FAQ ALA (vo)

_Shards of Alara_(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 September 23, 2008

_Shards of Alara_ Prerelease tournaments: September 27-28, 2008
_Shards of Alara_ official release date: October 3, 2008
_Shards of Alara_ Launch Parties: October 3-5, 2008

The _Shards of Alara_ 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), and _Shards of Alara_.
At that time, the following card sets will be permitted in the _Shards of Alara_ Block Constructed format: _Shards of Alara_.

The _Shards of Alara_ set contains 249 cards (20 basic land, 101 common, 60 uncommon, 53 rare, 15 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.
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GENERAL NOTES

***New Rarity: Mythic Rare***

The rarity of each _Magic: The Gathering_(R) game card is expressed in the color of its expansion symbol. Basic lands and common cards have black expansion symbols, uncommon cards have silver expansion symbols, and rare cards have gold expansion symbols. A new rarity is introduced in the _Shards of Alara_ set: mythic rare.

A mythic rare card is approximately twice as rare as a rare card from the same set. Mythic rare cards have red-orange expansion symbols.

Starting with the _Shards of Alara_ set, each _Magic_ booster pack contains the following: one basic land, ten commons, three uncommons, one rare or mythic rare, and 1 non-game ad card (which may be a token). If the pack happens to contain a foil premium card, it will do so in place of one of the commons, regardless of that premium card's rarity. (Every game card in the set can appear as a regular card or as a premium card.)
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***Theme: Shards***

Multicolored cards are prominently featured in the _Shards of Alara_ set. In particular, three-colored play is highlighted. The set contains thirty-five cards that are exactly three colors, which is more than any other set in _Magic_(TM) history. The set also contains a number of cards that support three-colored decks, such as the Obelisk cycle and the Panorama cycle.

Five combinations of three colors each are highlighted. These are the three-colored "arcs": groups of three colors that appear consecutively on the _Magic_ color wheel on the back of each card.

Each of these three-color arcs is represented in this set by a "shard": an independent fraction of the Alara plane in which only three of the five colors of _Magic_ appear. Each shard has its own keyword or theme.
-- The shard of Bant is green, white, and blue. Its keyword ability is exalted.
-- The shard of Esper is white, blue, and black. Its theme is colored artifacts.
-- The shard of Grixis is blue, black, and red. Its keyword ability is unearth.
-- The shard of Jund is black, red, and green. Its keyword ability is devour.
-- The shard of Naya is red, green, and white. Its theme is enormous creatures, also known as "5 power matters."
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***New Format for Launch Parties***

The _Shards of Alara Launch Parties_ on October 3–6, 2008 are Wizards Play Network events that feature a new format: the Theme Tournament. Designed to highlight the fun and flavorful aspects of the _Shards of Alara_ set, the Theme Tournaments have the same structure as the Prerelease tournaments (Sealed Deck format in which each player receives one tournament pack and three boosters), with a few additional rules.

As players build their decks, they must choose one of the five shards (Bant, Esper, Grixis, Jund, or Naya). The mana cost of each card in a player's deck may contain only mana symbols that match the chosen shard's three colors. (Mana symbols in a card's text box are ignored.) Colorless cards may be played in any deck. In addition, a deck may not generate mana outside its shard's colors. Any card which would generate mana of a color that doesn't match the chosen shard generates colorless mana instead.

Go to <www.wizards.com/launchparty> to find a location near you.
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***Jund Keyword Ability: Devour***

Devour is an ability that allows the most vicious creatures to grow in size by preying upon other creatures.

Skullmulcher
{4}{G}
Creature -- Elemental
3/3
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 Skullmulcher comes into play, draw a card for each creature it devoured.

The official rules for devour are as follows:

502.82. Devour

502.82a Devour is a static ability. "Devour N" means "As this object comes into play, you may sacrifice any number of creatures. This permanent comes into play with N +1/+1 counters on it for each creature sacrificed this way."

502.82b Some objects have abilities that refer to the number of creatures the permanent devoured. "It devoured" means "sacrificed as a result of its devour ability as it came into play."

* Devour appears only on creature cards.

* A creature with devour can devour other creatures no matter how it comes into play.

* You may choose to not sacrifice any creatures.

* If you play a creature with devour as a spell, you choose how many and which creatures to devour as part of the resolution of that spell. (It can't be countered at this point.) The same is true of a spell or ability that lets you put a creature with devour into play.

* You may sacrifice only creatures that are already in play. If a creature with devour and another creature are coming into play under your control at the same time, the creature with devour can't devour that other creature. The creature with devour also can't devour itself.

* If multiple creatures with devour are coming into play under your control at the same time, you may use each one's devour ability. A creature you already control can be devoured by only one of them, however. (In other words, you can't sacrifice the same creature to satisfy multiple devour abilities.) All creatures devoured this way are sacrificed at the same time.
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***Bant Keyword Ability: Exalted***

Exalted is an ability that pumps up a single heroic attacker.

Angelic Benediction
{3}{W}
Enchantment
Exalted (Whenever a creature you control attacks alone, that creature gets +1/+1 until end of turn.)
Whenever a creature you control attacks alone, you may tap target creature.

The official rules for exalted are as follows:

502.83. Exalted

502.83a Exalted is a triggered ability. "Exalted" means "Whenever a creature you control attacks alone, that creature gets +1/+1 until end of turn."

502.83b A creature "attacks alone" if it's the only creature declared as an attacker in a given combat phase. See rule 306.5.

* If you declare exactly one creature as an attacker, each exalted ability on each permanent you control (including, perhaps, the attacking creature itself) will trigger. The bonuses are given to the attacking creature, not to the permanent with exalted. Ultimately, the attacking creature will wind up with +1/+1 for each of your exalted abilities.

* Some cards with exalted abilities have other abilities that also trigger when a creature you control attacks alone. Each time a creature you control attacks alone, both the exalted ability and the other ability will trigger.

* If you attack with multiple creatures, but then all but one are removed from combat, your exalted abilities won't trigger.

* Some effects put creatures into play attacking. Since those creatures were never declared as attackers, they're ignored by exalted abilities. They won't cause exalted abilities to trigger. If any exalted abilities have already triggered (because exactly one creature was declared as an attacker), those abilities will resolve as normal even though there may now be multiple attackers.

* Exalted abilities will resolve before blockers are declared.

* Exalted bonuses last until end of turn. If an effect creates an additional combat phase during your turn, a creature that attacked alone during the first combat phase will still have its exalted bonuses in that new phase. If a creature attacks alone during the second combat phase, all your exalted abilities will trigger again.

* In a Two-Headed Giant game, a creature "attacks alone" if it's the only creature declared as an attacker by your entire team. If you control that attacking creature, your exalted abilities will trigger but your teammate's exalted abilities won't.
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***Grixis Keyword Ability: Unearth***

Unearth is an ability that lets a dead creature come screaming back to life for one last turn.

Dregscape Zombie
{1}{B}
Creature -- Zombie
2/1
Unearth {B} ({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.)

The official rules for unearth are as follows:

502.84. Unearth

502.84a Unearth is an activated ability that functions while the card is in a graveyard. "Unearth [cost]" means "[Cost]: Return this card from your graveyard to play. It gains haste. Remove it from the game at end of turn. If it would leave play, remove it from the game instead of putting it anywhere else. Play this ability only any time you could play a sorcery."

* Unearth appears only on creature cards.

* You may play the unearth ability of a card in your graveyard no matter how it wound up in your graveyard.

* If you play a card's unearth ability but that card is removed from your graveyard before the ability resolves, that unearth ability will resolve and do nothing.

* Playing a creature card's unearth ability isn't the same as playing the creature card. The unearth ability is put on the stack, but the creature card is not. Spells and abilities that interact with activated abilities (such as Stifle) will interact with unearth, but spells and abilities that interact with spells (such as Remove Soul) will not.

* At end of turn, a creature returned to play with unearth is removed from the game. This is a delayed triggered ability, and it can be countered by effects such as Stifle or Voidslime that counter triggered abilities. If the ability is countered, the creature will stay in play and the delayed trigger won't trigger again. However, the replacement effect will still remove the creature from the game when it eventually leaves play.

* Unearth grants haste to the creature that's returned to play. However, neither of the "remove from the game" abilities is granted to that creature. If that creature loses all its abilities, it will still be removed from the game at the end of the turn, and if it would leave play, it is still removed from the game instead.

* If a creature returned to play with unearth would leave play for any reason, it's removed from the game instead -- unless the spell or ability that's causing the creature to leave play is actually trying to remove it from the game! In that case, it succeeds at removing it from the game. If it later returns the creature card to play (as Oblivion Ring or Flickerwisp might, for example), the creature card will return to play as a new object with no relation to its previous existence. The unearth effect will no longer apply to it.
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***Esper Theme: Colored Artifacts***

The majority of Esper cards are colored artifacts. In fact, every Esper creature is an artifact creature, all of which are white and/or blue and/or black!

Filigree Sages
{3}{U}
Artifact Creature -- Vedalken Wizard
2/3
{2}{U}: Untap target artifact.

