texts: Can Feather bring back a spell with Jump-Start?

texts:
Jump-Start is a keyword ability that allows a card to be cast from the graveyard, and then exiled afterwards. (For example, Maximize Velocity.) According to the Comprehensive Rules, the exact wording of the cast-then-exile effect is "[i]f this spell was cast using its jump-start ability, exile this card instead of putting it anywhere else any time it would leave the stack."

If I cast a spell using Jump-Start while Feather, the Redeemed is in play, can I use Feather's ability to bring the card back into my hand (at the next end step) after casting it?

On the one hand, both Feather's effect and Jump-Start's effect are replacements that apply when the spell leaves the stack, which makes me think I can choose which applies.

On the other hand, Jump-Start's replacement exiles it instead of putting it anywhere else, not just the graveyard—so could it then replace Feather's replacement, exiling it anyway?


texts:
Does the scope card change the distance at which you can Panic somebody ?
As the Panic card has the symbol "Distance of 1", I'm wondering if the scope changes that. Same question for Rose Doolan who sees everybody at a distance decreased by 1.
And does that apply to the tomahawk card as well ? (which means you could throw it to somebody that is at a distance of 3).


texts: Under what circumstances is a declare allowed to "pause" upon seeing the dummy?

texts:
My understanding is that this is allowed when a declarer has "technical" problems. So in a sense, the question is about what constitutes a legitimate technical problem.

If the declarer wins the first trick, he can pause, because there is the issue of what to lead next.

But suppose there is a singleton of the first led suit in the dummy, the play of which is forced. Suppose the declarer anticipates having a technical problem in the closed hand regarding whether to accept or refuse the first trick. Can he pause to study the whole hand before playing from dummy or does he need to play immediately from the dummy and wait until the trick arrives at his closed hand before pausing? That is to say, since he is playing both the dummy and hand, can he pause at the dummy based on a problem in hand?

Suppose dummy has a singleton, East plays the ace, declarer has Kx (or Qx), and wants to make a decision whether or not to false card with the honor. Is this an allowable technical problem for a pause either at dummy or in hand?

If the opponents retain the lead, must the declarer wait until he has a technical problem regarding an opposing lead to pause and study the hand?

And finally, can the two sides mutually agree that the declarer will not play from dummy for at least say, five seconds, so that BOTH sides will have a chance to study the board?


texts: What rules changes have there been in Uno?

texts:
A previous question revealed that there has been at least one (albeit minor) rules change for Uno recently.

This makes me curious to know if there have been any other changes to the rules over the years.

How does today's Uno differ from the Uno of my youth?  I'm only referring to standard Uno, not any themed version.


texts: Dream Eater leaves battlefield before Surveil

texts:
Dream Eater's ability says:

  When Dream Eater enters the battlefield, surveil 4. When you do, you may return target nonland permanent an opponent controls to its owner's hand.

The second half of the ability is referred to as a "reflexive triggered ability".  So, with the first half of the ability on the stack, can you remove the Eater so the second half doesn't trigger?


texts: Does Homing Sliver give other Slivers slivercycling even before it's been cast?

texts: Homing Sliver gives each sliver card in each player's hand slivercycling 3. My question is... does it do that even if Homing Sliver hasn't been cast? Or do slivers in peoples hands only gain that ability after homing sliver is on the battlefield?


texts: What to do with multiple invulnerable saves?

texts:
My friend has built a dire avenger exarch with a shimmer shield which gives it a 5+ invulnerable save. However it has the ability Battle fortune which gives the exarch a 4+ invulnerable save.
How does this work? Is the shimmer shield just a waste on the exarch?


texts: Does anyone else use The Little Girl in Werewolf?

texts: The group I play with uses a character called The Little Girl.  She can peek each night at everyone else and see who the werewolves are, but if the werewolves spot her she's dead.  It seems that in the right hands, this could be a hugely overpowered position.  Anyone else use it?


texts:
I got a challenger deck with Sarkhan the Masterless which can create dragons.

In the deck there are two dragons. Do they just count as part as your library and if you have only one you can only create one dragon (given it dies) and if you have 5 you can create 5?

They also have a front and a backside. Can I only use them once?


texts: If Player A had a creature with shroud on the battlefield, and Player B cast Single Combat, would Player A be able to choose the shrouded creature as the creature they keep?


texts:
It takes quite a lot of time to set up Puerto Rico, especially when switching between games with a different numbers of players; a quarter of an hour I'd say. The problem is that it is rather time consuming to separate the different types of chips, count the colonists and victory points, restrict the number of plantations, putting the buildings on the board, etc...

I'm probably asking the impossible, but does anyone know a trick to cut down this rather long set up time?


texts: How would Solidarity of Heroes work with Heroic counter abilities

texts:
I have built a Satyr and Centaur ramp deck that works on the heroic ability to boost counters with instant spells. I would like to know how Solidarity of Heroes would effect this ability as it states:

  Choose any number of target creatures. Double the amount of +1/+1 counters on each of them.

My gut instinct would be that I control both the heroic ability and the effect that is placed on the stack by Solidarity of Heroes so I could choose which happens first.

So essentially could I target a Setessan Oathsworn with Solidarity, put two +1 counters on Oath with the heroic ability, then double the counters with Solidarity?

My confusion lies with when Setessan is being targeted by the spell to double the counters that puts the heroic ability on the stack, then the spell resolves putting Solidarity on the stack which means it would possibly resolve first doubling zero counters...


texts: Do spells continue to use hand(s) on following rounds of combat?

texts:
If I use a spell in combat (eg: Shriveling) on one turn of combat, and it succeeds, on a subsequent round of combat, does the spell still use up any "hands" for combat?

OR

After casting a spell, on a subsequent round of combat, is that hand(s) free to use other weapons/spells?


texts: What is the best strategy for when to meld in (standard) Rummy?

texts: In standard/basic/straight Rummy (no optional rules), How long should you wait to meld?


texts:
A recent Board Games with Scott episode [Breaking Up the Monopoly] has brought up an interesting question:  When someone that you know asks to play Monopoly with you, what game do you suggest playing with them?  I assume that you don't end up playing Monopoly with them.  If so, that's cool, just tell me why you do that instead (alternative rules, versions, etc.).

Try to limit your answer to one game, and explain the mechanic or "hook" that you use to entice them away from the dreaded Boardwalk, Park Place, and Free Parking.


texts: Can fleet units charge the turn they run

texts: So the warhammer 40k rule book is pretty explicit about running and charging not being allowed but I was wondering if their was possibly a errata I was missing about fleet units being able to charge the turn they run? In previous editions you could run and charge if you had fleet and this makes my hormagaunts rather horrible when I fleet right in front of the opponent. Maybe this is why I have read that Tyranids are not as good in the new rules?


texts: Does Sutured Ghoul count cards exiled by other effects, such as suspended creatures?

texts:
As Sutured Ghoul says

As Sutured Ghoul enters the battlefield, exile any number of creature cards from your graveyard.
Sutured Ghoul's power is equal to the total power of the exiled cards and its toughness is equal to their total toughness.

The text says the exiled cards, so does only count on cards that are exiled by himself, or does every exiled creature counts?
The oracle does not mention any reference to this:

22/09/2011    If any of the creature cards you exile has a characteristic-defining ability that defines its power and/or toughness, that ability will apply. For example, if Dungrove Elder is exiled this way, its power and toughness while it’s in exile are equal to the number of Forests you control, and Sutured Ghoul’s power and toughness will change as the number of Forests you control changes. If the characteristic-defining ability can’t be applied (for instance, it relies on a choice made as the card enters the battlefield), then use 0.
22/09/2011    In zones other than the battlefield, Sutured Ghoul’s power and toughness are each 0.
22/09/2011    You can’t have Sutured Ghoul exile itself, even if it’s entering the battlefield from your graveyard.


texts: Warhammer Age of Sigmar moving within 3" of enemy models

texts:
This seems quite an obvious question, but I can't seem to find any answer around the net.

AoS rules state:

  When you move a model in the movement phase, you may not move within
  3" of any enemy models. Models from your army are friendly models, and
  models from the opposing army are enemy models.

And also

  Any unit that has charged or has models within 3" of an enemy unit can
  attack with its melee weapons in the combat phase.

So my question is: can I move a unit at exactly 3" from an enemy unit, skip charging, and then just pile in and fight in combat phase?

This kinda sounds awkward as I can imagine an unit running toward an enemy unit, stopping at 3" (because you cannot move it within 3") and then just pile in during combat phase. So like I'd just run every time instead of charging as the odds of adding a D6 to your base movement seem better than just moving 2D6.

I think the key of this might be in that within keyword: how far from an enemy unit in practice may I end my movement? how far from an enemy unit in practice may I perform a pile in?


texts: Should I prefer Farmers or other followers?

texts:
My friends and I have played three or four games of Carcassonne with varying winners, and fortunately we're all about the same experience with board games in general.

I'm beginning to find, however, that our games are being decided by the farm at the end. It is common for thirty or forty points to be decided at the very end. With this in mind, should I start shifting my strategy toward keeping only one or two followers open for quick road/city/abbey completions and lay down more farmers?


texts: What is the name of this questions asking with emotions card game?

texts:
A player draws a card from 2 different stacks.

First stack: a question that the player must ask another..."will you marry me?".
Second stack: an emotion or attitude...."Aloof".

The player must ask that question in that manner.

What is the name of this game?


texts: Kill a blocker with an instant - is it still blocking?

texts:
We are in the combat phase:

I declared my attackers
My opponent declared his blockers, stating which
attackers he was blocking
I cast an instant, which automatically kills his blocker. There is nothing blocking my attacker now

Now we're in the damage phase. I said that my attacker now does damage and  reduces my opponent's hit points. My opponent said that because my attacker was blocked no damage could be done. I pointed out that the blocker was destroyed before the damage phase, so therefore he wasn't blocking, but he wasn't having it. (My attacker does not have trample)

Is this covered by a specific section in the rules?


texts: Is there a formal designation for "pure placement" games?

texts:
Specifically in the context of abstract or combinatorial games.

As an example, Go and Reversi are both placement games.  Although mathematically distinct (Reversi requires placement in the center at the start, and carries a constraint that new tokens must connect,) they share the core mechanic of token placement.

