text:
Can I exile a token from the graveyard?
So if I had a token that died could I immediately exile it from the graveyard using Necrogenesis? I know that a token is only in the graveyard for an instant, but could I exile it in that instant?

Your question, literally, can be answered very simply: You cannot exile a token from a graveyard, because tokens that have left the battlefield cannot change zones:

110.5g A token that has left the battlefield can’t move to another zone or come back onto the battlefield. If such a token would change zones, it remains in its current zone instead. It ceases to exist the next time state-based actions are checked; see rule 704.

This alone doesn't prevent you from using Necrogenesis's ability to get a saproling, though, because it doesn't prevent you from targeting it with the ability; the ability just wouldn't exile the token when it resolved. You still can't get the saproling for several reasons.
You do not get priority before state-based actions are checked:

704.3. Whenever a player would get priority (see rule 116, “Timing and Priority”), the game checks for any of the listed conditions for state-based actions, then performs all applicable state-based actions simultaneously as a single event. If any state-based actions are performed as a result of a check, the check is repeated; otherwise all triggered abilities that are waiting to be put on the stack are put on the stack, then the check is repeated. Once no more state-based actions have been performed as the result of a check and no triggered abilities are waiting to be put on the stack, the appropriate player gets priority. This process also occurs during the cleanup step (see rule 514), except that if no state-based actions are performed as the result of the step’s first check and no triggered abilities are waiting to be put on the stack, then no player gets priority and the step ends.

The token ceases to exist as a state-based action:

704.5d If a token is phased out, or is in a zone other than the battlefield, it ceases to exist.

You do not have a chance to activate Necrogenesis's ability between the time the token enters the graveyard and the time it ceases to exist. Even if you somehow did have a chance to activate it, a token is not a "creature card", so it isn't a legal target for the ability:

108.2. When a rule or text on a card refers to a “card,” it means only a Magic card. Most Magic games use only traditional Magic cards, which measure approximately 2.5 inches (6.3 cm) by 3.5 inches (8.8 cm). Certain formats also use nontraditional Magic cards, oversized cards that may have different backs. Tokens aren’t considered cards—even a card that represents a token isn’t considered a card for rules purposes.

Also, state-based actions are checked again after you activate the ability, because you receive priority again after:

116.3c If a player has priority when he or she casts a spell, activates an ability, or takes a special action, that player receives priority afterward.

A similar ability that could target a token in a graveyard (which does not currently exist) would still not work, because the token would cease to exist before you get priority again just after you activate it. It would no longer be an illegal target, and the ability would be countered if it had no legal targets remaining. In the case of Necrogenesis, the ability has only one target, so it would be countered. During resolution, this happens:

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. Illegal targets, if any, won’t be affected by parts of a resolving spell’s effect for which they’re illegal. Other parts of the effect for which those targets are not illegal may still affect them. If the spell or ability creates any continuous effects that affect game rules (see rule 613.10), those effects don’t apply to illegal targets. If part of the effect requires information about an illegal target, it fails to determine any such information. Any part of the effect that requires that information won’t happen.

@ikegami In what situation would that be the case?

[Short answer]

So if I had a token that died could I immediately exile it from the graveyard using Necrogenesis?

There are no means by which you can exile a token that moved to the graveyard.

110.5g A token that has left the battlefield can’t move to another zone or come back onto the battlefield. If such a token would change zones, it remains in its current zone instead. [...]

[Long answer]
No, for four independent reasons:

After a token has left the battlefield, it can no longer change zones, so a token can't be exiled after entering the graveyard from the battlefield.

110.5g A token that has left the battlefield can’t move to another zone or come back onto the battlefield. If such a token would change zones, it remains in its current zone instead. It ceases to exist the next time state-based actions are checked; see rule 704.

⇒ This would not prevent you from obtaining a Saproling.
The token would cease to exist before any spell (or ability) could resolve. State-based actions are performed before a player gets priority, and all players gain priority between the casting of a spell (or the placing of an ability on the stack) and its resolution.

116.3d If a player has priority and chooses not to take any actions, that player passes [...]
116.4. If all players pass in succession (that is, if all players pass without taking any actions in between passing), the spell or ability on top of the stack resolves or, if the stack is empty, the phase or step ends.
116.5. Each time a player would get priority, the game first performs all applicable state-based actions as a single event [...]
704.5. The state-based actions are as follows:
704.5d If a token is phased out, or is in a zone other than the battlefield, it ceases to exist.

⇒ As Necrogenesis's ability's only target, this would cause the ability to be countered on resolution ("fizzle"). You would not obtain a Saproling.

608.2b If the spell or ability specifies targets, it checks whether the targets are still legal. A target that’s no longer in the zone it was in when it was targeted is illegal. [...] The spell or ability is countered if all its targets, for every instance of the word “target,” are now illegal. [...]

The token ceases to exist before you get a chance to cast a spell or activate an ability. State-based actions are performed before a player gets priority, and one normally needs priority to cast a spell.
The exception is when a spell or ability instructs you to cast a spell. So if there was a spell with the ability "Destroy target creature. Cast a spell.", you could cast a spell while the token is still in the graveyard. However, I believe there are no cards with an equivalent ability.
⇒ Without a valid target, you can't activate Necrogenesis's ability to obtain a Saproling.
Abilities that move objects from the graveyard are worded so they can only move cards. Tokens aren't cards

108.2. [...] Tokens aren't considered cards — even a card that represents a token isn't considered a card for rules purposes.

⇒ Necrogenesis's ability's target must be a card, not a token. Without a valid target, you can't activate Necrogenesis's ability to obtain a Saproling.

See also: Do tokens ever go to the graveyard and can they be sacrificed or exiled?

Your exception is errant; the desired effect from Necrogensis is an ability, not a spell. To cast Necrogensis would be to play it from hand so that the enchantment enters the battlefield.

@Drunk Cynic, I believe the word is erroneous. Fixed.

While the other answers are correct that the token would cease to exist before you had the priority sufficient to cast a spell or activate the ability of Necrogenesis, there is a more immediate disclaimer.
The activated ability of Necrogenesis targets Creature Cards in your graveyard — physical magic cards with the permanent subtype Creature. While tokens may represent creatures, they are not represented by Creature Cards, thus aren't a legal target for Necrogenesis.

"Creature is a card type, limited to the Permanent cards." I don't know what this sentence means. At first glance it appears to imply only cards, and not tokens, can be creatures, but I don't believe you'd really try to say that.

@doppelgreener No. I was trying to say that Necrogenesis can only target Creature Cards, magic cards with the card type Creature. While a token can be a creature, it is not represented by a Creature Card.

Right, I agree with what you've said there. That sentence is a weird one though. I suggest rephrasing.

Re "While the other answers are correct that the token would cease to exist before you had the priority sufficient to cast a spell or activate the ability of Necrogenesis, there is a more immediate disclaimer.", Actually, I did mention both of those reasons, as well as two others. This post is wholly redundant as I even included a rule quote.

@ikegami All buried under superfluous conversation. They aren't independent. 1 leans on 3, because of the Cross reference to 704. 2 is not applicable, because of the impacts of four.

@Drunk Cynic, You are mistaken as they are most definitly independent. All of them are sufficient by themselves to prevent the token from being exiled. If you can work around any three of them, the remaining one will still apply. The strongest one is actually #1 (not #4) since it's explicitly forbids doing exactly what the OP asked. But the OP asked about timing as well, so #2 and #3 are key to the answer. Of course #4 is worth mentioning, but it's the least important since it applies specifically to Necrogenisis.


text:
Harnessed Lightning combat
This happened on MTGO.
Opponent has Skyswirl Harrier.
I have Salivating Gremlins.
Its my turn.  I cast Renegade Freighter.  Salivating gremlins gains +2/+0.
Battle: I attack with Salivating gremlins.  Opponent blocks with Skyswirl Harrier.
I activate Harnessed Lightning from hand targeting Skyswirl Harrier, spending 3 energy.  Opponenet does not respond.  Harnessed Lightning resolves and both creatures die.  I'm confused.  Can you tell me why my Salivating Gremlins did not survive?

How much energy did you use to damage your opponents blocker? It sounds like you did not do enough damage to kill the blocker before it could kill your attacker.

Skyswirl Harrier has 3 power and 4 toughness.
After Renegade Freighter enters the battlefield, Salivating Gremlines has 4 power and 3 toughness.
Short other effects, creatures cause combat damage equal to their power, and can survive combat damage less than their toughness.
Attacker, Salivating Gremlins is Declared. Blocker, Skyswirl Harrier is declared.
Once you're able to cast a spell during the Declare Blockers step, you cast Harnessed Lightning, presumably spending 3 energy to do 3 damage to the Skyswirl Harrier. This is one short of lethal (4).
Combat damage happens. Salivating Gremlins does 1 damage to Skyswirl Harrier, and 3 damage to the opponent because of trample. Skyswirl Harrier does 3 damage to Salivating Gremlins.
Already having 3 damage marked on it for the turn, adding the 1 damage marks 4 for the turn, matching Skyswirl Harrier's toughness of 4. State Based Effects, Skyswirl Harrier dies.
Salivating Gremlin has 3 damage marked on it for the turn, matching its 3 toughness. State based effects, Salivating Gremlins dies.
An important rule here is 702.19b:

The controller of an attacking creature with trample first assigns damage to the creature(s) blocking it. Once all those blocking creatures are assigned lethal damage, any remaining damage is assigned as its controller chooses among those blocking creatures and the player or planeswalker the creature is attacking. When checking for assigned lethal damage, take into account damage already marked on the creature and damage from other creatures that’s being assigned during the same combat damage step, but not any abilities or effects that might change the amount of damage that’s actually dealt. The attacking creature’s controller need not assign lethal damage to all those blocking creatures but in that case can’t assign any damage to the player or planeswalker it’s attacking.

