text:
When do you have to decide whether or not to use a "May" effect?
I am thinking of building a discard deck and was looking for some clarification on a interaction that might pop up with "may" effects. I would like to know exactly when I need to decided whether or not a "may" effect is going to happen. An example for when this would make a difference...
On my side of the board I have:

Waste Not
Geth's Grimoire

In my hand I have:

Duress

And on top of my library is (but I don't know that yet):

Dark Deal

My opponent has nothing on the board, and several cards in his hand including the Sorcery Lava Axe.
My plan is to cast Duress on my opponent and have him discard Lava Axe. It is my understanding that both the Waste Not and Geth's Grimoire triggers would go on the stack simultaneously, allowing me to choose which one resolves first.
Is it possible to resolve Waste Not first, draw a card, see Dark Deal and then decide not to draw a card off Geth's Grimoire's trigger? Or do I need to choose whether or not to draw a card for Grimoire before I see the result of the Waste Not draw?
This would be advantageous to me since I could then cast Dark Deal without having to discard the card I drew off of Geth's Grimoire, and reap whatever benefits from Waste Not and Geth's Grimoire from my opponent's discarded hand.

@TheThirdMan I appreciate the added bullets for formatting, but I thought the common practice for MTG questions was Link the first reference to the card and leave all others as plain text? Or is it personal preference?

You describe the way it's done on Wikipedia, however the way I edited it is how I've seen it being done here on about every occasion. I'm not sure about the recommended practice, though.

@TheThirdMan ok thanks, I will keep that in mind for future questions.

@TheThirdMan A few months ago I edited a question to add links to the card name everywhere, and someone told me in comments that I should only link the first instance.

@GendoIkari perhaps this might be worth discussing and nailing down in the Meta?

Meta thread.

First of all, they only trigger simultaneously, but they're put on the stack in an order you choose the next time a player would receive priority. They will then resolve last-in-first-out.

603.2. Whenever a game event or game state matches a triggered ability’s trigger event, that ability automatically triggers. The ability doesn’t do anything at this point.
603.3. Once an ability has triggered, its controller puts it on the stack as an object that’s not a card the next time a player would receive priority. [...]
603.3b If multiple abilities have triggered since the last time a player received priority, each player, in APNAP order, puts triggered abilities he or she controls on the stack in any order he or she chooses. [...]

This means that you choose the order of your abilities resolving, but you can't possibly know what card you'll draw yet. The only way you'll get to do what you want is to place Geth's Grimoire on the stack first so that it will resolve last.
Abilities, like spells, usually only do things on resolution, and Geth's Grimoire's is no exception. When it's its time to resolve, you will already have drawn a card from Waste Not, and you know what it is, meaning during resolution of the ability, you may decide not to draw a card.

603.5. Some triggered abilities’ effects are optional (they contain “may,” as in “At the beginning of your upkeep, you may draw a card”). These abilities go on the stack when they trigger, regardless of whether their controller intends to exercise the ability’s option or not. The choice is made when the ability resolves. [...]

If Dark Deal was an Instant instead of a Sorcery, it could even be played after Waste Not resolves but before Geth's Grimoire resolves. If you did that, the instant would resolve before Geth's Grimoire.

@ikegami Thanks for tip, noted. Though I deliberately chose a Sorcery to try to keep things simpler in my example :)


text:
What does the "nonland" restriction mean?
My brother says that Omniscience allows you to play any card from your hand without paying any mana.
I thought "nonland" meant anything with no colored mana cost?

I tried to interpret the question as well as I could, but you still don't really ask for anything in particular. If the answers below don't already answer your question, please clarify what you want to know.

The Magic 2013 version of the card says

You may cast nonland cards from your hand without paying their mana costs.

That's not actually the current official text of the card (see Gatherer: Omniscience), it currently says:

You may cast spells from your hand without paying their mana costs.

But those basically mean the same thing: you may cast any card that is not a land card. They have to write that, because lands are played, not cast, and playing a land never has a mana cost anyway.
So you can cast cards with colored mana costs, cards with only colored mana costs, anything you want. You can even cast cards that don't have a mana cost at all (that can't be cast normally), like Living End.
But not lands.
Also the normal timing restrictions apply, so you can still play sorceries only during your own main phase when the stack is empty, and also if a card has additional costs besides mana, you still have to pay that too.

I seem to recall this site has some way to turn card names into Gatherer links, but I can't remember how.

You can use the [mtg:Card Name] syntax in posts, but i won't show up in the preview.

The text of the card states that

You may cast spells from your hand without paying their mana costs.

In regard to the nonland ruling, nonland simply means any card that is not a land. There are restrictions however. If a card has an {X} symbol in its casting cost and is played with Omniscience, X must be zero.

Nonland (and other phrases like it, such as noncreature) simply refers to the card type, meaning the effect only applies to cards that don't have the Land type, or more generally speaking, "are not lands".
It doesn't state anything about color or color identity derived from the mana cost - effects that do (such as Devotion will explicitly state this). I suppose this fallacy is based on lands usually being colorless, though Dryad Arbor, for example, is a green land and proves that this is not a correct assumption.

Omniscience allows you to cast spells from your hand without paying their mana cost. Lands can't be cast as spells, so probably to prevent misunderstandings, the original version of the card said "nonland cards" (this has since been errata'd).

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text:
Do I get to fetch a basic land when putting my commander in the command zone for Path to Exile?
Someone told me this a couple of day ago, and I want a second ruling. I was told if your commander gets Path to Exile'd and you choose to put it in the command zone, you don't to search your deck for the basic land, just like with Swords to Plowshares you don't gain life, due to the way the card is written.

Actually, you do get life from Swords to Plowshares.

This concerns the following rule:

CR 903.9. If a commander would be exiled from anywhere or put into its owner’s hand, graveyard, or library from anywhere, its owner may put it into the command zone instead. This replacement effect may apply more than once to the same event. This is an exception to rule 614.5.

If the Commander's owner chooses to apply the replacement effect, you perform the following instructions when resolving Path to Exile:

Exile target creature.Move target creature to the command zone. Its controller may search his or her library for a basic land card, put that card onto the battlefield tapped, then shuffle his or her library.

There's nothing preventing the rest of the ability from resolving, so you do get to search your library for a land.
Similarly, you perform the following instructions when resolving Swords to Plowshares:

Exile target creature.Move target creature to the command zone. Its controller gains life equal to its power.

So, you do gain life.

Let's consider a different scenario. Say there's a creature on the battlefield with the following ability:

Whenever a creature dies, ...

Then, let's say you cast the following spell targeting a Commander:

Destroy target creature. Draw a card.

If the Commander's owner doesn't replace the effect,
You perform the following instructions when resolving the spell:

Destroy target creature (by moving it to the graveyard). Draw a card.

The triggered ability will obviously trigger.
If the Commander's owner chooses to apply the replacement effect,
You perform the following instructions when resolving the spell:

Destroy target creature (by moving it to the graveyardcommand zone). Draw a card.

Since the creature never died (never went to the graveyard from the battelfield), the triggered ability won't trigger.

Either way, you draw a card.

This implies control over where the commander goes by the player exiling it, which is wrong and misleading. The cards still do very much the same, but the player owning the commander may choose to put it in the command zone instead of into exile, as explained in the other answers.

@TheThirdMan, Fixed

It's still misleading, and always will be with this approach - the commander's controller won't have to choose until the respective spell resolves, and they get to choose because the spell exiles a creature. Over-simplifying this by suggesting that cards do different things depending on which creatures are targetted is wrong and isn't helping anyone, especially in situations as uncomplex as this one. By abstraction, you're promoting that learning how replacement effects work is unnecessary.

Re "It's still misleading", There's nothing misleading; this is exactly what happens. /// Re "and always will be with this approach", There is no other approach. This is the "approach" defined in the rules. /// Re "the commander's controller won't have to choose until the respective spell resolves", I never said or implied otherwise.

Re "Over-simplifying this by suggesting that cards do different things depending on which creatures are targetted", That's not an over-simplification. That's actually what happens. The spell's text doesn't change, but the spell's effect does as described. /// Re "you're promoting that learning how replacement effects work is unnecessary", To the contrary, I'm explaining how they work.

You're misunderstanding the rule, which replaces the event of a commander being put into exile - it doesn't replace a spell trying to put a commander into exile. The spell always says "Exile target creature", and at the time that happens and the creature would be put into exile, the replacement effect kicks in and - if the creature is a commander - allows it's controller to put it in the command zone instead. You're describing the non-existant rule saying "If a spell would say to exile a commander creature, and it's controller chooses to put it in the command zone, it says sth. else instead"

Re "it doesn't replace a spell trying to put a commander into exile", I know. It doesn't replace the spell at all. It just replaces one of the spell's instructions. That's the entire point of my answer. /// Re "You're describing the non-existant rule saying", Not true at all. I didn't say it says something else instead -- in fact, I've specifically said the spell's text doesn't change -- I said it DOES something else instead. I've updated the answer to use clearer wording.

Again, it does not replace one of the spell's instructions. It changes what happens when the spell's (unchanged) instructions are executed. You could visualize it the way you described to simplify it, but what's actually happening doesn't touch the spell at all. What you're talking about is not a replacement effect, but something like Alter Reality, and nothing about the rule says anything remotely close. If I had to take a guess, I'd say you've been mislead by the very same logic yourself.

Re "Again, it does not replace one of the spell's instructions", This is the first time you've said this, and it's wrong. It DOES change the spell's instructions. The Commander doesn't get exiled and then go to the command zone. You move it directly to the command zone. This also matters when things query the source of the effect. (e.g. Protection, etc). They see the spell, not the source of the replacement effect.