Both games involve surround-and-capture, however Go utilizes a "takeaway" mechanic, where in Reversi, no tokens are removed from the gameboard.

The result of this difference is that Go can become "loopy", requiring the imposition of the Ko rule, where Reversi is natively finite, and designated as "loop free".

Domineering is another basic form of loop-free, "pure placement" games, but is distinct in terms of token size to board cells (i.e. uses dominos, which take up two board positions.)

Is there a formal term for games that utilize placement but not takeaway?


texts:
Trying to find a boardgame from my childhood.  it was basically Monopoly in space.

all the pieces were little rockets
the board was a map of our solar system
each moon around the planets had deed cards
there were these little metal objects that were fuel depots
you could put the fuel depots on the moons you bought
there was also a fuel tracker and if you ran out of fuel you lost the game

anyone remember the name of this game? would have come out probably mid-1980's.


texts: Can I move a wildcard after melding if I get 3 natural cards in canasta?

texts: Can I move wildcards around, from set to set, to build a canasta?


texts: In Texas Hold'em, the first common cards dealt are the three cards known as the flop. Then we proceed to deal the Turn and the River, which are single cards. Is there any specific reason why we first deal multiple cards and then single cards? How would the game be different if we dealt all five common cards separately, and have a betting round between each?


texts: Can you Rez an upgrade during a run? And when?

texts:
If I have an upgrade (eg: Strongbox) on a server (eg : Archives) - can I Rez it during a run?

If i can, how does this differ if there is Ice or not?


texts: is party bridge the same as rubber bridge?

texts:
I am in a group that says we play party bridge and the rules for honors are different than for rubber bridge. What exactly are the differences between party bridge and rubber bridge, and why are they different?

For example, are the honors scored the same in both party bridge and rubber bridge?


texts: Can a Colorless commander use cards with the {C} symbol on them?

texts: Hope of Ghirapur has no assigned color, but I want to use it as a general. Can I use cards that are colorless that require Wastes in the deck, for example Deceiver of Form?


texts: Does "When enter on the battlefield" trigger heroic?

texts: When a Satyr Grovedancer enters on the battlefield and I choose a creature with heroic to recieve the a +1/+1 counter, does it trigger the heroic? I don't think so because the heroic says explicitly that when a spell targets that creature but I would like to check.


texts:
In the third part of Time's Up! (the Peter Sarrett game), I have to mime without speaking. Let's say my partner has to guess the movie "Seven Samurai". Is it allowed:

to mime the figure with seven fingers?
to mime another figure (six) and mime to add one?


texts: How to identify miniature parts that correspond to in-game enhancements?

texts:
I'm totally new to Warhammer and to assembling my own miniatures. I'm preparing a team of tau fire warriors and I am confused with the enhancements and how to prepare the miniatures to reflect them in 'what you see is what you get' games. The codex says that the Shas'ui of the team can take a markerlight and that the team can take EMP grenades. How do I know which of the dozens of optional pieces in my box corresponds to these? Moreover, my kit comes with two options for the tactical support turret (smart missile system and missile pod) but I'm also having trouble identifying the pieces for these. I have one piece with three missiles and another with six, but no idea of which is which.

Is there a guide, with pictures, if possible, linking each piece to what they are supposed to represent?


texts: How can we beat Prince of Gluttons in Aeon's End

texts:
Been playing a bit more of Aeon's End base game, so far, the only nemesis that we simply can't beat with a team of two is the Prince of Gluttons.
We never manage to beat him, whatever the spells/relics/gems, we just get overwhelmed by his minions and his base power. We tried buying only things he devoured, but usually, that's not enough. We do not manage to get geared early enough, Gravehold gets beaten hard, we somehow stale (or die) then he eats everything and we loose.
We had some trouble with the Crooked Mask, but we managed with it, it was a very close game, but it felt "fair". The Prince beats us with no trouble, we have trouble to survive, and he has a time limit...
What can we do to beat him? Are there specific compositions to have? Do we need to buy expansion packs to get better/other mages/cards?


texts: What if there are two paths connecting to the gold in Saboteur 2?

texts: Let's say a blue dwarf makes the final connection to the gold. However, there are two paths that one could take to get from the ladder to the gold. One of these paths has a blue door, one of them has no doors. Obviously the blue dwarf would prefer to use the path with the door, so does the player who makes the final connection get to choose what path to use? Or does it go by shortest path to the gold? Basically, what are the rules to determine what path counts as the "final path"?


texts: Does the One Hive rule apply to preserving a continuous hive for your opponent as well?

texts:
Here are the rules.

Page 9 lists the One Hive rule.

  The pieces in play must be linked at all times.

I'm looking for confirmation that this means my move must preserve my opponent's hive's continuity.


texts: Can Supply-Line Cranes supply themselves?

texts:
When Supply-Line Cranes enter the battlefield, put a +1/+1 counter on target creature.

Can the cranes target themselves?


texts: Can both monsters in Tokyo yield at the same time after an attack?

texts:
In a 5- or 6-player game of King of Tokyo, there are two spaces in Tokyo: the city, and Tokyo Bay. Normally, if a monster is inside Tokyo, and a monster outside Tokyo attacks, the monster in Tokyo has the option to leave Tokyo, yielding to the outside monster.

How does this change if there are two monsters in Tokyo? If a monster outside Tokyo attacks while there are two monsters in Tokyo, can both monsters yield, leaving Tokyo Bay empty? Or is one of the monsters forced to stay behind and take another beating before they can leave?


texts: Is there a correct overcall or double in this case?

texts:
Let's say I have a 4S-3H-4D-2C distribution and 12-18 points. One of the opponents has already opened and they didn't bid clubs but one of the other suits (S, H or D). Now what can I bid? I cannot overcall because that requires a strong suit. I cannot double because that promises at least a 3 carder of all the unbid suits including clubs. What do I bid in this case?

I play Standard American 5 card major or 2/1


texts: How do multiple Underrealm Liches interact?

texts: If I have more than one Underrealm Lich on the battlefield and I draw a card, do they both trigger? Would it be the same as if I drew two cards with one Lich? Would one trigger cancel the other one out? Would I look at the top six cards and only choose one? Please Help!


texts: Bang! - Eliminating an outlaw with backfire

texts:
The outlaw has only one life and bangs the sheriff. The Sheriff plays a 'backfire' card, eliminating the outlaw from the game.

Does the sheriff receive the 3 cards since the player was not eliminated with a bang card?


texts: What happens when multiple Canker Abominations enter the battlefield simultaneously?

texts:
Alice and Nicholas each control five Elvish Mystics. Each graveyard has a Canker Abomination and nothing else. Alice casts and resolves Exhume.

How many Canker Abominations remain on the battlefield after state-based actions are checked?

More generally, what happens when multiple permanents with "as [this object] enters the battlefield" effects enter at the same time, specifically when the act of entering would change the board state in a way the effect cares about?


texts: Source for significant historical events

texts:
I'm designing a game that involves identifying historical events, and I'm looking for an online source that I can use to generate a set of event cards.

For my prototype, I'm using a copy of the game Chronology, but to publish a print-and-play version, I'd need to find or create my own set of cards. If I could find an online source with a permissive licence, that might not be too much work. Other games like Chronology that could be used for prototyping would also be helpful.


texts: How many accessories can a mouse equip in Mice and Mystics

texts: The accessory cards do not show a usage slot (head, body, paws).  Does that mean there is no limit to how many a single mouse can equip?  Or are they limited to one?


texts: Does Multani, Yavimaya's Avatar die to Fall of the Thran?

texts: With a Multani, Yavimaya's Avatar in play, a Fall of the Thran resolves. Is there a span of time between when lands are destroyed and lands exist in the graveyard where no lands exist? If not, what mechanism keeps Multani from being 0/0?


texts: Can abilities with a [Click] cost be used during a run?

texts:
Some abilities have a [Click] cost to them, such as Crypsis' ability to add a virus counter to it.

Does it count as a "paid ability" for the purposes of the Run Timeline? I.e. could I, mid-run, add a virus counter to Crypsis for the cost of one [Click]?


texts: Can my deck have fewer cards after sideboard?

texts: Traditionally, you're supposed to have 60 cards in your main deck, and 15 cards in your sideboard.  But let's say that I had 64 cards in my main deck and 15 cards in my sideboard.  For game 2 & 3, could I reduce my main deck to 60 cards and effectively have 4 more cards in my sideboard, or do I have to keep my main deck at 64 cards?


texts: Where can I search by card for decks in major tournaments?

texts:
Where I can search by card for decks from major modern tournaments? By major tournaments, I mean Grand Prixs, StarCityGames Open Series, TCGPlayer Max Point Series, and other large (200+) player tournaments.

For example, I need to be able to find modern decks that use a specific card. I have a Tibalt, the Fiend-Blooded that I would like to find a use for (other than as a bookmark).


texts: What happens if an Ice's subroutine can't be resolved?

texts:
I've got an Ice with subroutine: "Trash 1 program". What happens if the subroutine triggers and the runner does not have a program? The question is motivated by the next facts:

There are obligatory and optional abilities ("... if able", Enigma for example).
There is a rule clarification in the official FAQ: "A player cannot trigger an action/ability unless he is also able to resolve it".


texts: Can I use Deathwind with Isochron Scepter?

texts:
My question is twofold.

1) Can I imprint Death Wind with Isochron Scepter

2) If I can, what is the maximum -X/-X I can give a creature by imprinting Death Wind and tapping Iscochron Scepter?

Thanks


texts: How much land does a land card represent?

texts: Thematically, how much land is a single land card supposed to represent?  (It's for a story where the Magic: The Gathering card game is going to become kind of-sort of real through ignorance and stupid amounts of raw, untapped magical talent. ...yes, it is Harry Potter.)


texts: Is cycling a card from your hand considered a spell?

texts:
My opponent has a werewolf transforming card in play, currently with the human side face up.

I have a sliver in my hand with sliver cycling. I cycle this sliver to find another in my deck. The one in my hand therefore goes into my graveyard. I end my turn after revealing my chosen sliver and placing it in my hand.

My opponent wants to transform his werewolf, claiming I cast no spells.

