text:
If I respond to a permanent resolving is it in play when my spell/ability resolves?
Lets say that at my opponent's end step I cast Bile Blight on his Pack Rat
that he already has 3 of total on the field, then he activates the ability of pack rat in
response, can I respond to the new pack rat resolving with Golgari charm and kill all 4 rats?

The proper wording is "to respond to him activating the ability", not "to respond to it resolving". e.g. "I cast a spell." "In response, I ..."

Just to make what @ikegami says clear: You cannot respond to a spell resolving. After a spell resolves, the active player gets priority. There is no way for the non-active player to say at this point "before anything else, I do X". The active player has to pass before the non active player can do anything. Just bringing this up because it is a common misconception among newer players.

@jakeP Is "respond" actual official terminology in the rules, or just a common English word being used here? If the latter, then there's nothing wrong with "responding" to a spell having resolved. It would just mean taking an action that you are taking as a response to what just happened.

@GendoIkari From the comprehensive rules, 116.7: "If a player with priority casts a spell or activates an activated ability while another spell or ability
is already on the stack, the new spell or ability has been cast or activated “in response to” the earlier
spell or ability. The new spell or ability will resolve first." The glossary entry for "Respond" (specifically "respond", as opposed to "in response to" in case you feel the phrasing is relevant) reiterates this and references 116.7

I should of worded it more clearly. I had meant to ask if the 4th rat would be in play if I cast the GC while the ability resolves. Since an ability resolving creates a window that give priority to the active player, and if that player then passed priority, I could (technically) be able to cast a spell in response to something resolving.
Further digging has shown that it would not be in play yet, but there are several ways to get the result I wished and that I was just over thinking things.

Re "I had meant to ask if the 4th rat would be in play if I cast the GC while the ability resolves.", You have the choice. If you cast GC in response to PR's ability, GC will resolve first. If you cast GC after PR's ability has resolved, PR will obviously have resolved first. I showed both scenarios in my answer.

Yes, though it happens in a complicated way.
Golgari Charm's first mode creates a continuous effect that modifies characteristics (power and toughness). It only affects the creatures on the 'field when it resolves.

611.2c If a continuous effect generated by the resolution of a spell or ability modifies the characteristics or changes the controller of any objects, the set of objects it affects is determined when that continuous effect begins. After that point, the set won’t change. (Note that this works differently than a continuous effect from a static ability.) [...]

(Same goes with Bile Blight. Any Pack Rats entering the field after it resolves won't be affected by it.)
That means the following will happen:

You cast BB
In response, opponent activates his PR's ability
In response, you cast GC
GC resolves: 3x 2/2 PR
PR's ability resolves: 3x 3/3 PR + 1x 4/4 PR
BB resolves: 3x 0/0 PR + 1x 1/1 PR
SBA kills the PR with non-positive toughness: 1x -2/-2 PR
SBA kills the PR with non-positive toughness: No PR

It's a little cleaner if you wait before casting GC.

You cast BB
In response, opponent activates his PR's ability
PR's ability resolves: 4x 4/4 PR
You cast GC
GC resolves: 4x 3/3 PR
BB resolves: 4x 0/0 PR
SBA kills the PR with non-positive toughness: No PR

No matter the order, creating a 5th PR before BB resolves would save them all. But which of the approach you used will affect how strong they are.

Using the first approach, he'll end up with 3x 1/1, 2x 2/2.
Using the second approach, he'll end up with 4x 1/1 and 1x 2/2.

Here what will happen.

You cast Bile Blight, targetting Pack Rat
Pass Priority
Opponent Activates Pack Rat ability
Opponent passes priority
You cast Golgari Charm (presumably with the -1/-1)
Full priority pass (you and opponent)
Golgari Charm resolves, the current 3 pack rats all get -1/-1 so they are 2/2's now.
Full priority pass (you and opponent)
Pack Rat ability resolves, there are now 4. The original 3 are 3/3's, and the 4th is a 4/4.
Full priority pass (you and opponent)
Bile Blight resolves, killing the original 3, then when state based effects are checked the 4th one dies because it's a 1/1 with -3/-3.

Now, if you waited for the pack rat ability to resolve first, then the 4th would end up getting 1 more -1/-1 which although useless in this case, may be relevant if your opponent has more spells. So it is worth doing like this (and it seems this is what you meant in your question)

authors: Алексей Евсеев


text:
Does "number of heroes when the haunt was revealed" include the traitor? (Haunt 17)
Haunt 17 in the Secrets of Survival book states:

 When you have placed a number of Candle tokens equal to the number of heroes when the haunt was revealed, you exorcise the Poltergeist.

Does "number of heroes when the haunt was revealed" include the traitor? If the game began with 3 players, will the heroes need to place 2 or 3 Candle tokens?

@TheChaz2.0 My interpretation is that it's meant to distinguish between the number alive when the haunt was revealed versus the number alive when the Candle tokens are placed (you can't place one Candle token, wait for all but one hero to die, then claim victory).

Cool. I wasn't sure of the terminology. No sense in leaving the unhelpful comment!

No, the word Heroes in Betrayal at House on the Hill only ever refers to players that are not the traitor. The game uses 3 different terms to refer to players:

Explorers: All players of the game, this covers both before the haunt begins and after it has started.
Heroes: Those players who are not the traitor. This has no meaning until the haunt starts.
Traitor: The player who is the traitor of a specific haunt. This has no meaning until the haunt starts.

This is seen in multiple parts of the rules (2nd paragraph emphasis mine):

In Betrayal at House on the Hill, each player chooses an explorer to investigate a creepy old house. As you explore the house, you discover new rooms. Each time you enter a new room, you might find something . . . or something might find you. Explorers change over the course of the game (for better or worse), depending on how they deal with the house’s surprises. The house is different each time you build it.
At some random point during the game, one explorer triggers a scenario called a haunt. When the haunt is revealed, one explorer becomes a traitor bent on defeating his or her former companions. The rest of the explorers become heroes struggling to survive. From then on, the game is a fight between the traitor and the heroes—often to the death.

There are exceptions to this, for example where there is no traitor, or where the traitor may change, but the haunt in question is not one of those exceptions. This means that in a game with 3 explorers when Haunt 17 starts, there will be 1 traitor and 2 heroes, and you would need 2 candle tokens.

yeah, just like I said 2 years ago X_X

@ikegami 2 years ago your answer did not mention the third term, "Explorers" which Stoz was confusing for Heroes and should be included to properly show the game HAS a term for all players that it would have used if it intended the Traitor to be included.

When the haunt was revealed, one player becomes a traitor (or in some scenarios, is removed entirely), and the rest become heroes.

Do the following at the start of the haunt:

The traitor takes the Traitor’s Tome and leaves the room. The traitor reads only the haunt that is starting now.
The rest of the players become heroes. They look up the haunt with the same number in Secrets of Survival and read it together. (The heroes should also
  talk briefly about their plan for survival.)

[...]

So if the game started with three players, two of them become heroes. There weren't any heroes before that.
"The number of heroes when the haunt was revealed" is used instead of "the number of heroes" to avoid having the goal become easier as heroes are eliminated.

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sort: votes


text:
In multiplayer, does Dictate of Erebos still take effect if the combat that kills its owner's creature defeats the owner?
I was playing a 4 way standard multiplayer match. One player had 3/3 on the field, and Dictate of Erebos which says:

Whenever a creature you control dies, each opponent sacrifices a creature.

I attacked him with two creatures. He blocked one with the 3/3, which died, and my remaining creature still dealt enough damage to his life to kill him.
The question we have is whether or not the player dies and thus is removed from the game before Dictate of Erebos's ability triggers.

Can you clarify what abilities the creatures have? (If any have first or double strike, that potentially affects the timing.)

@HaoYe Probably worth just treating it as a generic 3/3 vs generic monsters. If creatures having first/double strike makes a difference, mention that in your answer.

Terminological nitpickery: Dictate of Erebos's ability is a triggered ability, not an activated ability, so it triggers rather than activates.

Related: http://boardgames.stackexchange.com/questions/4749/in-mtg-what-happens-when-a-player-loses-in-multiplayer

The player loses as soon as state-based actions are checked after dealing combat damage (essentially, "immediately" after damage is dealt) and leaves the game at the same time.  By rule 116.5, state-based actions are applied before triggered abilities are put on the stack, and rule 800.4d prevents triggered abilities controlled by players who have left the game from going on the stack, and so the ability will never even get a chance to resolve and no one will have to sacrifice a creature.  (Even if the triggered ability did go on the stack first, it would then cease to exist due to its controller leaving the game, as specified in 800.4a.)

104.3b If a player’s life total is 0 or less, he or she loses the game the next time a player would receive priority. (This is a state-based action. See rule 704.)
104.5. If a player loses the game, he or she leaves the game. If the game is a draw for a player, he or she leaves the game. The multiplayer rules handle what happens when a player leaves the game; see rule 800.4.
116.5. Each time a player would get priority, the game first performs all applicable state-based actions as a single event (see rule 704, "State-Based Actions"), then repeats this process until no state-based actions are performed. Then triggered abilities are put on the stack (see rule 603, "Handling Triggered Abilities"). These steps repeat in order until no further state-based actions are performed and no abilities trigger. Then the player who would have received priority does so.
800.4a When a player leaves the game, all objects (see rule 109) owned by that player leave the game and any effects which give that player control of any objects or players end. Then, if that player controlled any objects on the stack not represented by cards, those objects cease to exist. Then, if there are any objects still controlled by that player, those objects are exiled. This is not a state-based action. It happens as soon as the player leaves the game. If the player who left the game had priority at the time he or she left, priority passes to the next player in turn order who’s still in the game.
800.4d If an object that would be owned by a player who has left the game would be created in any zone, it isn’t created. If a triggered ability that would be controlled by a player who has left the game would be put onto the stack, it isn’t put on the stack.

