Fazeing / Phasing / WTF?!?!?

Pre Story:

Recently, last night, myself and two other guys from my dorm went downstairs for a little late magic action. The first game ended with a nice hurricane for 7 that killed all but the caster (who stopped collecting around Ice Age J). Then another guy came down and wanted to play so we went four way free for all, worst play of the night. The new guy ran straight burn and grafted skullcap/ensnaring bridge, that stopped my zombies, Bills madness, and Cody’s green beats. Ironically the game finally ended by yet another hurricane (I new I had no chance because anything that might have helped, ie shepherd of the rot, just got fried so with my one forest in the deck I imprinted it to extraplanar lens allowing Cody to stream of life and hurricane for 18+). All this to say that it was an amazingly boring game with the lock on turn 4 it lasted 45 minutes…. So I said to myself if games are going to be played this way I might as well use cards that nobody is prepared for, enter in you. Clicking through your old articles often inspire interesting deck designs. First I thought hey yeah banding that will get some rule books pulled out but then as I was reading though it in the comprehensive rules I realized it would just be too much work to convince people how it works/worked.

 

Almost to the Question:

Then I came to your article from April 17 2003, in which you made a completely phasing deck, and I though yeah what deck doesn’t need phasing? Then I read the comprehensive rules and said yeah this is complex without being too much to handle. It would be fine except if I play blue it means that I play with other peoples cards. I cant help it blue steals so may things, I mean come on only blue could house a card named “Blatant Thievery”. That’s where the phasing line got a little fuzzy.

 

The Question in all its Glory:

So finally here it is:
What happens with a temporary steal like Chamber of Manipulation Enchant Land 2UU, Odyssey, Enchanted land has “Tap, Discard a card from your hand: Gain control of target creature until end of turn.”

 

And then you Vodalian Illusionist Summon – Merfolk [2/2] 2U, Weatherlight, UU, tap: Target creature phases out.

 

I am stuck because of the interaction between 502.15g which says that “Effects with limited duration and delayed triggered abilities that specifically reference a permanent will be unable to further affect that permanent if it phases out” (sorry quoting rules to the rules manager). So I thought hey yeah cool I can get a creature phase it and the end of turn wont affect it. But then I read 502.15h which says “…They also “remember” who controlled them when they phased out, although they may phase in under the control of a different player if a control effect with limited duration has expired.”

 

 

I thought that the effect could no longer affect it and it would only remember being under my control when it left and the whole until end of turn thing would just, you know, go away or something. So I did the responsible thing and tried to look up such instances in rulings and got this:

 

From Saturday School #77 by Rune Horvik, Saturday, May 8, 2004:

Q: I cast a Reins of Power while my Teferi’s Veil is in play, and attack with all of the recently reined in creatures. Under whose control are they when they phase back in? If they remain under my control, must I continue to attack with them each combat phase in order to retain control?
– Clay Doss

A: They phase back in under your opponent’s control in your untap step. Rule 502.15b says that they return in the untap step of the player who controlled them when they phased out, but rule 502.15g says that effects with limited duration (such as until end of turn) are unable to affect the permanents when they are phased out, so you won’t control the creatures when they return.
Phasing in only looks at who controlled the creatures when the left play, not who will control them when they return.

Maybe my logical skills have been fried from trying to grasp both phasing and banding (as well as bands with others) all in one sitting but the answer to me doesn’t make much sense. I like part “b” it fits what I want to do but it seems that part “g” is just trying to mess with me. It says that they wont be affected and yet the ruling made it seem like it did. So now I just don’t know what to think and for some reason now need to make out a time line.

Some phase of the game: gain control of creature (my control)
Some phase of the same turn: phase creature out (my control)
End of my turn: (my control)
My next untap: Things I control phase in (not my control)

Seeing as it was the rules Q/A that got me really confused I decided to go to the top to see what in the holy wombat is going on.

-Ben

 

 

~ by Nick on February 18, 2007.