text:
Will infinite loops still force a draw if I have a way to end them?
The comprehensive rules of MTG state:

104.4b If a game that’s not using the limited range of influence option (including a two-player game) somehow enters a “loop” of mandatory actions, repeating a sequence of events with no way to stop, the game is a draw. Loops that contain an optional action don’t result in a draw

So, if I have a Sporemound and a Life and Limb, that creates an infinite combo. A land enters the field, which creates a 1/1 Saproling, which is also a land, which creates a 1/1 Saproling, etc. This cannot end, and according to the rules the game now ends in a draw.
However, I have an unsummon, or destroy enchantment, or some other way to remove one of the cards creating this loop. Does this make the game not end in a draw? Can I allow the loop to continue through a million cycles, then destroy my enchantment to break the loop? Or does the game end anyway?
EDIT:
Thanks for all the answers. So, if I have a way to bounce or destroy one of the pieces of an infinite loop, I can allow the loop to resolve as many times as I want, and the game isn't a draw. However, the rules for shortcuts (719) also say:

719.4. If a loop contains only mandatory actions, the game is a draw. (See rules 104.4b and 104.4f.)

Does this mean I draw anyway?
I hope you guys don't mind, but I have a few more questions about loops:
When is the game considered a draw, as in how many times does a loop have to resolve to trigger the draw state? If I have an infinite loop that damages a player, but no way to remove a piece of the loop, is the game still a draw?
For example, I have a Sanguine Bond and an Exquisite Blood. It will kill all of my opponents, but it is only mandatory actions and I have no way to stop it. The rules also don't say anything about the game state changing.
Thanks again for all the help.

Almost every single Magic question here is about the rules, and can be answered with help from the comprehensive rules, but we've never tagged any of them. We also don't tend to tag things with really specific things like "infinite combo"; the game name is plenty.

I don't think Unsummon would work because once Sporemound's affects resolve (and the 1/1 Saproling is now Unsommon-able), it is immediately triggered again.

@Free, There is only one copy of Sporemound's trigger on the stack at any given time. You can potentially stop the loop with an Unsummon, and the Sporemound's controller will get 1 additional saproling when the remaining trigger resolves.

@BrianS Ah, I see. Unsummoning Sporemound, not the Saproling. Excuse me while I go ingest more coffee.

The sanguine blood combo does have a way to stop... Your opponent will die. So it's not an infinite loop. For the other combo, it's only a draw if you do not end the loop.

It is, though, a loop with only mandatory action. And the rules say a loop with only mandatory actions draws the game.

@ArcanistLupus It looks like you suggested that this question is a duplicate of itself. Did you paste the wrong link, or am I reading your comment wrong?

@Rainbolt I posted the comment on the wrong question.

It's not an answer to the question exactly, but I don't believe it is possible for Wizards to create rules about looping that handle all cases. MTG has been proven Turing Complete toothycat.net/~hologram/Turing/HowItWorks.html . So, it is not even possible in all cases to determine whether one is even in an infinite looping situation or not. And because of this, there will also always be provably looping situations that are not covered by whatever finite set of looping rules you choose. So, even if the rules can answer all of your scenarios, there are others which the rules do not.

You have 2 options:
(1) Propose a shortcut where you pass priority on the triggers, allowing Saprolings to be made. If your opponent agrees, you can specify the number of iterations, and then use something like naturalize to destroy one of the enchantments, ending the loop.
(2) You can let the loop proceed indefinitely, resulting in a draw. This is allowed by rule 719.5

719.5. No player can be forced to perform an action that would end a loop other than actions called for by objects involved in the loop.

To answer your new questions:
Rule 719.4 applies in the situation where no one can interact with the loop, and all actions are mandatory (e.g., you can't set up a mandatory loop with 3x Fiend Hunter because the triggered ability is optional)
The interaction between Sanguine Bond and Exquisite Blood will cause a player to lose the game. This is because state-based actions are responsible for making a person lose when his or her life is 0 or less. State-based actions are checked before any player gets priority and before any triggered abilities are put on the stack, which means that they occur before effects like Sanguine Bond and Exquisite Blood can continue to loop.

Every time the ability triggers, you gain priority. When you pass priority, your opponent gains priority. When they pass priority, the ability resolves, another token enters play, and the ability triggers again. Whenever you have priority, you have the opportunity to play a spell like Naturalize to destroy your enchantment. If you do so, the triggered ability currently on the stack will resolve, but since the enchantment is gone, the ability won't trigger again and the loop will end.
Of course, you are not obligated to stop the loop. Rule 719.5 says

No player can be forced to perform an action that would end a loop other than actions called for by objects involved in the loop.

So if you have a Naturalize in your hand, you can choose to end the loop after you have as many saprolings as you want, or you choose to let the game end in a draw, if that's better for you.

Note that the rule includes the clause "with no way to stop". The situation you describe includes a way to stop.
The accepted way to handle this sort of thing in a paper game is just to say, "I repeat this loop X times" with the assumption that your opponent will either agree, or interrupt the combo. Then you can interrupt the combo yourself. Because they can't program this kind of shortcut into Magic: Online, decks like this are frequently (but not always) impractical because all the necessary clicking may lead to timeouts.
High-level tournament decks have been built on concepts like this in the past. The shortcut described above works there, too; it's explicitly allowed to propose shortcuts of the form "I do X until Y happens or you have a response", as described here.

"The situation you describe includes a way to stop." What way is that? The trigger isn't optional. This situation is specifically different from a normal infinite combo because there isn't an option not to put another saproling into play when the ability triggers.

@murgatroid99 OP specifically limited the sitaution to one where he has castable cards in his hand that can interrupt the combo. To me "no way to stop" would imply that he has no legal action that can prevent the combo from continuing.

Players are under no obligation to cast a spell or activate an ability to interrupt an infinite loop of mandatory actions.

"here" is a dead link.

-1: 716.5. No player can be forced to perform an action that would end a loop other than actions called for by objects involved in the loop


text:
When something is put into play, who controls it and why?
It seems to me that the underlying assumption with Hive Stirrings is that the Sliver tokens come into play under your control. However, I am building a random standard Polymorph deck (random standard is like t2 but sets are picked randomly) which could also use Defense of the Heart as a 4-8 copy of polymorph if I could give my opponent the slivers instead.
Can anyone point me to some kind of reasoning/ruling behind which player the tokens come out under because to me this seems like kind of an oversight on the part of the card creators by not being specific enough with the card wording.

Can whomever voted to closed as unclear explain your confusion, so that the author may at least have a chance to clarify? The question looks clear to me.

There is a mini-cycle of "hunted" creatures from Ravnica: City of Guilds that give your opponents tokens. This link will show you them: http://magiccards.info/query?q=hunted&v=card&s=cname Hunted Troll is in color with Defense of the Heart.

@Rainbolt I VTC'd as I was unclear what the question, or problem, was. (You're right I should have left a comment.) Gendolkari apparently noticed it, but I couldn't. Now with the edit it's clearer, I guess the asker's just confused because Hive Stirrings doesn't say the Slivers enter under their own control. (So theoretically you can give them to anyone, right?)

The tokens will always come into play under your control, you cannot choose otherwise.
From the comprehensive rules:

110.2a If an effect instructs a player to put an object onto the battlefield, that object enters the
  battlefield under that player’s control unless the effect states otherwise.
110.5a A token is both owned and controlled by the player under whose control it entered the
  battlefield.

Thanks, that is what I was assuming.  Sucks that I'm stuck with only 4 cards of the combo but whatever.

Funny sidenote; Tokens used to be owned by the owner of the effect that put them into play, not the player by whose control it entered the battlefield. This however changed since M10 rules change, which broke some quite funny combo's

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text:
Do "enter the battlefield" abilities trigger heroic? Do creatures that leave and reenter the battlefield trigger again?
So, here's the play:
Player 1 has Staunch-Hearted Warrior on the field. They play Living Totem and target the warrior, giving the warrior a +1/1 counter.
Question 1: Would Living Totem's ability trigger Staunch-Hearted Warrior's heroic ability?
Back to the game now. Next turn, player 1 plays Invasive Species and returns Living Totem to their hand. On the following turn, they play Living Totem back onto the battlefield.
Would Living Totem's ability trigger again?

In the future, I think you should ask one question per, erm, question. This makes it possible to identify duplicates. It also makes your question easier to search for, both here and on Google.

Question 1: No.
Creature spells (such as Living Totem) don't target. When you cast Living Totem, you do not pick any targets. Once it eventually resolves, it's ability triggers and you choose targets when you place it on the stack. But placing an ability on the stack is not casting a spell, so it doesn't trigger Staunch-Hearted Warrior's ability.
Aura spells, on the other hand, always target. Casting Messenger's Speed targeting Staunch-Hearted Warrior would trigger the latter's ability.
Question 2: Yes.
Living Totem was in your hand (not on the battlefield) one moment and on the battlefield the next, so it entered the battlefield. As such, it's ETB ability triggered.

For #2, probably worth mentioning the whole "new object" thing, since he seemed to think that Living Totem would remember that it had previously entered the battlefield.

@GendoIkari, I purposefully omitted the following since I considered it irrelevant and confusing, but since you ask for it: Technically, "Living Totem's ability triggers again" is incorrect. It's a brand new object with no relation to the one that previously existed on the battlefield or in your hand[CR 400.7], so "The new Living Totem's ability triggers" would be more accurate.