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text:
When a city outbreaks when using the Malaria Historical Disease, does it create one or two outbreak cubes?
In Pandemic Iberia, the rules for the Malaria historical disease state:

When infecting with black, whenever you would put 1 black cube into a city that has no black cubes in it, add 2 black cubes instead.

Does an outbreak create one black cube in the adjacent cities or two?

Case for not applying to outbreaks: There is an Infect step, and the rules for outbreaks are not described in that section, they are in the next section. Furthermore the rules for outbreaks use the word place, not the word infect:

Then, place 1 cube of the disease color on every city connected to the city

Case for applying to outbreaks: The rules use the word whenever, which implies more than one situation. Additionally, the word infect is not capitalized. Finally, the flavor text on the card says

NEW INFECTIONS ARE MORE SEVERE

We are not sure. How does it work?
One final thought: not applying to outbreaks makes Malaria sort of toothless and not altogether much more difficult than a basic disease, because in Iberia you can often get away with not cleaning. But this argument is more about balance and less about the text of the rules (perhaps a house rule might be in order?)

The tag has been created/added, but it will be auto-reaped unless someone adds a description to it or a second question gets tagged with it.

Infecting and placing disease cubes are different things. It just so happens that infecting often (but not always, as in the case of an outbreak) causes a disease cube to be added.
The rules for Malaria state that you only place an extra cube when infecting. They do not say something like "whenever you would place a cube, place an extra cube".
Rules governing infecting a city:

To infect a city, place 1 disease cube matching its color onto  the
  city. If there is a purification token in a region adjacent  to the
  city, however, remove 1 purification token from an  adjacent region
  (returning it to the supply) instead of placing a  cube. (If there is
  more than one adjacent region with a purification  token, the current
  player decides which token to remove.) If the city already has 3 cubes
  of this color, do not place a  4th cube. Instead, an outbreak of this
  disease occurs in the  city (see Outbreaks below). Discard this card
  to the Infection  Discard Pile.

Rules governing an outbreak:

When a disease outbreak occurs, move the outbreaks  marker forward 1
  space on the Outbreaks Track. Then,  place 1 cube of the disease color
  on every city connected  to the city (or remove a purification token
  if any). If any of  them already has 3 cubes of the disease color, do
  not place  a 4th cube in those cities. Instead, in each of them, a
  chain  reaction outbreak occurs after the current outbreak is done

An infected city is only one for which an infection card is drawn.
Regarding your arguments for the other interpretation:
Use of the word "whenever":
This word is used to declare that it happens whenever an infection card is drawn for an uninfected city. I cant think of any other way to describe it without using "whenever" or a similar word. It does not imply there are other situations.
"Infect" vs "infect":
Doesn't matter. Infect is not a proper noun and was not made into one by the rules.
Flavor text:
Given my interpretation, infections ARE more severe.

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text:
What is this game with Knights and Ogres and wolf riders I played when I was a kid?
I grew up in the 80s, so the game should of come out in the late 80s or early 90s. I believe that the game was made by the same makers that made Hero Quest, but I might be wrong.
The game was an War based game, that had 2 sides a good side and a dark side. The light side had knights and the dark side had a giant Ogre, wolf riders, and other stuff. I really liked it because there was different strategies based on the side you were on.
As a kid, I felt like the map was an 8' x 8' map.
Hopefully this is enough info that someone can answer me... I've done a bunch of googling, but have had no success...

Is this an RPG or board game?

As @SuicideClyde answered, this game is Battle Masters. I still have my original copy, though the box isn't in great shape. The mechanics revolve around a deck of cards which have pictures of specific units for each player - such as the Empire's archers or Chaos's wolf riders. The two most badass pieces are the Empire's cannon (which has a deck of tiles to fire huge distances and possibly take out several units in one shot) and Chaos's Ogre, which can move and attack several times in one turn, and takes several damage to kill.
The deck mechanic is interesting, though it can lead to situations where one player takes several turns in a row before the other player ever getting a turn - such is the nature of a child-shuffled deck, especially - but it's great fun. Damaged units actually lose figures from their bases, reducing the effectiveness of the unit in future combat. It's a relatively elegant system for a kid-friendly game, and it's great fun to look down over the mat at your massive armies, especially if - like me - you were never able to afford/were never exposed to Warhammer figures growing up!


text:
Are +1/+1 counters different from +1/+1 effects?
Is a +1/+1 counter I get from, say Unleash or Undying different than +1/+1 from something like Spear of Heliod or Master of Waves?

Yes, effects that grant +1+/1 are very different than +1/+1 counters.
For Spear of Heliod, you have a static ability with a continuous effect that grants +1/+1.
For Undying, you have a triggered ability with a one-shot effect that grants a counter that grants +1/+1.
Notice the difference between what grants the +1/+1. It's the effect granting the +1/+1 in one case, and it's the counter in the other case. This matters because the +1/+1 will only be granted as long as the granter exists.
The +1/+1 from the continuous effect will last as long as the continuous effect exists. In the case of the effects from static abilities, that's as long as the card with the static ability is on the battlefield. In the case of effects created by the resolution of a spell or ability, that's as long as stated (e.g. "until end of turn"), or indefinitely if a duration isn't stated.
The +1/+1 granted by the counter will last as long as the counter exists. These normally go away when the permanent on which they reside ceases to exist, although there are cards that can  manipulate counters (e.g. Clockspinning), and granting a -1/-1 counter will cause both the +1/+1 and the -1/-1 counter to be removed.
Another difference is that counters are represented by physical objects (e.g. glass beads or dice used as counters), but effects aren't represented physically.

+1 for "effects aren't represented physically." So many new players insist on putting a die on a creature whenever such an effect comes into play. It is a pet peeve of mine as it can lead to confusion about the board state.

A compromise would be to place the non-counter reminders next to the permanent.

Yes, +1/+1 counters are different from effects that give +1/+1. Counters are physical markers that can be added, removed, or moved around. Effects that give +1/+1 are separate from the creature, and go away when the effect runs out or the permanent causing the effect leaves the battlefield.
The important difference here is the difference between one-shot effects and continuous effects.
A one-shot effect happens all at once, and then finishes. Damage, card draw, life gain, and adding counters are all one-shot effects. The important thing here is that the outcome stays around after the effect ends (well, damage gets cleared at the end of turns, but that's a separate rule). This means that once a creature gets a counter, the counter stays on it until it dies or something else does something to the counter.
A continuous ability, on the other hand, usually has either a limited timespan or is tied to a permanent. Spear of Heliod's first ability is a static ability creating a continuous effect. Giant Growth also creates a continuous effect that lasts until the end of the turn. In those cases, your creatures only get the +1/+1 (or the +3/+3) until Spear of Heliod leaves the battlefield, or until your turn ends in Giant Growth's case.

Yes, they are completely different. A counter is a physical object that you place on your creature card to show that some effect is being applied. In your example, both would have the result of increasing your creature's strength and toughness by 1, but counters have all sorts of things that interact with them.

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text:
Sacrifice help With MTG
If I have to sacrifice a creature every beginning of my upkeep and I play Rescue from Underworld, will I get past the sacrifice?
Thanks

The other question isn't exactly the same situation, but it should be close enough: you pay the extra cost for Rescue from the Underworld separately from whatever this other ability is, so you sacrifice twice.

Alternatively see http://boardgames.stackexchange.com/questions/5892/can-you-claim-a-double-sacrifice-bonus

See my answer on that other question, it specifically addresses this question with my last paragraph about Mogg Fanatic.


text:
Can Cancel counter a creature on the battlefield?
Say, I have Cancel, which is an Instant, on my hand. It can counter any spells.
The opponent has had a creature, for example Ajani's Pridemate, on the battlefield for several turns attacking and blocking.
Can I use my Cancel onto Ajani's Pridemate and send it to the graveyard (or to its owner's hand)?

You might want to have a look at the basic rulebook, linked from here. It'll help out in general with your understanding of the basic parts of the game (like spells and creatures) and even has a brief bit about countering spells, on page 24.

A creature on the battlefield is no longer a spell.
(as Gendolkari says)
Once your opponent's Ajani's Pridemate makes it onto the battlefield, there is nothing Cancel can do to stop it's reign of attacking and blocking terror.  Here are the step by step actions that were taken, including the only time your Cancel can hope to stem the tide of destruction caused by Ajani's cat friend.

Your opponent chooses to cast Ajani's Pridemate from their hand.
They place Ajani's Pridemate onto the table and says "I cast Ajani's Pridemate" to explicitly indicate that they are casting the spell, rather than accidentally dropping it onto the table. The spell is now "on the stack".
They pay any costs involved in casting the spell (mana cost, and any additional costs such as sacrificing a creature for Fling).
Your opponent, having not explicitly stated they are retaining priority implicitly passes priority to you. The spell is in the process of being cast, but has not yet resolved. It is still a creature spell on the stack.

At this point, if you do nothing, the creature spell will resolve, it will make it onto the battlefield, and your Cancel will not be able to do anything about it. This is your first and last chance to prevent the otherwise inevitable cat invasion.
After your opponent passes priority, with the spell on the stack, you gain priority, and have the opportunity to cast any and all instants, or cards with flash, or activate any abilities of creatures you control for which you can pay the costs. This includes your Cancel.

You gain priority and with it the opportunity to cast Cancel targeting the Ajani's Pridemate spell on the stack.
You do so, your Cancel goes on the stack above Ajani's Pridemate.
You implicitly pass priority.
Your opponent has nothing else they can do, and so must state "Cancel resolves" or something equivalent, indicating that they too pass priority without doing anything.
The top card of the stack resolves, this is your Cancel. Cancel's effect happens, removing Ajani's Pridemate from the stack and sending it to the graveyard.
Everything is fine, the world is once again safe from marauding cat men.

I recognise the above is a long-winded and thorough answer to your question, and the majority of it is overkill for the interaction that you are asking about. However, it should give you some insight into the complexity of the game. We should be clear, there are games where every one of these steps is absolutely critical to the victory of a player, and doing things at the exact right time can make the difference between winning and losing.
TL;DR
The only time your Cancel can target the Ajani's Pridemate is the moment when they pay mana to cast it from their hand. At this point, before it officially enters the battlefield (even though it may be physically "on" the battlefield i.e. the table), you always have an opportunity to say "No, because I cast Cancel". After that moment, it would be too late.