* Colored artifacts appear in frames that have elements of both artifact cards and colored cards. Besides the frame, you can tell that the card is colored by checking its mana cost, and you can tell that the card is an artifact by checking its type line.

* The only difference between a colored artifact and a colorless artifact is, obviously, its color. Unlike most artifacts, a colored artifact requires colored mana to play. Also unlike most artifacts, a colored artifact has a color in all zones. It will interact with cards that care about color. Other than that, a colored artifact behaves just like any other artifact. It will interact as normal with any card that cares about artifacts, such as Shatter or Arcbound Ravager.
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***Naya Theme: 5 Power Matters***

The Naya shard has a number of cards that look for creatures with power 5 or greater. These cards work in a variety of ways.

Rakeclaw Gargantuan
{2}{R}{G}{W}
Creature -- Beast
5/3
{1}: Target creature with power 5 or greater gains first strike until end of turn.

* If an ability says "target creature with power 5 or greater," it checks that creature's power twice: when the creature becomes the target, and when the ability resolves. Once the ability resolves, it will continue to apply to the affected creature no matter what its power may become later in the turn. (Relevant cards: Bloodthorn Taunter, Godtoucher, Mosstodon, Rakeclaw Gargantuan, and Spearbreaker Behemoth.)

* If an ability affects a number of creatures with power 5 or greater but doesn't target them, it checks the creatures' powers only once: when the ability resolves. Once the ability resolves, it will continue to apply to the affected creatures no matter what their powers may become later in the turn. (Relevant card: Gustrider Exuberant.)

* If an ability triggers when a creature with power 5 or greater comes into play, it checks that creature's power only once: when that creature comes into play. The trigger checks a creature's initial power upon being put in play, so it will take into account counters that it comes into play with and static abilities that may give it a continuous power boost once it's in play (such as the one on Glorious Anthem). After the creature is already in play, boosting its power with a spell (such as Giant Growth), activated ability, or triggered ability won't allow this ability to trigger; it's too late by then. Once the ability triggers, it will resolve no matter what the creature's power may become while the ability is on the stack. (Relevant cards: Mighty Emergence and Where Ancients Tread.)

* Some cards have abilities that say "At the end of your turn, if you control a creature with power 5 or greater, [effect]." These abilities have "intervening 'if' clauses." That means (1) the ability won't trigger at all unless you control a creature with power 5 or greater as your end step begins, and (2) the ability will do nothing if you don't control a creature with power 5 or greater by the time it resolves. (It doesn't have to be the same creature as the one that allowed the ability to trigger.) Power-boosting effects that last "until end of turn" will still be in effect when this kind of ability triggers and resolves. An ability like this will trigger a maximum of once per turn, no matter how many applicable creatures you control. (Relevant cards: Drumhunter, Exuberant Firestoker, and Sunseed Nurturer.)

* Some cards check the power of creature cards that aren't in play. If a creature card you look at this way has "*" in its power, the ability that defines its power works in all zones. (Relevant cards: Mayael the Anima and Sacellum Godspeaker.)
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***Returning Keyword Ability: Cycling***

If you have a card with cycling in your hand, you can pay its cycling cost and discard it to draw a new card. Cycling appears on cards from all shards. It has previously appeared on cards from the _Urza's Saga_(TM) block, the _Onslaught_(TM) block, and the _Future Sight_(R) set.

Ridge Rannet
{5}{R}{R}
Creature -- Beast
6/4
Cycling {2} ({2}, Discard this card: Draw a card.)

The relevant cycling rules 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.

* Cycling 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.

A cycle of cards in this set (the Resounding cards) have eight-mana cycling costs and abilities that trigger when they're cycled. Each shard has one.

Resounding Roar
{1}{G}
Instant
Target creature gets +3/+3 until end of turn.
Cycling {5}{R}{G}{W} ({5}{R}{G}{W}, Discard this card: Draw a card.)
When you cycle Resounding Roar, target creature gets +6/+6 until end of turn.

* If you cycle a card with a cycle trigger, the cycling ability goes on the stack, then the triggered ability goes on the stack on top of it. The trigger will resolve before you draw a card from the cycling ability.

* You can cycle a card that has a cycle trigger even if there are no targets for the triggered ability. That's because the cycling ability itself has no targets.

* The cycling ability and the triggered ability are separate. If the triggered ability is countered (with Stifle, for example, or if all its targets have become illegal), the cycling ability will still resolve and you'll draw a card.

* The cycle triggers on the Resounding cards are all mandatory. If you cycle one, you must choose targets if possible (except for Resounding Silence, which targets "up to two target attacking creatures" -- "up to two" means zero, one, or two) and the effect must happen.
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***Cycle: Charms***

Each shard has a Charm that costs one mana of each of that shard's colors. The Charms are modal spells with three modes. As you play a Charm, you choose one of its modes.

Naya Charm
{R}{G}{W}
Instant
Choose one -- Naya Charm deals 3 damage to target creature; or return target card in a graveyard to its owner's hand; or tap all creatures target player controls.

* You can choose a mode only if you can choose legal targets for that mode. If you can't choose legal targets for any of the modes, you can't play the spell.

* While the spell is on the stack, treat it as though its only text is the chosen mode. The other two modes are treated as though they don't exist. You don't choose targets for those modes.

* If a modal spell is copied, the copy will have the same mode as the original.
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***Cycle: Heralds***

Each shard has a Herald that allows you to search your library for a specific mythic rare card and put it into play.

Angel's Herald
{W}
Creature -- Human Cleric
1/1
{2}{W}, {T}, Sacrifice a green creature, a white creature, and a blue creature: Search your library for a card named Empyrial Archangel and put it into play. Then shuffle your library.

* To play the ability, you must sacrifice three different creatures. You can't sacrifice just one three-colored creature, for example.

* You may sacrifice multicolored creatures as part of the cost of the search ability. For example, you may sacrifice a red-green creature, a green-white-blue creature, and a blue creature to pay for Angel's Herald's ability. If you sacrifice a multicolored creature this way, specify which part of the cost that creature is satisfying.

* You may sacrifice the Herald itself to help pay for the cost of its ability.
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***Cycle: Panoramas***

Each shard has a Panorama that allows you to search your library for a basic land appropriate to that shard and put it into play.

Naya Panorama
Land
{T}: Add {1} to your mana pool.
{1}, {T}, Sacrifice Naya Panorama: Search your library for a basic Mountain, Forest, or Plains card and put it into play tapped. Then shuffle your library.

* Unlike the "fetch lands" that appeared in the _Mirage_(TM) set and the _Onslaught_ set, the Panoramas have mana abilities.

* Also unlike the previous fetch lands, the Panoramas can find only basic lands. Naya Panorama, for example, can find a basic Mountain card, a basic Forest card, or a basic Plains card.

* This effect checks the card's type line, not its name, so you can find a Snow-Covered Mountain (which is both basic and a Mountain), for example.
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***Returning Card Type: Planeswalker***

Planeswalkers are powerful allies you can call on to fight by your side. They were introduced in the _Lorwyn_ set, and this set contains the first new ones since the original five.

For information about how to play planeswalkers, please see the _Lorwyn_ FAQ or the following website:
http://www.wizards.com/Magic/TCG/Article.aspx?x=magic/rules/planeswalkers
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***Theme: "Death Triggers"***

Many cards in this set have abilities that trigger when a creature is put into a graveyard from play.

Deathgreeter
{B}
Creature -- Human Shaman
1/1
Whenever another creature is put into a graveyard from play, you may gain 1 life.

* This kind of ability triggers regardless of whose graveyard the creature is put into.

* Creatures in this set with "death triggers" have abilities that trigger whenever *another* creature is put into a graveyard from play. That creature's own demise will not cause its ability to trigger.

* Noncreature cards in this set with death triggers have abilities that trigger whenever a creature is put into a graveyard from play. If such a permanent somehow becomes a creature, its own demise will cause its ability to trigger.

* If a permanent with a death trigger and another creature are both put into a graveyard at the same time, the death trigger ability will trigger.

* Some creatures have death trigger abilities that cause +1/+1 counters to be put on them. If that creature and another creature are dealt lethal damage at the same time, the creature with the death trigger ability will be put into a graveyard before it would receive any counters. The death trigger ability will still trigger, but it will do nothing when it resolves.

* If a creature that's put into play as the result of an unearth ability would leave play, it's removed from the game instead of going anywhere else. Since it doesn't get put into a graveyard, death triggers don't trigger.
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CARD-SPECIFIC NOTES

Ad Nauseam
{3}{B}{B}
Instant
Reveal the top card of your library and put that card into your hand. You lose life equal to its converted mana cost. You may repeat this process any number of times.

* Each time you put the revealed card into your hand and lose the appropriate amount of life, you decide whether to continue by revealing another card. In other words, you don't decide in advance how many cards to put into your hand this way.

* You may continue to reveal cards with Ad Nauseam even if your life total has been reduced to 0 or less. If you continue, you will continue to lose life, dropping your life total into negative numbers. As soon as you stop, you'll lose the game as a state-based effect.
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Agony Warp
{U}{B}
Instant
Target creature gets -3/-0 until end of turn.
Target creature gets -0/-3 until end of turn.