Alter Reality alters text, so I'm clearly NOT talking about Alter Reality. (Alter Reality is not a replacement effect; it's a continuous effect that alters the attributes of an object (much like Giant Growth).)

Yes, you may get a land (if you want to and can search your library).
Putting your commander in the command zone instead of the zone it would normally go to becomes relevant if an effect would trigger whenever the/a creature changes zones. This could be "whenever a creature dies" as in the example below or if a card refers to an exiled card (mimic vat). Your commander never died and is not exiled with the vat, if you chose to move it to the command zone.
An example would be, if you commander dies when equipped with skullclamp. If you want to draw two cards, you have to let it go into your graveyard - if you return it to the command zone, it doesn't die and you don't draw.
Since dieing is the most common scenario in which this replacement effect happens, you might also want to look at : Do commanders “die” if they go to the command zone instead?
thanks @doppelgreener, dieing is not the only situation in which it matters

"whenever a creature dies" wouldn't be relevant for a card that exiles though.

This is correct. However, since the most common situation where the replacement effect matters is it dying I though it would be helpful to mention it.

From the official rules:

If a Commander would be put into a library, hand, graveyard or exile from anywhere, its owner may choose to move it to the command zone instead.

This means that casting Path to Exile or Swords to Plowshares on a commander will - on resolution - allow it's controller to choose whether to put it in the command zone, or exile it (probably a bad idea). The spell, however, won't be affected by that choice, and the commander's controller will get to search their library for a basic land or gain life.
You're probably thinking of spells getting countered by the game rules for not having any legal targets, but that's not what's happening here. The Commander rules create a replacement effect, so Path to Exile fully resolves, just it's effect might be altered.

The spell is affected because it's the spell that places the Commander in the command zone. That's how replacement effects work. The key is that only the "move" part of the spell is replaced, while the rest is performed normally (as shown in my answer).

@ikegami: This might be a misunderstanding - yes, the replacement effect alters the way each spell will work effectively (though very much unlike you suggested in your answer, as I added in the comments), but the spell won't be affected by the choice the commander's controller takes.

No, the replacement effect alters the way the spells work period. As its name suggests, it literally replaces part of the spell's effect by replacing one instruction with another.

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text:
In Commander, if a player causes all of my cards to become a color other than the colors of my commander, do I lose the game?
There are some cards in MTG, such as Painter's Servant, which allow you to change color identities of permanents. If I were use this card while the commander isn't in play, all the cards in play would become the color I chose. If I chose a color outside my opponent's commander's color identity, then all the cards they had in play would become illegal. Would that cause them to lose the game?

The color identity rule in Commander is a deck construction rule. This means that it limits the set of cards that can be used to create the deck. Once a deck is created, it is either legal or illegal based on deck construction rules, and that does not change after a game begins.
In addition, the color identity rules specifically say the following:

903.4. The Commander variant uses color identity to determine what cards can be in a deck with a certain commander. The color identity of a card is the color or colors of any mana symbols in that card’s mana cost or rules text, plus any colors defined by its characteristic-defining abilities (see rule 604.3) or color indicator (see rule 204).

903.4a Color identity is established before the game begins.

There are currently no cards that can change the listed attributes that determine color identity, not even Painter's Servant. And even if they could, color identity does not change during the game.

Sadly Painters Servant is banned in commander.
However color identity in commander is used solely to determine what cards are allowed in the deck. It is determined before the game begins.

As of the Oath of the Gatewatch set, the rule about mana becoming colorless was actually removed.

I thought that was the case but have been unable to find the ruling for it. Thank you for clarifying.

@Falderol The ruling for that is here.


text:
Instants - are the creatures blocked or not?
Player A attacks with two creatures. Player B plays the instant card Give No Ground on a creature and blocks two attacking creatures. Player A then plays the instant Disperse.
Are those two creatures blocked or not?

It depends on when player A casts disperse.
If player B said "I cast Give No Ground and block the two creatures",  player A could say either

"In response to the cast"
"after it resolves but before blockers"

and cast Disperse and both creatures would be unblocked.
Otherwise, if B actually gets to declare blockers, the creatures will remain blocked.

Yes, the attacking creatures are both blocked. From the Comprehensive Rules:

509.1h An attacking creature with one or more creatures declared as blockers for it becomes a blocked creature; one with no creatures declared as blockers for it becomes an unblocked creature. This remains unchanged until the creature is removed from combat, an effect says that it becomes blocked or unblocked, or the combat phase ends, whichever comes first. A creature remains blocked even if all the creatures blocking it are removed from combat.


text:
Do effects that can destroy a Commander and generate a token prevent the Commander from being put in the Command Zone?
If the Commander is turned into a 3/3 monkey, or another type of token creature by a different effect, can it still be put in the Command Zone instead of in the graveyard?

How does a card get "turned into" a token?

Are you referring to cards like Pongify? (You'll notice nothing gets turned into a token there.)

There are two different kinds of effects that are similar to the one described. One is a card like Pongify, which has this text:

Destroy target creature. It can't be regenerated. Its controller creates a 3/3 green Ape creature token.

If you cast Pongify on a commander, the commander is destroyed when the spell resolves, and its controller can choose to move it to the command zone at that time. Once the Pongify resolves, the Ape token exists as a completely separate creature from the commander.
There are also cards like Turn to Frog, which has this text:

Until end of turn, target creature loses all abilities and becomes a blue Frog with base power and toughness 1/1.

If you cast Turn to Frog targeting a creature, it still counts as the same creature; it has just changed characteristics. But the property of being a commander is inherent to the card and doesn't change after the game begins, so that creature is still a commander, and can still be moved to the command zone when it is destroyed.

I'm assuming you're talking about cards like Pongify.
Cards only do what they say, and Pongify destroys your Commander. Whether it also creates a token or has any other effect is irrelevant, and the normal replacement effect of putting your Commander in the Command Zone if it would be put in a graveyard applies.

903.9. If a commander would be exiled from anywhere or put into its owner’s hand, graveyard, or library from anywhere, its owner may put it into the command zone instead. (...)

Some players will turn their cards face-down in order to have token creatures represented, which you might have seen someone do with their Commander. This doesn't change that the actual zone that card will be in is either the graveyard or the Command Zone - you can't turn a physical card into a token, or vice versa, within the game rules - regardless how it's being represented.


text:
Can I pause a game of Magic: The Gathering to read and understand a card?
Can I pause the game before I use a counter target spell?
For example, they play a spell and I don't know what it is, so I say "hold on", take 7 seconds to read it, then decide to counter - or, do I have to skip the time to read it and decide whether to counter it without even knowing what the card does, sort of like a guess.

Related: http://boardgames.stackexchange.com/questions/27477/where-does-the-phrase-mtg-is-not-a-game-about-reflexes-come-from

Any time you're unsure of something (rules, cards, procedures) call a judge. No one will look down on you for it, at least not anyone you need to worry about it. If they do look down on you for it, find a new place to play.

You can't "pause" the game, as the game isn't progressing by itself. Instead, it progresses only when all players agree that the game should go on, which most of the time means to pass priority. The most relevant rule to this is:

500.2. A phase or step in which players receive priority ends when the stack is empty and all players pass in succession. Simply having the stack become empty doesn't cause such a phase or step to end; all players have to pass in succession with the stack empty. Because of this, each player gets a chance to add new things to the stack before that phase or step ends.

Each time a player acts in a way that uses the stack, such as cast a spell, there's a round of priority, as defined by the rules, which (as stated above) all players have to pass in succession in order to progress.
So not only do you get to take the time to read and understand the card, but you get to think about in what way, if at all, you want to respond. You may even ask a Judge or another player for clarifications on cards or rules. This is true at all times, for example if you're simply in need of clarification of the game state.
Nothing that isn't clearly labelled as such or banned in tournament play is luck- or random-based, requires manual dexterity, or requires fast reflexes or high reaction.
In a tournament scenario, the only requirement is to do this in a timely manner ("playing at a reasonable pace") to avoid Slow Play, which means you're not allowed to stall the game by thinking about what you want to do for more than a sensible period of time in order to not slow down the tournament as a whole, or take an unfair amount of the shared round time for yourself. What that timespan is depends on the game situation, but you will always be given enough time to read a card that's reasonably unknown to you, and understand what it does.
It isn't expected of you at any tournament level that you know all Magic cards out there, however it's expected at any level that you keep track of the game state and don't re-evaluate the entire board before making a decision.
The reason you might be thinking there's a certain time limit to take action is that the Duels of the Planeswalkers games include an automatically progressing bar that gives you only so much time to react. This is supposedly done to prevent idling players from stalling the game, but has nothing to do with the paper version of the game.

"It isn't expected of you at any tournament level that you know all Magic cards out there" I watch very high end Magic tournaments, and from time to time even they will read a card so they can get its exact ruling. I see professionals asking to see cards and even asking judges (which is funny because they themselves are often certified judges.)

@corsiKa: Yeah, with about 30,000 different cards, that's understandable, and some cards' specific wording may be important for the specific situation, even though you basically know what the card does already. Other cases would be cards in non-native language that you want translated, or altered cards/promo cards with special artwork that you don't immediately recognize, or even Player Reward promos that don't even have text.

@corsiKa It makes sense though. Even if they themselves are a certified judge, they don't get the final say and don't really have a copy of the full rules on hand. So even if they have a confident interpretation, they want to be sure that their interpretation will be backed up by the people in charge before they commit to an action.

You can mention as well that you can even ask a judge to look up the oracle text if there is erratta involved. This happens often in older formats or if you are playing in japan as a foreigner.

