Anvil of Bogardan and Chains of Mephistopheles

[serracollector]

First off I do not fully understand chains of mephistopheles.  I understand the noramal of the turn is unaffect.  After that,  you draw, then must discard, then draw again?  Not sure I understand it.

Anyways how does it work, and how does it work with Anvil of Bogardan, if you have no cards in hand do you just draw 2, and discard both?

Thanks.

[Clariax]

Chains of Mephistopheles {1B} |Enchantment| If a player would draw a card except the first one he or she draws in his or her draw step each turn, that player discards a card instead. If the player discards a card this way, he or she draws a card. If the player doesn't discard a card this way, he or she puts the top card of his or her library into his or her graveyard.

The card is a bit of a mouthful, and has always been.  The replacement effect it creates is a bit more complicated than most.  Instead of replacing one simple event with another simple event, this replaces a simple event (drawing a card) with an entire process. 

If you would draw a card, you instead do the following.  First you have to discard a card.  This is not optional, if you have a card in hand, you must discard it.  Next one of two things happens, based on whether you discarded a card or not.  If you discarded a card, you then draw a card.  If you didn't discard a card, you put the top card of your library in your graveyard.

So to simplify it down as much as possible, when instructed to draw a card, if you have a card in your hand, you discard then draw.  If you do not have a card in your hand, you put the top card of your library into your graveyard.


Now we can look at Anvil of Bogardan.  The first thing that happens during your draw step is you draw a card.  Then Anvil's trigger goes on the stack.  (Assuming nothing else happens before it resolves...)  When the trigger resolves you carry out it's insturctions in order as printed.  The first instruction is to draw a card, this however, gets replaced by Chains' replacement effect, and since you have a card in hand (the one you drew for your turn, at least), you discard a card then draw a card.  Then you carry out the next instruction in Anvil's trigger, discard a card.

Simplified version of draw step:  Draw a card, Anvil triggers, on resolution of trigger discard, then draw, then discard.

[serracollector]

ok so its not a lock, they can mill 1, and keep 1 card in hand, ok.  thank you.

or wait, the discard is not optional, it only mills if you have no cards in hand?

[Godder]

Assuming you're talking about Chains, the discard is not optional.

[Clariax]

So, I want to make sure my understanding is correct.

If chains is in play and opponent casts ancestral recall, and they have 3+ cards in hand, then they must discard 3 first, then they draw 3 correct?

And if they have < 3 cards, then they must discard wat they do have, and then mill the remaining difference, then draw 3 cards?  Or does the mill replace the draw completely?

119.2. Cards may only be drawn one at a time. If a player is instructed to draw multiple cards, that player performs that many individual card draws.

In the case of an effect like that of Ancestral Recall, since each card draw is handled individually, each is replaced separately.  Instead of "Draw 3 cards," it's "Draw a card, Draw a card, Draw a card."  So the entire first draw a card action gets replaced by chains, then the entire second action, then the third.  If you have at least one card in hand, it would end up being "discard, draw, discard, draw, discard, draw."  If you have no cards in hand, it would be "put the top card of your library in your graveyard, put the top card of your library in your graveyard, put the top card of your library in your graveyard."

Also, it's not the mill that replaces the draw completely, the entire process from chains replaces the draw.  (That replacement just sometimes includes drawing a card also.)