later control- change effect. * If the damage from Nicol Bolas's third ability is prevented or redirected, the rest of the effect will still affect the targeted player. ----- Nyxathid {1}{B}{B} Creature -- Elemental 7/7 As Nyxathid comes into play, choose an opponent. Nyxathid gets -1/-1 for each card in the chosen player's hand. * Nyxathid tracks the hand size of the chosen player even if that player ceases to be an opponent of its controller. (This could happen if that player gains control of Nyxathid, for example.) * In a multiplayer game, if the chosen player leaves the game, Nyxathid's second ability simply won't do anything anymore. * Nyxathid's two abilities are linked: The second one refers only to the player chosen by the first one. If another creature becomes a copy of Nyxathid (due to Mirrorweave, for example), the second ability won't do anything because a player was never chosen as a result of the first ability. This is true even if a different ability allowed a player to be chosen as that creature came into play. * If a spell or ability causes the chosen player to draw cards and then discard cards, Nyxathid's power and toughness changes accordingly as that spell or ability is resolving. For example, if the chosen player has five cards in hand and a spell causes that player to draw two cards then discard two cards, Nyxathid will start out as 2/2, then become 1/1, 0/0, and finally 2/2. This is because cards are always drawn one at a time, but multiple cards may be discarded at once. Although Nyxathid momentarily had 0 toughness while that spell was resolving, it isn't put into its owner's graveyard as a state- based effect because state-based effects aren't checked until the spell has finished resolving. ----- Paleoloth {4}{G}{G} Creature -- Beast 5/5 Whenever another creature with power 5 or greater comes into play under your control, you may return target creature card from your graveyard to your hand. * If Paleoloth and another creature with power 5 or greater come into play under your control at the same time, Paleoloth's triggered ability will trigger. ----- Paragon of the Amesha {2}{W} Creature -- Human Knight 2/2 First strike {W}{U}{B}{R}{G}: Until end of turn, Paragon of the Amesha becomes an Angel, gets +3/+3, and gains flying and lifelink. * When Paragon of the Amesha's activated ability resolves, Paragon of the Amesha will gain flying and lifelink in addition to its other abilities. However, becoming an Angel will make it lose all other creature types. It will no longer be a Human or a Knight. * If Paragon of the Amesha gains flying after blockers have been declared, it won't cause those blocks to change. * You can play Paragon of the Amesha's ability more than once during a turn. The second time it resolves, it will get another +3/+3 and gain another instance of lifelink. When Paragon of the Amesha deals damage, each instance of lifelink it has will trigger individually. ----- Path to Exile {W} Instant Remove target creature from the game. Its controller may search his or her library for a basic land card, put that card into play tapped, then shuffle his or her library. * If the targeted creature becomes an illegal target by the time Path to Exile would resolve, the entire spell is countered. The creature's controller won't get to search for a basic land card. ----- Progenitus {W}{W}{U}{U}{B}{B}{R}{R}{G}{G} Legendary Creature -- Hydra Avatar 10/10 Protection from everything If Progenitus would be put into a graveyard from anywhere, reveal Progenitus and shuffle it into its owner's library instead. * "Protection from everything" means the following: -- Progenitus can't be blocked. -- Progenitus can't be enchanted or equipped. -- Progenitus can't be the target of spells or abilities. -- All damage that would be dealt to Progenitus is prevented. * Progenitus can still be affected by effects that don't target it or deal damage to it (such as Wrath of God). ----- Quenchable Fire {3}{R} Sorcery Quenchable Fire deals 3 damage to target player. It deals an additional 3 damage to that player at the beginning of your next upkeep step unless he or she pays {U} before that step. * After Quenchable Fire resolves, the targeted player becomes able to perform a special action of paying {U}. This action may be performed any time the player has priority, and it doesn't use the stack. It may be performed only once, and only before your next upkeep begins. If the player has performed the action by then, the "deal an additional 3 damage" ability won't trigger. Otherwise, it will. If it triggers, the player can't stop it by paying {U}. * Quenchable Fire's delayed triggered ability (and the special action of paying {U}) will affect the player who was targeted by the spell, even if the original 3 damage is prevented or redirected to a different creature or player. ----- Reliquary Tower Land You have no maximum hand size. {T}: Add {1} to your mana pool. * 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) into play and then play Reliquary Tower, you'll have no maximum hand