text:
When can I cast Eternal Scourge from exile?
Eternal Scourge is exiled. Can I cast Eternal Scourge from exile anytime I wish, or is the only opportunity to cast Eternal Scourge from exile during my main phase/s?

You can only cast Eternal Scourge from exile during your pre-combat or post-combat main phases if the stack is empty. (eg. with the same timing restrictions as casting it normally)
This is addressed specifically in Eternal Scourge's rulings:

7/13/2016: You must follow the normal timing permissions and restrictions and pay its cost to cast Eternal Scourge from exile.

As for what "normal timing permissions and restrictions" means, look to the comprehensive rules for casting a creature spell:

302.1. A player who has priority may cast a creature card from his or her hand during a main phase of his or her turn when the stack is empty. Casting a creature as a spell uses the stack. (See rule 601, “Casting Spells.”)

The ability text on Eternal Scourge just lets you substitute "from his or her hand" with "from exile", but nothing else about casting creatures changes.
As a side note, if you have any spells that would modify when you are able to cast creature spells (for example, Aluren) unless they specify "cast from your hand" those modifications would apply to Eternal Scourge as well.

It only changes from where it can be cast, not when it can be cast.
You can only cast spells when you instructed to cast them. You are optionally instructed to cast non-instant spells during a main phase on your turn when the stack is empty and you have priority.

302.1. A player who has priority may cast a creature card from his or her hand during a main phase of his or her turn when the stack is empty. [...]

Eternal Scourge's ability simply modifies this rule to make it a valid candidate for casting if it's in Exile. It doesn't change when you can cast a spell.

Ruling from 7/13/2016: You must follow the normal timing permissions and restrictions and pay its cost to cast Eternal Scourge from exile.

Note that Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir would allow you to cast Eternal Scourge "as an instant".

You know, I can't find the rule that states you can only cast spells from your hand to begin with...

The rules that cover this are in the Card Types subsection. For example, rule 301.1 says "A player who has priority may cast an artifact card from his or her hand during a main phase of his or her turn when the stack is empty." There are similar rules for each other card type. Cards can only be cast from another zone when another rule or ability explicitly allows it.

@steenbergh I figured I would add the relevant rule for completeness sake to my answer, but I can understand keeping things brief.

@murgatroid99, Adjusted answer.


text:
Crewing vehicles with dead crews
During the first main phase: I have a 1/2 Thraben Inspector out.  My opponent casts Harnessed Lightning targeting the inspector to kill it.  I then tap, in response, the Inspector to crew my Smuggler's Copter.  Is this legal? Is the Copter crewed and ready to attack in the combat phase?

The hilarious visual of a bunch of helicopters flying around with dead crews over a city of cars flying through the streets with dead crews has made my day. Thank you.

The Crew ability doesn't have any timing restrictions on it, so it can be activated any time you have priority. And once the ability has been activated it doesn't matter what happens to the creature(s) you tapped to activate the ability (even if the Crew ability is still on the stack).
Tapping creatures is a cost of the crew ability. And there is no point between when you have announced the crew ability, when you payed the cost of tapping a creature, and when the ability is put on the stack for your opponent to respond. Once the ability is on the stack removing the crewing creature will not do anything because the cost of activating the ability has already been paid.
From the Gatherer Rulings on the Copter:

Once a player announces that he or she is activating a crew ability, no player may take other actions until the ability’s been paid for. Notably, players can’t try to stop the ability by changing a creature’s power or by removing or tapping a creature.
Creatures that crew a Vehicle aren’t attached to it or related in any other way. Effects that affect the Vehicle, such as by destroying it or giving it a +1/+1 counter, don’t affect the creatures that crewed it and vice versa.

It also works the other way around. If you activate the Copter's ability by tapping the Inspector, destroying the Inspector in response would not prevent the copter from becoming manned.

Yes, that I understand.  But the question is really, if the crew is killed before I tap it to crew the copter, can I tap the "dead" crew and have the copter crewed?

@Tony: if you tap them in response, they aren't killed yet, the Harnessed Lightning is still on the stack.

@Tony Are you really asking 'Can I crew a vehicle in response to a spell?' then?

Thanks Diego, I guess that is what I was asking.  So basically, the harnessed lightning is on the stack, the tap to crew  goes on top of the lightning, so therefore the vehicle would be crewed.  However if another harnessed lightning would be played on top of the tap to crew, the crew would not make it and the vehicle would be uncrewed right?

No, that's not right. As ikegami said, destroying the creature that you tapped in response to the crew ability doesn't stop the crew ability from working.

@Tony Does my edit answer your question better?

I imagine it may be helpful to explain that the tapping is the cost of activating the ability, and that's why it's too late to do anything by the time it's activated: the cost is already paid, the crewing creature isn't even needed now.

Yes Diego, got it.  That makes sense to me now.  At FNM some of the players were talking on the side about crewing a vehicle with a "dead crew" now I can clearly see how this works.  Thanks a lot!

I think the key here is to recognize that crewing a vehicle is just like any other activated ability. A vehicle with "Crew 2" is really just shorthand for "Tap any number of untapped creatures you control with total power 2 or greater: This permanent becomes an artifact creature until end of turn." As with any activated ability, once you pay the cost, it doesn't matter what happens to the land/creatures/etc. you paid with.

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sort: votes


text:
When does Depala's ability happen?
When Depala, Pilot Exemplar becomes tapped you can reveal cards from your library and get some out of there:

Whenever Depala, Pilot Exemplar becomes tapped, you may pay {X}. If you do, reveal the top X cards of your library, put all Dwarf and Vehicle cards from among them into your hand, then put the rest on the bottom of your library in a random order.

Does this mean that as you tap Depala to attack you search right then, even before you tap other attackers, or can you wait until say the second main phase, after combat, to pay X and then search?

The ability triggers and is resolved after you have declared all of your attackers, and before blockers are declared, during combat. (It won't trigger in the middle of declaring attackers.) Breaking down the Declare Attackers Step (itself the second step of the combat phase) we get:

508.1. First, the active player declares attackers. This turn-based action doesn’t use the stack.
(skipped: most of the steps on how this plays out)
508.1f The active player taps the chosen creatures. Tapping a creature when it’s declared as an attacker isn’t a cost; attacking simply causes creatures to become tapped.

So, first, you choose all of your attackers, and they all get tapped as part of that process.

508.2. Second, the active player gets priority. (See rule 116, “Timing and Priority.”)
508.2b Any abilities that triggered on attackers being declared or that triggered during the process described in rules 508.1 are put onto the stack before the active player gets priority; the order in which they triggered doesn’t matter. (See rule 603, “Handling Triggered Abilities.”)

Now that you've chosen your attackers, all of the abilities that triggered during that process are put on the stack.
So, at this point, just after all attackers are declared, Depala's ability is to be put on the stack. As it resolves, you can pay {X}, reveal the top X cards of your library, and then take the dwarves and vehicles from it and put them in your hand.
Then you still have priority, and can still cast instants and so on — then once you've got nothing else to do, we move on to declaring blockers, then combat damage, then end of combat.
This also means, to your specific questions:

You don't tap Depala as an attacker, use her ability, then declare more attackers. All attackers are already declared.
You do not and cannot wait until after combat. The ability is triggered and resolves right there in the middle of combat, after declaring attackers, and before moving on to declaring blockers.

There is no game time "before you tap other attackers". You don't get to declare attackers twice:

506.1. The combat phase has five steps, which proceed in order: beginning of combat, declare attackers, declare blockers, combat damage, and end of combat. […]

Rule 508 describes the steps to follow during the declare attackers step:

508.1. First, the active player declares attackers. This turn-based action doesn’t use the stack. To declare attackers, the active player follows the steps below, in order. If at any point during the declaration of attackers, the active player is unable to comply with any of the steps listed below, the declaration is illegal; the game returns to the moment before the declaration (see rule 720, “Handling Illegal Actions”).
[…]
508.1f The active player taps the chosen creatures. Tapping a creature when it’s declared as an attacker isn’t a cost; attacking simply causes creatures to become tapped.
[…]
508.2. Second, the active player gets priority. (See rule 116, “Timing and Priority.”)

The ability will trigger immediately when the creatures are tapped, but, as always, it does not resolve until all players pass priority, which cannot happen before they get it.

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text:
Pump spell sequence in MTG
If I attack with my Voltaic Brawler (3/2), then cast Built to Smash (+3/+3), Uncaged Fury (+1/+1 with double strike) and another Built to Smash (+3/+3) in that order, do I hit for 17 or 20?
Thanks in advance... basically a stack sequence question.

The order doesn't matter. You end up with a 10/9 with double strike no matter what order they resolve. It'll either do 10 dmg in the first combat dmg step, and possibly another 10 in the second combat dmg step.

You will hit for 20. I think you have a fundamental misunderstanding of double strike.
Double strike doesn't affect the actual power/toughness of the creature. It doesn't double the creature's power, it causes it to hit twice. You turn it into a 6/5 with the first Built to Smash, then a 7/6 with double strike with the Uncaged Fury, then a 10/9 with the second Built To Smash, then you pass priority and move to combat damage. It hits for 10, then you move to the second combat damage step because it has double strike, and it hits for 10 a second time.
It is possible to hit for 17, but you'd have to wait for the first combat damage step to occur before casting the second Built to Smash. In that case, it would only be a 7/6 the first time it hit, then you would make it into the 10/9 in time for second combat damage. Why would you do that? There's no obvious reason.

I think you have pump spells and combat damage mixed up.  The sequence of combat is this:

Declare attackers
Both players get priority
Declare blockers
Both players get priority
Combat damage (if first strike/double strike is around)
Both players get priority (if ^)
Combat damage

Now, when you cast your spells, you're doing it while there is priority. If all your spells are cast at/before step 4, then your creature will have 10 power with double strike and deal damage during both combat damage steps.

