Date: Thu, 4 May 1995 17:54:36 -0700 From: Stephen D'Angelo Subject: [O] Ice Age Tournament AN ARCTIC BLAST! IN JUNE NEW CARD SET TO BE A HOT NUMBER AT CANADIAN COMPETITION Renton, Wash. (April 25, 1995) -- Alongside Canada's inaugural National Magic: The Gathering(tm) tournament in Toronto this June, the world premier of cards from the next Magic expansion, Ice Age(tm), will sizzle. Wizards of the Coast, Inc., the publisher of the trading card phenomenon Magic, is holding its first-ever Ice Age sealed-deck tournament at the Canadian Comic and Card Spectacular, June 3-4. Ice Age is unique in being both a standard Magic expansion set and stand-alone game. The tournament, which is not connected to the Canadian National Magic event, is expected to draw more than 1,000 curious competitors, even though it isn't sanctioned by Wizards of the Coast's Duelists' Convocation. "Since Ice Age won't officially be released until shortly after the tournament, this will be the first time players will have seen cards from the expansion," says Skaff Elias, Magic Brand Manager. As a result, security around the cards will be tight. Wizards of the Coast will use Royal Canadian Mounted Police to guard and dispense the cards at the tournament. There are a number of reasons Wizards of the Coast is holding the first Ice Age tournament at the Canadian Nationals. One is the event coincides perfectly with the expansion's release date. "This is also a way of showing the world that Magic is indeed an international phenomenon," says Elias. Organizers expect participants will particularly enjoy the challenge of playing with cards they've never seen. "In this tournament, skill will outweigh experience and card collection size," says Elias. Because Ice Age is a stand-alone game, it will be sold in both starter decks and booster packs. To participate in the Ice Age tournament, players must buy one Ice Age deck and two boosters. Participants will compete for four prizes: a diamond-studded Ice Age medallion worth $1,000, another worth $750, and two worth $500. Wizards of the Coast is planning several similar future competitions. The Ice Age tournament will run at the same site as the Canadian National Magic tournament. The National event is expected to draw more than 1,000 players from Canada. The top players of the National tournament will advance to play at the World Title competition. A site for the world event hasn't been announced. Wizards of the Coast is a young game company based in Seattle, Washington. The company created a worldwide sensation when it released its first trading card game, Magic: The Gathering(tm), in August 1993. Since then, more than 500 million Magic cards have sold around the globe. In April 1994, Wizards of the Coast opened a second branch in Glasgow, Scotland. Several months later, the company expanded into a third office in Antwerp, Belgium. The company currently employs close to 200 people in its three locales. #### Charles Keith-Stanley Cyberspace Liaison Wizards of the Coast, Inc. Date: Thu, 4 May 1995 17:57:43 -0700 From: Stephen D'Angelo Subject: [O] Rules Team Rulings 04/26/95 Here's last week's offical rulings... Stephen. ---- Stephen D'Angelo NetRep for the MTG-L mailing list dangelo@netcom.com Wizards of the Coast, Inc. DESIGN TEAM RULINGS 04/26/95 ---------------------------- GENERAL RULINGS The following rulings are meant to clarify the rulebook, and how the game in general works: 1) Cards such as Drain Life, which have a side effect based on damage done by the effect, used to be written in as counting up damage "done" or "inflicted". In Fourth Edition, all such cards are written as counting up damage "dealt". This is merely a template change, and they still count up damage that successfully dealt, not damage that is prevented. 2) Regeneration always targets the "death" of the creature, and thus you may only regenerate a creature that is on its way to the graveyard. It also targets the creature, assuming the effect is written as affecting "target creature". Remember that the effects of Enchant Creature cards which refer to the "target creature" they enchant do not actually target that creature. 3) Artifacts that count as creatures and/or lands will function while tapped. All other artifacts will not. The rules for tapped lands and creatures override the rules for tapped artifacts. 4) If an ability with no activation cost says it is used during a certain phase, such as "during upkeep", then it may only be used once during that phase, regardless of whether the effect successfully does anything when first used. REVERSALS The following rulings reverse past rulings from the design team and/or the NetReps: 1) Now that Black Vise is ruled to be targeted, is it possible to use Reflecting Mirror to retarget the Vise to its caster? No. When you use Reflecting Mirror, you must choose a valid target as if the caster was playing the spell normally. (Note that this is a reversal on how Reflecting Mirror works.) Since the caster of the Black Vise is not an opponent of herself, you cannot Reflect the Vise back onto her. This also means that you cannot Reflect Siren's Call, since you are the only player able to attack during your turn. 2) If I take a lot of damage from Mana Clash, can I stop all the damage by using my Circle of Protection: Red once? No. You must use it once per damage dealt in order to stop all of the damage. CARD ERRATA The following rulings involve card errata, or at least reading cards slightly differently: 1) What happens if I play Farrel's Mantle on a creature, and my opponent steals the creature? If it attacks me and isn't blocked, can it use the Mantle ability *and* deal damage to me? The instance of "opponent" on Farrel's Mantle should be read as "defending player", so no. There was a ruling based on the old wording that when Farrel's Mantle is played on an opponent's creature, that creature can damage some target player and still damage the defending player. This errata reverses that ruling. 2) I'm having trouble figuring out how Bone Shaman Works. If Bone Shaman's ability is used, its damage gets a side effect until end of turn. This side effect is to prohibit whatever gets damaged from regenerating. If it helps, read the ability as "B: Any creature damaged by Bone Shaman until end of turn cannot regenerate this turn." SPECIFIC CARD RULINGS 1) If my opponent uses Maze of Ith to untap my Clockwork Beast, does it still lose a counter due to attacking? Yes, since Maze of Ith does not remove its target from the attack. 2) Can I use Sleight of Mind to change a kobold's color? If a card refers to its own color in the text, that text cannot be usefully altered by Sleight of Mind. For example: -> Sleighting the text of Dark Heart of the Wood does nothing -> Sleighting the text of the various kobolds does nothing -> Sleighting the text of Fork does nothing Note that this reverses a couple of unofficial rulings about Sleight of Mind. 3) Can I put multiple Tidal Influences into play during Eureka? Yes. While you cannot cast Tidal Influence if there is already a Tidal Influence in play, you can play additional ones by means other than casting them. 4) Suppose I have Gaea's Touch in play and play a forest. Later in my turn I draw a mountain. Can I claim the forest was the "additional land" for the turn, and play the mountain? If you play a forest while Gaea's Touch is in play, you must say whether or not that is the "additional forest" for the turn. If you do say this, then this uses up the additional land provided by the Gaea's Touch, and you would still be able to play the normal land for the turn, even if Gaea's Touch later leaves play. Date: Thu, 4 May 1995 17:59:50 -0700 From: Stephen D'Angelo Subject: [O] Rules Team Rulings 02/09/95 (Corrected) Here's a re-issue of the 02/09/95 rulings with new stuff taken into account. I don't think that re-issuing rulings will be common, and I'm not sure why this popped out, but here it is for you all. Stephen. ---- Stephen D'Angelo NetRep for the MTG-L mailing list dangelo@netcom.com Wizards of the Coast, Inc. 02/09/95 Magic Design Team Rulings last updated 04/26/95 REVERSAL- As long as a card is a legitimate target of a spell or effect at the time that the spell or effect is cast or activated, it will continue to be affected by that spell or effect until it would normally expire. Cards such as Seasinger, Old Man of the Sea, Alladin, and the Wretched only check their targets at the time that they are used. If the card grabbed changes so that it is no longer legitimate, it will not be returned. For example, if you use Alladin to control an Assembly Worker, you will not lose control of it when it reverts to a land at the end of the turn. In general, you will only lose control of a card by the means outlined on the controlling card, or if the controlling card leaves play. This also means that a Berserked Jade Statue will die at the end of the turn, even though it is no longer a creature. /* ** #1 deleted since it has been reversed. */ 2) Are the effects of Enchantments such as Firebreating targeted? No. These effects do not retarget the creature. So you can pump up the power on your Homarid Warrior after it's special ability has been activated. /* ** #3 deleted since it has been reversed. */ 4) Is it possible to use Reflecting Mirror on a casting of Mana Clash, so that both coin flips affect only your opponent? Yes, but only if the Mana Clash was cast by your opponent. Only one branch of the Mana Clash is targeted. The other always affects the caster. 5) If the Life Matrix's controller changes, who (old or new controller) can use the previously-placed counters? The original controller. 6) If the Life Matrix leaves play, can the counters still be used? Yes. The counters can still be used after the Life Matrix leaves play 7) If a land card or artifact card is turned into a creature, it can be put into a Safe Haven. When the Safe Haven is sacrificed, does the card comes back into play as if it were just played or just cast? Yes. It will still come into play, even though it is not a creature. 8) A 1/1 creature is targetted by Blood Lust, making it 5/1, and then later in the turn by Giant Growth. Is the creature now 8/4 or 8/1? It is now 8/4. 9) Spore Cloud says "Neither attacking nor blocking creatures untap as normal during their controllers' next untap phase." This sentence has no effect at all if read literally, since there's no such thing as an attacking or blocking creature during the untap phase. Does this card have errata? Since the creatures were legitimate targets of the spell when it was cast, it does not matter that they are no longer legitimate targets during the untap. 10) When are the abilities of cards such as Floral Spuzzum and Mindstab Thrull used? These abilities are used as a fast effect after the blocking declaration. 11) Are Clone, Doppelganger, etc. targeted? REVERSAL- Clone and Doppelganger are targeted effects. If the target disappears between casting and resolution, the Clone will fizzle. 12) When, exactly, is a spell placed in the graveyard after casting? /* ** As soon as it has finished resolving, or is countered. */ 13) Mijae Djinn says that if it tries to attack and you lose the coin toss, "Mijae Djinn *is* tapped but does not attack." Is that "becomes tapped", or "remains tapped"? that is, if it has Eternal Warrior on it, will it be tapped (after losing the toss) or not? Treat it as if it said "Tap Majae Djinn." Date: Thu, 4 May 1995 18:05:25 -0700 From: Stephen D'Angelo Subject: [O] NEW RULINGS FOR 4TH EDITION! Hope that subject got your attention. With Fourth Edition out, a number of rulings are being dropped or changed. This posting is the basis for the Murk Dwellers article that will appear in the next issue of the Duelist. It will be available to everyone at that time. Consider yourselves to have early access to these rulings. Stephen. ---- Stephen D'Angelo NetRep for the MTG-L mailing list dangelo@netcom.com Wizards of the Coast, Inc. MURK DWELLERS ARTICLE (05/03/95) Since the introduction of Magic, "unwritten rules" have been a chronic problem. These were rules that the designers assumed to be true when the cards were written, but the rules didn't actually appear in the rulebook or anywhere else in print. In fact, only people with access to various forums on the Internet were aware of them. Perhaps the most famous unwritten rule states that an effect can't tap a card which is already tapped (or untap a card which is untapped); this is the rule which stopped Maze of Ith from targeting an attacking Serra Angel. As the game grew, it became clear that these unwritten rules were getting out of control. Rather than simply being able to refer to the rulebook and the cards, players were almost required to have a separate reference guide to play the game at a sophisticated level. The rules system was becoming a patchwork of "band-aids" intended to fix individual problems, but this patchwork didn't mesh well as a whole. For the most part, these unwritten rules were included when we updated the rulebook; the Fourth Edition rulebook includes a handful of rules that were not in the Revised rulebook, and it also clarifies several existing rules. Some of the unwritten rules, though, don't appear in the new rulebook and are no longer official rules. In general, these rules were eliminated to simplify the rule set as a whole. This installment of Murk Dwellers will examine the rules as they exist now, in light of the most crucial deletions from the official rules. HOW TARGETED EFFECTS ARE PLAYED When you play an effect, you must first decide whether the effect is targeted or not. With newer cards, determining this is fairly straightforward; the word "target" will appear on any effect which is targeted. With cards from Revised and cards from expansions before Fallen Empires, however, it is sometimes unclear if a card is targeted or not, since the term "target" wasn't used consistently. The rule of thumb for older cards is that if you have to decide which card or token is affected, then the effect is targeted. If the effect is targeted, then you must choose a valid target when you play the effect. If the word "target" does not appear on the card, and it's clear that you aren't deciding who or what gets affected, then the effect is non-targeted, and may be played whether the effect would actually do anything or not. Note that any effect which removes a card from the graveyard (either removing it from the game or putting it into play) is considered to target that card, since you have to decide which card to remove. Under Fourth Edition rules, you should be able to determine whether a target is valid simply by looking at the text on the card being cast. For example, if a spell says "target creature," then it can target any creature in play. Even if a spell taps "target creature," the word "creature" is the only criterion used to determine whether the target is valid or not; determining whether the creature is tapped or not isn't necessary. Likewise, if a spell says "target creature or player," then either player or any creature may be chosen as a target, and if an ability says "target artifact you control," then the spell can target any artifact under your control. Another word on older cards: most of the older cards which prevent damage talk about preventing it to "any target," "target creature," or to what ever the effect prevents damage for. These effects actually target the damage, not the victim of the damage. For example, it is possible to use Healing Salve to save a Black Knight, as the spell targets the damage, not the Knight itself. Previous versions of the rules assumed that a targeted effect could only be played if it could actually do something to a target. When these rules were eliminated in the Fourth Edition, the projected result of a targeted effect became unimportant, just as with non-targeted effects. If you can find a legal target for an effect, then you simply play the effect on that target. In many ways, this is the most crucial change to the rules, as it overturns several old rules of thumb. HOW TO INTERPRET THE TEXTS OF EFFECTS If an effect requires one or more targets, check to see if each target is valid when the effect resolves. If a given target is no longer valid, then the effect fizzles with respect to that target and does nothing to it. If an effect fizzles with respect to all of its targets, this will also cause any non-targeted portion of the effect to fail. For example, an effect that reads "Destroy target artifact. Gain 2 life." would fail completely if the artifact was removed from play before the effect resolved. Effects always resolve as completely as possible. If an effect says "Do one thing and another," or "Do one thing. Do another.", then both parts of the effect will be executed even if one proves to be ineffective. For example, if an effect reads "Tap target creature. That creature gets -0/-3 until end of turn.", then it would lower the target's toughness by 3 for the turn, even if the creature were already tapped. The exception is that if an effect says "Do A to do B," then doing A successfully is a prerequisite for doing B. If A cannot be completed, then B cannot be completed either. For some of the cards using the "Do A to do B" phrasing, A is part of the cost of the effect, not part of the effect itself. For example, if a card says "Sacrifice a creature to tap target artifact," then the sacrifice is a cost which is paid when you play the effect and the artifact is tapped when the effect resolves. Sacrifices, paying life, and removing counters are all considered costs rather than effects. HOW DOES THIS IMPACT THE OLD RULINGS? The unwritten rules set precedents that prompted Wizards of the Coast to issue more general rulings. Some of these were obvious without knowing the unwritten rules, but others surprised people who weren't aware of the rules that inspired them. The general rulings which were changed when the unwritten rules were deleted are listed below. Keep in mind that this is only a list of the general rulings which were changed and many individual cards now function differently. If it's clear that a card should be interpreted differently in light of these changes, use the new ruling even if the card isn't mentioned here specifically. 1. Maze of Ith vs. Serra Angel. Under the old rules, it was assumed that if an effect tapped (or untapped) something, the target needed to be untapped (or tapped) for the effect to resolve successfully. Since you can now determine if a target is legal simply by looking at the card text, this rule no longer exists. (For example, an effect that taps a "target creature" will apply to any one creature in play, tapped or untapped). If an effect requires that its target be tapped or untapped, the card will state this (for example, "target untapped creature"). Since Maze of Ith doesn't say "target tapped creature," you can now use it to stop an untapped attacker, such as a Serra Angel. By extension, Phyrexian Gremlins can now target a tapped artifact, since the card doesn't say "target untapped artifact," and Winter Blast can damage a flying creature that is already tapped. 2. Stone Rain vs. Consecrate Land. Consecrate Land prevents the enchanted land from being put into the graveyard (except by sacrifice). Under the old rules, a targeted effect which would destroy a land couldn't target any land with a Consecrate Land on it. This is another rule which no longer exists. Since Stone Rain simply says "target land," it can be used on any land, whether or not the land can be destroyed. By extension, Shatter can target an artifact even if the artifact's controller has an untapped Guardian Beast in play. Guardian Beast flatly prevents its controller's artifacts from being destroyed while the Beast is untapped, so Shatter can target the artifact but won't destroy it. 3. Using Ring of Renewal with no cards in your hand. Ring of Renewal requires that you discard one card to draw two. The effect, therefore, won't do anything if your hand is empty. The old rules stated that the effect couldn't be used if your hand was empty. Under the new rules, this is no longer true. You can use the Ring at any time, and the effect simply won't do anything if it turns out your hand is empty when the effect resolves. By extension, an effect like Disrupting Scepter may be used on a player with no cards in hand. 4. Using Radjan Spirit on a creature without flying. An effect which would remove an ability can now be used on a creature that doesn't have the ability the effect would remove. By extension, Hammerheim may be used on a creature with no landwalk abilities, and Urborg may be used to remove first strike from a creature that doesn't have first strike. 5. Magical Hack and Sleight of Mind. These effects may target any spell or permanent, and you can choose to change any land type or color word with another, even if that word doesn't appear on the target. For example, you can always play Sleight of Mind to change "blue" to "green," even if the card text on the target never mentions "blue." (You must still change the word to something else, though, so you could not change "blue" to "blue.") 6. Divine Offering and similar spells. Divine Offering is one of several spells which buries or destroys an artifact, but that also has some part of the effect that is non-targeted. In the case of Divine Offering, the non-targeted part of the effect is to grant life equal to the target artifact's casting cost. At first glance, it might appear that Divine Offering would grant life even if the target disappears, since the effect is phrased "Do A. Do B," where A is destroying the target, and B is gaining life. Remember, though, that if all of the targeted parts of an effect fail, the non-targeted parts fai as well. If the target for Divine Offering disappeared or otherwise became an invalid target before the spell resolved, Divine Offering would not grant life to the caster. By extension, Crumble will not grant life if it fizzles against its target, and Detonate won't deal any damage if the target disappears or becomes invalid. ERRATA Because the rules have changed, certain cards have become "broken" since they were written under the old rules. Most of these changes are not crucial to the play of the game; for example, whether Maze of Ith works against a Serra Angel isn't important and doesn't "break" either card. In some cases, though, the behavior of a card is severely changed, and errata needs to be issued so the card can function reasonably under the new rules. The cards broken by the simplification of the casting rules are listed below. If you plan to play these cards under the new rules, use the errata. Eater of the Dead: "0: Untap Eater of the Dead to remove target creature in the graveyard from the game." Glyph of Destruction: "Target blocking wall you control gets +10/+0 until end of turn. Until end of turn, any damage dealt to that wall is reduced to 0. Destroy the wall at end of turn." Greed: "B: Pay 2 life to draw a card. Effects that prevent or redirect damage may not be used to counter this loss of life." Tourach's Gate: The fast effect should read "0: Tap target land Tourach's Gate enchants to give all your attacking creatures +2/-1 until end of turn." Date: Thu, 4 May 1995 18:09:25 -0700 From: Stephen D'Angelo Subject: [O] Andon Unlimited Acquired by Wizards of the Coast FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Carrie Thearle Media Relations Wizards of the Coast (206)226-6500 CONTACT: Gary Smith Director of Events Andon Unlimited (206)204-5815 A Fresh Focus On Events Wizards Of The Coast, Inc. To Acquire Andon Unlimited Renton, Wash. (April 18, 1995) Wizards of the Coast is pleased and excited to announce that it has reached a tentative agreement to purchase Andon Unlimited, a company that leads the gaming industry in convention management. Andon's solid reputation and convention expertise will strengthen Wizards of the Coast's presence at industry shows. "Conventions are an important part of Wizards of the Coast. They are where we meet our customers," says Doug Ferguson, Industry Relations spokesperson at Wizards of the Coast. In 1994, the company attended more than 120 conventions. Andon's staff and offices relocated to Wizards of the Coast's Renton, Washington headquarters in April 1995. They will continue to manage Origins, the industry's largest independent game convention, and GAMA, the gaming industry's only trade show. Both shows are owned by the Game Manufacturers Association (GAMA) and are contracted to Andon Unlimited for show management. Andon will continue to expand and support its wholly-owned conventions. Current shows include AndCon in Toledo, Ohio, the 3-Rivers Game Fests in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and Cruise Con in the Bahamas. Cruise Con represents the first endeavor into a premium-level convention, and Andon is committed to expanding the market of premium-level events. In addition, the Andon staff will help organize and promote new Wizards of the Coast gaming events called "Game Days". "Game Days will be set up like mini-conventions," says Ferguson. "Wizards of the Coast staff members will travel to different cities and hold gaming sessions to promote our products." An event schedule hasn't been released yet. Wizards of the Coast is a young game company based in the Seattle, Washington area. The company created a worldwide sensation when it released its first trading card game, Magic: The Gathering*, in August 1993. Since then, more than 500 million Magic cards have sold around the globe. In April 1994, Wizards of the Coast opened a second branch in Glasgow, Scotland. Several months later, the company expanded into a third office in Antwerp, Belgium. Date: Thu, 4 May 1995 18:11:10 -0700 From: Stephen D'Angelo Subject: [O] Fallen Empires FAQ This is just an electonic version of the Fallen Empires FAQ that appeared in Duelist Magazine #4. Stephen. ---- Stephen D'Angelo NetRep for the MTG-L mailing list dangelo@netcom.com Wizards of the Coast, Inc. Magic: The GatheringQFallen Empires Frequently Asked Questions 1. I attack with my Craw Wurm enchanted with Farrel's Mantle, and my opponent uses Spore Flower; does Farrel's Mantle still deal damage? Even if an attacking creature enchanted with Farrel's Mantle is Fogged or targeted by a Maze of Ith, blockers may still be assigned; if blocked, the creature cannot use Farrel's Mantle. However, if the creature goes unblocked, it still may do X+2 damage to any other target creature. Also, effects such as Farrel's Mantle can be used whether or not the creature would normally have dealt damage. If the Craw Wurm isn't blocked, it may still use the ability of the Mantle to do X+2 damage to any other target creature. even though it would not have otherwise dealt damage. This effect is not cumulative: Farrel's Mantle imparts a special ability which cannot be enhanced by multiple copies of the enchantment. In other words, a creature enchanted with two Farrel's Mantles can still deal only X+2 damage (just as two Fears don't make a creature "more unblockable.") 2. How much damage can I do if I use Farrel's Mantle on Farrel's Zealot? If you put Farrel's Mantle on Farrel's Zealot, and if the creature attacks and is unblocked, then it deals 3 damage to a target creature, and X + 2 damage to a target creature. It can target the same creature with the two abilities, or different creatures. 3. If I cast Goblin Grenade and then Fork it, do I have to sacrifice another Goblin to make the copy of the spell work? No. If you Fork a spell requiring a sacrifice, you are not required to pay the sacrifice again. 4. What happens if there is a Goblin War Drums out and I only have one blocking creature? If this enchantment is in play, and you have only one creature to block with, it would be just as if you had no creatures at all. You have to block with two creatures if you're going to block at all. 5. Can I get extra blue mana my Blue Mana Battery if I cast High Tide? No. Only lands that count as islands are affected, and this spell will not affect Mox Sapphires, Blue Mana Batteries or Sand Silos, for example. 6. With Homarid Spawning Bed, how many Camarids can I put into play if I sacrifice a creature with X in the casting cost? If you sacrifice a creature that has an X in the casting cost, the X is considered to be 0 for the purposes of this spell. So the sacrifice of Frankenstein's Monster, for example, which costs X plus two black mana to cast, would produce two Camarid tokens. 7. If I have Night Soil in play, can I sacrifice one creature from my graveyard and one creature from my opponent's graveyard? No. You can take the two creatures from a single graveyard only. 8. Does my opponent take control of Rainbow Vale at the end of my turn even if I didn't tap it for mana that turn? No. Rainbow Vale only changes hands if you tap it for mana. If it is tapped for other reasons (such as Icy Manipulator), started the turn tapped and remained tapped throughout, or if is not tapped during the turn,then Rainbow Vale does not change controllers. 9. Can a Thrull Champion steal any other Thrull Champion? Yes; the Thrull Champion says "Summon Thrull" and can be therefore be legally stolen by another Thrull Champion. 10. Can a Svyelunite Priest's special ability to make a target creature untargetable by fast effects and spells be used so a Lord of the Pit can't sacrifice it? No; a sacrifice is a cost that cannot be prevented. 11. Do effects such as Homarid and Svyelunite Priest cause enchantments on the creature to be destroyed? No; "spells" just refers to spells that are cast, not permaments. Any enchantments on the creature are already in play, so are not disallowed by these effects. Date: Mon, 8 May 1995 11:00:51 -0700 From: Stephen D'Angelo Subject: [O] Tournament Rules (04/19/95) NEW! Here's the latest word on the Duelist Convocation Tournament Rules. Although the file is dated 04/19/95, it took effect on 05/03/95 with the release of Fourth Edition. The major changes are: - Balance and Fork are now restricted in Type I tourneys. - Type II tourneys now use Fourth Edition as "the most recent edition of the Gathering". - A new scoring system which is like the Chess scoring system. - A first pass at rulings for foreign language edition cards. Enjoy! Stephen. ---- Stephen D'Angelo NetRep for the MTG-L mailing list dangelo@netcom.com Wizards of the Coast, Inc. ---- cut here ---- Type I Tournament Rules Magic: the Gathering Includes Magic: the Gathering (all editions),Arabian Nights, Antiquities, Legends, The Dark, Fallen Empires 4/19/95 Notes: Exclusion of the listing of any expansion set above does not imply that the expansion set should be banned from tournament play. Exclusion of any existing expansion set in the above listing means only that final decisions as to restrictions on cards from that set have not yet been made. The standard rules for Magic: The Gathering apply to tournament play, except where amended by these rules. In cases where the official tournament rules differ from the basic rules of Magic, the official tournament rules take precedence. Note on play with non-English language cards: Be advised that in all cases, any card title, card text, rules, tournament rules, or rulings, or any other facet of official tournament play where translational differences may appear, will be interpreted according to the English language versions most currently in use. This applies to all tournament types used by the Duelists' Convocation without exception. Deck Construction Rules: 1. Type I tournament decks may be constructed from Magic cards from the Limited (1st edition, with black border) series, the Unlimited (2nd edition), Revised (3rd edition), 4th edition, any Magic expansion (unless expressly disallowed by the Judge prior to the event), and promotional cards released by Wizards of the Coast in magazines or through books. All cards in the Type I tournament deck must have identical card back design. Under no circumstances will cards from the Collector's Edition factory sets be permitted in Type I tournament decks. They are easily distinguished from legal play cards by their square corners and gold borders. Use of any card not expressly permitted in a Type I tournament deck in a Type I tournament will be interpreted by the Judge as a Declaration of Forfeiture (see Standard Floor Rules #15). Optional rule: It is required that all of the cards in a player's deck have the same rounding of corners. As Alpha cards (the first section of the print run from the original limited edition basic set) have slightly more rounded corners than cards from subsequent printings (making Alphas effectively marked cards), it may be ruled that if any cards from the original Alpha card set are used in the Type I tournament deck that the entire deck must be constructed of Alpha cards. If this option is exercised , it must be advertised to the players in advance so that they may reconfigure their playing decks as necessary. 2. The Type I tournament deck must contain a minimum of 60 (sixty) cards. In addition to the Type I tournament deck, players may, but are not required to, construct a Sideboard of exactly 15 (fifteen) additional cards, which must always contain that number of cards while play is in progress. The use of the Sideboard is further explained in the Standard Floor Rules (rule #5). 3. There may be no more than 4 (four) of any individual card, by card title, in the Type I tournament deck (including Sideboard), with the exception of the five basic land types (Plains, Forest, Mountain, Island, Swamp). 4. The Restricted List: No more than 1 (one) of each of the cards on the Restricted List are allowed in the Type I tournament deck (including Sideboard). If more than 1 (one) of any individual card from the Restricted List are found in a player's deck and Sideboard, that will be interpreted by the Judge as a Declaration of Forfeiture. The Restricted List may be modified by the Director of the Duelists' Convocation as necessary. If the card is originally from a Magic expansion, following its title will be a two letter code denoting which expansion it is from. AN = Arabian Nights , AQ =Antiquities , LE =Legends , DK =The Dark , and FE = Fallen Empires . The Restricted List is as follows: Ali from Cairo (AN) Ancestral Recall Balance Berserk Black Lotus Brain Geyser Candelabra of Tawnos (AQ) Channel Chaos Orb Copy Artifact Demonic Tutor Falling Star (LE) Feldon's Cane (AQ) Fork Ivory Tower (AQ) Library of Alexandria (AN) Maze of Ith (DK) Mind Twist Mirror Universe (LE) Mishra's Workshop (AQ) Mox Pearl Mox Emerald Mox Ruby Mox Sapphire Mox Jet Recall (LE) Regrowth Sol Ring Sword of Ages (LE) Time Twister Time Walk Underworld Dreams (LE) Wheel of Fortune In addition, any "Summon Legend" card is restricted to one each, as are each of the Legendary Lands from the Legends expansion set. 5. The Banned List: The following cards are banned from Type I tournament decks, and use the same expansion set abbreviations as above: Bronze Tablet (AQ) Contract from Below Darkpact Demonic Attorney Divine Intervention (LE) Jeweled Bird (AN) Rebirth (LE) Sharazhad (AN) Time Vault Tempest Efreet (LE) Several of the cards on the Banned List are not allowed because they clearly state to remove them from your deck if not playing for ante, and ante is not required to be wagered in a Type I tournament (see Standard Floor Rules, rule #6). Any future cards that make the same statement will subsequently be banned. This list may be modified by the Director of the Duelists' Convocation as necessary. Type I Tournament Floor Rules: The Type I tournament uses all of the Standard Floor Rules. Modifications to Standard Floor Rules: Note: Rule numbers below correspond to Standard Floor Rules rule numbers. 5. The only deck alteration allowable while a duel is in progress is with the use of a Ring of Ma'Ruf (AN). The Ring of Ma'Ruf may only be used to retrieve a card from the player's sideboard, or to retrieve a card that began the duel in the player's deck (a creature removed from play by a Swords to Plowshares, e.g.). Cards other than the tournament deck and sideboard should not be allowed at the tournament. In the event that a player uses a Ring of Ma'Ruf to retrieve a card from their sideboard, the Ring of Ma'ruf used is placed into the player's sideboard to take the place of the retrieved card, thus maintaining exactly fifteen cards in the sideboard. Otherwise, Standard Floor Rule #5 is unchanged. ---- cut here ---- Type II Tournament Rules Magic: the Gathering 4/19/95 Notes: The standard rules for Magic: The Gathering apply to tournament play, except where amended by these rules. In cases where the official tournament rules differ from the basic rules of Magic, the official tournament rules take precedence. Note on play with non-English language cards: Be advised that in all cases, any card title, card text, rules, tournament rules, or rulings, or any other facet of official tournament play where translational differences may appear, will be interpreted according to the English language versions most currently in use. Determinations of "latest limited edition" sets will be made according to the latest limited edition sets released in the English language if there is a conflict in international play. Otherwise, use the latest limited editions common to players from all countries anticipated to participate. In any case where there may be discrepancies, the allowable sets/expansions should be advertised in advance. Deck Construction: 1. Type II tournament decks may be constructed from Magic cards from the most current edition of the basic set and the latest 2 (two) limited edition Magic expansions only. Cards from previous versions of the basic set that still appear in the most current edition are allowed, with one exception. Cards from any Collectors Edition with their square corners and differing card back design are disallowed from play as these features make cards from this set effectively marked cards. All cards currently out of print from the basic set appear on the Banned List. Use of any card not expressly permitted in the Type II tournament deck in a Type II tournament will be interpreted by the Judge as a Declaration of Forfeiture (see Standard Floor Rules #15). a. When new editions of the basic set and/or new limited edition expansions are released, there will be a grace period of one calendar month from the date of release of the English language version of that edition/expansion allowed for players to abide by the new deck construction rules, within certain restrictions. When a new edition of the basic set is released, players may construct decks using the card set from EITHER the old edition or the new one; not a combination (i.e., cards appearing in 3rd edition OR 4th edition, with no crossover unless the card appears in BOTH editions) during the grace period. When a new limited edition expansion is released, players may either use cards from the previously legal two expansion sets, or the incoming legal two expansion sets during the grace period (i.e., expansion sets A&B were the legal expansions, expansion C is the new release. During the grace period, sets A&B OR B&C would be allowable, but not sets A&C). In either case, once the grace period has expired the new deck construction rules will be strictly enforced. Optional rule: It is required that all of the cards in a player's deck have the same rounding of corners. As Alpha cards (the first section of the print run from the original limited edition basic set) have slightly more rounded corners than cards from subsequent printings (making Alphas effectively marked cards), it may be ruled that if any cards from the original Alpha card set are used in the Type II tournament deck that the entire deck must be constructed of Alpha cards. If this option is exercised, it must be advertised to the players in advance so that they may reconfigure their playing decks as necessary. 2. The Type II tournament deck must contain a minimum of 60 (sixty) cards. In addition to the Type II tournament deck, players may, but are not required to, construct a Sideboard of exactly 15 (fifteen) additional cards, which must always contain that number of cards while play is in progress. The use of the Sideboard is further explained in the Standard Floor Rules (rule #5). 3. There may be no more than 4 (four) of any individual card, by card title, in the Type II tournament deck (including Sideboard), with the exception of the five basic land types (Plains, Forest, Mountain, Island, Swamp). 4. The Restricted List: No more than 1 (one) of each of the cards on the Restricted List are allowed in the Type II tournament deck (including Sideboard). If more than 1 (one) of any individual card from the Restricted List are found in a player's deck and Sideboard, that will be interpreted by the Judge as a Declaration of Forfeiture. The Restricted List may be modified by the Director of the Duelists' Convocation as necessary. The Restricted List is as follows: Balance Channel Ivory Tower Maze of Ith Mind Twist 5. The Banned List: For ease of use, all cards from the basic set that no longer appear in the most current Revised Edition are listed here. Other cards may be banned as well. The Banned List may be modified by the Director of the Duelists' Convocation as necessary. The following cards are banned from the Type II tournament deck: Ancestral Recall Atog Badlands Basalt Monolith Bayou Berserk Black Lotus Blaze of Glory Braingeyser Bronze Tablet* Camouflage Chaos Orb Clone Consecrate Land Contract from Below* Copper Tablet Copy Artifact Cyclopean Tomb Darkpact* Demonic Attorney* Demonic Hordes Demonic Tutor Dwarven Demolition Team Dwarven Weaponsmith Earthbind False Orders Farmstead Fastbond Forcefield Fork Gauntlet of Might Granite Gargoyle Guardian Angel Ice Storm Icy Manipulator Illusionary Mask Invisibility Jade Statue Jandor's Ring Juggernaut Kird Ape Kudzu Lance Lich Living Wall Mijae Djinn Mox Emerald Mox Jet Mox Pearl Mox Ruby Mox Sapphire Natural Selection Nettling Imp Plateau Psionic Blast Raging River Rebirth* Reconstruction Regrowth Resurrection Reverse Polarity Roc of Kher Ridges Rock Hydra Rocket Launcher Sacrifice Savannah Scrubland Sedge Troll Serendib Efreet Shatterstorm Sinkhole Sol Ring Taiga Tempest Efreet* Time Vault Time Walk Timetwister Tropical Island Tundra Two-Headed Giant of Foriys Underground Sea Vesuvan Doppleganger Veteran Bodyguard Volcanic Island Wheel of Fortune Word of Command * : Banned from play, as card states to remove from deck before playing if not playing for ante. This tournament type does not require that ante be wagered. ---- cut here ---- Type II Tournament Floor Rules: The Type II tournament uses all of the Standard Floor Rules. Modifications to Standard Floor Rules: None. All of the standard floor rules apply unmodified to this tournament type. Standard Floor Rules Magic: the Gathering 4/19/95 Note on play with non-English language cards: Be advised that in all cases, any card title, card text, rules, tournament rules, or rulings, or any other facet of official tournament play where translational differences may appear, will be interpreted according to the English language versions most currently in use. This applies to all tournament types used by the Duelists' Convocation without exception. Standard Floor Rules: 1. Officially sanctioned tournaments will be presided over by a Judge, who may be assisted by as many Assistant Referees as they may need. NEITHER THE JUDGE NOR THE ASSISTANT REFEREES MAY PLAY IN A TOURNAMENT THAT THEY ARE ADJUDICATING. A Judge may be required to interpret rules, to terminate an excessively long match, to interpret a Declaration of Forfeiture (see Floor Rule #15 ), or make any other adjudication as necessary during the tournament. The Judge is also responsible for maintaining the tournament records and providing an accurate tournament report for the Duelists' Convocation office that sanctioned the event. Assistant Referees will aid by answering rules questions on the floor, assisting with matching players for a new round, and being available to the Judge for any other assistance they may require. In necessary cases the Judge may overrule any decision made by an Assistant Referee. The decision of the Judge is always final. 2. The number of players in an officially sanctioned tournament should ideally be a power of two (i.e., 32, 64, 128...etc.). In the event that the number of players is not a power of two, byes may be assigned randomly during the first round only, and must be done in such a fashion that the number of players in the second round is a power of two. 3. Officially sanctioned Magic: the Gathering tournaments will use a standard single elimination bracketing system with random pairings for each round. An index card (or reasonable facsimile) will be prepared for each player with the player's name, Duelists' Convocation membership number, and other tournament information. Cards will be shuffled and paired randomly for each round of the tournament. Alternately, tournaments with the capabilities may use a computerized system for generating random pairings for each round, provided that the Judge can keep accurate records of each player's progression throughout the tournament. Note: The single elimination bracketing system will be changed to another system in the near future (at the time of this writing) to accomodate more playing time for all participants in an officially sanctioned tournament. Contact your local Duelists' Convocation branch office to receive a copy of the latest official tournament rules. 4. A duel is one complete game of Magic. A match is defined as the best two out of three duels. A player may advance in the tournament after successfully winning one match, and reporting this victory to the Judge. 5. Players must use the same deck that they begin the tournament with throughout the duration of the tournament. The only deck alteration permitted is through the use of the Sideboard (see Deck Construction Rules for the appropriate tournament type). If a player intends to use a Sideboard during the course of a match, they must declare to their opponent that they will be using the Sideboard prior to the beginning of that match. Players may exchange cards from their deck for cards from their Sideboard on a one-for-one basis at any time between duels or matches. There are no restrictions on how many cards a player may exchange in this way at any given time. Prior to the beginning of any duel, each player must allow their opponent to count, face down, the number of cards in their Sideboard. If a player's Sideboard does not total exactly 15 (fifteen) cards, the Judge or an Assistant Referee must be consulted to evaluate the situation before the duel can begin. If a player claims that they are not using a Sideboard at the beginning of the match, ignore this counting procedure for that player, but no deck alteration of any kind will be permitted by the Judge for that player for the duration of that match. Any violation of this rule may be interpreted by the Judge as a Declaration of Forfeiture. 6. Players are not required to wager ante during the tournament. Players may play for real ante, provided that both participants in the match give their consent, though this agreement does not allow the inclusion of the banned ante cards in the tournament deck. Ante cards won in a tournament must be kept separate from the tournament deck and sideboard and may not be used in the tournament in any capacity. If loss of ante cards from a player's deck reduces the deck below 60 (sixty) cards, the player no longer has a legal tournament deck, and will be removed from the tournament. 7. Mulligan Rule: If a player draws either (a.) no land or (b.) all land cards on the initial draw of seven cards to begin a duel, they may restart the duel. To do this, the player must show their opponent that they have either no land or all land, reshuffle their deck, allow their opponent to re-cut the deck, and draw seven new cards. The player's opponent has the option to do the same, even if their hand does not qualify for this rule. For example, if player A draws no land and wishes to reshuffle, player B may opt to also to try to improve the hand they drew. A player may only use this rule once per duel. 8. A player may use plastic card sleeves or other protective devices on cards in the tournament deck with the permission of the Judgeand with the permission of their opponent. If for any reason a player's opponent wishes them to remove the sleeves/protective devices, they may state so at the beginning of any duel and the player must immediately comply. The Judge may wish to disallow a player's card sleeves if they are obviously marked, worn, or otherwise in poor condition that may interfere with shuffling or game play. The exception to this rule is that sleeves may always be used to mark a player's card as belonging to that player in the event the card is in the opponent's playing field. 9. The use of "proxy" cards in the tournament deck is not allowed. A proxy card is one that has been placed into the deck to represent another card that for one reason or another the player doesn't want to play with; i.e. using a Swamp with the word "Nightmare" written on it because the player doesn't want to play with their actual Nightmare. 10. Players must at all times keep the cards in their hand above the level of the playing surface. If a player is in violation, the Judge may issue a warning to the player, or interpret the violation as a Declaration of Forfeiture, at the Judge's discretion. 11. Players may not have any outside assistance (i.e., coaching) during a match. If a player is in violation, the Judge may issue a warning to the player, or interpret the violation as a Declaration of Forfeiture, at the Judge's discretion. 12. Unsportsmanlike conduct will not be tolerated at an officially sanctioned tournament. Players, Judges, and Assistant Referees will conduct themselves in a polite, respectable, and sportsmanlike manner. A player behaving excessively belligerent, argumentative, hostile, or unsportsmanlike may receive a warning, or have this behavior interpreted as a Declaration of Forfeiture, at the Judge's discretion. Repeat offenses of this type by a particular member should be reported to the Duelists' Convocation office sanctioning the event for investigation and possible action. Behavior of this type on the part of an Assistant Referee should be reported to the Judge, who may issue the offender a warning or remove them from the tournament. Behavior of this type on the part of a Judge should be reported to the Duelists' Convocation office sanctioning the event for investigation and possible action. 13. In the event of an excessively long match, the Judge may need to adjudicate the outcome prior to its actual conclusion. In some cases, the Judge may wish to impose a time limit for each round of the tournament. In either case, the time limit will not be less than 45 (forty-five) minutes of playing time for a complete match. In the event of a long match, the Judge must give the players involved a time warning not less than 10 (ten) minutes prior to the end of the allotted time. If at the end of the allotted time the match is not completed, the Judge will award the victory as follows; if the players are currently playing the first or third duels of the match, to the player with the highest life total in the current duel, if playing the second duel of the match, to the player who won the first complete duel. SEMI-FINAL OR FINAL ROUNDS SHOULD NEVER BE ADJUDICATED BY A TIME LIMIT. It is HIGHLY recommended to allow matches to play to their conclusion (comebacks from 20-1 have not been unheard of), but in cases where this is not possible, Judges will use the above format. 14. Players must take their turns in a timely fashion. Whereas taking some time to think through a situation is acceptable, stalling for time is not. If the Judge feels that a player is stalling to take advantage of a time limit, the Judge may issue a warning, or interpret the stalling as a Declaration of Forfeiture, at their discretion. 15. Failure to adhere to the above rules, or any other rules specific to a particular tournament, may be interpreted by the Judge as a Declaration of Forfeiture. Only the Judge may make an interpretation of a Declaration of Forfeiture. This is a more pleasant way of stating that if a player breaks the rules, the Judge will remove them from the tournament. 16. Rules note: The Director of the Duelists' Convocation reserves the exclusive right to add, delete, alter, transmute, polymorph, switch, color-lace, sleight of mind, magical hack, or in any other way change these or any other official Duelists' Convocation rules, whole or in part, with or without notice, at any time that it is deemed necessary or desirable. This right is non-negotiable. ---- cut here ---- Sealed Deck Tournament Rules: Magic: the Gathering 4/19/95 Notes: The standard rules for Magic: The Gathering apply to all tournament play, except where amended by these rules. In cases where the official tournament rules differ from the basic rules of Magic, the official tournament rules take precedence. Note on play with non-English language cards: Be advised that in all cases, any card title, card text, rules, tournament rules, or rulings, or any other facet of official tournament play where translational differences may appear, will be interpreted according to the English language versions most currently in use. Determinations of "latest limited edition" sets will be made according to the latest limited edition sets released in the English language if there is a conflict in international play. Otherwise, use the latest limited editions common to players from all countries anticipated to participate. In any case where there may be discrepancies, the allowable sets/expansions should be advertised in advance. Deck Construction: 1. Decks may be constructed using the contents of 1 (one) sealed deck of the latest edition of Magic: The Gathering cards (60 cards), and one of the following additions: a. The contents of 3 (three) sealed booster packs of the latest 8 (eight) card booster pack limited edition expansion set (for a starting total of 84 cards) or; b. The contents of 2 (two) sealed booster packs of the latest 15 (fifteen) card booster pack limited edition expansion set (for a starting total of 90 cards) or; c. The contents of 2 (two) sealed booster packs of the latest edition of Magic: the Gathering basic set (for a starting total of 90 cards). Optional Rule: At the Judge's discretion, players may add exactly 4 (four) basic lands of their choice to the deck. These land cards must be issued by the tournament staff after the deck construction period (see Sealed Deck Floor Rules, SD2), and in such a way as to take care that each player receives only four additional lands and not more (using the player sign in list may be a good way, or checkmarking the player's index card as they receive their lands). This pool of basic lands can be from an individual collection, or having each player donate one of each basic land to create the pool as part of any entry fees at the tournament. 2. The tournament deck must contain a minimum of 40 (forty) cards, with no imposed maximum. In Sealed Deck play, any cards from the starting deck and booster(s) not used in the tournament deck will function as that player's Sideboard. The total number of cards in a player's deck and Sideboard combined may change during the course of play, as Sealed Deck tournaments require the wagering of ante (see Modifications to Standard Floor Rules #6; Sealed Deck). The use of the Sideboard is further explained in the Standard Floor Rules (rule #5). 3. Due to the natural limiting effect of Sealed Deck play, as well as the fact that ante must be wagered in the Sealed Deck tournament, there are neither Restricted nor Banned Lists for this style of tournament. Sealed Deck Floor Rules: Sealed Deck tournaments will use the Standard Floor Rules, except where noted in the Modifications to Standard Floor Rules section below. There are four additional Floor Rules specific to a Sealed Deck tournament, noted by SD#. These are: SD1. Players are responsible for providing their own sealed decks and boosters for use in the tournament, except in cases where the decks and boosters are provided for them by the tournament organizers. If an entry fee is charged for the tournament, the fee for a player shall not exceed the Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price for the cards allotted to and received by the player, plus an additional amount within the normal sanctioning parameters allowable by the Duelists' Convocation office sanctioning the event. SD2. Prior to the first round's pairings, the Judge should allow a period of 45 (forty five) minutes for players to construct their decks. All players in the tournament must open and construct their tournament decks during the same 45 minute period. The Judge must announce a warning to the players at the forty minute mark that only five minutes remain in the deck construction period. Players must have their decks constructed prior to the end of this allotted time. If a player has not completed deck construction at the end of this allotted time, it may be interpreted by the Judge as a Declaration of Forfeiture (see Standard Floor Rules #15). In the event all players in the tournament have completed deck construction prior to the end of the 45 minutes, the tournament may commence without delay. SD3. A Player may not open their sealed deck or booster(s) prior to the beginning of the time period allotted for by the Judge. SD4. At no time prior to or during the tournament will trading of cards from the Sealed Deck tournament deck or Sideboard be permitted. Modifications to Standard Floor Rules; Sealed Deck: Note: Rule numbers below correspond to Standard Floor Rules rule numbers. 5. As written, but cards from the Sideboard need not be traded into the deck on a one for one basis; any number of cards may be added to or subtracted from the deck, provided that the playing deck contains a minimum of 40 cards when finished. Additionally, the requirements of Sideboards containing exactly 15 cards are dropped for obvious reasons. 6. In Sealed Deck tournaments, it IS required that player's wager ante. Cards won as ante may be introduced into the playing deck at any time that a Sideboard use is allowed (i.e., in between duels or matches). A player unable to field a deck of at least 40 cards no longer has a legal deck, and will be removed from the tournament. 13. Note: Floor Rule #13 (Judge's right to terminate an excessively long match) may come into play more often in a Sealed Deck tournament, as many decks constructed from such a limited environment when played against each other may grind into a near stalemate situation. It is therefore recommended that if any time limits are imposed per round, it may be desirable to extend the limit to 60 or 90 minutes, depending on the tournament. This extension is entirely at the Judge's discretion, and must be advertised in advance or announced to all players at the beginning of the tournament. The Duelists' Convocation's New Rating System Explained The new rating system being implemented by the DC is a chess style averaging system which will rate players based on their skill. We feel it is much better than our old system for many reasons. To begin with this system is more accurate at gauging a players skill than our previous system which favored those able to attend the most sanctioned tournaments. Using this new system will assure that an individuals ranking is based on something other than his or her ability to drive or fly long distances. With the use of this system we will be able to sanction as many events per area as that area can support instead of the standard one event per callendar month method which we have been using. The following article is an explanation of how the new rating system works. Please bear in mind that this article is a simplified explanation and that we will probably make some changes in the system as we work with it more. The basic theory of the system is that the difference between the ratings of players is a guide to predicting the outcome of a duel between those two players. The formula is based on statistical and probability theory. No rating is a precise evaluation of a duelists' strength. The ratings are averages of performances and should be viewed as approximations within a range. This range is at least plus or minus 56 points (standard deviation) for most ratings. Provisional ratings (those based on less than 25 matches) are much less reliable than established ratings. A duelist may approximate their new rating by using the appropriate formula. The result will probably not be exact since official calculations are based on the most current ratings rather than the last published ratings. Extreme fluctuation in provisional ratings make approximation more difficult for new duelists. Events are rated in chronological order by the date of the event. Ratings produced by each event are used for for the calculation of ratings in subsequent events. Published ratings are current as of the date of publication. Duelists who have played fewer than 25 matches earn a rating equal to their average performance according to the following equation: R(p)=R(c)+((400(W-L))/N) Where R(p) is the new rating, R(c) is the average rating of the duelists' opponents, W is the number of wins, L the number of losses, and N the number of games. Duelists with established ratings (those based on 25 matches or more use the following equation: R(n)=R(o)+K(W-W(e)) where R(n) is the new rating, R(o) the old (pre-event) rating, K a constant (32 for ratings of 0-2099, 24 for 2100-2399, 16 for 2400 and up), W the score in the event, and W(e) the expected score (Win Expectancy), determined from the following formula: W(e)=1/((10^D)+1) where D equals the difference in ratings. We in the Duelists' Convocation have not finished hammering out all the minor details of the system. We are in the process even as you read this article. When we have all the details worked out, we will print all the details we can supply, along with examples of rating calculations and and sample win expectancies. For now, I hope this gives you a good idea of what to look forward to in the future. The nicest thing about the new rating system is the fact that we are no longer going to be restriced to how often we can sanction tournaments. This is because, due to the averaging nature of the ratings, they are self correcting. We are also looking forward to new possibilities for events in the future. Keep reading to see what we come up with. Date: Fri, 5 May 1995 10:56:50 -0700 From: Stephen D'Angelo Subject: [O] Multiplayer Rulings (01/27/97) [Repost] These are a set of rulings issued in January and that appeared in Duelist Magazine #4 (Page 64) dealing with how cards should be played in multiplayer games. Stephen. ---- Stephen D'Angelo NetRep for the MTG-L mailing list dangelo@netcom.com Wizards of the Coast, Inc. Multiplayer Rulings (01/27/95) Recently it was decided that even though Wizards of the Coast does not have official rules for multiplayer play, the cards should at least have clear interpretations in such formats. So, we went though and identified those cards which are unclear, and decided how they would be written if we were allowing for multiplayer play. Rather than waiting for the cards to be reprinted with these texts, and issuing rulings on them piecemeal, we are simply issuing these text changes now. While this is going to cause some confusion in those play groups which habitually play multiplayer games, we feel that one brief period of upheaval now is better than one period as 5th edition Gathering comes out, another as Chronicles comes out, and so on. Therefore, WotC is recommending that these card texts be adopted immediately, rather than piecemeal. These changes are found below. For now, many of the changes are simply listed in "checklists"; future versions of this document will attempt to organize them in such a way that they are easier to remember (in the same way that the "oppnent means defending player" changes are listed in this document). Yes, this changes how certain cards work in the offical two-player mode, but in our opinion this is better than having cards work one way in a duel and another way in group play. Also note that only those cards which had unambiguous meanings are listed here; those cards which have a clear multiplayer interpretation, but happen to be broken in such a context, are not listed. /* ** Possible ruling changes under discussion: 1. The Ghazban Ogre ruling, ** which comes from the Arabian Nights FAQ, is probably incorrect. 2. ** It's probably not necessary to make Citanul Druid and Gaea's Avenger ** "target opponent", so we may be changing them to "any opponent". The ** deciding factor here is probably going to be card concept. ** ** -- Aahz */ These effects apply to "target opponent". If a continuous ability, choose that opponent when the permanent is played. You may not choose another opponent later, so if that opponent leaves the game, the permanent becomes useless, and changing control of the permanent will not change who it targets. If an activated abilty, choose an opponent each time the permanent is activated. If an instant, sorcery, or interrupt, choose the target as normal. Arena Black Vise Citanul Druid Cuombajj Witches Cursed Rack Dwarven Catapult Eternal Flame Festival Gaea's Avenger Invoke Prejudice Jihad Lifeblood Lifetap Mirror Universe Nebuchadnezzar Nova Pentacle Powerleech Preacher Psychic Allergy Rack, The Rag Man Rainbow Vale Siren's Call Tempest Efreet Underworld Dreams These effects apply to "target player". Follow the same rules as for "target opponent" cards as to when the target is chosen. Ancestral Recall Disrupting Scepter Drain Power Glasses of Urza Jovial Evil Kismet Mana Short Mind Twist Storm Seeker Word of Command These effects apply to all players. Balance Eureka Mana Flare Pestilence Timetwister Wheel of Fortune These effects should be read as saying "any opponent". Bronze Tablet Farrel's Mantle Fellwar Stone Hyperion Blacksmith Land Equilibrium Land Tax Naf's Asp Psychic Purge Relic Bind (this ruling applies to the errata) Water Wurm Whirling Dervish Witch Hunter Select (don't target) an opponent each time the card calls for one: Clergy of the Holy Nimbus Demonic Hordes Erhnam Djinn Rohgahh of Kher Keep Cards which require a coin toss target the opponent who is going to call heads or tails. For reference, here are the coin toss cards which require such an interpretation: Bottle of Suleiman Goblin Artisans Goblin Kites Mijae Djinn Orcish Captain Ydwen Efreet The following cards should say "defending player" instead of "opponent": Dandan Delif's Cone Delif's Cube Farrel's Zealot Giant Shark Goblin Rock Sled Goblin War Drums Island Fish Jasconius Merchant Ship Orgg Pirate Ship Sea Serpent Vodalian Knights Special Cases Aladdin: Targets an artifact not controlled by you. Demonic Attorney: Target opponent decides whether to concede or not. If the target does not concede, you and the target ante an additional card. Ghazban Ogre: Add "If you are tied for highest life total, Ghazban Ogre does not change controller. If other players are tied for highest life total and you or not, choose randomly which player gets control of Ghazban Ogre." Nettling Imp: Targets a creature not controlled by you. Forces that player to attack and may only be used during that player's turn. It does not target that player. Raging River: The defending player is the one who divides the would-be blockers on either side of the River. Remove Enchantments: Read the second sentence as "If cast while an opponent is attacking you..." Scarwood Bandits: Can take control of any artifact not controlled by you. The controller of that artifact would be the one to pay to counter the effect. Shahrazad: Whoever wins the subgame loses no life. Each other player loses half of his or her life. If a draw, everyone loses life. Sorrow's Path: Only usable if you are not the defending player. Wall of Dust: Read "your opponent" as "their controller". Date: Tue, 9 May 1995 11:14:10 -0700 From: Stephen D'Angelo Subject: [NetRep] Comments on Fourth Edition This is a special reply about the changes to the 4th edition. I added a disclaimer to the end of this since this is not an official word from WotC. It's just my attempt as a player and a NetRep to answer some of you in a personal way. First off, I want to thank the readers of the list for not flooding the list with complaints like the rec.games.trading-cards.magic.misc newsgroup is being flooded. There are a couple of hundred such posts a _day_ there. Still, I'd like to answer the complaints that have been seen here. So what are the big beefs? 1. Removal of the Multilands This is probably the number one complaint from people. Why were they removed? Because no card should be so good that it is necessary in every deck in order to compete. The fact that they were Rare only made this harder on new players. Face it, it can be near impossible to compete against decks with large numbers of multilands when you don't have them. I personally found them nastier than Moxen and Loti back prior to the Revised edition came out and I have refused to make decks with more than 2 of them even for tournament play. They just ruin the game balance. Yeah, it will hurt the ability to make decks of more than two colors. And yeah, it will probably lead to hoarding of the things and price increases. But, there is an ongoing goal to eliminate "must have" cards and to make the most useful cards not be rare. Of all the complaints, however, this is one of the ones I can sympathize with the most since I dislike single color decks. 2. Removal of Offensive Cards WotC removed several cards with offensive overtones. The Demonic Tutor, Demonic Hordes, Demonic Attorney, Contract from Below, Darkpact, and Sacrifice. None of these cards was strictly needed in the game and most were rarely used, so they were not a big loss. I dislike the "I can't believe WotC caved in to xxxx" postings. Why? Because it is more like "WotC made a decision which did not hurt us players in order to make the game more accepted". Like it or not, this is the age of political correctness. Also, this is a _GAME_. The goal is to have fun, not to make a political or religious statement. Also, note that only the most blatant stuff was removed. The Lord of the Pit is still there and is a Demon. Why they airbrushed out the pentagram in Unholy Strength is a bit confusing to me, but Douglas Shuler approved the change so it's not forced censorship or anything. I think that WotC Will follow the policy of being more correct from now on out. But I also know that the WotC game designers are a twisted set of folks with some dark humor in them. Black cards and cards with a very negative undertone will continue to show up. They will just not be named with things that is blatantly offending (as "Jyhad" is to some). 3. Changes in the Balance of Power Yup, the balance did change in 4th edition. Blue and Red were powerful colors in Revised and both were trimmed back a bit in some key ways while not taking out the core cards that make the color what it is. Red has less flyers and no longer has Fork (a patently Blue spell anyway) but has more damage dealing stuff that it did before. Blue lost the copy cards (too confusing and too hard to control) but got a better set of creatures and some more evasion and tricky spells. Black did not get cut out except a bit in "evil" flavor and ante stuff. Green and White did not lose any key cards but got some of the commonly used cards from other expansions to strengthen them a bit. I know some people are unhappy with the changes. All I can say is that change is good. We've seen the current balance of power hold for a while. I hope they change it again next time. 4. Changing Rarities In the change to Revised Edition, WotC made some rarity changes and got raked over the coals for it. People were very upset to see a former rare show up as an uncommon and a former common as a rare. Well, they did it again. Why? This shook me for a while, too. I had to sit down and study the changes for a while to make sense of some of them. In general the basic policy of making necessary cards be common, good cards be uncommon, and only specialized cards rare has been followed. They also worked hard on game balance (see #3). Finally, with the exception of cards from The Dark, most of the cards added came from expansions that 75% of the current customer base has never seen. Sure, the power players have had their 4 Carrion Ants lined up, but this is a way to expose some of the better cards in Magic to new players. 5. Loss in Card Value Yup the introduction of previously out of print cards into the white border sets will devalue the limited edition cards. But this is part of the design of Magic. The goal of expansion sets is to introduce new cards, new ideas, and new flavor to the game. As cards get tried out, some cards will be rotated into the main set. Chronicles promises to bring even more of the expansion set cards back, so this year will see more than its share of this. If you are in the game for the money making aspect, then be warned. 