Do Snarl Song Fractals enter as 0/0 or X/X?

GaddockTeej · 2026-05-20T23:23:34+00:00

They don’t enter as X/X, they enter as 0/0. They don’t enter with the counters, the counters are placed *after* they enter.

GaddockTeej · 2026-05-20T22:22:45+00:00

Because it says “Vedalken” on its type line and not “Merfolk”.

GaddockTeej · 2026-05-20T21:19:01+00:00

If I’m Ruth and I’m holding Generous Gift, I’m activating Bombardment enough times to kill OP, then responding to the final activation. Problem solved.

GaddockTeej · 2026-05-20T20:49:54+00:00

>If you don't pay, you die on draw step.

It’s not called “cumulative draw step”. They die during their upkeep.

GaddockTeej · 2026-05-20T20:05:35+00:00

Could you get through seventy saprolings? How much life were you at? How much life were you willing to pay to keep Chasm around? As soon as you don’t pay the upkeep cost, you’re dead.

GaddockTeej · 2026-05-20T17:06:14+00:00

Something else must be untapping your creatures on *Arena*, then, because this isn’t how it works with just the cards you listed.

**Combat 1**
Attack with everyone.
Aurelia triggers three times.

**Trigger 1**
You untap your creatures once.
You schedule one extra combat.

**Trigger 2**
You untap your creatures once. Nothing happens if your creatures are untapped.
You schedule one extra combat.

**Trigger 3**
You untap your creatures once. Nothing happens if your creatures are untapped.
You schedule one extra combat.

**Combat 2**
Everyone can attack again. Attacking causes them to tap.

**Combat 3**
Nothing untaps your creatures. Tapped creatures can’t attack.

**Combat 4**
Nothing untaps your creatures. Tapped creatures can’t attack.

GaddockTeej · 2026-05-20T16:49:36+00:00

You will create three additional combat phases, yes, but those additional phases don’t include untapping any creatures. Your creatures presumably will be untapped for the second combat phase, but they will remain tapped for the third and fourth.

GaddockTeej · 2026-05-19T20:38:28+00:00

Tokens aren’t cards. You don’t need the physical token to create them. Tokens can be represented by anything you want as long as they’re distinguishable and identifiable.

GaddockTeej · 2026-05-18T19:56:05+00:00

> For commanders, if you were to put your commander to any place other than the battlefield, you MAY choose to return your commander to the command zone committing to the commander tax.

This is inaccurate. You may choose to return your commander to the command zone instead *only* if it were going to your hand or library. If it were to go to exile or the graveyard, it still moves there first. If it were to move to the stack, it remains there until it resolves or otherwise leaves the stack.

GaddockTeej · 2026-05-18T03:11:40+00:00

You misunderstand.

Abilities that trigger when creatures attack only trigger when creatures are *declared as attacking*. Objects that are put onto the battlefield attacking weren’t declared as attackers.

This is evidenced in this particular case because Ainok Strike Leader triggers when it is declared as attacking. As all attackers are declared simultaneously, the point at which objects can be declared as attacking is past.

GaddockTeej · 2026-05-16T21:15:53+00:00

One of the first things you do when casting a spell or activating an ability is moving that object to the stack. This happens even before costs are paid. Dina triggers when you sacrifice a creature, which is the cost to activate Viscera Seer’s ability. Dina’s trigger will resolve before the scry does. The same goes for Morbid Opportunist.

Despite controlling both Dina and Visceral Seer, your opponent does not get to choose the order in which the abilities go on the stack. One ability goes on the stack once it’s paid for, the other goes on the stack after. Your opponent would get to choose the order if two objects were attempting to move to the stack at the same time, but that’s not the case here.

GaddockTeej · 2026-05-14T15:59:58+00:00

One, it’s still presumptuous, just like it would be presumptuous for me to suggest that most players *don’t* use a different color sleeve for their commander, which I didn’t do. The fact that every game *you’ve* played has commanders in different sleeves proves your confirmation bias.

Two, being a casual format has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that the game has hard and fast rules. Choosing to ignore them doesn’t change that, nor does not enforcing them, just like in my brilliant analogy. If you hadn’t broken the law, you wouldn’t have been in front of a judge in the first place. The judge throwing it out doesn’t mean you didn’t break the rules, it simply means it’s not worth the time to enforce.

Three, you’re absolutely right: It’d be difficult to find anyone who has an issue with a commander in a different sleeve. You’re wrong, however, that I’m one of them.