Note that this does mean it's possible for a creature to have a different power on the first and second strike. If for some weird reason you really wanted to deal exactly 17 damage, or couldn't cast the last pump spell at first, or just made a mistake, you could wait to cast the second Built to Smash til after the first combat damage step, so it'd deal 7 damage, have its power increased to 10, then deal 10 damage.


text:
Trample and double strike
I attack with an 8/8 double strike trampler.  My opponent blocks with a 3/5, and three 1/2 creatres.  How much damage does my opponent ultimately receive?  I said 5, he said 4. Who is correct?  Thanks

Why do you think the answer is 5? Did your opponent provide the reasoning for why they think the answer is 4?

@murgatroid99 The disconnect probably comes from the opponent not accounting for the 1 damage done to a 1/2 during the first combat damage step, thus believing that 1/2 needs 2 damage assigned to it during the second combat damage step to do lethal damage.

Yeah, I also suspect that that's the issue. It's a weird option, though, because you can just shuffle some creatures around, say that you're not accounting for the 3 damage done to the 3/5 during the first combat damage step, and end up with just 3 damage done to the player.

@murgatroid99: It makes sense if they simply overlooked the fact that damage remains on a creature until end of turn.

Your opponent will be dealt up to 5 damage
Damage doesn't wear off until end of turn, so it's irrelevant how much damage a creature is dealt in the First Strike or normal combat damage segment individually.

119.6. Damage marked on a creature remains until the cleanup step (...)

Therefore, when dealing with a creature with Trample, you can simply add up the defense of all creatures blocking it, subtract that number from the trampling creature's total power (multiplied by 2, if it has Double Strike) and end up with the amount of damage dealt to the player. In this case, here's what the calculation looks like:
8 * 2 - (5 + 2 + 2 + 2)  =  16 - 11  =  5

Exceptions to this rule would be the creature with Double Strike dieing in the First Strike combat damage segment, for example when blocked by a Glissa, the Traitor. Since the blocking creatures in this case aren't capable of dealing lethal damage in the First Strike combat damage step, damage assignment order and combat damage segments are irrelevant to this specific example.
Note that you can assign more damage to a blocking creature than it has toughness, meaning you could assign all damage to the blocking creatures and none to the defending player. Because of that, the answer is phrased "up to 5 damage"

Thanks for the help. This was a FNM.  I probably should have called a judge, oh well.


text:
Can Rhonas the Indomitable attack if I pump Voltaic Brawler?
I have a Voltaic Brawler (3/2) on board and also a Rhonas the Indomitable.
I am going to pump the brawler up with an energy counter to make the brawler a (4/3) and attack with the brawler.  Will Rhonas also be able to attack now?

You can't get Rhonas attacking that way, unfortunately. This is because of how we handle declaring attackers:

We enter the Declare Attackers step.
You choose attackers. They're declared attackers simultaneously. (At this point, Voltaic Brawler can attack, but Rhonas cannot.)
The active player receives priority, and in the process of them receiving it, triggered abilities go on the stack, including Voltaic Brawler's.
You get the opportunity to choose to pump Voltaic Brawler with +1/+1.

At this point, declaring attackers is done. You can't declare new ones. It's too late.
This would be different if you used Rhonas's activated ability before combat to get a 5/2 Voltaic Brawler before declaring attackers. (That's exactly what it's there for: to benefit your strategy and help Rhonas attack. Every Amonkhet god has an activated ability that moves you closer to them being able to attack and block.)

You will not be able to do that.  Voltaic Brawler's ability starts with the word 'Whenever' which means it is a triggered ability that goes on the stack.  It will wait to go on the stack until all attacks have been declared and the active player gets priority in the declare attackers step.  At this point you can't "go back" to declare more attackers after choosing to pay the cost.

In general, Rhonas only cares whether you have a creature whose current power is 4 or greater, taking into account pump effects. In this particular case, pumping Voltaic Brawler by spending energy on its triggered ability will not allow you to attack with Rhonas.
By the time the Brawler's ability triggers and you have the opportunity to pay energy, you have already finished declaring attackers. You can't "go back" and also declare Rhonas as an attacker now that you control another creature with power 4 or greater.

No, you cannot attack with Rhonas in that scenario.
The steps of combat are:

Beginning of Combat
Declare Attackers
Declare Blockers
Combat Damage
End of Combat

You only get to attack once, at the very beginning of Declare Attackers.  Nobody has priority, so no spells and abilities can be activated.  Once you have declared attackers, then Brawler's trigger goes on the stack. Then you can pump it, but the opportunity for Rhonas to attack has passed.


text:
How does Decommission (and Revolt) work with multiple permanents leaving the battlefield?
A new Aether Revolt card, "Decommission", states: "If a permanent you controlled left the battlefield this turn, you gain 3 life".

I suspect that would mean if you sacrificed 3 artifact tokens, then played decommission later on you would gain 9 life.
My confusion is that I would expect to see "for each permanent that left the battlefield this turn" to give the total of 9 life.  As it is written, I am thinking just 3, but is "each" implied?  Pretty basic question I guess.  Thanks in advance.

You gain exactly 3 life no matter how many of your permanents left the battlefield this turn (as long as it's at least one).
Your confusion as you describe it comes down to: "I expect this wording means {thing}. But if it really meant {thing} I'd expect it to use this other wording instead." Confusion like that is often a warning flag you've misread the card, and ought to check it again. MTG cards mean exactly what they say — if it meant "for each permanent" it'd say so.
The Aether Revolt Release Notes state the following under the heading New Ability Word: Revolt:

Revolt abilities check only whether a permanent you controlled left the battlefield this turn or not. They don’t apply multiple times if more than one permanent you controlled left the battlefield. They don’t check whether the permanent that left the battlefield is still in the zone it moved to.

Yeah, we were pretty close there, haha.

Thanks for the answers.  AND thanks for the link to Aether Revolt Release Notes, that helps greatly!

You just gain 3 life
Deathreap ritual says:

Morbid — At the beginning of each end step, if a creature died this turn, you may draw a card.

if you look at the gatherer text for this card it says:

You draw one card when the ability resolves, not one card per creature that died during the turn.

If you would draw a card for each creature that died it would say it like this:

You draw a card for each creature that died this turn

There is an ability like this on armorcraft judge:

When Armorcraft Judge enters the battlefield, draw a card for each creature you control with a +1/+1 counter on it.

Note that it specificly states each


text:
Can Disallow prevent me from crewing a vehicle?
It is my turn and I have Veteran Motorist and an Aethersphere Harvester on the battlefield.
Entering the declare attackers phase I announce/tap my motorist to crew the harvester. In response my opponent plays Disallow to counter my crewing the harvester.
Does this prevent me from crewing the harvester?

Slight correction: The Declare Attackers phase is too late to crew your Aethersphere Harvester if you want to attack with it. It isn't a creature, so you can't select it as an attacker (508.1a). The last chance to crew the vehicle is during the Beginning of Combat Step, (507.3). In this, it is important to be careful how you move from your main phase to combat; reason: http://boardgames.stackexchange.com/questions/28964/if-a-player-goes-to-combat-and-then-activates-an-ability-what-is-the-game-st

Yes, Disallow will prevent you from crewing your vehicle: your vehicle will not become a creature, and the creatures you tapped to pay the crew cost will remain tapped.
From the comprehensive rules on Crew:

702.121a Crew is an activated ability of Vehicle cards. “Crew N” means “Tap any number of untapped creatures you control with total power N or greater: This permanent becomes an artifact creature until end of turn.”

This is an activated ability with a cost of tapping creatures and an effect of turning the vehicle into a creature. It's a legal target of Disallow, so we can prevent its effect from resolving.
Note that even despite the crew ability being countered, Veteran Motorist's ability would still trigger (because you tapped it to pay a crew cost), and the vehicle will still receive +1/+1 until end of turn. If you manage to turn the vehicle into a creature later this turn, that +1/+1 will start to apply.

Worth noting that there is nothing preventing you from using the crew ability again during the same turn if you've got enough untapped creatures. (The ones from the disallowed crewing will still be tapped)

Very late to the party, but in particular if you have two Veteran Motorists your vehicle will end up with +2/+2 until end of turn.


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

For the close votes, I think this is not too broad since I ask for tips contained in the base game, there is a finite number of spells/relics/gems, so there should have a way to beat it in the base game, and a reliable tip that apply most of the time

Once you start including all the different expansions as you have also asked about it can become a lot more broad.

@JoeW I'm not asking what extension would help to beat him, but if we need to buy them in order to beat him

That is still the same thing as you need to know which ones would help beat the nemesis in order to know you need to buy it

The thing is, if it's not needed and that he's indeed beatable with only base game components, it's a valid answer. I could even settle for a "you really need lot of luck and you need spell A  and B to be available and devoured in the first turns" as a tip, I just want to know if he's beatable with base content + tips if there is some.

If it is a base nemesis it is beatable by the base set. Now you might need more than 2 players to beat it or you might be using the wrong characters (also might have the wrong market setup). The problem is in general this is a very hard and unforgiving game where a single mistake can take a certain victory away. When you start to consider Number of players, Number of expansions available and market setup the number of variables starts to grow pretty large.

Do we need to buy expansion packs to get better/other mages/cards?

No. You do not need to buy expansion packs.

Are there specific compositions to have?

No. You can win with any random mages and a random supply from the base set.

What can we do to beat him?

Build a lean deck with heavy hitter spells and don't gain weak cards from the supply in the late game.

When gaining cards from the supply, don't reduce any pile to zero. Empty piles help Prince of Gluttons.

Let Prince of Gluttons devour cards that you want. Gain them from his devoured pile.

It can be strategic to leave spells prepped for two reasons 1) more gems in hand 2) you need spells up when a minion is drawn.

Plan to discard Power Cards. More often than not it is worth it.