Tiny mistake in there: he can't cast sorceries in reply, of course.

well spotted, i was clearly waxing too lyrical - fixed.

@Patters then, what about enchantment? One card, for example, has +2/+2 modifier and it's been cast onto a creature several turns ago. Can a Cancel remove that enchantment?

the same applies, the enchantment on the battlefield is a permanent, not a spell. When that enchantment was first cast it was a spell, you could cancel it just like in the text above (replace Ajani Pridemate with the name of the enchantment). The thing you need to understand with cancel is it works on basically any spell. The only time anything is a spell, is when it is on the stack and being cast (it's costs have just been paid and its effects have not yet been performed, or is not yet on the battlefield) any other time, its either a permanent (on the battelfield) or a card (anywhere else)

i think the heuristic you need is "if its on the battlefield, it is a permanent, and cancel does nothing to permanents", and "If someone just paid mana and cast a card from their hand, thats a spell, I can cancel it to stop whatever it does from happening"

@Patters, very helpful answers. Now I have another question. Can Cancel target only the one on the top of the stack so far? Or could the target be somewhere deep in the stack?

@junekim It would be better in general to ask this a separate question; any time you have another question, even about a related topic, a new question is better. But since it can be a quick answer, the answer is that you can target any spell on the stack, simply because there's no limitations placed in what spells it can target.

No. A "spell" is something that is in the process of being cast, while it is on the stack. A card in your hand, or on the battlefield, or anywhere but the stack, is not a "spell", so Cancel cannot target it.

I think summoning a creature is a spell. Than, the creature card just put down in the turn to summon it could be canceled by Cancel spell(but cannot be canceled as soon as the turn ends)?

No, the summon can only be cancelled when your opponent makes clear he want to place the creature on the battlefield. That's your only time to react on the spell. Once you accept it's on the battlefield, it can't be cancelled, so you don't even have until the end of turn.

@Siebe, No, placing on the battlefield is not subject to countering. It must be a spell (a card or copy of on the stack) specifically.

@ikegami I should have been clear. When he wants to place the creature on the battlefield by casting a creature spell that get's put on the stack of course.

A creature is a spell when is on the stack when the creature spell resolved it became a permanent so is no longer a valid target for spells like cancel, counter spell E.T.C.

I think you need to understand what we call "stack".
When, during your turn, you want to cast a spell, you start by paying the mana cost and then you annouce you are casting (i.e) Ajani's Pridemate. This doesn't go to the battlefield yet, you put it on "the stack". You then pass priority to your opponent, if your opponent wants to respond to that spell, they can do so with any instant, ability or anything that can be cast at instant speed. In this case the opponent can cast cancel. After that they pass priority back to you, you can then cancel their cancel. If you do the stack looks like this:

Your [Cancel] > Their [Cancel] > your [ajani's pridemate]

it resolves from top to bottom, you cancel their cancel. So then their cancel is no longer in the stack so the only thing left is:

your [ajani's pridemate].

Before it resolves you pass priority again to your opponent, if they have no plays to make or wish to let your creature resolve, they pass priority and the creature resolves.
It then becomes a permanent, no longer a spell. A spell is only a spell while it is on the stack.
Note you don't have to only cast 1 spell at a time before passing priority, you can announce "holding priority" and put several spells on the stack. However you can only put 1 sorcery spell (the first one) on the stack (like a creature without flash). While things are on the stack you can't cast anything that would be cast at sorcery speed (unless a card in play or previously cast ("quicken" for example) modifies this rule).
Once the creature is in play you will need to destroy it, exile it or return it to its owner's hand to remove it from the battlefield.


text:
Does Phytotitan return to the battlefield when it first died and then was exiled?
I have a question regarding Phytotitan, it's a 7/2 creature wich states:

When Phytotitan dies, return it to the battlefield under its owner's control tapped at the beginning of his or her next upkeep.

If Phytotitan dies and afterwards is exiled from the graveyard, does it still return to the battlefield?

Every time a card or token changes zone, it becomes a new object [CR 400.7]. There's an exception allowing the triggered ability to see the newly formed object in the graveyard [CR 400.7d]. That's the only object the triggered ability can fetch back. If the object ceases to exist because the card leaves the graveyard (even if it comes back), the triggered ability can't find it. This is summarized by CR 603.7c (quoted below).

No, it won't return. When Phytotitan dies, its ability triggers, and then when that ability resolves, it sets up a separate, delayed triggered ability that will automatically go off at the beginning of the owner's next upkeep. That delayed triggered ability is "watching" the Phytotitan card in the graveyard. If the card changes zones (such as by getting exiled), then the delayed triggered ability loses track of it, so when the delayed ability resolves, it won't find the Phytotitan and thus won't return it.
This applies even if Phytotitan is removed from the graveyard and then put back, by the way. The delayed triggered ability only tracks the card as long as it stays put in the graveyard, and if the card is moved elsewhere, the ability stops tracking.

603.7c. A delayed triggered ability that refers to a particular object still affects it even if the object changes characteristics. However, if that object is no longer in the zone it’s expected to be in at the time the delayed triggered ability resolves, the ability won’t affect it. (Note that if that object left that zone and then returned, it’s a new object and thus won’t be affected. See rule 400.7.)

I found the official ruling with help from you anwser and edited your answer with it, thank you.

No.
Every time a card or token changes zone, it becomes a new object[CR 400.7]. There's an exception allowing the triggered ability to see the newly formed object in the graveyard[CR 400.7d]. That's the only object the triggered ability can fetch back. If the object ceases to exist because the card leaves the graveyard (even if it comes back), the triggered ability can't find it.

400.7. An object that moves from one zone to another becomes a new object with no memory of, or relation to, its previous existence. There are seven exceptions to this rule:
400.7d Abilities that trigger when an object moves from one zone to another (for example, “When Rancor is put into a graveyard from the battlefield”) can find the new object that it became in the zone it moved to when the ability triggered, if that zone is a public zone.

This is summarized by CR 603.7c.

603.7c. A delayed triggered ability that refers to a particular object still affects it even if the object changes characteristics. However, if that object is no longer in the zone it’s expected to be in at the time the delayed triggered ability resolves, the ability won’t affect it. (Note that if that object left that zone and then returned, it’s a new object and thus won’t be affected. See rule 400.7.)

When it enters the graveyard, the "return it to the battlefield under its owner's control tapped at the beginning of his or her next upkeep" goes on the stack. If you react to it by exiling it from the graveyard, that resolves first, so it won't come back to the battlefield.
Same thing is true for example with creatures with undying or persist.
/edit: When the ability resolves successfully, and it is exiled after that. It shouldn't matter if the card is still in the graveyard, since the card doesn't state it returns from the graveyard. (I'm not 100% sure about this, about 99,9% sure)

I get that exiling in reponse to the ability itself stops it from returning. But for example: Phytotitan dies from combat damage in my opponent's combat phase and the triggered ability resolves without any response. In the opponent's second main phase he casts a sorcery that exiles all cards in my graveyard. Then I still get my Phytotitan back right? Because the trigger initially resolved normally?


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Is there a Standard card similar to Debt to the Deathless?
With M15 around the corner I need a standard card that has a similar effect as Debt to the Deathless. Does anyone know a white, black, or green standard set card that works like this?

The cards from Theros, Born of the Gods, Journey into Nyx, and Magic 2015 (the sets that will be standard when Khans of Tarkir releases in September and whose contents are currently known) with abilities of the form "Each opponent loses n life.  You gain life equal to the life lost this way." are as follows:

Gray Merchant of Asphodel — life loss equal to your devotion to black when it enters the battlefield
Scholar of Athreos — life loss of 1 via a 2B activated ability
Servant of Tymaret — life loss of 1 whenever it becomes untapped
Tormented Hero — life loss of 1 whenever you cast a spell that targets it

There are no cards with this mechanic in Magic 2015, unless you count Covenant of Blood.


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Copying and stealing an EDH Commander?
Suppose my opponent is tapped out while playing Sliver Overlord as his commander, which has the ability:

{3}: Gain control of target Sliver. (This effect lasts indefinitely.)

On my turn, I play a Rite of Replication, targeting his Sliver Overlord. I now have a copy of it in play.
May I then use the {3} ability to steal his Overlord, and then due to the Legendary rule, sacrifice the copy and retain control of his commander?

Is there some reason you would expect not to be able to do this? You seem to know what actions you would need to take to achieve your goal and what rules allow those actions.

It was a casual game and my opponent thought that there might be an EDH specific rule that prevented it.

In that case, you should probably check out the EDH specific rules

That is correct. The Sliver Overlord is a Sliver so it is a legal target for the token's ability. Once you have control of it the Legend Rule kicks in. The "Legend Rule" says:

704.5k If a player controls two or more legendary permanents with the same name, that player chooses one of them, and the rest are put into their owners' graveyards. This is called the "legend rule".

So it is perfectly legal to choose the token copy of the Overlord to put into the Graveyard, and then you can proceed to kill them with their own commander. Note that you aren't 'sacrificing' the token, it is just being put into the Graveyard by state based effects. It will still 'die' and trigger anything that cares about creatures dying, but it won't trigger anything that cares about sacrificing creatures.

Not necessarily part of the answer, but as a side note, this was a recent change to the rules. Previously, the legend rule would cause all Legendary permanents with the same name to go away.

Yes, you can do that. Rule 903 and its subrules are the specific rules for the Commander format (also known as EDH). There is no rule that treats a Commander specially except the additional loss condition from "commander damage." When a commander is on the battlefield, it's treated just like any other card. Specifically, there is no rule that says that you can't copy a commander, that you can't take control of another player's commander, or that it should be treated any differently by the legend rule.


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AQ Prince Aaron ability clarification
Prince Aaron's ability reads
All Enemies Close to him have -2 defense against attacks made by him or his Allies.

