Hi all, so I'm kinda new to mtg n have only been playin with a few locals friends n I'm goin to my first Friday night game tonight but have a question. If I play a reliquary tower, n tap it with over land to cast a spell, its ability isn't activated is it?? It's ability would only activated if played on its own... Right!? {Reliquary Tower}
Your wording is a bit confusing... but, reliquary tower's only activated ability is to add one colorless mana to your mana pool. tapping it will not do anything else. if it becomes tapped by another permanent, it does not add the mana to your pool. The maximum hand size effect is passive and can only be altered by a card that would specifically say something to modify it, or if it is destroyed.
RESOLVED
Quote from: toastani on February 08, 2013, 08:17:55 AM
Your wording is a bit confusing... but, reliquary tower's only activated ability is to add one colorless mana to your mana pool. tapping it will not do anything else. if it becomes tapped by another permanent, it does not add the mana to your pool. The maximum hand size effect is passive and can only be altered by a card that would specifically say something to modify it, or if it is destroyed.
If its tapped by another permanent, you could tap it in response and add the colorless to you mana pool anyway. Which is why tapping lands unless it has a "turn stall" (ie {Tamiyo, the Moon Sage}'s +1 ability) is basically useless.
But to answer the OP, toastani is right. Maximum handsize is passive. If you want more info on different abilities, there is a sticky thread in, I believe, the rules section that discusses abilities and the different types.