Need Deck Help
Deck Help forum
Posted on May 18, 2017, 12:44 p.m. by Lardork0880
So I'm new to MTG and have a Harsh Mentor this card looks like fun. I have read the rulings on the MTG website and still find myself questioning what exactly constitutes this ability to trigger and deal damage. Can someone translate this for a noob to understand. Your help is greatly appreciated.
Lardork0880 says... #3
Awesome!! Thank you Argeaux for the easy explanation on this. I feel like I understand the card now. I stopped playing MTG around Ice Age. My brother and some old neighborhood friends are getting together a few nights a month to start playing kitchen table magic. I have a lot to learn :)
Thanks again.
May 18, 2017 1:18 p.m.
Duhphlates says... #4
Best way to explain is to explain what an activated ability is.
To quote the rules
"An activated ability is an ability that can be activated by a player by paying a cost"
For Harsh Mentor, this can include any ability someone activates for an artifact, creature, or land. Now this can't include mana abilities, such as Servant of the Conduit's effect, which adds mana to your mana pool.
Standard examples of activated abilities include:
Removing counters from Walking Ballista
Sacrificing clue tokens to draw cards
Tapping Fan Bearer to tap a creature
Sacrificing Grasping Dunes to its own ability
Tapping Luxa River Shrine for either of it's effects
Obviously there are many more examples, but I assume you can understand the point now.
May 18, 2017 1:20 p.m.
Lardork0880 says... #5
Yes Duhphlates thank you for the response. The wording was confusing me at first with the activated ability of land, followed by if it isn't a mana ability. But these explanations have me all straightened out.... Harsh Mentor should irritate my playgroup... lol
Argy says... #2
OK an activated ability is usually a "cost" followed by : then something that happens due to paying the cost.
So, with Wandering Fumarole your Opponent can turn it into a 1/4 Creature by paying , which is an activated ability.
If your Harsh Mentor is on the field they will lose 2 life for doing that.
With the same card your Opponent can pay another activated cost, which in this case is 0, to change it into a 4/1. Then pay 0 again to turn it back into a 1/4,
If your Harsh Mentor is on the field, every time your Opponent changes the Wandering Fumarole into a 4/1, then back to a 1/4, etc. they would lose 2 life.
If, however, your Opponent tapped the Wandering Fumarole to get a or a mana, your Harsh Mentor would deal no damage as that is a mana ability i.e. An ability that makes mana.
May 18, 2017 1:12 p.m.