FAQs & Rulings

Q: When do I get this extra mana?

Mana is added to a player’s mana pool during their Start Phase, or when a site enters the realm under their control. So, any sites already in play won’t get the extra mana until the start of your next turn. But, if you play Abundance and then play a site into Abundance’s area of effect, the newly played site will generate extra mana immediately. Also, if you start your turn with a site in Abundance, and then during your Main Phase the site is no longer in Abundance (e.g. Cloud City moving away, Scorched Earth, etc.), you don’t lose the mana that you gained during your Start Phase.

Q: Does Abundance apply to my opponent’s sites as well?

Yes, they will get the benefit as well, if your Abundance affects their sites!

Q: What counts as "killing?"

Determine credit for a "kill" every time all units are at rest, in priority order (highest first): 1) Did the killer strike, causing the minion to die? 2) Did the killer cast a spell, causing the minion to die, including effects that forcefully move the minion to an inhospitable location? 3) Did the killer use an ability, including abilities granted by artifacts, causing the minion to die? Note that the killer must be a unit, but multiple units can share credit for a kill, if they both share the same priority. For example, Grapple Shot will only give credit to the ally who strikes, not the spellcaster, since priority 1 is higher. If two units defend against a single attack, both defenders could get credit for the kill.

Q: When does this artifact provide mana?

When it enters the realm, and at the start of its controller’s turn.

Q: When does this artifact provide mana?

When it enters the realm, and at the start of its controller’s turn.

Q: Do you still need to meet threshold requirements when using its ability?

Yes, since you're still casting it (and not summoning it directly).

Q: What is a "fire spell or ability?"

"A fire spell" means a spell with 1 or more fire threshold. The spell must deal damage directly. "Fire ability" includes strikes from the “Move and Attack” ability from units with at least one fire threshold. "Fire damage" means "damage from a fire source."

Q: If one of the sites it occupies is an Ordinary water site, are minions and artifacts there still submerged?

Yes. It’s still affected by the aura, but that effect doesn’t do anything to Ordinary sites, other than the Genesis ability.

Q: Can you play Rift Valley into an area affected by Atlantean Fate?

Yes, since Atlanean Fate only affects the site once it’s already in play, and Rift Valley modifies how it’s played in the first place.

Q: What are the rules for forcefully submerging a minion?

You can forcefully submerge any minion as long as it's not atop any land sites.

Q: Does this carry along large minions or auras that occupy more than one site?

No.

Q: What does "normal size" mean?

Anything that occupies exactly 1 location.

Q: Can you choose an existing water site?

Yes.

Q: What does “your body of water” mean?

The body of water (if any) that your Avatar currently occupies. If the Avatar of Water isn’t in any body of water, her ability won’t function. (She’s a fish out of water!)

Q: Am I required to summon these units burrowed?

Yes. You can and you must.

Q: What does “burrowed safely” really mean?

Has “burrow” while at this location. (It could try to move to an adjacent underground location, and then it would immediately die.)

Q: Can I intercept non-basic movement?

No. Only basic movement can be intercepted. The Mummies will still unburrow if a unit moves above them, though.

Q: Do they tap when they unburrow?

No.

Q: What if a Stealthed enemy unit moves onto the site above?

Mummies will unburrow, but can't intercept stealth units.

Q: Can I target my opponent’s minion(s) with Backstab?

Yes (but remember the spellcaster must be in the same region as all the targets).

Q: If a minion has voidwalk and is in the void, could Backstab move it to an adjacent site to strike a tapped minion there?

No. First, your spellcaster must target both minions (which are in different regions), but your spellcaster must pick a single region for casting a spell (even if they somehow occupy more than one region, which would already be corner-case). Also, the void and the site aren’t adjacent locations, since locations must share regions to be adjacent.

Q: If the Battlemage moves and is intercepted, does that count as “attacking” the intercepting unit?

No. An interception does not cause an "attack," and instead is merely a fight between the unit that moved and the unit that intercepted.

Q: If the Battlemage declares an attack against a target, but then a different enemy defends, does that count as attacking the defender?

Yes. A defense redirects the attack to the defender (or adds the defender to the attack, if the original target wants to stay in the fight).

Q: If the Battlemage attacks and kills two enemies in a single fight (if my opponent chose to include multiple defenders), does the Battlemage draw two cards?

No, just one. Design intent is “After Battlemage attacks and kills one or more enemies, you may draw a spell.”

Q: If the Battlemage with a Flaming Sword attacks one enemy, and then another enemy dies as a result of the Flaming Sword, does the Battlemage get to draw a card?

No. The Battlemage must attack and kill the same enemy to use its ability.

Q: What happens when a minion carries another minion that's carrying a minion?

Only the minions you're directly carrying count against your limit. Have fun at the carnival!

Q: If my opponent plays an effect that tries to cancel Bedrock in some way (e.g. Atlantean Fate, Smokestacks of Gnaak, etc.), what happens?

Bedrock wins, and is not modified in any way.

Q: How can I tell if a spell or non-basic ability targets something?

It will use the word “target.”

Q: Are random events affected?

No. Something like Lightning Bolt (“Deal 3 damage to a random unit at target location”) must target Blasted Oak’s location, but then the random result is still determined randomly

Q: What happens if you have Kythera Mechanism?

When you target, you must follow Blasted Oak’s restrictions, but you can still choose random outcomes of your choice if you have Kythera Mechanism.

Q: Does summoning a minion target the location where it’s summoned?

No, and therefore Blasted Oak doesn’t influence where minions may be summoned.

Q: How does this interact with Chain Lightning?

You must target all the units you can that share Blasted Oak’s site, spending as much mana as needed to do so. Once you’ve targeted all those units, you could additionally target other units, if you had sufficient mana. For reference, Chain Lightning reads: Deal 2 damage to target unit nearby. Any number of times, you may spend 2 mana to additionally target a new unit nearby the previous one.

Q: What is the proper timing of resolution for this effect?

If the Blazing unit moves and attacks, the proper sequence is to resolve the move, then deal 2 damage at each departed location simultaneously, then resolve the attack.

Q: If the Blazing unit moves over the same location multiple times without stopping, how much damage does Blaze do?

Blaze will still only do 2 damage, since a unit is either along the trail, or not. Each time the Blazing unit stops, it creates a separate trail of fire.

Q: Is this is magic damage?

Yes. The source of the damage is the Blaze spell, not the unit.

Q: If the Blazing unit dies, does it deal damage where it died?

No. Though it clearly departed its location, it never "stops," which is what causes the flame to cause damage. To "stop," a unit needs to move first. (Note that if the Blazing unit somehow died while moving, then Blaze would in fact deal damage when the unit died.)

Q: If a Blazing Megamoeba moves, does Blaze do damage?

No, since the Megamoeba still occupies the sites and thus never departed.

Q: Can a disabled unit Blink?

Yes, this is forced movement, not taking a step themselves.

Q: Do I need to meet threshold or pay any mana to summon the minion?

No. Summoning a minion isn’t the same as casting it. Summoning simply means that the minion enters the realm, and you don’t need any threshold nor any mana.

Q: What is the proper timing of resolution for this effect?

Active player chooses minion. Other player chooses minion. Both minions enter play simultaneously. Then, active player’s genesis triggers, then other player’s genesis triggers. Then other player’s genesis resolves, and finally active player’s genesis resolves.

Q: Does the eaten minion untap? Is it still in the realm?

Yes.

Q: If the eaten minion is moved away somehow, does it lose Disabled?

Yes.

Q: Do I get the cards immediately when my minion carrying the treasure moves to the surface, even in the middle of something else (like defending or attacking) ?

Yes! As soon as your unit is on the surface, you resolve the treasure effect.

Q: What are the rules for forcefully burrowing a minion?

You can forcefully burrow any minion as long as it's not atop any water sites.

Q: If Captain Baldassare attacks a 3 power minion, killing it but also dying in the process, does the Captain have time to use their ability before they die?

Yes, by a long shot! In fact, Captain Baldassare's trigger happens as soon as the attack is resolving, even before strikes are made. The trigger for Captain's ability and the Captain dying aren't in the same window of time. The ability triggers first.

Q: What are the rules for forcefully burrowing a minion?

You can forcefully burrow any minion as long as it's not atop any water sites.

Q: What does "your location" mean?

In this case, “your location” means "a location that your avatar occupies."

Q: What does “automatically follows you” mean?

Whenever your avatar enters a new location, Cerberus in Chains teleports to that location.

Q: What does “can’t move itself away” mean?

Cerberus can't choose to move to a location that is farther from your avatar than its current location. (Count distance using steps that Cerberus would take using its own modes of movement, e.g. Airborne if it gained it somehow.)

Q: If your avatar occupies a site you don't control, can you summon Cerberus there?

No. The first sentence is an additional restriction on summoning.

Q: Do I pay all the costs and choose all the targets when the spell is cast?

Yes.

Q: Does the damage resolve sequentially or simultaneously?

All targets take the damage simultaneously.

Q: Can additional targets be in different regions (as long as they’re nearby the previous target)?

No. Being nearby the previous target is an additional targeting restriction, not a loosening of the targeting rules, so all targets must be in the same region as the caster.

Q: Can I chain the lightning from target A to target B back to target A?

No, that’s not what “new” means. You can only choose new targets that haven’t already been targeted by the spell.

Q: Does the minion teleport to the location where it lands?

Yes.

