Torment(TM) Frequently Asked Questions Compiled by Paul Barclay, David DeLaney, and Jeff Jordan This FAQ has two sections, each of which serves a different purpose. The first section (GENERAL NOTES) explains the new mechanics and concepts in the set. The second section (CARD-SPECIFIC NOTES) contains answers to the most important questions players might ask about a given card. Items in the CARD-SPECIFIC NOTES section include full rules text for your reference. Not all cards in the set are listed. GENERAL COMMENTS Black * Torment is the black set. Unlike all previous Magic(R) expansions, the colors are not balanced. The Torment set contains more black cards than cards of any other color. Not only that, black has gotten its tentacles into the other colors as well. For example, at threshold the Possessed creatures each turn black and gain the ability to assassinate creatures of their former color. ----- Madness The official rules for the madness ability are as follows: 502.24. Madness 502.24a Madness represents two abilities. The first is a static ability of cards that functions while the card is in a player's hand. The second is a triggered ability that functions whenever the first ability is applied. The phrase "Madness [cost]" means "If a player would discard this card from his or her hand, that player discards it, but may remove it from the game instead of putting it into his or her graveyard," and "Whenever this card is removed from the game this way, the next time its owner could play an instant this turn, he or she may play it as though it were in his or her hand by paying [cost] rather than paying its mana cost. When he or she passes next, he or she puts it into his or her graveyard." 502.24b Playing a spell using its madness ability follows the rules for paying alternative costs in rules 409.1b and 409.1f. 502.24c Any time you discard a card that has madness, you have the option to remove it from the game (to play it using its madness ability) or not. If you remove it from the game, the second part of the madness ability triggers. When this ability resolves, you have the option of playing the spell for its madness cost. You can only play it the very next time you could play an instant this turn. If it's an instant or sorcery, put it into your graveyard when it resolves. If it's an artifact, creature or enchantment, put it into play when it resolves. * To play a card with madness, say that you're playing the spell as soon as you discard it from your hand. After that, playing a card with madness is just like playing an instant from your hand, except you pay the spell's madness cost instead of its mana cost. It goes on the stack like any other spell and it can be countered like any other spell. * When you play a spell by paying its madness cost, its mana cost doesn't change. You just pay the madness cost instead. * Effects that cause you to pay more or less for a spell will cause you to pay that much more or less for its madness cost, too. That's because they affect the total cost of the spell, not just its mana cost. * Madness works no matter why you're discarding the card. You could discard to pay a cost, because a spell or ability tells you to, or even because you have too many cards in your hand at the end of your turn. You can't discard a card with madness just because you want to, though. * When you play a card with madness, it still counts as being discarded, but it doesn't actually get to your graveyard before you play it. That means your opponent can't remove it "in response" to stop you from playing the spell. Abilities that trigger on a card being discarded, however, will still trigger. * If you choose not to play a card with madness when it's discarded, it goes to your graveyard. You don't get another chance to play it. * See "The stack (and how to use it)," below, for a quick explanation of how the stack works. ----- Flashback The official rules for the flashback ability are as follows: 502.22. Flashback 502.22a Flashback is a static ability of some instant and sorcery cards that functions while the card is in a player's graveyard. The phrase "Flashback [cost]" means "You may play this card from your graveyard by paying [cost] rather than paying its mana cost. If you do, remove this card from the game instead of putting it anywhere else any time it would leave the stack." Playing a spell using its flashback ability follows the rules for paying alternative costs in rules 409.1b and 409.1f. * When you play a spell from your graveyard by paying its flashback cost, its mana cost doesn't change. You just pay the flashback cost instead. * Effects that cause you to pay more or less for