Does -2 defense mean -2 defense dice that the target gets to roll or does it mean that the target gets to roll his/her defense dice but has to subtract 2 from the result? If the latter, then does the subtracted defense still count as "saves"? For example, if the target rolls 3 shield after being attacked by Prince Aaron from a Close space, does that count as 3 saves or 1 save even though in the end the target only cancels out 1 hit?
Crossposted on BGG

Throughout the rules, "Defense" refers to the number of dice rolled in defense of attacks.

If the targeted Character has any Defense listed on his card, the player controlling him gathers a number of white Defense dice equal to that character’s Defense.


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AQ Hobsbawm ability clarification
Did his ability get updated? The hero card that I have in my core set states that the player can only activate another hero within line of sight but the hero card online at the arcadia quest website doesn't have the line of sight restriction. I'm assuming the hero card online is the correct version but I just want to make sure.
Crossposted on BGG.

Given my experience with Magic and Oracle text, I would guess the other way.

Line of sight is required according to the game's designer.

The card in your core set is the most up-to-date.


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Can I use strive to target the same object more than once?
I have a question about the new mechanic Strive from Journey into Nyx.
Could I use the pay the strive cost to target the same object more than once with the spell, or can I only target any particular object once per card?

You can only target a creature once with a Strive spell. Taken from the Journey Into Nyx Release Notes, emphasis mine:

You can't choose
the same target more than once for a single strive spell.

Those who want a more detailed explanation should continue reading. From rule 114.3.

114.3 The same target can't be chosen multiple times for any one instance of the word "target" on a spell or ability.

Twinflame has the following text.

Strive — Twinflame costs 2R more to cast for each target beyond the
first.

Choose any number of target creatures you control. For each of them, put a token that's a copy of that creature onto the battlefield. Those tokens have haste.

The first occurrence of the word "target" is only there to define how much the spell costs. Per rules 114.1a-e, we only care about the phrase target [something].
The second part, "Choose any number of target creatures", has one instance of the word target, and so you may not target the same creature twice.

No, you cannot target the same creature more than once with a strive card. The strive cards say "Any number of target creatures.." and rule 114.3 says

The same target can't be chosen multiple times for any one instance of the word "target" on a spell or ability.


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Does a daikaiju kill off a player if it appears next to them?
According to the rules of Tsuro of the Seas, when a daikaiju moves adjacent to a player's ship, that player is eliminated. What if another player rolls a 6 to put a daikaiju on the board, and the square rolled is next to a player's ship? Is that player eliminated, or are they unaffected and have a chance for the daikaiju to move before their turn?

The official rules are maybe a little vague on the matter, but extrapolating from the context of the other rules, the way I have always interpreted them as is that a player is only eliminated if they are forced to move off the board, into a loop, or onto the same tile as a daikaiju - or, if it's their turn to play a wake tile but they cannot because there's a daikaiju directly in front of them. So my interpretation is that placing a daikaiju adjacent to some who is not the active player is the same as moving them to that space, and they are not eliminated.

"...placing a daikaiju adjacent to some who is not the active player is the same as moving them to that space, and they are not eliminated." (Emphasis mine.) But the rules say (and I reiterated this in my question) that moving a daikaiju adjacent to a player's ship eliminates them.

No it doesn't. To quote the rules: "If a daikaiju moves to a square adjacent to the active player's ship, that ship is destroyed [...] (the daikaiju prevents the player from placing a wake tile). If a second ship occupies the same side of the same wake tile [...] the second ship is not automatically destroyed [as] the daikaiju may move before that player's turn."

Perhaps it's a little unclear since it refers to moving adjacent to the active player, and then mentions also moving adjacent to a second player, rather than just saying "anyone who is not the active player".

Ah, I see. So if you're the active player, and a daikaiju is at any point put adjacent to you either by placement or by moving, you're out.  However, an inactive player that may be in the wake path next to you is not, since the daikaiju could move before their turn. The language is a little confusing.

Yeah. I think the easier way to think about it is not that putting the daikaiju next to you kills you, it's being unable to play a wake tile in front of you.


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The Witches: A Discworld Board Game - Defeating Count Bela
When you defeat Count Bela Magpyr, the rules says that all Magpyr figures are removed from the board. What will happen with the points in that cards? Are for the player who defeat Bela or just are removed from the game (points go for no one)?

The removal of all other Magpyrs is part of the special reward for defeating the Count. Player who defeated him gets to keep his token and score the points just for him, all other are simply set aside and no one gets the points for them.


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Ensnaring Bridge and Cranial Plating
Let's say that I have an Ensnaring Bridge in play, and no cards in my hand. My opponent has a 0/2 Ornithopter in play, and also a Cranial Plating (and some other artifacts to pump it up). Can he attack and then attach the Cranial Plating to the Ornithopter after announcing his attackers by using the "Attach" ability (The one for BB)?

Yes, he can attach then, and yes, this does circumvent Ensnaring Bridge.
Only the 'equip' ability is restricted to sorcery speed.
The '{B}{B}: Attach Cranial Plating to target creature you control.' ability can be used anytime you have priority. That's why it's more expensive to use even though it has the same effect as Equip.
Since the creature has already been declared as an attacker and correctly met the conditions needed to attack at that time (508.1c in the comprehensive rules), it has been declared as an attacker already, and suddenly failing to meet the conditions doesn't remove it from combat (506.4 and 506.4a). So all that mattered is the 'thopter was 0/2 when it attacked.

Also, the other half of the 'why this works': since the creature has already been declared as an attacker and correctly met the conditions needed to attack at that time (508.1c in the comprehensive rules), it has been declared as an attacker already, and suddenly failing to meet the conditions doesn't remove it from combat.  (506.4 and 506.4a)


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Does the order that cards are played have any effect? (Specifically poison)
If I play a Poison card (from the Ninja faction) on a 3 power minion that minion now has 0 as that is the minimum.

Poison: Play on a minion. Destroy any number of actions on it. Ongoing: This minion has -4 power. (Minions have minimum power of 0.)

However if the owner of that card then plays a +1 power to all of their minions does the minion with poison have 0 or 1 power?
One person I play with argues that because the poison only reduced the minion to 0, the +1 therefore makes it 1. However, I think that all of the modifiers are added together, so 3 - 4 + 1 and only then is the 'minion score cannot be less than 0' modifier is applied so the minion is still 0.

The Smash Up Rules and FAQ don't seem to address this directly, but I would say the power is still zero for a simple reason - it keeps the power consistent regardless of which effect hit the table first. 3-4+1 = 3+1-4, after all. (Which is why most games do the math that way, IMO).

And unless I missed something, the rules don't say that a power can't go below zero actually.

@Charles Boyung, It's right on the Poison card. I've added the text of the card to the question.

It's not covered by the rules. At times like this, I ask myself what Magic: The Gathering does, just to get an idea. It's a very similar game which has worked out these issues. In MTG, similar continuous effects are applied in the order they were created (played). However, MTG allows for negative power, so MTG gives zero no matter which card is applied first, so there's no good parallel.
In Smash Up, I think it's best to add up all the bonuses and penalties before capping off to zero. In your case, that would give the Minion a Power of zero.
If you did otherwise,

You'd have a card bring down a Minion by -3 to 1 even though it's suppose to give -4 on an ongoing basis. That feels weird.
It seems to go against the feel of Smash Up to have to remember the order the cards were played in.

Worth noting that's it is fairly common for games (beyond MtG) to use the "add it all up and then apply floor" method. (I think Munchkin does it that way, to name a second)


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Can I tap a creature in response to an instant?
I am try to figure out Crypt Sliver's ability better. I was wondering if my opponent casts an instant to destroy target creature, during his or her turn, if I could respond by tapping a creature (perhaps the targeted creature if its untapped) to regenerate my creature before the spell is resolved?

Note that if you couldn't, then the ability would be mostly worthless (you would have to just guess that your opponent was going to try to destroy it).

@Gendolkari: Not really, regeneration is still a useful combat ability. Crypt Sliver was a great chump blocker in OLS limited.

Yes, you can tap activate the abilities of a permanent in response to an instant.
Yes, it will save your Sliver. To regenerate something is to give it a shield that will prevent (replace) destruction the next time it would be destroyed that turn.

The system governing when you can cast a spell and activate abilities is called "priority", and you will get priority at some point between when a spell is cast and when it resolves.
That means that you can activate abilities in response to a spell. Restriction to activating the ability apply as normal.

Equip, Loyalty abilities and any other ability that specifically mention they can only be activated "as a sorcery" cannot be activated in response to another spell or ability.
If the tap or untap symbol is in the activation cost, the creature must have been under your control since the start of your turn (must not have summoning sickness).
You must be able to pay the cost. (e.g. The creature cannot already be tapped if the ability has the tap symbol in its cost.)

Say you have

Crypt Sliver (henceforth known as "C")
Battering Sliver (some other sliver henceforth known as "B")
Armor Sliver (some other sliver henceforth known as "A")

Say your opponent casts Hero's Downfall targeting "B".
In response, you can cast instant spells and activate abilities, including the "{T}: Regenerate target Sliver." ability of any of your Slivers.
Say you activate "A"'s ability targeting "B". The stack now contains the ability that grants regeneration and Hero's Downfall. The ability that grants regeneration resolves first because it was added to the stack last. This gives a regeneration to "B".

614.8. Regeneration is a destruction-replacement effect. The word “instead” doesn’t appear on the card but is implicit in the definition of regeneration. “Regenerate [permanent]” means “The next time [permanent] would be destroyed this turn, instead remove all damage marked on it and tap it. If it’s an attacking or blocking creature, remove it from combat.” Abilities that trigger from damage being dealt still trigger even if the permanent regenerates. See rule 701.12.

Next, Hero's Downfall resolves. It would destroy "B" but for the regeneration shield. Instead, "B" is tapped, it's removed from combat, and any marked damage is cleared.
Note: It would have been much better to use "B"'s "{T}: Regenerate target Sliver." ability targeting itself since it will end up tapped anyway, but you might not be able to if it's already tapped or if it has summoning sickness.