A little nitpick: you can't respond to the declaration of blockers.

source: Stack Exchange

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text:
What happens when you stack "unblockable" and "unblockable except by"?
During a recent game meetup I used Teleportal to give all my creatures unblockable. Another player responded by targeting one of my creatures with Shriek of Dread to give it "can't be blocked except by artifact creatures and/or black creatures."
We decided (reluctantly in my case) that this might override the unblockable. Our reasoning was that because the revised wording of unblockable is so similar (can't be blocked) the exception would apply to both instances of it.
Are we right?

Those restrictions don't seem mutually exclusive to me...

@Jefromi I agree it is not a carbon-copy duplicate, but both are asking after the legality of conflicting "can't be blocked" card text in play, and both answers on that question would be just as appropriate here if you sifted out the scenario-specific bits.

@winterblood My bad, the title of that question made it sound like it was one about actually mutually exclusive things, where you end up meeting the maximum number of requirements without disobeying restrictions. In this case, you can obey both restrictions at the same time (by not blocking) so they're not actually mutually exclusive.

No, it's still just unblockable. There are two restrictions. One will prevent it from being blocked by most things, while leaving artifact creatures and black creatures unrestricted. One won't let it be blocked at all. If nothing blocks it, both restrictions are satisfied, so that's allowed. If a black creature blocked it, one restriction would be violated, so that's not allowed.

all_licenses: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/


text:
Do the Collector's Sets (e.g. Premium Gold) contain/equal booster packs?
Basically, I'm doing a Secret Santa and the person I'm buying for has asked for Yu-Gi-Oh booster packs. I know almost nothing about the game so I just want to get some clarification on what exactly constitutes one, so I don't buy the wrong thing. This is one I came across in the price range that I like the look of, but I want to be sure that this is the kind of thing he's looking for. Thanks in advance!

(Thanks for changing the title, mods. I couldn't think how to phrase it.)

While the Premium Gold packs aren't really a booster pack in the traditional sense, they make for great gifts. You're getting much better cards for the price.
A newer product to look into would be an Invasion: Vengeance Special Edition box. These contain 3 boosters packs and 2 Super Rare cards.

only opposition to the answer given above, would be if a specific series of booster pack was listed.


text:
Does Haste make attacking a must?
When I play a card with haste, do I have to attack or use an ability, or can I just play it without attacking?

No, haste gives you the choice to attack or activate abilities with the tap (or untap) symbol in the cost, but does not create a requirement. If a creature is required to attack it will be explicitly spelled out like with Juggernaut. (As far as I know there are no cards that require you to activate an ability)

702.10b If a creature has haste, it can attack even if it hasn’t been controlled by its controller continuously since his or her most recent turn began.
702.10c If a creature has haste, its controller can activate its activated abilities whose cost includes the tap symbol or the untap symbol even if that creature hasn’t been controlled by that player continuously since his or her most recent turn began.

No, having haste doesn't mean the creature has to attack.  Especially if you cast your creature during the second main phase: it couldn't attack that turn, period.
Haste has other benefits than attacking the same turn, like activating tap abilities.  Mad Prophet can use its ability the turn it comes into play, unlike other looters (e.g. Reckless Scholar).

If you cast a creature with haste in the second main phase, it can attack that turn if there's a another combat phase. Not too common, but there are  several cards that initiate a second combat phase, like Aggravated Assault.


text:
Multiple Ordeals of Nylea on one creature
I have 2 counters on a creature, with 3 Ordeal of Nylea attached, and then attack, what in all (preferably step by step) happens next?

There are quite a few rules that are relevant to the question. What part of the outcome of this situation are you unsure about?

@murgatroid99 I was worried about the same thing as eggo, Someone had told me that you sacrifice all 3 after the 1st counter is added, not one at a time after each counter.

The basic answer is that the creature gets 3 more counters (for a total of 5), you sacrifice all 3 Ordeals, and you search your library for 6 basic lands and put them onto the battlefield tapped.
Step by step, here's what happens:

You attack with the creature.
Abilities that trigger when you attack are put on the stack. In this case, that is the first ability of each of the 3 Ordeals attached to the creature.
The first ability of the first Ordeal resolves. You put a counter on the creature. It has 3 or more counters, so you sacrifice the Ordeal. The Ordeal's second ability triggers, and is put on the stack.
Each player gains priority, and has an opportunity to respond.
The second ability of the first Ordeal resolves. You search your library for 2 basic lands, and put them on the battlefield tapped.
Each player gains priority, and has an opportunity to respond.
Steps 3-6 repeat for each of the second and the third Ordeal. In each of those iterations, you put another counter on the creature, sacrifice that Ordeal, and search for 2 more lands.

the creature gets three more counters, right?  Given that it started with two has no relevance to the fact that the first half of the triggered ability of Ordeal will add a counter before the second half of the ability causes it to be sacrificed.

Yes, that's how it works. I tried to make that clear in the step-by-step explanation by saying that you add a counter, then check for having 3 or more in step 3.


text:
How does Asmira, Holy Avenger respond to manifested cards?
I was wondering what happens if a non-creature, manifested card (thus it's a 2/2 at the time) dies with Asmira, Holy Avenger on the field? Does Asmira get +1/+1 from that creature or not?

Yes, you get the counter.

109.2. If a spell or ability uses a description of an object that includes a card type or subtype, but doesn’t include the word “card,” “spell,” “source,” or “scheme,” it means a permanent of that card type or subtype on the battlefield.

Because Asmira, Holy Avenger says "creature" and not "creature card", it is only referring a a creature permanent on the battlefield, not anything about the card type. Because a "creature" by definition can only exist on the battlefield, Asmira can only be talking about what object was on the battlefield that went to the graveyard. The object that now exists in the graveyard is irrelevant.

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.

How is "At the beginning of each end step, ..." a leaves-the-battlefield ability?

@MichałPolitowski Good catch! I've updated the rules references accordingly.


text:
What the value of a misprinted Graverobber Spider?
Could anyone give me an idea on on how much a misprint Magic card could sell for? It's a Graverobber Spider, rarity is uncommon.

Due to their rarity and inconsistency, there isn't really an established market for misprint cards. You may be able to find individual collectors who are willing to purchase misprints, but the value will often depend both on which card it is and how it was misprinted.

As murgatroid says, there isn't a good estimate for any card, but there are a few guidelines. Major misprints are more valued by collectors than little ones, so miscuts where some other card from the sheet is visible are better than off-kilter cuts or shadowed text. More famous or rare cards typically have more demand, because misprint collectors are still collectors, and they still want prominent cards.
From that criteria, I can't give an exact figure for your spider (and especially because I don't know the nature of the misprint), but unfortunately I think I'd have to guess it isn't worth much more than a non-misprinted one.


text:
What are Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger's abilities counted as?
I have Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger and my fried has Viper's kiss:

Enchanted creature gets -1/-1, and its activated abilities can't be activated.

When Ulamog attcks is that an activated ability or or is it a creature spell that can be countered?

It is neither. It is a triggered ability:

603.1. Triggered abilities have a trigger condition and an effect. They are written as “[When/Whenever/At] [trigger condition or event], [effect].”

Ulamog has two triggered abilities — one for when he's cast, and one for when he attacks — and indestructible, a keyword ability.
Viper's Kiss has no effect on any of these abilities. It will give Ulamog -1/-1 making it a 9/9, but Ulamog will still exile cards.

Spells are only ever cards (or copies of cards) that are on the stack. Abilities never count as spells.
Activated abilities also have a specific formatting you can recognise them by:

602.1. Activated abilities have a cost and an effect. They are written as “[Cost]: [Effect.] [Activation instructions (if any).]”

An example of activated abilities is found on Elvish Mystic: note the presence of a cost (tap Elvish Mystic), colon :, and effect (add green mana). An activated ability has all three of these; an ability without these is not an activated ability.

It might be useful to explain what an activated ability actually is too

@diego Thanks, good suggestion. I've expanded the answer to say what those are.


text:
What does Leovold, Emissary of Trest & Teferi's Puzzle Box do to opponent's hands?
Case 1:
Player 1 has Leovold, Emissary of Trest and Teferi's Puzzle Box on the Battlefield.
Player 2 starts with his draw phase and has one card in his hand.
I think he puts his card on bottom of his library and draws a new one.
However he is not able to take another.
Case 2:
Player 1 has Leovold and Teferi's Puzzle Box on the Battlefield.
Player 2 starts with his draw phase and has no card in his hand.
Therefore "nothing" happens with the Puzzle Box and he only draws a card.
Am I right or did I miss something? Do you feel this combo is that strong?

Not all hope is lost here! There remains a priority window between the draw from the draw step and Puzzlebox forcing you to ditch your hand, where Player 2 could jam an instant speed kill spell on Leovold (or Puzzlebox, although the recovery will be slower).
A really cruel combo adds Geier Reach Sanitarium, because during the opponent's upkeep you could force them to draw and discard, with no priority between the two. Once you grind them down to 0 cards in hand (with the Puzzlebox or something else), Sanitarium truly locks them out of casting spells from hand ever.

Even though the phrase "beginning of the draw step" suggests otherwise, those abilities trigger after the turn-based action of drawing a card for the turn.