a spell will cause you to pay that much more or less for its flashback cost, too. That's because they affect the total cost of the spell, not just its mana cost. * When a spell played with flashback resolves, it never goes to its owner's graveyard, so abilities that trigger on cards being put in a graveyard won't trigger. The card is removed from the game instead. Countered spells played with flashback are removed from the game, too. * Cards with the flashback ability have a gray tombstone icon in the upper left corner. This icon makes it easier for you to see which cards in your graveyard can be played again. ----- Threshold The official rules for the threshold ability are as follows: 502.23. Threshold 502.23a Threshold is a static ability, written "Threshold -- [text]." The text can be a static ability, activated ability, triggered ability, characteristic-setting text, spell text, or any combination of the five. The phrase "Threshold -- [text]" means "As long as you have seven or more cards in your graveyard, this card has '[text].'" 502.23b Cards and permanents with threshold have the threshold text only if their controller has seven or more cards in his or her graveyard. Otherwise, the text after "Threshold --" is treated as though it did not appear on the card or permanent. 502.23c An instant or sorcery card with threshold has the threshold text only while the card is on the stack (that is, while it's a spell). An artifact, creature, enchantment, or land card with threshold, or any permanent with threshold, has the threshold text only if the card or permanent is in play. * Instants and sorceries with threshold check if seven or more cards are in your graveyard when they resolve, not when they're played or put on the stack. * Activated and triggered abilities that permanents have at threshold check the number of cards in your graveyard only when the abilities are played or triggered. Even if you have fewer than seven cards in your graveyard when an ability resolves, that ability will resolve normally. * Static threshold abilities are simply "on" when you have seven or more cards in your graveyard and "off" when you don't. * Five Torment creatures have comes-into-play abilities at threshold. If one of these creatures comes into play from your graveyard, you don't count it (or any other creatures coming into play at the same time) toward threshold. These five creatures are: Centaur Chieftain, Cephalid Sage, Gloomdrifter, Pardic Arsonist, and Teroh's Vanguard. ----- The stack (and how to use it) At the start of each phase or step, the active player gets priority. He or she may: a) Play a spell or an ability. If he or she does, he or she keeps priority and gets to choose again. b) Pass priority to the other player. If both players pass in a row, the top spell or ability on the stack resolves and the active player gets priority again. If the stack is empty and both players pass in a row, the game moves to the next step or phase. That's basically it. For the details, check out the Magic Comprehensive Rules. They can be downloaded from the Wizards of the Coast website at http://www.wizards.com/magic/MTGRules.asp. ----- Nightmares * The nine Torment creatures with creature type Nightmare all remove something from the game when they come into play, only to give it back again when they leave play. Faceless Butcher 2BB Creature -- Nightmare Horror 2/3 When Faceless Butcher comes into play, remove target creature other than Faceless Butcher from the game. When Faceless Butcher leaves play, return the removed card to play under its owner's control. * Seven of the Nightmare creatures remove cards or permanents from the game. If one of those Nightmares leaves play before its comes-into-play ability resolves, its leaves-play ability will trigger and resolve first. The leaves-play ability will have no effect, then the comes-into-play ability will resolve. The cards that are removed from the game will never come back. * A Nightmare's leaves-play ability will only return cards. It will not return tokens, because they cease to exist as soon as they leave play. When a removed card comes back, it's treated as a new version of the card. * Two Nightmare creatures (Soul Scourge and Laquatus's Champion) make a player lose and gain life instead of removing cards or permanents from the game. If either of these creatures leaves play before its comes-into-play ability resolves, the leaves-play ability will resolve first. The player targeted by the comes-into-play ability will first gain life, then lose life. * The Nightmares are: Faceless Butcher, Gravegouger, Hypnox, Laquatus's Champion, Mesmeric Fiend, Petradon, Petravark, Slithery