Dragon Mechanics on MTGO

[ajfirecracker]

I did a little testing on Magic Online and this is what I found:

Animate Dead works but is very click-intensive. However, it cannot be used to draw the game as you have to click to attach the aura each time so it merely eats up your chess clock.

Dance of the Dead is worded the same way and I assume that it works the same as Animate Dead.

Necromancy is worded differently and can actually be used to draw the game. Based on my testing in solitaire/with help from Rich Shay this shows up as a restart rather than a draw, but it appears to start a fresh game. I tested a few different things and it definitely resets life total/poison counters, fresh mulligans including ability to use Serum Powder, etc. It doesn't appear to go to sideboarding, so assuming you hit some sort of unwinnable board state in game 1 it looks like you can reset without the opportunity to sideboard if they don't have a response to the Dragon loop (or a creature in the graveyard, which makes you click every time).

Thanks to Rich Shay for testing help!

[Chubby Rain]

This is...disappointing but expected given MTGO's history. Not being able to sideboard after a drawn game 1 is a pretty big deal, especially against Shops and Dredge. Ah well, not regretting selling my collection.

[CHA1N5]

Science.  Thank you.

[ajfirecracker]

Just to clarify in case it wasn't clear initially: the Necromancy loop eats your chess clock if you have even a 2nd creature anywhere in sight, such as a 2nd Dragon.

In paper if you have 2 Dragon in the Graveyard and resolve Animate Dead or Necromancy the game could well end in a draw.

Online a single Dragon with Necromancy will end in a psuedo-draw (restart without sideboarding), but 2 Dragon will simply eat your chess clock and you will lose in that same situation.

[TheBrassMan]

I'd be careful before trying this in a tournament. Resetting the game without sideboards sounds less like intended behavior and more like a bug. It's possible you could be penalized (account frozen, banned) for doing this with tickets on the line, there's precedence for this.

Disclaimer: I am not an orc. (I like that disclaimer)

[Chubby Rain]

I'd be careful before trying this in a tournament. Resetting the game without sideboards sounds less like intended behavior and more like a bug. It's possible you could be penalized (account frozen, banned) for doing this with tickets on the line, there's precedence for this.

Disclaimer: I am not an orc. (I like that disclaimer)

It's a legitimate line in paper Magic though and I know LSV did this on camera exploiting Detention Sphere (of course, WotC would be less likely to ban him than a lesser known MTGOer).

Edit: Oblivion Ring 

[ajfirecracker]

Detention Sphere literally cannot target a second copy. I think you're thinking of a 3 Oblivion Ring loop, which at the time crashed the game.

Now if you perform an unbreakable loop with Oblivion Ring, Faceless Butcher, or Faceless Devourer you get a special message indicating that the loop has been detected and the game is a draw.