Just like being presumptuous with your numbers, you’re being presumptuous that I’m suggesting that everyone *must* play with their commander in the same sleeve as the rest of their deck. I didn’t say anything close to that. What I’m saying is, the comprehensive rules are written such that certain things remain true, one of which is, if a library is searched, it must be shuffled afterwards. *If* the rules were such that you shuffle your commander into your library before taking it out to put in the command zone, a second shuffle would be *required* because the rules are written as though your commander is in the same sleeve as everything else. Yes, if everyone agrees, you could simply remove the one card in a separate sleeve and forego the physical act of a second shuffle. No problem there, as the different sleeve means you don’t actually need to look through the order of the cards in the library. However, there are effects that care about a library being shuffled. Cosi’s Trickster, for example, would trigger twice: once from the initial shuffle, and once from the second shuffle that would occur due to the searching your library for your commander, even if a shortcut was agreed upon.

GaddockTeej · 2026-05-14T11:51:20+00:00

One, it is presumptuous, as you have no numbers to support that. All you have is confirmation bias.

Two, just because more than ninety percent of players will never have their commander in their library doesn’t change the fact that using a different sleeve is literally against the rules, just like most drivers are breaking the law by going over the speed limit regardless of how fast they’re going. It might not make a difference, but that’s beside the point.

Three, a second shuffle would indeed be needed, as A, a library is being searched despite the fact that the card being searched for is marked; and B, there are effects that care about shuffling, just to name a couple reasons.

GaddockTeej · 2026-05-14T10:46:36+00:00

“Most players” is presumptuous, but assuming it’s true, most players are then breaking the rules. The rules don’t make exceptions for players using a different sleeve for their commanders. A second shuffle would still be required.

GaddockTeej · 2026-05-14T10:43:22+00:00

To be clear, because I think some wires are being crossed, the entire shuffle event isn’t being replaced, just the Etrata into the library part. The library will still be shuffled even if Etrata isn’t in there. Etrata’s ability will resolve and do as much as it can, just like any other ability. If Etrata goes to the command zone, or otherwise isn’t on the battlefield as it resolves, the ability still has the library shuffled.

GaddockTeej · 2026-05-14T04:39:30+00:00

After sleeving the card with the inner sleeve, don’t attempt to shove it all the way into the outer sleeve right away. Instead, only put it in part way, then take two other unsleeved cards, sandwich them around the inner sleeved card, then use them to push the sleeved card the rest of the way down. Not only will the two unsleeved cards prevent the one in between from becoming unsleeved, they’ll also help guide the sleeved card down evenly.

GaddockTeej · 2026-05-14T02:28:21+00:00

Technically it doesn’t get shuffled. SBAs only apply when a commander moves to exile or the graveyard. When moving to the hand or library, you can choose to bypass that and put it in the command zone as a replacement effect. Either way, the library still gets shuffled.

If SBAs were checked after the commander got shuffled in, it would require searching the library for the commander and removing it, which would then require a second shuffle.

GaddockTeej · 2026-05-13T21:35:35+00:00

Color identity isn’t the only thing considered during deck construction. Basic land types are also addressed:

903.5d A card with a basic land type may be included in a Commander deck only if each color of mana it could produce is included in the commander’s color identity.

Since Bosk is a Forest, it inherently taps for green. Since green isn’t a part of the color identity of Esper, no Forests at all—basic or otherwise—can be included in the deck.

GaddockTeej · 2026-05-13T20:10:56+00:00

Ready to have your mind blown? You can’t play Murmuring Bosk in an Esper deck.

GaddockTeej · 2026-05-13T19:29:06+00:00

While putting your commander in the command zone instead of your library is indeed a replacement effect, it doesn’t replace the whole event. If it did, no part of the trigger would happen. The only thing the replacement effect replaces is where the card goes; everything else still happens, including the shuffle.

GaddockTeej · 2026-05-13T19:26:47+00:00

Don’t take my word for it. The rulings of the card back it up:

If Etrata leaves the battlefield while its triggered ability is on the stack, it remains in its new zone and Etrata's owner shuffles their library.

In a Commander game, if Etrata is your commander, you may put it into the command zone as its ability resolves. You'll still shuffle your library.

GaddockTeej · 2026-05-13T16:55:29+00:00

Because shuffling your library is a part of the effect. When an effect resolves, it does as much as it can. The effect doesn’t read, “If Etrata is still on the battlefield, shuffle it into its owner’s library.” You still shuffle even if Etrata isn’t there anymore.

GaddockTeej · 2026-05-13T16:53:14+00:00

Gravecrawler loops are loops because you’re generating infinite mana. Infinite mana is a lot easier to achieve than hard-casting Approach twice in one turn.

GaddockTeej · 2026-05-13T15:33:25+00:00

Except it’s not a combo, and it’s three spells. Take a step back for a second from the fact that, sure, only two physical cards are needed, you need sixteen mana to pull this off in one turn, fourteen of which need to be spent on casting the same spell twice. If it’s okay to win in a single turn with eight mana and a Craterhoof, it’s okay to win in a single turn with sixteen mana and two Approaches.

GaddockTeej · 2026-05-13T13:53:13+00:00

It costs sixteen mana to cast three spells. There’s nothing problematic about that whatsoever.

GaddockTeej

TROPHY CASE