{Phyrexian Revoker}
{Pithing Needle}
Can it stop players from playing {Terminus}'s miracle ability, {Cabal Therapy}'s flashback ability, morph abilities?
I was told that it cannot stop {Punishing Fire}'s 'return to hand' ability.
Quote from: Maxpayne03 on May 01, 2014, 07:32:34 PM
{Phyrexian Revoker}
{Pithing Needle}
Can it stop players from playing {Terminus}'s miracle ability, {Cabal Therapy}'s flashback ability, morph abilities?
I was told that it cannot stop {Punishing Fire}'s 'return to hand' ability.
Both cards affect other cards no matter what zone they are in so both will stop cabal therapy but miricle is an alternate casting cost not an activated ability.
6/1/2005 Pithing Needle affects cards regardless of what zone they're in. This includes cards in hand, cards in the graveyard, and exiled cards. For example, a player can't cycle Eternal Dragon or return an Eternal Dragon from his or her graveyard to hand if Pithing Needle naming Eternal Dragon is on the battlefield.
It would not affect punishing because that is a triggered ability rather than an activated ability.
Here's the problem: Flashback and miracle are both alternate casting costs, not activated abilities. Pitching Needle and Phyrexian Revoker have absolutely no interaction with either one.
Morph is actually a Special Action, not an activated ability, so it's not stopped by them, either.
As for Punishing Fire, that's a triggered ability, not an activated one.
All activated abilities are written as, "[cost]: [effect]" key thing is that colon. If you don't see it, it's not an activated ability.
Quote from: FustyDavorite on May 01, 2014, 09:57:10 PM
All activated abilities are written as, "[cost]: [effect]" key thing is that colon. If you don't see it, it's not an activated ability.
This!