If you’re good at figuring out +1/+1 counter problems...
Asked by hosshughes 5 years ago
Last game night, I had this come up. Can someone help with understanding how many counters existed?
It’s late game and I had Cathars' Crusade and Winding Constrictor on the field. I have exactly 11 mana. I cast Walking Ballista for 2. Then I cast a kicked Rite of Replication on the Constrictor.
1) How many counters would be on the new Constrictors?
2) How many counters would go on the Ballista?
Thanks for your help!
I assume you mean you're casting Walking Ballista for a CMC of 2. It should enter with 1 counter on it, but the Winding Constrictor replacement effect instead places 2 on it. Cathars' Crusade sees the Ballista enter the battlefield, and puts another counter on it, but the Constrictor's replacement effect again makes it 2 instead. Walking Ballista now has 4 counters on it.
Next you kick Rite of Replication, targeting Winding Constrictor. Five Constrictor tokens enter the battlefield. Cathars' Crusade triggers five times. You have six Winding Constrictors on the battlefield, so each instruction to place counters becomes that many plus six (see ruling below), meaning each Crusade trigger is now placing seven counters instead of one on each creature you control.
Five Crusade triggers for seven counters each is 35 counters, placed on each creature you control (including the new Constrictors). Assuming no other counters are on any of your creatures, each of your Winding Constrictors has 35 counters, and your Walking Ballista has 39.
From Winding Constrictor's rulings: If you control two Winding Constrictors, the number of counters placed on the artifact or creature is the original number plus two. Three Winding Constrictors adds three to the original number, and so on. (2017-02-09)
December 12, 2018 6:41 p.m.
If you actually intended to cast the Walking Ballista for 2 counters, you would need to pay 4 mana to cast it, and wouldn't have enough to kick the Rite of Replication.
cdkime, the initial question was using Rite of Replication on Winding Constrictor, not Walking Ballista.
Caerwyn says... #1
First question:
Walking Ballista Original enters the battlefield. It gets two counters from the casting cost. As it enters the battlefield, Winding Constructor’s replacement efffect is implicated, so it gets three counters instead. This is a replacement effect, so it will not count as a separate instance of getting counters.
Cathars' Crusade triggers. Your Ballista (O) now it would have 4 counters, but Constrictor adds another one for a total of 5.
You cast Rite of Replication. Five walking ballista enter the battlefield as 0/0s (counters are not copied). Cathers’ triggers once for each. These tokens die due to 0 toughness before Cathers’ resolves.
Your original ballista gets two counters per trigger, since each trigger is separate.
Ending total: 15
December 12, 2018 6:31 p.m.