Although other answers have addressed your specific question, let me put it a different way that will serve you well in general: real time has (almost) no role in Magic. In other words, it basically never matters how long you take to perform any action in the game.1 Don't let anyone (except an acting judge) tell you otherwise.
A game of Magic is a sequence of steps - actions and decision points - which you and your opponent(s) have to go through in order.2 All you have to do is maintain the order. You don't have to stick to any time-based schedule.1

1Two exceptions: in a tournament, there is a time limit on the round as a whole (e.g. 50 minutes per match), but that does not affect the timing of individual actions within the game. Also, if you are taking an excessive amount of time between actions, that is slow play and is illegal, but it's a subjective criterion, for a judge to decide on. There's no specific number of seconds or anything like that.
2Actually, you don't have to stick to the exact order. The rules allow for out-of-order sequencing, which basically means you can do certain actions out of order as long as it doesn't confuse anybody.

Good point - I tried to avoid the "real time isn't important to MTG" argument because while not relevant to the rules, you're still playing games in the real world, where LGS's eventually close, and friends eventually have to go home. It's true that there's no time limit in Magic, yet "play at a reasonable pace" should always accompany that statement in my opinion.

Also being subjective, the player skill level is a factor in slow play or not. If a new player takes a long time to understand a complicated board state or interaction, it's not considered slow play. A guy that often 3-0's his draft pod and prizes out at every pre-release probably doesn't need near as much time. In general, if you're an honest person you never need to worry about slow playing.

@corsiKa: I disagree entirely! Slow Play is commited by a player taking too long for their actions, even though they meant well or "were honest", in order to allow the match to finish in time. If you're intentionally slowing down the game (likely to timeout the game), that's Stalling. Both are independant of the player's skill level - taking skill level into account when determining slow pair would be highly unfair, as both players share the 50min round time, and noone deserves more of that than the other!

@TheThirdMan Slow Play is always unintentional (by definition.) What is reasonable for a player is different for every player. Most people who would commit slow play are going to get mopped up. I've been playing a lot of years and have never (once!) seen a slow play get called.

@corsiKa: It is unintentional, I never said otherwise. But it's still a method to keep the tournament as a whole on track, so even if you're unintentionally taking too long - you're taking too long. As for the inconsistancy of slow plays, you might be interested in this article by PV, and for a broader definition than the rules give you, there's this article on MTG Daily (that I in parts disagree with, such as the 30-seconds-example)

You have the chance to read the card.  When a spell is cast, it is put on the stack.  Before it can resolve, both players have to pass priority. While you have priority, you can read the card and choose to cast a counter spell.
Now, if this is online, then you might have to take an action to say "Wait, I don't just want this to resolve immediately, I want to hold priority".

You pass priority by default for your own spells (whether online or not), but generally it's your opponent's spells you might want to counter. Magic Online doesn't pass priority there either, unless you've yielded for the whole turn or some such. Maybe you're thinking of Duels of the Planeswalkers where there's actually a countdown timer to pass priority, which you can pause?

The thing about passing priority by default is just a tournament rule.

My point about that tournament rule default was that even there, you only automatically pass priority after your own things. You never automatically pass priority after your opponent does things.


text:
Hexproof and the stack
I have a 1/1 Kitesail Scout and use a +1/+1 pump spell to make it a 2/2. My opponent casts a Fiery Temper to deal 3 damage to it. I respond with Blossoming Defense for +2/+2 and Hexproof, he responds with Murder.
Does the Kitesail Scout die?
I know the last in first out stack rule, but didn't my Kitesail have Hexproof, so therefore his Murder could not be cast as the Kitesail was no longer a legal target?

You can link cards using the [mtg:Cardname] syntax. If you decide to explain what cards do instead or in addition, make sure you don't confuse their function - Fiery Temper does not do -3/-3, but deals 3 damage.

@TheThirdMan I've found [mtg:cardname] doesn't work well, every time I have used it it runs a search on gatherer, so it often pulls up multiple matches, murder for instance in this question has 11 matches. I still prefer direct links to the actual gatherer page for that reason.

With only a few exceptions, spells only have an effect once they resolve.
Just like you can cast Blossoming Defense in response to their Fiery Temper to save your creature before it would be killed, your opponent can respond to your Blossoming Defense by casting Murder to kill your creature before it's being protected.
Your 2/2 Kitesail Scout will be destroyed by Murder. Blossoming Defense and Fiery Temper will be countered by the game rules for not having any legal targets when they would resolve

608. Resolving Spells and Abilities
608.2b. If the spell or ability specifies targets, it checks whether the targets are still legal. A target that’s no longer in the zone it was in when it was targeted is illegal. (...) The spell or ability is countered if all its targets, for every instance of the word “target,” are now illegal. (...)
608.2c. The controller of the spell or ability follows its instructions in the order written. (...)

If instead your opponent allowed Blossoming Defense to resolve and didn't cast Murder in response to it, the Kitesail Scout would indeed be an illegal target for the spell and therefore couldn't be cast.

601. Casting Spells
601.2. To cast a spell is to take it from where it is (usually the hand), put it on the stack, and pay its costs, so that it will eventually resolve and have its effect. Casting a spell includes proposal of the spell (rules 601.2a–d) and (...). To cast a spell, a player follows the steps listed below, in order. (...) If, at any point during the casting of a spell, a player is unable to comply with any of the steps listed below, the casting of the spell is illegal; the game returns to the moment before the casting of that spell was proposed (see rule 720, “Handling Illegal Actions”).
601.2c. The player announces his or her choice of an appropriate player, object, or zone for each target the spell requires. (...) The chosen players, objects, and/or zones each become a target of that spell. (...)

@Tony: If this or another answer sufficiently answered your question, consider marking it as the accepted answer instead of using comments. There's a Help Center article about how to act when a question's been answered.

Your Blossoming Defense also uses the stack, so the creature does not have hexproof until it resolves.  So, I'm assuming your opponent cast Murder before your spell resolved, so it did not have hexproof at the time.

You only get hexproof when the spell resolves, which means your creature will die before getting hexproof.
It depends on when it is cast. I'm guessing all were instants and abilities and cast as response to the last casting, without any of it resolving. So the order goes:

fiery temper goes on stack
blossoming defense goes on stack
murder goes on stack
murder resolves (kills creature)
blossoming defense does not resolve (no target, so it is countered)
fiery temper does not resolve (no target, so it is countered)

In your example, Blossoming Defense and Fiery Temper won't resolve. Instead, they will be countered by the game rules for having no legal targets.

I think resolves just means "is processed". It is indeed countered by the lack of target during the resolution. Here is an example where the rules refer to one such spell being countered, as resolving: “If the creature isn’t a legal target during the resolution of Sorin’s Thirst (..), then Sorin’s Thirst is countered." Notice they say "resolution of Sorin's Thirst".

608.2b mentions "If the spell or ability is not countered, it will resolve normally.", which is why I'm phrasing it that way, although the rules in general talk about a spell resolving until the point where it's countered... Either way, we're obviously talking about the same meaning, and "it won't resolve normally" is likely more accurate, if not as elegant :)

Yeah, we were reading the same section. I took that as "if it's countered it'll resolve differently" xD

@CyberClaw It's supposed to mean "if it's countered it will not resolve at all". Rule 701.5a is the explicit statement of that. The example you quoted with Sorin's Thirst is incorrectly worded, assuming the stuff you omitted from the middle doesn't change the context.

Like I said, we were reading the same section of the rulebook. If you want the full example it's right below 608.2b. "Example: Sorin's Thirst is a black instant that reads, "Sorin's Thirst deals 2 damage to target creature and you gain 2 life." If the creature isn't a legal target during the resolution of Sorin's Thirst (say, if the creature has gained protection from black or left the battlefield), then Sorin's Thirst is countered. Its controller doesn't gain any life."

Other examples that show they use resolve as meaning "is processed". -> "608.2j. If an instant spell, sorcery spell, or ability that can legally resolve leaves the stack once it starts to resolve, it will continue to resolve fully." Why would they say "resolve fully" if resolve implied being completed? Resolve means just that. "Dealing with it". Does it fizz due to illegal target? Well it's done anyway. It's resolved. The dictionary classifies resolve as "settle or find a solution to". I'm just applying the dictionary definition.

Ah, found the actual answer. I was wrong. On the glossary of the same rulebook above linked: "Resolve: When the spell or ability on top of the stack "resolves," its instructions are followed and it has its effect. "


text:
Tool to search for cards with similar functionality
I'm looking for a tool/website that would aid in deck building, specifically by providing alternatives to a specific card, say Fog. It should respond with traditional data plus suggestions of similar cards like Haze of Pollen or Commencement of Festivities.
I've looked on Google's Play Store, and also tried many of the leading websites (TappedOut, ChannelFireball, etc.) While TCGPlayer and Amazon will recommend cards based on other buyers purchases, those suggestions may not be similar in nature to the first card.
Gatherer does have comments on many cards, but it's too time consuming to scroll page after page.

There's a good chance that what you're looking for simply doesn't exist (yet). Evaluating similarities between cards is a fairly complex problem, and it may simply be that nobody has automated it or manually done it for every card.

Have you tried the deck builder on Tappedout? there are suggestions that others in the community can drop on to your deck as well as auto suggestions. you can always ask for alternatives to cards you have put in you deck in the description. I believe that similar cards are decided better through human interaction than automation. there should be a way you can prompt other users on tapped out to give you more effective cards in you decks. There are plenty of examples if you search through tappedout.

also what would you define as "Traditional Data"?

Traditional data - I meant simply basic card stats one could get anywhere - CMC, set, legality, etc.

I use scryfall and search for some of the unique terms, and take out some terms that might lead to false positives.
https://scryfall.com/search?q=o%3A%22Prevent%22+o%3A%22all%22+o%3A%22damage%22+-o%3Atarget+-o%3Achoice&order=cmc
Here, I decided to search for "prevent", "all", "damage", and the filtered out "target" and "choice" because they were giving a lot of spells that prevented damage from one creature, and that's not really what a Fog is. They have a syntax guide on the website that will help you build complex searches like this. the most basic syntax is using o: to search for words in the text box and -o: to exclude terms.

