texts: In Bridge, what are "proper" responses to a "strong" 2 club bid?

texts:
Bidding Standard American, and opening a "strong" two clubs (typically 22 HCPs and a six card suit), I like to hear responses of 2 diamonds (0-8 points, no more than game interest), or 2NT (9+ plus points, possible slam interest).

I don't want to hear other responses (2 hearts, 2 spades, 3 clubs, 3 diamonds) unless the responder has at least six of them headed by something like KQJ (or better). The reasons are because 1) I've "advertised" such a good 6 card suit myself, and 2) with 22 points, I don't want partner bidding "my" suit and exposing my hand as dummy. (It's unlikely that we'll both have the same 6 card suit, which is why I allow this exception.)

Am I wrong to ask my partners to limit their responses to 2 diamonds and 2NT? Or are there other viable responses to my 2 Club opening?


texts: Is there a significant advantage to being at an 8 person pod over a 6 person pod?

texts:
From this question and from experience at a local shop, when there are 14 people who want to draft at Friday Night Magic then they are split into 2 pods, 1 pod of 8 and one pod of 6. Anecdotally, I have noticed that the larger pod tends to have the better decks. One reason I can think that might account for this is that the card pool is bigger, so more specialized cards that only go in very specific decks (for example: Rise from the Tides in a spell heavy deck) are more likely to make their way to the person who needs them. Are there any advantages to being in a small pod? Is there a clear total strategic advantage to being in the 8 person pod over the 6 person pod?

Note: I understand that within a pod there is no advantage, I'm curious about what potential advantage there would be in games between people who drafted from different pods.


texts: Can Flute of the Outer Gods be used for monsters "not on the board" like in The Terrible Experiment?

texts:
The Flute of the Outer Gods says the following (emphasis mine):

  Any Phase: Lose 3 Sanity and 3 Stamina and discard Flute of the Outer Gods before making a Combat check to defeat all monsters in your current area. This does not affect Ancient Ones.

Another answer on this site about the Flute states that it can be used at either a location or a street. However, there are other locations that monsters can be, such as the Outskirts and The Sky, but you can't attack those so it's moot about whether you can be used there.

But what about monsters that are in a location where you can attack them, but are not "on the board"? For instance, there is The Terrible Experiment rumor that says the following (emphasis mine):

  When this card enters play, place 5 monsters from the cup on it. Any player may choose to fight one or more of these monsters while in the Miskatonic U. streets during the Arkham Encounter Phase. If defeated, they are claimed as monster trophies. These monsters do not move, are not considered on the board, and do not count against the monster limit.

Are they in "your current area" despite not being on the board? Can you attack one of these monsters, pass a Horror check, then instead of a Combat check use the Flute of the Outer Gods to destroy all of the monsters? This came up in our last game and we weren't sure how to resolve it.


texts: More conveniently randomizing the cardboard tokens

texts:
Since BSG takes up quite a bit of real estate on the table I found it to be difficult at times to a good random pick among the damage or ship tokens.

I've thought about using the dice. Put them in a straight line and pick according to the dice roll. Now this should work easily enough for the damage tokens since there are never more than there are sides on the dice.

However there are 10 ships and only a d8 (assuming I don't have a d10 around). I'm thinking about splitting the pile in half and doing 2 rolls. First roll picks the pile (even/odd or low/high) and the second roll simply takes the n-th ship with rerolls if the dice shows too much.

Now to my question: Does anyone have a better solution or experience with a solution like this?


texts: Does the Strive mechanic give the opportunity to cast the spell multiple times, or just have multiple targets?

texts:
I'm wondering if the strive mechanic counts as one spell that can be cast multiple times by paying the extra cost, or is it just one spell that can affect multiple targets if you pay the mana?

I'm wondering if the prowess ability of the Jeskai would stack with one spell cast with the stride mechanic and subsequently paying the extra mana. Would that trigger prowess a second, or third time?


texts: What happens if Krosan Verge does not have a land of the specific type to pull?

texts: If I crack a Krosan Verge to search for a basic plains and a basic forest, and there is not a basic forest in the deck, what happens?


texts: Alternatives to Mulligans in Magic: The Gathering

texts:
!edited: Added non-opinion-based question

I am currently looking into ways of doing Mulligans in another way, or replace Mulligans altogether, for casual play around the kitchen table. I don't like the shuffling and reshuffling three times, for a two time mulligan.

I want to hear what to do, so that option is roughly equivalent to a normal Mulligan.

Here is my idea:

Draw (7+X) cards, keep (8-X) cards

Instead of having the option to take a Mulligan, at the beginning of the game, all players draw X additional cards, then shuffle (2X-1) cards back into their library (or put them on the bottom of their library). For each additional card draw, your starting hand size, which you may keep, decreases by 1:

Draw: (7) - 8 - 9 - 10 - 11 - 12

Shuffle back: (0) - 1 - 3 - 5 - 7 - 9

Starting hand: (7) - 7 - 6 - 5 - 4 - 3

(no mulligan taken)

Players can draw 8, and keep 7, but can decide to keep drawing until the decide to keep, and shuffle cards back/put them on the bottom of their library for each card they drew additionally.

For example: Timmy does not care about odds and draws 7 cards, no mulligan. Johnny wants to test his new combo deck, and decides to draw 10, keep 5. Spike draws 8, is not quite satisfied, draws to 10, decides to keep, and shuffle five cards back, starting with a hand of 5.

Handicapping idea:

Timmy may draw up to 10 cards, and still keep 7.
Spike may only draw additional cards, if he starts the game with 3 life less for each card drawn additionally. Starting hand size is either 7, or reduced as before.

How have I to tweak the number of cards drawn and discarded, so that the quality of hands is similar to that of a regular Mulligan?


texts: Should I "take out" a double, using a two card suit?

texts:
In an earlier question, the consensus was that I should answer a takeout double of one heart with one spade (the cheaper bid) rather than two clubs. (I agree with that consensus.) The exact situation was: "Left hand opponent opened 1 heart. Partner doubled for takeout. Right hand opponent passed." I had something like (S) xxx (H) xx (D) Jxxx (C) Jxxx.
Suppose my major suits were reversed, so I had (S) xx (H) xxx (D) Jxxx (C) Jxxx? Would you still bid "one spade" with only two spades, or is "2 clubs" now the lesser evil?
Suppose one of my minors had five cards instead of four: e.g. (S) xxx (H) xx (D) Jxx (C) Jxxxx (three spades), or (S) xx (H) xx (D) Jxxx (C) Jxxxx (only two spades).
In the original question and answer, "one spade" was the preferred bid versus two clubs when I had one fewer spade than clubs. But the above variations hypothesize that I have at least two fewer spades than clubs. Put another way, where is the "tipping point" of spade-club distributions, where you would bid two clubs rather than one spade?


texts: Ral, Storm Conduit and 2x Expansion // Explosion

texts:
Imagine I have Ral, Storm Conduit on the field.

Then I cast a Shock, followed by Expansion copying the Shock. In response I cast another Expansion targeting the first Expansion. Will this create an endless loop of spells/copies causing Ral's first ability to trigger infinitely?


texts: Can you counter a spell with indestructible?

texts: Can you counter an indestructible enchantment spell? For example, I cast Kruphix, God of Horizons. Can you counter the spell with a spell like Dissipate while it's on the stack?


texts: How do doors, locked doors, and hidden doors differ?

texts:
Passageways and Doors have already been cleared up. How does a door differ from a locked door, aside from move cost? How does a locked door differ from a hidden door? When playing as a thief, does his ability to treat it as a regular door mean movement cost goes to 1? Does this apply to hidden doors too?

Doors are a very... very poorly documented section in the rules.


texts:
I was playing Texas Holdem last night with some friends at my house and this was the hand we were dealt:

My cards 7♠ 6♦

His cards 10♠ 7♥

Cards on table  6♠ 8♠ Q♠ J♠ 2♠

Odd hand. Everyone else folded after the flop. Who would have won?

My arguments, 1. Because there is a flush on the table our pocket cards are void and we split the pot. 2. Because the Queen is the highest ♠ card on the table it is shared by both of us so we split the pot. I thought that in a flush the only card that matters is the highest for example if he had a pocket K♠ he would have won.

His argument, was that since his 10♠ is higher then my 7♠ he won and takes it all.

We were all confused and the vote between players was split 50/50 so i said house rules and split the pot. He got pissed and left the table and didn't come back. Was i in the wrong? Any help is appreciated.


texts: Is there any difference between double strike and oubleday ikestray?

texts: The card Atinlay Igpay has the ability oubleday ikestray. Is this functionally different from double strike?


texts: Space Hulk: Death Angel - playing a 'multi-player' game solo

texts:
I just beat the game solo but could not do so when I had a teammate. I get the feeling beating it is easier when you are solo b/c the most genestealers that can pop out is 2. And having smaller swarms is greatly beneficial to rolling for defense.

Anyways, I was wondering if anyone has tried playing a solo mission but with more than 6 space marines. Do you think it is easier or harder?


texts:
Warhammer: Wood Elves (2014) lists Eternal Guard on page 92 with one attack in their profile. Under "Equipment" they are listed as being equipped with an Asrai Spear, a Hand Weapon, and Light Armor.

Warhammer (2010) on page 91* notes that models with "Two/Additional Hand Weapons" gain the "Extra Attack" special rule.

Does the additional Hand Weapon in the equipment profile of the Eternal Guard give them an extra attack?

Normally a simple reading of the rules would be enough, but I've seen an awful lot of discussion amongst experienced Warhammer players (e.g. http://www.asrai.org/viewtopic.php?f=42&t=26477) either disparaging the new Eternal Guard, or doing math-hammer assuming only one attack each. Since I don't play very often I would usually assume that these veterans know better than me. Am I missing something?

Additionally:- If so, does this apply even if they are equipped with shields?

You would assume not, but I don't see anything preventing a model with a shield gaining the extra attack from an additional hand weapon. Not on page 43 under "Sheilds", nor on page 69 under "Extra Attack", nor on page 91 under "Two/Additional Hand Weapons". Clearly it isn't supposed to work like that, so presumably I'm also missing something here?