No.
Living totems has a triggered ability that adds +1/+1 counters, which triggers upon him entering the battlefield. That is not the same thing as 'casting a spell that targets Staunch-Hearted warrior', so the Staunch-Hearted Warrior's heroic ability will not trigger.
However, if you target the Staunch-Hearted Warrior with an enchantment, then bounced it, and then recast it, it would trigger the Staunch-Hearted Warrior's heroic ability twice.

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text:
When a creature dies and later returns to the battlefield, does it keep +1/+1 counters?
If I have a Bloodcrazed Hoplite that's been given +1/+1 counters from its heroic ability, and then it's killed by an enemy creature, and then I cast a spell that returns it to the battlefield, does it still have the +1/+1 counters on it?

No, it does not keep the +1/+1 counters. Specifically, rule 121.2 says

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

and rule 400.1 says

A zone is a place where objects can be during a game. There are normally seven zones: library, hand, battlefield, graveyard, stack, exile, and command. Some older cards also use the ante zone. Each player has his or her own library, hand, and graveyard. The other zones are shared by all players.

So, when the Hoplite dies, it moves from the battlefield to the graveyard, and its counters disappear.
More generally, rule 400.7 says

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

It has exceptions, but none apply here. The Hoplite that you return to the battlefield counts as a completely new creature with no memory of its previous existence on the battlefield.

Relevant rules: 121.2 (Counters on an object are not retained if that object moves from one zone to another.) and 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.), and in order to define zones, 400.1 (A zone is a place where objects can be during a game. There are normally seven zones: library,
hand, battlefield, graveyard, stack, exile, and command.)

AFAIK, Skullbriar is the only exception (in keeping +1/+1 counters across zones).

@HaoYe Skullbriar works because of comprehensive rule 101.1.

I assume the same is true for Auras?

The rules mentioned in this answer say "object", so they apply to everything: permanents, cards, spells.

Excellent answer, and the reason cards like Abnormal Endurance aren't much more powerful ;)

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text:
Can players use cards from a core set in a Block Constructed tournament?
What are the rules regarding playing DCI sanctioned Block Constructed formats with cards from a core set such as M15? (I'm thinking of Innistrad-Avacyn Restored block).
Do all players in a game have to use the core set? Can they use blocks that are different from one another's?

None of the currently sanctioned Block Constructed formats include any core sets.
All players in a sanctioned Block Constructed tournament must be using the same block.
The list of currently available Block Constructed formats that can be sanctioned is in the Magic Tournament Rules, that you can find here:
http://wpn.wizards.com/en/resources/rules-documents

@Rainbolt, oh wow.


text:
Where can I buy Magic: The Gathering cards?
Are there web sites where I can buy cards from Magic: The Gathering? I want to buy the Exalted Darkness and Dream Puppets decks from the Xbox 360 version of Magic: The Gathering 2013.

A quick Google search for "buy individual magic cards" reveals many sites.

The OP was looking for those decks already boxed up. I know the answer is probably that you can't get them like that, but the edit does change the intent.

One of the earliest versions of DotP did also bring along paper versions of some of the decks, but I'm guessing it probably didn't sell ver well and so was discontinued.

This question appears to be off-topic because requests for off-site resources attract open-ended lists of opinion-based links prone to link rot.

Also, it's practically inviting spam and similar advertisements.  Forgot that one.

You can buy Magic: The Gathering cards at TCGPlayer.com and StarCityGames.com, just to name a couple. Some vendors offer free shipping if you purchase more than a minimum threshold.
The decks from inside the game are not sold in real life as a complete bundle. You'll have to hand select the cards yourself. Here are the decklists you mentioned, for reference:

Exalted Darkness
Dream Puppets


text:
How do I know what cards or sets are legal to play with?
Can I mix older Magic the Gathering cards with cards from Magic 2015? If I have mainly Magic 2015 cards can I play my friends who mainly have older decks?

You can of course play with whatever cards you want with your friends - seems like the real question is whether it'll be fun to play. Depending on what kind of older decks they have, there could be some power level mismatch.

It depends on what format you want to play.
Casual
You can use whatever cards you want, as long as your friends are alright with it. This is informally known as "kitchen table magic", at least in my area. Some casual formats are are so popular that they have their own rules, such as Commander. See the link at the bottom for more information.
Standard
Prior to 2016, you could only use cards from the latest two expansion blocks and any core set(s) directly succeeding them. Starting in the Spring of 2016, you can only use cards from the latest three expansion blocks. For those unaware, a "block" is a set of expansions that are released sequentially and revolve around a single story or plane. More details on this format here.
Modern
You may use cards from any set since 8th Ed. Some cards are banned.
Legacy
You may use cards from any set. Some cards are banned.
Vintage
You may use cards from any set. Some cards are banned. Others are restricted to one copy per deck.
All Constructed Formats
The following rules apply Standard, Modern, Legacy, and Vintage.

Deck must contain at least sixty cards
With the exception of basic lands, decks may not exceed four of any card
Cards with a silver or gold border only are illegal
Decks containing a mixture of Alpha and non-Alpha cards must be played with opaque sleeves
A card from an older set is legal if a card with the same name was printed in an otherwise legal set

You can learn more about these formats, as well as some that I did not cover (such as Commander), by visiting Wizards of the Coast's website.

Might want to mention "floor rules 102", about mixing alpha and non-alpha cards. Even in casual play, though of course you can do anything you want, you would want to sleeve your cards with opaque sleeves if your deck mixes alpha and non-alpha.

@Gendolkari I Googled floor rules 102 and got something about Unhinged and Unglued (which I promptly tacked on to the bottom of the answer). I'm pretty sure I didn't get what you are talking about. Feel free to edit it in.

Also, cards from sets not allowed in a format are allowed when they are reprinted in the format. For example, a Nightmare from Alpha is still legal in Standard because it is reprinted in M15

Commander/EDH may be worth mentioning, although the card pool is "Vintage minus some additional banned cards"; it's the deck construction that really makes it different.

@BrianS Added a reference to Commander under Casual (since it's technically a casual format).

@IvoBeckers Added a note about older cards cards being legal if they are reprinted.


text:
What happens when a double-sided card is returned to the battlefield or a copy of it appears?
Say I cast Oblivion Ring on Garruk, the Veil-Cursed (i.e. a transformed Garruk Relentless). What happens when my Oblivion Ring gets destroyed?
My interpretation was that Garruk returns in his Veil-Cursed form, but dies with zero loyalty counters, since there is no reference to how many counters he has upon return.
Also, am I correct assuming that Clever Impersonator is everything but clever when trying to impersonate Garruk, the Veil-Cursed (i.e. he dies due to zero loyalty counters)?

Ouch, now I understand this question. Garruk the Veil-Cursed has no default counter amount.

@ikegami Objects not on the battlefield don't have status, so "untapped", "unflipped", "face up", and "phased-in" don't apply to them.

@murgatroid99, oh yeah. The point remains, though. Every time it changes zones, it's a new object with no memory of the object the card represented before (with simple exceptions). It stopped being transformed when it was exiled, long before it re-entered (at which point it would stop being transformed again if it was possible to be transformed in exile).

Also, technically, "transformed" isn't a status. Transforming is an action the switches which face is face-up. And off the battlefield, the main face is always face up (711.2a).

My interpretation was that Garruk returns in his Veil-Cursed form, but dies with zero loyalty counters, since there is no reference to how many counters he has upon return.

No. Transform cards always enter the battlefield "sunny side up" unless an effect says otherwise (see Loyal Cathar). When Garruk re-enters the battlefield, he will be Garruk Relentless, with 3 loyalty counters.

Also, am I correct assuming that Clever Impersonator is everything but clever when trying to impersonate Garruk, the Veil-Cursed (ie he dies due to zero loyalty counters)?

Yes. When a copy effect copies a transformed card, only the currently displayed face is copied (and the clone/token cannot transform). Clever Impersonator will be Garruk, the Veil-Cursed, however it will enter with zero loyalty counters and be moved to the graveyard the next time state-based actions are checked.

When Garruk is in the exile zone, he is also "sunny side up":"711.2a. In every zone other than the battlefield, and also on the battlefield with its front face up, a double-faced card has only the characteristics of the front face."

It will come back as the Garruk Relentless with 3 loyalty counters since it enters the battlefield as a new object. See comprehensive rules 110.6 and 110.6b

110.6. A permanent's status is its physical state. There are four status categories, each of which has two possible values:
  tapped/untapped, flipped/unflipped, face up/face down, and phased
  in/phased out. Each permanent always has one of these values for each
  of these categories.
110.6b Permanents enter the battlefield untapped, unflipped, face up, and phased in unless a spell or ability says otherwise.

This is incorrect. Double-faced cards are governed by rule 711. The rules you quoted are not relevant because double faced cards are always face up (711.6).

These two situations actually have two different outcomes. In the case where the Oblivion Ring that removed Garruk leaves the battlefield, he re-enters with his front face (Garruk Relentless) face up, with 3 loyalty counters. Rule 711.6 says

A double-faced card enters the battlefield with its front face up unless a spell or ability puts it onto the battlefield "transformed," in which case it enters the battlefield with its back face up.

When it re-enters from exile, it is a new object with no memory of its previous existence (see rule 400.7). Oblivion Ring doesn't say that it should enter transformed, so it enters with its front face up.
If you copy Garruk, Veil Cursed, the copy will enter as a Garruk, Veil Cursed, and because it has no default loyalty, it will in fact enter with 0 loyalty counters and die the next time state based actions are checked. Rule 711.3 says

Except for determining whether or not a permanent can transform, a spell, ability, or rule that needs information about a double-faced permanent sees only the information given by the face that's currently up.