6. Downplaying of Type I Tourneys From what I understand, WotC has gotten a lot of pushback from tourney coordinators who do not want to run Type I tournaments. The ones that I have been associated with only have them to appease rabid gamers. With the small restricted lists the games can be downright nasty and money decks are clear winners (note that there are exceptions for exceptional players of course!). Because the game is changing from a niche game to a worldwide game for people of all ages, and because the customer base has grown so fast, the World Championships are going to be Type II and Sealed Deck tournaments. There will be no Type I world winner. Still, there will probably be Type I tourneys all around and you are free to coordinate them yourself if you think they are being neglected in your area. 7. The New Scoring System The new tourney scoring system is designed to stop the score inflation by people who could play in dozens of tournaments versus people who got to attend a handfull. No, it is not perfect, but it is an attempt to make things better and it is a step in the right direction. If you have questions about the system send them to questions@wizards.com. I'm trying to collect information to help out here, but I do not know enough about the system to solve some of the tricky questions... and NetReps are not plugged into the Duelist Convocation the same way we are to the Rules Team. I hope that covers some of the big issues for you. If you have opinions about what you'd like in or out of Magic, send them to questions@wizards.com or call the WotC phone number. They do listen. It may take a time to change the card set or choices (since card sets through the end of the year are already frozen), but they do listen. But also remember that you are just one voice in many and you may not be the majority even if "everyone you know" agrees with something. Lastly, please feel free to vent some steam if it'll make you feel better. I know that I was a bit shaken by the changed card lists and such when I first saw them, but I really think WotC made the right choices. The game has been improved. Stephen. ---- DISCLAIMER: The comments and opinions in here are my own and are NOT the official word of the Wizards of the Coast. Date: Thu, 11 May 1995 09:52:16 -0700 From: Stephen D'Angelo Subject: [O] Rules Team Rulings 05/10/95 Here's the latest drules team rulings. Enjoy! Stephen. ---- Stephen D'Angelo NetRep for the MTG-L mailing list dangelo@netcom.com Wizards of the Coast, Inc. MAGIC RULES TEAM RULINGS 05/10/95 --------------------------------- GENERAL RULINGS The following rulings are meant to clarify the rulebook, and how the game in general works: 1) If an interrupt is successfully cast, effects that trigger on the casting of the spell go off before the interrupt resolves. Thus if Sleight of Mind is played on a Crystal Rod, the Rod can trigger off of that spell before its text is changed. However, it would only be able to power up off of the Sleight of Mind at that time. 2) If damage with a side effect is retroactively applied to something other than what the damage was originally dealt to, the side effect is not reapplied, but is not undone, either. So if you are damaged by a Spectre and lose card, and retroactively Simulacrum the damage to a creature later in the turn, you don't get the card back. If you are damaged by a Sengir Vampire, take the damage, and Simulacrum the damage away retroactively, the Vampire cannot get a counter for the death of the creature now taking the damage. If you Simulacrum immediately, before the damage is successfully dealt, then the side effect will be applied to whatever is now taking the damage. 3) "What happens if the 'until end of turn' effects wear off during Heal Creatures, and I play another 'until end of turn' effect? How about an 'at end of turn' effect played at that time?" An effect that would last until end of turn would resolve normally but wear off immediately. So a Guardian Angel used at that time could be used to prevent some damage immediately, but would not have any lasting effect. An effect that would occur "at end of turn" does not occur at all if generated once Heal Creatures has begun. REVERSALS The following rulings reverse past rulings from the design team and/or the NetReps: 1) If a Creature Bonded Personal Incarnation is put into the graveyard, you lose half your life before taking any damage from the Creature Bond. (You do not get to choose which to apply first.) This is because all damage and destruction from triggered effects is dealt with once all triggered effects have resolved, and by this time you will have already lost the life due to the death of the Personal Incarnation. 2) "I summon Hazezon Tamar, but my opponent steals him on her turn. Who gets the sand warriors, and when?" Hazezon gives you sand warriors on "your next upkeep after Hazezon is put into play". So you only get sand warriors if you control Hazezon during your first upkeep following his appearance, and your opponent only gets sand warriors if she controls him during her first upkeep following his appearance. In both cases, the appearance of the sand warriors would be treated as an upkeep effect. Note that it is possible for both players to get sand warriors, or for neither player to get them, depending on how and when Hazezon changes control during those two turns. Also, sand warriors cannot be produced if Hazezon is removed from play prematurely. 3) Animate Dead is considered a creature enchantment. So if Bartel Runeaxe is Animated, the Animate Dead will be destroyed as soon as it resolves, exactly as if a White Knight were animated. Rabid Wombat will get the benefits of being enchanted by Animate Dead. And so on. 4) A lucky charm can only give you a life for a given spell if the text applies at the time you use the lucky charm, and at the time the spell was cast. For example, Giant Growth is cast while you have Wooden Sphere in play. You decide not to use the Sphere at that time. Later, your opponent uses Sleight of Mind to change the "green" to "black". The Sphere now gives you life for black spells, so cannot give you a life for that Giant Growth. You would also not be able to use the Sphere to gain a life off of a Terror cast earlier in the turn, since the Sphere read "green" at the time the Terror was cast. CARD ERRATA The following rulings involve card errata, or at least reading cards slightly differently: 1) Recall should be read as follows: "Choose and discard X cards from your hand to take X target cards from your graveyard and put them into your hand. Remove Recall from the game." Note that you choose the cards when Recall is played, before it would be countered. If it turns out somehow that not all of those cards are in your hand when the effect resolves, you discard the rest of the chosen cards but get no cards back from the graveyard. If Recall fizzles on one of the target cards it will work normally on the others, just as with any multi-targeted effect. Players concerned about their opponent cheating in this way (i.e., just deciding which to discard when the effect resolves) should agree on some sort of protocol for keeping track of which cards were selected. For example, the hand might be divided into two groups for the duration: the cards selected for Recall, and the cards not selected. SPECIFIC CARD RULINGS 2a) If I use an effect which requires me to sacrifice a card in my hand, and I have Library of Leng in play, can I put the sacrificed card on my library? Yes. All cards which require sacrificing a card in hand should be read as requiring they be discarded. This also means the cards are not lost until the effect resolves. 2b) If my opponent forces me to discard Psychic Purge, and I use Library of Leng to put the Purge onto my library, does my opponent still lose 5 life? Yes; the card is still treated as being discarded. 2c) If I do use Library of Leng to put a card onto my library, does my opponent get to see the card? No, because the card is not actually going to the graveyard. 3) "If I use an ability such as Farrel's Mantle or Floral Spuzzem, and the target of the effect disappears or becomes invalid, does my creature still deal damage that combat?" Yes. If the ability fizzles against the target, the whole effect fizzles. The creature would not be able to try to use that ability again that combat. Obviously a "saboteur" that sacrificed itself, such as Necrite, would not deal damage normally. 4) Animate Dead may be played on a creature in the graveyard such as White Knight or Bartel Runeaxe, since card text does not normally apply while the creature is out of play. However, such cards will cause Animate Dead to be destroyed as soon as they enter play. This will generate a damage prevention step to account for the destruction of Animate Dead; using a Sleight of Mind on the knight's protection will not save the Animate Dead, just as a serpent dying due to lack of islands cannot be saved by Magical Hack. The enchanted creature is not considered "on its way to the graveyard" during this step, so may be sacrificed at this time, and could for example be retrieved by Safe Haven. Once the Animate Dead is placed in the graveyard, the creature it is placed on is simply returned to the graveyard without a damage prevention step, assuming that creature is still in play. 5) Cards such as Reverse Damage, which simply scoop up all damage done during the turn, may be played even if you have taken no damage this turn. Reverberation is a damage redirection effect, so targets damage dealt by a sorcery, and may not be used if no such damage is being dealt. Date: Mon, 15 May 1995 19:06:37 -0700 From: Stephen D'Angelo Subject: [O] Statement on Fourth Edition When we (WotC) released _Fourth Edition(TM)_ for *Magic*, we thought you'd all be patient and wait until Duelist #5 came out to get the card list and read about why particular cards were dropped or added. Obviously, we were wrong. Duelist #5 contains an article by Jim Lin titled "A Guide to _Fourth Edition (TM),"_ which includes a list of cards that were removed (and why) and cards that were added. It also notes all changes to card text. While we can't print that article here (Duelist #5 hasn't even shipped at the time of this writing), we can give you more information. *Why do we do rotations?* Originally, according to Jim, "we assumed that a card couldn't break the game if it was rare because no one would be able to get too many." I'm sure everyone out there knows how wrong that turned out to be and how easy it is for a powerful rare card to wreck play. Also, playtesting wasn't as thorough back then as it is now. Rotations let us remove cards that break the game. Some cards are too weak; some are too powerful. Some become so much more valuable than similar cards that deck-building starts to become a cookie-cutter process. In addition, rotations let us add cards to make play more interesting. Efforts continue to improve the playing environment. As Jim says, "We hope to create an environment in which players can play with as many of any card as they want, and in which certain cards don't dominate the game." For now, we have the DC tournament rules---and rotations. *Why were those particular cards removed?* In his article, Jim separates the removed cards into categories according to why they were removed. While you still have to wait for Duelist #5 for the list (the card list policy is at the end of this statement), I can give you some idea of what those categories cover: Too strong/degenerate Too weak/narrow Underpriced (i.e., casting cost vs. abilities) Boring Strictly better than cards in the same category (e.g., multilands vs. basic lands) Too confusing Inappropriate art/name *Hey, what about those demon cards?* Jim includes those cards in the last category above. No, we didn't drop them because anyone demanded that we do so. To quote Jim again, "Another thing we didn't expect was *Magic's* success outside the adventure game and hobby market." Most of us involved in that market are used to, or just ignore, so-called demonic imagery. People new to or outside of this market are surprised, and sometimes concerned, by this kind of imagery. If WotC is going to continue to be here for you, then we have to grow. We have to bring in those new people. Yes, removing those cards has caused some controversy. Having them in the mix does, too. Not having them in allows us to concentrate on serving you and on making new games rather than on controversy. Ignoring the issue is not an option for us because of our commitment to respect others' beliefs. Some of you have demonstrated an impressive vocabulary in denigrating the people who have moral, ethical, or faith concerns regarding *Magic*. Please remember that just as you want to be treated with respect, you need to treat others with respect. If you get to be heard, so do they. (BTW, if you _hadn't_ been heard, you'd still be waiting for Duelist #5 to find out about any of this. It was one of you who suggested that we write this.) *So, why'd those cards get added?* Cards were not promoted if we thought they were too powerful, too confusing, too boring, or too complicated. As always, we tried to balance the colors. Other than that, as Jim says, "It is a little more difficult to say exactly how we picked the cards that were put in, since there were so many cards added to the set." Most of you know that *Magic* cards are printed on three card sheets, one for each degree of commonality. In order to make sure basic lands appeared only in starter decks, they were moved to a fourth sheet, leaving 72 card slots that had to be filled. We made 50 other card changes, bringing the total number of changes to 122. All told, there are 368 functionally different cards in _Fourth Edition._ *What about card wording changes?* Card wordings were changed for a number of reasons, all in the interest of improving the game. We tried "to standardize the wording," to borrow a phrase from Jim. We also tried to reduce confusion and respond to frequent questions. Additionally, we tried to make the cards more multiplayer friendly. *So how do I get a card list?* Part of the fun of *Magic* is exploring Dominia through the cards. When there were only three or four hundred cards, a list removed that thrill of exploration, and so we didn't release "official" card lists. Now that there are well over a thousand different cards, we still want to preserve some of the mystery even as we provide the information you want. Therefore, we do mail out our card lists, but only by snail mail and only 90 days after the Duelist or Duelist Companion containing them ships, so that DC members get theirs first. If you're in North America and you'd like a card list, send us a a letter telling us which list you want (Arabian Nights, Unlimited, Legends, Revised, etc.), along with a self-addressed, stamped envelope (SASE) for each list you want. (The SASE is a stamped envelope that has your address as both the delivery and the return address on it. You must put this envelope and your letter in _another_ envelope and mail it to us. If you don't include a SASE with your request, we won't send you your list.) Mail your request to: Wizards of the Coast attn: *Magic* Card Lists P.O. Box 707 Renton, WA 98057-0707 If you're outside North America, contact one of these two offices for more information: Wizards of the Coast UK Ltd. Customer Service attn: *Magic* P.O. Box 1562 Glasgow, G2 8BW Scotland Tel: 0345-125599 (within UK only) uk@wizards.com or Wizards of the Coast, Belgium Customer Service attn: *Magic* P.O. Box 16 B-2140 Borgerhout 2 Belgium Tel: +32-(0)3-272-0511 Fax: +32-(0)3-272-2431 belgium@wizards.com Mavra! (Peter Adkison, janitor, WotC) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Wizards of the Coast PO Box 707, Renton, WA 98057-0707 Phone: 206-624-0933 Rules: questions@wizards.com All other questions: custserv@wizards.com Date: Thu, 18 May 1995 09:57:11 -0700 From: Stephen D'Angelo Subject: [O] World Championships Here's an update on the World Championship. I got confused for a minute before I realized that this is not the National Championship (which I think is being held at Origins this year). Stephen. ---- Stephen D'Angelo NetRep for the MTG-L mailing list dangelo@netcom.com Wizards of the Coast, Inc. World Championship Update! The following information is subject to change by Steve Bishop, Director of the Duelists' Convocation Contrary to advertising in the Gen Con pre-registration book, the 1995 Magic: The Gathering World Championship will not be held at Gen-Con. Steve Bishop will be making a statement about this in the near future. The World Championships will actually be held in the Seattle area in early August. Date: August 4, 1995 - August 6, 1995 Location: Sea-Tac Red Lion Hotel/Seattle Airport 18740 Pacific Hwy South, SeaTac, WA USA Tournament Types: A. Type II Expansion sets: Ice Age, Fallen Empires B. Sealed Deck C. The final round will be 8-player, Type II double elimination. All above information will (hopefully) be confirmed and set in stone, on 5/19/95. In addition, other tournaments/events/happenings will be going on at the event, forming a mini convention of sorts. Players and fans are encouraged to attend the event to watch National Champions compete for the World Title, as well as play in other events, get cards signed by the artists, and more. Sunday will be the first of Wizards of the Coast's "Game Days", alongside the World Championship finals. Charles Keith-Stanley werewolf@wizards.com Cyberspace Liaison liaison@wizards.com Wizards of the Coast, Inc. Date: Fri, 26 May 1995 16:36:48 -0700 From: Stephen D'Angelo Subject: [O] The Duelist wants House Rules! The Duelist encourages contributions to the House Rules section of the magazine. House Rules features new Magic variants, tips on existing variants and multi-player play, alternate methods of structuring leagues and tournaments, etc. We'd love to hear what *your* "house rules" are, and we might even include them in the next installment of House Rules. Send your favorite house rules to duelist@wizards.com today! Charles Keith-Stanley werewolf@wizards.com Cyberspace Liaison liaison@wizards.com Wizards of the Coast, Inc. Date: Fri, 26 May 1995 16:37:23 -0700 From: Stephen D'Angelo Subject: [O] The Duelist wants Questions! Duelist #5 was mailed out this week and we're already in the midst of completing Duelist #6 (scheduled for release in late July). One of the features in Duelist #6 is an interview with the designers of Ice Age: Skaff Elias, Jim Lin, Chris Page, and Dave Pettey. These four were playtesters in the early days of Magic, and they designed the Antiquities expansion. They were also involved in the development of Legends, The Dark, and Fallen Empires. When we were coming up with questions for this interview, we realized that this would be the perfect opportunity for Magic fans to ask the sorts of questions they've always wanted answered. So...send us your questions -- we'll pick the best ones and include them in the Duelist interview. These guys have been involved from the very beginning, so not only do they know Ice Age, but they know the inner workings of Magic better than anyone (except Richard Garfield, that is). Have you always wondered how card names are chosen, or what playtesting was like in Magic's early days, or how the setting was chosen for Ice Age? Of course, try to avoid the obvious ("Have you ever met Richard Garfield?") or the narrow ("What were you thinking when you made Time Vault?!"). Please send all responses to duelist@wizards.com by Monday, June 12th. Thanks! Charles Keith-Stanley werewolf@wizards.com Cyberspace Liaison liaison@wizards.com Wizards of the Coast, Inc. Date: Mon, 19 Jun 1995 15:53:20 -0700 From: Stephen D'Angelo Subject: [O] 06/15/95 Rules Team Rulings GENERAL RULINGS The following rulings are meant to clarify the rulebook and how the game in general works: 1) If a token creature is sent to the graveyard, it does enter the graveyard before being removed from the game forever. This means that Soul Net can trigger on the death of the creature. 2) If an effect such as Millstone or Portent is used on a library that doesn't have the specificed number of cards in it, the effet will work on the cards that are in the library. For example, if you use Millstone on a library with only one card in it, that card will be put into the graveyard. If you use Portent on a library with two cards in it, you get to rearrange (or shuffle!) those two cards. Using such effects on a library with too few cards will not cause the player to lose the game; however, causing someone to draw cards when there are not enough cards in that player's library to allow him or her to do so does cause that player to lose. 3) If you tap a land for mana and there is any confusion over the type or amount of mana produced, decide which land type the land is, then determine the amount and type of mana it produces. Most effects which seem to increase the amount of mana a land produces, such as Mana Flare and Wild Growth, are actually triggered effects that provide an amount of mana independent of what the land itself produces. For example, Mana Flare simply copies the final mana type of the land and provides one mana of that color and type, rather than directly increasing the output of the land (thus, a mountain with a Wild Growth on it will produce two red and one green mana if tapped while a Mana Flare is in play). If Conversion and Reality Twist are in play, Conversion is always applied first because it changes the actual land type, whereas Reality Twist affects the type of mana produced by a land. All plains and mountains changed to plains (by the Conversion) provide red mana. The "appropriate type" of mana for plains in this case is red, not white, so if Reality Twist and Mana Flare are in play, tapping a plains for mana provides {R}{R}, not {W}{R}. 4) The group of Ice Age cards that instruct a player to "Draw a card card at the beginning of the next turn's upkeep" are collectively referred to as cantrips. They really do mean to draw a card on *the* next upkeep, not *your* next upkeep. If a targeted cantrip fizzles, you do not draw a card for it. REVERSALS The following rulings reverse past rulings from the Design Team and/or the NetReps: 1) Berserk simply gives its target a one-time power bonus at the time Berserk resolves. You do not keep recalculating the Berserk's effect if the creature's base power changes later in the turn (for example, due to fluctuating Plague Rats). See the Card Errata section below. 2) About a year ago, we issued errata stating that the mana provided by Basalt Monoliths and Mana Vaults could not be used to untap Basalt Monoliths and Mana Vaults. We are releasing Mana Vault from this equation. Basalt Monolith mana cannot be used to untap Basalt Monoliths; Basalt Monolith mana can be used to untap Mana Vaults; Mana Vault mana can be used to untap Monoliths and Vaults. 3) Chaos Orb should not be considered to sacrifice itself when it is used but instead stays in play. When the effect resolves, Chaos Orb is removed from play, flipped, and then placed in the graveyard. Nothing can stop Chaos Orb from being put into the graveyard in this way once its effect has resolved. Note that if the Orb is not in play when its effect resolves, the effect will not go off, so Disenchant can now usefully "counter" Chaos Orb's effect. 4) The "choose attackers" and "choose defense" steps are not strictly simultaneous. Players assign blockers, individual attackers, or bands of attackers one at a time, and both players can play effects in between assignments. The only effects that are legal at these times, however, are interrupts that add mana to your pool and effects that indicate that they are usable while choosing attackers or defense. (The latter is just the generic rule regarding what you can play during specialized timing steps.) 5) Jade Statue can only be activated while you are choosing attackers or while you are choosing defense. CARD ERRATA The following rulings involve card errata or slight differences in how cards should be read: 1) Concordant Crossroads should be read as allowing creatures to completely ignore summoning sickness rather than ignoring it just on the turn they enter play. 2) Berserk should be read as giving the creature +X/+0, where X is the creature's power at the time Berserk resolves. 3) All versions of Earthbind should be read as follows: "When Earthbind comes into play, it deals 2 damage to target creature it enchants if that creature has flying. That creature loses flying." 4) Certain Ice Age enchantments use the template "When This Card comes into play, choose target ". This template can be confusing, so the first clause of the sentence should be ignored. For example, Earthlore should now begin with "Choose target land you control." This choice is made when the enchantment is played, not when it resolves. This errata applies only to card enchantments such as Enchant Creatures, specifically: Caribou Range, Earthlore, Forbidden Lore (see below), Hot Springs, Mystic Might, Regeneration, Soul Kiss. 5) The first sentence of Forbidden Lore should be read as "Choose target land you control." 6) Equinox should be read as "Choose target land you control. {0}: Tap land Equinox enchants to counter target spell that will send one or more lands you control to the graveyard. Play this ability as an interrupt." Note that this includes countering spells that would deal lethal damage to one or more animated lands. 7) Farmstead is only usable once during your upkeep, even if you are not the controller of the enchanted land. 8) Hecatomb should begin with "When Hecatomb comes into play, sacrifice four creatures or bury Hecatomb." If you do not have four creatures when Hecatomb comes into play, you don't sacrifice those creatures you do have available. 9) Wild Growth only provides mana when the target land is tapped for mana, and always adds that mana to the mana pool of the land's controller. This applies to all versions of Wild Growth. SPECIFIC CARD RULINGS 1) If more than one damage is successfully dealt to you while you have Lich in play, you sacrifice the appropriate number of cards simultaneously. So if you take two damage and have a creature in play with an Animate Dead enchantment played on it, you can sacrifice both the Animate Dead card and the creature it is on. 2) What follows are various Worms of the Earth rulings. These should be extended to any similar interactions with Worms of the Earth or interactions with any other "No new such-and-such may enter play" effects. Suppose an animated land is enchanted by an Oubliette and Worms of the Earth is then put into play, after which the Oubliette is destroyed. The land the Oubliette was enchanting is not considered a "new land," since it was in play before Worms of the Earth was, so that land is not prevented from returning to play. If Safe Haven is sacrificed to itself while Worms of the Earth is in play, any lands that had been stuck into Safe Haven (by virtue of being animated) remain out of the game forever, though non-lands in Safe Haven will return to play normally. Safe Haven specifies that creatures it targets are removed from the game, so animated lands in Safe Haven have no memory of ever having been in play. If you play an effect like Untamed Wilds while Worms of the Earth is in play, you don't get to put the land into play. The land remains in the library, which is then reshuffled as specified by Untamed Wilds. Lands cannot be put into play via Eureka while Worms of the Earth is in play. 3) Spoils of War does not target an opponent with X creatures and artifacts in his or her graveyard. It merely targets an opponent, and the X is required to be the number of creatures and artifacts that player has in his or her graveyard when you play Spoils of War. If this number changes later, it does not interfere with the resolution of Spoils of War. If the spell is to be redirected to a legal target, it can only be redirected to an opponent with exactly that many creatures and artifacts in his or her graveyard. Note that you must decide how to distribute the counters when you play Spoils of War, not when it resolves. 4) Yes, Soul Burn really does give you 1 life for each {B} used to deal damage, regardless of whether that damage is prevented or not. You are, of course, limited to the target creature's toughness (or the target player's life total). 5) If Krovikan Fetish is moved to a new creature by Enchantment Alteration or by Crown of the Ages, the Fetish's controller draws a card at the beginning of the next turn's upkeep. 6) The abilities of Ali from Cairo, Veteran Bodyguard, and Martyrs of Korlis happen automatically as damage prevention ends, not as fast effects used during damage prevention. If the order of their application matters, the person suffering the damage decides which to apply first. If any damage is redirected at the end of a damage prevention step, all such damage from that step is handled in a second damage prevention step which follows the current one, after removing any creatures that died. This includes Veteran Bodyguard redirection, trample damage, etc. 7) If a card enchantment says to play it on a "target you control" and you lose control of that permament, the enchantment is buried because the target is now invalid. 8) A Kjeldoran Guard or a Kjeldoran Elite Guard can be assigned as a blocker and then tapped to use its ability. (See #4 under Reversals, above.) 9) Brown Ouphe only counters a single use of an artifact. Read "Counter target artifact ability..." as "Counter target artifact effect..." if this helps clarify the card. 10) If there are no other lands in play when Glacial Chasm comes into play, you must sacrifice Glacial Chasm. If there are no other creatures in play when Kjeldoran Dead comes into play, you must sacrifice Kjeldoran Dead. This means that effects such as Dingus Egg and Soul Net will be triggered. 11) If you cast Mind Ravel on someone with no cards in hand, you still draw a card on the next turn's upkeep. 12) If you declare an attack while you have at least one Raging River in play, the first thing that happens during the attack is that the defender declares all of his or her creatures without flying to be on the left or right side of the river. You then declare attackers, designating any creatures that attack as being either on the left or right side of the river. When defense is chosen, attacking creatures can only be blocked by creatures on the same side of the river and/or by creatures with flying. If the defending player gains control of a creature after the attack begins, that creature can only be assigned as a blocker if it has flying or has been assigned to one side or another of the river. Once a creature is assigned to one side of the river, it is considered to be on that side of the river until end of combat, even if that creature changes controllers before then. 13) Infernal Darkness and Deep Water cause all affected lands to simply provide {B} or {U}, regardless of how much mana those would normally generate or of what kind. So while Infernal Darkness is in play, Mishra's Workshop produces {B} when tapped for mana, and this mana may be used for any purpose. On the other hand, Ritual of Subdual simply converts the mana produced by the land to colorless, so a Mishra's Workshop will produce three normal colorless mana while Ritual of Subdual is in play. If Infernal Darkness said that all lands produced "black mana," as opposed to saying they produce "{B}," then the same principle would apply. Tapping a storage land for mana while Infernal Darkness is in play will always give you {B}, regardless of the number of counters you remove from the land while tapping it for mana. It would even provide {B} if zero counters were removed. Tapping a storage land for mana while Ritual of Subdual is in play will yield an amount of colorless mana equal to the number of storage counters removed. 14) The following effects just change a land's type, not whether a land is snow-covered: Conversion, Cyclopean Tomb, Evil Presence, Gaea's Liege, Illusionary Terrain, Phantasmal Terrain, and Thelonite Monk. Land Tax, Nature's Lore, and Untamed Wilds can retrieve snow- covered lands from the library. Magical Hack cannot add or remove the phrase "snow-covered". Blood Moon will ignore snow-covered basic lands. Goblin Caves and Goblin Shrine provide their bonus while on a snow-covered mountain. Arcum's Weathervane cannot target multilands. Shanodin Dryads can walk through snow-covered forests, but Rime Dryads cannot walk through normal forests. Snow-covered forests can count as the additional forest for Gaea's Touch. Date: Tue, 27 Jun 1995 09:52:59 -0700 From: Stephen D'Angelo Subject: [O] Ice Cauldron Rulings Here's something that just came down about Ice Cauldron. No big surprises if you've been reading your NetRep posts so far, but it is worth reading. Stephen. ---- Stephen D'Angelo NetRep for the MTG-L mailing list dangelo@netcom.com Wizards of the Coast, Inc. ICE CAULDRON RULINGS (06/27/95) The basic nature of Ice cauldron is this: You store a spell in your hand on the Cauldron, and at that time can store mana in the Cauldron which will be used to pay for the spell. At some point later, you can play the spell stored on the Cauldron as if it were in your hand, meaning that you must follow all normal timing rules, targeting rules, and so on. Typically you will tap the Cauldron for the mana you stored in it before playing the spell. When you use the first ability of the Cauldron, you choose a spell in your hand, and pay some X, which can be 0. When the effect resolves, you put that spell "on" the Cauldron, and store a charge counter of X on the Cauldron. The spell stored this way is not considered in your hand or in play; it is in a sort of limbo, much as a Coffined creature is in a sort of limbo. This effect may only be used if there isn't a charge counter presently on the Cauldron. If the effect is countered (say by Brown Ouphe), then the mana is lost but you keep the card in your hand. You also keep the card if the Cauldron is destroyed in response to this effect. Spells stored in the Cauldron are not actually considered to be in your hand, so they won't count for Ivory Tower or Black Vise, they can't be discarded by Hymn to Tourach, etc. The second ability of the Cauldron is to put the mana you stored in the charge counter back into your pool. This mana can only be used to play the spell you chose when you put that charge counter on the Cauldron; if you do not use the mana for that purpose, it burns you. Note that you can also provide mana from other sources when playing this spell. If you steal the Cauldron, you can remove the charge counter (and get mana burned) so that you can make use of the Cauldron later. Removing the charge counter is not played as an interrupt, so if you store a Counterspell or other interrupt in the Cauldron, you will typically have to find mana sources other than the charge counter to pay for that spell. The ability to play the spell you stored on the Cauldron, and the fact that you get to play it, is locked in by the effect of putting it there, not by a continuous ability of the Cauldron. Therefore you may play the spell regardless of whether the Cauldron is tapped, and regardless of whether you lose control of the Cauldron later. You must follow all normal rules for playing the spell, so cannot play a stored Fireball during your opponent's turn, for example. Changing the Cauldron's controller will not do anything to the spells stored on it; whoever stored a given spell on it can still play that spell. Removing the Cauldron from play causes any and all spells stored on it to be placed in the graveyard (errata). This means that if the Cauldron is destroyed in response to your removing the charge counter from it, you will take mana burn from that mana, since the spell you would have used it for will be gone. Any number of spells can be stored in the Cauldron at any given time, as long as you remove each charge counter before storing another spell. You must still play these spells individually, not simultaneously. Date: Mon, 10 Jul 1995 16:43:04 -0700 From: Stephen D'Angelo Subject: [O] Chronicles Card List !! Wizards of the Coast recently learned that an accurate list detailing the cards contained in Chronicles(TM) is being sold and distributed. WotC's policy does not allow publishing the contents of a card set before the release date of the product. This is to ensure fairness and a sense of exploration. The limited availability of the current list allows its holders to take advantage of players without the list. We cannot, in good conscience, allow this to continue. Therefore we are releasing the Chronicles list before the Chronicles' premiere. This is not a precedent-setting decision and in no way implies a future policy that WotC will or will not follow. Our actions are completely motivated by a desire to protect our customers. We do not want anyone to enter into a trade with someone privy to inside information about cards contained in Chronicles. It has always been our belief that the contents of a product should be kept secret until that product is released. However, in this situation, that secrecy has already been compromised, and we feel that we must act to protect the majority of our customers who do not have the list. Therefore, please distribute this list as widely as possible. We are releasing it to the Internet, as well as faxing it to all of our distributors. It is our intention that it be forwarded along to retailers and customers. Again, we are only releasing this list because we feel that it is in the best interest of our customers to do so. We hope the average player understands our reasons, and will thoroughly enjoy playing with the Chronicles cards. Skaff Elias Acting Magic Brand Manager. *-*-*-*-*-*-*-* The Official Magic: the Gathering (TM) Chronicles Card List Wizards of the Coast, Inc. Copyright (C) 1995 by Wizards of the Coast, Inc. Arabian Nights, Antiquities, Legends, The Dark, Wizards of the Coast, Magic: the Gathering, and the Magic logo are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast, Inc. Abu Ja'far (AN) Active Volcano (LG) Akron Legionnaire (LG) Aladdin (AN) Angelic Voices (LG) Arcades Sabboth (LG) Arena of the Ancients (LG) Argothian Pixies (AQ) Ashnod's Altar (AQ) Ashnod's Transmogrant (AQ) Axelrod Gunnarson (LG) Ayesha Tanaka (LG) Azure Drake (LG) Banshee (DK) Barl's Cage (DK) Beasts of Bogardan (LG) Blood Moon (DK) Blood of the Martyr (DK) Bog Rats (DK) Book of Rass (DK) Boomerang (LG) Bronze Horse (LG) Cat Warriors (LG) Chromium (LG) City of Brass (AN) Cocoon (LG) Concordant Crossroads (LG) Craw Giant (LG) Cuombajj Witches (AN) Cyclone (AN) D'Avenant Archer (LG) Dakkon Blackblade (LG) Dance of Many (DK) Dandan (AN) Divine Offering (LG) Emerald Dragonfly (LG) Enchantment Alteration (LG) Erhnam Djinn (AN) Fallen Angel (LG) Fallen, The (DK) Feldon's Cane (AQ) Fire Drake (DK) Fishliver Oil (AN) Flash Flood (LG) Fountain of Youth (DK) Gabriel Angelfire (LG) Gauntlets of Chaos (LG) Ghazban Ogre (AN) Giant Slug (LG) Goblin Artisans (AQ) Goblin Digging Team (DK) Goblin Shrine (DK) Goblins of the Flarg (DK) Hasran Ogress (AN) Hell's Caretaker (LG) Horn of Deafening (LG) Indestructible Aura (LG) Ivory Guardians (LG) Jalum Tome (AQ) Jeweled Bird (AN) Johan (LG) Juxtapose (LG) Keepers of the Faith (LG) Kei Takahashi (LG) Land's Edge (LG) Living Armor (DK) Marhault Elsdragon (LG) Metamorphosis (AN) Mountain Yeti (LG) Nebuchadnezzar (LG) Nicol Bolas (LG) Obelisk of Undoing (AQ) Palladia-Mors (LG) Petra Sphinx (LG) Primordial Ooze (LG) Puppet Master (LG) Rabid Wombat (LG) Rakalite (AQ) Recall (LG) Remove Soul (LG) Repentant Blacksmith (AN) Revelation (LG) Rubinia Soulsinger (LG) Runesword (DK) Safe Haven (DK) Scavenger Folk (DK) Sentinel (LG) Serpent Generator (LG) Shield Wall (LG) Shimian Night Stalker (LG) Sivitri Scarzam (LG) Sol'kanar the Swamp King (LG) Stangg (LG) Storm Seeker (LG) Takklemaggot (LG) Teleport (LG) Tobias Andrion (LG) Tor Wauki (LG) Tormod's Crypt (DK) Transmutation (LG) Triassic Egg (LG) Urza's Mine (ver. 1) (AQ) Urza's Mine (ver. 2) (AQ) Urza's Mine (ver. 3) (AQ) Urza's Mine (ver. 4) (AQ) Urza's Power Plant (ver. 1) (AQ) Urza's Power Plant (ver. 2) (AQ) Urza's Power Plant (ver. 3) (AQ) Urza's Power Plant (ver. 4) (AQ) Urza's Tower (ver. 1) (AQ) Urza's Tower (ver. 2) (AQ) Urza's Tower (ver. 3) (AQ) Urza's Tower (ver. 4) (AQ) Vaevictis Asmadi (LG) Voodoo Doll (LG) Wall of Heat (LG) Wall of Opposition (LG) Wall of Shadows (LG) Wall of Vapor (LG) Wall of Wonder (LG) War Elephant (AN) Witch Hunter (DK) Wretched, The (LG) Xira Arien (LG) Yawgmoth Demon (AQ) *-*-*-*-*-*-*-* The Duelists' Convocation at Wizards of the Coast, Inc. wishes to clarify a potential misunderstanding regarding how the inclusion of the Chronicles(TM) card list may affect our Type II tournament rules. The release of Chronicles in no way implies that the cards will be allowed in Magic: The Gathering(TM) Type II tournaments until the standard waiting period from the expansion's release has expired. As will be stated in the new grace period rules for Type II tournaments, cards from an expansion or new edition of the basic Magic set will not be permitted in Type II tournament play until thirty days after the product was released. In other words, players need to wait thirty days after the actual release of Chronicles to play with them in Type II tournaments. We at the Duelists' Convocation greatly appreciate your patience and compliance in advance for helping us avoid further misunderstandings in the ever-shifting world of Magic Type II tournament play. Sincerely, Steve Bishop Director, Duelists' Convocation Int'l Wizards of the Coast, Inc. *-*-*-*-*-*-*-* Charles Keith-Stanley werewolf@wizards.com Cyberspace Liaison liaison@wizards.com Wizards of the Coast, Inc. Date: Thu, 20 Jul 1995 09:44:53 -0700 From: Stephen D'Angelo Subject: [O] Rules Team Rulings (07/19/95) MAGIC DESIGN TEAM RULINGS (07/19/95) ------------------------------------ GENERAL RULINGS The following rulings are meant to clarify the rulebook, and how the game in general works: 1) If a creature has untap costs that apply both during and at the end of upkeep, these costs combine into a single untap cost just as normal untap costs do. However, this untap cost can only be paid at end of upkeep. For example, a creature which is revived by Dance of the Dead and then Paralyzed does not untap as normal, but can be untapped at the end of upkeep (instead of during upkeep) at a cost of 5B. 2) The previous ruling on playing effects while declaring attackers or blockers was unclear on one point: While interrupts that add mana to your pool may be played during these steps, you may only do so if you want to use an effect (or pay a cost) that requires mana. For example, you cannot normally play Dark Ritual while declaring attackers, but paying a Brainwash cost would allow you to do so. 3) Certain upkeep effects simply instruct you to do something, and don't have any consequences for not carrying out the instructions. For example, The Abyss just tells each player to bury a target non- artifact creature during his or her upkeep, and doesn't say what happens if the upkeep effect cannot be satisfied. The rule for such cards is that you cannot end your upkeep phase if there are any suitable targets available, and you have not dealt with that upkeep effect. For example, suppose you start your upkeep phase with an Ernham Djinn in play, and your opponent has no creatures in play at that time. You cannot just say "Gee, my opponent has no creatures, so I get to ignore the Djinn's upkeep". If your opponent produces a non-wall creatures before you can end your upkeep phase, for example by animating an Assembly Worker or using her Hive, then you must give one of these creatures forestwalk (or eliminate all of the creatures she produces). Removing your Djinn before dealing with its upkeep is also an option, of course. For another example, suppose you select a creature as the target of Drop of Honey, and then someone responds by making the creature an illegal target (either by removing the target, by raising the target's power enough, or by lowering something else's power enough), the effect fizzles and you must play the honey's effect again later on in the upkeep. REVERSALS The following rulings reverse past rulings from the design team and/or the NetReps: 1) Spoils of War should be considered to target an opponent with X creatures or artifacts in his or her graveyard. If there are not that many creature and artifacts in that graveyard when Spoils of War resolves, it fizzles. In a multiplayer game, you may only Fork or Deflect it to a player with that many creatures and artifacts in his or her graveyard. 2) Using a control creature effect to steal Ghazban Ogre is not very effective, since its upkeep effect will simply override the effect the next time it applies. Conquering a Rainbow Vale is not very effective, either. 3) If a creature is destroyed, you can regenerate it many times if you can keep paying for it. This means that if a Clay Statue's ability is Rusted or Ouphed, you can use the ability again. It also means that if a Drudge Skeleton is Lightning Bolted, you can sink any amount of black mana into regenerating it, as long as you spend all of the mana in a single batch. We are eliminating the "unwritten rule" that prohibited regeneration from being used this way. 4) Once Wiitigo runs out of the +1/+1 counters it started with, it can never gain any new counters, even if you block with it, or it is blocked. CARD ERRATA The following rulings involve card errata, or at least reading cards slightly differently: 1) Serendib Djinn should be read as sacrificing lands during upkeep. This means that the loss of the land cannot be prevented. 2) The second sentence of Arcum's Sleigh should be read as "Ignore this effect if defending player controls no snow-covered lands." The Sleigh's effect is used before combat begins, and doesn't wind up doing anything if it doesn't apply to the defending player. 3) Ring of Renewal's ability should read "Discard a card at random to draw two cards." So while you may use the ability at any time, you won't draw any cards if your hand is empty when the effect resolves. SPECIFIC CARD RULINGS 1) The abilities of Kjeldoran Guard and Kjeldoran Elite Guard may be played while your opponent is choosing attack or defense, not just while you are doing so. 2) Gaea's Touch and Nature's Lore can be used to put snow-covered forests directly into play. Nature's Lore may put appropriate multilands directly into play, but Gaea's Touch may not. 3) General Jarkeld may target any two attacking creatures, but his ability will only do something if there are actually creatures blocking both of those attackers. If you respond to General Jarkeld's ability by removing all of the creatures blocking one of his targets, his ability fails to operate, and no blockers change their assignments. 4) If an ability requiring B is played while Drought is in play, you only sacrifice the appropriate number of swamps once, regardless of how many times you pay for the ability at once. For example, if you deal seven damage all at once with Pestilence, you only sacrifice one swamp. But if you deal those seven points one at a time (for example, to work around a Circle of Protection: Black), you have to sacrifice seven swamps. 5) Illusionary Presence is not limited to basic landwalk. It can choose to walk through a basic land type, a snow-covered basic land type, legendary lands, or a given special land. For example, you can choose "maze of ith-walk" or "island of wak-wak-walk". It cannot, however, choose to walk through "snow-covered lands" or "non- snow-covered lands"; you would have to choose snow-covered swampwalk, for example. 6) When using Orcish Librarian, you may look at the remaining four cards before deciding the order in which to put them back on your library. 7) If Touch of Vitae is used on a creature, that creature's controller decides whether and when to untap the creature that turn. 8) Call to Arms is only buried if the opponent controls at least as many cards of any single other color than of the color you chose. For example, if you chose red as the color for Call to Arms, and your opponent has five red cards, four green cards, and two blue cards, Call to Arms will remain in play. 9) If you put something with cumulative upkeep into an Oubliette or Tawnos's Coffin, the upkeep will pick up where it left off when the permanent comes back out. For example, if you put a Soldevi Simulacrum into a Coffin while its upkeep is 6, and then return it to play several turns later, the upkeep cost will increase to 7 on its next upkeep. 10) If Nafs Asp is in play, it must still be in play during that player's next draw phase in order to damage her. If the Asp successfully damages a player during her draw phase because she does not pay the one mana, the Asp's ability will be activated by this damage and the player will suffer another damage on her next draw phase unless she pays the one mana. 11) Kjeldoran Royal Guard, Veteran Bodyguard, and Forcefield all prevent or redirect damage dealt by unblocked creatures. These effects can only prevent or redirect damage dealt during damage dealing by an attacking creature that is considered unblocked. For example, if a Brothers of Fire attacks you, is not blocked, and then uses its ability on you, you may not use Forcefield to reduce that damage. 12) You can play interrupts that provide mana while playing Forgotten Lore if and only if you don't like your opponent's first choice of target card. 13) If a card tells you to distribute some amount of damage among any number of targets, you must assign a natural number of damage to each target, and must assign the full amount. You cannot assign a target zero damage, negative damage, fractional damage, imaginary damage, and so on. For example, if you want to kill a Sengir Vampire with Pyrotechnics, you just choose to do 4 damage to the vampire. You cannot, for example, choose to do 4 damage to the vampire and 0 damage to your opponent, just to get around Deflection. This ruling applies to Pyrotechnics, Fiery Justice, Fire Covenant, and Meteor Shower. It does not apply to Dwarven Catapult, which just targets an opponent, and does not apply to Fireball, which explicitly tells you how to go about selecting multiple targets. 14) If Reality Twist or Naked Singularity is edited by Magical Hack such that it says a given land type produces two sorts of mana, a player tapping that land type for mana gets to choose which sort of mana is produced. For example, if Reality Twist is hacked from "swamps" to "plains", then a player tapping a plains for mana can choose to draw red or green mana from it when tapping it for mana. this follows all the same principles of tapping a multiland for mana (and can give a multiland three choices of mana). Date: Thu, 20 Jul 1995 17:23:57 -0700 From: Stephen D'Angelo Subject: [O] Fourth Edition FAQ (06/16/95) FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions about Magic: The Gathering Compiled by Adam Conus, Tom Wylie, Jim Lin, and Rich Redman This list of questions is intended to clarify the Magic: The Gathering -- Fourth Edition rules. These questions and answers are not meant to supersede or substitute for the rules. If any answer below actually modifies or corrects previously published rules, the text will make that clear. This is the Magic: The Gathering -- Fourth Edition FAQ. 6-16-95 To obtain the latest copy, see the information at the end of this FAQ. Q: If a spell requires a target, can I cast it without one? A: No. Certain spells and effects specify that they are played on a type of target. A card might say it affects "target creature" or "target artifact you control," for example. Such spells can only be played on an appropriate target. If the spell or effect specifies multiple targets, you must select that many distinct targets in order to play it. If all of a spell's targets have disappeared or become invalid by the time the spell resolves, then the entire spell fizzles--that is, it does nothing. If a spell targets multiple targets and only some of them disappear or become invalid by the time the spell resolves, then the remaining targets will be affected normally. For example, if Ashes to Ashes is played and one of its targets is Unsummoned in response, the other target will be affected normally, and the caster of Ashes to Ashes will suffer 5 damage. If a spell does not have a target but instead has a general or global effect such as "Destroy all plains," then it can be cast without a specific target. When the spell resolves, it simply locates everything to which it applies and acts appropriately. For example, Flashfires destroys anything that's a plains when it resolves rather than recording the plains in existence when it was cast. Q: What happens if the target of an enchantment becomes invalid after the enchantment has been cast? A: If the target of an enchantment becomes invalid once the enchantment is in play, the enchantment is immediately buried. Note that this only applies to specific enchantments such as Enchant Creatures, not to general Enchantments. Q: What does it mean when you phrase something like this: "Cost: Effect." For example, Brothers of Fire says "1RR: Brothers of Fire deals 1 damage to target creature or player". A: Cards written this way are referred to as having activation costs consisting of the "Cost." This cost, and any cost mentioned in the effect, must be paid in order for the effect to be played. You can use the effect as many times as you wish each time you choose to use it, as long as you can pay the entire cost of the effect that many times. If an effect is used multiple times with a single payment, the same target (or combination of targets, if the effect is multi-targeted) must be selected for each use of the effect. Note that if the cost includes tapping the card, you can't use the effect many times at once, since you can't tap a card multiple times at once. Q: What is the mana pool and when does it clear? A: Technically, when you cast a spell, you first tap the mana from whatever source you wish, usually land. These points go into your mana pool. Then, as a separate action, you spend those points on the casting of a spell. At the end of each phase and at the beginning and end of each attack, your mana pool clears. If you have any mana left over, you take a point of damage from each one as it leaves your pool. All of this damage comes from your mana pool, which is considered a colorless source, so effect such as Circle of Protection: Red can't be used to prevent the damage. Damage prevention effects such as Healing Salve can be used against mana burn, though you can't pay for them with the mana that just burned you. TIMING Q: What's the difference between an instant and an interrupt? A: Interrupts resolve as soon as they are successfully cast. Instants, on the other hand, must wait for both players to respond with any other instants. Once everyone has finished playing instants, the instants resolve one at a time in last-in, first-out order. Each effect resolves completely before going on to the next effect, except that no damage is actually dealt until all of the effects have finished resolving. Also, if a creature's toughness is lowered, players don't check to see if lethal damage has been dealt until the batch has finished resolving. Also, instants cannot cancel other effects entirely; they can only try to invalidate each others' effects. For example, if I cast Lightning Bolt (an instant) on your Scryb Sprites (1/1), it will take 3 points of damage. If you respond by casting Giant Growth on the Sprites (+3/+3 until end of turn), the Giant Growth resolves first, then the Sprites takes 3 points of damage from the Lightning Bolt, so the creature survives and is equivalent to a 4/4 creature with 3 points of damage until the end of the turn. If the Giant Growth was cast first, then the Lightning Bolt, the overall effect would be the same. Because the damage from the Lightning Bolt is delayed until end of batch, the Scryb Sprites will get the +3/+3 before the damage is applied to it, and it will therefore survive the damage. Interrupts can stop spells and other events from happening altogether. If you had cast Blue Elemental Blast (an interrupt) on my Lightning Bolt instead of responding with Giant Growth, the Blue Elemental Blast would have stopped my Lightning Bolt from ever happening, and the Sprites would have stayed blissfully ignorant of the whole affair. Note that I would still have the option of playing an interrupt while your interrupt was being cast. If, for example, I countered your Blue Elemental Blast with a Red Elemental Blast, my Lightning Bolt would sneak through. A note on spells that are countered: Countered spells go to the graveyard, and any costs such as mana are still spent. The card does not go back into your hand, nor does the mana remain in your pool. Q: What if I destroy a creature in response to the use of its ability. Instants resolve in reverse order so that would stop the effect, wouldn't it? A: No. Destroying the card that is the source of an effect never counters the effect, even if the destruction is an interrupt. If you tap a Rod of Ruin to do a point of damage to me and I respond by destroying the Rod with a Shatter, the damage is still dealt to me. In the same way, if you tap a Prodigal Sorcerer to do a point of damage to me and I respond by destroying it with Red Elemental Blast, the damage is still dealt. (If I were to cast Red Elemental Blast first, however, you couldn't respond by tapping the Prodigal Sorcerer to do a point of damage because an interrupt takes effect immediately unless another interrupt is used.) Q: Which fast effects are interrupts? A: Tapping a land for mana is always considered an interrupt. All other fast effects are played as instants unless they say otherwise. Q: Let's say I cast a spell that does 5 points of damage to every creature and each player. My opponent has 4 points of life, three small creatures, three lands available, and a Soul Net. The Soul Net is an artifact that will give him a life every time a creature dies (he pays 1 mana for each creature). Is he defeated or not? A: No. Only check for player death after clearing the mana pool and dealing with mana burn: at the end of a phase, the beginning of an attack, and the end of an attack. In this example, the opponent can use the Soul Net right after the creatures die to gain 3 life and therefore remain in the game with 2 life. Q: Okay, now let's say we are both low on life: my opponent has 2 life points and I have 3. I cast Lightning Bolt on him. He responds by playing Lightning Bolt on me. Who wins? A: Nobody. Both Lightning Bolts go off, both players are below zero life, and the game is a draw. Q: But he has fewer life points than I do. Doesn't that count for anything? A: No. All that matters is whether a player's life total is below 1, not how far below 1 it is. This game is a draw. WARDS and PROTECTION Q: I have a Circle of Protection: Red. Can I use this more than once per turn? A: Yes. Spend one point of mana for each instance of damage you wish to prevent. If a single source somehow manages to damage you twice during the same turn, you will have to spend another mana to prevent the second instance of damage. Q: Can a Circle of Protection protect my creatures? A: No, it only prevents you from being damaged. A Lightning Bolt can still kill your Orcs, and a Stone Rain can still destroy your land. Q: What color are artifacts? The artifacts look brown to me. A: Artifacts are colorless. In order to prevent the damage from an artifact, you will need a Circle of Protection: Artifacts. If you give the artifact a color, it still is an artifact, albeit a colored one, and either sort of Circle could be used. Q: How about lands? A: Lands are also colorless. If a land becomes a creature, it will be a colorless creature, unless otherwise specified. Note that Kormus Bell has errata to delete the word "black," so it does not actually give a color to the swamps it animates. Q: I'm taking damage from a green creature (Llanowar Elves) with a red enchantment (Firebreathing, which gives +1/+0). What color is the source of the damage? A: Damage dealt by a creature is always the color of that creature--in this case, green. Firebreathing is simply increasing the damage the Llanorwar Elves deals; it is not dealing the damage itself. Q: Okay, next I take damage from tapping a land (colorless) because there's a Psychic Venom (Blue) on it. Now what? A: In this case, the enchantment is considered to be dealing the damage. The difference is this: in the case of Firebreathing, the creature's own power is being increased by the enchantment. In the case of a Psychic Venom, the damage comes directly from the enchantment; note that Psychic Venom explicitly says that it deals damage to you. Additionally, damage from a Wanderlust is considered green. Q: In the case of creatures and wards, what's "protection from blue"? Exactly how is it defined? A: If a creature has Protection from Blue: damage dealt to it by blue spells, effects, and creatures is reduced to 0; it cannot be blocked by blue creatures; it cannot be the target of blue spells and effects; and any blue enchantments on the creature are buried. Note that cards which prevent or redirect damage target the damage itself, not the source of the damage. For example, Healing Salve can be used to prevent damage dealt by a Black Knight (which has protection from white), since the Salve is targeting the damage rather than the Knight. Regeneration effects do target the creature if they specify so; Healing Salve can help a Black Knight but Death Ward cannot. Q: If I cast Drain Life for 5 on my opponent, and my opponent prevents some of the damage with a Healing Salve, do I still get 5 life? A: No. Only take into account damage that is successfully dealt. In this case, you would only get 2 life. Similarly, if you use a Circle of Protection to prevent the damage from a Hypnotic Specter, you won't have to discard a card. If you gain life or retroactively prevent the damage later in the turn, this will not undo the side effect of losing the card. CREATURE ABILITIES Q: Regeneration: Can I regenerate a creature that died last turn? A: No. Regeneration is used as a creature is about to be put in the graveyard and prevents that from happening. Q: Can I attack with a creature I've just brought into play? A: No. A creature of yours may not attack or use any special ability the activation cost of which includes the tap symbol unless the permanent has been under your control continuously since your most recent start of turn. Q: If I can't attack with a just-summoned creature, or do anything else that would tap it, why don't you just say it's tapped on its first turn? A: Because there are things it can do right away, like defend. The creature is not out of commission; it's just a little tired from being summoned. Q: When I regenerate a creature, it comes back tapped. Does that mean I can't use the regeneration on my creature's first turn out? A: The creature can be regenerated, since tapping it is part of the process of regeneration, not part of the effect's cost. This also means that a creature can regenerate even if it is already tapped. Q: Are walls creatures? And can they be tapped? A: Yes, and yes. Walls are creatures that lack the ability to attack. If they somehow become tapped, they can't block until they are untapped, just like any other creature. Q: So, if they can't attack, why do some walls have power ratings? A: Any defending creature deals damage equal to its power rating to anything it blocks. The Wall of Swords is 3/5; this doesn't mean it can attack, it just means that any creature foolish enough to blunder into it will take 3 points of damage. Q: Trample: Mammoths are 3/3, with trample. If I use them to defend against a 1/1 Goblin, does the extra damage carry over to the Goblin's controller? A: No. Trample only works for attacking creatures. Q: Okay, now they're attacking. If they're blocked by two 1/1 Goblins, I get to assign the damage, right? A: Yes, unless there is a banding creature among the goblins. Q: Okay, forget about banding for a minute. Can I choose to damage only one of the Goblins, miss the other one, and let the other 2 points carry over to my opponent? A: Yes. You could assign the damage the same way with a non-trampling creature, although the extra damage would not carry over. Q: Suppose one of the Goblins has been given banding for the turn. Then what? A: The only difference is that the defending player would get to distribute the damage however he or she wanted. If the defending player chose to lose only one of his or her Goblins, 2 points of trample damage would still carry over. Q: If there are several blockers, does only one of them need to have the banding ability for this effect to occur? A: That's right. And the damage can be allocated to any creatures any way the defender wants. Q: If the trample damage is reduced to zero, either by protection from or by a creature's special ability (like Uncle Istvan's), what happens? A: If the damage is reduced to zero, there is no damage to carry over. The trample is negated. Q: What happens if you can't assign the trample damage to the blocker, such as one with Gaseous Form? A: The damage would then carry on through to the defending player. Q: For attack or defense, when a flying creature bands with a non-flyer, can the band fly? A: No. Banding attackers do not actually travel together; they just agree that if any one of them is stopped, the others will all rally round and help pound on the defender. If all of the creatures can slip past the defenders, because the individuals can fly, have islandwalk, or are otherwise unblockable, then that's just what they'll do; however, if one of the members of the band is blocked, then the others won't abandon that member, and will all fight together. Banding on the defending side is never declared; defenders block whatever they can, and if there is at least one banding creature among those blocking a particular attacker during damage dealing, the defender distributes damage among those creatures. Q: Okay, so what good is banding again? I'm still not sure what the point is. A: Banding allows the player to control where the damage goes. Creatures have to be blocked as a unit or let through. The controller of the band gets to assign the damage it receives, not the other player. Thus lots of little creatures can block together and foist all of the damage off on a particular partner they don't like (or one who can regenerate, or one who is warded against the attacker's color) and they get to do all of their damage to the attacking creature. Q: What's up with the Prodigal Sorcerer? A: The Sorcerer has a peculiar little fast effect that seems innocuous enough. There are other cards with similar effects, but the Prodigal Sorcerer is more common than most of them. Read through these answers even if you don't have a Prodigal Sorcerer because all of the answers about its abilities and timing apply to other, similar cards. Let's have a look at him: "(T): Prodigal Sorcerer deals 1 damage to target creature or player." This, like almost every creature special ability, is a fast effect, and can be played like an instant. See the timing rules above for more clarification. By the way, his nickname is Tim. Q: Tim is blocking. Before damage is dealt, I decide to use his special ability. Now what happens? A: The block still happens, and Tim's ability does its point of damage. But Tim is now tapped, so he deals no damage during the damage dealing step to the creature he blocked. He will still take damage from his attacker unless that creature was killed before damage dealing. Q: If my opponent's Tim tries to poke me, can I use my Circle of Protection: Blue? A: Yes. Just like any other time you use the Circle, it will cost you a point of mana. If another blue source tries to damage you, you'll need to power it again. If the same Tim somehow manages to untap and poke at you again, the Circle will cost another point to use. Q: Siren's Call forces all of your opponent's creatures to attack. What if my Prodigal Sorcerer is forced to attack? A: Siren's Call says that any creature that is unable to attack is destroyed (with certain exceptions). You've got two alternatives: 1. Let the Sorcerer participate in the attack. This means he won't be able to use his special poke this turn, and he may be blocked by something nasty. 