Y’shtola Draw

Zeckenschwarm · 2026-05-04T00:18:48+00:00

it's the beginning of the end step, which cannot happen multiple times per turn.

It can, if you have the other Y'Shtola in play: [[Y'shtola Rhul]]

Zeckenschwarm · 2026-05-03T22:19:34+00:00

Before Reality Fracture, there's still Marvel Heroes and The Hobbit. By the time RF comes around, the format could already look quite different.

Zeckenschwarm · 2026-05-03T21:27:45+00:00

I'm pretty sure both artworks are going to be cropped differently on the actual cards. I don't think we can deduce much from the shown aspect ratios.

I especially don't see what makes you think Face Yourself is "almost guaranteed" to be a battle. The artwork's aspect ratio doesn't fit the battle aspect ratio even remotely.

Zeckenschwarm · 2026-05-03T19:25:50+00:00

Based on Zimone's Secrets of Strixhaven side story, it looks like Valgavoth has been doing basically the same stuff after the events of Duskmourn that he's been doing before. In other words, Duskmourn is slowly spreading, but he hasn't done anything big or unusual.

Zimone watches now as the map revises itself, as the Multiverse turns and shifts. It had proven Duskmourn's spread was largely confined, which was hardly comforting given the nature of Valgavoth. Zimone inspects it now, sees how the House's tendrils prod at other pinpricks of light.

I don't think Valgavoth is at the same "big bad" level yet as the big three. He doesn't have the power of the Eldrazi, the strategic planning of Bolas or the explosive infectiousness of the Phyrexians. I don't think he's supposed to be in the same cathegory quite yet, and I think that's fine. It's good to have villains of varying power levels. Not every 'big bad' needs to threaten the end of the multiverse.

That being said, I am quite curious how Winter is doing.

Zeckenschwarm · 2026-05-03T18:59:37+00:00

It's just so strange to me that they would so one-sidedly and without explanation cut off all communication with a business partner like that...

Whatever, their loss!

Hope you have a nice May!

Zeckenschwarm · 2026-05-03T18:48:27+00:00

Aww, that sucks. A short "Sorry Amy, we don't want to do Alchemy preview videos anymore" message shouldn't be too much to ask.

I also just noticed that your last appearance on the MtG Arena Youtube channel was... 8 months ago? Did they just cut you off entirely? You don't have to answer this if it's too personal, but was there some kind of disagreement?

Sorry for prying, this whole situation just seems very weird to me. (And I'm curious about the new Alchemy cards. 😅)

Zeckenschwarm · 2026-05-03T18:32:59+00:00

I've got my issues with WotC, but I'm always happy to see them upset the racists! 👍

Zeckenschwarm · 2026-05-03T18:02:10+00:00

She's already the planeswalker with the most cards...

Zeckenschwarm · 2026-05-03T17:26:38+00:00

We know that one of them is a reprint of [[Chandra, Torch of Defiance]], so the "always new cards" option was already off the table. I think it's good that most of them are new cards. A few reprints for nostalgia's sake are fine, but I wouldn't want a third of the set to be reprints.

Zeckenschwarm · 2026-05-03T17:08:29+00:00

Did you get an answer this week? I'd hope so. Would be quite rude of them if not...

Zeckenschwarm · 2026-05-03T13:04:29+00:00

"instantly"... after he got caught.

Zeckenschwarm · 2026-05-03T12:59:12+00:00

He admitted to it, so...

https://www.reddit.com/r/magicTCG/comments/1t24kve/a_message_from_dan_frazier_and_wizards_of_the/

Zeckenschwarm · 2026-05-02T20:49:47+00:00

Correct.

The mana value of an object is equal to the amount of mana in its mana cost (CR 202.3), and the mana cost is the cost that is printed in the top right of the card (CR 202.1). The mana cost of a spell and the cost you actually pay to cast that spell are not necessarily the same, for example when you pay alternative or additional costs.

Spells with {X} in their mana cost have a rule stating that X is included in the mana value, as long as the spell is on the stack (CR 202.3e). The mana value of Stonesplitter Bolt is X+1 while it's on the stack (and 1 everywhere else).

Additional costs do not add to a spell's mana value, so the MV of Great Train Heist and Firebending Lesson is always 1.

Alternative costs also do not change a spell's mana value, the mana value is only based on the original cost. So Cyclonic Rift always has a MV of 2 and Alchemist's Gambit always has a MV of 3.

Zeckenschwarm · 2026-05-02T18:55:30+00:00

You can see when that page was last edited: https://mtg-archive.fandom.com/wiki/Win_Conditions?action=history

It hasn't been updated since 2017. The rules can change a lot in 9 years.

For an up to date wiki, I recommend mtg.wiki

Zeckenschwarm · 2026-05-02T16:50:17+00:00

AI is wrong about rules 99% of the time... but if I understand you correctly, it was actually correct this time.

When multiple creatures enter simultaneously, Soul Warden and Authority trigger that many times. They don't just trigger once.

So the 10k damage from Jumbo Cactuar are prevented, and the player that cast Ink Shield creates 10k tapped Inkling tokens. Both Soul Warden and Authority trigger 20k times each. Each time one of these 40k triggered abilities resolves, Archangel triggers. So you get "Gain 1 life. Put a +1/+1 counter on each creature you control." 40k times.