*I'm (unfortunately!) using the big hardback, so the page number might be different if you're looking at the A5 mini-rulebook.


texts: May I use a 6+4 in substitution of a double 5 to enter two pieces into play in Parchessi? Since I may use any combination which adds up to five to enter one piece and I am allowed to enter two pieces with a double 5, the rules been vague in this, It seems only logical that it may be allowed.


texts:
I'm playing 7 Wonders with the Cities and Leaders expansions.

If your neighbours has less science buildings than you have mask, then I assume you cannot use them all. You can only copy the symbol of 1 building once?
If one of your neighbours has a leader which carries a symbol, can you copy this?7


texts: Can I destroy a Whirler Virtuoso in time to stop it making a thopter?

texts: My opponent plays a Whirler Virtuoso. Can I Lightning Strike it before its ETB effect to stop my opponent from making a thopter?


texts: Does drawing multiple cards count individually?

texts: Say if I have the emblem of Teferi, Hero of Dominaria (Whenever you draw a card, you may exile target permanent) out, and cast Brainstorm (Draw three cards, then put two cards from your hand on top of your library in any order). How many times does the emblem trigger?


texts: "Enters the battlefield as a copy" and Thryx, the Sudden Storm

texts:
I control Shark Typhoon and Thryx, the Sudden Storm. I decide to cast Clever Impersonator and want it to enter the battlefield as a copy of my Shark Typhoon. I'm trying to figure out answers to following questions:

What is the converted mana cost of Clever Impersonator? Can it be countered? What will be power and toughness of shark token created by Shark Typhoon?
Does Clever Impersonator cost one less to cast?


texts: Zombicide: Black Plague! Strategy suggestions for Clovis and Samson

texts:
I've completed the 11 quests in the base Zombicide: Black Plague! box (i.e. 1 necromancer, 1 abomination, no expansions), and I found that Clovis and Samson consistently lagged behind in terms of experience.

The other survivors have easy to identify roles (Ann and Nelly are fast, so have rapid response roles. Baldric and Silas have fire support roles).

My question is, what roles do Clovis and Samson fulfill that allows them to keep up in terms of experience?

PS. As a group we try to make sure we level up together, which works well until the orange danger level, where the other survivors shoot up. We also try to compensate by having Clovis and Samson score objectives when they can.


texts: Axis and Allies 1940, why are the axis always losing

texts: I‘ve been playing A&A 1940 Europe (without Japan) and everytime the Axis Powers losses. I‘ve tried Sealion and stuff but its still everytime the same. At the beginning Germany is beating up france and some small parts of Russia but them the americans lands in europe and Germany cant hold it. What can i try to win with the Axis power?


texts:
Before joining the B&CG community, I had never heard the phrase "Gateway Game." The quintessential examples of Settlers of Catan, Ticket to Ride, and Carcassonne gives me a rough idea but Googling did not yield a more precise definition. So:

What is a Gateway Game? To help refine the definition: Why are (or are not) the following borderline cases considered Gateway games:

Monopoly
Race for the Galaxy
Spades (a card game which is a Gateway to Bridge, for some).


texts: What is the best way to learn chess strategy and tactics?

texts:
I am interested in learning chess.  I am already familiar with the rules of the game, but I am very weak when it comes to tactics and strategy.

I am afraid that if I just register at chess.com and start playing games, my ability to improve to my chess score will be limited by the fact that I won't understand the reasons for my losses.

On the other hand, I don't feel like there is anything worth doing well that you can completely learn from reading a book.  I'm also just not sure how to find the book that is right for me.  Most books seem to either be for beginners that don't know what the pieces do, or for rather advanced players whose techniques just don't apply to me yet.

Also, I don't own a Windows machine, so running Chessmaster or Fritz would be difficult, though not out of the question.


texts: Can player floop Ancient Scholar when no Rainbow cards in their discard pile?

texts:
In "Adventure time Card Wars Finn vs Jake" Ancient Scholar card has FLOOP ability

FLOOP >>> Return a random Rainbow card from your discard pile to your hand. If you control a Building in this Lane, gain 1 Action.

Is it valid to FLOOP him when there is no Rainbow cards in discard pile? If yes, what does happen in this case?


texts: Do card abilities that grant mana stack?

texts:
For example, if I have a creature card that says

  Creatures you control have "{T}: Add one mana of any color to your mana pool."

and I have two of these creatures out, do they stack so I can tap a creature to get two mana?


texts: Accessible (and educational) deck building game for second grade primary school child?

texts:
What deck building / card games would be most accessible to a 7-9 year old? As a bonus, are there any that could encourage his/her learning, in line with his/her abilities at that age?

As guidance, Wikipedia states that for second graders:

  ... students are taught place value to tens, hundreds or
  thousands, and renaming with addition and subtraction... Another skill students practice is counting money and making change. Positive and negative numbers are introduced, but not added and subtracted.

Also

  In reading, students read to perform a task using fictional and
  non-fictional texts, and learn about story elements, text features,
  character traits, sequencing, and main idea/details.

As an example, my 7 year old is ready to move on from 'Top Trumps'. He has a solid grasp of the relative values of numbers and in my opinion is ready to add a strategic element. We've tried and enjoyed 'King of Tokyo', although I have noticed he mostly goes for the higher value cards'.

I'm sure there are many 'advanced/adult' games that 7-9 year olds are capable of getting their heads around, but I'd really like something that is immediately accessible to that age group.


texts: Companions lost on death in same room as other explorers

texts:
I understand the general ruling on companions lost on death. Essentially it says "whomever enters the room first gains custody of the companion". However, this doesn't quite make sense for the scenario I'm in right now: two heros and the traitor are in a room. One hero has the madman, and dies fighting the traitor. Now the madman, last hero and traitor are all in the same room. Who gets the madman? We eventually decided that you had to move out of the room and back into the room to take the madman, since that's what the rules seem to say, but that seems illogical.

Tl;dr if a companion is in the same room as two explorers, who gets the companion?


texts:
The rules state that when the players cannot feed their colony, they should place a starvation token in the food supply and decrease morale for every starvation token in the supply. What to do after that is unclear to me.

Do you lose morale after every round for every starvation token you have in the food supply? Is there a way to get rid of starvation tokens?


texts: What is this round board game on a turn table?

texts: The board has 32 sections with 4 peg holes in each section. There are 4 numbered pegs each a different color.  There are 4 die with numbers 1 through 6 following the same colors as the pegs.  It is mounted on a turn table.  Does anyone know what game this is?


texts: In Pandemic, can the Coordinator's ability be used on another player's turn?

texts:
In Pandemic, one of the role is "coordinator" aka "dispatcher".

The rules say:

Move your fellow players' pawns on your turn as if they were your own.
Move any pawn to another city containing a pawn for 1 action.

It is not clear if the coordinator can move the pawn at any time or only during their turn.


texts: Banishing Spell Cards from the graveyard

texts:
I'm looking for cards that allow me to banish one or more Spell Cards from my own graveyard repeatedly. By repeatedly, I mean that they can be used several times per turn, including with some workaround. An example of what cards fit my needs is Spell Striker, who banishes one Spell Card to Special Summon itself, then if I somehow get it back into my hand, I can use it again.

What I'm not looking for:

Trap Cards. I need cards that work immediately.
Cards that banish any number of Spell Cards once. I need to use them again and again, banishing my Spell Cards one by one. Banishing all at once doesn't help unless I can do it as often as I like.
Cards that banish a specific Spell Card. Like Spellbook shenanigans. I need to banish generic Spell Cards.
Cards that banish only non-Normal Spell Cards. I need to banish Normal Spell Cards. If a card can banish other Spell Cards too, it's still fine, if it can banish only Normal Spell Cards, no problem. But it has to be able to banish Normal Spell Card.

Also, Monsters that must be Normal Summoned are of limited use unless their effect can be used as often as I like. Chaosrider Gustaph comes to mind, but he's more or less useless because he banishes 2 cards and that's it.

From my preemptive search, I found litterally no cards that fit my description except
Spell Striker and Banisher of the Light / Radiance (which needs to be on the field before the Spell Card is played). I'm hoping someone knows more cards I can use to achieve this.


texts:
Terror effects are applied after a roll when you cannot complete a task and at least one of the dice shows a terror icon.

Is it possible to avoid the terror effect by 'securing' the terror die on a spell (assuming no other dice show a terror icon), effectively just failing the task and having to discard a die?

Or does the terror effect apply immediately?

EDIT: After reading the following in the errata, I'm leaning more towards my understanding that they are no longer in the pool and hence do not play a part unless I chose to use them.

  Spells that hold dice are cast after a player’s roll, not before. The
  player looks at the roll, then, if he wishes to save a particular die,
  casts the spell and places the die on the spell. The ‘held’ die
  remains on the spell card until used to complete a task or until
  removed (as described below).


texts: 18xx Companies able to buy other companies, what will be the impact

texts:
One of the fun parts of the 18xx games, is that its fairly easy to create your own (local) version. I like to create a dutch version (yes there have been two already but with limited availability). One of the main features in dutch history is that it stared with lots of small companies that merged into one at the end (although there are some new companies started the last couple of years).

1856 deals with the same situation, and they solved it with cash and loans (companies that couldn't pay their loan are merged into the national railway, which is fine but I like a different.

In 1870 companies can buy their own shares. But what if companies are allowed to buy shares of other companies. Would that be a workable solution. And how do the companies get enough cash to buy the shares.

The question is, is it a workable solution to allow (and even encourage) companies to buy other companies. Maybe only if the shares are in the lower part of the stock table.

Possible extensions could be:

use of station markers of the owned company (or at least be able to pass through them)
loan trains (only once per operation round so that a single train can't be run more than once).
completely eat the company if 100% of the shares are owned. (including cash, trains and station markers).

Possible problems could be:

two companies owing a third company
circular ownership (A owns B, B owns A) which can be solved by selling at least 50%(including the president share) at once.


texts: When a treasure is recovered do you remove those treasure cards from the deck?

texts: When using your four cards to get a treasure item do the treasure cards (and any extras that may be drawn or in another's possession) get removed from the game? This seems to drastically increase the number of times Waters Rise is drawn since the deck gets thinner.


texts: In bridge, can you tell your partner that your two bid is a weak two?

texts: In bridge, can you tell your partner that your two bid is a weak two or a strong two as you make the bid?


texts: If my opponent uses a spell with the effect "return all nonland permanents to their owner's hand", does that include enchantments - auras?


texts: What are good standard tactics for Dominion?

texts:
Googling reveals several sites listing standard tactics for Dominion. Let's collect ideas here, and discuss and judge them using the voting system.