MythicSpoiler provides something they call "Thesaurus" (usually used for finding word synonyms).
Although not the site's primary functionality, you can search for specific cards and it will yield you similar cards in nature and functionality, and excluding any other factors, which has its own pitfalls - for example, it wouldn't give you just any other green card, but it might give you a non-green alternative with the same function. The range is limited to three cards at a time, though.
Searching for Fog, for example, you will get suggestions for Druid's Deliverance, Moment's Peace, and Moonmist.
This is an exclusively manual process, as stated by its creator. You can choose to partake in this process by submitting your own card suggestions.

There are attempts to solve this issue procedurally as well, such as this attempt to solve it via NLP (Natural Language Processing). They link to a GitHub repository, but unfortunately there seems to be no existing implementation to try it out yourself quickly.

That said, for the multitude of cards available as alternatives to Fog, you're better off doing a specific Gatherer search (or search the database tool of your choice in a similar manner), for example for all green spells with the phrase "Prevent all combat damage that would be dealt this turn". This is the only process I can think of that will guarantee that you're not missing the card you're looking for, as long as you choose your search parameters sensibly - for example, the above search won't yield Terrifying Presence as a result.

Thank you all! Between Scryfall, MythicSpoiler and I found EDHREC, I should be fine. Happy FNM!

MTGAssist.com was built specifically for this. Here's an example for Fog: https://www.mtgassist.com/search.php?similar_to=fog
You can even combine it with other search options to find exactly what you're looking for.
Hope this helps,
Adam

Your question inspired me to add Search similar cards feature to my program Mtgdb.Gui. See screenshot below to estimate the quality of search result.

See also feature description in application wiki.

Wiki to get more information and screenshots

I'm curious, how do you measure similarity between cards?

By comparing Text and GeneratedMana fields.
The hardwork is done on the side of Lucene fulltext index, which executes a so-called MoreLikeThis query

I myself was surprised about good quality of output given that the comparison is done by pure textual analysis.
GeneratedMana comparison however, is based on a large amount of work I do to recognize mana generating patterns in card text.

I use a combination of Magic Assistant (stand alone program) and MTGCollectionbuilder.com. Both have cool features I like, plus in case one crashes I have a backup... but wouldn't mind going to one if I could find a comparable application. I'll give yours a try this weekend

@Octomjbber, in case you find some great features missing in my program, feel free to request it. My personal limited scope of knowledge and ideas is not enough to make a great application,  ideas from other people is what mostly made Mtgdb.Gui what it is now.

Metamox.com is exactly what your looking for. Enter a card name and it will give you every card that functions like or similar to it. I use it when building my decks for strong synergy.

all_licenses: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/


text:
what is this card game called?
It's a game for 4 players. It has a board similar to Crib, but shaped differently. Each player has 4 pegs that start off the board.
You deal cards to each player. You can get your peg into play if you get an A, 2, or J. You then try to move the pegs around the board to get them safetly into your house. Other players try to land on your peg to knock them off the board.
If you get a K, you can kill someone else's peg by putting your peg there. Once you safetly get your pegs into your house, you are the partner of the player kitty corner to you. The team that gets all 8 pegs safely into their houses win.
What is this  game called?

You seem to describe the game Dog: 2 vs 2 parcheesi with cards instead of dice.


text:
Does Catan expansion edition have to match base game edition?
I have the English fourth edition 2007 base game of Settlers of Catan. Are current editions of the expansion, specifically Catan: Seafarers English edition 2015, compatible with this base set?

I believe the differences are mostly in the provided rules and (depending on version) color of player tokens. It should be unproblematic to use expansions cross version

When the 5th edition of Catan came out, I remember reading an official source (Catan FAQ) explaining that it would be completely backwards compatible. The only source I can find right now is this one:

The 5th edition will also be fully backwards compatible to the previous 4th edition and will feature a more cohesive art style throughout all 4th and 5th edition expansions.

It looks a bit odd though, using different editions. So at that time I decided to buy all the old sets while they were still available. It's functionally possible to combine different editions into 1 game, but not aesthetically correct :)


text:
Drawing an event that moves you, do you still do tile text?
For example, I just discovered the Attic, which states:

When exiting, you must attempt a Speed roll of 3+. If you fail, lose 1 Might

Now I draw The Left Hand as the event card for this room,  and choose this option:

Keep your hand. Lose 2 Sanity, gain 1 Might, and move to the nearest room with an Omen symbol and draw an omen card.

Do I still have to make the Attic's speed roll to go to the nearest room?

Yes, you must always roll for the bad stuff that can happen to you for leaving a room, no matter how or why you are leaving the room.
From the official FAQ (which for some reason stopped being linked on the Wizards/Avalon Hill websites with the release of Widow's Walk):

Attic, Graveyard, Junk Room, Pentagram Chamber -- If something like the Mystic Slide causes you to leave one of these rooms involuntarily, do you still make a roll?
Yes. You roll no matter what causes you to leave.

This is a great find. Do you know whether there's a publically accessible version of this FAQ online anywhere, and if so, could you provide the link?

I wonder how this works with the rule that says that if you fail the roll, you can choose to stay where you are and not take damage? Those rules seem contradictory...

@TheThirdMan I have looked, there is no publicly accessible link I could find to the version I have, nor do any of the old links work either.  There is this older version of the file on BGG which does include the ruling: https://boardgamegeek.com/filepage/12137/betrayal-faq-bookletpdf

@GendoIkari I have always treated it as a case of book rules vs. card rules, and the Betrayal rulebook explicitly states that card rules trump book rules. Thus the card says you move, so you have to move.

Ken has already stated the rules, but I just want to give another way to think about this. A lot of the game is up to interpretation, so I usually role play as much as possible and go by what seems logical even if it sometimes goes against the rules.
If you're trying to get out of the junk room, then go ahead and make a might role to push junk out of your way as you leave the room. But if you're falling out of a room, or being pulled out by the walls, it doesn't really make sense to push junk out of your way per se.
Sometimes it's just best to go with what seems logical and role play it up.

This would though technically be a house rule, since the rules do cover the situation and tell you you need to make the roll.


text:
What happens if you roll a 7 before the barbarians reach the island?
Accordingly to these rules, when you roll a 7 before the first barbarians' arrival, you have to drop half of your deck, if you have more than 7 cards.
The rules in the Italian version of the game say that nothing happens when you roll a 7 before the barbarians arrival.
Which is the correct one?

The English rules are correct; you still must discard half your hand if you are holding too many cards. You can find the latest edition of the rulebook on catan.com here. It says;

The robber cannot be moved until after the barbarians reach the island of Catan for the first time. Until the first barbarian attack, if you roll a "7", each player must check if he is holding too many cards as usual; however, you do not move the robber from the desert and you do not steal a card from another player.

ooh - when did they change that? I'm sure it always used to be that there was no special "before the first attack" rules.

@xorsyst I also don't remember learning that rule back when I learned Cities and Knights, back when the Soldiers were Soldiers and the game was "Settlers of Catan".

@Gendolkari - I may have learned it way back when Soldiers where Ritters and the game was "Die Siedler von Catan" :D.


text:
Does Quicken allow me to cast a sorcery during my opponent's turn?
The card Quicken has the effect

The next sorcery you cast this turn can be cast as though it had flash.

Does that mean I can cast my next sorcery during my opponent's turn?

Yes, that's what it means.
In addition to the quoted rules text, Quicken has useful reminder text:

It can be cast any time you could cast an instant.

This is a shorthand that really means you need only priority to cast it.

304.5. If text states that a player may do something “any time he or she could cast an instant,” it means only that the player must have priority. The player doesn’t need to have an instant he or she could actually cast. Effects that would prevent that player from casting a spell or casting an instant don’t affect the player’s capability to perform that action (unless the action is actually casting a spell or casting an instant).

Now, what Quicken actually does is letting you ignore the normal timing rules for casting a Sorcery, and instead allow you to cast it any time you have priority, as long as it's within the same turn.
Whether you use it to cast a Sorcery in your own turn when you normally couldn't cast a Sorcery (for example in your Upkeep or End Step), or during an opponents turn is completely up to you!

For anyone who may be new to Magic, you can learn more about what Priority, and The Stack, is here. mtg Salvation article on Priority and The Stack.

It depends on whose turn it is when you cast Quicken.
Look carefully at the card's text (emphasis mine):

The next sorcery card you cast this turn can be cast as though it had flash.

Quicken sets up a rule that is true for you until the turn ends or until you cast a sorcery card.  If you cast Quicken on your turn, then the effect will wear off before your opponent's turn.  But if you cast Quicken on your opponent's turn, then you can cast a sorcery during that turn.

You're welcome!  On Stack Exchange, you can accept the answer that was most helpful for you.  Once you have earned a little more rep, you will also be able to vote up all answers that were useful.


text:
Cards that restrict untapping of creatures
I have been looking for two cards that I played with the other day and I cannot find.
They are both artifacts.

Creatures with power 4 or more don't untap.
Creatures with power 2 or more don't untap.

That may be a simplified version of the text, but that's what the abilities do.

magiccards.info has far better search functions that Gatherer (and is much more pleasant to look at). It is kept up to date. (It's even more up to date than Gatherer since it includes cards from sets being previewed.)  A search for "don't untap" in the card (Oracle) text. A search for "don't untap" and power  in the card (Oracle) text.

The Gatherer website is the official portal to the Oracle database, the final authority on cards and their wording. Gatherer has extensive search function. You can find it here.
In the Advanced search tab, you can set all kinds of search criteria and usually find exactly what you're looking for.
That being said, there are no cards that would match your exact description. The best match I could come up with is Meekstone. You might have to play around with the search parameters to find the cards you're looking for.