Any tips to beat him?
-Great work gaining cards that were devoured. That helps.
-Consider that when you gain any cards from the supply you help the Prince. How much damage can you do based on minimal card buys? For instance, buy ONLY ONE gem like Searing Ruby for the whole game. Now, how can you set up a hand to be that Ruby + 4 Crystals? Because 7 aether can buy any spell in the game. Now you're cooking.
-Consider player health and Gravehold's health as a just another resource you're spending. If players and Gravehold are at full health but you lose because Prince devoured the store then maybe you were being overprotective. Take some trade offs, absorb more damage and focus on preventing devours and dealing damage on the Prince.
-If you're losing because of Devours than defensive mages like Brama (heal player health) and Phaedraxa (prevent damage) don't have abilities that help. Better to choose attackers like Jian and Kadir and win during Tier 2.
-You know the cards. You know what's coming. What are you keeping prepped to crush Cerephage?
Specific compositions to have? Do we need to buy expansion packs to get better/other mages/cards?
-No. My partner and I have played an embarrassing amount. We have no trouble against the Prince with randomly chosen mages and supply.
Soft advice for new players.
-You'll get it with more playing/experimenting.
-Look at high cost cards that don't seem worth it. The design team is smart. Challenge yourself to think about why those strange cards are so valuable. You'll unlock another insight to help.
-This is a game about efficiency. You want to play 'tight' where nothing is wasted. I often see new players love opening breaches (because it's rad) without any spells to prep. Having 1 aether left over that you do nothing with is like a tiny bit of damage to the team.
-How's your development? Your decks start wimpy, start to grow, then at least one player should be ready to drop bombs. The minions are a decent measuring stick. If a minion, like Tier 2 Venomite (9) appears then at least one player should be reasonably positioned to deal out at least 9 damage in the round.
-The endgame is often a 'boss rush'. All players need to agree it's time to go all in on damaging the boss, absorbing damage from nemesis cards.
-For practice, if you're playing 2 or 3 player, put more Tier 1 and Tier 2 cards in the nemesis deck. This is how we got our first victories many battles ago. It will make the game a bit easier but still give you a lot of practice.
-Experiment by playing a battle where you ALWAYS prevent a nemesis Power card.
Sorry for the long answer :) I hope this finds a player who finds it useful. Needless to say, we've really enjoyed this game.

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text:
Voldaren Pariah is exiled while transforming
What happens if Voldaren Pariah is exiled while transforming? Does it still force target player to sacrifice 3 creatures? Also if it is returned from exile, does it returned already transformed and if it does, does its triggered ability go on the stack then?

Can you clarify what you mean by "while transforming"? The answer is assuming you mean "after activating the activated ability, but before that ability resolves". Once it has actually "started to transform", it will transform no matter what; it can't be exiled "while transforming".

There are two possible outcomes, depending on when the Volarden Pariah is exiled. These are the only two possibilities; you can't do anything while the Pariah is transforming.
While the activated ability is on the stack
In this case, the Pariah will never transform, and the triggered ability that would make the opponent sacrifice creatures never goes on the stack.
The relevant rules are these:

112.7. The source of an ability is the object that generated it. The source of an activated ability on the stack is the object whose ability was activated. The source of a triggered ability (other than a delayed triggered ability) on the stack, or one that has triggered and is waiting to be put on the stack, is the object whose ability triggered. To determine the source of a delayed triggered ability, see rules 603.7d–f.

201.4. Text that refers to the object it’s on by name means just that particular object and not any other objects with that name, regardless of any name changes caused by game effects.

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.

If we put these all together, we see that the instruction "Transform Volarden Pariah" really means "Transform the object whose ability was activated". And when the Pariah is exiled, it becomes a new object, so the original object doesn't exist, and the "Transform" instruction just does nothing. Since it never transforms, the triggered ability on the back face never triggers, and the opponent doesn't have to sacrifice three creatures.
After the activated ability resolves
Once the activated ability resolves, the triggered ability on the back face immediately goes on the stack, because rule 116.2a says

Triggered abilities can trigger at any time, including while a spell is being cast, an ability is being activated, or a spell or ability is resolving. (See rule 603, “Handling Triggered Abilities.”) However, nothing actually happens at the time an ability triggers. Each time a player would receive priority, each ability that has triggered but hasn’t yet been put on the stack is put on the stack. See rule 116.5.

And rule 112.7a says

Once activated or triggered, an ability exists on the stack independently of its source...

So, even if the Pariah is exiled while the triggered ability is on the stack, the ability still f the resolves, and forces the opponent to sacrifice three creatures.
If the Pariah re-enters the battlefield
In either case, the Pariah will enter the battlefield face-up. Rule 711.8 says

A double-faced card enters the battlefield with its front face up by default. If a spell or ability puts it onto the battlefield “transformed,” it enters the battlefield with its back face up.

And rule 400.7 (quoted above) says that it doesn't remember its previous existence, so there's nothing that would change what it does from the default.

target player does not have to sacrifice 3 creatures as this is what happens
1. you sacrifice 3 creatures to transform it
2. Activated ability goes on the stack
3. pariah is exiled
4. Ability resolves
5. the ability states:

when this creature transforms into Abolisher of Bloodlines

From the comprehensive rules

406.2. To exile an object is to put it into the exile zone from whatever zone it’s currently in. An exiled card is a card that’s been put into the exile zone.

At this point it is no longer a creature but a card in exile meaning that target player won't have to sacrifice anything
When it returns to the battlefield it will be a voldaren pariah and nothing will happen because when a card is moved to an other zone it becomes a new object meaning it will not remember anything that happend before, meaning that it will not remember that you transformed it so it will not be transformed
This is stated in the comprehensive rules here

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.

In steps two and four do you mean the activated ability instead of trigger? If you wait until the trigger goes on the stack it is too late.

I Have changed it

Isn't the ability that's resolving in step 4 "Transform Voldaren Pariah"? This ability fizzles because it's not on the battlefield anymore, so it never actually transforms. The trigger of "when this creature transforms..." is never actually triggered.

@Matt It doesn't 'fizzle' (countered due to lack of legal targets), it just does nothing (because the transforming the Pariah is an illegal action it is ignored, but the game still tries to do it)

This answer is about half right. As Matt mentioned, it's the activated ability that resolves on step 4, and it fails because the object you would have transformed doesn't exist, not because it's "no longer a creature" (so, 112.7 and 400.7 are more relevant than 406.2). And while it's true that it re-enters front face-up, it also never was transformed, so saying it "doesn't remember" is misleading.


text:
Can we buy multiple houses and hotels in one turn?
When we land on a space that you own, you are allowed to buy houses and hotels.
But does the rule book say that you can only buy one house or one hotel per turn? Or can you buy more than one in the same turn?

You can buy more than one per turn.
According to the official Monopoly Millennium Edition rules, you can buy multiple houses per turn.

Following these rules, you may buy and erect at any time as many houses as your judgement and financial standing will allow.

Also, you don't have to be on the space that you want to make houses on to put houses on them.

But the other version of Monopoly is not? Or just the same

They all allow it, although the exact words used in the rulebooks may differ.

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


text:
Can my opponent play a madness cost of 3 or below if "Brisela, Voice of Nightmares" is in play?
Let's say I have a Brisela, Voice of Nightmares and my opponent tries to cast Voldaren Pariah for its madness cost of BBB.
Would the rule in Brisela, "Your opponents can't cast spells with converted mana cost 3 or less" stop my opponent from doing that?

No, Brisela will not prevent your opponent from casting Volarden Pariah for its madness cost.
"Mana cost", and by extension "converted mana cost" specifically refers to the cost printed at the top of the card. The relevant rules are here:

202.1. A card’s mana cost is indicated by mana symbols near the top of the card. (See rule 107.4.) [...]

202.3. The converted mana cost of an object is a number equal to the total amount of mana in its mana cost, regardless of color.

So, Volarden Pariah always has a mana cost of {3}{B}{B}, and a converted mana cost of 5.

Note that this also means your opponent can't cast a madness card with CMC 3, even if the madness cost is different.

@Samthere Does madness ever cost more than the CMC though?

Yes, sometimes. Broken Concentration is a good example.


text:
Does Rally the Righteous affect heroic?
I found Rally the Righteous, and I'm wondering: are the creatures (after the first) being targeted to untap and does that affect heroic creatures?
And if I untap a multicoloured creature, like Anax and Cymede, does it effect red and white creatures or only red white creatures?

Rally the Righteous only targets one creature, and so it'll only trigger heroic on that specific creature. It says "untap target creature" — that's the one that gets targeted. It then further says "and each other creature that shares a color with it" — but it doesn't say "target" in that phrase anywhere, so you're not targeting any of those other creatures. (If it was targeting, it'd say something ike "each other target creature".)
If you target a multicolored creature, like the spell says, it'll affect any creature that shares any color with the one you untap. If you untap a red/white creature, you'll untap red creatures, white creatures, red/white creatures, red/blue, white/black, etc etc — because all of those have a color of at least red or white.


text:
Identify an unknown letter cube game (not Boggle)
We managed to lose the instructions of this game and cannot remember the name.  It seems similar to Boggle - but has groups of similar cubes, each with the type in a different colour, and a die.

The box closes the cubes tight so there is no shaking like Boggle. I tried google goggles but with no luck. The box contains the following six-sided dice sets:

6 White dice: D H A R O and a blank.
4 Grey dice: P C I S N and a blank.
2 Orange dice: F U E T B and a blank.
2 Blue dice: J O E L G and a blank.
2 Purple dice: K V I T L and a blank.
2 Pink dice: Q W E S G and a blank.
2 Yellow dice: V U E T M and a blank.
2 Green dice: X T M Y E and a blank.
2 Red dice: Z Y A W N and a blank.
and a plain numbered d6

What about the other faces of the dice? Are there other letters/numbers, or are they all just variations on the ones shown?

Could be one of these - https://boardgamegeek.com/wiki/page/word_dice_game

@goldPseudo - updated post with details

I have just found the game with the instruction booklet. If you'd like I could make a copy and email it to you .