Example: A Clone enters the battlefield as a copy of Wildblood Pack (the back face of a double-faced card). The Clone will be a copy of Wildblood Pack. Because the Clone is itself not a double-faced card, it can't transform.

The situation described in that example is exactly the same as the one you are asking about: if you copy a transforming card, you copy the information that is currently face up.

@Rainbolt A planeswalker can in fact die. Rule 700.4 says "The term 'dies' means 'is put into a graveyard from the battlefield.'"

@murgtroid99 Ok, I found this: ""Dies" is shorthand for "is put into a graveyard from the battlefield" that's used exclusively to refer to creatures." in this article. Has something changed since Core Set 2012? Can Planeswalkers actually "die" now? Is that article just wrong?

@Rainbolt in rule 700.4 there is no mention of creatures. I guess that has changed since M12 but I'm not sure... you'd have to compare the old and new releases of the comprehensive rules. In any case, regardless of what the rules say, people have used "dies" informally for noncreature permanents for a long time.

I accepted Brian's answer because your answers seem the same to me and his was there before. Thanks for your answer.

That's understandable. I just thought some rules references would be helpful.

@Rainbolt, Nothing has changed, and Planeswalkers can die. 700.4 simply claimed that the cards and rule won't call it that, not that it doesn't happen. Planeswalker can quite obviously go to the graveyard from the battlefield, so Planeswalkers can quite obviously die. The rule was recently reworded (without changing what it says) because it was frequently misinterpreted to mean that only creatures could die, but that has never been the case. (If I exclusively use the term "pail" to refer to metal buckets, it doesn't mean that other buckets aren't pails.)

@Rainbolt, Take "When Ashen-Skin Zubera dies", for example. (By the way, that's a death trigger that doesn't follow pattern you say death triggers always follow.) It has always triggered regardless of the permanent's type. Ashen Rider is a new card with similar language.

@ikegami Here is a more recent example showing that only creatures can die.

@Rainbolt that video actually says the opposite of what you said.

@Rainbolt, (The link you posted starts the video at 3:33, so I had watched it from there.) Sadly, it's mistaken when it says things that aren't creatures can't "die", as I already explained. Even before the rule wording change, When Ashen-Skin Zubera dies triggers when the object is moved from the 'field to the graveyard regardless of the object's type.


text:
Stealing and Phasing
Say I borrowed an opponent's creature (e.g. via Threaten) and then let it phase out (e.g. via Reality Ripple). Under whose control does it phase in, and when? Under whose control does it phase in if Time and Tide is cast the same turn?

FYI: You can use [mtg:Card Name] to tag cards.

When the creature phases in on your next untap step, your opponent will control it. It phases in on your next untap step because rule 702.25a says

Phasing is a static ability that modifies the rules of the untap step. During each player’s untap step, before the active player untaps his or her permanents, all phased-in permanents with phasing that player controls “phase out.” Simultaneously, all phased-out permanents that had phased out under that player’s control “phase in.”.

Since the permanent phased out under your control, it phases in on your untap step. Your opponent will control it because rule 702.25e says

Continuous effects that affect a phased-out permanent may expire while that permanent is phased out. If so, they will no longer affect that permanent once it’s phased in. In particular, effects with “for as long as” durations that track that permanent (see rule 611.2b) end when that permanent phases out because they can no longer see it.

The Threaten effect lasts "until end of turn", so at the end of your turn the effect ended. Therefore, when the creature phases in, the effect that made you control it expires and control reverts to the previous controller.
If Time and Tide causes the permanent to phase in during your turn, you will still control it until your turn ends. Rule 702.25d says

The phasing event doesn’t actually cause a permanent to change zones or control, even though it’s treated as though it’s not on the battlefield and not under its controller’s control while it’s phased out. Zone-change triggers don’t trigger when a permanent phases in or out. Counters remain on a permanent while it’s phased out. Effects that check a phased-in permanent’s history won’t treat the phasing event as having caused the permanent to leave or enter the battlefield or its controller’s control.

When does it phase back in?
The following describes the first thing to happen in the Untap Step:

502.1. First, all phased-in permanents with phasing that the active player controls phase out, and all phased-out permanents that the active player controlled when they phased out phase in. This all happens simultaneously. This turn-based action doesn’t use the stack. See rule 702.25, “Phasing.”

Since you controlled the creature when it phased out, it will phase in at the start of your next Untap Step.

Under whose control does it phase in?
Keep in mind that a creature doesn't change zones when it phases out. Being phased in or not is a status like being tapped or not.

702.25d The phasing event doesn’t actually cause a permanent to change zones or control, even though it’s treated as though it’s not on the battlefield and not under its controller’s control while it’s phased out. [...]

Since it never ceases to be a permanent, it never ceases to have a controller. As such, the real question is:
Who controls it when it phase back in?

110.2. [...] A permanent’s controller is, by default, the player under whose control it entered the battlefield. [...]

Continuous effects, such as the one created by Threaten, can override a permanent's controller for as long as the continuous effect exists.

611.1. A continuous effect modifies characteristics of objects, modifies control of objects, or affects players or the rules of the game, for a fixed or indefinite period.

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

The continuous effect created by Threaten functions until the end of the turn on which it was cast (or more specifically, until the Cleanup Step). (Even Sundial of the Infinite cannot override that.)
While a creature is phased out, it's unaffected by continuous effects such as the one created by Threaten, but that's not important since the continuous effect will continue to affect it should when it phases back in.

702.25b If a permanent phases out, its status changes to “phased out.” Except for rules and effects that specifically mention phased-out permanents, a phased-out permanent is treated as though it does not exist. It can’t affect or be affected by anything else in the game.

702.25c If a permanent phases in, its status changes to “phased in.” The game once again treats it as though it exists.

So if it's phased in and its the turn in which you cast Threaten, you control it. Your opponent controls it otherwise.

This is what happens step-by-step,

Using Threaten, you create a continuous effect that gives you control of one of your opponent's creatures.
Using Reality Ripple, you phase out the creature. It's temporarily unaffected by the continuous effect created by Threaten, so he regains control of it.
As your turn is about to end, the continuous effect giving you control of your opponent's creature ends.
Your opponent spends a turn without his creature.
As your turn starts, the opponent's creature phases in. It's still under his control.

If you were to cast Time and Tide on the same turn you cast Theaten, the following happens instead:

Using Threaten, you create a continuous effect that gives you control of one of your opponent's creatures.
Using Reality Ripple, you phase out the creature. It's temporarily unaffected by the continuous effect created by Threaten, so he regains control of it.
You phase in the creature using Time and Tide. The continuous effect created by Threaten resumes giving you control of the creature.
As your turn is about to end, the continuous effect giving you control of your opponent's creature ends.


text:
Do I gain life if a creature I control with lifelink deals damage to another creature or player?
I control Stonehorn Chanter, which has lifelink.
If Stonehorn Chanter deals damage to an opposing player, do I gain life?
If Stonehorn Chanter deals damage to an opposing creature, do I gain life?

You can use [mtg:Card Name] to tag cards.

@Rainbolt Is that better that the linking system I have used?
And how does that "tagging" work?

That depends on what you mean by "better". If Wizards of the Coast changed the URL for the Gatherer, your link would be broken until manually fixed. Auto card links are fixed  automatically as soon as the auto card feature is updated. Auto card provides consistency across our site by having all cards link to the same database. It's also easier to type. On the other hand, cards with apostrophes and cards whose names are contained in another card's name don't work (like Sun Titan and Sundering Titan). "Tagging" here means "generate a link".

Also, it's easier :) Unfortunately, because of a bug in Gatherer, [mtg:...] doesn't work if the card name as an apostrophe ("'").

@Rainbolt Do I have a choice to decide between these options, or do you decide it for me?

@Damaskox You have a choice.

Why do you think you wouldn't gain the life? It says so right in the reminder text. I think a short sentence explaining the source of your doubts would improve the question.

When a creature with lifelink deals damage to anything (creature, planeswalker, or player) with any cause (spell, ability or combat), you gain that much life. That means that yes, dealing damage to a blocking creature in combat makes you gain life from lifelink. Rule 702.15b says

Damage dealt by a source with lifelink causes that source’s controller, or its owner if it has no controller, to gain that much life (in addition to any other results that damage causes). See rule 119.3.


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Can a Guildgate be tapped for colorless?
Can Izzet Guildgate be tapped for colorless mana? For example, could I tap 7 Guildgates to cast Karn Liberated?

Welcome to Board & Card Games! If you're asking this question, you've probably missed learning some fundamentals about the game. I suggest you read the Basic Rulebook (first link on the page) - it's a basic coverage of all the rules, in more depth than the booklet which comes with starter decks.

This site welcomes basic rules questions. Can whomever voted to close please explain why?

You can use a guildgate to help pay for Karn, but it doesn't involve colorless mana.
When you see a grey circle with a number mana symbol in a cost, like the {7} in Karn's casting cost, that's actually called a generic mana cost. You can spend any color of mana to pay for that cost. So you can, say, tap an Izzet Guildgate for red (or blue) mana and use that to pay for one of that seven mana.
Colorless mana, on the other hand, is what's produced when you see something like "add {1} to your mana pool", again with the grey circle with a number, for example on Tomb of the Spirit Dragon. You can use that to pay for generic mana costs too - so you could use colorless mana to cast Karn, but you don't have to. Any color will do.

Yes, it's a bit unfortunate that the same symbol has different meanings based on context. Maybe in some alternate universe, generic costs are designated with * or something.

