Pithing Needle? How you do?
Asked by Apex_Promethean 10 years ago
I plan on putting Pithing Needle in my sideboard and just need reassurance on how it works.If I put down Pithing Needle can i name Supreme Verdict or will the "can't be countered" counteract it?
Also if one of my creatures are being detained by Detention Sphere if I name the creature or Detention Sphere with Pithing Needle will it return whatever creature or artifact it was attached to? Then make Detention Sphere blow up?
Last one, if I name a planewalker will he/she/it not be able to use any of its abilities since they're not mana?
Last one this time I promise, if I name a spell like Sphinx's Revelation , then he put it in response to Pithing Needle , will he beable to use it since its on the stack then Pithing Needle goes into effect? Or can you not even target spell? Or spells with X?
Thanks for any response, just need to understand this card.
I think you got Pithing Needle completely messed up.
Pithing Needle doesn't card from being cast, it simply stop activated abilities and they must not be mana abilities. Naming anything not a permanent won't get you anywhere as those don't have activated abilities.
And activated abilities is normally written Cost: Effect.
112.3b Activated abilities have a cost and an effect. They are written as [Cost]: [Effect.] [Activation instructions (if any).] A player may activate such an ability whenever he or she has priority. Doing so puts it on the stack, where it remains until its countered, it resolves, or it otherwise leaves the stack. See rule 602, Activating Activated Abilities.
What you might want is Nevermore and the likes. This card can actually prevent someone from casting said card.
May 9, 2014 3:33 p.m.
Pithing Needle is not a Meddling Mage
Supreme Verdict does not have an activated ability for Pithing Needle to prevent, so naming Supreme Verdict won't do you any good.
Detention Sphere doesn't have an activated ability either(it has triggered abilities), so Pithing Needle won't be useful against that either.
Yes, Pithing Needle will prevent the named planeswalker from activating any abilities. Even Xenagos, The Reveler 's mana producing ability is prevented, because the rules specifically state that loyalty abilities aren't mana abilities.
Your last point is moot, because Sphinx's Revelation doesn't have any activated abilities either.
But to actually answer your last question (maybe you want to name AEtherling instead, You don't name a card with Pithing Needle until it resolves, so no, your opponent can't activate AEtherling 's ability in responce to you naming Aetherling. Naming a card doesn't use the stack.
Your opponent has a chance to respond after you've cast the Pithing Needle and before you've named anything, but not after you've named the thing.
May 9, 2014 3:33 p.m.
hungerwolf says... #4
As another note, it seems you're confused about the term "mana abilities" A mana ability refers to an activated ability that adds mana, such as that on a land, gate or something like Sol Ring or Elvish Mystic . Mana abilities are special.
While a normal ability uses the stack and can be responded to, a mana ability does not use the stack and can not be responded to or prevented.
May 9, 2014 4:02 p.m.
Epochalyptik says... #5
@hungerwolf: More specifically, a mana ability is any ability that doesn't have targets, isn't a loyalty ability, and adds mana to a player's mana pool. Mana abilities don't have to be activated abilities, but triggered mana abilities must trigger from other mana abilities.
GreatSword says... Accepted answer #1
Pithing needle only does 1 thing: prevent a named card's activated abilities from being activated. Activated abilites are ones with a cost, like every ability in Deathrite Shaman or the second ability of Boros Reckoner . It also prevents planeswalker loyalty abilities, since those are activated abilities as well (the +/- loyalty is the cost).
It does 'not' prevent any spells from being cast, nor can it counter anything on the stack. It doesn't interact at all with spells like Sphinx's Revelation , or triggered abilties like Detention Sphere .
May 9, 2014 3:27 p.m.