Would it be prudent to add in your opening line provided you can pay their cost or something similar?

@corsiKa, I really think that goes without saying, but even then, I did mention it in the expanded explanation. No, I don't think it belongs in the summary anymore than the other two reasons I listed below. It wouldn't be much of a summary if I did!

thank you for your response it was very helpful. Now what if its the same creature that's been targeted by the instant (Murder) can I tap the targeted creature in order to put a regeneration shield on it?   WHOOPS didnt read the last line THANK YOU!

Yup. That's the situation describe in "Note:" at the bottom.

now could the same be done to counter the effect of Sunblast Angel?

Yes, you can respond to spells, activated abilities and triggered abilities. Anything that uses the stack.

You can, but only if you controlled it since the beginning of your turn or if it has haste.


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What happens if Humble Defector is sacrificed before its ability resolves?
Humble Defector reads

{T}: Draw two cards. Target opponent gains control of Humble Defector. Activate this ability only during your turn.

Anthony controls Humble Defector and Butcher of the Horde. He activates Humble Defector's ability and holds priority. He then sacrifices Humble Defector to activate Butcher of the Horde's ability.
When Humble Defector's ability resolves, does Anthony draw two cards?

@ikegami You have added a broken card link to the post.

I noticed. But I'm tempted to leave it anyway. I presume it's a new card that hasn't been added to Gatherer yet? If so, the link will start working . Up to you.

@ikegami Good point. Let's leave it.

Same question for triggered abilities: http://boardgames.stackexchange.com/q/18647 and for activated abilities with returning to hand instead of sacrificing: http://boardgames.stackexchange.com/questions/7893/does-an-activated-ability-resolve-if-the-card-with-the-ability-is-returned-to-it

Love the flavourful example with Butcher.

@Jefromi Edited the title of the older question. This one is now an exact duplicate.

Yes, because there is nothing in the ability that requires the Defector to still be on the battlefield as it resolves, and an ability on the stack exists independently of its source it will happily resolve and do as much as it can. In this case giving an opponent control of the card is impossible so you will just ignore that text and do as much as you can, in this case draw 2 cards.

101.3. Any part of an instruction that's impossible to perform is ignored. (In many cases the card will specify consequences for this; if it doesn't, there's no effect.)
112.7a Once activated or triggered, an ability exists on the stack independently of its source. Destruction or removal of the source after that time won’t affect the ability. ...

Yes. Abilities exist on the stack independently of their source.

112.7a Once activated or triggered, an ability exists on the stack independently of its source. Destruction or removal of the source after that time won’t affect the ability. [...]

That means that even if the object that has the ability changes or ceases to exist, the ability spawned from it will go on to resolve as normal.
In this case, that means you get to draw two cards, then the targeted opponent attempts to gain control of Humble Defector and fails to do so.


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Does Dryad Arbor remain a creature with Blood Sun in play?
Does Dryad Arbor remain a creature with Blood Sun in play?
This is a follow-up question to this one.

Note that Dryad Arbor originally had the ability "Dryad Arbor is Green", but it no longer has that ability. The ability was replaced with a color indicator.

I had to read both questions 3 times before I realized why they weren't the same question.

Yes, it's still a creature, because Blood Sun causes it only to loose non-mana abilities. The Creature subtype is not an ability.

Power and Toughness are also usually not abilities, though there are exceptions.

Abilities can set or modify power and toughness, but power and toughness themselves are not abilities.


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MTG—Multiple Card Stack Confusion
A friend and I recently ran into a scenario and we're not sure how it would play out.

My friend plays Shade's Form on one of his creatures. (B: This creature gets +1/+1 until end of turn."
When enchanted creature is put into a graveyard, return that card to the battlefield under your control.

On my next turn I play False Demise on that same creature. (When enchanted creature dies, return that card to the battlefield under your control.)

On the next turn, the creature is put into a graveyard. Who gains control of this creature? I assume False Demise would resolve first putting it under my control—but does Shade's form then resolve too, moving it back to my opponent?

The resolution of both abilities will result in the creature coming into the battlefield under control of the non-active player, and that player will still control it when both abilities have resolved.
Both of those enchantments have triggered abilities. When the creature dies, multiple triggered abilities controlled by different players trigger. Then we just follow rule 603.3b:

If multiple abilities have triggered since the last time a player received priority, each player, in APNAP order, puts triggered abilities he or she controls on the stack in any order he or she chooses.

APNAP here is an acronym for "Active Player, Non-Active Player". So, first the active player's trigger gets put on the stack, then the non-active player's trigger. This means that the non-active player's ability resolves first, so they get control of the creature. Then when the active player's ability tries to resolve, we have to look at rule 603.6:

Trigger events that involve objects changing zones are called "zone-change triggers." Many abilities with zone-change triggers attempt to do something to that object after it changes zones. During resolution, these abilities look for the object in the zone that it moved to. If the object is unable to be found in the zone it went to, the part of the ability attempting to do something to the object will fail to do anything.

The triggered ability that is trying to resolve ("When enchanted creature dies, return that card to the battlefield under your control.") is actually shorthand for

When enchanted creature is moved from the battlefield to the graveyard, put that card onto the battlefield under your control.

Since the creature that died is no longer in the graveyard, the active player's ability does nothing as it resolves, and the non-active player retains control of the creature.

The non-active player will get it.

Both abilities trigger at the same time, the moment the creature is moved to the graveyard from the battlefield[CR 603.2].
The next time a player would get priority, all the abilities that have triggered since the last time a player got priority are placed on the stack[CR 603.3]. APNAP controls the order in which the triggers are placed on the stack[CR 603.3b].
This means the Active Player (the player whose turn it is) places his abilities on the stack first. (If there are more than one, he places them in the order he desires.) Then, the Non-Active Player places his abilities on the stack (in the order he desires)[CR 101.4].
As usual, they will resolve in the opposite order they were added.
The NAP's ability will resolve first. The card will be returned to the battlefield under that player's control.
The AP's ability will resolve second. The ability will fail to find the card (since that object no longer exists[CR 400.7]) and it won't do anything[CR 609.3][CR 603.6].

603.3b If multiple abilities have triggered since the last time a player received priority, each player, in APNAP order, puts triggered abilities he or she controls on the stack in any order he or she chooses. (See rule 101.4.) Then the game once again checks for and resolves state-based actions until none are performed, then abilities that triggered during this process go on the stack. This process repeats until no new state-based actions are performed and no abilities trigger. Then the appropriate player gets priority.
101.4. If multiple players would make choices and/or take actions at the same time, the active player (the player whose turn it is) makes any choices required, then the next player in turn order (usually the player seated to the active player’s left) makes any choices required, followed by the remaining nonactive players in turn order. Then the actions happen simultaneously. This rule is often referred to as the “Active Player, Nonactive Player (APNAP) order” rule.
609.3. If an effect attempts to do something impossible, it does only as much as possible.
603.6. Trigger events that involve objects changing zones are called “zone-change triggers.” Many abilities with zone-change triggers attempt to do something to that object after it changes zones. During resolution, these abilities look for the object in the zone that it moved to. If the object is unable to be found in the zone it went to, the part of the ability attempting to do something to the object will fail to do anything. The ability could be unable to find the object because the object never entered the specified zone, because it left the zone before the ability resolved, or because it is in a zone that is hidden from a player, such as a library or an opponent’s hand. (This rule applies even if the object leaves the zone and returns again before the ability resolves.) The most common zone-change triggers are enters-the-battlefield triggers and leaves-the-battlefield triggers.


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Using Copycat with one-shot abilities
In the Science Fiction Double Feature expansion, the card Copycat allows you to copy the ability of another's player minion for a turn.

Choose another player's minion in play. This card has the same ability as that minion until the end of the turn.

However, the timing of the copy is not clear. When I play Copycat it's ability activates. If I copy an ability that says "You may draw a card", does it activate again allowing me to draw a card? Or can I only effectively copy Ongoing abilities (and those that remain for the rest of the turn, like "you may play an extra minion")?

The whole point of Copycat is to allow you to use another minion's ability. Making it impossible to copy most minion's ability makes makes no sense to me, and it makes no sense to the others with whom I've played either.
Keep in mind that you're already limited to abilities of other player's minions in play (something you have no control over), and that ongoing abilities and talents only work for your turn. This offsets the ability to have some flexibility in the effect of the minions ability.
We have it come into play with the abilities of the minion it copies. Playing a Copycat masquerading as an Enchantress ("Draw a card.") would have you draw a card, because it is an Enchantress as far as any can tell (except in name and power).
It's not really an "again" type of situation. You get to use the Enchantress's ability once. Just like the Enchantress did.

By the way, I since had a look at the factions, and very few have any abilities that would be usable by Copycat if it only copied ongoing abilities of minions. There's no doubt in my mind that it clones one-shot abilities.

The copying part of Copy Cat is done on play, so yes you would get 'Enchantresses' ability to draw a card. However, to draw that card you'd have to play that card, just like any other card. Since you're not playing it again, you don't get to draw a card.
Copy cat is still really good, you get Talent's, Specials, and On-Going abilities.


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How is 'The Homeworld' played correctly?
In a recent Smash Up match we had the base 'The Homeworld', that has the following ability:

After each time a minion is played here, its owner may play an extra minion of power 2 or less.

I played wizards (and something else that doesn't matter, because I had at this point mostly Wizard cards in the hand). I had a lot of creatures, because of a previous Portal and they were mostly Enchantress and Neophyte. We concluded I can them all play on The Homeworld, as they all have a power of two and playing one triggers the ability and allows me to play the next until my hand is emptied (or I decide to stop). Was that played correctly?

Each minion you play on the Homeworld gives you an extra <=2 power minion play that turn, which doesn't have to be on the Homeworld as well. If it is, you get another one.

Yes. If it could only be triggered once per turn, it would read:

After the first time a minion is played here each turn, ...