@Tracy If you could scan and upload somewhere that'd be pretty amazing; we would like to make sure that the knowledge is shared, not just given to the OP here!

@Tracy You might consider uploading your scanned instruction booklet to BoardGameGeek's Cubewords files page. That's the largest board game site, and it's a public place that would benefit anybody who is interested in this game.

It's probably cubeword.
Check it here: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/27935/cubeword

The letter list seems to match: https://boardgamegeek.com/image/185077/cubeword


text:
Does a creature trigger its own ETB ability even if not explicitly stated?
I work heavily on custom magic cards, and in one of my groups there is some discussion around ETB effects.
Take a card like Soul Warden, it explicitly says 'another creature' in its ETB. If we removed 'another' from the triggered ability would soul Warden gain life on ETB from itself?

Yes, creatures can trigger their own ETBs

603.6a Enters-the-battlefield abilities trigger when a permanent enters the battlefield. These are written, “When [this object] enters the battlefield, . . . “ or “Whenever a [type] enters the battlefield, . . .” Each time an event puts one or more permanents onto the battlefield, all permanents on the battlefield (including the newcomers) are checked for any enters-the-battlefield triggers that match the event.

Emphasis mine.
That said, the standard template for such abilities is "Whenever {cardname} or another [type] enters the battlefield", largely to remove exactly this sort of ambiguity.  This sort of question should only be relevant to players if some sort of type modification is going on (for example, playing Setessan Champion while Enchanted Evening is on the battlefield).
This template also has the minor side effect that if for whatever reason the card in question is not of the specified type, it will still trigger its own ability.  (For example, playing Ayara, First of Locthwain with a Mycosynth Lattice in play)

as an additional note, they also use this templating on "leaves the Battlefield" abilities. See Anax, Hardened in the Forge, this causes some weirdness as token copies of Anax that die will create saytr tokens from their own ability.


text:
Does Unsubstantiate work on graveyard or exiled cards?
Unsubstantiate says, "Return target spell or creature to its owner's hand."
It seems to me like it should allow you to return it from the graveyard.

Something to look for in wording is the word "card." Things that interact with cards outside of the battlefield & stack use the word "card" after what it's targeting. Return target creature card..., Search your library for a Forest card..., or Each player may put a permanent card from their hand....

It does not return cards from graveyard or exile.
"Spell" only refers to a card when it is on the stack:

111.1. A spell is a card on the stack. As the first step of being cast (see rule 601, "Casting Spells"), the card becomes a spell and is moved to the top of the stack from the zone it was in, which is usually its owner's hand. (See rule 405, "Stack.") A spell remains on the stack as a spell until it resolves (see rule 608, "Resolving Spells and Abilities"), is countered (see rule 701.5), or otherwise leaves the stack. For more information, see section 6, "Spells, Abilities, and Effects."

And it cannot target a creature in the any such zone because "creature" refers to a permanent in this instance which means it must be on the battlefield:

114.2. Only permanents are legal targets for spells and abilities, unless a spell or ability (a) specifies that it can target an object in another zone or a player, (b) targets an object that can't exist on the battlefield, such as a spell or ability, or (c) targets a zone.

If a spell or ability does intend to target something in graveyard or exile it will mention the zone specifically and refer to the target as a card:

108.2a In the text of spells or abilities, the term “card” is usually used to refer to a card that’s not on the battlefield or on the stack, such as a creature card in a player’s hand. The term “card” can also refer to a card in any zone that’s moving “from anywhere.” On rare occasions, the text of a spell or ability may refer to a nontoken permanent as a “card . . . on the battlefield.” For more information, see section 4, “Zones.”

For example Treasured Find reads:

Return target card from your graveyard to your hand. Exile Treasured Find.

108.2a might be a useful rule to reference as well

Why do you think 108.2a is relevant? It's just a promise that Wiz will try to avoid using the word "card" when referring to spells and permanents. How does that matter here? If you're trying to prove the absence of the word "card" points to an object on the battlefield or on the stack, there's a far more appropriate rule for that. (After all, it wouldn't use the word "card" for a token, a player, an emblem, etc either.)

@ikegami I originally didn't but thought it was a good suggestion to do exactly as you guess and "prove the absence of the word 'card' points to an object on the battlefield or on the stack". Although my inclusion of it was more based on the back side of that thought, which to me is "if you want to target things in the graveyard, exile, etc you must look for the word 'card' in the ability text." If you have a better rule to highlight this I'd be glad to include it.

109.2 and 109.2b are the relevant rules


text:
Does Bound by Moonsilver prevent crewing?
Does Bound By Moonsilver prevent a creature enchanted by it from crewing a vehicle? My opponent crewed a vehicle with a Pyrohound I had enchanted with Bound By Moonsilver and we weren't sure if this was actually possible.

Bound by Moonsilver does not prevent crewing. Bound by Moonsilver has the ability

Enchanted creature can't attack, block, or transform.

Crewing a vehicle is none of those things, so Bound by Moonsilver does not affect it.
Here are the rules for Crew:

702.121a Crew is an activated ability of Vehicle cards. “Crew N” means “Tap any number of untapped creatures you control with total power N or greater: This permanent becomes an artifact creature until end of turn.”

702.121b A creature “crews a Vehicle” when it’s tapped to pay the cost to activate a Vehicle’s crew ability.

702.121c If an effect states that a creature “can’t crew Vehicles,” that creature can’t be tapped to pay the crew cost of a Vehicle.

So, the only way to stop a creature from crewing a vehicle is either with an effect that specifically says so, like Revoke Privileges as doppelgreener mentioned, or by keeping it tapped with an effect like on Malfunction.

No, it doesn't. Bound by Moonsilver says:

Enchanted creature can't attack, block, or transform.

... so that's all the creature is prevented from doing, and Crewing is none of those things.
Currently the only card that specifically prevents a creature from crewing is Revoke Privileges, which says:

Enchanted creature can't attack, block, or crew Vehicles.


text:
Do subtype changes remain after a card is transformed?
Say I have an Olivia, Mobilized for War on the field, who has this ability:

Whenever another creature enters the battlefield under your control,
  you may discard a card. If you do, put a +1/+1 counter on that
  creature, it gains haste until end of turn, and it becomes a Vampire
  in addition to its other types.

I play a Werewolf and discard a card to pay for Olivia's ability. The Werewolf is also a Vampire now.
A turn passes without anybody playing spells, so the Werewolf transforms. Is it still a Vampire? Or is it only the subtypes written on the card's new face?

Yes.
From the Comprehensive Rules:

711.7. When a double-faced permanent transforms, it doesn't become a new object. Any effects that applied to that permanent will continue to apply to it after it transforms.

So your Werewolf will keep its Vampire subtype.


text:
Fiend Binder's triggered ability
I have a question about Fiend Binder's triggered ability regarding the stack. I just want to make sure I'm understanding it correctly.
It states:

Whenever Fiend Binder attacks, tap target creature defending player controls.

It triggers whenever she attacks, but it also says to tap defending player's creature. At first glance I interpret this as when I attack with her I can just tap away any creature I want, but I a have suspicion this is wrong and it only qualifies when the player defends, which would result in what? Me tapping any other creature that is not defending?
I'm certain my question is straight forward, but just to make sure I understand let me run a scenario: If I control just Fiend Binder, and my opponent happens to just only control one creature also, am I permitted to tap my opponent's creature leaving him or her open for damage, or would nothing happen in this case as there is no other creature to tap?
Appreciate any clarification, I couldn't seem to really find straight forward answer as I've only been playing magic for almost a year and reading from the rule book is sometimes cryptic to me.

Quoth the rules:

506.2. During the combat phase, the active player is the attacking player; creatures that player controls may attack. During the combat phase of a two-player game, the nonactive player is the defending player; that player and planeswalkers he or she controls may be attacked.

Multiplayer games are covered by subsequent rules, but the effect either way is that, by the time you're declaring attackers, one or more of your opponents have become defending players. Thus, when Fiend Binder attacks, you tap a creature controlled by the defending player, who is one of your opponents (specifically, by rule 508.3, the player that the Fiend Binder is attacking). Recall that Fiend Binder's ability triggers only when it attacks, and thus when you are the active/attacking player, and thus when one or more of your opponents is the defending player.  In the example situation you've given, you must tap your opponent's creature (unless of course it's untargetable, in which case nothing happens).

I see, chalked up to me missing some key terms. As silly as it sounds I did not make the connection that player I'm attacking would always be considered defending player regardless of him/her defending or not. Now I know why this card has a 5/5 community rating on wizards. Thanks for clarifying.

@DovahkiinvasNormandy the real reason it has 5/5 is there were some updates to Gatherer a few years ago and comments and rating cards hasn't worked since. 5/5 is just the default value

@DovahkiinvasNormandy Just a guess, but you may be using the word "defending" to mean what Magic calls "declaring blockers": that is, the act of choosing which creatures block which attackers.

You would get to tap the only creature defending player controls before they can block.  When you actually declare attacks, what happens is that the Fiend Binder becomes tapped and is attacking a specific player.
That player is the defending player, so at that point the ability goes on the stack and you can tap one of their creatures. Defending player is defined before the defender blocks.

508.4. If an ability of an attacking creature refers to a defending player, or a spell or ability refers to both an attacking creature and a defending player, then unless otherwise specified, the defending player it's referring to is the player that creature was attacking at the time it became an attacking creature that combat, or the controller of the planeswalker that creature was attacking at the time it became an attacking creature that combat.

In a multiplayer game, even though all opponents are generally considered defending players, the ability can only target a creature that the player this specific creature had attacked controls:

508.4a. In a multiplayer game, any rule, object, or effect that refers to a "defending player" refers to one specific defending player, not to all of the defending players. (...)


text:
Clone legion - multiple creatures enter battlefield at same time
Let's say I play Clone Legion on my opponent. He has 4 creatures, one of which is Deathbringer Regent. Do I get to have all 4 creatures, or do I get all 4, but deathbringer wipes out the 3 others so at the end, I only have deathbringer? I would assume all enter the battlefield at the same time, and thus deathbringer does not wipe those 3 - and thus, I'm left with 4 creatures, not one.