Q: Does the minion continue to carry whatever it was carrying?

Yes.

Q: What if the minion lands in the void?

It deals no damage (even to itself). Since it's now in the void, it is banished (unless it has Voidwalk).

Q: What if the minion doesn't land in the grid at all?

The teleportation effect doesn’t happen and it deals no damage.

Q: What if the minion lands atop two or more sites?

It lands on only a single site, which is the one that it most fully overlaps.

Q: What does "the site it lands on" really mean?

Though a site is represented by a physical card, a site occupies a square area on the play surface that is bigger than a single card. A two player Sorcery playmat will denote these squares, with no gaps between any of the squares.

Q: How should I resolve this card in a tournament setting?

This card as-written represents part of our design philosophy for Sorcery. Be cool, and respect the silver rule.

Q: What if I'm using Chaos Twister on a token? Or a really expensive card with triple sleeves?

The card you blow should be near-mint, unsleeved, non-token. You can use a stand-in, and then only teleport the target minion once you see where it will land.

Q: Does this carry along large minions or auras that occupy more than one site?

No.

Q: Does it cause auras or large minions to move with it?

No. If a large minion is now occupying the void, it will be banished. (Megamoeba will still move with Cloud City.)

Q: Does Cone of Flame extend across multiple regions?

No, all affected locations must be in the same region as the caster. By default, the damage grid is restricted to the caster’s region. If the caster occupies multiple regions (e.g. a large creature), pick a single region where you’re casting the spell.

Q: If all the empty boxes are void, and the spell starts at X, is Z affected?

Yes, because it's the same region as the spell effect, even though it's separated by void. There are exactly 4 regions in the game: surface, underground, underwater, void.

Q: If I control Rubble, can my opponent still play a site there?

Yes.

Q: What does it mean to be controlled by another player?

If you control a player, you see all their cards and make all decisions for them. You still must make legal choices for them. For example, you still can't force their minion to move into the void (without Voidwalk) or attack themselves.

Q: What happens if there are multiple copies of Courtesan Thaïs played, overlapping each other?

The effects can overlap. (They do not add additional turns of control beyond what's specified by card text.)

Q: What happens if my turn is skipped via Vaults of Zul and Courtesan Thaïs is affecting me?

If a turn is skipped then there's no actual turn, which means that part of Courtesan Thaïs's effect would wait for that player's next actual turn.

Q: Do I have to choose "above" or "below," or does it damage both automatically?

There is a giant meteor landing in the realm! It damages both above and below - surface, underwater, and underground!

Q: If all the empty boxes are void, and the spell starts at X, is Z affected?

Yes, because it's the same region as the spell effect, even though it's separated by void. There are exactly 4 regions in the game: surface, underground, underwater, void.

Q: Does it tap to take a step or attack?

No.

Q: When it attacks, does the targeted unit strike back?

Yes.

Q: When it attacks, do normal combat rules apply with intercept and/or defend?

Yes.

Q: Does it use normal targeting rules when attacking?

Yes. That is, it can’t attack Airborne or Stealth units (unless it gains a special ability that allows it to do so.)

Q: What does “minion within its range of motion” mean?

"A minion it can actually attack after moving, using enhanced movement abilities (if any)." So, if there's one adjacent minion with Airborne and another without Airborne, it will attack the non-Airborne minion 100% of the time, since it can’t attack Airborne.

Q: When it looks for “the closest minion,” does Crave Golem consider all minions everywhere?

No. By default, “closest minion” (or “farthest minion”) only includes other minions within the Crave Golem’s current region. If there is no other minion in the Crave Golem’s current region, it won’t move.

Q: When it looks for “the closest minion,” does Crave Golem consider its own movement abilities (like Airborne) or site specific limits (like Gnome Hollows)?

No. Each square counts as a single step. Determine “closest” based purely on squares. Then, it takes a step toward the closest other minion.

Q: What if there are multiple options when choosing how to “take a step toward?”

If there are multiple minions that are equally close, the controller of Crave Golem chooses which one it moves towards. If there are multiple equally short paths to reach the closest minion, the controller of Crave Golem chooses which path it takes.

Q: Can Crave Golem attack itself?

No, per normal attack restrictions (which the Crave Golem respects).

Q: What does "range of motion" actually mean?

A location the unit can actually reach after moving, using enhanced movement abilities or effects (if any), assuming the opponent does not use any optional abilities (e.g. intercept).

Q: If I double my ally's damage twice, is it multiplied by 4?

Yes.

Q: If I sacrifice Crown Prince (e.g. Moon Clan Werewolf, Cauldron Crones, etc.), does its deathrite still trigger?

Yes! When you sacrifice something, it dies, and thus triggers deathrite.

Q: What counts as "killing?"

Determine credit for a "kill" every time all units are at rest, in priority order (highest first): 1) Did the killer strike, causing the minion to die? 2) Did the killer cast a spell, causing the minion to die, including effects that forcefully move the minion to an inhospitable location? 3) Did the killer use an ability, including abilities granted by artifacts, causing the minion to die? Note that the killer must be a unit, but multiple units can share credit for a kill, if they both share the same priority. For example, Grapple Shot will only give credit to the ally who strikes, not the spellcaster, since priority 1 is higher. If two units defend against a single attack, both defenders could get credit for the kill.

Q: Does it kill units everywhere, even in the void or underground or underwater?

Yes.

Q: At Death’s Door, does the Deathspeaker need to meet the threshold requirements?

Yes. Only the casting cost is reduced to 0.

Q: What happens if I try to insert a kill effect (e.g. Bottomless Pit) between the Genesis effect and the Banish effect?

The intent is that the Deathspeaker can speak to the dead, invoke their abilities, and then release them into the afterlife (whatever that may be). In the end, the minion will be banished, and technically you can treat this as: You may banish one dead minion each turn to cast a token copy of it, and for (0) if you’re on Death’s Door. Whenever you summon a minion this way, banish it.

Q: Can I cast minions from my opponent’s cemetery?

Yes. You control it when it enters the realm, and then it gets banished.

Q: When using the Deathspeaker’s ability, do Genesis abilities trigger before the banishing effect?

They trigger at the same time (when the minion enters the realm), so you choose the order they resolve.

Q: If Dodge Roll’s mana cost is increased (e.g. Maddening Bells), can you cast it on your opponent’s turn?

No, because you don’t have any mana available on your opponent’s turn.

Q: If a minion here is attacked (because they defended an attack vs. an avatar here) what happens?

Attack triggers are still satisfied (e.g. Captain Baldassare), but the attack otherwise ends. No units will strike.

Q: Does this site protect minions from cards with the word "attack" in their name, like Leap Attack or Spin Attack?

No. Dome of Osiros only prevents "attacks" from the Move and Attack basic ability, or other card text that uses the word "attack" (e.g. Crave Golem).

Q: What does “until hurt” mean, for purposes of casting this on my avatar?

Your avatar can't be disabled per game rules, and thus won't be able to go to sleep, and thus won't be able to wake up. If you cast this on your Avatar, it will have no effect.

Q: Can Floodplain still flood a site affected by Drought?

Yes.

Q: How do Drought and Flood interact?

They are both passive effects, so whichever was played last takes precedence.

Q: What are the rules for forcefully submerging a minion?

You can forcefully submerge any minion as long as it's not atop any land sites.

Q: If I have Dwarven Digging Team in play, can I choose to summon minions underground without a printed Burrowing ability?

No. The units don't gain Burrowing until they're nearby, and you must choose the summoning location when you cast the spell. When you cast the minion spell, it doesn't have burrowing yet, and thus you can't pick an underground location.

Q: If the 2x2 area includes some sites and some void, can you rearrange the sites into the void squares?

No. You can rearrange sites with other sites as you wish, but the void squares must remain the same.

Q: Does this carry along large minions or auras that occupy more than one site?

No.

Q: What does "normal size" mean?

Anything that occupies exactly 1 location.

Q: What are the rules for forcefully burrowing a minion?

You can forcefully burrow any minion as long as it's not atop any water sites.

Q: Does diagonal movement include “sideways” movement?

No.

Q: What happens if an effect causes edge of the world to not be adjacent to the void?

The effect does not resolve. Examples: If you try to move Cloud City to the only void square adjacent to Edge of the World, Cloud City won’t move. If you try to play a site from your hand, it won’t work and your site will remain in your hand. If you use Earthquake to rearrange sites in a way that Edge of the World isn’t adjacent to void, the entire rearrangement fails (and then you still try to burrow.) If you have two Magellan Globes in play at the same location and they’re the only thing keeping Edge of the World adjacent to void and they are Dispelled, one is destroyed and other isn’t.

Q: Can you animate your opponent’s auras?

Yes, as long as you can target them (i.e. they are in the same region as the Enchantress). Your opponent still controls the aura minion.

Q: Do animated aura change size?

No.

Q: What happens when I animate aura XYZ?

See the FAQ entry for that specific aura.

Q: My opponent is playing Enchantress. I target their animated aura with my Infiltrate. What happens at the start of their turn when the aura returns to being a normal aura?

You retain control of the aura until it deals damage. While it is an aura, it can’t benefit from Stealth, though it could lose stealth if it deals damage. If it becomes a minion again and didn’t lose Stealth, it will benefit from Stealth again.

Q: What is the proper timing of resolution for this effect?

