TCG Rules Questions

Re: Official FAQ

2449855 — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 08:16:22 GMT

Lanky beat me to it. Anyway, I'm curious why the set's release, sneak preview, and constructed legal dates never follow a set pattern. For MT:G, it was always the set's prerelease, release two weeks later, and then constructed legal two weeks after that. This was true for Fields and Blood, though I believe it was different for either Drums or Illidan or maybe both, and now again for Scourgewar. It's a bit confusing and, at least for me, kills the excitement of the sneak when I know I can just wait two days and start cracking my packs anyway.

Re: Official FAQ

1539230 — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 07:59:07 GMT

That's wonky and makes no sense at all whatsoever.

Also, maybe I should pay attention to more than the spoilers when I read the FAQ.

Re: Official FAQ

1189990 — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 07:23:05 GMT

1539230:
It's for the Sneak Previews. You can't sanction tournaments with sets that aren't legal.

From the FAQ:

This set is legal for sanctioned Constructed play from November 20, 2009.

WTF?

We should have had a BG with it today :)

Cheers.

Re: Official FAQ

1539230 — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 04:54:57 GMT

It's for the Sneak Previews. You can't sanction tournaments with sets that aren't legal.

Re: Official FAQ

2324505 — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 03:43:41 GMT

How is a set gonna be tournament legal before it's even released?

Not like it's gonna effect me but its still retarted.

Re: Official FAQ

1539230 — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:23:48 GMT

Flint doesn't interact with Inspiring Presence, as it only applies to non-combat damage and Flint's damage is combat damage.

[But, if we want to pretend for a second that it does for the sake of nifty rules questions, you have to add one before dividing. Increases to damage are applied in 717.3a and Flint's damage isn't split until later in 717.3b. But, none of this really matters, as IP only applies to non-combat damage.]

Re: Official FAQ

1745287 — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:19:54 GMT

How does Flint interact with IP? Do you divide the damage, then add 1 to each packet or add 1 then divide?

Re: Official FAQ

1539230 — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:05:59 GMT

Unless I missed something, Alashon is not only the only card in the game that sabotages keywords, he's the only card that causes opposing cards everywhere to lose and not have keywords. As such, the specific interaction between Retainer Alashon and Death Rattle is what this FAQ entry is trying to clarify: it's a ruling on specific cards rather than a concept in the rules.

Re: Official FAQ

2369323 — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 23:53:59 GMT

"...Death Rattle powers don’t trigger if keywords have been sabotaged."

This seems an indirect way of getting the point across. I know Retainer Alashon is the only ally that can sabotage keywords, but isn't it the modifier that "opposing cards everywhere lose and can't have keywords" that is relevant, rather than sabotage? This could confuse new players who have no idea that Retainer Alashon exists.

Re: Official FAQ

1539230 — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 23:49:53 GMT

That's kind of true. Here's the relevant CR section:

717.3 If multiple modifiers are competing to replace the same packet, one is chosen and applied. Then,
if one or more modifiers are still competing to replace the modified packet, another is chosen and
applied, and so on. In each case, the next modifier to be applied is chosen as follows:
717.3a If any of the competing modifiers would increase the size of the packet, or change its combat
damage flag, preventability, or damage type, the controller of that packet chooses one of
those modifiers.
717.3b Otherwise, the controller of the packet’s destination character chooses a competing modifier.
If that packet is unpreventable, that controller can’t choose a prevention modifier.

And

717.6 Some modifiers divide a packet into one or more packets by allowing its damage to be “divided
as you choose among any number of [characters] instead.” The timing of the application of such a
modifier is decided by the destination player (717.3b). However, once it's applied, all other
choices (how that packet is divided, and among which characters) are made by the source player.
That player must specify a division such that each point of damage is assigned to a [character].

We'll imagine that I control Flint and you control Dethvir. My Flint attacks your hero. Following 717.3b (as it doesn't fit the criteria for being applied according to 717.3a), you get to decide what order to apply Flint's modifier and Dethvir's. You can chose to apply Flint's first. In that case I would then decide how I want to split Flint's damage, and then you could redirect it to Dethvir by applying his modifier later. You could also chose to apply Dethvir's first or not at all and Flint's damage split later, in which case the damage would be dealt according to how I slpit it.

Boiled down, the destination character's controller has to decide the order to apply the modifiers governed by 717.3b. Flint's modifer is one of these. As such, the destination's controller can apply Flint's modifier and any other prevention and redirection modifiers in any order he choses. However, when he chooses to apply Flint's modifier, the source (Flint's controller) gets to assign the damage how he likes. The only thing that has to happen before the damage split is decided is the destination's controller chooses Flint's modifier as the next to be applied. The destination's controller can still choose to apply other modifier's after Flint's.

I hope that helps clear things up. I'm not sure I made perfect sense or addressed your confusion, but the more I think about this the harder it gets to figure out how to word my response:/

Re: Official FAQ

1189990 — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 23:27:06 GMT

1539230:
Additionally, if your opponent has any modifiers that allow him to redirect damage (such as Dethvir's), he gets to chose the order in which to apply those modifiers. For example, he could chose to let you split the damage first and then apply Dethvir's modifier to redirect all the damage to Dethvir.

Huh? I thought it said that any prevention or re-direction had to be chosen by the destination player before the damage split was decided.

Cheers.

Re: Official FAQ

1189990 — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 23:23:55 GMT

SW is Constructed legal from November 20th???

Cheers.

Re: Official FAQ

1539230 — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 20:16:50 GMT

1381330:
For Flint Shadowmore, one section confused me:
timing of its application is decided by the destination player (so that player may apply prevention or other redirection beforehand).

What does this mean, exactly?

The order of prevention and redirection replacement modifiers is decided by the player controlling the destination of the damage. Basically it means that if you attack with Flint and your opponent has armor, he can use the armor before the damage gets divided. For example, if he has a 2 DEF armor and Flint is attacking his hero, he could exhaust the armor to prevent the two damage and you would only have three to divide among opposing heroes and allies.

Additionally, if your opponent has any modifiers that allow him to redirect damage (such as Dethvir's), he gets to chose the order in which to apply those modifiers. For example, he could chose to let you split the damage first and then apply Dethvir's modifier to redirect all the damage to Dethvir.

Re: Official FAQ

1381330 — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 12:21:20 GMT

For Flint Shadowmore, one section confused me:
timing of its application is decided by the destination player (so that player may apply prevention or other redirection beforehand).

What does this mean, exactly?

I like the fixes to Master Heroes. No Kelthuzad take your dudes turn 10 into Illidan turn 11 then Kelthuzad take your dudes again turn 12 shenanigans this way.

Re: Official FAQ

1292276 — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 02:59:02 GMT

1783490:
question not answered in the faq and don't want to read 15 pages of stuff... for the wub's cursed hexblade, if your opponent went first time game, you can destroy an ally and put that same ally in your party, right? There are 2 phases in the text, so killing it and putting it into play are happenning one after the other. Otherwise, this card is not that good at all. Am i right?

You always follow the instructions on a card in the order they're printed. So, you first destroy the ally, then you can bring that exact same ally back into play.