Stalker, and Soul Scourge. See the "Card-Specific Notes" section for comments on Faceless Butcher, Hypnox, Mesmeric Fiend, and Petradon. ----- Dreams * The seven Dreams are cards that allow you to discard cards from your hand for some effect based on the number of cards discarded. Discarding the cards is a cost for all seven Dreams. Devastating Dreams RR Sorcery As an additional cost to play Devastating Dreams, discard X cards at random from your hand. Each player sacrifices X lands. Devastating Dreams deals X damage to each creature. * You can't choose an X larger than the number of cards in your hand. For the Dreams that are targeted, you can't choose an X that's larger than the number of legal targets. * Unlike the Odyssey(TM) Rites, you discard cards to the Dreams when you pay costs, not when the spell resolves. If the Dream is countered, you will already have discarded the cards and you won't get them back. * The Dreams are: Devastating Dreams, Insidious Dreams, Nostalgic Dreams, Restless Dreams, Sickening Dreams, Turbulent Dreams, and Vengeful Dreams. See the "Card-Specific Notes" section for comments on Devastating Dreams and Nostalgic Dreams. ----- "Disorders" * The five "disorders" are enchantments that allow you to sacrifice them or discard cards from your hand to gain some effect. Compulsion 1U Enchantment 1U, Discard a card from your hand: Draw a card. 1U, Sacrifice Compulsion: Draw a card. * The disorders are Compulsion, Hypochondria, Mortiphobia, Narcissism, and Pyromania. See the "Card-Specific Notes" section for comments on Pyromania. ----- Possessed creatures Possessed Aven 2UU Creature -- Bird Soldier Horror 3/3 Flying Threshold -- Possessed Aven gets +1/+1, is black, and has "2B, T: Destroy target blue creature." #(You have threshold as long as seven or more cards are in your graveyard.)# * At threshold, the creature is only black and can destroy creatures of its former color, so it's not possible for a Possessed creature to destroy itself (unless some other color-changing effect happens). Check whether you're at threshold just before you play the activated ability. * The four Possessed creatures are: Possessed Aven, Possessed Barbarian, Possessed Centaur, and Possessed Nomad. ----- Tainted lands * The four Tainted lands all have the ability to add either of two colors of mana to your mana pool as long as you control a swamp. Tainted Field Land T: Add one colorless mana to your mana pool. T: Add W or B to your mana pool. Play this ability only if you control a swamp. * You check whether you control a swamp before you would play the mana ability, not when it resolves. These lands are not basic lands, and are not swamps in any way. * The Tainted lands are: Tainted Field, Tainted Isle, Tainted Peak, and Tainted Wood. ----- CARD-SPECIFIC NOTES Alter Reality 1U Instant Change the text of target permanent or spell by replacing all instances of one color word with another. #(This effect doesn't end at end of turn.)# Flashback 1U #(You may play this card from your graveyard for its flashback cost. Then remove it from the game.)# * For example, you can change "protection from black" to "protection from red." The only colors you can choose are white, blue, black, red, or green. * If you target a permanent or spell with a threshold ability while its controller doesn't have threshold, Alter Reality will still change any color words in the threshold text. * You can target a spell or permanent that has no color words in its text. The spell just won't have any affect. * This card can only change words in the text box, not anywhere else on the card (such as in the card name). It also can't change mana symbols. ----- Aquamoeba 1U Creature -- Beast 1/3 Discard a card from your hand: Switch Aquamoeba's power and toughness until end of turn. * Effects that alter Aquamoeba's power and toughness after its ability has resolved won't be switched -- they'll affect the creature's current power and toughness normally. ----- Barbarian Outcast 1R Creature -- Barbarian Beast 2/2 When you control no swamps, sacrifice Barbarian Outcast. * The Outcast's ability will trigger at any time you control no swamps, even if this is during the resolution of a spell or ability. ----- Basking Rootwalla G Creature -- Lizard 1/1 1G: Basking Rootwalla gets +2/+2 until end of turn. Play this ability only once each turn. Madness 0 #(You may play this card for its madness cost at the time you discard it from your hand.)