2. Tap the Sorcerer to do a point of damage. This will typically mean that Tim is unable to attack and will thus die at the end of the turn; however, if you can untap Tim after poking with him, he can participate in the attack and thus avoid being destroyed at end of turn. Q: Okay, so I attack with Tim, and my opponent blocks him. Can I use his poke now? A: No, because he is already tapped from attacking. Because his ability includes tapping him in the cost, he can't use it as long as he is tapped. OTHER TERMS Q: What exactly does "tapping" mean? A: Tapping is the physical act of turning a card sideways. Untapping is the reverse. While tapping is usually included in the use of a card's abilities, all it really means is that the creature is, generally, unavailable to do anything. This means that tapping your opponent's card (through the use of spells, for example) does not give you control over the card's abilities. It just means that you're changing the card's orientation, which prevents it from being used. It doesn't force your opponent to use the card's powers; however, your opponent can respond by tapping the card for a fast effect, using the power before your tapping takes effect. Untapping an attacking creature doesn't remove it from the attack--it just means that it can be used for defense later if needed or can use an ability with tapping as part of the cost. Q: Psychic Venom says I take damage when the affected land is tapped. Is that true even when my opponent taps it with a spell? A: Yes. Psychic Venom simply triggers on the land becoming tapped, and it doesn't care why it is tapped. Conversely, Wild Growth triggers on the land being tapped to produce mana, so tapping the land for other reasons wouldn't cause a point of green mana to be generated. Q: What's the "casting cost' of a spell? A: To cast any spell, you have to spend mana points. These are denoted in the upper right-hand corner of the card, either in mana symbols, numbers, or both. Numbers in gray circles represent quantities of mana of any or no color, your choice. Q: What about a card that refers to the casting cost of another card? A: In that case, it's referring to the total number of mana points required. Color is irrelevant. In cases where the casting cost includes X, then X equals the amount of mana being put into the spell as it is being cast. If you need to know the casting cost of a spell at any time other then when it's being cast (for example, if a card has an effect based on the casting cost of another card), treat the X as 0. Q: What happens to a card that is sacrificed? A: A card that is sacrificed is immediately put into the graveyard, before the spell or effect can be interrupted. Nothing can stop this, and you don't get the sacrificed card back if the spell or effect is countered. Protection from a color, Guardian Beast, and other protective effects cannot save cards that are sacrificed. Q: What's the distinction between "controller" and "owner"? A: A card's owner never changes over the course of the game, except through a few special ante effects. The controller of a card is the player who is in charge of making the decisions for that card. Usually the owner and the controller are the same person but not always. Some spells and effects allow you to temporarily take control of your opponent's cards; this does not change the owner of the card, but it does make you its controller. If you play a card, it starts in your control and remains that way until something specifically changes that. If you play an enchantment on someone else's card, you control the enchantment. Even if a card imposes an upkeep cost or some other effect on your opponent, you control the card itself. If you take control of a permanent, you don't get control of any enchantments that may be played on it. For example, if you steal a Goblin with a Firebreathing enchantment on it that your opponent controls, you still can't pump up the firebreathing, although your opponent can. Whenever a card says "you" or "you," it is referring to the card's controller. Q: If a casting cost or activation cost includes X, can I choose 0 as that X? A: Yes. Q: So I can cast a zero-point Disintegrate? A: You can if you want. And if that creature takes lethal damage from something else this turn, it will still be removed from the game. Q: I have a Zombie Master that makes Zombies in play get stronger. That just means my Zombies, right? A: Zombie Master refers to "All zombies..." and as such will also affect your opponent's zombies. This means that you'll have to be a little more careful about how you use this card. Q: Does this mean that when I cast a spell that says "destroy all plains" that mine are destroyed as well? A: Yes. Cards that are specific to your opponent will say so. Q: Can I discard whenever I want to? A: No. The only time you can discard is during your discard phase, and then only if you have more than seven cards. Q: Can I discard face down? A: No. The Graveyard is a semi-active source of cards, and you must let your opponent know what you've put into it. Q: Suppose I don't want to draw. Can I skip my draw phase? A: No. And if you have to draw a card and can't, you lose. Q: The rules say that whenever a card contradicts the rules, the card takes precedence. What happens when two cards contradict each other? A: If two effects contradict each other, apply them in the order they resolved. This typically means the latter effect takes precedence. Example 1: Conversion is cast (All mountains become basic plains.) On the next turn, a Phantasmal Terrain (Target land becomes any basic land type of your choice) is set to "mountain" and cast on something that was originally a mountain; this creates a contradiction. Since the effects are applied in order, the Conversion changes the mountain into a plains, the Phantasmal Terrain changes it back. There are no more effects to apply, so the land is a mountain in the end. Example 2: Phantasmal Terrain is played on a mountain, changing it into an island. Conversion is then put into play. Applying the effects in the order they resolved, the mountain becomes an island, and is then ignored by Conversion. If you apply all effects in order and still don't seem to have an answer, you'll have to make a judgment call. MISCELLANEOUS CARDS Q: I attack with a band of two creatures, one of which is enchanted with Gaseous Form. If my opponent blocks, can I assign the damage from the blockers to the creature with the Gaseous Form enchantment? A: No. The creature with the Gaseous Form enchantment on it is incapable of receiving damage, regardless of who is assigning the damage. Q: Will casting a Mana Short counter my opponent's spell before it goes off? A: No. Mana Short is an instant, and instants are not capable of countering anything. If your opponent casts a Fireball at you, and you respond with a Mana Short, the Mana Short goes off first, but then Fireball goes off as well. Mana used to cast the Fireball is exempt from the Mana Short's effect because the mana is spent as soon as the Fireball is announced. Q: If I cast Instill Energy on a creature, can it attack twice? A: No. Your creature may untap after attacking, but regardless of your creature's tapped/untapped state, you, as a player, may only attack once per turn. Q: How does Unstable Mutation work? A: Unstable Mutation does two things--first, it gives the target creature +3/+3. This effect lasts until Unstable Mutation is removed. Second, during the creature's controller's upkeep phase, put a permanent -1/-1 counter on the creature that is the target of the Unstable Mutation. Stop placing new counters if the Unstable Mutation is removed. If the Unstable Mutation is removed the target loses the +3/+3 but retains any -1/-1 counters it may have accumulated. Q: May I use my Throne of Bone, Iron Star, et al.,to get a life point from a spell that was countered? A: No. A spell that is countered is not considered successfully cast. Q: Raise Dead: Can I get a creature out of my opponent's graveyard? A: No. Cards which refer to "the graveyard," such as Soul Net, are referring to anyone's graveyard. Raise Dead specifies "your graveyard," so it can only get creatures out of yours. Q: Nevinyrral's Disk: This is an artifact that destroys all creatures, enchantments, and artifacts in play, including itself. If my opponent uses his Disk, and I've got Elves with a Regeneration enchantment on it, what happens? A: You can use the Regeneration enchantment just before it's destroyed, since both the Elves and the enchantment try to go to the graveyard at the same time. The enchantment saves the Elves, but no effect is available to save the enchantment. After the effect resolves, the creature survives, but Regeneration goes to the graveyard. Q: Weakness: If I play Weakness (enchantment, -2/-1) on Drudge Skeletons (1/1, regenerating), it will kill them. What if the Skeletons is regenerated? A: Regeneration preserves a creature's enchantments, even the ones you don't want. Once the Skeletons are back, Weakness will kill it again. The cycle repeats until you can no longer afford to regenerate the skeletons or until you just give up. Q: Siren's Call forces other creatures to attack. I'm supposed to play it during my opponent's turn before he or she attacks. When I do that, what happens? A: You force him to attack but not right away. You've only made sure that your opponent will have to attack some time during this turn and that the creature(s) you've affected will participate if they can. Your opponent can play as many effects as desired during the main phase before the attack is finally launched. Q: Swords To Plowshares: This card gives a creature's controller life points based on the creature's power. That doesn't include enchantments, does it? A: Actually it does. Cards like this refer to the creature's current power, including any enchantments on it and any fast effects or other events that may occur before the spell is resolved. Q: Goblin King, Lord of Atlantis, Zombie Master: These cards give special powers to other creatures I have in play. Do these cards affect themselves? A: Those creatures affect certain other specific creatures. The Zombie Master isn't a Zombie, the Goblin King isn't a Goblin, and the Lord of Atlantis isn't a Merfolk, so they do not effect themselves. The Thrull Champion in Fallen Empires is a Thrull, however, and it does affect itself. Always refer to the "Summon " line to see what kind of creature you are dealing with in regards to these sorts of powers. Note that case is irrelevant where the summon line is concerned, so Goblin King will boost both "Summon Goblins" and "Summon Goblin" cards. FINAL NOTES Q: Some of my cards were mangled when they were made. What do I do? A: If you've received a damaged card, send it to us and we'll attempt to replace it. If there is a problem replacing your particular card, we will contact you and make appropriate arrangements. If you were shorted cards, send us a letter with the cards you did receive and the packaging and we'll send unopened product back as replacement. For our latest official policy concerning manufacturing flaws, call or write. This policy can change depending on product availability. Q: Can I get the original artwork? A: If you would like to purchase original artwork (or prints of original artwork) used in the Magic: The Gathering(TM) game (or any other game produced by Wizards of the Coast, Inc.), you may request an Original Artwork Availability List and Artist Contact Sheet from us. Simply send us a self-addressed stamped envelope and write on the outside of the envelope "Attn: Artwork Listing." Please send any rules questions or other requests separately so that we may return the information to you as quickly as possible. Wizards of the Coast provides this information as a service to both its customers and the artists it employs. The listing is merely an offer by the artist or the artist's representative to negotiate. Wizards of the Coast makes no guarantees as to availability, pricing, or current accuracy of any information contained within. Please be aware that as of this printing, the prices of original artwork range between $90 to $2,000 with an average price around $550. Prints range between $5 to $80 with an average price around $25. Q: How do I get info faster? A: The best source for answers to Magic: The Gathering questions is the Magic: The Gathering mailing lists. To find out what lists are available, send a message to listserv@oracle.wizards.com with no subject and text that just says: list The listserv will send a message back telling you which lists are available and what they're about. When you know which list you want, send a message to listserv@oracle.wizards.com with no subject and text that says: subscribe Again, note that sending the subscription (or unsubscription) request to anywhere but the listserv is pointless and just annoys people. We also have netreps on America OnLine, Compuserve, Prodigy, and the Imagination Network. On AOL, contact "WotC" or "WotC CST" for all the places where Deckmaster games are discussed. On CompuServe, Magic: The Gathering discussion takes place in the CARDGAMES forum, section 15: "Magic Talk," and section 16: "Magic Games." Vampire: the Eternal Struggle discussion is in section 17: "Other Cards Talk," and section 18: "Other Card Games." Additional discussion may be found in section 19: "Game Card Trading," and in the CARDS forum in section 4: "Game Cards," section 18: "Game Card News," and section 19: "Game Card Auctions." On Prodigy, you can contact GFHV50A for all the places where Deckmaster games are discussed. Netreps also monitor most of our mailing lists (see above). World Wide Web access will shortly be available from http://www.wizards.com; watch that space for details. Usenet Newsgroups: Deckmaster-related newsgroups include the following: rec.games.trading-cards.magic.rules Magic rules Q&A rec.games.trading-cards.magic.strategy Discussions on play strategy, deck designs, etc. rec.games.trading-cards.magic.misc All other Magic-specific topics rec.games.trading-cards.jyhad All Jyhad topics rec.games.trading-cards.announce Moderated newsgroup, for announcements only rec.games.trading-cards.marketplace All sales, trades, auctions, etc. rec.games.trading-cards.misc All other trading card games WotC maintains a netrep presence on magic.rules, magic.misc, and jyhad. We crosspost official posts to the announce newsgroup. Note that marketplace is for all sales, trades, and auctions, so, for example, Magic trades would be posted there and not to magic.misc Q: Is that all? A: Actually, for even more information, you can get a lot of interesting files from our archive site at ftp.itis.com by using anonymous FTP to retrieve files from that site's /pub/deckmaster directory. World Wide Web (WWW) access is available from either http://www.itis.com/deckmaster/magic or from http://www.itis.com/deckmaster/jyhad. Please remember that these sites are archives, and some of the files there are merely of historical interest (and may be outdated). Check with custserv@wizards.com or questions@wizards.com to make sure the file you have is still accurate. Q: I'm interested in becoming a playtester, what do I do? A: If you are interested in playtesting for Wizards of the Coast, send an electronic resume to dorian@wizards.com. Please keep in mind that we are not accepting any more playtesters for any Deckmaster products at this time. Q: I've got an idea for a game--what do I do? A: Wizards of the Coast is not presently accepting submissions of game ideas. If you have an actual game that you'd like to submit, send a letter asking for the proper forms to be sent to you in a letter marked Attn: TypeOf Game Submission Inquiry. "TypeOf" should indicate what sort of game you want to submit: role-playing, tabletop, etc. Do not send the game at this point; it will simply be returned to you unopened. Once you are sent the appropriate forms, and they have been filled out properly, we can take a look at the game. Note that Wizards of the Coast does not accept submissions of card ideas, and is not accepting submissions of Deckmaster games or expansions for Deckmaster games at this time. Q: Where do I get a card list? A: Card lists are published in Duelist publications or are available via anonymous FTP from the /pub/deckmaster directory of ftp.itis.com. We do not e-mail card lists because of their length and their format. We will, however, mail them through regular postal means to you. Card lists for any particular set are available 30 days after the issue of The Duelist in which they appear is shipped. Please send your requests, with a mailing address, to custserv@wizards.com. Or card lists, with card text, can be obtained by sending a request and a self-addressed, stamped envelope to: Wizards of the Coast ATTN: MTG Card Lists PO Box 707 Renton, WA 98057-0707 Card lists with card text are not available until 90 days after a set is released. Members of the Duelists' Convocation get lists first via Duelist publications, so it may be awhile before a list for the latest expansion is available. -*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*- Charles Keith-Stanley werewolf@wizards.com Cyberspace Liaison liaison@wizards.com Wizards of the Coast, Inc. Date: Fri, 21 Jul 1995 16:41:12 -0700 From: Stephen D'Angelo Subject: [O] Everway Press Release FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Carrie Thearle Sue-Lane Wood Media Relations Wizards of the Coast, Inc. (206)226-6500 A Secret Civilization Revealed Exploring a New Magic: The Gathering(TM) Expansion July 21, 1995 (Renton, Wash.) -- Fans of the popular trading card game Magic: The Gathering(TM) will soon discover a new concealed realm when Wizards of the Coast, Inc. introduces its latest expansion set, Homelands(TM), this October. The story behind Homelands is intensely rich, set in a world that has remained hidden for centuries. "A wizard locked away the world to keep it safe from planeswalkers; for years it was like a ship in a bottle -- untouched," said Scott Hungerford, co-developer of Homelands. The spell broke when the wizard died, and now planeswalkers can enter the realm while players add Homelands cards to their decks. Players will be familiar with the names of some characters in the new expansion. "The world is home to a number of cultures, and ties together cultures already found in Magic, like the Minotaurs and Serra Angels," said Kyle Namvar, co-developer of Homelands. Homelands is the first standard Magic expansion set since Fallen Empires(TM) and the eighth expansion of Magic. The limited-edition set is made up of more than 100 different cards and will be sold in booster packs of eight cards for $1.75. Wizards of the Coast(R) releases expansions to bring in new ideas and keep the game fresh. To coincide with the release of Homelands, Acclaim Comics is releasing a prestige format comic book about the expansion set, featuring articles about the game's world and game play. A Homelands card will be included in each book as well. In February, 1995, Wizards of the Coast reached an agreement with Acclaim to produce comics based on Magic under Acclaim's new line, Armada. Wizards of the Coast is a five-year-old company based in the Seattle, Washington area. The company created a worldwide sensation when it released its first trading card game, Magic, in August 1993. Since then, more than 500 million Magic cards have sold around the world. The game has received a number of high honors, including a "Mensa Top Five Mind Games" trophy -- games from all categories are considered for this award. In April 1994, Wizards of the Coast opened a second branch in Glasgow, Scotland. Several months later, the company expanded into a third office in Antwerp, Belgium. To date, more than 225 people work for Wizards of the Coast in its three offices. -*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*- Charles Keith-Stanley werewolf@wizards.com Cyberspace Liaison liaison@wizards.com Wizards of the Coast, Inc. Date: Mon, 24 Jul 1995 17:55:46 -0700 From: Stephen D'Angelo Subject: [O] Card Errata and Puzzles in Duelist #6 Official Rules Update (07/24/95) -------------------------------- CARD ERRATA Consecrate Land, Pyramids, and Guardian Beast now have errata: they cannot save a land or artifact (as appropriate) from itself. Specifically, they cannot prevent an effect from destroying or burying a land/artifact if that land/artifact is the source of the effect. (Guardian Beast also will not stop an artifact from enchanting itself, or from stealing itself, but that's basically gibberish given the current card set.) For example, they will not save lands/artifacts from being destroyed or buried as a result of not paying an upkeep cost on that permanent, since the source of the resulting destruction is the permanent itself. For example, playing Consecrate Land on a Glacial Chasm will not allow you to ignore its upkeep with impunity. As a reversal, this also means that they will not protect your artifacts or lands from their own upkeep costs (Forethought Amulet, animated Tabernacle), or from imposed upkeep costs (Energy Flux). Additionally, Guardian Beast no longer saves Nevinyrral's Disk from its own effect, or a Rocket Launcher from being destroyed at end of turn. These are more reversals resulting from the errata. You may also have a Despotic Sceptre bury itself while Guardian Beast is in play. --------------------- SABOTAGE! Shortly before Duelist #6 went to press, the Duelist's computers were infiltrated by some sort of gremlins, and their data rearranged. While most of the problems were corrected in time, one major change went unnoticed: the "One by One" puzzle fails to mention which player is which, and how much life each player has. As one might expect, this makes the puzzle rather difficult to solve, so we are releasing the following corrections to the puzzle: The topmost player is Frank, your opponent, who has 33 life. The lower player is you, with 3 life. The last line of cards represents your hand (and the card drawn this turn). We apologize for the inconveniences, and would like to stress that this error was no single person's fault. Specifically, Mark Rosewater had nothing to do with the error (though speculation is that the sabotage was committed by the tortured souls of those who have died trying to solve past puzzles). Tom Wylie rec.games.trading-cards.* Network Representative for aahz@wizards.com Wizards of the Coast, Inc. Date: Tue, 8 Aug 1995 12:33:34 -0700 From: Stephen D'Angelo Subject: [O] Experimental Booster Draft Tournament System Wizards of the Coast's Booster Draft The Booster Draft is a quick, easy-to-learn draft system. We think you'll find it's a fun, alternative way to play Magic: The Gathering(TM) in a limited-environment tournament. All you need is two unopened Fourth Edition(TM) boosters per player. The draft goes as follows: Seat all players in a circle. Make sure each player has two unopened boosters. At the same time, all players open a booster and choose one card for themselves. When everyone has chosen a card, have them pass the remainder of the booster to their left. Each player takes the cards being passed to them from their right and chooses a card. This process continues until all cards are drafted. Now all players open the second booster at the same time and choose one card for themselves. When everyone has chosen a card, have them pass the remainder of the booster to their right. Each player takes the cards being passed to them from their left and chooses a card. Continue this process (always passing right) until all cards are gone. Each player now has 30 Magic cards with which to build a deck; decks must be constructed of at least 40 cards. Basic lands will be provided, and each player can choose whatever basic land he or she needs in order to make a deck. These are the only deck construction rules. Magic: The Gathering -- Fourth Edition is a trademark of Wizards of the Coast, Inc. All rights reserved. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Charles Keith-Stanley werewolf@wizards.com Cyberspace Liaison liaison@wizards.com Wizards of the Coast, Inc. Date: Tue, 8 Aug 1995 12:34:44 -0700 From: Stephen D'Angelo Subject: [O] Experimental Point Tournament System Wizards of the Coast's Point System Tournament Tired of not being able to play in a tournament with any Magic: The Gathering(TM) cards that you want to? Don't like the four-of-any-card limit? Here's your chance! The Point System Tournament gives you 20 points with which to construct your deck in any way that you like (except for banned cards, of course)! If a card doesn't have an assigned point value, you may have as many of that card as you wish, as long as there are at least 60 cards in your deck. You may also play with less than the full 20 points if you desire. To summarize the deck construction guidelines: Normal sideboard rules apply (15 cards). Your deck and sideboard may contain a total of no more than 20 points. Your deck must contain at least 60 cards. You may have as many 0-point cards in your deck as you wish. Cards that are banned in Type I tournaments are also banned in the Point System Tournament. This includes but is not limited to: -- Ante cards -- Shahrazad -- Time Vault Air Elemental 1 Library of Alexandria 5 Ali from Cairo 3 Lightning Bolt 2 Ancestral Recall 5 Mahamoti Djinn 1 Army of Allah 1 Mana Drain 2 Ashnod's Altar 3 Maze of Ith 4 Badlands 1 Mind Twist 3 Balance 4 Mirror Universe 3 Bayou 1 Mishra's Factory 2 Bazaar of Baghdad 3 Mishra's Workshop 5 Berserk 4 Mox Emerald 3 Black Lotus 5 Mox Jet 3 Black Vise 3 Mox Pearl 3 Blood Lust 1 Mox Ruby 3 Braingeyser 3 Mox Sapphire 3 Candelabra of Tawnos 4 Nether Void 2 Chaos Orb 5 Old Man of the Sea 1 Chain Lightning 2 Orcish Lumberjack 1 Channel 7 Plateau 1 Clone 1 Psionic Blast 2 Control Magic 1 Regrowth 3 Copy Artifact 3 Rukh Egg 1 Counterspell 2 Savannah 1 Dance of Many 1 Scrubland 1 Dark Banishing 1 Sedge Troll 1 Dark Ritual 2 Sengir Vampire 1 Deflection 1 Serendib Efreet 2 Demonic Consultation 1 Serra Angel 1 Demonic Tutor 4 Shivan Dragon 1 Desert 1 Sinkhole 3 Diamond Valley 1 Sol Ring 4 Disenchant 1 Spirit Link 1 Dragon Whelp 1 Strip Mine 3 Drop of Honey 3 Swords to Plowshares 2 Erhnam Djinn 1 Taiga 1 Eureka 2 Terror 1 Forcefield 4 The Abyss 3 Fork 5 Time Elemental 1 Gauntlet of Might 2 Time Walk 4 Giant Growth 2 Timetwister 6 Goblin Grenade 1 Tropical Island 1 Guardian Beast 2 Tundra 1 Hymn to Tourach 2 Underground Sea 1 Hypnotic Specter 1 Unstable Mutation 1 Icy Manipulator 1 Volcanic Island 1 Incinerate 1 Wheel of Fortune 5 Ivory Tower 4 Word of Command 3 Juggernaut 1 Wrath of God 2 Juzam Djinn 1 Zur's Weirding 1 Kird Ape 2 Zuran Orb 2 Land Tax 2 Magic: The Gathering is a trademark of Wizards of the Coast, Inc. All rights reserved -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Charles Keith-Stanley werewolf@wizards.com Cyberspace Liaison liaison@wizards.com Wizards of the Coast, Inc. Date: Thu, 17 Aug 1995 16:29:49 -0700 From: Stephen D'Angelo Subject: [O] Rules Team Rulings (08/17/95) DESIGN TEAM RULINGS (08/17/95) ------------------------------- GENERAL RULINGS The following rulings are meant to clarify the rulebook and how the game in general works: 1) Damage-prevention effects simply target damage (and occasionally the recipient of the damage) and are not considered triggered effects. Thus, whenever a creature or player is assigned damage, you may prevent that damage as many times as desired, as long as you do so in a single batch of effects. For example, if you have a Circle of Protection: Green in play when a Hurricane resolves, you may spend as much mana on preventing the damage as you wish. Note that this is considered a reversal by some players. REVERSALS The following rulings reverse past rulings from the design team and/or the NetReps: 1) Enchantment Alteration may not move Animate Dead or Dance of the Dead onto a creature in the graveyard; it may only move these enchantments to a creature already held in play by one of these enchantments. CARD ERRATA The following rulings involve card errata or at least slightly different readings of the cards: 1) Consecrate Land, Guardian Beast, and Pyramids may no longer save artifacts or lands (as appropriate) from themselves., i.e., they do not prevent destruction or burial if the artifact or land itself is the source of the effect destroying or burying it. For example, Consecrate Land will not save a land whose cumulative upkeep is not paid, and Guardian Beast no longer saves Nevinyrral's Disk from its own effect. 2) The first sentence of Frankenstein's Monster should be read as "When Frankenstein's Monster comes into play, remove X target creatures in your graveyard from the game or bury Frankenstein's Monster." Thus, you choose X targets when you play Frankenstein's Monster. When it resolves, you either remove all of those targets from the game, or bury the Monster. If some of the targets have disappeared, you are forced to simply bury the Monster, and none of the remaining targets are removed from the game. 3) The Chronicles version of Wall of Shadows should have the Legends expansion symbol, not the Antiquities expansion symbol. SPECIFIC CARD RULINGS 1) Blood Lust cannot raise a creature's toughness to 1. The second sentence is just saying to reduce the -4 penalty if this would reduce the creature's toughness below 1, not that you apply the penalty and then set the creature's toughness to 1 if it is below this. 2) The target of Preacher is chosen when the effect is played, and all targets of Cuombajj Witches are chosen when its effect is played. This violates the normal rule that decisions made by people other than you are made when the effect resolves. 3) The abilities of "saboteurs" such as Farrel's Zealot and Orcish Squatters may only be used if the creature is currently attacking, if defense has already been chosen, and the creature is not presently blocked. Since changing control of an attacker removes it from the attack, you may not steal someone else's attacking saboteur and use its ability during that combat. Also, being unblocked is only a condition for using the ability. If someone responds to the ability by giving the saboteur a blocker (such as with False Orders), this does not cause the effect to fail. 4) If a Vesuvan Doppelganger changes its form during upkeep, it may not pick the creature it was just targeting. So if there is one Polar Kraken in play, the Doppelganger may not change its form from the Kraken to the Kraken. If there were two (or more) Polar Krakens in play, the Doppelganger could change its form back and forth between the two over successive upkeeps. 5) Zur's Weirding is a triggered effect, so it does not go off until the effect in which the cards are drawn has resolved completely. For example, if a player uses Sylvan Library while the Weirding is in play, she draws the two cards, then she puts two cards back on top of her library (or suffers loss of life), then the Weirding triggers. If any of the cards drawn via the Library are still in her hand at that point, players may pay 2 life each to force those cards to be discarded. 6) Barbarian Guides can give a creature any variety of snow-covered landwalk; for example, "snow-covered-veldt-walk"; however, it must give the creature landwalk corresponding to a specific land type, such as "plains" or "veldt." 7) If Soldevi Machinist mana is used to help pay for an Ice Cauldron's charge counter, that mana will not be usable for casting the spell stored with the counter, so will burn the player once the mana has been put back into her pool. 8) Guardian Beast and Consecrate Land prevent enchantment spells from targeting the affected artifacts or land, respectively. Neither player may play enchantments on an artifact or land just so they can burn a card. 9) If a single red spell or red creature deals damage to multiple creatures and/or players at once, Justice will count up all of that damage, and deal that amount in a single "burst" of damage. Thus, you would only have to power up a Circle of Protection: White once in order to prevent the damage. 10) "Mathias casts a Fireball. Selene interrupts with Hydroblast, targeting the Fireball. Mathis interrupts the Hydroblast with Pyroblast, targeting the Hydroblast. Selene interrupts the Hydroblast with Deflection, causing it to target the Pyroblast. There are no more interrupts. Now what happens?" According to the rules, neither interrupt can resolve because each has been interrupted by a spell that has not yet been successfully cast. Thus, the game goes into an infinite loop of trying to move one interrupt or the other to "successfully cast." So, as a special case ruling, treat both interrupts as having been successfully cast but as doing nothing when they resolve. Thus, both spell cards show up in the graveyard, but if one was a Power Sink or the like, the normal results wouldn't occur. Once you have done this, go back to interrupting the original spell (in this case, the Fireball). 11) Shimian Night Stalker can only redirect damage that is dealt during the damage-dealing steps of combat. 12) You may use Dwarven Armory during your opponent's upkeep. The "during upkeep" specification is there to prevent it from being used during combat, not necessarily to force it to be used during your turn. 13) Regeneration effects can only resolve successfully if the creature to be regenerated is still "on its way" when the effect resolves. Thus, if a creature is regenerated because lethal damage was assigned to it and that damage is prevented in response, the regeneration effect will fail to do anything. 14) City in a Bottle and Golgothian Sylex affect any card with the appropriate expansion symbol, including cards in Chronicles. 15) If failing to pay the upkeep cost of a permanent results in the permanent being buried or destroyed, then it is considered to bury or destroy itself, even if the upkeep cost was imposed by an external effect. (See Errata #1 above for one implication of this.) This applies to cumulative upkeep costs, as well as to normal upkeep costs. 16) Having fewer lands in play than an opponent is a condition for using Land Tax, not a condition of the effect successfully resolving. Thus, responding to your opponent's use of Land Tax by destroying enough of your lands to equal their land total will not cause the Land Tax effect to fail. 17) Cards are placed face down under Necropotence. Date: Thu, 31 Aug 1995 09:42:14 -0700 From: Stephen D'Angelo Subject: [O] Tournament Point System ver 2.0 Below is the new version of the Experimental Point System Tournament Rules. For those of you that watched the old list and discused it, here's a brief list of the changes: ADDED TO NEW LIST: Armageddon(1), Ball Lightning(1), Jester's Cap(1), Preacher(1), Storm Bind(1), Underworld Dreams(1) REMOVED FROM LIST: Orcish Lumberjack(1), Plateau(1) Apparentely the missing Plateau is an error but I don't have a corrected version yet. It is unclear if the Lumberjack is also an error. You should probably consider both of these cards to be on the list still for now. Also, note the e-mail address for sending feedback to... Enjoy! Stephen. ---- Stephen D'Angelo == dangelo@netcom.com == WotC NetRep to MTG-L mailing list Wizards of the Coast's Experimental Point System Tournament ----------------------------------- Tired of not being able to play in a tournament with any Magic: The Gathering(TM) cards that you want to? Don't like the four-of-any-card limit? Here's your chance! The Point System Tournament gives you 20 points with which to construct your deck in any way that you like (except for banned cards, of course)! If a card doesn't have an assigned point value, you may have as many of that card as you wish, as long as there are at least 60 cards in your deck. You may also play with less than the full 20 points if you desire. To summarize the deck construction guidelines: Normal sideboard rules apply (15 cards). Your deck and sideboard may contain a total of no more than 20 points. Your deck must contain at least 60 cards. You may have as many 0-point cards in your deck as you wish. Cards that are banned in Type I tournaments are also banned in the Point System Tournament. This includes but is not limited to: Ante cards Shahrazad Time Vault Air Elemental 1 Land Tax 2 Ali from Cairo 3 Library of Alexandria 5 Ancestral Recall 5 Lightning Bolt 2 Armageddon 1 Mahamoti Djinn 1 Army of Allah 1 Mana Drain 2 Ashnod's Altar 3 Maze of Ith 4 Badlands 1 Mind Twist 3 Balance 4 Mirror Universe 3 Ball Lightning 1 Mishra's Factory 2 Bayou 1 Mishra's Workshop 5 Bazaar of Baghdad 3 Mox Emerald 3 Berserk 4 Mox Jet 3 Black Lotus 5 Mox Pearl 3 Black Vise 3 Mox Ruby 3 Blood Lust 1 Mox Sapphire 3 Braingeyser 3 Nether Void 2 Candelabra of Tawnos 4 Old Man of the Sea 1 Chaos Orb 5 Preacher 1 Chain Lightning 2 Psionic Blast 2 Channel 7 Regrowth 3 Clone 1 Rukh Egg 1 Control Magic 1 Savannah 1 Copy Artifact 3 Scrubland 1 Counterspell 2 Sedge Troll 1 Dance of Many 1 Sengir Vampire 1 Dark Banishing 1 Serendib Efreet 2 Dark Ritual 2 Serra Angel 1 Deflection 1 Shivan Dragon 1 Demonic Consultation 1 Sinkhole 3 Demonic Tutor 4 Sol Ring 4 Desert 1 Spirit Link 1 Diamond Valley 1 Storm Bind 1 Disenchant 1 Strip Mine 3 Dragon Whelp 1 Swords to Plowshares 2 Drop of Honey 3 Taiga 1 Erhnam Djinn 1 Terror 1 Eureka 2 The Abyss 3 Forcefield 4 Time Elemental 1 Fork 5 Time Walk 4 Gauntlet of Might 2 Timetwister 6 Giant Growth 2 Tropical Island 1 Goblin Grenade 1 Tundra 1 Guardian Beast 2 Underground Sea 1 Hymn to Tourach 2 Underworld Dreams 1 Hypnotic Specter 1 Unstable Mutation 1 Icy Manipulator 1 Volcanic Island 1 Incinerate 1 Wheel of Fortune 5 Ivory Tower 4 Word of Command 3 Jester's Cap 1 Wrath of God 2 Juggernaut 1 Zur's Weirding 1 Juzam Djinn 1 Zuran Orb 2 Kird Ape 2 Version 2.0 Please email comments on this tournament to: point_sys@wizards.com Magic: The Gathering is a trademark of Wizards of the Coast, Inc. All rights reserved. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Charles Keith-Stanley werewolf@wizards.com Cyberspace Liaison liaison@wizards.com Wizards of the Coast, Inc. Date: Wed, 6 Sep 1995 17:26:08 -0700 From: Stephen D'Angelo Subject: [O] Another Experimental Modified Type I Format at AndCon Here is another Tournament Type we'll be trying at AndCon. Type 1 Super-Restricted Class 1) A new class of cards is added, called Super-Restricted. Only one of each of these cards can be in a deck, and no more than FOUR Super-Restricted cards in total can be in a deck. In addition, at the beginning of a duel, each player must announce if they are using any of the Super-Restricted cards. If one player is, and the other player is not, the player without Super-Restricted cards automatically goes first. Super-Restricted cards: Ancestral Recall Black Lotus Channel Chaos Orb Falling Star Time Walk Timetwister Mox Emerald Mox Jet Mox Ruby Mox Sapphire Mox Jet 2) The Restricted list has the above cards removed, and the old-style Dual Lands added. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Charles Keith-Stanley werewolf@wizards.com Cyberspace Liaison liaison@wizards.com Wizards of the Coast, Inc. Date: Thu, 7 Sep 1995 11:30:36 -0700 From: Stephen D'Angelo Subject: [O] Homelands Comics Press Release (Repost?) Magic: The Gathering Homelands The Prestiege Format Comic Rebecca Guay D.G. Chichester Tim and Greg Hildebrandt This October, Acclaim Comics and Wizards of the Coast offer fans of the Magic: The Gathering trading card game a taste of paradise...only to take it away! As a prelude to the release of the newest expansion set, Homelands, Acclaim's Armada line premieres its first prestiege format comic, Magic: The Gathering--Homelands. This 64-page book, filled with the exploits of heroes, villains, and legends from the furthest reaches of Dominia, is written by D.G. Chichester of Daredevil fame, fully painted by Rebecca Guay of Vertigo's Black Orchid, and featuring a painted cover by none other than the brothers Hildebrandt. An epic fantasy that spans the universe of Dominia over the course of centuries, Homelands is the story of the powerful planeswalkers Feroz and Serra, and their efforts to create a paradise out of a world ruined by an ancient war. In the centuries that pass, Feroz and Serra establish strong bonds with the Anaba Minotaurs native to that plane, especially the noble Sandruu. They create spectacular magical constructs, such as the renowned Serra Angels, and must confront deadly enemies, such as the notorious planeswalker Taysir. Along the way...they fall in love. But slowly on the outer edges of perception, a dark serpent rises within their eternal paradise. The Baron Sengir has come into the possession of the dreaded Apocalypse Chime, said to have destroyed the world in antiquity. As he begins his rise to power, he becomes a shadowy reminder that playing God has irrevocable consequences! In addition to an epic fantasy story, the Homelands prestige format comic will also contain maps, illustrations, timelines, creator profiles, and gaming tips for the Magic: The Gathering--Homelands expansion--making it an indispensable addition to any Magic fan's collection. As an added bonus, each issue of Homelands will be shrink wrapped with one of three rare and powerful Homelands cards. Together, these cards have the ability to defend, dominate, and destory the haven that is--Homelands! THREE MAGIC CARDS IN HOMELANDS In each copy of the Homelands prestiege format comic, one of three Magic: The Gathering cards classified as RARE will be inserted. Here's a preview: Apocalypse Chime - The Chime is an ancient artifact that might once have been used to decimate the world that would eventually be called Homelands. It is still said to exist in the depths of Baron Sengir's stronghold. Use this card in a Magic: The Gathering game duel, and all Homelands cards are instantly removed from the game! DESTROY! Baron Sengir - This shadowy entity lurks on the darker edges of the Homelands, acquiring his legendary status. It is said that he will one day rise to command an entire nation of vampires. At his beck and call will be a dreaded army of the undead. DOMINATE! Feroz's Ban - According to all accounts, the planeswalker Feroz sealed the Homelands from the rest of the infinite planes of Dominia, effectively making his world invisible. Feroz is loathe to use creatures to fight his battles. Feroz's Ban makes it more difficult to summon creatures. Thus, battles must be based on skill and strategy rather than brute force. DEFEND! Date: Wed, 13 Sep 1995 17:00:55 -0700 From: Stephen D'Angelo Subject: [O] Update to AndCon Type 1.5 Rules Below is an update to the Type 1.5 rules for AndCon. I also appended the (uncorrected) original post for reference. Enjoy! Stephen. ---- Stephen D'Angelo NetRep for the MTG-L mailing list dangelo@netcom.com Wizards of the Coast, Inc. Update to Type 1.5 Rules for AndCon '95 --------------------------------------- After discussion with the Magic R&D Team, the only Ice Age card to be restricted in the AndCon Type 1.5 tournament will be Zuran Orb. The other four candidate Ice Age cards on the restricted list (Enduring Renewal, Jester's Cap, Jester's Mask, Zur's Weirding) will be removed from the restricted list. Charles Keith-Stanley werewolf@wizards.com Cyberspace Liaison liaison@wizards.com Wizards of the Coast, Inc. Type 1.5 Tournament Rules for AndCon '95 ---------------------------------------- Type 1.5 rules are the same as Type 1 except as modified below: A) The following cards are moved from the restricted to the banned list: Ali from Cairo (AN) Ancestral Recall Black Lotus Channel Chaos Orb Demonic Tutor Falling Star (LE) Library of Alexandria (AN) Maze of Ith (DK) Mind Twist Mox Emerald Mox Jet Mox Pearl Mox Ruby Mox Sapphire Sol Ring Timetwister Time Walk Wheel of Fortune B) The following Ice Age cards are added to the restricted list: Enduring Renewal Jester's Cap Jester's Mask Zur's Weirding Zuran Orb C) "Summon Legend" or "Summon X Legend" cards are no longer restricted to one per deck, however the rule of no more than four of any card in a deck still applies. Please note that only one of a particular "Legend" card may be _in play_ at any time. D) Based on recent player comments, it has been decided to add Mind Twist to the banned list. These rules apply ONLY to the tournament to be run at AndCon '95. No determination has been made about which, if any, Ice Age cards will be added to the restricted lists of Type I or Type II tournaments. Please send your comments and questions to Andon Unlimited, at "sage@wizards.com". -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Charles Keith-Stanley werewolf@wizards.com Cyberspace Liaison liaison@wizards.com Wizards of the Coast, Inc. Date: Fri, 22 Sep 1995 12:02:00 -0700 From: Stephen D'Angelo Subject: [O] Voices in My Head /o\\ [_] Get Voices in my Head |A||==| The Weekly Deckmaster Digest [_]/ [_] \[_] L====|====| / A | \ /4[_]g868[_]| It's Neat. [_]====|======|-[_] [_]= | |==|\ /Ll R | | | | o=8=87694O574pRL988688)| 6GDNShdsi68./87o||8969483907|AAAuer9\ RgoNbPmsld6G8&(689GR.Po174192=AAAAAAooP]htri\ Voices in My Head, the electronic Deckmaster Digest, is published quasi-weekly by James Ernest, Wizards of the Coast, and Hildegard, a cute little green lizard. It contains juicy tidbits from all your favorite mailing lists, without all the meaningless chatter. That's right, all of the signal, with none of the noise. Sound too good to be true? That's because it probably is. To Check out Voices in my Head, you can subscribe by sending the following message with no subject line to listserv@oracle.wizards.com: subscribe VOICES-L [Your Real Name] To unsubscribe from any list, including voices-l, send the following message with no subject line to listserv@oracle.wizards.com: unsubscribe [List Name] You can also browse Voices on Wizards of the Coast's Web site, at http://www.wizards.com So, don't hesitate! The more subscribers I have, the more I get paid! (*Ahem.* Not really.) -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Charles Keith-Stanley werewolf@wizards.com Cyberspace Liaison liaison@wizards.com Wizards of the Coast, Inc. http://www.wizards.com Date: Fri, 22 Sep 1995 12:01:05 -0700 From: Stephen D'Angelo Subject: [O] Magic: the Gathering I Wizards of the Coast News Release CONTACT: Carrie Thearle Jeffrey Nead Mary Ramos Wizards of the Coast Glodow Coats & Nead Elgin Syferd (206) 226-6500 (415) 864-2333 (206) 223-6315 An Out-of-This World Adventure Wizards of the Coast Announces An International Gathering Renton, Wash. (Sept. 18, 1995) -- Wizards of the Coast, Inc., the game manufacturer that revolutionized the hobby industry when it introduced the trading card phenomenon Magic: The Gathering(TM) (Magic), is bringing the game to fans on a whole new level. For the first time ever, Magic players will have an opportunity to actually experience Dominia, the mystical setting for the game, at a special celebration called Magic: The Gathering(TM) I. This premiere gathering of Magic players is scheduled for Saturday, October 14 in New York City at the Macklowe Hotel. Similar events will be held in Essen, Germany and Lucca, Italy. To explore the magical multiverse, visitors must first venture through a portal that takes them through the five colors of magic that are used in game play. "Their senses will come alive on the journey," said Douglas Ferguson, a spokesperson for Wizards of the Coast. "The many sights, sounds, and textures people will encounter along the path will make it an unforgettable experience." Once through the portal, visitors have the chance to further investigate Dominia in a new visual environment called virtual i-O. They'll also have the unique opportunity of playing Magic against the creator of the game, Richard Garfield, and other Wizards of the Coast(R) personalities. The Magic: The Gathering(TM) I celebration marks the first time a Magic expansion set, Homelands(TM), is simultaneously released in its international markets. To date, Magic has been translated into Italian, German, French, Spanish, and Portuguese. In conjunction with the event, Wizards of the Coast's licensing partners will showcase their new and future Magic products: Acclaim Comics will release a prestige format comic book that tells the story behind the Homelands expansion set. HarperCollins(R) releases Prodigal Sorcerer, the seventh book in the Magic: The Gathering(TM) fiction line. MicroProse Software will provide a sneak peak of the upcoming CD-ROM version of Magic. The day-long festival is expected to draw more than 4,000 participants. "This is Wizards of the Coast's opportunity to introduce the world to the phenomenon that Magic has become," said Ferguson. Wizards of the Coast is a young game company based in Seattle, Washington. Since it released Magic two years ago, more than 500 million cards have sold worldwide, and an entire market genre has developed around the game. In April 1994, Wizards of the Coast opened a second branch in Glasgow, Scotland. Several months later, the company expanded into a third office in Antwerp, Belgium. Wizards of the Coast currently employs more than 250 people in its three locales. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Charles Keith-Stanley werewolf@wizards.com Cyberspace Liaison liaison@wizards.com Wizards of the Coast, Inc. http://www.wizards.com Date: Mon, 25 Sep 1995 10:33:51 -0700 From: Stephen D'Angelo Subject: [O] Rules Team Rulings (09/22/95) Magic Rules Team Rulings 09/22/95 --------------------------------- GENERAL RULINGS The following rulings are meant to clarify the rulebook and how the game in general works: 1) Several effects operate in two different modes; that is, they do one of two distinct things when played. Such effects are locked into one mode or the other as they are played and don't change modes once played. For example, Twiddle is a spell that operates in one of two modes. One mode taps its target, and the other mode untaps its target. When you play Twiddle, you decide which mode it is in, i.e., whether you are tapping or untapping the target. The spell Twiddle is then locked into that mode, regardless of what happens later in the turn. Changing something about the Twiddle-such as its color or its target-will not change which mode Twiddle is in. Note, however, that each mode targets a "land, creature, or artifact," so Deflection could retarget Twiddle from a creature to a land, for example. Similar to Twiddle is Red Elemental Blast, which either counters something or destroys something. When you play the REB, you decide which mode that REB is in and choose a target appropriately; for example, if you're using it to counter, it can only target spells. Because you locked the REB into counter mode, it can only target spells, so it could not be retargeted with Deflection to destroy a permanent (the other mode of use). Certain effects with multiple modes of use dictate the mode during any given application, rather than allowing the caster to choose the mode. Such effects are locked into one mode or another when they are played, just as if the caster had been able to choose the mode. For example, Urza's Tower has two modes of use: "add one mana" and "add three mana." When you tap the Tower for its effect, it locks itself into one mode or the other depending on whether you control the complete Urza's set of lands as the effect is played. If, for instance, your only Urza's Mine is destroyed before the effect resolves, your Tower does not drop from "add three mana" mode into "add one mana"-you still add three colorless mana to your pool. Similarly, whether Gangrenous Zombies are in "1 damage" mode or "2 damage" mode depends on whether you controlled any snow-covered swamps when the effect was played, not on whether you controlled any as the effect resolved. 2) All effects that are not instantaneous have an infinite duration, unless the effect states when it ends. For example, the effects of Giant Growth would be permanent if it did not say "until end of turn." Thus, changing the toughness of Sentinel or the color of Shyft will last indefinitely because the card text on each card does not specify otherwise. Note that it used to be assumed that fast effects only lasted until end of turn unless stated otherwise. This means that certain older cards need "until end of turn" added as errata in order to work properly. These cards are listed under ERRATA below. 3) Damage can only be assigned to players and to permanents that are considered creatures. Assuming the damage is not prevented or redirected, it is considered successfully dealt to that permanent or player at the end of damage prevention; this is true even if the subject is a permanent that is no longer considered a creature at that time. For example, deanimating an artifact during damage prevention will not stop damage assigned to that permanent from being successfully dealt. Keep in mind that effects which prevent damage generally prevent it from being dealt to creatures and/or players, so those effects cannot prevent damage to something which is no longer a creature. Only creatures, however, may be put into the graveyard due to receiving lethal damage. So in the case of deanimating an artifact that has been assigned damage, the artifact will stay in play past the end of damage prevention, but the damage will remain on that permanent until end of turn. If the artifact is reanimated later in the turn, it will die if the damage already dealt to it equals or exceeds its toughness. This will generate a damage-prevention step normally, during which the now-animated artifact may be regenerated, or otherwise saved, but at that point it is too late to prevent the damage which has already been dealt. Because damage would be successfully dealt to the artifact, side effects of the damage would trigger normally, keeping in mind that the permanent is no longer a creature and thus has a toughness of 0. So Spirit Link would grant life normally based on the damage that was dealt, but El-Hajjaj would not grant any life, since the life gain would be capped at 0 (the permanent's toughness). 4) Cards that search for a certain type of landwalk-i.e., "islandwalk"-apply to all versions of that landwalk. For example, Merfolk Assassin destroys creatures with islandwalk, so it would destroy a creature with "green- islandwalk." It would also be able to destroy creatures with "snow-covered islandwalk" (this is a reversal). Another example of this type of card is Quagmire, which will stop all forms of swampwalk from working, including snow-covered swampwalk. REVERSALS The following rulings reverse previous rulings from the design team and/or from the NetReps: 1) If an effects says to treat a card as if it were just cast, that card starts over with a clean slate. All counters are removed, the effects of interrupts spells are erased, etc. Anything the card would do when it enters play happens again, but effects that trigger on the successful casting of the spell, or external effects that trigger on the permanent entering play, do not trigger. Thus, if a Krovikan Fetish is moved to another creature by Enchantment Alteration or Crown of the Ages, the Fetish's controller will get to draw a card during his or her next upkeep, but effects such as Verduran Enchantress and Throne of Bone will not trigger. 2) Animate Dead and Dance of the Dead state that if the enchantment is removed, its target is buried. Thus, removing such an enchantment will bury the creature, even if it somehow had multiple copies of Animate Dead and/or Dance of the Dead played on it. CARD ERRATA The following rulings involve card errata or at least involve reading cards slightly differently: 1) In general, you should always show your opponent any card that is affecting the game. For example, when using Sindbad, you have to show your opponent the card drawn, to prove that it is a land. This requires errata to the following cards: Land Tax: "...you may search your library and remove up to three basic land cards. Show any cards removed in this way to all players and then put those cards into your hand..." Psychic Purge: "...If a spell or effect controlled by an opponent causes you to discard Psychic Purge, show Psychic Purge to all players before discarding it. That opponent loses 5 life..." Recall: You must show all players the cards selected for a discard as you play Recall. You must discard the appropriate card(s) when Recall resolves in order for it to succeed. Note that you do not have to track the physical card, so if you show a Revised swamp as one of the cards, discarding any Revised swamp will do. Sindbad: "\tap: Draw a card, and show that card to all players. If the card is not a land, discard it." 2) The following effects last until end of turn. That they would last until end of turn was assumed when the cards were written but is no longer assumed (see GENERAL RULING #2, above). Angus Mackenzie, Blaze of Glory, Darkness, Feint, Floral Spuzzem, Glyph of Destruction, Holy Day, Island of Wak-Wak, Maze of Ith, Singing Tree, Subdue. [ Consider all pre-Fourth edition cards with power/toughness enhancements that do not specifically say "until end of turn" (such as Atog) to fall under this errata as well -- Stephen ] SPECIFIC CARD RULINGS 1) Enchanting an Ice Cauldron with Power Artifact will reduce the cost of placing a charge counter by 2, just as with any other artifact with an activation cost of \mana{X}. Since the charge counter only tracks the mana actually spent, however, this will reduce the amount of mana stored in the counter. For example, if you wish to store \mana{2}\mana{R}\mana{R}\ in the counter, you would have to declare an X of \mana{4}\mana{R}\mana{R}. As always with Power Artifact, you will have to pay at least \mana{1}\ when storing the charge counter. 2) If a Strip Mine enchanted by Kudzu is tapped to destroy a land, the Kudzu's effect triggers at the same time as the Strip Mine is sacrificed. This causes the Kudzu to move to another land if possible rather than to be buried due to the disappearance of the Strip Mine. Remember that the controller of Strip Mine could choose the Strip Mine's target as the new target for Kudzu. 3) Mana Flare triggers when a land is tapped for mana, but the extra mana is not produced until the normal mana for the land is produced. Thus, you will not get the mana as soon as you tap the land, but interrupting the effect to destroy Mana Flare won't prevent you from getting the extra mana. 4) Playing Lich only changes your life total if you are at positive life (in which case your life drops to 0). If you are at negative life when Lich comes into play, you will remain at negative life. Note that while you have Lich in play, you ignore the rule stipulating that you lose if you have less than 1 life at the end of a phase or at the start or end of an attack. 5) If you do not pay the upkeep cost of a Demonic Hordes, treat the land lost as having been sacrificed. 6) An animated land protected by Consecrate Land still receives damage normally; it just isn't put into the graveyard as a result of lethal damage. Thus, a Consecrated Assembly Worker that receives lethal damage from a Disintegrate will be removed from the game as normal. 7) The entire target specification of Deflection is "spell which has a single target." Thus, one Deflection can cause another Deflection to target any other spell, even if the first Deflection could not have been played on that spell normally. For example, suppose a Swords to Plowshares is played and then targeted by a Counterspell. Deflection is played to target the Counterspell back on itself. A second Deflection may then be played to force the first Deflection to target the Swords to Plowshares, even though Swords to Plowshares does not target spells. This simply causes the first Deflection to fail; the Counterspell and the Swords to Plowshares will still be targeting their original targets. 8) If a Sengir Vampire successfully deals damage to a permanent, it will get a counter if that permanent is put into the graveyard later in the turn, even if it is not a creature when it is put into the graveyard. BLOCKING ABILITIES The terms "blocking" and "blocked by" were poorly defined on older cards and in older versions of the rules. This set of rulings defines the blocking process more rigidly, groups various types of blocking abilities together, and rewords several older cards. Note that there are various minor reversals and errata (as opposed to clarifications) scattered throughout these rulings. 1) Creatures are only "assigned to block" other creatures during the combat step in which defense is chosen. Blocking relations built at other times do not count as assigning to block; for example, General Jarkeld and Sorrow's Path simply move blockers around and don't "assign" or "reassign" creatures to new blocking assignments. Creatures are only assigned to block one attacker at a time. If a creature is assigned to block a member of a band, it is also considered to be blocking the other members of the band, though it was not "assigned to block" them. 2) Effects triggered from creatures being assigned to block do not trigger until the choose-defense step is complete, and they will not trigger when blockers are rearranged by effects such as General Jarkeld. 3) The following abilities trigger on the creature being "assigned to block" another creature: Clockwork Avian (no change) Clockwork Beast (no change) Elder Land Wurm (no change) Imprison: Triggers if the creature is assigned to block Lurker: Replace "declared" with "assigned" Time Elemental: "If Time Elemental is assigned to attack or to block, destroy it at end of combat. In this case, Time Elemental deals 5 damage to its controller." Wall of Caltrops: "If Wall of Caltrops, at least one other wall, and no non-wall creatures are assigned to block an attacker, Wall of Caltrops gains banding until end of turn." Ydwen Efreet: "If Ydwen Efreet is assigned to block, flip a coin; opponent calls heads or tails while coin is in the air. If the flip ends up in opponent's favor, Ydwen Efreet cannot block this turn." 4) Merchant Ship's ability triggers if it attacks and no creatures are assigned to block it. 5) The following abilities seek out all creatures that are currently blocking and/or blocked by the relevant creature when the effect resolves. Thus, switching blockers with effects such as General Jarkeld will change which creatures are affected by these cards. Abu Ja'far: "If Abu Ja'far is put into the graveyard during combat, bury all creatures that are blocking or blocked by Abu Ja'far." Tidal Flats (no change) Wall of Shadows (same change as Wall of Vapor) Wall of Vapor: "Damage dealt to Wall of Vapor by creatures it is blocking is reduced to 0." The Wretched: "At end of combat, gain control of all creatures that are blocking The Wretched..." 6) The following "stoning" abilities trigger whenever one creature blocks another, regardless of how the blocking relationship is constructed. For example, if a Thicket Basilisk is assigned to block an attacker and is then switched by General Jarkeld to block another attacker, it will cause both attackers to be destroyed. Another example: if a Cockatrice, for instance, is assigned to block a member of a band, everything in the band will be destroyed at end of combat. Abomination Battering Ram Cockatrice Glyph of Doom Infernal Medusa Infinite Authority Thicket Basilisk Venom 7) Much like the stoning abilities, these abilities apply to everything the creature blocks, regardless of how the blocking occurred (see above). Aisling Leprechaun: "If Aisling Leprechaun blocks or is blocked by a creature, change that creature's color to green." Dwarven Soldier (no change) Glyph of Delusion: Choose a target creature that the wall blocked at any point during the turn Glyph of Reincarnation: Bury all creatures that the wall blocked at any point during the turn Goblin Flotilla: Replace second sentence with "If Goblin Flotilla blocks or is blocked by a creature, that creature gains first strike until end of turn." Spitting Slug: (same change as Goblin Flotilla) Wall of Dust: Affects all creatures it blocks at any point during a combat 8) The functionality of False Orders has been altered. It can only be played at the very end of the choose-defense step, once the defending player has finished assigning blockers but before effects that trigger on blocking assignments trigger. This cancels any effects that triggered on the old blocking assignment but triggers effects based on the new assignment normally. For example, if a Dwarven Soldier is assigned, by False Orders, to block an Orc, it will get its toughness bonus for the turn, regardless of what type of creature it was originally assigned to block. If only one of the creatures assigned to block a Giant Shark had been damaged during the turn, and that creature is reassigned by False Orders, the shark won't get its power bonus or its trample. Date: Wed, 27 Sep 1995 11:35:43 -0700 From: Stephen D'Angelo Subject: [O] Homelands Tournament FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Carrie Thearle Sue-Lane Wood Wizards of the Coast, Inc. (206) 226-6500 SECOND GATHERING TO DRAW MAGIC PLAYERS TO NEW YORK CITY Wizards of the Coast, Inc. to Hold Homelands(TM) Tournament Renton, Wash. (September 26, 1995) -- A second celebration will complement Wizards of the Coast, Inc.'s special event Magic: The Gathering(TM) I next month in New York City. A tournament featuring cards from the new Magic expansion, Homelands(TM), is being held. Both the World Premier Homelands sealed-deck tournament and the Magic: The Gathering I will take place October 14th at the Macklowe-Millenium Broadway Hotel. The two events are separate, however. "The tournament is a unique opportunity for Magic players to see the new Homelands cards," said Corey Smith, Trading Card Games Tournament Director at Wizards of the Coast(R). The expansion will officially be released several days after the tournament. Tournament players will be first to explore the world of Homelands as they play the exciting new expansion game, set in a realm that was locked away for centuries and only now revealed for the first time. The two Homelands tournaments are sanctioned by Wizards of the Coast's Duelists' Convocation and each is open to 128 players. Each tournament will run eight hours. In order to participate: Call 1-800-529-EXPO on October 7, 12p.m-7p.m. EST to pre-register. $25 tournament fee includes one Magic: The Gathering Fourth Edition(TM) starter deck and two Homelands booster packs. All payments will be made in cash at the tournament site on the third floor of the Macklowe-Millenium Broadway Hotel, 150 West 45th Street. Contest times: Tournament One: 10a.m.-6p.m. Tournament Two: 4p.m.-12a.m. Among the Wizards of the Coast employees who will judge the Homelands tournament are the expansion's co-creators, Kyle Namvar and Scott Hungerford. Tournament winners will be awarded several prizes, including the first in a series of commemorative trophies. This event is the second World Premier tournament held by Wizards of the Coast. "With the outstanding success of the Ice Age(TM) sealed-deck tournament in June, it was only appropriate to hold a similar tournament with Homelands," said Smith. The Homelands tournament will coincide with Magic: The Gathering I as Magic players experience the mystical world of Dominia, where the game is set. Visitors to Magic: The Gathering I will be allowed to watch the Homelands tournament as space permits. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Charles Keith-Stanley werewolf@wizards.com Cyberspace Liaison liaison@wizards.com Wizards of the Coast, Inc. http://www.wizards.com Date: Thu, 5 Oct 1995 17:29:13 -0700 From: Stephen D'Angelo Subject: [O] NEW TOURNEY RULES! October 1, 1995 Dear Duelists' Convocation Member, Enclosed is a completely updated set of official Duelists' Convocation Tournament Rules. The Duelists' Convocation consulted the opinions of many players, Duelists' Convocation members, tournament organizers, and members of the Magic: The Gathering Research and Development team during the revision process; although we would truly like to accommodate each and every individual opinion, we feel that this is not possible. Therefore, we have decided to modify the rules so that they best serve the largest portion of our membership. Following is a list of highlights from the updated rules and a brief discussion of each: After reading the updated rules carefully, you'll note that Summon Legend cards are no longer Restricted across the board. Yes, that means you may now construct a sanctioned tournament deck with four General Jarkeld cards in your deck! That doesn't mean, however, that both players in a given duel may each have a General Jarkeld in play; the rule pertaining to only one individual legend card title in play at any one time is still effective! One card has been added to the Restricted Lists: Zuran Orb. Three cards have been added to the Banned Lists: Channel, Chaos Orb, and Falling Star. We think these modifications definitely improve the tournament environment. The difficulties inherent in using Chaos Orb and Falling Star make them especially undesirable and problematic for tournament use. The Type II tournament format has been modified to permit players to build decks using cards from all currently available limited edition expansions and stand-alone expansions. The purpose of the Type II environment is to provide the most expansive play environment that is equitable to both existing and new players. Accordingly, competitors should be able to construct a deck with cards from any card set that is readily available. Card sets will not be removed from the Type II tournament format until they become widely unavailable. The Duelists' Convocation will provide members with a minimum of ninety days written notice before removing a card set from the Type II tournament format. Given this alteration, Type II tournament decks may now be constructed with cards from the most current edition of Magic: The Gathering (Fourth Edition), Chronicles (an extension of the Basic Set), Fallen Empires, and Ice Age. Thirty days after the retail release of Homelands, it will be added to the Type II tournament format but will not replace any card set. The "thirty-day" rule has been modified: Cards from new limited edition expansions and stand-alone expansions cannot under any circumstances be used in Type I or Type II tournaments for thirty days after the expansion's retail release; however, these cards may be used immediately upon their retail release in Sealed-Deck tournaments, provided that the cards are made available by the tournament organizer for purchase by the participants. Tournament organizers may now choose from a broader range of tournament formats, including the popular Swiss-Draw style. We have clarified a few of the more vague standard floor rules, such as what actions constitute "unsportsmanlike conduct." The rules have been entirely reformatted for easier reading and reference. Beginning with this set of rules, all future tournament rules changes and modifications will be announced on the first day of the month and will become effective on the first day of the following month. Standardizing the release dates for rules changes takes some of the guesswork out of organizing tournaments -- tournament coordinators will now know when to expect any future modifications. The Duelists' Convocation hopes you'll agree that these updated rules improve the Magic: The Gathering tournament structure! We also hope you will communicate to us your reactions to these modifications; just as Magic is an ever-evolving game, so too is the Duelists' Convocation a continuously improving organization, and member input is a vital element in our evolutionary process! Sincerely yours, Jason A. Carl Acting Director, Duelists' Convocation -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Charles Keith-Stanley werewolf@wizards.com Cyberspace Liaison liaison@wizards.com Wizards of the Coast, Inc. http://www.wizards.com Date: Thu, 5 Oct 1995 17:38:43 -0700 From: Stephen D'Angelo Subject: [O] Sealed Deck Tourney Rules Duelists' Convocation International Official Magic: The Gathering Sealed-Deck Tournament Rules Revised October 1, 1995 Effective November 1, 1995 Deck Construction The standard rules for Magic: The Gathering apply to sanctioned tournament play, except where amended by these rules. In cases where the official tournament rules differ from the basic rules of Magic, the official tournament rules take precedence. 1. Decks may be constructed using the contents of 1 (one) sealed deck of the latest edition of Magic: The Gathering cards (60 cards), and any combination of the following which will result in a starting total of 80 (eighty) to 120 (one hundred twenty) cards. a. The latest edition Magic: The Gathering sealed starter deck. b. The latest edition Magic: The Gathering sealed booster pack. d. The latest edition Chronicles sealed booster pack. d. Any currently available (as determined by the Duelists' Convocation) Magic: The Gathering stand-alone expansion (e.g., Ice Age) sealed starter deck. e. Any currently available (as determined by the Duelists' Convocation) Magic: The Gathering stand-alone expansion (e.g. Ice Age) sealed booster pack. f. Any currently available (as determined by the Duelists' Convocation) Magic: The Gathering limited expansion (e.g. Homelands) sealed booster pack. Note on play with non-English language cards: All elements of official tournament play where translational differences may appear (such as card title, card text, rules, tournament rules or rulings) will be interpreted according to the most current English language versions. 2. The tournament deck must contain a minimum of 40 (forty) cards, with no imposed maximum. In Sealed-Deck play, any cards from the starter deck and booster(s) not used in the tournament deck will function as that player's Sideboard. The total number of cards in a player's deck and Sideboard combined may change during the course of play, as Sealed-Deck tournaments require the wagering of ante (see Modifications to Standard Floor Rules #4; Sealed Deck). The use of the Sideboard is further explained in the Standard Floor Rules (rule #3). IMPORTANT NOTE: New releases of Magic: The Gathering (e.g. a new expansion or new edition of the basic set) may be used in sanctioned Sealed-Deck tournament play immediately on the date of the threir retail release, provided the tournament coordinator supplies them for the tournament. 3. Due to the natural limiting effect of Sealed-Deck play, as well as the fact that ante must be wagered in the Sealed-Deck tournament, there are neither Restricted nor Banned Lists for this style of tournament. Optional Rule: At the Judge's discretion, players may add exactly 4 (four) basic lands of their choice to the deck. These land cards must be issued by the tournament staff after the deck construction period (see Sealed-Deck Floor Rules, SD2) and in such a way as to take care that each player receives up to, but not more than, four additional basic lands (using the player sign-in list may be a good way, or checkmarking the player's index card as he or she receives his or her lands). This pool of basic lands can be from an individual collection, or formed by having each player donate one of each basic land to create the pool as part of any entry fees at the tournament. Sealed-Deck Floor Rules Sealed-Deck tournaments will use the Standard Floor Rules, except for the following additions and modifications to the Standard Floor Rules. There are four additional Floor Rules specific to a Sealed-Deck tournament, noted by SD#. These are: SD1. Players are responsible for providing their own sealed decks and boosters for use in the tournament, except in cases where the decks and boosters are provided for them by the tournament organizers. If an entry fee is charged for the tournament, the fee for a player shall not exceed the Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price, plus applicable sales tax, for the cards allotted to and received by the player, plus an additional amount within the normal sanctioning parameters allowable by the Duelists' Convocation office sanctioning the event. SD2. Prior to the first round's pairings, the Judge should allow a period of 45 (forty-five) minutes for players to construct their decks. All players in the tournament must open and construct their tournament decks during the same 45 (forty-five) minute period. The Judge must announce a warning to the players at the 40 (forty) minute mark that only 5 (five) minutes remain in the deck-construction time period. Players must have their decks constructed prior to the end of this allotted time. If a player has not completed deck construction at the end of this allotted time, it may be interpreted by the Judge as a Declaration of Forfeiture. In the event all players in the tournament have completed deck construction prior to the end of the 45 (forty- five) minutes, the tournament may commence without delay. SD3. A player may not open his or her sealed deck or booster(s) prior to the beginning of the time period allotted by the Judge. SD4. At no time prior to or during the tournament will trading between players or bystanders of cards from the Sealed-Deck tournament deck or Sideboard be permitted. Modifications to Standard Floor Rules: Sealed Deck Note: Rule numbers below correspond to Standard Floor Rules rule numbers. 3. As written, but cards from the Sideboard need not be traded into the deck on a one-for-one basis; any number of cards may be added to or subtracted from the deck, provided that the playing deck contains a minimum of 40 cards when finished. Additionally, the requirements of Sideboards containing exactly 15 cards are dropped for obvious reasons. 4. In Sealed-Deck tournaments, players are required to wager ante. Cards won as ante may be introduced into the playing deck at any time that a Sideboard use is allowed (i.e., in between duels or matches). A player unable to field a deck of at least 40 cards no longer has a legal deck and will be removed from the tournament. Note: Floor Rule #11 (Judge's right to terminate an excessively long match) may come into play more often in a Sealed-Deck tournament, as many decks constructed from such a limited environment when played against each other may grind into a near stalemate situation. It is therefore recommended that if any time limits are imposed per round, it may be desirable to extend the limit to 60 or 90 minutes, depending on the tournament. This extension is entirely at the Judge's discretion and must be advertised in advance or announced to all players at the beginning of the tournament. Rules note: The Director of the Duelists' Convocation reserves the exclusive right to add, delete, alter, transmute, polymorph, switch, color-lace, sleight of mind, magical hack, or in any other way change these or any other official Duelists' Convocation rules, in whole or in part, with or without notice, at any time that it is deemed necessary or desirable. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Charles Keith-Stanley werewolf@wizards.com Cyberspace Liaison liaison@wizards.com Wizards of the Coast, Inc. http://www.wizards.com Date: Thu, 5 Oct 1995 17:41:53 -0700 From: Stephen D'Angelo Subject: [O] Ice Age Tourney Rules Duelists' Convocation International Official Magic: The Gathering Ice Age Tournament Rules Revised October 1, 1995 Effective November 1, 1995 Deck Construction Rules The standard rules for Magic: The Gathering apply to sanctioned tournament play, except where amended by these rules. In cases where the official tournament rules differ from the basic rules of Magic, the official tournament rules take precedence. 1. Ice Age tournament decks may be constructed from Magic: The Gathering cards from the Ice Age expansion set only, with the exception of basic land cards from any edition of Magic: The Gathering. All cards in the Ice Age tournament deck must have identical card back design. Use of any card that is not from the Ice Age expansion, with the exception of basic land cards, will be interpreted by the Judge as a Declaration of Forfeiture. 2. The Ice Age tournament deck must contain a minimum of 60 (sixty) cards. In addition to the tournament deck, players may, but are not required to, construct a Sideboard of exactly 15 (fifteen) additional cards, which must always contain that number of cards while play is in progress. The use of the Sideboard is further explained in the Standard Floor Rules (rule #3). Note on play with non-English language cards: All elements of official tournament play where translational differences may appear (such as card title, card text, rules, tournament rules or rulings) will be interpreted according to the most current English language versions. 3. There may be no more than 4 (four) of any individual card, by card title, in the Ice Age tournament deck (including Sideboard), with the exception of the five basic land types (Plains, Forest, Mountain, Island, Swamp; including Snow Covered varieties). Optional rule: It is required that all of the cards in a player's deck have the same rounding of corners. As Alpha cards (the first section of the print run from the original limited edition basic set) have slightly more rounded corners than cards from subsequent printings (making Alphas effectively marked cards), it may be ruled that no basic land cards from the original Alpha card set are used in the Ice Age tournament deck. If this option is exercised, it must be advertised to the players in advance so that they may reconfigure their playing decks as necessary. 4. The Restricted List: No more than 1 (one) of each of the cards on the Restricted List are allowed in the Ice Age tournament deck (including Sideboard). If more than 1 (one) of any individual card from the Restricted List is found in a player's deck and Sideboard, that will be interpreted by the Judge as a Declaration of Forfeiture. The Restricted List may be modified by the Director of the Duelists' Convocation as necessary. Ice Age Restricted List Zuran Orb 5. The Banned List: If any card on the official banned list appear in a players deck or sideboard, it will be interpreted by the Judge as a declaration of forfeiture. The card on the Banned List is not allowed because it clearly states to remove it from your deck if not playing for ante, and ante is not required to be wagered in an Ice Age tournament (see Standard Floor Rules, rule #4). Any future cards that make the same statement will subsequently be banned. This list may be modified by the Director of the Duelists' Convocation as necessary. Ice Age Banned List Amulet of Quoz Ice Age Tournament Floor Rules The Ice Age tournament uses all of the Standard Floor Rules. Failure to adhere to the above rules, or any other rules specific to a particular tournament, may be interpreted by the Judge as a Declaration of Forfeiture. Only the Judge may make an interpretation of a Declaration of Forfeiture. Any player for whom the Judge has interpreted a Declaration of Forfeiture will be removed from the tournament. Rules note: The Director of the Duelists' Convocation reserves the exclusive right to add, delete, alter, transmute, polymorph, switch, color-lace, sleight of mind, magical hack, or in any other way change these or any other official Duelists' Convocation rules, in whole or in part, with or without notice, at any time that it is deemed necessary or desirable. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Charles Keith-Stanley werewolf@wizards.com Cyberspace Liaison liaison@wizards.com Wizards of the Coast, Inc. http://www.wizards.com Date: Thu, 5 Oct 1995 17:43:42 -0700 From: Stephen D'Angelo Subject: [O] Ice Age Sealed Deck Tourney Rules Duelists' Convocation International Official Magic: The Gathering Ice Age Sealed-Deck Tournament Rules Revised October 1, 1995 Effective November 1, 1995 Deck Construction The standard rules for Magic: The Gathering apply to sanctioned tournament play, except where amended by these rules. In cases where the official tournament rules differ from the basic rules of Magic, the official tournament rules take precedence. 1. Decks may be constructed using the contents of 1 (one) sealed Magic: The Gathering Ice Age deck, and two sealed Ice Age booster packs. Note on play with non-English language cards: All elements of official tournament play where translational differences may appear (such as card title, card text, rules, tournament rules or rulings) will be interpreted according to the most current English language versions. 2. The tournament deck must contain a minimum of 40 (forty) cards, with no imposed maximum. In Ice Age Sealed-Deck play, any cards from the starting deck and booster(s) not used in the tournament deck will function as that player's Sideboard. The total number of cards in a player's deck and Sideboard combined may change during the course of play, as Ice Age Sealed-Deck tournaments require the wagering of ante (see Modifications to Standard Floor Rules #4; Ice Age Sealed Deck). The use of the Sideboard is further explained in the Standard Floor Rules (rule #3). Optional rule: At the Judge's discretion, players may add exactly 4 (four) basic lands of their choice to the deck. These land cards must be issued by the tournament staff after the deck construction period (see Ice Age Sealed Deck Floor Rules, SD2), and in such a way as to take care that each player receives only four additional lands and not more (using the player sign in list may be a good way, or checkmarking the player's index card as they receive their lands). This pool of basic lands can be from an individual collection, or having each player donate one or more of each basic land to create the pool as part of any entry fees at the tournament. 3. Due to the natural limiting effect of Ice Age Sealed-Deck play, as well as the fact that ante must be wagered in the Ice Age Sealed-Deck tournament, there are neither Restricted nor Banned Lists for this style of tournament. Ice Age Sealed-Deck Floor Rules Ice Age Sealed-Deck tournaments will use the Standard Floor Rules, except for the following additions and modifications to the Standard Floor Rules. There are four additional Floor Rules specific to an Ice Age Sealed-Deck tournament, noted by SD#. These are: SD1. Players are responsible for providing their own sealed decks and boosters for use in the tournament, except in cases where the decks and boosters are provided for them by the tournament organizers. If an entry fee is charged for the tournament, the fee for a player shall not exceed the Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price, plus applicable sales tax, for the cards allotted to and received by the player, plus an additional amount within the normal sanctioning parameters allowable by the Duelists' Convocation office sanctioning the event. SD2. Prior to the first round's pairings, the Judge should allow a period of 45 (forty-five) minutes for players to construct their decks. All players in the tournament must open and construct their tournament decks during the same 45 (forty-five) minute period. The Judge must announce a warning to the players at the 40 (forty) minute mark that only 5 (five) minutes remain in the deck construction period. Players must have their decks constructed prior to the end of this allotted time. If a player has not completed deck construction at the end of this allotted time, it may be interpreted by the Judge as a Declaration of Forfeiture (see Standard Floor Rules #15). In the event all players in the tournament have completed deck construction prior to the end of the 45 (forty-five) minutes, the tournament may commence without delay. SD3. A player may not open his or her sealed deck or booster(s) prior to the beginning of the time period allotted by the Judge. SD4. At no time prior to or during the tournament will trading between players or bystanders of cards from the Sealed-Deck tournament deck or Sideboard be permitted. Modifications to Standard Floor Rules: Ice Age Sealed Deck Note: Rule numbers below correspond to Standard Floor Rules rule numbers. 3. As written, but cards from the Sideboard need not be traded into the deck on a one for one basis; any number of cards may be added to or subtracted from the deck, provided that the playing deck contains a minimum of 40 cards when finished. Additionally, the requirements of Sideboards containing exactly 15 cards are dropped for obvious reasons. 4. In Ice Age Sealed-Deck tournaments, it IS required that players wager ante. Cards won as ante may be introduced into the playing deck at any time that a Sideboard use is allowed (i.e., in between duels or matches). A player unable to field a deck of at least 40 cards no longer has a legal deck and will be removed from the tournament. Note: Floor Rule #11 (Judge's right to terminate an excessively long match) may come into play more often in an Ice Age Sealed-Deck tournament, as many decks constructed from such a limited environment when played against each other may grind into a near stalemate situation. It is therefore recommended that if any time limits are imposed per round, it may be desirable to extend the limit to 60 (sixty) or 90 (ninety) minutes, depending on the tournament. This extension is entirely at the Judge's discretion and must be advertised in advance or announced to all players at the beginning of the tournament. Failure to adhere to the above rules, or any other rules specific to a particular tournament, may be interpreted by the Judge as a Declaration of Forfeiture. Only the Judge may make an interpretation of a Declaration of Forfeiture. Any player for whom the Judge has interpreted a Declaration of Forfeiture will be removed from the tournament. Rules note: The Director of the Duelists' Convocation reserves the exclusive right to add, delete, alter, transmute, polymorph, switch, color-lace, sleight of mind, magical hack, or in any other way change these or any other official Duelists' Convocation rules, in whole or in part, with or without notice, at any time that it is deemed necessary or desirable. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Charles Keith-Stanley werewolf@wizards.com Cyberspace Liaison liaison@wizards.com Wizards of the Coast, Inc. http://www.wizards.com Date: Thu, 5 Oct 1995 17:37:27 -0700 From: Stephen D'Angelo Subject: [O] Type II Tourney Rules Duelists' Convocation International Official Magic: The Gathering Type II Tournament Rules Revised October 1, 1995 Effective November 1, 1995 Deck Construction The standard rules for Magic: The Gathering apply to sanctioned tournament play, except where amended by these rules. In cases where the official tournament rules differ from the basic rules of Magic, the official tournament rules take precedence. 1. Type II tournament decks may be constructed from Magic: The Gathering cards from the most current edition of the basic set, any current extensions of the basic set, and all limited edition Magic expansions which are currently available. The Duelists' Convocation will provide a minimum of ninety (90) days notice prior to a change in any limited edition Magic expansion's availability. Cards from previous printings that appear in the most current edition are allowed, with one exception. Cards from any Collectors' Edition with their square corners and differing card back design are not permitted in tournament play, as these features make cards from this set effectively marked cards. All cards currently out of print from the basic set appear on the Banned List. Any card not expressly permitted in a Type II tournament appearing in a player's Type II tournament deck will be interpreted by the Judge as a Declaration of Forfeiture (see Standard Floor Rules #15). Note on play with non-English language cards: All elements of official tournament play where translational differences may appear (such as card title, card text, rules, tournament rules or rulings) will be interpreted according to the most current English language versions. 2. New releases of Magic: The Gathering (e.g. a new expansion or new edition of the basic set) may not be included in sanctioned tournament play until thirty (30) days following the retail release date. 3. The Type II tournament deck must contain a minimum of 60 (sixty) cards. In addition to the Type II tournament deck, players may, but are not required to, construct a Sideboard of exactly 15 (fifteen) additional cards, which must always contain that number of cards while play is in progress. The use of the Sideboard is further explained in the Standard Floor Rules. Optional rule: It is required that all of the cards in a player's deck have the same rounding of corners. As Alpha cards (the first section of the print run from the original limited edition basic set) have slightly more rounded corners than cards from subsequent printings (making Alphas effectively marked cards), it may be ruled that if any cards from the original Alpha card set are used in the Type I tournament deck that the entire deck must be constructed of Alpha cards. If this option is exercised, it must be advertised to the players in advance so that they may reconfigure their playing decks as necessary. 4. There may be no more than 4 (four) of any individual card, by card title, in the Type II tournament deck (including Sideboard), with the exception of the five basic land types (Plains, Forest, Mountain, Island, Swamp). Note: For the purposes of official tournament play, snow-covered lands are considered to be basic lands and are not restricted by the four per title rule. 5. The Restricted List: No more than 1 (one) of each of the cards on the Restricted List are allowed in the Type II tournament deck (including Sideboard). If more than 1 (one) of any individual card from the Restricted List are found in a player's deck and Sideboard, that will be interpreted by the Judge as a Declaration of Forfeiture. The Restricted List may be modified by the Director of the Duelists' Convocation as necessary. Type II Restricted List % Balance % Feldon's Cane % Ivory Tower % Maze of Ith % Mind Twist % Recall % Zuran Orb 6. The Banned List: For ease of use, all cards from the basic set that no longer appear in the most current edition of Magic: The Gathering are listed here. Other cards may be banned as well. The Banned List may be modified by the Director of the Duelists' Convocation as necessary. The following cards are banned from the Type II tournament deck: Type II Banned List % Amulet of Quoz % Ancestral Recall % Atog % Badlands % Basalt Monolith % Bayou % Berserk % Black Lotus % Blaze of Glory % Braingeyser % Bronze Tablet % Camouflage % Chaos Orb % Channel % Clone % Consecrate Land % Contract from Below % Copper Tablet % Copy Artifact % Cyclopean Tomb % Darkpact % Demonic Attorney % Demonic Hordes % Demonic Tutor % Dwarven Demolition Team % Dwarven Weaponsmith % Earthbind % False Orders % Falling Star % Farmstead % Fastbond % Forcefield % Fork % Gauntlet of Might % Granite Gargoyle % Guardian Angel % Ice Storm % Illusionary Mask % Invisibility % Jade Statue % Jandor's Ring % Juggernaut % Kird Ape % Kudzu % Lance % Lich % Living Wall % Mijae Djinn % Mox Emerald % Mox Jet % Mox Pearl % Mox Ruby % Mox Sapphire % Natural Selection % Nettling Imp % Plateau % Psionic Blast % Raging River % Rebirth % Reconstruction % Regrowth % Resurrection % Reverse Polarity % Roc of Kher Ridges % Rock Hydra % Rocket Launcher % Sacrifice % Savannah % Scrubland % Sedge Troll % Serendib Efreet % Shatterstorm % Sinkhole % Sol Ring % Taiga % Tempest Efreet % Time Vault % Time Walk % Timetwister % Tropical Island % Tundra % Two-Headed Giant of Foriys % Underground Sea % Vesuvan Doppleganger % Veteran Bodyguard % Volcanic Island % Wheel of Fortune % Word of Command Any cards appearing on the official Banned List are banned from Type II tournament decks. If any card on the official Banned List appear in a player's deck or sideboard, this will be interpreted by the Judge as a Declaration of Forfeiture. Type II Tournament Floor Rules The Type II tournament uses all of the Standard Floor Rules. Failure to adhere to the above rules, or any other rules specific to a particular tournament, may be interpreted by the Judge as a Declaration of Forfeiture. Only the Judge may make an interpretation of a Declaration of Forfeiture. Any player for whom the Judge has interpreted a Declaration of Forfeiture will be removed from the tournament. Rules note: The Director of the Duelists' Convocation reserves the exclusive right to add, delete, alter, transmute, polymorph, switch, color-lace, sleight of mind, magical hack, or in any other way change these or any other official Duelists' Convocation rules, in whole or in part, with or without notice, at any time that it is deemed necessary or desirable. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Charles Keith-Stanley werewolf@wizards.com Cyberspace Liaison liaison@wizards.com Wizards of the Coast, Inc. http://www.wizards.com Date: Thu, 5 Oct 1995 17:36:52 -0700 From: Stephen D'Angelo Subject: [O] Type I Tourney Rules Duelists' Convocation International Official Magic: The Gathering Type I Tournament Rules Revised October 1, 1995 Effective November 1, 1995 Includes all editions of Magic: The Gathering basic set, and all Magic: The Gathering expansions, with the exclusion of any Collectors' Edition cards or any cards that appear on the official Banned list. Deck Construction Rules The standard rules for Magic: The Gathering apply to sanctioned tournament play, except where amended by these rules. In cases where the official tournament rules differ from the basic rules of Magic, the official tournament rules take precedence. 1. Type I tournament decks may be constructed from Magic: The Gathering cards from the Limited (first edition, with black border) series, the Unlimited (second edition), Revised (third edition), Fourth Edition, any Magic: The Gathering expansion (unless expressly disallowed by the Judge prior to the event), and promotional cards released by Wizards of the Coast in magazines or through books. All cards in the Type I tournament deck must have identical card back design. Under no circumstances will cards from the Collectors' Edition factory sets be permitted in Type I tournament decks, as they are easily distinguished from legal play cards by their square corners and gold borders. Use of any card not expressly permitted in a Type I tournament deck in a Type I tournament will be interpreted by the Judge as a Declaration of Forfeiture (see Standard Floor Rules). Note on play with non-English language cards: All elements of official tournament play where translational differences may appear (such as card title, card text, rules, tournament rules or rulings) will be interpreted according to the most current English language versions. 2. New releases of Magic: The Gathering (e.g. a new expansion or new edition of the basic set) may not be included in sanctioned tournament play until thirty (30) days following the retail release date. 3. The Type I tournament deck must contain a minimum of 60 (sixty) cards. In addition to the Type I tournament deck, players may, but are not required to, construct a Sideboard of exactly 15 (fifteen) additional cards, which must always contain that number of cards while play is in progress. The use of the Sideboard is further explained in the Standard Floor Rules (rule #3). Optional rule: It is required that all of the cards in a player's deck have the same rounding of corners. As Alpha cards (the first section of the print run from the original limited edition basic set) have slightly more rounded corners than cards from subsequent printings (making Alphas effectively marked cards), it may be ruled that if any cards from the original Alpha card set are used in the Type I tournament deck that the entire deck must be constructed of Alpha cards. If this option is exercised, it must be advertised to the players in advance so that they may reconfigure their playing decks as necessary. 4. There may be no more than 4 (four) of any individual card, by card title, in the Type I tournament deck (including Sideboard) with the exception of the five basic land types (Plains, Forest, Mountain, Island, Swamp). Note: For the purposes of official tournament play, snow-covered lands are considered to be basic lands and are not restricted by the four-per-title rule. 5. The Restricted List: No more than 1 (one) of each of the cards on the Restricted List are allowed in the Type I tournament deck (including Sideboard). If more than 1 (one) of any individual card from the Restricted List are found in a player's deck and Sideboard, that will be interpreted by the Judge as a Declaration of Forfeiture. The Restricted List may be modified by the Director of the Duelists' Convocation as necessary. % Type I Restricted List If the card is originally from a Magic expansion, following its title will be a two-letter code denoting which expansion it is from: AN = Arabian Nights AQ = Antiquities LE = Legends DK = The Dark FE = Fallen Empires IA = Ice Age HL = Homelands % Ali from Cairo (AN) % Ancestral Recall % Balance % Berserk % Black Lotus % Braingeyser % Candelabra of Tawnos (AQ) % Copy Artifact % Demonic Tutor % Feldon's Cane (AQ) % Fork % Ivory Tower (AQ) % Library of Alexandria (AN) % Maze of Ith (DK) % Mind Twist % Mirror Universe (LE) % Mishra's Workshop (AQ) % Mox Pearl % Mox Emerald % Mox Ruby % Mox Sapphire % Mox Jet % Recall (LE) % Regrowth % Sol Ring % Sword of the Ages (LE) % Timetwister % Time Walk % Underworld Dreams (LE) % Wheel of Fortune % Zuran Orb (IA) 6. The Banned List: Any cards appearing on the official Banned List are banned from Type I tournament decks. If any card on the official Banned List appears in a player's deck or Sideboard, this will be interpreted by the Judge as a Declaration of Forfeiture. Several of the cards on the Banned List are not allowed because they clearly state to remove them from your deck if not playing for ante, and ante is not required to be wagered in a Type I tournament (see Standard Floor Rules, rule #4). Any future cards that make the same statement will subsequently be banned. This list may be modified by the Director of the Duelists' Convocation as necessary. % Type I Banned List The Banned List uses the same expansion set abbreviations as the Restricted List: % Amulet of Quoz (IA) % Bronze Tablet (AQ) % Channel % Chaos Orb % Contract from Below % Darkpact % Demonic Attorney % Divine Intervention (LE) % Falling Star (LE) % Jeweled Bird (AN) % Rebirth (LE) % Shahrazad (AN) % Time Vault % Tempest Efreet (LE) Type I Tournament Floor Rules The Type I tournament uses all of the Standard Floor Rules with the exception of the following modification. Note: Rule numbers below correspond to Standard Floor Rules rule numbers. 5. The only deck alteration allowable while a duel is in progress is with the use of a Ring of Ma'Ruf (AN). The Ring of Ma'Ruf may only be used to retrieve a card from the player's Sideboard or to retrieve a card that began the duel in the player's deck (e.g., a creature removed from play by a Swords to Plowshares). Cards other than the tournament deck and Sideboard should not be allowed at the tournament. In the event that a player uses a Ring of Ma'Ruf to retrieve a card from his or her Sideboard, the Ring of Ma'ruf used is placed into the player's Sideboard to take the place of the retrieved card, thus maintaining exactly fifteen cards in the Sideboard. Otherwise, Standard Floor Rule #5 is unchanged. Failure to adhere to the above rules, or any other rules specific to a particular tournament, may be interpreted by the Judge as a Declaration of Forfeiture. Only the Judge may make an interpretation of a Declaration of Forfeiture. Any player for whom the Judge has interpreted a Declaration of Forfeiture will be removed from the tournament. Rules note: The Director of the Duelists' Convocation reserves the exclusive right to add, delete, alter, transmute, polymorph, switch, color-lace, sleight of mind, magical hack, or in any other way change these or any other official Duelists' Convocation rules, in whole or in part, with or without notice, at any time that it is deemed necessary or desirable. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Charles Keith-Stanley werewolf@wizards.com Cyberspace Liaison liaison@wizards.com Wizards of the Coast, Inc. http://www.wizards.com Date: Thu, 5 Oct 1995 17:36:03 -0700 From: Stephen D'Angelo Subject: [O] Tourney Floor Rules Duelists' Convocation International Official Magic: The Gathering Standard Floor Rules Revised October 1, 1995 Effective November 1, 1995 1. Officially sanctioned Magic: The Gathering tournaments will be presided over by a Judge, who may be assisted by one or more Referees. NEITHER THE JUDGE, ADMINISTRATOR, OR REFEREES MAY COMPETE IN A TOURNAMENT THAT THEY ARE ADJUDICATING. A Judge may be required to interpret rules, to terminate an excessively long match, to interpret a Declaration of Forfeiture, or to make any other adjudication necessary during the tournament. The Judge is also responsible for maintaining the tournament records and providing an accurate tournament report for the Duelists' Convocation office that sanctioned the event, although he or she may assign a tournament administrator to aid with the on-site details of running the tournament. Referees assist the Judge by answering rules questions on the floor, matching players for new rounds, and being available to the Judge for any other required tasks. Players may appeal the ruling of any Referee to the Judge; the Judge is the final arbiter and authority in all matters concerning the tournament. The Judge may overrule any decision made by a Referee. The decision of the Judge is always final. 2. Officially sanctioned Magic: The Gathering tournaments will use one of the following formats: Swiss-Draw, Round-Robin, Double-Elimination, or Single-Elimination formats. An index card (or reasonable facsimile) will be prepared for each player with the player's name, Duelists' Convocation membership number, and other tournament information. Competitors will be randomly paired for the first round of the tournament. Each match shall consist of up to three duels during the allotted time period. The Judge should award points to players for wins, losses, draws, byes, and unfinished duels. Computerized systems may be used for pairings, provided the Judge is able to keep accurate records of each round's pairings and scores. A duel is one complete game of Magic: The Gathering. A match consists of up to three duels. The Duelists' Convocation recommends that each duel be scored as follows: WIN 3 points LOSS 0 points DRAW 1 point each UNFINISHED 0 points A BYE receives 6 points for the match. Any duel that is not started is considered unfinished. Each player's current and accumulated score should be noted on the appropriate index card or computer file. 3. Players must use the same deck with which they begin the tournament throughout the tournament's duration. The only deck alterations permitted are through the use of the Sideboard (see Deck Construction Rules for the appropriate tournament type) or the gain/loss of cards due to ante. If a player intends to use a Sideboard during the course of a match, he or she must declare to his or her opponent, prior to the beginning of the match, that he or she will be using the Sideboard. Players may exchange cards from their decks for cards in their Sideboards on a one-for-one basis at any time between duels or matches. There are no restrictions on the number of cards a player may exchange in this way at any given time, provided the Sideboard always contains exactly 15 (fifteen) cards, and the deck no fewer than 60 (sixty) cards. Players must reset their Sideboards to their original composition prior to each tournament match. Prior to the beginning of any duel, each player must allow his or her opponent to count, face down, the number of cards in his or her Sideboard. If a player's Sideboard does not total exactly 15 (fifteen) cards, the Judge or a Referee must be consulted to evaluate the situation before the duel can begin. If a player states that he or she is not using a Sideboard at the beginning of the match, ignore this counting procedure for that player, but no deck alteration of any kind will be permitted by the Judge for that player for the duration of the tournament. Any violation of this rule may be interpreted by the Judge as a Declaration of Forfeiture. Note on play with non-English language cards: All elements of official tournament play where translational differences may appear (such as card title, card text, rules, tournament rules or rulings) will be interpreted according to the most current English language versions. 4. Players are not required to wager ante during the tournament. Players may play for real ante, provided that both participants in the match give their consent, though this agreement does not allow the inclusion of the banned ante cards in the tournament deck. Ante cards won in a tournament must be kept separate from the tournament deck and Sideboard and may not be used in the tournament in any capacity. If loss of ante cards from a player's deck reduces the deck below 60 (sixty) cards, the player no longer has a legal tournament deck. This will be interpreted by the Judge as a Declaration of Forfeiture, and the player will be removed from the tournament. 5. If a player draws an initial hand consisting of either no land cards or all land cards (any card with the word "land" in the card type), the player may declare a Mulligan and elect to restart the duel. To do this, the player declaring the Mulligan must show the opponent that he or she has either no land or all land, reshuffle his or her deck, allow the opponent to re-cut the deck, and draw seven new cards. The opponent has the option (but is not required) to do the same, even if the initial hand does not qualify for this rule. For example, if player A draws no land and wishes to reshuffle, player B may also reshuffle, in an attempt to improve his or her hand. An individual player may only use this rule once per duel. 6. A player may use plastic card sleeves or other protective devices on cards in the tournament deck with the permission of the Judge and with the permission of his or her opponent. If for any reason a player's opponent wishes a player to remove the sleeves/protective devices, he or she may state so at the beginning of any duel and the player must immediately comply. The Judge may choose to disallow a player's card sleeves if they are obviously marked, worn, or otherwise in poor condition that may interfere with shuffling or game play. The only exception to this rule is as follows: Sleeves may always be used to mark a player's card if said card is in the opponent's playing field, in order to keep track of the card's ownership. 7. The use of "proxy" cards in the tournament deck is not permitted. A proxy card is one that has been placed into the deck to represent another card which a player does not wish to use (generally because the player fears the card may be damaged during play). For example, a player not wishing to use a Nightmare may not write the word "Nightmare" on a Swamp; the player must use the genuine card. 8. Players must at all times keep the cards in their hand above the level of the playing surface. If a player violates this rule, the Judge may issue a warning to the player or interpret the violation as a Declaration of Forfeiture, at the Judge's discretion. 9. Players may not have any outside assistance (e.g., scouting, coaching, etc.) during a match. If a player is in violation, the Judge may issue a warning to the player or interpret the violation as a Declaration of Forfeiture, at the Judge's discretion. 10. Unsportsmanlike conduct will not be tolerated at an officially sanctioned tournament. Players, Judges, and Referees will conduct themselves in a polite, respectable, and sportsmanlike manner. A player behaving in a belligerent, argumentative, hostile, or unsportsmanlike manner may receive a warning from the Judge. The Judge may also interpret this behavior as a Declaration of Forfeiture, at the Judge's discretion. Repeat offenses of this type by a particular member should be reported to the Duelists' Convocation office sanctioning the event for investigation. Behavior of this type on the part of a Referee should be reported to the Judge, who may issue the offender a warning or remove him or her from the tournament. Behavior of this type on the part of a Judge should be reported to the Duelists' Convocation office sanctioning the event for investigation. Some examples of unsportsmanlike conduct: *Failing to start a duel in a timely manner in order to gain a psychological advantage *Arguing excessively with a Referee or Judge *Scouting other players' decks during play *Enlisting the aid of observers to scout other players' decks 11. In the event of an excessively long match, the Judge may need to adjudicate the outcome prior to its actual conclusion. In some cases, the Judge may wish to impose a time limit for each round of the tournament. In either case, the time limit will not be less than 45 (forty-five) minutes of playing time for a complete match. In the event of a long match, the Judge must give the players involved a time warning not less than 10 (ten) minutes prior to the end of the allotted time. The Duelists' Convocation encourages that each round be timed and scored so as to discourage deliberate stalling. All play from a round will cease immediately when the Judge announces that the round is over. Players in mid-turn will be permitted to complete that turn before scores are calculated, up to a maximum time of one minute. "A player in mid-turn" is defined as someone who has finished untapping all of his or her cards in play that could be untapped at that time during his or her turn. 12. Players must take their turns in a timely fashion. Whereas taking a reasonable amount of time to think through a situation is acceptable, stalling for time is not. Failure to begin a match in a timely manner in order to gain a psychological advantage should either be interpreted as stalling or unsportsmanlike conduct. If the Judge feels that a player is stalling to take advantage of a time limit, the Judge may issue a warning or interpret the stalling as a Declaration of Forfeiture, at the Judge's discretion. SEMI-FINAL OR FINAL ROUNDS SHOULD NEVER BE ADJUDICATED BY A TIME LIMIT. It is HIGHLY recommended that Judges allow matches to play to their conclusion (comebacks from 20-1 are not unheard of). Failure to adhere to the above rules, or any other rules specific to a particular tournament, may be interpreted by the Judge as a Declaration of Forfeiture. Only the Judge may make an interpretation of a Declaration of Forfeiture. Any player for whom the Judge has interpreted a Declaration of Forfeiture will be removed from the tournament. Rules note: The Director of the Duelists' Convocation reserves the exclusive right to add, delete, alter, transmute, polymorph, switch, color-lace, sleight of mind, magical hack, or in any other way change these or any other official Duelists' Convocation rules, in whole or in part, with or without notice, at any time that it is deemed necessary or desirable. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Charles Keith-Stanley werewolf@wizards.com Cyberspace Liaison liaison@wizards.com Wizards of the Coast, Inc. http://www.wizards.com Date: Thu, 19 Oct 1995 11:05:08 -0700 From: Stephen D'Angelo Subject: [O] Rules Team Rulings (10/18/95) GENERAL RULINGS The following rulings are meant to clarify the rulebook and how the game in general works: 1) Though artifacts normally "shut off" while tapped, their upkeep costs are still in effect while tapped. For example, you cannot avoid a Forethought Amulet's upkeep cost by tapping it. Upkeep effects, such as Black Vise, will shut off while the artifact is tapped. Remember that, as always, cards can break the rules. Artifacts that give you a way to untap them (e.g., Mana Vault) implicitly break the rules, allowing you to use that ability while the artifact is tapped. 2) Effects that force you to skip a phase only force you to do so if the effect is "in play" when you would be entering the phase. For example, Necropotence only makes you skip your draw phase if it is in play when you would have made the transition from upkeep to draw. If you destroy Necropotence during your upkeep, it will have no effect on your draw phase for that turn. 3) If an effect allows you to skip a phase to do something, skipping that phase is (part of) the cost of the effect, just like paying life or removing counters to do something. You can only "spend" a phase once per turn and only before you would get to that phase. For example, you can only use one Fasting each turn, and then only during your upkeep. 4) Effects that trigger when something "leaves play," such as Goblin Shrine's damage, trigger after that something reaches its destination. So by the time the Shrine's damage is dealt, it is already in the graveyard. Conversely, effects that end when something "leaves play" end after that something has reached its destination. So if a Gaea's Liege is killed, any forests it has created won't revert to their original land type until after the Liege is in the graveyard. 5) Effects that say "If something goes to Destination A, put it in Destination B" can only move that something to Destination B if it is still in Destination A when the effect resolves. For example, suppose a Cyclopean Mummy enchanted with Puppet Master is killed. If the enchantment's effect resolves first, the Mummy returns to its owner's hand, and the Mummy's effect fails to do anything. If the Mummy's effect resolves first, it is removed from the game, and the Puppet Master's effect fails to do anything (and may not be returned to its owner's hand). General Ruling #4, above, describes how to figure out which effect resolves first. REVERSALS The following rulings reverse past rulings from the design team and/or the NetReps: 1) Mana which says it may "only be used to cast a type of spell," such as mana from Metamorphosis or a Mishra's Workshop, may only be used to pay for the casting cost of such a spell. It cannot be used to pay for penalties such as Gloom, Nether Void, Power Sink's effect, and so on. 2) If Rainbow Vale is tapped for mana, you choose a target opponent. Control of the land passes to that opponent at end of turn, even if the land is no longer a Rainbow Vale at that time. CARD ERRATA We were getting ready to break out the champagne when we noticed this edition of the rulings wouldn't have any card errata. But the Greater Northwest Temperance League got wind of this and sent us a nastygram, so we looked around and noticed a couple of errata that should have been issued earlier but hadn't been. Here they are: 1) Giant Shark can only get its power bonus if it is assigned to block at least one creature which is damaged, or vice versa. If there is no such blocking assignment, but an effect such as General Jarkeld results in the Shark blocking or being blocked by a damaged creature, the Shark will not get +2/+0 or its trample. 2) Energy Flux effectively gives every artifact in play "Pay {2} during your upkeep or bury this artifact." It gives each artifact an upkeep cost rather than having its own upkeep effect, which destroys all artifacts controlled by the active player unless mana is paid to prevent this. SPECIFIC CARD RULINGS 1) Soldevi Golem's ability is actually an untap cost. This means that it is cumulative with Paralyze, Dance of the Dead, etc. 2) Spending {R} to prevent a Rock Hydra from losing a head is considered damage prevention, as is actually losing a head. Thus, if a Rock Hydra is struck by Lava Burst, you may neither spend {R} nor spend heads; this is one of the few ways a Rock Hydra can exist with damage on it but heads remaining. 3) "I play Terror on my opponent's Tim (Prodigal Sorcerer). He responds by using Tawnos's Coffin on Tim. I respond by Shattering the Coffin. Is Tim buried?" Yes. When the Coffin resolves, Tim will leave play (due to the effect) and then immediately return (because the Coffin has left play), but it is still the same Tim, so the Terror has a lock on him. 4) When you Fork a spell, you are considered to have paid all costs associated with it for purposes such as Drain Life, Soul Burn, and so on. (You do not actually pay those costs again, however; you just pay the {R}{R} for the Fork itself.) 5) "A creature that was brought out of the graveyard by Dreams of the Dead is sent to the graveyard while I have Enduring Renewal in play. Where does the creature go?" Both effects (Dreams and Renewal) are triggered, so they follow the normal protocol for triggered effects. That is, the active player's effects go off first, with the active player choosing the order, and then the other player's effects go off in the order of his or her choice. The first effect to go off determines where the creature goes, so if both effects are controlled by the same player, that player effectively decides the fate of the creature. (See General Rulings #4 and #5, above.) 6) If a Doppelganger copies a Shyft, sets its color, and then copies something else, it loses the color change of the Shyft. The color change is an "internal ability," just like the ability of Frozen Shade, so it is lost. 7) If The Fallen is put into a Tawnos's Coffin or Oubliette, it will not lose track of which players it had damaged and will start damaging them once again when it returns to play (if it is still an opponent of those players). 8) Ring of Ma'Ruf cannot retrieve a card stored by Ice Cauldron, Elkin Bottle, Necropotence, etc. Date: Mon, 13 Nov 1995 09:23:40 -0800 From: Stephen D'Angelo Subject: [O] Rules Team Rulings (11/10/95) GENERAL RULINGS The following rulings are meant to clarify the rulebook and how the game in general works: 1) Triggered effects that counter spells, such as AEther Storm and Nether Void, trigger when an appropriate spell is first played, before anyone would be able to interrupt it. Similarly, effects that allow someone to counter them, such as the effect of Arcum's Whistle, do so when the effect is played. 2) Targets are always chosen when an effect or spell is played, unless the text indicates otherwise, even if someone other than the caster chooses the targets. For example, the targets of Preacher and Forgotten Lore are chosen when the spell or ability is played, even though the choice of target is not determined by whoever used the Preacher's ability or whoever cast the Lore. 3) A permanent that is treated as if it has just been cast (e.g., an enchantment moved by Crown of the Ages), repeats its entire casting process from its point of view. Permanent changes are erased, all choices made in playing the card are made again, and so on; however, nothing happens as far as anything else in the game is concerned. So anything the permanent does when cast or when it comes into play happens again, but no external effects trigger. Note that this reverses some past rulings on moving enchantments such as Phantasmal Terrain. 4) The phrase "target X or target Y" is equivalent to "target X or Y." It is used in certain cases to clarify that the effect is targeted, regardless of whether it's being played on an X or on a Y. 5) Because of An-Zerrin Ruins, there have been a lot of questions on just what is or isn't considered a creature type. In the general case, if a card is a "Summon Foo", then it counts as creature type Foo, and if a card says to "Put a Bar token into play", then that token counts as creature type Bar. Note one creature type is never a subset of another-for example, a Summon Goblin King is not considered creature type Goblin. Also, number is not relevant, so Summon Goblin and Summon Goblins represent the same creature type. As usual, there can be special cases. For example, the Stangg Twin token counts as creature type legend (as well as type Stangg Twin), and Wall of Spears says it counts as creature type wall. Note that "artifact creature" is a type of permanent, not a creature type; similarly, "creatures with flying" is not considered a creature type. 6) If an effect says it affects "each X and Y", then it finds everything that counts as an X and/or as a Y, and affects all of those things once each. For example, Evaporate "deals 1 damage to each blue creature and white creature," so it finds each permanent that counts as a blue creature and/or a white creature and deals 1 damage to each such permanent. It will not deal 2 damage to something that counts as both. REVERSALS The following rulings reverse past rulings from the design team and/or the NetReps: 1) Dream Coat operates on the same principles as Firebreathing. Once per turn, the ability can be played as an interrupt. The person using the ability chooses a color when the ability is played, and the creature Dream Coat Enchants will become that color until end of turn, even if the Dream Coat is removed later. 2) If an Assembly Worker is changed into another land type, it will continue to count as a 2/2 artifact (land) creature until end of turn, even though it will no longer be called Assembly Worker. Note that this is true of any land animated by a fast effect-for example, a forest animated by a Thelonite Druid. 3) Camouflage does not affect enchantments on the attacking creatures; those enchantments remain face up. 4) If Ring of Ma'ruf is used in a Shahrazad subgame, it may not grab cards from any of the "parent," or original, games. The subgame and all parent games are considered to all be the same game. Similarly, a card removed from the game (e.g., by Disintegrate) during a subgame is not shuffled back into the library once the subgame is over but will still be out of the game. 5) Ring of Ma'ruf cannot retrieve a card from inside an Oubliette or from a Tawnos's Coffin. Such cards are merely out of play, not out of the game. CARD ERRATA The following rulings involve card errata, or at least reading cards slightly differently: 1) Ray of Command only taps the target creature if you lose control of that creature at end of turn. If you keep control due to some other effect, or if you lose control of that creature before Ray of Command wears off, the creature does not become tapped. 2) If Cave People attack, they get +1/-2 until end of turn. Murk Dwellers get +2/+0 when they are attacking and not blocked; this bonus ends when the combat ends. 3) Fork should be read roughly as follows: "Fork becomes a copy of target spell, acquiring all characteristics, except color, of that spell. Once the spell is copied, choose its new target(s); the copied spell has the same number of targets as the original." If you -lace a Fork, the copy will be of color of the -lace, not arbitrarily red. 4) Any card that says "Summon Elder Dragon Legend" should be read as just "Summon Legend." The two creature types are equivalent, and it is simpler to errata the "elder dragons" than to keep reminding people that the types are equivalent. 5) While the cost to untap Mana Vault is paid during upkeep, it does not actually untap until end of upkeep (in which case it does not deal damage to you). Similarly, though the cost to untap Basalt Monolith can be paid whenever instants are allowed, it will not untap until end of phase. SPECIFIC CARD RULINGS 1) Land's Edge only deals damage if you discard a land via the Land's Edge effect. Discarding a land because of Mind Twist, Bazaar of Baghdad, and so forth will not cause Land's Edge to trigger. 2) If the last counter is removed from a Cocoon and the enchantment is "recast" by an effect such as Enchantment Alteration, Cocoon will not give +1/+1 and flying to whatever creature it was on when the last counter was removed. 3) Season of the Witch checks to see which of your creatures could attack, but didn't, at the end of the "declare attackers" step of the attack. If you don't declare an attack, then it checks at the end of your main phase. Note that this check will be made even if Season of Witch is not in play during "declare attackers," or at the end of the main phase, as appropriate. 4) Snowfall causes islands to produce additional {U} (only usable for cumulative upkeep) regardless of the type of mana the island is producing at the time. For example, Snowfall's effect is not affected by Naked Singularity. 5) If a creature unknowingly makes an illegal block-for example, by blocking a face-down creature with a sufficient evasion ability-then the block is canceled but the creature cannot be given another blocking assignment. This is stated on Camouflage and should be assumed for Illusionary Mask. 6) Specialized mana, such as that provided by Metamorphosis, can be used to pay for costs contained in the text of a spell, not just the casting cost. For example, a Metamorphosis that provided mana for sorceries could pay for all of a Drain Life. (This is a clarification of a recent reversal on how such mana interacts with Power Sinks, etc.) 7) If someone responds to the use of Merieke Ri Berit by untapping it, or removing it from play, its target will be buried when the effect resolves (assuming it doesn't fizzle). Note that this principle extends to all "tap to control" abilities. 8) Chain Stasis can target the same creature over and over again. The rule against targeting something multiple times only applies when you are choosing multiple targets all at once. With Chain Stasis, you are choosing the multiple targets over time, so it can double up on a creature. 9) A Roterothopter enchanted with Power Artifact can be given +4/+0 through its ability, since this now requires paying only {4}. 10) Autumn Willow checks who is choosing it as a target, not who controls the spell or effect that is targeting it. For example, if you use your Preacher's ability, your opponent cannot select Autumn Willow as the target unless he or she is already able to choose Autumn Willow as a target this turn (due to having used its ability). 11) If a player with Raging River in play attacks and the defending player produces a creature after attack is announced, that creature isn't considered to be limited to either side of the river. It may therefore block attackers on either side, just as flying creatures can. Date: Mon, 4 Dec 1995 17:50:38 -0800 From: Stephen D'Angelo Subject: [O] Professional Tournament WIZARDS OF THE COAST NEWS RELEASE CONTACT: Carrie Thearle Sue-Lane Wood Media Relations Wizards of the Coast, Inc. (206) 226-6500 A LEAGUE OF PROFESSIONAL PROPORTIONS Debut of Magic: The Gathering(R) Pro Tour Renton, Wash. (December 4, 1995) -- In response to players' requests, Wizards of the Coast, Inc. is developing a new arena for fans of the popular card game Magic: The Gathering(R) to compete. This February in New York, the company will kick off its Magic Pro Tour. Two professional tournaments will be held February 16-18 at the Puck Building. "A lot of Magic: The Gathering players told us they'd like to see tournament play taken to another level," said Ronnie Noize, Marketing Director of the Magic Pro Tour. This year alone, Wizards of the Coast(R) serviced more than 50,000 players in amateur tournaments sanctioned by the Duelists' Convocation 256 players, 18 years and older, will compete in a Seniors tournament. Seniors will play for cash prizes, totaling $30,000. The money will be split among the top 16 finishers. Place Prize ($) 1st 12,000 2nd 5,000 3rd 3,000 4th 2,000 5th-8th 1,000 9th-16th 500 128 players, 18-years-old and younger, will compete in a Juniors tournament. Junior competitors will play for scholarships equal to the cash prizes in the Seniors competition. The entrance fee for either event is $50. One parent or guardian will be admitted free when accompanying a Junior participant. To register, players should call Wizards of the Coast's Customer Service Department at: Phone Number: (206) 624-0933 When: Thursday, Dec. 14 through Wednesday, Dec. 20 Times: 12:30pm to 6:00pm (PST) Payment: Credit Card ONLY Wizards of the Coast is inviting a couple dozen special guests to the competitions, including the top eight finishers at the 1995 World Championships. The public will be admitted into the events for a $10 fee. The competition is the first in a series of five professional tournaments which will be held around the country next year. "It is our objective to establish Magic: The Gathering as an intellectual sport much along the same lines as bridge or chess," said Noize. "The Pro Tour will help us reach that goal." Wizards of the Coast is a young game company based in Seattle, Washington. Since it released Magic: The Gathering in August 1993, more than a billion cards have sold worldwide, and an entire genre has developed around the game. In April 1994, Wizards of the Coast opened a second branch in Glasgow, Scotland. Several months later, the company expanded into a third office in Antwerp, Belgium. Wizards of the Coast currently employs more than 250 people in its three locations. Charles Keith-Stanley werewolf@wizards.com Cyberspace Liaison liaison@wizards.com Wizards of the Coast, Inc. http://www.wizards.com Date: Sat, 13 Jan 1996 15:28:15 -0800 From: Stephen D''Angelo Subject: [O] Goodbye Well folks, my one year sentence... er I mean term of duty as the NetRep to MTG-L has come to a close after some 480 digests and 107 NetRep replies. I now leave you in the hands of Beth Moursund, the very knowledgable person who was NetRep for this list from its creation until September 1994. To stave off the endless e-mail I'm getting on this topic: I won't be giving up my participation in the Magic world. I will continue to do the Rulings Summary documents just like I did for the year before I was a NetRep. The Summaries are something I do for the players out there and are not part of the NetRep job. I'll also try to pop in and post occasionally. May the spell you need be in your hand! Stephen. ---- Stephen D'Angelo == dangelo@netcom.com Date: Tue, 16 Jan 1996 19:28:26 -0800 From: Beth Moursund Subject: [O] FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - DC Rules Changes DUELISTS' CONVOCATION OFFICIAL SANCTIONED TOURNAMENT RULES UPDATE ANNOUNCED: JANUARY 1, 1995 EFFECTIVE: FEBRUARY 1, 1995 Dear Duelists' Convocation Member, Let's begin this letter with an apology: We screwed up, and we're sorry! You should have received this letter on or about the first day of January, but instead are reading it much later than we intended. While we would like to blame the postal service, the holidays, or just about anything else for the delay, the truth is simply that we made a mistake and offer you our apologies. Without further ado, here are the official rules changes: 1. Mind Twist is added to the Type I and Type II Banned List. This card has been the subject of some debate and discussion, both on the Internet and here at Wizards of the Coast. As with all rules changes, the Duelists' Convocation did not make this decision lightly, nor did we finalize it without seeking extensive input from the Magic Research & Development Team and our Customer Service Group. Our primary reason for banning the card is the tremendous early game advantage it affords. This "swing value" of the card is such that we believe it best to remove it from the tournament environment altogether. 2. Black Vise is added to the Type I and Type II Restricted List. Tournament players consistently include this card in far too many decks -- decks in which the card shouldn't appear in the first place (such as discard decks). Moreover, savvy tournament players must now build their decks with the expectation that they will definitely face multiple Black Vises in nearly every deck they play against. We therefore believe that restricting the card to one per deck will contribute more balance to the playing field. 3. Addition to Standard Floor Rules for Magic: The Gathering Optional Rule: The player who takes the first turn skips his or her draw phase. The winner of the initial coin toss preceding each match decides whether or not he or she would like to play first or draw first. The loser of each successive duel in the match then decides whether he or she would like to play first or draw first. Tournament organizers must clearly advertise prior to the beginning of the tournament that the tournament will utilize the "Optional Draw Rule." This rule will be used in New York City this February at the first Black Lotus Professional Tournament. The Duelists' Convocation again apologizes for its tardiness in getting this to you. We will make every effort to ensure thorough and timely distribution of all future rules changes. Sincerely, Jason Carl Director, Duelists' Convocation Please visit our official Web page at "http://www.wizards.com/"! Charles Keith-Stanley werewolf@wizards.com Cyberspace Liaison liaison@wizards.com Wizards of the Coast, Inc. http://www.wizards.com Date: Wed, 17 Jan 1996 18:56:21 -0800 From: Beth Moursund Subject: [O] Whither table games? Table Games Then and Now There has been some confusion about the status of Wizards of the Coast's table games and of the Table Games team in light of the major organizational changes that took place in December, 1995. But to understand where we are, it is important to first understand where we were. Where was the Table Games team going? Table Games spent 1995 evaluating how best to produce and market board and non-trading card games, both in our preferred hobby channel and in the more elusive broader market. Our original plan called for publishing about six new games in 1996 and doubling that number by 1997. After the company evaluation and reorganization on December 7, 1995, we discovered this strategy was chancy at best. We had to consider the amount of resources needed to produce so many games at our production and R&D standards, as well as considering the effect on our Deckmaster(TM) game lines. Where is Table Games now? After the reorganization, many of the team's resources were moved to other parts of the company. The team's products were placed in a new department, now called "Stealth Games." Where is Stealth Games going? We will continue to stock, sell, and reprint our three existing "table-game" products, RoboRally, RoboRally: Armed and Dangerous, and The Great Dalmuti. We are also actively searching for quality homes for our roleplaying lines. Until they are found, Stealth Games will take care of these products as well. Are we ever going to do new board and non-trading card games? The answer to that question is a most emphatic yes! The only effective change is that we will not be producing as many board and non-trading card games for the hobby and broad-market channels as we had originally planned. We expect to produce two or three new games in this industry on an annual basis. Paul Randles Product Manager, Stealth Games tao@wizards.com Please visit our official Web page at "http://www.wizards.com/"! Charles Keith-Stanley werewolf@wizards.com Cyberspace Liaison liaison@wizards.com Wizards of the Coast, Inc. http://www.wizards.com Date: Tue, 23 Jan 1996 19:19:52 -0800 From: Beth Moursund Subject: [O] Juniors for the Pro Tournament The Wizards of the Coast, Inc. Magic: The Gathering (R) Pro Tour BLACK LOTUS PROFESSIONAL TOURNAMENT NEW YORK CITY FEBRUARY 16-18, 1996 The Puck Building 295 Lafayette Street Although the Senior Division is full for this first Professional Tournament, 28 slots are still available in the Junior Division. 128 competitors, ages 18 and under, will compete in a Type II variant tournament format for a total of $30,000 in scholarships, broken down in the following fashion: 1st place $12,000 2nd $5,000 3rd & 4th $2,500 5th-8th $1,000 9th-16th $500 The entrance fee is $50. One parent or guardian will be admitted free while accompanying a Junior participant. Registration must be done in advance. To register, call (206) 204-7297 TODAY! Please visit our official Web page at "http://www.wizards.com/"! Charles Keith-Stanley werewolf@wizards.com Cyberspace Coordinator liaison@wizards.com Wizards of the Coast, Inc. http://www.wizards.com Date: Wed, 24 Jan 1996 20:21:37 -0800 From: Beth Moursund Subject: [O] Netrunner announcement FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Sue-Lane Wood Carrie Thearle Media Relations Wizards of the Coast, Inc. (206) 226-6500 LET THE RUN BEGIN A New Trading Card Game from Wizards of the Coast, Inc. Renton, Wash. (January 23, 1996) -- Players will explore the frontier of cyberspace when Wizards of the Coast, Inc., introduces its new trading card game this April. Netrunner(TM) is the latest in the Deckmaster(R) series and another creation of Richard Garfield, the mastermind behind the hit trading card game Magic: The Gathering(R). Netrunner is set in the high-tech, futuristic world of R. Talsorian's Cyberpunk 2020(TM) adventure game. In Netrunner, players take on the roles of Runners or Corporations. "The object of the game is to be the first player to control certain information," said Richard Garfield. Corporations hold secret agendas and build elaborate fortresses of data to keep their intentions hidden. Netrunners hack the computer system to gather information and expose a corporation's operations. The game has evolved and changed since the early days of playtesting. "At first I had all players taking the part of the Runner, who ran against a common enemy. Something was missing from this mix, however, since all conflicts have two sides and here one side was being played by a deck of cards," said Garfield. Game enthusiasts won't have to wait until spring to get their first taste of the cyberpunk genre. Wizards of the Coast(R), in conjunction with the Sendai media group, is planning a unique Internet promotion: Webrunner: The Hidden Agenda. Online contestants assume the role of a Runner and hack their way through puzzles to open code gates and uncover hidden agendas. This exciting promotion begins in mid-March. Participants will be eligible to win one of over 130 prizes. "The Internet is the logical environment for us to promote Netrunner," said Jean Flynn, Netrunner Marketing Manager. "This promises to be unlike any promotion ever conceived before." Netrunner is easy to learn and quick to play. Each starter pack contains one 60-card deck of Corporation cards and one 60-card deck of Runner cards, plus a full-color rulebook. Booster packs will also be available, containing a mixture of 15 Corporation and Runner cards. More than 350 beautifully illustrated cards make up the set. Wizards of the Coast is a game manufacturer based in Seattle, Washington. In August 1993, the company created a worldwide sensation when it released its first trading card game, Magic: The Gathering. To date, more than a billion cards have sold worldwide in six languages. Wizards of the Coast has branches in Glasgow, Scotland; Antwerp, Belgium; and Paris, France. Wizards of the Coast currently employs more than 225 people among its four locations. Please visit our official Web page at "http://www.wizards.com/"! Charles Keith-Stanley werewolf@wizards.com Cyberspace Coordinator liaison@wizards.com Wizards of the Coast, Inc. http://www.wizards.com Date: Thu, 8 Feb 1996 00:58:46 -0800 From: Beth Moursund Subject: [O] Magic Rulings 2/6/96 GENERAL RULINGS The following rulings are meant to clarify the rulebook, and how the game in general works: 1) As soon as you play a spell, it is considered to be "in limbo." It is not in your hand, your graveyard, etc. If the spell asks you to choose a card in your hand, you may not choose that spell. 2) If a creature cannot be targeted by spells or effects, this does not stop an enchantment that is already in play from being moved onto it (e.g., by Enchantment Alteration). This is because the existing enchantment is a permanent, not a spell or effect. 3) If an enchantment is moved onto something that turns out to be invalid, the enchantment falls off after reaching its destination. Example: A Chaoslaced Holy Armor is moved from a Scryb Sprite to a Black Knight. Because the Holy Armor is being "replayed," it loses the -lace effect and is white again: the Knight has protection from white, so the Holy Armor is put into the graveyard. 4) Effects that trigger for each 1 life lost trigger when you pay life. For example, if you pay 4 life to get rid of AEther Storm while you have Oath of Lim-Dul in play, you have to sacrifice four permanents. 5) If an effect lasts until you lose control of its source, the effect ends if the source leaves play. If an effect lasts as long as its source remains tapped, the effect ends if the source leaves play. REVERSALS The following rulings reverse past rulings from the rules team and/or the netreps: 1) When a Clone comes into play, it replaces its card type with the type of its target. This means that if it copies an artifact creature, its type is "Artifact Creature" and not "Summon Clone," so it could not be targeted by Dance of Many. CARD ERRATA The following rulings involve card errata, or at least reading cards slightly differently: 1) The cap to Soul Burn's life gain is based on the toughness, or life total, of its target. The cap is checked when Soul Burn resolves. (This is included as errata since the last sentence of Soul Burn is ambiguous at best.) 2) The fact that Drudge Spell removes all Skeleton tokens if it leaves play is an aspect of the enchantment, not of the fast effect. So when it leaves play, it removes all Skeleton tokens, regardless of how they got there. However, it will not remove Skeleton tokens that it has "produced," but that haven't appeared yet. 3) Call to Arms should only count up cards in play. 4) Feldon's Cane should be read as follows: "{0}: Sacrifice Feldon's Cane, but remove it from the game instead of putting it into the graveyard. Shuffle your graveyard into your library." SPECIFIC CARD RULINGS 1) Time Elemental deals its 5 damage when it is declared as an attacker or blocker (but is not destroyed until end of combat). 2) Moving Takklemaggot during upkeep is not considered a "spell or effect," so it may be moved onto creatures such as Autumn Willow. 3) The existence of Freyalise's Winds is not required for its counters to take effect. The "do not untap" ability and the "remove all wind counters" ability are part of the counters, not part of the Winds. Put another way, if Freyalise's Winds leaves play, permanents with wind counters still won't untap during their next untap phase. 4) Freyalise's Winds will not remove counters from Cyclone. This is because the Winds do not seek out all wind counters and remove them; the wind counters are removing themselves. 5) The card set aside by Elkin Bottle is removed from the game at the beginning of your next upkeep. 