MTG question (Moltensteel Dragon)

[Wasteland Settler]

wontondeath420

Willexia Rennar

Well, as many times as you can afford to, anyway...you can't drop yourself into negative life totals to keep charging it up. (You CAN, however, drop yourself exactly to 0 life...although usually at that point you're, well, dead.)

Isn't there a card where your life total can be zero, yet you won't lose? Something from New Phyrexia I believe..

Ah! Here it is. Would you pay for Moltensteel's effect with poison counters? It's not exactly damage...

[Wasteland Settler]

Platinum Imperion? Could you pay infinite life?

[LiaThistle]

wontondeath420

wontondeath420

Willexia Rennar

Well, as many times as you can afford to, anyway...you can't drop yourself into negative life totals to keep charging it up. (You CAN, however, drop yourself exactly to 0 life...although usually at that point you're, well, dead.)

Isn't there a card where your life total can be zero, yet you won't lose? Something from New Phyrexia I believe..

Ah! Here it is. Would you pay for Moltensteel's effect with poison counters? It's not exactly damage...

No. The official ruling is that you can't pay life you don't have.
Same goes for Platinum Emperion; you can't pay the life.

[Wasteland Settler]

LiaThistle

wontondeath420

wontondeath420

Willexia Rennar

Well, as many times as you can afford to, anyway...you can't drop yourself into negative life totals to keep charging it up. (You CAN, however, drop yourself exactly to 0 life...although usually at that point you're, well, dead.)

Isn't there a card where your life total can be zero, yet you won't lose? Something from New Phyrexia I believe..

Ah! Here it is. Would you pay for Moltensteel's effect with poison counters? It's not exactly damage...

No. The official ruling is that you can't pay life you don't have.
Same goes for Platinum Emperion; you can't pay the life.

Makes sense. Thought there was an infinite combo there for a sec biggrin

[spammasterjay]

Unlife..I never thought about that possibility! That would make for one killer combo, but
it would be really hard pulling that one off.

[Wasteland Settler]

Idk maybe an white/red deck? White life gains and creates order, while red firebreathes?
I'm a casual player, so it won't be standard xp

Instant/Sorcery/Enchantments
4x Lightning Bolt
4x Journey to Nowhere
4x Condemn
4x Survival Cache
2x Phyrexian Unlife

Creatures
4x Soul's Attendant
4x Serra Ascendant
4x Ajani's Pridemate
4x Squadron Hawk
2x Baneslayer Angel
2x Moltensteel Dragon

Planeswalkers
2x Ajani Goldmane

Lands
2x Evolving Wilds
4x Arid Mesa
4x Clifftop Retreat
6x Plains
4x Mountains

I don't know if it would work, just inspired by the whole pay life to firebreathe thingy.

[LiaThistle]

wontondeath420

Idk maybe an white/red deck? White life gains and creates order, while red firebreathes?
I'm a casual player, so it won't be standard xp

Instant/Sorcery/Enchantments
4x Lightning Bolt
4x Journey to Nowhere
4x Condemn
4x Survival Cache
2x Phyrexian Unlife

Creatures
4x Soul's Attendant
4x Serra Ascendant
4x Ajani's Pridemate
4x Squadron Hawk
2x Baneslayer Angel
2x Moltensteel Dragon

Planeswalkers
2x Ajani Goldmane

Lands
2x Evolving Wilds
4x Arid Mesa
4x Clifftop Retreat
6x Plains
4x Mountains

I don't know if it would work, just inspired by the whole pay life to firebreathe thingy.

Typically, lifegain doesn't work out too well unless it's a background effect (like Exalted Angel). However, cards like Knight of Meadowgrain are stronger for that effect.

[Emrakul]

Soul Sisters was a legit deck. I don't think adding the red to adds a ton. Although if you really wanna add the splash you should work in lightning helix, and maybe the martyr/proc package (and if you really wanna be cute play more red/white spells and kor firewalker). Ranger of eos to find your key one drops is also a good idea.

[LiaThistle]

Emrakul

Soul Sisters was a legit deck. I don't think adding the red to adds a ton. Although if you really wanna add the splash you should work in lightning helix, and maybe the martyr/proc package (and if you really wanna be cute play more red/white spells and kor firewalker). Ranger of eos to find your key one drops is also a good idea.