That feels so overpowered, but probably I had just luck that the Portal got me a lot of low powered minions on the hand before.

@Mnementh It's situationally powerful, but a stack of low-powered minions are a tasty target for a few different decks, and can be taken advantage of by opponents in a variety of ways.

@ikegami You're not wrong that it's incredibly powerful for robots, but it's actually an alien faction base!


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Does transforming keyrunes count towards Evolve?
Suppose I animate my Simic Keyrune into a 2/3 artifact creature. Will it evolve my 1/1 Fathom Mage?

"Transform" has a specific meaning in magic, and it doesn't apply here. The word "animate" is usually used. Fixed.

possible duplicate of If a land becomes a creature, has it entered the battlefield?

(The duplicate is about lands turning into creatures, but I think it's pretty clear the answer wouldn't be different for an artifact.)

Despite having the same answer, the two are distinct questions. More info: http://meta.stackexchange.com/q/57836/147335

@corsiKa, It's only a different question if you don't realize it doesn't matter whether the card being animated was an artifact or land. I don't think anyone would fail to realize that, including the OP. Way too many questions are marked as "duplicate" when they shouldn't be, but I think you're just being too nitpicky here.

@ikegami People's perception of a question do not change the actual properties of those questions. "It's only a different question if" means "It's a different question" and, ergo, not a duplicate. You cannot rely on knowing the answer to categorize the question. This is a fundamental tenet of the Stack Exchange philosophy.

No, Evolve triggers on creatures entering the battlefield, and the Keyrune must necessarily be on the the battlefield to use its ability.
Changing an object's characteristics (power, toughenss, type, etc) does not cause it to enter or leave the battlefield.

702.99a Evolve is a triggered ability. “Evolve” means “Whenever a creature enters the battlefield under your control, if that creature’s power is greater than this creature’s power and/or that creature’s toughness is greater than this creature’s toughness, put a +1/+1 counter on this creature.”

And What about Zameck Guildmage? If i use its ability to make my new creature enter the battlefield with a +1/+1 counter on it then if I cast another Fathom Mage will it evolve my 1/1 one?

Zameck Guildmage causes creatures to enter with the +1/+1 counter -- there is never a moment it's on the battlefield without the +1/+1 counter -- so Evolve does see the higher modified P/T from the +1/+1 counter as you would want. It won't add a counter to a Keyrune being animated, though.

I've added a sentence to my last comment.


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Why are Shocklands better than Guildgates?
I recently read a review about Return to Ravnica and the reviewer says that, for example, Temple Garden is way better than Selesnya Guildgate. Can someone point out the reasons behind that? Additionally, why is Temple Garden called a Shockland?

Shocklands (which allow you to "Shock" yourself in order to get an untapped land) have many advantages:

Good color depth without loss of tempo. Oftentimes, getting your land into play untapped is worth two life; shocklands give you the option to set that up.
Excellent color-fixing with fetch effects.

The synergy between shocklands and fetchlands is what makes Modern mana bases so strong. I can crack a Misty Rainforest and get any of these color combinations: W/G, W/U, U/B, U/R, U/G, B/G, R/G. See this answer for more information about the shocks + fetches style of mana base.
We can have four- and five-color decks in Innistrad/RTR Standard thanks to Farseek's ability to fetch any of the ten shocklands.

Shocklands interact positively with other cards that care about basic land types as well. In particular:

Shocks power up M13 and Innistrad "buddy" lands (like Sunpetal Grove), which require you to have lands of specific basic land types in play. In a three-color deck, a single shock in play is sufficient to make every single one of your "buddy" lands enter play untapped.
Shocklands have powerful synergy with "Kird Ape" creatures like Wild Nacatl (which was once banned from Modern for being too consistent of a 3/3 on turn 2) and Flinthoof Boar (which saw tournament play in Standard Gruul decks).

Flexibility. If you choose to have the land enter tapped, then the cards are no different, but only Temple Garden gives you any choice at all. The difference from being able to use that mana on the turn that you play it may amount to less life lost than the 2 you pay to have it enter untapped.
Shock was the quintessential burn spell for a while when WotC thought that Lightning Bolt was too quick and powerful. Shock was released in multiple base sets, and since it deals 2 damage, people called the cycle of lands that deal 2 damage to you Shocklands.

I thought it has something to do with the 2 land types in their name (Forest Plains for example).

You're also correct; having the types Forest Plains also makes the shocklands slightly better, because they interact with other cards that care about those types. In some cases, that can be a disadvantage though, like if your opponent has a creature with Forestwalk.

Adding to user1873's existing answer: as you say, the fact that Shocklands have the same land types as basic lands (e.g. "Forest Plains") is huge.  It means you can fetch them up with Fetchlands, or any other spell that looks for a Forest or a Plains (though not of course "a basic Forest", or "a basic Plains').
A manabase judiciously combining both Fetchlands and Shocklands is pretty close to the ultimate way of having the right colour of mana available exactly when you need it, in a 3+ colour deck.  And if you're using fetches to get your Shocklands at the end of your opponent's turn, the "comes into play tapped" restriction isn't even a drawback, at that point.

And the other hand, Temple Garden is not a Gate, so stuff that looks for Gates won't see it.

@ikegami Currently that's 0 Constructed playables. Dragon's Maze might change that but it seems unlikely.

Shock lands get their name because of the spell "Shock", which deals 2 damage to target creature or player. With the shock lands, in order to get them into play untapped, you have to hit yourself with a shock. Shock lands are so expensive becuase of mana fixing. Anything that is invunerable (lands are the hardest thing in MTG to kill, except emblems) and can help you get the colors you need to the battlefield, will be worth a good portion of money. The cost is increased as well becuase of the shock lands' synergy with the "fetch lands". These are lands that can grab other lands. The shock lands are the only nonbasic lands with basic land types in their card type, so they are the only non-baic land that the fetch lands can fetch you.


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Using "Rivals for Catan" extensions with "Catan Card Game"
I have the Catan Card Game and I was wondering if anybody has had any success playing extensions designed for The Rivals for Catan game with it (perhaps with modifications to the rules/cards used).
I accidentally bought the Age of Darkness extension without realizing it was for the updated version of the card game, then idly wondered if it could be made to work anyway as I've played the iPad version of Rivals for Catan and it seems broadly similar to the original card game.

@ikegami - He's talking about the "Settlers of Catan Card Game": http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/278/catan-card-game

It would be incredibly difficult to mix the old base game with the new expansions. While similar, the rules and mechanics were completely redone for Rivals. It may be possible, but you'd probably need to reword most of the descriptions for all of the cards in either the base game or the expansions.
By the time you've done all of that, you'd have been much better off just spending the $15-20 to get a copy of Rivals instead.


text:
How long does Essedum's effect last?
In the game Roma, the card Essedum reads:

The defense value of the opponent's face-up cards is reduced by 2.

So the question is:
How long does this effect last?
Only for the current turn?
Or for the rest of the game?
If so, how are you supposed to keep track of the effected cards (since cards played later are not affected)?

The card has an action dice symbol in the upper right.  This means that it takes one dice to activate the card and it is only in effect while it has a dice.  I'm not sure why you say "Cards played later are not affected".  For example, the Turris does not require a dice to be active, so it adds 1 to the defense of all the player's face-up cards for as long as it is in play, whether they were played before or after the Turris.


text:
If damaged by another player's Acid Attack, can I cede Tokyo?
If I'm in Tokyo, and a player outside of Tokyo has Acid Attack, they will do one damage to me on their turn (even without rolling a claw). But will that damage from Acid Attack allow me to leave Tokyo (forcing the other play into Tokyo)?
Acid Attack reads

Deal 1 extra damage each turn (even if you don't otherwise attack).

In general, damage from cards are not considered attacks. For Acid Attack specifically, a search of the net shows the unanimous result that Acid Attack is not considered an attack. Since it's not an attack, you do not have the option of ceding.

The sites I skimmed had a lot of discussion before they came to a conclusion. Has there been ruling at a tournament or errata from the publisher?

Like I said, it's well known that damage from cards are not attacks. I did not find any official post that contradicts that for this card, meaning the only official rules I could find says it's not an attack. And every single post I've seen agrees.

Maybe a link to some of these unanimous posts?

Can't right now but simply searched for King of Tokyo Acid Attack


text:
Can you have more than one of the same technology in Ticket to Ride: UK?
In Ticket to Ride: UK, can one player get more than one of the same technology card to prevent other players from getting them - for example when 4 players are playing can one player get all 4 mechanical stokers to stop other players from getting 3 train routes?  It is not clear in the rules.

I admire this strategy, but it does not seem to be within the accepted rules.

Interestingly, it doesn't actually answer this in the rulebook, however the designer of the game Alan R. Moon answered this question here.

You cannot have two of the same Technology Card.
Alan R. Moon


text:
How are districts defined and scored in Ticket to Ride: London?
I have two closely related questions about "districts" in Ticket to Ride: London.

How are districts defined?
How many points do you get for completing a district?

This is literally a question of "I can't be bothered reading the rulebook" and has no place kn a general reference Q&A site. If you have actual doubt about the meaning of a particular or definition, perhaps difficulty or ambiguity in identifying a district and its score, ask that. Otherwise this is not worth the server space to keep.

(Added [tag:ticket-to-ride]. The usual practice is to tag the base game, even if it doesn't directly relate to it.)

"What are districts in the game Ticket to Ride: London?"
Quoting from the official rules:

A District is made up of Locations of the same colour and number.

For example (and in fact the example used in the rules), Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, Tralfalgar Square and Piccadilly Circus make up a district as they are the four locations on the board marked with a green "2".
"How do we get to know about the points we gain from a district?"
The very next sentence in the rules is

This number is also the Points value of the District.

e.g. you score 2 points for the Buckingham Palace/Big Ben/Tralfalgar Square /Piccadilly Circus district, because it is marked with a "2". Covent Garden and the British Museum would score you only 1 point, because it is marked with a "1".


text:
Can one chain routes granted by stations in Ticket to Ride?
Is the following setup allowed for the red player to get from Essen to Stockholm?
The theory being the red player is using the green players route to get from Essen to Copenhagen and then again from Copenhagen to Stockholm.