I payed mana, a card left my hand and entered my graveyard. Was that a spell?


texts: Do Bolas's Citadel and Experimental Frenzy take reduced mana cost into account?

texts:
I am wondering how reduction in converted mana cost affects Bolas's Citadel or Experimental Frenzy, which have the following abilities:
Bolas's Citadel:

You may look at the top card of your library any time.
You may play the top card of your library. If you cast a spell this way, pay life equal to its converted mana cost rather than pay its mana cost.
{T}, Sacrifice ten nonland permanents: Each opponent loses 10 life.

Experimental Frenzy:

You may look at the top card of your library any time.
You may play the top card of your library.
You can't play cards from your hand.
{3}{R}: Destroy Experimental Frenzy.

Let's say I have some of these cards in play:

Ugin, the Ineffable: “Colorless spells you cast cost {2} less to cast.”
Tezzeret, Master of the Bridge: “Creature and planeswalker spells you cast have  affinity for artifacts. (They cost {1} less to cast for each artifact you control.)”
Jhoira's Familiar: “Historic spells you cast cost {1} less to cast. (Artifacts, legendaries, and Sagas are historic.)”
The Immortal Sun: “Spells you cast cost {1} less to cast.”

Would they reduce the converted mana cost of cards played off the top of the library this way?


texts: Is Saboteur better in a 4-player game than a 2-player game?

texts:
Inspired by this question, especially @RobRenaud's comment on @BlairHippo's answer pointing to an inconclusive argument on BGG. My question is two-part:

(a) In a general 4-player game, is Saboteur a better card than in a
general 2-player game?
(b) Extreme case: in a 4-player game where all three other players
think Saboteur is amazing---will buy it and play it whenever
possible---what is your best general strategy?

I take as given that Saboteur is a terrible card in most 2-player games (based on Isotropic data and the answers to the previously linked question; please direct disagreements with this assumption to that question).

I will actively downvote answers citing anecdotal evidence. @RobRenaud's comment in the BGG link is a good example of the type of answer I'm hoping for; I hope he submits it as an answer (perhaps fleshed out a little more) relatively soon, otherwise I hope someone else does. I'm also interested in well-reasoned arguments that agree or disagree with that conclusion.

And please don't make your answer too dependent on other cards in the kingdom set. Of course Lighthouse or Moat (or many others) could provide specific counters, but keep your answer general.


texts: What happens if a wizard uses a spell against a monster that is immune to it?

texts: In Dungeon! a wizard must choose to use a spell, let's say lightning, before the monster of a room is revealed. What happens if the monster is revealed and it appears to be immune to lightning, as shown by the "-" sign?


texts: Can you choose whether to use a character's ability after declaring or challenging?

texts:
Imagine a scenario where player A is the Witch and is in the lead (has the most gold). Player B knows that player A is the witch. On player B's turn, she declares that she is the witch. If no-one challenges, then the ability is activated and player B will swap her gold pile with player A. If player A challenges, then she will win the challenge. When the ability is activated, player A will have to swap her gold pile with another player, but because she is in the lead she will end up with less gold than before.

In this situation, can player A choose not to use the ability?


texts: What are the differences between Vinci and Small World?

texts:
Small World has been described as a re-implementation of Vinci, but I've heard that there are some non-trivial differences.  How do these two games differ in terms of rules/mechanics and feel of play?  (I'm not concerned with the change from Europe to a fantasy map unless it affects play.)

I'm familiar with Vinci but have never played Small World.


texts: Can activated abilities be used multiple times on a single target?

texts:
If I have one creature card in my graveyard and my opponent gains control of my turn using Cruel Entertainment, could my opponent activate my Phyrexian Reclamation multiple times by targeting the same creature in the graveyard?

For instance, I have ten life and ten black mana open. Could my opponent activate the ability on my Phyrexian Reclamation 5 times and win the game even though there is only one creature card in my graveyard?


texts: Is Pandemic Legacy as good with 3 players as it is with 4?

texts: I have gathered 3 players (including myself) for Pandemic Legacy and we are eager to begin, but I'm wondering whether I should take the time to find a 4th. I've played Risk Legacy with 4 and it was a great experience. I'm somewhat concerned that the 3-player version of Pandemic Legacy won't be as deep or engaging as the 4-player version. This is just speculation, however, I have no evidence to back this up. Hence this question. Thanks!


texts: When counting the red 3's left in a persons foot can he deduct the value of the red 3's from his black books?


texts: How has the rise of limited formats affected MTG set design?

texts:
One of the great thing about playing limited is that you have to work with what you've got, no matter how bad it is. This means that even some of the worst cards will occasionally see limited play even if they would have zero chance of making it into a competitive constructeddeck. I assume this has had a strong effect on how Wizards of The Coast designs their cards (especially commons), but I'm curious as to how designing a set for limited AND constructed formats as opposed to constructed only has affected their choices.

What sets were the first to be influenced by the rise of limited formats?
How did/do limited formats affect the design of MTG sets and cards?


texts: What kind of damage do you deal when successfully defending with Chalk?

texts:
The Chalk item allows the explorer who has it to defend with Knowledge instead of Might.  If they successfully win the roll--that is, roll higher than their opponent--do they inflict mental or physical damage?

We were playing a haunt the other night with monsters that were immune to physical damage, but attacked with Might.  Would a defender with Chalk stun them or not if it won the combat roll?  (We played it as yes, but I have no idea if that was correct.)


texts: Does Keep score points when another Keep is completed?

texts: In Carcassonne Bridges, Castles, and Bazaars expansion you may build a keep on a completed 2-tile city and it will score points once other features are completed in its vicinity. What if the other feature is also a keep? Does it score as a 2-point city, or does it not count?


texts: Arkham Horror - Are you allowed to take injury/madness while fighting with The Great Old One

texts:
last game we were playing, we were forced to fight with The Great Old One - Ithaqua. We came to a point, where a player lost all his stamina(and later, sanity). However, the question arised - are you allowed to take Injury card, instead of biting the dust?
Rules aren't too clear for this one(imho). On the one hand, the rules say, that if your stamina/sanity reaches 0, you can take them - but at the same time it doesn't explicitly mention the case when you're fighting with The Great Old One. Plus, playing with Injury/Madness is easier than without, and making the game easier doesn't look like Arkham Horror :)

Did I miss something? Is there some clarification? What should I do in this case?

PS. We're playing with Dunwitch Horror, The Black Pharaoh, and The King in Yellow expansions, if that makes a difference.


texts: Rivals for Catan AoE Islands of Scholars Clarification

texts: This refers to the Age of Enlightenment expansion of Rivals for Catan. When discovering the Islands of the Scholars, it says you can choose two cards from one draw stack. Does that mean you can look through the stack and choose, or do you just get to draw the top two cards of the stack?


texts: Do you move forwards or backwards on the King's Cross Chance card?

texts:
If you draw the "Take a trip to King's Cross Station" Chance card, do you move your piece forwards or backwards?  The logical answer might be forwards because most Monopoly Chance cards say "advance".  However, in the case of this card, it says "If you pass go"; you would always pass go when moving forwards from a Chance space to King's Cross, so what’s the use of the word "if"?

Note: This is London Edition Monopoly; this space and card are the equivalent of Reading Railroad and the "Take a ride on the Reading" Chance card in standard edition.


texts:
Does Sultai Ascendancy interact with cards that care about surveil? Like
Dimir Spybug for instance.


texts: What happens when a vehicle dies with Hofri Ghostforge in play? (STX Spoilers)

texts:
What happens when a vehicle dies with the Hofri Ghostforge in play (from the upcoming Strixhaven set)?

Whenever another nontoken creature you control dies, exile it. If you do, create a token that’s a copy of that creature, except it’s a Spirit in addition to its other types

What will the type of the token be? Artifact Creature-Spirit, Tribal Artifact - Spirit, Artifact - Spirit or Artifact?


texts: What happens when a card with undying dies that has a +1/+1 counter put on it by something other that undying?

texts: For example, I have a Howlgeist that I enchanted with Oath of Ancient Wood so it has a +1/+1 counter on it, when it dies does it not come back because of the +1/+1 counter even though it wasn't put there by Undying?


texts: Moss-Pit Skeleton and Skyclave Shadowcat - sacrificing as cost of a triggered ability and triggering another ability when the first one resolves

texts:
Suppose Alice has Moss-Pit Skeleton and Skyclave Shadowcat in game and Bob has a Kazandu Stomper (or some other strong creature, it does not matter).
It is Bob's turn and he attacks with his Kazandu Stomper. In return Alice blocks with Moss-Pit Skeleton. After blocking and before damage is dealt she wants to sacrifice Moss-Pit Skeleton to Skyclave Shadowcat (knowing that Kazandu Stomper stays blocked but no damage is dealt and Kazandu Stomper isn't damaged nor killed, that does not matter here). Her plan is the following (and here is my question, i want to get sure whether i understood everything correctly):

Skyclave Shadowcat's first ability is activated, mana is paid and Moss-Pit Skeleton is sacrificed as additional cost of this ability.
Moss-Pit Skeleton is placed in her graveyard because of the cost of Skyclave Shadowcat's first ability.
Skyclave Shadowcat's second ability is triggered, as Moss-Pit Skeleton had +1/+1 counters on it and Alice therefore draws a card.
Skyclave Shadowcat's first ability resolves and it gets a +1/+1 counter.
A +1/+1 counter is put on one of Alice's creatures and Moss-Pit Skeleton is in her graveyard, therefore Moss-Pit Skeleton's last ability triggers and Alice can put it on top of her library.

I am especially unsure about the last point. In short: Is it possible in this case to sacrifice Moss-Pit Skeleton as part of the activated ability cost of Skyclave Shadowcat and directly afterwards put Moss-Pit Skeleton on top of the library when the activated ability of Skyclave Shadowcat resolves? Or is there some waiting mechanism that places Moss-Pit Skeleton only in the graveyard after the ability of Skyclave Shadowcat is finished?
In even shorter: Is Alice in this case allowed to put Moss-Pit Skeleton on top of her library?


texts: Can I cast a spell if I might be able to pay its cost but don't know yet?

texts: A Wizards forum thread had an interesting question that was left unanswered.  If I have only two black mana available, can I cast Fatal Lore if my opponent has a Spellwild Ouphe on the battlefield?  The issue is it is a legal play only if my opponent chooses the destroy creatures option (since I could target the Ouphe, making it cost two lest to cast).


texts: In Warhammer 40K does taking a Chaos Icon replace other weapons?

texts:
The Codex for Chaos Space Marines says on the data sheet for Chaos Space Marines

One model may take a Chaos Icon (pg 153).