One tactic per post please.


texts:
How do abilities that refer to their cards' names work when the name is changed, or the ability is "stolen" by a card with a different name?

Rayami, First of the Fallen has two abilities:

  If a nontoken creature would die, exile that card with a blood counter on it instead.

And:

  As long as an exiled creature card with a blood counter on it has flying, Rayami, First of the Fallen has flying. The same is true for first strike, double strike, deathtouch, haste, hexproof, indestructible, lifelink, menace, protection, reach, trample, and vigilance.

My question is related to these rules in regards to Mutate, and the "Top vs Bottom" aspect of the ability.

If Rayami is on top, it seems unambiguous that both abilities would affect her

If she is underneath (i.e. a Mutate creature is played onto her), it seems to me that because this creature is not named "Rayami, First of the Fallen", the second ability will not apply, but the first will (i.e. if that creature dies, it gets exiled with a counter, along with any others that die while it is on the battlefield). So the mutated creature with Rayami's abilities will not gain the abilities of cards exiled with counters on them.

Am I reading this right?


texts:
In a standard 3x3 Tic-Tac-Toe board, there is a strategy to win if the opponent makes a mistake. As far as I know, the strategy goes like:

Capture the centers
Capture the edges
Capture a square which can lead to multiple immediate wins
Be careful of immediate threats

I'm looking for a common strategy which works for all NxN board variants. Is there one?

EDIT:

The variant has the same rules as the standard one. All squares in a diagonal, row, or column occupied by a player is a win. And of course, if there isn't any moves to make, it's a tie.


texts: Axis & Allies 1941: Can stranded defending fighters land in a friendly territory with hostile planes?

texts:
Playing Axis & Allies 1941, I encountered a situation concerning stranded defending fighters that I have a hard time adjudicating with the rulebook.

The problem is that an aircraft carrier is attacked and destroyed, and a defender's fighter plane remains as stranded. It is unclear to me whether or not an adjacent friendly territory is a valid safe landing place for that plane, when at the time it is occupied by a hostile plane (the attacker's) which afterwards has to leave during non-combat move.

How do I adjudicate this situation according to the rules?

A good answer would either present adjudication step by step, deducting it from the individual rules used; or it would cite official clarification for this situation.


texts: Can I declare Brood Sliver's tokens as attackers?

texts:
So in my Sliver deck I am running Brood Sliver and Heart Sliver. Let's say they're both on the battlefield, and a sliver deals damage to a player. Could I declare the tokens made as attackers or is it too late?

Sorry if this question probably has an obvious answer, it's just something I was wondering about.


texts: Cards that untap lands on opponents' turns

texts:
I used to use Prophet of Kruphix in my commander deck, but it is now banned.

While giving all creatures flash is nice, but I really used it for it's land untap ability. Are there any other cards that let me untap my lands on other player's turns?


texts: Can you use Throne Room to Mine a Copper to a Gold?

texts:
One of the most frequent barely-civil discussions in my group is what is possible when you use Throne Room (repeat an action card), in conjunction with Mine (trash a treasure to gain a treasure with cost of three greater).

In my experience, one of two things happen:

The person trashes two copper to gain two silver - completely valid
The person trashes one copper to gain a gold - under debate

Is it legal to gain a gold from a copper with a Throne Room-ed Mine?


texts: Rummy version with a run of seven as last round

texts: I've been trying to remember the details on a gin rummy game I played when I was younger. This game had the last round require a "run of seven" and a set of three.  Looking at Wikipedia I see Contract Rummy which is similar but doesn't have this requirement for the last round. Does anyone know what flavor of rummy was represented by this type of last round?


texts: Are the two steps of Ponder an atomic action?

texts:
There are a number of cards that have two different actions.   Ponder is one of them.  I assume these separate actions are in sequence, and cannot be responded to by placing items on the stack in between the steps.  But, I can't confirm that in the rules.

Game situation in which this came up (in case this helps explain why one would want to do this.)

I have a  Lion Eye Diamond on the table, and I cast  Ponder.  Ponder resolves, I draw my three cards, and put them back on top of the deck.  The top of the library is now a game winner if I can get 3 more mana.  [Say it's Coalition Victory but I only have RWGUB available and meet all other requirements] So, would like to fire off the Lion's Eye Diamond before I perform the second step of Ponder and draw that card.

Note: Lion's Eye Diamond can only be activated at instant speed (see the link) even though in all other ways it is a mana source.

Can I win this game this turn?  [assuming no counter spells of course...]


texts:
A EDH deck I am wanting to build revolves around Lich's Mastery. I'm aware of the removal that may occur to it and that I can Stifle the ability of When Lich's Mastery leaves the battlefield you lose the game.
I know Deflecting Swat can redirect an ability on the stack and Lich's Mastery's last ability goes on the stack.
Can Deflecting Swat redirect Lich's Mastery's lose the game ability?


texts: Bridge Scoring and sacrifice optimization against slam bids?

texts:
Suppose North and South go through Blackwood and decide on 6 Spades making a Slam of 980 points. Their opponents decide to optimize the points. So suppose East decides that he has 6 Clubs including King of Clubs and calls 7 Clubs. Even after Double if they manage to make 5 tricks, North and South get only 800 points. However it does not happen in tournaments. Why is that?

Kindly note that I am not too good with Bridge Scoring so I might be wrong above in the counts. And thanks for your time.


texts: Why does a blocking 1/1 creature with double strike kill a 3/2 creature?

texts:
I was playing MTG Arena and had a 3/2 creature get blocked by a 1/1 creature with double strike.
What I thought would happen:

First strike: Attacker down to 3/1 (but still alive)
Normal combat: Blocker down to 1/0 (lethal damage)
No double strike damage is dealt by the blocker since they're dead, the attacker remains alive

What actually happened: Both creatures died
What went down here and why?


texts: Does the old Howling Mine have an erratum?

texts: There appears to be two sets of card text on Howling Mine, depending on when it was printed. Do they function exactly the same? Or does the old one not matter if it is tapped or not.


texts: When do you place the +1/+1 counter for Anafenza?

texts: If I attack with Anafenza, the Foremost and one other creature do I get to place a +1/+1 counter on the other creature or does it have to be tapped before combat?


texts: If the only way to expand your network is through an occupied city before you reach the stage that allows you on it, what happens?


texts: Can you win with two creepers when the goal only has one creeper?

texts:
In various flavors of Fluxx, there are Creepers; they all say "You cannot win if you have this card in front of you, unless a card says otherwise." In Cthulhu Fluxx, there are frequently Goals that have creepers on them.

If there's a Goal out there that has a Creeper and a Keeper on it, and I have the right Keeper, the right Creeper, and one other Creeper, can I win?


texts: If you have the tuba of charm, and you fight multiple monsters, do you take a loot for each monster escaped, or just one for the entire battle?


texts: How to calculate points, if there are more than 10 cards

texts:
In Curriculum Vitae (CV) the points calculation is presented in the table only for 1,2,...10 cards. It's easy to see, that in this table the nth card is worth n points.

First, count the points from the number of relationship, health and knowledge cards owned. Points for these cards are gained according to the table.

On the other hand in polish rule book we can find a sentence [translated]:

The player will gain more points, if he have more cards. The punctation is showed in the table.

The instruction says, that the calculation is presented in the table, but also says , that more cards = more points. Does that mean, that it's capped on 55 points for 10 cards? Or may I continue counting (66 for 11, 78 for 12,...) ?


texts: Do Warhammer models that have no models have specific dimensions stated any where?

texts:
I have made some tyranid mycetic spores by just covering a dreadnought sized base in some green putty to show how the spore burst when it hit the ground. I have seen many mycetic spore conversions and everyone seems to lean towards making them as tall as space marine drop pods. I am worried about using these in any type of tournament setting because they would be hard to draw true line of site to. When I have played against players in the past I have allowed them to draw line of site to the pods based on them being roughly drop pod sized.

This got me wondering if their was a official source for the dimensions of models that do not have official models?

Also if forge world makes a model is it then considered official for base size and dimensions?


texts: Are the Munchkin original and Munchkin Guest Artist Editions identical?

texts:
Do the "Guest Artist Edition" Munchkin packs have the exact same cards as their original counterparts, just with different art? Or do they have their own unique cards?

For example, would Munchkin Guest Artist Edition have the same cards included in Munchkin/Munchkin Deluxe (except obviously in a different art style)? And would Munchkin Legends contain the same cards that come with Munchkin Legends Guest Art Edition (again, merely in a differing art style)?


texts: How are you supposed to fight a discard deck?

texts:
I get this is kind of a noob question, so bear with me. My friend plays a legacy discard deck, and he'll usually dark ritual or something to make me discard 3-5 cards in the first 3 turns, and by turn 5-6 my hand is empty. (More specifically he's running Griselbrand reanimator, so his hand is rarely empty.)

While this might not work against cheap aggro (I regularly win with RDW), I don't see how any other deck can really handle this. When he has a full hand and I'm limited to 1 new card per turn, which I have to either cast or lose thanks to specters, how am I supposed to ever catch up?

Yet at the same time I know discard isn't like auto-tournie-win, so I'm just not sure how people deal with it.

To give some info about my specific situation and the key cards I use, I am playing:

Legacy RDW with key cards being Stonewright / Lightning Mauler / Rakdos Cackler / Hellrider / Ash Zealot / Pyreheart Wolf / Ball Lightning / Trumpet Blast / Lightning Bolt / Pillar of Flame.
Legacy combo elves (Elfdrazi) with Priest of Titania / Rofellos, Llanowar Emissary / Ezuri, Renegade Leader / Llanowar Elves / Emrakul, the Aeons Torn / Seeker of Skybreak / Elvish Piper / Fierce Empath / Concordant Crossroads / a bunch of tutors / Vitalize.

My friend is primarily using Griselbrand Reanimator, using Griselbrand / Buried Alive / Animate Dead / Zombify / Dark Ritual / Cabal Ritual / Dark Petition / a bunch of tutors / Crypt Ghast and the death knell being Mind Twist (discard my whole hand) and Infest (kills all creatures in both my decks). On paper he wins using Sorin's Vengeance, Debt to the Deathless, Consume Spirit, and Exsanguinate, but Mind Twist is really what does it.


texts: Could I still play cards from the activated ability of Golos while the Epic effect is active?

texts:
Spells cast with the keyword Epic, like Eternal Dominion prevent the player from casting other spells for the rest of the game. However, Golos, Tireless Pilgrim says:

  Exile the top three cards of your library. You may play them this turn without paying their mana costs.