size. However, if those permanents came into play in the opposite order, your maximum hand size would be two. ----- Rotting Rats {1}{B} Creature -- Zombie Rat 1/1 When Rotting Rats comes into play, each player discards a card. Unearth {1}{B} ({1}{B}: Return this card from your graveyard to play. It gains haste. Remove it from the game at end of turn or if it would leave play. Unearth only as a sorcery.) * When Rotting Rats's comes-into-play ability resolves, first the player whose turn it is chooses a card to discard, then each other player in turn order does the same, then all cards are discarded at the same time. No one sees what the other players are discarding before deciding which card to discard. ----- Sedraxis Alchemist {2}{B} Creature -- Zombie Wizard 2/2 When Sedraxis Alchemist comes into play, if you control a blue permanent, return target nonland permanent to its owner's hand. * This ability isn't optional. When Sedraxis Alchemist comes into play, if you control a blue permanent and no other player controls a nonland permanent, you'll have to target a nonland permanent you control. ----- Shard Convergence {3}{G} Sorcery Search your library for a Plains card, an Island card, a Swamp card, and a Mountain card. Reveal those cards and put them into your hand. Then shuffle your library. * You don't have to find all four cards. * Shard Convergence checks for cards with the subtypes Plains, Island, Swamp, and Mountain, not for cards with those names. You may find nonbasic land cards this way, as long as they have appropriate subtypes. * You may find "dual lands" with Shard Convergence. The Plains card you find, for example, can have a second subtype. What subtypes it has won't impact what other cards you can find. For example, you may find a Hallowed Fountain (which has subtypes Plains and Island) as the Plains card, and another Hallowed Fountain as the Island card. ----- Sigil of the Empty Throne {3}{W}{W} Enchantment Whenever you play an enchantment spell, put a 4/4 white Angel creature token with flying into play. * The triggered ability will resolve before the enchantment spell that caused it to trigger. * When you play an Aura spell, you have to choose a target for it before this ability puts an Angel token into play. In other words, you can't play an Aura spell intending to enchant the Angel that will be created as a result. * Playing Sigil of the Empty Throne won't trigger its own ability. It has to be in play for its ability to work. ----- Sludge Strider {1}{W}{U}{B} Artifact Creature -- Insect 3/3 Whenever another artifact comes into play under your control or another artifact you control leaves play, you may pay {1}. If you do, target player loses 1 life and you gain 1 life. * If Sludge Strider and another artifact come into play under your control at the same time, Sludge Strider's triggered ability will trigger. Similarly, if Sludge Strider and another artifact you control leave play at the same time, Sludge Strider's triggered ability will trigger. * If an artifact creature with 0 toughness comes into play under your control, Sludge Strider's ability will trigger a total of twice: Once when that creature comes into play, and once when it's put into a graveyard. Both abilities will be put on the stack after the state-based effect check that puts the 0-toughness creature into the graveyard is finished. ----- Soul's Majesty {4}{G} Sorcery Draw cards equal to the power of target creature you control. * Soul's Majesty's only target is the creature. If that creature becomes an illegal target by the time Soul's Majesty would resolve, the entire spell is countered. You won't draw any cards. ----- Sphinx Summoner {3}{U}{B} Artifact Creature -- Sphinx 3/3 Flying When Sphinx Summoner comes into play, you may search your library for an artifact creature card, reveal it, and put it into your hand. If you do, shuffle your library. * The card you find must be both an artifact and a creature. ----- Suicidal Charge {3}{B}{R} Enchantment Sacrifice Suicidal Charge: Creatures your opponents control get -1/-1 until end of turn. Those creatures attack this turn if able. * Suicidal Charge's ability affects only the creatures your opponents control at the time it resolves. If another creature comes under the control of one of those players by the time that turn's combat step begins, it won't have to attack. ----- Telemin Performance {3}{U}{U} Sorcery Target opponent reveals cards from the top of his or her library until he or she reveals a creature card. That player puts all noncreature cards revealed this way into his or her graveyard, then you put the creature card into play under your control. * If there are no creature cards in the targeted opponent's library, that player will put his or her entire library into his or her graveyard. ----- Thornling {3}{G}{G} Creature -- Elemental Shapeshifter 4/4 {G}: Thornling gains haste until end of turn. {G}: Thornling gains trample until end of turn. {G}: Thornling is indestructible this turn. {1}: Thornling gets +1/-1 until end of turn. {1}: Thornling gets -1/+1 until end of turn. * Lethal damage and effects that say "destroy" won't cause an indestructible creature to be put into the graveyard. However, an indestructible creature can be put into the graveyard for a number of reasons. The most likely reasons are if it's sacrificed, if it's legendary and another legendary creature with the same name is in play, or if its toughness is 0 or less. ----- Toxic Iguanar {R} Creature -- Lizard 1/1 Toxic Iguanar has deathtouch as long as you control a green permanent. (Whenever it deals damage to a creature, destroy that creature.) * Whether Toxic Iguanar has deathtouch matters only when it deals damage (that is, at the point when its combat damage resolves, or at the point when a spell or ability that causes it to deal damage resolves). For example, if your only green permanent is a creature that receives lethal damage at the same time Toxic Iguanar deals damage to a creature, the deathtouch ability will still trigger and the creature Toxic Iguanar dealt damage to will be destroyed. ----- Unstable Frontier Land {T}: Add {1} to your mana pool. {T}: Target land you control becomes the basic land type of your choice until end of turn. * You choose a basic land type as the ability resolves. * The affected land loses its existing land types and any abilities printed on it. It becomes the chosen basic land type and now has the ability to tap to add one mana of the appropriate color to your mana pool. Unstable Frontier's ability doesn't change the affected land's name or whether it's legendary or basic. ----- Vagrant Plowbeasts {5}{G}{W} Creature -- Beast 6/6 {1}: Regenerate target creature with power 5 or greater. * This ability checks the targeted creature's power only at the time the ability is played and at the time it resolves. The regeneration shield it creates will work no matter what that creature's power is at the time it would be destroyed. ----- View from Above {1}{U} Instant Target creature gains flying until end of turn. If you control a white permanent, return View from Above to its owner's hand. * If you control a white permanent, View from Above moves from the stack to your hand as part of its resolution. It never hits the graveyard. If you don't control a white permanent, View from Above is put into the graveyard from the stack as normal. * If View from Above is countered for any reason (for example, if its target has become illegal), none of its effects happen. It will be put into your graveyard as normal. ----- Volcanic Fallout {1}{R}{R} Instant Volcanic Fallout can't be countered. Volcanic Fallout deals 2 damage to each creature and each player. * Volcanic Fallout can be targeted by spells that try to counter it (such as Countersquall). Those spells will still resolve, but the part of their effect that would counter Volcanic Fallout won't do anything. Any other effects those spells have will work as normal. ----- Voracious Dragon {3}{R}{R} Creature -- Dragon 4/4 Flying Devour 1 (As this comes into play, you may sacrifice any number of creatures. This creature comes into play with that many +1/+1 counters on it.) When Voracious Dragon comes into play, it deals damage to target creature or player equal to twice the number of Goblins it devoured. * Voracious Dragon can devour any type of creatures, not just Goblins. * "The number of Goblins it devoured" means "The number of Goblins sacrificed as a result of its devour ability as it came into play." For each creature that Voracious Dragon devoured, this ability checks its creature type as it last existed in play to see if it was a Goblin at that time. ----- Wall of Reverence {3}{W} Creature -- Spirit Wall 1/6 Defender, flying At the end of your turn, you may gain life equal to the power of target creature you control. * This ability triggers and resolves before "until end of turn" effects have worn off. ----- Worldheart Phoenix {3}{R} Creature -- Phoenix 2/2 Flying You may play Worldheart Phoenix from your graveyard by paying {W}{U}{B}{R}{G} rather than paying its mana cost. If you do, it comes into play with two +1/+1 counters on it. * Playing Worldheart Phoenix from your graveyard by paying its alternative cost doesn't change when you can play it. You can play it only at the normal time you could play a creature spell. * If you play Worldheart Phoenix this way, it is a spell and can be countered. * As soon as you start to play Worldheart Phoenix from your graveyard, the card moves onto the stack. At that point, it's too late for an opponent to prevent you from playing it by removing it from your graveyard. ----- Wretched Banquet {B} Sorcery Destroy target creature if it has the least power or is tied for least power among creatures in play. * Wretched Banquet may target any creature. The creature's power is checked only as Wretched Banquet resolves. If another creature has less power than the targeted creature at that time, Wretched Banquet does nothing. ----- All trademarks are property of Wizards of the Coast LLC in the U.S.A. and other countries. (c)2009 Wizards.