* The two targets may be the same creature or they may be different creatures.
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Ajani Vengeant
{2}{R}{W}
Planeswalker -- Ajani
3
[+1]: Target permanent doesn't untap during its controller's next untap step.
[-2]: Ajani Vengeant deals 3 damage to target creature or player and you gain 3 life.
[-7]: Destroy all lands target player controls.

* You may target any permanent with Ajani Vengeant's first ability. It doesn't have to be tapped.

* The first ability tracks the permanent, but not its controller. If the permanent changes controllers before its first controller's next untap step has come around, then it won't untap during its new controller's next untap step.

* If two or more planeswalkers in play share a planeswalker subtype, all are put into their owners' graveyards. This means that if both Ajani Vengeant and the _Lorwyn_ card Ajani Goldmane are in play, both are put into their owners' graveyards.
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Archdemon of Unx
{5}{B}{B}
Creature -- Demon
6/6
Flying, trample
At the beginning of your upkeep, sacrifice a non-Zombie creature, then put a 2/2 black Zombie creature token into play.

* If Archdemon of Unx is the only non-Zombie creature you control when the triggered ability resolves, you'll have to sacrifice it. You'll still get a Zombie token.

* If you somehow control no non-Zombie creatures when the triggered ability resolves, you won't have to sacrifice anything. You'll still get a Zombie token.
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Banewasp Affliction
{1}{B}
Enchantment -- Aura
Enchant creature
When enchanted creature is put into a graveyard, that creature's controller loses life equal to its toughness.

* The player who loses life is the player who controlled the creature when it was put into a graveyard. This may not be the player whose graveyard it was put into. That player loses life equal to the creature's toughness as it last existed in play.
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Battlegrace Angel
{3}{W}{W}
Creature -- Angel
4/4
Flying
Exalted (Whenever a creature you control attacks alone, that creature gets +1/+1 until end of turn.)
Whenever a creature you control attacks alone, it gains lifelink until end of turn.

* Battlegrace Angel could cause a creature to have multiple instances of lifelink. For example, a creature you control that already has lifelink could attack alone while you control Battlegrace Angel, or a creature you control could attack alone while you control more than one Battlegrace Angel. If a creature has multiple instances of lifelink, each instance will trigger separately when it deals damage. You'll gain the appropriate amount of life that many times.
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Blightning
{1}{B}{R}
Sorcery
Blightning deals 3 damage to target player. That player discards two cards.

* The targeted player will discard two cards even if some or all of Blightning's damage is prevented or redirected.
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Blister Beetle
{1}{B}
Creature -- Insect
1/1
When Blister Beetle comes into play, target creature gets -1/-1 until end of turn.

* If there are no other creatures in play when Blister Beetle comes into play, it must target itself.
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Bloodpyre Elemental
{4}{R}
Creature -- Elemental
4/1
Sacrifice Bloodpyre Elemental: Bloodpyre Elemental deals 4 damage to target creature. Play this ability only any time you could play a sorcery.

* If you play Bloodpyre Elemental during your turn, you receive priority after it comes into play. You can sacrifice it immediately, before any other player has a chance to remove Bloodpyre Elemental from play.
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Blood Cultist
{1}{B}{R}
Creature -- Human Wizard
1/1
{T}: Blood Cultist deals 1 damage to target creature.
Whenever a creature dealt damage by Blood Cultist this turn is put into a graveyard, put a +1/+1 counter on Blood Cultist.

* Each time a creature is put into a graveyard from play, check whether Blood Cultist had dealt any damage to it at any time during that turn. (This includes combat damage.) If so, Blood Cultist's second ability will trigger. It doesn't matter who controlled the creature or whose graveyard it was put into.

* If Blood Cultist and a creature it dealt damage to are both put into a graveyard at the same time, Blood Cultist's ability will trigger, but it will do nothing when it resolves.
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Bone Splinters
{B}
Sorcery
As an additional cost to play Bone Splinters, sacrifice a creature.
Destroy target creature.

* You could choose to target the creature you're going to sacrifice to pay for Bone Splinters. First you choose the target (at which time it's still in play), then you pay the costs (at which time you sacrifice it). The spell will be countered.
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Branching Bolt
{1}{R}{G}
Instant
Choose one or both -- Branching Bolt deals 3 damage to target creature with flying; and/or Branching Bolt deals 3 damage to target creature without flying.

* You may choose just the first mode (targeting a creature with flying), just the second mode (targeting a creature without flying), or both modes (targeting a creature with flying and a creature without flying). You can't choose a mode unless there's a legal target for it.
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Brilliant Ultimatum
{W}{W}{U}{U}{U}{B}{B}
Sorcery
Remove the top five cards of your library from the game. An opponent separates those cards into two piles. You may play any number of cards from one of those piles without paying their mana costs.

* The cards are removed from the game face up.

* One of the piles may have zero cards in it if the opponent wishes.

* You play cards from the chosen pile as part of the resolution of Brilliant Ultimatum. You may play them in any order. 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 during combat"). You play all of the cards you like, putting land into play and spells on the stack, then Brilliant Ultimatum finishes resolving and is put into your graveyard. The spells you play this way will then resolve as normal, one at a time, in the opposite order that they were put on the stack.

* You can play a land card from the chosen pile only if it's your turn (which it probably is, since Brilliant Ultimatum is a sorcery) and you haven't yet played a land this turn. That means that if there are two lands in the chosen pile, you'll be able to play a maximum of one of them.

* If you play a card "without paying its mana cost," you can't pay any alternative costs. You can pay additional costs, such as conspire costs and kicker costs.

* The cards in the pile that wasn't chosen remain removed from the game. Likewise, any cards in the chosen pile that you can't play or you choose not to play remain removed from the game.
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Caldera Hellion
{3}{R}{R}
Creature -- Hellion
3/3
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 Caldera Hellion comes into play, it deals 3 damage to each creature.

* Caldera Hellion will deal 3 damage to itself (as well as to each other creature) when its comes-into-play ability resolves. This damage will be lethal if Caldera Hellion hasn't devoured any creatures and its toughness hasn't been increased by any other means.
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Call to Heel
{1}{U}
Instant
Return target creature to its owner's hand. Its controller draws a card.

* The player who draws a card is the player who controls the creature when Call to Heel resolves. This may not be the player whose hand the creature is put into.

* If the targeted creature becomes an illegal target before Call to Heel resolves, Call to Heel is countered. No one draws a card.
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Carrion Thrash
{2}{B}{R}{G}
Creature -- Viashino Warrior
4/4
When Carrion Thrash is put into a graveyard from play, you may pay {2}. If you do, return another target creature card from your graveyard to your hand.

* You choose a target when the ability triggers. You decide whether to pay {2} when the ability resolves.

* If Carrion Thrash and another creature are put into a graveyard from play at the same time, you may target the other creature with Carrion Thrash's ability.
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Clarion Ultimatum
{G}{G}{W}{W}{W}{U}{U}
Sorcery
Choose five permanents you control. For each of those permanents, you may search your library for a card with the same name as that permanent. Put those cards into play tapped, then shuffle your library.

* This spell has no targets. You don't choose five permanents you control until Clarion Ultimatum resolves. If you control fewer than five permanents at that time, choose each permanent you do control.

* The five permanents you choose must all be different. However, some of them may have the same name as one another. For example, you may choose two Empyrial Archangels and three Plains. If you do, you search your library for up to two more Empyrial Archangels and up to three more Plains and put them into play tapped.

* If you choose a permanent whose name has been changed by an effect (for example, a Clone that's copying another creature), you'll search for a card with the new name, not one with the original name. Note that changing a land's subtype doesn't change its name.

* If you choose a permanent with no name, such as a face-down creature, no card in your library can be found with that name.

* You make just one search. (This could matter for cards like Aven Mindcensor, for example.)

* The cards all come into play at the same time. If one of the cards that's coming into play is an Aura, it must come into play attached to a permanent already in play. It can't come into play attached to another permanent coming into play via Clarion Ultimatum. If an Aura can't come into play this way, it remains in your library.

* If you find a card that isn't a permanent card while searching (for example, you chose an Illusion token and find the split card Illusion/Reality), that card remains in your library.
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Coma Veil
{4}{U}
Enchantment -- Aura
Enchant artifact or creature
Enchanted permanent doesn't untap during its controller's untap step.

* Coma Veil may target and may enchant an untapped artifact or creature.
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Covenant of Minds
{4}{U}
Sorcery
Reveal the top three cards of your library. Target opponent may choose to put those cards into your hand. If he or she doesn't, put those cards into your graveyard and draw five cards.

* The targeted opponent has two options: Let you have the three revealed cards or let you have five unknown cards. Note that if the opponent goes with the first option, you put cards into your hand rather than draw them (in case something like Hoofprints of the Stag cares about that), but if the opponent goes with the second option, you actually draw cards.
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Cradle of Vitality
{3}{W}
Enchantment
Whenever you gain life, you may pay {1}{W}. If you do, put a +1/+1 counter on target creature for each 1 life you gained.