Would I be able to use Golos's activated ability and cast cards after using Eternal Dominion?


texts: Are there different "imperatives" for the four players when choosing starting settlements in Catan?

texts:
For instance, a You Tube video opined that "the third player should focus on the scarcest resource." This may or a may not be good advice, I used it only for illustrative purposes.
What, if any, are the differences that a player should use in making settlement choices in the first, second, third and fourth positions?


texts: If I were to cast Hymn to Tourach a black card that makes the opponent discard 2 cards at random, and the only 2 cards my opponent has in his hand have protection from black would they be protected? Would it fall under Targeting since it doesn't actively target the creatures with white, it should go off?


texts:
I found this ruling on Dominion Strategy Wiki FAQ for Band of Misfits:

  You first play Band of Misfits, then you play the card you chose to
  emulate. In this sense, Band of Misfits plays like a Throne Room
  variant, and one play of Band of Misfits with a successful emulation
  counts as two Actions played; this matters for Conspirator.

So my understanding of Band of Misfits is that it basically reads "Choose a card in the supply costing less than Band of Misfits.  Band of Misfits is that card until it leaves play.  Play band of Misfits."  Is this correct?

However, on the same page, I found this:

  If you use Throne Room, King's Court, or Procession to play a Band of
  Misfits card multiple times, you only pick what to play it as the
  first time; the other times it is still copying the same card.

These two rulings don't seem to make sense if Band of Misfits is copying Feast.  I would think it works like this:

Play Throne Room.  Choose Band of Misfits.
Play Band of Misfits.  Choose Feast.
Play Band of Misfits as Feast.  Trash Feast.
Throne Room loses track of Band of Misfits and can't put it into play, but it's still played from the trash.
Band of Misfits has reverted to itself, so the card you're playing shouldn't be Feast anymore.  From here I see two possibilities, and neither one seems completly right:

Since Band of Misfits isn't in play, it can't copy anything(?), so nothing happens.
You can play Band of Misfits as a new card, but it immediately reverts to being itself on resolution(?).

Why does Throne Room keep track of what Band of Misfits copied?  It seems like there's no reason for that.  And if this is the case, what exactly is being played the second time?  Is it actually a card?  Does Band of Misfits mean it's actually copying that exact card in the supply that you chose?


texts:
Is it legal in competitive play to fill in the border of white-bordered MtG cards with black marker?

Which marker would be best to use, and why?


texts: If the blue Taoist kills a ghost that blocks his ability to seek help and fight in the same turn, can he then seek help from a villager?

texts: The blue Taoist has the ability to request help from a villager and fight a ghost in the same turn.  If this ability is blocked by a ghost, but then that ghost is killed by him, can he follow up in the same turn and request help immediately since his power is now unblocked?


texts: Running out of cards with "Loss of Card" in Sequence

texts:
Here are the rules of Sequence.

Loss of Card
Once you have taken your turn and placed your marker chip on the game board, you must take a card from the draw deck. If you fail to take a card before the next player makes a move AND takes his/her card, you lose the right to take a card and you must finish the game with less cards than the other players – a disadvantage.

If a player losses all cards during the course of the game via "Loss of Card", then what should that player do in his/her next turn?

P.S.: I encountered this seemingly unlikely scenario and suggested that the player should draw a card and immediately end his/her turn. The alternative would seem to have that player stop playing altogether.


texts: I was searching the space marines section at a local warhammer shop when I saw a miniature called the space marine commander, I looked for it in my index but his rules weren't in it. What are the rules for a space marine commander? Do they follow the same rules as the captain? Please let me know so I can decide whether to get him or not.


texts: Multiple followers, and moving onto shrines in the Count expansion

texts:
After reading the rules for the Count of Carcassonne, I am still unclear on a couple of points.

First, in a game, can any quarter of Carcassonne have 2 or more followers from more than one color? by example: in the castle 2 black and one yellow, in the blacksmith 1 black, 1 yellow and 1 blue, etc...

Second, with the shrines and heretics expansion, can I move a follower from Cascassonne's cloister to the completed shrine? Does the rule work the same way as for monasteries?


texts:
Some games (like Chutes and Ladders) have a single track that players move along by rolling a die to see how far they travel.  (These are often called roll-and-move games.)

Many of the spaces on a roll-and-move board are typically blank, just stepping stones on your way to the goal.  Other spaces are action spaces, where something happens when you land there.

Are there common theories for how a designer decides which spaces should be action spaces?

Here's an example of the type of board I'm talking about: my own game Space-Venture.


texts: Can you build a road on the other side of another player's settlement?

texts:
Player A: Wants to expand to resource-rich area of board. They build two roads and plan to build a settlement and continue their road to the resource-rich area.

Player B: Also wants same location as player A for their next settlement. They build two roads, ending at same hex intersection as player A.  Player B builds their settlement first.

Player A: Still wants resources further away, so places another road on the other side of player B's settlement.

Player A has a road going into the hex intersection, and argues that they can build a connecting road going out of the intersection, regardless of whether another player has a settlement there.

Is this really a legal move?  If not, where in the rules does it specify that this it is not allowed?


texts:
Played special ability of Sprout (On your turn you may search a minion of power 3 or less on your deck and play it here as an extra minion).

So I choose Weed eater she has 5 power but has an ability ( The turn you played has -2 power ).

Can I choose her?

Or should I look for a specific 3 or less power from my deck?


texts: Can Rhys be played in a mono-green EDH deck?

texts: I was wondering if a card with a cost that is either green or white, for example Rhys the Redeemed, could be played in a mono-green deck led by a commander such as Ezuri, Renegade Leader?


texts: Does having Smallholder and Acreage when Sowing yield extra grain?

texts:
If I have the smallholder, and I sow I should get extra to place one extrs grain when I do so as long as I have two or fewer fields.

Acreage does not count as a field when scoring points, but I can sow grain on it.

If I sow grains on Acreage while I have two or fewer fields, do I get to place extra grain when Sowing on the fields and on the Acreage?


texts: In each of the first 9 rounds of a game of Rest in Peace, one player withdraws (and gets to play a round-10 card), and the other player wins the round (and starts the next round). However the card Creepy Lull says "the round immediately ends with a tie". When this card is played, who (if anyone) can play a round-10 card, and who starts the next round?


texts: If you have multiple planeswalkers, how many of their loyalty abilities can you use in a single turn?

texts: Let’s say I played Ajani, Caller of the Pride and then played Ajani, Wise  Counselor. Would I be able to use Caller of the Pride's -8 ability to give me, say, 20 creatures and then use Wise Counselor's +2 ability in order to gain life for each creature on the field? Would I be able to do that in the same turn or would I have to use one wait a turn then play the other?


texts: Eater of Days, Hushwing Gryff, and the stack

texts:
How does the stack work for this scenario?

Hushwing Gryff is already in play and the player goes to cast Eater of Days so the Hushwing Gryff will cancel out the loss of two turns. In response the opponent either casts Lightning Bolt or Path to Exile on the Hushwing Gryff while Eater of Days is still on the stack.

Does either the Bolt or Path remove the Hushwing Gryff, so when the Eater of Days resolves the player loses two turns?


texts: If I lose control of an equipped creature, does the equipment stay attached to it?

texts:
If I have an equipped creature and my opponent Mind Controls it, does my equipment remain attached to it? Can I re-equip that equipment to one of my creatures on my turn? I assume since I control the equipment I'm the only one that can play its activated abilities because it was only the equipped creature that was mind-controlled.

Another example where this could happen would be Act Of Treason.


texts: Can the ability, return target permeant to hand, be activated on the creature that uses the ability?

texts:
Using a specific example, Ancestral Statue.

I have played many different card games and they all have different rules regarding this ability. If I had no other permanents would Ancestral Statue return itself?


texts: If I sacrifice a creature for a spell and it creates a token, can I sacrifice that token for the spell too?

texts:
I have to sacrifice multiple creatures to pay for an ability, e.g. Flashback - Sacrifice two creatures.

How does the stack interaction work if I sacrifice one creature with an enters the graveyard effect that makes a token?

My current reasoning is that the sacrificed creature enters the graveyard putting its token generating trigger on the stack.  This trigger resolves making the token which enters the battlefield. Can I now sacrifice the token to pay for the remaining creature sacrifice for the flashback which is still on the stack?


texts: Do creature tokens get removed along with the permanent that created them?

texts: I have this card called Militia's Pride which lets me summon 1/1 creature token onto the battlefield. My question is: if Militia's Pride is sent to the graveyard, do my 1/1 tokens stay or are they removed from the battlefield as well?


texts: Simplest form of RKCB - asking for kings after asking for queen

texts:
According to wikipedia on RKCB, after an 03 or 14 response

  ...the 4NT bidder may ask about [the queen] using the cheapest bid other than five of the trump suit. The code for replies to that "queen ask" vary; a common rule is that the cheapest bid in the trump suit denies the queen or extra length and any other call shows it.

Sometimes though, a call of 5NT is only available to show the queen
(Example: 1S - 4NT - 4D - 4H --> 5NT - shows the queen).

Now assume I find out we together have all 5 keycards and the queen, then how do I ask for the kings? Is there a standard simple non-nonsense way that most casual/random partnerships use?
(5NT that I'd use to ask for kings is wasted ...).

I'd assume that would be now bidding 6C (and responses to it 6D - 0 kings, 6H - 1 king, 6S - 2 kings, 6NT - 3 kings). Right?
(P.S. I'm looking for most simple straight-forward non-nonsense common way here...)

In other words, how do I ask for kings in RKCB (as opposed to regular Blackwood)?
(Since 5NT is now occupied by queen ask)


texts: Can I steal an opponent's aura by changing the target while it is on the stack?

texts: My opponent casts  Eldrazi Conscription on a creature they control. Before Eldrazi Conscription resolves, can I redirect it onto my creature using  Shunt, for example?


texts:
Looking at the notes for Inspiring Statuary, I noticed:

Is this accurate?  Is it specific to the Improvise ability or does it go for any # colorless cards (for example Cloudpost)?


texts: Can I use a nonbasic land that taps and gives me either a red or white mana if I only have red mana in my deck?


texts:
Its my turn: I crew a vehicle with a creature meaning it becomes a creature artefact and I attack with it.