You can, for example, search for all cards that prevent untapping by creatures of a certain strength with this search query.

There is another one... I know there is, maybe it was a white enchantment... I can't quite remember.

[[crackdown]]  ..

Crackdown is a white Enchantment, and Marble Titan is a white creature. Both are returned by the query in placed in the comments above.

The second one is Meekstone

Creatures with power 3 or greater don't untap during their
  controllers' untap steps.

I'm not sure about the first one. It's either Juntu Stakes, its ability has a similar effect that is worded differently or it is not an artifact.

Meekstone's text does neither of what the questioner asks. Juntu Stakes cares about power, but otherwise is quite far from what is asked for. As Hackworth mentioned, there are no cards that do what's asked for.

Creatures with power x etc don't untap... that is exactly what they're asking for. I suspect that the numbers are incorrect or the actual effects are different than what are stated in the question.

I guess I'm reading it this way because they're asking for two very specific conditions, both of which are "power X or greater" - Juntu Stakes just doesn't do that. It is the only artifact other than Meekstone that prevents creatures from untapping based on power, but it's still a long shot to assume that it'll be helpful, seeing as those two artifacts will probably never go in the same deck.


text:
Does an enter-the-battlefield effect count the permanent that created the ability?
Filigree Angel has an ability that triggers when it enters the battlefield, which has you gain 3 life for each artifact you control.
It is itself an artifact creature. If I have no other artifacts on the battlefield when it comes into play, do I gain 3 life?

The way I find this easy to remember is that if an object couldn't see itself when it entered the battlefield, the "when it enters the battlefield" trigger wouldn't trigger!

Yes (assuming nothing else happens). The basic reason that it happens is that the artifact creature is already on the battlefield when the trigger happens.
When it enters the battlefield, that trigger puts the life gain effect on the stack.  When that effect resolves, it counts how many artifacts you control at that point and you gain 3x life.
So, if an opponent removes the angel while the life gain is on the stack, you end up gaining no life.


text:
How can I put custom symbols on the side of blank foam dice?
I have designed a game that requires custom dice. Specifically, I've wanted to create dice approximately 3" in size, for party games. My first round of making dice used styrofoam and paint. After several games, the dice chipped - as to be expected.
The second attempt at custom dice used foam dice from Oriental Trading painted over to fit the needs of the game. These, too, had paint coming off.
As Oriental Trading and other retailers have proven, however, it is possible to have permanent images affixed to faces of a cube on foam dice. Wood, metal, and other hard surfaces are undesirable as they are too hard for use indoors. What ways are there to create dice that look like those found on Oriental Trading?

Is this for a prototype or the final product? If it's for a prototype I wouldn't worry. Once you mass produce, you will have way different options anyway.

The game is well developed at this point and I've prototyped it quite a bit. I'm looking to give it a somewhat professional look.

If you are ok with sacrificing money for durability, you may want to look into 3D printing services. There are several online printing services available that you may be able to find to print the dice for you with different materials.
For instance you could get the dice printed in steel, flexible plastic, or metallic plastic. Shapeways is just the first thing I came upon when googling, there are lots of other options if you want to look for other specific features.
Keep in mind that if you do get 3D printed dice they will not be "fair" like actual purpose built dice and may have some biases depending on the printing process. However it seems like the game you are making is fairly causal so that might not actually be that big of an issue for you.

I'll have to look into this. I had thought about 3D printing. I knew "fairness" would be a minor issue, but for the purposes I'd be using it for the exact "fairness" doesn't matter all that much.

You may have better luck if you start with a coat of primer that is intended for foam, such as this: http://www.krylon.com/products/craft-foam-primer/
Also, a clear top coat might help.

Hmmm. That's another good idea.

If the images or icons you want on the sides of your dice are not complicated, you could etch them into the foam and then paint the resulting valleys. That should make the paint much more durable, as it will be a bit protected from abrasions.
Depending on the type of foam, something as simple as a pencil or butter knife might etch well enough, or you might need something sharper. Acetone (nail polish remover) also "burns" away some types of foam.

Interesting idea. I hadn't thought about that.

As a prototype, try printing your design on cloth and pinning the cloth to the Styrofoam near the corners. This should allow you to both protect the underlying foam while keeping a clean image on top.
Of course if it gets crushed there's nothing you can do, and if it's an adult game, there will be drinking, which means it will get crushed, but you could always have it removable and put on a new piece of foam.

Boardgamegeek sells prototyping dice.  If you mainly want to control face distribution, that may be what you want.
If you want to add custom symbols (to these dice or any others, I recommend making stickers that you can attach to the sides of your dice.  Find a blank sticker sheet and print your designs on it, then place them on the faces of a die.


text:
Do permanents reenter the battlefield tapped with Brago, King Eternal?
Let's say I have Brago, King Eternal, and a tapped artifact on the field, and I deal combat damage to the enemy player. Brago's ability reads:

Whenever Brago, King Eternal deals combat damage to a player, exile any number of target nonland permanents you control, then return those cards to the battlefield under their owner's control.

So, using Brago's Ability, I exile and return the artifact I control. Would it still be tapped, or would it return untapped?

Permanents changing zones have no memory of their previous state (meaning tapped or untapped):

400.7. An object that moves from one zone to another becomes a new object with no memory of, or relation to, its previous existence. [...]

Due to Brago's ability not invoking any additional state changes to the blinked cards, they will enter the battlefield as they normally would. This means that a Sol Ring will enter the battlefield untapped, while a Worn Powerstone would enter the battlefield tapped.
Note that other cards, such as Eldrazi Displacer, do set the state of the card re-entering the battlefield, so those cards will always enter the battlefield tapped.


text:
Do Errant and Giada and Rattlechains allow me to cast Spirits with flying from my library at instant speed?
Errant and Giada allows you to cast creatures with flying from your library.
Rattlechains allows you to cast Spirits as though they had flash.
If I have both Errant and Giada and Rattlechains on the battlefield, can I cast Spirits with flying from my library at instant speed?

Yes, you can cast Spirits with flying at instant speed with those cards in play.
The two cards' modifications work independently from each other, and each modify a different rule - Errant and Giada allows you to cast spells with flying (among others) from the top of your library, and Rattlechains allows you to cast Spirit spells (without any additional qualifier such as "from your hand") as thought they had flash. With both abilities in play, you can cast Spirit spells with flying from the top of your library as thought they had flash.

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/


text:
Reanimating a creature with undying
A creature with undying has already come back to the battlefield due to its ability (and gained the +1/+1) dies again. Raise Dead is cast and once more returns that creature to the hand, which is then summoned again. Is its undying "reset", or does he still have that +1/+1?

It will not have a +1/+1 counter.

We never actually move an object from one zone to another. Instead, we create a new object in the new zone and the old one ceases to exist.[CR 400.7] Any counters on the old object ceases to exist along with it.[CR 121.2]
That means the card in the graveyard (a new object) doesn't have the original +1/+1 counter. If you use Raise Dead to return that card to your hand, the card in your hand (yet another object) won't have the original +1/+1 counter. And finally, if you cast that card from your hand, the new creature (a fourth object) won't have the original +1/+1 counter.
But does it gain a new +1/+1 counter from undying when you recast the creature card after getting it back from the graveyard using Raise Dead? No. Undying is a triggered ability that triggers when a permanent with Undying is placed into a graveyard.[CR 702.92a] It is not triggered when a card with Undying is cast from your hand, so it doesn't add any counters in that situation.

121.2. Counters on an object are not retained if that object moves from one zone to another. The counters are not “removed”; they simply cease to exist. See rule 400.7.
400.7. An object that moves from one zone to another becomes a new object with no memory of, or relation to, its previous existence. There are nine exceptions to this rule:
702.92a Undying is a triggered ability. “Undying” means “When this permanent is put into a graveyard from the battlefield, if it had no +1/+1 counters on it, return it to the battlefield under its owner’s control with a +1/+1 counter on it.”

Counters are always removed from creatures when they die (unless they specifically say otherwise, like Skullbriar). Same if they change zones in any other way, whether they're exiled, returned to your hand, or put in your library.

121.2. Counters on an object are not retained if that object moves from one zone to another. The counters are not “removed”; they simply cease to exist. See rule 400.7.

So when this creature dies the second time, the +1/+1 counter is removed, and now it's sitting in your graveyard, with no counters. Raise Dead brings it back, still with no counters. (And now if it were to die again, then Undying would bring it back with a +1/+1 counter again.)
For the sake of completion, though it's not necessary here, the additional rule mentioned above is:

400.7. An object that moves from one zone to another becomes a new object with no memory of, or relation to, its previous existence. There are nine exceptions to this rule: [...]

That's a good general thing to keep in mind: if something has died and been brought back, it doesn't remember anything about how it was before, whether it's counters or something else.


text:
Can I activate Multani, Yavimaya's Avatar's ability in response to itself?
I recently played a game of EDH that I think I won, but my opponent was convinced I didn’t. He had a board state that would win if he untapped. I played a Seismic Assault.
Seismic Assault has an activated ability:

Discard a land card: Seismic Assault deals two damage to any target.

I had a Multani, Yavimaya's Avatar in my graveyard. Multani has an activated ability:

1G, Return two lands you control to their owner’s hands: return Multani, Yavamaya’s Avatar from the graveyard to your hand.

I have Chromatic Lantern in play (all my lands tap for any color). I had enough untapped lands that, if I could bounce them to hand, I could discard them with Seismic Assault for enough damage to kill my opponent.
I contended that, in response to activating Multani’s ability, I could activate Multani’s ability again, and again, and again, bouncing all my lands to hand. My opponent argued that, since activating the ability required Multani being in the graveyard, and activating it caused Multani to leave the graveyard, I shouldn’t be able to do this. Obviously, it’s a really weird way to use her ability, but I should be able to activate the ability in response to itself as many times as I can pay for it, right? Then most of them will fizzle?