6) The coin flip for Mana Crypt is an upkeep effect, not an upkeep cost, so you can use the Crypt's ability before playing the upkeep effect, and thus avoid the coin flip. Tom Wylie | What is the difference between apathy and ignorance? aahz@wizards.com | I don't know, and I don't care. Date: Thu, 8 Feb 1996 01:01:04 -0800 From: Beth Moursund Subject: [O] Oops! Fix #96 Ignore what I said about Mana Crypt in #96 that I just sent -- I see that it's ruled as an upkeep effect, not an upkeep cost, in the Rulings that just came out. Oops... - Beth Moursund MTG-L NetRep for Wizards of the Coast Date: Fri, 1 Mar 1996 15:49:21 -0800 From: Beth Moursund Subject: [O] DCI Rules Cover Letter DUELISTS' CONVOCATION INTERNATIONAL BANNED/RESTRICTED LIST CHANGES "BANNED/RESTRICTED DAYS" Many Duelists' Convocation members have remarked that, while they appreciate our policy of announcing changes in the Banned/Restricted Lists one month before they become effective, there have been problems in getting the information out in a timely manner. So, we have decided to make certain days of the year "Banned/Restricted Days." No, that doesn't mean you'll have to cross those days off your calendar! It just means that we will announce changes to the Banned and Restricted Lists ONLY on those days. Type I: March 1, September 1 Type II: March 1, June 1, September 1, December 1 LISTS SEPARATED In addition, the Duelists' Convocation would like to take this opportunity to announce that the Banned and Restricted Lists for Type I and Type II sanctioned tournaments will henceforth be separated from one another. That is to say, each card which is Banned or Restricted in the future will be considered on its own merits for each type of tournament: The addition of a card to the Banned or Restricted List for Type I tournaments does NOT necessarily mean the card will also be added to the Type II Banned or Restricted Lists. OFFICIAL CHANGES TO THE BANNED/RESTRICTED LISTS EFFECTIVE APRIL 1, 1996 TYPE I RESTRICTED LIST: Ali From Cairo is removed Black Vise is removed Sword of the Ages is removed Now that every color has gained methods of effectively dealing with creatures, and given the largely creatureless nature of the Type I environment, neither Ali From Cairo nor Sword of the Ages represent the kind of unbalancing power which earned them a place on this list. Black Vise was originally placed on the Type I Restricted List because of its placement on the Type II list: Now that the lists have been separated, Black Vise can safely return to its unrestricted status in the Type I environment. TYPE I BANNED LIST: Time Vault is removed (see errata below) TYPE II RESTRICTED LIST: Feldon's Cane is removed Maze of Ith is removed Recall is removed Both Feldon's Cane and Recall were originally placed on the Restricted List because of their ability to retrieve other Restricted cards from the graveyard. However, the number of cards on the Type II Restricted List tournaments has significantly decreased, making both Feldon's Cane and Recall far less powerful. Maze of Ith was included on the list in error: Most players have recognized that the card is from The Dark, and is therefore automatically banned from Type II tournaments. OFFICIAL TIME VAULT ERRATA from Tom Wylie (Magic R & D) Long-time players may be surprised to see Time Vault removed from the Type I Banned List. After all, the card was removed from the tournament environment because it was a central component in some very powerful, instant-win combinations involving infinite turns. However, Tom Wylie's official errata solves this problem so neatly that the DC is comfortable in returning the card to the Type I environment! ERRATA: Time Vault is reworded as follows to restore the card to its original intent: "Does not untap as normal. If Time Vault is tapped and does not have a time counter, you may skip your turn to untap Time Vault and put a time counter on it. {tap}: Remove the time counter from Time Vault to take an additional turn immediately before the next normal turn." Please visit our official Web page at "http://www.wizards.com/"! Charles Keith-Stanley werewolf@wizards.com Cyberspace Coordinator liaison@wizards.com Wizards of the Coast, Inc. http://www.wizards.com Date: Fri, 1 Mar 1996 16:00:29 -0800 From: Beth Moursund Subject: [O] Quick correction to DC banned/restricted list BANNED/RESTRICTED LISTS EFFECTIVE APRIL 1, 1996 Type I Restricted List Ancestral Recall Balance Berserk Black Lotus Braingeyser Candelabra of Tawnos (AQ) Copy Artifact Demonic Tutor Fork Feldon's Cane (AQ) Ivory Tower (AQ) Library of Alexandria (AN) Maze of Ith (DK) Mirror Universe (LE) Mishra's Workshop (AQ) Mox Pearl Mox Emerald Mox Ruby Mox Sapphire Mox Jet Recall (LE) Regrowth Sol Ring Timetwister Time Walk Underworld Dreams (LE) Wheel of Fortune Zuran Orb (IA) Type I Banned List Amulet of Quoz (IA) Bronze Tablet (AQ) Channel Chaos Orb Contract from Below Darkpact Demonic Attorney Divine Intervention (LE) Falling Star (LE) Jeweled Bird (AN) Mind Twist Rebirth (LE) Shahrazad (AN) Tempest Efreet (LE) Type II Restricted List Balance Black Vise Ivory Tower Zuran Orb Type II Banned List Amulet of Quoz Ancestral Recall Atog Badlands Basalt Monolith Bayou Berserk Black Lotus Blaze of Glory Braingeyser Bronze Tablet Camouflage Chaos Orb Channel Clone Consecrate Land Contract from Below Copper Tablet Copy Artifact Cyclopean Tomb Darkpact Demonic Attorney Demonic Hordes Demonic Tutor Dwarven Demolition Team Dwarven Weaponsmith Earthbind False Orders Falling Star Farmstead Fastbond Forcefield Fork Gauntlet of Might Granite Gargoyle Guardian Angel Ice Storm Illusionary Mask Invisibility Jade Statue Jandor's Ring Juggernaut Kird Ape Kudzu Lance Lich Living Wall Mijae Djinn Mind Twist Mox Emerald Mox Jet Mox Pearl Mox Ruby Mox Sapphire Natural Selection Nettling Imp Plateau Psionic Blast Raging River Rebirth Reconstruction Regrowth Resurrection Reverse Polarity Roc of Kher Ridges Rock Hydra Rocket Launcher Sacrifice Savannah Scrubland Sedge Troll Serendib Efreet Shatterstorm Sinkhole Sol Ring Taiga Tempest Efreet Time Vault Time Walk Timetwister Tropical Island Tundra Two-Headed Giant of Foriys Underground Sea Vesuvan Doppleganger Veteran Bodyguard Volcanic Island Wheel of Fortune Word of Command Please visit our official Web page at "http://www.wizards.com/"! Charles Keith-Stanley werewolf@wizards.com Cyberspace Coordinator liaison@wizards.com Wizards of the Coast, Inc. http://www.wizards.com Date: Mon, 4 Mar 1996 13:36:59 -0800 From: Beth Moursund Subject: [O] Card Reprint Policy Magic: The Gathering(R) Card Reprint Policy March 4, 1996 Introduction Wizards of the Coast understands that many of you were surprised by the quantity and selection of cards from the Arabian Nights(R), Antiquities(R), Legends(TM), and The Dark(TM) expansion sets that we reprinted in Magic: The Gathering-Fourth Edition(TM) and Chronicles(TM). We have therefore created this Magic: The Gathering(R) Card Reprint Policy to explain why we choose to reprint cards and how many cards from which expansion sets you can expect to see reprinted in future Magic products. Why Magic Cards Are Reprinted Magic: The Gathering has tremendous appeal both as a game and as a collectible; however, Wizards of the Coast is a game company, and we believe that Magic is first and foremost a supreme game of strategy and skill. We choose to reprint certain cards from limited expansion sets in products like Fourth Edition and Chronicles because we believe that the cards we reprint make for enjoyable game play and that Magic players deserve an opportunity to play with these cards. Wizards of the Coast understands that Magic also appeals to many of you as a collectible. For this reason, it has always been our policy to print any card with a new card power in black border before or at the same time as it is printed in white border. It has also been our policy never to reprint in black border a previously published Magic card using identical art and card power. The purpose of these policies was to make the black-bordered, limited edition versions of Magic cards as collectible as possible. We have discovered, however, that, in addition to the limited nature of our black-bordered products, much of the collectibility of a Magic card is determined by its availability for game-play purposes. Accordingly, we have decided to expand on our previous policies by creating a new category of cards, called "Reserved Cards," that we will never print again in black or white border in game-functionally identical form. Reserved Cards As mentioned above, "Reserved Cards" are cards that we will never print again in black or white border in game-functionally identical form. For this purpose, a card is game-functionally identical if it has the same card power and casting cost as another card. Note that the exclusion of any particular card from the Reserved Card list does not indicate that we have any plans to reprint that card. The current list of Reserved Cards includes: (1) all cards from Alpha/Beta Editions that do not appear in Fourth Edition or Ice Age(TM); (2) all uncommon and rare cards from Arabian Nights and Antiquities that have not yet been reprinted in white border (i.e., that do not appear in Revised(TM) [Third Edition], Fourth Edition, or Chronicles); and (3) all rare cards from Legends and The Dark that have not yet been reprinted in white border. Appended to this Magic: The Gathering(R) Card Reprint Policy is a current list of all Reserved Cards. Reprinting Cards from Fallen Empires(TM) and Subsequent Products In order to create products that are enjoyable for Magic players, Wizards of the Coast may reprint cards from the Fallen Empires, Ice Age, Homelands(TM), and subsequent limited expansion sets, as well as cards from Chronicles. In order to maintain the collectibility of these products, however, Wizards of the Coast will reprint in white border no more than 25 percent of the rarest cards from Chronicles, Fallen Empires, or any subsequent limited expansion set. At least 75 percent of the rarest cards from each of these sets will never be reprinted in either black or white border. For this purpose, the rarest cards from a given expansion set are all of those cards that appear with the lowest frequency on the rarest press sheet used to print that expansion (i.e., cards from Fallen Empires, Chronicles, and Homelands designated "Uncommon 1" and cards from Ice Age designated "Rare 1" in The Duelist (TM) magazine's cardlists for these sets). In conjunction with the release of each new edition of the basic game, such as Fifth Edition, we will announce which sets were considered eligible to have cards from them rotated into the basic game. Any rare card from those sets not rotated into the basic game at that time will become a Reserved Card and thus will never be printed again in black or white border in game-functionally identical form. Non-English-Language Editions Note that the foregoing policies apply both to English-language and non-English-language cards. The only exception to this is that special considerations which arise when commencing publication of Magic in a new language may force us to publish some cards in that new language in white-border form (e.g., as part of Fourth Edition) without first publishing all of those cards in that new language in black-border form. In addition, note that the Arabian Nights, Antiquities, Legends, and The Dark expansion sets will not be printed in black- or white-border form in any additional languages, although cards from these expansion sets may be printed in additional languages in black- or white-border form as part of non-English-language editions of the basic game or Chronicles. Chronicles, Fallen Empires, and subsequent limited expansion sets may be printed in black border in additional languages. Wizards of the Coast will periodically announce when any of these products are being removed from consideration for reprinting in additional languages. Special-Purpose Reprints All of the policies described herein apply only to standard, tournament-legal Magic cards of standard size and bearing the standard Magic card back. Wizards of the Coast has and may continue to print non-standard versions of cards for sale or promotional use, such as factory sets and oversized cards. Magic: The Gathering Card Reprint Policy Reserved Card List Alpha/Beta Editions ------------------ Ancestral Recall Badlands Basalt Monolith Bayou Berserk Black Lotus Blaze of Glory Braingeyser Camouflage Chaos Orb Clone Consecrate Land Contract from Below Copper Tablet Copy Artifact Cyclopean Tomb Darkpact Demonic Attorney Demonic Hordes Demonic Tutor Dwarven Demolition Team Earthbind False Orders Farmstead Fastbond Forcefield Fork Gauntlet of Might Granite Gargoyle Guardian Angel Ice Storm Illusionary Mask Invisibility Jade Statue Juggernaut Kudzu Lance Lich Living Wall Mox Emerald Mox Jet Mox Pearl Mox Ruby Mox Sapphire Natural Selection Nettling Imp Plateau (Brudi) Plateau (Tucker) Psionic Blast Raging River Regrowth Resurrection Roc of Kher Ridges Rock Hydra Sacrifice Savannah Scrubland Sedge Troll Sinkhole Sol Ring Taiga Time Vault Time Walk Timetwister Tropical Island Tundra Two-Headed Giant of Foriys Underground Sea Vesuvan Doppelganger Veteran Bodyguard Volcanic Island Wheel of Fortune Word of Command Arabian Nights -------------- Ali from Cairo Bazaar of Baghdad City in a Bottle Diamond Valley Drop of Honey Elephant Graveyard Guardian Beast Ifh-Biff Efreet Island of Wak-Wak Jihad Juzam Djinn Khabal Ghoul King Suleiman Library of Alexandria Merchant Ship Old Man of the Sea Pyramids Ring of Ma'ruf Sandals of Abdallah Serendib Djinn Shahrazad Singing Tree Ydwen Efreet Antiquities ---------- Argivian Archaeologist Candelabra of Tawnos Citanul Druid Damping Field Gaea's Avenger Gate to Phyrexia Golgothian Sylex Haunting Wind Martyrs of Korlis Mightstone Mishra's Workshop Power Artifact Powerleech Su-Chi Tawnos's Coffin Transmute Artifact Urza's Miter Weakstone Legends ------- The Abyss Acid Rain Adun Oakenshield Al-abara's Carpet Alchor's Tomb All Hallow's Eve Angus Mackenzie Bartel Runeaxe Boris Devilboon Caverns of Despair Chains of Mephistopheles Cleanse Disharmony Divine Intervention Elder Spawn Eureka Falling Star Field of Dreams Firestorm Phoenix Forethought Amulet Gosta Dirk Gravity Sphere Gwendlyn Di Corci Halfdane Hazezon Tamar Hellfire Imprison In the Eye of Chaos Infinite Authority Invoke Prejudice Jacques le Vert Jovial Evil Knowledge Vault Kobold Overlord Lady Caleria Lady Evangela Land Equilibrium Life Matrix Lifeblood Living Plane Livonya Silone Mana Matrix Master of the Hunt Mirror Universe Moat Mold Demon Nether Void North Star Nova Pentacle Pixie Queen Planar Gate Quarum Trench Gnomes Ragnar Ramses Overdark Rapid Fire Rasputin Dreamweaver Reverberation Ring of Immortals Rohgahh of Kher Keep Spinal Villain Spiritual Sanctuary Storm World Sword of the Ages The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale Telekinesis Tetsuo Umezawa Thunder Spirit Tuknir Deathlock Typhoon Ur-Drago Willow Satyr Wood Elemental The Dark -------- City of Shadows Cleansing Eternal Flame Exorcist Frankenstein's Monster Goblin Wizard Grave Robbers Hidden Path Knights of Thorn Lurker Mana Vortex Martyr's Cry Nameless Race Niall Silvain Preacher Psychic Allergy Scarwood Bandits Season of the Witch Sorrow's Path Stone Calendar Tracker Worms of the Earth Wormwood Treefolk Please visit our official Web page at "http://www.wizards.com/"! Charles Keith-Stanley werewolf@wizards.com Cyberspace Coordinator liaison@wizards.com Wizards of the Coast, Inc. http://www.wizards.com Date: Mon, 11 Mar 1996 17:57:15 -0800 From: Beth Moursund Subject: [O] Pro Tour FAQ Frequently Asked Questions Magic: The Gathering Pro Tour Updated March 7, 1996, NOON In 1996, the Magic: The Gathering Pro Tour offers $1,000,000 in cash and scholarship prizes in a six-city tour with five professional tournaments and the World Championship. Magic: The Gathering (R) Professional Tournament(TM) Long Beach, California The second Magic: The Gathering Professional Tournament will be held in Long Beach, California, May 3-5, 1996, and will offer $130,000 in cash and scholarship prizes. The top 64 competitors from the professional tournament in New York are invited to compete in the second professional tournament along with the top 25 ranked Duelists' Convocation members and top finishers of qualifier tournaments. Where: Hotel Queen Mary When: May 3-5, 1996 1126 Queens Highway Prizes: Long Beach, California Seniors/Open: $100,000 Cash purse (310) 435-3511 Juniors: $30,000 in Scholarship money Play: Booster Draft The Booster Draft must consist of (2) Fourth Edition booster packs and (1) Homelands booster pack to provide 38 cards for each player. 1. The Booster Draft format is played in circles of eight players. 2. Each player opens (1) one of the boosters, sifts through the cards to choose (1) one card, then passes the remaining cards to the player on his or her left. The booster must be kept face-down the entire cycle. 3. Once all cards in the booster pack have been chosen, another booster pack is opened up and drafted in the same fashion, except the direction of drafting is reversed. Continue this process until all booster packs have been drafted. 4. Ante cards are not permitted in the Booster Draft format. All ante cards in initial boosters are replaced by a judges' pick from a random stack of cards. 5. Sealed deck rules apply in the Booster Draft. 6. Players may add as many lands as needed to play a minimum 40 card deck. Land may be supplied by the judge or the player. Cost: No entrance Fee for Competitors $5.00, Daily admission fee for spectators Hotel Information Where: Hotel Queen Mary Phone: 1-800-437-2934/310-435-3511 Cost: Room prices range from $84-114. The venue is a boat featuring unique room and bed sizes. Suites are also available. Please ask reservations for more information. LIMITED TO SPACE How to Qualify for the second Professional Tournament Competitors qualify for the second professional tournaments in the following ways: 1 Finishing at the top 64 in previous professional tournament (New York). 2 The 25 ranked Duelists' Convocation members announced April 1, 1996. The DC is the official membership and sanctioning organization for Magic: The Gathering. By competing in sanctioned tournaments, all DC members can improve their rank and take one step closer to the Pro Tour. 3 Qualifier Tournaments Finishing at the top in qualifier tournaments. Winners automatically enter the Professional Tournament. Qualifier tournaments precede each professional tournament in regions across North America and around the world. JUNIORS: Competitors 18 years of age and younger who qualify in Open Divisions of Qualifier tournaments may choose to compete in the Junior Division of Professional Tournaments. Competitors 18 years of age and younger who qualify in Junior Divisions of Qualifier tournaments may only compete in the Junior Division of Professional Tournaments. Players who choose to compete in the Junior Division of the second Professional Tournament and turn 19 after May 5, 1996, but before July 7, 1996, must play in a qualifier tournament to enter the Senior/Open division of the third Professinal Tournament. Wizards of the Coast, Inc. will announce the dates and locations of qualifier tournaments in all regions of the U.S. and the world as they become available. Check our web site (http://www.wizards.com) for up to date information on Qualifier tournaments in your part of the country. ADVANCE PHONE REGISTRATION AVAILABLE BEGINNING MARCH 18. Phone number to be announced on the 18th. ADVANCE REGISTRATION ENTRY FEE FOR QUALIFIER TOURNAMENTS $25. Please visit our official Web page at "http://www.wizards.com/"! Charles Keith-Stanley werewolf@wizards.com Cyberspace Coordinator liaison@wizards.com Wizards of the Coast, Inc. http://www.wizards.com Date: Mon, 11 Mar 1996 17:57:46 -0800 From: Beth Moursund Subject: [O] Mirage FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Carrie Thearle Sue-Lane Wood Media Relations Wizards of the Coast, Inc. (206) 226-6500 NEW EXPANSION! NO ILLUSION! Wizards of the Coast, Inc. Introduces Upcoming Magic: The Gathering(R) Set March 8, 1996 (Seattle, Wash.) -- A tropical adventure awaits fans of the popular trading card game Magic: The Gathering when Wizards of the Coast(R) releases the game's newest expansion this October. The set, Mirage(TM), is the second Magic expansion that can be played as a stand-alone game or as a standard expansion set. "Mirage can be played with the basic Magic set, Ice Age(TM) or by itself," said Bill Rose, one of the designers of Mirage. As a result, the cards will be sold in 60-card decks and 15-card booster packs. The story behind Mirage is set in a tropical continent called Jamuraa, on the equator of Dominaria -- one of many planets in the multiverse of Dominia. Teferi's Isle, off the coast of Jamuraa, disappears after a wizard's time experiment goes wrong. "More than 100 years pass and the island reappears -- its inhabitants are horrified by the unrest that's erupted in the land while they've been gone," said Rose. "War soon breaks out." Over 300 new cards make up Mirage. Wizards of the Coast will introduce new rules variants as well as a special series of collectible cards in the set. More details will be released in the coming months. Mirage is the tenth Magic expansion set, and is suitable for entry level to experienced players. Wizards of the Coast is a game manufacturer based in Seattle, Washington. In August 1993, the company created a worldwide sensation when it released Magic: The Gathering -- so big was the initial demand for the game that the first print run of 10 million cards sold out in six weeks instead of the originally estimated six months. To date, more than one billion cards have sold worldwide and the game is translated in five languages: French, Spanish, German, Portuguese, and Italian. A Japanese translation will be released this April. Wizards of the Coast has branches in Glasgow, Scotland; Antwerp, Belgium; and Paris, France. The company currently employs more than 250 people among its four locations. Please visit our official Web page at "http://www.wizards.com/"! Charles Keith-Stanley werewolf@wizards.com Cyberspace Coordinator liaison@wizards.com Wizards of the Coast, Inc. http://www.wizards.com Date: Thu, 14 Mar 1996 17:33:06 -0800 From: Beth Moursund Subject: [O] Ice Age ends FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Sue-Lane Wood Carrie Thearle Media Relations Wizards of the Coast, Inc. (206) 226-65000 GOING, GOING. . . GONE! Ice Age(TM) expansion print run ends June 1996 March 11, 1996 (Seattle, Wash.) -- Wizards of the Coast, Inc. announced today that Ice Age(TM), the first Magic: The Gathering(R) stand-alone expansion set will no longer be printed. The current supply is expected to sell out by June 1996. Sales for Ice Age have been consistently strong and the company expects the remaining product to move quickly off the shelves. "We planned for Ice Age to last about a year -- and it has," said Carol Monahan, Director of Sales and Logistics at Wizards of the Coast(R). "We have enough product in the warehouse to last through June and will continue to fulfill orders on a first-come, first-served basis." Ice Age has experienced ongoing popularity since its release last June. So strong is support for the set that the next Magic expansion, Alliances(TM), continues the story that began in the Ice Age set. Scheduled for release early this summer, Alliances can be played with both Ice Age cards and the basic Magic: The Gathering set. Recently, Wizards of the Coast released its policy for reproducing Magic cards. Under this policy, a significant number of Ice Age cards will not be reproduced. Please refer to the Magic reprint policy for more details, or contact Wizards of the Coast. Retailers are encouraged to contact their distributors to secure their supply of Ice Age cards. Wizards of the Coast is a game manufacturer based in Seattle, Washington. In August 1993, the company created a worldwide sensation when it released the first trading card game Magic: The Gathering. So big was the initial demand for the game that the first print run of 10 million cards sold out in six weeks instead of the originally estimated six months. To date, more than one billion cards have sold worldwide and the game is translated in five languages: French, Spanish, German, Portuguese, and Italian. A Japanese translation will be released this April. Wizards of the Coast has branches in Glasgow, Scotland; Antwerp, Belgium; and Paris, France. The company currently employs more than 250 people among its four locations. Please visit our official Web page at "http://www.wizards.com/"! Charles Keith-Stanley werewolf@wizards.com Cyberspace Coordinator liaison@wizards.com Wizards of the Coast, Inc. http://www.wizards.com Date: Fri, 29 Mar 1996 11:29:06 -0800 From: Beth Moursund Subject: [O] New errata on Fire Covenant I just got a new ruling from the rules team. Fire Covenant is to read as follows: Fire Covenant 1RB Instant Pay X life to do X damage divided any way you choose among any number of targets. This loss of life cannot be prevented or redirected. Apparently this errata changes fire covenant into a one card channelball. Have fun! Please visit our official Web page at "http://www.wizards.com/"! Charles Keith-Stanley werewolf@wizards.com Cyberspace Coordinator liaison@wizards.com Wizards of the Coast, Inc. http://www.wizards.com *snicker* Date: Thu, 18 Apr 1996 17:45:01 -0700 From: Beth Moursund Subject: [O] Alliances pre-release tournaments & pro tour qualifiers Play It Now Wizards of the Coast, Inc. presents an exciting weekend of Magic: The Gathering(R) tournaments. Saturday, May 18 (in North America) or Sunday, May 19 (in Europe and Japan) Alliances(TM) Prerelease Tournament Experience the next limited-edition expansion to Magic: The Gathering and Ice Age(TM). Format: Swiss-style with single-elimination rounds for the top 16. Each player receives one Ice Age starter deck, two booster packs from Alliances, and five basic lands. Players will be allowed to keep their cards. Prizes will include Alliances and Ice Age boosters, Alliances T-shirts and mugs, a really cool trophy, and an embroidered Nightmare jean jacket. Prizes may vary slightly in Europe, Japan, and Brazil. Alliances cards will not be available for sale. Sunday, May 19 (in North America only) Qualifier Tournament for the $1,000,000 Pro Tour(TM) The two top finishers in the qualifier tournament will be awarded entry and airfare to the $155,000 Columbus, OH, Professional Tournament, July 4-7, at Origins(TM) '96. Format: Type II with five cards minimum from the following expansions: Fallen Empires(TM), Homelands(TM), Ice Age, Chronicles(TM), and Fourth Edition(TM). Preregistration (North America only) Call (619) 738-2379, 8:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m. (PST) Visa, MasterCard, Discover Price Preregistration entry fee is $25 for the prerelease, $15 for the qualifier. On-site registration is $30 for the prerelease, and $18 for the qualifier. Locations Atlanta Castle Gate Hotel, 1750 Commerce Drive NW, Atlanta, GA (800) 824-8657 For more information, call David Doust at (305) 661-9526 or send email to efreet@shadow.net May 18 only: Registration at 8:30 a.m., tournament at 10 a.m. There will be no qualifier on May 19. Chicago Inland Meeting & Expo Center, 400 East Ogden Avenue, Westmont, IL (708) 850-7000 For more information, call Jim Kiefer at (847) 956-7548 or send email to MageIth@aol.com May 18 & 19: Registration at 9 a.m., tournament at 11 a.m. Denver The Regency Hotel, 3900 Elati Street, Denver, CO (303) 458-0808 For more information, call Eric Smith at (303) 366-3977 May 18 & 19: Registration at 9 a.m., tournament at 10 a.m. New York New Yorker Hotel, 34th Street & 8th Avenue, New York, NY (212) 971-0101 (May 18 prerelease tournament) Neutral Ground, 291 7th Avenue, 9th floor, New York, NY (May 19 qualifier tournament) For more information, call Gray Matter Conventions at 1 (800) 344-4263 or (212) 633-1288; send email to graymatter@expressways.com May 18: Morning tournament-registration at 9 a.m., tournament at 10 a.m. Afternoon tournament-registration at 2 p.m., tournament at 4 p.m. May 19: Registration at 11 a.m., tournament at 12 p.m. Seattle Wizards of the Coast(R) Official Tournament Center, 1801 Lind Avenue SW, Renton, WA For more information, call the Tournament Center hotline at (206) 204-5899 May 18 & 19: Registration at 9 a.m., tournament at 10 a.m. Toronto Triumph Howard Johnson Plaza, 2737 Keele Street, Toronto, Ontario (416) 636-4656 For more information, call Marvin Pagiurigan at (905) 524-5725 or Ralph Pagiurigan at (905) 686-9115 May 18 & 19: Registration at 8 a.m., tournament at 9 a.m. On-site price is $40 (CAN) Washington, D.C. Wheaton Community Center, 11711 Georgia Avenue, Wheaton, MD, (301) 929-5500 For more information, call Michael Chealst at (410) 766-8071 May 18 & 19: Registration at 9 a.m., tournament at 10 a.m. Tokyo, Japan Yoyogi Zenriren Building, Shibuya-Ku Yoyogi 1-36, Tokyo For more information, call Mr. Toshihiro Takeda at Hobby Japan (81) 3354-9341 May 19: Tournament runs 9 a.m.-9 p.m. (invitation only) Sao Paolo, Brazil Encontro Internacional de RPG For more information, call Mr. Douglas Q. Reis at Devir Livraria, Ltda. (55) 11-242-8200 May 26 Locations and contact information for the following international tournaments will be available shortly: Bologna, Italy Rome, Italy Dijon, France Zurich, Switzerland Vienna, Austria Dusseldorf, Germany United Kingdom Dordrecht, Holland Barcelona, Spain Madrid, Spain More Information For more information in North America, call Wizards of the Coast Customer Service at (206) 624-0933, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m.-6 p.m. (PST). Wizards of the Coast and Magic: The Gathering are registered trademarks of Wizards of the Coast, Inc. Magic: The Gathering Pro Tour is a trademark of Wizards of the Coast, Inc. Copyright (C)1996 Wizards of the Coast, Inc. All rights reserved. Please visit our official Web page at "http://www.wizards.com/"! Charles Keith-Stanley werewolf@wizards.com Cyberspace Coordinator liaison@wizards.com Wizards of the Coast, Inc. http://www.wizards.com Date: Wed, 1 May 1996 13:50:20 -0700 From: Beth Moursund Subject: [O] Sale of SLA Industries FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Sue-Lane Wood Wizards of the Coast, Inc. (206) 226-6500 Matt Murray Jageeda Publishing (206) 298-9917 SLA Industries(TM) SOLD Wizards of the Coast, Inc. Sells Third Roleplaying Line April 30, 1996 (Seattle, Wash.) -- Wizards of the Coast(R) announced today that it has sold its third roleplaying line, SLA Industries. Jageeda Publishing, a Seattle-based and newly-formed game company, has acquired the publishing rights to the roleplaying line. Wizards of the Coast announced its strategic decision to discontinue the game last December when the company reported it would no longer support its roleplaying lines. "The transfer of SLA Industries to Jageeda moves Wizards of the Coast one step closer to fulfilling our commitment to players in finding new homes for its roleplaying lines," said Peter Adkison, CEO and President of Wizards of the Coast. "Jageeda Publishing will give players the opportunity to continue enjoying the game." Jageeda's initial product plans for SLA Industries include actively pursuing the game's roleplaying & fiction lines. Company principals include Matt Murray (dboy@wizards.com), Katherine Sifers, Brian "Chippy" Dugan, and Dave Allsop, one of the original creators of SLA Industries. Set in a dark and futuristic world of corporate paranoia and media saturation, characters must overcome gangs, mutated monstrosities, the company's own Internal Affairs agents and worst of all -- the dreadful truth about the World of Progress: survival. Earlier this year, Wizards of the Coast sold two of its four roleplaying lines, Everway(TM) and Ars Magica(TM), to Pagan Publishing and Atlas Games respectively. Wizards of the Coast is a game manufacturer based in Seattle, Washington. In August 1993, the company created a worldwide sensation when it released Magic: The Gathering -- so big was the initial demand for the game that the first print run of 10 million cards sold out in six weeks instead of the originally estimated six months. To date, more than one billion cards have sold worldwide and the game is translated in six languages: French, Spanish, German, Portuguese, Italian, and Japanese. Wizards of the Coast has branches in Glasgow, Scotland; Antwerp, Belgium; and Paris, France. The company currently employs more than 250 people among its four locations. For more information on Wizards of the Coast, visit the company's website at http://www.wizards.com Please visit our official Web page at "http://www.wizards.com/"! Charles Keith-Stanley werewolf@wizards.com Cyberspace Coordinator liaison@wizards.com Wizards of the Coast, Inc. http://www.wizards.com Date: Thu, 9 May 1996 20:33:57 -0700 From: Beth Moursund Subject: [O] Rules Group 5/8/96 ===== WotC Rules Group Magic rulings, 5/8/96 ===== "DO X TO DO Y" EFFECTS In the past, various effects have been written in the "Do X to do Y" format. In some cases, X was a cost that was paid at the time the spell or ability was played. In others, X was an effect that occurred during resolution, and Y happened only if X happened successfully. As of June 1, 1996, this distinction will be eliminated. In all "Do X to do Y" formats, X is a cost that is required to play the spell or ability. This follows all the normal rules for costs: you must pay it as the ability is played, there is no way to prevent paying the cost, you don't recover the cost if the effect is countered, and so on. Note that this entails various reversals, re-reversals, and so forth. For example, the cards discarded for effects like Recall and Ring of Renewal are now discarded as a cost of playing the spell. If the effect is countered, you don't get the cards back, and if you have Library of Leng in play, you don't get to discard the cards onto your library, as the discard is now considered to be voluntary. Furthermore, special costs are now always written in the "Do X to do Y" format. Any existing cards that don't use this format (Mana Batteries, Conch Horn, and so on) should be assumed to have errata to match this format. The specific rewrites will appear in a future compilation of errata. GENERAL RULINGS The following rulings are meant to clarify the rulebook, and how the game in general works: 1) Certain cards, such as Elkin Bottle and Ice Cauldron, set a card aside and let you "Play it as if it were in your hand." This only means that you follow the normal rules for playing the spell, such as obeying the laws of sorceries, paying mana normally, and so on. The card is not actually in your hand in any way: It doesn't count towards your seven card limit, can't be discarded by Mind Twist, can't be chosen for Recall or Willow Priestess's ability, can't be put on an Ice Cauldron (see the errata below), and so on. 2) Creatures with a power of less than 0 are treated as having 0 power for all purposes except raising its power again. Yes, this means a creature with negative power will deal 2 damage via Farrel's Mantle. The same rule applies to a creature's toughness; for example, it's not possible to take negative damage from Creature Bond. REVERSALS The following rulings reverse previous rulings by the rules team and/or the Netreps: 1) Enchantments such as Mind Whip and Erosion have an upkeep cost of their own, rather than giving the enchanted creature, land, and so on an upkeep cost. For example, if a creature is enchanted with Mind Whip, you can use the creature's abilities without having paid the enchantment's upkeep cost. CARD ERRATA The following rulings involve card errata, or at least reading cards slightly differently: 1) Time Vault is reworded as follows to restore it to its original intent: "Comes into play tapped. Does not untap as normal. If Time Vault is tapped at the beginning of your turn and does not have a turn counter on it, you may skip your turn to untap Time Vault and put a turn counter on it. {tap}: Remove the turn counter from Time Vault to take an additional turn immediately before the next normal turn." 2) Illusionary Terrain should read as changing all lands of a basic land type to the basic land type of your choice. This means it will now convert multilands. 3) Ice Cauldron should say to put a spell card from your hand on the Cauldron. 4) If Voodoo Doll is untapped at the end of a turn, it is destroyed regardless of whether you prevent the damage it deals to you for being untapped. 5) Chaos Lord checks to see whether it switches controllers during each and every upkeep, not just yours. 6) Bartel Runeaxe is an invalid target for all creature enchantments, not just spells of that type. SPECIFIC CARD RULINGS 1) If the upkeep cost imposed by Musician's music counters is not paid, the permanent with the counters is assumed to be destroying itself, just as if it started play with the upkeep cost. 2) If you draw a creature card while you have Enduring Renewal in play, discard it as a triggered effect. This means the draw effect finishes resolving before you discard the creature. For example, if you drew the creature via Brainstorm, you can put the creature card back on top of your library before being forced to discard it (in which case it stays in your library). 3) Eye for an Eye targets the damage being dealt to you and so can be Deflected. 4) If Vexing Arcanix is used on a player whose library is empty, the effect simply does nothing rather than damaging the player. 5) Kobolds are considered to be red cards while in your hand. Date: Fri, 10 May 1996 16:07:56 -0700 From: Beth Moursund Subject: [O] For Immediate Release - PT2 Open Division Finishers Open Division Participants Magic: The Gathering(R) Second Professional Tournament (Long Beach, CA, May 3-5, 1996) Open Division Place-Finishers Champion Shawn "Hammer" Regnier Manchester, NH 27 Runner-up Tom Guevin Nashua, NH 22 Semifinalist Darwin Mess Allston, MA 24 Semifinalist Mark Venhaus Hawthorne, CA 26 Quarterfinalist Scott Johns Northridge, CA 23 Quarterfinalist Preston Poulter Irvine, CA 22 Quarterfinalist Vaughn Sandor Woodbridge, NJ 28 Quarterfinalist Jeff Wood Mountain View, CA 30 Round of 16 George Baxter Dallas, TX 23 Round of 16 Chris Bishop Charlottesville, VA 28 Round of 16 Dominic Crapuchettes Annapolis, MD 26 Round of 16 Frederik Foure Devon, PA 23 Round of 16 David Humphreys Somerville, MA 23 Round of 16 Bryan McKinty Sudbury, Ontario, Canada 22 Round of 16 MacKenzie Patterson Jr. Carmel, CA 54 Round of 16 Matt Place Kansas City, MO 20 17th Derek Rank Centreville, VA 24 18th Bruce Swiney Tacoma, WA 20 19th Chris Berryman La Canada, CA 27 20th Henry Stern Los Angeles, CA 28 21st Sean Fleischman Bronx, NY 26 22nd Michael Loconto Grafton, MA 26 23rd James McGovern Middle Village, NY 31 24th Mark Justice West Valley City, UT 25 25th Andre Redi Cilavena (PV), Italy 26 26th Matt Hyra Seattle, WA 26 27th Kevin Grubb Topeka, KS 32 28th Mark Hendrickson Covina, CA 25 29th Chris McMahon Freemont, NE 25 30th Michael Long Centreville, VA 21 31st Cory Jones Capo Beach, CA 25 32nd Shannon Hill Lubbock, TX 27 33rd Frank Gilson Anaheim, CA 28 34th Minh Huynh Mesquite, TX 22 35th Nate Clarke Londonderry, NH 15 36th Joshua Bradford Tallahassee, FL 22 37th John Immordino Carmichael, CA 20 38th Eric Tam Toronto, Ontario, Canada 19 39th Jean-Luc Park New York, NY 25 40th Mike Murphy Kenilworth, NJ 27 41st Mark Chalice Claremont, CA 24 42nd Dan Lofgren Milpitas, CA 35 43rd Ken Roth Glendale Heights, IL 25 44th Hiroki Katsuya Shimoigusa, Tokyo, Japan 28 45th John Chinnock Summit, NJ 24 46th Patrick Albro Rochester, NY 23 47th Jan Maarten Cobben Groningen, Netherlands 35 48th Jeff Pysher Newark, DE 32 49th David Dittmer Acton, MA 21 50th Thierry Dallacroce Calabasas, CA 24 51st Nick Hsieh Forest Hills, NY 29 52nd Scott Gregory Reinfeld Boynton Beach, FL 19 53rd Brian Weissman Goleta, CA 21 54th Sean Conway Abington, MA 31 55th Matt Bordeaux Fayetteville, AR 22 56th Jeremiah Tollman Denver, CO 23 57th Edward Willis Boise, ID 37 58th James Higa Lancaster, CA 24 59th Bo Bell San Dimas, CA 23 60th Neil Guthrie Johannesov, Sweden 35 61st Toshiki Tsukamoto Toshima-ku, Tokyo, Japan 29 62nd Robert Muranaka Layton, UT 26 63rd Kirk Simmons Wayzatha, MN 24 64th Dominic Symens Brussels, Belgium Other Open Division Participants (in alphabetical order) David Adkins Loisville, TN 29 Frank Adler Koln, Germany Gabriel Alonso Mount Laurel, NJ 24 Biren Amin Laurel, MD 27 Thomas Andersson Taby, Sweden 25 Marc Aquino Ithaca, NY 25 Clementine Bagieu Paris, France 19 Zane Barker Albuquerque, NM 27 Scott Becker San Luis Obispo, CA 23 Bill Bennett Brampton, Ontario, Canada 18 Dennis Bentley Churchville, NY 27 Julia Berggren San Diego, CA 19 Ben Bleiweiss Great Neck, NY 20 Alexander Blumke Thonex, Switzerland 27 Stephane Bolduc Verdun, Canada 25 Brian Bouton Keswick, VA 57 Jeff Broido San Diego, CA 22 Shayne Brown Vista, CA 23 Kurt Burgner Torrance, CA 25 Scott Burke Corvallis, OR 27 Elliot Campbell Lincoln, NE 20 David Clement France Clint Couse Rolla, MO 25 Shawn Davies Ottawa, Ontario, Canada 22 Richard Davis Orem, UT 33 Zak Dolan San Mateo, CA 26 Jeff Dollarhide Los Angeles, CA 25 Robert Dougherty Cambridge, MA 26 Michael Dove Los Angeles, CA 24 Rudy Edwards Fayetteville, NC 21 Matthew Elias Lansdale, PA 16 Doug Evans Lincoln, NE 51 Brian Fernandez Campbell, CA 32 Ron Fraigun Tujunga, CA 31 Javier Garavito Kent, WA 24 Chuck Gegax Rohnert Park, CA 28 Jeremy Genrich Omaha, NE 19 Matthew Gomez Albuquerque, NM 20 Lucas Gonzalez Miami, FL 27 David Goodnuff Cranbury, NJ 23 Adam Green Nashua, NH 21 Michael Gurney Winnipeg, MB, Canada Michael Gutierrez El Paso, TX 27 Brian Hacker San Diego, CA 21 Robert Hahn New York, NY 24 Lee Hansen Birmingham, AL 28 Sam Heckman Elgin, IL 19 Bill Hodack Syracuse, NY 20 Ty Holcomb V Vancouver, WA Kimmo Hovi Kaarina, Finland 18 Alec Hsu Palo Alto, CA 29 David Johnson Brooklyn Park, MN 29 Dale Kennedy Toronto, Ontario, Canada 19 Eric Kirkman Denver, CO 27 CharlesLancaster Reno, NV Dennis Lee Charlotte, NC 26 Darin Leighton Lubbock, TX 31 James Lemire Southboro, MA 26 Bertrand Lestree Camberly, France 25 Leon Lindback Stockholm, Sweden 20 Rich Lipman Rochester, NY 39 Caroline Liu Los Angeles, CA 20 Joel Lytle Boise, ID 28 Kai Martin Winfield, IL 22 Colin Mayfield Citrus Heights, CA Adam Maysonet Sunrise, FL 25 Lee McLain Cuyahoga Falls, OH 27 Eric Nakayama San Diego, CA 27 Cary Newburger New York, NY 37 Randal Newell Long Beach, CA 28 Cuong Nguyen Cupertino, CA 33 Dennis Nichols Omaha, NE 24 Paul Pantera Cupertino, CA 26 Jason Pass Regina, SK, Canada Bob Perez Redmond, WA 43 Tom Pettigrew Anchorage, AK 30 Chris Pikula Ithaca, NY 21 Gabriele Pisicchio Rome, Italy David Price Ithaca, NY 20 Donald Price Las Vegas, NV 25 Brian Pugnier San Pedro, CA 21 Michael Pustilnik Silver Spring, MD 30 Brett Quorn Woodland, WA 18 Patrick Rateliff Winona, MN 24 Mario Robaina Manhattan Beach, CA 24 James Robinson Walnut, CA 31 Michael Rose Lincoln, NE 20 Mike Ruff Scottsville, NY 32 Ricard Garcia Saldana Barcelona, Spain 21 Arjan Salomons Leiden, Netherlands Bryan Sammon Carrolton, TX 16 Oliver Schneider Haringey, London, United Kingdom Justin Schroeder Ft. Collins, CO 21 Blaise Selby Iowa City, IA Matt Simmons Cerritos, CA 21 Lauri Sipi Helsinki, Finland Jim Skinner Seattle, WA 28 Paul Sligh Atlanta, GA 33 Brian Smith Sunnyvale, CA 29 Michael Sochon Brie-Conte-Robert, France 19 Eric Strome Simi Valley, CA 38 Ryan Stubblefield San Louis Opispo, CA 19 Chris Suver Seattle, WA 40 Matthew Thornton Chicago, IL 17 Vincent Tong Foster City, CA Leroy Traxel Golden, CO 19 Martin Trummel Friedrichsdorf, Germany Joel Unger Santa Barbara, CA 25 Patrick Vanbeek Orlando, FL 23 Robert Watkins Sunnyvale, CA 30 Eric Wenokor Brooklyn, NY 35 Nathan Wildgrube New York, NY 25 Paul Wilkens Tallahassee, FL 25 Jonathan Willis Fredrick, MD 20 Yuri Yoffe Sudbury, MA 18 Please visit our official Web page at "http://www.wizards.com/"! Charles Keith-Stanley werewolf@wizards.com Cyberspace Coordinator liaison@wizards.com Wizards of the Coast, Inc. http://www.wizards.com Date: Fri, 10 May 1996 16:08:47 -0700 From: Beth Moursund Subject: [O] For Immediate Release - PT2 Junior Division Finishers Junior Division Place Finishers Magic: The Gathering(R) Professional Tournament (Long Beach, CA, May 3-5, 1996) Champion Max Szlagor Schaumburg, IL 17 Runner-up Paul McCabe Toronto, Ontario, Canada 18 Semifinalist Jason Norment Hackettstown, NJ 17 Semifinalist Brian Wilson Redmond, WA 17 Quarterfinalist Michael Bregoli Southwick, MA 17 Quarterfinalist Jason dela Cruz San Jose, CA 15 Quarterfinalist Gregory Kleiman Linden, NJ 16 Quarterfinalist Jason Zila Huntington Beach, CA 16 Round of 16 Steven O'Mahoney-Schwartz Brooklyn, NY 15 Round of 16 Jon Saso Cupertino, CA 17 Round of 16 Brad Swan Landenberg, PA 16 Round of 16 MacKenzie Patterson III Carmel, CA 17 Round of 16 Matt Woods Rohnert Park, CA 18 Round of 16 James Murphy Arlington, TX 16 Round of 16 Phillip Hua San Jose, CA 16 Round of 16 David Bachmann Linden, NJ 15 17th Chris Cade San Jose, CA 18 18th Adam Clarke Lancaster, CA 12 19th Jess Means Columbus, OH 14 20th Brendon Herzog Portland, OR 18 21st Aaron Smith Rosamond, CA 18 22nd Alexander Zane Tujunga, CA 16 23rd Yubin Tao Mountain View, CA 16 24th Jon Finkel Fanwood, NJ 17 25th Yan Ebyam Pomona, CA 18 26th Tony Lau Idaho Falls, ID 16 27th James West Mount Vernon, WA 18 28th Todd Miller Santa Barbara, CA 18 29th Taej Mulugeta Mtn. View, CA 16 30th Charles Kornblith Pasadena, CA 13 31st Zachary Enos Santa Barbara, CA 18 32nd Billy Regan Hermosa Beach, CA 17 33rd Aaron Terry Plantation, FL 17 34th Kevin 'Righteous' Reed Manchester, NH 17 35th Lee Thompson Reno, NV 18 36th Gabriel Aid Tarzana, CA 15 37th Nate Foure Devon, PA 17 38th Henry Johnson San Luis Opispo, CA 17 39th Trevor Blackwell Modesto, CA 16 40th Feming Chan Cranbury, NJ 15 41st Daniel O'Mahoney-Schwartz Brooklyn, NY 16 42nd Heath Jennings Sacramento, CA 18 43rd Brian Wood Redondo Beach, CA 18 44th Bobby Dietzel Milpitas, CA 16 45th Noah Weil St. Paul, MN 16 46th Tris Davenport Walnut Creek, CA 47th Paul Hudson Plantation, FL 16 48th Graham Tatomer Santa Barbara, CA 17 49th Jeanette Clausen Long Beach, CA 15 50th Mauricio Blanco Northridge, CA 17 51st Matthew Perez Redmond, WA 15 52nd Matthew McComb Santa Barbara, CA 16 53rd Josh Sellers Tujunga, CA 15 54th Max Suver Seattle, WA 15 55th Ken Habel Fenton, MO 17 56th Nathaniel DiMaggio Pacific Grove, CA 16 57th Casey McCarrel Lafayette, CA 58th Patrick Fleischman Bronx, NY 14 59th Anthony Corpin Redondo Beach, CA 16 60th David Orkand Carmichael, CA 14 61st Daniel Donahue Cupertino, CA 18 62nd Kent Kolbig New Fairfield, CT 17 63rd Chris Faas Oceanside, CA 18 64th Tyler Gurciullo Los Angeles, CA 12 65th Ryan Sturm Sillwater, MN 18 66th Itaru Ishida Meguro-ku, Tokyo, Japan 16 67th David Steel Ojai, CA 68th Justin Schneider Lutherville, MD 14 69th Matthew, Kursar Rancho Palos Verdes, CA 14 70th Guy Roney Carlsbad, CA 18 71st Jason Rodriguez Arlington, TX 17 72nd Sarah Perez Redmond, WA 13 73rd Jean-Paul DiFranco Los Angeles, CA 10 74th James Takenaga Riverside, CA 75th Jimmy Gray San Jose, CA 15 76th Jon-Paul Barbier Monterey, CA 12 77th Joshua Willis Frederick, MD 14 78th Rob Bolick Las Vegas, NV 18 79th Wai Lau Lake Forest, CA 16 80th Chris Gutierrez Carlsbad, CA 18 81st Gavin Kleinhen-Price Sultan, WA 16 82nd Marie Suver Seattle, WA 83rd Aaron Kline East Winsor, NJ 18 84th Daniel Barry Stockton, CA 16 85th Lon Skyler Smith Grass Valley, CA 17 86th Ross Sclafani Brooklyn, NY 18 87th Nathan Grubb Kansas City, MO 15 88th David Lin Lawrence, KS 19 89th Jesse Powell Stockton, CA 15 90th Steve Hirsch Wantagh, NY 14 91st David Strunk Stanton, CA 13 92nd James (Bo) Andreatta Reno, NV 18 93rd Jon Wong Hillsborough, CA 16 94th Travis Richardson Los Angeles, CA 17 95th Audrius Auizienis Santa Monica, CA 16 96th Branden Smeltzer Redondo Beach, CA 16 97th Desmund Wu Redondo Beach, CA 16 98th Robert Barnett Rio Linda, CA 99th Jared Thomas Reno, NV 14 100th Sean Baskerville Rohnert Park, CA 16 101st Matt Provenzano Sparks, NV 18 102nd Jang Son Torrance, CA 18 Please visit our official Web page at "http://www.wizards.com/"! Charles Keith-Stanley werewolf@wizards.com Cyberspace Coordinator liaison@wizards.com Wizards of the Coast, Inc. http://www.wizards.com Date: Mon, 13 May 1996 19:14:18 -0700 From: Beth Moursund Subject: [O] Alliances at U.S. Nationals ALLIANCES(TM) TO BE INCLUDED IN TYPE II AT U.S. NATIONALS! The Duelists' Convocation International (DCI) wishes to announce that the newest Magic: The Gathering(R) expansion, Alliances(TM), will be permitted in Type II tournament decks used at the 1996 U.S. National Championships at Origins '96 (July 4-7, Columbus, OH). The estimated retail-release date for Alliances is, at this time, June 11; according to DCI Type II tournament rules, the card set would therefore not normally be permitted in sanctioned Type II tournaments until July 11. However, due to the prestigious and exciting nature of the U.S. Nationals, DCI has granted an exception to the rule for the duration of the event. DCI is currently reviewing a provision to the existing rule which would give organizers of premiere events (such as National Championships, the Pro Tour and Qualifiers) the option to include new expansions in Type II tournaments as soon as they are released. Please visit our official Web page at "http://www.wizards.com/"! Charles Keith-Stanley werewolf@wizards.com Cyberspace Coordinator liaison@wizards.com Wizards of the Coast, Inc. http://www.wizards.com Date: Thu, 16 May 1996 20:33:05 -0700 From: Beth Moursund Subject: [O] Pro Tour II Results FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Carrie Thearle or Sue-Lane Wood Jeffrey Nead or Kirsten Merit Wizards of the Coast Glodow Coats & Nead (206) 226-6500 (415) 864-2333 NEW PROFESSIONAL CHAMPIONS CROWNED FOR SECOND LEG OF $1,000,000 MAGIC: THE GATHERING(R) PRO TOUR(TM) Wizards of the Coast, Inc. Awards $130,000 in Prizes for Long Beach Tournament May 10, 1996 (Seattle, WA) -- Shawn "Hammer" Regnier and Max Szlager demonstrated their mastery of "Magic" by winning the second round of the million-dollar Magic: The Gathering(R) Pro Tour in Long Beach, California last weekend. Regnier, a 27-year-old comic store owner from Manchester, New Hampshire, captured first place in the Open (Seniors) competition after he defeated 22-year-old finalist Thomas Guevin, also of New Hampshire, in a grueling five-hour final match. Regnier garnered $17,000 and Guevin took home $10,000. "The final match was really exciting. Both of us fought up until the last play," said Regnier. "I can't tell you how great it feels to be rewarded for something you love to do." In the Juniors competition, 17-year-old Max Szlager returned to Schaumburg, Illinois with an $8,400 scholarship after defeating 18-year-old Paul McCabe of Toronto, Canada in the final showdown. Other top contenders in the Juniors and Seniors competition include: Seniors Quarterfinalists: Darwin Mess (Kastle), Allston, MA Mark Venhaus, Hawthorne, CA Junior Quarterfinalists: Brian Wilson, Redmond, WA Jason Norment, Hackettstown, NJ The Long Beach Professional Tournament was the second stop on the six-city, $1,000,000 Pro Tour, which kicked off in New York in February. Wizards of the Coast, Inc., publisher of the popular card game Magic: The Gathering, invited more than 300 players from approximately 15 countries to the Long Beach event. Players traveled to Southern California to compete for cash prizes and scholarships totaling $130,000. This year's four remaining tournaments will take place in the following locations: Location Date Purse Columbus, Ohio July 4-7 $155,000 Seattle, Washington August 17-18 $200,000 Atlanta, Georgia September $205,000 Dallas, Texas November $250,000 Wizards of the Coast is a game manufacturer based in Seattle, Washington. In August 1993, the company created a worldwide sensation when it released Magic: The Gathering. So big was the initial demand for the game that the first print run of 10 million cards sold out in six weeks instead of the originally estimated six months. To date, more than one billion cards have sold worldwide and the game is translated in six languages: French, Spanish, German, Portuguese, Italian and Japanese. Wizards of the Coast has branches in Glasgow, Scotland; Antwerp, Belgium; and Paris, France. For more information on Wizards of the Coast, visit the company's website at http://www.wizards.com Please visit our official Web page at "http://www.wizards.com/"! Charles Keith-Stanley werewolf@wizards.com Cyberspace Coordinator liaison@wizards.com Wizards of the Coast, Inc. http://www.wizards.com Date: Tue, 21 May 1996 09:49:10 -0400 From: "Peter F. Varcoe" Subject: Alliance/Pro/Regional Events Phil Romans wrote: > How many were at the various Alliances previews? I have heard that > they all ran relatively long. The SE held about 300 and was pretty well > run, although it too did take a while. We had 470 at the Seattle tournament, and the computer program we were using to do the pairings was single-user so we couldn't have several people entering results simultaneously. So the initial registration and all of the end-of-round result entering took longer than anyone was comfortable with. The programmer is currently on vacation, but as soon as he gets back, putting in multi-user capabilities is going to be way up there on his "to do" list. I'll take the liberty of re-ordering the replies here a bit to bring Chris's comments about that tournament next to this... From: Chris Foley > Subject: WotC Alliances Tourney Report > - Mark Chalice led ALL day and went undefeated until at least the 6th swiss > round. I didn't get a description of his deck. Mark Justice went > undefeated in the first half then dropped a bit, but still made the cut (top > 16 went to single elimination). The #1 player after swiss was named "Flex" > which was awesome. I hope you won, Flex! =) I made 13th after Swiss. Mark Justice went on to win it, beating Mark Chalice in the quarter-finals. > - public to Richard Garfield: pal, take some of that money and buy a BIG air > conditioner for your tournament centre =). Also, get the tournament > organizers some HELP. There seemed to be about 4 people actually RUNNING > the tournament (not counting "support" workers like those who were sorting > land, etc.) For BIG events, there should be WAY more helpers. Hell, go > downstairs and recruit people by offering free cards for 2 hours of help. The tournament center (including the air conditioning!) is being expanded and remodeled. I believe that by the time the World Championships come around, most or all of that building will be tournament center. We had no shortage of volunteers; the problem was the bottleneck at the computer, as mentioned just above. A few more rules-expert judges would have been nice, so people wouldn't have to yell across the room to get a judge to their table when a question came up, but it wouldn't have speeded things up. > Can any WotC employee or Seattle resident give me a run-down of the > Tournament Center events for May and June weekends? I lost my cool calendar > sheet and can't find ANY info on the web site. They haven't published a schedule for June yet. I believe that there's a Pro Tour qualifier in Portland on June 15th, and another in Seattle on June 22nd, but I don't know about any of the regular tournaments. From: Jeff Alexander > >As of June 1st, all of the A's in "Do A to do B" will be treated as > >costs, no matter what A consists of. This makes the rulings much > >simpler and eliminates a lot of weird special cases. > > Will Eater of the Dead receive *more* errata now? Or will > it be able to empty all graveyards of all creatures at any time > that it's tapped? The current (errata-ed) wording for Eater of the Dead is: "0: Untap Eater of the Dead to remove target creature in the graveyard from the game." This doesn't need any changes for the new ruling. The cost will be "zero mana plus untap Eater of the Dead." If the Eater is already untapped, then you can't pay the cost, so you can't use the ability. From: Graham Lally > Is it true WotC are planning to stop printing Islands, or is this just my > mate having me on? (I think he got it from a recent Duellist or something...) Either your mate is having you on, or he fell victim to the April Fool's article in the Duelist. Tell him to read the fine print at the end and think about it for a few minutes. From: mlautman > 1. When is Alliances supposed to come out? > 2. When is Mirage supposed to come out? > 3. I here some guys on the list and around here talking about how cool > alliances is going to be because of all the strong cards it'll have. But if > the cards ARE very strong they'll be banned, no? 1. June 11th. 2. Next fall. Possibly premiering at the September Pro Tour, which was listed as Mirage Sealed Deck. 3. You'll have at least 3 months to abuse them before any of them can be restricted. If something proves to be too unbalancing, then it will probably end up being restricted. If it's still too unbalancing, it might eventually be banned. (Personally, I think the Zuran Orb should have been banned last winter, but it's still only restricted...) - Beth Moursund (bethmo@wizards.com) MTG-L NetRep for Wizards of the Coast Date: Sun, 2 Jun 1996 20:04:54 -0700 From: Beth Moursund Subject: [O] DCI June Rules Update OFFICIAL CHANGES TO THE BANNED/RESTRICTED LISTS EFFECTIVE JULY 1, 1996 DCI notifies its members of changes in the Type I and Type II Banned and Restricted Lists only on specific dates each year! To refresh your memories: Type I: March 1, September 1 Type II: March 1, June 1, September 1, December 1 And now, without further ado... TYPE II RESTRICTED LIST * Land Tax is added TYPE II BANNED LIST * No alterations Please visit our official Web page at "http://www.wizards.com/"! Charles Keith-Stanley werewolf@wizards.com Cyberspace Coordinator liaison@wizards.com Wizards of the Coast, Inc. http://www.wizards.com Date: Wed, 5 Jun 1996 12:58:08 -0700 From: Beth Moursund Subject: [O] Magic Quick Start set FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Carrie Thearle Sue-Lane Wood Media Relations Wizards of the Coast, Inc. (206) 226-6500 A QUICK START TO A QUALITY GAME Announcing an Introductory Set to Magic: The Gathering(R) June 5, 1996 (Renton, Wash.) -- Wizards of the Coast, Inc. will tap into a new pool of players when the company launches a distinctly different line of Magic: The Gathering playing card decks this summer. In July, the game manufacturer will introduce the Magic: The Gathering Quick Start(TM) set, one that is ideal for teaching new people how to play the card game. "Quick Start is a simple, step-by-step way to learn the game," said Richard Garfield, creator of Magic. The set, titled Rivals, is made up of two preconstructed decks that contain 56 cards each. Included with the decks are guides, which take each player through the first game. The set also comes with quick-reference cards that summarize the rules, creature combat and resolution, and show the components of an individual Magic card. The Magic Quick Start set costs $19.95 and will be sold through hobby and game stores, as well as book, music and software outlets. Wizards of the Coast plans to release two more Quick Start sets in the near future. The sets will vary in the kinds of cards that make up the decks, how quickly they play, the level of strategy involved and the emphasis on the story behind the cards. Intellectual sports from chess to bridge have long been the games of choice for those looking to challenge their minds. These days, people are spending their free time playing the new strategy card game Magic: The Gathering. Magic has grown into a game phenomenon, with players around the world matching wits in a fantastic card battle of wizards and spells. Wizards of the Coast created a whole new category of games when it released the first collectible card game, Magic: The Gathering, in 1993. So big was the initial demand for the game that the first print run of 10 million cards sold out in six weeks instead of the originally estimated six months. To date, more than one billion cards have sold worldwide and the game is translated in six languages: French, Spanish, German, Portuguese, Italian and Japanese. Late in 1996, Wizards of the Coast will release a Chinese version and a Korean version of Magic. Wizards of the Coast has branches in Glasgow, Scotland; Antwerp, Belgium; and Paris, France. For more information on Wizards of the Coast, visit the company's website at http://www.wizards.com # # # Please visit our official Web page at "http://www.wizards.com/"! Charles Keith-Stanley werewolf@wizards.com Cyberspace Coordinator liaison@wizards.com Wizards of the Coast, Inc. http://www.wizards.com Date: Tue, 11 Jun 1996 01:23:09 -0700 From: Beth Moursund Subject: [O] Magic the Puzzling (Unofficial note from BethMo: buy this book, it's great! And I tested all the puzzles and proofread the solutions, so hopefully Mark's evil twin didn't manage to sneak in and mess anything up...) FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Sue-Lane Wood Carrie Thearle Media Relations Wizards of the Coast, Inc. (206) 226-6500 MAGIC: THE PUZZLING Wizards of the Coast, Inc. Introduces a Book of Magic Puzzles and Brainteasers June 4, 1996 (Seattle, Wash.) -- If you like the game, you will love the book. Wizards of the Coast, Inc. introduces Magic: The Puzzling, a full-color, soft-bound book derived from the internationally best-selling trading card game Magic: The Gathering(R). Based on Mark Rosewater's regular column in The Duelist(TM), Magic: The Puzzling features 25 new Magic puzzles and brainteasers never seen before. Rosewater is a full-time member of Wizards of the Coast's research and development team. The book includes a foreword and a specially-featured puzzle from Magic creator Richard Garfield. Magic: The Puzzling offers players and puzzle fans the opportunity to test their skills against a maze of mind-bending riddles and tests. Each volume includes puzzle hints and a guide to all of the cards in the book. Puzzles range from simple, intermediate, advanced to fiendishly difficult. Each is beautifully-illustrated, featuring the dazzling art of Magic: The Gathering. "In each puzzle, I try to get the solver to tackle a problem that forces him or her to use cards in an unorthodox manner," said Mark Rosewater. "By making a player regularly reexamine the cards, I hope to teach the ultimate lesson of Magic-that you should always keep your mind open to all the options." Magic: The Puzzling is scheduled to hit the shelves by the end of June and will retail for $13.95. In August 1993, Wizards of the Coast created a worldwide sensation when it released Magic: The Gathering-so big was the initial demand for the game that the first print run of 10 million cards sold out in six weeks instead of the originally estimated six months. To date, more than one billion cards have sold worldwide and the game is translated in six languages: Japanese, French, Spanish, German, Portuguese, and Italian. Late in 1996 WotC will release a Chinese and Korean version of Magic. Wizards of the Coast has branches in Glasgow, Scotland; Antwerp, Belgium; and Paris, France. The company currently employs more than 250 people among its four locations. For more information on Wizards of the Coast, visit the company's website at: http://www.wizards.com. Please visit our official Web page at "http://www.wizards.com/"! Charles Keith-Stanley werewolf@wizards.com Cyberspace Coordinator liaison@wizards.com Wizards of the Coast, Inc. http://www.wizards.com Date: Wed, 26 Jun 1996 21:51:14 -0700 From: Beth Moursund Subject: [O] PT3/US Nationals Cybercast The Magic: The Gathering Pro Tour Goes Live Online! Mark July 7, 1996 on your calendar as a milestone for Magic online. On that day, Wizards of the Coast's own Duelist Magazine, in conjunction with Monsterbit Media, will broadcast live on the internet the final rounds of both the third stop of the Magic: The Gathering Professional Tour and the 1996 US National Championships. No more waiting for skimpy tournament reports from the exhausted participants. No more waiting weeks or even months for your favorite magazine to do a write-up on the tour. The Duelist Magazine will bring it to you as it happens in the comfort of your own home. This broadcast will be accomplished using RealAudio(TM) and CU-SeeMe(TM) technology, which will allow all of you with access to the Internet to download the free player software and hook into the broadcast live from your homes. The RealAudio software will allow you to hear the game announcers call the play by play, just like the people who are watching it live on-site. The CU-SeeMe software will allow you to see the action, using a live broadcast feed direct from the tournament site. All in all, the action and tension of the 3rd Pro Tour and the US National Championships will be piped to your living room through your trusty computer modem. The final rounds of the Pro Tour will start at 8:30 AM EDT, with the final rounds of the US Nationals starting at 2:30 PM EDT. Visit The Duelist web site at http://www.wizards.com/Duelist and download the free RealAudio and CU-SeeMe or Enhanced CU-SeeMe Demo software, and then get ready to enjoy the action as it unfolds. This is an online event that you won't want to miss, and the beginning of a great Magic tradition. We look forward to seeing you online! Lisa Stevens Charles Keith-Stanley Vice President Cyberspace Coordinator Events Marketing Online Team Wizards of the Coast, Inc. Wizards of the Coast, Inc. RealAudio is a trademark of Progressive Networks. CU-SeeMe is a trademark of Cornell University and its collaborators. Please visit our official Web page at "http://www.wizards.com/"! Charles Keith-Stanley werewolf@wizards.com Cyberspace Coordinator liaison@wizards.com Wizards of the Coast, Inc. http://www.wizards.com Date: Fri, 28 Jun 1996 15:08:32 -0700 From: Beth Moursund Subject: [O] Rules Group 6/27/96 General Rulings The following rulings are meant to clarify the rulebook, and how the game in general works: 1) MAJOR CHANGE: Abilities can no longer be "pumped" if you are capable of paying their cost more than once. Whenever you play an ability, you pay its cost once for each time you generate that effect. For example, you can no longer pay {B}{B}{B} to have Pestilence deal 3 damage as a single effect but would have to play the ability three times, paying {B} and dealing 1 damage each time. 2) ANOTHER BIG CHANGE: We have also eliminated most of the timing rules for decisions required by a spell or ability. The general rule is now as follows: If the decision involves seeing hidden information (such as the contents of someone's library) or choosing cards in someone's hand (other than as a cost), then the decision is not made until resolution. All other decisions are made when the spell or ability is played. The caster of the spell decides first. All that matters is what the decision is about, not who is making it; the rules for your opponent are the same as for you. This change engenders various minor reversals throughout the card set, which aren't really worth listing here. For example, players now must choose how many cards to draw for Diminishing Returns when the spell is played, not during resolution, and Vexing Arcanix now requires that the card be named when the ability is played, not when the effect resolves. Certain types of card text will systematically override this rule, such as on spells and abilities like Mind Bomb that allow players to prevent their effects. Obviously, the text on existing cards can also create exceptions to the rule; no errata are being issued to eliminate these. (For example, the decisions required for Balance are considered to hinge on hidden information.) 3) Previously it was ruled that if someone plays an effect that lasted "until end of turn" during the Heal Creatures phase, the "until end of turn" part of the effect is ignored. Similarly, any "at end of turn" effects generated during Heal Creatures are ignored. This rule should be extended so that it is in force once "at end of turn" effects have begun resolving. For example, an Ivory Gargoyle returns to play at end of turn; if it then dies due to a Vibrating Sphere, ignore the "return at end of turn" effect that triggers as a result. 4) If Mana Flare is in play and a land's ability produces more than one type of mana at the same time, the extra mana can be of any of these types. For example, if you tap Balduvian Trading Post for {1}{R} while Mana Flare is in play, you choose whether an extra {1} or an extra {R} is produced. Remember that this does not apply to lands that produce distinct types of mana; for example, Badlands only produces either black or red mana each time it is tapped for mana. 5) Permanents that cannot be the target of enchantments can still be targeted by the abilities of enchantments. For example, while Veteran's Voice (creature enchantment) cannot be played on Bartel Runeaxe (cannot be the target of creature enchantments), its ability may target Bartel normally. 6) Certain effects, such as Sustaining Spirit's, will prevent damage from reducing your life total below a certain amount. These effects trigger at the end of damage prevention, and total up all of the damage being dealt to you. If that would reduce your life total to below the threshold of the effect, the excess damage is prevented Qyou choose which. For example, a Sengir Vampire and Hypnotic Specter deal damage to you while you are at 2 life; Sustaining Spirit will prevent 5 damage, which could include all of the Specter's damage and most of the Vampire's. This same ruling applies to Ali from Cairo. Remember that effects that prevent your life total from being reduced below a certain amount have no effect if it is already below that amount. 7) If a spell or ability targets something to pay a cost, it cannot fizzle against that target when it resolves. For example, Benthic Explorers instructs you to "untap target tapped land an opponent controls" as the cost of its effect; the fact that the land will (typically) be untapped when the effect resolves won't cause the effect to fizzle. 8) If a creature is given rampage twice, its total rampage value is equal to the sum of the rampage values. For example, if you play Rapid Fire on Gabriel Angelfire and then use his upkeep ability to give him rampage, he will have a total of rampage: 5. REVERSALS 1) Glyph of Doom was misfiled when we made the rulings on blocking abilities last year. It actually destroys all creatures that the target wall is blocking at the time the spell resolves, though not until end of combat. 2) Mind Bomb does not force you to discard cards to prevent its damage, so Library of Leng does not allow you to discard them to the top of your library. 3) The second ability of Mishra's Factory is "this card becomes an Assembly Worker." The ability can be used if the card is already an Assembly Worker; this will also reset the land's base power and toughness to 2/2 if an effect had changed them. CARD ERRATA 1) The errata for Eater of the Dead has been scrolled back to one of the earlier versions: "{0}: Remove a creature card in any graveyard from the game to untap Eater of the Dead. Use this ability only while Eater of the Dead is tapped." While this allows a single tapped Eater to empty the graveyards of creatures, this is less undesirable than having it loop with enchantments like Krovikan Plague. 2) When Lord of Tresserhorn comes into play, you lose 2 life rather than paying 2 life, so your life total goes down if it's below 2. 