Deathbringer Regent won't do anything for you, but not because of timing — it does nothing because its ability only functions "if you cast (this card) from your hand", which you didn't do.
You cast Clone Legion, which created a token copy of Deathbringer Regent. That copy checks to see if it was cast from your hand, recognises it's never been in your hand and was never cast because it simply winked into existence on the battlefield a moment ago, and therefore its ability doesn't trigger.
(Note that this is because it's a token copy. A card like Clone copying Deathbringer Regent would behave exactly like the real deal.)

Let's pretend it would trigger though (it wouldn't) and examine the timing: Deathbringer Regent would enter the battlefield simultaneously with the other creatures, and it would also wipe them all out. This is because they all first enter the battlefield, then we check triggered abilities (the ones that start with "when..." or "whenever...") and put those on the stack. Deathbringer Regent and all the other creatures enter, then we check its ability, put that on the stack, and then it'll shortly afterwards resolve — and all other creatures on the battlefield would be destroyed.

Thanks for the answer, very clear and thorough, although disappointing outcome for me :(

@RickAbell You can show your appreciation by clicking on the check mark to the left of the answer, which means "This answer solved my problem." You can also upvote the answer, which means "This answer is useful." Both will give the author some reputation, and you will get a small amount too for accepting an answer. And finally, welcome to the site!


text:
How does copying work with Storm?
I control Pyromancer Ascension that has enough quest counters on it:

Whenever you cast an instant or sorcery spell (...), you may copy that spell. You may choose new targets for the copy.

I play Grapeshot. Suppose I've cast 3 spells this turn, so I will Storm 3 times if Grapeshot resolves normally. Pyromancer Ascension is going to copy it. Now what happens?

Grapeshot goes on the stack Stormed thrice, then the copy goes on the stack Stormed 4 times.
Both Grapeshot and the copy goes on the stack Stormed thrice.

I'm not very familiar with the Storm mechanic or the copy mechanic. Please correct me if I'm totally wrong.

Grapeshot isn't multicolored.

In fact, there are no multicolored cards with Storm. Would you mind editing it to use a different copy effect, like Twincast?

Also, consider this: the Storm ability itself makes copies of the spell. What do you think would happen if the Storm ability also triggered for copies of spells?

I have edited the question to reference Pyromancer Ascension, a very close match to the original enchantment that's actually going to work here. Indeed, Cloven Casting won't apply and Grapeshot isn't multicoloured — multicoloured spells are those which are more than one of: white, blue, black, red, or green. (Grapeshot is just red. A generic mana cost a la the {1} doesn't affect the colour.)

Short answer: neither copy effect copies the copies made by the other. They only copy the one original spell.

Consider a hypothetical enchantment, Super Cloven Casting, which says

Whenever you cast an instant or sorcery spell, you may pay {1}. If you do, copy that spell. You may choose new targets for the copy.

This specifies an ability that triggers whenever you cast an instant or sorcery spell.
The storm ability also specifies an ability that triggers whenever you cast a spell with storm.
So here is what happens when you cast Grapeshot with Super Cloven Casting in play:

We start with an empty stack and 3 spells having been cast this turn - in other words, a storm count of 3.

Stack: (empty)
Storm count: 3

You cast Grapeshot (put it on the stack, choose its target, pay its cost), and in the process, two abilities trigger: one from Grapeshot's own Storm, and the other from Super Cloven Casting. These go on the stack on top of Grapeshot, though you get to choose the order. It turns out not to matter, so I will choose one order to demonstrate.

Stack:

Super Cloven Casting triggered ability
Storm triggered ability
Grapeshot

Storm count: 4 including Grapeshot

Both players yield priority (decline to cast or activate anything), so the top item on the stack resolves. This gives you the choice to pay {1}, and let's assume you do so, so it copies Grapeshot.

Stack:

Copy of Grapeshot (created by Super Cloven Casting)
Storm triggered ability
Grapeshot

Storm count: 4 including Grapeshot

Note that the copy does not add to the storm count. When you copy a spell which was already cast, the copy does not count as being cast.
Both players yield priority, so the top item on the stack resolves. This is a copy of Grapeshot. It deals one damage to its target.

Stack:

Storm triggered ability
Grapeshot

Storm count: 4 including Grapeshot

Both players yield priority, so the top item on the stack resolves. This creates a copy of Grapeshot for each other spell cast this turn: that'll be 3 copies.

Stack:

Copy of Grapeshot (created by Storm)
Copy of Grapeshot (created by Storm)
Copy of Grapeshot (created by Storm)
Grapeshot

Storm count: 4 including Grapeshot

Both players yield priority, so the top item on the stack resolves. This is a copy of Grapeshot. It deals one damage to its target.

Stack:

Copy of Grapeshot (created by Storm)
Copy of Grapeshot (created by Storm)
Grapeshot

Storm count: 4 including Grapeshot

Both players yield priority, so the top item on the stack resolves. This is a copy of Grapeshot. It deals one damage to its target.

Stack:

Copy of Grapeshot (created by Storm)
Grapeshot

Storm count: 4 including Grapeshot

Both players yield priority, so the top item on the stack resolves. This is a copy of Grapeshot. It deals one damage to its target.

Stack:

Grapeshot

Storm count: 4 including Grapeshot

Both players yield priority, so the top item on the stack resolves. This is the original Grapeshot. It deals one damage to its target.

Stack: (empty)
Storm count: 4

All together, there have been a total of 4 copies of Grapeshot and the one original Grapeshot, for a total of 5 damage.

You can choose the order the fictional enchantment and Storm ability enter the stack.

Yes, I mentioned that in the answer.

I have edited the question to mention Pyromancer Ascension instead.

Neither of those events happen. Discounting the illegal interaction between Cloven Casting and Grapeshot, instead reference Twincast or Howl of the Horde.
Simplest path: you've cast 3 spells this turn, then cast Grapeshot. When you cast Grapeshot, you create copies of it for each spell you cast before it.
There are 4 objects named Grapeshot on the Stack, 3 copies and 1 represented by the card.
You then cast Twincast, targeting a copy of Grapeshot on the stack. You create an additional copy, but since you didn't cast this Grapeshot, the Storm effect doesn't Trigger.
5 objects named Grapeshot are on the stack, 4 copies and 1 represented by a card.

To be pedantic, I would say "When you cast Grapeshot", not "As". In the rules, "As" indicates a replacement effect, and "When" indicates a triggered ability, so I think it's a bit confusing to mix up the convention here.

@murgatroid99 no issue with being pedantic; I prefer it when discussing interactions to avoid ambiguities. Corrected.

I have edited the question to mention Pyromancer Ascension instead.


text:
How many times will we go through the deck before the island is sunk?
In Forbidden Island, how many times will we be likely to go through the deck before the island is sunk?
I've tried to figure it out but I'm not sure how many Waters Rise! cards there are. I can see the water meter in images, so I could otherwise figure it out for different difficulties.

In Forbidden Island the treasure deck has the following breakdown:
5 each of the 4 treasures
3 Waters Rise!
3 Helicopter Lifts
2 Sandbags

Depending on the difficulty the Water Meter will begin between the 1st and 4th tick, giving you between 8 and 6 remaining ticks respectively.
This means in a game that you can cycle through the treasure deck between 2 and 3 times.
You can find a breakdown of the game contents in the rules

This is of course only considering losing due to the water level getting to the top mark, not losing by Fool's Landing being removed, treasure sites being removed before the treasures were claimed, etc.


text:
Scenario: Can monster be targeted?
H░░█░
░░█░M

Is the Monster (M) a valid target for a ranged Hero (H) attack through the Obstacles (█)?

TL;DR No
For reference, "Line of Sight" (pg 12) from the Rules of Play:

In order for a figure to have line of sight to a space, a player must be able
  to trace an uninterrupted, straight line from any corner of that figure’s
  space to any corner of the target space.
If the line passes through the edge of a map tile, a door, or a blocked space
  (a space containing a figure or obstacle), the target space is not in line of
  sight (see “Line of Sight Example” on page 12).
If the line passes along the edge of a blocked space (see “Line of Sight
  Example” on page 12), the target space is not in line of sight. However,
  if the line only touches the corner of a blocked space (without passing
  through the space itself ), the target space is in line of sight.

Now let's address the possible lines from the Hero's space:

Top left corner

Any line from this corner must pass through the Hero's space. The Hero is a figure, so the Hero's space is a blocked space. So all lines are invalid because they pass through a blocked space.

Bottom left corner
Bottom right corner

For both of these corners, any line must pass through or along the Obstacle space. An obstacle space is a blocked space, therefore all lines are invalid.

Top right corner

Only a single line can pass from this corner through the obstacles. By geometry, that fixed line does continue to the Monster's bottom right corner, but passes through the Monster's space. A monster is a figure, so therefore the Monster's space is a blocked space. Therefore, the line passes through the edge of a blocked space and is invalid.
Summary: All possible lines are invalid; the Monster can't be targeted by the Hero.

For context, the "Line of Sight" section from the Rules of Play (pg. 12), reads:

"In order for a figure to have line of sight to a space, a player must be able to trace an on interrupted, straight line from any corner of that figures space to any corner of the target space. If the line passes through the edge of a map tile, a door, or a blocked space (a space containing a figure or obstacle), the target space is not in line of sight. However, if the line only touches the corner of a blocked space (without passing through the space itself), the target space is in line of sight."

IMHO: It does not make sense intuitively for the target of an attack to count as an obstacle of said attack, so I believe you should have line of sight from the top right corner of the hero space to the bottom right corner of the monster space.