# * Basking Rootwalla has madness 0. This means that you don't have to pay any mana to play it using its madness ability. You must still find a way to discard it, of course. ----- Boneshard Slasher 1B Creature -- Horror 1/1 Flying Threshold -- Boneshard Slasher gets +2/+2 and has "When Boneshard Slasher becomes the target of a spell or ability, sacrifice it." #(You have threshold as long as seven or more cards are in your graveyard.)# * You check whether you're at threshold just before the Slasher would become the target of a spell or ability. During a spell or ability's announcement, targets are chosen before costs are paid. * Cards you're going to discard to pay a spell or ability's cost that will target the Slasher won't be counted toward threshold. * Likewise, if you're going to remove cards in your graveyard from the game as a cost, these cards will still be in your graveyard when you check to see if the Slasher's ability triggers. ----- Breakthrough XU Sorcery Draw four cards, then choose X cards in your hand and discard the rest from it. * You draw four cards, then discard all but X cards from your hand. The more you pay for X, the more cards you'll keep. ----- Cabal Surgeon 2BB Creature -- Minion 2/1 2BB, T, Remove two cards in your graveyard from the game: Return target creature card from your graveyard to your hand. * If you remove the targeted card from your graveyard to pay for the ability's activation cost, the ability won't return the card to your hand. It will stay removed from the game. ----- Cephalid Vandal 1U Creature -- Cephalid 1/1 At the beginning of your upkeep, put a shred counter on Cephalid Vandal. Then put the top card of your library into your graveyard for each shred counter on Cephalid Vandal. * You put cards from your library into your graveyard one at a time, not all at once. The order of the cards in your graveyard is determined by the order of your library. ----- Chainer, Dementia Master 3BB Creature -- Minion Legend 3/3 All Nightmares get +1/+1. BBB, Pay 3 life: Put target creature card from a graveyard into play under your control. That creature is black and is a Nightmare in addition to its creature types. When Chainer, Dementia Master leaves play, remove all Nightmares from the game. * The creatures that Chainer brings into play are just black, not any other color. They do keep their normal creature types in addition to becoming Nightmares, though. * Chainer gives all Nightmares +1/+1. This includes creatures it brings into play from a graveyard and all creatures that normally have creature type Nightmare (including the card Nightmare from the Seventh Edition(TM) set). * If Chainer leaves play before its activated ability resolves, the target card will then come into play as a black creature with the additional creature type Nightmare. It will not be removed from the game. ----- Chainer's Edict 1B Sorcery Target player sacrifices a creature. Flashback 5BB #(You may play this card from your graveyard for its flashback cost. Then remove it from the game.)# * This doesn't target a creature, just a player. It can force the player it targets to sacrifice a creature with protection from black, or one that can't be the target of spells or abilities. * You can target yourself if you want to -- this will cause you to sacrifice one of your own creatures. * The targeted player decides which of his or her creatures to sacrifice. ----- Circular Logic 2U Instant Counter target spell unless its controller pays 1 for each card in your graveyard. Madness U #(You may play this card for its madness cost at the time you discard it from your hand.)# * Circular Logic isn't in your graveyard when it resolves, even if you play it with madness. ----- Cleansing Meditation 1WW Sorcery Destroy all enchantments. Threshold -- Instead destroy all enchantments, then return to play all cards in your graveyard destroyed this way. #(You have threshold if seven or more cards are in your graveyard.)# * If you have threshold before the enchantments are destroyed, all your cards that Cleansing Meditation destroyed will come back into play at once. If you didn't have threshold before the enchantments were destroyed, your cards stay in your graveyard. ----- Crazed Firecat 5RR Creature -- Cat 4/4 When Crazed Firecat comes into play, flip a coin until you lose a flip. Put a +1/+1 counter on Crazed Firecat for each flip you win. * You must flip coins until you lose -- you can't choose to stop at any point. * The Firecat only counts coin flips from its own ability. If you flip coins for other reasons, it won't get more +1/+1 counters. ----- Dawn of the Dead 2BBB Enchantment At the beginning of your upkeep, you lose 1 life. At the beginning of your upkeep, you may return target creature card from your graveyard to play. That creature gains haste until end of turn. Remove it from the game at