3) Magus of the Unseen has the same errata as Ray of Command: the artifact only becomes tapped if you lose control of it at end of turn. 4) Arcum's Whistle, Nettling Imp, Norritt, and Siren's Call only force creatures to attack during the turn in which the spell or ability is played, not for the rest of the game. SPECIFIC CARD RULINGS None. Tom Wylie | What is the difference between apathy and ignorance? aahz@wizards.com | I don't know, and I don't care. Date: Mon, 1 Jul 1996 19:51:31 -0700 From: Beth Moursund Subject: [O] Battletech FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Sue-Lane Wood Wizards of the Coast, Inc. (206) 204-7702 Jill Lucus FASA Corporation (312) 243-4847 BattleTech(TM) Blasts Into the Trading Card Market Wizards of the Coast, Inc., and FASA To Produce Game July 1, 1996 (Renton, Wash.) -- Now the world of the MechWarrior(TM) comes to life in a new collectable trading card game. Wizards of the Coast, Inc. and FASA have announced plans to release a trading card game based off of the popular BattleTech(R) universe. Richard Garfield, creator of Magic: The Gathering(R), leads the game's design team. The BattleTech card game is expected to hit the shelves in November. BattleTech takes you into the world of the 31st century world, where war has become a way of life. You pilot the ultimate suit of armor -- The BattleMech(R): thirty feet tall and weighting up to 100 tons! This humanoid machine is a walking arsenal bristling with enough firepower to level a city. Cards in the BattleTech card game represent individual BattleMechs, units of infantry, strategic locations, and legendary individuals from the BattleTech universe. The TCG will come packaged in both 60 card-starter decks and 15 card-booster packs. Wizards of the Coast and FASA signed a licensing agreement in the summer of 1994 to produce the game and have worked together closely to make the BattleTech card game as successful as the rest of the BattleTech universe. In August 1993, Wizards of the Coast created a worldwide sensation when it released Magic: The Gathering -- so big was the initial demand for the game that the first print run of 10 million cards sold out in six weeks instead of the originally estimated six months. To date, more than one billion cards have sold worldwide and the game is translated in six languages: Japanese, French, Spanish, German, Portuguese, and Italian. A Chinese edition is scheduled for release this summer. Wizards of the Coast has branches in Glasgow, Scotland; Antwerp, Belgium; and Paris, France. The company currently employs more than 250 people among its four locations. For more information on Wizards of the Coast, visit the company's website at: http://www.wizards.com. FASA Corporation is a Chicago-based company best known for its BattleTech, Shadowrun(R), and Earthdawn(TM) worlds. The BattleTech game is in its third edition and is the basis for video games, toys, and virtual reality centers, as well as an upcoming animated television series and a feature length movie from New Line. Please visit our official Web page at "http://www.wizards.com/"! Charles Keith-Stanley werewolf@wizards.com Cyberspace Coordinator liaison@wizards.com Wizards of the Coast, Inc. http://www.wizards.com Date: Tue, 2 Jul 1996 15:40:19 -0700 From: Beth Moursund Subject: [O] Battletech (revised) FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Sue-Lane Wood Media Relations Wizards of the Coast, Inc. (206) 204-770 BATTLETECH(R) BLASTS INTO THE TRADING CARD MARKET Wizards of the Coast, Inc., and FASA to Produce Game July 1, 1996 (Renton, Wash.) -- Now the world of the MechWarrior(R) comes to life in a new trading card game. Wizards of the Coast, Inc. and FASA Corporation have announced plans to release a trading card game based on the popular BattleTech universe. Richard Garfield, creator of Magic: The Gathering(R), leads the game's design team. The BattleTech card game is expected to hit the shelves in November. BattleTech takes you into the world of the 31st century, where war has become a way of life. You pilot the ultimate suit of armor, the BattleMech(R), a 30-foot tall contraption weighing up to 100 tons! This humanoid machine is a walking arsenal bristling with enough firepower to level a city block. Cards in the BattleTech card game represent individual BattleMechs, units of infantry, strategic locations and legendary individuals from the BattleTech universe. The trading card game will come packaged in both 60-card starter decks and 15-card booster packs. Wizards of the Coast and FASA signed a licensing agreement in the summer of 1994 to produce the game and have worked together closely to make the BattleTech card game as successful as the rest of the BattleTech universe. In August 1993, Wizards of the Coast created a worldwide sensation when it released Magic: The Gathering. So big was the initial demand for the game that the first print run of 10 million cards sold out in six weeks instead of the originally estimated six months. To date, more than one billion cards have sold worldwide and the game is translated in six languages: Japanese, French, Spanish, German, Portuguese, and Italian. A Chinese edition is scheduled for release this summer. Wizards of the Coast has branches in Glasgow, Scotland; Antwerp, Belgium; and Paris, France. The company currently employs more than 250 people among its four locations. For more information on Wizards of the Coast, visit the company's website (http://www.wizards.com). FASA Corporation, founded in 1980 by Jordan Weisman and L. Ross Babcock III, has become one of the most successful adventure game companies in the world through the production of BattleTech(R), and Shadowrun(R) and Earthdawn(R). BattleTech products are available in 13 languages and 22 countries. The universe has spawned toys, video games, virtual reality centers and was the basis for MechWarrior 2; the 7th-best-selling CD-ROM game in 1995. For more information visit the FASA website at: http://www.FASA.com. ### Please visit our official Web page at "http://www.wizards.com/"! Charles Keith-Stanley werewolf@wizards.com Cyberspace Coordinator liaison@wizards.com Wizards of the Coast, Inc. http://www.wizards.com Date: Mon, 15 Jul 1996 20:41:21 -0700 From: Beth Moursund Subject: [O] PT3 and US Nationals FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Carrie Thearle Public Relations Wizards of the Coast, Inc. (206) 204-7695 MAGIC WHIZZES GATHER TO CAST CARDS IN COLUMBUS $155,000 Awarded & U.S. Title Given in Weekend Tournaments July 12, 1996 (Seattle, Washington) -- A fast deck of cards helped a 17-year-old Swede crush his opponents to become the new Master division champion of the Magic: The Gathering(R) Pro Tour(TM). Olle Rade of Goteborg, Sweden, took home the grand champion prize of $22,000 when he defeated 26-year-old Sean Fleischman of New York, 3-1, in the finals last weekend in Columbus, Ohio. Rade's victory in the championship round came in less than two hours. In the Junior division, two friends who built their decks together battled it out for first and second place. Eighteen-year-old Terry Borer, of North York, Ontario, Canada beat comrade Paul McCabe of Toronto, 3-2, to win an $8,400 scholarship. Borer and McCabe played with nearly identical decks. More than 200 players from around the world competed in the third professional tournament. The following is a breakdown of the finalists: Master Division Champion Olle Rade 17 $22,000 Goteborg, Sweden Finalist Sean Fleischman 26 $12,800 Bronx, New York Semifinalist Peter Radonjic 20 $7,500 Vancouver, B.C., Canada Semifinalist Alvaro Marques 25 $7,500 London, Ontario, Canada Junior Division Champion Terry Borer 18 $8,400 North York, Ontario, Canada Finalist Paul McCabe 18 $5,000 Toronto, Ontario, Canada Semifinalist David Parker 16 $2,900 Rochester, New York Semifinalist Jon Finkel 18 $2,900 Fanwood, New Jersey Coinciding with the Pro Tour competition was the 1996 Magic U.S. National Championship. Twenty-seven-year-old Dennis Bentley of Churchville, New York was crowned the champion after he defeated Texan George Baxter, 3-0. The U.S. Nationals finalists: Name Age Home Champion Dennis Bentley 27 Churchville, New York Finalist George Baxter 23 Dallas, Texas Semifinalist Michael Long 21 Centreville, Virginia Semifinalist Matthew Place 20 Kansas City, Missouri Representing the United States, these finalists will form one of two dozen international teams to compete in the Magic World Championships August 14-18 in Seattle, Washington. The audio and video from the finals and semifinals of both the U.S. Nationals and the Pro Tour were broadcast live, for the first time in the history of the events, "real time" over the Internet. Monsterbit Media, specializing in websites and Internet services for the arts and entertainment industry, facilitated the webcast, sponsored by The Duelist. The broadcast attracted hundreds of participants over the course of the day. Origins '96, one of the largest adventure game conventions in the United States, formed the backdrop for the U.S. Nationals and the Pro Tour. The Pro Tour's other 1996 stops include: Location Date Purse (cash & scholarships) 1995/1996 Season Seattle, Washington August 14-18 $200,000 (World Championships) 1996/1997 Season Atlanta, Georgia September 13-15 $205,000 Dallas, Texas November $250,000 Wizards of the Coast, Inc. created the Magic Pro Tour in response to players' requests to see tournament play taken to a higher level. The professional circuit debuted last February in New York. Wizards of the Coast will award more than $1,000,000 in cash and scholarships this year. Intellectual sports from chess to bridge have long been the games of choice for those seeking to challenge their minds. These days, people spend their free time playing the strategy trading card game Magic: The Gathering. Magic has grown into a game phenomenon, with players around the world matching wits in a fantastic card battle of wizards and spells. Wizards of the Coast created a whole new category of games when it released the first trading card game, Magic: The Gathering, in 1993. To date, more than two billion cards have sold worldwide. The game is currently available in seven languages: French, Spanish, German, Portuguese, Italian, Japanese and English. Late in 1996, Wizards of the Coast will release a Chinese version and a Korean version of Magic. Wizards of the Coast is headquartered in Renton, Washington, with other offices in Glasgow, Scotland; Antwerp, Belgium; and Paris, France. For more information on Wizards of the Coast, visit the company's website at . Please visit our official Web page at "http://www.wizards.com/"! Charles Keith-Stanley werewolf@wizards.com Cyberspace Coordinator liaison@wizards.com Wizards of the Coast, Inc. http://www.wizards.com Date: Sat, 20 Jul 1996 18:47:47 -0700 From: Beth Moursund Subject: [O] Arena Launches August 2 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Carrie Thearle Jeffrey Nead, or Public Relations Kirsten Merit Wizards of the Coast Glodow Coats & Nead (206)204-7695 (415)864-2333 WIZARDS OF THE COAST LAUNCHES ARENA -- THE LEAGUE FOR MAGIC: THE GATHERING(R) August 2 Debut in Albuquerque for Unprecedented Game League July 19, 1996 (Seattle, Washington) -- Wizards of the Coast, Inc., makers of Magic: The Gathering (one of the world's best selling games for the past three years) has announced the launch of Arena, the first-ever nationwide in-store Magic league organized and administered by the game manufacturer. Arena will premier in Albuquerque, New Mexico along with nine other cities and outlying areas on August 2, with play in an additional 20 cities added by the end of the year. Arena's Summer Season, kicks off Friday, August 2, and runs 38 days. Similar in concept to a bowling or chess league, players will compete in weekly Magic duels at participating retailers and other sanctioned locations. Results will be tabulated by Wizards of the Coast, with special prizes awarded to high-ranking players. Arena will feature a national ranking system (updated weekly on the World Wide Web), allowing players to compare themselves to fellow league participants around the world. In addition, Arena will offer unique Magic prizes and giveaways, including alternative-art cards exclusive to the league. Magic enthusiasts in the Albuquerque-area interested in joining Arena can register and get more information at: Wargames West on Central 3422 Central Avenue Albuquerque Phone: (505) 265-6100 The first duel of the Summer Season begins at 9:00 a.m. on Friday, August 2, with weekly duels throughout the season, ending September 8. Players interested in more information on the league can check out the Arena website at or call Wizards of the Coast(R) Customer Service at (206) 624-0933. "The creation of Arena is an unprecedented event in the adventure game industry," said Richard Garfield, creator of Magic: The Gathering. "The ranking system and standardized format of play across the league will allow players around the world to actually compete against one another. And, the league is designed to accommodate Magic enthusiasts of all playing levels." The Summer season of Arena will launch in 10 U.S. cities: * Albuquerque * Los Angeles * Atlanta * New York City * Boston * Philadelphia * Chicago * San Francisco * Dallas * Seattle After an 11-day hiatus, Arena will return on September 20 to kick off the Harvest Season, expanding its list of participating cities to include Cleveland, Columbus, Denver, Detroit, Houston, Miami, Minneapolis, Phoenix, San Diego and Washington, D.C. The Autumn Season begins November 8 in an additional 10 cities: Baltimore, Cincinnati, Kansas City, Milwaukee, Pittsburgh, Norfolk, Portland, Sacramento, St. Louis and Tampa-St. Petersburg. "Within the next year, we expect Arena to run coast to coast, in Canada and Europe," said Peter Adkison, Wizards of the Coast President and CEO. "Within a couple years, the league should be everywhere: fully automated, instant feedback, worldwide." Intellectual sports from chess to bridge have long been the games of choice for those looking to challenge their minds. These days, people are spending their free time playing the strategy card game Magic: The Gathering. Magic has grown into a game phenomenon, with players around the world matching wits in a fantastic card battle of wizards and spells. Wizards of the Coast created a whole new game genre when it released the first trading card game, Magic: The Gathering, in 1993. To date, more than two billion cards have sold worldwide. The game is available into seven languages: French, Spanish, German, Portuguese, Italian, Japanese and English. Later in 1996, Wizards of the Coast will release a Chinese version and a Korean version of Magic. The Seattle game manufacturer tapped into a new pool of players with the release of the Magic: The Gathering Quick Start(TM) set in July. Titled Rivals, this new set is ideal for teaching new people how to play the card game; the set includes preconstructed decks and will take each player through their first game step-by-step. For more information on Wizards of the Coast, visit the company's website . Please visit our official Web page at "http://www.wizards.com/"! Charles Keith-Stanley werewolf@wizards.com Cyberspace Coordinator liaison@wizards.com Wizards of the Coast, Inc. http://www.wizards.com Date: Thu, 1 Aug 1996 20:58:50 -0700 From: Beth Moursund Subject: [O] Rules Group 7/29/96 General Rulings The following rulings are meant to clarify the rulebook, and how the game in general works: 1) If the resolution of a triggered effect causes new effects to trigger, the new effects are resolved before any other triggered effects would resolve. For example, a Kjeldoran Dead is enchanted with False Demise, and is then Incinerated while a Soul Net is in play. If False Demise's effect resolves first, the Dead's "when it comes into play, sacrifice a creature" effect will resolve before the Soul Net's effect can be used. 2) Lake of the Dead says it is buried, not sacrificed, if you do not sacrifice a swamp when it comes into play. This leads to a damage-prevention step, during which you can use the Lake's mana-producing abilities before it is put into the graveyard. The same ruling applies to Kjeldoran Outpost, and the other related lands. No, we do not plan to issue errata for these lands. Reversals 1) Each effect that requires you to skip the next instance of a given phase requires you to skip another such phase; you must skip an appropriate number of phases before you can proceed through that phase normally. For example, each Ivory Gargoyle death requires you to skip a later draw phase, and you can't proceed through a draw phase if you have any such effects remaining. However, you may choose to let other effects force you to skip a given phase, and defer the specific instruction you were given to do so. For example, if Necropotence is in play when you would begin your draw phase, you can let Necropotence skip that phase for you, rather than using up a Gargoyle death. If you keep doing this, then if and when Necropotence leaves play, you will start skipping draw phases for the Gargoyle death(s). Note that the rule about skipping phases to pay costs is unchanged: you can only "spend" a phase once a turn, and only before you would get to that phase. Also note that this means that (for example) spending your draw phase on Fasting will delay the effect of a Gargoyle's death. Card Errata The following rulings involve reading cards slightly differently: 1) Dance of Many's target is chosen when the enchantment is played, not when it comes into play. 2) If Titania's Song leaves play, its effects only last until the end of the turn. Specific Card Rulings 1) If a Sheltered Valley is converted to another land type, and then reverts to being a Sheltered Valley, it is not considered to be "coming into play", so will not bury any other Sheltered Valleys you might control. (The similar rule that governs legendary lands does not apply to Sheltered Valley.) Tom Wylie | What is the difference between apathy and ignorance? aahz@wizards.com | I don't know, and I don't care. Date: Mon, 5 Aug 1996 17:44:29 -0700 From: Beth Moursund Subject: [O] 1996 World Championships FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Carrie Thearle Sue-Lane Wood Wizards of the Coast (206)226-6500 INTELLECTUAL OLYMPICS COME TO SEATTLE Wizards of the Coast to Host Magic(TM) World Championships August 5, 1996 (Seattle, Wash.) -- The game industries top intellectual athletes will make their way to Seattle, August 14-18, when Wizards of the Coast, Inc. hosts the third annual Magic: The Gathering(R) World Championships. The world-class event will take place at the game manufacturer's headquarters in Renton, Washington. Competitors from more that 25 countries will play for $200,000 in cash prizes and the title of World Champion. Magic: The Gathering is the 'hot' new strategy card game that has become the intellectual sport of the '90s. Often played in a tournament setting, amateur and professional Magic players compete throughout the year to receive rankings and win prizes. The World Championships represent the culmination of the tournament season as players from around the world compete in this "Olympics style" Magic event. "Currently, the world is focused on the Olympic Games in Atlanta," said Peter Adkison, President and CEO of Wizards of the Coast. "The Games bring together people from all over the world to celebrate athletics and the human spirit. We wanted to create a similar celebration with the Magic World Championships -- to celebrate and recognize intellect and the human mind." Among the 28 nations to compete, Hungary, Iceland, Israel, Japan, Mexico, Philippines, Portugal and South Korea will compete in the Championships for the first time. Top finishers from this season's Magic: The Gathering Pro Tour(TM), top-ranked players in the Duelists' Convocation International(TM) (Wizards of the Coast's official Magic player organization) and the finalists from the 1995 World Championships will also compete for the prize distinction of World Champion. The event is open to the public Thursday, August 15, through Sunday, August 18. Spectators will have the opportunity to meet and mingle with international Magic players, play other Wizards of the Coast(R) games, such as Netrunner(R), RoboRally(R), and The Great Dalmuti(TM), attend artist signings, and more. Admission is $5 per day or $15 for a four-day pass. For more information contact Wizards of the Coast customer service at (206) 624-0933. Wizards of the Coast created a whole new category of games when it released the first trading card game, Magic: The Gathering, in 1993. To date, more than 2 billion cards have sold worldwide. The game is currently available in eight languages: English, French, Spanish, German, Portuguese, Italian, Japanese and Chinese. Late in 1996, Wizards of the Coast will release a Korean version of Magic. Wizards of the Coast is headquartered in Renton, Washington, with other offices in Glasgow, Scotland; Antwerp, Belgium; and Paris, France. For more information on Wizards of the Coast, visit the company's website at . # # # Please visit our official Web page at "http://www.wizards.com/"! Charles Keith-Stanley werewolf@wizards.com Cyberspace Coordinator liaison@wizards.com Wizards of the Coast, Inc. http://www.wizards.com Date: Wed, 7 Aug 1996 20:27:27 -0700 From: Beth Moursund Subject: [O] MCI to sponser Magic Pro Tour FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Carrie Thearle Paul Adams Wizards of the Coast MCI Telecommunications (206)204-7695 (770)668-6406 MCI TO SPONSOR MAGIC: THE GATHERING(R) PRO TOUR(TM) Licensing Agreement Also Includes Prepaid Phone Cards August 7, 1996 (Seattle, Wash.) -- Wizards of the Coast, Inc., makers of the popular Magic: The Gathering trading card game, has reached a licensing agreement with MCI Telecommunications to sponsor the $1,000,000 Magic: The Gathering Pro Tour. The comprehensive multi-year relationship gives MCI exclusive rights to produce and distribute Magic prepaid telephone calling cards worldwide. As part of the agreement, MCI will develop a unique interactive voice retrieval system, which Magic players around the world can access to get frequent tournament ranking results. "I am very excited about this relationship and the value it will bring to Magic players around the world," said Peter Adkison, President and CEO at Wizards of the Coast. "Wizards of the Coast was founded with the vision of elevating the stature of the adventure gaming industry. Sponsorship of the Magic Pro Tour by a blue chip international corporation like MCI is a milestone not only for Wizards of the Coast, but for the entire industry." "MCI is thrilled to be a part of the Magic Pro Tour," said Jeff Lindauer, Director of MCI Prepaid Card Services. "This relationship provides MCI with an unrivaled vehicle for reaching players, ages 18 to 34, typically a difficult audience to reach. Magic's international popularity provides us with an incredible platform for leveraging the worldwide demand for Magic prepaid phone cards." Wizards of the Coast created the Magic Pro Tour in response to players' requests to see tournament play taken to a higher level. The professional circuit debuted last February in New York. The Tour's other 1996 stops include(d): Location Date Purse (cash & scholarships) 1995/1996 Season Long Beach, California May 3-5, 1996 $130,000 Columbus, Ohio July 4-7, 1996 $155,000 Seattle, Washington August 14-18, 1996 $200,000 1996/1997 Season Atlanta, Georgia September 14-16, 1996 $205,000 Dallas, Texas November 22-24, 1996 $250,000 Los Angeles, California February 1997 TBA Paris, France April 1997 TBA New York, New York June 1997 TBA Seattle, Washington August 1997 TBA Wizards of the Coast will award more than $1,000,000 in cash and scholarships this year. Wizards of the Coast created a whole new category of games when it released the first collectible card game, Magic: The Gathering, in 1993. To date, more than two billion cards have sold worldwide. The game is currently available in eight languages: English, French, Spanish, German, Portuguese, Italian, Japanese and Chinese. Late in 1996, Wizards of the Coast will release a Korean version of Magic. Wizards of the Coast is headquartered in Renton, Washington, with other offices in Glasgow, Scotland; Antwerp, Belgium; and Paris, France. For more information on Wizards of the Coast, visit the company's website at http://www.wizards.com. MCI, headquartered in Washington, D.C., is one of the world''s largest and fastest growing diversified communications companies. With annual revenue of more than $15 billion, MCI offers consumers and businesses a broad portfolio of services including long distance, wireless, local, paging, messaging, Internet services, information services, outsourcing and advanced global telecommunications services. # # # Please visit our official Web page at "http://www.wizards.com/"! Charles Keith-Stanley werewolf@wizards.com Cyberspace Coordinator liaison@wizards.com Wizards of the Coast, Inc. http://www.wizards.com Date: Sat, 10 Aug 1996 12:28:52 -0700 From: Beth Moursund Subject: [O] Ignore that fake "Pro Tour canceled" message Gee, isn't it nice that I stayed home from Gencon to work on a book (the Strategy Guide for Microprose M:TG) and that I happened to check mail today. Otherwise someone's little joke would have gone unrefuted until next week. Faking a WotC message on April Fool's Day is pretty cool, especially with a little giggle tagged onto the end for those with sharp eyes to catch. Forging messages any other time is very uncool. I suspect that WotC will be contacting the admins at the site the forged message came from after Gencon. - Beth Moursund MTG-L NetRep for Wizards of the Coast ------------------------------ [Below is the message referred to, which I didn't justify with a page of its own. -- /dev/joe] Date: Sat, 10 Aug 1996 01:35:42 +0100 From: Beth Moursund Subject: [O] Wizards of the Coast Cancel Pro Tour FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Carrie Thearle Wizards of the Coast (206)204-7695 WIZARDS OF THE COAST CANCEL MAGIC: THE GATHERING(R) PRO TOUR(TM) August 9, 1996 (Seattle, Wash.) -- Wizards of the Coast, Inc., makers of the popular Magic: The Gathering trading card game, has reached a decision to stop holding the Professional Tour. They plan to replace it with another form of competition, which will test not only playing skills but knowlege of the game and an understanding of the game environment. "I understand that the apparent U-turn may confuse or even disgust some people," said Peter Adkison, President and CEO at Wizards of the Coast. "but it is my view and the view of all at Wizards of the Coast that the new format, to be called the 'Master League', will elevate Magic to the level of a true intellectual sport. The Master League will begin following the Dallas Pro Tour. It will have access to an even greater cash purse than the Pro Tour, and should prove even more successful than the hugely popular Pro Tour did." Wizards of the Coast have made this decision out of a belief that to be a true champion in any other intellectual sport, it is not only neccessary to understand how to play the game, but to also understand everything about the game, and Magic champions should be no different. It should be noted that MCI have agreed to transfer sponsership from the Pro Tour (TM) to the Master League. Wizards of the Coast created a whole new category of games when it released the first collectible card game, Magic: The Gathering, in 1993. To date, more than two billion cards have sold worldwide. The game is currently available in eight languages: English, French, Spanish, German, Portuguese, Italian, Japanese and Chinese. Late in 1996, Wizards of the Coast will release a Korean version of Magic. Wizards of the Coast is headquartered in Renton, Washington, with other offices in Glasgow, Scotland; Antwerp, Belgium; and Paris, France. For more information on Wizards of the Coast, visit the company's website at http://www.wizards.com. Please visit our official Web page at "http://www.wizards.com/"! Charles Keith-Stanley werewolf@wizards.com Cyberspace Coordinator liaison@wizards.com Wizards of the Coast, Inc. http://www.wizards.com Date: Tue, 20 Aug 1996 02:35:10 -0700 From: Beth Moursund Subject: [O] Mirage Update FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Carrie Thearle Public Relations Wizards of the Coast (206) 204-7695 There's More To Tell About Mirage(TM) Announcing Mirage Prerelease Tournaments & New Expansion Rules Renton, Wash. (August 16, 1996) -- Players of the popular card game Magic: The Gathering(R) will get a sneak peak at the game's next expansion set when Wizards of the Coast, Inc., hosts a weekend of competitions next month. On Sunday, September 22, the Seattle game manufacturer is holding Mirage(TM) prerelease tournaments in more than 50 cities worldwide. The one-day competitions will take place in the following 22 North American locations: Albuquerque, NM Anchorage, AK Atlanta, GA Brighton, MA Chicago, IL Cuyahoga Falls, OH Dallas, TX Denver,CO East Lansing, MI Honolulu, HI Iowa City, IA Las Vegas, NV Lincoln, NE Los Angeles, CA Minneapolis, MN New York,NY Salt Lake City, UT San Jose, CA Seattle, WA Toronto,Canada Washington, DC Wichita, KS The expansion of over 300 cards will be released several weeks after these competitions, in early October. For more information on how to register for the Mirage prerelease tournaments, call (800) 324-6496. Wizards of the Coast is introducing new game rules, flanking and phasing, in the stand-alone expansion. Flanking gives small, quick creatures an advantage in combat. "Creatures that block flankers are weakened in the attack," says Bill Rose, one of the designers of Mirage. "Their strength and toughness are reduced by one until the end of the turn." Rose says phasing refers to a card's ability to come in and out of play. "At the beginning of each turn, a player's phased-out cards come back into play," he explains. "At the same time, all phasing cards in play leave play, which we call 'phase out'." Mirage is the tenth Magic expansion and the second set to be both a standard expansion and a stand-alone game. Mirage cards can be played with the basic Magic set, Ice Age(TM) or by itself. The set will be sold in 60-card decks for $8.95 and 15-card booster packs for $2.95. Wizards of the Coast created a whole new category of games when it released the first collectible card game, Magic: The Gathering, in 1993. To date, more than two billion cards have sold worldwide. The game is currently available in eight languages: English, French, Spanish, German, Portuguese, Italian, Japanese, and Chinese. Late in 1996, Wizards of the Coast will release a Korean version of Magic. Wizards of the Coast has headquarters in Renton, Washington, with other offices in Glasgow, Scotland; Antwerp, Belgium; and Paris, France. For more information on Wizards of the Coast, visit the company's website at (http://www.wizards.com). #### Please visit our official Web page at "http://www.wizards.com/"! Charles Keith-Stanley werewolf@wizards.com Cyberspace Coordinator liaison@wizards.com Wizards of the Coast, Inc. http://www.wizards.com Date: Mon, 26 Aug 1996 23:16:39 -0700 From: Beth Moursund Subject: [O] Chinese Magic FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Sue-Lane Wood Public Relations Wizards of the Coast, Inc. (206) 226-6500 WIZARDS OF THE COAST, INC. LAUNCHES EIGHTH TRANSLATION OF GAME Magic: The Gathering(R) Hits Chinese Market August 23, 1996 (Seattle, Wash.) -- Wizards of the Coast, makers of the 'hit' trading card game Magic: The Gathering, is pleased to announce the launch of the Chinese translation of its internationally successful game. The card game will be released immediately into the Taiwan and Hong Kong markets and will be available in traditional Chinese characters. Magic will sell primarily in the bookstores, video and computer game stores, and entertainment outlets of Taiwan. The Chinese launch of the game comes on the heels of the sold-out release of the Japanese translation of Magic: The Gathering earlier this summer in Japan. Wizards of the Coast chose Chinese for its next language expansion because the Chinese market is one of the largest in the world. Collectable trading card games were relatively unknown in Asia until the English release of Magic: The Gathering was imported into parts of Asia more than a year ago. The much-anticipated Chinese version is the eighth translation of the game that has quickly become known as the intellectual sport of the '90s. Developed by a math professor, Magic contains elements similar to bridge or chess. The strategic card game is often played in tournament settings where amateur and professional players compete to receive rankings and win prizes. Wizards of the Coast created a worldwide sensation when it released Magic in 1993. So powerful was the initial demand for the card game that it sold out its initial print run of 10 million cards within six weeks. To date, more than two billion cards have sold worldwide and the game has been translated into seven languages: English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, German and Japanese. "With the close support and coordination of our Taiwanese partner, Sharp Point Publishing, we are confident that we will be able to introduce Magic successfully to the consumers of Taiwan," said Jack Tse, Director of Asia Pacific Operations for Wizards of the Coast. The release of the Chinese translation will be celebrated by a gala reception hosted by Wizards of the Coast's Taiwan partner, Sharp Point Publishing. Guests include Taiwan's government officials, U.S. Government and Washington State representatives, more than 350 of Taiwan's leading buyers, distributors, wholesalers and retailers, as well as the SOS Sisters, two of Taiwan's and Asia's hottest young pop singers. Wizards of the Coast holds strategic business alliances with partners around the world which support the marketing and distributing of Magic. Key partners include: Wargames Club in Hong Kong; Sharp Point in Taiwan; The Black Room in Singapore; Novelty Entertainment in the Philippines; Ultra Light in Korea; Hobby Japan in Japan; Jedko Games, Ventura Intl, Walrus & Carpenter, Active Imports and Croftminster in Australia; and Crusader and Wizard Distributors in New Zealand. Wizards of the Coast is headquartered in Renton, Washington, with other offices in Glasgow, Scotland; Antwerp, Belgium; and Paris, France. For more information on Wizards of the Coast, visit the company's website at . #### Please visit our official Web page at "http://www.wizards.com/"! Charles Keith-Stanley werewolf@wizards.com Cyberspace Coordinator liaison@wizards.com Wizards of the Coast, Inc. http://www.wizards.com Date: Tue, 3 Sep 1996 18:29:08 -0700 From: Beth Moursund Subject: [O] Banned and Restricted List Updates, 09/01/96 OFFICIAL CHANGES TO THE BANNED/RESTRICTED LISTS EFFECTIVE OCTOBER 1, 1996 TYPE I RESTRICTED LIST Fastbond is added TYPE I BANNED LIST No alterations TYPE II RESTRICTED LIST Hymn to Tourach is added Strip Mine is added TYPE II BANNED LIST No alterations LETTER TO DCI MEMBERS Greetings to all DCI members, The Duelists' Convocation International (DCI) is excited and pleased to announce the beginning of the 1996-97 tournament season! In keeping with our customary policy, we would like to briefly discuss the newest changes to the tournament environment, and our rationale for making them. Hymn to Tourach Restricted in Standard (Type II) Hymn to Tourach from Fallen Empires has been the center of more controversy than any other single card throughout the later half of the 1995-96 tournament season. Competitors began to suggest its restriction shortly after the first Pro Tour event in New York, primarily because the card was seen by many as the cornerstone of the popular and successful "Necro" deck. Many DCI members expected its restriction on June 1 but were surprised when the DCI decided to restrict Land Tax but not Hymn to Tourach. The DCI explained that, at that time, it lacked sufficient data on Hymn's true influence in the Standard (Type II) tournament environment. Necro decks had barely started to dominate tournaments, and Alliances had not yet been released, giving rise to the possibility that new card combinations and deck designs would emerge to challenge Necro decks. Moreover, the actual cause of Necro's success was still open to speculation: Some competitors claimed it was the result of several other cards, while others theorized that it was due to the sheer number of competitors (particularly top-ranked players) who used the deck. The conclusion of the 1995-96 season and the release of Alliances gives the DCI more information on which to base a decision. Hymn to Tourach's impact is more readily visible: One need only recall the semifinal match at the 1996 U.S. Nationals, between Dennis Bentley and Matthew Place to witness the Hymn's early game-swing advantage, as well as its strong ability to stifle new deck-construction ideas. Strip Mine Restricted in Standard (Type II) Restricting Strip Mine (Fourth Edition) echoes the DCI's Black Vise decision earlier this year: Strip Mine is a card so generally effective that an overwhelming majority of tournament players decide to include it in their decks, regardless of the deck's theme or purpose. Its tremendous ability to provide an early game swing -- not to mention the fact that it cannot be countered -- makes the card too attractive to ignore. Fastbond Restricted in Classic (Type I) Fastbond (Revised) has occupied a spot on the DCI's "most-watched" list for some time. Fastbond is similar to Channel in its ability to create grossly overpowered, game-winning combinations. This is most obvious when Fastbond is used in conjunction with Storm Cauldron, effectively creating a Channel for colored mana, with preventable damage. The DCI hopes you agree that these changes offer the prospect of a stronger, more dynamic tournament environment as we inaugurate the new season! Sincerely, Jason Carl Director, DCI Please visit our official Web page at "http://www.wizards.com/"! Charles Keith-Stanley werewolf@wizards.com Cyberspace Coordinator liaison@wizards.com Wizards of the Coast, Inc. http://www.wizards.com Date: Tue, 3 Sep 1996 18:28:23 -0700 From: Beth Moursund Subject: [O] PT Atlanta Update The 1996-97 Magic: The Gathering Pro Tour comes to Atlanta, GA, with a full slate of sanctioned and variant spectator tournaments. LOCATION: Atlanta Apparel Mart 225 Peachtree Street, N.E. Atlanta, GA 30303 DATES: September 13 - 15, 1996 FEATURE EVENT: Standard (Type II) Competition The Pro Tour-Atlanta feature event is a Sealed-Deck competition featuring Mirage(TM), the next stand-alone expansion for Magic: The Gathering(R). This event will be the first appearance of Mirage. Competitors will play with cards and abilities never seen before. TEAM EVENT: A $25,000 Team Tournament has been added to the $1,000,000 Magic: The Gathering Pro Tour stop in Atlanta! Each team will be made up of five players who either qualified for the Pro Tour-Atlanta or have a Duelists' Convocation International(TM) (DCI) Limited (Sealed Deck) rating of 1675 when the ratings are announced on August 26, 1996. All tournament reports received by the DCI by 9:00 a.m. (PST) on August 19, 1996 will be included in the ratings released on August 26, 1996. Information regarding the Team Tournament: 1. The format will follow Team Sealed Deck, as featured at the 1996 World Championships. 2. Registration for the Team Tournament will be on-site Friday, September 13, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Registration will close at 5:00 p.m. sharp. We will not accept late entries. All teams must have five registered competitors in order to be eligible to compete. 3. Team play will be on Saturday, September 14. Check in between 8:00 and 8:30 a.m. SPECTATOR TOURNAMENTS: Friday, September 13 Time Event Description 12:00 p.m. 101 Standard (Type II) 1:00 p.m. 102 Team Event Limited (open to all teams) 1:00 p.m. 103 The Great Dalmuti(TM)* 2:00 p.m. 104 Iron Mage Limited (one Fourth Edition(TM) starter and two boosters) 3:00 p.m. 105 Pro Tour Collector Set(TM)Tournament 4:00 p.m. 106 Vampire: The Eternal Struggle(TM) 7:00 p.m. 107 Magic: The Game Show* Saturday, September 14 Time Event Description 9:00 a.m. 201 Chinese Limited (one Chinese Fourth Edition starter and two boosters) 10:00 a.m. 202 Classic (Type I) 11:00 a.m. 203 Limited - Ice Age(TM) and Alliances(TM ) 12:00 p.m. 204 RoboRally(R): Live* 1:00 p.m. 205 Team Event Combined (open to all teams ) 1:00 p.m. 206 Netrunner(R) Constructed 2:00 p.m. 207 Apprentice Standard (Type II, under age 15) 3:00 p.m. 208 One-of-a-Kind Standard (Type II) Sunday, September 15 Time Event Description 10:00 a.m. 301 Planeswalker Standard (Type II) 11:00 a.m. 302 Netrunner Constructed 12:00 p.m. 303 Classic Restricted (Type 1.5) General Admission fee: $5 per day Tournament fees: $6 per person for all constructed-deck events $15 per person for all Limited (Sealed Deck) events unless noted (*) * Free PREREGISTER: 1-800-324-6496 (24 hours) INFORMATION: Wizards of the Coast Customer Service: (206) 624-0933 ACCOMODATIONS: Atlanta Marriott Marquis 265 Peachtree Center Avenue Atlanta, GA 30303 (404) 521-0000 $90 per night Competitors and attendees may call the hotel directly to book their hotel room(s). Please mention you are coming for the Magic: The Gathering Pro Tour. TRAVEL: If you want to book travel and receive a 5% discount on your tickets, contact Wizards of the Coast's line to Mutual Travel for Pro Tour-Atlanta: 1-800-340-4494 (contact Suzie Lee). Please make sure you specify Magic: The Gathering Pro Tour-Atlanta for the discounts! Please visit our official Web page at "http://www.wizards.com/"! Charles Keith-Stanley werewolf@wizards.com Cyberspace Coordinator liaison@wizards.com Wizards of the Coast, Inc. http://www.wizards.com Date: Wed, 4 Sep 1996 23:09:58 -0700 From: Beth Moursund Subject: [O] Tom Wylie's writeup of 5th edition changes The following piece by Tom Wylie will be appearing in the next issue of the Duelist; he gave us permission to send it out now. * * * With every new edition of Magic's basic set, the rules to the game are updated and refined. Continuing that tradition, Magic: The Gathering-Fifth Edition will be released next year with a leaner, meaner set of rules. Ever since Magic's initial release, we've added and removed cards from the basic set to create new editions. When we started to develop next year's rotation, the Fifth Edition card set, one of the first subjects we discussed was the rules. Anyone who plays much Magic knows that the rules are quite extensive. What's often less clear is that parts of the rules are far more complex than they need to be. In fact, several of the rules seem to serve more as grist for the rules-lawyering mill than as actual aids to game play. To alleviate this problem, we went through the rules and removed several elements that were either confusing, counterintuitive, or a waste of time. The rule set was not strictly reduced, though. We added a couple of rules to eliminate some loopholes that only rules lawyers understood (and thus abused) and that were disliked and counter-intuitive. We also introduced and expanded a few game terms. This article lists all of the rules changes between Fourth Edition and Fifth Edition. One caveat: this article bases the differences on the final version of Fourth Edition. For example, the fact that activated abilities can no longer be "pumped" by paying their entire costs more than once in an activation is a change to Fourth Edition, so it's not listed here. NEW TERMINOLOGY Combat Damage: This is the term now used to refer to damage dealt during damage dealing. All cards that referred to "damage in combat," such as Fog and Gaseous Form, now refer to "combat damage." Generic Mana: This term refers to colorless mana required for casting costs, activation costs, etc. For example, Disenchant is now said to cost one white and one generic mana. Landhome: "Landhome" describes those creatures that depend on having a certain type of land in play to survive and attack. For example, Sea Serpent has "islandhome." Legendary: Artifacts and enchantments can now be "legendary." Creatures are still referred to as "legends." Protection: A creature can now have protection from anything, not just from colors. Global and Local Enchantments: Enchantments that are played on other permanents are referred to as "local" enchantments; those that are simply put into play are called "global" enchantments. PLAY OR DRAW For several months now, an optional rule has been in effect for DCI sanctioned tournaments stating that whichever player takes the first turn of the game skips his or her draw phase for that turn. This rule is now part of the standard rules for Magic. The old rules for determining who plays first now determine which player decides who will play first (and skip his or her draw phase). THE TURN STRUCTURE End of Turn: One of the counterintuitive elements of the Fourth Edition rules was that effects that happened "at end of turn" occurred before effects that lasted "until end of turn" wore off. In Fifth Edition, this procedure is corrected by moving "at end of turn" effects to the very end of the turn. Moving the resolution of such effects out of the End phase removed any need for that phase, so we collapsed that phase and Heal Creatures into a single phase called "Cleanup." Note that fast effects are illegal during Cleanup just as they were during Heal Creatures, so the last chance to play fast effects is now Discard (and before you discard down to seven). Beginning/End of Phase: Effects that occur at the beginning or end of a phase, including "at end of turn" effects, now follow the same rules as specialized effects. That is, the active player's effects must resolve before the opponent's effects, rather than the active player's deciding the order in which effects resolve. MANA AND THE MANA POOL Mana Sources: "Mana sources" are a new category of abilities. They include the ability of lands to be tapped for mana and all abilities that provide mana as interrupts. For example, Llanowar Elves's ability is now considered a mana source, but the ability of Ice Cauldron is not. Mana sources may be used whenever desired and may not be interrupted; there is no gap between playing the ability and resolving it. For example, you can't Rust a Mox; only continuous effects can stop a mana source from producing mana. Mana Burn: Mana burn has been reverted to loss of life, so it may not be prevented or redirected. SPECIAL COSTS The list of costs that can appear on the left side of the colon in "cost: effect" has been greatly expanded. For example, in older editions, only mana symbols and tap symbols could appear to the left side of the colon. Now anything can appear there, including paying life, sacrifices, tapping other permanents, and so on. For example, the text for Greed would now be "oB, Pay 2 life: Draw a card." ABILITIES Doubling Up: Under Fourth Edition rules, if a permanent was given an ability it already had, the repetition of the ability would be ignored. Under Fifth Edition rules, if a permanent is given an ability more than once, it gets that ability again, though this may prove to be redundant. For example, giving a creature flying again is possible but not very interesting. But if a creature is enchanted with two Farrel's Mantles, it may use each Mantle's ability if unblocked. INTERRUPT TIMING Interrupts that Target Castings: Interrupts that are played during the casting of a spell or effect are now played in batches, just as instants are, with the caster of the spell or effect having priority in beginning or adding to a batch of interrupts. Such interrupts can only target the casting they interrupt and cannot target "down the chain." Other Interrupts: Interrupts that target nothing or that target something other than a casting are now played as mana sources if they only provide mana, or as instants. Interrupts that can target a casting or target something else (e.g., Hydroblast) are played as instants if they're not targeting a casting. DAMAGE PREVENTION Causes: Only damage leads to damage prevention. A creature that is destroyed, buried, or killed due to toughness reduction is put into its owner's graveyard immediately, during the resolution of the effect that kills it. Regeneration effects can be used at that time as a specialized effect played during resolution. No Delays: Damage-prevention steps are no longer pushed off until the end of a batch. Whenever an effect deals damage, there is a damage-prevention step just following that effect. For example, Lightning Bolt used in response to Red Ward will kill the creature to be Warded, while it wouldn't have before. And, yes, this means that Tim will finally be able to finish off the Benalish Hero before she can get her Holy Armor on. Legal Effects: The effects that are specifically legal for use during damage prevention are effects that prevent damage, effects that redirect damage, and effects that are only usable when something is damaged (e.g., Eye for an Eye). Mana sources and interrupts have blanket permission to be used as needed, so may also be used. Packets of Damage: Damage is now organized into "packets," with each packet representing a source doing a certain amount of damage to a target. Damage- prevention and redirection effects target these packets, and redirecting part of a packet will cause it to split into two. If a single effect assigns damage to a target more than once, such as with Mana Clash, then all of the damage is combined into a single packet. GRAVEYARD AND LIBRARY Separate Graveyards: The notion of "the graveyard" no longer exists. Each player has his or her own graveyard, just as each player has his or her own library and hand. Older cards that refer to "the graveyard" should be read as referring to "any graveyard" or "all graveyards," as appropriate to the context. The function of these cards is unchanged. Regeneration: As noted above, regeneration effects are now specialized effects used as soon as a creature would be put into a graveyard; regeneration is not part of damage prevention. Regenerating a creature erases all damage that has been dealt to it over the course of the turn and will remove a combatant from the combat. Burial: Bury effects are now completely unpreventable; they do not just prohibit regeneration. Death Effects: Whenever a permanent is put into the graveyard, all appropriate effects are triggered, even if the source of the effect has left play. For example, if an animated Soul Net dies, you can now gain 1 life from its effect. On Its Way to the Graveyard: This Fourth Edition rule has been removed. Any creature can be sacrificed during damage prevention, even creatures that have received lethal damage. Counting the Library: Players may now count anyone's library at any time. CLEARER? As you can see from this list of changes, we have eliminated several of the corner cases of the rules and streamlined several others. Hopefully this will make it easier for players to pick up the rules and keep track of them all once they've learned. Tom Wylie suspects he will be bored out of his mind when judging tournaments using Fifth Edition rules, but secretly hopes he's wrong. Date: Tue, 17 Sep 1996 20:52:38 -0700 From: Beth Moursund Subject: [O] For Immediate Release - Magic Multiverse Gift Box WHAT'S IN THE CARDS FOR MAGIC: THE GATHERING(R) IN 1997? New Gift Box Reveals a Portion of What's to Come in the Card Game September 12, 1996 (Seattle, Wash.) -- Players of the popular card game Magic: The Gathering will get a sneak peak at some of what's to come in the game next year when Wizards of the Coast introduces a new gift box this October. The set, called the Magic Multiverse(TM) Gift Box, contains six booster packs, including two booster packs from Visions(TM), the limited-edition expansion to Mirage(TM), which will be released in January 1997. The Multiverse set also contains the following hard-to-find international Magic cards: 1 Japanese Chronicles(TM) booster pack 2 English Visions booster packs 1 Italian Alliances(TM) booster pack (as mentioned above) 1 German Renaissance(TM) booster pack 1 French Homelands(TM) booster pack Of the 25 Visions preview cards being printed, 15 are common, six are uncommon and four are rare. Each Multiverse set will contain 23 of the 25 cards -- all 15 common cards with seven commons appearing twice, all six uncommon cards and two of the four available rare cards. The Magic Multiverse Gift Box is ideal for intermediate to advanced Magic players. The set, scheduled for release in late October, converts into a handy carrying case which holds 12 Magic starter decks, or approximately 840 cards. Wizards of the Coast created a whole new category of games when it released the first trading card game, Magic: The Gathering, in 1993. To date, more than 2 billion cards have sold worldwide. The game is currently available in eight languages: English, French, Spanish, German, Portuguese, Italian, Japanese and Chinese. Late in 1996, Wizards of the Coast will release a Korean version of Magic. Wizards of the Coast is headquartered in Renton, Washington, with other offices in Glasgow, Scotland; Antwerp, Belgium; and Paris, France. For more information on Wizards of the Coast, visit the company's website at . # # # Please visit our official Web page at "http://www.wizards.com/"! Charles Keith-Stanley werewolf@wizards.com Cyberspace Coordinator liaison@wizards.com Wizards of the Coast, Inc. http://www.wizards.com Date: Fri, 27 Sep 1996 19:25:41 -0700 From: Beth Moursund Subject: [O] Dallas Pro Tour Spectator Events (A copy of this message has also been posted to the following newsgroups: rec.games.trading-cards.magic.misc) OVER 30 TOURNAMENTS IN THREE DAYS PLUS BIG TIME PROFESSIONAL COMPETITION PRO TOUR - DALLAS November 22 - 24, 1996 Watch the best Magic players in the world go head to head in Pro Tour competition. Or, put your own skills to the test in one of over 30 spectator tournaments taking place over the Pro Tour weekend. DOZENS OF DCI-SANCTIONED EVENTS HIGH-CALIBER DUELS BEGINNER DEMOS AND OPPORTUNITIES TO LEARN CONTINUOUS ARENA(TM) LEAGUE PLAY ARTIST SIGNINGS AND MORE . . . DFW HILTON EXECUTIVE CONFERENCE CENTER 1800 Highway 26 East Grapevine, TX 76051 Doors open every day at 8 a.m. SCHEDULE OF OPEN SPECTATOR TOURNAMENTS Friday, November 22 12:00 p.m. #101 Spanish Fourth Edition(TM) Limited 1:00 p.m. #102 Ice Age(TM)/Alliances(TM) Limited 2:00 p.m. #103 Ice Age Limited 3:00 p.m. #104 Mirage(TM) Limited 8:00 p.m. #105 Barbecue dinner & Magic: The Game Show, with Mark Rosewater ($15) Saturday, November 23 10:00 a.m. #201 Mirage Limited 12:00 p.m. #202 Korean Fourth Edition Limited 2:00 p.m. #203 Mirage Constructed 3:00 p.m. #204 Spanish Ice Age Limited 4:00 p.m. #205 Classic Restricted (Type 1.5) Sunday, November 24 9:00 a.m. #301 Mirage Limited 11:00 a.m. #302 Classic (Type I) 1:00 p.m. #303 Spanish Fourth Edition & Homelands(TM) Limited Plus! Single-elimination Standard (Type II) and Ice Age/Alliances Constructed tournaments take place every hour on the hour, from 12:00 p.m. until 4:00 p.m. on Friday; 9:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. on Saturday; and 9 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. on Sunday ($4 each, on-site registration only). Additional Limited (Sealed Deck) and Constructed events to be added every day! General admission fee: $5 per day Tournament fees: $6 per person for all Constructed events $15 per person for all Limited events Space is limited, so sign up early. Advance registration: 1-800-324-6496. Preregistration deadline is Wednesday, November 20, 1996. Limited on-site registration available. --------------------------------------------------------- PRO TOUR SCHEDULE & PAYOUT (Spectators welcome) FRIDAY, November 22 Classic (Type I) preliminaries and Finals SATURDAY, November 23 Standard (Type II) preliminaries SUNDAY, November 24 Standard (Type II) Finals including Junior Championships Place Master Junior Classic 1 $26,000 $16,000 $11,200 2 $16,000 $10,000 $6,900 3-4 $9,000 $5,400 $3,850 5-8 $5,500 $3,200 $2,250 9-16 $3,200 $800 $650 17-32 $1,850 $250 - 33-64 $400 - - Total $150,000 $60,000 $40,000 - Standard Pro Tour invite policy applies for Standard (Type II) competition. - Top 128 DCI-ranked Classic (Type I) players (only) as of three weeks prior to event will be invited to participate in the Classic competition. --------------------------------------------------------- For more information, call Wizards of the Coast(R) Customer Service: 206-624-0933 http://www.wizards.com For lodging, call the Dallas/Fort Worth Lakes Hilton directly at 817-481-8444. For a special rate, please mention the Magic: The Gathering Pro Tour. For discounted travel, call Mutual Travel directly at 1-800-340-4494. Be sure to specify Pro Tour - Dallas! -- Charles Keith-Stanley werewolf@wizards.com Cyberspace Coordinator liaison@wizards.com Wizards of the Coast, Inc. http://www.wizards.com Date: Fri, 27 Sep 1996 19:26:32 -0700 From: Beth Moursund Subject: [O] Wizards Supports Type I !!!! (A copy of this message has also been posted to the following newsgroups: rec.games.trading-cards.magic.misc) The $40,000 Type I Tournament at the Magic: The Gathering(R) Pro Tour -- Dallas happens November 22, 1996. The *only* way to qualify for this event is to be a top-128-ranked DCI Classic (Type I) player. The cutoff date for qualifying results is October 13, 1996 -- only 16 days away! The following DCI-sanctioned tournaments will count towards your Pro Tour -- Dallas eligibility: 9/28/96 Type I Alpharetta, GA Jim Kapper (770) 569-2083 9/28/96 The Pack Shack--Type I Southgate, MI Jeneen Kilgore (313) 284-0550 9/28/96 MagiCon Englewood, CO Eric Smith (303) 781-3895 9/28/96 The Arena Tournaments Springfield, MO Mike McKee (417) 865-4752 9/28/96 Pendragon Weekly--Type I Barre, VT Charles Arnold (802) 476-7064 9/28/96 Type I Shelby Twp, MI James Babin, Sr. (810) 997-6994 9/28/96 Dr Bob's Game Shop--Type I Huntsville, AL Jeff Hale (205) 880-3726 9/28/96 Games Galore--Type I Arlington, TX Bill Forisha (817) 461-4263 9/28/96 Not Only Baseball Cards--Type I Hicksville, NY Henry Eill (516) 937-1168 9/28/96 M Quest Presents Type I Tournament Toronto, Ont. Marvin Paguirian (905) 524-5725 9/28/96 Type I Norwalk, CT Brian Harding (203) 367-2891 9/28/96 Mighty Mick's Type I Nashville, TN Micky Bessone (615) 320-7000 9/28/96 Tales Twice Told--Type I Syracuse, NY John O'Shea (315) 475-5925 9/28/96 Derby City Type I Tournament Louisville, KY Charles Montgomery (502) 364-8744 9/29/96 Type I Palmdale, CA Allen Lulu (805) 273-0185 9/29/96 MagiCon Englewood, CO Eric Smith (303) 781-3895 9/29/96 Rockin' Dominia Foxtrap, Newfoundland Jason Strong (709) 834-4964 9/29/96 The Arena Tournaments Springfield, MO Mike McKee (417) 865-4752 9/29/96 Type I Tournament Martinsburgh, WV Tony Ordona (304) 267-4662 9/29/96 Pandora's Box--Type I College Park, MD Biren Amin (301) 474-4931 9/29/96 Little Rock's Best--Type I Little Rock, AR Mike Rodieck (501) 681-8602 10/1/96 Sanctioned Sunday Cuyahoga Falls, OH Nada Troost (330) 922-4263 10/1/96 Mausoleum Weekly Knoxville, TN David Adkins (423) 977-9153 10/2/96 MagiCon Englewood, CO Eric Smith (303) 781-3895 10/2/96 Neutral Ground--Type I New York City, NY Glen Friedman (212) 633-1288 10/2/96 Sanctioned Swiss Dueling Hudson, MA Steve Sardella (508) 562-7898 10/3/96 Angie's Thursday Weekly Knoxville, TN Angela Hitson (423) 977-9153 10/3/96 Valley Con XXI--Type I SW Fargo, ND Michael Smith (701) 241-7654 10/3/96 Type I Tournament Tacoma, WA John Clark (206) 475-5938 10/4/96 Daddy Jim's Weekly Tournament High Point, NC Mike Krzywicki (910) 889-9900 10/4/96 Tales Twice Told Bimonthly Syracuse, NY Tim Nortz (315) 475-5925 10/4/96 Friday Night Mox Fight Hudson, MA Steve Sardella (508) 562-7898 10/5/96 Type I Aurora, CO Erik Smith (303) 366-3977 10/5/96 MagiCon Englewood, CO Eric Smith (303) 781-3895 10/5/96 Gray Matter Washington DC Glen Friedman (212) 633-1288 10/5/96 The Arena Tournaments Springfield, MO Mike McKee (417) 865-4752 10/5/96 Philly's Back to School Philadelphia, PA Michael Gilchrist (215) 571-4619 10/5/96 Third Annual Archon Tourney Collinsville, IL Beth Bancroft (618) 346-2681 10/5/96 Pendragon Weekly--Type I Barre, VT Charles Arnold (802) 476-7064 10/5/96 BDC Bike, Sports, & Game Cards Shelby Twp, MI James Babin, Sr (810) 997-6994 10/5/96 The Gathering Place's Type I Hanford, CA Randall Hinkley (209) 924-2094 10/5/96 Games Galore--Type I Arlington, TX Bill Forisha (817) 461-4263 10/5/96 Type I Tournament Chester, VA Rick Ralsten (804) 748-4002 10/5/96 Magicide (Swiss) Steve Sardella (508) 562-7898 10/5/96 Mike's Arena--Type I Knoxville, TN Michael McSurley (423) 531-1959 10/6/96 Type I Aurora, CO Erik Smith (303) 366-3977 10/6/96 Dragon's Dream Rome, GA Dale Manning (706) 234-7159 10/6/96 MagiCon Englewood, CO Eric Smith (303) 781-3895 10/6/96 The Arena Tournaments Springfield, MO Mike McKee (417) 865-4752 10/6/96 Type I Tournament Martinsburgh, WV Tony Ordona (301) 745-5973 10/6/96 Fredericksburg Type I Tourney Fredericksburg, VA James Farr (540) 786-2863 10/6/96 Nirvana's Closet--Type I William Kasper III (717) 622-6234 10/6/96 Mighty Mick's Type I Nashville, TN Micky Bessone (615) 320-7000 10/6/96 Duel in Dominia III Houston, TX Tim Weissman (713) 467-6417 10/7/96 Mausoleum Weekly Knoxville, TN David Adkins (423) 977-9153 10/8/96 Tales Twice Told--Type I Syracuse, NY Tim Nortz (315) 475-5925 10/9/96 Neutral Ground--Type I New York City, NY Glen Friedman (212) 633-1288 10/9/96 Sanctioned Swiss Dueling Hudson, MA Steve Sardella (508) 562-7898 10/9/96 California Gold--Type I Stevenville, TX Lawrence Outlaw (800) 287-6175 10/11/96 Daddy Jim's Weekly Tournament High Point, NC Robert Hall (910) 889-9900 10/11/96 Albacon '96--Type I Albany, NY Maria Perry (518) 489-3656 10/11/96 Friday Night Mox Fight Hudson, MA Steve Sardella (508) 562-7898 10/11/96 NovaCon--Type I Tournament College Station, TX Daniel Davis (409) 845-1515 10/12/96 Type I Sicklerville, NJ Frank Cataldi (609) 629-0722 10/12/96 Type I Alpharetta, GA Jim Kapper (770) 569-2083 10/12/96 MagiCon Englewood, CO Eric Smith (303) 781-3895 10/12/96 Pensacon Pensacola, FL Daniel Churukian (904) 438-7742 10/12/96 Gray Matter New York City, NY Glen Friedman (212) 633-1288 10/12/96 Gray Matter Philadelphia, PA Glen Friedman (212) 633-1288 10/12/96 The Arena Tournaments Springfield, MO Mike McKee (417) 865-4752 10/12/96 Pendragon Weekly--Type I Barre, VT Charles Arnold (802) 476-7064 10/12/96 Type I BDC Bike, Sports, & Game Cards Shelby Twp, MI James Babin, Sr. (810) 997-6994 10/12/96 Games Galore--Type I Arlington, TX Bill Forisha (817) 461-4263 10/12/96 Gamefest Type I Tournament Pasadena, TX Champ Thompson (713) 946-2328 10/12/96 The Cliffhanger Gathering Incline Village, NV Michael Cooper (702) 832-2622 10/12/96 Borderland's Type I Salem, OR Nate Jones (503) 399-3597 10/12/96 Second Annual N. Coast Wizard Wars Wooster, OH Kelli Norris (330) 262-5871 10/12/96 Battle for Paradise Tulsa, OK James Pyeatt (918) 838-7889 10/12/96 Mike's Arena--Type I Knoxville, TN Michael McSurley (423) 531-1959 10/12/96 GLMA Juniors III Louisville, KY Robert Jackson (502) 364-8944 10/13/96 MagiCon Englewood, CO Eric Smith (303) 781-3895 10/13/96 The Arena Tournaments Springfield, MO Mike McKee (417) 865-4752 10/13/96 Type I Tournament Martinsburgh, WV Tony Ordona (304) 267-4662 10/13/96 Knoxville American--Type I Knoxville, TN Ron McClure (423) 521-9000 10/13/96 Fredericksburg Type I Tourney Fredericksburg, VA James Farr (540) 786-2863 -- Charles Keith-Stanley werewolf@wizards.com Cyberspace Coordinator liaison@wizards.com Wizards of the Coast, Inc. http://www.wizards.com Date: Tue, 5 Nov 1996 00:38:34 -0800 From: Beth Moursund Subject: [O] Arena Continuous Draft (A copy of this message has also been posted to the following newsgroups: rec.games.trading-cards.magic.misc) Arena is aware of the concerns raised about the risk of "card swapping" in the Continuous Draft season, which begins November 8. While we agree that the specter of cheating is a serious issue, we believe that Continuous Draft is not as vulnerable to cheating as many players may fear. We have put a lot of thought and work into building a format that balances the variety provided by limited-environment formats with simplicity of registration: 1) The nature of this format results in each player's deck changing each time the player plays a match. Since the rules permit each player to view the cards his or her opponent brings to the match before the draft begins, it is impossible to "surprise" your opponent by swapping in an unsuspected card combination (such as Channel-Fireball). 2) Since each player has an equal chance to draft any given card, it is impossible to ensure a victory by "stacking" your deck with powerful cards (such as direct damage). Imagine the despair of a player who, after loading his draft stock with Lightning Bolts and Fireballs, watches his opponent draft the majority of these cards and win the match! 3) Each player is *required* to remove a single card from the 45 cards she purchases at the beginning of the season, bringing her draft stock down to 44 cards (a multiple of four is necessary for drafting purposes). Thus, the fear of purchasing and "losing" a powerful rare card is decreased. All in all, the Continuous Draft format is extremely resistant to the threat of swapping cards. Even though it is technically possible to replace the cards in your draft stock with other cards, it is impossible for either player to gain a significant game advantage by illegally substituting cards, as each player has an equal opportunity at any individual card. Deck Registration and/or Marking Basically, the various techniques for minimizing card substitution in limited-environment formats fall into two categories: listing or marking. Arena looked into a number of these methods and used two of them during our testing phase in late 1995 and early 1996, as explained below. However, neither method met with full success. Listing cards in limited-environment formats usually means using some form of deck registration. During test seasons of Sealed Deck, the retailer was required to fill out a Deck Registration Form for each player's deck at the time of registration for the league. This practice proved to be extremely time-consuming, with registration times approaching 15 - 20 minutes per player. Arena believes this requirement is unacceptable, and therefore is extremely hesitant to use Sealed-Deck formats in future seasons. Marking cards includes a variety of techniques. Some involve physically defacing all cards in order to "mark" them as legal for the event, such as stickering all cards (which would make them thicker than other Magic cards), trimming corners (which would make the trimmed cards illegal for use in any other deck), or stamping cards. During a test season of Continuous Draft, the faces of the cards were marked with a stamp to designate their "legality" in the league. However, a number of problems surfaced even with this solution. First, many players were hesitant to have their cards marked in this manner. Second, some retailers were less than diligent in stamping all cards at the time of registration, which defeated the purpose of marking the cards. Third, the only inks found that don't smear when applied to a Magic card are also toxic, which makes this option unacceptable for general use. Again, the time factor was also evident here, though not as bad as the deck registrations. Due to high player demand, Arena aims to continue to offer limited-environment formats in future seasons. However, this desire for a variety of formats must be balanced against the requirements that such formats place upon the retailers and judges participating in the league. We believe that the Continuous Draft format successfully balances these two needs, as it minimizes the use of card substitution while also eliminating the need for deck listing or marking. For more information on the Continuous Draft format, please check out Arena's website: . Arena welcomes feedback on this or any other issue. Rob Voce Director, Arena Wizards of the Coast, Inc. -- Charles Keith-Stanley werewolf@wizards.com Cyberspace Coordinator liaison@wizards.com Wizards of the Coast, Inc. http://www.wizards.com Date: Wed, 13 Nov 1996 23:00:36 -0800 From: Beth Moursund Subject: [O] Visions FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Carrie Thearle Public Relations Wizards of the Coast, Inc. (206) 204-7695 VISIONS OF WHAT'S NEXT FOR MAGIC: THE GATHERING(R) January Release of Latest Expansion Set Visions(TM) November 12, 1996 (Renton, Wash.) -- Players of the popular trading card game Magic: The Gathering can envision more tropical adventures when Wizards of the Coast, Inc. releases the next expansion set to the game early next year. Called Visions, the set is an expansion to the wildly popular Mirage(TM) set. Visions is scheduled to hit the streets in late January. Prior to the official release, Wizards of the Coast will introduce the expansion at Prerelease tournaments in more than 70 locations worldwide on January 11, 1997. About half of those are being held in the following U.S. and Canadian cities: * Albuquerque, NM * Anchorage, AK * Atlanta, GA * Boston, MA * Chicago, IL * Cuyahoga Falls, OH * Dallas, TX * Denver, CO * East Lansing, MI * Honolulu, HI * Houston, TX * Iowa City, IA * Las Vegas, NV * Lexington, KY * Lincoln, NE * Los Angeles, CA * Minneapolis, MN * Mt. View, CA * New York, NY * Orlando, FL * Salt Lake City, UT * San Diego, CA * Seattle, WA * St. Louis, MO * Syracuse, NY * Toronto, Canada * Vancouver, Canada * Washington, D.C. * Wichita, KS In addition, Prerelease tournaments are being held in the following countries: * Argentina * Austria * Belgium * Brazil * The Czech Republic * Denmark * Finland * France * Germany * Hong Kong * Hungary * Iceland * Ireland * Italy * Japan * Mexico * Norway * Portugal * Singapore * Slovakia * South Africa * Spain * Sweden * Switzerland * Taiwan * Netherlands * United Kingdom For more information on how to register for the Visions Prerelease tournaments in Europe, call Wizards of the Coast Belgium Customer Service at +32-(0)14-44-30-44. For information on tournaments at all other locations, call Wizards of the Coast(R) U.S. Customer Service at (206) 624-0933. Magic players can also get a sneak peek at Visions cards through the Magic Multiverse(TM) Gift Box, which contains two Visions preview packs (randomly assorted from a subset of 25 Visions cards). Wizards of the Coast released the Gift Box in November 1996. With more than 160 new cards, Visions builds on the innovative phasing and flanking rules introduced in Mirage. Flanking gives small, quick creatures an advantage during combat; creatures that block flankers are weakened in the attack. Phasing refers to a card's ability to come in and out of play. In addition, Visions explores the concept of returning cards to players' hands. "Creatures and lands return to your hand as part of the cost of a spell or creature. A player can summon a big creature early in the game, but pays a cost later," said Bill Rose , one of the designers of Visions and a member of the Research and Development team at Wizards of the Coast. Visions is a limited-edition expansion and will be sold in 15-card booster packs that will retail for $2.95. Wizards of the Coast created a whole new category of games when it released the first trading card game, Magic: The Gathering, in 1993. To date, more than two billion cards have sold worldwide, and the game is available into eight languages: French, Spanish, German, Portuguese, Italian, Japanese, Chinese and English. A Korean translation will be released in December 1996. Wizards of the Coast has offices in Renton, Washington; Glasgow, Scotland; Antwerp, Belgium; and Paris, France. For more information on Wizards of the Coast, visit the company's website at . #### Please visit our official Web page at "http://www.wizards.com/"! Charles Keith-Stanley werewolf@wizards.com Cyberspace Coordinator liaison@wizards.com Wizards of the Coast, Inc. http://www.wizards.com Date: Wed, 13 Nov 1996 23:01:02 -0800 From: Beth Moursund Subject: [O] WotC seeks players in South America... (A copy of this message has also been posted to the following newsgroups: rec.games.trading-cards.magic.misc) Wizards of the Coast and its distributors are currently seeking experienced players in Chile, Colombia, and Venezuela to teach Magic at special events. Play Magic, teach it, meet new players, and get paid for doing it! All interested parties should respond to: before December 31, 1996. -- Charles Keith-Stanley werewolf@wizards.com Cyberspace Coordinator liaison@wizards.com Wizards of the Coast, Inc. http://www.wizards.com Date: Mon, 27 Jan 1997 15:37:00 -0800 From: Beth Moursund Subject: [O] Andon Relocating to Ohio For Immediate Release ON THE ROAD TO A BIGGER AND BRIGHTER FUTURE Andon Unlimited, the convention management branch of Wizards of the Coast announces a new home and a new vision for 1997. January 13, 1997 (Renton, Wash.) -- With the continued success and growth of Origins(TM) (the industry's largest pure gaming convention) and the increased opportunity for expansion into new markets, Andon Unlimited is pleased to announce that it is relocating their offices to the Greater Columbus, Ohio area and are adding personnel that will allow for dynamic growth and improved service to their customers. "Andon is once again redefining the standard by which all conventions will be judged, and our new focus on partnering with the industry to provide successful shows will propel Origins and all our shows to new heights," said Gary E. Smith, Division Director of Andon Unlimited. "With our plan of making Columbus, Ohio the permanent home of Origins, and our commitment to bring a quality convention to everyone, the relocation to the Midwest is a natural. In addition to the obvious cost savings, Andon will be closer to the majority of the United States' population, our amazing core of volunteers, and of course our current shows." While the target date for the move into the new offices isn't until late July of this year, Andon Unlimited is wasting no time bringing the new personnel on board. Joining Team Andon will be a graphic artist and a director of marketing and sales. Having these critical functions as part of the decision making process of the team will provide Andon with the edge needed to succeed in the highly competitive convention market place. Peter Adkison, CEO of Wizards of the Coast was quoted as saying, "From early on I have been a supporter and believer in Andon, their vision and their ability to succeed. The relationship of Wizards of the Coast to Andon Unlimited is unchanged. These changes are part of the evolution of their business and a positive move for Andon Unlimited, Wizards of the Coast and the entire gaming industry." Wizards of the coast is a privately held game company best known for the trading card game Magic: The Gathering(R). Since Magic was released in August 1993, more than two billion cards have sold, and the game has been translated into eight languages -- Korean and Chinese being the two latest. Wizards of the Coast is headquartered just outside of Seattle, Washington, in the city of Renton, and also has offices in Glasgow, UK; Antwerp, Belgium; and Paris, France. For more information on Wizards of the Coast, visit the company's website at . Please visit our official Web page at "http://www.wizards.com/"! Charles Keith-Stanley werewolf@wizards.com Cyberspace Coordinator liaison@wizards.com Wizards of the Coast, Inc. http://www.wizards.com Date: Mon, 10 Feb 1997 21:10:05 -0800 From: Beth Moursund Subject: [O] 5E NOT Black-Border Attention Readers! The Duelist #16 features images of Fifth Edition Magic cards with black borders. This is strictly due to an error in our production/layout process. Fifth Edition is entirely white border cards; there are no black-bordered Fifth Edition cards. The Editorial staff would like to apologize for any confusion this error may cause. Please visit our official Web page at "http://www.wizards.com/"! Charles Keith-Stanley werewolf@wizards.com Cyberspace Coordinator liaison@wizards.com Wizards of the Coast, Inc. http://www.wizards.com Date: Tue, 18 Feb 1997 16:18:13 -0800 From: Beth Moursund Subject: [O] Visions FAQ part a Grr, the listserver bounced this, I'll have to send it in two pieces. Blanket of Night Q: Can land that counts as a swamp produce black mana as well as its normal mana? A: Yes. All rules concerning swamps apply to all such lands, including the fact that they can be tapped for black mana. Brood of Cockroaches Q: Do you lose life when the Brood is put into the graveyard, or when the Brood returns to your hand at end of turn? A: At end of turn. Also, the Brood now has errata to read that you lose 1 life instead of paying 1 life. Chronatog Q: Can you give up as many future turns as you like to give Chronatog as many +3/+3's as you like? A: No. Each Chronatog's ability can be used only once each turn, but if you have several Chronatogs in play, you can use each of them during the same turn, spending a turn each time. City of Solitude Q: Does the City also shut down phase abilities and triggered abilities when it is not your turn? A: It prevents you from playing any kind of spell or ability, even those that you would otherwise be required to play, such as triggered abilities (like Soul Net's) or phase abilities (such as Unstable Mutation's). However, it does not prevent you from paying upkeep costs, if for some reason you pay the cost during another player's turn. Desertion Q: How do you make choices for artifact or summon spells (like the color of mana produced by Quirion Elves) when you gain control of such cards? A: Because the card is put into its owner's graveyard and from that graveyard into play, you are playing the card "from scratch," just as with Animate Dead. So while you can't and don't pay any costs normally paid to play that card, you do make decisions about playing it and pay costs that must be paid when the artifact or creature comes into play. Desolation Q: How do multiple Desolations interact? If my opponent taps a land for mana while I have two Desolations in play, must she sacrifice two lands? If so, and they were both plains, does she take 4 damage or 8? A: You have to sacrifice a land for every Desolation at the end of each turn that you tapped a land for mana. If those lands are plains, you take damage for each Desolation, but any given Desolation triggers only once per player per turn. Equipoise Q: When you repeat the process for artifacts and creatures, do you phase out artifacts and creatures or more lands? A: You phase out artifacts and then creatures. Q: Which player chooses which cards phase out? A: As usual, the person playing the ability chooses its targets. Q: Can you choose a different player each turn? A: Yes; you may even choose yourself, if you want. Eye of Singularity Q: What happens if you cast a legend that's already in play when Eye of Singularity is in play? A: The old legend is buried due to the Eye's ability, and the new legend is buried since it is a duplicate. Forbidden Ritual Q: How/when do you repeat the process of sacrificing a card? A: You sacrifice one card, see what your opponent chooses to do, sacrifice another card if you wish, see what your opponent chooses to do, and so on. All of this occurs during the resolution of Forbidden Ritual. Q: I sacrifice a local enchantment on a permanent my opponent controls. My opponent sacrifices a different permanent with a different local enchantment that I control on it. Can I follow up by sacrificing the second local enchantment, or is it already in the graveyard? A: A local enchantment is buried immediately when the card it enchants leaves play. It would not be available for sacrificing. Foreshadow Q: When do you name the card? A: When the spell is announced. The card list is not considered hidden information, so there is no reason to delay the decision. Goblin Swine-Rider Q: If my Goblin Swine-Rider is blocked by a Dream Fighter, what happens? A: Resolve the active (attacking) player's triggered effects first, then the defending player's. The Swine-Rider's 2 points of damage triggers first and then any surviving creatures would phase out. Q: My Swine-Rider (1/1) is blocked by Panther Warriors (6/3), and I regenerate the Swine-Rider with a Death Ward when it kills itself with its special ability. Do the Warriors die from the 1 point of damage the Swine-Rider deals in combat? A: Regenerating the Swine-Rider removes it from combat, so it will not deal its combat damage to the Panther Warriors. If you save it through means other than