One way to think about it is that mana sources that produce colorless mana doesn't provide any color of mana, and generic mana costs don't require any color of mana.


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Dropping from a sanctioned event mid-draft
The tournament rules say:

Players who drop during limited events own the cards that they
  correctly have in their possession at that time. This includes any
  unopened or partially drafted boosters.

Does this mean that if, in a sanctioned draft, I open a booster pack with two mythic rares (one in the foil slot), I can immediately drop and keep both (in addition to any cards I have already drafted)?
If the answer depends on the Rules Enforcement Level, please explain how it differs at each level.

I realized while writing my answer that I may not fully understand what your question is. How does the quote you quoted not directly answer your own question? Where is the confusion coming from?

@Rainbolt I found "Possession" here to have many possible interpretations, as it is nat a precice MTG term. Your answer was exactly what I was looking for

Whether or not this is allowed (though it seems to be), if you drop from a draft at the very beginning just to avoid passing a card you opened, the other players will probably think you're a jerk.

Players who drop during limited events own the cards that they correctly have in their possession at that time. This includes any unopened or partially drafted boosters.

Like the rule says, if you drop, you keep any unopened or partially drafted boosters. Even if you pack two mythic rares.
If the rule is not convincing enough, here is a Level 2 judge's interpretation of it:

At any time, you can take the pack in your hand, any cards you have drafted, and any unopened packs you have yet to open and drop from the draft. There will be no repercussions from Wizards for doing this. We don't try to replace any of those cards, the table will just continue drafting with one less player.

Another L2 judge by the name of Nathan Long wrote an in depth article on the subject. It agrees with everything stated above. On this Reddit thread, Toby Elliot chimes in on the subject. Toby is in charge of tournament policy, and he is also a L5 judge.
While it is totally within the rules to grab your pack and drop, the tournament organizer is not obligated to accept your money in the future. My local tournament organizer warns players that they may be banned from participating in future tournaments for dropping repeatedly. The threat is not empty; they actually follow through on some occasions. Talk to the tournament organizer before dropping.

This is true for Competitive REL and Pro REL (where the TR apply), but it's been claimed it's not always the case at Regular REL (where the TR are more of a guide).

@ikegami Let's work it out in chat.

After some discussion, I'm going to stand my ground that tournament rules do apply to Regular events.

Most of the time - yes, you keep what you drafted (any unopened boosters included). However, some stores may have a different approach to distribution of rares and such - they might be distributed randomly, or winners get to choose first from the pool etc. From a related question:

Make sure you know the policy on rares - will rares be re-drafted at the end? Do you keep all rares you draft? Is it a 'winner-chooses' system? Most of the time you'll keep what you draft, but not always.

It's worth noting - as far as WOTC are concerned, their policy is correct and I am pretty sure they would come down pretty hard on a store who tried to force anything different on a player. Whether a store lets a player enter any subsequent drafts after doing so however, is entirely down to the store itself.

This answer is only partially correct. The store may ban you, but you are completely within the rules (and the law) to simply leave with what you drafted, even if the store has a rare redraft policy. Leaving with the cards you currently have in your possession is not theft, and DCI will not take action against you. Basically, I think your answer should start with "Yes" instead of "Most of the time - yes". Keep a clear separation between what is allowed by tournament policy and what the store might ban you for.

That may be the case in Regular REL (where the TR are more of a guide), but it's not the case in Competitive REL and Pro REL (where the TR apply).


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Can I pay two different costs with the same payment?
Say I have a Zombie token, Viscera Seer, and Altar of Dementia on the battlefield. Can I sacrifice the Zombie token to activate both the Altar's and Seer's abilities?
Similarly, if I have one card in hand, and Wild Mongrel and Patrol Hound on the battlefield can I discard the one card to both of their abilities?
If I have a Lux Cannon with 3 charge counters can I activate both of its abilities by tapping it to add a counter, and tapping it to remove 3 counters and destroy a permanent without untapping it in between?

This is designed to be an authoritative question for 2 costs 1 payment questions such as http://boardgames.stackexchange.com/questions/21317/can-multiple-spells-be-activated-with-the-same-mana http://boardgames.stackexchange.com/questions/14119/can-i-use-both-of-grindclocks-abilities-at-the-same-time and http://boardgames.stackexchange.com/questions/23982/can-bloodrush-satisfy-a-forced-discard

Is there a way to aggregate them all and then aggregate the answers and make a community wiki question and answer?

@ikegami the reason I suggested it is because to those who understand the game and the mechanics this looks like a lot of 'can I pay two costs with one resource' questions, but to newer players who don't realize everything that cost encompass, a wiki question that includes a lot of those key words or specific scenarios may actually help to avoid people posting duplicates in the first place. I think a wiki question with all the previous duplicate scenarios would be useful.

@Pow-Ian, Re "I think a wiki question with all the previous duplicate scenarios would be useful.", A question can't be converted to wiki after it's created. At least not by us mere mortals. The answer should definitely not be a wiki. Let the best answer percolate up.

Nice comparison would be to look at real life, can you pay with the same money for two different products? let's say a you payed 1$ for a drink, you can't use that same dollar to buy another drink or a mars bar.

No.
We might say "I sacrifice this creature to activate Altar of Dementia's ability", but that's not entirely correct. Sacrificing the creature doesn't activate the ability; sacrificing the creature is part of activating the ability. You must start to activate the ability before you pay the cost, so you must be in a position to activate the ability before you can pay the cost.

"[cost]: [effect]" denotes an activated ability.
Activating Viscera Seer's ability requires that you sacrifice a creature as a cost. That means the first thing you do is chose to activate the ability, then you sacrifice a creature to satisfy the cost of doing so.
If you also wanted to activate Altar of Dementia's ability, you will need to sacrifice a second creature since the one you sacrificed to Viscera Seer no longer exists. Like costs of real life, each needs to be payed separately.

117.10. Each payment of a cost applies to only one spell, ability, or effect. For example, a player can't sacrifice just one creature to activate the activated abilities of two permanents that each require sacrificing a creature as a cost. Also, the resolution of a spell or ability doesn't pay another spell or ability's cost, even if part of its effect is doing the same thing the other cost asks for.

Note that you are free to use the either of the abilities again. Only a Planeswalker's loyalty ability can't be used more than once per turn (and those which explicitly forbid it on the card). Any other activated ability can be used as many times as you can pay the cost.

"{Whenever|When|At} [condition], [effect]" denotes a triggered ability.
If Viscera Seer's and Altar of Dementia's abilities were phrased "Whenever you sacrifice a creature, ...", then you would get both effects whenever you sacrifice a creature, no matter the reason it was sacrificed. You would need some external means of sacrificing a creature, though.
For example, attacking with a Fallowsage would give you to the option of drawing a card.
For example, tapping a land for mana while its enchanted by Contaminated Ground would cause its controller to lose two life (in addition to gaining mana). If that land was enchanted by two Contaminated Ground, its controller would lose a total of four life.

Could you add a section on triggered abilities with costs? The newest duplicate asks about those.

@Arcanist Lupus, The problem in that linked question is that the OP thinks they're resolving both abilities at the same time? The problem is a misunderstanding of the stack. I'm not sure how I could incorporate that into my answer.

The answer to all of these questions is no. Think of it like a vending machine you can't use the same dollar to buy 2 different things that cost a dollar from the machine.

117.10. Each payment of a cost applies to only one spell, ability, or effect. For example, a player can't sacrifice just one creature to activate the activated abilities of two permanents that each require sacrificing a creature as a cost. Also, the resolution of a spell or ability doesn't pay another spell or ability's cost, even if part of its effect is doing the same thing the other cost asks for.

Basically you can't sacrifice 1 creature to pay for 2 different costs, even if they both require you to sacrifice a creature.


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If both players are killed at the same time, do they both die?
I play Magic: The Gathering and I just had a really strange game with my opponent. We were both about to die (both sides with 2 life) when we both set down instants that damaged each other (at the same time). I played the red instant Shock, and she played the red instant Staggershock. It was my turn. It was kind of an awkward coincidence, so we called a draw. Is that logic correct?

If you came to this question looking for an answer to the title "if both players are killed at the same time, do they both die?", this question may have a better answer

No, it's not correct, and no, it wasn't a draw.
As you know, if they were killed at the same time, it would be a draw. But they weren't killed at the same time. MTG is a turn-based game. It's impossible to cast two instants at the same time (at least under normal circumstances), and it's completely impossible for two instants to resolve at the same time.
Whoever had priority[1] got to cast their instant. Their opponent then got a chance to cast an instant in response. The instant cast in response, being cast last, will resolve first.
The game would have ended before the first instant had a chance to resolve.

It's not possible to determine who had priority from the info you provided. Being your turn, chances are it was you unless you just finished casting a spell.

What made you put the line about "your draw step" - I don't see anything in the post that talks about that. Considering the question is about 'draws' in a completely different context, that line might be confusing.

One other thought I had was that the title on this question isn't what's actually happening... they aren't at the same time. However, an effect could happen at the same time, such as "all players lose 1 life" when they're all at one life. That would cause a draw. It's not what the OP is actually asking in his question, but it IS what the title is asking.

@corsiKa Titles that don't accurately reflect the question being asked need correcting to be accurate, not answering.

@corsiKa, I didn't see the point of repeating what the OP already knows, but for the benefit of other readers, I added "As you know, if they were killed at the same time, it would be a draw."

@SevenSidedDie Clearly it needed answering in some form; the OP thought it was equivalent to what was being asked.