Technically, they won't fizzle, as they don't target anything. Fizzling because every target has become invalid removes a spell or an ability before they resolve.  Your ability activations do get to resolve; most of them just fail to do anything.

You can activate Mutani's ability in response to itself.
Your opponent was wrong in stating that activating it caused Multani to leave the graveyard. Activated abilities have a cost and an effect, separated by a colon.

602.1. Activated abilities have a cost and an effect. They are written as "[Cost]: [Effect.] (...)"
602.2. To activate an ability is to put it onto the stack and pay its costs, so that it will eventually resolve and have its effect.

Returning Multani to your hand is part of the effect, so it will only happen on resolution. Because you can respond to your own abilities by retaining priority, until that ability resolves, you may activate the same ability again as many times as you're able to pay the cost (returning two lands to your hand).

116.1b A player may activate an activated ability any time they have priority.
116.3c If a player has priority when they cast a spell, activate an ability, or take a special action, that player receives priority afterward.

You're right. You can make a play where you win.
If Multani, Yavimaya's Avatar is in your graveyard, you can absolutely activate her ability in response to itself. Activating Multani's ability doesn't cause Multani to leave the graveyard. Only when the ability resolves Multani leaves the graveyard.
Only after Multani is not in your graveyard anymore you cannot activate the ability. So if you let the ability resolve, you won't be able to activate the ability again unless you somehow manage to put Multani in your graveyard again.
In fact you can kill your opponent before Multani leaves the graveyard by activating Seismic Assault in response to the Multani's ability.

This is correct except for a detail: "you can (...) activate her ability in response to itself (...) because returning lands is part of the cost of the ability" is not correct - abilities only "fizzle" if they don't have any legal targets on resolution, not for any other reason. This means that even if returning lands to your hand was part of the effect, each resolving ability would do just that (because it would do as much as it can), even if there was no Multani to return to your hand.

I guess I didn't think of that. Thanks for the remark! I removed that part from my answer.


text:
Can I use the Angel's Feather to roll higher than the dice would allow?
For haunt 41 (Invisible Traitor) they are allowed 3 dice for their sneak attack, which is a max roll of 6. Can he use the Angel's Feather and choose 8 like the card says, even if the max roll he could have gotten using the dice would be 6?

While the answers below will surely cover the legality of the matter, this is a typical case where hourse rules would probably benefit the play group, in my opinion. As you probably have played this scenario before and completed it one way or the other, you can now talk to the other players about how to handle it in the future without anyone being preoccupied in their answer because of the game state.

Yes, you can.
The Angel's Feather reads:

When you attempt a roll of any kind, you can call out a number from 0 to 8.  Use that number instead of rolling the dice.
Discard this item after you use it.

The feather explicitly says it can be used for a roll 'of any kind'.  That's different from a lot of effects in the game which only apply to skill rolls.  The feather can be used for a skill roll, the Mystic Elevator roll, a haunt roll, or anything else.  That includes the sneak attack roll that you're interested in.
Of course, some rolls, (Like the Mystic Elevator, for example) are undefined for values that are normally not achievable on the roll.  This being Betrayal, the rules don't really define what happens if you choose a value outside of the available options.  But the feather specifically says that you can call out a number from 0 to 8 on any roll.  So I believe that you can use it as written, even if the specified number would normally be impossible.
I would say that the card tells you what happens when you roll any of those numbers.  Since you don't 'roll' any of those numbers, you do none of the indicated events, and hence, nothing happens.

Agree with last paragraph. If you roll 6 for Mystic Elevator; you simply do nothing, because the card doesn’t say to do anything on a 6.


text:
Is there a card that has opponents discard cards whenever they lose life?
I was wondering whether I could create an infinite loop using Fell Specter and a card with an ability similar to or exactly like this one:

Whenever an opponent loses life, that player discards a card.

Does anyone know of such a card? Thank you in advance for the help!

No, as this search reveals.
Noteable:

Mindcrank: "Whenever an opponent loses life, that player puts that many cards from the top of their library into their graveyard." Extremely close to what you requested, but it doesn't trigger Fell Specter's ability.
Exquisite Blood: "Whenever an opponent loses life, you gain that much life." It forms a similar combo with Sanguine Bond and Epicure of Blood instead of Fell Specter.

There aren't any, and there won't be any.
Players get priority during the draw step after the draw.  This means that instant speed discard has the ability to rob a player of the ability to play their sorcery speed cards before they ever get the opportunity to play them.
As a consequence, Wizards really hates printing instant speed discard, and hates repeatable instant speed discard even more so.  There's enough ways to deal damage at instant speed to make a card like the one you want to qualify as repeatable instant speed discard, so they aren't going to print it in the foreseeable future.
Furthermore, the Underworld Dreams effect has been printed several times, and is powerful enough that people have built competitive decks around it even without adding a loop to the deck.
Discard and land destruction are two of the most closely monitored deck strategies, because Wizards thinks that being unable to play your spells is the least fun position to be in, and players who aren't having fun tend to stop buying cards.

You are probably correct, WoTC has done crazier things in the past. If they wanted to the could create a card that does what OP wants, but without violating what you have outline in your answer. (ie. "If it is your turn and your opponent loses life, they discard a card)

More likely, in my opinion, is "at the beginning of each end step, every opponent who lost life this turn discards a card"

That is more possible (and they kinda shorta have something similar in standard right now Raiders' Wake), but that doesn't create the loop that OP is looking for. I also don't think that the loop is that bad, or even that different from normal discard since it will end pretty quick once the Opp runs out of cards in hand.

There was a similar issue with Yu-Gi-Oh with a card that makes players discard cards, and does a tiny amount of damage. If you can wipe the board, and then make them discard all their cards and then make them discard one card per turn, then they're locked down, and can't do anything but watch you ping them to death. It's an anti-Timmy combo: instead of putting them out of their misery, it's slow, drawn-out loss.

Closest I can think of is Lich's Mastery which is self-inflicted:

Whenever you lose life, for each 1 life you lost, exile a permanent you control or a card from your hand or graveyard.


text:
Putting creatures into play in alternative ways to summoning them
Cards like Quicksilver Amulet or Sneak Attack allow me to put creatures into play.
I wonder if the following statements are correct:

Cards put into play this way cannot be countered in an ordinary way; such as with cards capable of countering summoning spells, such as Remove the Soul, or with a generic counter such as Cancel when summoning a creature by paying the mana cost, as usually happens.
It is possible to counter the respective activated abilities of the two cards above - for example, in the case of Quicksilver Amulet, with Rust; or in the case of Sneak Attack, with Trickbind.
Countering the activated ability in such a way will prevent the “putting into play” of creatures, even when is explicitly reported on their card text the phrase "[this creature] can't be countered", like Kavu Chameleon, or Emrakul, the Aeons Torn.
If Emrakul is put into play with the ability of Quicksilver Amulet or Sneak Attack, the text of the card  that reads "When you cast this spell, take an extra turn after this one" will not apply, so the player who puts Emrakul into the game will not be able to have an extra turn, since he has not materially "cast" it.

Cards like Quicksilver Amulet and Sneak Attack provide an alternative way to put creature cards into play, instead of casting them as normal. This has the following differences to casting them as normal:

Cards put into play this way are never on the stack; only the ability that puts them there is
The creature card will never be considered cast, and never be considered a spell
The controller of the ability doesn't have to announce the creature card until the ability resolves (at which point it can't be countered anymore). They don't even have to put a creature card on the battlefield at all if the ability resolves.

At the time you activate the ability of one of those cards, no creature card is involved at all. If a player chooses to Stifle the ability, it will be countered. Emrakul, the Aeons Torn's ability does not apply, because not only is it not a spell - it isn't involved in the situation in any shape or form until the ability resolves and the controller chooses a creature card to put into play.
Likewise, a triggered ability that triggers when a creature is cast only triggers when that creature is put on the stack as a spell (note how this is made abundantly clear by both of Emrakul's abilities referring specifically to spell). Using one of the cards in question, this never happens, so the controller will never get the benefits of a cast trigger by simply putting the creature into play.

Of course, someone could counter the Sneak Attack with Cancel - if they choose to not Cancel the Sneak Attack, they can't Cancel the creature after...

Everything you've described is basically correct.
Abilities that say “When you cast this spell” only trigger when you put that card onto the stack as a spell, which would normally involve paying its mana cost. These abilities trigger after the spell is put on the stack and resolve before the spell does.
Abilities that put a card straight onto the battlefield (from anywhere: hand, graveyard, etc) do not provide an opportunity for those abilities to trigger. Emrakul is never cast when she's simply put onto the battlefield from your hand via Sneak Attack—she's simply put onto the battlefield. You will not get an extra turn out of doing this.
Thus, Emrakul's “extra turn” ability is a reward for actually casting Emrakul, not merely getting it onto the battlefield somehow.

I think this last answers could be a relief for lots of players actually facing Emrakul...isn't it?

@Massimiliano Well you're still facing a 15/15 flying with annihilator 6 and protection from every worthwhile spell. You either have an answer or you're about to lose.

Well, in the meantime... the fact that the opponent doesn't play an extra turn is a really great thing ...


text:
Can I prevent a "You lose the game" event by countering the ability that creates it?
If I cast Chance for Glory, can I use Stifle, Tale's End, Disallow, or Voidslime to counter the game loss at the end of said extra turn?


text:
Can I choose the value for X for spells cast with Bolas's Citadel?
There is a new card called Bolas's Citadel which says:

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.

Can use my life to pay for any X spell?

