Vagabond Mystic Questions

[pat]

Archived from groups: rec.games.trading-cards.jyhad (More info?)

Cardtext:

Vagabond Mystic [SW:U]

Cardtype: Ally


Unique [mortal] with 2 life. 0 strength, 0 bleed.

Tap Vagabond Mystic to move 1 life counter from the blood bank to an ally
you control if that ally has fewer life than his or her starting amount. The
Vagabond Mystic cannot block vampires.

Questions:

1) Can the VM use his ability on himself? Guessing yes, since he's "an ally
you control."

2) Can the VM use his ability during combat? Guessing yes, since (unlike War
Ghoul) there's no card text to prohibit this.

3) Assuming the answers to 1 & 2 are both "yes," suppose Baldesar Rossellini
has rushed the VM and is striking hands for 2. Can the VM tap himself to
reduce the damage to 1 and not die? I'm guessing no, since there's an
incoming "packet" of 2 damage that the VM has to handle all at once, so he's
at 2 life, then he's at 0 life and burned, and there's no intermediate point
at which he's at 1 and can tap himself to add a life.

I controlled Baldesar in a game on Thursday, and I let the VM's controller
do this, just to keep the game moving, but it didn't seem right at the time.
As it turned out, it was more fun to kill the War Ghoul a couple of turns
later.

4) What if it's Frederick the Weak with an Animalism skill card doing the
rushing, and it's little Carrion Crows for 1 and hands for 1? Pretty sure
it's still a damage "packet" of 2, so the answer's the same as (3), but
while I had your attention, I figured I'd check on this one too.

Thx,

Pat

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.games.trading-cards.jyhad (More info?)

Pat wrote:
> 1) Can the VM use his ability on himself? Guessing yes, since he's "an ally
> you control."

Yes.

> 2) Can the VM use his ability during combat? Guessing yes, since (unlike War
> Ghoul) there's no card text to prohibit this.

Yes, but remember that damage must be handled as a chunk (below).

> 3) Assuming the answers to 1 & 2 are both "yes," suppose Baldesar Rossellini
> has rushed the VM and is striking hands for 2. Can the VM tap himself to
> reduce the damage to 1 and not die? I'm guessing no, since there's an
> incoming "packet" of 2 damage that the VM has to handle all at once, so he's
> at 2 life, then he's at 0 life and burned, and there's no intermediate point
> at which he's at 1 and can tap himself to add a life.

Yes; damage cannot be interrupted by other effects.

> 4) What if it's Frederick the Weak with an Animalism skill card doing the
> rushing, and it's little Carrion Crows for 1 and hands for 1? Pretty sure
> it's still a damage "packet" of 2, so the answer's the same as (3), but
> while I had your attention, I figured I'd check on this one too.

Yes. All damage for any given strike resolution is added together,
unless there's a reason why it wouldn't (eg, First Strike). Nice usage
of Frederick the Weak, too.

--Colin McGuigan

 

[pat]

Archived from groups: rec.games.trading-cards.jyhad (More info?)

"Colin McGuigan" <maguaSPAM@BGONEspeakeasy.net> wrote in message
news:-N6dnT1b9KgCvPzfRVn-pw@speakeasy.net...
> Pat wrote:
>> 1) Can the VM use his ability on himself? Guessing yes, since he's "an
>> ally you control."
>
> Yes.
>
>> 2) Can the VM use his ability during combat? Guessing yes, since (unlike
>> War Ghoul) there's no card text to prohibit this.
>
> Yes, but remember that damage must be handled as a chunk (below).
>
>> 3) Assuming the answers to 1 & 2 are both "yes," suppose Baldesar
>> Rossellini has rushed the VM and is striking hands for 2. Can the VM tap
>> himself to reduce the damage to 1 and not die? I'm guessing no, since
>> there's an incoming "packet" of 2 damage that the VM has to handle all at
>> once, so he's at 2 life, then he's at 0 life and burned, and there's no
>> intermediate point at which he's at 1 and can tap himself to add a life.
>
> Yes; damage cannot be interrupted by other effects.
>
>> 4) What if it's Frederick the Weak with an Animalism skill card doing the
>> rushing, and it's little Carrion Crows for 1 and hands for 1? Pretty sure
>> it's still a damage "packet" of 2, so the answer's the same as (3), but
>> while I had your attention, I figured I'd check on this one too.
>
> Yes. All damage for any given strike resolution is added together, unless
> there's a reason why it wouldn't (eg, First Strike). Nice usage of
> Frederick the Weak, too.
>
> --Colin McGuigan

Hmm... so if Frederick also had an Obfuscate skill card and a Celerity skill
card and played Shadow Feint, thereby striking hands for 1 with First
Strike, the VM would be able to tap between First Strike resolution and
Crows resolution to save himself? I think this is a SERIOUS flaw in the
Frederick the Weak multi-rush deck.

- Pat

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.games.trading-cards.jyhad (More info?)

Pat wrote:
> Hmm... so if Frederick also had an Obfuscate skill card and a Celerity skill
> card and played Shadow Feint, thereby striking hands for 1 with First
> Strike, the VM would be able to tap between First Strike resolution and
> Crows resolution to save himself?

Yes, because FtW's strike would resolve in first strike resolution, and
the crows would resolve during normal strike resolution

> I think this is a SERIOUS flaw in the
> Frederick the Weak multi-rush deck.

This is why it packs the Dominate skill cards and Far Mastery's, to
avoid the Vagabond Mystic Defense.

--Colin McGuigan