Now on the opponents turn my opponent has a enchantment which targets creatures (e.g. -3 to all my creatures). Does my vehicle now count as a creature or just an artefact?


texts: Are numbers greater than 20 legal hints in Codenames? I.e., "911, 3" for "plane", "event", and "skyscraper"

texts:
From what I could find in the rules,

Letters and numbers are valid clues, as long
as they refer to meanings. You can use X: 1 as
a clue for RAY. You can use eight: 3 as a clue
for BALL, FIGURE, and OCTOPUS

However, they didn't give any example of numbers greater than twenty like "twenty-one", "twenty-two", "four hundred twenty-six","nine hundred eleven", "nine eleven", and "nine one one"  which are borderline more than one word, and more than one word is clearly stated in the rules as not allowed unless it falls under the section "Flexible Rules" for pronouns and hyphenated words. Below 21, all numbers are one word like "thirteen", "seventeen" etc.
I'd like to do "911" aka "nine eleven" for the terrorist attack on 9/11 2001. It is probably equivalent in terms of ruling to "nine hundred eleven" and "nine one one", as in should probably be treated the same in the rules (whether allowed or not allowed).


texts: Three-space jump on third line: how to connect?

texts:
I've seen that in the diagram below, the two black stones can connect by attaching to the white stone, but I can't work out the sequence. How does black play to connect her stones?

$$cm1

$$ . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . B . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . O . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . B . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . |


texts: How does jumping work in Descent 2nd Edition?

texts:
In Descent: Journeys in the Dark, 2nd Edition, the rules state:

  Figures cannot jump over a pit space.

I never saw jumping mentioned anywhere else in the rules. How does jumping work and where is it defined?

This is not the same as this question, as that question is dealing with the 1st edition.


texts: If you find a rest spot and there are minions on the board what happens?

texts:
Rest Spot (Fortune, from the search deck) reads:

  Play immediately. If there are no minions on the board, you may remove all wound markers from each mouse and place 1 cheese on the minion wheel.

If there are minions on the board, what happens?  Nothing?

Quick forum scan seems to indicate that you might be able to discard the card for cheese but also say that you might be able to keep the card in your hand for later, which is not how I read the card.  Any idea on more formal ruling/rules guidance?


texts: If you have multiple wonders do you get multiple special powers?

texts:
In 7 Wonders some stages of building a wonder provide special powers.

For example stage of 2 of Olympia (side A) allows you to build one free structure per age. If you have built 2 wonders in this case can you build 2 free structures per age?


texts: How can I tell when to take a mulligan in Magic?

texts: Determining when to mulligan is a very important skill in magic. But how can I hone my abilities in that skill? Obviously if I had no/all land I'd probably want to mulligan as the opportunity to actually cast some of my spells are worth the 1 card penalty. But what about when I only have 1 land or 1 spell? Are there any good rules of thumb to help me make this decision? How can knowing my deck make these choices easier? What other elements of my hand should I look at when making this decision?


texts: In the following example from the rulebook, Tyrell attacks Blackwater using two knights from the Reach with support from a knight in King's Landing, resulting in an initial combat strength of 7. If Tyrell instead attacked with one knight from the Reach and moved the other to King's Landing, does the second knight contribute to the support order there (is the combat strength still 7)?


texts: Fluxx - when is the winning condition reached?

texts:
I recently bought Cartoon Network Fluxx and have quickly become a big fan. I've been playing it a lot lately but we keep going back and forth on when the winning condition has been reached. Help?

Example:
1) Goal is Super Geniuses (Dexter + Mojo Jojo)
2) Dexter is on my side of the table
3) Mojo Jojo is in my hand
4) It is not my turn

Do you play it and win instantly or do you wait your turn?

The rules say: "The game continues until someone meets the conditions of the current Goal. That player wins instantly, no matter whose turn it is!"

The confusion comes from whether having the second card in your hand (not on the table) is considered meeting the conditions of the current Goal.

I think both cards must be on the table because the Goal rules say "These cards show the specific Keepers you must have on the table in front of you in order to win." but I don't totally disagree with the opposing theory that following that would make it much more difficult to win if you had a big group playing (only played with 2 so far) and thus it was likely never designed that way in the first place.

For the record, so far we have followed the rule as "wait until both are on the table" but we still keep wondering if we're doing it wrong and we'd like to know for sure.

So is it "no matter whose turn it is" or is it "on the table in front of you"?

Thanks for any help on this.


texts: do creatures created after a "all creatures get -1/-1 until end of turn" instant get -1/-1 as well?

texts:
Let's say I cast Golgari Charm (an instant) before my opponent attacks. I choose the "all creatures get -1/-1 until end of turn" and then my opponent attacks with, among other creatures, a Precinct Captain which says "whenever Precinct Captain deals combat damage to a player, put a 1/1 white Soldier creature token onto the battlefield".

If the Precinct Captain successfully deals combat do the 1/1 Soldier tokens it creates die instantly because of the Golgari Charm's "-1/-1 until end of turn" or do they survive because they weren't in play at the time the "-1/-1 until end of turn" took effect?


texts:
How do you score a double royal marriage and a roundhouse if you are playing double deck or triple deck pinochle?

I got that tonight playing and wanted to score it 50 points, thirty for the double royal marriage and the 20 for the roundhouse instead of 24 to subtract the trump marriage from the roundhouse.

I got shot down like I was nuts and they only wanted to let me have six points for the roundhouse.


texts: What is the most damaging thing a cylon can do in BattleStar Galactica on a turn he is revealing himself?

texts: What I have seen people do is try to brig a player making a final attempt to sway someone to help.  The best success I have had in a game was grab the admiral position for a turn with a character power, and hit the FTL early.  Are there any better strategies?  Do you think you should deny it to the bitter end no matter what never taking openly hostile actions?


texts: Floating eye win / loss condition [spoilers]

texts: If a hero is broken out of mind control, they cannot be controlled again. Heroes that are controlled do not attack other heroes, only board the spaceship. Does this mean that if a single hero breaks mind control, the heroes automatically win, with the freed hero just bashing the spaceship?


texts: Carcassonne: Replacement/Extra player sets.

texts:
So far I've found MeeplePeople and BoardGameExtras carrying replacement/extra sets for Carcassonne. I am however missing Mayor, Farm and the Cart(?) from those sets (possibly some expansion I have not played has other tokens as well).

Does anyone know where I can get extra/replacement parts for the full range?


texts: May dice used to complete a task be secured?

texts:
The rules state:

  the player places the card faceup in front of him after rolling dice
  during his turn. Then he chooses one die from that roll. Without
  changing its result, he places the die on the Spell card’s securing
  icon.

The rules do not say, "and before completing any tasks" or, "and before resolving the Adventure", so is it possible to secure a die after using it to complete a task?


texts: If Rite of Replication is exiled with Eye of the Storm, can people pay the kicker cost to still get 5 tokens?


texts: Is it a bad idea to to run 24 tap and shock lands in standard

texts:
I am trying to figure out a good 3 color mana base in a standard constructed deck. It seems like there is a pretty straight forward answer if your wallet agrees.
4 shock lands of each of 3 colors=12
4 check lands of each of 3 colors=12

there are your 24 lands.
The shock lands work for the check lands so it's not an issue

Any deck running 3 colors would most likely be mid or control, so let's assume that we are not thinking about agro here.

Are there any disadvantages with doing this? Would a loadout like this affect pacing or become too much of a toll on the life total?

The only other problem I can think of is not being able to benefit from cards like Assassin's Trophy or Settle the Wreckage. Should these cards be a consideration when creating my mana base?


texts:
I purchased a set of double-six dominoes. It has a manual which points to the heaviness of the dominoes. It says that a double-six is the heaviest domino and the double blank is the lightest. The same is said on this website (link) dedicated to dominoes.
I can't find on Google which is heavier: a 1-6 or a 3-4. Can an experienced player tell me the answer and the reasoning behind it?


texts: When playing Phase 10 with 2 or more players, how do we conclude the hand?

texts: Why keep score for the points if on phase 10 there will be only one winner? I assume as soon as one person lays the phase 10 and goes out first he or she will be the winner regardless of the previous scores? No one can lay out phase 10 at the same time, right? How will there be a tie? In what situation?


texts: Why is Bazaar of Baghdad supposedly such a good card?

texts:
I've been looking at the card Bazaar of Baghdad:

  (Land) Tap: Draw two cards, then discard three cards.

Almost everywhere I've seen has it as over 200$, and most of the Arabian Nights set is much cheaper than that, so I assume its ability is extremely powerful. However, I can't really figure out why. It gives you a net loss of 1 card no matter what, and I suppose its ability could be compared to having the ability to mulligan later in the game but have a wider choice of cards to pick as your new hand. It would help you find a specific card in your deck if you're running a strategy based on that card (and I notice its most popular in vintage, where this is more prominent) I could see it being a decent card, I can't see where it might otherwise be valuable.

Is Bazaar of Baghdad an extremely good card? What decks would it work best in? How would I know when to use its ability in a game?


texts: It's a bit hard to build a deck. There's so many cards I can barely think of an idea, or how I'm supposed to build one! Could anyone lend me a hand on this?


texts: What's the most valuable Avalon Hill wargame?

texts:
From a collector's point of view, what is the most valuable wargame published by Avalon Hill?

I'm not interested so much in prices as in knowing if there's a "Holy Grail" in Avalon Hill's wargames catalog before the Hasbro purchase.

I looked in eBay listings and BoardGameGeek, but not being all wargames available for sale, it's hard to get the whole picture.


texts: May a player try to hunt again if his cards were sniped?

texts: Say an opponent decides to hunt with a scavenger. You play a sniper from your hand and snipe the scavanger. Since this hunt "didn't happen" may the opponent try to hunt again?


texts: How does the Miracle mechanic interact with Flashback?

texts: The new Miracle mechanic causes a replacement effect for the casting cost of the card, which must be revealed and played immediately. How does this interact with flashback? If a player plays a card for its Miracle cost, what is the flashback cost of the card if it's flashed back with something like Snapcaster Mage?


texts: Is the partner of a no trump opener also the team "captain" on defense?

texts:
If opener bids, say 1 NT, his partner becomes the team "captain" on further bidding because the NT opener has strictly limited both his point count and "shape" with such a bid. That is, partner can bid 2 clubs (Stayman) or any number of "transfer" bids, and opener has to rebid the appropriate suit.