Does taking a Chaos Icon replace the model's boltgun?  Can the model with the Chaos Icon replace his boltgun with a chainsword and still have that with an Icon of Chaos?


texts: Only some of the room cards say "Destory this room (and other stuff happens)" on them. But when can I destroy a room? Does it have to be on my turn, or can I do it when heroes are in walking through another player's dungeon?


texts: In carrom, what if a player pocket the last piece of other player, while queen still on the board?

texts:
One player pocket the black piece of other player while the queen is still on the board.

Does the other player whose black piece was being pocketed by other player wins? If so, then by how many points?


texts: Any defense against the forum cards in Roma?

texts: My friend and I have played about a dozen games of Roma, and it seems pretty consistent that the player with the most forum cards wins. They're just the fastest way to collect victory points. Has anybody successfully fought back against a player who has more forum cards?


texts: Karn, the Great Creator - what defines a 'card from outside the game' in sealed?

texts:
In the upcoming set 'War of the Spark' there is the Planeswalker Karn, the Great Creator. His -2 ability reads as:

  -2: You may choose an artifact card you own from outside the game or in exile, reveal that card and add it to your hand

Now my question is, in a sealed tournament, like the Prerelease, is a player allowed to also choose cards from outside his sealed cardpool, or only out of the cards therein. Does anyone know any rulings on stuff like that?


texts: Does the "Alternate Reality" Crisis require each player to destroy 12 cost worth of Heroes?

texts:
The Crisis Expansion (Pack 1) for the DC Comics Deck-Building Game introduced a new Crisis Mode, which allows for cooperative play and "Crisis Cards" that involve villains' plans. There has been one that has bothered me in particular, "Alternate Reality", which says the following:

  Ongoing: At the start of your turn, destroy all Heroes in your hand. Gain that many random Villains from the destroyed pile and put them into your hand.

  To Beat: Your team must destroy 12 cost worth of Heroes in their discard piles.

Does this mean that each player of the team must destroy 12 cost worth of Heroes in each of their discard piles? Or do they have to collectively have at least 12 cost worth of Heroes (say, 3 points in each of 4 discard piles)?


texts: What happens when I target an indestructible card with an "if that would die this turn, exile it instead" effect?

texts:
Annihilating Fire says:

  Annihilating Fire deals 3 damage to target creature or player. If a creature dealt damage this way would die this turn, exile it instead.

If I deal lethal damage to an indestructible creature with Annihilating Fire or after Annihilating Fire has been played on it this turn will the the creature be exiled?


texts:
I recently stumbled upon another post of data on Reddit which states the unfairness of play vs. draw (Link).
I saw a suggestion on "countering tempo with tempo" giving the idea similar to the "Coin" from Hearthstone. My idea to realise this would be an emblem.
Now to the actual Question:
Could an emblem remove itself from the game? What would the text for that be.
My version of the rules change would be:

[CR 103.7a Original]: In a two-player game, the player who plays first skips the draw step (see rule 504, “Draw Step”) of their first turn.

[CR 103.7a Modified]: In a two-player game, the player who plays first skips the draw step (see rule 504, “Draw Step”) of their first turn and the other player creates an emblem with "Remove this emblem from the game: Add one mana of any color or one colorless mana".

Would this suffice and if not how should the text change. Another idea I have read in a similar thread was: "0: Add one mana... . Use this ability only once per game." I don't particular like that, because now if an effect makes the mana cost of activated abilities cost 2 more, this would be effected aswell, although this could be intended if this version were to be implemented?

Do you think this would work; if not what would need to change?


texts: Is circle a "completed" road in Kids of Carcassonne?

texts:
In Kids of Carcassonne game basic rule is to complete road. In rules it is written (translating from my localized version - Slovak/Czech):

  Road is completed in moment when both ends end in house or elsewhere in country. Road is closed also with crossroads, or city (place surrounded with walls).

Circular road does not fit this definition. So should it be considered "completed" or not?

If cicle does not count as "completed" road it could be used against opponents, that is why I am primarily asking.


texts: Can a squad use a leader or unit from another squad?

texts:
I've never played Warhammer. I have a close friend that does. I am looking for a gift to get her for the game.

Is it possible for a Blood Angels squadron to use a character like Sammael from ravenwing? If I were to get her that would it be useful in her game RAW? Also can a 40k 8th edition game, use units from 30k?


texts: What is the best opening in Hansa Teutonica?

texts: What opening move should I prefer in Hansa Teutonica with 3, 4, or 5 players, and why?


texts: Are there any restrictions to the number of weapons a survivor can equip?

texts:
In the game, Dead of Winter, one of the players had their survivor pretty much camp out at the police station and search for weapons.

He then equipped pretty much every single weapon he found to the same survivor, including weapons that were already equipped (i.e. 2 identical handguns etc).

It seemed a bit overpowered, but I couldn't find any restriction on the number of items a survivor can equip. Has anyone come across any other ruling on this?


texts: Helping without being asked, is this legal?

texts: My brother and his friend were playing Munchkin Legends, and my brother helped him when it wasn't asked of or needed. He then stated that he was in the battle, and he tried to run away, even though he wasn't the one fighting or needed. He then played the Lemming Parade card so his friend had to run away. His friend and I thought that that was against the rules because my brother wasn't the one who had to run away. Is it against the rules?


texts: Invoking abilities not needed in order to charge Net Mercur

texts:
Is the Runner allowed to invoke abilities from cards which they do not need in order to add a credit to Net Mercur?

For example, let's say the Runner uses their last click to run on Archives (which is unprotected say) - during this run, can they spend a credit from a Stealth card which they do not need to do for any other reason than to add a credit to Net Mercur?

I'm assuming the answer is yes, but answers using any reference material to support their statements would be appreciated.


texts: When should I make an accusation in Clue?

texts:
In Clue, I can usually use careful observation of my own and others' suggestions to gradually eliminate possibilities. But when should I make the final accusation? Should I wait until I am 100% sure I am correct, or eventually take a chance? How can I tell if the other players are close enough to making their own accusations that I should make mine first?

Since I only get to make one accusation in the game (if I get it wrong I get no further moves), I figure I should at least be 50% sure that I am correct, but I'm curious as to when suggestions should be made earlier or later than my general guidelines suggests.


texts: Can I make a card that places a +1/+1 counter on an enchantment that isn't a creature?

texts:
Say I want to create a card that places +1/+1 counters on non-creatures:

Egzampla 1R
Creatures - Human Wizard
1/1
When Egzampla enters the battlefield, place +1/+1 counter on target enchantment.

Is such an effect legal (so to speak), and is it considered good or bad practice from design standpoint?


texts: Are duel deck pairs always released with an even chance of winning?

texts:
My friends and I have acquired some of the recent duel decks over time — Heroes vs Monsters, Zendikar vs Edrazi, Elspeth vs Kiora, and Speed vs Cunning.

We've tried each of them a few times, and while I'm pretty satisfied with them, some of my friends are coming out concerned that one of the decks in the pairs we've tried might simply have a greater chance of winning than the other. For Zendikar vs Eldrazi they're thinking the Eldrazi has a moderate edge; for Heroes vs Monsters they suspect Heroes have a strong advantage.

This might just be our limited number of games, who was inclined to play what, confirmation bias, etc. Trick Jarrett won with monsters 3-1 for instance, and I imagine duel decks are at least intended to be even. I haven't been able to cue Google to offer up an answer as to the odds of each deck of winning.

So, I need to turn to your expertise and shed some light that might either confirm what my friends suspect or assuage their concerns.

Are all duel deck pairings intended to have a roughly even chance of winning against each other? I'm assuming this is the case, but that's just me assuming. More importantly, do they actually tend to work out that way in practice, or are they known to sometimes come out with a strong bias toward one of the decks?

I would prefer to see citations from credible sources about developer intentions and win rates. (Official sources like the Wizards development team are credible. If there's genuinely no citations available, I can accept that, but I'd like to be informed of that.) It's pretty reasonable to assume that something called "duel decks" would be intended to have even chances of winning, but I don't want to go by assumptions — and I want something for my friends to have confidence in. It's possible they have design time constraints that prevent them from really achieving evenness, or that the product's seen as secondary and 70/30 odds is considered good enough, etc. It's more probable they want everything to be 50/50 (or 55/45 at worst) and have plenty of resources available and devote themselves to successfully achieving that every time, but I'd like to know that.


texts: Ensuring a game of Arkham Horror runs quickly even with new players

texts:
I am teaching the game to a ton of new people this week. I was going to be playing with only 3 others and planned to join in myself, but now that we're up to 8 players including me, I figured the game would be more fun if I keep things moving as a non-player Arkham Master. Staying out of the game as a player and act as rules guardian, referee for things 1st player normally resolves, reader of cards, and general knowledge base.

How can I keep the game running smoothly? With only one experienced investigator (has played a single game a month ago) still in the group. We have either 4.5 hours or if we're lucky, 6 hours to play the game in, and I think we all know that even with an experienced group 6 hours can be too short.

I'm playing Vanilla, and they're up against Yig, so as a light sleeper, that should make it easier.  What techniques, homerules, and other adjustments have you developed to counter game-length creep?


texts: In Bridge, Can I Ask About Previously Played Cards to the Current Trick?

texts:
In Bridge, one is allowed to look at the four cards played to the last trick (if the next round hasn't started).

Can I similarly ask about cards played to the current trick?

I was sitting at East, and the third round of a suit was led by West. Declarer followed suit from dummy immediately.

I asked: "Who played the master card?" (It was West, and I didn't want to trump partner's trick.)

Dummy protested, "You shouldn't have asked that question, because you just advertised your void." But partner had already played (as had dummy). So only declarer would "benefit" from my question.