@ikegami A small note regarding your most recent edit: you get priority immediately after you finish casting a spell (CR 116.3c). If you are the active player, you only don't have priority if you just passed it or if someone else took an action.

@murgatroid99, You are presumed to NOT retain priority in response to your own spells and abilities. You need to explicitly retain it if you want to retain it, thus the correction I added today. Ok, that's technically a Tournament Rule.

The game shouldn't be called a draw, because you weren't killed at the same time.
Magic: the Gathering uses a system of priority and a thing called stack. You can only cast spells and activate abilities when you have the priority. After you cast a spell (or activate an ability), but before it resolves, your opponent gains priority and has a chance to response to whatever you cast, by casting his own spell (or activating an ability) which will put on stack on top of your spell.
Whenever priority is passed, state based actions are checked. The way stack works is first in - last out. The first spell cast, will be the last to resolve. You can read more about priority here.
The situation in your game looked like this:

Stack is empty, it is your turn, you have the priority, both you and your opponent have 2 life.
You cast Shock and pass priority
Your opponent gains priority and responds to your Shock with his or her Staggershock

Stack looks like this
 Staggershock
 Shock

You start resolving spells from the top, so the first spell to resolve is Staggershock. It resolves and deals you 2 damage. Before moving on to resolving Shock, state based actions are checked, you have 0 points of life, you lose the game as a state based action.


text:
What happens if a target becomes ineligible after a card has been cast?
Let's say I cast
Strangling Soot on Llanowar Elves.
Before this resolves, my opponent casts Giant Growth on the Llanowar Elves.
Giant Growth resolves, making the Llanowar Elves a 4/4. When the Strangling Soot resolves, is it able to destroy the Llanowar elves, or does it do nothing because Llanowar elves no longer has a toughness of 3 or less?

Strangling Soot has an illegal target (only one) as it resolves and therefore fizzles (is countered by game rules due to all targets being invalid).
When you cast a spell with targets, you check the validity of all targets as it is cast. If any targets are invalid, the spell is "undone" and goes back to where it started. As the spell resolves, it again checks if the targets are valid. If any are valid, it resolves as much as it can; if not, it fizzles.

608.2b If the spell or ability specifies targets, it checks whether the targets are still legal. .......

As a point of clarification, the spell only fizzles during the second target check if all of the targets are illegal.

So if I had cast a card that destroys 2 creatures, then my opponent unsummons once of the targets, the remaining creature still gets destroyed?

@tarun713 correct

@tarun713 You have to be exact in your wording. If the spell would destroy 2 target creatures, and one becomes illegal, it will still destroy the other. If both become illegal, it will be countered. If the spell does not target the creatures, and both get unsommoned, the spell would still resolve and do whatever else it might do.

Differentiating between some of the targets of a spell becoming illegal and all targets of a spell becoming illegal, and how it affects the resolution of the spell, is beneficial. However, to avoid conflating the two, consider referencing a spell that can target more than one permanent (Consign to Dust, etc). Strangling Soot will always target one creature, so will be fizzle if that creature becomes an illegal target.

@JonTheMon To be clear for future readers, I'd suggest explaining in the answer that "fizzles" means being countered due to all targets becoming invalid. Not that it's a bad answer as is, of course.


text:
How much mana should I put in my deck?
How much mana should I put in a deck with Mountains and Forests? How much of each? I counted the mana in my black deck to see how much I need, but I still don't know.

Welcome to Board & Card Games Stack Exchange! In its current form, this isn't a question we can answer. But you may want to take a look at this related question (short summary: 24 lands is about typical for a 60-card deck).


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Clarification of "spirits" on "Devouring Greed" card
Devouring Greed states:

As an additional cost to cast Devouring Greed, you may sacrifice any number of Spirits. Target player loses 2 life plus 2 life for each Spirit sacrificed this way. You gain that much life.

Does this only apply to cards that have a type/class of "Creature - Spirit" or does it include cards with a class of "Dragon Spirit" or "Demon Spirit"?
I have tried to research this but can't figure out the correct terms to search for.

After a little more research and finding some loosely related info on another question here I found the following in the rules.

302.3. Creature subtypes are always a single word and are listed after a long dash: "Creature -- Human Soldier," "Artifact Creature -- Golem," and so on. Creature subtypes are also called creature types. Creatures may have multiple subtypes. See rule 205.3m for the complete list of creature types.
  Example: "Creature -- Goblin Wizard" means the card is a creature with the subtypes Goblin and Wizard.

If a creature has a subtype of "demon spirit", it is a "demon" and a "spirit" which I believe satisfies the "spirits" requirement of "Devouring Greed".

Note that the subtypes for Tribal are the same as those for Creature. If there were some card with the typeline "Tribal Enchantment - Spirit", it could be sacrificed as part of the additional cost to cast Devouring Greed. (see also Boggart Shenanigans + Goblin Grenade)

@HaoYe As long as it's a permanent, rather than just a card :)

A card may have several creature types but at least one of them has to be spirit for them to be able to get sacrificed.


text:
Can a blocking creature fight? How is damage dealt if it dies?
As the title says, can a blocking creature fight? If so, what happens if the blocking creature dies before damage is dealt? How would damage be dealt during combat?
Example: Creature A is a 2/2 and it is blocking creature B, which is also 2/2. Before combat damage, I cast an instant forcing creature A to fight creature C, another 2/2, so that both A and C die.

It does not sound like fighting really has anything to do with the question at-hand; the question is about what happens if a blocking creature dies before combat damage is dealt.

@Gendolkari The original question was "Can a blocking creature fight? If so, what happens if it dies before damage is dealt?" The revised question is "What happens if it dies before damage is dealt?" Part of the original question was lost in your edit, and so I added it back.

Given the grammar/formatting, it was hard to know the intention, but I assumed (maybe incorrectly) that "fighting" in this case was simply the way in which the creature died. But as worded now, it really should be asked as 2 separate questions, and both of them should be closed as duplicates anyway.

Agreed about the double-duplicate thing; the question definitely seemed to be "do fight and combat interact?" along with "what happens if a blocker goes away?" (That's what I was trying to suggest in my first comment; I just didn't vote initially because I didn't want to close it as a duplicate of only one question and hadn't found the best candidate for the other.)

If you cast such an instant after declaring blockers, the following will happen:
Your creature A will fight creature C and they will both die. Creature B will still be blocked, and thus will not deal any damage to you unless it has trample.


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If Felidar Sovereign enters the battlefield during my upkeep, will he trigger?
Given that Felidar Sovereign is being reprinted in Battle for Zendikar, I have a question about the win condition and nobody I know can help. I was hoping someone on here could.
If I am at over 40 life with a Felidar Sovereign in the graveyard and I have a Sheoldred, Whispering One on the battlefield, can I use Sheoldred's ability to bring the Felidar back in my upkeep and win the game?

"At the beginning of your upkeep" triggers as the Upkeep Step is entered, before Sheoldred's ability is placed on the stack, before Sheoldred's ability  resolves, and before Felidar Sovereign is placed on the battlefield.

@RyuAkamatsu That was @diego (who also happens to be user who answered your question). By the way, you can tag cards with the syntax [mtg:Card Name]. It automatically creates the links for you.

No, you will not win the game this turn.
This is because both abilities are triggered abilities with "At the beginning of your upkeep" as the trigger. But the Sovereign is in the graveyard at the beginning of your upkeep so it will not trigger, and after Sheoldred's ability resolves and the Sovereign is one the battlefield it is no longer the beginning of your upkeep so it will not trigger this turn.


text:
Does 'Other creatures you control have intimidate' affect new creatures brought out?
Bellowing Tanglewurm and Dwynen, Gilt-Leaf Daen have abilities like

Other green creatures you control [...]

and

Other Elf creatures you control [...]

Do abilities like these only affect creatures that were already on the battlefield? Will creatures that enter the battlefield later also get the effect?
If the creature with the ability dies, will the effect remain on the creatures that had it?

Have you read through the Basic Rulebook for MTG? http://www.wizards.com/magic/rules/en_magic_basic_rulebook_20090710.pdf. Static abilities are described on page 11.

No I haven't, I was taught to player by a friend and everything else I've been learning by going through a set of cards I bought in bulk for really cheap, and asking questions here if I didn't understand something and could not find it by searching for the answer, I'll check that out, thanks!

Definitely nothing wrong with asking questions here; but I highly recommend the basic rules. And I also recommend NOT looking into the comprehensive rules (which is what I've quoted in my answer) much; they are not intended to be used to learn the game, and it wouldn't be helpful at all.

I'll be sure to read it so I will ask less obvious questions, I really appreciate your help, thank you I'm going to read it right now

It will affect all your creatures for as long as you control it; whether those creatures were there when you first cast it or not. Your creatures will lose the bonus as soon as you stop controlling it. This is called a static ability, which generates a continuous effect. It's described in detail in this rule:

604.2. Static abilities create continuous effects, some of which are prevention effects or replacement effects. These effects are active as long as the permanent with the ability remains on the battlefield and has the ability, or as long as the object with the ability remains in the appropriate zone, as described in rule 112.6.

Note that the answer is different if other green creatures you control is part of a continuous effect created by something other than a static ability. For example, When $this enters the battlefield, other green creatures you control get +1/+1 until the end of the turn. doesn't affect green creatures that enter the battlefield after the ability resolves. See 611.2c

Yeah, I actually started off quoting the continuous effect rule instead, but I figured that the static abilities rule was better here because of that exact thing.


text:
Can I still crown a king if I run out of pieces?
Let's say in checkers, I somehow manage to get seven pieces crowned. I only have twelve chips, but I would need fourteen chips to crown seven kings. What do I do? What if the opponent doesn't have enough non-playable chips to give me either?