end of turn. * You choose which order to put the two abilities on the stack. So, you can choose to bring the creature into play before or after losing the life. You can't bring a creature into play unless it was in your graveyard when your upkeep started. ----- Devastating Dreams RR Sorcery As an additional cost to play Devastating Dreams, discard X cards at random from your hand. Each player sacrifices X lands. Devastating Dreams deals X damage to each creature. * If a player doesn't control X lands, that player sacrifices all the lands he or she controls. * Unlike the other Dreams (but like most similar red cards), the discard cost of Devastating Dreams is at random, not of your choice. ----- Equal Treatment 1W Instant If any source would deal 1 or more damage to a creature or player this turn, it deals 2 damage to that creature or player instead. Draw a card. * This will reduce 3 or more damage to 2, and increase 1 damage to 2. Equal Treatment will not affect a source that deals 0 damage (so creatures with power 0 still don't deal any damage), and it won't affect a source if all damage from that source is prevented. * Equal Treatment's effect is not damage prevention. It will lower the amount of damage dealt by a kicked Urza's Rage from 10 to 2. ----- Faceless Butcher 2BB Creature -- Nightmare Horror 2/3 When Faceless Butcher comes into play, remove target creature other than Faceless Butcher from the game. When Faceless Butcher leaves play, return the removed card to play under its owner's control. * When Faceless Butcher comes into play, it can't target itself. It can target a different Faceless Butcher, though. * Three Faceless Butchers can combine to create an infinite loop, but it's complicated. Here's exactly what has to happen: First, the only creature in play must be a Faceless Butcher (Butcher #1). In the removed from game zone is Faceless Butcher #2, which was removed by Butcher #1. If a third Butcher is played, the loop will kick in. Butcher #3 must remove Butcher #1 from the game. When Butcher #1 leaves, Butcher #2 comes back in. Butcher #2 must remove Butcher #3, which causes Butcher #1 to come back, and so on. Unless another spell or ability breaks the loop or otherwise ends the game, the game will end in a draw. ----- False Memories 1U Instant Put the top seven cards of your library into your graveyard. At end of turn, remove seven cards in your graveyard from the game. * You can remove any seven cards in your graveyard from the game; they don't have to be the same cards that False Memories put there. If you don't have seven cards in your graveyard at the end of the turn, remove all the cards in it. * If you play this card during an end of turn step, you won't remove the cards from your graveyard until the start of the next end of turn step. ----- Far Wanderings 2G Sorcery Search your library for a basic land card and put that card into play tapped. Then shuffle your library. Threshold -- Instead search your library for three basic land cards and put them into play tapped. Then shuffle your library. #(You have threshold if seven or more cards are in your graveyard.)# * Far Wanderings uses the word "search," so you don't have to find any of the basic land cards if you don't want to. See the glossary definition of "search" in the Comprehensive Rules for more information. ----- Flaming Gambit XR Instant Flaming Gambit deals X damage to target player. That player may choose a creature he or she controls and have Flaming Gambit deal that damage to it instead. Flashback XRR #(You may play this card from your graveyard for its flashback cost. Then remove it from the game.)# * Flaming Gambit never targets a creature, only a player. The player can choose to have Flaming Gambit deal damage to a creature with protection from red. If he or she does, the protection will prevent the damage. * When you play Flaming Gambit's flashback cost, you choose a new X. It doesn't have to be the same X as when the spell was first played, and the damage the spell deals will be equal to the new X. ----- Floating Shield 2W Enchant Creature As Floating Shield comes into play, choose a color. Enchanted creature has protection from the chosen color. This effect doesn't remove Floating Shield. Sacrifice Floating Shield: Target creature gains protection from the chosen color until end of turn. * You choose one color as Floating Shield comes into play. Both of the other abilities use that color -- you don't get to choose a new color when you sacrifice the Shield. ----- Grotesque Hybrid 4B Creature -- Zombie Whenever Grotesque Hybrid deals combat damage to a creature, destroy that creature. It can't be