504. Draw Step
504.1. First, the active player draws a card. This turn-based action doesn’t use the stack.
504.2. Second, the active player gets priority. (See rule 116, “Timing and Priority.”)

Regardless how many cards Player 2 has in this case, they will draw a card, then Teferi's Puzzle Box triggers, eventually resolves, then has that player put all cards on the bottom of their library.
Leovold, Emissary of Trest will prevent them from drawing any other cards, as they've already drawn a card this turn.

May want to add the part wher a "can't" always wins.

@NeilMeyer: It does play a part here, but it's a very basic rule that I choose to omit in answers for the sake of cleanliness. Nevertheless, here's a link to the rule for anyone interested.

This combo is hilarious for all sorts of reasons. I love it.

The draw happens at the beginning of your draw step, then the ability of Teferi's Puzzle Box is put on the stack. Therefore, Player 2 will draw a card, then put all his/her cards on the bottom of their library in any order and not draw any more cards.
Yes, it is very unfortunate.

Now i get it thank you! Didnt know you draw your card first. Damm that hurts.

@Fallender Be sure to accept an answer if one of them satisfies your question, by clicking on the check mark near the answer. You can always come back later and change the accepted answer if someone writes a better one.

@Rainbolt, roger that.


text:
Can I play Gonti, Lord of Luxury's exiled card after he leaves the battlefield?
I'm interested in using Gonti, Lord of Luxury as my commander. If I summon him and exiled a card with him, and then he leaves the battlefield (is destroyed, exiled, etc), can I still cast that exiled card? Can I do it if he then returns to the battlefield again?

"For as long as that card remains exiled, you may look at it, you may cast it, and you may spend mana as though it were mana of any type to cast it." creates a continuous effect that affects players or the rules of the game.

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 effects lasts for the specified duration ("For as long as that card remains exiled"). Period. It is of no consequence if the source of the ability that's the source of the effect (Gonti) ceases to exist (changes zone)[1]. This is confirmed by the following ruling:

You may look at and cast that card (and spend mana as though it were mana of any type to do so) even if Gonti leaves the battlefield. If another player gains control of Gonti, that player can’t look at or cast the card, and you still can.

Don't confuse this with a continuous effect created by a static ability (e.g. Glorious Anthem).

611.3b [A continuous effect generated by the static ability of an object] applies at all times that the permanent generating it is on the battlefield or the object generating it is in the appropriate zone.

If anything requires information about the source of the ability that's the source of the effect, Last Known Information will be used.

As said on Gonti, Lord of Luxury 's gatherer page :

You may look at and cast that card (and spend mana as though it were mana of any type to do so) even if Gonti leaves the battlefield. If another player gains control of Gonti, that player can’t look at or cast the card, and you still can.

If it comes back to the battlefield later, it'll be a completely different object, and won't affect the first card exiled, you'll still be able to cast it.

Sounds paradox, do you have the rules, that he is able to cast the first card?

It's not that he is able to cast the first card. You are able to cast the first card. And the rule is right there on the Gatherer page. That is an official ruling.

"For as long as that card remains exiled, you may look at it, you may cast it, and you may spend mana as though it were mana of any type to cast it."
The ability isn't dependent on Gonti being in game or not.

@Ydrasaal That kind of thing can seem counterintuitive since it looks a little bit like a static ability type of thing, and we all know those only work while the creature is on the battlefield. :) Takes some proficiency to understand it's a perpetually granted condition.

Recommend clarifying the last sentence, explicitly referencing Gonti and highlighting that every time his effect works every time he enters the battlefield. Casting a second Gonti, with one in play, will put another condition on the stack, prior to State based Actions. Flickering Gonti is an amusing strategy.

@doppelgreener, Re "it looks a little bit like a static ability type of thing", That's because it is. Both static abilities and this triggered ability create a continuous effect. The difference is that continuous effects from static abilities end with the source, while continuous effects from spells and abilities last indefinitely or for a specified duration.


text:
Do Mox Opal + Arcbound Ravager + Scrap Trawler make an infinite combo?
Is it possible to do an infinite combo with those cards?
Using Arcbound Ravager I can send my Mox Opal to the graveyard. And with Scrap Trawler I can take the lesser converted mana cost from my graveyard to my hand.
The question is, can I take Mox Opal? Or does Mox Opal not have a converted mana cost?
What is the Rule I can find the solution?

Mox Opal has a listed CMC on the gatherer page of 0.  So, since 0 is not less than 0, you cannot take Mox Opal back from sacrificing it.

Scrap Trawler never lets you get the same artifact back that just went to the graveyard; it doesn't matter if the CMC of that artifact is 0 or anything else.

@GendoIkari True, but if there were two opals, then it would be relevant

There are actually edge cases where you can get the same artifact back. Specifically, if an artifact is a copy of another one with greater converted mana cost, you end up comparing the CMC as the object existed on the battlefield to the CMC of the artifact card in the graveyard.

@JonTheMon Still not relevant. If the converted mana cost of an item is Y while its in play, and Y while it is in the graveyard, Scrap Trawler won't return it to your hand, because Y is not less than Y.

So what would happen with a Sculpting steel copying a 4+CMC artifact ? Would it's ability trigger at 4+CMC while it hits the graveyard at 3, becoming a legal target to it's own trigger ? (does this question deserves it's own thread ?)

@Ydrasaal yes it would work. There was a combo a while ago with a Phantasmal Image copying a Driver of the Dead, it then can bring itself back.


text:
Can anyone provide a citation for the existence of pre-alpha MTG rules about an initiative stat in combat?
I remember years ago hearing about a rule/mechanic that existed in early prototypes of Magic the Gathering, before the Alpha set was released.
Basically all creatures had 3 combat stats: power, toughness, and initiative. After attackers and blockers were declared, creatures with the highest initiative would deal damage first, then the next highest initiative creatures would deal damage, etc. This proved to be tedious and was boiled down into first strike by the time the game got into print.
I think this may have been mentioned in the Battle Royale or Deckmasters booklets, but I sold them a long time ago and can't find a digital copy.
Can anyone verify this?

Mark Rosewater, Magic's lead designer, says it's not true that such a mechanic existed. He began working with Wizards of the Coast in 1995 (the game launched in late 1993) and has been the game's lead designer since 2003. From his blog, Blogatog (on February 22, 2016):

gatvin asked: Back when MTG magazines were a thing, I used to get Inquest Gamer. In one of their articles, they showed some early magic cards and they had three stats. Power, toughness, and initiative. Initiative determined damage order in combat and later turned into First Strike for simplification. Now, as with many things written by people, they were sometimes wrong. Do you know if that was true? It was weird to not hear anything about it at all in your story about the design of Alpha.
Mark: To the best of my knowledge, that is not true. The Star Wars TCG we made did have an extra stat for Speed. And yes, in our game Han was faster than Greedo. : )

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text:
Card for changing the type of lands in the library
Are there any cards that convert lands that are in the library to any other permanent type (creature, enchantment, etc.)?
Or maybe a converter that converts all cards, that are not in play to any type, different from land type.
I want to use this to mill someone's library using Sphinx's Tutelage.
Mycosynth Lattice is not a option as it does not affect cards that are not in play.

Why are you trying to do this? It's possible that there is a card that accomplish the same goal without the exact effect you mentioned.

@diego I need something to mill all cards with Sphinx Tutelage.

There is no card with such effect.
The only card with an effect like the one you describe would be Painter's Servant, but it doesn't change cards type, only color.
In the case of Sphinx's Tutelage, there is no 1-card-trick that would allow milling and entire deck with lands in it.
In legacy, a similar effect is usually achieved using the Painter's Servant + Grindstone combo.

The card Conspiracy does a similar thing with creature types.

@Ydrasaal That's very famous combo in Legacy. I hoped to create variation of this combo in Modern.


text:
1993 collectors edition sealed box
My husband found 2 of the 1993 collectors edition boxes (still sealed, but small rips at the seems on the top). I was hoping you could tell me how much they are worth and where the best places to go to sell them.

Possible duplicate of How do I find out a fair price for my Magic the Gathering cards?

Here, it's sold for $3,800.00. I'm guessing yours will fetch a few hundred less (they are retail and try to sell for profit after all).
Things to know. Don't open them. The value is on being sealed. They all contain a full set of cards, so there is no chance of getting card X or Y, there is no gamble, they are all there. That means you also have 1 ultra rare "Black Lotus" in there, but here is the catch, all those cards have gold trims in the back, and square corners. This makes them possible to distinguish from "regular" magic cards. They can't be played with on tournaments (for example) and the black lotus is worth far less ($400.00) than the "real" one ($125,000.00)..
I'd sell them on eBay, although if you don't have a good seller's reputation, it'll be a hard sell.

That is likely worth quite a bit of cash.
The best place to see the prices of cards is TCGPlayer.com. Look at mid to low leverl. The best place to make the most money off of something like that once you have found a reasonable price is to post it on ebay honestly. If you want to accept much less but unload it quickly, go to a local card shop.


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Does anyone know this card game
I like to know the name of a card game. It has a pack of cards and someone nominates someone to do an action on that card, e.g.:

"crawl on your hands and knees like a cat and meow at each person"
"go around each person and kiss them on the nose"
"walk up and down in a red dress like your on a catwalk"

Unfortunately I have no clue as to when and where the game was produced. This game is a family game, no rude ones in there as far as I can remember. I've looked at Cranium, but that's not it.
I don't have any real pictures of the game, other than a very low-resolution image I pulled out from another photo I have, showing a back card with an orange or red border and white text:

I have been hunting high and low for it and for the life of me I can't find it anywhere! Its silly little actions are hilarious.