But suppose the opponents intervene, and the bidding goes:

South 1NT West 2 spades North pass East 3 Spades.

North has (s) Jxxx (h) xxx (d) xxx (c) xxx. Is it North's prerogative (captaincy) as to whether or not to double, knowing that South has at least 15 hcp and (probably) xx in spades? Put another way, should South refrain from doubling on the off chance that North has both a Yarborough and a void in spades, even if South has good spades?


texts: How do twitch effects work with the stack vs activated tap abilities?

texts:
I'm becoming more and more confused as I learn about how things have changed during a break in play I had some time ago. Seems the stack has changed now, and oft times abilities use a source's last known status rather than its current stats when resolving.

That being mentioned, if I have a card that taps a permanent, and I want to tap a creature in response to it activating an inherent tap ability, does that work? Can I tap it to prevent it from using such an ability? Is this different for mana abilities?

Some examples:

Player B says he is tapping his Steel Overseer to put a +1/+1 counter on all of his artifact creatures. Can I tap it first to prevent him from doing so?
Player B says he is tapping his Forest to add a green mana to his mana pool, can I tap it first to prevent him from doing so?

If I cannot, then what use is my ability to tap his permanents other than to prevent him from attacking or to take advantage of his tapped status (either by counter-attacking or perhaps an 'assassination' effect)?

Also, if I cannot, is there a point in a turn when I COULD tap his lands and accomplish starving him of mana? If in theory, he could always tap his lands for mana in response to my attempt to tap them, how long would such mana remain unused in his pool until it expires and he cannot use it?


texts: Can the first zombie player spawn the second zombie player's zombies?

texts: With the card "There's too many", in a two zombie player game, can zombie player 1 spawn zombie player 2's zombies if their remaining figures are out or are they forced to move the existing ones already on the board?


texts: Bidding: How to figure out if responder has 4 carder or 5 carder major?

texts:
Playing SAYC, you open 1 Minor. Left passes and partner bids 1 Major. How do you figure out if partner has 4 carder major or 5 carder?

Obviously if left overcalls, then partner can use a negative double to indicate  he has a 4 carder or bid 1 Major to show a 5 carder. But otherwise, is there any convention to figure this out?


texts: Can tokens be converted to different symbols?

texts: Can tokens be changed to different symbols using the arrow power, or can only rolled dice be altered?


texts: For Shield ability, does Riot Trooper gain 1 power token per figure, or just 1 total?

texts:
The wording on Riot Trooper deployment cards is literally:

  Shield: At the end of your activation, if you have no block power token, gain 1 block power token.

As per Card Interpretations on page 2 of the rules reference, "you" refers to a figure.

Does this mean that just after the end of each activation, each of the two Riot Trooper figures will have a block power token on it (even if both ended the activation with no block power tokens)?


texts: Is there more strategy with the two card variation of Candyland?

texts:
Candyland has a variation for older players where you draw two cards each turn and then choose one to use.

Obviously you would normally choose whichever card moved you the furthest down the board. But is there any situation where you would pick the other card? Maybe to take advantage of better draws later on?


texts: Do dead monsters really have to leave the game?

texts: The one part of King of Tokyo I don't like is when players have to leave the game because their monster dies. Are there any variants/house rules that keeps players in the game?


texts: Which discard pile for instant items played on another player's lane?

texts:
In XenoShyft Onslaught, in which discard pile goes an Instant Card when played in another player's lane? For example, if I use a "Hi-Ex Grenade" in the reaction phase of another player, do I discard that grenade in my or his/her discard pile?

For references, the rulebook only mentions what happens for troops and equipment played in another player's lane. Nothing about Instant Items:

  Note that you can deploy a Troop in a lane that is not your own. If you do so, the owner of that lane becomes the owner of that Troop (it goes to their discard pile if killed).
  A player may also at this time equip Troops with the various Equipment Cards they has purchased. To do so simply place the Equipment Card under the Troop you wish to equip it to. It is now equipped to that Troop. A Troop can only have one Weapon Card and one Armor Card equipped at any time. Just like with deploying Troops, you may also Equip Troops that you do not own. If you do so, the owner of that lane becomes the owner of that Equipment card (it goes to their discard pile if the equipped Troop is killed).

The "Hi-Ex Grenade" has the "Instant Keyword":


texts: How do you run a short multiplayer Conspiracy draft tournament?

texts:
There is a new set in Magic the Gathering coming out, called Conspiracy. Conspiracy is a set specifically designed for drafting, and notably, multiplayer games.

My question revolves around how to fairly run a tournament for a multiplayer draft.

Normally my group of 6-8 will play 3-4 rounds of swiss pairings, where 3 points are awarded for a win, 1 for a tie, and 0 for a loss. Tie breaks are based off of things such as games won percentage and opponents win percentage (we use mtgarena.appspot.com for handling this part). Our drafts normally take around 4 hours (an evening after work). We have a lot of experience with this and are very comfortable with it.

Now, I do not have a lot of experience playing multiplayer magic, but in my experience games tend to take a lot longer.

Is there a "standard" way of running a multiplayer tournament?
How do you determine who plays who in a round?
Is it feasible to run a "fair" multiplayer tournament in 4-5 hours?


texts:
I have played a few rounds of Bluff with a new group of players and I am currently a little lost in the early game. What's a good strategy to come out ahead of the first rounds? Here is what I have thought about myself.

The other 4 players:

As far as I can tell, the other players are not trying to analyze the playing styles of their opponents early on, so I am not worried about being easy to read, at least not in the beginning. Most of them have played a lot more than me so they have a better feeling for the flow of the game.

What do I want to achieve:

The more I think about it the more obvious it gets. It looks like the early game revolves around not having to call a bluff or getting called. You want your opponents to call bluffs on each other because it is quite rare that you take any damage in that case (only if the exact amount has been bet). On the other hand you can earn nothing if you are involved in a challenged bet. That's why I feel that I have to create situations where I am not involved in the showdown. Is this line of thinking correct?

How do I achieve this goal:

It seems like it depends a lot on position. If I am the first to bet I have no information about the other players. There are 4 players in front of me so I want to make it easy for the next player to bet a larger amount while I don't want the betting to come back to me increased 4 times if noone calls a bluff.

In the first round there are 20 dices out there hidden from me. With the numbers 1 to 5 and a joker on each dice the chance for each number (incl. the jokers) is 1/3. On average there will be a little less than 7 rolls of a certain number out there, a little more than 3 of them will be jokers.

Lets say I rolled 1-1-2-3-J. What should I do? On average I expect 10 times 1, 9 times 2, 9 times 3, 8 times 4 and 8 times 5 (all of them incl. the jokers) and 4 times a Joker. If I start betting the average expected amount of any of those, it is better than a coin flip that I am right. But if I bet 10 times 1 and the next player has no 1 or J it will be called immediately. Not what I want. Going for 8 times 4 feels less risky to get called, that's why I would prefer to take that route.

It might even be better to calculate the expected value and go down a certain amount to be even safer. If I reduce one from the expected value it will be even harder for the next player to call a bluff. If I go down even more it gets better and better. Where do you think is the threshold in a game of 5 players? I could obviously start by betting 1 times 1 but I can be pretty sure that the betting will be back at me for sure, if no one raises the bet significantly.

I guess the same thinking patterns will apply when I am the second to make a bet. If I am allowed to make the same bet that I would have made in first place, I will make that one. If I have to go higher, I am already lost again. What range of values can I bet and when am I forced to call a bluff? I prefer the bet because I might avoid an showdown in which I am involved, but if the amount I have to bet is too high I will be called by the next player.

Transition into middle and endgame:

I want to keep middle and endgame out of this question. Once a significant amount of dices has been lost or the number of players is reduced the psychological factor weights more and more compared to a mathematical approach.

Summing it up:

My main questions are:

Is a mathematical approach viable as long as there are 5 players with almost all the dices left?
How much do I have to factor the play style of my opponents into the equation at that stage of the game?
What is a good betting strategy to avoid being involved in a showdown?


texts: Deriving statistics from original card games

texts:
I have drafted a game that uses a French Deck with 52 cards, 4 suites (diamonds, clubs, hearts, spades), and no jokers.

I'm interested in profiling game play along a few axes:

How many turns are there in a typical game with different play strategies?
If I change the winning condition from, say, getting all four queens to getting all four jacks, how much longer or shorter is play. This would make an actual difference in my game, but I'd like to quantify that difference.
How frequently will players have matching ranks for the cards they play if I force them to play a random card from their deck versus selecting which card to play?

Besides those, I could think of other ways to tweak the game, and I want to know what effect that has without manually playing the game several times in real life.

It would be possible to get this information by using some ad-hoc scripting on my computer to calculate values for the specific cases I mention above. However, adding more measurements, could require changing or improving my model of the game which takes more work. What would be better is a suite of computer programs that would allow me to change rules and gather new statistics without, in general, needing to add additional instrumentation to the game engine. Does such a suite of programs already exist?

I have seen this question which is similar to my own, but the poster requests statistics for a much more specific condition. I am looking for a general tool. I am hoping that the situation has changed since the original negative answer.


texts: Initial meld and additional pair of same rank

texts:
I have the following cards:  2,A,A,A,8,8,8,8,8,8,J,J AND 3. I need 120 for my initial meld.  My opponent throws an 8 on to the discard pile.  We have always played that I could make the initial meld using:
2,A,A,A and 8,8,8,8 = 120 and then pick up the discard pile with the pair of 8s remaining in my hand.  My opponent said this was an illegal move.  Could you please clarify this for me?


texts: An Outlaw gets Married. Where should the Origin Token be placed now?

texts:
A player had the Outlaw status with the Origin token placed in a city and she also had the Married status.

What do we do with the Origin token in a case like that?


texts:
The Tournament Rules define free information to include:

  Details of current game actions and past game actions that still affect the game state.

The rule refers to the "game state". What exactly is the that? What does it mean for something to "still affect the game state"?