Yes.
According to the rules:

Building a train station
A Train Station allows its owner to use one, and only one, of the routes belonging to another  player,  into  (or  out  of)  that  city  to  help  him  connect  the  cities  on  his Destination Tickets.
Stations may be built on any unoccupied city, even if it currently has no claimed routes into it. Two players may never build a Station in the same city.
Each  player  may  build  a  maximum  of  one  Station  per  turn,  and  three  Stations throughout the course of the game.
To build his first Station, a player plays and discards one Train card from his hand, and places one of his colored Train Stations on the chosen city.To build a second Station, the player must play and discard a set of two cards of any one color; and to build his third,  a  set  of  three  Train  cards  of  any  one  color.  As  usual,  you  can  replace  any number of cards by Locomotives.
If a player uses the same Station to help connect cities on several different Tickets, he must use the same route into the city with the Station for all of those Tickets. The Train Station owner does not need to decide which route he will use until the end of the game.
A player is never required to build any Stations. For each Station a player has not used, four points are added to his score at the end of the game.

So as long as:

you built at most one station per round.
nobody else build a station on that city.
you have enough stations left.
you can pay for the stations.
you only use each station for one connection between two cities.

This is certainly possible. in this case, you are free to go.

As I recall, the station figures are shaped so that they fit on top of the trains. So, while the rulebook doesn't say it, it hints at the idea of moving the station on top of the "borrowed" route to mark the choice in the end. The station can only ever borrow one route, so that's ok. (Just the choice of which route is delayed to the end of the game.) And with the station marking the route, it doesn't matter which end of the route the station came from.


text:
Catan longest road card question
After you get the longest road card, can you start building on it and still retain the longest road card?

Does this answer your question? Who would get the longest road?

I don't think the linked question is at all a duplicate; this isn't asking about the possibility of breaking roads at all.

I’d love for any of the close voters to explain how this can be considered a duplicate. The linked question is about what happens when the longest road is broken up by a settlement in the middle. This is asking if you can make a longest road even longer by building more. The fact that both questions can be answers by quoting rules that deal with the longest road does not make it a duplicate at all...

@GendoIkari I originally read this as about building more roads, but my current best guess is that the question is actually about whether your own settlements break up your road. Perhaps this should be closed for clarity until OP clarifies?

I’m not seeing anything that could be taken as an implication that settlements or breaking up roads could have anything to do with the question.... it sounds to me like the OP thought that once you claimed longest road with “5” length road; that maybe your longest road was stuck at “5” specifically.

Ok I get it now. The question is if “building on it” means building settlements or roads. I see the ambiguity now. Either way it’s not a duplicate because the other question is about what happens when longest road is broken up by an opponent’s settlements.

Yes, you can freely extend the length of your longest road to make it even harder for an opponent to claim the Longest Road bonus from you. The rules talk about how you gain the Longest Road card and how someone else takes it from you; nowhere does it say anything that would imply that ownership of the card prevents you from building roads.
Your own settlements and cities do not disrupt your road in any way, but opponents ones do (see Longest Road in the Almanac, p9).

I think OP's "building on it" probably means adding settlements but I initially read it as adding more roads; pending clarification by OP I'll just leave this as answering both readings.

Yes. Once you have the longest road card, the only two ways you can lose it are if another player builds:

A longer road (has to be at least longer by 1 road), in which case the card goes to said player.
A settlement along your longest road causing it to no longer be the longest road. In this case the card goes to the player with the new longest road. If no other player has a road that satisfies the longest road requirement (5+ roads), then the card goes back to the bank until a player becomes once again eligible.


text:
Progress Cards - how many of each exist?
What is the Progress Card composition in a copy of Catan: C&K that's unadulterated and not missing any of the pieces?
That is, how many of each progress card are supposed to exist — how many Diplomat, how many Irrigation, etc.?

In the base game, there are 25 development cards: 14 knight cards, 5 victory point cards, 2 road building, 2 year of plenty, and 2 monopoly.
…
Catan: Cities & Knights … uses Progress cards. These are generated through a combination of city improvements and dice rolls but function much the same as regular development cards.
–“Development cards”, World of Catan Wiki

54 Progress Cards (18 Science Cards, 18 Politics Cards, 18 Trade Cards)
–“CATAN: Cities & Knights”, §Contents, Board Game Geek Community Wiki

Using the same wiki you used in your question, the breakdown looks like this
18 Science Cards (Green):

2 Alchemist
2 Crane
1 Engineer
2 Inventor
2 Irrigation
2 Medicine
2 Mining
1 Printer
2 Road Building
2 Smith

18 Politics Cards (Blue):

2 Bishop
1 Constitution
2 Deserter
2 Diplomat
2 Intrigue
2 Saboteur
3 Spy
2 Warlord
2 Wedding

18 Trade Cards (Yellow):

2 Commercial Harbor
2 Master Merchant
6 Merchant
2 Merchant Fleet
4 Resource Monopoly
2 Trade Monopoly

for a total of 54 progress cards

Wow, I even tried searching for "Progress Card" in case the information was on a different page. Can't believe I overlooked checking the expansion page itself.


text:
Anyone have these 7 cards from The Fortune Teller Board Game by Pressman 1989
I found this game (The Fortune Teller by Pressman from 1989) but it's missing 7 cards. I was wondering if someone would share insight of those missing 7 cards and I'll make the missing cards so I can play the game (?) the 1st card is a Titled Card for Change So I would need the other side which lists 6 words from top to bottom. The other 6 cards start with these words....Accomplishment, Affection, Illness, Interference, Materialist and Momentum, with then their other 5 words on that side of their cards. Maybe you could take a photo of the back of the cards with the words and email those or attach them to this message, whatever would be the easiest.

Becky, I have this game. I can send you pictures.

I would like a copy of the rules that came with this game, if you have them. Thank you!

To post pictures.  Click the "edit" button.  Then click the picture icon in the edit area toolbar.  That will bring up a dialog box that will allow you to drag&drop or paste an image or a link to an image and the image will appear in your answer.


text:
Can I activate Multani, Yavimaya's Avatar on the battlefield?
Multani, Yavimaya's Avatar's activated ability doesn't require having to declare any targets, and it only cost {1}{G} and returning two lands to hand. The ability doesn't say Multani has to be in the yard. Is there any rule or thing I'm missing that prevents me from activating the ability, returning the lands, and then the ability doing nothing?

You won't be able to active Multani on the battlefield. See Comprehensive Rules 113.6k:

113.6k An ability whose cost or effect specifies that it moves the object it's on out of a particular zone functions only in that zone, unless that ability's trigger condition, or a previous part of that ability's cost or effect, specifies that the object is put into that zone.
Example: Reassembling Skeleton says "{1}{B}: Return Reassembling Skeleton from your graveyard to the battlefield tapped." A player may activate this ability only if Reassembling Skeleton is in his or her graveyard.

Multani states:

(1)(G), Return two lands you control to their owner's hand: Return Multani from your graveyard to your hand.

Since it says it is returning from your graveyard, you can't active unless it is in your graveyard.

Generally, abilities of permanent cards and tokens only work on the battlefield.

113.6. Abilities of an instant or sorcery spell usually function only while that object is on the stack. Abilities of all other objects usually function only while that object is on the battlefield. The exceptions are as follows:

The exceptions can be summarized as follows: Characterstic-defining abilites work everywhere, and abilities that are obviously intended to work in other zones only work in those other zones.
The ability in question is obviously intended to work from the graveyard — to be able to return Multani from the graveyard, Multani must be in the graveyard — so it only works from the graveyard.

113.6k An ability whose cost or effect specifies that it moves the object it’s on out of a particular zone functions only in that zone, unless its trigger condition or a previous part of its cost or effect specifies that the object is put into that zone or, if the object is an Aura, that the object it enchants leaves the battlefield. The same is true if the effect of that ability creates a delayed triggered ability whose effect moves the object out of a particular zone.
Example: Reassembling Skeleton says “{1}{B}: Return Reassembling Skeleton from your graveyard to the battlefield tapped.” A player may activate this ability only if Reassembling Skeleton is in their graveyard.


text:
Ticket to Ride United Kingdom, should the technology cards be in a stack or do we get to choose?
I find the rules very unclear in how the technology cards should be used. It is not mentioned that they should be in a stack with which players get to buy the card on top of the stack.
But it is neither explicitly said that the technology cards may be bought of our choosing. I figured that there are so many it may become a complex and players would have to commit the different cards to memory before being able to play the game.
So do we get to buy those tech cards we want, or are we depended on whatever the stack pops up?

As further evidence all cards are on display,  This image is taken from the official app where for U.K. map the tech cards are all displayed and the player can select any they can pay for.

I think the rules are clear enough by the use of "Available" when listing the Technologies and the absence of any description of a restriction on them. But the question has come up before, so it certainly could be clearer.
The designer responded to one of those instances in 2016:

All tech cards are available from game start.
Most tech cards last until game end, but a few (e.g., Right of Way) must be discarded to have effect. They go back to the available tech card display for repurchase later in the game.

When playing Ticket to Ride UK, the technology cards should be in different stacks based on the technologies themselves, not in one stack with all the technologies. They are not like the train cards, where you can only take blinds or what is in the row. As long as the technologies are not exhausted, you can buy whichever one you choose.


text:
Why is Bind The Monster useful?
I have Bind the Monster. I really don't see a use for it. Is it useful, and how?
It's an Aura Enchantment for {U} with

Enchant creature
When Bind the Monster enters the battlefield, tap enchanted creature. It deals damage to you equal to its power.
Enchanted creature doesn't untap during its controller's untap step.

soft removal in blue for 1! at common! sounds like a pretty solid card in limited formats

Bind the Monster is the newest card from a decent list that both taps the creature when you play it, and keeps it tapped. Most of these that do only that cost 3 or 4 mana, the ones that cost only 1 have significant downsides to them:

Tangle Kelp only works at most every other turn - since it keeps it tapped only if it attacked last turn.
Paralyze lets them pay mana to untap it, they can decide if it's worth 4 mana to have their big threat back for the turn.
Bubble Snare doesn't tap unless you kick it, making it a 4 cost.