The line you suggest goes through the lower Obstacle space, and therefore against the rule quoted. There is no line of sight that adheres to the rule; the conclusion seems to contradict completely the rule.

I imagine the original diagram might have made it easy to miss that the lower Obstacle existed. I've updated the diagram in the question.

@Nij I’m pretty sure poster meant top right of the Hero space. That can pass between the obstacles to the other point indicated. It’d be interesting to ask about passing through the attacker’s space though.


text:
What happens to spells with persistent effects when the caster of the spell leaves a multiplayer game?
Scenario
There are 3 players in an EDH match, players A, B, and C. Player A casts Modify Memory, targeting creatures controlled by B and C and it resolves, so B and C control creatures from the other player. On the next turn, B attacks and kills A.
Question
Does the effect of Modify Memory persist now that A (the caster of the spell) has left the game?
My Interpretation
After reading the rules, I believe that the effect does persist. The rules state that when a player leaves the game, anything controlled by that player is either returned its owner or ceases to exist. Since player A doesn't control either of the swapped creatures, there's nothing for them to return to its owner. Also, since Modify Memory has already resolved, there's no spell on the stack to remove from the game. Finally, since it's not a permanent it doesn't behave like an enchantment where its effect is removed once the controlling player leaves the game.
Appendix
Modify Memory card text:

Sorcery
Exchange control of two target creatures controlled by different players. If you control neither creature, draw three cards.

Rule for when a player leaves the game:

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

The creatures stay with their new controllers after player A leaves the game.
Modify Memory's effect is specifically a continuous effect created by the resolution of a spell. That is not any of the things that are listed as affected by a player leaving the game, so it persists after player A leaves the game.
A few of the rules in section 611 support this:

611.1. A continuous effect modifies characteristics of objects, modifies control of objects, or affects players or the rules of the game, for a fixed or indefinite period.
611.2. A continuous effect may be generated by the resolution of a spell or ability.

611.2a A continuous effect generated by the resolution of a spell or ability lasts as long as stated by the spell or ability creating it (such as “until end of turn”). If no duration is stated, it lasts until the end of the game.


text:
How long should a draft round last by official rules?
I'm making an app for assist player during Magic gameplay, and I'd like to add a section for drafting.
But I can't find anything official, the only official source about it, is inside the comprehensive rules document, in the paragraph about Conspiracy Draft.
It only say that a draft consists of three draft rounds, in which a player drafts one card in front of him, then passes the rest to the next player (in the first and third rounds the booster pack are passed on the left and on the second to the right).
And that's all.
Where I go to play, the tournament organizer has an app that sets a timer for each round, every "draft" from the same booster becomes progressively shorter, and the last two last no more than 5 s. Also, the third round is overall shorter than the first two (as a player now knows what deck he can build).
But I haven't found anything from Wizards about timing.
Are all these rules house rules or there are some guidelines from Wizards? I'd prefer to stick to those if they exists.
But if they don't, how do you manage timing in your drafts?

Wizards of the Coast makes no official rules on timing the draft phase
The official tournament rules cover drafting in section 7.7 and do mention timed drafts, but make no mention how those timing rules look, so tournament organizers are free to implement their own.

You should look at Appendix B of that document

Appendix B of the Tournament Rules provides required and suggested time limits for official events. Check this document for all the details you need.
In general:

Required minimum game time is 40 minutes. Recommended game time for typical Limited/Constructed Swiss rounds is 50 minutes.
WotC recommends giving players 30 minutes to register and construct a draft deck.
The individual booster draft timer values in judge apps come from a chart in Appendix B (page 43 as of the current revision). Note the sentence after the chart that provides short "evaluation" periods in between packs as well.

Note that organizers are allowed to deviate from most of these conditions, but are required to announce it clearly in advance.


text:
What is the deck and name of this card that gives extra food?
I remember seeing a card once, but I cannot remember which deck it belongs to, or whether it was a minor improvement or occupation. I am also having trouble finding it on google. The text was similar to:
"When you use a minor or major improvement to convert building resources into food, you receive two extra food"
Thoughts?

There is a website that lists out all of the cards and effects here.
The card you are asking about is the Artisan:

At most once per harvest, when you use an improvement to convert a building resource to food, you receive 2 additional food.

You can search through that list for things like "2 additional food" to find similar cards.

Brilliant, that is exactly what I was looking for. Thanks for the web link!


text:
Can you deal commander damage with any players commander?
If I gain control of another players commander, does it still deal commander damage or does that only work with your own commander?


text:
Does Gustcloak Savior's ability leave the door open for blockers to be reassigned?
I'm using Gustcloak Savior in my token commander deck because I'm assuming after I remove my blocked creatures from combat that my opponents can't reassign their blockers. Am I incorrect? If so, it totally defeats my purpose of having it in there and I'd like to open up the spot for something more productive with my theme.

That's correct, your opponents can't just reassign their blockers. Combat works like this:

Beginning of combat step.

Triggered abilities go on the stack.
Then, the active player gets priority and can activate spells and abilities.

Declare attackers step.

The active player declares their attackers. (rule 508.1)
Triggered abilities go on the stack, again. (508.2)
The active player gets priority, again. (508.3)

Declare blockers step.

The defending player(s) declare their blockers. (509.1)
Damage assignment order is worked out by the attacker then the blocker. (509.2 and .3)
Triggered abilities go on the stack, again. (509.4)
The active player gets priority, again. (509.5)

Then combat damage happens, then so does end of combat.
Guess when they declare their blockers? Step 3.1. Guess when the Gustcloak ability triggers? Step 3.3, after all blockers were already declared and you know how damage will be dished out. They don't get to go back and revise. There is no "reassign blockers" or "declare more blockers" step after that.
Your opponent now has at least one blocker now blocking nothing, and you've saved your creature from attack, and that's that.


text:
Why can't Haphazard Bombardment randomly select a permanent with Indestructible?
While reading this question, I came across a ruling for Haphazard Bombardment that dosen't quite make sense to me.
Haphazard Bombardment states:

When Haphazard Bombardment enters the battlefield, choose four nonenchantment permanents you don't control and put an aim counter on each of them.
  At the beginning of your end step, if two or more permanents you don't control have an aim counter on them, destroy one of those permanents at random.

While the ruling states:

If one or more of the permanents with aim counters on them have indestructible, select the permanent destroyed at random from among the permanents with aim counters that don’t have indestructible.

It seems odd to me that indestructible permanents are just not eligible for random selection. For example, assume my opponent controlled 3 Darksteel citadels and 1 Storm Crow all with aim counters. I would expect that Bombardment would select randomly from all 4, so there is a 25% chance the crow would die and if a Darksteel Citadel was selected nothing would happen. However the ruling seems like the Crow is guaranteed to be destroyed.
What is the Comprehensive Rule that supports the ruling on Haphazard Bombardment?

I almost asked this same question after reading that other answer.

See the comments on this answer. I think my question there might actually be the same as this one. You are instructed to destroy a random permanent, so you have to follow the instruction of actually destroying one.

Also related: https://www.mtgsalvation.com/forums/magic-fundamentals/magic-rulings/791619-has-indestructible-cannot-be-chosen

I think this surprise comes about because of a slight misinterpretation of the ability.
I think it's being read like it says this instead:

At the beginning of your end step, if two or more permanents you don't control have an aim counter on them, destroy one of those permanents at random. choose one of them at random. Destroy it.

This would mean we can choose a Darksteel Citadel, then fail to destroy it.
However, it doesn't say that. It's telling us to destroy one at random. That means we need to destroy something, and we do as much as possible there.
Comprehensive rule 608.2d comes into play here, or if not this rule, then the principle it's outlining:

608.2d If an effect of a spell or ability offers any choices other than choices already made as part of casting the spell, activating the ability, or otherwise putting the spell or ability on the stack, the player announces these while applying the effect. The player can’t choose an option that’s illegal or impossible, with the exception that having a library with no cards in it doesn’t make drawing a card an impossible action (see rule 120.3).

We need to randomly destroy something. Something has to be destroyed, because that's our instruction. We cannot destroy something that's impossible to destroy, so indestructible permanents are excluded from the pool of random options. Our random choice must be between only those things that can be destroyed.
This is what makes the Storm Crow guaranteed to be destroyed in your scenario.

A related issue has come up at various times with the card "Burning of Xinye", because it just says approximately "destroy 4 lands" without targeting or sacrificing, and without the "choose 4 lands. Destroy them." phrasing. The rulings there also indicate you can't choose to destroy an indestructible land, so I guess that just extends to "you can't randomly choose to destroy something indestructible either"

You can, however target an indestructible permanent with a spell that says "Destroy target permanent". I guess it's a bit counterintuitive that randomly destroying something makes you pick something where the destroying would actually succeed. Well, in the case of regeneration, I guess it needs to be "could" succeed.

@JollyJoker think of it as, when instructed to randomly destroy something, to randomly select from the pool of eligible targets. Since an indestructible permanent isn't an eligible target, it's excluded from the random pool.


text:
Can I activate mana abilities before the Legend Rule kicks in?
I have kind of an obscure edge case that has been bothering me, as I am not sure how the rules work.
I have Teysa Karlov in my hand. On the battlefield:

Teysa Karlov, which doubles death triggers
Vindictive Vampire, which has “Whenever another creature you control dies, Vindictive Vampire deals 1 damage to each opponent and you gain 1 life.”
Skirk Prospector, a goblin with a mana ability reading “Sacrifice a Goblin: Add {R}.”

I know that if I play Teysa Karlov one of them will die due to state-based actions, and that Vindictive Vampire will trigger three times. However, will I be able to use Skirk Prospector's mana ability to sacrifice it while both Teysas are still on the board? This would allow me to trigger Vindictive Vampire three more times.
Am I able to sacrifice Skirk Prospector after casting a second Teysa Karlov, but before one of the Teysas dies, to take advantage of multiple death triggers?