There are countless "party" games like this. Some are child friendly and some are 18+. Do you have any clue on when the game is produced and where? That might narrow down the search a bit.

Can you provide some pictures of the game?

Is it "We Didn’t Playtest This At All"?
It has cards with really strange rules like you describe and there are indeed booster packs.

I believe this might be the Party Game Quelf.
https://boardgamegeek.com/image/162770/quelf
Has a photo of the cards that look close to what you are holding

It's a little more childish, but Cranium Game is like that. $12 at Walmart. I've never heard of an adult version the way you described.

I dunno, Cranium has things you have to think about, things you can get right or wrong. The OP's sounds like silly suggestions for the dare half of truth or dare.


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How can I get red mana immediately?
I am making a mana ramp deck, and I was wondering what other ways can I get 1 red other than tapping lands. I don't mind paying life or discarding that creature, like Simian Spirit Guide, but I want to be able to play it out of my hand.

Manamorphose

There's a only a little number of ways you can generate mana right out of your hand. Let's have a list:

Simian Spirit Guide and Elvish Spirit Guide can be exiled from your hand for mana
Chancellor of the Tangle will provide a single (green) mana for free, and only in the first turn.

Other than those, I'm not aware of any cards that produce mana straight out of your hand. Of course, if you don't mind casting those cards, there are a few more options:

Spells like Desperate Ritual from your hand, though these will generally cost you mana
You can cast creatures like Priest of Urabrask, which generate mana when they enter the battlefield. Note that at least for the color red, there are no creatures that produce more mana than they cost, but cards like Priest of Urabrask let you filter other colors.
Similar to the above, you can sacrifice some creatures for mana, even allowing you to "store" some mana for the next turn - Wild Cantor would be an example.
Treasonous Ogre will, once on the battlefield, generate you as much mana as your life total can afford
Lotus Petal can be cast for no mana and sacrificed for a single mana of any color, with other Lotus cards working similarly.
Mox Ruby can be cast for no mana and tapped immediately. Other Mox cards work similarly.


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Digging without cards
Can someone dig without any books of knowledge using only shovels (therefore taking out only a few tokens)? If not, why?

Please ask your second question as a separate question. The format of this site doesn't work well for having multiple questions in 1 unless they are closely related. You can question to remove the second part.

I have removed the second question. You can still get it out of your revision history by visiting the edited X time ago link at the bottom of your post. Please do ask it separately as Gendolkari requested.

You cannot dig unless you have at least 1 point of specialized knowledge in that region. From the rules, page 5:

If the player fulfills the requisites below, he can execute an excavation.
The minimum requirement

• The player has a valid excavation permission for the area.
• The player has at least 1 point of specialized knowledge for the excavation area, either from a researcher card or found item.


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Is there a strongly solved game with infinite possible board arrangements?
Is there a game with infinite possible board arrangements (infinite experience conditions?), but which has been strongly solved, i.e. whose optimal move at every stage of the game has been solved?
If such a game exists and if its name is given, it will be of great help to me. Waiting for it. This is going to allow me make certain conclusions in other domains via analogy.

In what way does this take into account e.g. the threefold repetition rule of chess? Theoretically two queens can loop around the board forever, but at a certain point they'll hit a previous state for the third time, enabling a person to end the game -- but it's not automatic.

@doppelgreener: Thank you for the comment. I have changed the question. The previous question having infinite moves instead of infinite board arrangements seem to not help me. What I am seeing for see is the conclusion that, even if there are infinite experience conformations/arrangements, optimal decision can be taken at every experience environment by only knowing the game rules.

I will also go through your previous link, but only wanted to make changes quickly, as imprecision in question indicated on the surface. By previous question, intentionally two players can perform infinite moves :)

Can a board game have infinite possible board arrangements? It seems to be finite for every size of the board. Waiting for a unbelievable experience now.

Thanks for clarifying. This will definitely need to look at some atypical games: a finite number of pieces with a finite number of allowed board positions will probably never have infinite possible arrangements, which e.g. rules out most games we'd identify with a checkerboard.

I seem to be searching for a board game with infinite board size (as this might allow infinite board arrangements), and whose optimal move at every stage has been determined.

@doppelgreener and others :) : Can a existing board game, chess, go, etc, with infinite board size have optimal move determined at every stage?

@ImmortalPlayer Games like that would be EXPTIME-complete, which means that the number of possible moves increases exponentially in relation to the size of the board. Given that it took 18 years to strongly solve 8×8 checkers by brute force, and we haven't even generalized an algorithm for that size, I think it's safe to say that jn our lifetimes (and probably well beyond), we will never determine an optimial move at every stage for chess, go, etc with an infinite size.

Yes, with Nim being the best-known example
You ask for a strongly solved game (presumably referring to the term in combinatorial game theory). According to Wikipedia, games that are strongly solved

Provide an algorithm that can produce perfect moves from any position, even if mistakes have already been made on one or both sides.

It goes on to note that in many cases, this is determined by brute force:

By contrast, "strong" proofs often proceed by brute force—using a computer to exhaustively search a game tree to figure out what would happen if perfect play were realized. The resulting proof gives an optimal strategy for every possible position on the board.

For instance, we can strongly solve 3x3 tic-tac-toe because we can brute force every possible combination and determine perfect moves. Of course, brute force is impossible for an infinite board size, and some games are only strongly solved up to a certain board size. For instance, Hex is only strongly solved up to a 6x6 board. Still, the hope is that this brute force on games like these will lead to an algorithm for perfect play that works for an infinite size (e.g. an NxN board).
The best studied strongly solved game is Nim, where an algorithm has been found that produces perfect play from any position of any size heaps and objects. This game can be played on a board (or just by drawing on a piece of paper), so it counts as a board game.
Most other combinatorial games are played on a fixed board and are not typically studied at NxN sizes. In some cases, an algorithm for those sizes may not be possible. As described above Hex has been strongly solved for a 6x6 board. However, an algorithm that works for NxN boards is unlikely to be found because the problem is PSPACE-complete, meaning that the number of possibles moves increases polynomially in relation to the size of the board, and it would take a polynomial amount of time to solve the game for a given size. It is suspected that this type of game is unsolvable because calculating for an infinite size would take a polynomially infinite amount of time.
Note that games like Chess, Checkers, and Go are EXPTIME-complete, which means that the number of possible moves increases exponentially in relation to the size of the board. Since an infinite board takes exponentially infinite time to solve, EXPTIME-complete problems like this one are also suspected to be unsolvable. Since exponential time takes longer than polynomial time, and PSPACE-complete problems are suspected to be unsolvable, EXPTIME-complete problems are generally considered to be completely unsolvable.
For reference, it took 18 years to strongly solve 8×8 checkers by brute force. It would take exponentially more work to solve a 9x9 board.
(It's been a long time since I've studied this stuff, but I vaguely recall some research considering what impact quantum computers might have on this type of problem. As I recall, it might be possible to reduce a PSPACE problem to a P problem, which can be efficiently solved in polynomial time regardless of the size of the input. That said, I'm not an expert in this field, so take it worth a grain of salt.)
Caveat: I'm not an expert in this field and it's been years since I've studied it. If I've made any incorrect statements about PSPACE-Complete etc. in this answer, please point it out in the comments or correct it.

Thank you for the answer. Is it that the optimal moves at every stage of an infinite sized board game exist, but we are not able to know them now, because of computational low power? I am going through the links now.

@ImmortalPlayer I've added a bit more to this. I'm not an expert in this field, but my understanding is that the problem set grows too big as we approach infinity to completely solve the problem such that we can never feasibly solve the problem. PSPACE-complete grows at a slower rate than EXPTIME-complete. Nim is in a different category of complexity in that we have an algorithm that doesn't depend on the size of the game.

Note the difference between "infinite" and "arbitrarily large". Nim is solved for arbitrarily large states - with 10 piles, 100, 1000, etc, the winning strategy is known. Thus Nim is solved for an infinite number of different states. Yet no individual Nim state is infinite. Most games aren't well-defined on infinite boards, and depending on how you define them they might be trivially solved even if the normal game isn't - e.g. in infinite checkers (using the first definition I think of), all moves are equally optimal since the game can never end.

@BenjaminCosman isn't nim also solved for infinite ordinals?

Oh, didn't realize that, but I guess Nim does have a reasonable infinite version. Most games don't though, so the overall point stands.

Exactly. We know how to play infinite Nim, but infinite Chess isn't really well defined, so we'd have to figure out what that means before we even consider it for anything larger than a standard 8x8 board.

@BenjaminCosman: Even if Nim were only solved for arbitrarily large states, the ‘board’ is some equipment whose configurations represent the state space of the game; this equipment must either be infinitely large or infinitely finely divided. The question also refers to “infinite possible board arrangements”, which Nim matches.

A non-Nim example is one usually presented as a puzzle, such as this Puzzling.SE question. The rules of the game are:

Given a symmetrical (normally circular or square) table, two players take turns putting coins on the table such that no two coins overlap. The player who is first unable to place a coin loses.

There are an infinite number of board positions, because the coins can be placed anywhere within the space of the table, and (at least in a pure abstraction) any epsilon-sized change in the position of a coin is technically a different board state.
The game is solved, because the first player's optimal strategy is:

Place the first coin exactly in the centre of the table.
On all turns after the first, place a coin in the reflection of the position the other player placed their last coin.