When Enchantress casts a spell, before that spell resolves, but after targets are specified, an aura may become a creature. For example, Overpower doesn’t use the word target, so the proper order would be: cast Overpower, animate an aura, then specify the ally due to the card text of Overpower (which could be the aura you just animated). But in the example of Chaos Twister, you would cast it and specify the target, then animate an aura, then resolve the spell (which could not target the aura, since it wasn't a minion yet when targets were chosen).

Q: What happens when a Large unit moves “as if the sites were adjacent” ?

Choose a contiguous group of squares the large unit can occupy (e.g. 2x2 for a Mountain Giant) that includes the destination location, and it moves from its current locations to the chosen squares. By default, its level must remain the same, unless it has some other movement ability or effect.

Q: If Magellan Globe is in play and a Large unit on the top row moves “up” one row to wrap around to the bottom, what happens?

This is considered movement “as if the sites were adjacent.” Assuming the Large unit is 2x2 (e.g. Mountain Giant), you will choose a 2x2 group of squares on the bottom two rows, and it will move from its current 4 squares (on the top two rows) to 4 new squares (on the bottom two rows). It may “feel” like a double movement, but this is the nature of Large units moving while the grid is warped. The basic principle is that the physical card represents the unit, and must remain on contiguous squares. (Note that Megamoeba has its own special movement rules, and though it looks like a Large unit, it effectively moves like a normal size unit.)

Q: Does this affect subsurface units, as well as surface?

Yes, since it doesn't say "atop." Note that it doesn't affect minions in the void, since the void isn't a site.

Q: If a minion declares a move and attack vs. a target in Entangle Terrain, what happens?

The minion becomes Immobile as soon as it occupies the Engangle Terrain, and thus won’t be able to complete its attack (or additional movement steps, if any). In the example grid, the Apprentice Wizard is on site A, and the Entangle Terrain affects the sites labeled E. The Wizard declares a move and attack onto E. It moves on, becomes Immobile, and can't attack.

Q: What does "lasts 3 of your turns" technically mean?

Add a counter at the end of each of your turns, and dispel it when there are 3 counters.

Q: If my opponent gains control of my Erik's Curiosa and then they rip it, who gets to pick the card?

They get a card of the controller's choice from the controller’s collection (so they get to pick). Hopefully you can still be friends! (They must give you a moment to concede before they rip it.)

Q: What does "rip to pieces" really mean?

Please see the Silver rule! The point is to actually, literally rip the card up, and it will never be playable again. It is banished after you rip it.

Q: Does this effect let me break the normal restrictions on deck legality? e.g. duplicate Unique card, or duplicate any site for Pathfinder?

The card limits exist only when the game starts; once the game begins, various effects can change your deck composition. So, yes, you are free to get an extra copy of a Unique card via Erik's Curiosa, as long as the card is actually in your collection.

Q: How does this work in a tournament, especially best of 1 games when I rip this?

See the rules for that specific tournament, but by default the card is playable. Tournament organizers have latitude to set rules for their events, but one reasonable approach is that you play with a 39 card deck for the rest of the tournament (and is legal to do so).

Q: When you use the ability, what happens to the “thrown” artifact?

It is no longer carried by the Assassin, and is uncontrolled in the target’s location. Any unit may pick it up normally (including the Assassin, if it happens to be in that location).

Q: Does the Assassin lose Stealth if it uses its ability?

Yes. It’s a non-basic ability, so Stealth is lost per the normal Stealth rules.

Q: Can these units defend from 2 sites away?

Yes, because it's only a single step for them. Units can take a single step when defending.

Q: Can this be summoned to an inhospitable location (e.g. underground) and die, but still have a chance to use its genesis ability first?

No. You cannot choose to summon a unit underground, underwater, or in the void unless it has the appropriate ability.

Q: Can I cast this spell without a target just to draw a card?

No. To cast a spell, you must specify all targets.

Q: Does the target need to be in the same region as the caster?

No. Normally the answer is yes, but the card text “above or below” means that normal targeting restrictions are ignored, and the caster can be in any region (surface, underground, underwater, or in the void). As long as there is an adjacent Water site to the caster and a minion occupying that water site, it will get pulled to the caster’s location.

Q: Does the “adjacent Water site” need to be in the same region as the caster?

No. Because the Water site is not targeted, and because the card text uses “site” instead of “location,” the site does not need to be in the same region as the caster.

Q: Can the grid pattern be flipped horizontally?

Yes. You pick the leftmost or rightmost column, and that is where the Flame Wave starts.

Q: Can the grid pattern be rotated 90 degrees?

No.

Q: Is the splash damage a strike?

No. It’s damage done by the sword artifact.

Q: If the attack damage was increased or decreased, does the splash damage include the change?

Yes. For example, Critical Strike will splash double damage.

Q: Does the splash damage occur whenever the unit strikes?

Yes. For example, that includes Grapple Shot or other strikes, not just attacks from the Move and Attack basic ability.

Q: If the struck unit isn’t an enemy, is any damage splashed?

No, because there are no “other enemies” when there’s no enemy initially.

Q: If the Battlemage with a Flaming Sword attacks one enemy, and then another enemy dies as a result of the Flaming Sword, does the Battlemage get to draw a card?

No. The Battlemage must attack and kill the same enemy to use its ability.

Q: If a unit has two Flaming Swords, do they each splash damage?

Yes. Have fun dual wielding!

Q: Do the locations need to be in the same region?

No. The squares merely need to be a Knight’s move apart. Teleportation ignores normal movement restrictions.

Q: If you flood a site that’s already a water site, does it gain an extra water threshold?

No. The rulebook definition of flood only gives non-water sites a water threshold.

Q: How do Drought and Flood interact?

They are both passive effects, so whichever was played last takes precedence.

Q: If you flood a site that’s already a water site, does it gain an extra water threshold?

No. The rulebook definition of flood only gives non-water sites a water threshold.

Q: Can I use Floodplain before Maelström triggers?

No. Floodplain is an activated ability, which can only be activated during your Main Phase.

Q: Can Floodplain still flood a site affected by Drought?

Yes.

Q: What can it attack?

The key word is “here.” Clearly burrowed units are “here.” Airborne and Stealthed units are also “here.” But, to attack Airborne or Stealth, a unit needs some special ability (e.g. Airborne, Ranged, etc.) Since Free City doesn’t have those abilities, it can’t actually target Airborne or Stealthed units with an attack.

Q: How does the attack work?

Since the ability to attack is granted by a card effect and not a basic ability, no tapping is needed, but it’s still an attack. Therefore, players may declare defenders for the attack normally.

Q: How do the strikes work?

Normally, only units can strike, and they can only strike other units (when you attack an undefended site, you don’t actually strike!). Card text allows the Free City site to strike as if it were a unit with 3 power. But, it’s not actually a unit, since it’s still a site. That means it’s mostly unaffected by things that normally affect units - a burrowed Root Spider doesn’t disable it, a nearby House Arn Bannerman doesn’t buff it, and Entangle Terrain doesn’t Immobilize it, etc. Furthermore, the unit that Free City is fighting can’t actually strike Free City! Units can only strike other units, and Free City is not a unit. Therefore, the unit that Free City is fighting does not strike Free City at all. (If a non-site unit is in the fight, that unit could be struck.)

Q: Can Free City die?

It’s striking as if it were a unit, but it’s still a site. Therefore, it can’t take damage, and won’t die due to damage. It can still be destroyed by a specific destruction effect (e.g. Sinkhole), but it won't die due to combat.

Q: When can it attack?

Free City’s ability is a passive ability that gives it the option to attack and defend “normally” once per turn, as if it were a 3 power unit (while actually remaining a site). Therefore, it can only attack on your turn, and defend (presumably on your opponent’s turn) when a unit or Free City itself is attacked by an enemy unit occupying Free City. If Free City would somehow have the chance to both attack AND defend on your turn, it can only do one.

Q: Can Free City attack the turn it enters play?

Yes, because only minions are subject to summoning sickness.

Q: If a large unit occupies Free City while it attacks a different site, can Free City defend against that attack?

No, since the attack is not happening on Free City.

Q: Can Frontier Settlers play a site that isn’t adjacent to your other sites?

Yes.

Q: If I teleport my Ghost Ship from the void to a site, does its ability trigger?

Yes.

Q: If I summon a Spirit from my opponent’s cemetery, do I control it?

Yes. (And as usual for an explicit summon effect, you don’t need threshold and you don’t pay mana.)

Q: Will it fight your own units?

Yes.

Q: Does “enters” include minions that are summoned?

Yes.

Q: Will it fight units on the surface (after moving to the surface) when it started submerged? (and visa versa)

Yes.

Q: Will it fight units that are Airborne or Stealthed?

Yes. This isn't an attack (which has targeting restrictions), but actually a fight (which simply specifies who fights based on card text).

Q: What happens if I summon my minion with Genesis into my opponent's Shark's body of water?

When handling multiple simultaneous events, the active player puts all their effects on the timline first (e.g. genesis), then the non-active player puts all their effects on (e.g. Shark ability), which will be added before the active player’s effects, since those have yet to resolve. Then, the timeline resolves in order, so the Shark's ability resolves first, likely killing my minion before the genesis resolves. Other than Magic spells, if the source of an effect is not in the realm when the effect would resolve, the effect fails. (If I controlled both the summoned minion and the Shark, I would be able to choose the order each effect goes on the timeline.)

Q: What path can the Shark take?