Huh.  I'm actually not sure.  The relevant rule is 107.3b "If a player is casting a spell that has an {X} in its mana cost, the value of X isn’t defined by the text of that spell, and an effect lets that player cast that spell while paying neither its mana cost nor an alternative cost that includes X, then the only legal choice for X is 0."  The question is, does "Pay life equal to its converted mana cost" count as an "alternative cost that includes X"?  I could see it ruled either way, and I couldn't find any other cards that worked similarly.

@ArcanistLupus How does the alternative cost from Bolas's Citadel include X? It literally defines the life cost as equal to CMC, not X, and X is zero outside the stack.

@Hackworth You can see from my answer that I agree with your conclusion, but I think the part that is tripping people up is that that rule is talking about the situation when you are casting a spell and at that time, the card is on the stack, and in general the calculation of CMC of a spell on the stack does include the chosen value of X.

No, you cannot choose any value for X other than 0 when casting cards using Bolas's Citadel.
The phrase "rather than pay its mana cost" or "rather than pay [card name]'s mana cost" is a standard phrase in Magic indicating that the cost specified is an alternative cost. This is stated explicitly in rule 117.9:

Some spells have alternative costs. An alternative cost is a cost listed in a spell's text, or applied to it from another effect, that its controller may pay rather than paying the spell's mana cost. Alternative costs are usually phrased, "You may [action] rather than pay [this object's] mana cost," or "You may cast [this object] without paying its mana cost." Note that some alternative costs are listed in keywords; see rule 702.

So if you cast spells using Bolas's Citadel's second ability, you are required to pay an alternative cost of life equal to the spell's converted mana cost. Then rule 107.3b applies:

If a player is casting a spell that has an {X} in its mana cost, the value of X isn't defined by the text of that spell, and an effect lets that player cast that spell while paying neither its mana cost nor an alternative cost that includes X, then the only legal choice for X is 0. This doesn't apply to effects that only reduce a cost, even if they reduce it to zero. See rule 601, "Casting Spells."

So, you are required to choose 0 for X when casting spells with X in the mana cost.
This is confirmed by an official ruling on Bolas's Citadel's Gatherer page:

If a spell has {X} in its mana cost, you must choose 0 as the value of X when casting it without paying its mana cost.

You may like to cite rulings on existing cards until we have the WAR rulings article, e.g. the Expertise cycle all include the ruling "If the card has {X} in its mana cost, you must choose 0 as the value of X when casting it without paying its mana cost."

The rules here seem to contain all of the relevant information. I don't see what an existing ruling would add.

Ok, no problem.  I think once the WAR rulings arrive it will at least state it plainly and unquestionably that yes those rules apply like this to this card, but another card's rulings aren't relevant like that.

"...nor an alternative cost that includes X" seems relevant here. Wouldn't the life paid include x and therefore satisfy the condition to allow x to be non-0?

I believe that phrase is very literal. The cost specified on Bolas's Citadel does not contain the word "X", so it doesn't satisfy that condition. For an example that goes the other way, Bonfire of the Damned has a Miracle alternative cost that explicitly includes {X}.


text:
Can Strionic Resonator target Ink-Treader Nephilim's ability?
What is the ruling on Strionic Resonator targeting Ink-Treader Nephilim's ability? It would copy all of the spells again, correct?

Yes, you can do this if you control the Ink-Treader Nephilim.
Strionic Resonator's ability says this

{2}, {T}: Copy target triggered ability you control. You may choose new targets for the copy.

The target condition is "target triggered ability you control", so you can copy any triggered ability you control. If you control the Ink-Treader Nephilim you also control any of its triggered abilities, so you can target and then copy them with Strionic Resonator's abilities.
When you copy something on the stack, you copy all of the parameters and references, including the reference in this case to the spell that would get copied. So, when the copy of the Ink-Treader's ability resolves, it copies the same spell that the original ability would copy.

Additionally, would Nivmagus Elemental be able to exile the copies of the spell if an opponent targets the Nephilim?


text:
Can I untap Nettle Drone in the untap step?
I was playing the game with my dad when I dealt one damage with Nettle Drone. In my untap step, I untapped it. My dad thought this wasn't allowed because it says "Whenever you cast a colorless spell, untap nettle drone". I argued that the card doesn't say it doesn't untap in the untap step.
Who was correct?

You are correct. All permanents will always untap during the untap step UNLESS a continuous effect stops them from untapping. This continuous effect could come from

its own static ability (e.g. Basalt Monolith),
another object's static ability stops (e.g. Arena of the Ancients), or
a non-static ability (e.g. Frost Lynx).

Nettle Drone's triggered ability lets you untap it when you cast a colourless spell in addition to the normal conditions where it would untap (that is, during your untap step).

You are correct since the card does not prohibit it from being untapped during the untap step it will untap as normal. What the wording does is allow the card to be untapped during your turn if you meet certain conditions.

502.2. Second, the active player determines which permanents he or she controls will untap. Then he or
  she untaps them all simultaneously. This turn-based action doesn’t use the stack. Normally, all of a
  player’s permanents untap, but effects can keep one or more of a player’s permanents from
  untapping.

Notably, a player may not choose not to untap a permanent without the respective ability.

You are correct. The trigger is an if-then condition: if you cast a colourless spell, then you untap Nettle Drone. Your father is making the logical error known as negating the antecedent.
Nothing in the ability requires Nettle Drone to stay tapped during the untap step.

The ability is a simple triggered ability. The way your answer is phrased makes it sound like you're suggesting that the ability is an intervening if-clause, which it isn't.

All triggered abilities are if-then clauses: if trigger, then ability. This is partly the cause of the asker's father's problem.

True, you could say that (though when seems much more appropriate then if here in either case), but since intervening if-clauses are a specific concept with their own special implications, I doubt its helpful to use this kind of wording in cases that don't have intervening if-clauses.

@TheThirdMan I am not sure what you are complaining about here since a triggered ability is pretty much an if-then clause. Breaking down the ability from the question. If a colorless spell is cast, untap this card.

@Nij I agree that when/then is more accurate than if/then, especially because "when" or "whenever" is the word you'll actually see on the card. (The rules identify "when", "whenever", and "at".)

The problem with saying it's an if-then clause is in magic, "if" has a VERY specific meaning. In real life, you could draw the logical comparison, but in magic you're describing an entirely different functionality.


text:
Detention sphere triggers
I have a Pithing Needle on the battlefield naming my opponent's planeswalker. My opponent on his turn plays a Detention Sphere targeting the pithing needle. I have a Naturalize in hand. Do I have the ability to cast the Naturalize and get rid of the Detention Sphere before my opponent can activate one of his planeswalker's abilities?
Does the answer to this question change if instead of a Detention Sphere, the opponent plays Banishing Light?

If your opponent uses Detention Sphere, he will be able to activate his Planeswalker's ability at least once, but not if he uses Banishing Light instead.
Since it is your opponent's turn, he or she will always have priority after he or she has cast a spell or activated an ability, or after a spell or ability has resolved. Therefore, once the Detention Sphere's exile trigger resolves and the Needle is removed, your opponent will have priority and the opportunity to activate one of his planeswalker's abilities. You can only react to that activation once your opponent has passed priority, but by that time, Naturalizing the Detention Sphere has no effect on that previous activation. If you destroy the Detention Sphere while its exile trigger is on the stack, the Needle will be exiled permanently.
Banishing Light works slightly differently from Detention Sphere - if Banishing Light is destroyed before it exiles the Needle, the Needle will not be exiled at all, and your opponent can't activate his Planeswalker's loyalty ability.
The order of play with Detention Sphere is:

Your opponent casts Sphere. You cannot Naturalize it yet because it's not on the battlefield yet.
The Sphere resolves and triggers its ETB ability.

If you Naturalize now, the Sphere will be destroyed, its LTB ability triggers and resolves but does nothing because the Sphere hasn't exiled anything yet. Its ETB trigger is still on the stack, will resolve, and will indefinitely exile your Needle.

If you don't Naturalize now and let the Sphere's ETB trigger resolve, then the Needle is exiled, the stack will be empty and your opponent gets priority because he is the active player and an ability resolved.

Either way, your opponent can now activate his Planeswalker. You cannot cast Naturalize first because you don't have priority.
If you still have your Naturalize, you can cast it now and return the Needle from exile, but it's too late to prevent the Planeswalker's activation.

With Banishing Light, you simply respond to the Light's ETB trigger with Naturalize, and the Needle will remain on the battlefield.

The key to answering this question for Detention Sphere is the priority system. Priority determines who may cast spells and activate abilities. Generally, the active player (the player whose turn it is) receives priority first. These are the complete rules on who receives priority when:

116.3. Which player has priority is determined by the following rules:
116.3a The active player receives priority at the beginning of most steps and phases, after any turn-based actions (such as drawing a card during the draw step; see rule 703) have been dealt with and abilities that trigger at the beginning of that phase or step have been put on the stack. No player receives priority during the untap step. Players usually don’t get priority during the cleanup step (see rule 514.3).
116.3b The active player receives priority after a spell or ability (other than a mana ability) resolves.
116.3c If a player has priority when he or she casts a spell, activates an ability, or takes a special action, that player receives priority afterward.
116.3d If a player has priority and chooses not to take any actions, that player passes. If any mana is in that player’s mana pool, he or she announces what mana is there. Then the next player in turn order receives priority.

Your opponent will receive priority after the Detention Sphere has resolved:

601.2i Once the steps described in 601.2a–h are completed, effects that modify the characteristics of the spell as it’s cast are applied, then the spell becomes cast. Any abilities that trigger when a spell is cast or put onto the stack trigger at this time. If the spell’s controller had priority before casting it, he or she gets priority.

