Oracle text on tournament staples

[ELD]

I am often harsh on players for not knowing the cards that they post about.  When you're online, you have access to oracle text, and should not be making any idiotic statements.  A tournament is different though.  It is not as obvious to check the oracle text, as you come across many differant decks, many with cards you may have never used yourself.

On many of the cards we use, the text is not correct.   I propose an exercise to inform the community.   I'd like to see others post tournament cards that differ from their oracle text to the actual text.  Here are some examples.  

Intuition and Oath of Druids do not target.  Though both cards are printed "target opponent," the oracle text says "an opponent."

Mana Vault does damage at the beggining of the draw step, not during the upkeep.

Mind Twist targets, though older versions do not say "target"

Time Walk does not target (Who could forget all the controversy about this one)

There are a few to start.  What are some others that have come up.

[jpmeyer]

Vampiric Tutor is life loss on resolution, not announcement.

[Matt]

Sundering Titan only destroys one land of each type. Way too many people get this card wrong and think it destroys all land of any one type, or can't target duals, or any number of wrong interpretations.

Goblin Welder's and Animate Dead's oracle texts are vastly different from their printed wordings. They won't even fit on the card anymore.

[Tristal]

5th Edition Animate Dead isn't terribly far off from its Oracle wording compared to earlier versions.

I'd say Chains of Mephistopheles is a bit different, but it's confusing enough as it is.

Aside from Vampiric Tutor, Blood Moon is my pick.  The 8th Edition supertype changes made it so the affected lands remained non-basic, contrary to what the Dark version says.

EDIT: Oh God, I forgot about Lion's Eye Diamond.  That one's TERRIBLE.

[Aeneas]

Much like Vampiric Tutor, the additional cost of skipping your next turn with Meditate is now part of the resolution.

[Godder]

Illusionary Mask .

[ELD]

Yes, Vampiric Tutor and Blood Moon are exactly the kind of cards I'm talking about.  The subtle differance of the oracle text changes things considerably.

[TracerBullet]

Lion's Eye Diamond
Phyrexian Dreadnought
Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale (Destroy has been changed to Sacrifice)



Time was, The Rack and Black Vise were impossible to keep track of because of the changes in the Upkeep.  They're now errata'd back to the way they're supposed to work.


Can I just say I really miss Crystal Keep?

[Gabethebabe]

Mana Drain.

Drain in your first main phase, means that you get mana in your second main phase, not in the first main phase of your next turn.

[Ender]

Oath of Druids (and the other cycle)
Its at the beginning of upkeep now and the check for the creatures is done before the ability goes on stack and after.

Mind Twist
All versions, aside from 4th ed, errataed to now target.

Ancrestral Recall
Targets player as well.

[Pern]

Gilded Drake's ability targets and can't be countered.

[Upinthe]

Drop of Honey targets the creature it is destroying
Oubliette phases the creature out.
.

[Pern]

Meddling Mage does not interact with Isochron Scepter,
since the Mage says the named card can't be played.

If you pop Chromatic Sphere or one of the Eggs during the casting of a spell,
you draw the card but don't get to look at it until the spell has been played.
It's technically in your hand but face down. Heh.
This is to keep you from backing out of playing the spell based on what you drew.

[Matt]

Meddling Mage does not interact with Isochron Scepter,
since the Mage says the named card can't be played.

If you pop Chromatic Sphere or one of the Eggs during the casting of a spell,
you draw the card but don't get to look at it until the spell has resolved.
It's technically in your hand but face down. Heh.
Particularly amusing if you're casting Brainstorm.

Wow, finally something I didn't know.

[Jebus]

you draw the card but don't get to look at it until the spell has resolved.
It's technically in your hand but face down.

Actually, you look at it after the spell is played.  You don't have to wait for the spell to finish resolving.

[epeeguy]

Wow, finally something I didn't know.

This was only recently changed (March 2005 edition of the rules), and was made to match how MtGO handled it.  Before this, you could actually look at the card.