(Warning: Clicking on the rulebook link below will download a Word document.)
From the American Checkers Federation's official rulebook (emphasis mine):

1.16  When a man reaches the farthest row forward (known as the “king-row” or “crown-head”) it becomes a king, and this completes the turn of play. The man can be crowned by either player ( ) by placing a man of the same colour on top of it before the next move is made. (It may be necessary to borrow from another set if no captured man is available for the purpose).

Like the rules say, if you run out of pieces, you can just borrow from another set. You are not limited by the number of pieces in your set.
If you are playing casually with friends, you can crown a king using coins, dice, torn pieces of paper, etc. As long as the board state is clear to you and your friends, it doesn't really matter how you crown your kings.

I've seen some checker sets that have different faces on the two sides with one side typically being a crown. I remember one silly game where this came up we just made sure all the crown sides were down on all the pieces then flipped the checker to mark a king. We only did this when there weren't enough captured pieces to make a king.


text:
How do poison counters work and how would a player get them?
How do poison counters work? What are the scenarios a player would receive a poison counter?

This question is unclear. How did you hear about poison counters and what confuses you about them? It would be the same as asking "how do +1/+1 counters work? how does a creature get +1/+1 counters?" Many effects give poison counters (usually creatures with the infect keyword.) Most can be found by searching gatherer for the word “poison.”

This question is very basic, and perhaps doesn't show much research effort (you can find a lot by searching gatherer, yes) but that's not the same as it being unclear. The OP very clearly asked what the ways are that a player can get poison counters, which is a specific, answerable question.

@Jefromi It sounds to me like this is a perfect example of an X/Y problem. Like the first comment says, there's obviously some hidden information behind the question, which is important for helping the player learn Magic. So "what is your real question here?" is a fair question to ask, and the part that's unclear is what the real question is. The question as asked may be answerable, but I don't think it's actually the real question.

Perhaps - or perhaps he just read something about poison counters somewhere, maybe he saw Melira, maybe he saw a question here. (This one was bumped last week.) So I totally agree about figuring out if there was another question behind this, but I think it's still worth answering as-is, since it probably still will let the OP figure things out even if he's asking because of something else. I'd rather err on the side of being helpful!

You currently have five open questions and zero accepted answers. Please read How does accepting an answer work? if you don't understand how or when to accept answers.

All you really need to know is that you lose the game if you get 10, and that they're nearly impossible to remove. Generally if you see a card that talks about poison counters, it'll be a card that gives them, so this should never really be confusing - if the cards don't mention them, you don't have to worry about them.

By far the main way to get poison counters is from creatures with Infect, like Blighted Agent:

Infect (This creature deals damage to creatures in the form of -1/-1 counters and to players in the form of poison counters.)

There's was also an ability called Poisonous, but it's only on a couple cards.  Virulent Sliver gives all Slivers Poisonous 1:

All Sliver creatures have poisonous 1. (Whenever a Sliver deals combat damage to a player, that player gets a poison counter. A player with ten or more poison counters loses the game.)

And Snake Cult Initiation is an aura that gives the enchanted creature Poisonous 3. Marsh Viper essentially has Poisonous 2, but spells it out.
There are several more cards that just explicitly give a player poison counters.


text:
If a creature takes lethal damage and would also get a +1/+1 counter, does it die?
I have an attacking 4/4 creature blocked by an Ajani's Pridemate and a Bishop's Soldier.

Is the attacking order relevant? I.e., does it make a difference to the outcome of the fight whether I attack the Pridemate first or not?
Will the Pridemate die, or will the lifelink of the Bishop grant it a +1/+1 counter, ensuring it survives the turn?

This is a Hot Network Question and probably needs a better title. Unfortunately, I don't know enough about Magic to suggest one.

@Thunderforge maybe one that has "Magic:" in the name?

@UKMonkey no tag in the title.

@Thunderforge it's clear if you know just a little bit about magic and no title in the world will help anyone who doesn't.

I agree that the current title isn't a good one, but the fact that this post has two separate questions makes it somewhat more difficult to come up with a good title.

I gave it my best shot at a better title, but in my opinion the original title was fine.

The order in which you assign damage does not matter here, and the Pridemate will die before it gets the counter from the Bishops Soldier lifegain.
Note that you do not attack individual creatures - you attack players and planeswalkers only. You probably meant the right thing though, namely that you can determine the order in which your attacking creature assigns damage to the blocking creatures. Just remember not to confuse the two things, as it may confuse others also.

508.1b If the defending player controls any planeswalkers, or the game allows the active player to attack multiple other players, the active player announces which player or planeswalker each of the chosen creatures is attacking.

Unless first strike or double strike is involved, all combat damage is dealt simultaneously, so if the attacking creature has enough power to deal lethal damage to all blockers, the order of blockers does not matter,

510.1. First, the active player announces how each attacking creature assigns its combat damage, then the defending player announces how each blocking creature assigns its combat damage. This turn-based action doesn’t use the stack. A player assigns a creature’s combat damage according to the following rules:
510.2. Second, all combat damage that’s been assigned is dealt simultaneously. This turn-based action doesn’t use the stack. No player has the chance to cast spells or activate abilities between the time combat damage is assigned and the time it’s dealt.

As for your second question: You gain life from Bishop's Soldier as soon as it deals damage, but Pridemate's ability is a triggered ability, so it does not immediately take effect. It only goes on the stack the next time a player would gain priority, i.e. the right to cast spells and activate abilities:

510.3. Third, the active player gets priority. (See rule 116, “Timing and Priority.”)
510.3a Any abilities that triggered on damage being dealt or while state-based actions are performed afterward are put onto the stack before the active player gets priority; the order in which they triggered doesn’t matter. (See rule 603, “Handling Triggered Abilities.”)

Only when Pridemate's ability would come to resolve would it get the +1/+1 counter. However, by that time it's already moved to the graveyard because it received lethal damage.

@Allure Yes but I didn't want to go into too much detail, so I mentioned that things change when first/double strike is involved and left it at that.

There is no attacking "first". All damage is done simultaneously.

510.1. First, the active player announces how each attacking creature assigns its combat damage, then the defending player announces how each blocking creature assigns its combat damage. This turn-based action doesn’t use the stack. A player assigns a creature’s combat damage according to the following rules:

510.1a Each attacking creature and each blocking creature assigns combat damage equal to its power. Creatures that would assign 0 or less damage this way don’t assign combat damage at all.

510.2. Second, all combat damage that’s been assigned is dealt simultaneously. This turn-based action doesn’t use the stack. No player has the chance to cast spells or activate abilities between the time combat damage is assigned and the time it’s dealt.

So what you are thinking of as an "attacking order" is actually just damage assignment order. You need to assign lethal damage to a blocking creature before you can assign more to the other blocker; but this is not an order that damage will be dealt in.

The Pridemate will die because its ability is a triggered ability. You gain life at the same exact time that all damage is done. This triggers the Pridemate's ability, but that trigger doesn't go on the stack to resolve until state-based actions are checked. The Pridemate will die when state-based actions are checked as a result of having too much damage.

603.2. Whenever a game event or game state matches a triggered ability’s trigger event, that ability automatically triggers. The ability doesn’t do anything at this point.
603.3. Once an ability has triggered, its controller puts it on the stack as an object that’s not a card the next time a player would receive priority.

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


text:
Anger of the Gods vs Manifest creatures
Will Anger of the Gods exile a manifested creature regardless if it's an actual creature card?

Yes, a face-down creature will be exiled instead of going to the graveyard, even if it would not be a creature card if it were face up.
For the purpose of Anger of the Gods' ability, all that matters is that the permanent was a creature when it took the damage. To be specific, when Anger of the Gods resolves, it deals damage to each creature (possibly modified by replacement and prevention effects), and then creates a replacement effect for each creature it dealt damage to. Rule 608.2i says

If an ability's effect refers to a specific untargeted object that has been previously referred to by that ability's cost or trigger condition, it still affects that object even if the object has changed characteristics.

In this case, the "specific untargeted object" is "a creature dealt damage this way." So, for the rest of the turn, Anger of the Gods replaces death with exile for each permanent that was a creature when Anger of the Gods dealt the damage.
In the situation from the question, play proceeds as follows (assuming for simplicity that the manifested creature is the only creature):

Anger of the Gods resolves and deals 3 damage to the face-down creature. It then creates a replacement effect: if that object would die this turn, exile it instead.

State-based actions are checked. The face-down creature has lethal damage marked on it, so it dies. Anger of the Gods' replacement effect applies, so it is exiled instead.

This would still be true if it had a greater toughness and died later in the turn to other damage, or was destroyed by a Murder, or even if it got enchanted by Song of the Dryads and then died to a Strip Mine.

Anger of the Gods exiles creatures:

If a creature dealt damage this way would die this turn, exile it instead.

Manifested cards are creatures:

701.31a To manifest a card, turn it face down. It becomes a 2/2 face-down creature card

Therefore, Anger of the Gods will exile manifested cards (if they were dealt damage by it and would die that turn).


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Designing - How do you approach finding the right font for your game?
I'm working on making my own card game, and I'm wondering how to approach picking a particular font. I know that this is partially subjective, however, I also know that from a designer's stand point this can be very technical and methodical.
Anyone have a 'best practice' for this?