As long as the first player does this, the second player always loses regardless of their strategy (and if the first player doesn't do it, I suspect there's a way for the second player to strategy-steal the win in many cases).

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


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How does "Exile and return to battlefield" work with a Manifest
I am playing Brago, King Eternal as my Commander and I have a Cloudform attached to a Manifested card. What will happen if I use Brago's trigger (exile permanent and return to the battlefield) on both Cloudform and the Manifest?
Will the Manifest be revealed? Will it be flipped? If so, what happens if the Manifest is an instant/sorcery?
Please reference the rules when answering.

Your first two questions are a duplicate of this question. (Yes revealed.  Yes flipped)
For your third question, it won't return from exile:

304.4. Instants can’t enter the battlefield. If an instant would enter the battlefield, it remains in its previous zone instead.
307.4. Sorceries can’t enter the battlefield. If a sorcery would enter the battlefield, it remains in its previous zone instead.

It's good to see that rule 307.4 gets some use besides preventing Splintering Wind shenanigans.


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Do creature tokens get removed along with the permanent that created them?
I have this card called Militia's Pride which lets me summon 1/1 creature token onto the battlefield. My question is: if Militia's Pride is sent to the graveyard, do my 1/1 tokens stay or are they removed from the battlefield as well?

Card tags don't work for cards that have apostrophes In the name. Use a direct link instead. I'm in a mobile device or I'd fix it.

The tokens will stay.
A token is simply a new object. Unless explicitly stated otherwise, it does not matter what spell or effect created it, and there is no connection. Consider also that, strictly speaking, the Militia's Pride did not create the token, but its triggered ability did.

110.1. A permanent is a card or token on the battlefield. A permanent remains on the battlefield indefinitely. [..]

Of course that doesn't mean that permanents are indestructible or anything like that. It only says that permanents don't leave the battlefield on their own. It means that an effect or rule is required to make a token die (in fact, it takes an effect or a rule for anything to happen in the game), so since Militia's Pride does not say anything about what happens to the tokens it created when the Pride dies, nothing will happen to those tokens. There is also no rule to that effect.


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What is this tile set with the card suites and numbers set in a 6x6 grid?
What is the name of this game?
How do you play it? (if instructions cannot be easily found online)

Board and Game Pieces:

Board and Back of Game Pieces:

The game also includes:

12 White Poker Chips
8 Maroon Poker Chips
4 Blue Poker Chips

Notes:

The pieces in the first image may not be in their proper places

I'm guessing it's some sort of bid tracking system, maybe for Bridge. Or, maybe it's not. It's one of the two.

Thanks for your correct answer, maybe for this question. Or, maybe it's not. It's one of the two.

Glad I could help.

This look a lot like sequence (Dice version) or kazink board games , but is surely not them.
Could as pointed out be a bid tracking system.
Is there any markings on the black holding rack or another piece? Will edit this post later after more research

After double checking, there are no markings unique to any of the pieces (other than the suites and numbers / icons displayed in the images)


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What is this game with cards you describe, draw, or act out, decided by an electronic unit?
Can anyone help me remember the name of this game? We played it around 2005. It was an electronic game with a purple (I think) unit. There were no teams. Each player chose a color. All the participating colors checked in on the unit to start the game. There was no game board. The game then chose a color to take a turn. You would select a card and insert it into the unit. The game then decided if you had to describe it, draw it, or act it out. The game also chose which color you would be doing the card with. It was all completely random. The game unit kept up with the score and at the end announced how many points each color had earned. I think there were two electronic hosts, one male and one female. I distinctly remember the female voice slowly saying, "Maybe you should try to act", slowly sounding out each letter in the word 'act'.

Perhaps you should edit your title so that it is other users coming across the question know what it is about. I suggest something like "What is this game where players describe, draw, or act out things from coloured cars to an electronic host?" or something like that. "I need your help!" is not a very good title for this site format :)

It's not Cranium Hoopla is it?

I remember playing this game as a kid! I believe it was called "Express Yourself". Hope I helped in some way!

Here's the BGG link for Express Yourself; it seems to match the description perfectly. Thanks for your answer!

That's it! I can't believe I'm just seeing this. I just ordered it. THANK YOU!!!

Could this be Cranium Turbo Edition?

It has an electronic purple unit and 4 different types of activities: Data head (fun facts), Star performer (act & hum), Creative cat (sketch & sculpt), and Word worm (word puzzles).

No, there was no game board. But thanks for the response!

@csanlee keep in mind, that most games of this type can be played without a board as well.

Your description reminded me of Taboo. Therefore, I googled for an electronic version of the game and got two hits.

Taboo Buzz'd
Electronic Taboo (Platinum Edition)

I do not know these versions so I do not know if they match the rest of your description but I hope one of these two is the game you are looking for.

These aren't what I'm looking for but I like the Electronic Taboo. I think that will be my next game purchase. Thanks for the tip!

It could be Pictionary. Although this does have a board, maybe you have a different version. But in pictionary, you do have 2 different coloured cards and you have to draw what card comes up. The "unit" that you are talking about might be an electronic version of Pictionary where the "unit" gives out a random card.


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When the match time is called, does the current turn end immediately?
In the Magic Tournament Rules, the End-of-Match procedure says:

If the match time limit is reached before a winner is determined, the player whose turn it is finishes their turn and five additional turns are played in total.

In a Regular or Competitive REL tournament, does this mean the turn immediately ends (as though Sundial of the Infinite was activated), or does it mean the current player continues their turn through ordinary gameplay and draws it to a speedy conclusion so that the five extra turns can commence?
I've only been to a couple of pre-releases as far as tournament exposure goes, and I'm looking to better understand tournament procedure. I don't want to join a tournament and have an incorrect understanding of this situation cost me a game.

For what it's worth, this rule predates the card Sundial of the Infinite (and indeed its predecessor Time Stop) by at least a decade if not more.  At the time this rule was invented, there was no concept of what it would mean for the game state if a turn was ended except inasmuch as drawn to a natural conclusion (by stepping through all the steps/phases and saying "go").

@Ertai87 I suppose technically winning the game would be another way of ending the turn.

The active player takes the rest of the turn as usual, then the five-turn count begins. This is based on my own experience, but it is likely that if they wanted to end the turn immediately they would have used a wording that matched the corresponding effect template and said "End the turn".
Overall, it would not really make sense to end that turn like that. It would effectively be introducing a somewhat complex effect into a running game from the outside with no respect for the stack, priority, or turn-based actions. It would create arguments about what the game state is and what spells/abilities/effects have already resolved. Plus it wouldn't do much for timeliness because it would effectively say "The active player immediately stops what they're doing and ends the turn, then both players return to playing at their own pace for another five turns". Finally, the active player already has the disadvantage of getting only two of the five turns; adding this further disadvantage to the same player could unreasonably swing the game.
As some comments have mentioned, the quoted section of the Magic Tournament Rules was added before the concept of "ending the turn" was ever created in the Comprehensive Rules. So, the intention at the time that the tournament rules were written could not have been to end the turn in that way.

Might be worth adding a ref to CR 716, Ending the turn as it is used on Sundial, as opposed to plain English tournament rules.

@Hackworth The thing is, MTR isn't beholden to Magic templating. So, sure, it's written in plain English, but that is the exact reason I thought it might possibly mean “the turn ends immediately”.

@doppelgreener Exactly, MTR wording is not bound by CR wording. So if the MTR meaning of finish was in effect the same as CR 716 end, the MTR would have to define what finish means in the same depth as the CR does for end, or make an explicit ref to the CR. The MTR can't just impose a Sundial effect on the active player and not explain what that entails, unless, of course, it was the normal English meaning of normally finishing the turn, all steps and phases intact.

I'm just pointing out, saying "it's plain English" doesn't make it as clear as you and others seem to think it might. I mean, I read it, I know it's plain English, I still did not known how to interpret it.

As for the English interpretation, there are still differences to point out. To me as a non-native, "finishing" something means to bring something to a successful, goal-oriented end, rather than any end. Everything that finishes ends, but not everything that ends finishes, if that makes sense. A finished turn means all steps and phases have been passed normally, while an ended turn can mean either finished or aborted as per CR 716.

Google on end vs. finish

@Hackworth I am a native English speaker, and my understanding of what "finish" means matches yours.

There is a process for ending the turn at most points in the turn (any time you could play an instant), because there is a card that actually does that. Of course, it includes such fun side effects as "Exile everything on the stack, including this card, but it will continue to resolve."

@Kevin That rule post-dates this rule by at least a decade.  At the time this tournament rule was in place, those cards (and their associated rules) did not exist.  Although without context, it's hard to know that.

When explaining it to new players I use the shorthand that the current turn is Turn 0, and you have five full turns to finish the game otherwise it's a draw.


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What can I do with the Joker if I remove every tile from its meld? (Can I even do that?)
I'm aware that one cannot move a Joker tile out of a meld except by replacing the Joker with the number it represents. However, I'm confused about one situation which I haven't found rules to clarify:
What happens if I move every other number in the Joker's meld, leaving the Joker on its own?

Am I allowed to do this, or must I somehow preserve its meld?
What happens to the Joker's value? (Does it remain exactly what it was before, or can I pick a new value?)
Where can it go now? (Can I move it to another meld that's already on the table? Can I create a new meld around it using tiles from my hand?)

Example scenarios
Just to make it clear how this can happen. Both scenarios only involve moving the tiles surrounding the Joker, never the Joker itself (or at least that's the way I see it).