The controller of the Shark specifies a path for the Shark that is the fewest possible steps to the other unit. If there are multiple equally short paths, the controller chooses.

Q: If a unit moves within the same site (e.g. surface to underwater), does Shark trigger?

No, since it is not entering or moving between different sites.

Q: If a Shark moves through a Silence aura, what happens?

The movement and fight still occur. The specific resolution is: Unit enters the water site, Shark's ability triggers. You specify the movement steps to reach the target, and they all go on the timeline. Shark starts moving. It enters the Silence aura, but the effects of the ability are still on the timeline and aren't removed, so they continue resolving normally.

Q: If forcefully burrowed without burrowing, will a unit with Gilded Aegis still die?

Yes.

Q: A minion with Gilded Aegis is on a site chosen for Scorched Earth. The Aegis and the minion are being destroyed simultaneously. Does the Aegis have a chance to save the minion before it’s destroyed?

Yes.

Q: If Megamoeba starts at 2 power, can it move into Gnome Hollows (thus getting to 3 power)?

Yes. First, Megamoeba enters, then it grows in power immediately after entering.

Q: If I have Crusade or House Arn Bannermen modifying my Gnome Hollows, may I summon a 2-power minion there?

Yes. It's first summoned (enters the realm), then static effects are applied (e.g. Crusade).

Q: My Unicorn (U) is on the leftmost site. I have a village (v) next to it. Then a Gnome Hollows (G), and then your Avatar. I play Grapple Shot on my Unicorn toward your Avatar. Can my Unicorn go through the Gnome Hollows?

No. It cannot enter the site, per card text on Gnome Hollows. The Unicorn will be dragged as far as it can, ending on the Village.

Q: If there was another row of Villages, would the Unicorn be dragged around the Gnome Hollows?

No. "Dragged" is equivalent to "Pull," and "Pull" requires each location entered to be closer to the destination. Moving to the lower row wouldn't be getting closer to the Avatar, so the Unicorn cannot take that path.

Q: If I Grapple Shot a minion with Submerge through an area affected by Mariner's Curse, what happens?

When the Grapple Shot projectile hits the unit, the game creates specific movement steps for the ally: Move A (surface) -> B (surface), Move B (surface) -> C (surface). Then, we start resolving those steps. If Mariner's Curse is on site B, once the unit being dragged reaches site B, it will be submerged, and live. Then the game tries to resolve Move B (surface) -> C (surface), which fails, since the unit isn't on the surface of site B anymore. Thus, there's no strike from Grapple Shot since it didn't reach the hit unit's location.

Q: Can a disabled unit Grapple Shot?

No, since it would be shooting a projecticle, and disabled units can't do that.

Q: If my ally doesn't reach the hit unit's location, can I still strike it?

No, you must reach the hit unit's location to strike it. Treat card text as: An ally shoots a projectile. If it hits a unit, the ally is dragged to that location. If there, it may strike the hit unit.

Q: My Unicorn (U) is on the leftmost site. I have a village (v) next to it. Then a Gnome Hollows (G), and then your Avatar. I play Grapple Shot on my Unicorn toward your Avatar. Can my Unicorn go through the Gnome Hollows?

No. It cannot enter the site, per card text on Gnome Hollows. The Unicorn will be dragged as far as it can, ending on the Village.

Q: If there was another row of Villages, would the Unicorn be dragged around the Gnome Hollows?

No. "Dragged" is equivalent to "Pull," and "Pull" requires each location entered to be closer to the destination. Moving to the lower row wouldn't be getting closer to the Avatar, so the Unicorn cannot take that path.

Q: Do I resolve all the steps at once, or can effects (e.g. Bottomless Pit) interrupt the movement?

Resolve one step at a time, and then the strike, with interrupts as needed. Bottomless Pit would kill a non-Airborne minion using Grapple Shot.

Q: What does it actually mean to permanently flood the realm, including voids?.

All sites are flooded, and even if a site enters the realm later, it will still be flooded due to the word "permanently" and it includes the voids. If a site is destroyed, the rubble is flooded. If the flooded rubble is replaced with a site in the future, the new site is also flooded, etc. Note that even if Great Old One dies, this effect remains, since it was a Genesis ability that created a passive effect.

Q: How does Drought interact with Great Old One?

These are both passive effects, so whichever was played last takes precedence.

Q: What are "ground minions" ?

Minions without Airborne.

Q: Does this stop all kinds of movement through the top border (e.g. Grapple Shot), or just the Move and Attack basic ability?

All kinds of movement! But note that teleportation doesn't cross borders, and if a unit "moves as if adjacent" (e.g. Waypoint Portal), that also doesn't cross borders.

Q: What does "top border" mean?

The long edge farthest from the controller.

Q: How does this ability work?

When Reaper kills a minion, the minion is banished instead of dying, and its deathrite abilities (if any) will not trigger. In addition, any copies of that minion in play (regardless of who controls them) are also banished. Finally, you search the owner's library of the minion that was killed (and only that player).

Q: If a unit is carrying the animated artifact, who retains control?

When the artifact is animated, it becomes a minion, and thus can't be carried. The controller of Grösse Poltergeist gets control.

Q: If the unit carrying the animated artifact can also carry minions, who retains control?

Grösse Poltergeist says you gain control, but the game rules say that anyone carrying the artifact gains control. Grösse Poltergiest takes precedence due to the silver rule, and the controller of Grösse Poltergeist gets control.

Q: Is the ability mandatory?

Yes. It doesn’t use the word “may.”

Q: Can it target a unit in a different region?

No. Targeting (by default) requires the source and the target to be in the same region.

Q: Does the target minion use its enhanced move abilities?

Yes. When an effect has a unit “take steps,” it uses its enhanced move abilities granted by keywords such Voidwalk, Burrowing, Submerge, and Airborne.

Q: Does it tap the target minion? Can this movement be intercepted?

No and no. This isn’t the Move and Attack basic ability, which is what requires tapping and can be intercepted.

Q: Consider the group of sites below. A large minion occupies 1-2-4-5. Guile Sirens is #5. Can the large minion be pulled in any way?

Yes. When pulling or pushing a large unit, choose a single location the large unit occupies (and meets the requirement of the effect), and push/pull from there. So, you could choose Site 2: Large minion is pulled South, and ends up at 4-5-7-8. OR, choose Site 4: Large minion is pulled East, and ends up at 2-3-5-6. OR, choose Site 5: Large minion isn’t pulled at all.

Q: What if my Headless Haunt tries to teleport into an illegal location? (e.g. Gnome Hollows)

The teleport effect fails, and it remains where it was.

Q: What does “piercing projectile” mean?

Hitting a unit doesn't stop the projectile. It still cannot cross region boundaries.

Q: What does “shuffle if needed” mean?

If you searched your spellbook, shuffle it. (If you end up summoning a beast from your hand, you may still have searched your spellbook if you wanted.)

Q: What does “piercing projectile” mean?

Hitting a unit doesn't stop the projectile. It still cannot cross region boundaries.

Q: If I play a Village on my opponent's turn via Imperial Road, can I pay 1 mana to summon a Foot Soldier?

The genesis effect triggers, but you don’t have any mana available on your opponent’s turn, so no.

Q: If my Infiltrated unit attacks my opponent's undefended site, do I retain control of it?

No. Treat card text as: "Gain control of target enemy minion until after it attacks or deals damage. Tap it and it gains Stealth." Attacking a site undefended doesn't count as "dealing damage" since there are no strikes, and thus the effect text needs "after it attacks" to properly revert control. The attack completes normally, and then once all units are at rest again, control reverts to the previous controller.

Q: Can I target a burrowed minion or a voidwalk minion?

Not unless you have a burrowed spellcaster or a spellcaster in the void. Since the effect uses the word "target," the spellcaster must be in the same region as the target. (There are four regions: surface, underground, underwater, void.)

Q: When it awakens, is it summoning sick?

Assuming it was in play prior to the turn it awakened, it is not summoning sick (since it was already under your control prior to this turn).

Q: Is the ability optional?

Yes. It is an activated ability with no cost and a requirement of 8 water threshold. Like all activated abilities, you can only activate it during your Main Phase when nothing else is happening, but you are not required to activate it.

Q: Does it continue to provide water threshold after it transforms into a Monster?

Yes. The flooded rubble does not provide any threshold to you (since you don’t control it), but the Island Leviathan itself does provide threshold, since that’s what the water threshold icon means on that card. Obviously if the Monster dies, then you lose that threshold.

Q: Does it turn into a Monster minion?

Yes. It becomes a minion with the Monster type, and no longer a site.

Q: Does Island Leviathan continue to provide threshold after it transforms into a monster?

Yes.

Q: If the flooded Rubble gets replaced with a site, is the new site also flooded?

No.

Q: Do each of the attacked units take 6 damage, or is the damage split as the attacker chooses?

The damage is split as the attacker chooses.

Q: Units A, B, and C are being attacked; can unit D defend the attack and protect A, B, and C, or just one of them?

Just one; you must choose unit A, B, or C to be defended.

Q: Units A, B, and C are being attacked; can unit A defend the attack against B, so that B takes no damage?

Yes.

Q: Units A, B, and C are being attacked; unit A defends the attack against B, then unit C defends the attack against A. What happens?

All defend reactions are declared simultaneously, so A could protect B, and C could protect A, and then the attack is directed to A and C (since they both defended).

Q: What happens if a second King of the Realm enters play?