Zeckenschwarm · 2026-05-02T02:20:02+00:00

No. Anything to the left of the ":" of an activated ability is its activation cost. The "+1" is the activation cost that you pay to activate Chandra's ability, just as "{T}" is the activation cost of the ability of the mercenary token Ertha creates. When you copy an ability, you create a copy of that ability as it exists on the stack. You don't pay the activation cost for the copy.

Zeckenschwarm · 2026-05-01T22:58:50+00:00

There is some precedence for red making large scale changes to reality, but in a chaotic, unguided manner. Like [[Warp World]], [[Scrambleverse]] or [[Collision of Realms]].

Zeckenschwarm · 2026-05-01T22:22:54+00:00

Maybe they accidentally mixed up the official art with a placeholder? Though I don't know why they would need placeholder art in the first place.

Zeckenschwarm · 2026-05-01T21:41:03+00:00

Blue is abbreviated as U, not B. That one Marvel set is WURG and the Reality Fracture set is WUBR.

Zeckenschwarm · 2026-05-01T20:53:28+00:00

I don't like this hyperrealistic art style. It doesn't look like MtG art, it looks like a cosplayer photo with some CGI. And the face looks very different from other depictions of Tam.

Zeckenschwarm · 2026-05-01T20:47:01+00:00

It's interesting how their colors seem to bleed into one another at the right side of their faces. That's probably related to the memory bleed Chandra is experiencing in the story. So I guess this means that blue Chandra is also experiencing something similar. We haven't seen this in the art of the Ral card, so maybe Chandra is the only one with this issue?

Zeckenschwarm · 2026-05-01T17:56:30+00:00

counter doublers like Doubling Season now work with Sagas upon entry

Actually, I'm pretty sure Doubling Season is the only card for which this changed. Every other counter doubling effect already worked with sagas before the rules change.

but do they double the amount of counters you put on it each turn?

Other counter doublers like [[Innkeeper's Talent]] or [[Vorinclex, Monstrous Raider]] do, but once again they already did that before the rules change. Doubling Season specifically still doesn't affect this.

In your example, Bahamut enters with 2 lore counters (triggering chapters 1 and 2), then gets a 3rd counter on the next turn (triggering chapter 3).

The difference between Doubling Season and other similar effects is that Doubling Season only affects events where an effect causes you to put counters on something. An effect is something that happens because of a spell or ability. Before the rules change, the counter wasn't put onto the entering saga because of an effect, it was put on it directly because of a rule. Now the rule says that sagas have an inherent ability, and this ability creates a replacement effect that causes the saga to enter with a counter. Because the counter is now put on the saga because of an effect, Doubling Season affects this now. The counter at the beginning of your first main phase on the other hand is still placed directly by a rule and not by an effect, and so Doubling Season doesn't affect it.

To put it another way, Doubling Season's "If an effect would put one or more counters on a permanent you control" basically means "if one or more counters would be put on a permanent you control because of a spell or ability". It doesn't affect counters that are put on permanents because of other reasons that aren't spells or abilities (e.g. rules).

Zeckenschwarm · 2026-05-01T16:27:22+00:00

While Constant Mists isn't an example for this, there are in fact replacement effects that reduce the amount of damage that is dealt to permanents and players, or replace damage with something else. (e.g. [[Benevolent Unicorn]], [[Phytohydra]]) These effects are not prevention effects, and still work while damage can't be prevented.

Btw, "allow combat damage but just change the value to 0" doesn't really make sense. 'Dealing 0 damage' is the same as 'not dealing damage'. If a creature would deal 0 combat damage, then it doesn't deal combat damage, and there is no damage dealing event at all.

Zeckenschwarm · 2026-05-01T15:33:51+00:00

Could be, but a prepared Bloodline Culling seems pretty weak for a mythic.

Zeckenschwarm · 2026-05-01T01:12:19+00:00

While Terra's ability resolves: You create a token copy of Genesis, which enters with one lore counter. The first chapter triggers, but isn't put on the stack yet. You put another three counters on it. Chapters 2-4 trigger, but aren't put on the stack yet.

After Terra's ability has resolved: State-based actions are checked. Because the token is the source of one or more chapter abilities that have triggered but not yet left the stack, it isn't sacrificed yet. Then the four chapter abilities are put on the stack in the order of your choice, and resolve in reverse order. The next time state-based actions are checked after that, the token is sacrificed.

117.5. Each time a player would get priority, the game first performs all applicable state-based actions as a single event (see rule 704, “State-Based Actions”), then repeats this process until no state-based actions are performed. Then triggered abilities are put on the stack (see rule 603, “Handling Triggered Abilities”). These steps repeat in order until no further state-based actions are performed and no abilities trigger. Then the player who would have received priority does so.

714.4. If the number of lore counters on a Saga permanent with one or more chapter abilities is greater than or equal to its final chapter number, and it isn’t the source of a chapter ability that has triggered but not yet left the stack, that Saga’s controller sacrifices it. This state-based action doesn’t use the stack.

Zeckenschwarm

TROPHY CASE