regenerated. Discard a card from your hand: Grotesque Hybrid gains flying and protection from green and from white until end of turn. * If all damage the Hybrid deals to a creature is prevented, the creature won't be destroyed. ----- Gurzigost 3GG Creature -- Beast 6/8 At the beginning of your upkeep, sacrifice Gurzigost unless you put two cards from your graveyard on the bottom of your library. GG, Discard a card from your hand: You may have Gurzigost deal its combat damage to defending player this turn as though it weren't blocked. * You need to play Gurzigost's second ability before you put combat damage on the stack if you want it to do anything. When the ability resolves, you choose whether Gurzigost will deal damage to your opponent or deal damage normally. * That ability has no effect unless Gurzigost attacks this turn or is already attacking. Creatures that aren't attacking can't deal combat damage to the defending player. ----- Hypnox 8BBB Creature -- Nightmare Horror 8/8 Flying When Hypnox comes into play, if you played it from your hand, remove all cards in target opponent's hand from the game. When Hypnox leaves play, return the removed cards to their owner's hand. * The removed cards are removed face-up, so all players can see what they are. ----- Ichorid 3B Creature -- Horror 3/1 Haste At end of turn, sacrifice Ichorid. At the beginning of your upkeep, if Ichorid is in your graveyard, you may remove a black creature card in your graveyard other than Ichorid from the game. If you do, return Ichorid to play. * You can't remove an Ichorid in your graveyard from the game to bring that same Ichorid back into play. You can remove one to bring a different Ichorid back into play, though. * Ichorid uses the tombstone icon next to its name, just like spells with flashback. This lets you see it more clearly when it's in your graveyard. ----- Insist G Sorcery The next creature spell you play this turn can't be countered by spells or abilities. Draw a card. * Insist can be countered. If it is, your next instant or sorcery spell can be countered. * It has no effect on creature spells that are already on the stack, or on any creature spells that are put on the stack before it resolves. See "The stack (and how to use it)," above, for a quick explanation of how the stack works. ----- Last Laugh 2BB Enchantment Whenever a permanent other than Last Laugh is put into a graveyard from play, Last Laugh deals 1 damage to each creature and each player. When no creatures are in play, sacrifice Last Laugh. * Last Laugh's first ability will trigger once for every card and token that goes to any graveyard from play. * The second ability will trigger at any time there are no creatures in play, even if this is during the resolution of a spell or ability. ----- Longhorn Firebeast 2R Creature -- Beast 3/2 When Longhorn Firebeast comes into play, any opponent may have it deal 5 damage to him or her. If a player does, sacrifice Longhorn Firebeast. * If you choose to take the damage, then prevent that damage, Longhorn Firebeast is still sacrificed. ----- Mesmeric Fiend 1B Creature -- Nightmare Horror 1/1 When Mesmeric Fiend comes into play, target opponent reveals his or her hand and you choose a nonland card from it. Remove that card from the game. When Mesmeric Fiend leaves play, return the removed card to its owner's hand. * The removed card is removed face-up, so both players can see what it is. ----- Nostalgic Dreams GG Sorcery As an additional cost to play Nostalgic Dreams, discard X cards from your hand. Return X target cards from your graveyard to your hand. Remove Nostalgic Dreams from the game. * You can't target the cards you will discard, so you must have X cards in your graveyard before you play Nostalgic Dreams. * Unlike the other Dreams, Nostalgic Dreams is removed from the game when it resolves. ----- Overmaster R Sorcery The next instant or sorcery spell you play this turn can't be countered by spells or abilities. Draw a card. * Overmaster can be countered. If it is, your next instant or sorcery spell can be countered. * It has no effect on instant or sorcery spells that are already on the stack, or on any instant or sorcery spells that are put on the stack before it resolves. See "The stack (and how to use it)," above, for a quick explanation of how the stack works. * Overmaster only prevents a spell from being countered by other spells or abilities, not by the rules of the game. So if a spell's targets are all illegal when it resolves, that spell will be countered. ----- Parallel Evolution 3GG Sorcery For each creature token in play, its controller puts a creature token into play that's a copy of that creature. Flashback 4GGG #(You may play this card from your graveyard for its flashback cost. Then remove it from the game.)