There is a run of blue 1234, and a run of blue J567. I move the 567 to the other run, making a run of 1234567. The Joker is now all on its own.
There's a run of 1234 in each colour, except blue which has 123J. I take the 1's, 2's and 3's away and make four-colour sets for each of those numbers. I make a three-colour set out of the red, yellow and black 4's. The Joker is now all on its own.

Or the same scenarios, pictorially:

Board goes from 1234 / J567 → 1234567 / J
Board goes from 1234 / 1234 / 1234 / 123J → 1111 / 2222 / 3333 / 444 / J

Argh - a rules question where the publisher has changed the rules at some point! The best way to answer this is to go and read the rules you received with your version and answer it yourself. If you need clarification, you'll need to either write out all the relevant rules in your question, or find a link to rules which match your ones. In the meantime, I'm upvoting everyone who has an answer that matches at least one set of rules!

@AndyT I suspect it might be American or International rules, now that I have a link to the different variations - one of which explicitly forbids this. I'll have to check later in the week.

Wow, they've really been messing with the rules of the game.
In every version of Rummikub that I've ever played (and I'm one for reading the rules before we start playing), this kind of thing is explicitly disallowed like this:

A combination which contains a joker can have further tiles added to it, but nothing can be taken from it, nor can it be rearranged in
  any way while there is a joker in it.

Here's a link if you're interested:  http://www.pagat.com/rummy/rummikub.html
Obviously there are different publications of the game with different rule sets, but I far prefer this "joker melds cannot be split!" version.

I will note that the rule you're quoting from only belongs to the Sabra rule set; I might be playing with an American or International rule set.

Indeed.  Like any game published by multiple sources, rule sets vary.  The good thing about Rummikub is that the game bits are always the same and you can adopt any rule set you like!  I'd suggest printing out the rule set you like the most and replacing the one the game came with.  8 )

What happens if I move every other number in the Joker's meld, leaving the Joker on its own?

You can move and rearrange the Joker like every other tile.

What happens to the Joker's value? (Does it remain exactly what it was before, or can I pick a new value?)

you can use it for the value you want. Getting the Joker out of an existing row to use it elsewhere is a very common strategy.

Where can it go now?

everywhere, but you also have to use it on the same turn, what should not be a problem...

Your examples are fine, but of course the Joker has to be used and can not stand alone.
The complete rules can be found here.

We always played that Jokers value was 'set' until you replaced it with a chip from your hand.  So if you had a Black 123J the Joker was a Black 4 until it was actually replaced with one from you HAND not elsewhere already in play.  I don't have the rules to double check to make sure it wasn't a house rule.

It had to be from your hand in the version I played as a kid. So unlikely to be a house rule.

Different versions of rummikub come with different rules. If you have a version of the rules which states that you cannot move the joker tile out of a meld, I would be very surprised if you were allowed to move other tiles out of the meld, as this would not make sense.

Removing other tiles from melds is a perfectly normal action, though, and I've yet to find a ruleset that says "You can't move tiles out of a meld with a joker in them." (Except until Task's quote, I guess!)

The rules I played with as a kid (version bought in the UK in the mid-90s) had that rule. The version I played last year (bought in the UK fairly recently) didn't! I suspect the quote which said you can't move a Joker out of a meld refers to a ruleset which said you can't move anything out of a Joker's meld.

When you move or break melds you have to be left with valid melds. A lone joker is not a meld just as a lone black 4 could not stand alone.

The OP isn't planning on leaving the joker on its own at the end of his turn. Read the whole question.


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In what ways does a Commander in their Command zone influence the game?
Oloro, Ageless Ascetic has an ability that functions whilst in the command zone. As a newbie to the Commander format, that leaves me unclear about something:
Whilst a Commander is in their Command zone and remains there, what effect do they have on the game?

Are all of a Commander's abilities active? (e.g. Gahiji, Honored One)
Can they use their activated or mana abilities? (e.g. Sydri, Galvanic Genius)
Can they do anything else (apart from being able to be cast)?

I suspect all their abilities are active and can be used, but I've been told only the ones that specifically mention being in the command zone (e.g. Oloro's ability) are active.

Only Oloro's third ability functions in the Command Zone, and none of Gahiji or Sydri's.

Abilities of permanent cards usually only work on the battlefield, not in the Command Zone.

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

It is notable that characteristic-defining abilities (e.g. Ghostfire's first ability) function in all zones, and even outside of the game.[112.6a] The rest of the exceptions are quite intuitive. For example, if an ability can only be activated in a particular zone, it can be activated in that zone.[112.6i] And if an ability can only be triggered in a particular zone, it can trigger in that zone.[112.6j] This exception is what permits Oloro's third ability to function in the Command Zone.
But none of the other abilities of the three cards you mentioned meet one of the exceptions that would allow them to work in the Command Zone.

(Sorry, didn't have time for a proper answer earlier. I figured I might as well convert my comment into a proper answer anyway.)

Transguild Courier no longer has a CDA as of the release of Innistrad -- he's been errata'd to just have a color indicator. (The same applies to similar cards such as Crimson Kobolds and Evermind.) Lhurgoyf and friends may be a better example.

@Brian S, Ack, I meant Ghost Fire

@ikegami I've added a bit to this answer that describes the exception that actually applies to Oloro (and commanders in general), since I realised it never actually did that. Please feel free to reword as you'd prefer.

@doppelgreener, I didn't cover that because it was a given from the question.

@ikegami Which is completely fair. :)

I'd be more specific on why Oloro functions where he does, the exception is 112.6b "An ability that states which zones it functions in functions only from those zones."

@Andrew, The ability in question does not state in which zone it functions, so 112.6b is not applicable. It's 112.6j that applies ("A trigger condition that can’t trigger from the battlefield functions in all zones it can trigger from. [...]"), and it's already paraphrased in the answer. I've added the rule number.

@ikegami The ability is worded as "At the beginning of your upkeep, if Oloro, Ageless Ascetic is in the command zone, you gain 2 life." Specifying "If ~ is in the command zone" is specifying zone

@ikegami 112.6j would cover triggers like madness, since the trigger condition is discard, though the ability does not specify a zone, it can only trigger from the hand, the only place where a discard can happen. At least that is my understanding of the wording of the rules

@Andrew, Yes, the ability mentions a zone. It does not, however, state in which zone it functions. It identifies where the source of the ability must be as part of the trigger condition, making it covered by 112.6j. Even if you're right, it's covered by both "j" and "a", so I'll stick with the rule that's clear over the one that requires interpretation.

Cards in the command zone are not in the battlefield. Therefore no abilities are active, unless specified. The same applies for example for cards in your graveyard or exile zone. You also cannot activate abilities of cards in the graveyard, unless specified.

Thanks. This was a little mindbending for me: abilities are nonfunctional, except where the nonfunctional ability specifies it is functional by stating something that could only work from an area where the ability is nonfunctional, which shouldn't matter because a nonfunctional ability can't do anything, including making itself functional. Or so I thought. Ikegami pointing out CR 112.6 helps: the rules themselves make exceptions for abilities that include something that can only function in somewhere special.

I strongly suggest you mention CR 112.6 in your answer - or at least the nature of the rules themselves making certain exceptions for those abilities. That makes it suddenly make sense why this stuff is the case.

@JonathanHobbs Sure, but on the other hand, it shouldn't be too surprising. That's essentially what rules text does - makes something work differently from how it would without that text. The only nontrivial thing here is the fact that an ability that says "...in the command zone..." is allowed to work from the command zone, but again, shouldn't be surprising - they don't print meaningless text on cards.

@Jefromi But it's important to realize that there's not an a general exception or a precedent in the rules for things that "shouldn't be too surprising" — i.e. that the rules actually do explicitly define all of those things somewhere.

@intuited It was nearly 4 years ago, but I'm pretty sure the point of my comment was that from reading the card, you can tell what it's doing, so it's not a surprise to go and discover that there's a rule that lets it do exactly what it says it's doing. I wwasn't saying the rules don't exist, or that it's not helpful to mention them, just that you can (in this case) mostly understand it by reading the card.


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Does Progenitor Mimic create copies of itself even when it isn't a creature?

Progenitor Mimic can be cast as a copy of cards like Mutavault and Simic Keyrune whilst they're in their creature state. When it does so, it can become something other than a creature: a land, an artifact, etc.
However, its copy ability states:

At the beginning of your upkeep, if this creature isn't a token, put a token onto the battlefield that's a copy of this creature.

Suppose my Progenitor Mimic becomes a Mutavault^. At the beginning of my upkeep, it will be only a land. Will Progenitor Mimic create a new Mutavault token, or is this prevented by the fact it isn't a creature?
^ For those who may not know, it will copy exactly what's printed on the Mutavault card and be a fresh Mutavault, not a 2/2 creature, because of how copy works. You can check the 4/15/2013 rulings on Progenitor Mimic.

Am I misreading this, or would Progenitor Mimic just become a permanent 2/2 creature land? The 'end of turn' phrase on the ability would never trigger, because that ability would never have been cast, and because it had never been anything else. Let me know if I've got something wrong here.

@Sconibulus You're not misreading, but that's not how copy works. You can visit Progenitor Mimic's page to read the ruling on this (it's the top one): "Progenitor Mimic copies exactly what was printed on the original creature and nothing more (unless that creature is copying something else or is a token). It doesn't copy whether that creature is tapped or untapped, whether it has any counters on it or Auras attached to it, or any non-copy effects that have changed its power, toughness, types, color, or so on." On other copy cards (like Clone) you'll find similar rulings.

