Opponent Asks About Half of A Meld Card I've Not Revealed
Asked by Delphen7 1 year ago
The card in question was Phyrexian Dragon Engine, but I'll use Graf Rats Meld because it's been released.
Say I control Graf Rats (It has the image half), and since all faces are public information, my opponent looks at the back. My opponent then asks about the other half (the half with text).
Strictly by the rules, what do I have to reveal about it? What if I control the text half and my opponent asks about the name of the back card?
dragonstryke58 says... Accepted answer #2
According to the Comprehensive Rules:
712.5. Players who are allowed to look at a meld card may look at its half of the combined back face. Players may access Oracle text for the other member of the meld pair and the combined face at any time (see rule 108.1).
So it seems that if a player has access to information of one half of the melded pair, they have access to the information of the other half as well.
October 5, 2022 9:08 p.m.
Rhadamanthus says... #3
Some additional comments: Oracle text of a card is considered "Derived Information", meaning you're not obligated to help your opponent figure it out but you can't lie about it. In "Regular" Rules Enforcement Level events like FNMs or prereleases it's generally considered good sportsmanship to help if you can. If you're in an event that doesn't allow players to use electronic devices in a way that would let them access Oracle directly then a judge will be able to provide the Oracle text.
October 6, 2022 9:44 a.m.
TypicalTimmy says... #4
So, here's a bit of a curve ball for this thread.
Suppose any one player is playing with a Meld card. They control only one of the two halves, and this particular card is sleeved up with the rest of the deck.
- Sidenote: This pertains to all transform cards, actually.
If an opponent asks to see the card, are they allowed to unsleeve the card and view the back of it? I'd assume so, since all faces of the card are available to them. But that seems iffy, that legally speaking someone can unsleeve your cards at any given moment.
October 8, 2022 12:05 p.m.
TypicalTimmy Once they ask I'd just carefully unsleeve it and show it to them. It's generally considered inconsiderate to just reach for your opponent's cards
October 8, 2022 12:30 p.m.
TypicalTimmy says... #6
Doesn't stop Grabby McGrabbyhands from grabbing your stuff, regardless. But yes, I understand the sentiment. I have been bad about it in the past. Now what I do is I point to the card in question and ask, although this is still a habit I am actively working on breaking so sometimes I accidentally slip up.
But hey, at least I'm making the effort. Right?
Gidgetimer says... #1
Technically the object "Chittering Host Meld Meld" isn't on the battlefield, so I guess you aren't required to give any information. Though... it seems unsportsmanlike to me.
October 5, 2022 8:54 p.m.