Graphics Design.SE may be able to give you better answers than we can here.

There is a tag on Graphics Design Stack Exchange devoted to font recommendations (called font-recommendations), so it seems like a no brainer to migrate this question. You might do some research what fonts popular card games use before you ask your question. Magic: the Gathering and Munchkin are good places to start, as they are on opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to choosing fonts.

I agree that Graphics SE may be helpful. However, I believe this is also on-topic here, so I'm not going to migrate. There is a legitimate perspective here from the point of view of game designers (e.g. what are they aiming for with a font, what resources are available, etc.) which goes beyond the technicalities of choice of font.

@ire_and_curses you need knowledge of which font properties (ligatures, serifs, kerning) affect readability at certain distances and angles. This question is 100% Graphics Design SE.

I've raised this closure on meta here: Should this question about fonts be closed?

@freekvd - I think you may be missing my point. See Joe's answer below, which is at the level of a font user (specifically a game designer), not a graphics designer.

I'm voting to close this question as off-topic because it doesn't include enough detail. I can imagine multiple textbook chapters being written over what fonts to use in general. Details that might help narrow the question down include how much text will be on the cards, card size, what type of game it is, where the cards will be located during gameplay, how long the players have to look at the cards, whether they can refer back to them later, etc. The more detail, the better.

@Rainbolt That doesn't make the question off topic; that makes it unclear (not enough detail), or too broad (answers will be too large).

Sorry for the lack of response - I was never notified that anyone responded, so sorry!
My point was more the bigger question and not just, "pick a font". I've been told many times that the font ties the whole game together. That's a big question. My question was more guided towards, what mood does giving a serif do and how do I tie that into the game. Kind of what ire_and_curses said.

This is not a proper answer, but make sure you take a font that contains foreigner characters such as "é", "ç" or "ö". Many fonts don't contain them and if by chance you want to translate your game, you will have to change font.

When I've put out games in the past, there have usually been two goals in font selection:

Fonts that are easy to read at the angle the player will be looking from.
Fonts that evoke the setting of the game.

For example, The Golden Wilderness is set in colonial California, so a typeface that was widely used in the 1700s helps evoke the setting.  There's basically nothing you need to read during the game that isn't upright and in your hand (and that you have plenty of time to read), so readability isn't the issue.

Leaving Earth, on the other hand, has many cards sitting all around the table that need to be understood by the players.  Readability helps the game play more smoothly, so a clean font that's easy to read from multiple angles is needed.

Which particular fonts meet these criteria for your game all depends on the specifics.
Acquiring those fonts is another matter.  There are plenty of free fonts out there, but don't be afraid to spend a little money on a good, professional font.  The best professional fonts are designed with an eye for many tiny details (like kerning and ligatures) that you (assuming you're not a typographer) shouldn't have to worry about.
If you're just using a font for a bit of flavor, things like kerning might not matter too much (though it pains a typography enthusiast like me to say it).  If you're using a font for your main title/logo, or for extended blocks of reading material, those small details matter much more.

That was exactly what I was looking for! Such a good response!

Here's a great article by Daniel Solis:
http://danielsolisblog.blogspot.com/2011/11/5-graphic-design-and-typography-tips.html

Hi Joseph DR, welcome to the site. It looks like a good article, but link-only answers are discouraged (and attract negative votes), because the link might disappear in the future. Would you summarise the main points of the article here?


text:
Is "refund with discount" a valid move on Catan?
On her move, Alice trades with Bob: Alice gives 2 wheat, Bob gives 1 sheep.
Then Alice does her calculations again and decides it was a wrong move. She wants to trade her sheep back for one wheat, and Bob is willing to give her back 1 wheat for 1 sheep. Alice does nothing else between those trades.
Other players object, saying it's a catch to work around "no giving away cards for free" rule, and Alice and Bob might be conspiring.
I (being Bob) know for a fact it's not true, and the game rules don't explicitly forbid it, as far as I can tell.
Is it a valid move?

Doesn't relate to the rules of the game, but how would the other players feel if you did the first trade on her turn, then the second trade on your turn immediately following hers? Would they be completely happy with the two of you conspiring to give away a card in that case, since the game situation has at least changed? And how exactly do they plan to define and enforce an unlawful conspiracy? ;-)

@SteveJessop: I think they would, yes, a lot of things could happen between our turns. She was (apparently) planning to trade away her wheat to play Monopoly on it but started having second thoughts.

That's funny. My edittion of Catan doesn't have any rule that forbids giving cards for free. Actually, buying resources from someone to pay later with other resources or favors (build a road there to block that player for me and I give you 2 wheat) is a really common strategy around my player group. However, it's worth to say that my Catan is a Brazillian edition, so translating shenanigans may happen.

This is not a card giveaway. You were under no obligation to make the second trade. For that reason, she is not, technically or otherwise, giving away a wheat for nothing.

I fall somewhere in between here.
I think that if it happened exactly as stated above, it's fine: she made a trade, changed her mind, and now wants her sheep back - fine, but you have every right to get something in return.  You certainly don't have to 'refund' the trade, right?  So you charge her one of the two wheat.
However, if the first trade is entered into with the express intention of doing the second, then it's cheating, because it's trying to work around the rules.  At least, it has the appearance of that.  If the people you play with are more rules-focused, as in 'exactly as the rules are written', then it's still legal - in that case cards can't be given to someone with zero cards, otherwise they always can be via a trade like this.  But with me, I'd think that has the appearance of violating the rule (and violates its spirit).

This is what the official rules say:

! Trade
  After you roll for resource production, you may trade with other players or with the bank.
  •   You may trade as long as you have resource cards
  •   If you decide not to trade during your turn, no one can trade
  •   You may trade with another player between your turns, but only if it’s his   turn and he elects to trade with you
  •   You may not trade with the bank during another players turn
  •   You may not give away cards
  •   You may not trade development cards
  •   You may not trade like resources (e.g., 2 wool for 1 wool)

The rules don't specific say this is not allowed although you can't give away cards, but seeing as a trade is concluded after you handed over the cards to each other, the second trade will be a new trade and is certainly a valid (although not nice)trade.
Technically she's giving away a wheat without anything for it and so it seems like you're ignoring the rule of you may not give away cards. You can try to deny it to the other players but if they don't believe it you can't prove that it isn't so.
So if I would be present at the table I would make trades only refundable for the whole amount if both parties agree to exchange the cards back. Other than that you can't discount a refund. So it really is up to the players and you should try to avoid this sort of situations and make trades permanent, no refunds.

Except by the rules, you're not giving away anything for free in any single trade, which is what the rules apply to. When agreeing to a deal, players must stick to the terms for that trade. However, players can make long-term, complex agreements, but only the current trade is enforceable by the rules. As such you run the risk of a player turning you down.
The specific question in your group to ask is if someone's kingmaking someone else arbitrarily.

By forcing all trades to be fully refundable you punish the other person in t h e trade. They have now exposed part of their hand that they might not have otherwise exposed and have gained nothing for it. By charging a "refund fee" they still gain th3 value of one card.

@atk this doesn't force it to be fully refundable, though. The player can simply refuse to reverse the trade.

@Random832, to the contrary, the answer contains the sentence, I would make trades only refundable for the whole amount if both parties agree to exchange the cards back"  it is fully refundable, which was my point. Refusing to give the cards back jas no beqring on my point. The other player couod well prefer to have the trade in habd (such as to get below 7 cards because they think a 7 should be f9ming soon). This custom rule removes substantial flexibility.

@atk which means if one party does not agree, it's not refundable. The proposed rule only restricts transactions (can't do a partial refund), it doesn't make anything mandatory.

@Random832 please read my edited comment. You p9sted while i was editing :-)

Technically speaking nothing in the rules would prevent that from happening, even if they are "giving away cards for free through the trading".  That is a moral issue of playing ethically.
It depends upon whether or not you play with people who are douches or not.  If you play with nice people who understand that sometimes people make mistakes then you should let them undo the trade.  If they won't trade back, then maybe you shouldn't be playing with them anymore.


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Do continuous effects stack?
Does Kragma Warcaller stack with the +2/+0.
Lets say if i have a 2/3 Minotaur and I play 2 Kragma Warcallers- does that 2/3 Minotaur become a 6/3?

What do you expect to happen? You have 2 abilities that each say that Minotaurs get +2/+0. If you had one Warcaller and a card that gives all of your creatures +1/+1, what do you think would happen?

Yes. All continuous effects are applied at all times they are active. If a continuous effect grants +2/+0, it means it raises the creature's power by two. So if two continuous effects grant +2/+0 to a creature, the creature's power will be raised by 4.


text:
Will casting an aura on a creature with heroic trigger the heroic ability?
I'll admit we've had a lot of trouble with the Battlewise Hoplite the last few games and what affects it and what doesn't. If he has a Battlewise Hoplite
in play and I play a Crippling Blight does his Battlewise Hoplite get a +1/+1 counter?

Heroic only triggers when "you" (the controller of the creature with heroic) cast a spell. So no, your opponent's Battlewise Hoplite will not trigger if you cast Crippling Blight on it.
Aura spells do always target when cast, so it will trigger heroic if you cast an aura spell and target a creature that you control with heroic.

303.4a An Aura spell requires a target, which is defined by its enchant ability.

Er, I think OP's situation is if a player casts Crippling Blight on another player's Battlewise Hoplite.