* You choose a target when the ability triggers. You don't choose whether to pay {1}{W} until the ability resolves.

* Cradle of Vitality triggers just once for each life-gaining event, whether it's 1 life from Deathgreeter or 8 life from Soul's Grace. You pay the cost just once, but the targeted creature will get a number of counters equal to the amount of life you gained.
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Cruel Ultimatum
{U}{U}{B}{B}{B}{R}{R}
Sorcery
Target opponent sacrifices a creature, discards three cards, then loses 5 life. You return a creature card from your graveyard to your hand, draw three cards, then gain 5 life.

* Cruel Ultimatum's only target is an opponent. You don't choose which creature card in your graveyard you'll return to your hand until Cruel Ultimatum resolves.

* All of these actions are performed sequentially, in the order listed. Earlier actions may affect how you perform later actions. (For example, if the opponent sacrifices a creature that he or she controls but you own, it will end up in your graveyard. When Cruel Ultimatum lets you return a creature card from your graveyard to your hand, you can choose that one.)

* If, as Cruel Ultimatum begins to resolve, your opponent's life total is 5 or less and you have two or fewer cards in your library, the game will result in a draw. Your opponent's life total will drop to 0 or less, but Cruel Ultimatum must finish resolving completely before state-based effects are checked. You'll then be forced to draw three cards and fail to draw one. When state-based effects are finally checked, you and your opponent will both lose the game at the same time, which means the game is a draw.
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Cunning Lethemancer
{2}{B}
Creature -- Human Wizard
2/2
At the beginning of your upkeep, each player discards a card.

* First you choose a card to discard, then each other player in turn order chooses a card to discard, then all those cards are discarded simultaneously. No one sees what the other players are discarding before deciding which cards to discard.
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Death Baron
{1}{B}{B}
Creature -- Zombie Wizard
2/2
Skeleton creatures you control and other Zombie creatures you control get +1/+1 and have deathtouch.

* A creature that's both a Skeleton and a Zombie will get the bonus only once.

* Death Baron doesn't normally affect itself. If you manage to turn it into a Skeleton, however, then it will give itself +1/+1 and deathtouch.
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Elspeth, Knight-Errant
{2}{W}{W}
Planeswalker -- Elspeth
4
[+1]: Put a 1/1 white Soldier creature token into play.
[+1]: Target creature gets +3/+3 and gains flying until end of turn.
[-8]: For the rest of the game, artifacts, creatures, enchantments, and lands you control are indestructible.

* Unlike other planeswalkers, Elspeth's second ability has a positive loyalty number in its cost.

* Once Elspeth's third ability resolves, it's continually in effect until the game ends, even if Elspeth has already left play or leaves play at some point afterwards. It doesn't lock in what it applies to. Since the effect states a true thing about a set of permanents, but doesn't actually change the *characteristics* of those permanents, it will apply to whatever artifacts, creatures, enchantments, and lands you happen to control at any point in the game from that time forward. It will apply to such permanents that come under your control after the ability has resolved, and it will cease to apply to permanents that leave your control. Since the ability doesn't change those permanents' characteristics, if any of them loses all abilities, it will still be indestructible.

* Lethal damage and effects that say "destroy" won't cause an indestructible permanent to be put into the graveyard. However, an indestructible permanent 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 permanent with the same name is in play, if it's a creature whose toughness is 0 or less, or if it's an Aura that's either unattached or attached to something illegal.
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Empyrial Archangel
{4}{G}{W}{W}{U}
Creature -- Angel
5/8
Flying, shroud
All damage that would be dealt to you is dealt to Empyrial Archangel instead.

* Suppose you control Empyrial Archangel and a planeswalker, and a source controlled by an opponent would deal noncombat damage to you. Both Empyrial Archangel and the planeswalker have effects that change (or could change) what that damage would be dealt to. You choose one to apply.
-- If you apply Empyrial Archangel's effect, the damage is redirected to it. The planeswalker replacement effect is no longer applicable.
-- If you apply the planeswalker replacement effect, your opponent then chooses whether he or she wants to redirect the damage to your planeswalker. If your opponent does, that many loyalty counters are removed from the it. If your opponent doesn't, then Empyrial Archangel's effect applies and the damage is redirected to it.
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Etherium Sculptor
{1}{U}
Artifact Creature -- Vedalken Artificer
1/2
Artifact spells you play cost {1} less to play.

* This effect doesn't change the mana cost or converted mana cost of an artifact spell. Rather, it reduces the total cost of the spell, which is the amount you actually pay while playing it. The total cost takes into account additional or alternative costs.

* This effect can reduce only the generic portion of the artifact spell's total cost.
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Ethersworn Canonist
{1}{W}
Artifact Creature -- Human Cleric
2/2
Each player who has played a nonartifact spell this turn can't play additional nonartifact spells.

* In other words: Each turn, each player can play any number of artifact spells plus a maximum of one nonartifact spell.

* This effect counts all nonartifact spells that are played, even those that are countered.

* This effect takes into account spells that were played earlier in the turn that Ethersworn Canonist came into play, including any spells still on the stack. However, any spells on the stack as Ethersworn Canonist comes into play have already been "played" by that point, so they're not affected by it.
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Flameblast Dragon
{4}{R}{R}
Creature -- Dragon
5/5
Flying
Whenever Flameblast Dragon attacks, you may pay {X}{R}. If you do, Flameblast Dragon deals X damage to target creature or player.

* You choose the target when the ability triggers. When the ability resolves, you choose a value for X and decide whether to pay {X}{R}. If you do decide to pay {X}{R}, it's too late for any player to respond since the ability is already in the midst of resolving.
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Fleshbag Marauder
{2}{B}
Creature -- Zombie Warrior
3/1
When Fleshbag Marauder comes into play, each player sacrifices a creature.

* When the ability resolves, you may sacrifice Fleshbag Marauder itself. If you control no other creatures, you'll have to sacrifice Fleshbag Marauder.
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Gather Specimens
{3}{U}{U}{U}
Instant
If a creature would come into play under an opponent's control this turn, it comes into play under your control instead.

* Gather Specimens isn't targeted. It affects creatures that would come into play under any opponent's control.

* Gather Specimens affects both token creatures and nontoken creatures. It affects creatures that would come into play by any means. This includes, of course, creature spells that resolve. It also includes creatures put into play as a result of a resolving spell (such as Call of the Herd or Zombify), resolving ability (such as Verdant Force's ability or Doomed Necromancer's ability), cost (such as Varchild's War-Riders's cumulative upkeep cost), replacement effect (such as the one created by Words of Wilding), or any other means.

* If a creature spell controlled by an opponent would resolve, it resolves, but the creature comes into play under your control instead of the opponent's control. Choices made when playing that spell (such as whether a kicker cost was paid or the value of X in the spell's cost) are remembered. Any "comes into play" triggered abilities will trigger after the creature is in play under your control.

* The Gather Specimens replacement effect is applied before any other replacement effects that would also modify how the creature comes into play. These are usually worded "as [this creature] comes into play" or “[this creature] comes into play with.” For example, if your Gather Specimens has resolved, then the following things are true:
-- If a creature with devour would come into play under an opponent's control, you choose and sacrifice your creatures as it comes into play under your control.
-- If Voice of All would come into play under an opponent's control, you choose a color as it comes into play under your control.
-- If Clone would come into play under an opponent's control, you choose which creature it copies as it comes into play under your control.
-- If a Wizard would come into play under an opponent's control and that player controls Sage of Fables, the Wizard will not come into play with a +1/+1 counter on it as it comes into play under your control.
-- If a Wizard would come into play under an opponent's control and you control Sage of Fables, the Wizard will come into play with a +1/+1 counter on it as it comes into play under your control.

* Gather Specimens won't retroactively change the control of creatures that have already come into play that turn.

* Some effects that put creatures into play continue to affect those creatures later on. Although Gather Specimens changes whose control the creature comes into play under, the rest of the effect works as normal. For example, if your opponent plays a creature card's unearth ability and you play Gather Specimens, that creature comes into play under your control, but the rest of the unearth ability is unchanged. The creature has haste. It's removed from the game at end of turn. If it would leave play, it’s removed from the game instead of being put anywhere else.

* If the effect that puts a creature into play also creates a delayed triggered ability, Gather Specimens doesn't change who controls that ability. In the unearth example above, your opponent controls the ability that removes the creature from the game at end of turn. On the other hand, if the effect that puts a creature into play grants a triggered ability to the creature (with "gains" or "has"), the player who controls the creature at the time the ability triggers will be the player who controls that ability. For example, if your opponent plays Makeshift Mannequin and you play Gather Specimens in response, the creature will return to play under your control with a mannequin counter and it will have the ability "When this creature becomes the target of a spell or ability, sacrifice it." If the ability triggers, you'll control it, so you'll have to sacrifice the creature.