Since they are two overlapping passive effects, the effect that entered play later takes precedence. If the second King leaves play, the first King will reassert his control over all Mortals.

Q: What Mortals are affected by the first ability?

All Mortals, anywhere in the realm.

Q: In what zones does the King control all Mortals?

Only Mortals in play.

Q: If my opponent plays a Mortal with a Genesis ability and I have a King in play, who gets the Genesis ability?

The player with the King gets the benefit, since they control the Mortal as soon as it’s in play.

Q: If a Mortal with Deathrite dies, who gets the Deathrite ability?

The King’s controller, since Deathrite triggers while the units are technically still in the realm.

Q: If Kingdom of Agartha's ability is active, can I choose to summon minions underground without a printed Burrowing ability?

Yes. Kingdom of Agartha affects minions everywhere.

Q: What is a random outcome?

Any effect with the word "random."

Q: How does this interact with Court Jester?

You don't get to look at your opponent's hand, but you do get to choose which of their cards they discard (e.g. site or spell).

Q: If I gain control of a site in the middle of my turn, does it produce mana immediately?

No. Sites produce mana at the start of your turn and when they enter the realm. Since the site with Land Deed was already in the realm, it doesn’t produce mana merely because you took control of it.

Q: What happens if I have a Land Deed on Rubble?

You control the Rubble and your avatar will lose life if the Rubble takes an undefended attack, but the Rubble still doesn’t provide mana. i.e. you own a hunk of worthless rock!

Q: Does this card count as an "attack" since it has the word "attack" in its name?

Sorry for the confusion, but no, this is not actually an attack! You only get an "attack" from the Move and Attack basic ability, or card text that specifcally uses the word attack (e.g. Crave Golem). This card text uses the word "strike," which means the unit simply deals damage equal to its power (and there's no chance for the opponent to Defend, and you can strike Stealthed or Airborne units, etc.)

Q: Can I lightning bolt the void?

Yes, but only if the spellcaster is in the void (since Lightning Bolt targets, the spellcaster must be in the same region).

Q: Does this copy the effect of something like Lightning Bolt?

No, it doesn't copy the spell. It makes your Lightning Bolt (or whatever random event) more likely to have the outcome you want.

Q: What does “nearby Spellcaster” mean?

A spellcaster that is nearby the Bells and in the same region as the Bells.

Q: If the Spellcaster is nearby Maddening Bells but the spell affects something not nearby, does it still cost 2 extra mana?

Yes. Maddening Bells’s ability only cares about the Spellcaster’s position.

Q: When summoning minions, does Maddening Bells care about the location where the minion is summoned, or where the spellcaster is?

Only where the spellcaster is, not the summoning location.

Q: If I choose to pull a minion, do I have to pull all minions?

Yes.

Q: Can I use Floodplain before Maelström triggers?

No. Floodplain is an activated ability, which can only be activated during your Main Phase.

Q: Consider the group of sites below. A large minion occupies 1-2-4-5. Maelström is #5. Can the large minion be pulled in any way?

Yes. When pulling or pushing a large unit, choose a single location the large unit occupies (and meets the requirement of the effect), and push/pull from there. So, assuming Sites 2 and 4 are water sites as well, you could choose Site 2: Large minion is pulled South, and ends up at 4-5-7-8. OR, choose Site 4: Large minion is pulled East, and ends up at 2-3-5-6. OR, choose Site 5: Large minion isn’t pulled at all.

Q: Does the movement get resolved simultaneously?

Yes, all the steps are simultaneously resolved (which might then provoke a variety of triggers).

Q: Can Airborne units in one corner of the realm fly directly to the opposite corner if Magellan Globe is in the realm?

Yes.

Q: If Magellan Globe is in play and a Large unit on the top row moves “up” one row to wrap around to the bottom, what happens?

This is considered movement “as if the sites were adjacent.” Assuming the Large unit is 2x2 (e.g. Mountain Giant), you will choose a 2x2 group of squares on the bottom two rows, and it will move from its current 4 squares (on the top two rows) to 4 new squares (on the bottom two rows). It may “feel” like a double movement, but this is the nature of Large units moving while the grid is warped. The basic principle is that the physical card represents the unit, and must remain on contiguous squares. (Note that Megamoeba has its own special movement rules, and though it looks like a Large unit, it effectively moves like a normal size unit.)

Q: If Magellan Globe is in play, can an aura be cast on the edge of the realm, spanning the realm?

No. The basic principle is that the physical card represents the aura, and must remain on contiguous squares. Treat it as: Physical cards can't span edges of the realm with this effect.

Q: When exactly does a minion “enter” a site?

A minion enters a site when it moves there, or is summoned there. If a non-minion that’s already in the realm suddenly becomes a unit (e.g. Enchantress animates an aura), the new unit doesn’t “enter” any sites just by becoming a unit, since it was already there. If a site gains water threshold, minions already on the site don’t enter the site, since they were already there.

Q: A large unit occupies a specific site and then moves. After the move, it still occupies that site. Did it enter the site?

No. It was already there, and remained there (though it may have entered different sites due to its move).

Q: What if this is animated by an Enchantress?

If an animated Mariner’s Curse moves and enters a water site, it will submerge itself (if possible) and die (assuming it doesn’t have Submerge). If it hasn’t died, it will then return itself to its owner’s hand. It will not have a chance to attack before its effect resolves, because the move happens before the attack.

Q: If I Grapple Shot a minion with Submerge through an area affected by Mariner's Curse, what happens?

When the Grapple Shot projectile hits the unit, the game creates specific movement steps for the ally: Move A (surface) -> B (surface), Move B (surface) -> C (surface). Then, we start resolving those steps. If Mariner's Curse is on site B, once the unit being dragged reaches site B, it will be submerged, and live. Then the game tries to resolve Move B (surface) -> C (surface), which fails, since the unit isn't on the surface of site B anymore. Thus, there's no strike from Grapple Shot since it didn't reach the hit unit's location.

Q: If you have a mandatory effect, are you required to resolve it before any optional effects?

Yes. You must resolve each attack before doing anything optional during your main phase.

Q: Once the Master Tracker leaves play, does a future enemy that arrives with Stealth still have stealth?

Yes. But enemies that already lost Stealth won't regain it.

Q: What happens when Megamoeba gets pulled / pushed?

Choose a specific location it occupies and pull / push a single pseudopod from there.

Q: If the Megamoeba occupies a site with an enemy, can the Megamoeba take the Move and Attack basic ability to move first, and then attack that original enemy, thus growing in power beforehand?

Yes.

Q: If the Megamoeba occupies a site with an enemy, and the Megamoeba moves to a different site, can the enemy intercept?

No. The enemy must occupy the site that the Megamoeba moves into to be able to intercept.

Q: If Megamoeba starts at 2 power, can it move into Gnome Hollows (thus getting to 3 power)?

Yes. First, Megamoeba enters, then it grows in power immediately after entering.

Q: What happens if Megamoeba is the target of Whirling Blades?

The Megamoeba moves 2 steps by extending a pseudopod twice (possibly from two different starting locations), and gains 2 power counters. Then, it strikes all enemies in the starting and destination locations of the pseudopods that took the steps.

Q: What happens if Megamoeba gains burrow or submerge?

It can occupy both the surface location and the subsurface location on a site, and each occupied location will grant +1 power, per card text. 40 power Megamoeba, here we come!

Q: What happens if Megamoeba is forcefully burrowed or submerged without the burrow or submerge ability?

If any part of unit occupies an inhospitable location, it dies. So, the Megamoeba would die in this case (but remember that a unit can only be submerged if it occupies no land, and only burrowed if it occupies no water).

Q: When the Megamoeba is teleported, does its passive ability still apply?

Yes. A single pseudopod enters the teleportation destination, and the Megamoeba can become a single large unit that spans non-adjacent squares. The Megamoeba is weird.

Q: What happens if Megamoeba is in a Silence aura?

As soon as it enters the Silence aura, it loses its abilities. Therefore, it stops occupying all the locations it ever occupied and shrinks to a single location within the Silence aura. While in the Silence aura, it also doesn’t get +1 power for each location.

Q: What happens when the Megamoeba gets carried?

It occupied all the locations it was carried through.

Q: Can Megamoeba declare a movement to a location it already occupies? (e.g. if it wanted to move an artifact it was carrying)

Yes. Megamoeba is weird.

Q: If I play Dodge Roll on my Megamoeba, does the attack still go through because the Megamoeba is still occupying the original location?

Yes, the target is still valid, but Megamoeba now has +1 power from the extra location it occupies thanks to Dodge Roll.

Q: If my opponent uses an effect that moves sites (e.g. Atlas Wanderer, Earthquake, etc.), what happens?

Megamoeba moves with the site.

Q: Can I choose sites that share a corner?

No. Corners are part of the borders.

Q: If multiple minions including Miracle Workers die at the same time on Geistwood, can Miracle Workers return themselves and/or another minion that's dying to your hand?

No, because Miracle Workers only return minions from the cemetery, and deathrites resolve while the minions are still in the realm. The Miracle Workers could return other minions that died earlier that turn and were in the cemetery.

Q: What happens if I try to use Mirage's alternate play text when it's played via Pathfinder?

When using the Pathfinder's ability, you reveal the site, then play it in an adjacent Rubble or void (then Pathfinder moves there). With Mirage, you could then technically choose to return a site you own to your hand, but Mirage would still stay where Pathfinder put it, since it must be played to an adjacent Rubble or void.