For example, I shuffled Golgari Grave Troll from my graveyard into my library with Elixir of Immortality. I am playing a dredge deck, so I could have dredged the troll. My opponent says "Ten turns ago, there was a Golgari Grave Troll in your graveyard. What happened to it?" Is my opponent asking for free information, derived information, or private information?

Note: some of the rules for missed triggers in the Infraction Procedure Guide also depend on the "game state".


texts: Settlers Of Catan - discarding cards when rolling 7

texts:
If 2 or more players have 8+ cards, do they discard their cards in some "player order" (starting from the one who threw the dice) or is it simultaneous ... is there any specific rule to that situation?

Example:

We played 3 player game.

Player A had 8 cards
Player B had 8 cards
Player C had 0 cards

"A" rolled 7. Player A will steal one card from player B (player C has no cards). Due the card counting player B wants to wait for player A to discard first so he can see the cards and choose better which of his own cards to discard (eliminate the possibility of player A stealing what he is after - maybe discarding 1 ore on purpose if he knows the player A is left with 2 ore and 2 wheat).

So to repeat the question, is there a rule for discarding your hand in some clockwise order or its simultaneous or some third option?


texts:
My friend was level 4, and tried to play his Doppleganger card against a Puckachu, which grants an extra level for defeating it, "without using help or bonuses".

'Help', apparently, only means other players, and 'bonuses' are weapons, armor, or potions. Bringing in your clone, according to him, means beating it yourself.

Nobody agrees. Is his interpretation correct?


texts: What might these inscriptions added to an «Easy Money» board mean?

texts:
These inscriptions, for example S153 and P330, appear to have been added to an Easy Money board.
Does anyone know of house rules that might explain their addition?

(click to enlarge images)


texts: Order of events with Stitcher's Apprentice

texts: My girlfriend has Stitcher's Apprentice, and she thinks that you can activate its ability, use the homunculus to block, and then sac the homunculus.  Is this possible, or does the sacrifice have to happen before the homunculus can be declared as a blocker?


texts: Under which controller does a stolen permanent come into play after being exiled?

texts:
Here's what I did on MTG Arena:

Opponent exiles my The Immortal Sun with Hostage Taker, then plays it.
On my turn, I cast Ixalan's Binding targeting Immortal Sun, and then Demystify my own Ixalan's Binding. The Immortal Sun then entered the battlefield under my control.

Question 1: I thought it might work, that's why I tried it, but I don't understand why it worked. I read the rulings of Ixalan's Binding, and couldn't find something that could explain why it returned from exile under its owner's control, and not under the last controller's control. Can anyone explain the rulings behind this?

Question 2: Would flickering a stolen permanent work the same?


texts: Which rules advance the chapter end marker in Mice and Mystics?

texts:
There are some rules, such as many of the achievements, that advance the chapter end marker in Mice and Mystics. Which other rules, cards or events do this?

Our experiences so far are that the hourglass advances pretty quickly. We already lost two times in the first level because of this. So I am interested if we missed some rules that play in our favour, and which for example advance the end marker, to give us more time.


texts: Can an opponent bolt a mana-generating creature to stop me from generating mana?

texts:
What happens if I tap a Llanowar Elves for its ability and the creature is destroyed in response with an Ultimate Price? And why? (a brief explanation will suffice)

This may sound as a silly question but the opinion between my friends is divided. Some think that the green mana is generated and the others say that the mana is not generated.


texts: Is it legal to use the Family Growth action to extend your family by 2 or even 3 if you have enough rooms? The rules do not forbid it, but they only talk in singular about the new family member.


texts: Is it possible to move auras with the equip ability?

texts:
Let's say my field is:

a bear creature
an elf creature
an aura (for completeness sake: it gives flying to the enchanted creature)
Mycosynth Lattice
Bludgeon Brawl

The aura is enchanting the bear.
The aura has "Equip {x}" granted by Bludgeon Brawl.

If I was to activate the Equip ability targeting the elf, what would the aura be attached to?

Which creature would have the +x/+0 and flying?
Would the answer be the same if the aura could only enchant a land?


texts: How to counter oddities of Shade-Tree Checkers? (long distance king jumps, etc)

texts:
I know someone who played checkers with a guy, and he plays with non-standard rules. People he plays with have their own rules, in this case, he played where the kinged checkers piece can jump unlimited distance and land just past the single piece being jumped. For example, given the below board, with White and Black kings

___________
|  B    W
|W
|  B
|

Normally, White's only jump move would be with the left piece jumping the lower Black, but in this variation, the top right White can make a jump down-left just past the lower Black.

I don't hold much hope that you would know these particular rules, since they were probably made up on the fly and talked into acceptance.

What would you suggest, as how to defeat someone who is used to this.. but not by forcing him into the standard rules.

Is there online reading material regarding obscure game variants?
Is there a way to get a computer to follow unusual rules, allowing me to get some practice ahead of time? (at least with the special rules I'm aware of) I am a programmer, but I was hoping for something that required less programming and maybe something more generic, where I can just set the rules and play on a higher level.
Do you have other suggestions on how to level the playing field, so I can fare better in checkers with this opponent?

I am hoping to get in as much practice ahead of time before, to reduce the need to learn on the fly.

I play Chess very well already.


texts: Why is the King of Spades the best opening lead with this hand?

texts:
Well, you pick up this hand:
K Q J 10 9
x x x
K x
x x x
The opponents bid 1 NT on your right and 3 NT on your left. What would you lead?
Not that difficult, was it? If you line up a million (1.000.000) bridge players – or even a billion (1.000.000.000) of them – we would all lead the king of spades unless we pulled the wrong card or a card fell out of our hand. If you were number 867.354 in that line of bridge players and you led the king of diamonds, I would say you lost your mind (and some of us in that line would probably be raving lunatics). But if you at the same time hit your partner with AQJxx of diamonds I would say that you are a cheater. This is just not happening. Unless you have some extra information which you are not entitled to.

Source
Why is it so very, very obvious to play the King of Spades first? I have no knowledge about Bridge except for the rules, so I'd appreciate an elementary explanation.


texts:
If my unit is in the frontal charging cone of an enemy unit and I already have a friendly unit in front of that unit and taking up all the front base space, can I charge the enemy unit?

What if I was 75% in frontal cone and 25% in flanking cone? Could I charge the flank instead?

What are my options?


texts: Use Mana twice for the same spell by untapping?

texts: If your commander has an ability to untap card and you use it for untapping Mana, can you use it to pay for 6 Mana while there is only five in your pool.it was Estrid, the Masked untapping an enchanted land.


texts: Are "permanently" gained abilities copiable?

texts:
So I haven't been quite able to comprehend how copy effects interact with stuff not printed on the card itself.

What happens when a creature that was revived with Fated Return is then copied by, say, Artisan of Forms? Specifically, does the creature Artisan of Forms becomes have indestructible?


texts: Creature with equipment attached is returned to owner's hand

texts:
If a creature has equipment attached, what happens to the equipment if this creature is returned to the owner's hand?

Does it:

Return to the owner's hand as well?
Go to the graveyard?
Remain on the battlefield?


texts: Would Guttersnipe plus a cyphered card result in an infinite loop of damage?

texts:
Guttersnipe says:

  Whenever you cast an instant or sorcery spell, Guttersnipe deals 2 damage to each opponent.

Hidden Strings says:

  You may tap or untap target permanent, then you may tap or untap another target permanent.

  Cypher (Then you may exile this spell card encoded on a creature you control. Whenever that creature deals combat damage to a player, its controller may cast a copy of the encoded card without paying its mana cost.)

and Shock deals two damage to a target opponent.

Here's the process:

Have Guttersnipe on the field.
Play Hidden Strings; cipher it on to him.
Play Shock instant.

Because shock causes guttersnipe to deal damage, this activates the cypher ability and you can now cast hidden strings, which will then cause him to deal two more damage, which allows you to cast hidden strings, which deals two damage, which allows you cast to hidden strings, which deals two damage.... and well you know where this is going.

Does this combo work?


texts: How can I quickly estimate my level in go by playing against a computer/tablet?

texts:
I would like to have an idea of my level in go (in kyu). This would for instance help me choose the most appropriate go books to read. I would like to do this through playing against a program—because I can play anywhere anytime.

I read on Wikipedia that each difference of one point in kyu is equivalent to one stone of handicap, and also that one stone is valued to 13–16 points in score difference. So, if I knew the level of the program I play against, this would allow me to quickly adjust the handicap (depending on the score difference) so that games are balanced, and then counting one kyu of difference for each stone of handicap.

But what is the level of computer/tablet programs? Is there a reference somewhere, or some resources that would give some information on that? In my case, I would love to have some idea of the current level of Little Go on iOS (which is based on Fuego), for 19x19 go.


texts:
I was playing Bohnanza with some family, my brother-in-law kept trying to negotiate three-party trades. I felt like this was against the rules but as long as everyone's trades were planted at the end I let him get away with it.

E.g.

  Mom, I'll give you a red bean if you give sis a soy bean. And sis you give me a garden bean.

Is this against the rules? Should I have stopped him?


texts:
Chum deals 3 damage if the next encountered ICE doesn't have all its subroutines broken. Data Raven gives the runner the option to either take a tag, or end the run when encountered before proceeding to its subroutine.

If the runner takes the option to end the run after encountering the Data Raven, do they still take the 3 net damage?

(This would also apply to a TollBooth the runner couldn't pay 3C towards)


texts:
What happens if two of my creatures, have triggered abilities, which trigger on attack, in what order it resolves?

For example I have on board Prognostic Sphinx and Narset, Enlightened Master, and attack with both. Can I scry first put something on the bottom of my library and then exile 3 cards from top of my library, or it resolves at the same time so I scry 3 cards and same 3 cards + 1 additional are exiled?


texts:
Say you are playing 4 person spades, and somone bids nil and they get a book/trick what is the penalty? Does it count as a sandbag, or do they just lose the points from failing nil? Does that book count towards the partners bid?