* If two or more players have each played Gather Specimens during the same turn and a creature would come into play, the creature's would-be controller (the controller of the creature spell, for example) chooses one of the applicable Gather Specimens to apply. Then the new would-be controller of the creature repeats this process among the remaining Gather Specimens, and so on, until there are no more possible Gather Specimens effects to apply.

* The above procedure means that if two opposing players have each played Gather Specimens during the same turn and a creature would come into play under the control of one of them, it really will come into play under that player's control. (The creature would come into play under Player A's control, so Player B's Gather Specimens affects it. Now that creature would come into play under Player B's control, so Player A's Gather Specimens affects it. Each replacement effect has now been used, so the creature will come into play under Player A's control.)
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Gift of the Gargantuan
{2}{G}
Sorcery
Look at the top four cards of your library. You may reveal a creature card and/or a land card from among them and put the revealed cards into your hand. Put the rest on the bottom of your library in any order.

* You may reveal a creature card, or you may reveal a land card, or you may reveal both a creature card and a land card.

* If one of the cards is Dryad Arbor (a creature land card), you may reveal Dryad Arbor and another land card or Dryad Arbor and another creature card.
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Goblin Assault
{2}{R}
Enchantment
At the beginning of your upkeep, put a 1/1 red Goblin creature token with haste into play.
Goblin creatures attack each turn if able.

* The second ability affects all Goblin creatures controlled by all players. It's not limited to the tokens put into play by the first ability.
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Hindering Light
{W}{U}
Instant
Counter target spell that targets you or a permanent you control.
Draw a card.

* Hindering Light can target a spell that has multiple targets, as long as at least one of those targets is you or a permanent you control.

* You may choose to target a spell that "can't be countered." If you do, the first part of Hindering Light's effect won't do anything, but you'll still get to draw a card.
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Immortal Coil
{2}{B}{B}
Artifact
{T}, Remove two cards in your graveyard from the game: Draw a card.
If damage would be dealt to you, prevent that damage. Remove a card in your graveyard from the game for each 1 damage prevented this way.
When there are no cards in your graveyard, you lose the game.

* The first ability removes two cards in your graveyard from the game as a cost. You can't play this ability unless you have at least two cards in your graveyard. Removing those two cards can't be responded to.

* The second ability prevents all damage that would be dealt to you, regardless of how many cards are in your graveyard. For example, if you have three cards in your graveyard and would be dealt 5 damage, Immortal Coil prevents all 5 damage and removes all the cards in your graveyard from the game.

* The third ability checks whether your graveyard is empty only at the time it triggers. Putting a card into your graveyard after that doesn't help. You'll lose the game when the ability resolves.

* If the third ability is countered, but your graveyard is still empty, the ability will immediately trigger again.

* Similarly, if the third ability resolves but you don't lose the game for some reason (because you control Platinum Angel, perhaps), it will immediately trigger again if your graveyard is still empty. Immortal Coil + Platinum Angel + an empty graveyard is an involuntary infinite loop. Unless a player disrupts it, the game will end in a draw.

* Suppose you control Immortal Coil and a planeswalker, and a source controlled by an opponent would deal noncombat damage to you. Both Immortal Coil and the planeswalker have effects that could affect that damage. You choose one to apply.
-- If you apply Immortal Coil's effect, the damage is prevented. The planeswalker replacement effect is no longer applicable.
-- If you apply the planeswalker replacement effect, your opponent then chooses whether he or she wants to redirect the damage to your planeswalker. If your opponent does, then that many loyalty counters are removed from the planeswalker, and Immortal Coil's effect is no longer applicable. If your opponent doesn't, then Immortal Coil's effect applies and the damage is prevented.
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Invincible Hymn
{6}{W}{W}
Sorcery
Count the number of cards in your library. Your life total becomes that number.

* Invincible Hymn checks the number of cards in your library just once: when it resolves. It doesn't continuously modify your life total as your library size changes.

* For your life total to become the appropriate number, you actually gain or lose the necessary amount of life. For example, if your life total is 20 and your library has thirty-two cards in it when Invincible Hymn resolves, Invincible Hymn will cause you to gain 12 life. Other cards that interact with life gain or life loss will interact with Invincible Hymn accordingly.

* In a Two-Headed Giant game, Invincible Hymn will affect your share of your team's life total. (Your share is considered to be the team's life total divided by two, rounded up.) Your team's life total is adjusted by the amount of life you gain or lose as a result of Invincible Hymn. Suppose your team has 8 life and you have thirty cards in your library. Your share of the life total changes from 4 life to 30 life, for a net gain of 26 life. Your team's life total becomes 34 (26 + 8).
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Knight of the White Orchid
{W}{W}
Creature -- Human Knight
2/2
First strike
When Knight of the White Orchid comes into play, if an opponent controls more lands than you, you may search your library for a Plains card, put it into play, then shuffle your library.

* Knight of the White Orchid's triggered ability has an "intervening 'if' clause." That means (1) the ability won't trigger at all unless any one of your opponents controls more lands than you, and (2) the ability will do nothing if you control at least as many lands as each of your opponents by the time it resolves.
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Knight-Captain of Eos
{4}{W}
Creature -- Human Knight
2/2
When Knight-Captain of Eos comes into play, put two 1/1 white Soldier creature tokens into play.
{W}, Sacrifice a Soldier: Prevent all combat damage that would be dealt this turn.

* You can sacrifice any Soldier to play the second ability. You're not limited to just the Soldier tokens put into play by the first ability.
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Kresh the Bloodbraided
{2}{B}{R}{G}
Legendary Creature -- Human Warrior
3/3
Whenever another creature is put into a graveyard from play, you may put X +1/+1 counters on Kresh the Bloodbraided, where X is that creature's power.

* X is equal to the power of the creature as it last existed in play.
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Lich's Mirror
{5}
Artifact
If you would lose the game, instead shuffle your hand, your graveyard, and all permanents you own into your library, then draw seven cards and your life total becomes 20.

* Lich's Mirror replaces the game-loss event if you would lose the game in the following ways:
-- As a state-based effect for having 0 or less life.
-- As a state-based effect for having tried to draw a card from an empty library since the last time state-based effects were checked.
-- As a state-based effect for having ten or more poison counters (though this isn't that helpful; see below).
-- Because an ability (such as the one from Immortal Coil) states that you do so.

* Lich's Mirror has no effect if a spell or ability (such as the one from Helix Pinnacle) states that a player "wins the game." If a player wins the game, the game ends immediately.

* Lich's Mirror has no effect if you concede the game. If you concede, you'll lose.

* If you can't lose the game (for example, you control a Platinum Angel), Lich's Mirror won't do anything.

* Lich's Mirror shuffles permanents you own into your library, regardless of who controls them.

* Lich's Mirror shuffles tokens you own into your library, too. A token's owner is the player who controlled the spell or ability that put it into play. The tokens you own will leave play. However, there's no point to physically shuffling tokens into your library because you can't draw them as part of Lich's Mirror's effect and they'll cease to exist immediately afterwards.

* Any abilities that trigger when the permanents leave play will be put on the stack after Lich's Mirror's entire effect has been applied.

* Lich's Mirror doesn't affect spells on the stack, cards that have been removed from the game, or permanents you control but don't own. They'll stay where they are. Spells on the stack will then resolve as normal.

* Although Lich's Mirror has you draw a hand of seven cards and sets your life total to 20, this isn't a game restart. You can't take a mulligan if you don't like your new hand of cards.

* For your life total to become 20, you actually gain or lose the necessary amount of life. Keep in mind that you may have a negative life total when this happens. For example, if your life total is -4 when you would lose the game, Lich's Mirror's effect will cause you to gain 24 life. Other cards that interact with life gain or life loss will interact with this effect accordingly.

* As part of Lich's Mirror's effect, it typically shuffles itself into your library. If it does, that means that if you'd lose the game *again* immediately after its effect is finished, it can't help you a second time. This can occur in a few different ways. For example:
-- You have ten or more poison counters. Lich's Mirror doesn't remove poison counters. If you'd lose the game this way, you'll do what Lich's Mirror says, then you'll lose the game the next time state-based effects are checked.
-- Your life total is 0 or less and an effect says that you can't gain life. Since your life total can't be raised, it stays at whatever it is rather than becoming 20, and you'll lose the game the next time state-based effects are checked.
-- The number of nontoken permanents you own plus the number of cards in your hand, graveyard, and library is less than seven. When you try to draw seven cards as part of Lich's Mirror's effect, you'll be unable to complete at least one of those draws and you'll lose the game the next time state-based effects are checked.
-- You control *but don't own* a permanent such as Immortal Coil with a triggered ability that causes you to lose the game when a certain game state happens (also known as a "state trigger"), and the condition that causes the "lose the game" ability to trigger hasn't changed. If you owned the permanent, Lich's Mirror would shuffle it into your library. In this case, however, it remains in play and its ability will trigger again.

* If you control *but don't own* Lich's Mirror, Lich's Mirror itself will still be in play after its effect is finished. If you would lose the game again for any of the reasons above, Lich's Mirror has its effect again . . . and again . . . and again. An involuntary infinite loop will be created, and the game will end in a draw. (In the case of the triggered ability example given last in the list above, it's possible that a player could cause the loop to end while the ability is on the stack. None of the loops caused by state-based effects can be stopped at all.)