Was my question proper or not in this context? If it was improper, was it for the reason dummy said? And do I have the right to ask declarer to play in a "measured" (rather than "immediate") fashion, so I can see the cards played?


texts: How is co-operative play made more difficult in the Something Wicked expansion for A Touch of Evil?

texts: I have read in the description of the Something Wicked expansion for A Touch of Evil on BoardGameGeek that the expansion contains additional rules that include "expanded challenge for cooperative play," but I don't see the rules posted in the files section. We've had a fairly easy time at beating the base game co-operatively and so I'm curious what changes in a co-op game with this expansion. A different shadow track? Bonuses for the Villain? More frequent mystery cards?


texts: Do I get to declare HQ Mole before watching the first cards I'd access anyway?

texts: If I make a successful run on the HQ or R&D, do I have to declare I'm going to use a Mole before watching the cards I would access, or can I access them, and then decide if I want to access more (HQ or R&D Moles) or trash them (Mercenary Subcontract)?


texts: Are the German tanks in Axis & Allies Panthers?

texts:
I know in some A&A rulebooks it is printed what the plastic miniatures represents.

I own A&A 1942 and Pacific. When I see the German tank it looks like a Panther.. is it?  Is it the same tank issued for 1940? Which is .. a panther?


texts:
My friend and I play a lot of Twilight Struggle and we have a lot of fun with it. The thing is we only reach the late war 1 in 5 times so far.

Is this how it is supposed to go or are we doing something wrong?

After an answer:
USSR and USA both win equal amount of times.
Every ending of the game is because of victory points


texts: In multiplayer, can a player concede abusively?

texts:
Arnold, Beth, and Chuck are playing a multiplayer game (e.g. Commander or Free-for-All).

Arnold has Maralen of the Mornsong:

  Players can't draw cards. At the beginning of each player's draw step, that player loses 3 life, searches his or her library for a card, puts it into his or her hand, then shuffles his or her library.

Beth has Dictate of Kruphix:

  At the beginning of each player's draw step, that player draws an additional card.

Currently, it's Chuck's turn. He begins his draw step, and chooses that Dictate of Kruphix's ability go on the stack, and Maralen's ability go on top of that. Because Maralen is on the board, Dictate's ability is essentially useless (Maralen prevents players from drawing cards).

Using Maralen's ability, Chuck tutors up a card. Suppose Arnold really hates Beth. After Maralen's ability resolves, Arnold concedes. Because Arnold has conceded, Maralen is no longer on the field.

  800.4a When a player leaves the game, all objects (see rule 109) owned by that player leave the game and any effects which give that player
  control of any objects or players end. Then, if that player controlled
  any objects on the stack not represented by cards, those objects cease
  to exist. Then, if there are any objects still controlled by that
  player, those objects are exiled. This is not a state-based action. It
  happens as soon as the player leaves the game. If the player who left
  the game had priority at the time he or she left, priority passes to
  the next player in turn order who’s still in the game.

Chuck now proceeds to draw 2 cards (1 from the draw phase and 1 from Dictate of Kruphix).

Obviously, this isn't an ethical thing for Arnold to do. But is it within the rules of the game? Or am I mistaken? Would something else happen instead?

A separate question: would this result in Arnold being banned from future tournaments?


texts: What are some Battlestar Galactica Daybreak Human Strategies?

texts:
My group and I have recently acquired the Battle Star Galactica Daybreak expansion. We also have all the previous expansions and base game. To give context, the previous expansions made it very difficult for a single cylon to win the game on there own. With Daybreak a single cylon can easily bring the human players to their knees, with the strategy of always drawing treachery cards and playing them appropriately in the skill checks and reacting to the current situation on their turn (Human Fleet, Cylon Fleet, Caprica).  For instance, giving out mutiny cards as best you can to brig human players, and sending players to the sick bay when they are on Demetrius' missions so they also get a crisis.

So, is there a valid strategy for playing humans besides get to Demetrius ASAP and get through the missions?  Also, is there a strategy for playing the humans without Demetrius (i.e. Kobol or Ionian Nebula)?


texts: Failure to take a call for step in Pokemon

texts: If a mistake is made in a Pokemon game, and neither player catches it, does the player who failed to do the correct action lose the game, or is the game a draw, or do you continue to play the game since the mistake was overlook. Example: A coin was suppose to be toss and if tails the Pokemon could not attack. I failed to (overlook) the toss, several turns later I realize my mistake. This mistake may have put me ahead in the game (if the toss had been tails.) I forfeited the game and later try to look up an official rule on this to no avail.


texts: Progressive euchre tourney when individuals are trying to score as many overall points as possible, should you order the other team in the middle of the tournament simply to prevent giving up four points


texts: Advice for an experienced gamer who'd like to play nomic games?

texts:
I am an experienced board gamer (and card too), with a particular affinity for collaborative games (Shadows over Camelot, Pandemic, etc.). I would like to take this a step further by studying self-government games in the style of Nomic. However, the learning step appears to be a bit steep. Given that I'd have to find a few friends to play with, I'd like to find a good game for our collective first time, so as not to be too easily discouraged.

So, what choice of nomic games would you recommend, and what general advice would you give me to organize this.


texts: If I play Krenko, Mob Boss and retain priority and cast Swiftfoot Boots on Krenko Mob Boss and at the same time my opponent casts Unsummon on Krenko Mob Boss, will my creature be safe or will he be removed from the battlefield?


texts: Why is it of high importance to control the center of the board in Chess?

texts:
One reason for this is that from the center of the board, your pieces
have quicker access to the other parts of the board. Another is that
your pieces often attack a larger number of squares. What others are there?

I often find myself having control of the center, only to end up
thinking "Ok, now what?".
What advantages do I get, and how can I
make something useful out of these?


texts:
What is the primary source for upcoming rule changes? Who breaks the official news?

I know that these changes are made publicly available before they actually take effect. For example, I found out about the updated "2014 Core Set Legend rule" via a video from The Judge's Corner on Youtube. I have also discovered upcoming rules changes through StarCityGames news articles. Both of these outlets are probably secondary sources.


texts: What is the general name for this particular game mechanic?

texts:
I'm hoping to find a common general terminology for a mechanic I have encountered in several board games.
As an example, here's an excerpt from the rules for The King's Dilemma:

At the end of your voting turn, if you are now the player with the most Power [tokens] on your Vote (no matter which side you chose), you immediately take the Leader token. Do not take the Leader token if you only equal the highest bidder’s amount of Power [tokens].

The general idea is that, if you have (say) 3 tokens on the space I want to control, it's not enough for me to put 3 of my own tokens on it; I have to put 4 or more to be in control. And if I do put 4 tokens on it (thereby gaining control), it's not enough for you to then add a 4th token of your own—you'd need to bring your total number of tokens up to 5 or more to regain control.
Is there a general term for this mechanic?


texts: Can Uncontrollable Urges be used to force one Investigator to attack another?

texts:
Uncontrollable Urges allows the Keeper to force an Investigator to do an action where the Keeper makes all the choices.

The attacks all seem to state "Attack a monster" but I'm wondering if Uncontrollable Urges overrides this and allows one Investigator to attack another.


texts: What game with symbols and dice is this?

texts:
There are 6 symbols, and dice has the same 6 symbols. You bet money on symbols.
There are three dice:
1 same symbol: you get what you bet
2 same symbol: you get double
3 same: you get triple
No same: you lose


texts:
I haven't played magic in forever and I need some clarification on a rule.
Let's say I cast Arrest on a creature my opponent controls. Then on his turn he returns the creature to his hand. Now I'm wondering what happens to my arrest,

Does it get assigned to a new creature? or does it go to my graveyard since the target that got picked is now no longer valid?


texts: Do any Small World expansions lengthen play time?

texts:
I have recently bought Small World and I'm loving it.  I find it hovers just on the edge of what I find an acceptable play time, but I figure that once it's learned, we can speed it up a bit.

I'm sure I'll want to get into the expansions sooner or later, but I know in some games (such as Carcasonne) each expansion makes the game take longer.

Are there any changes in any of Small World's expansions that lengthen play time?


texts: What is the best way to deal with cheats?

texts:
I play TCGs a lot, and often, the same cheater would challenge me to a duel. I know they are cheating, but I don't have any proof. What is the best way to deal with it? A few examples of the bad actions include:

Looking at my set cards
Peering at my hand
Changing LP
Removing Damage Counters

All I need is a simple way to deal with the issue.


texts:
Can white tokens be used to pay for white mana in a convoke cost?

I know that tokens with summoning sickness can tap for convoke, but I was wondering if these tokens are considered "white". For example, if I want to cast Ephemeral Shields and I have two untapped white soldier tokens, can I tap both tokens to cover the colorless and the white in the mana cost?


texts: In Axis and Allies, is the Axis "economic victory" condition a valid one?

texts:
In Axis and Allies, the Axis, unlike the Allies, do not have to play for the total destruction of the other side. If at any time, they control territories representing 84 industrial production certificates (IPCs), they win. This compares with a total of 147 IPCs.

As a practical matter, the Axis will have overcome their initial disadvantage if they even have as many as 74 IPCs (barely more than half), unless the Allies have compensation in more technology advances (e.g. heavy bombers). This correlates with my own sense that the Axis would have won World War II if at any time they had gained half or more of the world's industrial capacity (they actually got one quarter), barring an Allied tech breakthrough (like the atomic bomb).

I am asking the following questions because I have never experienced the situations myself. Has anyone either played or watched a game in which the Axis got the preponderance of IPCs (74-83) and the Allies came back to win? (This would tend to negate the EV scenario.) If so, was it for "tech" or other reasons? Conversely, has anyone ever seen the Axis fall (for a whole turn) below their initial 57 IPCs and come back to win with such an economic disadvantage?


texts: Which MTG booster packs have the highest rate of return on investment?

texts:
Most players will tell you that buying booster packs for values is a loosing investment, and for the most part this is true because the average expected value of cards in a set is lower than the retail cost of the booster.

So my question is this:

Which M:tG sets have the highest average expected value, and what is the break-even point for pricing against that set's EV?

I would assume that this set would be one with a high number of mid-priced ($2-5) uncommons, and other commons that help to keep the value of more valuable cards afloat.

My first guess would be Darksteel, as it has a number of commons/uncommons that are well priced for their rarity (Aether Vial, Echoing Truth, Darksteel Citadel, Skullclamp, Darksteel Ingot), is a small set, and has at least two big money cards in the Swords of X and Y.


texts: How many buildings can I buy per turn in Queendomino?

texts:
The instructions state you can

  (Optional) Construct a building on an open red construction square.