Now in three man spades if someone bids nil and gets a book do they get a sandbag or just lose the points?


texts: Which games have ever been rated #1 on Boardgamegeek.com's Geek Rating?

texts: What are all of the games that have ever reached the #1 rank on boardgamegeek.com's Geek Rating list?  The current #1 is Pandemic Legacy, and prior to that it was Twilight Struggle.


texts: In vanilla Twilight Imperium 3rd ed., should you always take Imperial if it's available?

texts: Sometimes, when we're playing Twilight Imperium, if we're in a tight spot or a position to advance, our play group tends to pick the strategy that will help their board position (for instance, Diplomacy) over an available Imperial, but this doesn't necessarily seem optimal.  You do get an advantage on the board, however, those two victory points are now someone else's.  Should you always take Imperial if you can, even if it seems like another strategy will help you more on the board?


texts: Does Void Winnower prevent my opponent from casting X spells with even base converted mana cost?

texts:
The part of Void Winnower's text that is relevant is

  Your opponents can't cast spells with even converted mana costs. (Zero is even)

I know that when checking the converted mana cost of a card with {X} in the cost, the X is considered to be 0 unless the card is a spell on the stack. So Black Sun's Zenith normally has a converted mana cost of 2. Does this mean that Void Winnower completely prevents me from casting Black Sun's Zenith, or that I can cast it if I choose an odd X?


texts:
What does the Scrabble board look like in foreign languages?
I recently saw a 19x19 Scrabble board, which might be used in German, but I'm not sure.


texts: What is the original purpose of Bazaar of Baghdad?

texts:
I have a lot of interest in Bazaar of Baghdad

  {T}: Draw two cards, then discard three cards.

I know how powerful this card is in a Dredge deck in Vintage and thus why it's banned in Legacy, but since the Dredge mechanic has been introduced in the Ravnica block in 2005 and Bazaar is a card printed in 1993 in Arabian Nights: what was the purpose of that land?

I suppose there must have been another use other than "create a card disadvantage for me" (even One with Nothing had one!), so I'm wondering how and how much was Bazaar used in those twelve years and if its price has risen so much only after Ravnica: City of Guilds.


texts: When I was playing UNO earlier, I found two strange cards: they were purple and blank, with no number or special sign on them. What is this card for? Is it like a Wild Card or +4 Wild Card? It wasn't mentioned in the instructions.


texts: If 2 copies of Gleam of Authority are on the board would that mean that +1/+1 counters would bounce back and fourth to infinity?


texts:
It’s my turn. It is a two handed game. There is only one card left in the Stock pile. (In two handed canasta, the rule is "if a player draws from the stock, they must draw two cards instead of the normal one")
Can I pick up the one card and play my hand or is the game over.


texts: What are the dependencies of the Werewolf games expansions?

texts:
I want to buy the party game Werewolf, either "The Werewolves of Millers Hollow" or "Ultimate Werewolf" , but there seems to be different versions and expansions, and the dependencies are unclear for me. Which expansions needs the original game or not, or obsoletes other parts of the game?

The Werewolves of Millers Hollow

Original Game
New Moon - Requires Original Game?
Characters - Requires Original Game?
The Village - Standalone? Does it make the other games obsolete?
Special edition - Standalone? Can it be used in combination with any of the
expansions?
I know there is a big box version that contains many/all expansions. Is this the same as "The Village" or does it contain that and more?

Ultimate Werewolf

Original Game (?)
Classic Movie Monsters - Requires Original Game?
Night Terrors - Requires Original Game?
Artifacts - Requires Original Game?
Urban Legends - Requires Original Game?
Wolfpack - Requires Original Game?
Deluxe edition - This is the original game with an expansion? Does it overlap with the other expansions?


texts: What is the optimal method to shuffle an organised deck of cards

texts: In a number of games I play there are a play deck and a discard deck (for example Ticket to Ride and Pandemic).  The discard deck, by the way the games are constructed, becomes organised as cards are discarded in groups.  However, the play deck needs to be as close to random as possible for the games to work well.  I would like to know if there is an optimal way to shuffle a deck to overcome the self organisation of the discard decks in these circumstances.  I can riffle shuffle well but have read some research that it would take 7 full riffle shuffles to effectivley remove the affects of an organised deck.  Are there any other methods of cuttings of the deck or shuffle types that create a random deck in a more efficient manner?


texts: Opening strategies in Chess 960 (Fisher Random Chess)

texts: I had a go at Chess 960 the other day, but whereas I thought I might do better against the computer as it didn't have an opening book, in fact the opposite happened as it quickly found holes in my position. Are there any good opening strategies? Is it best to try to massage your position into classical chess positions or to try to build a fortress around the castled king?


texts: Do Obosh and Brash Taunter together cause quadruple damage to an opponent?

texts:
With the recent spoiling of Brash Taunter in M21, what would be the interaction for a combination like Obosh, the Preypiercer and Brash Taunter?

Obosh causes Odd CMC (Coverted Mana cost) spells to do double damage.

Brash Taunter is an odd CMC creature that deals damage to target player equal to the damage dealt to it.

Let's say I have Brash Taunter fight a red creature I control that also has an odd CMC, let's just say it's Obosh, on the field. What is the damage Brash Taunter would be dealing out at that point? Would it be 6 or 12?


texts:
I saw these cards on the Internet and quickly became curious: How in the world do they work?
Do you pick one of them to play and then discard the card, or can you play both? How does their color and mana-cost duality function with cards that depend on them? When were these cards added to MTG?


texts: I've designed a game which requires 3D geometric pieces. For a prototype, I'd like to see these make from metal, and to look elegant. Who might craft such items? I'm not even sure which profession I might investigate.


texts: Does anybody know of a list of color-appropriate effects for new cards in Magic?

texts:
My playgroup has started to get into creating custom cards for our casual Magic: the Gathering games, but it's no fun if the cards aren't designed in a plausible way.

According to Mark Rosewater's second Nuts & Bolts of Design article, certain abilities (like flying or haste) are permitted to appear in certain colors at any rarity (or might only appear at a certain rarity). Creature size is predicated by color and rarity as well, and I can only assume that spell effects are subject to similar restrictions.

Has WotC ever published a complete list of color-pie appropriate effects and abilities, or has anyone ever tried to compile one from observable trends in card design?


texts: Destroying Odric, Master Tactician in response to declared attackers

texts:
Alright, so we were playing a game and confusion was brought up.
Player 1 Attacks with 5 creatures as well as Odric, Master Tactician. When doing so, Odric's ability kicks in saying P1 could choose which creatures block, and who they block. In this phase, when P1 declared which of his monsters were attacking, and P2 played Bright Reprisal, which states "Destroy target attacking creature. Draw a card." P2 used that card to destroy Odric. So with that being said, would Odric's ability still be in effect?


texts: What Makes Buildings Valuable In Puerto Rico?

texts:
I'm just learning the game, so some of my comments may seem ill-informed. But it seems that strategies fall under two categories, a commodity-based strategy and a building-based strategy.

Commodities are simple enough. Produce a lucrative commodity (and take on roles that will increase production or profitability), then "cash out" for victory points at a high rate in foreign markets. This is what I call a "constructive" strategy.

Another strategy is to invest in the local economy in the form of buildings. At first blush, this seems less lucrative than selling commodities. But many winning players prefer this strategy, perhaps because it gives them some "veto" power over other players' shipments. This is what I call an "obstructive" strategy.

In a game such as backgammon, I would use a "constructive" (running) strategy if I got high rolls early in the game. With low rolls, I would use an "obstructive" strategy of building hurdles to make opponents "waste" rolls. Could an analogous dynamic support the acquisition of buildings in Puerto Rico?

It also seems that with buildings that there are hidden "synergies" or feedback effects. For instance, the "list price" may be five doubloons for a building with three victory points. But under some circumstances, the building "kicks back" two doubloons, which may be used to buy another building (and more victory points. Or it may "kick back" a colonist that may be used to upgrade another building. Meaning that the five doubloon building actually costs "less" than its "list price."

Could it be that buying buildings is a highly  "constructive" strategy, but only if you buy several of them in tandem?


texts: Small World: Do Spirit Ghouls Score When Active Race Declines?

texts: So I already understand that when Spirit Ghouls are the already-in-decline race, they cannot make any conquests on the turn that the active race declines, but do they score victory points for the territories they already hold?


texts: MTG protection from color in multiple card multicolored scenario

texts: I just played a game of MTG Arena where Questing Beast attacked while I declared my Linden, the Steadfast Queen as a blocker. I sacrificed my Alseid of Life's Bounty and gave Linden, the Steadfast Queen protection from green. My opponent played Embercleave and assigned it to Questing Beast. If I correctly saw the situation, only the Embercleave damage was applied on the Linden, the Steadfast Queen which is exactly what I though would happen but after both "First strike damage" and "Damage" were applied, Linden, the Steadfast Queen perished and I can't make a sense of it why.


texts: Can my opponent chain an on-summon trigger effect to my on-summon trigger effect?

texts:
I'm confused about on-summon trigger effects. Consider this scenario:

Opponent has a card on the field, with the effect When your opponent Summons a monster: ... (e.g. Trap Hole or Evolzar Solda. Note the when in the effect.)
I Summon a monster that has the effect If this card is Summoned: ... (e.g. Infinitrack Anchor Drill).
Because I am the turn player I get to activate effects first. I activate my monster's effect.
(The part I'm asking about) My opponent want to activate their effect, but, if I understand correctly, they CAN NOT since my effect started a chain, and the last thing that happened in that chain was that I activated my effect, not that I Summoned a monster.

This is how I understand it. I've gathered this from looking around the internet. One relevant quote from the wiki is this (emphasis mine):

  During the Summon response window, due to Fast Effect Timing, first the turn player must activate any compulsory effects that they triggered, such as "Summoning Curse" and "Summoner Monk", then their opponent must do the same. Then, the turn player has the opportunity to activate optional effects like "Torrential Tribute" and "Armageddon Knight"; if the turn player passes, then the opponent also has the opportunity to activate these effects. If at any point either player starts a Chain, standard Chain rules are followed.

Since a Chain is started when I activate my effect, my opponent cannot activate their effect in response to my Summon since it misses timing.

One relevant image is this:

I imagine that the order is this:

The game state is open (my Main Phase 1).
Turn player takes an action that does NOT start a Chain (my Summon).
Does this activate a triggered effect? (Yes, my monster's effect).
Chain rules (opponent can't activate effect, since they would be chaining it to my effect activation, not my Summon).

A good answer needs sources to relevant rulings (if any). Preferably directly from Konami, but links to a wiki/trusted source is "good enough" if no Konami quote can be found. If I'm wrong and my opponent can chain to my Summon the answer should explain how and why. Edge cases should be included too, if there are any (e.g. a Summon that starts a chain vs one that does not).