* If all the players remaining in a game would lose simultaneously but one of them controls Lich's Mirror, that player does what Lich's Mirror says instead of losing, and everyone else loses. As a result, the controller of Lich's Mirror wins the game because all of his or her opponents have lost. (If Lich's Mirror weren't in the picture, then the game would be a draw.)

* If a spell causes you to lose the game the next time state-based effects are checked (by dealing damage to you greater than your life total, for example), that spell will already be in the graveyard by the time Lich's Mirror's effect happens. If it's in your graveyard, it will be shuffled into your library.

* If, during a check of state-based effects, you'd lose the game at the same time a creature you own would be put into your graveyard (due to an Earthquake for 10 or combat damage dealt to both you and the creature, for example), that creature's controller has a choice to make. The state-based effects rule is trying to simultaneously (a) shuffle that creature card into your library (due to Lich's Mirror's replacement effect) and (b) put it into your graveyard. Only one of those things can happen. The creature's controller chooses which one. If the creature is put into your graveyard, it isn't shuffled into your library. Abilities that trigger when that creature is put into a graveyard will trigger only if that option is chosen.

* If, during a check of state-based effects, you'd lose the game for multiple reasons (for example, if you were at 1 life and had one card in your library, then Night's Whisper caused you to draw two cards and lose 2 life), a single Lich's Mirror will replace all of them. You’ll do what Lich's Mirror says just once.

* In a Two-Headed Giant game, if your team would lose the game and you control Lich's Mirror, your team won't lose. Instead, you'll do what Lich's Mirror says and your teammate won't do anything. This is true even if the reason your team would lose is because your teammate tried to draw a card with an empty library or was affected by an ability that said he or she lost the game. Your share of your team's life total (which is considered to be your team's life total divided by two, rounded up) becomes 20. Your team's life total is adjusted by the amount of life you gain or lose as a result of this. Keep in mind that your team may have a negative life total when this happens. For example, if your team has been dealt so much damage that your team's life total is -11 when state-based effects are checked, your share of the life total would go from -5 to 20, and your team's life total will end up at 14.
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Lush Growth
{G}
Enchantment -- Aura
Enchant land
Enchanted land is a Mountain, Forest, and Plains.

* The enchanted land loses its existing land types and any abilities printed on it. It now has the ability to tap to add {R}, {G}, or {W} to its controller's mana pool. Lush Growth doesn't change the enchanted land's name or whether it's legendary or basic.
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Magma Spray
{R}
Instant
Magma Spray deals 2 damage to target creature. If that creature would be put into a graveyard this turn, remove it from the game instead.

* The second sentence will remove the targeted creature from the game if it would be put into a graveyard this turn for any reason, not just due to lethal damage. It applies to the targeted creature even if Magma Spray deals no damage to it (due to a prevention effect) or Magma Spray deals damage to a different creature (due to a redirection effect).
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Manaplasm
{2}{G}
Creature -- Ooze
1/1
Whenever you play a spell, Manaplasm gets +X/+X until end of turn, where X is that spell's converted mana cost.

* Converted mana cost takes into account only the mana symbols printed in the upper right corner of the card. Manaplasm doesn't care about additional costs, alternative costs, cost-reduction effects, or what you actually paid to play the spell.

* While a spell with {X} in its cost is on the stack, its converted mana cost takes the chosen value of X into account. For example, if you play Blaze (a spell with the mana cost {X}{R}) and choose a value of 5 for that X, then your Manaplasm will get +6/+6 until end of turn.
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Master of Etherium
{2}{U}
Artifact Creature -- Vedalken Wizard
*/*
Master of Etherium's power and toughness are each equal to the number of artifacts you control.
Other artifact creatures you control get +1/+1.

* The first ability works in all zones.

* Since Master of Etherium is an artifact itself, while it's in play you will usually control at least one artifact.
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Mindlock Orb
{3}{U}
Artifact
Players can't search libraries.

* If an effect says "You may search your library . . . If you do, shuffle your library," you can't choose to search, so you won't shuffle.

* If an effect says "Search your library . . . Then shuffle your library," the search effect fails, but you will have to shuffle.

* Since players can't search, players won't be able to find any cards in a library. The effect applies to all players and all libraries. If a spell or ability's effect has other parts that don't depend on searching for or finding cards, they will still work normally.

* Effects that tell a player to reveal cards from a library or look at cards from the top of a library will still work. Only effects that use the word "search" will fail.
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Minion Reflector
{5}
Artifact
Whenever a nontoken creature comes into play under your control, you may pay {2}. If you do, put a token into play that's a copy of that creature. That token has haste and "At end of turn, sacrifice this permanent."

* As the token is created, it checks the printed values of the creature it's copying, as well as any copy effects that have been applied to it. It won't copy counters on the creature, nor will it copy other effects that have changed the creature's power, toughness, types, color, and so on.
* The copiable values of the token's characteristics are the same as the copiable values of the characteristics of the creature it's copying, plus haste and "At end of turn, sacrifice this permanent." That means if something becomes a copy of the token, it will also have haste and it will also have to be sacrificed at the end of the turn.

* If the creature that caused Minion Reflector's ability to trigger has already left play by the time the ability resolves, you can still pay {2}. If you do, you'll still put a token into play. That token has the copiable values of the characteristics of that nontoken creature as it last existed in play.
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Mycoloth
{3}{G}{G}
Creature -- Fungus
4/4
Devour 2 (As this comes into play, you may sacrifice any number of creatures. This creature comes into play with twice that many +1/+1 counters on it.)
At the beginning of your upkeep, put a 1/1 green Saproling creature token into play for each +1/+1 counter on Mycoloth.

* The number of Saproling tokens created by the triggered ability is based on the number of +1/+1 counters on Mycoloth, not on the number of creatures Mycoloth devoured. It doesn't matter where the +1/+1 counters came from.
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Necrogenesis
{B}{G}
Enchantment
{2}: Remove target creature card in a graveyard from the game. Put a 1/1 green Saproling creature token into play.

* If the targeted card is removed from the graveyard before the ability resolves, the ability is countered. You won't get a Saproling token.
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Oblivion Ring
{2}{W}
Enchantment
When Oblivion Ring comes into play, remove another target nonland permanent from the game.
When Oblivion Ring leaves play, return the removed card to play under its owner's control.

* If Oblivion Ring leaves play before its first ability has resolved, its second ability will trigger and do nothing. Then its first ability will resolve and remove the targeted nonland permanent from the game forever.

* If the removed card is an Aura, that card's owner chooses what it will enchant as it comes back into play. An Aura put into play this way doesn't target anything, but the Aura's enchant ability restricts what it can be attached to. If the Aura can't legally be attached to anything, it remains removed from the game forever.

* If there are no nonland permanents in play other than an Oblivion Ring, and the card it removed from the game was another Oblivion Ring, playing a third Oblivion Ring will result in an involuntary infinite loop that will end the game in a draw (unless someone chooses to break it by putting another nonland permanent into play or destroying one of the Oblivion Rings, for example).
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Ooze Garden
{1}{G}
Enchantment
{1}{G}, Sacrifice a non-Ooze creature: Put an X/X green Ooze creature token into play, where X is the sacrificed creature's power. Play this ability only any time you could play a sorcery.

* X is equal to the power of the sacrificed creature as it last existed in play.
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Prince of Thralls
{4}{U}{B}{B}{R}
Creature -- Demon
7/7
Whenever a permanent an opponent controls is put into a graveyard, put that card into play under your control unless that opponent pays 3 life.

* It doesn't matter whose graveyard the permanent is put into as long as an opponent controlled it when it last existed in play.

* If the ability triggers and your opponent chooses not to pay 3 life, you must return the card to play, even if you don't want to.

* If the permanent that caused the ability to trigger leaves the graveyard before the ability resolves (because it's a token and it ceased to exist, or because a spell or ability removed it from the graveyard), the ability will still resolve. The opponent will have the option to pay 3 life. But whether or not that player pays the life, nothing will be returned to play.
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Protomatter Powder
{2}{U}
Artifact
{4}{W}, {T}, Sacrifice Protomatter Powder: Return target artifact card from your graveyard to play.

* You can't sacrifice Protomatter Powder to return itself to play. First you choose the target (at which time it's still in play), then you pay the costs (at which time you sacrifice it).
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Punish Ignorance
{W}{U}{U}{B}
Instant
Counter target spell. Its controller loses 3 life and you gain 3 life.

* You may target a spell that "can't be countered" with Punish Ignorance. If you do, the first part of Punish Ignorance's effect won't do anything, but the life-loss and life-gain effects will still work.
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Puppet Conjurer
{1}{B}
Artifact Creature -- Human Wizard
1/2
{U}, {T}: Put a 0/1 blue Homunculus artifact creature token into play.
At the beginning of your upkeep, sacrifice a Homunculus.

* The Homunculus you sacrifice due to the second ability isn't limited to being a Homunculus token put into play by Puppet Conjurer.