I want to mention that a creature dying due to the legend rule is not a "sacrifice", it just dies.

@murgatroid99 true, changed wording. A bit more wordy now but the difference can be important in some cases. If you can think of a better way to put it feel free to edit.

I edited with a more concise wording.

Maybe a duplicate? https://boardgames.stackexchange.com/questions/21016/if-i-copy-a-legendary-creature-can-i-activate-its-ability-before-the-legend-rul

@GendoIkari almost, but I am more concerned about Prospector being a mana ability since those don't use the stack and can sometimes be used during spell resolution.

Thanks for the tidy-up edit @doppelgreener title is clearer now

No, you have no opportunity to take any actions, including activating mana abilities, after the Teysa Karlov spell resolves and before one of the Teysas dies due to the legend rule state-based action.
State-based action happen immediately after the spell resolves, before any player gains priority.
Mana abilities can be activated when you have priority, like other activated abilites. There are also rules that allow you to activate mana abilities at specific times. In the steps for casting a spell or activating an ability, rule 601.2g says

If the total cost includes a mana payment, the player then has a chance to activate mana abilities (see rule 605, "Mana Abilities"). Mana abilities must be activated before costs are paid.

And in the steps for resolving a spell or ability, rule 608.2f says

If an effect gives a player the option to pay mana, they may activate mana abilities before taking that action. [...]

In the scenario you describe, events happen in the following order:

The Teysa Karlov spell resolves. This just involves Teysa Karlov entering the battlefield.
State-based actions are checked. At this time, you choose one of the Teysa Karlov creatures and put it into your graveyard.
You put the Vindictive Vampire triggered abilities on the stack.
You gain priority.

There is nothing at all in between the Teysa entering and one of them dying, and there are definitely none of the situations that allow you to activate mana abilites.

I can't find a concrete example of an existing card, but if my opponent had some thing with "Creatures enter the battlefield tapped unless their controller pays {2}" would I be able to sacrifice the Prospector? or is that still too late?

It's true that such a replacement effect would apply during the resolution of the Teysa spell, so it would have the right timing, but as far as I can tell there are no replacement effects that ask for a mana payment and the rules don't clearly support such a thing.

how come you can tap mox opals while there are two of them on the battlefield?

I believe that you can't do that either. What makes you think that is allowed?


text:
Is the cast keyword triggered from the graveyard?
If Conduit of Ruin or any other card states that when it is cast, does this mean that it can trigger when it returns from the battlefield? Such as Conduit of ruin is in the graveyard, I return it to the battlefield from the graveyard. Does the first ability trigger and allow me to search my library for an eldrazi card 7 or more to place on top of my library?

No, "casting" a spell has a more specific meaning
What does casting mean?

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.  [..]

Normally, you are only allowed to cast spells from your hand, unless a card says otherwise. There are cards that allow casting spells from somewhere other than the hand, such as Bring to Light (casting from exile), Descendants' Path (casting from library), or Karador, Ghost Chieftain (casting from graveyard). The Commander game variant allows you to cast your commander from the Command zone.
Casting a spell or ability with a reanimation effect such as the namesake Reanimate never counts as casting the reanimated creature itself. It is simply an effect of that spell or ability.

Flashback is perhaps a more common example of casting from the graveyard.

@Jefromi Yes, there are actually like a dozen keyword abilities that allow a card to be cast from elsewhere, but I specifically chose the examples that allow other cards to be cast from other zones, to tie them to OP's question about Conduit of Ruin.

Sure, those would let Conduit of Ruin (or other things) get cast from elsewhere - I figured it was also useful to have some idea what it looks like if a card actually lets you cast itself from elsewhere, i.e. what Conduit of Ruin would have to say in order for the OP to get what they want. I guess something like Gravecrawler might've been a more obvious example.

If you are returning the Conduit from the graveyard straight to the battelfield as a result of another spell or ability (such as Reanimate), then it will not trigger, as 'when you cast' triggers are not the same as 'when this enters the battlefield' triggers.
If, on the other hand, you played a card that specifically allows you to cast a card from your graveyard (such as Havengul Lich), then it would trigger, as you are actually casting it.

No. "When it is cast" means "when the cast keyword action is performed to it". To cast something involves putting it on the stack, paying costs and making some choices. It has absolutely nothing to do with the battlefield, and even less with returning (putting) on the battlefield (which is an unrelated keyword action).


text:
What happens if there is both a tapped and untapped Archelos, Lagoon Mystic on the battlefield? (Commander Legends spoilers)
Archelos, Lagoon Mystic is a creature recently spoiled in the Commander Legends set.

Archelos has two abilities on him.

As long as Archelos, Lagoon Mystic is tapped, other permanents enter the battlefield tapped.

As long as Archelos is untapped, other permanents enter the battlefield untapped.

What happens if there are two Archeloses on the battlefield, one tapped and one untapped?

The obvious answer here is "one of them is moved to the graveyard as a state-based action due to the legend rule". Are you asking about other permanents which enter the battlefield at the same time as the second copy, or if not what mechanism are you using to get around the legend rule?

Honestly, pick one.  Each turtle is controlled by different players, or I have a Mirror Gallery on the field.

@PhilipKendall Legend rule only applies to being controlled by the same player now, there can be two copies of legendary permanents on the battlefield with separate controllers. The question is about the interaction between the two replacement effects on entering tapped vs untapped.

These would be 2 different replacement effects, so the player whose permanent is entering the battlefield would choose one to apply first, and would then apply the other (so only the second one they chose would end up mattering):

614.1d Continuous effects that read “[This permanent] enters the battlefield . . .” or “[Objects] enter the battlefield . . .” are replacement effects.

616.1. If two or more replacement and/or prevention effects are attempting to modify the way an event affects an object or player, the affected object’s controller (or its owner if it has no controller) or the affected player chooses one to apply, following the steps listed below.

616.1e Once the chosen effect has been applied, this process is repeated (taking into account only replacement or prevention effects that would now be applicable) until there are no more left to apply.

Interesting, I would have thought it would go in timestamp order depending on which Archelos entered the battlefield first, but I forgot about replacement effects, which then makes sense that you would pick.  So, effectively, having multiple Archelos doesn't matter as long as one is untapped.


text:
Will my Pelakka Wurm still deal trample damage vs Deathtouch?
I was playing my son using a green deck.  I played a Pelakka Wurm which has trample.  He played an Eldrazi with deathtouch.  He is a firm believer as soon as the attackers and blockers are announced, the deathtouch would kill the Wurm.  I tried to get him to understand it would be taken care of in the damage phase and the Trample would in fact still do its damage.
Now, I know that Trample damage will take affect on the defending player only after it does lethal dmg to the blocking creature.  So, I announce the attackers and he announces the defenders.  The issue I have is, would my dmg take affect before his deathtouch does.  I believe my dmg is resolved first, activating the trample.  His dmg is activated second, satisfying the rules for deathtouch to work.  That card would destroy the Wurm, but the Wurm would complete the Trample before.

Possible duplicate of Do deathtouch and deathtouch-like effects stop trample damage? or Trample + Deathtouch

It's "Do deathtouch and deathtouch-like effects stop trample damage?". The other one only sounds similarily but it cares about a different matter.

All combat damage happens at the same time.
Your son assigns the damage with the Eldrazi. You assign the damage with Pelakka Wurm. If Wurm's power is higher then Eldrazi's toughness you'll be able to assign the surplus to your son.
Then all damage is dealt at the same time. Your wurm dies, as Eldrazi had deathtouch. But the Wurm also does it's damage to the Eldrazi and, possibly, your son.
If Eldrazi had First Stike - that would be a different story.

Somewhat relevant, there is an interesting interaction between trample and deathtouch. If an attacker has 8 power, trample and deathtouch and it is blocked by a creature with i.e. 5 toughness, the attacker will deal 7 trample damage to the player since 1 damage with deathtouch is enough to kill the creature.

Your wurm deals damage to the eldrazi, any damage over the eldrazi's health is dealt to the player instead. At the same time, the eldrazi deals damage to your wurm. Since the eldrazi has deathtouch, as long as at least 1 point of damage is dealt by it, the opposing creature will be killed. The only way in which deathtouch would "prevent" trample is if the eldrazi had First Strike or Double Strike where it'd deal damage before the wurm.
702.2. Deathtouch
702.2b Any nonzero amount of combat damage assigned to a creature by a source with deathtouch is considered to be lethal damage, regardless of that creature’s toughness. See rules 510.1c–d.


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

The fact that "control" and "own" are separate terms should indicate that they don't always match up.

Magic has this definition for "permanent":

110.1. A permanent is a card or token on the battlefield. A permanent remains on the battlefield indefinitely. A card or token becomes a permanent as it enters the battlefield and it stops being a permanent as it’s moved to another zone by an effect or rule.

So, Brand only cares about cards and tokens currently on the battlefield.
Magic has the following rules about ownership:

108.3. The owner of a card in the game is the player who started the game with it in his or her deck. If a card is brought into the game from outside the game rather than starting in a player’s deck, its owner is the player who brought it into the game. If a card starts the game in the command zone, its owner is the player who put it into the command zone to start the game. Legal ownership of a card in the game is irrelevant to the game rules except for the rules for ante.

110.5a A token is both owned and controlled by the player under whose control it entered the battlefield.

And one about control:

110.2. A permanent’s owner is the same as the owner of the card that represents it (unless it’s a token; see rule 110.5a). A permanent’s controller is, by default, the player under whose control it entered the battlefield. Every permanent has a controller.