regeneration (for example, Healing Salve), and it deals its combat damage to the Warriors, then the Warriors die. Gossamer Chains Q: On my turn, I attempt to Disenchant my opponent's Gossamer Chains. He responds by using its effect on one of my creatures, thereby returning it to his hand and saving it from my Disenchant. Is this legal, even though I have not yet declared my attack? A: No, that's not legal. Gossamer Chains may only target an "unblocked creature"--that is, one that has been declared as an attacker and has passed the "assign blockers" phase without having a blocker assigned to it. Impulse Q: What's the use of putting cards on the bottom of my library when I have to shuffle it afterwards? A: Precious little. This card has errata to remove the instruction to shuffle the library. Kaervek's Spite Q: Do you/can you sacrifice your opponent's permanents too? A: No. Knight of the Mists Q: Can you bury an opponent's Knight? A: Yes. Q: What if there are no other Knights in play? A: Then you must pay the additional mana or bury Knight of the Mists. Knight of Valor Q: Can effects that remove flanking remove the extra -1/-1? A: No. Though the effect of the Knight's ability strongly resembles flanking, it is not actually flanking. Man-o'-War Q: If Man-o'-War comes into play, can I have it return itself to its owner's hand? A: Yes, and if there are no other creatures in play, you have to. Q: Can Man-o'-War be Meddled or Deflected? A: No. You choose the target when you play the "comes into play" ability. This is not a spell, so it cannot be targeted by Meddle and so forth. Nekrataal Q: If Nekrataal is summoned and there are no nonartifact, nonblack creatures in play, nothing happens, correct? A: Correct: you ignore the ability since you cannot legally play it. Ogre Enforcer Q: Ogre Enforcer says "Ogre Enforcer cannot be destroyed by lethal damage unless a single source deals enough damage to destroy it." So, can I poke it with Tim, and then block it with a 3/3 or larger to kill it? Can I Fireball it and poke it? The intent of the card text seems to rule out doing damage except lethally all at once, but the intent and the wording don't seem to be congruent. A: Basically, damage from different sources isn't cumulative. All damage dealt to the Ogre Enforcer does remain for the entire turn, but unless lethal damage comes from one source, the Enforcer doesn't get destroyed. Yes, Tim's damage is still there, and if that same Tim manages to deal 3 more damage that turn, the Ogre will die. Other sources of damage, like a Fireball, won't add in with Tim's. (continued in next message) Date: Tue, 18 Feb 1997 16:18:52 -0800 From: Beth Moursund Subject: [O] Visions FAQ part b (continued from previous message) Phyrexian Marauder Q: Do you count +1/+1 counters that are not its own? A: No. Pillar Tombs of Aku Q: Are you required to sacrifice a creature if you have one, or can you pay the 5 life, bury Pillar Tombs, and keep the creature? A: You may choose whether to sacrifice the creature, or pay the life and bury Pillar Tombs. Pygmy Hippo Q: The card text reads, "Add an equal amount of colorless mana to your mana pool." Equal to what? A: Equal to the amount that was emptied out of the opponent's mana pool. Sands of Time Q: It taps itself and shuts off! What's up with that? A: Errata - It taps/untaps all other artifacts, etc. Shimmering Efreet Q: If Shimmering Efreet phases in while there are no other creatures in play, it phases back out, correct? A: If it is the only creature in play when you play its ability, then it phases itself out, yes. Song of Blood Q: If you attack twice with Relentless Assault, is the +1/+0 bonus cumulative? A: Each creature can only get the Song's bonus once. However, a creature that attacks during the second attack, but sat out during the first one, would get the bonus. Spider Climb Q: Can a Hulking Cyclops or Fallen Askari enchanted with Spider Climb block a creature with flying? How about a non-flyer? A: The ability provided by Spider Climb, and the ability that creatures such as Giant Spider already have, only allows them to ignore the restriction imposed by flying. They must still be able to block the creature otherwise in order to block it. So a Fallen Askari enchanted with Spider Climb still can't block anything, and a Giant Spider still can't block a Cerulean Wyvern. Suleiman's Legacy Q: How does it affect Djinns and Efreets that phase in? A: It doesn't. Things that phase in do not trigger abilities that trigger when something comes into play. Teferi's Puzzle Box Q: Do I draw my normal card before or after I resolve the Puzzle Box's effect? A: Your choice. Q: If I have two Puzzle Boxes in play and four cards in my hand at the beginning of my draw phase, do I get to draw eight cards plus my regular card? A: You resolve the effect of each Puzzle Box fully before moving on to the next one. If you had four cards in your hand, you'd discard the four cards to the bottom of your library, draw four cards, discard those, then draw the final four. Three Wishes Q: Can you use Lion's Eye Diamond to cast spells that you've gotten with Three Wishes? A: Yes, since you do not discard the cards set aside by Three Wishes. Q: Can you look at the cards again after setting them aside face down? A: Yes; the fact that you look at them before setting them aside means that you can look at them whenever you wish. Time and Tide Q: Do the creatures phasing in have summoning sickness? A: No; creatures phasing in do not have summoning sickness, regardless of when they phase in. Tithe Q: When do you check to see if you have fewer lands than your opponent? When you cast it or when it resolves? A: If the effect of a spell or ability depends on counting things in play, they are not counted until the spell or ability resolves. Triangle of War Q: I have a Triangle of War and a Skulking Ghost in play. My opponent has a King Cheetah. I activate my Triangle of War, targeting my Skulking Ghost and the King Cheetah. Since the Skulking Ghost is buried before the effect resolves, does the King Cheetah die? A: Characteristics of the target of an ability are not checked until the spell or ability resolves. If the effect fizzles against one of its targets, then it has no information about that target. In this case, the effect fizzles against one target (the Ghost), so 0 damage is dealt to the other target. Vision Charm Q: Vision Charm can change all lands of one type to a basic land type of your choice. Can you change all nonbasic lands into mountains, for example? A: Yes, but not the way you mean. For instance, you could change all Dwarven Ruins to mountains, but not all "nonbasic" lands. Land type is based upon the card's title, not whether it is a basic or nonbasic land. Q: Can you change all lands of one type to all sorts of different basic land types? A: No; they all become the same land type. Marc "Sparky" Schmalz - sparky@wizards.com Date: Fri, 21 Feb 1997 00:54:07 -0800 From: Beth Moursund Subject: [O] Portal News Release FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE *MAGIC: THE GATHERING--PORTAL* Introduces New Players to the World's Original Trading Card Game Feb. 17, 1997 (Renton, Wash)--Discover a doorway into an imaginative world of intrigue and fun with *Magic: The Gathering--Portal*(TM), an easy-to-play starter version of *Magic: The Gathering*(R), the world's original collectable trading card game. *Magic: The Gathering--Portal* is scheduled for release in June from Wizards of the Coast, Inc. *Portal* has been designed for a variety of game enthusiasts, including individuals who love quick, social games of skill, as well as those interested in the phenomenon surrounding the original trading card game, *Magic: The Gathering*. Like *Magic: The Gathering*, *Portal* is a strategic card game set in the mythical and fantastical world of Dominia. Using their cards to cast spells and summon creatures, two players "duel" against each other for control of Dominia's land. The game is imaginative, challenging and fun, and a game can be played in 15 to 30 minutes. Each *Portal* card set is portable and packaged with everything needed to play, including two preconstructed, 35-card decks; a booster pack of 15 cards plus a strategy tip card; a detailed play guide; playmats; and a rulebook. "*Portal* is the ideal way to learn the techniques of playing *Magic: The Gathering*," said Richard Garfield, designer of the award-winning game. "*Magic: The Gathering* is the kind of game that can be played at many different levels depending on individual skill and commitment. *Portal* provides all the fun, social entertainment and adventure of the original game but reduces the learning curve required to reach the higher level of play assumed in the original version. *Portal* is a great way to attract new players, at the same time broadening the field of players for anyone who enjoys *Magic: The Gathering*." *Portal* combines the superb game mechanics, portability and professional artwork that have popularized *Magic: The Gathering*. In addition, *Portal* cards will be playable with existing *Magic* cards, and feature more than 200 new card illustrations. The popularity of collectable trading card games has soared since Wizards of the Coast first released *Magic: The Gathering* in 1993. To date, more than two billion cards are in circulation worldwide, and an entire new category has developed around the game. Developed by a math professor, *Magic* contains elements similar to bridge or chess. The strategic card game is often played in tournament settings, where amateur and professional players compete for rankings and win prizes. *Portal* will retail at $8.95 for two 35-card starter decks and $2.95 for 15-card booster packs. *Portal* will be available through hobby and game stores as well as book, music and software outlets. Wizards of the Coast is a privately held game company best known for the collectable trading card game *Magic: The Gathering*. Since *Magic* was released in 1993, more than two billion cards have sold worldwide, and the game is available in nine languages: French, Spanish, German, Portuguese, Italian, Japanese, Chinese, Korean and English. Wizards of the Coast has offices in Renton, Washington; Glasgow, United Kingdom; Antwerp, Belgium; and Paris, France. For more information on Wizards of the Coast, visit the company's website at . WIZARDS OF THE COAST, *Magic: The Gathering*, and *Portal* are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast, Inc. (C)1997 Wizards of the Coast, Inc. All rights reserved. Date: Wed, 26 Feb 1997 01:33:15 -0800 From: Beth Moursund Subject: [O] 5E Prerelease FAQ Magic: The Gathering(R) Fifth Edition Pre-Release FAQ Q: What is Magic: The Gathering--Fifth Edition? A: Magic: The Gathering--Fifth Edition is the latest edition of the Magic: The Gathering basic card set. Periodically we rotate cards out of the basic set, replacing them with popular cards from previous expansions. Fifth Edition will replace Fourth Edition. Q: When will Magic: The Gathering--Fifth Edition be available? A: Magic: The Gathering--Fifth Edition will become available to the public in late March. Q: How many cards will be in the set? A: Magic: The Gathering--Fifth Edition will contain over four hundred cards. Q: How many cards will be in a booster? In a starter? A: The plan is to have fifteen-card boosters and sixty-card decks. Q: How many boosters or starters will be in a display? A: A display of boosters will contain thirty-six packs and a display of decks will contain twelve decks. Q: How much will boosters and starters cost? A: The suggested retail price for boosters will be less than three dollars ($2.95). For decks it will be less than nine dollars ($8.95). Q: How much will booster and deck displays cost? A: A display of boosters will have a suggested retail price of $106.20, and a display of decks will have a suggested retail price of $107.40. Q: Will there be a Fifth Edition Prerelease tournament? A: No, but look for Fifth Edition to be included in Arena league cycles. Check with your local retailer for details, or call Wizards of the Coast Customer Service. Q: Are the rules going to change significantly? A: The rules will change somewhat from Fourth Edition, but if you've seen the rules for Mirage(TM), you've seen the rules for Fifth Edition. Q: I've heard there will be a new color. True? A: Not true. That rumor has been circulating for a long time--pretty much since the first time we announced that we would print an expansion for Magic: The Gathering. Q: Is it true that Fifth Edition will bring back some of the out-of-print cards like the Moxes? A: This is another popular but inaccurate rumor. According to our Reprint Policy, we will never print certain cards again in either black- or white- bordered editions in game-functionally identical form. Rumors like this almost always involve those cards. For a complete list of which cards we will never reprint, contact Wizards of the Coast Customer Service for a copy of the Reprint Policy. Q: I've seen a card list for Fifth Edition. Is it accurate? A: We release official card lists in The Duelist(R), on our CompuServe forum, and on our Web page. If you see a card list anywhere other than that, we cannot vouch for its accuracy. Watch here for announcements of the official release of the Fifth Edition list. Wizards of the Coast Customer Service P.O. Box 707 Renton, WA 98057-0707 Telephone: (206) 624-0933 FAX: (206) 204-5818 Date: Mon, 10 Mar 1997 18:52:02 -0800 From: Beth Moursund Subject: [O] The PTLA finals Many of you have been asking about the PTLA finals. Here's Andrew Finch's official statement. =============================================================== Regarding the Hovi-Mills incident : David Mills, over the course of the final match, played cards before tapping his mana. This play style does not follow the proper spell-casting sequence defined in the Magic: The Gathering rule book. Mills' failure to correct his playing style despite receiving multiple cautions and two official warnings left the judges no choice but to penalize him. The judges concluded that the infraction did not warrant disqualification as it was not disruptive to the integrity of the event. Mills was awarded a loss for the match. As the Pro Tour floor rules addendum states, it is important that players understand that all penalties are the Head Judge's decision, and the he or she makes the final rulings. The sample infractions and penalties provided are intended to serve as guidelines, not mandates. Andrew J Finch minotaur@wizards.com Tournament Manager Wizards of the Coast "The Minotaurs of the Hurloon Mountains are known for their love of battle..." =============================================================== Date: Mon, 10 Mar 1997 18:54:39 -0800 From: Beth Moursund Subject: [O] Official Rulings 3/14/97 part a Note that these don't become official until this Friday, 3/14/97, but Tom said to go ahead and send them out now. ================================================================ Stuff That Confuses People Spells, Abilities, and Effects For a long time, the term "effect" has been used to mean both something you do, and something that happens. For example, Creature Bond would be described as having a triggered effect with the effect of dealing damage. This has caused confusion, especially when someone read a ruling referring to "effect" in one of its meanings and extrapolated that to the other meaning. Therefore, we are cleaning up the terminology. Henceforth, "spell" and "ability" will refer to anything you do, and "effect" to anything that happens. For example, Lightning Bolt is a spell whose effect deals damage, and Creature Bond has an ability whose effect deals damage. It is unimportant that you have no choice about playing Creature Bond's ability; it's something you actively do, so it's an ability. Coping with City of Solitude City of Solitude was intended to shut down only activated abilities, but was designed and templated before the "ability" vs. "effect" paradigm shift. It now has errata to match the original intent: "Each player may play spells and abilities requiring activation costs only during his or her turn." Coping with Ogre Enforcer The primary thing to keep in mind with Ogre Enforcer is that it accumulates lethal damage just like any other creature. The only way it breaks the rules is that it won't be destroyed by lethal damage, unless enough of the damage came from the same source. This means that any other effect that depends on Ogre Enforcer receiving lethal damage is handled normally; for example, if Ogre Enforcer is hit by Disintegrate and suffers a total of 4 damage over the turn, it is removed from the game even if it didn't take lethal damage from a single source. If an Ogre Enforcer is reduced to 0 toughness, then it is considered to have lethal damage at any given time, even though this won't destroy it. Note that while a source can assign 0 damage to a creature or player, there is no such thing as dealing 0 damage or a packet containing 0 damage. Thus, a 0-point Earthquake won't kill an Ogre Enforcer that has a toughness of less than 1. Trample damage interacts with Ogre Enforcer just as with any other creature. That is, any trample damage in excess of lethal damage will be redirected to the defending player at the end of damage prevention. This will occasionally mean the redirection of trample damage that would ordinarily destroy the Enforcer, regardless of the attacking player's wishes. For example, suppose an Ogre Enforcer (4/4) blocks a Teremko Griffin (2/2, banding, flying) banded with a Crash of Rhinos (8/4, trample). Assuming nothing else happens, 2 normal damage and 8 trample damage will be dealt to the Enforcer. At the end of damage prevention, 6 of the trample damage is redirected to the defending player. After damage prevention, the Ogre Enforcer has taken 4 damage, comprising 2 damage each from two different sources, so it is not destroyed. Coping with Relentless Assault Several questions have come up now that it is possible to declare more than one attack during a turn. The following principles should cover most or all of these questions: Attacking once with a creature removes any obligations that it has to attack. For example, if Primordial Ooze attacks, this satisfies its "attacks each turn if able" requirement, so if you play Relentless Assault, it will not be required to attack again. Of course, other effects can override this; for example, two Norritts can force a creature to make two separate attacks. If attacking with a creature requires paying a cost, then paying that cost once is sufficient to allow it to attack for the rest of the turn. Even though the wording for attack costs has changed over time, they all work this way. The same principle applies to a cost paid in order for a creature to block, or for that creature to be assigned to block a particular other creature. Spells and abilities that can only be played prior to the attack can be played at any time when the active player could declare an attack later in the turn. Thus, playing Relentless Assault makes all such spells and abilities legal again. Abilities that trigger when a creature attacks, blocks, or is blocked will trigger during each appropriate combat of a turn. For example, if Marton Stromgald attacks twice during a turn, it gives its bonus to the other attackers each time. And a creature with rampage would gain its bonus each time more than one creature was assigned to block it. Forking your opponent's Relentless Assault doesn't allow you to attack during his or her turn. As usual, effects that allow you to take an action an additional time are useless if you can't take that action in the first place. General Rulings The following rulings are meant to clarify the rulebook, and how the game in general works: 1) When you play a spell, that card is not considered to be in your hand for purposes of paying costs, choosing targets, and so on. However, it does not actually enter "limbo" until after it has been played. For example, suppose you have Maro in play, and only Infernal Harvest in your hand. If you play Infernal Harvest, it will return the swamps to your hand at the same time it leaves your hand; there is no point at which your hand size is 0, so Maro is not destroyed. 2) Upkeep abilities are played by their controller, not necessarily the active player. This means that Unstable Mutation's ability is played by the enchantment's controller, for example. It used to be that such abilities would be played by the active player, as a result of the rule that the active player had complete control over phase abilities, but this rule has been removed. 3) Certain rules act much like triggered abilities, in that they say "if A happens, B happens." These include burying a duplicate legend, burying enchantments on a permanent that leaves play or otherwise becomes an invalid target, and destroying a creature that has lethal damage. These are treated much like triggered abilities of cards, except that they happen immediately after the triggering event. As always, all of the active player's results are handled before any of the opponents'. For example, suppose two copies of a legend phase in, and one is enchanted with False Demise. The rule that buries the legends takes effect during the resolution of the phasing effect, but the False Demise ability is not played until afterwards. Thus, there is no ordering issue between the duplicate-legend rule and False Demise's ability. As another example, if Wrath of God takes effect, all creatures are buried. Once those creatures have been put into their owners' graveyards, enchantments on them are put into their owner's graveyards; this would happen before abilities such as that of Soul Net, which triggered on the burial of the creatures, would be played. Note that if one of the creatures buried was a Femeref Enchantress, its controller wouldn't get to draw cards for the buried enchantments, as the Enchantress was not in play when they were buried. (continued in next message) Date: Mon, 10 Mar 1997 18:54:51 -0800 From: Beth Moursund Subject: [O] Official Rulings 3/14/97 part b (continued from previous message) Reversals and Other Changes 1) If Manabarbs deals damage to you more than once during a damage- prevention step, all of that damage becomes part of that damage prevention step. Therefore, one use of a Circle of Protection: Red will prevent all of that damage. This reversal is an overlooked consequence of changing the rules regarding damage prevention, and extends to other triggered effects that deal damage and trigger during damage prevention, such as Psychic Venom. 2) Specialized abilities that modify life-gaining effects can be used while Forsaken Wastes is in play, though life gaining itself is prohibited. Since Forsaken Wastes is a continuous effect, it does not apply until after specialized abilities have been played. For example, if you play Healing Salve while you have both Lich and Forsaken Wastes in play, Lich will convert the life gaining to card draws before Forsaken Wastes has a chance to forbid you to gain life. Abilities that trigger when life is gained are still ignored. 3) When you sacrifice a Safe Haven to return creatures to play, all of those creatures come into play at the same time, rather than one at a time. This means, for example, that a Clone returning to play cannot copy any of the other creatures returning to play. 4) There have been several complicated rulings about when Fork's copy of a spell, or a spell played via Word of Command, resolve. These rulings stated that the spell began a batch of effects, and that players could build this batch up normally. These rulings have been collectively repealed. When Fork copies a spell, the copy takes effect immediately, during the resolution of Fork. While you can respond to Fork itself, you cannot respond to the copy. When Word of Command resolves, the card you choose is played during the resolution of Word of Command. Remember that you can choose any card the player could legally play if he or she were starting a batch of effects at that moment. 5) Previously it was ruled that abilities that cause a land to produce additional mana, such as Wild Growth or Mana Flare, triggered when the mana-producing ability was played, and modified the effect. This ruling was issued mainly to deal with issues such as Hydroblasting Mana Flare after a land was tapped for mana, but before the mana was produced. Such interactions are no longer possible, and in fact the old ruling contradicts the new nature of mana sources. Therefore, the old ruling has been repealed, and abilities such as Mana Flare work exactly like other triggered abilities, triggering when the mana-producing ability is played. Note that this class of abilities never modifies the abilities of the lands. For example, Wild Growth does not allow an opposing Fellwar Stone to be tapped for oG. 6) Damage that is being dealt to a creature or player may be redirected to that creature or player. As with other instances of redirection, this will prevent the original damage and create a new packet of damage. This means, for example, that redirecting trample damage to the creature blocking the trampler will stop damage to the blocking creature's controller: the redirected damage is no longer combat damage and does not trample. Errata The following rulings involve card and rulebook errata, or at least reading cards slightly differently: 1) As written, Wiitigo dies due to lethal damage before it gets its six counters. It should come into play with those counters, as Zombie Mob does. 2) Brood of Cockroaches has two errors. It should say "lose 1 life" and "to owner's hand." 3) City of Solitude should only prohibit abilities requiring an activation cost (and spells of all kinds) from being played out-of-turn. 4) Vision Charm should say "are the basic land type of your choice." 5) Honorable Passage does not target the creature it protects. 6) Ignore the last sentence of Impulse; you do not shuffle your library afterwards. 7) Sands of Time taps or untaps each other artifact, creature, and land; it does not tap or untap itself. 8) During Tombstone Stairwell's effect, each player puts the appropriate number of Tombspawn tokens into play under his or her control. The tokens are not all put into play under the control of Stairwell's controller. 9) The term "bury" now refers to putting any card or token, not just a permanent, into its owner's graveyard. For example, Three Wishes uses "bury" correctly. 10) Time and Tide should refer to creature cards which are phased out, not creatures which are phased out. Specific Card Rulings 1) Blanket of Night does not cause lands to become nonbasic. Basic lands will still be basic lands, even though they count as two land types. 2) Blanket of Night turns all lands into swamps in addition to their normal land types. Effects that change a land's normal type, such as Phantasmal Terrain, do not override Blanket of Night; the land will still count as a swamp in addition to its new land type. 3) When Necromancy becomes a creature enchantment, this also turns it into a local enchantment instead of a global one. Also, the creature it puts into play is its only legal target; for example, Enchantment Alteration can't move it to another creature. 4) Sworn Defender's ability changes its base power and toughness, not necessarily their current values. 5) Discordant Spirit won't count damage that was dealt but retroactively prevented through an effect such as that of Reverse Damage. 6) When Takklemaggot becomes a global enchantment, it goes into its controller's territory, just like all permanents that aren't local enchantments. 7) Flash's effect is not covered by the ruling that treats abilities as phase costs when they are written: "When this creature comes into play, do A or do B." This means that, barring other restrictions such as summoning sickness, if the creature has abilities that are played as mana sources, these may be used to pay for the cost of keeping the creature in play. 8) Stampeding Wildebeests's upkeep ability does not target the green creature. 9) During each upkeep, Tombstone Stairwell's ability is played once, by the Stairwell's controller, and has each player put the appropriate number of tokens into play. ================================================================ Date: Tue, 18 Mar 1997 02:16:16 -0800 From: Beth Moursund Subject: [O] Weatherlight FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Sue-Lane Wood Wizards of the Coast, Inc. (206) 204-7702 David Emanuel Ketchum Public Relations (415) 984-6236 Wizards of the Coast, Inc. Launches the Weatherlight Latest Magic: The Gathering Expansion Introduces Advanced Game Mechanics and New Story Line March 17, 1997 (Renton, Wash.) -- Wizards of the Coast, Inc. is pleased to announce the release of Weatherlight(TM), the latest expansion for their best-selling trading card game Magic: The Gathering(R). Developed for intermediate to advanced Magic players, Weatherlight will be released on the same day as Magic: The Gathering--Portal(TM), an introductory set. Both products are scheduled to hit stores in early June. With more than 160 new cards, Weatherlight can be played with the basic Magic: The Gathering set, as well as with stand-alone expansions such as Mirage(TM) and Ice Age(TM). Weatherlight introduces an advanced story line involving the journey of the flying ship Weatherlight. Sisay is the captain of the Weatherlight, and her crew must risk everything to save her when she is kidnapped by mystical forces. From the port of imperial Benalia to the mysterious forests of Llanowar to the volcanic heart of Bogardan, fantastic adventure awaits the crew and Magic players all over the world. Weatherlight will also introduce several exciting new game concepts and rules, including expanded graveyard use, more cumulative upkeep, new versions of "cantrip" cards, and more flanking and phasing, originally introduced in Magic's most recent stand-alone expansion, Mirage. "In the past, players could only tinker with effects that dealt with cards coming in and out of play," said Dan Cervelli, designer for Weatherlight. "We [the designers] felt that the concept of using the discard pile as a resource had not yet been fully explored. The discard pile will no longer be looked upon as used resources with little value. Now it will be a fresh source of magic with which to cast powerful spells." Magic players will have the opportunity to get an exclusive preview of Weatherlight during a special prerelease tournament the weekend of May 31. The expansion set will be released simultaneously in more than 75 cities worldwide. Weatherlight is a limited-edition expansion and will be sold in 15-card booster packs that will retail for $2.95. Considered by many to be the new intellectual sport of the '90s, Magic was developed by a math professor and contains elements similar to bridge and chess. The strategic card game is often played in tournament settings where amateur and professional players compete to receive rankings and win prizes. Wizards of the Coast is a privately held game company best known for the trading card game Magic: The Gathering. Since Magic was released in 1993, more than two billion cards have sold worldwide, and the game is available in nine languages: French, Spanish, German, Portuguese, Italian, Japanese, Chinese, Korean and English. Wizards of the Coast has offices in Renton, Washington; Glasgow, United Kingdom; Antwerp, Belgium; and Paris, France. For more information on Wizards of the Coast, visit the company's website at . WIZARDS OF THE COAST, Magic: The Gathering, Weatherlight, Portal, Mirage and Ice Age are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast, Inc. (C)1997 Wizards of the Coast, Inc. All rights reserved. Please visit our official Web page at "http://www.wizards.com/"! Charles Keith-Stanley werewolf@wizards.com Cyberspace Coordinator liaison@wizards.com Wizards of the Coast, Inc. http://www.wizards.com Date: Thu, 3 Apr 1997 21:17:50 -0800 From: Beth Moursund Subject: [O] (the real) DCI 4/1/97 rules announcements [note from BethMo: the =81's come direct from WotC; I think it's because they use a Macintosh to produce this. I think they're supposed to be trademark symbols.] OFFICIAL CHANGES TO THE DCI=81 STANDARD FLOOR RULES ANNOUNCEMENT DATE: APRIL 1, 1997 EFFECTIVE DATE: MAY 1, 1997 The DCI would like to take this opportunity to make several amendments to the DCI Standard Floor Rules. Changes to existing rules are underlined, followed by a brief explanation of each modification in italics. MODIFICATIONS TO EXISTING DCI STANDARD FLOOR RULES: 1.2.3 Unsportsmanlike Conduct Unsportsmanlike conduct is unacceptable and will not be tolerated at any time. Judges, players, and officials must behave in a polite, respectable, and sportsmanlike manner. Players who use profanity, argue, act belligerently toward tournament officials or one another, or harass spectators, tournament officials, or opponents, will receive a warning. Repeat warnings will result in a player's disqualification from the current competition and possibly future competitions (at the discretion of the DCI). Collusion to alter the results of a duel or match is considered to be unsportsmanlike and will not be tolerated. This rule specifically prohibits harassing behavior on the part of any individual involved with or attending a sanctioned tournament. The inclusion is in keeping with the DCI's commitment toward encouraging appropriate behavior at sanctioned tournaments. 1.2.14 Intentional Draw Players engaged in a duel may mutually agree to accept an intentional draw at any time prior to the beginning of a match. This agreement shall not be regarded as a violation of Standard Floor Rules 1.2.2 or 1.2.3. Either player may offer the draw to his or her opponent at any time prior to the beginning of a match. The opponent may then accept or decline. If the offer is declined, the duel must continue as normal without further inducement or coercion to accept the offer. This modification stems from suggestions and comments the DCI has received from members and tournament officials, and alters the rule in two important respects: 1. Tournament participants may now use the intentional-draw option only before a match begins. They may not invoke the rule during a duel or after a match is concluded. 2. Tournament participants may now use the intentional-draw option even if doing so would remove them from contention (provided they do so only before a match begins). It is the participant's responsibility to understand the effect of invoking the rule on his or her pairing and standing within the tournament. The DCI believes that these changes will encourage tournament participants to use the rule as it was intended. 2.1.9 Restricted and Banned Cards No more than one (1) of each of the cards on the Restricted List is allowed in a tournament deck (including the sideboard). No cards from the Banned List are allowed in a tournament deck (including the sideboard). Violation of this rule may result in disqualification from current competition at the discretion of the head judge, and possibly from future competition at the discretion of the DCI. The Banned and Restricted Lists are modified quarterly by the DCI as follows: March 1, June 1, September 1, December 1 The DCI plans to announce any changes to ALL Banned and/or Restricted Lists at the same time each year. NEW ADDITIONS TO THE DCI STANDARD FLOOR RULES: 3.1a Early Departure Limited tournament participants may not withdraw from the event prior to the first match. Violation of this rule shall result in the offending participant receiving a "loss" for the match on the official tournament record (the opponent shall receive a "win" for the match). Participants may withdraw without penalty at any time after the conclusion of the first match. This rule is also implemented in response to the suggestions and comments provided by tournament organizers and members. The regulation discourages participants in Limited tournaments from behavior that causes confusion, disruption, and extra work for the tournament organizer. 2.7.1 The Banned List for Ice Age=81-Alliances=81 tournaments: * Any card not specifically permitted by rule 2.7 * Amulet of Quoz (ante card) * Thawing Glaciers * Zuran Orb The Restricted List for Ice Age-Alliances tournaments is now eliminated; this tournament type is affected only by a Banned List. DCI STANDARD FLOOR RULES ELIMINATED: 2.6.1. The Restricted List for Ice Age-only tournaments: * Zuran Orb 2.6.2 The Banned List for Ice Age-only tournaments: * Any card not specifically permitted by rule 2.6 * Amulet of Quoz (ante card) 2.7.1. The Restricted List for Ice Age-Alliances tournaments: * Zuran Orb See above ("New additions to the DCI Standard Floor Rules"); the Restricted and Banned Lists for Ice Age-Alliances tournaments are now combined into a Banned List. Date: Thu, 10 Apr 1997 09:44:34 -0700 From: Stephen D''Angelo Subject: [O] WOTC and TSR sign letter of intent Hi there, This is your old NetRep Stephen sitting in for Beth while she's out. This press release ought to cause some conversation. Please note that this is just an announcement of a "letter of intent". The deal is by no means done, so while people want it to happen, it may not happen for any number of reasons. You know how these legal things are. Stephen. ---- Stephen D'Angelo | Official Magic: The Gathering Rules Summary dangelo@netcom.com | Network Representative for Wizards of the Coast, Inc. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Steven Kam David Emanuel Wizards of the Coast, Inc. Ketchum Public Relations (206) 204-7695 (415) 984-6236 WIZARDS OF THE COAST TO ACQUIRE TSR INC. April 10, 1997 (Renton, Wash.) -- Wizards of the Coast Inc. and TSR Inc., the two leaders of the adventure gaming industry, announced today that a letter of intent has been signed by both parties for Wizards of the Coast to acquire TSR Inc. The transaction is expected to be completed in May, 1997. Wizards of the Coast is the publisher of the world's best-selling trading card game, Magic: The Gathering(R). Lake Geneva, Wis.-based TSR Inc. is the publisher of the world-renowned adventure game Dungeons & Dragons(R). Founded 22 years ago in 1975, TSR Inc. rose to a market leadership position that endures today with the introduction of Dungeons and Dragons. The internationally famous game further generated a wide variety of best-selling adventure and roleplaying games and merchandise, including the New York Times' best-selling book series, Dragonlance. The game Dungeons and Dragons was featured in an early scene of the 1982 Steven Spielberg hit movie, E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial. "TSR Inc. is the pioneer of adventure games and carries an important industry legacy," said Peter D. Adkison, president and CEO of Wizards of the Coast. "We look forward to drawing on TSR's worldwide reputation and established lines of popular games to complement our current business." Lorraine Williams, president and CEO of TSR Inc., added, "The synergies that already exist between Wizards of the Coast and TSR ensure a solid home and future for the vast library of intellectual property which TSR has created, and for its creative community." Wizards of the Coast is a leading developer and publisher of entertainment products, including Magic: The Gathering. Since the game was released in 1993, over two billion cards have been sold, and the game is available in nine languages. Other products published by the company include the trading card game BattleTech(R) and the soon-to-be-released card game Corporate Shuffle(TM), based on the popular comic character DILBERT(TM). The company is headquartered just outside of Seattle, Washington in the city of Renton, and has international offices in the United Kingdom, Belgium and France. For more information on Wizards of the Coast, visit the company's website at . Copyright 1997 Wizards of the Coast Inc. All rights reserved. WIZARDS OF THE COAST, Magic: The Gathering, and Corporate Shuffle are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast Inc. Dungeons & Dragons is a registered trademark of TSR Inc. BattleTech is a registered trademark of FASA. The BattleTech universe is owned by FASA Corporation and used under license. DILBERT (C) United Feature Syndicate Inc. Date: Thu, 1 May 1997 18:30:12 -0700 From: Beth Moursund Subject: [O] DCI Tournament Rules Changes, effective July 1 1997 DCI(TM) STANDARD (TYPE II) TOURNAMENT ENVIRONMENT MODIFICATION ANNOUNCEMENT Announcement date: May 1, 1997 Effective date: July 1, 1997 DCI recognizes that its current organization of the sanctioned Standard (Type II) tournament environment requires substantial modification to meet the needs of its members and tournament organizers. We received an overwhelming response to our current policy--an enormous number of members and tournament organizers expressed concerns about card sets rotating out of the environment too quickly. We are fortunate that our membership and tournament organizers care enough to provide us with valuable feedback on our tournament rules and structure. As part of our ongoing effort to provide you with the very best in competitive play environments, we have responded to your input and suggestions by modifying the Standard (Type II) environment, including the re-introduction of certain card sets. This announcement is a preview of our June 1 announcement; it is still effective on July 1, 1997. We focused on the following key goals while modifying the Standard environment: - Simple definition: Tournament participants and organizers should be able to easily and quickly understand what is meant by the reference "Standard (Type II) tournament." - Minimal deck reconstruction: Ideally, tournament participants should not be forced to reconstruct their decks as often as they currently do, nor should they have to maintain decks in as many environments. The details of the modifications are as follows: New card sets released during the first couple weeks of a month will rotate into the Standard environment on the first day of the month following their retail release dates. A card set released during the last couple weeks of a month will rotate into the environment on the first day of the second month following its retail release date. Therefore, card sets will always enter the environment two to five weeks, rather than thirty days, after their retail release dates, and always on the first day of the month. This will standardize the rotation dates for player convenience. Prerelease tournaments will still operate under the current procedure. DCI will announce the exact date that each new card set will enter the environment before the set is released. Example: The retail release date for WEATHERLIGHT(TM) is June 4; the expansion will rotate into the tournament environment on July 1, the first day of the month following its retail release (four weeks later). If WEATHERLIGHT was released during the last week of June, it would enter the environment on August 1 (five weeks later). 1) New editions of the basic set will rotate into the environment, replacing the previous basic set, on the first of the month after their retail release dates (as described in modification #1, above). Modifications and changes in rules and wordings between editions will transfer completely, and not run concurrently. Example: The retail release date for FIFTH EDITION(TM) was March 21; if the new system had been in effect then, it would have rotated into the tournament environment on May 1 (five weeks after its release date). 2) Expansion sets will rotate into the environment on the first day of the month following their retail release dates (as described in modification #1, above). However, they will rotate out in "stand-alone blocks." A given stand-alone set and its expansions--essentially a year of MAGIC expansions, starting with the stand-alone set--will rotate out at the time the new stand-alone (two years later) enters the Standard environment, thus beginning a new "block." This allows card sets to remain in the environment for a longer period of time, from a year and three months to two years, and reduces the frequency of players needing to modify their decks in order to stay legal in the Standard environment. Moreover, this change ensures that card sets using certain subthemes exist in the environment together. Players will be able to use their cards for a longer period of time as compared to the current system. All expansions in the year following a stand-alone set will be considered part of that stand-alone block. Example: ICE AGE(TM) and HOMELANDS(TM) will re-enter the Standard environment. Along with ALLIANCES(TM), they will remain in the Standard environment until the release of TEMPEST(TM) in the fall of 1997. Example: MIRAGE(TM), a stand-alone set, rotated into the tournament environment and began a "stand-alone block." VISIONS(TM) and WEATHERLIGHT are MIRAGE expansions, and are therefore part of this block. MIRAGE, VISIONS, and WEATHERLIGHT will rotate out of the tournament environment together when the 1998 stand-alone expansion enters the environment (two years after MIRAGE was introduced to the environment). DCI will sanction only two Standard tournament formats other than the main type (currently, there are several). These types are "stand-alone" formats, defined as follows: The format begins with a stand-alone set, and adds each of the stand-alone's expansions as they become legal in the Standard format. A "stand-alone" format drops out of the Standard environment when the sets involved drop out of Standard. Two stand-alone sets will exist in the Standard environment at any one time. For instance, the ICE AGE-HOMELANDS-ALLIANCES stand-alone format will leave the environment when TEMPEST is released. Then the TEMPEST stand-alone environment and the MIRAGE-VISIONS-WEATHERLIGHT stand-alone environment will both exist in Standard until MIRAGE-VISIONS-WEATHERLIGHT is replaced by the 1998 stand-alone set. This change will keep the number of sanctioned formats manageable, and enable players to play more easily against one another. Example: The ICE AGE-HOMELANDS-ALLIANCES stand-alone block will be replaced by the TEMPEST stand-alone and its associated expansion sets. Example: MIRAGE entered the Standard environment and began a new stand-alone block. VISIONS followed and became part of the MIRAGE stand-alone block. When WEATHERLIGHT enters the environment, it too will become part of the MIRAGE stand-alone block. These modifications mean that the following card sets will be permitted in sanctioned Standard tournaments as of July 1, 1997: - FIFTH EDITION - ICE AGE - HOMELANDS - ALLIANCES - MIRAGE - VISIONS - WEATHERLIGHT In addition, DCI will sanction the following stand-alone block formats as Standard tournaments: - ICE AGE-HOMELANDS-ICE AGE - MIRAGE-VISIONS-WEATHERLIGHT DCI CLASSIC-RESTRICTED (TYPE 1.5) TOURNAMENT ENVIRONMENT MODIFICATION ANNOUNCEMENT Announcement date: May 1, 1997 Effective date: July 1, 1997 Due to the overwhelming response Wizards of the Coast has received about players being unable to use their older cards, DCI has decided to change the definition of the sanctioned Classic-Restricted environment. We kept several goals in mind when restructuring the format: - Card availability: We feel the environment should include the maximum possible *playable* card sets. Please note that this is very different from the maximum possible *legal* card sets. As we see in the Classic (Type I) environment, the unlimited use of cards can actually lead to a smaller environment of competitive cards. - Affordability: We would like to limit the amount of money players have to spend in order to make a competitive Classic-Restricted deck. Many legal cards in Classic-Restricted are expensive and, for many people, this limits access to the format. - Simple definition: We believe the environment should be easy to identify and have no overly cumbersome list of banned cards. In order to achieve these goals, the new definition of Classic-Restricted is as follows: 1) Classic-Restricted no longer has a Restricted List, only a Banned List. Players may include up to four of any legal card in their decks, and an unlimited amount of basic land. 2) All cards from limited-edition expansions previous to THE DARK(R) (ARABIAN NIGHTS(R), ANTIQUITIES(R), and LEGENDS(R)) are banned unless they are reprinted in a legal set, limited or otherwise. 3) All cards from editions of the basic set previous to REVISED EDITION(TM) (Alpha, Beta, and UNLIMITED(TM)) are banned unless they are reprinted in a legal set, limited or otherwise. 4) All cards that have never been released as part of an expansion set, such as through books or other promotional means, are permitted. 5) The following list of cards are exceptions to the above and are banned from sanctioned Classic-Restricted play: - Ante cards from any set - From REVISED EDITION: Braingeyser Demonic Tutor Fastbond Juggernaut Kird Ape Regrowth Serendib Efreet Sol Ring Wheel of Fortune - From FOURTH EDITION(TM): Balance Black Vise Channel Ivory Tower Mind Twist Strip Mine - From THE DARK: Maze of Ith - From ICE AGE: Zuran Orb - Promotional cards: Mana Crypt When a stand-alone block rotates out of the Standard environment, it becomes a sanctioned Classic-Restricted format. ICE AGE-HOMELANDS-ALLIANCES will immediately be sanctioned as a Classic-Restricted format once TEMPEST is legal in Standard play, since those sets will no longer be permitted in sanctioned Standard tournaments. Jason Carl Policy Director, DCI Wizards of the Coast (c)1997 Wizards of the Coast, Inc. WIZARDS OF THE COAST, DCI, MAGIC: THE GATHERING, ARABIAN NIGHTS, ANTIQUITIES, LEGENDS, THE DARK, ICE AGE, HOMELANDS, ALLIANCES, MIRAGE, VISIONS, WEATHERLIGHT, TEMPEST, UNLIMITED, REVISED EDITION, FOURTH EDITION, and FIFTH EDITION are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast, Inc. Date: Tue, 13 May 1997 00:49:50 -0700 From: Beth Moursund Subject: [O] Vanguard FAQ Vanguard FAQ What is Vanguard(TM)? Vanguard is a supplement for Magic: The Gathering(R). It is not an expansion. It will be published in small sets of slightly oversized cards (approximately 3.5" x 5"). Each card depicts a character from the Magic multiverse. The first set of eight Vanguard cards draws from the Weatherlight(TM) expansion. Where can I get Vanguard? Vanguard will be available initially only through Arena(TM)-The League for Magic: The Gathering. Each player participating in the season will receive one of two four-card packs of Vanguard cards as part of their registration. The suggested registration fee for this season of Arena is $5. To locate an Arena retailer near you, please check the Arena section of the Wizards of the Coast(R) website at or contact Customer Service at (206) 624-0933. When will Vanguard be available in Arena? Vanguard will be offered for the first time during Arena's Summer Season, which runs from July 18 through August 24. Some future Arena seasons may feature additional Vanguard cards, though plans for this have not yet been finalized. When will Vanguard be available outside Arena? A Vanguard gift box will be available during fall 1997 through the standard distribution network. This item will include all eight of the Vanguard cards featured in Arena's Summer Season. How many cards are in Vanguard? The first set of Vanguard cards, featured in Arena's Summer Season, includes eight cards. The size and frequency of future Vanguard sets has not yet been determined. Which characters are in Vanguard? The first set of Vanguard cards, featured in Arena's Summer Season, includes eight characters from the Weatherlight expansion: Sisay, Gerrard, Ertai, Tahngarth, Maraxus, Karn, Mirri, and Squee. What do the cards do? Each card has special powers that affect the way your deck of Magic cards functions during a game. For instance, one card prevents any of your creatures from being targeted by your opponent's spells or effects, while another allows you to tap your basic lands for any color of mana. In addition, each card influences your starting life total and your hand size. Vanguard cards are untargetable by spells and effects, ensuring that their powers will function throughout the game. WIZARDS OF THE COAST, Magic: The Gathering, Vanguard, Weatherlight, and ARENA are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast, Inc. (C)1997 Wizards of the Coast, Inc. Date: Wed, 28 May 1997 14:30:16 -0700 From: Beth Moursund Subject: [O] collected Tom stuff, part a Here's a collection which Dave Delaney put together of things Tom has said on the NetRep list. On an "officialness scale" these rank below official rulings posts, but above answers that NetReps have given. ---------------------- This long post is a compilation of answers we've gotten from Tom over the last few months, which I have been lax in actually passing on to the group. The first part of it is answers not finalized yet, which the Design Team is working on, results to be announced [so you-all know what's _not_ been answered yet, basically]: 1) If a permanent has contradictory components to the consequence of not paying a phase cost. We are not yet sure, for instance, what happens when a Vaporous Djinn enchanted with Corruption is not paid for, since it clearly can't be both phased out and buried simultaneously. 2) Arboria. It may simply look back on the previous turn, or it may trigger a "stop that effect next turn" if a permanent is put into play. They haven't decided. 3) The controller of abilities from cards that are not in play is not yet defined. [Elvish Spirit Guide, 1996 World Champion, Nether Shadow etc., Guerilla Tactics/Psychic Purge, etc.] It will _probably_ end up that the ability is controlled by the card's owner, but they're examining this to see if there are Horrible Hidden Bugs in the concept. 4) When exactly a triggered effect gets "set", relative to the setting-off event. Not clear yet whether "just before the event", "just after the event", or "during/simultaneously with the event" is appropriate. _Very_ esoteric, don't worry about it in usual situations. New rulings based on things Tom has said in email, many of which aren't that "new" and a lot of which have actually already shown up, one way or another, in the d'Angelo files. Some of these may actually have appeared in previous rulings posts, but collating this is a jobandahalf so I may have slipped something in here again. Don't fret about it. Quoted (') bits are Tom Wylie, sometimes answering [indented] questions from others. General: 1) If anything existed that had to "attack whenever possible", it would have to attack each time in a turn its controller declared an attack [Relentless Assault]. Existing creatures all say only "must attack this turn if possible" or "must attack this turn", so are satisfied by attacking once on the turn. Lured creatures, however, essentially have the wording "all defender's creatures that can block this must do so whenever possible", says Tom, so it _does_ force multiple blocks if multiple attacks with the Lured creature are made in a turn. 2) "rule-triggered" things, which can go off during a resolution, like burial of duplicate legends or Enchant Worlds, are still handled active-player's-first- then-opponent's, as specialized effects are. 3) [asking about the ordering of what goes on during resolution of an ability or spell] '> So the ordering is specialized abilities, apply continuous effects, apply > game-rule triggered effects, finish resolving whatever the specialized > ability was used during if anything, play normal triggered effects? Essentially, yes, though triggered abilities would wait until after the entire resolution, in the cases of effects with more than one "step."' [To clarify some: the context here was Forsaken Wastes' "no life gain" continuous ability versus Lich's "life gain becomes card draws instead" _automatic_ specialized effect. Lich wins, fatality. Specialized effects that actually have to be _cast_ as a spell or used as a fast effect may work differently.] 4) The playing cards with Magic backs that WotC has produced are not tournament legal. [Tom: "Good grief."] 5) If a creature's toughness is reduced _during_ damage-prevention, such that it is then lethally damaged, it will die on the spot, and will not wait until the end of damage prevention when the check for lethal damage from "new" damage is made. [It won't necessarily wait until substep D of damage-prevention, in other words, if something reduces its toughness before then.] 6) Attacking bands no longer need to all be declared in one "group" of declared attackers; it is okay to form a band, then add more attackers to it, during declare-attackers step. [Battering Ram's ability is not pointless.] There is, however, no way to remove attackers from a band once they've been added, even if you're still in the declare-attackers step. 7) As the rulebook notes, if a permanent gets a phase cost and an end-of-phase cost for the same phase, they "merge" and must be paid at the latest opportunity. If one of the costs then goes away, the rules for what happens are: you can't move from "during phase" to "end of phase" if you still have costs to pay during the phase; you can't move from "end of phase" to the next phase if you still have costs to pay at end of phase. However, nothing stops you from moving past "end of phase" if you manage to gain a cost paid _during_ the [already-passed] phase; if something gives your permanent a Cumulative Upkeep during the end of your upkeep, for instance, nothing bad happens this turn, and if something with a phase cost and end-of-phase cost _loses_ the end-of-phase cost during the end of that phase, the chance to deal with the phase cost is already in the past, so again nothing much happens this turn - no payment, no consequence. This is largely theoretical because the things that add costs during end of phase are just about all _untap_ costs, not upkeep costs. But the situation could arise. 8) Things that make or let you search your library for a card, put the card on top of the library, and shuffle the library are all one step; they modify the shuffling process by having the chosen card remain on top. You can't use mana sources "in between pieces" of such an ability - the search-put-shuffle is atomic. The card is in the library the whole time, and not in any sort of set-aside zone. 9) 'If an ability is written as "Use this only X [times per whenever]," or "You may pay no more than X," then the ability is speaking to the current controller, so stealing it allows the ability to be used again [by the new controller]. If the ability is written as "No more than X may be spent in this way each turn," then it's an absolute statement, and stealing X leaves the limit in place.' So stealing a Dragon Whelp doesn't let the new controller pump three _more_ red mana into it. However, if something changes the limit on the ability, such as Celestial Dawn affecting a Dragon Whelp or Vampire bats, the old limit's got no effect on how much you can spend for the new limit. So you could feed a Whelp RRR, then play Celestial Dawn, then feed the Whelp WWW, and it would still be okay at end of turn. 10) The controller of a permanent at the time it triggers an effect is the controller of the triggered effect when it gets played, even if the permanent changes controllers in the meantime. [If a lucky charm is stolen at triggered speed, somehow, by a spell it can trigger off of, the former controller is still the person who plays the ability, even though it's under someone else's control at the time the ability gets around to being played.] 11) '> Related question: What kind of effect is the skip-a- > phase effect? Continuous [with an effect only at a certain time]? Surely > not triggered? One of the new "game triggered" things? Specialized? Do we > want to define them as specialized effects played between phases ["interphase > effects", tm Brandon Aiken] like beginning-of-turn stuff is > specialized-before-untap? It's not any kind of effect, really. When a phase attempts to begin, it simply begins unless there's an effect or ability saying that it doesn't. If there is more than one such effect or ability, you choose which one causes the phase to be skipped. (This is just the Gargoyle vs. Necropotence stuff all over again.) In cases where each player controls an effect or ability which would cause the phase to be skipped, one of the active player's effects is applied, as per the "active player, opponent" principle. But there isn't a priority structure like there would be for specialized or triggered abilities.' 12) Cards that phase in ignore all "comes into play" things, including effects that trigger off of coming into play, things that specify what the card comes into play with [counters, etc.], and things that specify _how_ the card comes into play [Kismet]. 13) 'It's been a metarule for a while that abilities which say "You may only use this at this time" *im*plicitly allow you to use the ability at that time, regardless, just as "You may use this at this time" statements allow this *ex*plicitly.' 14) Self-regeneration, like that of Drudge Skeletons or Regeneration's ability, does not target the creature being regenerated; regeneration directed at a specific creature, like that of Death Ward or Seedling Charm or Village Elder or Vigilant Martyr, does target the creature when it says so. 15) 'Whether a given saboteur ability is played as an instant or as a triggered ability depends on how the card is worded. Though they should arguably all work the same way to make it easier to remember, the answer is right there on the cards, so we have no plans to issue global errata to have them work one way or the other. I'm pretty sure that, in the past, at least some saboteurs that were written as triggered abilities were ruled to be played as instants, because that was the intent. Any such rulings should be considered reversed.' (continued in next message) ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 28 May 1997 14:30:33 -0700 From: Beth Moursund Subject: [O] collected Tom stuff, part b (continued from previous message) Card-specific: 1) Three Wishes really does mean to bury the cards ... since the rulebook for 5E notes that "bury" has been expanded to mean "from anywhere to the graveyard", not just "from play to the graveyard". 2) Time Vault creates a "hole" where it can be untapped, which is actually between turns; it is after opponent's turn ends, and before yours starts. This "hole" exists only for the purpose of untapping Time Vault by skipping your turn and putting a time counter on Time Vault; you can't untap Time Vault on opponent's turn [11/6/96 rulings], or once yours has started. 3) Fellwar Stone, and the like, can't count triggered effects that make the land produce new mana ... like Wild Growth's. It can only count innate mana production [possibly modified by continuous effects]. 4) Discordant Spirit won't "see" damage to a player that was Simulacrummed retroactively away onto a creature, any more than it would "see" damage that was Reverse Damaged or Reverse Polaritied away retroactively. 5) If Eye of Singularity is in play and something resolves that puts multiple permanents into play, the Eye triggers separately for each new permanent. So if Icatian Town is cast, only one Citizen token will survive. [Just as Soul Net still triggers separately when creatures die simultaneously.] 6) Cyclopean Tomb's Magic-Encyclopedia errata is quite probably flawed. 'The Tomb is one of those cards for whom 1) templating correctly, and 2) templating such that you can understand it, seem to be mutually exclusive goals.' You only remove one counter per upkeep per Tomb that has left play, not one counter per upkeep for each counter that was made. 7) '>Various people want to know if the Ruling under Kaervek's torch generalizes > to, say, instants, and things that can be played at instant speed, or if > it's just for Kaervek's Torch's special ability. "[Kaervek's] Torch breaks the rules by having an ability that applies to interrupts which target it. King Cheetah breaks the rules by allowing you to play it at a nonstandard time. Rulings about one do not necessarily (and generally don't) lead to similar rulings about the other. In particular, King Cheetah is always a summon spell, so can't be Forked; ditto for the instachantments."' [So please don't try to generalize the Ruling about interrupts targetting Kaervek's Torch, to abilities played at a certain speed affecting other cards.] 8) Assembly Workers will stay a land artifact creature until end of turn if something changes their name or land type during a turn. 'Instead of being "Assembly Worker that counts as 2/2 artifact creature," it is now "mountain that counts as 2/2 artifact creature," or whatever.' 9) Malignant Growth is simply counting the cards and applying a packet of damage accordingly, since it's all part of the same effect; it's not triggering off of the card draws and separately applying damage, like Underworld Dreams might do. 'This construction is roughly equivalent to "an amount equal to" constructions, and is used when the latter wording would be awkward. Occasionally we use it in this context when it's not necessary, such as on Divine Retribution, but in those cases it's still a counting template.' 10) Jade Statue's entry in the Rulings file should say "when attack or defense is chosen", as "when choosing attack or defense" implies controller is the one choosing. 11) When Wellspring makes you lose control of the land, it puts a "you lose control" layer of effect over top of the "gain control" layers, so this affects all previous gains of control for that land. [You can't "get ahead a layer" by phasing it out judiciously.] 12) '[Illusionary Presence, et al.] can't choose "basic anything" or "nonbasic anything." (On Giant Slug, "basic landwalk ability" means "landwalk ability for one of the basic land types;" it can walk through Taigas and such just fine.) Giant Slug can choose "snow-covered somethingwalk."' 13) Ghostly Flame's effect is continuous; it alters the "color" of the damage whenever something checks the damage's source. If a Ghostly Flame leaves play somehow during a damage-prevention step, red or black damage being dealt with in that step will now be preventable with a Greater Realm of Preservation, for instance. [The Flame doesn't have a "lasting effect" on damage, or change its "color" while it's being assigned.] 14) If Giant Oyster, or the creature it grabs, phase out, the effect that lets you remove the counters appropriately ends; the Oyster will not be able to remove the counters after that, even though it's the same Oyster still. 15) If General Jarkeld, or Sorrow's Path, switches two blockers, and one was assigned to block a member of a band originally, the switched one must be able to block that same attacker for the switch to work [not just "be able to block a member of the attacking band"]. 16) Tawnos' Coffin and Oubliette put permanents back into play [from "out of play" zone] already tapped; this Reverses an older ruling that the permanent entered play and immediately tapped. 17) Memory Lapse's countered spell does get counterd before going to the top of the library, so it does pass through the graveyard; a carefully-timed Songs of the Damned can be used while the countered spell is passing through. [This is different from the situation for tokens, since the resolution isn't taking place at continuous speed.] 18) 'If you Deflect Enchantment Alteration to an enchantment that can't be moved to the new target, that enchantment doesn't go anywhere. For example Deflecting an EA that is scheduled to move an Unholy Strength onto a black creature, such that EA now targets Armor of Thorns instead, causes the Armor to go nowhere.' [This Reversed a ruling Stephen had in his file under Enchantment Alteration, which was out of line with the other enchantment movers. The effect doesn't fizzle, because the target's still legal, but it simply fails to happen as scheduled.] 19) Dopplegangers do not retain the name "Vesuvan Doppleganger". [Contrary to my long-held opinion.] They retain the creature type and the "shifting" power, and the color. They do not get "double names" the way a land affected by Blanket of Night does, so Doppleganging a legend still causes the Dopp to be buried. 'If Doppelgangers did retain their name, then copies of legends wouldn't die, since "Marton Stromgald and Vesuvan Doppelganger" is not the same thing as "Marton Stromgald." But they don't, so copies of legends die.' 20) Zombie Master "splices" the regeneration ability into the text box of all affected Zombies, since that ability is quoted. It _gives_ the Zombies swampwalk, but does not give them the text "Swampwalk." spliced into their text box. [Reversing a previously-appearing ruling under Celestial Dawn.] One must Hack or Mind Bend the Zombie Master to change the land word. 21) Ring of Ma'Ruf is not targetted, because the card it's choosing is in the out-of-game zone. Also, cards chosen by something that are in the ante, library, or out-of-play area won't be targetted by that something. 22) Raging Rivers still aren't cumulative. 23) Gate to Phyrexia's ability is targetted on the artifact, and is a mandatory phase effect. Sacrifice a creature if you have one and if there's a legal artifact target. 24) Stasis should be interpreted as being templated like the other phase- skipping cards: "All players skip their untap phase", and follows the rules for skipping of phases. [Rather than the non-rules for "not having" a phase.] 25) 'Under Fifth Edition text, [the Fallen Empires storage-lands'] ability effectively replaces "untap as normal" with "put a counter on the land." It doesn't matter how long the land has been tapped. Essentially, the "[must have been tapped for the] whole phase" ruling goes away.' So you can tap the land for [possibly zero] mana, during untap phase, before the mass untap, and get a counter on it for then keeping it tapped... 26) A Consecrated animated land will prevent the land's destruction if the land manages to lethally damage itself. [Mishra's Factory, Consecrated, becomes an Assembly Worker; Gaze of Pain is cast; the Worker attacks and is not blocked and in a fit of depression decides to stab itself. The Consecration stops it from dying from this self-inflicted lethal damage.] 27) Brothers of Fire and Sisters of the Flame are the same creature type [Brothers/Sisters]. 28) Kaervek's Purge's damage is triggered off of the death of the creature, and is not a part of the spell's resolution; Unyaro Griffin's ability can't counter it, despite apparent similarities with existent Equinox rulings. '(Equinox is a very mutant case).' 29)'> Anti-Magic Aura: Can fast effects played as sorceries target the creature? > What about interrupts being played as instants? "enchantments, instants, and sorceries" covers all spells of that type, and all abilities played as that type. It doesn't matter which "speed" you actually wind up playing the spell as; for example, if the Aura just said "instants and sorceries," the instachantments could target the creature just fine.' 30) Firestorm Phoenix's "cannot be summoned until your next turn" restriction only applies to actually casting the card as a spell; it can be dropped normally during Eureka, appear via Flash, etc., before the time limit expires. The restriction applies also to the card of a Clone or Doppleganger of a Phoenix - the Clone cannot be summoned again until the time limit expires, even though it may be targetting a non-Phoenix. 31)'>Peace Talks: does it stop the playing of abilities of targetted permanents, > like Black Vise or Kismet? I'm fairly sure it shuts off the use of ones that > are targetted anew each time... but we seem to think it won't do anything to > "untargetted" abilities from targetted permanents... The abilities of Black Vise, Kismet, and so on are not, in and of themselves, targeted. Only the spell itself is targeted.' 32) The discards from Zur's Weirding are controlled by the controller of Zur's Weirding, who is not necessarily the player playing the discard effect, due to the recent changes in thinking about who controls certain effects generated by certain permanents. Thus if another player forces the Weirding's controller to discard a Psychic Purge or Guerilla Tactics, the card's effect for being discarded due to opponent's action will not go off, because the Weirding's controller controls the discarding effect. -------------------------- Date: Tue, 3 Jun 1997 00:07:14 -0700 From: Beth Moursund Subject: [O] DCI June Announcements Classic-Restricted (Type 1.5) Banned List - no alterations EXTENDED FORMAT RATINGS The DCI will rate tournament results from Extended-format events as a separate rating category. This brings the total number of DCI rating categories to four: - Standard - Classic - Extended - Limited The DCI will publish ratings and rankings for this category once it receives a sufficient number of match results to make these ratings meaningful. The DCI anticipates that it will be able to publish such ratings on or about September 1, 1997. However, in the event that an insufficient number of match results have been received to calculate meaningful ratings by that date, the DCI will publish Extended ratings as soon as feasible thereafter. OFFICIAL CHANGES TO THE DCI(TM) STANDARD FLOOR RULES BANNED & RESTRICTED LISTS Announcement date: June 1, 1997 Effective date: July 1, 1997 Standard (Type II) Banned List - Zuran Orb is added *Mirage(TM)*-*Visions(TM)*-*Weatherlight(TM)* Standard Banned List - Squandered Resources is added Extended Banned List - no alterations Classic (Type I) Banned List - no alterations Classic (Type I) Restricted List - Black Vise is added Date: Wed, 4 Jun 1997 15:29:58 -0700 From: Beth Moursund Subject: [O] Wizards completes TSR acquisition WIZARDS OF THE COAST NEWS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE WIZARDS OF THE COAST COMPLETES ACQUISITION OF TSR INC. June 3, 1997 (Renton, Wash.)