Ahh, thanks. I've apparently been playing wrong for years :)

@Sconibulus, See 706.2. If it worked like you thought it did, you could Giant Growth something before copying it to give the copy a permanent +3/+3 for one mana. That would be bad.

@ikegami For your opponent and the game as a whole, certainly. For you and Giant Growth, seems great,

Yes, you'll get copies of Mutavault.
Let's look at Wall of Tears for a second.

Whenever Wall of Tears blocks a creature, return that creature to its owner's hand at end of combat.

MTG uses pronouns whenever possible. The only reason Wall of Tears doesn't say "return it" instead of "return that creature" is that it would be ambiguous as to whether whether the Wall of Tears or the attacker should be returned to its owner's hand. "That creature" is not meant to be a check. This is codified by 201.5 and 608.2i.

201.5. If an ability of an object uses a phrase such as “this [something]” to identify an object, where [something] is a characteristic, it is referring to that particular object, even if it isn’t the appropriate characteristic at the time.

608.2i. 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 Progenitor Mimic's case, 201.5 applies (but not 608.2i, at least not for the first instance of "this creature"), allowing the ability to trigger.

Yes, it does. When a card says "this creature", is still refers to itself even if it is no longer a creature, so the ability still triggers and resolves.
According to rule 201.5,

If an ability of an object uses a phrase such as "this [something]" to identify an object, where [something] is a characteristic, it is referring to that particular object, even if it isn't the appropriate characteristic at the time.

I think this is the correct ruling, but it doesn't seem to me that rule 608.2i applies. The if-statement in the triggered ability is checked when the triggered ability would trigger (rule 603.4). At this point, the object has not "been previously referred to", imo. So the question becomes whether "this creature" on a non-creature permanent still refers to the permanent in general. I can't find anything in the comprehensive rules about this, but it seems in line with e.g. the ruling for undying, that it triggers even for non-creatures (http://wiki.mtgsalvation.com/article/Undying).

@tengfred, Undying doesn't mention "creature", so it's not relevant. It says "this permanent", and it can only trigger for permanents.

201.5 is actually the relevant rule. @tengfred

@ikegami Nice find!


text:
How do Companion cards from Ikoria work in Commander?
Today the Ikoria previews revealed a new mechanic: companion. From Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths Mechanics, you can choose up to one companion card in your sideboard (or in your collection outside the game) and reveal it before the game begins. For example Umori, the Collector says:

Companion — Each nonland card in your starting deck shares a card type. (If this card is your chosen companion, you may cast it once from outside the game.)

How do these work in commander? (Do they work at all, given they are outside the game?)

Does my commander count as part of my starting deck for the purposes of the companion condition?
Are these part of my 100 cards?
Does their color identity matter?
Can I have one in my main deck as well as one outside the game?

Companion cards will function in commander, and rather unusually at that.
Their behaviour in Commander is described by two key sources quoted below. To summarise:

Your Commander is counted as part of your starting deck and thus has to meet your companion's deckbuilding restrictions. (Even if you might remove your commanders from your deck before your game begins.)
A companion card is not one of your 100 cards. If you have a companion, it's essentially your 101st card.
Singleton and color identity rules still apply to your companion. This means your companion must be inside your commander's color identity, and you cannot also have another copy of your companion inside your 100.
Your Companion cannot also be your Commander, because Commanders start in your deck, but Companions start outside the game, and a single card can't be in both places.
Just to confirm: companion cards start outside the game in your collection, and are not in the command zone.

This means if you're using Umori, the Collector, your commander(s) must share a card type with all the nonland cards in the rest of your deck. For Keruga, the Macrosage, your commander (or commanders) must be converted mana cost 3 or greater.
Companions aren't necessarily an auto-include; they come with deckbuilding restrictions. On that note: Lutri, the Spellchaser is pre-emptively banned in Commander because in this format its restriction is not actually a restriction at all, making it basically a free auto-include in any UR+ deck. You can see Sheldon Menery's tweet here announcing the ban; the full explanation is currently on the MTGCommander.net home page (archive link).
Sources
The Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths Mechanics article:

Commander players, even though you don't have sideboards, you can still get in on the fun. Each Commander deck may include a chosen companion. It starts outside the game and doesn't count as one of your 100 cards. Just like the rest of your deck, your commander must follow the deck-building rule if you're going to use a companion.

Sheldon Menery on Twitter:

All the other companion cards [except for Lutri] will be legal, and subject to color identity and singleton rules.  If a card is your companion, it is effectively a 101st card.

Finally, CR 103: Starting the Game:

103.2b. If a player wishes to reveal a card with a companion ability that they own from outside the game, they may do so after setting aside their sideboard. A player may reveal no more than one card this way, and they may do so only if their deck fulfills the condition of that card's companion ability. (See rule 702.139, "Companion.")
103.2c. In a Commander game, each player puts their commander from their deck face up into the command zone after having the opportunity to reveal a card with a companion ability and before shuffling. See rule 903.6.

That sounds kinda strange to me. Basically every Deck in the world will want a companion now or am i wrong there? Since you don't have any drawbacks from it: you don't waste a slot in your deck and basically start the game with 8 cards in hand?

Would players be expected to declare that they're using a companion ahead of time?

@bautista I think the expected drawback is the deck construction rules. Which is why the EDH rules committee preemptively banned basically-no-dwarback-in-EDH companion Lutri.

@Soulus101 Yes, you have to reveal it before the game begins. I've updated the original question to mention that since that's where I mention the basic mechanics.

@bautista I was concerned about that too for a minute but yeah, AlexP is on the money. Keruga's great but it means never running a single cmc-1/2 mana rock or mana dork, never ever packing Disdainful Stroke or Swan Song, etc. Is it worth the trade? For Umori you have to run only creatures, for Gyruda you can't use any card with an odd CMC, etc.

Honestly, considering the restrictions, it seems hard to imagine the Companions making much splash outside of Limited formats. If you unseal one, or draft one p1p1, then yeah, you could do something with it, but the restrictions are all really brutal for Constructed formats, at least for the ones we’ve seen. I’m sure people will try, and maybe there are very specific things you can do with them that make for a viable deck, but I’m not holding my breath.

@KRyan Ah, the benefits of hindsight. Perhaps this post could be improved by referencing the rules for how Companion got nerfed because of how overpowered it was? https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/news/june-1-2020-banned-and-restricted-announcement - and even after the nerf, it was still so strong that Lurrus got banned in Modern last month.

@nick012000 To be fair, when I made that comment, I don’t think I’d seen Lurrus. But yeah, Lurrus definitely went a lot further than expected, and a couple of others were... just remarkably miserable to play against. Not really a great time in Magic.


text:
Will multiple Exquisite Archangels give me many extra chances, or just one?
Let's say I've somehow managed to get two or more Exquisite Archangels out onto the battlefield:

Something causes me to lose. Let's say it's just regular creature damage, and my life will reset just fine with no shenanigans.
What happens? Do all Archangels get exiled at once, or do I exile just one and have one more chance left for each extra Archangel beyond that one?

After more careful thought, I retracted my duplicate close vote. Here is a related question though: Multiple Replacement Effects for "Next Time".

Only 1 Archangel gets exiled each time you lose. This is because the Archangel has a replacement effect, and when you have multiple replacement effects attempting to modify the same event you do it one at a time. The first Archangel replaces you losing with her effect. You are now no longer losing so the remaining Archangels don't have anything to replace so their effects do nothing.

616.1. If two or more replacement and/or prevention effects are attempting to modify the way an event affects an object or player, the affected object’s controller (or its owner if it has no controller) or the affected player chooses one to apply, following the steps listed below. If two or more players have to make these choices at the same time, choices are made in APNAP order (see rule 101.4).
616.1a-c These rules don't apply to this case.
616.1d Any of the applicable replacement and/or prevention effects may be chosen.
616.1e Once the chosen effect has been applied, this process is repeated (taking into account only replacement or prevention effects that would now be applicable) until there are no more left to apply.

Only 1 archangel gets exiled and you get to choose which one. (Relevant, for example, if one of them has counters.)

You choose one to apply, and it saves you, and the other one sticks around until the next time you would lose.
This is explicitly stated in one of the card's rulings in Gatherer:

If you control two Exquisite Archangels, you choose which one’s effect applies. The other’s effect won’t be applicable after that until the next time you would lose the game.

That'll teach me for not checking the rulings. Thanks.

You will exile just one of them.
When you would lose the game, both Archangels try to replace "lose the game" with "exile this and reset your life total". Since multiple replacement effects are trying to apply at the same time, you choose which one applies first. Regardless of which Angel you choose to use, once you've made your choice, the other Angel will no longer apply, because you're no longer about to lose the game. You'll exile the one angel, reset your life total, and then continue on your merry way.
Also, as was stated in another answer, this is explicitly called out in a Gatherer ruling as well:

If you control two Exquisite Archangels, you choose which one’s effect applies. The other’s effect won’t be applicable after that until the next time you would lose the game.


text:
How does the Commander 2018 Storm cycle work with Partner commanders?
Commander 2018 includes a cycle of cards that say:

When you cast this spell, copy it for each time you've cast your commander from the command zone this game.

How does this relate to Partner cards? Suppose I've cast one of my partner commanders 3 times, and one of them 4 times. Does that count as 7 casts—and 7 copies—for the purposes of one of these cards, or do I have to choose one of my commanders and copy it only 3 times or 4 times? The first option is like how we treat split cards, the second is like how we treat Command Beacon.
I expected a ruling on the Commander 2018 release notes to clarify this, but they didn't.

