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Competitive REL » Post: Thalia and Shockland: Backup or not?

Thalia and Shockland: Backup or not?

May 18, 2017 09:19:46 PM

Kenji Suzuki
Judge (Level 2 (International Judge Program))

Japan

Thalia and Shockland: Backup or not?

NAP has Thalia, Heretic Cathar.
AP play Blood Crypt UNTAPPED, with saying “Untap In.”
NAP immediately say “I have Thalia, so it should be tapped.” and call judge.

GRV warning to AP, but what should be remedy?

1) AP pay 2 life and tap Blood Crypt?
2) Backup? (No payment of life, put Blood Crypt back to AP's hand)

May 18, 2017 10:15:58 PM

Siyang Li
Judge (Level 2 (Judge Academy))

Greater China

Thalia and Shockland: Backup or not?

I would backup that play, because technically, play Blood Crypt untapped isn't a choice, as it's replacement effect applies, you choice whether to pay 2 life, if you don't pay life, it's tapped.

Take into account Thalia's effect, it become “Blood Crypt enters the battlefield tapped, as it enters the battlefield, you may pay 2 life. If you don't, Blood Crypt enters the battlefield tapped.” It's tapped with no payment or tapped while paying 2 life

So the way I see it, trying to play Blood Crypt untapped isn't a legal play, even anouncing it that way is illegal. AP is simply trying to do something he could not, so I would see this as a simple GRV and backup.

:)

May 18, 2017 11:33:04 PM

Isaac King
Judge (Level 1 (Judge Foundry))

Barriere, British Columbia, Canada

Thalia and Shockland: Backup or not?

This is interesting. I think I would hold him to paying the life. While his exact statement was not a possible outcome, it's clear that his intent was to pay the life, and the fact that this action doesn't accomplish what he wanted it to shouldn't matter.

To take a similar situation- NAP controls a single creature with indestructible. AP plays a Lightning Bolt saying “kill your creature”. Even though the outcome he described isn't going to happen, it's clear he cast the Bolt.

May 18, 2017 11:56:26 PM

Siyang Li
Judge (Level 2 (Judge Academy))

Greater China

Thalia and Shockland: Backup or not?

Originally posted by Isaac King:

To take a similar situation- NAP controls a single creature with indestructible. AP plays a Lightning Bolt saying “kill your creature”. Even though the outcome he described isn't going to happen, it's clear he cast the Bolt.

I would like to point out there's a difference between these two, bolting an indestructible creature is completely legal, while playing a shock land untapped with Thalia on the field is not. Anouncing “Untap in” is anouncing your game action, “kill your creature” is an expected results.

May 19, 2017 12:18:47 AM

Charlotte Sable
Judge (Level 3 (Magic Judges Finland))

Europe - North

Thalia and Shockland: Backup or not?

This is clearly a GRV, so our options to fix it here are to leave the game
as is or to rewind. Nothing has happened since the error, so there's no
reason not to rewind here. So where do we rewind to? To the point of the
error, of course, but when was the error made? I would say that the error
wasn't in paying life for Blood Crypt's replacement effect but rather
having it then enter the battlefield untapped. The choice to pay life is
still a legal choice for AP here, so we rewind to just after that choice
was made and have the Blood Crypt enter the battlefield tapped.

On 19 May 2017 at 07:02, Siyang Li <forum-35579-3a53@apps.magicjudges.org>
wrote:

May 19, 2017 12:39:04 AM

Isaac King
Judge (Level 1 (Judge Foundry))

Barriere, British Columbia, Canada

Thalia and Shockland: Backup or not?

Siyang Li, I think you may have missed my point. Both “Kill your creature” and “Play Blood Crypt untapped” are statements that aren't possible as described, but it's clear what was meant. In the Bolt example, we're going to hold him to casting the Bolt, and I don't see a reason why why we should rule differently for the Blood Crypt.

May 19, 2017 01:16:22 AM

Scott Marshall
Forum Moderator
Judge (Level 4 (Judge Foundry)), Hall of Fame

USA - Southwest

Thalia and Shockland: Backup or not?

What I really *want* to do? Explain how Thalia and “shock lands” work, and undo the life payment. And, that's exactly what we should probably do at Regular REL.

This isn't the Regular REL forum, this is Comp REL, so…

What I would do, is back up the illegal action - putting the land in play untapped - but AP has paid 2 life to do something that isn't going to turn out how they wanted, and that part is legal.

And, yeah, I'd probably feel a little bit sad for them - but, hey, it's Competitive. Know the rules, right?

d:^D