Basically, the permanents you own are the cards you put in your deck and the tokens you made, and you start out controlling the permanents that you put into play.
There are some cards that allow you to put cards your opponents own into play, like Beacon of Unrest, Bribery, and Gather Specimens.
Other cards let you take control of a permanent already on the battlefield, such as Act of Treason and Blatant Thievery.
Still others allow you to exchange control of a permanent you control and a permanent someone else controls, such as Daring Thief and Shifting Loyalties.
Some cards even allow you to give an opponent control of a permanent you control, such as Donate and Zedruu the Greathearted.
Brand allows you to regain control of any permanents you lost control of in any of those ways. For example, you can exchange control of a bunch of permanents you control with permanents your opponent controls, and then cast Brand to get your permanents back.

Recommend citing Homeward Path, and possibly Akroan Horse.

I'm not sure. Homeward Path is just a similar effect, which seems kind of tangential to a discussion of the applications of that effect. And while Akroan Horse is a control-changing effect like Donate, taking it back isn't a very interesting use of Brand, compared to taking back any other Donated card.

Akroan Horse is a direct example of the distinction between ownership and control. Following the horse with Brand makes it moot.

Every card I linked is as much a direct example of the distinction between ownership and control as Akroan Horse is. And yes, playing the Horse followed by Brand undoes the control change effect, just like playing Donate followed by Brand.

Brand is a thematic counter to Blue's core Control Magic mechanic; Red and Blue being natural enemies.
Contemporary uses could be to combine it with a card like Scrambleverse.  After everything gets "Scrambled" you could take back everything that's yours, so you'd end up with whatever you managed to steal from other people plus all your original permanents.
It's also sometimes combined with Zedruu the Greathearted in EDH decks to get back all of the things you've been giving away for a big finish.  (e.g., you might give away many enchantments then when you finally get Opalescence in play steal them all back.)
In the past the rule for tokens was that a token's owner was the player who controlled the ability that created the tokens.  So you could follow a Hunted Dragon with Brand and steal back the tokens it created.  This no longer works after M10.
It would not apply to cards in zones other than the battlefield since by definition a 'Permanent' is a card on the battlefield.


text:
When does the "choose a color" part of a spell happen?
For example Sejiri Steppe. I always did it as follows:
Opponent plays Sejiri Steppe, chooses a creature and a color, then I get to respond.
But today while playing, after my opponent played Sejiri Steppe, he said he was only supposed to say the color if the ability resolved.
Do I get to know what color the protection from will be before answering the ability, or I have to decide if I answer it before he decides the color?

The ability reads as follows:

When Sejiri Steppe enters the battlefield, target creature you control gains protection from the color of your choice until end of turn.

The color is chosen when the ability resolves. At that point, there's no chance for anyone to respond. Here's what happens in more detail:

The ability triggers. Its controller chooses a target for the ability.
Both players have a chance to cast spells or activate abilities.
The ability resolves. A color is chosen, and the target gets protection from the chosen color.

Here's a ruling on Feat of Resistance, a card that has similar wording:

9/20/2014 You choose the color as Feat of Resistance resolves.

Your opponent chooses which color as the ability resolves. In general, if you have choices to make for a spell or ability, those are made as it resolves. The main choices you have to make when the ability first goes on the stack are modes (things that say "choose one:" or the like with a list after) and targets. Things like "a color of your choice" let you delay your choice.


text:
What was this Mouse Trap-like game with a basket, stairs, and metal parts?
It was similar to Mouse Trap but it had metal parts vs. plastic. It may have been more of a maze but there was a basket & perhaps stairs. It's been driving me crazy because I loved it & want to find for my kids. I played with it in the mid 80's  so it could be from that point back.

Sure it's not Mouse Trap? Mouse Trap has a basket and stairs.

Perhaps Flying Finnegan or Flea Circus?

I'm not sure if it ever included metal parts, but that sounds like it could have been crazy clock
Other than that possibly Flying Finnegan or Grape Escape

I believe it is grape escape. i can only remember that and mouse trap. both games are similar in design.

I know this is a really old thread, but could you be thinking of Snafu?

Welcome to Board Games Stack Exchange! Could you please add some more information about why you think that this game in Snafu based on the poster's description?


text:
Are 1/1 creatures sent to the graveyard from one damage before Rite of Passage's ability activates?
Rite of Passage gives creatures I control a +1/+1 counter whenever they are dealt damage.
If a 1/1 creature was dealt one damage, would it be sent to the graveyard first or would the creature be saved by getting a +1/+1 counter? Is the same true for being dealt one damage by combat?
My opponent and I had 1/1 spirit tokens and I also had rite of passage under my control and whenever I blocked his spirits with mine, he insisted that they have been dealt damage, therefore their toughness is brought to zero and they die before receiving a counter, but I argued that rite of passage's ability triggers instantaneously and they become 2/2 with a given counter, then he said "if that were true, that would be op". Which version is correct?

"That would be OP" is never a reason for things to work or not work in MTG - there are some very powerful cards and combos. It is, however, a good reason to check the rules and consider whether you'd rather not use that card or combo to avoid making your deck overpowered compared to your friend's.

I agree, I'm gonna look into the mtg rules a little more so that there are no more problems.

I recommend checking out the basic rules (incidentally, recommended to me in an answer explaining how the stack works). They aren't in any booklet the game ships with nowadays.

It's a separate issue, but when 1 damage is dealt to a 1/1 creature, it doesn't reduce the creature's toughness to zero. It just becomes a 1/1 creature with 1 damage on it. There are a few cases where the difference matters.

The card has reminder text saying exactly this: (The damage is dealt before the counter is put on.)

Yes, I heard that the Xbox version does it wrong

Where did you hear that? I searched for xbox rite of passage mtg bug and could not find anything relevant.

I meant the toughness to zero part that Xbox does wrong

You opponent was correct and the creature will die.
In Magic the Gathering there is virtually nothing that "triggers instantaneously". With the exception of abilities that only create mana all abilities go on the stack. There are a few special actions that a player can perform that do not use the stack as well, but these are not considered "abilities" by the games rules. Also if there is an effect that says to do something "instead of" something else then the new action will occur when the original would and not go on the stack.
None of these exceptions are relevant here so when combat damage happens the the trigger will go on the stack, then state based actions will be checked and the creature will die before the ability resolves or any player gains priority. Even if you had a special action you could perform that would save the creature it will be dead before you have a chance to do it.

Thanks for your input, I was confused about stack rules at first but I looked into it. I've been playing magic for a few years but only casually. I'll make sure I'll watch out for that next time

I wouldn't say that there "is no such thing as a ability that "triggers instantaneously"". Replacement effects are exactly that. Of course by terminology they don't 'trigger' but they do get applied immediately when something happens

While it's irrelevant to the question at hand, triggered mana abilities are instant triggered abilities.

All triggers* use the stack. While the +1/+1 counters will be triggered, before you get a chance to put the triggers on the stack State Based Effects will be checked and your 1/1 tokens will be put in the graveyard. Once that is done you'll put your triggers on the stack but they aren't going to have much effect, it's too late to save your tokens.
* There is a minor exception that Fr33dan's answer mentions, triggered mana abilities skip the stack and just resolve. This isn't relevant to the question at hand.

Oh, because combat damage doesn't use the stack, and the right of passage trigger doesn't go on the stack until after the damage is dealt. I see the issue now, thanks.

Mana abilities don't resolve as soon as they are added to the stack. They don't use the stack at all. Instead of saying "All triggers (except for an irrelevant exception) [...]", I would say "Most triggers [...]" and just not mention mana abilities at all.

Even back when damage when on the stack Christian it worked the same way. The only way for it to work differently would be for State Based Effects to go on the stack, but that would be really crazy.

Yeah, that distiction of not going on the stack always eludes me because I've never found a reason for the distinction to matter.


text:
Who takes extra turns first when I copy someone else's "take an extra turn" card?
What happens when a player copies an opponent's Time Stretch? Does the copyer take two extra turns then the owner? Does the owner even take two extra turns? What about Part the Waterveil? These spells say take X extra turns after this one, so my playgroup is confused.

Related: What happens when I radiate a Time Stretch with Timesifter in play?

500.7. Some effects can give a player extra turns. They do this by adding the turns directly after the current turn. If a player gets multiple extra turns or if multiple players get extra turns during a single turn, the extra turns are added one at a time. The most recently created turn will be taken first.

This question is nearly identical to the question on Lighthouse Chronologist from a few years back:  http://boardgames.stackexchange.com/questions/9492/if-there-are-two-lighthouse-chronologist-with-three-players-will-one-player-be

The player who cast the spell that creates extra turns will take their extra turn(s), and then the player who copied the spell will take their extra turn(s).
From the comprehensive rules (emphasis mine):

500.7. Some effects can give a player extra turns. They do this by adding the turns directly after the current turn. If a player gets multiple extra turns or if multiple players get extra turns during a single turn, the extra turns are added one at a time. The most recently created turn will be taken first.

The order in which the spells resolve will determine the order of the extra turns. For example:

Player A casts Time Stretch targeting themself, adding it to the stack
Player B copies it using Reiterate, adding a copy of Time Stretch targeting themself to the stack
Player B's Time Stretch will resolve, giving them two extra turns after the current turn
Player A's Time Stretch will resolve, giving them two extra turns after the current turn

Player A's extra turns are created after Player B's, so they will get the next two turns because are the most recent extra turns. The new turns will be taken in the order {A, A, B, B}. Then the game will return to normal turn order, which assuming it was Player A's turn when Time Stretch was cast, will belong to Player B. From the point of the Time Stretch, the next set of turns will look like {A, A, B, B, B, A, B, A...}. Note that nothing in this prevents the original caster from taking additional turns.

One way to visualize this is by using a queue for the turn sequence. If it is currently player A's turn, then the next few turns will be {B, A, B, A, B, ...}. Whoever resolves Time Stretch inserts two more turns in the sequence immediately before the next player's turn. After player B's copy resolves, the turn sequence will be {B, B, B, A, B, A, B, ....}. Then, when player A's original resolves, the turn sequence will be {A, A, B, B, B, A, B, A, B, ....}.

It is worth noting that it is two additional turns. So after Player A takes his extra turns player B will take three turns in a row.