Q: What does “copy” mean?

It’s shorthand for “basic copy,” which means that Mirror Realm copies exactly what is printed on the site, and nothing more. If the chosen site being copied is already copying something else, Mirror Realm is played as a basic copy of whatever the chosen site copied.

Q: Does Mirror Realm also copy the rarity of the chosen site?

Yes, it’s as if you had the exact same card.

Q: What if Mirror Realm loses its abilities after it enters play (e.g. Smokestacks of Gnaak is played later)?

Mirror Realm remains a copy, but any abilities that were printed on the original site are now ignored.

Q: How do Smokestacks of Gnaak and Mirror Realm interact?

By the time Mirror Realm enters the realm, it's already a copy. Thus, it can copy a nearby site, and then promptly loses all abilities of that copied site (but still is the copy, without abilities).

Q: Can Mirror Realm copy Rift Valley and enter the realm in the special way, as long as it ends up nearby the Rift Valley that it’s copying?

Yes.

Q: Is this a basic copy?

Yes. If the original site is modified in some way before Mirror Realm enters play, that doesn’t matter; Mirror Realm enters as a basic copy of the site.

Q: Do I need to meet threshold or pay any mana to summon the minion?

"Summoning" is different from "casting." Summon is the verb used to "put a minion into play" and has nothing to do with paying costs or meeting threshold. "Casting" means that you're paying the spell's cost and meeting its threshold. Therefore, with Moon Clan Werewolf, you do not pay any mana and do not need to meet its threshold to use its ability.

Q: Does “here” mean Mother Nature’s location or site?

“Here” references Mother Nature’s exact location.

Q: When a card like Mother Nature instructs you to summon a minion, do you have to pay mana or check threshold?

No. Summoning a minion simply means putting it into the realm.

Q: What happens if a Mountain Giant occupies a Silence aura?

The "Occupies four locations" ability is non-basic, so it shrinks to size 1 while in the Silence aura. Choose a single site that the Mountain Giant occupies within the Silence aura, and then occupy only that site. When it leaves the aura, it returns to size 4 as follows: including the site that the Mountain Giant just moved to, choose a 2x2 area that the Silence aura does not affect (if possible). Note that a large aura minion (e.g. from Enchantress) remains large due to rules, not ability.

Q: What happens when a Large unit moves “as if the sites were adjacent” ?

Choose a contiguous group of squares the large unit can occupy (e.g. 2x2 for a Mountain Giant) that includes the destination location, and it moves from its current locations to the chosen squares. By default, its level must remain the same, unless it has some other movement ability or effect.

Q: If Magellan Globe is in play and a Large unit on the top row moves “up” one row to wrap around to the bottom, what happens?

This is considered movement “as if the sites were adjacent.” Assuming the Large unit is 2x2 (e.g. Mountain Giant), you will choose a 2x2 group of squares on the bottom two rows, and it will move from its current 4 squares (on the top two rows) to 4 new squares (on the bottom two rows). It may “feel” like a double movement, but this is the nature of Large units moving while the grid is warped. The basic principle is that the physical card represents the unit, and must remain on contiguous squares. (Note that Megamoeba has its own special movement rules, and though it looks like a Large unit, it effectively moves like a normal size unit.)

Q: If there is an attack in a location a large unit occupies, can the large unit move while defending, as long as it continues to occupy the location of the attack?

Yes.

Q: What does “enters on the ground” mean?

Even though the text is “can't enter this site on the ground,” design intent is “move,” so consider it to read “can't move here on the ground.” (For clarity, this could be considered errata.)

Q: OK, so what does “move here on the ground” mean?

Starting from the surface of a site and moving to Mountain Pass, excluding Airborne and teleportation.

Q: You have a minion on my Mountain Pass. Can I summon a minion on the site?

Yes. Though summoning is included in “entering,” design intent is “can’t move here on the ground.” So you can summon all you want, since summoning isn’t moving.

Q: I have a minion on my Mountain Pass, and a voidwalk minion on an adjacent square. Can I move from the void to Mountain Pass?

Yes, since “move here on the ground” requires the unit to start from the surface of a site. Since the void isn’t a site, moving from the void to Mountain Pass isn’t considered “movement on the ground.”

Q: Your minion attacks my Mountain Pass. Can my adjacent minion defend?

Technically, my adjacent minion (without Airborne or Voidwalk) could tap to declare a defense, but it wouldn’t move to the Mountain Pass, since your attacker is already there. So, my minion would just end up tapped where it started, without actually redirecting the attack. It would almost certainly be better to not declare the defense.

Q: The alpha, alternate art version of this card from the pledge pack has the text "Spellcaster nearby," while the regular foil and non-foil versions have the text "Spellcaster here." which is correct?

The normal version is correct. The text should be "Spellcaster here."

Q: Does this ability protect my minions from movement effects like forceful burrowing (e.g. Bury), submerge (e.g. Drown), and teleportation (e.g. Chaos Twister)?

Yes, all of those effects are movement.

Q: Does this ability prevent my opponent from rearranging sites? (e.g. Earthquake, Atlas Wanderers)

No, your opponent can still rearrange sites, because that doesn't count as moving the units, just the sites.

Q: When does this artifact provide mana?

When it enters the realm, and at the start of its controller’s turn.

Q: Is the Orb the spellcaster for the copied spell?

Yes.

Q: Does the target need to be in the same region as the Harpooneers?

No. Normally the answer is yes, but the card text “above or below” means that normal targeting restrictions are ignored, and the Harpooneers can be in any region (surface, underground, underwater, or in the void). As long as there is an adjacent Water site to the Harpooneers and a minion occupying that water site, it will get pulled to the Harpooneers' location.

Q: Does the “adjacent Water site” need to be in the same region as the Harpooneers?

No. Because the Water site is not targeted, and because the card text uses “site” instead of “location,” the site does not need to be in the same region as the Harpooneers.

Q: Do you round up your life loss, or round up your ending life?

Round up the life loss. For example, if you had 3 life, you'd lose 2, ending up at 1.

Q: How does this ability work?

You reveal the site first, then choose where the site goes. Treat it as: Tap > Reveal and play the topmost site of your atlas to an adjacent void or Rubble and move there.

Q: Where does Pathfinder play its first site turn 1?

You must play your first site turn 1 under the Pathfinder per the game rules.

Q: Does Pristine Paradise provide mana the turn the Pathfinder plays it from the atlas? That is, does the site have enough time to make mana before the Pathfinder moves onto it?

Yes, sites immediately generate mana when they come into play.

Q: What happens if I try to use Mirage's alternate play text when it's played via Pathfinder?

When using the Pathfinder's ability, you reveal the site, then play it in an adjacent Rubble or void (then Pathfinder moves there). With Mirage, you could then technically choose to return a site you own to your hand, but Mirage would still stay where Pathfinder put it, since it must be played to an adjacent Rubble or void.

Q: What happens if I try to use Rift Valley's ability when it's played via Pathfinder?

When using the Pathfinder's ability, you reveal the site, then play it in an adjacent Rubble or void (then Pathfinder moves there). With Rift Valley, you could use its ability to make a void adjacent to Pathfinder, then play it there (and Pathfinder would then move there).

Q: Do both units need to have been in play for a turn or have charge?

Yes. Summoning sick units can’t be tapped to pay costs.

Q: What happens when a minion carries another minion that's carrying a minion?

Only the minions you're directly carrying count against your limit. Have fun at the carnival!

Q: If I have two (e.g. via Replication), do the effects stack?

Yes.

Q: My avatar has a Philosopher's Stone and casts an Earth spell. Then, they drop the Stone, and my Apprentice Wizard picks up the Stone and casts an Earth spell. Do I get the discount again?

Yes, because Stone tracks the discount per bearer (each turn). It's amazing!

Q: Where do the frogs appear?

You choose any location in the realm (including your opponent's sites if you want), and all 7 frogs appear there.

Q: Does the Pollimorphed minion lose all its abilities?

Yes. It is completely replaced by a 0-power, Frog token. If the minion occupied more than one location, its controller chooses which location the Frog token occupies.

Q: Does a pollimorphed animated aura (e.g. Enchantress) return to an aura form later?

No. It is permanently a Frog token, and occupies a single location.

Q: Does Pristine Paradise provide mana the turn the Pathfinder plays it from the atlas? That is, does the site have enough time to make mana before the Pathfinder moves onto it?

Yes, sites immediately generate mana when they come into play.

Q: Does this kill itself?

No, only other minions.

Q: How does this work?

At the moment the site is played, check for nearby units. Those units are Immobile until your next turn.

Q: How is this spell resolved?

First randomly determine which minion is getting summoned, then choose a summoning location for that minion (which can be any location in the realm).

Q: Where does the conjured copy appear?

Carried by the caster.

Q: Does this move large minions or auras that occupy more than one site?

No.

Q: When pulling apart the row or column to place the site, can Rift Valley be played non-adjacent to your other sites?

Yes.

Q: Can you “pull apart” a row with a single site?

No. That’s not what “pull apart” means.

Q: What is a technical definition of what’s happening when you use this card’s ability?

Choose a row or column with two adjacent sites and at least one void. Then, “pull apart” the two adjacent sites as follows: one site stays in its current square, and the other site (along with all other contiguous sites in its row or column) shifts one square. Put Rift Valley in the void that was just created. The shifting of sites and the arrival of Rift Valley happen simultaneously.