@HaoYe I missed/forgot that Heroic only triggers when you cast a spell, not when any spell is cast. Will edit.


text:
Targeting question in regards to illegal target
I'm watching this video from the Judge's Corner on YouTube:
Targeting - Judge's Corner #10. One example shows these cards being played:

Middle first, left second, right third. The video says that once they resolve the left card wont have a valid target so it can't even be played. Does this mean that the card just stays in the persons hand as if it didn't happen?

I can't get that video to load, is what is happening the Shambleshark is in play, it gets targeted by Assassin's Strike, and then in response it gets targeted by Ranger's Guile?

@diego, yes, that looks to be the case.

@ColinD Ok, I wasn't sure due to the 'can't even be played' wording in the question.

If the video says "so it can't even be played", it's wrong. It has been played (cast), and it was perfectly valid to do so. You wouldn't be able to cast AS targeting SS after RG resolved, but that's not relevant to the scenario.

Fixed the video link.

The video's description is accurate and matches the answers below, so I'm not sure what the confusion is.

@HaoYe The confusion may have come from "The video says that once they resolve the left card wont have a valid target so it can't even be played." The part in bold is not actually in the video (and if it was, it would be wrong, as ikegami already explained).

No that is not what that means. What happens is

Your Shambleshark is on the battlefield
You opponent casts Assassin's Strike targeting Shambleshark. At this time this is perfectly legal, so Assassin's Strike goes on the stack.
You respond with Ranger's Guile targeting Shambleshark as well.
Your Ranger's Guile resolves granting Shambleshark +1/+1 and Hexproof
Your opponent's Assassin's Strike tries to resolve, but when it does it checks to see if it still has a legal target. When it does this it sees that Shambleshark now has Hexproof and is no longer a legal target. Assassin's Strike then gets countered due to a lack of legal targets, this works just like any other countering; the card has no effect (so you won't discard a card either) and goes to the graveyard.

This is all because of this rule (relevant parts only):

608.2b If the spell or ability specifies targets, it checks whether the targets are still legal. ... The spell or ability is countered if all its targets, for every instance of the word "target," are now illegal.

The spell is countered and put into the graveyard, it is not returned to the players hand.
This is covered in section 608 of the comprehensive rules.
Specifically:

608.2b
If the spell or ability specifies targets, it checks whether the targets are still legal. A target that's no longer in the zone it
  was in when it was targeted is illegal. Other changes to the game
  state may cause a target to no longer be legal; for example, its
  characteristics may have changed or an effect may have changed the
  text of the spell. If the source of an ability has left the zone it
  was in, its last known information is used during this process. The
  spell or ability is countered if all its targets, for every instance
  of the word "target," are now illegal. If the spell or ability is not
  countered, it will resolve normally. However, if any of its targets
  are illegal, the part of the spell or ability's effect for which it is
  an illegal target can't perform any actions on that target or make
  that target perform any actions. The effect may still determine
  information about illegal targets, though, and other parts of the
  effect for which those targets are not illegal may still affect them.
Example: Sorin's Thirst is a black instant that reads, "Sorin's Thirst
  deals 2 damage to target creature and you gain 2 life." If the
  creature isn't a legal target during the resolution of Sorin's Thirst
  (say, if the creature has gained protection from black or left the
  battlefield), then Sorin's Thirst is countered. Its controller doesn't
  gain any life.

In your case, Assassin's Strike no longer has a legal target because Shambleshark now has hexproof.


text:
If a creature loses flying after blockers are declared, is the block still legal?
My opponent declared attack with a flying creature, after that I declared a blocker with my own flying creature. He then cast Turn to Frog, targeting my blocker.
My creature was a 6/6 flying, my opponent had a 3/3.
The judge said that after he casts Turn to Frog my creature still blocks the flying but turned to 1/1.
Is it correct that my creature still blocks the flying creature but becomes a 1/1 before dealing and taking damage?

Note that a block still happens even if the creature dies, or is sacrificed, once the block is declared. It's something that can be really irritating to your opponent -- declare blockers, then sacrifice the blockers to feed some other effect...

Yes, evasion abilities such as Flying only affect the declare blockers step. Once blockers are declared, flying no longer makes any difference.

509.1b The defending player checks each creature he or she controls to see whether it’s affected by any restrictions (effects that say a creature can’t block, or that it can’t block unless some condition is met). If any restrictions are being disobeyed, the declaration of blockers is illegal.::: A restriction may be created by an evasion ability (a static ability an attacking creature has that restricts what can block it). If an attacking creature gains or loses an evasion ability after a legal block has been declared, it doesn’t affect that block. Different evasion abilities are cumulative.

Your creature will be a 1/1 before doing or taking any damage, because Combat Damage step happens after declare blockers step. Your opponent was able to cast Turn to Frog during the declare blockers step, after blockers had been assigned; which is before the combat damage step.
Combat phase is divided as follows:

Beginning of Combat Step - Players can cast spells and activate abilities.
Declare Attackers Step - After attackers are declared, players can cast spells and activate abilities.
Declare Blockers Step - After blockers are declared, players can cast spells and activate abilities. (This is when your opponent was able to cast Turn to Frog)
Combat Damage Step
End of Combat Step - Players can cast spells and activate abilities.


text:
Why am I unable to draw cards in Magic 2014?
I play Magic 2014 - Duels of the Planeswalkers (DotP) on Steam. I understand all of the basics except for one thing! In a recent battle, my turn started and I did not draw a card. The game went directly to my End phase. My Main and Combat phases were skipped. This happened for five or more turns in a row!
Are there any cards in Magic 2014 DotP that stop a player from drawing cards, or skip a draw step? Are there any settings that could cause my Main and Combat phases to be skipped when my hand is empty? Is this a bug?

Uh... wait, what? I can't figure out what you're asking here. The way you draw a card in Magic is that you pick it up from the top of the deck and put it in your hand. Or are you asking about Duels of the Planeswalkers instead?

Please edit to clarify / add more details.

Ya, I was talking about Magic 2014 : Duels of Planewalkers (Android)......

@jamius19 Right, but... are you saying the game didn't let you draw a card for several consecutive turns in one game?

@Jefromi ...  yap..... I have 7 uptapped lands.... and I know I've got plenty of small and large costing creatures in my deck! But they just won't draw! Its useless to have many lands without any creature!

Could you send add a screenshot of what you're seeing at that point in the game? This sounds like a bug, but it might be that your opponent or you have played a card that's affecting your draw step (don't think there are any of these in DotP2014, but there might be).

In the edited form, this is a fair question - though I'm not 100% confident from your comments that this is what's actually happening, since you keep talking about how many lands you have.

@Jefromi, Who knows. The OP hasn't been cooperative. It could be he has two different questions? Anyway, what stands is a valid question even if it's not the one the OP meant to ask, so I'm voting to reopen.

@deworde I wonder how useful a single screenshot would be in demonstrating that a phase was skipped. Two screenshots taken during two different turns would definitely demonstrate that a card was not drawn.

At the start of your turn, you draw 1 card. In a two player game, the start player does not draw a card at the start of his first turn.
If a computer version of MTG did not let you draw a card at the start of each turn, then either there was some sort of bug, or it was a special mode that changes the normal rules of Magic.

yap....Its probably a bug.......I cant pull out a card even if I've got plenty of lands..... so many turns are wasted

@jamius19 What do you mean "even if I've got plenty of lands"? You seem to be misunderstanding something, but it's not clear what. How many lands you have has nothing to do with drawing a card at the start of your turn.

@jamius19 My best guess is that you're thinking that, as long as there's nothing you can play in your hand, you should be allowed to draw another card when you want, not just one per turn? In that case, you should definitely have specifically said so in your question, but I guess this answer does answer your question: it's not a bug, you get one draw per turn. Getting stuck with nothing to do happens sometimes, though building your deck well makes it less likely.

I know that I can draw one card per turn! Think as I've got 7 untapped lands.... This turn ends without any creature in my hand! My opponent summons creature(es) and attacks.... His turn ends..... My turn starts.... But as no card is drawn from the library, it directly goes to the End phase without Combat or Main....Then my turn end..... And this keeps happening so on for 5/6 turns or more! @Jefromi

@jamius19 If it's skipping your draw step that's a bug, unless there's some weird modified/scripted game mode in there (I haven't played Magic 2014). But I still don't see what you having lands has to do with it - you always draw one card, no matter what. In any case, the explanation you finally gave is what you should edit into your question.

@jamius19 The confusing part is that you keep mentioning that you have untapped lands... this piece of information is not related in any way to drawing cards, so I don't see how it relates to the question.

@jamius19 And it really makes it sound like you might mean you're drawing land when you want creatures, due to you being unlucky about how your deck is shuffled.


text:
If a commander becomes a colorless forest, is it still a commander?
In Magic the Gathering, I cast Song of the Dryads on an opponent's commander. It is now a colorless forest land. My opponent has an Angelic Field Marshal on the field which gains power if you control your commander. Is the colorless forest land still my opponent's commander? Does my opponent get the Lieutenant bonus?

It is still your opponents commander and they will get the Lieutenant bonus from the Marshal. This is because being a commander is a property of a card, it doesn't matter if the characteristics of the card have changed at all it will still be their commander.

903.3. Each deck has a legendary creature card designated as its commander. This designation is not a characteristic of the object represented by the card; rather, it is an attribute of the card itself. The card retains this designation even when it changes zones.
Example: A commander that’s been turned face down (due to Ixidron’s effect, for example) is still a commander. A commander that’s copying another card (due to Cytoshape’s effect, for example) is still a commander. A permanent that’s copying a commander (such as a Body Double, for example, copying a commander in a player’s graveyard) is not a commander.