* If you control no Homunculi when the second ability resolves, nothing happens. There's no penalty for failing to sacrifice a Homunculus.
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Qasali Ambusher
{1}{G}{W}
Creature -- Cat Warrior
2/3
Reach
If a creature is attacking you and you control a Forest and a Plains, you may play Qasali Ambusher without paying its mana cost and as though it had flash.

* Playing Qasali Ambusher as described in its second ability still uses the stack. The spell can be countered.

* If you want to play Qasali Ambusher by using its second ability, you don't necessarily have to do it during the declare attackers step. You can do it later in combat (including all the way up through the end of combat step) as long as there's still a creature attacking you. Of course, if you play Qasali Ambusher later than the declare attackers step, it won't be able to block.

* For you to play Qasali Ambusher as described in its second ability, a creature has to be attacking *you*. If creatures are attacking only planeswalkers, you won't be able to play Qasali Ambusher this way. If you're playing a Two-Headed Giant game and a creature is attacking your team, you will be able to play Qasali Ambusher this way.

* Qasali Ambusher's second ability is looking for lands with the subtypes Forest and Plains. Those lands don't need to be named Forest and Plains. It's okay if both subtypes are from the same land (such as Savannah or Temple Garden).
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Quietus Spike
{3}
Artifact -- Equipment
Equipped creature has deathtouch.
Whenever equipped creature deals combat damage to a player, that player loses half his or her life, rounded up.
Equip {3}

* That player loses half his or her life after combat damage has been subtracted from the player's life total. The amount of life the player loses is determined as the triggered ability resolves.

* If multiple Quietus Spikes trigger at the same time, that player loses half his or her life when the first ability resolves, then loses half of the remainder when the next ability resolves, and so on. The player does not lose the same amount each time.

* In a Two-Headed Giant game, if a creature equipped with Quietus Spike would assign combat damage to the defending team, its damage is assigned to only one of the defending players. After combat damage is dealt, Quietus Spike looks at that player's share of the team's life total (the team's life total divided by two, rounded up) when determining how much life the team will lose. Here's an example of the math: The team has 19 life. The player's share is 10 life (19 divided by 2, rounded up). Quietus Spike causes the team to lose 5 life (10 divided by 2). The team's life total becomes 14 (19 minus 5).
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Ranger of Eos
{3}{W}
Creature -- Human Soldier
3/2
When Ranger of Eos comes into play, you may search your library for up to two creature cards with converted mana cost 1 or less, reveal them, and put them into your hand. If you do, shuffle your library.

* You may choose to find zero, one, or two creature cards in your library. Each card you find must have converted mana cost 1 or less.
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Realm Razer
{3}{R}{G}{W}
Creature -- Beast
4/2
When Realm Razer comes into play, remove all lands from the game.
When Realm Razer leaves play, return the removed cards to play tapped under their owners' control.

* If Realm Razer leaves play before its first ability has resolved, its second ability will trigger and do nothing. Then its first ability will resolve and remove all lands from the game forever.
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Relic of Progenitus
{1}
Artifact
{T}: Target player removes a card in his or her graveyard from the game.
{1}, Remove Relic of Progenitus from the game: Remove all graveyards from the game. Draw a card.

* If you play the first ability, the targeted player chooses which card to remove. The choice is made as the ability resolves.

* You can play the second ability even if no players have any cards in their graveyards. You'll still draw a card.

* "Remove all graveyards from the game" means to remove all cards in all graveyards from the game. Each player still has a graveyard zone, and cards can be put into them.
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Sacellum Godspeaker
{2}{G}
Creature -- Elf Druid
2/2
{T}: Reveal any number of creature cards with power 5 or greater from your hand. Add {G} to your mana pool for each card revealed this way.

* This is a mana ability. It doesn't use the stack, and it can't be responded to.

* You can play this ability even if you have no creature cards with power 5 or greater in your hand, or you have some but choose not to reveal any of them. In those cases, the ability won't produce any mana.

* While you're playing a creature spell, that card is on the stack, so you can't reveal it with Sacellum Godspeaker's ability to produce mana. You can, however, play this mana ability and reveal that creature card from your hand before you begin to play the card as a spell.
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Salvage Titan
{4}{B}{B}
Artifact Creature -- Golem
6/4
You may sacrifice three artifacts rather than pay Salvage Titan's mana cost.
Remove three artifact cards in your graveyard from the game: Return Salvage Titan from your graveyard to your hand.

* Playing Salvage Titan 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.

* You may play the second ability only if Salvage Titan is in your graveyard. To pay this ability's cost, you may remove any three artifact cards in your graveyard from the game -- including Salvage Titan itself. If you remove it from the game to pay the cost, however, it won't be returned to your hand when the ability resolves.
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Sarkhan Vol
{2}{R}{G}
Planeswalker -- Sarkhan
4
[+1]: Creatures you control get +1/+1 and gain haste until end of turn.
[-2]: Gain control of target creature until end of turn. Untap that creature. It gains haste until end of turn.
[-6]: Put five 4/4 red Dragon creature tokens with flying into play.

* You may play the first ability even if you control no creatures. Sarkhan Vol gains a loyalty counter, but the ability will have no effect.

* You may target any creature with the second ability, not just a creature an opponent controls. If you target a creature you already control, you'll gain control of it (which will usually have no visible effect), it'll untap, and it'll gain haste until end of turn.
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Scourglass
{3}{W}{W}
Artifact
{T}, Sacrifice Scourglass: Destroy all permanents except for artifacts and lands. Play this ability only during your upkeep.

* Any permanent that's an artifact or a land won't be destroyed, regardless of what other card types it may have.
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Sedris, the Traitor King
{3}{U}{B}{R}
Legendary Creature -- Zombie Warrior
5/5
Each creature card in your graveyard has unearth {2}{B}. ({2}{B}: Return the card to play. The creature gains haste. Remove it from the game at end of turn or if it would leave play. Unearth only as a sorcery.)

* Despite the appearance of the reminder text, the unearth abilities that Sedris grants are activated abilities of each individual creature card in your graveyard. They're not activated abilities of Sedris.

* Sedris may cause a creature card in your graveyard to have multiple unearth abilities. (For example, a Fatestitcher in your graveyard would have unearth {U} and unearth {2}{B}.) You may play either of those abilities.
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Shadowfeed
{B}
Instant
Remove target card in a graveyard from the game. You gain 3 life.

* If the targeted card is removed from the graveyard before Shadowfeed resolves, Shadowfeed is countered. You won't gain 3 life.
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Sharding Sphinx
{4}{U}{U}
Artifact Creature -- Sphinx
4/4
Flying
Whenever an artifact creature you control deals combat damage to a player, you may put a 1/1 blue Thopter artifact creature token with flying into play.

* If combat damage is dealt to players by multiple artifact creatures you control (including, perhaps, Sharding Sphinx itself), Sharding Sphinx's ability will trigger that many times. You'll get that many Thopter tokens. You'll get just one token per creature, no matter how much combat damage that creature dealt.
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Sigil Blessing
{G}{W}
Instant
Until end of turn, target creature you control gets +3/+3 and other creatures you control get +1/+1.

* If the targeted creature becomes an illegal target by the time Sigil Blessing resolves, the entire spell will be countered. Your other creatures won't get +1/+1.
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Sigil of Distinction
{X}
Artifact -- Equipment
Sigil of Distinction comes into play with X charge counters on it.
Equipped creature gets +1/+1 for each charge counter on Sigil of Distinction.
Equip--Remove a charge counter from Sigil of Distinction.

* Removing a charge counter from Sigil of Distinction is the only way to pay for its equip ability. If it has no charge counters on it, its equip ability can't be played.

* If Sigil of Distinction is attached to a creature when its equip ability is played targeting a different creature, the first creature will immediately get a little smaller because a charge counter has been removed from Sigil of Distinction as a cost. Then, when the equip ability resolves, Sigil of Distinction will move to the new creature and the first creature will lose the entire bonus the Equipment was giving it.
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Skeletal Kathari
{4}{B}
Creature -- Bird Skeleton
3/2
Flying
{B}, Sacrifice a creature: Regenerate Skeletal Kathari.

* You may sacrifice Skeletal Kathari to pay for its own regeneration ability. If you do, however, it won't regenerate. It'll just end up in its owner's graveyard as a result of the sacrifice.
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Skeletonize
{4}{R}
Instant
Skeletonize deals 3 damage to target creature. When a creature dealt damage this way is put into a graveyard this turn, put a 1/1 black Skeleton creature token into play with "{B}: Regenerate this creature."

* Each time a creature is put into a graveyard from play, check whether Skeletonize had dealt damage to it during that turn. If so, Skeletonize's delayed triggered ability will trigger.

* You get the token, regardless of who controlled the creature or whose graveyard it was put into.
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Skill Borrower
{2}{U}
Artifact Creature -- Human Wizard
1/3
Play with the top card of your library revealed.
As long as the top card of your library is an artifact or creature card, Skill Borrower has all activated abilities of that card. (If any of the abilities use that card's name, use this creature's name instead.)