It might help to wait for the actual rules update, to see if they change the rules for Partner.

@murgatroid99 While a rules update is always possible, the rules for Partner (and Partner with) are already established; and there's no need for an update to make these cards work.

Linked abilities that exile cards have a similar issue, and that is solved by a part of rule 607.3 that says "f that ability asks for any information about the exiled card, such as a characteristic or converted mana cost, it gets multiple answers. If these answers are used to determine the value of a variable, the sum of the answers is used." Since this is very explicitly covered for that case, I am anticipating that a similar rule may be added for Partner.

It would count all 7 times.

702.123e If an effect refers to your commander while you have two commanders, it refers to either one. If an effect causes you to perform an action on your commander and it could affect both, you choose which it refers to at the time the effect is applied.

"It refers to either one"... so in this case we can treat the ability as:

When you cast this spell, copy it for each time you've cast [either one of your commanders] from the command zone this game.

In other words, it is how many times have you done the act of "casting your commander from the command zone".
This has been confirmed by Gavin Verhey, a Senior Magic: The Gathering Designer at Wizards of the Coast, on Twitter:

I double checked with rules manager @EliShffrn and indeed: you get a copy for each time you have cast any of yout partners. So if you have cast Pir and Toothy each once, you will receive two copies. :)

Also, (thanks @Jorn), the "Designing Commander" article specifically backs this up:

These "commander storm" cards have quite the history. Handed off from design, the effects changed quite a bit, but the key mechanic didn't: caring about how many times you cast your commander. (Also, yes, these do work really well with partner commanders like those found in Battlebond!) This mechanic was a lot of fun!

This is mentioned explicitly in the design article: https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/card-preview/designing-commander-2018-edition-2018-07-24
"(Also, yes, these do work really well with partner commanders like those found in Battlebond!)"

FYI in October 2018 a new Gatherer ruling was added to the Commander Storm cards: "10/5/2018 If you have multiple commanders, you’ll copy this spell for each time you’ve cast either of them. For example, if you’ve cast one commander once and one twice, you’ll copy this spell three times." See it here at the bottom.


text:
When you don't have enough food on Christmas, what happens when you choose thumbs up?
In our game, we ran into the Christmas crossroads card while there was only 1 food in our supply:

Thumbs up: Spend 5 food. Gain 1 morale. If Forest Plum is in play [the survivors get an extra 4 items].
Thumbs down: Nothing happens.

(We also had Forest Plum in play.)
What would happen if we give thumbs up? We can't pay 5 food, but we can totally follow instructions to take free stuff. Would we get our stuff and lose just our 1 food, or would nothing happen because we can't do the first part? Is there a clear answer sourceable from the rules or the developers?
Other games have a "do as much as you can" rule, but Dead of Winter doesn't seem to employ one. The food thing isn't listed as a prerequisite to the rest of the actions taking place. I've googled around but it seems others aren't sure either.

Step back from the rules and think about it for a second. You don't get to feel good about giving out food if you don't give out the food!
"Do as much as you can" applies to effects (benefits), not costs (requirements). "Spend 5 food" is really a cost here. I would not permit that option to be picked since the result would make no sense.

Voting to have the group spend food (when they don't have the food to spend) thematically won't work. In this case, I'd discard the Crossroads card and move on because it couldn't take effect fully (much like other Crossroads cards...I've drawn many cards that couldn't fully take effect because none of the conditions were met). Considering that there's a condition, or an implication of owning five food, this card can't be used. Hope this helps!


text:
Changing control of an attacking or blocking creature mid-combat
I've happened upon a new scenario I didn't realise was possible: I attack or block with Jackal Pup, and after blockers are declared, I use Zedruu the Greathearted or Bazaar Trader to give the Jackal Pup to another player. I'd like to make sure I understand this interaction properly.
As far as I understand it:

Jackal Pup and the creature it's blocking or being blocked by still exchange damage as usual. It doesn't leave combat. Jackal Pup will deal a bunch of damage to whoever I gave it to.
I can even hand Jackal Pup to the player blocking it or attacking me, and that will still hold true. (They'll then control two creatures who exchange combat damage with each other!)
If a creature was declared attacking me (or my planeswalker), it is still doing so even after I block it with Jackal Pup and hand someone else control of it. If that creature has trample, the damage will go to me.

Do I understand this correctly? (These are some fun hijinks, if they work like they seem to.)

No, that is not correct. Rule 506.4 says

A permanent is removed from combat if it leaves the battlefield, if its controller changes, if it phases out, if an effect specifically removes it from combat, if it's a planeswalker that's being attacked and stops being a planeswalker, or if it's an attacking or blocking creature that regenerates (see rule 701.12) or stops being a creature. A creature that's removed from combat stops being an attacking, blocking, blocked, and/or unblocked creature. A planeswalker that's removed from combat stops being attacked


text:
How can I efficiently filter MagicCards.info searches down to cards castable with only certain mana colours?
I've been constructing a green/white commander deck, and doing a lot of searches on MagicCards.info for its cards. To cut out all the cards I can't use, I've been using the search term c!gw to get just green and white cards. But I just realised that's a terrible way to search — it filters out all the off-colour hybrid mana cards!
For example, a search of c!gw o:"enchant land" o:"mana pool" yields a lot of green/white land ramping enchantments. But it excludes Trace of Abundance, which costs {R/W}{G}, making it red and excluded from the search, despite being perfectly castable with just green and white mana and exactly the kind of card I want.
Using a more inclusive filter of c:gw would also include lots of three-colour cards which I cannot cast.
How can I filter a MagicCards.info search down to only those cards I can cast with particular mana colours? If my mana pool is exclusively green and white, is there a filter that will include cards I can cast with those colours, even if they're off-colour cards like Figure of Destiny and Trace of Abundance?
(Colourless cards can be included or left out. They are simple enough to search for separately with c:c, or exclude from the search with -c:c.)
(Also, it's been pointed out to me my group's been accidentally playing without the color identity rule. Doesn't matter! Still good. Question ahoy!)

But a card with {R/W} would be illegal in a GW commander deck, wouldn't it? E.g. http://mtgsalvation.gamepedia.com/Commander_(format)#Deckbuilding_Rules  (although it's a casual format and your playgroup may have a different opinion)

@RemcoGerlich D'oh, right you are. I think we've been playing without that colour identity rule, just with the "whatever you can cast" thing. Only affects a few of our cards, but thanks.

This is a beautiful example of how to ask for a process instead of a list of cards. Nice work!

@Rainbolt I appreciate the sentiments about this being a good process example, but I wouldn't dream of asking for a card list for something like this anyway. I asked for a process 'cause it was what I needed, no more or less.

c!wg used to mean "castable using only white and green", so c!wg "Trace of Abundance" used to return Trace of Abundance. It appears this has been broken. :( Maybe when Commander became popular before ci:wg was introduced?

What you are asking for is effectively equivalent to "the mana cost does not contain {U}, {B}, {R}, {U/B}, {U/R}, or {B/R}" because those are all of the mana symbols that cannot be paid from your mana pool. This can be equivalently expressed by negating the expression that says "the mana cost contains any one of those symbols". So, the resulting query is

-(mana>=u or mana>=b or mana>=r or mana>={U/B} or mana>={U/R} or mana>={B/R}) o:"enchant land" o:"mana pool"

Note the - at the beginning that negates the bolded expression. As you can see, this does in fact list every card your search found, plus Trace of Abundance. It also incidentally includes colorless cards and cards with Phyrexian and colorless hybrid mana symbols (e.g. {UP} or {2/R}) because it is possible to play those without spending any mana of their colors at all.

Hooray! I didn't realise I could bend the mana term quite so conveniently. This seems to also include Phyrexian mana (e.g. this search), but I'm going to consider that a bonus feature (especially since this is going into a lifegain deck, but handy even without that).

That was on purpose. By using an exclusion-based search, you can find any card that is castable with only {W} and {G} in your mana pool. I added a note to make that explicit. I just realized that there are some cards that arguably should be in the list, but it's unlikely that you'd want to play Force of Will or Mindbreak Trap if it is impossible to hard-cast them.

Trace of Abundance is not allowed in White-Green Commander deck.

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

903.5c A card can be included in a Commander deck only if every color in its color identity is also found in the color identity of the deck’s commander.

Trace of Abundance's color identity is White, Red and Green. It can't be included in a deck whose Commander's color identity is White and Green.
You should be using magiccards.info's ci filter. It allows you to limit the results to those matching a color identity. For a White-Green Commander, you'd specify ci:wg. Of course, this is even more restrictive than c!wg, so Trace of Abundance will not be returned by a query with that filter.

If you were constructing a non-Commander deck and you wanted to search for "cards castable using only White and Green", I'm pretty sure you were once able to use (c!wg or c:c). This means that (c!wg or c:c) "Trace of Abundance" used to return Trace of Abundance.
Unfortunately, it appears this is no longer the case, so you'll need to exclude the mana symbols you can't use instead: -(mana>=u or mana>=b or mana>=r or mana>={U/B} or mana>={U/R} or mana>={B/R}).

I've accepted the other answer as a solution to what I was looking for (this'll be relevant for non-commander decks I make too), but the colour identity was something else I didn't know was available and is certainly helpful. I have the feeling this should still be recorded in another question about MagicCards.info, and I'd like the portion of your answer about colour identity to also be posted there. Is this OK with you, and do you want to have some input on how that question is formed?

It's fine. You can even go ahead and answer it yourself. No need for credit or anything.