Another card that has been changed to work with the current rules: Mox Diamond.  The original wording of the card makes it appear as if you could use the Mox for mana and then just sacrifice it without discarding a land card.  The Oracle wording requires you to discard a land card as part of the cost of playing the Mox.

[Matt]

Wow, finally something I didn't know.

This was only recently changed (March 2005 edition of the rules), and was made to match how MtGO handled it.  Before this, you could actually look at the card.

Another card that has been changed to work with the current rules: Mox Diamond.  The original wording of the card makes it appear as if you could use the Mox for mana and then just sacrifice it without discarding a land card.  The Oracle wording requires you to discard a land card as part of the cost of playing the Mox.

That reminds me: all the Alliances' colored lands, plus Lotus Vale.

Also Phyrexian Dreadnaught. As printed you could Stifle it into play!

[Ender]

Chalice for 4 counters the original copy of tendrils of agony but the storm trigger still is put on the stack.

Same goes with brain freeze, etc.

[Aeneas]

How can you activate Chromatic Sphere's ability in the middle of casting a spell?

[Jacob Orlove]

How can you activate Chromatic Sphere's ability in the middle of casting a spell?

It's a mana ability, so you can use it when you're paying the costs for the spell.

[Aeneas]

Thanks for the clarification.

[Pern]

Humility was finally reworded to make Humility/Opalescence simple.
The current Oracle wording is:

All creatures lose all abilities.
Humility gains "All creatures are 1/1."

[Jacob Orlove]

Since this has come up countless times:

Cloud of Faeries
1U
Creature -- Faerie
1/1. Flying
When Cloud of Faeries comes into play, if you played it from your hand, untap up to two lands.
Cycling 2 (2, Discard this card: Draw a card.)

[virtual]

I know there was a thread on this topic a long time ago... but I'd like a small amount of clarification:

Aeneas wrote:
How can you activate Chromatic Sphere's ability in the middle of casting a spell?

It's a mana ability, so you can use it when you're paying the costs for the spell.

LED is a mana ability.  I think at the end of the last thread someone said that it can only be played as an instant, but I didn't see that on the errata on mtgpics...

A follow up.  can you play a lotus, cast frogmite, then sacrifice the lotus to pay for it?  (no other artifacts in play) I believe yes, based on the fact that cost is calculated first, then you get an opportunity to pay the cost, before the spell goes on the stack.  If LED's ability is played as an instant (as per the old thread), then why isn't lotuses....

-Virtual

[Jacob Orlove]

If mtgpics doesn't have that errata, then it's wrong. Always check sites that have the current oracle wording (eg gatherer):

Lion's Eye Diamond
0
Artifact
Sacrifice Lion's Eye Diamond, Discard your hand: Add three mana of any one color to your mana pool. Play this ability only any time you could play an instant.

You are correct with your lotus example (the T2 version was using chrome sphere to both reduce the cost and provide the U for thoughtcast). However, because LED can only be played at instant speed, you cannot use it in the middle of announcing a spell.

Lotus is not played at instant speed because it does not say so on the card.

[Pern]

You can find as few cards as you wish with Gifts Ungiven.

[Jacob Orlove]

Gaea's Blessing triggers during the resolution of Oath of Druids, but doesn't go on the stack until Oath is finished.

You reveal the cards for Oath one at a time, but they don't actually go the the graveyard until you find a creature or run out of library--so you can put them in the grave in whatever order you like.

[Toad]

but I didn't see that on the errata on mtgpics...

[card]Lions Eye Diamond[/card]

Just drop me a PM when you find some serious text errors

[Sytupal]

Goblin Charbelcher

- Do you choose a target first or after the cards have been revealed?

[Jujulautre]

Goblin Charbelcher

- Do you choose a target first or after the cards have been revealed?

When an ability specify a target, you ALWAYS choose the target(s) at the time you play the ability (or put it in the stack if it's a triggered)
Same as spells in fact...