* Activated abilities contain a colon. They're generally written "[Cost]: [Effect]." Some keywords are activated abilities; they have colons in their reminder text.

* If an effect tells you to draw several cards, reveal each one before you draw it. Skill Borrower will momentarily gain the activated abilities of artifact and creature cards revealed this way, but you won't be able to play those abilities while the effect is still happening.

* If the top card of your library changes during the process of *playing* a spell or ability, the new top card won't be revealed until the process of playing the spell or ability ends (all targets are chosen, all costs are paid, and so on).

* If the top card of your library changes while you're playing one of Skill Borrower's activated abilities gained from that card, the ability will still be played and will resolve normally even though Skill Borrower has lost that ability.

* Skill Borrower may gain activated abilities that it can't use. For example, if the top card of your library is an artifact or creature card with cycling, Skill Borrower will have cycling. However, since cycling can't be played from the in-play zone, this won't have any significant benefit. The same is true for unearth.
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Soul's Fire
{2}{R}
Instant
Target creature you control in play deals damage equal to its power to target creature or player.

* If either target has become illegal by the time Soul's Fire resolves, the spell will still resolve but have no effect. If the first target is illegal, it can't perform any actions, so it can't deal damage. If the second target is illegal, there's nothing for the first target to deal damage to. If both targets have become illegal, the spell will be countered.
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Spearbreaker Behemoth
{5}{G}{G}
Creature -- Beast
5/5
Spearbreaker Behemoth is indestructible.
{1}: Target creature with power 5 or greater is indestructible this 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.
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Sphinx Sovereign
{4}{W}{U}{U}{B}
Artifact Creature -- Sphinx
6/6
Flying
At the end of your turn, you gain 3 life if Sphinx Sovereign is untapped. Otherwise, each opponent loses 3 life.

* The ability checks whether Sphinx Sovereign is tapped or untapped at the time the ability resolves. If Sphinx Sovereign is no longer in play by then, the ability checks whether Sphinx Sovereign was tapped or untapped at the time it left play.
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Steelclad Serpent
{5}{U}
Artifact Creature -- Serpent
4/5
Steelclad Serpent can't attack unless you control another artifact.

* If you control two Steelclad Serpents, they'll enable each other to attack.
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Stoic Angel
{1}{G}{W}{U}
Creature -- Angel
3/4
Flying, vigilance
Players can't untap more than one creature during their untap steps.

* If multiple Stoic Angels are in play, the abilities are redundant. Each player will still be able to untap no more than one creature during his or her untap step.
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Swerve
{U}{R}
Instant
Change the target of target spell with a single target.

* Swerve targets only the spell whose target will be changed. It doesn't directly affect the original target of that spell or the new target of that spell.

* You don't choose the new target for the spell until Swerve resolves. You must change the target if possible. However, you can't change the target to an illegal target. If there are no legal targets, the target isn't changed. It doesn't matter if the original target of that spell has somehow become illegal.

* If you play Swerve on a spell that targets a spell on the stack (like Cancel does, for example), you can't change that spell's target to itself. You can, however, change that spell's target to Swerve. If you do, that spell will be countered when it tries to resolve because Swerve will have left the stack by then.

* If a spell targets multiple things, you can't target it with Swerve, even if all but one of those targets has become illegal.

* If a spell targets the same player or object multiple times, you can't target it with Swerve.
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Tezzeret the Seeker
{3}{U}{U}
Planeswalker -- Tezzeret
4
[+1]: Untap up to two target artifacts.
[-X]: Search your library for an artifact card with converted mana cost X or less and put it into play. Then shuffle your library.
[-5]: Artifacts you control become 5/5 artifact creatures until end of turn.

* The first ability can target zero, one, or two artifacts. You may play it with no targets just to put a loyalty counter on Tezzeret.

* For the second ability, you choose the value of X when you play it. You don't look through your library until the ability resolves. (In other words, you can't look through your library, decide what artifact card you want, and then determine what X is.) You can't choose an X that's greater than the number of loyalty counters on Tezzeret.

* The third ability affects all artifacts you control, including artifacts that are already creatures. If this ability affects an artifact creature, it overwrites most other effects that change or set its power and toughness. But certain other effects can still apply to it afterward. They are:
-- Effects that happen after this ability resolves that change the artifact creature's power or toughness (like Giant Growth) or set its power and toughness to certain values (like Lignify).
-- Counters that change the artifact creature's power and toughness, such as +1/+1 or -1/-1 counters, regardless of when they were put on that creature.
-- Static abilities that change the artifact creature's power and toughness (such as those from Glorious Anthem), regardless of when they first took effect.
-- Effects that switch the artifact creature's power and toughness, regardless of when they first took effect.

* The third ability causes artifacts you control to become creatures in addition to their other card types.
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Tidehollow Sculler
{W}{B}
Artifact Creature -- Zombie
2/2
When Tidehollow Sculler comes into play, target opponent reveals his or her hand and you choose a nonland card from it. Remove that card from the game.
When Tidehollow Sculler leaves play, return the removed card to its owner's hand.

* If Tidehollow Sculler leaves play before its first ability has resolved, its second ability will trigger and do nothing. Then its first ability will resolve and remove a card in the targeted opponent's hand from the game forever.
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Titanic Ultimatum
{R}{R}{G}{G}{G}{W}{W}
Sorcery
Until end of turn, creatures you control get +5/+5 and gain first strike, lifelink, and trample.

* The set of creatures affected is fixed as Titanic Ultimatum resolves.

* If a creature you control already has lifelink, Titanic Ultimatum will give it a second instance of lifelink. If a creature has multiple instances of lifelink, each instance will trigger separately when it deals damage. You'll gain the appropriate amount of life that many different times.

* Multiple instances of first strike and trample are redundant.
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Topan Ascetic
{2}{G}
Creature -- Human Monk
2/2
Tap an untapped creature you control: Topan Ascetic gets +1/+1 until end of turn.

* Since Topan Ascetic's activated ability doesn't have a tap symbol in its cost, you can tap a creature (including Topan Ascetic itself) that hasn't been under your control since your most recent turn began to pay the cost.
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Vectis Silencers
{2}{U}
Artifact Creature -- Human Rogue
1/2
{2}{B}: Vectis Silencers gains deathtouch until end of turn. (Whenever it deals damage to a creature, destroy that creature.)

* If you activate the ability multiple times during the same turn, Vectis Silencers will gain multiple instances of deathtouch. Whenever it deals damage to a creature that turn, each instance of deathtouch will trigger. Usually this won't matter, because the first instance of deathtouch to resolve will destroy the creature that Vectis Silencers damaged, and all further instances of deathtouch are irrelevant. However, if that creature regenerates, the next instance of deathtouch will then try to destroy it again. The damaged creature would have to regenerate once per instance of deathtouch in order to remain in play.
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Vein Drinker
{4}{B}{B}
Creature -- Vampire
4/4
Flying
{R}, {T}: Vein Drinker deals damage equal to its power to target creature. That creature deals damage equal to its power to Vein Drinker.
Whenever a creature dealt damage by Vein Drinker this turn is put into a graveyard, put a +1/+1 counter on Vein Drinker.

* When the first ability resolves, if the targeted creature is no longer in play, the ability is countered for having no legal targets. No damage is dealt.

* When the first ability resolves, if the targeted creature is still in play but Vein Drinker is not, Vein Drinker will still deal damage equal to its power as it last existed in play to the targeted creature.

* Each time a creature is put into a graveyard from play, check whether Vein Drinker had dealt damage to it at any time during that turn. If so, Vein Drinker's third ability will trigger. It doesn't matter whether the damage was combat damage or not. It also doesn't matter who controlled the creature or whose graveyard it was put into.

* If Vein Drinker's first ability causes Vein Drinker and the targeted creature to deal lethal damage to each other, they'll be destroyed at the same time. Vein Drinker's triggered ability will trigger, but it will have been put into a graveyard before it would receive any counters. The ability will do nothing when it resolves.
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Vicious Shadows
{6}{R}
Enchantment
Whenever a creature is put into a graveyard from play, you may have Vicious Shadows deal damage to target player equal to the number of cards in that player's hand.

* The player you target doesn't have to be the controller of the creature that was put into a graveyard.

* The number of cards in the targeted opponent's hand is checked only when the ability resolves.
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Violent Ultimatum
{B}{B}{R}{R}{R}{G}{G}
Sorcery
Destroy three target permanents.

* You must target three different permanents. If some of the permanents become illegal targets before the spell resolves, Violent Ultimatum will still destroy the rest of them.
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Wild Nacatl
{G}
Creature -- Cat Warrior
1/1
Wild Nacatl gets +1/+1 as long as you control a Mountain.
Wild Nacatl gets +1/+1 as long as you control a Plains.

* Wild Nacatl's abilities check for lands with the subtypes Mountain and Plains. Those lands don't need to be named Mountain and Plains. Wild Nacatl will get both bonuses if those two subtypes are contained among the lands you control, even if they're from the same land (such as Plateau or Sacred Foundry).
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