Archived from groups: rec.games.trading-cards.magic.rules (More info?)
Hello.
We would like to know how to handle the unhinged verbal cards specifically
Spell Counter.
Card Name: Spell Counter
Cost: 2UU
Type: Instant
Pow/Tgh:
Rules Text: Counter target spell.
Gotcha - Whenever an opponent says "Spell" or "Counter,"
you may say "Gotcha!" If you do, return Spell Counter
from your graveyard to your hand.
Set/Rarity: Unhinged uncommon
Here is the ruling on the WotC site:
"Gotcha" Cards
For verbal gotcha cards, what counts as a legal gotcha?
The word must be used exactly. The only exception is plurals. If your
opponent says "guys", that triggers a gotcha for the word "guy."
When doing verbal cards, how do you treat homophones (words that sound alike
but are spelled differently -- such as wait and weight), homographs (words
that are spelled the same but sound differently -- such as read and read),
homonyms (words that are spelled and sound alike but have different
meetings -- such as counter and counter), and homarids (low-level, highly
confusing lobsterfolk from the _Fallen Empires_(TM) set)?
Let's go through them one at a time.
Homophones -- You have an Evil Eye of Orms-by-Gore in your graveyard. Your
opponent says, "I attack." You say "Gotcha!" (I is a homophone of eye). NO
GOOD. The words have to be the same as the one written on the card.
Homographs -- You have a Contract from Below in your graveyard. Your
opponent says, "Because you're playing banned cards in your deck, I hope you
contract an annoying but non-deadly disease." You say "Gotcha!". (Contract
is a homograph of contract.) GOOD. Any pronunciation of the word counts.
Homonyms -- You have a Flash Counter in your graveyard. Your opponent says,
"I'll put a counter on my Triskelion." You say "Gotcha!" (Counter is a
homonym of counter.) GOOD. Any definition of the word spelled the same way
is legal.
Homarids -- Your opponent says, "Look at me. I'm manipulating counters every
turn in such a way that you can never figure out what's going on." NO GOOD.
Well, if you have to use lobster people I guess it's okay (it's hard to
claim anything's too silly for the _Unhinged_ set), but don't flaunt it.
Let's say I have Save Life out and my opponent says "lifeline." Can I say
"Gotcha!"?
Can you say it? Sure. Will it do anything? No. In order to trigger a verbal
gotcha the player must say the exact forbidden word. A longer word that
contains the word (like "lifeline" does with "life") can't be gotcha'ed.
Our situation:
We are playing a 3 vs 3 multiplayer emperor game. Assume players A, B, C on
one team and D, E, F on the other team. Player C has a Spell Counter card
already in his graveyard. It's player F's turn and he attacks player A with
3 Rootwater Thieves and gets through.
Player E giving advice to player F says, "Use the thieves ability to get rid
of player A's counterspells".
Then player C says "Gotcha" and returns the Spell Counter card from his
graveyard to his hand.
Now this seems like it should be a clearcut example of the life/lifeline
example in the ruling, however, player C interprets that player E said "Use
the thieves ability to get rid of player A's counter spells", with the
implied meaning of 'any types of spells that counter other spells'.
Whereas player E contends that he's using the word "counterspells" to mean
the specific cards named "Counterspell" and with the implied meaning that if
player A didn't have the specific cards "Counterspell" in his library, then
get rid of any other types of spells that do similar effects as
"Counterspell" does.
Compounding the disagreement was the fact that it wasn't certain that player
A even had any cards named "Counterspell" in his deck other than the fact
that he was playing blue and that "Counterspell" is a common card played in
our games.
So, does player C get to return the Spell Counter card to his hand or not?
Two more questions about verbal cards in general.
What about tenses of base words?...eg. play, playing, played.
What about plurals that are spelt and prounounced slightly different?...eg.
thief...thieves.
Thanks
Hello.
We would like to know how to handle the unhinged verbal cards specifically
Spell Counter.
Card Name: Spell Counter
Cost: 2UU
Type: Instant
Pow/Tgh:
Rules Text: Counter target spell.
Gotcha - Whenever an opponent says "Spell" or "Counter,"
you may say "Gotcha!" If you do, return Spell Counter
from your graveyard to your hand.
Set/Rarity: Unhinged uncommon
Here is the ruling on the WotC site:
"Gotcha" Cards
For verbal gotcha cards, what counts as a legal gotcha?
The word must be used exactly. The only exception is plurals. If your
opponent says "guys", that triggers a gotcha for the word "guy."
When doing verbal cards, how do you treat homophones (words that sound alike
but are spelled differently -- such as wait and weight), homographs (words
that are spelled the same but sound differently -- such as read and read),
homonyms (words that are spelled and sound alike but have different
meetings -- such as counter and counter), and homarids (low-level, highly
confusing lobsterfolk from the _Fallen Empires_(TM) set)?
Let's go through them one at a time.
Homophones -- You have an Evil Eye of Orms-by-Gore in your graveyard. Your
opponent says, "I attack." You say "Gotcha!" (I is a homophone of eye). NO
GOOD. The words have to be the same as the one written on the card.
Homographs -- You have a Contract from Below in your graveyard. Your
opponent says, "Because you're playing banned cards in your deck, I hope you
contract an annoying but non-deadly disease." You say "Gotcha!". (Contract
is a homograph of contract.) GOOD. Any pronunciation of the word counts.
Homonyms -- You have a Flash Counter in your graveyard. Your opponent says,
"I'll put a counter on my Triskelion." You say "Gotcha!" (Counter is a
homonym of counter.) GOOD. Any definition of the word spelled the same way
is legal.
Homarids -- Your opponent says, "Look at me. I'm manipulating counters every
turn in such a way that you can never figure out what's going on." NO GOOD.
Well, if you have to use lobster people I guess it's okay (it's hard to
claim anything's too silly for the _Unhinged_ set), but don't flaunt it.
Let's say I have Save Life out and my opponent says "lifeline." Can I say
"Gotcha!"?
Can you say it? Sure. Will it do anything? No. In order to trigger a verbal
gotcha the player must say the exact forbidden word. A longer word that
contains the word (like "lifeline" does with "life") can't be gotcha'ed.
Our situation:
We are playing a 3 vs 3 multiplayer emperor game. Assume players A, B, C on
one team and D, E, F on the other team. Player C has a Spell Counter card
already in his graveyard. It's player F's turn and he attacks player A with
3 Rootwater Thieves and gets through.
Player E giving advice to player F says, "Use the thieves ability to get rid
of player A's counterspells".
Then player C says "Gotcha" and returns the Spell Counter card from his
graveyard to his hand.
Now this seems like it should be a clearcut example of the life/lifeline
example in the ruling, however, player C interprets that player E said "Use
the thieves ability to get rid of player A's counter spells", with the
implied meaning of 'any types of spells that counter other spells'.
Whereas player E contends that he's using the word "counterspells" to mean
the specific cards named "Counterspell" and with the implied meaning that if
player A didn't have the specific cards "Counterspell" in his library, then
get rid of any other types of spells that do similar effects as
"Counterspell" does.
Compounding the disagreement was the fact that it wasn't certain that player
A even had any cards named "Counterspell" in his deck other than the fact
that he was playing blue and that "Counterspell" is a common card played in
our games.
So, does player C get to return the Spell Counter card to his hand or not?
Two more questions about verbal cards in general.
What about tenses of base words?...eg. play, playing, played.
What about plurals that are spelt and prounounced slightly different?...eg.
thief...thieves.
Thanks
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