I am assuming the convention is that you can buy one building per moved Meeple?


texts: Do players have to discard when a Knight card is played?

texts:
In Settlers of Catan, when a player plays a Knight card ("Solider" card in older editions), do players with 8 cards or more in their hand have to forfeit half their hand to the bank?

This is causing a huge row in our family as I think that this forfeit rule only applies to rolling a seven and not to playing a Knight card.


texts: As the title says. If someone places the robber in one of the outer hexes which has a settlement or city that lets them do 3/2:1 trading, does the presence of robber block them from trading?


texts: Best opening moves and tricks for invented 2-player board game: Pathways

texts:
I once invented a simple 2-player game called 'Pathways'.

Rules

There is a n x n grid. (Generally n>=8) Players alternate turns placing one marker per turn, on any empty slot of the board. The person who starts places an X and the other player uses O.  Two markers are considered to be in the same path only if they are horizontally/vertically adjacent to each other (not diagonally).

A person wins if he has created a continuous path of his markers that connects the top edge of the board to the bottom edge, or the left edge of the board to the right edge.

Strategy

I would like to know whether there are any simple tricks a human can follow to become a good player (no computer algorithms or perfect strategies, please).

Generally, I start with the slot 2 units diagonally away from the corner the opponent takes (my friends generally do). I play very offensively, and defend only when necessary to prevent a trap. So far, this has worked, but I've not played against any really good players, so I don't know. I've also noticed that it is possible for a person to guarantee his win long before he actually wins (like a series of checks in chess).


texts: Position of new words when adding to existing words

texts: If an S is added to the end of an existing word, does the S have to be the first or last letter of the new word or can it be somewhere between?


texts: Is flip summon considered a normal summon?

texts:
Goblindbergh:

  When this card is Normal Summoned: You can Special Summon 1 Level 4 or
  lower monster from your hand, also, after that, change this card to
  Defense Position.

So if Goblindbergh was flip summoned, its effect will activate?


texts: Use of Event cards without corresponding rules

texts:
The game board reserves a space for Event cards, but how they come into the game is a secret, thus spoiler protection below.

   The "sign the board twice" envelope introduces the Event cards, with rules concerning them to be pasted into the rulebook. I know this from an earlier group. My current group has not yet opened that envelope, but we did just open the "all nine minor cities" envelope, which contains a few event cards like Resistance and Riots. Are we supposed to play with those few event cards now, or set them aside until the rules take effect?


texts: What's the point of having ports as a territory?

texts:
Clearly ports as a game concept are required as a way of mustering ships, but my question is what their value for being a territory in themselves is, as opposed to simply allowing the player to muster into the adjacent sea territory.

As I understand it, any territory that has port, can muster ships either in to the port, or into the adjacent sea territory.

However, if the ships are in the port:

They can't support, raid, or consolidate.
The port can't be attacked, only the land territory can be.
The can't help defend if the land territory is being used.

It seems that the only reason ports exist as a territory at all, is for the scenario where the adjacent sea territory is already occupied by another player. The port territory then allows a place for the port owner to muster into, and then on the following turn drive that other player out of the sea territory.

Am I right in understanding that this is the sole useful purpose for ports? Why else would you elect to put ships in ports?


texts: What happens in Hive if you cannot lay a piece?

texts:
In the game of Hive, envision the following sequence of turns to start the game:

White plays Beetle
Black plays Queen
White moves Beetle on top of Queen

At this point, Black cannot lay any pieces, since every potential spot on the Hive touches White, and Black's only played piece (the Queen) cannot move since it is covered by the Beetle.

I know the rules say that if one side cannot move, then the other player continues to play until the game ends or until there is a legal move for both players.  Is this just a degenerate version of that scenario, and White wins in a ridiculously fast manner by placing all of its pieces around the Beetle/Queen stack?


texts: Statistical Approach to Winning Monopoly

texts: There was a computer simulation run a few years ago for Monopoly which calculated the most likely properties and squares to land on and some other data. Does anyone have or know the stats of the simulation?


texts: Is there a technical (or slang) term for triggering a game loss due to attempting to draw from an empty library?

texts: Does a game-loss triggered by meeting the conditions presented by CR 121.4 have a particular name, or rather is there a technical (or slang) word that indicates a loss via this condition?


texts:
Text on card says:

  Slivers cannot be the target of spells or abilities.

Does it mean that other slivers cannot affect each other, while Crystalline Sliver is in play.

For example, Fury Sliver won't give double strike to all slivers?


texts: Parcheesi question - only one possible move

texts: Parcheesi. The rules say" "If either of the two rolls must be forfeited, the player must forfeit the lower number". Question. What if it's not a question of "either" but you roll 5-3 and can only take the 3?


texts: Can We Find a Middle Ground on the Russia First Turn Attack Rule In Allies and Axis?

texts:
Some (mainly Axis) players refuse to play Axis and Allies if Russia is allowed to attack on the first turn. Other (mainly Russian) players argue that Russia is unfairly hobbled if it has to play strict defense at that time.

Some would argue that if Russia captures a territory (Norway, Ukraine, Manchuria) on the first turn, the Axis have too few IPCs between them to have a fair chance. Others might counterargue that the Axis have a chance to capture them back and regain their income, which is calculated as of the end of their turn.

Perhaps a more important reason for the dispute is that Russia gets to "kill" a fighter in those territories with a first turn attack, at the cost of an infantry unit. That's a difference of 9 or even 10 IPCs (the fighter has only a 2/3 chance hitting the 3 IPC infantry).

My "fix" for this problem is to allow Germany to move the fighters in e.g. Ukraine and Norway back to, say, Eastern Europe, and likewise, Japan its Manchuria-based fighter back to Kwantung before the game starts, thus modifying the original setup. Then allow Russia a first turn attack. That way, the Russian player gets the opportunity to capture a territory, but not to kill a fighter.

No matter which side you are on in this debate, are you satisfied with this compromise? Would you still choose Russia if the Axis can now "protect" their fighters? If Axis, will you now play the game with a Russia first turn attack option? Or will this remain a sore point that could prevent certain players from playing the game with certain others?


texts: In Arkham Horror, where do flying monsters in location areas go when no investigator is near?

texts:
The rulebook says

  If the flying monster is in a street area with no investigators and there are no investigators in a connected street area, it moves to the Sky.

Does this imply if it is in a location area with no investigators in sight, such as when a gate opens, it goes to the sky? Is there a supporting reference for this?


texts: Given that Misthollow Griffin can be cast from exile, if you somehow use Mimic Vat to imprint the Misthollow Griffin and then cast Misthollow Griffin and remove it from exile, can you still make Misthollow Griffin tokens via Mimic Vat?


texts: Does Goblin Test Pilot hit a Planeswalker?

texts: To my understanding, after it hits the player, the person in control of the Goblin gets to decide whether it hits the player or planeswalker, but I could be way off. How would it work?


texts: Can I counter a creature casted last turn?

texts: For example, My opponent cast a 10/10 creature and finish his turn (I have no cards), I draw a card and it is "Counterspell" I use it on his creature. Does his creature goes to the graveyard? or it happens nothing?


texts: How to resolve illegal targeting that was allowed?

texts:
I was recently playing Theros, and the set being new, was not familiar with the cards I was playing. Here is the situation that arose:

I had a Stormbreath Dragon out beating face, when my opponent played Chained to the Rocks, targeting my dragon. I, at the time, have forgotten that my dragon has protection from white (and so can't be targeted by Chained to the Rocks), and allow it to be exiled. A couple turns later, I remember about the protection from white.

What is the correct way to resolve this situation? Would the resolution be different if my dragon had not been exiled and instead enchanted by a card such as Pacifism?

(Note: this took place in a limited pre-release tournament, not in a casual game)


texts: Brand is a red spell with which you "Gain control of all permanents you own". What does this actually do? Wouldn't you already have control over your permanents? When would this card be useful? Does this apply to permanents that where exiled or sent to your graveyard?


texts:
What are game mechanics?

Conceptually I think of the mechanics of the game as how it's played but the definition is a little fuzzy.  I don't think rules and mechanics are the same - although I think they're related.  Help me sort this out in my head.


texts: Is bidding nil while holding the Queen of spade reasonable?

texts:
Holding the A♠ is a sure trick which means you can't win a nil bid.
Holding the K♠ is too risky since you can only play it when someone else (hopefully your partner) plays the A♠.

Assuming you don't otherwise have any weaknesses in your nil hand (like too many spades or a singleton face card), is it reasonable to bid nil with the Q♠?

Specifically, let's say your hand is: ♠Q32, ♥432, ♣5432, ♦432.  In what conditions is this hand a nil bid, and in what conditions it is a 1 bid?


texts: Can you add a wild card to a completed book?

texts: In Hand and Foot, after completing a melded book, can you add a wild card to it?  For example, once you have completed a book, but have a wild card left in your hand, can you add the wild card to a previously completed book, in order to go into your Foot or to go out?


texts: Settlers of Catan (Knights & Cities): Lose to barbarians attack - same amount/strengths of active knights, different amount of cities

texts:
We have 2 players (A & B), barbarians wins.

Both of us have the same amount of active basic knights (1 each).

Player A has 2 cities, whilst player B has 1 city.

(a) Should the both players remove a city from the board (i.e. the amount of cities per player doesn't count)?

Or

(b) Just the one with 2 cities gives up his/her city?

In the FAQs there are only situations with the same amount of cities per player declared.


texts: Differences between Clue/Cluedo and Clue: Discover the Secrets

texts:
I noticed that Hasbro released a new version of Clue last year named Clue: Discover the Secrets.

Do you need to use a different strategy in this game, or is it similar to the earlier Clue games?

I've played both the original Clue and its Master Detective variation.

I want to know because I was thinking of getting it, but wanted to know if it was different enough from the original to warrant a purchase.


texts: POKER - Is it best to sit out your blinds?

texts:
Blinds are paid when in the worst position (1st to act).
If you sit out your blinds, & re-enter on the button, (or just after)
you must now 'buy the button' (pay your missed blinds, or sit-out until
the next tie it is your blinds.

Strategy wise, isn't is best to do this?
Now you are putting your blinds in, while in position.


texts:
Please clarify I am playing Survival of the Fittest properly.