# * Parallel Evolution only copies tokens, not cards. Each player gets a copy of each of his or her tokens. * See rule 503 in the Comprehensive Rules if you're interested in exactly how copy cards work. ----- Pay No Heed W Instant Prevent all damage a source of your choice would deal this turn. * This spell isn't targeted, so you can choose an untargetable creature or a creature with protection from white as the damage source. ----- Petradon 6RR Creature -- Nightmare Beast 5/6 When Petradon comes into play, remove two target lands from the game. When Petradon leaves play, return the removed cards to play under their owners' control. R: Petradon gets +1/+0 until end of turn. * If there's only one land in play (including lands that you control) when Petradon comes into play, its first ability doesn't go on the stack, no lands get targeted or removed, and none come back later. ----- Pitchstone Wall 2R Creature -- Wall 2/5 #(Walls can't attack.)# Whenever you discard a card from your hand, you may sacrifice Pitchstone Wall. If you do, return the discarded card from your graveyard to your hand. * If the discarded card has left your graveyard by the time this ability resolves, you won't get it back. * Similarly, if the discarded card has madness, is played using its madness ability, resolves, then goes to your graveyard by the time the Wall's ability resolves, you still won't get the card back. The Wall's ability can't track the card across different zones. ----- Plagiarize 3U Instant Until end of turn, if target player would draw a card, instead that player skips that draw and you draw a card. * Plagiarize's effect isn't optional. If the targeted player would draw a card, you must draw a card instead. * You draw the card from your library as normal, not from your opponent's library. * If you and your opponent each play Plagiarize on each other during the same turn, the two spells effectively cancel each other out. You will draw cards when you normally would, and so will your opponent. ----- Pyromania 2R Enchantment 1R, Discard a card at random from your hand: Pyromania deals 1 damage to target creature or player. 1R, Sacrifice Pyromania: Pyromania deals 1 damage to target creature or player. * Unlike the other disorders (but like most similar red cards), Pyromania's discard cost is at random, not of your choice. ----- Radiate 3RR Instant Choose target instant or sorcery spell that targets only a single permanent or player. For each other permanent or player that spell could target, put a copy of the spell on the stack. Each copy targets a different one of those permanents and players. * The stack is where spells and abilities go while they're waiting to resolve. Permanents are artifacts, creatures, enchantments, and lands that are in play. See "The stack (and how to use it)," above, for a quick explanation of how the stack works. * You put the copies of the spell on the stack one at a time. You control all the copies of the spell (even if you didn't control the original spell), so you choose the order to put them on the stack. * You don't have to pay any costs or make any other choices -- Radiate copies all the costs and choices of the original spell. All the copies will resolve before the original spell does. * Radiate can't target any spell that targets more than one thing, any spell that doesn't target anything, or any spell that targets another spell or a card in a graveyard. Only spells that use the phrase "target [foo]" actually target anything. * You're not choosing targets, so Flagbearers won't have any effect on how Radiate works. * Radiate can't change anything about the copies of the spell. They're all exactly like the original, except they target different things. It doesn't change the mode of a spell (modal spells start with "Choose one -- ") for any of the copies. If a kicker cost was paid for the original spell, the copies of the spell are also considered to have had the kicker paid for them. The same is also true for buyback and flashback, though these two abilities can be ignored. (The copies aren't spell cards, so they can't be put into your hand or removed from the game after they resolve.) * If you use Radiate to copy a threshold spell, the copies will check whether you (not the original spell's controller) have threshold when they resolve. By this time, Radiate will be in your graveyard. * In a two-player match, if your opponent plays a spell that says "target opponent," copying it with Radiate won't do anything. The copy will try to target your opponent's