Q: Can you play Rift Valley into an area affected by Atlantean Fate?

Yes, since Atlanean Fate only affects the site once it’s already in play, and Rift Valley modifies how it’s played in the first place.

Q: What happens if I try to use Rift Valley's ability when it's played via Pathfinder?

When using the Pathfinder's ability, you reveal the site, then play it in an adjacent Rubble or void (then Pathfinder moves there). With Rift Valley, you could use its ability to make a void adjacent to Pathfinder, then play it there (and Pathfinder would then move there).

Q: How do Smokestacks of Gnaak and Rift Valley interact?

Rift Valley enters the realm using its ability, and only loses its ability once it's in the realm (which by then, it doesn't really matter).

Q: Can Mirror Realm copy Rift Valley and enter the realm in the special way, as long as it ends up nearby the Rift Valley that it’s copying?

Yes.

Q: Does it cause auras or large minions to move?

No.

Q: Can riptide pull a voidwalk minion in the void?

No, because minions in the void aren’t “aboveground.”

Q: What are the details of pulling a large minion that occupies the water site and other locations?

When pulling or pushing a large unit, choose a single location the large unit occupies (and meets the requirement of the effect - e.g. adjacent), and push/pull from there.

Q: If River of Flame casts a spell, must you pick a region that it's casting from?

Yes. Pick surface or underground when you cast the spell.

Q: If River of Flame casts a spell, choosing the surface, but there are Maddening Bells underground, is the River of Flame affected?

Yes! Those bells are so loud (and still nearby the caster).

Q: What does “give a push” mean?

Choose a cardinal direction.

Q: What does “as far as possible” mean?

In the chosen cardinal direction, within the same region.

Q: Does “along its path” include the site it starts on?

Yes.

Q: If I have two units on a site and one of them uses the boulder, does the other one get damaged?

Yes.

Q: What happens if Magellan Globe is in play and I push it along a complete row or column?

The Rolling Boulder continues until it would repeat a step (i.e. back to where it started), and then stops instead of repeating a step. It doesn't do 8 damage on the starting location, since a location is either along its path or not.

Q: What happens to destroyed Rubble?

Nothing (it turns into more Rubble, and thus doesn't change).

Q: When does this artifact provide mana?

When it enters the realm, and at the start of its controller’s turn.

Q: If I target Bedrock with Scorched Earth, the Bedrock obviously isn’t destroyed, but is everything else still destroyed?

Yes. (Remember Avatars cannot be destroyed.)

Q: Can I choose zero sites?

Yes. “Any number” includes 0.

Q: A minion with Gilded Aegis is on a site chosen for Scorched Earth. The Aegis and the minion are being destroyed simultaneously. Does the Aegis have a chance to save the minion before it’s destroyed?

Yes.

Q: If Sea Raider attacks a 3 power minion, killing it but also dying in the process, does the Raider have time to use their ability before they die?

Yes. After units are killed, there is time for effects to resolve (e.g. Deathrite) before minions are placed in cemeteries. This effect resolves in the same window of time as deathrites.

Q: If my avatar is nearby Seasoned Sellsword, can I discard a card for her ability even if I already control her?

Yes!

Q: What does “non-lethal damage” mean?

Lethal damage is any amount of damage that would be enough to kill a unit. Therefore, “non-lethal damage” is any amount of damage that’s not enough to kill it. Note that this is different from the keyword ability Lethal.

Q: If two 3-power units defend against Seirawan Hydra’s attack, will they kill the Hydra?

No. Though damage is applied simultaneously, a unit looks at each source separately. So, in this case, neither of the sources are enough to kill it and thus the Hydra is immune to the damage.

Q: What does “basic copy” mean?

It copies exactly what is printed on the minion, and nothing more. If the minion being copied is already copying something else, Selfsame Simulacrum is summoned as a basic copy of whatever the chosen minion copied.

Q: What does “nearby minion” mean?

A minion that is nearby the location where Selfsame Simulacrum is summoned (and is in the same region as Selfsame Simulacrum).

Q: Can it enter the realm Submerged if it copies a Submerged minion (or Voidwalk, or Burrowing)?

No. When you cast a minion spell, you specify where the minion will enter the realm at time of casting. When the minion actually enters the realm (i.e. it’s summoned), that’s when Selfsame Simulacrum’s copy ability applies. Without Submerge / Burrowing / Voidwalk when it’s cast, Selfsame Simulacrum can’t use those abilities to change where it’s summoned.

Q: Does it copy Genesis abilities?

Yes.

Q: What if it loses its abilities (e.g. Silence aura)?

Selfsame Simulacrum remains a copy, but any abilities that were printed on the original copy are now ignored.

Q: If it tries to become a basic copy of an aura animated by Enchantress, what happens?

Selfsame Simulacrum becomes an aura (not a minion), since that’s the actual text on the animated aura. As soon as Selfsame Simulacrum is an aura, it expands to its proper size based on card text (and default aura rules), and must continue to occupy the location that was specified during casting.

Q: Do both units need to have been in play for a turn or have charge?

Yes. Summoning sick units can’t be tapped to pay costs.

Q: What happens if a Mountain Giant occupies a Silence aura?

The "Occupies four locations" ability is non-basic, so it shrinks to size 1 while in the Silence aura. Choose a single site that the Mountain Giant occupies within the Silence aura, and then occupy only that site. When it leaves the aura, it returns to size 4 as follows: including the site that the Mountain Giant just moved to, choose a 2x2 area that the Silence aura does not affect (if possible). Note that a large aura minion (e.g. from Enchantress) remains large due to rules, not ability.

Q: What happens if a Silence aura is animated by Enchantress?

It silences itself (and no other units).

Q: How does this ability work?

Treat it as: Once during their basic movement, Skirmishers of Mu may perform a ranged strike when they enter a location.

Q: What happens if they want to use their ability when they enter a location and they get intercepted?

The intercepting unit was waiting for a chance to fight, interrupting the skirmishing attempt. The active player declares their triggers first (Skirmish ability goes on the timeline), then the non-active player (intercept goes on the timeline, before Skirmish). Then, the timeline resolves, so the interception fight resolves first, and if the Skirmishers aren't killed, then their ability will resolve.

Q: If attacked by a minion that strikes first, does the Giantess end up striking back?

Yes, assuming she isn't killed.

Q: How do Smokestacks of Gnaak and Mirror Realm interact?

By the time Mirror Realm enters the realm, it's already a copy. Thus, it can copy a nearby site, and then promptly loses all abilities of that copied site (but still is the copy, without abilities).

Q: How do Smokestacks of Gnaak and Rift Valley interact?

Rift Valley enters the realm using its ability, and only loses its ability once it's in the realm (which by then, it doesn't really matter).

Q: What if the minion being killed occupies more than one location?

You choose where the spear teleports, which will be a single location the minion occupies.

Q: Does this card count as an "attack" since it has the word "attack" in its name?

Sorry for the confusion, but no, this is not actually an attack! You only get an "attack" from the Move and Attack basic ability, or card text that specifcally uses the word attack (e.g. Crave Golem). This card text uses the word "strike," which means the unit simply deals damage equal to its power (and there's no chance for the opponent to Defend, and you can strike Stealthed or Airborne units, etc.)

Q: Does Watchtower satisfy the Spire Lich?

Yes, because of the silver rule. Be cool!

Q: Let's say the Mass is 1 power, and it fights another 1 power minion. What happens?

Both take 1 damage each, which results in their simultaneous death. That triggers Squirming Mass's ability, which means its gains +1 power, but it's already dying, and merely gaining power isn't enough to save it. (Something specifically that saves a unit from death would be necessary, like Gilded Aegis.) In this example, both minions are placed in the cemetery.

Q: Does this gain its own power when it dies?

Treat it as: Whenever another nearby minion dies, Squirming Mass permanently gains its power.

Q: What are the rules for forcefully submerging a minion?

You can forcefully submerge any minion as long as it's not atop any land sites.

Q: Does this allow me to summon my units burrowed even without burrowing?

No. The effect only allows you to break the restriction of choosing one of your own sites, but not the rule about summoning atop the site.

Q: Do I get the cards immediately when my minion carrying the treasure moves to the surface, even in the middle of something else (like defending or attacking) ?

Yes! As soon as your unit is on the surface, you resolve the treasure effect.

Q: What does "range of motion" actually mean?

A location the unit can actually reach after moving, using enhanced movement abilities or effects (if any), assuming the opponent does not use any optional abilities (e.g. intercept).

Q: If it’s not adjacent to void and is the target of a flood, does it still gain water threshold?

No. It cannot provide any threshold.

Q: If it’s not adjacent to void and is within Abundance, does it still gain extra mana?

No, same as above. Can’t provide mana.

Q: If The Geistwood site itself and minions occupying the site are all destroyed at the same time, do the minions' genesis abilities still count as Deathrite abilities, or can the active player decide to destroy Geistwood before the deathrites resolve?

Since the destruction is simultaneous (e.g. Roots of Ygdrassil), all Deathrites will resolve before cards are moved to the cemetery.

Q: If multiple minions including Miracle Workers die at the same time on Geistwood, can Miracle Workers return themselves and/or another minion that's dying to your hand?

No, because Miracle Workers only return minions from the cemetery, and deathrites resolve while the minions are still in the realm. The Miracle Workers could return other minions that died earlier that turn and were in the cemetery.