Two of the bases in play both have two creatures on them, one is strength 3 and one is strength 2. I play Survival of the Fittest and both strength 2 creatures are destroyed.


texts:
What happens with fistful and boots? Do you draw for the hits from fistful between the hits?

Boots (1 stock, 3 cost, black border) For each lost life point, you draw 1 card from deck.

A Fistful of Cards: at the beginning of his turn, each player is the target of as many Bang! as the number of cards in his hand.


texts: What decides whether a card is exiled or returned as a player loses?

texts:
I came across this problem when writing this answer, and it's not addressed in this question, so I am left wondering here.
In the Comprehensive rules, 800.4a there are a few examples of what happens as a player leaves the game to permanents he / she controls but doesn't own. I am specifically interested in examples 2 and 3:

Example: Alex casts Act of Treason, which reads, in part, “Gain control of target creature until end of turn,” targeting Bianca’s Runeclaw Bears. If Alex leaves the game, Act of Treason’s change-of-control effect ends and Runeclaw Bears reverts to Bianca’s control.
Example: Alex casts Bribery, which reads, “Search target opponent’s library for a creature card and put that card onto the battlefield under your control. Then that player shuffles his or her library,” targeting Bianca. Alex puts Serra Angel onto the battlefield from Bianca’s library. If Bianca leaves the game, Serra Angel also leaves the game. If, instead, Alex leaves the game, Serra Angel is exiled.

So, clearly, we have two effects, both giving Alex control over creatures owned by Bianca. Then Alex loses, and the result is that Bianca gains control over the bears, while the angel is exiled. Clearly something is different between these two ways of gaining control over a creature.
Up until now I had thought that a permanent only tracks two players: its owner, and its controller. However, if this were the case, then both creatures would be creatures owned by Bianca, controlled by Alex, and they would both end up the same place after Alex loses. Clearly, this is not the case.
There are two differences between how these two permanents have come under Alex' control. The angel has been put directly into play by an effect owned by him, with permanent control, while the bears has been put into play by Bianca, and then Alex has taken control untilthe end of turn. So there are two differences that I can see:

The angel is subject to a permanent change of controller, while the bears are only temporarily under Alex' control
The angel was put into play by an effect controlled by Alex, while the bears were put into play by an effect controlled by Bianca

Both of these would require a permanent to not only remember who controls it and who owns it, but in addition either who put it into play or whether the control is temporary. Regardless of which one it is it goes against how I thought the game worked.
Which one is it? And why isn't it the other one?


texts: What's the point of putting five face-up train cards next to the deck in Ticket to Ride?

texts: What is the point of placing 5 train cards face up next to the deck? I can't see any purpose for this apart from taking 5 cards out of the deck!


texts: In Eldritch Horror, how much complexity and extra playing time do expansions add?

texts:
How much more complexity in terms of additional rules, things to remember, do either of the expansions (Mountains of Madness, Forsaken Lore) add to the base game. I don't really consider new cards, characters, or ancient ones necessarily adding complexity unless the details within them add a twist to how we think of the base game flow. Answers could simply be a percentage number, or go into detail.

I'd also like to know how much longer the game takes with either or both of the expansions. Right now, I play a 2-player 2-character (1 for each player) game in about 1.5-2 hours (maybe 20 minutes of that is setup and tear down).


texts: Twilight Imperium without the Agenda phase

texts:
The agenda phase in Twilight Imperium 4th edition feels a little "bolted on", and adds a lot of time to an already long game for not that much impact.  I'm considering a house rule to remove the agenda phase.
I hope this can happen relatively straight forwardly for two reasons.  First, the agenda phase doesn't even happen in the first several rounds of the game, so the round structure already supports this.
Second, in a substantial change from 3rd edition, your planets refresh both before and after the agenda phase, so there's no need to budget influence for voting and that the only impacts this phase has on the rest of the game is the effects from agendas and riders.
However, there are other components and abilities that depend on this phase.  So far, I have identified the following:

There are several action cards that interact with agendas (such as riders) that would need to be removed from the deck.  This is pretty straight forward.
There is no longer a time when non-neighbors can trade, which would make the Hacan slightly more powerful.  If this turns out to be a problem, it's pretty easy to add this back in (allow cross-galaxy trading as a step during the status phase once Mecatol Rex has been conquered).
The Xxcha "Quash" ability wouldn't work and would need a replacement.
The Xxcha "Political Favor" promissory note wouldn't work and would need a replacement.
The Nekro Virus "Galactic Threat" ability wouldn't work and would need a replacement.

Are there any other parts of the game that need the agenda phase to work, either mechanically or for game balance?
I'm also open to suggestions for how to patch the pieces of the game that currently depend on the agenda phase; in particular, I'd love ideas for how to replace the Nekro Virus "Galactic Threat" ability since that seems important to their pace of technological acquisition.


texts: Possible way to counter or sidestep split-second spells (like Trickbind) in a particular situation

texts: I have on the battlefield Will-o'-the-Wisp, and my opponent (it is his turn now) is going to attack in his combat step with his flying Air Elemental.  I have to face this 4/4 creature and, in normal situations, I should not feel afraid of it. But I know – or I imagine that – my opponent has in his hand a Trickbind. The question is: may I sidestep this split second spell, by activating the regeneration ability of Will-o'-the-Wisp two times, in order to make sure it will survive the combat phase? In other words, I activate regeneration (B) one time, and then, retaining priority, I activate regeneration one more time (B again), sending to the stack two activations of the same ability.


texts: Can you play a new player game of Carcassonne w/o farms?

texts:
I've taught Carcassonne to a number of new players (it's a great "gateway game")! However, the problem that I keep having is with the farmers. Players are able to quickly grasp the idea of putting meeple thieves on roads, soldiers in cities, and monks on monasteries.

But the farmers and their farms confuse the heck out of them during their first game. Generally they are confused about the mechanics of how they work or they don't see their utility. Thus any experienced players surge ahead because the new players just don't understand farms. If I get to play a second game with these new players, they have a better grasp on how farms work and can usually use them effectively, but this is a pain point of the first game.

A friend of mine suggested possibly playing the first game with no farms (giving these new players time to focus on the other mechanics and preventing experienced players from taking advantage of their confusion over farms), then adding in farms for a second game.

What sort of issues might appear if we removed farms in the first game? Would it still be playable? And would this be an effective way of alleviating the trouble we have had with teaching how to use farms?


texts: Does an enchantment curse go to grave if the cursed player loses?

texts: In a multiplayer game, I enchanted someone else with Fraying Sanity. They milled out. Does Fraying Sanity go to the graveyard when that player loses, or does it still stay attached?


texts: Unsporting trades in the end-game of settlers of Catan

texts:
Oftentimes in a big game of Settlers of Catan (4 or more players) it comes down to two or three players battling for the winning point and one or two players who have too few points to offer any realistic chance of victory.

Rather than just watch, the losing players are free to make overly generous trades to control who wins in a weird inversion of control.

Is this a natural side effect of the games? Is this just a manifestation of be nice to people on the way up?

I find this really frustrating as more than once I've ended up losing because I've annoyed someone in a previous game. Am I just being a poor sport?

The only way I can think to avoid this style of play is to run a league setup such than even if a player isn't going to win, it's worth them trying to get an extra few more points.


texts: In Citadels 2016 the rule book has a recommended first game setup. However that setup does not include a 9th rank character. For a first game (with 3 players), should players use Artist or Tax Collector?  Or should they use a different preset option?


texts: What is a solid basic strategy for surviving Ghost Story

texts: Is there a solid strategy that you can apply to increase the chances of a win?


texts: MTG: march of Multitudes and Early Harvest

texts: If cast March of the Multitudes and use most of my lands to pay the extra X amount can I cast Early Harvest to use the lands again?


texts: Does the "Smoke" id counts as stealth card?

texts: There are several (mostly shaper's) cards with text like "... only by spending credits from stealth cards". For example: Dai V. Does the Ele "Smoke" Scovak id itself count as a stealth card for such effects?


texts: At what point does a spell 'target' its target?

texts: If I have a counterspell in my hand, and my opponent chooses to cast an instant or sorcery, can I wait to see what his spell 'targets' before I choose to counter it or not?


texts: Reforming to gain extra rank in close combat

texts:
If I have a unit that is 10 models wide. And an enemy unit is attacking me in the front with only one monster size model on the very far left side of my unit, can I reform my unit to gain an extra rank?

Or do I still have to reform around the center?

My unit only had one rank at the start of close combat.


texts: Is 'Enchantment Creature' a creature type?

texts: I'm specifically looking at interactions with Descendant's Path. If I have an enchantment creature on the battlefield, let's say Aegis of the Gods, and then Descendants' Path reveals Agent of Erebos, does the shared 'Enchantment Creature' feature allow Agent of Erebos to come into play, or does the Path just look at the Human Soldier and and Zombie part, putting the Agent on the bottom of my library?


texts:
Nessian Demolok, one of the latest creatures revealed in the Born of the Gods spoilers, reads:

Tribute 3 (As this creature enters the battlefield, an opponent of your choice may place three +1/+1 counters on it.)
When Nessian Demolock enters the battlefield, if tribute wasn't paid, destroy target noncreature permanent.

My interpretation of this (and I presume this will be covered in the FAQ, but I figure it's good to get it 'on the record' here...) is that this would be covered by section 614 of the comprehensive rules, particularly sections 614.1c:

614.1c Effects that read "[This permanent] enters the battlefield with . . . ," "As [this permanent] enters the battlefield . . . ," or
"[This permanent] enters the battlefield as . . . " are replacement
effects.

and 614.12a:

614.12a If a replacement effect that modifies how a permanent enters the battlefield requires a choice, that choice is made before the
permanent enters the battlefield.

And that as a result, the choice whether to pay tribute or not is effectively made just before the creature enters the battlefield, and so in particular the choice of whether or not to pay tribute will be made before targets are chosen for the 'destroy target noncreature permanent' ability (which goes on the stack the next time a player gains priority).  Does this look correct?


texts: Can I discard a spell not drawn by Magick Shoppe?

texts:
When you gain this card, immediately gain 2 Spells. Then discard 1 Spell and this card.