Soul Sisters and Martyr Proc are exceptions, and there, the lifegain is in massive enough quantities to stall out most non-combo decks. Typical lifegain can't fly up that high, and often isn't a particularly repeatable effect.

[ccggenius12]

LiaThistle

Not technically true. You can "lump sum" it, or one at a time the payment.

Why? Because there's an odd corner case where you have something in play - let's say a Mire Boa ( G: Regenerate 2/1 ), and a Pestilence (B: ~this~ deals 1 damage to each creature and player). You could: pay BBB all at once and regenerate the Boa just once, or, pay BB and B and regenerate the Boa twice, or, pay B, B, and B and regenerate the Boa three times.

Yay for Murk Dwellers rules, no? sweatdrop

This is not true. Pestilence has an activated ability with a cost. Every time you pay that cost, an instance of the ability is put on the stack. Objects on the stack resolve one at a time. Thus, it will always be dealt in 3 packets of 1 damage, and require 3 regenerations. It's possible you were right pre sixth edition, but things haven't resolved in batches for over a decade.
Assuming you are in fact still used to the old rules, I think you should know that tapping a creature doesn't remove it from combat, and artifacts with static abilities still work while they are tapped.

[LiaThistle]

ccggenius12

LiaThistle

Not technically true. You can "lump sum" it, or one at a time the payment.

Why? Because there's an odd corner case where you have something in play - let's say a Mire Boa ( G: Regenerate 2/1 ), and a Pestilence (B: ~this~ deals 1 damage to each creature and player). You could: pay BBB all at once and regenerate the Boa just once, or, pay BB and B and regenerate the Boa twice, or, pay B, B, and B and regenerate the Boa three times.

Yay for Murk Dwellers rules, no? sweatdrop

This is not true. Pestilence has an activated ability with a cost. Every time you pay that cost, an instance of the ability is put on the stack. Objects on the stack resolve one at a time. Thus, it will always be dealt in 3 packets of 1 damage, and require 3 regenerations. It's possible you were right pre sixth edition, but things haven't resolved in batches for over a decade.
Assuming you are in fact still used to the old rules, I think you should know that tapping a creature doesn't remove it from combat, and artifacts with static abilities still work while they are tapped.

I don't remember tapping a creature ever removing it from combat, just stopping it from dealing damage (which was changed when the stack was implemented, if I remember right).
Artifacts with static abilities have been working while untapped since 5th...or maybe Tempest.

Anyhoo, yes, that ruling does seem to be correct (since it explicitly states on Pestilence that such is the case).

[Empty-Shadow12101]

Perfectly leagle & yummy for red players ;D
If you like that, You will love this;





This is a turn 3 Win condition, what you do is;

Turn1: Mountain
Turn2: Mountain/Play Souleater
Turn3:Mountain/Play whipflare to clear their board/Play Assult Strobe on Souleater/Pump for 18 life, hit them for 20 damage

;D
Soooo much fun!

[Emrakul]

So if they have any kind of response you just lose? Vapor snag/gut shot/doomblade/any removal spell leaves you on 2 and if they have a shock or incinerate your just dead? Seems like a poor plan to me.

[Empty-Shadow12101]

Emrakul

So if they have any kind of response you just lose? Vapor snag/gut shot/doomblade/any removal spell leaves you on 2 and if they have a shock or incinerate your just dead? Seems like a poor plan to me.

Didn't say it was a GREAT plan,
It's just fun ;D
Like a game should be.

[Wasteland Settler]

Empty-Shadow12101

Emrakul

So if they have any kind of response you just lose? Vapor snag/gut shot/doomblade/any removal spell leaves you on 2 and if they have a shock or incinerate your just dead? Seems like a poor plan to me.

Didn't say it was a GREAT plan,
It's just fun ;D
Like a game should be.

Love it man. This is why I like red magic. It's risky, they could have something, but what if they don't? I'm sure this strategy has pissed some players off. BUT, this is a good point and why I don't fully go red anymore. They more than likely WILL have something to stop it. So ghey stressed