Q: What does "alone here" mean?

No other units at the location.

Q: If I modify the cost of a spell (e.g. a Mix artifact, or an alternate casting cost), does The Immortal Throne look at the modified cost or the printed cost?

Cost in this case means "printed cost."

Q: If I summon a minion via another effect (e.g. Mother Nature, Raise Dead, etc.), does that count as "playing" the card?

Yes.

Q: How does this handle token minions, or copies of things?

Those aren’t cards, so they don't interact with level counters.

Q: Do sites count for this effect?

Yes, and they cost 0 to play.

Q: The alpha foil version has the text for Pendulum of Peril on it. Is that a misprint?

Yes. Use the text for the normal version.

Q: The alpha version says that the Thunderstorm is dispelled after it deals damage three times, and the beta version says that it's dispelled after three turns. Which is correct?

Use the beta version, and dispel the Thunderstorm after three turns, regardless of how many times it actually deals damage.

Q: Can Tide Naiads move from an underwater location to an underground location?

No. They must enter the underground location to flood it, and they can't enter underground locations without burrowing.

Q: How does this work with end of turn and damage clearing?

The intent is that a 1 power minion with 1 damage + the Trinket would survive the turn. Treat it as: Bearer has +1 power. Return this to its owner’s hand during Step 3 of your End Phase.

Q: How does this ability work?

Treat it as: Tap > Tringh Constrictor may take a step, then it constricts target minion here and carries it disabled. The next time Tringh Constrictor would untap, it instead kills that minion if it's still constricted.

Q: Does it let you defend against Stealth units?

No!

Q: Can you target a Stealthed unit with spells or just ranged attacks?

Spells and abilities, too!

Q: If you have a mandatory effect, are you required to resolve it before any optional effects?

Yes. You must resolve each attack before doing anything optional during your main phase.

Q: What happens if I cast this when I’m at death’s door?

You can cast it, and your opponent will go to 0 life, being put at Death’s Door and becoming immune to damage for the rest of the turn. You will still remain at 0 life since you can’t gain life once you’re at death’s door.

Q: The alpha foil version has 3 air threshold and the normal version has 2 air threshold. Which is correct?

The normal version is correct. You only need 2 air threshold to cast this minion.

Q: Can it burrow and unburrow different things the same turn?

Yes.

Q: Does Underdow let you pull a unit underwater if they have submerge?

No, because it’s a “normal step,” which doesn’t allow changing regions.

Q: What are the details of pulling a large minion that occupies the water site and other locations?

When pulling or pushing a large unit, choose a single location the large unit occupies (and meets the requirement of the effect - e.g. adjacent), and push/pull from there.

Q: When it submerges, can it pull down a minion anywhere in the realm, or only from its location?

Treat it as: Whenever Unland Eel submerges, it may drag another minion that shares its location down with it.

Q: If an Airborne minion on Updraft Ridge declares a +1 movement, can it complete its full move even though it loses +1 movement as soon as it leaves Updraft Ridge?

Yes. It can be played as: Airborne minions that use the Move and Attack basic ability atop Updraft Ridge have +1 Movement for that ability.

Q: If I have two Vanguard Knights equally forward, do they cancel each other out?

Yes. They only get the benefit if they are the true vanguard, with a single minion being the farthest forward.

Q: What does "farthest forward" really mean?

The row of squares closest to you is 1, then the next row is 2, then 3, then 4. The higher the number, the farther forward it is.

Q: What does "stops here" mean?

An avatar stops when there is no additional movement for that unit on the timeline. A unit must first move to then stop.

Q: If I play this under my avatar turn 1, have I stopped there?

No, because you didn't enter the site.

Q: If an avatar is on rubble and I play this under them, replacing the rubble, have they stopped there?

No, because a unit doesn't enter the site if the unit was already present in the square when the site was played.

Q: Does Vaults of Zul trigger at most one per game, or at most once per game per avatar?

Once per game total. They took time to loot the vaults!

Q: What happens if my turn is skipped via Vaults of Zul and Courtesan Thaïs is affecting me?

If a turn is skipped then there's no actual turn, which means that part of Courtesan Thaïs's effect would wait for that player's next actual turn.

Q: How many squares does this aura occupy?

2

Q: What does “traverse” mean?

Moving through in any way, whether willingly or by force. For example, a low power (or Airborne) unit being moved by Grapple Shot or Pudge Butcher couldn’t move a unit through a Wall of Air. Note that a teleported unit doesn’t pass through borders, and thus could circumvent the Wall of Air.

Q: Does this affect subsurface units?

No. (They are not atop the site.)

Q: Does this affect the corners of the border? (e.g. Airborne units moving diagonally)

Yes. The corner of a square includes both borders sharing that corner, so it will affect the corner.

Q: What if this is animated by an Enchantress?

An animated Wall of Air can’t move (unless it gains power), since it has a Wall of Air in its middle! If it gains power (or teleports) and manages to move, the Wall of Air applies between the two squares it occupies.

Q: How many squares does this aura occupy?

2

Q: What does “passes through” mean?

Moving through in any way, whether willingly or by force. For example, a unit moved by Grapple Shot or Pudge Butcher would take damage from the Wall of Fire. Note that a teleported unit doesn’t pass through borders, and thus wouldn't be affected.

Q: Does this affect Airborne units?

Yes. (They are atop the site.)

Q: Does this affect subsurface units?

No. (They are not atop the site.)

Q: Does this affect the corners of the border? (e.g. Airborne units moving diagonally)

Yes. The corner of a square includes both borders sharing that corner, so it will affect the corner.

Q: What if this is animated by an Enchantress?

It can move, but units are not passing through the Wall of Flame due to its own movement. After moving, its effect will apply between the two squares it occupies.

Q: How many squares does this aura occupy?

2

Q: What does “traverse” mean?

Moving through in any way, whether willingly or by force. For example, a unit being moved by Grapple Shot or Pudge Butcher couldn’t move a unit through a Wall of Ice (unless that unit is Airborne; see below). Note that a teleported unit doesn’t pass through borders, and thus could circumvent the Wall of Ice.

Q: What does “traverse on the ground” mean?

Movement on the surface, excluding Airborne and teleport.

Q: What does “on the surface” mean?

“Starting on the surface of a site.” For example, if a unit with voidwalk is on a site, it won’t be able to move through Wall of Ice to the void, since it started on the surface of a site. But, a unit with voidwalk starting in the void is not stopped by Wall of Ice, since coming from the void isn’t “starting on the surface of a site.”

Q: What if this is animated by an Enchantress?

An animated Wall of Ice can’t move normally, since it has a Wall of Ice in its middle! If it gains Airborne (or teleports, etc.) and manages to move, the Wall of Ice applies between the two squares it occupies.

Q: When is the power doubled?

This effect applies a doubling throughout the turn. If the unit gains or loses power, apply any additions or subtractions first, then double.

Q: Can a unit with move-related abilities (e.g. Airborne) “take steps” using its ability?

Yes.

Q: Does the path include the starting and ending locations?

Yes.

Q: Do I fully resolve my movement first, then strike each enemy simultaneously?

Yes.

Q: If I choose to move 0 steps (perhaps because my unit is Immobile), do I strike anything?

No, because you don't have any path if you don't move. A path involves 1 or more steps, and each step has a starting and ending location that's different (if your step is from a location to the same location, you didn't actually move anywhere.)

Q: What does “visited before” mean?

This includes movement made when animated (e.g. Enchantress). Once it leaves play, then it forgets all the places it visited. If you have multiple Wildfires in play, track them each separately.

Q: If Wills-o’-the-Wisps are attacked by a large minion, and then Wills-o’-the-Wisps teleport to a nearby location that the large minion still occupies, does the attack continue?

Yes. To actually evade the attack, they must teleport to a location that the attacker doesn’t occupy.

Q: If Wills-o’-the-Wisps are attacked (either directly, or because they defended) and then use their ability to evade the attack, what happens?

Attack triggers are still satisfied (e.g. Captain Baldassare), but the attack otherwise ends (assuming there aren't any units left to fight). The attacker will not strike, and the target of the attack will not revert to the original target (if any).

Q: Can I push something into the void?

No. Since this is forced movement (and not normal unit movement), “one step” means a single adjacent location. (And “adjacent location” means an adjacent square in the same region.)

Q: Does the movement get resolved simultaneously?

Yes, all the steps are simultaneously resolved (which might then provoke a variety of triggers).

Q: Per card text, artifacts that are carried get pushed as well. So, do held artifacts get blown away from the units carrying them?

The wind blows the artifact one step, from A -> B. The wind blows the unit one step, from A -> B. When the unit actually moves, it will carry the artifact from A -> B. Since all movement is resolved simultaneously, the unit and the artifact both move from A -> B (and there were two reasons why the artifact moved from A -> B). Since the artifact always shared a location with the unit, it was never dropped and continues to be carried.

Q: If a weaker ally is attacked (either directly, or because they defended) and you return them to your hand via this ability, what happens?

Attack triggers are still satisfied (e.g. Captain Baldassare), but the attack otherwise ends (assuming there aren't any units left to fight). The attacker will not strike, and the target of the attack will not revert to the original target (if any).

Q: What are the rules for forcefully submerging a minion?

You can forcefully submerge any minion as long as it's not atop any land sites.

Q: What happens when a minion carries another minion that's carrying a minion?

Only the minions you're directly carrying count against your limit. Have fun at the carnival!