--Wizards of the Coast Inc. today announced the completion of its acquisition of TSR Inc., finalizing a transaction that began in April when the two leaders of the adventure gaming industry announced the signing of a letter of intent. Both companies are privately held, and financial terms of the deal are not being disclosed. A product and employee integration plan is currently being developed and details will be announced at a later date. Wizards of the Coast is the publisher of the world's best-selling trading card game, *Magic: The Gathering*(R). Lake Geneva, Wis.-based TSR is the publisher of the world-renowned adventure game *Dungeons & Dragons*(R). Peter Adkison, president and CEO of Wizards of the Coast, commented, "I am personally and professionally thrilled with the finalization of this agreement. The Dungeons & Dragons legacy has dominated the adventure roleplaying game category for more than 22 years, and we are thrilled to be new providers to its enormous worldwide audience." Founded in 1975, TSR rose to a market leadership position that endures today with the introduction of Dungeons & Dragons. The internationally famous game further generated a wide variety of best-selling adventure and roleplaying games and merchandise, including the _New York Times_ best-selling book series, *Dragonlance*(R). The game Dungeons & Dragons was featured in an early scene of the 1982 Steven Spielberg hit movie, _E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial_. Wizards of the Coast is a privately held game company that publishes the world's best-selling trading card game, Magic: The Gathering. Headquartered outside of Seattle, Wash., in the city of Renton, Wizards of the Coast is the leading authority on card games and adventure board games, with top-selling titles such as the *BattleTech*(R) TCG and *RoboRally*(R). Wizards of the Coast also has international offices in Antwerp, Paris and London. For more information on Wizards of the Coast, visit the company's website at or its CompuServe forum at . WIZARDS OF THE COAST, Magic: The Gathering and RoboRally are registered trademarks of Wizards of the Coast Inc. Dungeons & Dragons and Dragonlance are registered trademarks of TSR Inc. BattleTech is a registered trademark of FASA Corporation. The BattleTech universe is owned by FASA Corporation and used under license. =A91997 Wizards of the Coast Inc. Date: Wed, 4 Jun 1997 15:51:26 -0700 From: Beth Moursund Subject: [O] Official Rulings for 6/1/97 General Rulings The following rules are meant to clarify the rulebook, and how the game in general works: 1) Abilities that can be played when the card is not in play, such as pitching Elvish Spirit Guide for mana or putting Necrosavant into play from the graveyard, are not "creature abilities," "artifact abilities," and so on, because at the time these abilities are played, the cards are not creatures, artifacts, and so forth. They are "creature card abilities," "artifact card abilities" and so on. Thus, effects such as Gloom and Cursed Totem do not affect them. 2) When a permanent phases in, all abilities relevant to that permanent coming into play are ignored. For example, Nevinyrral's Disk doesn't automatically phase in tapped, Kismet doesn't affect permanents phasing in, and Zombie Mob's power and toughness (and its removal of summon cards from the graveyard) are not redetermined each time it phases in. 3) If more than one permanent is destroyed at once, such as with Nevinyrral's Disk, a single effect destroys the permanents. Regenerating a permanent will modify the "destroy these permanents" effect by replacing the destruction of that permanent with the regeneration effect. No other permanents will be affected as a result, even in cases of damage dealing in which regenerating one creature raises the toughness of another. For example, suppose a Soldevi Sentry and a 1/1 Maro deal combat damage to each other, causing both to be destroyed by lethal damage. Regenerating the Sentry allows Maro's controller to draw a card, thus raising Maro to 2/2. But because both permanents were destroyed in a single "effect," Maro is still destroyed. Effects that prevent destruction by means other than regeneration (e.g., that of Pyramids) follow the same rule. 4) When multiple upkeep costs of a permanent combine, the consequences of not paying those costs form a series of effects rather than one total effect. These effects occur in the normal order: first the permanent's own upkeep consequences (if any), and then all others in the order in which the source of the cost came into play. For example, suppose Vaporous Djinn (pay UU or it phases out) comes into play when Pendrell Mists (each creature gains an upkeep cost of 1) is already in play. If you pay the combined upkeep cost, you simply pay 1UU. If you don't pay the cost, you apply the consequences in the usual order. Thus, the Djinn's own upkeep consequence phases it out, and then the Pendrell Mists's upkeep consequence does nothing, because the Djinn has already left play. If the upkeep costs themselves are contradictory, then you simply can't pay the combined upkeep cost, and suffer the appropriate consequences. 5) Multiple upkeep costs of a permanent combine to form single cost. This means that if any of those upkeep costs are mandatory, then the entire upkeep cost effectively becomes mandatory. For example, if Lord of the Pit comes into play when Pendrell Mists is in play, then the Lord of the Pit's controller must sacrifice a creature and pay 1 when paying the upkeep cost. 6) Generic mana costs are those with colorless mana symbols, including X. It doesn't matter whether the type of mana that can be spent paying that cost is specified. For example, Drain Life has an additional cost of X, which is a generic mana cost, even though the text says "Spend only black mana in this way." GENERAL RULINGS 1) The controller of a spell or ability is the player who plays that spell or ability. This means that a card and its ability can have different controllers. Zur's Weirding is an example - the controller of the ability is the player who plays it, not necessarily the controller of the card. It also means that abilities of cards out of play (Elvish Spirit Guide, Necrosavant, etc.) have a controller. 2) Contrary to certain rulings about Mishra's Factory and Assembly Workers, simply making a land into a creature does not create a creature type for that land. For example, suppose Living Lands is in play (all forests are 1/1 creatures). If An-Zerrin Ruins is played (creatures of a chosen creature type do not untap), choosing "forest" as the creature type would not prevent forests from untapping. 3) Previously it was ruled that if Kudzu is on a land that is sacrificed and tapped at the same time (using Strip Mine to destroy a land, for example), then Kudzu's ability would rescue Kudzu from being buried. This exception to the rules has been repealed; Kudzu must be in play when the effect of its ability resolves in order for it to move to another land. 4) Sengir Vampire's ability triggers when a creature it has damaged is put into a graveyard, rather than triggering whenever it damages a creature. Thus, Sengir Vampire does not get a counter when a noncreature permanent is put into its owner's graveyard, even if that permanent was a creature at some point earlier in the turn when the Vampire damaged it. 5) Cards that return from an Oubliette or Tawnos's Coffin return to play tapped, rather than returning to play and then becoming tapped. ERRATA The following rulings involve card and rulebook errata, or at least reading cards slightly differently: 1) All cantrips that appeared prior to Fifth Edition have the following change as errata: "Draw a card at the beginning of the next turn's upkeep" now reads, "Draw a card at the beginning of the next turn." 2) Dance of the Dead has the following changes as errata: Its card type is now "Enchantment" and its text reads, "When you play Dance of the Dead, choose target creature card in any graveyard. When Dance of the Dead comes into play, put that creature into play, tapped, and Dance of the Dead becomes a creature enchantment that targets the creature. Enchanted creature gets +1/+1, and does not untap during its controller's untap phase. At the end of his or her upkeep, its controller may pay an additional 1B to untap it. If Dance of the Dead leaves play, bury the creature." This errata mirrors the wording used on Necromancy and the Fifth Edition Animate Dead. SPECIFIC CARD RULINGS 1) If Celestial Dawn modifies a card such as Vampire Bats or Dragon Whelp when that card's ability has already been used, colored mana spent toward its limit does not count toward the modified limit. For example, suppose you control a Vampire Bats. You pay B during your main phase, making the Bats 1/1. You then play Celestial Dawn. Because the Bats's activation cost has been modified, you may now spend up to WW, making the Bats 3/1. 2) If Lichenthrope doesn't have any -1/-1 counters when you play its upkeep ability, but is damaged (and thus gets one or more -1/-1 counters) before the upkeep effect resolves, you still remove one of those counters. In other words, you are not required to choose one of its -1/-1 counters when you play the ability. 3) On Forbidden Crypt's first ability, "if you cannot" refers to putting the target card in your hand, not just being able to target a card. Thus, if you target the card but an ability somehow removes it from the graveyard before you put it into your hand, then you lose the game. 4) Just as with other abilities that enable you to put permanents into play, Eureka doesn't enable you to play permanents illegally. For example, it doesn't enable you to play Enfeeblement on a White Knight. 5) The Fifth Edition version of Cloak of Confusion does not have errata; it can be played on creatures you do not control. In this respect, it functions differently than the Ice Age card of the same name. 6) The Fifth Edition version of Elkin Bottle does not have errata; it now buries the card if you don't play it rather than removing it from the game. In this respect, it functions differently than the Ice Age card of the same name. 3 INET GATE INT00102 97/06/13 10:24 題名:[O] QT Chicago information Date: Thu, 12 Jun 1997 15:49:12 -0700 From: Beth Moursund Subject: [O] QT Chicago information To: Recipients of MTG-L digests Jason shares the following information: Magic: The Gathering(R) Pro Tour(TM) - Chicago Qualifier In accordance with the published DCI(TM) announcement on June 1, 1997, the format for Pro Tour - Chicago Qualifier tournaments will be the Mirage(TM) stand-alone block: Mirage-Visions(TM)- Weatherlight(TM), a sub-type of the Standard (Type II) format. This is a change from the previously advertised Mirage-Visions format, which will no longer be sanctioned as of July 1, 1997. Participants may construct their decks using cards from Mirage, Visions, and Weatherlight. Squandered Resources (from Visions) is banned in this format. Jason Carl Policy Director, DCI Wizards of the Coast, Inc. 3 INET GATE INE00103 97/06/28 14:19 題名:[O] News Release: Five Rings Publishing Date: Fri, 27 Jun 1997 18:54:28 -0700 From: Beth Moursund Subject: [O] News Release: Five Rings Publishing To: Recipients of MTG-L digests FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE WIZARDS OF THE COAST ACQUIRES FIVE RINGS PUBLISHING GROUP INC. June 26, 1997 (Renton, Wash.)--Wizards of the Coast Inc. today announced that it has completed an agreement to acquire the Bellevue, WA-based Five Rings Publishing Group Inc. Both companies are privately held and financial terms of the deal have not been disclosed. Five Rings Publishing Group, founded in 1996, is the creator and publisher of the *Legend of the Five Rings*(TM) trading card game and the producer of the *Star Trek(R): The Next Generation*(TM) collectable dice game. It is also the publisher of the soon-to-be- released *Dune(R): Eye of the Storm*(TM) trading card game. Peter Adkison, president and CEO of Wizards of the Coast, noted, "Five Rings Publishing is a young, dynamic company that has created an impressive model for producing high-quality games over a short period of time. The company excels at combining strong property licenses with superb game play, and its expertise in the adventure game category greatly complements Wizards of the Coast痴 line of products." Robert M. Abramowitz, CEO of Five Rings Publishing Group, added, "Five Rings Publishing and Wizards of the Coast both practice a corporate philosophy focused on interacting closely with consumers through demonstrations, tournaments and active correspondence. The opportunity to combine the unique talents of the two companies will allow our products to continue to stand out in the marketplace." Wizards of the Coast is a privately held game company that publishes the world's bestselling trading card game, the *Magic: The Gathering*(R) TCG. Headquartered outside of Seattle, Wash., in the city of Renton, Wizards of the Coast is the leading authority on card games and adventure board games, with top-selling titles such as the *BattleTech*(R) trading card game and the new *Corporate Shuffle*(TM) card game, which is based on the internationally famous DILBERT cartoon character. Wizards of the Coast has international offices in Antwerp, Paris and London. For more information on Wizards of the Coast, visit the company's website at or its CompuServe forum at . WIZARDS OF THE COAST, *Magic: The Gathering* and *Corporate Shuffle* are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast Inc. *Legend of the Five Rings*, *Star Trek: The Next Generation* collectable dice game and *Dune: Eye of the Storm* are trademarks of Five Rings Publishing Group Inc. *Star Trek* is a registered trademark of Paramount Pictures. *Dune* is a registered trademark of MCA/Universal Merchandising Inc. *BattleTech* is a registered trademark of FASA Corporation. (C)1997 FASA Corporation. The BattleTech universe is owned by FASA Corporation and used under license. DILBERT (C) United Feature Syndicate Inc. (C)1997 Wizards of the Coast Inc. 3 INET GATE INE00103 97/06/28 14:20 題名:[O] Peter Adkison on TSR (part 1 of 2) Date: Fri, 27 Jun 1997 18:59:06 -0700 From: Beth Moursund Subject: [O] Peter Adkison on TSR (part 1 of 2) To: Recipients of MTG-L digests RANDOM THOUGHTS ON THE WIZARDS ACQUISITION OF TSR by Peter D. Adkison Janitor, CEO, and acting TSR Brand Manager We are into the fourth week of the new marriage of TSR and Wizards of the Coast, and I figured you might be interested in my thoughts on what's happening out here in Lake Geneva. Basically things are going very well. The TSR folk are great and we're making a lot of new friendships. I've even had the chance to play some AD&D(R) sessions while I'm out here; I'm playing my female 5th-level bard named Hope in Ted Stark's campaign with Cindi Rice, Stan Brown, Lisa Stevens, Julia Martin, and Cindi's and Julia's husbands. So far no one in the party has tried to backstab me, so I guess that's a good sign! This week we finalized the schedule for the rest of 1997 and we're writing purchase orders for new products and some backlist products. Everyone's excited to have the presses rolling again! In fact, when the first shipment comes to the warehouse we thought of running out to the trucks with cookies for the drivers, a film crew, and the whole works: "So, Mr. Truckdriver (or Ms. Truckdriver), how does it feel to be making the first big delivery of TSR products? How was the drive in? Did you have trouble with crowd control along the way?" Yeah, okay, so we're getting a little giddy out here, but that pretty much describes the mood right now. Obviously it will take a few weeks to get products printed, assembled, and distributed. The first backlist and new products should start showing up in stores in early August. I think the first new product will be the next issue of Dragon(R) magazine. BUSINESS STUFF It's no secret that TSR has had severe financial difficulties in recent years. TSR has operated at a loss for almost three years, and even when it was profitable it was only barely so. If your image of TSR is that of a large, wealthy corporation swimming in money, you're in for a surprise. TSR operates on a shoestring budget--with employees who barely make a living and for the most part are working on out-of-date computers, and with only nominal funds for marketing and promotions. Our goal, of course, is to turn the business around and make it a profitable enterprise. While we obviously have a duty to our shareholders to make a profit, we also have a similar duty to our customers and to the adventure gaming industry. A financially healthy TSR will have the strength to support gaming through the regular release of quality products, to support organized play programs like the RPGA, to attract new people to gaming through advertising and promotions, and to take risks in launching new lines that may or may not turn out to be long-term profitable ventures. On the other hand, an unhealthy TSR causes damage to the entire industry, not just to Wizards shareholders. In the six months during which TSR didn't release any products, sales went down dramatically not just for TSR, but for everyone who participates in the TSR distribution network--distributors, retailers, mail order companies, and so on. This caused retailers to have less cash flow for investments in other game products, possibly hurting other manufacturers as well. So now I hope we agree it's in everyone's best interests to turn TSR around to become a profitable business, and we'd like to share with you our plan for doing so. We want you to understand the full picture because we think you deserve to know. You love this company as much as we do, so you're probably very interested in understanding this. Making a business more profitable is fairly simple on paper. You need to find ways to increase sales without increasing expenses by the same amount, or find ways to decrease expenses without decreasing sales by the same amount. We're considering the following initiatives to do this: *Reduce printing costs. We plan to work very hard at reducing printing costs by introducing a competitive bidding process instead of having an exclusive arrangement with a single printer. By doing this we can always get the best price possible on a given product. This should decrease expenses with no decrease in sales. *Improve inventory management. Many have correctly speculated that TSR suffered numerous financial setbacks from sales returns in the book trade. This is true, and these returns cost the company a lot of money, particularly if the returned product can't be resold at a later date. We hope to manage TSR's inventory and sales volumes more precisely to reduce the costs associated with sales returns and overstocking of inventory. *Review product formats. TSR has published products in a variety of formats, including paperback books, hardback books, boxed sets, and so on. Some of these products are more profitable than others, and some are barely profitable at all. We'll be examining this product mix to make sure that each format stands on its own and is profitable in its own right. The company simply can't afford to have some products that don't carry their weight. This move may decrease sales if we make format changes when customers prefer the current formats, but if we do it right, the decreased expenses will more than make up for lost sales. For example, we sold a ton of the Encyclopedia Magica(TM) books but lost money on every copy sold because they cost so much to produce. That's why we changed formats for spell compendiums. Yes, the customer gets less for the same money, but that's because the price on previous versions was much too low to maintain. *Review product lines. What I said in the previous paragraph about types of products can also be said about some of TSR's product lines. We can't force highly profitable lines like the Forgotten Realms(R) and AD&D products to "carry" lines that continue to perform poorly. If a product line isn't performing, we should reduce our investments in that line to nominal levels and redirect that talent to supporting a line that has more promise. In some cases perhaps a line is flailing but needs more investment in order to succeed. We'll regularly examine the TSR product lines on a case-by-case basis, through customer surveys and reviews of sales data, to determine where our best investment opportunities lie. All that said, we do have a saying around here: Lines never die, they simply go into hiatus for a while. We'll never completely give up on a line. Rather, we hope to do what Disney does with old properties: bring them back every once in a while for a new treatment and revival. *Increase prices. We're considering some moderate price increases on a number of products. We understand that this won't be a popular move, but the fact is that most products don't sell in high enough volumes to warrant a low price. The roleplaying industry is small, and products that often take one or two years to develop sell only a few thousand copies. Because of this the profitability of the entire industry is dangerously low. The price of roleplaying products simply has to go up if the adventure gaming industry is to remain viable. *Work with a smaller staff. With TSR operating as a product group within Wizards of the Coast, a number of jobs become unnecessary. We don't need two legal departments, two accounting departments, and so on. This will mostly lower expenses related to administrative functions, and it might help somewhat in sales, marketing, and international functions as well. The need for game designers, developers, editors, and graphic designers will remain constant since this type of work is not subject to the same economies of scale. In some areas we plan on spending more money, not less. We plan to spend more on market research and marketing. With increased expenditures in market research we hope to make more accurate decisions about what types of products to develop, how many of them to produce, and how to promote them. With increased expenditures in marketing we plan to invest primarily in organized play activities like the RPGA, conventions, and other support for grass-roots play. I expect that these additional expenditures will pay for themselves with increased sales. TSR PRODUCT LINES Of course, everyone wants to know which product lines we plan to support aggressively and which we plan to keep low key for possible revivals later on. Overall we'll base these decisions on consumer interest, which is typically expressed in sales. Here's a summary of where we stand on the key lines: AD&D core, Forgotten Realms, Dragonlance(R): These are great product lines with strong sales. We'll certainly continue to invest in these. Planescape(R), Ravenloft(R): These are great product lines, but with modest sales. We believe they can be managed profitably and we plan to do so. Birthright(R), Spellfire(R), Dragon Dice(R): These lines are built on intriguing concepts, but sales have been weak. We have some ideas to try out during the second half of this year to build up these lines. If those ideas don't work, we'll let the lines slip into hiatus for a while and consider relaunches at a later date. Greyhawk(R): There seems to be a lot of pent-up demand for bringing the Greyhawk line back. We're giving this serious consideration. Alternity(TM): This is an amazing product with great potential. We're delaying the launch till 1998 so it can get better marketing support. As a gamer you may not value marketing, but as a publisher I can tell you that the days of launching a new game and hoping it grows on its own are long gone. If this game is going to have the chance it deserves, it's going to have to come out with a well-planned launch program. Dragon, Dungeon(R), Polyhedron(R): These are excellent publications that, even though they don't really make money, are important products for supporting TSR customers and products. We'll continue all these magazines. Novels: The book publishing department at TSR is an excellent, efficient operation that produces some outstanding fiction. We'll continue to invest here; the novel lines will generally overlap with the game lines, with occasional exceptions. Dominia(TM) Campaign Set: Of course, we're seriously considering publishing an AD&D campaign setting for Dominia, the multiverse in which the Magic: The Gathering(R) TCG is set. Other lines: Some other TSR properties aren't currently supported but are mentioned frequently in emails and such from gamers; the Dark Sun(R) line is an excellent example. We'll do some market research to test awareness and interest, and we'll consider relaunch options based on those studies and our own thoughts about where we think the exciting prospects are. (continued in next message) 3 INET GATE INE00103 97/06/28 14:21 題名:[O] Peter Adkison on TSR (part 2 of 2) Date: Fri, 27 Jun 1997 18:59:32 -0700 From: Beth Moursund Subject: [O] Peter Adkison on TSR (part 2 of 2) To: Recipients of MTG-L digests (continued from previous message) GROWTH OPPORTUNITIES In addition to making TSR profitable once again, we hope to grow the TSR business. We see the following areas as avenues for directing our growth efforts: *International markets. International sales represent only 10-20% of TSR's worldwide sales. International should be in the 50-60% range. *New lines. We must continuously make investments in the development of new games and campaign settings. The creation of new properties is the heart and soul of a gaming company and is critical for long-term profitability. Our next big push will be the Alternity science fiction roleplaying game. *Electronic media. We must develop a comprehensive strategy for dealing with the Internet and PC platforms. TSR has tried doing its own software development and has done an extensive amount of licensing. We need to explore all options and develop a vision. TSR STAFF I consider it one of the greatest privileges of my life to have become associated with the employees of TSR. These people have inspired me personally through their integrity and commitment to TSR. In spite of the hardships they've seen in the first six months of the year, very, very few of them left the company. They stayed on, steadily tending their watch through the most turbulent times. And after the acquisition, those who couldn't come to Seattle could have run off immediately looking for other jobs, but instead, most of them stayed on right up through the relocation to help with Gen Con(R) and ensure a smooth transition. In my years of running a gaming company I have seen many heroic efforts in which people put duty above all personal considerations, and this particular case ranks among the greatest of those tales. TARGET AUDIENCE TSR made a strategic decision a number of years ago to target a younger audience in its marketing decisions and product content. We're reversing that course. We will market our games as serious products for a mature audience. We do this not because we don't want young people to buy our games, but because we believe that the young people who buy these games are generally very mature for their age and take gaming as seriously as adults. This doesn't mean we're going to go off the deep end and turn the line into a bunch of R-rated products; it simply means that we'll assume our audience is generally mature enough to handle serious topics and perhaps the occasional demon or something :) 1997 RELEASE SCHEDULE Here are the game releases planned for the rest of this year from TSR (I thought you might be curious). Listed by each is the month it ships; you'll probably see it in the stores the month after. AD&D: Tale of the Comet(TM) (Jul), Sea Devils(TM) Monstrous Arcana(R) (Jul), Evil Tide(TM) Monstrous Arcana (Aug), Of Ships & the Sea(TM) (Sep), Wizard Spell Compendium II(TM) (Sep), Night of the Shark(TM) Monstrous Arcana (Oct), Sea of Blood(TM) (Dec), Tale of the Comet novel (Jul). Birthright: King of Giantdowns(TM) (Jul), Book of Priestcraft(TM) (Oct), Tribes/Heartless Wastes Sourcebook(TM) (Dec). Forgotten Realms: Powers & Pantheons(TM) (Jul), Lands of Intrigue(TM) Campaign Set (Aug), Castle Spulzeer(TM) (Sep), Four from Cormyr(TM) (Oct), Prayers from the Faithful(TM) (Nov). Novels: Finder's Bane, Harpers #15 (Jul); Shores of Dusk (Aug); Passage to Dawn, reprint (Aug); Council of Blades, Nobles #5 (Sep); The Simbul's Gift, Nobles #6 (Oct); Elminster in Myth Drannor (Nov); Realms of the Arcane (Nov); Tymora's Luck (Dec). Planescape: Faces of Evil: Fiends(TM) (Aug); The Great Modron March(TM) (Sep); Dead Gods(TM) (Oct); Planar Powers(TM), The Blood War Trilogy #3 (Jul); Pages of Pain(TM) (Dec). Ravenloft: Domains of Dread(TM) (Jul), Forgotten Terror(TM) (Sep), Ghosts(TM) (Nov), Lord of the Necropolis novel (Oct). Dragonlance: Heroes of Defiance(TM) (Jul), Fate Cards(TM) Deck (Aug), Last Tower(TM) Adventure (Oct), Heroes of Sorcery(TM) (Nov). Novels: Lord Soth (Jul), The Day of the Tempest (Aug), Vinas Solamnus King (Aug), The Wayward Knights (Sep), Fistandantilus Reborn (Oct), Tales of Uncle Trap-Springer (Nov), Dragons of Chaos (Dec). Dragon Dice: Manual (Aug), Kicker #6 (Sep), Kicker #7 (Dec). Note that these releases are tentative. Marvel(R) Super Dice(TM): Starter Set (Oct). Spellfire: Dungeon!(R) Booster #12 (Aug). Periodicals: Dragon every month, Dungeon every other month, Polyhedron every other month opposite Dungeon starting in October. BUILDING BRIDGES One of the things I've been working on personally is building bridges and mending fences--that is, trying to improve relationships with some of the people who used to work here but don't anymore. I've had conversations with Dave Arneson, Gary Gygax, Zeb Cook, Margaret Weis, Tracy Hickman, and several other folks. It's too early to tell where these discussions will lead, but I'm cautiously optimistic that we'll be able to work with some of these people again. We're also doing some things to improve relations with the art community. We've got a bunch of original art in a storage area here, and we're returning it to the artists who did the paintings. We'll also grant certain rights back to the artists, like the rights to do prints and retrospective works. In general everyone has been friendly and excited about the new marriage between TSR and Wizards and we're all hopeful for the future. I, for one, certainly plan to have a helluva lot of fun in the coming years! LEGAL TEXT (Hi, Brian!) MARVEL is a trademark of Marvel Entertainment Group, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of Wizards of the Coast, Inc. and TSR, Inc. 2 INET GATE WID00101 97/07/04 16:31 題名:[O] July Rulings Date: Thu, 3 Jul 1997 23:15:10 -0700 From: Beth Moursund Subject: [O] July Rulings To: Recipients of MTG-L digests *** Official Rulings for July 1997 *** GENERAL RULINGS 1) The characteristics of an ability's source are "locked in" when that ability is played. After that, the source's characteristics are never checked again. For example, if you animate Triangle of War and then play its ability on itself (which requires sacrificing it), its characteristics are locked in when the ability is played, because the Triangle itself is the source of the ability. The fact that it's also a target doesn't mean that its characteristics are checked again when the effect resolves. 2) If an effect deals damage but gives players a way of preventing the damage (such as Mind Bomb, Soul Barrier, Torrent of Lava, and so on), then that option is played during damage prevention--not during the effect's resolution. 3) Although mana sources are said to be played, successfully cast, and resolved "all at once," this just means that players can't do anything between these three steps. The three steps are still distinct, however. If you sacrifice Havenwood Battleground for GG, for instance, the land is no longer in play when the effect resolves. 4) When one card copies another, it duplicates all permanent changes to the copied card. It was originally ruled that all interrupt changes would be copied, but this has been generalized to cover all permanent changes. 5) Transmutation, Dwarven Thaumaturgist, and so on switch all modifications to a creature's power and toughness, as well as the modification itself. This can be thought of as "hacking" the word "power" to "toughness," and vice versa. For example, Blood Lust would become "Target creature gets -4/+4 until end of turn. If this reduces that creature's power to less than 1, the creature's power is 1." Remember that effects like Transmutation's are best handled by first calculating the creature's total power and toughness, and then "switching" them. REVERSALS 1) Spells and abilities that prevent or redirect damage do not target that damage implicitly. They only target what is specified on the card (creature, player, and so on), if anything. Such spells and abilities can still only be played if the appropriate type of damage is being dealt, even if the spell or ability would prevent zero damage. For example, you can't play a spell or ability that prevents damage to you unless damage is actually being dealt to you. If the spell or ability affects a certain amount of damage, you choose one or more packets of the appropriate type of damage, and divide that amount of prevention or redirection among those packets. You can distribute more prevention or redirection to a packet than is needed. Spells or abilities that affect all damage of a type simply wait until they resolve, seek out all damage of that type being dealt at that time, and affect that damage. Spells and abilities that retroactively prevent or redirect damage can only be played if appropriate damage was dealt within the time frame that the spell or ability accounts for. For example, Reverse Damage can only be played if damage is being dealt to you and/or had been dealt to you earlier in the turn. 2) Effects can resolve in more than one step. These steps are always separated by "then." They are never separated by periods, as was previously ruled. For example, Balance resolves in three steps, and Psychic Transfer resolves in one step. 3) Abilities that trigger during an event, such as playing a spell, resolving part of an effect, or declaring attackers, are played immediately after the event is complete. They are never delayed just because one event occurred within another. For example, if Choking Vines is played while blockers are declared, abilities of cards such as Bazaar of Wonders and Skulking Ghost are played just after Choking Vines is played, rather than waiting until after blockers have been declared. Mana sources are still an exception. 4) Phase abilities, phase costs, and untap costs are played by the active player--it doesn't matter who controls the source of the ability or cost. For example, the active player controls the abilities of Howling Mine, Unstable Mutation, and that player decides when to pay Apathy's untap cost, regardless of who controls the those abilities or costs. 5) Creatures put into play by Animate Dead, Dance of the Dead, and Necromancy are no longer "dead creatures" in any sense. This means, for example, that they are perfectly legal targets for copy cards such as Clone. 6) Recently it was ruled that if a spell or ability can be played only before combat, then it can be played only if the active player can declare an attack later in the turn. This effectively reverses an old ruling about Festival and Siren's Call combining to kill your opponent's creatures. This combination now works only if you play the spells in the correct order. ERRATA 1) Doomsday enables you to look at your library when deciding which five cards to keep. Specifically, it should be read as ""Pay half your life, rounded up: Put your graveyard on top of your library. Search your library for five cards, then put them on top of your library in any order, then remove the rest of your library from the game." 2) The second line of Fire Whip should read as follows: "Enchanted creature gains 'Tap: This creature deals 1 damage to target creature or player.'" 3) Wave of Terror's effect compares the last paid cumulative upkeep against each creature's total casting cost, not its casting cost. CARD RULINGS 1) You can choose to pay a Ravenous Vampire's upkeep cost by sacrificing the Vampire itself and putting a +1/+1 counter on it. This +1/+1 counter will affect abilities that trigger on the Vampire being put into a graveyard, such as Death Watch or Creature Bond. 2) Apathy imposes an untap cost on the enchanted creature. This combines with other untap costs and can be paid more than once during an upkeep phase. 3) Heart of Bogardan's ability does not trigger when the cumulative upkeep is not paid. Instead, the ability is a consequence of not paying the upkeep cost, so it takes effect at the same time that Heart of Bogardan is buried as a result of not paying its upkeep. 4) The second ability of Betrothed of Fire cannot be played if you do not control the enchanted creature. The enchantment does not override the rule stating that you can sacrifice only permanents you control. 1 INET GATE INT00101 97/07/24 09:24 題名:[O] Tempest news release Date: Wed, 23 Jul 1997 17:32:16 -0700 From: Beth Moursund Subject: [O] Tempest news release To: Recipients of MTG-L digests WIZARDS OF THE COAST NEWS RELEASE For Immediate Release WIZARDS OF THE COAST IN EYE OF THE STORM WITH TEMPEST Newest Magic: The Gathering Stand-Alone Expansion Features New Game Mechanics and Epic Story Line July 22, 1997 (Renton, Wash.)--Wizards of the Coast, Inc. announced today that Tempest (TM), the latest stand-alone expansion for its best-selling trading card game Magic: The Gathering (R), will be released in October. Developed for experienced Magic players, Tempest will continue the epic backstory introduced in the Weatherlight (TM) expansion. With more than 300 black-bordered cards, Tempest can be played alone, or as a standard expansion for Magic: The Gathering--Fifth Edition (TM). This expansion chronicles the story of Gerrard and his crew on the flying ship Weatherlight as they leave the light of Dominaria for the shadow plane of Rath. Challenged by Volrath's ship, the Predator, the crew encounters wild new forces of magic as they strive to reach Volrath's stronghold to rescue Sisay, the former captain of the Weatherlight. Tempest also signals the beginning of The Rath Cycle (TM), an adventure that will culminate in 1998. Tempest will introduce new races, creature abilities and game-play concepts to challenge Magic players. "As a player, I like cards that give me more choices," said Bill Rose, a lead developer of Tempest. "Tempest is designed to give players a choice regarding how they can play a certain spells, and Tempest will add a new level of strategic complexity and dynamism to the game. It's like driving a race car. If you know what you're doing, you'll have fun--if not, you'll crash." In addition to being sold in regular, randomized decks, this stand-alone expansion will also be available in preconstructed decks, offering more casual Magic players the chance to play the game without assembling a deck beforehand. Players will be able to select from four different preconstructed decks, each customized to a different style of play. The decks are designed to play competitively and are accompanied by a strategy guide containing a deck list and instructive tips. Regular decks will be accompanied by a storybook that provides players with a detailed summary of the story. Magic players will have the opportunity to get an exclusive preview of Tempest during special Prerelease tournaments being held in 37 cities across North America on October 4, 1997. Magic fans may go online with Magic creator Richard Garfield in a CompuServe chat coinciding with the release of Tempest. Visitors to the Wizards of the Coast (R) CompuServe forum at (GO WIZARDS) may participate in the live chat with Garfield and Henry Stern, a lead developer of Tempest, on October 14 at 6 P.M. PST. Marketing support for Tempest will include an online contest at the Wizards of the Coast website at . The "Tempest: Into the Storm" promotion will launch in mid-September, 1997, and will run through mid-October, 1997. Players will be challenged to guide the flying ship Weatherlight through a series of mazes leading to the stronghold of the evil evincar Volrath in order to win prizes. Cutting-edge graphics and original art from the Tempest card set will add to the excitement of this unique promotion. Magic is an imaginative trading card game that requires tremendous strategy, mathematics and critical thinking. The card game has become the intellectual sport of the '90s. Developed by a math professor, Magic contains elements similar to bridge or chess and is often played in a tournament setting, with amateur and professional Magic players competing throughout the year to earn rankings and win prizes. To help players track their rankings, Wizards of the Coast created the DCI (TM), the governing authority for all officially sanctioned Magic tournaments and events. Since its inception, DCI membership has grown to over 100,000 players. Wizards of the Coast is a leading developer and publisher of entertainment products, including the Magic: The Gathering trading card game. Since the game was released in 1993, over five million players worldwide have embraced the game, which is available in nine languages. Other products published by the company include the BattleTech (R) TCG and the Corporate Shuffle (TM) card game, based on the popular cartoon character DILBERT. The company is headquartered just outside of Seattle, Washington, in the city of Renton, and has international offices in Antwerp, Paris and London. For more information on Wizards of the Coast, visit the company's website at or its CompuServe forum at (GO WIZARDS). WIZARDS OF THE COAST, Magic: The Gathering, Fifth Edition, Tempest, Weatherlight, Corporate Shffle, DCI, THE RATH CYCLE and RoboRally are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast, Inc. DILBERT (C) United Feature Syndicate Inc. BattleTech is a registered trademark of FASA Corporation. (C) 1997 FASA Corporation. The BattleTech universe is owned by FASA Corporation and used under license. (C) 1997 Wizards of the Coast, Inc. ### 1 INET GATE INT00101 97/07/24 09:25 題名:[O] Magic comics Date: Wed, 23 Jul 1997 17:32:55 -0700 From: Beth Moursund Subject: [O] Magic comics To: Recipients of MTG-L digests WIZARDS OF THE COAST NEWS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE WIZARDS OF THE COAST PARTNERS WITH DARK HORSE COMICS Trading Card Game Leader to Produce Comic-Book Series July 16, 1997 (Renton, Wash.)--Wizards of the Coast Inc. announced today that Dark Horse Comics Inc. will be publishing a comic-book series based on the world's bestselling Magic: The Gathering (R) trading card game. The four-issue series is scheduled for release in spring 1998. The series will be written by one of the industry's top writers, Mike Grell, and will feature artwork by acclaimed artists Pop Mahn and Mark Harrison. "Dark Horse Comics is a master within the comic-book industry," said Emily Arons, director of Consumer Products at Wizards of the Coast. "Their unparalleled creative talents and keen insight make them ideally suited to launch our new Magic: The Gathering comic line within the comic-book realm." Mike Richardson, president of Dark Horse Comics, added, "We're excited to be working with Wizards of the Coast. They've created an entirely new category of entertainment with Magic: The Gathering and have forged a massive following in the process. It's an honor to be associated with them." The comic-book series will feature the characters and world of the Magic trading card game, beginning with the upcoming Tempest (TM) expansion set. The titles of the four-part series include: Gerrard's Legacy, Gerrard's Initiation, Gerrard's Crucible and Gerrard's Destiny. Founded in 1986 by Mike Richardson, Dark Horse Comics is the fourth largest publisher of comics literature in the United States. With over a decade of publishing experience, the Milwaukie, Ore.-based Dark Horse has released numerous comic lines including Godzilla, their first motion-picture-based series. The company has topped the sales charts with other notable titles including Star Wars, Aliens, Terminator, The Mask, TimeCop, Sin City and Hellboy. Wizards of the Coast is a privately held game company that publishes the world's bestselling Magic: The Gathering trading card game. Headquartered outside of Seattle, Wash., in the city of Renton, Wizards of the Coast is the leading authority on card games and adventure board games, with top-selling titles such as the BattleTech (TM) trading card game and Corporate Shuffle (TM), a card game based on the internationally famous DILBERT cartoon character. Wizards of the Coast has international offices in Antwerp, Paris and London. For more information on Wizards of the Coast, visit the company's website at or its CompuServe forum at . WIZARDS OF THE COAST, Magic: The Gathering, Tempest and Corporate Shuffle are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast Inc. DARK HORSE COMICS is a trademark of Dark Horse Comics Inc. BattleTech is a registered trademark of FASA Corporation. (c) 1997 FASA Corporation. The BattleTech universe is owned by FASA Corporation and used under license. DILBERT (c) United Feature Syndicate Inc. (c) 1997 Wizards of the Coast Inc. ### 1 INET GATE INE00103 97/08/04 17:09 題名:[O] DCI Announcement Date: Sun, 3 Aug 1997 15:00:43 -0700 From: Beth Moursund Subject: [O] DCI Announcement To: Recipients of MTG-L digests Announcement date: August 1, 1997 Effective date: See below The DCI(R) players' organization would like to announce important modifications to the current policies on certified judges and sanctioned Magic: The Gathering(R) tournaments. The DCI intended both to require a certified level II judge for each sanctioned tournament by September 1 of this year, and to introduce a variable K-value condition* (see below) for those sanctioned tournaments without a judge of the proper level. The phenomenal growth of the DCI database, however, has overshadowed our plans, so we offer the following modifications in order to continue supporting organized play and to strengthen the integrity of the sanctioned tournament environment: 1. Effective September 1, 1997: All sanctioned title events require a certified level III judge. Title events include Pro Tour(TM) Qualifier tournaments, Grand Prix(TM) tournaments, Grand Prix Trial tournaments, and Regional Championships. 2. Effective September 1, 1997: All sanctioned Prerelease events require a certified level II judge. 3. Effective January 1, 1998: All sanctioned tournaments require a certified level II judge. This is a modification of the current policy, which requires a certified level II judge for all sanctioned tournaments by September 1, 1997. Sanctioned tournaments held without a certified level II judge will receive only one-half (1/2) K-value for the purpose of calculating the official DCI ratings. 4. Effective January 1, 1998: All sanctioned tournaments held with fewer than thirty-two (32) participants will receive only one-half (1/2) K-value for the purpose calculating the official DCI ratings. Note: Requirements 3 and 4 above are cumulative. In other words, a sanctioned tournament held without a certified level II judge, and with fewer than 32 participants, will receive only one-quarter (1/4) of the normal K-value for the purpose of calculating official DCI ratings. 5. The DCI will extend by one year the certification expiration date for all judges certified on January 1, 1998 or later. We appreciate the understanding and support of our members, judges, and tournament organizers in helping us implement these changes. The DCI database handles well over 1,000 sanctioned events per month; in fact, we recently sanctioned our 30,000th tournament! This unprecedented growth requires us to extend and improve our plans in order to meet your needs for a well-regulated sanctioned tournament environment. We look forward to your support in the months to come! Sincerely yours, Jason Carl Policy Director, DCI *Variable K-value explanation The DCI players' organization tracks the performance of its members through a rating system based on the Elo system developed for chess. This system incorporates a factor, the K-value, which determines the total number of ratings points which are exchanged in a single match. Currently, the K-value is 32. (Please see the Explanation of Ratings and Rankings at for a complete description of the DCI rating system.) The DCI will modify its rating system to incorporate a variable K-value. Tournaments with fewer than eight (8) participants will no longer be sanctioned. Tournaments with eight (8) to thirty-one (31) participants will be assigned a K-value of 16. Tournaments with thirty-two (32) or more participants will retain the current K-value of 32. These changes will not be applied retroactively to tournaments that occur before January 1, 1998. The DCI is implementing these changes to its rating system in an effort to encourage players to participate in larger sanctioned tournaments, as the accuracy of a player's rating is dependent on the volume of matches played and the diversity in opponents' skill levels. (C)1997 Wizards of the Coast, Inc. WIZARDS OF THE COAST, DCI, Magic: The Gathering, Pro Tour, and Grand Prix are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast, Inc. 5 INET GATE INT00102 97/08/07 16:01 題名:[O] The August rulings Date: Wed, 6 Aug 1997 01:47:10 -0700 From: Beth Moursund Subject: [O] The August rulings To: Recipients of MTG-L digests August 1997 Magic Rulings & Errata A Summary of Recent, Significant Rulings compiled by Tom Wylie General Rules The following are meant to clarify the rulebook, and how the game in general works. 1) Questions sometimes arise about cards that will be affected by continuous abilities as they come into play, and those cards' interaction with triggered abilities. The most recent example is the interaction of Living Lands, Kormus Bell, and so on with AEther Flash. Do the continuous abilities of Living Lands and so forth cause lands to be creatures in time for AEther Flash's ability to trigger and deal 2 damage to them? The answer is essentially the same as before: A card comes into play without the effects of continuous abilities that will apply to it once it's in play. Therefore, triggered abilities that check against a card coming into play ignore continuous abilities that will modify it once it's in play. For example, if Living Lands is in play, it doesn't cause forests coming into play to trigger abilities that look for creatures coming into play, such as AEther Flash's. However, abilities that trigger when something enters play will take into account any abilities or effects that modify specifically how something comes into play. For example, Kismet causes permanents to come into play tapped, so those permanents would trigger a hypothetical "Whenever a tapped permanent comes into play" ability. As another example, if a card similar to Living Lands existed that read, "All forests come into play as 1/1 creatures," it would cause forests to trigger AEther Flash's ability. Copy cards also fall into this category, because they come into play as whatever they copy (rather than copying once they are actually in play), so abilities trigger on the characteristics of what's being copied, not the original characteristics of the copy card. All of the above applies equally to tokens coming into play. 2) Last month's rules team release (July 1997) eliminated as much of the delay of triggered abilities as possible. For example, if an ability triggers during an event of an effect's resolution, it is played immediately after that event, rather than waiting until after the effect has finished resolving. This change now applies to damage prevention as well. For example, if an effect's resolution has two events, and any damage is assigned during the first event, the resulting damage prevention step occurs before the second event resolves. As before, if an event leads to both triggered abilities and damage prevention, the triggered abilities are played first. Effects triggered by general game rules rather than by game events (for example, burying an enchantment whose target is illegal, or destroying a creature whose toughness drops too low) are also played immediately following each event. Such rules only check the state of the game at the time the event is over, ignoring what happened during the event. For example, whether a creature is destroyed due to lethal damage is determined by its toughness after the event, regardless of whether its toughness had been lower during the event. These effects, which players sometimes call "rules-triggered effects," are handled before triggered abilities. So if a creature's toughness drops to 0 during an event, but goes back above 0 later on during the same event, it won't be destroyed by lethal damage (unless, of course, it had sufficient damage already). 3) The concept of damage "packets" is being changed. If a source deals more than 1 damage, no single packet of damage listing the total amount of damage is generated. Instead, each 1 damage records all the characteristics and controller of its source separately, and is prevented or redirected separately. The practical impact of this change is minimal. The characteristics and controller of the source still "lock in" when the damage is assigned. Spells and abilities that prevent more than 1 damage, such as Healing Salve, now must prevent each 1 damage separately rather than in larger chunks. Effects that redirect damage now prevent and create individual "points" of damage, not packets of damage, but otherwise these effects work the same. Abilities that trigger whenever a source assigns damage still trigger based on the total amount of damage assigned, not once for each 1 damage. Thus, the primary impact of the change is make clearer what happens when a source assigns damage to a creature or player, the source's characteristics and/or controller change, and then the source assigns damage to that creature or player again, all within a single event. But because this virtually never comes up during play, the change is primarily theoretical. 4) Last month's rules team release (July 1997) changed the rule about dividing an effect's resolution into separate events. Specifically, an effect is divided up only around the word "then"-not around periods and the word "and." This is the only basis for deciding how effects are divided into events. For example, it isn't necessarily true that each repetition of repetitive process, such in the cases of Mana Clash and Forbidden Ritual, will be its own event; to determine this, look for the presence or absence of "then" in the card text. 5) Virtually eliminating the delay for triggered abilities generated a question about abilities that trigger when a creature attacks, blocks, or is blocked by another: "Shouldn't such abilities be played after the (attacking or blocking) step is over?" Rather than trying to develop a set of rules for exactly when triggered abilities of various types are played during combat, we've decided to streamline the "declare attackers" and "declare blockers" steps. Each of these two steps consists of a series of spells and abilities that can be played at that time, followed by declaring all attackers or blockers at once, followed by another series of spells and abilities that can be played at that time. Thus, declaring all attackers and declaring all blockers are each single events that will trigger abilities that trigger when a creature attacks (or doesn't attack), blocks (or doesn't block), or is blocked (or isn't blocked). Streamlining these steps simplifies other rules pertaining to declaring attackers and blockers. For example, it should now be obvious that any declaration of attackers or blockers must consist of an entirely legal attack or defense, as opposed to the player being trusted to flesh out the attack or defense later on. Also, all banding decisions are simply made when attackers are declared-they don't need to wait until a later time. 6) A declared attack is illegal if any creatures required to attack are excluded that could've been legally added to the declared attack. However, the attacking player isn't strictly required to declare as many creatures required to attack as possible before declaring other attackers. For example, if a player controls one creature enchanted with Errantry and six creatures required to attack, that player can attack with solely the creature enchanted with Errantry, leaving the other creatures at home. As another example, if a player's Orcish Conscripts is required to attack, that player isn't flatly required to attack with it and at least two other creatures, but if the player does attack with at least two other creatures, the Conscripts also attack if able. 7) Previously it was ruled that if part of an effect triggered on a certain condition, and that condition had been met between the time the ability was played and the time its effect resolved, then that part of the ability triggered immediately. This rule has been eliminated. Triggered portions of an effect won't start checking on their trigger condition until that event of the effect has resolved. For example, the effect Phantasmal Mount's ability includes "If either Phantasmal Mount or the targeted creature leaves play this turn, bury the other." If the targeted creature leaves play before the total effect tries to resolve (the creature gaining flying and +1/+1 until end of turn), it obviously fizzles. If Phantasmal Mount leaves play before the effect resolves, the targeted creature won't be buried as a result, because the trigger condition was met prior to resolution of the effect. 8) Previously it was ruled that if part of an effect lasts only as long as one or more conditions are true, then that part of effect begins and ends immediately if one or more of those conditions isn't true. This ruling has been changed so that the relevant portion of the effect never even begins if the "as long as" condition is no longer true. For example, Seasinger's second ability reads, "Gain control of target creature [. . .] as long as you control Seasinger and Seasinger remains tapped." Now, if at the time the effect resolves you don't control Seasinger and/or if she is untapped, you never gain control of the creature at all, whereas before you would've gained control of it briefly and then handed it right back. The same principle applies to effects that last only as long as one or more conditions are false. 9) Effects that prevent instants from being played prevent spells and abilities of the type "instant" from being played, regardless of how they are being played. For example, an effect that prevents instants from being played will stop Healing Salve (type instant) even though it is played as damage prevention; that same effect won't stop Hydroblast (an interrupt), even when it's played as an instant. This principle extends to the various other types of spells and abilities. As another example, an effect that prevents enchantments from being played would prevent Armor of Thorns from being played as an instant, because Armor of Thorns's card type reads, "enchant creature." Note that phase abilities and phase costs are distinct types of abilities-they don't count as type "instant," though they are played as instants. 5 INET GATE INE00102 97/10/07 16:04 題名:[O] October Rulings Date: Mon, 6 Oct 1997 14:07:54 -0700 From: Beth Moursund Subject: [O] October Rulings To: Recipients of MTG-L digests Magic Rulings and Errata A Summary of Recent, Significant Rulings compiled by Tom Wylie General Rules The following are meant to clarify the rulebook, and how the game in general works. 1) Effects that prohibit spells and abilities of a certain type from being played, or that modify the cost of playing them, apply only to spells and abilities of that type, which is not quite the same as those played *as* that type. For example, Ward of Lights is always of type "enchantment," whether or not you're playing it as an instant, so Abeyance can't prohibit you from playing it. Gloom, however, will modify the cost to play Ward of Lights even if you're playing it as an instant. Although certain spells and abilities can be played as two different types, such as Ward of Lights, abilities are always the type you're playing them as. For example, Soul Net's ability is of type "triggered" (not instant), and Amulet of Unmaking's ability is of type "sorcery" (not an instant played as a sorcery). 2) Nothing can prohibit mana sources from being played; for example, Abeyance can't prohibit you from playing activated abilities played as mana sources. 3) If an effect gives contradictory instructions, ignore all the instructions that contradict each other. For example, if an effect says to move a card to two different places, that card goes nowhere. Virtually all scenarios in which this rule applies result from using replacement abilities, not from the way an effect is written (though some effects, like Ghazban Ogre's, can inherently be contradictory). This rule doesn't override the previous ruling about failing to pay a combined upkeep cost (such as Vaporous Djinn with Pendrell Mists in play), because the consequences of not paying the combined cost are applied in a sequence, not all at once. 4) You can't sacrifice something you don't control. If the cost of a spell or ability requires sacrificing something you don't control (such as Betrothed of Fire if you don't control the creature), then you can't pay that cost, and thus can't play that spell or ability. If an effect instructs you to sacrifice something you don't control, you simply ignore that instruction. Remember that you never choose what to sacrifice until it's actually time to sacrifice something; for example, if a spell reads "Target player sacrifices a creature," the creature to be sacrificed isn't chosen until resolution, and the player can choose only a creature he or she controls. 5) The "rules-triggered" effects (effects triggered by general game rules rather than by cards) that bury duplicate legends and enchant worlds always know which of them came into play first (or that they came into play at the same time, if such was the case). This is true even if duplicate legends came into play during a single event. 6) The following count as characteristics: name, color, casting cost, card type, type of permanent, type of spell or ability, creature type, expansion symbol, abilities, flavor text, power, and toughness. A good rule of thumb is that any type of information found on a card is a characteristic, and any other type of information isn't. For example, power and toughness can be found on a card, so power and toughness are always characteristics, even for permanents that don't actually have power and toughness printed on them (such as animated artifacts or lands). This means that a card's location, whether that card is tapped, its controller, and so on are not characteristics. Tokens have the same set of characteristics, even though effects that put tokens into play often leave many characteristics undefined. Abilities gained by any means count as part of the permanent's characteristics, whether or not the effect explicitly adds text to the card, as Zombie Master's does. If you have Goblin King in play, for example, each goblin gains the characteristic of mountainwalk as well as having its power and toughness characteristics modified. 7) In the past, the rules have referred to locking in the characteristics of a particular permanent at particular points, such as locking in the characteristics of a source when an ability is played. These rules have always been technically incorrect, especially when contrasted with the rulings on copy cards. All references to locking a permanent's characteristics should actually be read as locking in its characteristics, its controller, and what it enchants (if it's a local enchantment). 8) Regeneration is a replacement ability that replaces a destruction with the regeneration effect. When you play a spell or ability that regenerates something, you choose which destruction is replaced; the rest of the effect that's destroying the creature still resolves normally. Usually the target would only be destroyed once by a given effect, so the choice is obvious. But if a single effect would destroy a creature twice, you must regenerate it twice in order to actually keep it in play. 9) The following types of spells and abilities exist: mana source, instant, interrupt, sorcery, artifact, artifact creature, summon, enchantment, triggered ability, replacement ability, damage prevention, phase ability, phase cost, and untap cost. Some spells and abilities break the rules about when they're played, but that doesn't change their type; for example, Choking Vines is of type "instant," even though it breaks the rules by being played only when blockers are declared. Errata And Rules Eliminations 1) Previously, effects that set a creature's power and toughness to specific numbers were applied before any other effect. For example, it used to be that a creature targeted first by Giant Growth and then by Sorceress Queen was first made 0/2 by the Queen's effect, then got +3/+3 from the Giant Growth's effect, making it a total of 3/5. This rule has been scrapped; effects like Sorceress Queen's are now applied in the usual order with other abilities. So in the above example, the creature is now affected by Giant Growth first, then by the Sorceress Queen, making it 0/2 at the end of the batch. 2) Previously, counters that modified power and toughness (+1/+1 counters, for instance) were always considered distinct from each other, although counters with names (storage counters, for instance) have always been interchangeable. This distinction has been eliminated; by default, all identical counters are now interchangeable with each other, whether they're identical because they have the same name or because they have the same power and toughness modifier. For example, all +1/+1 counters are interchangeable by default, but +1/+1 and +0/+1 counters aren't. Note that most abilities of older cards break this rule by specifically referring to "these counters" (meaning the ones the permanent put on itself) or otherwise making it clear that only certain counters are used by that ability, but various rulings are affected by this change. 3) Most copy cards, such as Clone and Vesuvan Doppelganger, duplicate "all characteristics" of their target. As stated in item 6 under General Rules above, copy cards now copy the expansion symbol of their target (if the target has an expansion symbol). This means that City in a Bottle now destroys clones of Arabian Nights(R) cards, for example. Specific Card Rulings 1) Abeyance can't affect cards that are out of play, because it restricts what permanents can do rather than changing the rules about what players can do. For example, it won't stop you from playing Ashen Ghoul's ability while it's in your graveyard. 2) Burying Gemstone Mine when the last counter is removed is a triggered effect, not part of the effect that adds mana to your pool. Therefore there is a delay between using the ability and burying the Gemstone Mine; this delay enables you to sacrifice the Gemstone Mine to Squandered Resource's ability, for example. 3 INET GATE INT00101 97/10/14 16:02 題名:[O] Correction to October rulings Date: Mon, 13 Oct 1997 20:52:26 -0700 From: Beth Moursund Subject: [O] Correction to October rulings To: Recipients of MTG-L digests Tom Wylie apologizes for the misphrasing in the October rulings. Ruling #2 should state "no effect can" rather than "nothing can." Summoning sickness, phase costs, comes-into-play costs, and such are rules, not effects, and can still prevent mana sources from being used. Also, effects can still apply additional costs to using mana sources; for example, if you have a Derelor in play, Dark Ritual costs {B}{B} to cast, not just {B}. - Beth Moursund Official Magic: The Gathering mailing list Network Representative for Wizards of the Coast, Inc. 1 INET GATE INT00103 97/12/21 17:05 題名:[O] December Rules Group Rulings Date: Sat, 20 Dec 1997 11:11:23 -0800 From: Beth Moursund Subject: [O] December Rules Group Rulings To: Recipients of MTG-L digests December 1997 Magic Rulings & Errata A Summary of Recent, Significant Rulings compiled by Tom Wylie General Rules The following are meant to clarify the rulebook, and how the game in general works. 1) CORRECTION: Continuous abilities that apply when damage is assigned take effect when damage is redirected, just like abilities that trigger on that damage. The most asked-about example is the way Furnace of Rath's effect interacts with trample damage. Because redirected damage is actually reassigned, Furnace of Rath doubles damage that gets redirected. For example, here's what happens when a Ball Lightning (power 6, trample) is blocked by an Ophidian (toughness 3) while Furnace of Rath is in play: Normally, Ball Lightning would assign 6 damage to the Ophidian, but because the Furnace is in play, it assigns 12 damage. Ophidian's toughness is 3, so 9 of the 12 damage "tramples through," meaning it's redirected to the defending player. When that 9 damage is assigned to the defending player, it is doubled again because of the Furnace's effect, for a total of 18 damage. 2) If an ability says that a creature is destroyed but can't be regenerated, then players can play spells and abilities that would regenerate the creature, but the attempt at regeneration will fail, so none of the side effects of regeneration happen either--the creature is still destroyed, it doesn't become tapped, and so on. Errata 1) Cold Storage's first ability should read, "3: Remove target creature you control from the game." The second ability should read "Sacrifice Cold Storage: Put into play under its owner's control each creature removed from the game with Cold Storage." Similar language applies for similar abilities, like Safe Haven's. 2) Cursed Scroll's ability requires you to reveal the card your opponent chooses to all players. 3) Ertai's Meddling should state the obvious: although the target spell is considered successfully cast, it does not resolve at the normal time. 4) Every licid should say that it becomes a creature enchantment "instead of any other type of permanent," not just instead of a creature. 5) Magnetic Web's first ability is a constraint on attack, not a triggered ability. It should therefore read, "Each creature with any magnet counters on it attacks if able if any other creatures with any magnet counters on them attack." 6) Torture Chamber's last ability should read, "1, Tap, Remove all pain counters from Torture Chamber: Torture Chamber deals 1 damage to target creature for each pain counter removed in this way." 7) Verdant Force's controller plays its upkeep ability and therefore controls the Saproling token put into play. In other words, Verdant Force's controller puts a Saproling token into play under his or her control once during each player's upkeep. Specific Card Rulings 1) Coffin Queen's second ability has two effects. First, it puts a creature card into play; this is a one-time effect. Second, it sets up an ongoing effect that tracks what happens to the Coffin Queen. If a creature is put into play by Coffin Queen and then phases out, the ongoing effect that links the creature to the Coffin Queen's status will end. After it phases back in, it'll be unaffected by the Coffin Queen's status. Remember that the creature doesn't actually depend on Coffin Queen to stay in play. Once the one-time effect mentioned above resolves, the creature is simply in play, just like any other creature. This means that it'll phase in and out normally, just as if it were a creature brought back into play by, say, Strands of Night. 2) If a spell is targeted by more than one Ertai's Meddling, the spell will still only resolve once. The other Meddlings will attempt to have the spell resolve, but their effects will be ignored, because a spell can resolve only once each time it's successfully cast. 3) When Escaped Shapeshifters check to see which abilities they copy, they evaluate everything that's in play, ignoring the presence of other Escaped Shapeshifters. They then gain abilities based on whether opposing creatures have them. Escaped Shapeshifters don't give each other abilities, much like Reflecting Pools don't enable each other to produce mana. Effects such as Radjan Spirit's can remove an Escaped Shapeshifter's copied abilities just as if the Shapeshifter had those abilities naturally. 4) If a licid targets itself with its ability, the effect turns the licid into a creature enchantment targeting itself. Because it is no longer a creature, the licid is then destroyed because its target is illegal. 5) REVERSAL: Abeyance prohibits you from playing activated abilities of cards that are out of play, because it restricts what players can do rather than trying to affect cards or permanents directly.