And then we have the new 1 cost, Bind the Monster, which also has the creature do damage to you when you use it. It does that damage only once however, then it can't attack, it is also not combat damage - so effects like Fynn, the Fangbearer giving poison counters, or Master of Cruelties setting your life to 1 point won't happen. The creature being kept tapped means it won't be able to attack or block, or use any effects that require it to tap, so no more using Elvish Archdruid to generate a ton of mana in an elf deck.
Most of the time it's easy enough to remove a creature instead. Most kill spells cost 2 or 3 mana like Poison the Cup, most spells that exile cost 3 or 4 - neither of these are things that blue tends to do, kill spells tend to be black, exile spells tend to be white. Blue usually deals with creatures three ways:

Countering them before they resolve - this is very time specific, you need to do this when the creature is cast, but it's usually the most efficient and permanent solution.
Unsummoning them. This sends the creature back to the hand, so it's only a temporary fix, your opponent can usually just play it again next turn, but this tends to be the cheapest option at 1 or 2 mana.
Tapping the creature and keeping it tapped. This is the middle ground. The creature is still on the battlefield, but it can't do much while there. It usually costs about the same as more permanent removal in black or white.

There's a few bad habits and ways of thinking that tend to take players a while to get out of, I suffered from these myself when I started:

Avoid losing life - life is a resource just like mana, and it's only the last point that matters. Winning with 20 or more life counts just as much as winning with only one point left.
Play the strongest cards - It's really a balance between how much it costs and how much it does. Low cost spells that have good, if not spectacular effects can often be better in the long run, you can play them easier when you need them.
Auras on my own creatures - Auras can go on whatever they say they can go on, when it says "Enchant Creature" that means it can enchant any creature you can target - not just yours. Most of the creature auras in Magic are meant to give a boost to creatures, but there are still a good number meant to weaken or hinder a creature, those ones you want to put on your opponent's creatures.

One point you might have missed is that Bind the Monster can target any creature in play. So at least one use for it is to enchant an opponent's creature, which forces it to become tapped and get stuck like that, meaning that:

It can't attack you.
It can't be assigned as a blocker against your attacking creatures.
It can't use any activated abilities that involve tapping it for its cost.

All three of these are very good reasons to want an opponent's creature to be tapped.
There may also be occasions where you want one of your own creatures tapped or where you want to take damage for some reason, but those will be very combo-specific.

Something that's probably worth addressing is the fact that Bind the Monster deals damage to you, the caster, thanks to that sentence at the end of the second ability. A player might see it and think "wait, so either it attacks me and I take damage, or I use this to stop it attacking... and I still take damage. What's the big idea!?"

@doppelgreener this is incorrect - the damage is dealt by the creature, not the aura - this is clear in the rulings on gatherer ("The enters-the-battlefield ability triggers even if the enchanted creature is already tapped. That creature will still deal damage to you.") and in how the card is written (self references use the card name, references to 'it' are used for the targets of the spell or ability)

@Andrew I know that. The source of damage here is nitpicking, what's important here is the aura results in you taking damage as though the creature had hit you anyway and that factors into evaluation of the card's usefulness. I am suggesting the answer may want to comment on that.

@doppelgreener It can definitely matter, depending on what you are binding

@Andrew I am directing you to the fact that nitpicking on the source of damage is not important to me providing this feedback, and this correcting me is beside the point of it.

To be completely explicit, the key point is that binding a creature causes you to take damage only once (when you cast it), instead of the likelihood of taking damage turn after turn as the creature continues to attack. It's a low-cost way for blue to neutralize a threat. No, it doesn't completely nerf every possible creature, and yes, it has drawbacks (the damage, for one), but its a tool in the blue player's arsenal.

What you have there is an aura that can make a lot of creatures almost useless.
Whatever creature you enchant it to will become tapped, and won't untap like normal at the start of its controllers turn. So it basically stays untapped, unless some other card untaps it. A tapped creature cannot attack. It cannot block. It cannot activate abilities with the tap symbol.
The fact that you're dealt some damage is balanced by it only costing a single mana (compare to e.g. Claustrophobia). That does mean you'd be more inclined to use it on a small creature with an important tap ability or a low-powered blocker than on a large creature that wants to attack you.
The creature isn't gone, so there are ways to get use out of a Bound monster. For instance, abilities that don't have tapping as cost are still present and can be used, the Binding can be destroyed bringing the creature back into full use, or the creature could be sacrificed if its controller is asked to sacrifice a creature. Also, if the creature's controller can find any other way of untapping it, then it can be used entirely as normal until it is tapped again.

@Allure I said "can make", not "makes". Also, I did list a number of ways that a creature may still be used. But sure, I can make it clearer.

@Allure Your nitpick is silly: Bind the Monster shuts down the two main threats from the vast, vast majority of creatures: conventional attacks and tapping activated abilities. Of course there are always exceptions in magic, but I'd say "making most creatures basically useless" is a decent summary for a beginning player.

@Allure When answering the question "This aura seems entirely useless, how can someone possibly have a use for this?", I don't think the framing of the question is with regards to current standard or modern meta. That is just a hunch, though. That being said, the very first entry on that list is beautifully answered by the Binding, as it's an offensive attacker that likely has only a single power when you Bind it, and Stoneforge Mystic can't put equipments into play.

@Allure Maybe. But again, I think you're overthinking this, applying way too much cutting-edge theory. The point isn't "Why would a top 8 modern deck ever use this?", but rather "Why is this even printed?"

@Allure The context is a person who can't see the point of that aura, and what kind of things they might face, or even imagine facing. I think I'm fine. You're free to disagree, of course. But I don't think you'll convince me.

In fact this is an extremely playable card in Kaldheim draft or sealed, as it is one of only a couple of creature "removal/shutdown" cards in blue (all the appropriate caveats that it doesn't work for 100% of effects on 100% of creatures, even in Kaldheim). But yeah, this is not a "Pro Tour Constructed" deck tech question, this is a "why would I ever play this" question, presumably because the poster didn't understand we are intended to play this on our opponent's creatures, not our own.

@Allure That top ten list must have changed in the past two weeks, since Firewalker is now 11. Of the list right now Monastery Swiftspear and Goyf are shut down completely, but many of the others are still very hindered by it, Stoneforge Mystic and Noble Heirarch still have some of their use, but they also had tap effects you lose. At least half of the cards in that top ten are completely shut down or lose half their use when bound.

@Allure Swiftspear would get one hit in then, probably relatively low powered, and then likely one point of damage when it binds, Hierarch has exalted but it wouldn't be used if it weren't also a good mana source and binds for 0 life none of the other 1 drop exalted see play, Batterskull is the only equipment in the top 50 cards according to the list you sent, it now costs 3 extra because you can't stoneforge it in, heavily throwing off tempo -   Binding still extremely limits each of these cards - good solutions don't need to be perfect solutions.

Magic is also not just modern, as much as some people seem to act like it is. Standard is still a thing, as is limited, particularly with most of magic being on MTGA right now with the pandemic, along with other formats only really played in MTGA events that are even more restricted, like standard artisan. Not being a staple in a format with as big a card pool as modern (or worse, EDH, vintage and legacy) doesn't mean a card is bad by any means.

Let us continue this discussion in chat.

@Allure The question was never "Is Bind a good card?" It is "How in the blazes would anyone ever find a use for it?" Even in constructed, it is useful. It is not strong enough to be competitive, but that's entirely irrelevant.

@Allure Let me amend "useful" to "could be of use". Or whatever. As i said, I'm not claiming is competitive. You know that. I don't know what else to say. I've tried very hard to specify this, yet you fight me. Why?

Bind the Monster is useful because it can shut down(*) an opponent's creature.
First, note that while some auras (like Setessan Training) can only enchant creatures you control, auras that simply say "enchant creature" can be played on creatures controlled by any player. Clearly some (like Arcane Flight) make more sense to play on your own creatures, and others (like Withercrown) make more sense to play on your opponent's.
When you play Bind the Monster on an opponent's creature, you take a single shot of damage, but then that creature gets (and stays) tapped as long as the aura is on it. Tapped creatures can't attack or block, and can't play any activated abilities that require tapping (like the abilities on Axgard Cavalry or Frost Augur).
So for the cost of 1 blue mana (and the downside of taking some damage) you've effectively neutralized(*) one of your opponent's creatures.
(*) Caveats:

Can it shut down all possible abilities on all possible creatures? No, many creatures have other abilities besides attacking (or tapping). If you play this on Toski, Bearer of Secrets, it won't be able to attack, but Toski's ability still lets your opponent draw cards when other creatures deal combat damage to you. If you play this on Koma, Cosmos Serpent, then Koma can't attack, but you're still likely to lose to all the 3/3 serpent tokens Koma keeps making.

Will the damage hurt? Of course! But so does taking attack damage! So only play this on creatures you can't block or handle in other ways.

Are there better ways to destroy/remove/neutralize creatures? Probably! Depends on what format you're playing, and what other cards (and colors) you have available. But if you're playing blue in a Kaldheim-only draft or sealed deck, then this is a very playable card!

Can your opponent remove the enchantment? Maybe they can, but hopefully they missed a turn of attacks. Or perhaps you just needed to sideline that one pesky blocker so you could attack for the win!

Other caveats apply: Only useful when playing blue. Not useful against decks without creatures. You can't play this card on creatures with hexproof or protection from blue. This card is better in limited (draft and sealed) than in constructed play. There are other ways to untap tapped creatures. Playing this card on creatures with built-in untap abilities like Battered Golem won't do anything useful. Definitely don't play this on your own Serra Avatar or Soul of Eternity.