opponents because that's who the original spell could target. Since that's you, and you're already being targeted, nothing happens. * If you try that in a multiplayer game, the copies will target all of your opponent's other opponents. When each copy resolves, if it's targeting a player who's also your opponent, it will resolve normally. If it's targeting a player who isn't your opponent, that copy will be countered. * See rule 503 in the Comprehensive Rules if you're interested in exactly how copy cards work. ----- Rancid Earth 1BB Sorcery Destroy target land. Threshold - Instead destroy that land and Rancid Earth deals 1 damage to each creature and each player. #(You have threshold if seven or more cards are in your graveyard.)# * Targeting your own land won't help you reach threshold to make the second part of the spell kick in. As Rancid Earth resolves, the destroyed land doesn't count towards the number of cards in your graveyard; neither does Rancid Earth. ----- Reborn Hero 2W Creature -- Soldier 2/2 Attacking doesn't cause Reborn Hero to tap. Threshold -- When Reborn Hero is put into a graveyard from play, you may pay WW. If you do, return Reborn Hero to play under your control. #(You have threshold if seven or more cards are in your graveyard.)# * The Hero's ability will only trigger if you have threshold before it goes to the graveyard. You don't count the Reborn Hero card toward threshold. * It won't return to play unless it's still in the graveyard when its ability resolves. ----- Sengir Vampire 3BB Creature -- Vampire 4/4 Flying Whenever a creature dealt damage by Sengir Vampire this turn is put into a graveyard, put a +1/+1 counter on Sengir Vampire. * An old classic returns! ----- Shambling Swarm 1BBB Creature -- Horror 3/3 When Shambling Swarm is put into a graveyard from play, distribute three -1/-1 counters among one, two, or three target creatures. Remove those counters at end of turn. * You can't choose less than one or more than three target creatures. If you control the only creature(s) in play, you have to put the three counters on your own creatures. You must put at least one counter on each target that you choose. ----- Skullscorch RR Sorcery Target player discards two cards at random from his or her hand unless that player has Skullscorch deal 4 damage to him or her. * If you have less than two cards in your hand, you can still choose not to take the damage. Skullscorch will try to make you discard two cards and you'll have to discard as many cards as you have. * If you choose to take the damage, then prevent that damage, you won't have to discard any cards. ----- Strength of Isolation 1W Enchant Creature Enchanted creature gets +1/+2 and has protection from black. Madness W #(You may play this card for its madness cost at the time you discard it from your hand.)# * Strength of Isolation does not say "this effect doesn't remove Strength of Isolation." If it becomes black, it will fall off the creature it's enchanting and go to its owner's graveyard. ----- Strength of Lunacy 1B Enchant Creature Enchanted creature gets +2/+1 and has protection from white. Madness B #(You may play this card for its madness cost at the time you discard it from your hand.)# * Strength of Lunacy does not say "this effect doesn't remove Strength of Lunacy." If it becomes white, it will fall off the creature it's enchanting and go to its owner's graveyard. ----- Transcendence 3WWW Enchantment You don't lose the game for having 0 or less life. When you have 20 or more life, you lose the game. Whenever you lose life, you gain 2 life for each 1 life you lost. #(Damage dealt to you causes you to lose life.)# * Any method of lowering your life total will trigger the third ability. The ways to do this are losing life, paying life, taking damage, and exchanging life totals with someone whose life total is lower than yours. * Your life total can go below 0. For example, if you have 3 life and lose 5 life, you'll go to -2 life. The third ability will trigger and you'll gain 10 life, ending up at 8. (Note that a simple shortcut is just to add any life loss to your life total instead of subtracting it.) ----- Zombie Trailblazer BBB Creature -- Zombie 2/2 Tap an untapped Zombie you control: Target land becomes a swamp until end of turn. Tap an untapped Zombie you control: Target creature gains swampwalk until end of turn. * Zombie Trailblazer's ability doesn't include the T symbol. You can play the ability even if you haven't controlled the Trailblazer since the beginning of your most recent turn. ----- All trademarks, including character names, are property of Wizards of the Coast, Inc. (Corp.) 2002 Wizards.