This wording implies that I can keep both Spells and discard a previously owned Spell, but it kind of breaks the idea of going shopping for spells and picking from a wide selection. Ruling?


texts: In Keyforge, what happens to the Æmber on a creature that is archived?

texts:
Vezyma Thinkdrone lets a player archive his creature which is in play (not on his hand). If in this case there is Æmber on that creature, what happens to it? Will the archiving player get it, or his opponent, or is it just discarded?

Capture rule says:

  When a creature with Æmber on it leaves play, the Æmber is placed in the opponent’s Æmber pool.

So if a creature is archived from play, does this mean it "leaves play", and therefore the opponent will receive the Æmber on it ?


texts: If a card becomes cloned while another text-modifying effect is on the stack, what is the result?

texts:
Here is the scenario:

I have Shapesharer and Quicksilver Elemental in play.
I activate and resolve Artificial Evolution to make Quicksilver Elemental a Shapeshifter.
I activate Quicksilver Elemental's ability to have it gain the activated abilities of some other 3rd creature (doesn't matter which.)
While that is on the stack,  I target Quicksilver Elemental with Shapesharer's ability, making it a copy of some other 4th creature (doesn't matter which.)

Is the end result that Quicksilver Elemental becomes a copy of creature 4 with the abilities of creature 3 tacked on, as I intend?


texts: Arkham Horror - Tips for making the game more dynamic and fun when you play with more than 5 players?

texts:
I'm new to this game, but I recently hosted a play with friends. With 8 people the game was very slow and difficult to play. What would you recommend to make the game a little more dynamic and fun when played with more than 5 players?

One particular thing that a friend of mine recommended is not reading the encounter cards directly, but rather ask someone else to read the card for you, and ask them not to tell you what happens if you fail/pass the check until you've made it.

Do you have any other suggestions?


texts: An exiled planeswalker returned with loyalty higher than printed in Arena

texts:
In Arena, I exiled enemy's Teferi, Hero of Dominaria using Banishing Light. Some time later Banishing Light was destroyed and Teferi returned to play. It had immediately 8 loyalty.
What allows this? I thought planeswalkers return with printed loyalty?


texts: Canasta rules for melding and picking up pile

texts: In canasta. Can you meld three wild cards and two jacks to pick up a jack on the discard pile?


texts: Does attempting a puzzle require a movement point or an action point?

texts:
In our last (and first) game, an investigator attempted to move through a room that had an obstacle which revealed a puzzle. He was unable to resolve the puzzle on his turn. We only counted the attempted move and puzzle solve as one movement point. Is this correct?

On his next turn, does he (or any other investigator for that matter) need to use a movement point to reattempt to solve the puzzle or an action point?


texts: During the infect cities step, if an outbreak occurs and causes a chain reaction, then another city card is pulled which was involed in the chain reaction, does the chain reaction occur a second time? This can bump the outbreak track up very quickly (i.e. 0-8 in a turn).


texts: I believe I played the original Khet a few years ago, now I notice there is a "2.0 version". Could anyone point out the main differences?


texts: Using a Joker with two tiles from my rack and one from the board

texts:
I don't quite know the lingo, so apologies for that:

The Joker was on the board in place of a black 2 - I replaced it with a black 2, and I know that I have to use it with 2 tiles from my hand to make a meld. I have a red 5 and a red 8. There is a red 7 elsewhere on the board. So I did red 5-J-7-8.

Technically, two of those tiles came from my hand. However, I was only able to make the meld with the red 7 on the table. My mom said it was against the rules, that you needed to be able to use the two tiles in your hand with the Joker to make a complete set.

My red 5 and red 8 alone couldn't make a complete set with the joker...but technically I did use the Joker in a new set with 2 tiles from my rack. So which of us is right?


texts: What happens if a double-faced card that is copying a different double-faced card transforms, without exile?

texts:
We already have a similar question about double faced cards transforming, however there are two different ways a double face card transforms, exiling and returning transformed is covered by the similar question. Most often this exile transform happens for creatures that become planeswalkers, so they get the ETB loyalty counters, but many more creatures transform into other creatures without leaving the battlefield, like werewolves.

What would happen if:

A creature that would transform without exile, say Reckless Waif, enchanted with Metamorphic Alteration and copying something like Huntmaster of the Fells would transform without being exiled? (Bonus: What would happen due to Huntmaster/Ravager having an effect triggered by transforming)
A creature that would normally exile and transform into a planeswalker, say Jace, Vryn's Prodigy, enchanted with Metamorphic Alteration and copying something like Docent of Perfection would transform without being exiled?
A creature that would normally form part of a meld, say Graf Rats, enchanted with Metamorphic Alteration and copying something like Bloodline Keeper would transform without being exiled?


texts: When should a bridge defender return the second, rather than fourth highest card in suit?

texts:
Against a bidding sequence of 1NT, 3NT, partner, West, opens with what looks like the fourth highest of a suit. Dummy goes down with two small cards in the suit. I have four to the king in the suit, two of them little ones, with this question revolving around my second highest card.

I take the king, which is allowed to hold. If my original holding was something like K642, I was taught to return the 2, my original fourth highest. On the other hand, if my holding were KJ42, with the second card being the J, one is supposed to return the Jack.

With KJ2, I would return the Jack to "unblock." Does a similar reasoning hold here with two small cards?

One thought is that partner (West) and declarer (South) probably have the ace and queen between them. If South has Axx, it doesn't matter what I lead, but if South has Qxx, leading the Jack will "trap" the queen. Is that the reason to lead the Jack?

More to the point, how high does my second card have to be, before I lead it in preference to the 2? That is, would I also do this with KTxx or K9xx?


texts: Honinbo 1970, match 1: Why does white need to play toward the edge here?


texts: Does a discarded then cast card with madness count as discarded?

texts:
Play goes like this:

I have Faith of the Devoted and Anje Falkenrath on the field.

I discard an Anje's Ravager via Anje Falkenrath's tap ability.
For this creature I pay its madness cost and place it on the field.

Does Faith of the Devoted's ability trigger?

What confuses me is what this page on the Discard keyword says:

  Discard is an evergreen keyword action which takes cards from a player's hand and puts them in their graveyard.

But the fact is that a creature with madness never hits the graveyard! Instead, it goes to exile, then to the battlefield.

So I'm not completely sure whether the discard ability on Faith of the Devoted should trigger on that.


texts: Choosing between Shanty Town and Village when both are in the Kingdom set?

texts:
Shanty Town: +2 Actions, Reveal your hand. If you have no Action cards
  in hand, +2 Cards

  Village: +1 Card, +2 Actions

Occasionally I've had games where both of these are in the kingdom set and I don't really know which one to choose. Village is a sure thing, but Shanty Town offers the potential of getting 2 cards with the downside of sometimes getting none. I tend to prefer Village because you usually only want +2 Action cards in a deck running a fair amount of actions, and if you have a fair amount of actions you'll probably draw one with the Shanty Town and lose the +2 card bonus. In an action-thin deck Shanty Town could be more useful as you'd get the +2 cards more often, but often it would just degrade into a Moat because you don't have many actions to draw with those +2 cards to use the actions it gives you.

When should I take Shanty Town instead of Village? Is my analysis mostly correct? When should I chose to buy/gain a Shanty Town in general if its 2 effects (one being good in action decks, the other other being very bad) seem to have no synergy at all?


texts: Is there a term for cards that have the same name in the same set (like basic lands) but are different cards?

texts:
It seems "reprints" is used for cards that are reprinted. But is there terminology for cards that have the same name but are in the same set?

For example if there are 3 or 4 different "Mountain" basic lands, in the same set, I don't think the term "reprint" quite correct.


texts: In duplicate, is it ethical to base your play on other people's body language?

texts:
In bridge, there are some times when you can assure yourself of x number of tricks (just enough for your contract) by making a safety play to guard against an adverse 4-1 distribution. If you don't make the safety play, and instead lead out three top cards, you will make an overtrick if the suit breaks 3-2, and go down one if it breaks 4-1 (because you can't get back to dummy to take the fifth trick. Most rubber players would make the safety play to maximize expected points, and most duplicate players would take the three tops to maximize expected tricks.

Suppose you are a member of a "traveling" duplicate pair. As you approach a certain table, you notice declarers looking glum as they leave the table. From this, you infer that one or more declarers caught a bad break. Sure enough, when you sit down and declare, you see the road fork between making a safety play and laying down three top cards.

Now it's unethical to peek at the score sheet to find out whether others made an overtrick, their contract, or down one. But is it unethical to make the safety play based on the body language of the two preceding declarers?

Suppose someone else was the only declarer to make the safety play. The tournament director observes this and accuses him of cheating. He defends himself by saying that he was dissatisfied with his position in the standings, was in a "top or bottom" mode, and earned a top on this one hand. How would these claims be resolved?


texts: What happens if Kokusho, the Evening Star dies under someone else's control?

texts: I cast Kokusho, the Evening Star. My opponent plays Hijack and gains control over Kokusho untill end of turn. In that turn Kokusho dies in combat. Question: who gains life and who loses life?


texts: "Counter target spell unless its controller pays X" spells

texts: If I  cast for example Miscast to counter an instant my opponent controlls, and my opponent pays 3, what happens to Miscast? Is it countered? And what about priority? Do I have a chance to put next Miscast on the stack? It's quite confusing to me.


texts: morphing jar in a chaos dragon-like deck. yes or no?

texts:
I've been using morphing jar a couple times and it's helped out sometimes. Sometimes it hasn't.
Wondering if someone with a little more experience would run it.
Of course, engine consists of most Chaos Dragon deck cards (cause I don't have all of them aha)


texts: Does Yidris, Maelstrom Wielder's cascading reoccur with cascaded spells?

texts:
The new Commander 2016 set comes with a deck commanded by Yidris, Maelstrom Wielder, who can apply cascade to cards his player casts.

My friend has been playing with Yidris, and it seems insanely powerful! He casts a spell from his hand, then cascades into one from his library, then that cascade reoccurs with another card from his library, and another, and so on. He can easily cycle through a third of his deck each turn eventually! Is this really how it's meant to work?


texts: How does copying a creature with +1/+1 counters on it work?

texts: If I have a 0/0 with 13 +1/+1 counters on it and I or my opponent copies that creature, would it copy the 0/0 and die from its base power and toughness, would it be a 0/0 with 13 +1/+1 counters, or would it be a base 13/13 from copies the original creature's current power and toughness?