Your opponent can activate Planeswalker abilities at sorcery speed, i.e. the stack is empty, it's your opponent's main phase, and your opponent has priority. Everything is given once the Detention Sphere trigger has resolved.

"Therefore, once the Detention Sphere resolves, your opponent will have priority and have the opportunity to cast a new spell, or, crucially, activate an ability such as his planeswalker's." Actually he can't — there will be a triggered ability on the stack immediately (state based actions put it there just as he was being given priority since the Sphere has just entered the battlefield), and he won't be able to activate his sorcery-speed planeswalker abilities yet.

@doppelgreener: You're right, but not only because they're sorcery-speed, but also because before the Sphere's ability resolves, Pithing Needle will still be on the battlefield.

OK thanks for the comments. Looks like @Hackworth reply is not 100% correct, so I won't mark as answered yet. I will wait for another reply. Also I still want to know if it's different with Banishing Light since it has only one trigger whereas detention sphere has two triggers.
I thought I could destroy the Banishing light while its ETB trigger is on the stack.

@doppelgreener However if the nonactive player casts Naturalize at that point, the Pithing Needle would be exiled with no way to return it to the battlefield. While your objection is valid given the way the answer is written, I'm pretty sure the conclusion is correct, that the active player will have a chance to activate their planeswalker's abilities. (Though not with Banishing Light. A good answer should mention that)

I forgot about the Sphere trigger and edited the answer accordingly, but it does not change the conclusion. It even opens room for a misplay on OP's part, because it's possible to have the Needle exiled forever and waste a Naturalize.

OK I have accepted the updated answer which also mentions that banishing light is different.


text:
Will Evoke trigger on a creature that's returned to the battlefield from the graveyard?
When a spell or ability returns a card with Evoke from i.e. the graveyard to the battlefield, will it's Evoke ability trigger, or does it only trigger when it enters the battlefield from the stack, being cast with it's Evoke cost paid?
For example, if I blink Nevermaker using Brago, King Eternals ability, would Evoke trigger when it re-enters the battlefield?

Evoke allows to cast a creature for an alternative cost at the price of sacrificing it when it comes into play.
Are you sure you're not mistaking it for another keyword ?

Or are you talking about what happens when a creature with evoke leave then re-enter the battlefield because of some effect ?

Yes @Ydrasaal, I am sure I am talking about evoke.

Can the down votes explain their vote, I do not understand...

The downvotes were because your question was not clear, but it is now fixed

A creature will never be considered "evoked" when entering the battlefield in any other situation than being cast.
Here's what the rules says about Evoke:

702.73a [...] “Evoke [cost]” means “You may cast this card by paying [cost] rather than paying its mana cost” and “When this permanent enters the battlefield, if its evoke cost was paid, its controller sacrifices it.” [...]

Evoke adds two things to the card :
The first is an alternative cost, meaning it can only be used at any time you would be able to play the card by paying its mana cost.
The second (the sacrifice part) is a triggered ability for the creature, that will trigger when entering the battlefield.
This trigger will make the controller of the creature sacrifice it, if and only if the Evoke alternative cost has been paid.
If a creature with Evoke was played paying it's Evoke cost, then leave the battlefield and later comes back (for example from Acrobatic Maneuver or Reanimate), it will be a completely new object, which Evoke cost hasn't been paid, and so the Evoke trigger won't make it's controller sacrifice it.

The creature will still have the triggered ability (which you mention not being the case on two instances), however it won't trigger.

Oh right. I updated my answer accordingly

I'm having trouble figuring out where the "sacrificed at end of turn" ability in your last paragraph is coming from. As far as I can tell (and I might be skipping over something), none of the cards involved have "end of turn" printed on them. If you just meant "sacrificed" and you are talking about the Evoke ability, then it's important to note that the ability will still trigger, but nothing will happen when it resolves.

@Rainbolt Thanks, it's fixed (Dunno where that came from, probably mixed up Evoke and Dash)


text:
What exactly does "can't attack/block alone" mean?
Some cards, such as Loyal Pegasus and Mogg Flunkies feature the rules text

Card name can't attack or block alone.

For attacking, this is unambiguous; the creature can only attack if another attacker is also declared.
For blocking, which of the following is the case?

The creature can only be declared as a blocker if blocking the same creature as another blocker
The creature can only be declared as a blocker if any other creature is also declared as a blocker, regardless of what that creature is blocking

The rulings on the gatherer pages you linked to do answer this, though a bit obliquely: "Similarly, Mogg Flunkies can be declared as a blocker only if another creature is declared as a blocker at the same time." (It doesn't say it has to be blocking the same creature.)

On further thought, "can't attack alone" has the same ambiguity problem. You could choose to attack different players and/or planeswalkers

And that ambiguity is explicitly addressed in the rulings: "Although Mogg Flunkies can't attack alone, the other attacking creature(s) doesn't have to attack the same player or planeswalker." (As well as by the indirect phrasing, from the sentence before the one I quoted about blockers: "Mogg Flunkies can be declared as an attacker only if another creature is declared as an attacker at the same time.")

From the Comprehensive Rules Glossary:

Block Alone A creature “blocks alone” if it’s the only creature
  declared as a blocker during the declare blockers step. A creature “is
  blocking alone” if it’s blocking but no other creatures are. See rule
  506.5.

So it's your second option.

This means that if you are blocking with 2 creatures, one of which cannot block alone, and your opponent manages to remove that other creature, your 'block alone' creature is no longer able to block anything.

@Cronax If that other creature is removed after blockers have been declared, then the creature that cannot block alone will continue blocking, in the same way that removing flying from a blocking creature after blockers have been declared will not make it stop blocking flying creatures.

are you sure? I'm pretty sure that if you remove the other creature in response to the declaration of blockers, the 'cannot block alone' creature is no longer a valid blocker?

@cronax you can't do anyting in response to declaring blockers or attackers, because those actions don't use the stack: http://boardgames.stackexchange.com/q/473/2474

authors: Ильяс Галлямов


text:
What are the best ways to tutor artifacts in mono red
I've recently built a Jaya Ballard, Task Mage EDH deck, based around stacking Jaya with equipments get the most advantage out of her burn effects.
I'm having a hard time finding cards that let me find the artifact equipments I need to really optimize her. Are there any good cards, either colorless or mono-red that let me find those cards?

Your tutor options in red are limited and/or risky by design, or require certain other resources as payment that aren't necessarily easy to come by, but here are a few staples and other options that might be interesting for you:
Red

Gamble
Fervent Mastery
Godo, Bandit Warlord
Hoarding Dragon
Magda, Brazen Outlaw

Colorless

Inventors' Fair
Kuldotha Forgemaster
Mangara's Tome
Planar Portal
Ring of Three Wishes
Skyship Weatherlight
Tamiyo's Journal
Urza's Saga

There's also another card that isn't technically speaking a tutor, since you don't put the card into your hand, but into your graveyard, but in the right deck, this one works really well:

Goblin Engineer

In fact, the options are so limited that to get a reasonably long list, even when I tried to only include the cards on the playable side, I had to include some rather mediocre ones...

What about Godo, Bandit Warlord?


text:
Sleeper agent and Etrata the silencer
If I play Sleeper Agent, my opponent gains control of it, and I exile it with a hit counter from Etrata, the Silencer, would it count towards the creatures they own with hit counters?

No, Sleeper Agent does not count for Etrata, the Silencer.
Etrata only counts cards owned by your opponent that it exiled. Sleeper Agent was controlled by your opponent, but you are its owner at all times. It does not matter who controlled the creature on the battlefield when it was exiled.

108.3. The owner of a card in the game is the player who started the game with it in their deck. [..]

Fun fact: If your opponent also had their own Etrata, your Sleeper Agent would even count for their Entrata, turning him into a real double agent!

"Fun fact: If your opponent also had their own Etrata, your Sleeper Agent would even count for their Entrata" Although if this was the third creature that you owned that was exiled, you wouldn't lose until another creature was exiled.


text:
When a creature attacks you versus tapped and attacking rules
I have Hissing Miasma on the battlefield and my opponent has Kaalia of the Vast and attacks me and puts a Serra Angel tapped and attacking me off the trigger. Does my opponent lose 1 life for the one creature that was declared an attacker (Kaalia), or does my opponent lose 2 life because tapped and attacking qualifies for "attacking" for Hissing Miasma?

508.3a An ability that reads “Whenever [a creature] attacks, . . .” triggers if that creature is declared as an attacker. Similarly, “Whenever [a creature] attacks [a player or planeswalker], . . .” triggers if that creature is declared as an attacker attacking that player or planeswalker. Such abilities won’t trigger if a creature is put onto the battlefield attacking.

Hissing Miasma triggers only once.


text:
Does Death's Presence check base power or actual power of a creature?
If I have Death's Presence on the field, which says

Whenever a creature you control dies, put X +1/+1 counters on target creature you control, where X is the power of the creature that died.

...and a creature I control with base power toughness 0/0 and 4 +1/+1 counters on it dies, do those counters then move because of Death's Presence, or does Death's Presence only take into account the base power?

The counters don't technically move¹, but the same amount of counters are put on another creature.
When cards mention power without explicitly mentioning "base power", it always means the actual power of the creature, taking into account all +1/+1 counters, static buffs, and of course base power (the same is true for toughness respectively, of course).
This is also indicated in Death's Presence's oracle text:

X is the power of that creature as it last existed on the battlefield.

¹ The reason I mention that counters don't technically move is that for a 2/2 creature with two +1/+1 counters, you'd still place four counters on the target creature with Death's Presence, not two - phrasing it as "moving counters" might be confusing in this regard. There are cards in magic that actually move counters, such as Bioshift, and in case of this example creature, they would only put two counters on the target creature.

Another way in way in which the move/create distinction matters is if it were "move", then it wouldn't be as clear as to whether it counts for Doubling Season.