Scapeshift won't cast if you have no lands in deck (description/visual icon)

Tilwin90
Tilwin90 Posts: 662 Critical Contributor
edited August 2018 in MtGPQ Bugs & Technical Issues
First match with scapeshift, super excited to give it a shot. I put it in my deck, play with it, fill it with mana, and nothing happens... I looked puzzled at the card. Then I think it may be because it's a Huatli2 vs. Huatli2 match.

I try again... same behaviour against a Bolas. Okay, this time no similar colors between the two.

Then it hits me: Path of Mettle and Growing Rites of Itlimoc are not actually lands. So since Scapeshift cannot grab a land from the deck, it will never cast.

Why I see this as misleading? Well, two reasons:
1) The card having an additional effect, I feel this restriction should be present somewhere in the description of the card. It's not something that would immediately popped to my mind.
2) The card in my hand was never red and crossed out and uncastable, making me go even more confused.

It's a shame we have to force a land into our decks to actually benefit from the latest ramp options available in M19. Being able to only destroy gems with it would be fantastic, but this way, I am simply obligated to make room for a land. *rolls eyes* Annoying how the best lands in Standard right now are flip supports and don't count.

Comments

  • Brakkis
    Brakkis Posts: 777 Critical Contributor
    Additionally, Scapeshift does not recognize Rupture Spire as a land (which it is). I was running both of them with Siren's Ruse and Djinn of Wishes. Scapeshift just sat in hand with full mana and wouldn't cast.
  • Tilwin90
    Tilwin90 Posts: 662 Critical Contributor
    That's not right. I use Scapeshift together with Rupture Spire specifically for the combo. There must have been another reason why your Scapeshift did not cast...
  • DBJones
    DBJones Posts: 803 Critical Contributor
    I wonder if Scapeshift would fail to cast if there were no gems of your color(s) on the board?
  • Mburn7
    Mburn7 Posts: 3,427 Chairperson of the Boards
    DBJones said:
    I wonder if Scapeshift would fail to cast if there were no gems of your color(s) on the board?
    Try it with Karn.  It should either destroy no gems or all of them
  • Rhasget
    Rhasget Posts: 412 Mover and Shaker
    Rupture Spire does not trigger with Karn so I suspect Scapeshift won't either.
  • DBJones
    DBJones Posts: 803 Critical Contributor
    edited August 2018
    Rupture Spire doesn't trigger on entering the battlefield with Karn, it will convert three gems to random colors each turn (possibly including loyalty). Scapeshift destroys 5-10 random gems, not what I expected at all. It didn't seem like it was destroying all gems of the opponent's color, it seemed like around the same amount were being destroyed each time. It did fetch and full Rupture Spire too. I suspect the devs actually coded Scapeshift to just destroy x gems for Karn, a good balance between useless and overpowered. Also, this was in Training Grounds, it might destroy by node colors for non-colorless nodes. Actually that would be crazy in the AJTH events, I'll try it out tomorrow.

    Edit: Scapeshift works the same on colored nodes with Karn as it does in Training Grounds, 7 or so random gems are destroyed.
  • Brakkis
    Brakkis Posts: 777 Critical Contributor
    edited August 2018
    Tilwin90 said:
    That's not right. I use Scapeshift together with Rupture Spire specifically for the combo. There must have been another reason why your Scapeshift did not cast...
    Well unless Ob Nix has a way to prevent spells (he doesn't), I sat there with a Kiora having 3 Scapeshifts full in hand and none of them would cast for several turns. Rupture Spires were casting fine and breaking gems so it wasn't a matter of a lack of green or blue gems either. 

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